After dropping the
"Then, allow me to guide you to the Border Gate."
I boarded my riding beast and followed after the Archduke of Kirschberg. Just like in the Lower Quarter of Ehrenfest, there were wooden structures built atop white buildings, but in Kirschberg's town, the Archduke's summer residence and the Noble District were situated closest to Ehrenfest, and the farther inward you went, the more it resembled a Lower Quarter. It was the complete opposite of Ehrenfest, where the Lower Quarter, Noble District, and the Aub's castle were arranged from the outermost to the innermost.
"In ancient times, there were many visitors from other countries coming through the Border Gate, so the Archduke's residence was built deep inside from the Border Gate, or so I've heard. Oh, look—you can see it now. Beyond the white Boundary Gate and walls that the Aub creates, there's a gate and walls with a slightly different coloration, see? That's the Border Gate."
Eudiette, sitting in the attendant's seat, pointed ahead and explained. I had only ever gone as far as the Archduke's residence during the Dedication Ritual, so I hadn't noticed before, but upon approaching, I could indeed make out two gates of roughly the same height standing side by side.
"Wow… I thought the white gate created by the Aub was beautiful, but the gate and walls made by the Zent are on an entirely different level."
The Boundary Gate and Kirschberg's Outer Wall were the same pure white as Ehrenfest's, but the wall and gate beyond them shimmered with a pale iridescence, like the nacre of shells used in mother-of-pearl inlay. The border wall, which appeared to glow faintly, extended for a very long, long way beyond Kirschberg. It reminded me, somehow, of the Great Wall of China. It wasn't winding along the terrain—it ran perfectly straight, as though someone had drawn a line. That was what felt so strange.
…Well, of course it was the first Zent who drew that line.
I had learned in geography that the land enclosed by the Zent's barriers was
"The Border Gate is truly beautiful, but since the town buildings have wooden structures atop white buildings, just like Ehrenfest's Lower Quarter, it's difficult to see unless you get close, like this."
Just as Eudiette said, the gate was three or four stories tall, so it was hard to spot from the Archduke's residence. I should have visited Kirschberg during my first Dedication Ritual as well, but it hadn't entered my field of vision at all. Back then, greeting the Archduke had been
As we drew closer, I could see the white door of the Boundary Gate standing wide open inward. Before it stood what appeared to be knights on guard. Beyond that, the Border Gate stood firmly shut. The pale, iridescent doors of the gate were carved with intricate patterns. Just like the attire worn by Schwarz and the others, I was sure they were covered with numerous patterns designed to conceal magical formations.
"Is Kirschberg's Boundary Gate always open?"
"No, today is a special occasion. I heard from
According to Eudiette, the Boundary Gate was normally sealed shut, and it was impossible to see the Border Gate from the front.
"Even living in Kirschberg's town, when you're young, all you can see is the closed Boundary Gate and Outer Wall. Since the Boundary Gate and the Border Gate are roughly the same height and stand side by side, depending on the angle and where you're standing, you can barely make out the very top of the Border Gate…"
Young Eudiette had apparently been desperate to see the Border Gate. She said that the reason she had aimed to become a knight was because she wanted a legitimate reason to get close to it.
"It was only after entering the
Perhaps embarrassed about having become a knight in order to get close to the Border Gate, Eudiette shook her orange ponytail and kept insisting that she wasn't the only one. Her manner was amusing, so I chuckled softly.
"I recall Theodore saying he wanted to serve the Archduke of Kirschberg, just like his father?"
"Ugh, Theodore is just putting on a brave face. His real reason is the same."
Eudiette was so earnest about it that I decided to let it stand that Kirschberg's knights became knights to get closer to the Border Gate.
…I'll ask Theodore about it next time.
"Lady Rozemyne, please dismount your riding beast after the Archduke."
Led along by Eudiette, I dismounted onto the roof of the Boundary Gate. Several of Kirschberg's knights were lined up to welcome us, and among them I spotted Theodore. Our eyes met, and I smiled at him, and he smiled back. I was glad to see him doing well in his apprentice work.
