"Adoptive Father, Grandfather. I have been expecting you."
Since I had just returned from the Prayer Festival, the reacquisition ceremony could now be performed. I had called out to my adoptive father saying there was something I wished to discuss as well, and my grandfather ended up coming along too. Having visited the
My adoptive father's side seemed to be in full swing preparing for the Lord's Conference. He told me to praise Clarissa, who had been quite enthusiastic about participating in the discussions with
"She has only just come of age and has yet to even complete the Star Binding ceremony, so she's still a mere blue priest. She'll only be attending the discussions with Dunkelfelger, and the information she's given is managed by
Apparently, Clarissa was working desperately hard to make amends for the great trouble she had caused those around her. That was certainly true, but according to
...Well, as long as she's working hard, the reason doesn't really matter, right?
"The knights are cooperating with the civil officials to advance the research on the silver cloth. You should have received preliminary reports from
I nodded at my grandfather's words. The silver cloth was the strange fabric Melchior had mentioned. I had received a report from the two knights who had come to the Temple as guards that it was a fabric which did not accept Magic Power. However, the report had been extremely brief. My grandfather seemed to want to report directly to me, so they had apparently been instructed to keep quiet about the details.
Because I had consulted my adoptive father before hearing from Matthias and Laurenz, my grandfather had seized the opportunity to come to the Temple as well. In truth, he had wanted to use the sharing of information about the cloth as a reason to be invited here. It seemed that a significant reason was still needed for my grandfather to come to the Temple of his own volition.
"Melchior was the first to tell me about the cloth, and I received reports from Matthias and Laurenz the next day, but I couldn't quite understand what kind of fabric it was. I have been looking forward to hearing Grandfather's account."
When I said this—having been left in a state of anxious frustration by the incomplete information I'd been given—my grandfather smiled happily.
"Just yesterday, we made a new discovery. I already reported to the Aub yesterday, so I thought I would give
My grandfather said this rather rudely while shooing my adoptive father away with a flutter of his hand. However, my adoptive father merely stood up with a wry smile, saying, "He simply wants to talk with his granddaughter without me getting in the way, doesn't he?"
"Still, Rozemyne's topics of consultation are, more often than not, so outlandish that one's mind goes completely blank, as
"Then I shall be your guide, Father. For this duty, I studied the layout of the prayer room together with my retainers and even prepared the offerings!"
Melchior stood up with an eager expression, blue priest robes and all, and began walking with his attendants. My adoptive father accompanied Melchior as they left the room, saying, "I'd like to hear about how things have been with the other children. Didn't you say it was difficult to talk at the castle?"
"Now then, Grandfather. Please tell me about the silver cloth. Matthias and Laurenz reported that it has absolutely no Magic Power, but all they would say was to ask Grandfather for the details."
I leaned forward slightly toward my grandfather, who was seated across from me. He said, "This is the cloth in question," and produced a small piece of silver fabric. With his permission, I took it in my hands to examine.
It was about the size of one of my palms. I could see jagged, torn edges on some sides and a straight-cut edge on others, so it was likely a piece from the edge of the cloth. But at first glance, it looked like an ordinary silver cloth. I couldn't understand what was so remarkable about it.
"There's nothing particularly unusual about fabric with no detectable Magic Power, is there? A lot of cloth woven by Commoners is like that, and even fabric that Nobility has dyed with Magic Power to improve its quality will lose that sensation once the Magic Power is removed. What exactly is so strange about this?"
"It's not low-quality, nor has its Magic Power been drained. If it were low-quality, it would be possible to raise its quality using Magic Power, and if it had merely been drained, then adding Magic Power would cause it to absorb it—or rather, be permeated by it, wouldn't it? This cloth does not accept Magic Power at all."
The civil officials had determined that this silver cloth was made entirely from a material that contained no Magic Power whatsoever, produced without undergoing any process that used Magic Power.
"A material that contains no Magic Power at all? This is the first I've ever heard of such a thing."
In
"This cloth was discovered in the
"If someone were in a rush, they might?" I offered. "When you're short on time, it's not particularly strange to catch something on something else and yank it with all your strength." As I said this, I looked around at my guard knights for confirmation. None of them agreed.
"If a cloak or garment gets caught on something, the fastest method is to cut it with a knife. A knight would have trained to transform their Stave as quickly as possible, and a civil official with little strength would be even more likely to use a tool."
Forcibly tearing something apart was far too barbaric by Noble standards, and repeatedly pulling at it to waste time was equally unthinkable. That was precisely why the torn condition had made my grandfather's instincts tingle.
...If it were me, I'd definitely just yank it. I'd better be careful—my Commoner upbringing might come out in a pinch.
"Then why was this cloth torn?"
"Didn't I just say that this cloth doesn't accept Magic Power? Therefore, a weapon formed from a Stave cannot cut it."
"Eh?"
