My name is Ruelra. I am a third-year upper-class official apprentice from
Today, I am scheduled to participate in a joint research project being conducted by
"I've completed the purification, prepared the recovery medicine, and I've more or less memorized the words of prayer."
"Haven't you undergone the ceremony to receive the divine gifts yet? Aren't the words you chant during that ceremony almost the same? Don't all Ehrenfest students pass on their first try, even the lower-ranking nobles?"
My sister gave me a look of exasperation, but memorizing all the names of the gods is genuinely difficult. Please don't compare me to the Ehrenfest students who all passed on the first try. The third-years in Ehrenfest have been passing their written exams since the very first day of enrollment. And the Lord Candidate leading them, Rozemine, passed the practical exams with the fastest record too, so I really can't be compared to them.
"You really can't get any decent information out of anyone…"
"You're in the same boat, aren't you, sister? You can't get information about Rozemine either."
When Rozemine enrolled, all my sister managed to learn was a single boastful remark from
"Unlike you, sister, I've learned from Hartmut and
The lower-ranking nobles of Jossbrenner had asked me to visit the library because Ehrenfest was buying up stories from various regions at high prices, and they wanted to know what kinds of stories Rozemine preferred "so they could negotiate a higher price, but since the one in charge is an upper-class noble, they couldn't approach directly." That was how I came to receive information from Hartmut and Philine.
...Rozemine apparently enjoys romance stories. I didn't quite understand the phrase "uriagete-ki," though.
I felt certain that Rozemine and I would get along. I adore romance stories too.
Muriela, who recently joined Rozemine's circle of attendants, was also introduced through Philine. Muriela is an avid lover of romance stories, and once the two of us start talking, our conversations about gathering information from various regions inevitably shift to tales of romance.
...I want to become close with Rozemine quickly so I can read all of Ehrenfest's romance stories.
Asking Muriela what stories she's heard is enjoyable, but I want to read them myself.
...The new Noble Academy romance stories apparently feature a wonderful scene where, in a gazebo where the Goddess of Time plays her mischief, the Darkness God spreads his great sleeves wide and envelops the
"You want to marry into Ehrenfest just to read new books? Stop saying such airy-fairy things and look at reality for once. After all those high-achieving students and all the attention Ehrenfest has been getting, you couldn't marry in there even if you wanted to. The situation is completely different from a few years ago."
"If I married into a middle-ranking family in Ehrenfest, then…"
"Father and Mother only know Ehrenfest from when it was wandering at the bottom of the rankings. There's no way they'd approve of you marrying into a middle-ranking family there. Stop talking nonsense and let's head to the auditorium."
My sister called out to Lustraone, the other apprentice official from Jossbrenner. The three of us — myself, my sister, and Lustraone — are participating in this joint research on behalf of our duchy.
Ehrenfest had long been a middle duchy languishing at the bottom, but it shot up in rank after navigating a political upheaval neutrally. Because of this, it appears they've been able to preserve a tremendous amount of Magic Power. The fact that their duchy's production has increased and stabilized further confirms that they possess abundant Magic Power to fill their lands.
Moreover, over the past five or six years, their Academy rankings have been climbing steadily. At first, only their lower-year written exam scores shot up, and people mocked them for desperately trying to maintain their ranking. That was before I enrolled, when Jossbrenner still ranked higher.
However, students started appearing who improved their practical exam scores as well, and students finishing their practicals with Magic Power levels unimaginable for a middle duchy began to emerge. This trend continues to this day.
Now that more than half of the duchy's students have improved, the rumor is that they've discovered an excellent method of Magic Power compression.
After Rozemine enrolled, her first-day pass on all written exams drew everyone's attention, and she unveiled all manner of new things. However, just because something novel comes from a middle or lower duchy doesn't mean it will become popular. Unless an upper duchy picks it up and spreads it, it simply fizzles out as a curiosity.
At the tea parties of the middle and lower duchies, many attendees expressed pity for Rozemine, who had to return to Ehrenfest due to poor health during the social season, while smirking cynically and saying things like, "It would be nice if an upper duchy would pick it up."
When it was revealed at the all-duchy tea party hosted by Ehrenfest at the end of Rozemine's first year that Prince
...My sister attended as the representative, so I don't know the details, but I hear it was a tumultuous affair, especially with Rozemine collapsing and the event ending prematurely.