"Lady Rozemyne, this way, please."
Escorted by the Archduke, who had already put away his riding beast, I proceeded forward at a leisurely pace. Perhaps because of the height, the wind was somewhat strong and chilly. Before my eyes, the faintly glowing iridescent Border Gate filled my view.
Compared to the Boundary Gate or the town gates, which contained meeting rooms and offices within them and had considerable depth, the Border Gate had almost no depth at all—perhaps three or four meters. Unlike the Boundary Gate, which had a flat, spacious roof large enough for multiple knights to dismount their riding beasts, the Border Gate did not appear to be designed for riding beast traffic and had a sloped triangular roof.
"Only Kirschberg's knights can see the view from here."
Walking to the edge of the roof, I could see the scenery beyond the Border Gate. On the other side of the palely glowing Border Gate stretched an ocean of sand. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but dry sand, completely devoid of magic power.
"I had assumed there was another country on the other side of the Border Gate. A trading partner, like in the stories I'd heard… What happened to the country over there? Could it be that their magic power ran out, and it ended up like this?"
Considering
"I've never heard of any such thing. The Border Gate is a massive teleportation circle that connects one country to another, and no one without the Zent's permission can pass through, regardless of whether they possess magic power or not. I only know this from hearsay, but when the Border Gate is opened, a massive magical formation is said to appear."
Furthermore, after teleporting through the Border Gate, travelers would then pass through the Boundary Gate to enter Kirschberg. In other words, permission from both the Zent and the Aub was required.
"Were there ever people who had the Zent's permission but not the Aub's, and ended up trapped between the Border Gate and the Boundary Gate, unable to move?"
Perhaps my question was unexpected, or perhaps the image of merchants scurrying about in panic while stuck between the gates came to mind, because the Archduke of Kirschberg chuckled softly.
"There may well have been some foolish merchants like that. But since they had permission to pass through the Border Gate, all they had to do was go back. Unfortunately, it seems no amusing tales like that survived. I certainly haven't heard any."
"Then what kind of stories have survived?"
I pulled out my writing board and looked up at the Archduke of Kirschberg with excitement.
"There are many tales of the spring and autumn festivals that welcomed the Zent's visits. The Border Gate was opened during the period from spring to autumn and closed during winter. Apparently, the Zent would personally visit to open and close it."
In spring, when trade began, there were many stories about the townspeople preparing to receive the flood of merchants who poured in the moment the gate opened, all while waiting for the Zent to open the gate. In autumn, there were many stories about merchants hurrying to return before the Zent closed the gate, for if they didn't, they would have to endure Ehrenfest's harsh winter without having completed their Winter Preparations.
"The merchants' forgotten belongings became an annual spectacle, apparently."
"Still, since the Border Gates are scattered across the edges of Yurgenschmidt, the Zent must have had an terribly difficult time traveling to open and close all of them. Just traveling around within Ehrenfest for religious ceremonies is enough to leave someone bedridden, so the idea that the Zent had to travel all across Yurgenschmidt… I feel truly sorry for the Zent."
Having to open and close the Border Gates here and there every single year must have been an unexpectedly exhausting job. Even traveling by riding beast, it would have been taxing with all the guards and retainers required. At my remarks, the Archduke laughed heartily.
"There's no need to worry about travel. It's said that the Border Gate contains teleportation circles that only the Zent, who possesses the
Come to think of it, the teleportation circles that spanned between territories could also be created by the Zent, and since the Border Gate was located beyond the Aub-created Boundary Gate, there would be no need for the Aub's permission to lay teleportation circles there.
…Isn't having the Grutrissheit a really big deal?
"Still, why was the Border Gate of Ehren—no, of
The fact that Ahrensbach, the only territory that still possessed a Border Gate, maintained its standing in trade proved just how important Border Gates were. So why had it been sealed? At my question, the Archduke of Kirschberg pointed at the Border Gate.
