I brought
"So after Lady Rosemine comes of age, Lord Melchior will be taking over? That is reassuring. We've been able to coordinate much more easily with the Lord and the knights by having discussions like this with Lady Rosemine here. It was the same this winter, and we received help the other day too, when a noble from another territory came to the West Gate."
After saying that, Father shifted his gaze from me to
"Would it be all right if I took this opportunity to thank Lord Damuel directly? We rarely get the chance."
"Of course, but—"
When I turned around and looked up at Damuel, he just wore a slightly troubled expression and said nothing more. Father wasn't the only one watching Damuel—several of the other soldiers were as well. The soldiers rose and knelt before me and Damuel.
"You said it was by Lady Rosemine's orders, but all of us soldiers in the lower city are grateful to Lord Damuel. Thank you."
...What on earth happened?
Perplexed by this praise I didn't understand, I looked between Damuel and
"
"I was simply doing my job, Lady Rosemine."
"But you helped the soldiers in the lower city, didn't you?"
As the lord, it was only natural that I would want to hear about Damuel's exploits. I turned my gaze to Father. He glanced at Damuel, who looked like he would prefer to stay silent, and began to speak.
"We received orders to prevent nobles from escaping through the North Gate during winter. The knights gave us several magical tools that soldiers could use as well, and even the signal devices for calling reinforcements were distributed to everyone. But once the gate was sealed, the nobles used their riding beasts, and even if we sent a reinforcement signal, rescue couldn't reach the North Gate at the edge of the Noble District quickly."
During the purge, most of the knights had been mobilized. Two knights were always stationed at the North Gate, but with only two of them, it was difficult to stop multiple nobles trying to flee. In those circumstances, Damuel had been the first to rush to their aid.
"I was at the
Damuel said this modestly, but when the two knights and the commoner soldiers were desperately defending the North Gate, Damuel launching attacks from behind the fleeing nobles had been an incredibly reassuring presence.
"Thanks to that, only a few soldiers at the North Gate suffered minor injuries. Also, when the situation arose at the West Gate, Lord Damuel was the first to rush there for damage control as well. The soldiers are grateful."
I never expected that Damuel had earned such gratitude and trust from the lower city soldiers. Impressed, I told the soldiers to retake their seats.
Then I asked about recent affairs in the lower city and relayed news that reforms would be carried out in Glessel as well, which would bring substantial work to the craftsmen. Melchior listened with keen interest.
Quite a lot of time must have passed while I was talking with the soldiers. After being whispered to by an aide, Melchior stood up. "If I'm late for dinner, I'll be breaking my promise to Father."
"Sister Rosemine, today was very educational."
"I could see you making a real effort to absorb everything, Melchior. I'm delighted as well. Please, take this from me—it's a charm in the form of a magical tool."
I had left charms for
"I gratefully accept. Also, I will try to tell Father about the soldiers' stories. Now, if you'll excuse me."
Melchior hastily climbed onto his aide's riding beast and departed, leaving behind a request that I confirm whether he had been reporting properly.
...Wait, isn't Melchior being way too mature? Was I actually doing a good job of being the respectable older sister?
I watched Melchior leave, a little uneasy about whether I had managed to project the dignity befitting an elder sister.
The next morning, I saw off the carriage carrying my usual attendants and cooks, and then the carriage with the Gray Priests returning to Ehrenfest.
"To all the soldiers who served as our guards, you have my thanks. This is a token of our gratitude."
As I spoke, I pressed a small pouch containing money and two charms into Father's hand. He seemed to notice the sensation was different from mere silver coins, and discreetly slipped it into his pocket while saying, "You humble me." Mother and Turi already had identical charms, so they would know how to use them and could identify who the second charm was for.
I continued handing out the usual expedition allowance to the soldiers while keeping Father's movements in my peripheral vision. Father chided the soldiers whose faces brightened at the sight of the allowance—"Now, stay sharp! The job isn't over yet!"—and took up his post guarding the carriage.
"I will see them safely to the Temple."
"I'm counting on you, Gunther."
Even in this brief exchange, I was glad that we could face each other and talk like this. I watched Father return with the carriage escort and headed for the next winter residence.