Even after that, when people rushed to gather information, Ehrenfest's students were impossible to catch with the Interduchy Tournament approaching. Those who thought they could casually gather information during the tournament were out of luck when Rozemine didn't attend, and Ehrenfest's area — which should have been quiet in years past — was flooded with Aub-level leaders from upper duchies, leaving the middle and lower duchies unable to get close.
In her second year, Rozemine achieved another first-day pass and vanished from lectures in the blink of an eye. During the social season,
At the Interduchy Tournament, it was Wilfried and Charlotte who dealt with the middle and lower duchies, while Rozemine was busy attending to
And now, Rozemine is finally present at the Academy during the social season. The opportunity to speak with her for the first time had arrived.
Rozemine smiled warmly when the topic turned to books, but grew bashful and dodged the subject when it came to her own romantic affairs. However, when the conversation turned to the Aub's bad reputation, her expression turned sorrowful.
According to rumors gathered at the Lord's Meeting, the Aub has shown significant favoritism toward his biological children, and Rozemine has been confined to the
Rozemine denied this, but it is a well-known fact that Wilfried and Charlotte, the Aub's biological children, did not return to Ehrenfest during the social season. If they were truly all treated equally, wouldn't they have returned together?
"Say, Rozemine. I'd like to discuss the joint research rather than the Temple. How exactly is the research being conducted with the upper duchies?"
Just as Rozemine began to speak about the ceremonies at the Temple, Murrenloye, a Lord Candidate from
Last year, an upper-class noble from Immerdink had accidentally attacked Rozemine and faced punishment for it. Murrenloye had said at a previous tea party, "No one agrees with me about the damages Immerdink suffered at Rozemine's hands," but what gall.
The damage from Ternisbefallen had been significant, and the rank drop resulting from the upper-class noble's punishment was hardly Rozemine's fault. Just as those around Murrenloye tried to intervene, Rozemine, who had been lost in thought, raised her face and offered a gentle smile.
"As part of the joint research with Dunkelfelger, we will be showcasing one of Ehrenfest's religious ceremonies. This is contingent on obtaining Dunkelfelger's permission, but if you are interested, you are welcome to participate."
"Oh? I may join?"
...You're too soft, Rozemine.
I was dumbfounded, but everyone around us surged forward. The unspoken sentiment was clear: if Immerdink was allowed to participate, then surely their own duchies should be as well. I hurriedly joined the crowd.
"Sister! We might be able to participate in the joint research with Dunkelfelger and Ehrenfest!"
"Well done, Ruelra."
Just as Rozemine had said with a smile, Jossbrenner immediately submitted a request to Dunkelfelger to participate in the joint research.
"Then, it shall be a Ditter!"
I had no idea what a Ditter had to do with joint research, but agreeing to a Ditter with Dunkelfelger was beyond my authority. After consulting with the Aub, the decision was made to hold a Ditter and then participate in the joint research, so the knight apprentices fought one on our behalf.
"Ruelra, what Dunkelfelger wanted was a Treasure-Stealing Ditter."
"...Treasure-Stealing is an old form of Ditter, isn't it?"
We ended up competing in a Ditter that we now only studied briefly in written classes and never practiced in practicals. The middle and lower duchies fought together but were utterly defeated, resulting in a situation where a massive amount of recovery medicine was needed. If it had been a speed-based Ditter, far less recovery medicine and Magic Power would have been required, making this a terrible miscalculation for Jossbrenner.
"Nowadays, the gathering grounds have thinned out so much that you can hardly find good materials."
The materials were poor quality, and making recovery medicine required enormous amounts of Magic Power. The apprentice officials worked overtime to produce it, but we couldn't exactly ask the knight apprentices to pay for it. This was damage incurred under the Aub's orders, outside of regular coursework.
I obtained the Aub's approval and covered the recovery medicine costs from the Academy's budget, but this sharply reduced the funds available for the Interduchy Tournament.
However, thanks to the knight apprentices' efforts, Dunkelfelger sent exactly three wooden plaques granting participation — just as we had requested. These are the permits that must be brought along. I was told to take them to Ehrenfest's apprentice officials to receive the participation instructions, so I contacted Muriela.
"Huh? You need recovery medicine to participate in the joint research?"
"Yes. Rozemine's ceremony requires Magic Power, so I think you'd be in trouble without it."
Muriela's words put me in quite a dilemma. The Aub had ordered it, and the knight apprentices had worked hard, but it was awkward to say we wouldn't participate in the ceremony. Yet I wanted to avoid any situation that would require using even more Magic Power and more recovery medicine.