My grandfather signaled to one of his retainers. An Attendant placed the silver cloth atop a stack of several boards. My grandfather then transformed his Stave into a knife and stabbed at the cloth with a loud Bang! The boards beneath cracked, but even with my grandfather's strength, he couldn't pierce the cloth. Not even a small hole had appeared in the silver fabric.
"Since it can't be cut with a Stave, it was torn apart. Once that was understood, the biggest problem became the fact that someone wearing this cloth—one which doesn't register any Magic Power at all—could pass through the border barrier."
"Eh?"
"If the Magic Power is at roughly Commoner levels, an Aub won't bother detecting it. You should know that, Rozemyne, correct? If someone were wearing cloth that registered no Magic Power at all, passing through the barrier would be quite easy."
According to my grandfather, he had cooperated with my adoptive father to test it using a small, simple barrier. The result was that my adoptive father had been completely unable to detect my grandfather's finger, wrapped in this cloth fragment, passing through the barrier.
"In other words, the former Giebe Gerlach had no difficulty crossing the duchy's border, correct?"
"Yes. There's no doubt this cloth was used to cross the duchy's border. But questions remain. How did they move from the Noble District to Gerlach? And where did they obtain this cloth?"
I turned the matter over in my mind as well.
"Could it be that by wrapping something in this cloth, you could use a teleportation circle not as a person, but as an object?"
"That won't work. Didn't I say it has absolutely no Magic Power? Because there's no Magic Power, the teleportation circle cannot detect its existence and won't activate. Nothing wrapped in this cloth—no matter how small—could be teleported."
Among the civil officials, there had been the opinion that "if the border can be crossed so easily, why not teleportation as well?" But apparently, even transporting it as an object proved impossible.
"However, in the hidden room where the silver cloth was found, there were signs of something having been burned. According to Matthias, that man has a habit of burning teleportation circles after using them for his crimes. He believes the possibility that teleportation was used is high."
"My father uses a Magical Tool when burning used teleportation circles. I suspect that perhaps the silver cloth was intended to be burned as well, but because it didn't accept Magic Power, it survived the fire."
As Matthias spoke, my grandfather nodded and crossed his arms, deep in thought.
"Under normal circumstances, he would have been meticulous about eliminating all traces. But the hidden room was inside an area accessible only to the Giebe's blood relatives, so he may have simply left it there. He certainly didn't expect Matthias to survive and cooperate with the investigation."
"...Normally, wouldn't they use a surviving family member who was captured to assist with the investigation?"
Since Matthias had been at the Noble Academy and survived, wouldn't it be natural for the Knights' Order to take him along during their investigation? When I said this, my grandfather shook his head with a difficult expression.
"To open the door of the hidden room, the Magic Power of a registered person is required, but one cannot use Magic Power while wearing shackles that seal it. On the other hand, allowing the family member of a criminal to move freely in order to open a hidden door of unknown dangers—when you don't know what Magical Tools might be stored inside—is far too dangerous."
The Knights' Order had no way of knowing where or in what configuration Magical Tools might be placed. Taking along a criminal's family member, unrestrained by any Magic Power binding, to assist with the investigation—considering the possibility of lethal counterattacks or resistance—was nothing but dangerous for the Knights' Order.
"All the Knights' Order could do was search for evidence in whatever areas they could, and use the Aub's command to peek into memories as evidence. But the very memories that should have been evidence had been altered by a Trug to erase all the crucial parts. Forcing someone's memories to be read when their Magic Power didn't match and they were resisting would not leave the person unscathed. ...Giebe Gerlach had likely believed he had perfectly erased all evidence, including Matthias."
My grandfather said he never could have anticipated that Matthias and Laurenz would betray them to leak information in order to protect the children of the former
"It was precisely because the Lord Candidate who received their names ordered them to cooperate without resistance that we were able to take them to the Giebe's mansion. They proved useful, and valuable evidence and materials were found. That is an undeniable fact."
Looking at Matthias and Laurenz, my grandfather spoke slowly in an acknowledging tone. Yet I could feel the atmosphere growing heavier and more severe with each passing moment. I stared at my grandfather with mounting tension, straightening my back.
"You wanted to save their lives by any means possible, even though they were not directly involved in the crime. To that end, you proposed Name Submission as a means for the families of criminals to extend their lives. The Aub approved it, and Name Submission was carried out for the purpose of extending their lives."
"Lord
Hartmut began to speak, but my grandfather silenced him with a sharp gaze and a raised hand, then continued.
"You proposed this out of kindness and mercy. You must have felt relieved that their lives were saved. You may even have thought you had done something good."
He paused for a breath, then looked at me with a stern expression.
"But please remember that there are also those who feel their pride, their oath, and their very lives have been degraded by this. The act of offering one's name is, in its original form, a most sacred thing. It was never meant to be used by the families of criminals to escape collective punishment and extend their lives. I still believe this today."