After completing my portion of the Dedication Ritual and returning to the Temple, I immediately contacted the Plantane Company. I had been running a slight fever and had scheduled three rest days for recovery, but after two days off I had almost fully recovered. I must have grown much hardier. I was no longer the person who would collapse exhausted from travel alone.
...I only passed out from illness three times during the Dedication Ritual journey. Hehehe.
"
Receiving Gil's report, I headed from the conference room to the main entrance. My aides who would accompany me to Kürnberger and the officials involved in printing had gathered in the conference room. The attendants were Lieselotta and Gratia; the officials,
Damuel and Angelica had taken leave after touring the demesnes during the Dedication Ritual, while Othelie and Philine were assigned to keep
...Having a senior official along is a good idea, as Hartmut says, but I still can't quite shake the feeling.
Muriela, who had become a familiar face among the junior printing officials, would also accompany us as her mother's aide. It was reassuring to see that the printing knowledge she had studied at the Noble Academy was proving useful.
"Lady Rosemine, I worked really hard this time!"
Juditte called out to me, shaking her orange ponytail.
"Ever since it was decided that
Juditte said this proudly. She had apparently sent information to Kürnberger about the difficulties encountered in
"When I relayed what Brünhilde told me—that if the commoner craftsmen couldn't work properly, the Liege would bear responsibility for the failure—the Liege of Kürnberger cooperated."
Since Gutenberg's methods and tools had already proven successful in Ilgner and
"The environment for the Gutenbergs to do their work is all prepared."
"Wonderful, Juditte. That is most reassuring."
I praised Juditte wholeheartedly as she stood proudly. The more people like her who served as bridges between commoners and nobles, the better Ehrenfest would become.
When I stepped out to the main entrance, I saw a large number of packages stacked up and the Gutenbergs lined up in a row, kneeling, with
"Lady Rosemine, allow me to introduce the Gutenbergs' disciples who will be joining us for the first time this time. And may we receive the blessing of the Goddess of Water Flutrine's pure stream guiding this encounter."
I looked over everyone who was kneeling. The people standing behind the Gutenberg party must be the disciples. They were boys around the age of coming of age, giving me the same impression as when I had first met
"
At Benno's call, the woodworker Ingo and his disciple stood up.
"Lady Rosemine, this is my disciple
Looking carefully at Dimo's face, I recognized a resemblance and understood right away. He was one of the people from the workshop who had been with Ingo when the printing press was introduced at the Rosemine Workshop and at
"So you're Dimo. I remember that when we made the first printing press in the Temple workshop, you took great care in polishing the plates so that even I could handle them without getting cuts on my hands or fingers. I knew Ingo had his eye on you, but you've grown to the point of being trusted with dispatch work."
Neither Ingo nor Dimo had expected me to remember, and they both looked surprised. There was no need for such surprise. I remembered the faces of the first group to make my printing press, along with the sense of wonder it had brought me.
"I gave the printing press design drawings to Dimo. I also taught him the procedures and how to work with the workshop in the new territory, so it should be fine. As you requested, Lady Rosemine, I'll be focusing on the work here."
"Yes. What I'm entrusting to Ingo will be a job that all the woodworkers from the various workshops throw themselves into. You are my exclusive craftsman, after all. I have high expectations for you, Ingo."
I needed to have library shelves built as well, and the Glessel luxury inn's interior design competition involved many workshops participating. This year, the woodworkers were extremely busy with the Entwicken project for Glessel in the autumn.
"Dimo, I'm counting on you."
"I'll work hard so I can be recognized as a Gutenberg too."
He was brimming with motivation, which was more than satisfactory. As I gave a small nod, Benno called out, "
"Lady Rosemine, this is
Horace was a complete stranger. I had never seen him even when I visited Heidi's ink workshop. He was a different person from the craftsmen who had been enthusiastically researching alongside Heidi.
"I placed the most weight on selecting someone who wouldn't go off and do as he pleased while absorbed in research at Kürnberger. He has no problem teaching the method of making ink, but he's not the type to push himself too hard like Heidi and develop new inks. If I can receive Kürnberger's materials, I'll conduct research in Ehrenfest."