"Beyond the teleportation circle of the Border Gate, there was a country called Bosgaits. And this land was not Ehrenfest, but a large territory called Eisenreich. Much of what is now Freveltag was also part of Eisenreich, and the territory extended even further north than Hardanzel. There was apparently a large mine there, which was Eisenreich's specialty product."
Ores and processed goods from those ores were sold to Bosgaits. Furthermore, weapons crafted from high-quality ore were vital tools for the commoners of Hardanzel to defeat magical beasts.
"And then, there's one more thing. What the countries that traded with Yurgenschmidt desired above all else was magic stones. Apparently, magic stones were rare in other countries, and even small magic stones from the weak magical beasts that commoners around here could hunt fetched high prices in trade."
This was the first time I'd heard about other countries in such detail. Questions came flooding to mind: How were magic stones treated in countries where they were scarce? Was it the same in Lanzanave, which had ties to Ahrensbach? As I was jotting these down on my writing board, the Archduke of Kirschberg began to speak in a low, quiet voice.
"It was when the Archduke of Eisenreich was incited by Bosgaits to target the Zent that the decline began."
I looked up in surprise, and the Archduke of Kirschberg stroked his chin briefly before continuing.
"The Archduke of Eisenreich at that time reportedly possessed enough power to contest the Zent's position. He was incited and invited Bosgaits's people in, then attempted to seize the Grutrissheit by storming the central lands."
Not the current king, who lacked the Grutrissheit, but the actual Zent who possessed it. Apparently, the Archduke had tried to depose him. From Bosgaits, supplies such as food arrived one after another, and the Archduke of Eisenreich began using the teleportation circles to the Royal Academy to gradually move supplies and knights to the dormitory.
"Were there no one among the Archduke's own people who tried to stop such an audacious plan?"
"There were. But it seems they weren't heeded. Realizing she couldn't stop it, the Archduke's daughter rode her riding beast alone to the central lands and informed the Zent of the situation."
While her father was moving supplies to the Royal Academy, the daughter had ridden her own riding beast to the central lands.
"Enraged by the daughter's report, the Zent immediately sealed the Border Gate, returned to the center, and with the Central Knights, launched a surprise raid on the dormitory, defeating the Archduke of Eisenreich."
And of course, the Archduke continued, the lord's family of Eisenreich, who had plotted rebellion, and the major nobles who had marched to the central lands with them were executed.
"What happened to the daughter who conveyed the information? Was she also subjected to collective punishment?"
"She narrowly avoided execution through collective punishment. Recognizing her loyalty to the Zent and the merit of having tried to stop the rebellion beforehand, she was made the new Archduke of Eisenreich."
At the Archduke of Kirschberg's words, I breathed a sigh of relief. If I had been told she was subjected to collective punishment, it would have left a very bad taste. However, the story did not end there.
"However, that was by no means an honor. The great territory of Eisenreich was divided by the Zent into Freveltag, reducing it to a middle territory. The numerous rich mines that had been located further north than present-day Hardanzel were granted to Klassenburg. The daughter apparently had a royal fiancé at the time, but that engagement was dissolved, and she was made to become re-engaged to a lord candidate befitting a middle territory."
Her life was spared, but having her territory divided, losing the Border Gate and the mines, and thus losing her territory's main industry, she was made the Archduke of a diminished domain. The fact that her engagement to a royal was forcibly dissolved suggested that no matter how desperate Eisenreich's situation might have been, the Zent was not inclined to extend a helping hand. This must have been an exceedingly severe punishment.
"From the surrounding regions, she was viewed as the lord of a territory that had committed rebellion, and the former great territory withered away at an alarming pace. And with the loss of the mines, Reitzegang, which had thrown itself wholeheartedly into agriculture, suddenly gained power among the nobility. Of course, there were Eisenreich nobles who were dissatisfied with this."
The Archduke and the major nobles had been executed, but not all of Eisenreich's nobles had been put to death. The majority of those who remained apparently longed for former glory and grumbled about their current circumstances.