...Perhaps it would have been wiser to decline, as Immerdink did when they were challenged to a Ditter.
I heard that Immerdink, which had suffered the greatest damage during last year's raid from Ternisbefallen, had almost no knight apprentices befitting a middle duchy, and so was unable to participate in the Ditter and declined.
"Jossbrenner doesn't have the surplus that Ehrenfest does. Is it really worth joining this joint research if it means participating in a ceremony that requires even more Magic Power?"
Muriela tilted her head slightly at my words.
"I don't know about other duchies' surpluses, but... I believe Rozemine's ceremonies are worth seeing. You'll truly understand what it means to offer prayers to the gods, and what it means to be loved by them."
I was struck breathless by the unexpected seriousness in Muriela's green eyes, which normally sparkle only for romance stories, and I resolved to participate in the joint research.
Over two hundred people had gathered in the auditorium. I was startled by the sheer number and grew anxious upon realizing there were only three cloaks the same cream color as mine. I tugged gently at my sister's cloak.
"Sister, is this many people participating in the research?"
"Most of them appear to be Lord Candidates, so they probably have numerous attendants with them. I don't think the actual participants are nearly this many."
When I enrolled, Jossbrenner's Lord Candidates hadn't yet graduated, so unlike my sister, who was an attendant to a graduated Lord Candidate, I had a rather vague awareness of Lord Candidates always moving about with their entourage.
...I rarely interacted with Lord Candidates when working in the castle, either.
"Um, Fairzile. Isn't that the Central Knight's Order over there?"
Lustraone pointed toward the back of the auditorium, at the door leading to the innermost chamber where one received their Staff. As she said, for some reason, knights of the Central Knight's Order clad in black cloaks were lined up in a row. Several of them looked as though they had been in a battle just moments ago. They had healed their wounds with recovery medicine, but the damage to their clothing could not be hidden.
"What happened?"
"How would I know something you, Ruelra, who brought the information about this joint research, don't know?"
Even my sister's face showed tension. There was no way to predict what might happen in this joint research between Dunkelfelger and Ehrenfest. Thinking about it more carefully, gathering people in an auditorium for joint research was itself peculiar.
"Beyond this door, in the innermost chamber, the ceremony will be held. All participants must present their permit. Those without permits will not be admitted. Please enter one at a time in an orderly fashion."
Students from Ehrenfest and Dunkelfelger were calling out in loud voices. Among them, I spotted Philine and Muriela.
The first to enter were
Second-ranked Dunkelfelger, being the ones conducting the joint research, had already entered. Third-ranked
"Why can't I go in?! I am Lord
"Those without permits cannot enter. There are no exceptions, not even for guard knights."
"If this is allowed..."
The moment the guard knight revealed his anger, the Central Knight's Order moved in unison.
"Those without permits may not enter. Step back."
Glared at with sharp, hostile eyes and spoken to in a low, displeased voice, the guard knight clenched his teeth tightly and retreated slowly. I hadn't expected that even attendants would be denied entry without a permit.
"What are Dunkelfelger and Ehrenfest thinking, separating guard knights from their charges?"
Growing anxious, I gripped my permit tightly.
Just then, a student who had gone beyond the door was sent back. Wearing a wisteria-purple cloak, they were likely from
"That's not it! I bear no malice...! It's Rozemine! It's Rozemine's conspiracy!"
"Let's hear the details."
The apprentice knights from Ehrenfest and Dunkelfelger handed the student over to the Central Knight's Order, and the young woman, her face twisted in distress, was escorted out of the auditorium.
"What... what is happening inside?"
My words were met with a quiet shake of Lustraone's head.
"I don't know. But based on what she said, I suspect there is something that identifies those who harbor malice or dangerous intentions."
"There must be something to ensure safety even without guard knights. ...If there's no hostility or ill will, there shouldn't be any problem. Klassenberg and Drewanchel haven't been sent back."
My sister spoke in a low voice and glanced at the people from small duchies nearby. Some of these were people who had been jealous of Ehrenfest at tea parties and had said many unkind things.
...I had complained about needing so much recovery medicine, but that wasn't hostility, was it?!
Heart pounding, I waited for my turn. Out of the five Ahrensbach apprentice officials, two had been expelled, but the rest entered one by one. Just like everyone else, they paused momentarily before crossing the threshold.