Since sending Heidi alone as a researcher would be too risky, this time Josef had selected someone who could work in step with the other Gutenbergs even without his presence. He never seemed to run short of worries.
"Josef, congratulations on Heidi's pregnancy. Is Heidi behaving herself a little?"
"Thank you."
Josef, looking thoroughly exhausted, said that if Heidi were the kind of woman who would settle down just because she was having a child, he would have gone to Kürnberger himself. Even during her pregnancy, Heidi was in top form. She had apparently wanted to come for greetings today as well, but Josef and
"Horace, for Josef's sake as well, please complete your duties in Kürnberger without losing yourself in ink research like Heidi, or going off the rails."
When I gave a small smile, Horace relaxed his tense expression just slightly and nodded, "Understood." Josef told me that Horace had been on guard, believing that someone who hadn't achieved results in new ink development wouldn't be recognized as a companion to the Gutenbergs.
"Lady Rosemine, this is
After Josef and Horace's greetings were finished, Zack and his disciple Sead stood up. Sead, who had a friendly and approachable air, had been tasked with supporting Johann in teaching the method of making metal movable type. When stubborn, taciturn craftsmen worked together, conflicts arose easily, and differences of opinion could lead to absurd rifts. Apparently, a support person was essential for keeping things running smoothly over the short period of just half a year.
"Honestly, I think I would be more useful to Lady Rosemine if I stayed here."
Zack, whose ideas and design abilities were exceptional, seemed more interested in channeling his energy into new designs and inventions rather than supporting Johann's interpersonal relations. As a Gutenberg, he had been included in the group to serve as a liaison with the nobles, but when considering the right person for the right job, it would be more efficient to have Zack focus on design work in Ehrenfest.
"...Then perhaps I should commission something new from Zack? Oh, but no—that won't work. He'll be busy with wedding preparations this year and staying in the lower city. Let's put off new inventions until next year. I'll give you plenty of congratulations on the day, so please prepare well for your new life this year."
This would be the first time someone from among the Gutenbergs was getting married. I wanted to celebrate with all my heart. At my words, Zack laughed and said, "I'll tell everyone that Lady Rosemine herself congratulated me."
"Sead, you probably don't often get the chance to observe the techniques of craftsmen from other workshops, do you? I think this will be a wonderful opportunity. Please absorb as much as you can—things you couldn't learn in the lower city here."
"Yes."
The last to stand were Johann and Danilo. This was Danilo's first time accompanying a dispatch, but his name and growth had come up in conversation, so I was familiar with him.
"Lady Rosemine, this is Danilo. I'll be taking him along as my disciple to help with the handover as well."
"So Danilo can make all the metal movable type now."
Johann had always said it was hard to pass him, but if he was being brought to Kürnberger, he must have reached a passing grade in metal type production. Johann nodded at my words.
"This time, I'm planning to have Danilo do as much as possible while I watch over things from behind and focus on educating Sead."
Johann, who had previously devoted himself entirely to honing his own skills, was now thinking of various things in order to nurture his disciples. As I sensed the growth of those around me, I nodded.
"The more master blacksmiths we have, the better. Do your best with Danilo and Sead's training. Among the blacksmiths, you are the most senior, Johann."
Johann, who had left all outside negotiations to Zack, choked up for a moment before giving a firm nod. I turned my gaze to Danilo.
"I've heard about your growth from Johann and Zack. Please continue to hone your skills as my exclusive craftsman."
"Since the Glessel craftsmen came, I've been hoping to go somewhere else too. Now that I've finally come of age and you're taking me along, I'll do my best!"
Danilo answered in a clear, brisk voice—quite different in atmosphere from the taciturn, few-words Johann.
And with that, the introduction of the new group was complete. I distributed charms to my aides, the Gutenbergs, and even the junior officials present. The charms for nobles with Magic Power and for commoners were different items.
"These charms are for everyone who has been working hard. Now, please prepare for departure."
