After finishing my discussion with
"Liebharda, do you have the Magical Tool for eavesdropping prevention?"
"Yes, Your Grace. Here it is."
I took the Magical Tool for eavesdropping prevention from Liebharda and handed it to Roderick. Once I saw him clasp it in his hand, I spoke.
"Roderick, you said you have an affinity for all attributes, correct?"
"Yes. I realized it when Teacher Hirschur told me I was someone connected to Lady
Roderick pressed a hand to his chest near his heart, his gaze going distant as if recalling the moment of the Name-Swearing.
"At that time, I was bound by Lady Rozemyne's Magic Power. I felt it firsthand—this Magic Power could both sustain me and kill me. That is why I believe Lady Rozemyne's Magic Power may have influenced my acquisition of blessings. ...Lady Rozemyne has all attributes, doesn't she?"
Looking into Roderick's eyes, which held such certainty, there was no point in hiding it. I nodded and said, "It was entirely my influence, yes."
"I wonder if those who have sworn their names to Lord
"...That is possible. Looking back now, I realize that my potion-making had become slightly easier. However, it was such a marginal difference that I simply attributed it to being in good form that day. Still, for someone like Lord
Furthermore, since the Blessing Ceremony had increased the number of attributes from which he could receive blessings, his Magic Power consumption had noticeably decreased. Roderick added that since
"However, I do not think it would be wise to publicize the increase in attributes that comes from Name-Swearing."
"Please tell me why."
"Name-Swearing is fundamentally not something to be made public. It is a ceremony in which one pledges loyalty to the lord they have chosen as their master, offering everything—including one's life. It is not something to be done with the goal of increasing one's attributes."
Roderick, who had resolved to serve me even at the cost of cutting ties with his family, muttered quietly that he found it distasteful to think of Name-Swearing becoming trendy among those seeking more attributes, as it would cheapen his own loyalty. I nodded slowly.
"I certainly would not want to accept the lives of those who swore their names merely for the sake of gaining more attributes. I do not wish to bear that kind of responsibility."
"However, the current state of Ehrenfest is that children of the former
"...Indeed it is."
"If people must choose someone to swear their names to regardless, I believe more would choose Lady Rozemyne, who possesses all attributes. But that is not what Lady Rozemyne wants, is it?"
While I had resolved to accept the names of the four who had chosen me through careful comparison, I certainly didn't want to be swarmed by opportunists seeking to switch allegiance just for more attributes.
"What concerns me most about publicizing the attribute increase through Name-Swearing is that the children of the former Veronica faction would face even greater resentment from other nobles, and more would argue that they should be punished through collective responsibility after all. If Name-Swearing grants them life and also gives them as many attributes as the lord's family, the punitive significance of collective responsibility is diminished."
The former Veronica faction consisted mostly of middle- to lower-ranking nobles. Some had skillfully incorporated
"However, having many children undergo Name-Swearing is not something that can be kept hidden. I need to discuss this with my adoptive father. Roderick, the fact that you received all attributes is known to the teachers, so please be careful not to let it spread too widely."
"Yes."
After that, through the weekend I continued to pass both the common lectures and practicals on the first day. Every time I went to the lecture hall or the small hall, people would point and whisper things like, "I heard she played a Fechspiel while performing a large-scale blessing," and "Apparently it was a blessing on a scale no one had ever seen." But with so many witnesses who had actually seen it, there was no way to deny it, so I could only leave the rumors alone until they died down.
I also wrote a letter to schedule a meeting with
On my first Earthday, the first-years were shut away in their rooms obtaining their Staves, while the other years headed to gathering sites to collect what they needed for their courses. In normal years, this was done immediately upon arriving at the dormitory, but this year the second- and third-years hadn't been able to gather anything due to the talk of the purge, so they harvested medicinal herbs all at once. Seeing the herbs visibly depleted, I went ahead and released my excess Magic Power to prevent blessings from overflowing.
...That should do it.
And so, without any particular incidents, time passed and the week began. My first specialized course day. I headed to the dining hall for breakfast. On the second floor, only Roderick was waiting—
"He must not have finished integrating it yet."
"He'll surely come out by the afternoon."
The time it took first-years to integrate "the will of the gods" varied from person to person. I glanced briefly down the second-floor hallway lined with boys' rooms, picturing Theodore, who had been so eager to obtain his Staff and turn it into a weapon, and whispered a small "Do your best" in encouragement.