"What's over there? Everyone stops, don't they?"
The door was open, but the innermost chamber was concealed behind a membrane of multicolored Magic Power, making it impossible to see inside. My sister, who had entered before me, paused just the same.
"Next, please."
Called forward by Philine, I clutched my permit to my chest and stepped forward. The Central Knight's Order members standing on either side of the door were terrifying, but I tried my best not to look down.
The moment I tried to slip through the membrane, the scene beyond came into view, and I stopped in my tracks, just as everyone else had.
...What is this?! No one told me the royal family would be assembled like this!
The moment I entered, what met my eyes was the royal family lined up inside a yellowish, translucent hemispherical barrier. At the very front stood Rozemine, dressed in the vestments of the High Priest.
The shock was so great I thought my heart might stop. As I stood frozen, a voice called from beside me: "May I see your permit, please." Still dazed, I handed my permit to Clarissa from Dunkelfelger.
"This is
Rozemine said this with a smile and stepped aside. Lined up from the left were Eglantine, Prince Anastasius, and then King
I never could have dreamed that I, an upper-class noble from a middle duchy, would have an audience with the royal family in person. Though King Trauerqual was often looked down upon by losing duchies for not possessing the
"I humbly pray for your blessing upon this rare encounter, one born of the strict judgment of the Life God EviLiebe."
"You have it."
The King's voice was gentler than I had expected, and with a slight sense of relief, I offered my blessing and made my introduction.
"I am Ruelra of Jossbrenner. It is the greatest honor to meet you, Zent Trauerqual."
"I thank you for your assistance today, Ruelra."
To be addressed by name and thanked by the King — it was something I had never imagined. For an upper-class noble of my standing, the honor was overwhelming, and were it not for Rozemine's prompting, I might have burst into tears of gratitude right there.
"Ruelra, Hartmut will guide you."
Encouraged to rise, I found Hartmut standing there, dressed in the blue vestments of a Priest. Why would a noble who had graduated from the Academy be wearing a Priest's blue robes? I had barely recovered from the shock of finding the royal family lined up inside, only to be hit by an entirely new one.
"Hartmut, those robes..."
"I am the Chief Priest who supports High Priest Rozemine. And it's not just me. Wilfried and Charlotte are wearing them as well. Today is a special occasion, but normally, the Dedication Ceremony performed by Rozemine is a rite that only Priests and Shrine Maidens robed in blue may attend."
Hartmut gazed down at the Temple vestments — which every noble scorned — with unmistakable pride, wearing the exact same smile he always wore when extolling Rozemine's greatness. I could picture him heading to the Temple with undisguised glee, but that was simply unthinkable for a noble. I shook my head and banished the thought.
"Please wait here."
Hartmut guided me to a spot beside my sister, on a red carpet. The seats were arranged in a wide circle with the center left open, with higher-ranking duchies positioned closer to the middle and lower-ranking ones farther out. Given that the circle was incomplete — with one side left open in a straight line — I surmised that the royals would move to the center after their greetings.
"So all of Ehrenfest's Lord Candidates truly did come and go from the Temple."
As Hartmut left to guide Lustraone, who had entered next, my sister murmured in a small voice.
I looked around the room once more and, just as Hartmut had said, found Wilfried and Charlotte dressed in blue vestments. A single glance at their garments told you whether they had been hastily borrowed for the occasion or custom-made. The two, still growing, wore properly tailored robes — and moreover, they weren't entirely new; one could tell they had been worn several times before.
"Setting aside the rumors of differential treatment of biological children, it's clear that Ehrenfest's Lord Candidates do indeed perform religious rites."
The moment she said this, a sudden gust of wind blew through. Wondering what had happened, I looked up and saw that someone had been repelled by Schutzaria's Shield, which protected the royals, and was being escorted out by Ehrenfest and Dunkelfelger's knight apprentices.
"I bear no hostility!"
"Perhaps the hostility isn't toward the royal family, but toward me? However, I must ask you to refrain from today's ceremony. We cannot have someone with hostility or ill will at a ceremony conducted without guard knights."
Rozemine said this in her unhurried manner as she watched the student being led away.
Those expelled were apparently harboring hostility toward either Rozemine or the royal family. There seemed no way to verify whether this was true, yet why was everyone so certain?
"Is this really all right? If it's not true, that would be terrible, wouldn't it? Being scrutinized by the royal family on suspicion of possible hostility..."