"It wasn't just the nobles who were grumbling. The Bosgaits people who had been stranded in Eisenreich, with no warning whatsoever, felt the same way. Those who wished to return to their homeland gathered in Kirschberg, which was closest to the Border Gate."
When a major event occurred, bards who collected stories from the people involved and composed songs would also gather. The laments of the Bosgaits people and the foolish choices of the Archduke of Eisenreich became popular songs that spread far and wide.
"The next and subsequent generation of lord candidates in Eisenreich grew up hearing the elders' stories of past glory alongside the bards' songs. And when it came time to decide the next Archduke, the lord candidates' positions split cleanly in two."
"Split in two?"
When I tilted my head, the Archduke of Kirschberg nodded slowly.
"There were those who petitioned the Zent to open the Border Gate to send home the Bosgaits people, who had simply been caught up in the conflict. And there were those who believed the Bosgaits people, who had incited the former Archduke, should naturally be punished alongside."
Furthermore, on each side, nobles who wanted to restore past glory allied with one lord candidate, while nobles who believed they should simply accept the punishment as-is allied with the other. The dispute escalated into a conflict that divided the territory.
"The daughter who became Archduke lamented her own inadequacy. She couldn't control her father, who had rebelled against the Zent, nor could she suppress the infighting among her children and grandchildren that was tearing the diminished territory apart. She petitioned the Zent to relinquish the position of Archduke and to appoint a new ruler for this land."
And the one who arrived alongside the Zent, accompanied by the Central Knights, was none other than the first Archduke of Ehrenfest. The Zent scattered the Eisenreich nobles who desired the opening of the Border Gate, and to ensure that Eisenreich would never again pursue its former glory, he used the Grutrissheit to alter the location of the Stabilizing Stone and also changed the name of the territory to Ehrenfest.
"I've heard that Eisenreich's castle stood approximately where Gresschel is now. Looking at it that way, you could say it was the perfect place to grant to a princess who came from the great territory of Ahrensbach."
I took notes on the Archduke's account while comparing it with the history I had learned.
"The history I studied is a bit different. I learned that the first Archduke of Ehrenfest invaded and seized the Stabilizing Stone."
"He did indeed invade with the Central Knights and seize the Stabilizing Stone from the Archduke of the time, so there's no real change in the substance… though I admit the impression it gives is somewhat different."
The Archduke of Kirschberg nodded slightly in agreement. I closed my writing board with a snap and looked up at him.
"Also, I believe I had heard the story of Eisenreich before. It was among the many tales I collected. As the story of a foolish Archduke who defied the Zent… Since the territory name was different, I didn't realize the connection."
Among the stories I had collected at the Royal Academy, there had been a similar tale. I had thought it was a cautionary story based on something from long ago, but I never imagined it was actually about ancient Ehrenfest. If possible, I wanted to compare it with the version preserved in other territories.
"Are there any written records of this story preserved in Kirschberg?"
"Basically, it's passed down orally—from parent to child, and from the Archduke to the nobles who serve him. There are written documents as well, but the language is somewhat archaic and difficult to read."
…Yes! There it is!
I absolutely had to read the documents preserved here, at the very place where the events had actually taken place.
"Archduke of Kirschberg, would it be possible for me to read them? I can read old languages. Besides, I'd like to investigate the differences between what's conveyed orally and what was written down, between the stories preserved in Kirschberg and those passed down through the lord's family, and between those and the versions kept by the royal family."
When I appealed my enthusiasm, the Archduke of Kirschberg took a step back, saying, "W-well, I suppose there's no harm in showing you, but…" He could step back all he liked. I had obtained his verbal consent to let me see them.
"I am most grateful, Archduke of Kirschberg."
As I enthusiastically declared that I would need to copy everything down during my short stay, the Archduke of Kirschberg quietly gazed down at me and asked a question.
"What does Lady Rozemyne think of this story?"