After breakfast, everyone studied in the multipurpose hall. This would continue until the written exams were finished. The first- and second-years had fewer subjects and had already finished everything over the weekend, so this year's earliest team was already decided to be the first- and second-years.
The third-year and above specialized teams were all striving for high scores. This year, the Attendant team's motivation was especially impressive.
...I'll do my best too!
"Still, there really is no specialized building for lord candidates, is there?"
The civil officials, attendants, and knights each had their own specialized buildings, but the lord candidates had none. It felt a little sad. As I pouted, Liebharda chuckled softly.
"This central building serves as the specialized building for both royalty and lord candidates. One wing of the central building contains specialized rooms—there are several rooms that only royalty and lord candidates may enter. It is designed so that those of higher rank do not need to move about too much."
That was certainly true—for someone of my current stature, traveling to distant locations for lectures would be quite taxing. I headed to the room that had been explained during the promotion ceremony.
"Then, please go study hard."
"I've already prepared with Lord Ferdinand, so I'll be fine."
"...I'm a bit anxious. I couldn't keep up with Uncle and Rozemyne's pace before, after all."
"I've done some preparation, and I've received blessings from many divine retainers, so I think lectures will become much easier for me."
"Let's hope so..."
Wilfried continued to grumble as we entered together. Unlike the lecture hall and small hall we had been using as classrooms until now, this room was lined with notably low desks. If we were to practice the same way Ferdinand had during our preparation sessions—building miniature gardens to work with—then the desks needed to be low enough to peer inside easily.
...Though for me, they're actually a bit too high.
If I placed my box on one, I wouldn't be able to look inside. Wouldn't I need a step stool? Looking around the room, I spotted a desk near the front closest to the lectern that had a step stool prepared beside it. It was unmistakably for me.
...As expected of Lady
I sighed lightly and surveyed the room. Naturally, only lord candidates were present here. Until now, even when divided by rank, upper nobles had been in the same lectures, so there had been more people. But imagining this situation continuing for a long time felt incredibly lonely.
"Lady Hannalore, good morning."
"Lady Rozemyne, Lord Wilfried. Good morning."
I immediately made my way over to Hannalore. Over the weekend, Hirschur was supposed to have talked with her about the increase in blessings. I wanted to hear what had been discussed.
"I heard that Teacher Hirschur went to Dunkelfelger to ask some questions. Were you all right, Lady Hannalore? That is, since she becomes oblivious to her surroundings when it comes to research, I was a little worried."
"She told me she wanted to verify whether Lady Rozemyne's hypothesis was correct. I had always found it mysterious why I could receive blessings from multiple divine retainers, but after hearing Lady Rozemyne's hypothesis, I understood."
Hannalore looked pleased, saying, "Thanks to that, I feel so much better."
"So, you mean you had been regularly offering prayers?"
"...Well, you see, I had always hoped to receive the blessing of Dreuffanggore, and I carried the amulet that Kordula made for me at all times, never letting it leave my side, while I prayed."
When Hannalore raised her sleeve slightly, I could see a bracelet-type amulet on her wrist, similar to the one I wore myself. On the slightly oversized magic stone was carved the mark of Dreuffanggore, the Goddess of Time.
"And do you regularly pray to Angrieff, the God of War, as well?"
"That one—well, I wasn't exactly conscious of praying to him regularly, but Dunkelfelger is a land that reverends martial prowess. Before Dipter matches, we sing old war songs and dance, and if we win, there is a ceremony to offer Magic Power to the war-related gods. When we won the Inter-territory Tournament, both my brother and I performed the offering of Magic Power. My brother also has Angrieff's blessing, so it must be the effect of those ceremonies."
...Singing and dancing before a match—like the haka in rugby? But somehow, it made sense.
The reason Dunkelfelger received so many blessings from war-related divine retainers had been revealed. If they prayed earnestly before and after Dipter matches with that much dedication, the seriousness of it would naturally draw blessings.
"Teacher Rufen incorporates some of this into the apprentice knight course as well, so it was speculated that apprentice knights who pray sincerely would also receive blessings from war-related divine retainers."
Just mouthing prayer words or singing war songs at Rufen's direction apparently wasn't enough to earn blessings.
"So the reason Lord Wilfried received blessings from so many divine retainers is because he had been praying regularly as well."