"But they are being clearly repelled. Among the upper duchies, only the two from Ahrensbach were expelled, and both had explicitly stated their hostility toward Rozemine. But that man just now was from a duchy that lost in the political upheaval. There's a possibility that many more will be expelled going forward."
Just as Lustraone predicted, many who entered after were subsequently expelled. It seemed to be concentrated among duchies whose representatives had complained about declining in rank or falling into turmoil due to losing the political conflict, and I believed this was because they harbored hostility toward the royal family.
...Rozemine said, "I believe the hostility is directed at me," but the royals surely knew better.
After several people were expelled, the lengthy process of everyone's entry was finally complete. The two Dunkelfelger Lord Candidates who had been standing by the wall remained, while the knight apprentices from Ehrenfest and Dunkelfelger withdrew. The apprentice officials then closed the door tightly and took their positions, just as we had.
"Now, please move to the center."
At Rozemine's words, the royals walked one by one into the open space in the middle. Rozemine waited for them to move and then dispelled Schutzaria's Shield.
"We shall now begin the Dedication Ceremony."
Wilfried explained the Dedication Ceremony, and for the first time, I learned that the ceremony we were about to perform was one that gathered Magic Power from everyone and presented it to the royal family.
...What part of that is joint research?! Every duchy is suffering from a Magic Power shortage — have I been deceived?!
My inner voice, it seemed, echoed the thoughts of everyone around me. Charlotte opened her mouth as she looked around at the crowd who had raised their heads in surprise.
"This joint research began because students from Dunkelfelger and Ehrenfest received multiple divine gifts from the gods. From the common thread that both duchies regularly perform ceremonies of prayer to the gods, we hypothesized that prayer and ceremony might be of great importance."
Those who had been about to protest fell silent. I had known that there were students in Ehrenfest's third year who possessed multiple divine gifts, but I hadn't known about the connection to ceremonies. In fact, one lower-ranking noble had received gifts from attributes outside their aptitude, and a certain middle-ranking noble had obtained all attributes.
"My brother and sister, who perform religious rites at the Temple in Ehrenfest, have received twelve and twenty-one divine gifts, respectively."
"Based on my personal experience, I can now perform potion-making and similar tasks using roughly seventy percent of the Magic Power I previously needed. In this age of Magic Power scarcity, I believe this is a highly significant research outcome."
Wilfried's words, having personally received twelve divine gifts, carried weight. If preparing potions required less Magic Power, wasn't that effectively the same as having gained more?
Leischaft, still standing by the wall, also spoke up.
"Among those who participated, many surely witnessed the divine blessings bestowed upon Dunkelfelger during the Ditter ceremony. It was confirmed through the ceremony that one's strength and speed could change dramatically. This is the result of this research."
So Dunkelfelger's terrifying Ditter prowess had been partly due to the divine blessings from the ceremony.
As I blinked in astonishment, Hartmut began walking slowly toward the center, holding something bell-shaped in his hand. With each step, his resonant voice filled the room.
"The first Zent was a High Priest. There was once an era when it was natural for the Zent, and for the Aub, to serve as High Priest and offer prayers to the gods. By participating in today's ceremony, Rozemine hopes that you will feel the power of the gods more intimately, reconsider the role of the Temple, and that even a few more people may receive the divine gifts."
I couldn't help but search for Rozemine. Having dispelled Schutzaria's Shield, she stood quietly by the door. The thought that she wanted everyone to be able to receive the gods' blessings, rather than keeping it exclusively for herself, struck me as profoundly beautiful. I began to understand, just a little, why Hartmut boasted of her as "Ehrenfest's Holy Maiden."
"We shall now begin the Dedication Ceremony. Please kneel where you are and place your hands on the red carpet. Then, repeat the words of prayer after High Priest Rozemine."
Following Hartmut's instructions, everyone shifted from their seated positions to kneeling, placing their hands on the floor. The royals assumed the same posture. I could see Wilfried and Charlotte moving from the center toward the edges to kneel.
Standing were only the two Dunkelfelger Lord Candidates by the wall, Hartmut in the center, and Rozemine by the door. Then — *shang!* — a great bell rang out.
"The High Priest enters!"
Ruelra, who adores romance stories and gets along splendidly with Muriela.
The ceremony was about to begin.
I wasn't able to attend up to this point.
I can only hope that the shock of finding the royal family there comes through, given that I went to the auditorium without being told anything.
Next is Part 2.