"Let me see… It made me truly realize how difficult it must be to govern Yurgenschmidt without the Grutrissheit. You can't open or close the Border Gates, you can't redraw territorial boundaries or change the Stabilizing Stones. Even if the Archdukes in various regions wanted to do something, they couldn't even exercise strong authority. How much must the current king be struggling to govern Yurgenschmidt…"
I felt viscerally that the Zent's power existed only because of the Grutrissheit. The reason the current king was treated dismissively and couldn't take a strong stance against the great territories was surely because he lacked the Grutrissheit.
As I pondered the difficulty of
"From this story, Lady Rozemyne, your thoughts turn to King Trauerqual's reign…"
"Is something wrong?"
When I tilted my head, the Archduke exhaled slowly. Then he gazed at me quietly.
"Then let me rephrase the question. What qualities do you believe are required of the Archduke of Ehrenfest, who bears a Border Gate sealed as punishment by the Zent?"
"…The qualities required of the Archduke of Ehrenfest?"
I chewed over the Archduke's words and thought desperately. This was likely a question I could not afford to answer poorly.
"Should one assume there will be no trade through the Border Gate and devote oneself entirely to the improvement of the territory?"
Hearing my answer, the Archduke of Kirschberg turned his gaze not to the outside beyond the Border Gate, but to the town of Kirschberg spreading out within.
"I believe it means serving the Zent, who possesses the Grutrissheit, without being swayed by the opinions of others. That is how I govern Kirschberg. That is precisely why I am so uneasy about Lord
It seemed that the Archduke of Kirschberg actually felt growing anxiety about Wilfried, who was working to win the Reitzegang faction's support. Come to think of it, one of the Archduke's sons had been one of Wilfried's retainers.
"Did you receive any information from your son?"
"I've only received the same amount that Lady Rozemyne is already aware of…"
The Archduke of Kirschberg closed his mouth without saying more. Since the source of information was clearly his son, he couldn't elaborate further. I would have to gather the necessary information on my own.
…I need to hear
"My son serves Lord Wilfried, but that doesn't automatically translate to my personal support."
I noticed the Archduke's voice had turned low and stern, and I straightened my back. At this point, the role of the fiancée would be to defend Wilfried.
"An Aub who refused so stubbornly to take a second wife that it was exasperating—I would want you to persuade him to wed the daughter of the Archduke of Gresschel, place your own retainers to fill the Aub couple's vacancies, and then, on top of all that, choose to retreat into the
…Wait, no. That's not right.
My adoptive father had only agreed to take a second wife thanks to
"Archduke of Kirschberg, I believe you have somewhat misunderstood the situation. My adoptive father decided to take a second wife on his own, after considering Ehrenfest's current circumstances. I did not make any such suggestion. If anything, I tried to persuade Brunhilde not to marry into the Archduke's household, since my adoptive father was only capable of seeing my adoptive mother."
The Archduke of Kirschberg looked surprised. I also explained the reasons for Richarda and
"But, Lady Rozemyne, among the lord candidates, you have the greatest trust from the royal family…"
"Archduke of Kirschberg."
I interrupted the Archduke and deepened my smile. No matter what anyone said, as a former commoner, I had no intention of aiming to become the Aub.
"Isn't it only natural for Lord Wilfried, who aims to be the next Aub, to seek the Reitzegang faction's support? …Moreover, if I were to agree to the Archduke's request here, wouldn't I become a lord candidate who is swayed by others' words at that very moment? What kind of answer does the Archduke hope to receive?"
After a moment of wide-eyed silence, the Archduke let out a soft laugh.
"I understand Lady Rozemyne's position well. The wind is rather strong up here, so perhaps it's about time we returned to the residence. I'll have the documents brought out for you."
It seemed he had understood that no amount of pressing here would change my mind. Relieved, I summoned my riding beast and boarded it.
My first Border Gate.
Being able to work at the Boundary Gate where you can see the Border Gate is the privilege of Kirschberg's knights.
And now, a little bit about the old tales. The Zent who possesses the Grutrissheit is powerful.
Next, the children who will become Blue Apprentices.