"Our territory was suffering from Magic Power shortages, so after completing the
Hannalore smiled and nodded at Wilfried's words, then suddenly seemed to notice something and looked at me. She opened her mouth hesitantly, with a tentative expression.
"...Then, as the High Priest who prays regularly, how many gods' blessings has Lady Rozemyne received? I recall you said during the music practical that the ceremony made blessings more likely to overflow, didn't you?"
"W-well, that is..."
The other lord candidates, who had apparently been listening in, turned their gazes toward me. Even I was smart enough to realize that giving a straight answer would cause a tremendous uproar.
"The exact number is a secret. ...It is not something to be openly broadcast."
When Hannalore glanced around the room and then nodded in understanding, saying "It must be far too many to reveal," Eglantine entered as the lord candidates' instructor, accompanied by several assistants. The assistants were carrying large boxes.
"It's Lady Eglantine!"
Everyone hurried to their seats upon hearing this announcement. I went to my seat in the front row, where the step stool was waiting. I was a little separated from Wilfried, but I was right next to Hannalore. A small comfort.
"We'll be neighbors, Lady Rozemyne."
"Yes, please take care of me."
Eglantine took her place behind the lectern before us. Though she was a teacher, her attire emphasized her status as royalty, and her hair was elaborately styled. The black mantle that I hadn't paid much attention to before now clearly signified Eglantine's current position.
...Did Lady Eglantine become a teacher in order to gather information from me?
Hirschur's words resurfaced in my mind, and my mood sank slightly. Being suspected and schemed against for information was part of it, but the biggest blow was realizing that the royal family's suspicions were exactly as I'd feared.
I held valuable information for the royal family. The steps to becoming the king, as shown in the Holy Book. It was information that brought danger to both myself and those around me, so I had absolutely no intention of sharing it.
"It has been quite some time, hasn't it, everyone? Even in this form, I am delighted to spend this time with you all."
Despite my darkening mood, Eglantine was beautiful today as well. She stood before everyone with elegant, dancing steps, a warm smile on her face. She delivered a lengthy, noble-style greeting and then explained the transition to the elderly collateral royal who had been serving as their instructor.
Eglantine had apparently been the top lord candidate, and the King had determined she was suited to guide students from here on out.
"I am resolved to do my utmost to guide you all so that you become lord candidates worthy of the title."
After finishing her greeting, Eglantine turned her gaze to the assistants. They began distributing the boxes, working efficiently. Once every student had received one, the assistants promptly left the room. Presumably because they were not to be taught the lecture content. I recalled Ferdinand's words about how the area was off-limits to anyone besides lord candidates.
"Please consider these simplified versions of the Foundational Magic artifacts."
At Eglantine's words, everyone simultaneously looked down at the box that had been placed before them. Viewed from above, each box was roughly sixty centimeters square, filled with fine, dry sand like a desert. In the center sat a magical artifact about ten centimeters in diameter, with magic stones the size of marbles arranged in various colors.
...Quite large, isn't it?
Nearly twice the size of the teaching materials Ferdinand had used during our preparation. I was glancing around, wondering what differences there might be, when the lecture explanation began.
"In the lectures for third-year lord candidates, we will mainly practice the handling of Foundational Magic."
It seemed we would practice by treating the provided miniature gardens as our territories and actually manipulating them—a simplified version of Foundational Magic. Exactly the same as what Ferdinand had done with me during our preparation.
...I'd be in trouble if the content were any different.
"This miniature garden represents the territory assigned to you, and the magical artifact at its center is a model of the Foundational Magic."
The fine, dry sand appeared to be in a state of depleted Magic Power. As you filled it with Magic Power, it would gradually become soil suitable for growing grass.
"First, please produce your Staffs. Then, color this miniature territory with your own Magic Power."
Eglantine said this with a gentle smile. We produced our Staffs as instructed. There was no better Magical Tool for adjusting Magic Power than the Staff. I touched the magic stones with the tip of my Staff, pouring in Magic Power.
The artifact contained many magic stones, but all of them were connected. Pouring Magic Power into one would allow me to color them all at once.
...Heave-ho, and—wha!?
As I poured Magic Power in with the same feeling I usually had when coloring magic stones, I realized that the magical artifact—and not just that, but the entire miniature garden—was transforming. I hastily stopped my Magic Power. However, once started, the flow didn't stop immediately. Magic Power continued to seep in slowly, like water droplets endlessly dripping from a broken faucet.