I brought out a Lesser Beast and had them begin loading the cargo. Following the experienced Gutenbergs' instructions, the first-time disciples carried the loads into the Lesser Beast. There was a brief moment of hesitation, but they didn't make a great fuss—likely because they had heard various stories beforehand.
Loading the cargo didn't cause a commotion, but when taking off, there was a bit of a scene. Danilo, who had apparently never realized before that he was bad with heights, let out a silent scream and thrashed about.
He had his seatbelt on, and Johann had pressed down on his head saying, "Then don't look outside," so it wasn't actually that big of a deal.
"It's Juditte. We'll be arriving soon."
Juditte in the passenger seat sent an ordinanz to her younger brother Theodore in Kürnberger. By the time Theodore's reply of "Everything is ready" arrived, the summer residence of Kürnberger was coming into view.
"It's over there. It looks like they're waiting for us near the detached building for priests."
When we arrived at the Liege of Kürnberger's summer residence, a large number of people were waiting, led by the Liege of Kürnberger and two printing officials. The Liege of Kürnberger looked like a knight through and through. He was stocky, large, and had a rather stern expression. I had heard that the previous Liege of Kürnberger had insisted to the end that his grandfather should be Aub, and that influenced by his father, the current Liege respected his grandfather above all else.
...So that makes him a brawn-over-brains type?
After finishing his greetings, the Liege of Kürnberger instructed
"I've heard there's quite a lot of cargo, so I'd like to send the Gutenbergs ahead to the lower city first, and then discuss the Small Holy Cup exchange and the printing association afterward. How does that sound?"
"It would be helpful to see the environment where the Gutenbergs will be staying with my own eyes. Thank you for all your consideration."
After confirming that Fran and the others were carrying their own luggage into the detached building, Lieselotta came over. Lieselotta and Gratia had requested to stay behind at the summer residence to prepare my room. The Kürnberger servants carried the luggage, and Lieselotta and Gratia were led away by the residence staff.
"Then, let us head to the lower city."
When traveling in the Lesser Beast, Kürnberger's lower city had seemed very large and densely populated. But apparently, very few people actually lived there. Since there were many vacant houses, the Liege of Kürnberger laughed and said they could move whenever they wanted.
Of course, there was no complaint about the prepared houses. The Gutenbergs unloaded their cargo at what would be their residences and workshops. Gil and the other Gray Priests helped with the moving as well. Even without their priestly robes, their careful and neat movements stood out somewhat in the lower city.
...By the time they come to pick us up, they'll have blended in.
"I didn't expect a town this large to have so few residents. Is there some reason for that?"
While waiting for the Gutenbergs to finish unloading, I asked the Liege of Kürnberger to pass the time. He looked down at me as though seeing a grandchild and replied, "The border gate was closed, Lady Rosemine."
"Until the border gate was closed, this was a very large town. Trade was booming, there was a great deal of foot traffic, and it was bustling with activity. Back then, it wasn't called Ehrenfest—it was a major territory called Eisenrich, I've heard."
"...I was taught Ehrenfest's history, but I only caught a passing mention of the name Eisenrich. I didn't know it was once a major territory."
The territory having had a different name meant that the border gate at Kürnberger had been sealed over two hundred years ago. It was different from the other border gates that had been closed after the loss of Glutrisheit. The sound of it—a border gate sealed long ago by an ancient Zent—filled me with a sense of a grand story, and I felt my heart leap.
...Oh no. I'm starting to get excited.
"What happened long ago that caused the border gate to be closed?"
Just as I looked up excitedly, Lutz came to report that the cargo had been unloaded. The Liege of Kürnberger gave a soft laugh and shook his head.
"Juditte told me that you were interested in the border gate, Lady Rosemine. Once our discussions about printing are concluded, I will show you the border gate. It would be more interesting to talk about it there."
...I need to prepare my notebook!
With my heart racing at the prospect of hearing stories I'd never known before, I smiled and nodded.
Damuel, popular with the soldiers of the lower city.
Juditte and Theodore, who had worked hard preparing for Kürnberger.
The Gutenbergs' disciples, all appearing at once.
And the stories of Kürnberger's past, heard for the first time.
Next time—the border gate of Kürnberger.