...What do I do? My Staff isn't working at all. I can't adjust my Magic Power!
"My goodness, I had heard about it, but Lady Rozemyne really is remarkable."
"Lady Eglantine..."
"Lady Rozemyne—Lady Eglantine, please. Fufu. ...In any case, to think that in such a short time you've colored not just the magical artifact but the entire miniature garden..."
The box, which had been filled with desert-like dry sand, had in an instant turned to black soil with green sprouting in places. Moreover, the flow of Magic Power hadn't completely stopped yet, so the green was still slowly spreading.
Eglantine watched with a delighted, serene smile, her orange eyes sparkling, saying, "Seeing it in person is truly astonishing." I, on the other hand, wanted to cry.
...Please don't look at me with such an impressed expression! I'm a hopeless girl who can't control her Magic Power!
Eglantine tilted her head curiously as she observed the progress of the miniature garden.
"What shall we do? The plan for today was to color the Foundational Magic and fill the territory with Magic Power before finishing, but it seems Lady Rozemyne is nearly done already. Will you continue on to the next step? Or would you like to keep pace with everyone else and move on to the next lecture?"
"I'd like to finish quickly. After the lecture, I need to practice Magic Power control. Also, my escort won't come until the lecture time is over, so I won't be able to leave this room."
After that, I was given further assignments—sketching the design diagrams needed for creating barriers and boundary gates, and preparing the gold dust required for the Entwicken spell.
"For the next lecture, I will teach you the names of the Darkness God and the
"Yes."
During Ferdinand's preparation sessions, we hadn't been taught the names yet, so I'd gotten by using "the Darkness God" and "the Goddess of Light" for the incantations. That was why, even when I'd managed to shape the Entwicken spell, it collapsed within about five minutes. I had taken the trouble to build a model of my ideal library, and it crumbled in five minutes—could anyone appreciate my sorrow?
Incidentally, when I was lamenting this, Ferdinand scolded me for "wasting time," and for the next assignment he banned me from making a library. Instead, I had to make my own room, but when I filled it with bookshelves, he yelled at me for making "something no different from a library."
While recalling all this, I worked through my assignments.
...Pouring Magic Power into magic stones to create gold dust—simple, simple.
I squeezed the junk magic stones, turning them into gold dust one after another, when Hannalore next to me—holding down the central magical artifact with her Staff—stared at me with a bewildered expression.
"Lady Rozemyne, you turn them into gold dust so effortlessly."
"For me right now, it's actually easier to pour Magic Power indiscriminately. Just between us, I'm currently in a saturated state and can't stop precisely. If I'm not careful, it could become a blessing and cause Magic Power to overflow."
I whispered this quietly, and Hannalore's eyes went wide before she broke into a delighted laugh.
"My goodness. Then if you performed a blessing with the same force as during music class, everyone's miniature gardens might end up colored by your Magic Power."
"...I'm being careful not to let that happen. In fact,
If I let out a blessing in this room right now, there was a real possibility of seizing control of everyone's miniature gardens. I absolutely couldn't do something so dangerous. In response to my answer, Hannalore's red eyes darted about uncertainly before she smiled just slightly, looking troubled.
"I was only joking, but it seems Lady Rozemyne really could do it..."
...I've been caught!
"H-ha ha ha, ha ha. I-I was joking too."
I kept turning magic stones into gold dust while managing a laugh. Maybe this would be enough to smooth things over.
...No, probably not. Lady Hannalore has completely pulled back.
Flustered and desperate for someone to help me, I heard Wilfried's cheerful voice from behind.
"Lady Eglantine, I've managed to color the Magical Tool. It seems that the blessings have indeed reduced my Magic Power consumption and made it easier to handle."
Turning around with a near-tearful expression, I could see Wilfried proudly showing his miniature garden to Eglantine, who was praising him. He looked every bit the effortless honors student.
...He got so many blessings and now it's even easier for him?! It's not fair—Brother Wilfried is the only one who benefits!
After venting silently, I decided to offer a heartfelt prayer to the gods who had granted me their blessings.
...Gods, please don't let Lady Hannalore decide to stop being my friend!
A brief chat with Roderick.
And then, my first specialized course.
It was nothing but review, so easy enough—but Hannalore's gaze was painful.
Next up: the offering dance.