I knew that look. Roderich had looked at me with the same eyes, saying the same things. A weight settled deep in my chest. I did not regret saving Matthias and the others' lives. I was glad that those who had no involvement in the crime had a path to survival without facing execution through collective punishment. And yet, I had never thought deeply enough about the feelings of those who felt their pride was being trampled.
"...Likely, there will continue to be those who offer their names to escape collective punishment. This won't be limited to Ehrenfest—it may happen in other duchies as well. There are no territories with so many Nobles to spare that collective punishment executions can be carried out easily. And if offering one's name to escape collective punishment becomes widespread, those who are averse to being thought of as families of criminals will cease performing genuine Name Submission. You will have changed the very meaning of Name Submission."
It felt as though ice water had been poured over me. Something I had never even considered was thrust before me, and the fists clenched tightly on my lap trembled slightly. I never intended to do anything so grand. I simply wanted to save lives that could be saved. But in the end, I had done something terrible. This wasn't something I could simply celebrate as a happy outcome for those uninvolved in crime.
"Sylvester gave permission and allowed it to be carried out, so he said he would bear the blame when the criticism came. Since he already had a bad reputation, one more wouldn't make much difference, he said. ...Did you know about this?"
I shook my head at my grandfather's words. I had no idea. My adoptive father had told me nothing.
"I am terribly sorry. I hadn't thought it through that deeply..."
"Rozemyne, your kind heart that wishes to save lives is something you should treasure—it is one of your virtues. But I want you to think more deeply about the power you hold, the influence you have on those around you, and the consequences of changing established customs. I believe it is precisely the accumulation of small things like this—things that don't appear significant at first glance—that led to the degradation of religious ceremonies and the Temple."
My grandfather said that even simply changing the High Priest had altered the Temple's atmosphere this dramatically, then relaxed his posture.
"Ah, Rozemyne. That's enough stern lecturing. Don't make that face as though you're about to cry. Ordinarily, these are not things I should be saying. You have plenty of fathers and mothers, and the blame lies with your retainers for being inadequate in their duty to admonish you."
Saying there were plenty of people to play the villain, my grandfather looked around at the retainers.
"You lot as well—make sure your lord doesn't accumulate unseen enemies by being resented or hated behind her back."
"We humbly apologize!"
As the retainers bowed in unison, a bell sounded from beyond the door. My adoptive father appeared to have returned from completing the ceremony.
"Ha ha ha! I received twenty-one divine blessings! If I add those to what I already had, haven't I surpassed even Rozemyne?"
My adoptive father burst in with a triumphant grin, and the heavy atmosphere in the room instantly vanished. However, it wasn't something one could immediately keep up with.
"Y-yes. Perhaps performing prayers for many years truly is important."
"Also, my Life affinity has increased—I've achieved all attributes now. I don't know how many prayers it takes for one's attributes to increase, but isn't this a highly significant development?"
Going forward, my adoptive father said, if the Lord Candidates continued supplying Magic Power to the Foundation while reciting prayer words, there was a strong possibility they could eventually achieve all attributes.
"All attributes—does that mean you received the blessing of Ewirbliche!?"
"Well, I didn't receive the Great God's blessing, but from the Life sub-gods, I received Daoraleben and Shuratraum, and also...ah, no. That's not something appropriate to say in front of children."
...My adoptive father was being evasive, so it must have been Vaishmaheard.
In simple terms, it was a god most active during the night. I wasn't sure if that was correct, but with Melchior present, I just smiled vaguely as though I understood—while not entirely understanding.
"Well, regardless, I received blessings from multiple gods among the Life sub-gods alone. But what happened here? Your retainers' voices of apology were echoing all the way outside. Was my brother-in-law saying something to them?"
Perhaps wanting to divert attention from the blessings he had received, my adoptive father cast his gaze around at my grandfather and the retainers.
"Nothing of consequence. I was simply scolding these inadequate retainers. I can't very well have them thinking Rozemyne can be protected in their current state."
My grandfather didn't reveal what he had been scolding them about, so I also kept quiet about what I'd been told and how my adoptive father had protected me. I simply invited my adoptive father to sit, had
"Before the lecture, we were discussing where the former Giebe Gerlach could have obtained this cloth."
"Indeed. It's highly important. It could be an entirely new Magical Tool that hasn't been announced anywhere yet."
...Can something with absolutely no Magic Power that doesn't accept Magic Power really be called a Magical Tool?
Alongside this idle question, something I had heard at Kirmelnberger suddenly came to mind.
"Um, Adoptive Father, Grandfather. Other countries have very few magic stones, so it's possible they have materials that don't contain Magic Power."
I told them about what I had heard at Kirmelnberger regarding Boesbeutz. Even if there were no materials lacking Magic Power in Yurgenschmidt, other countries might have them.
"I've never heard anything of the sort at the Lord's Conference either. Trade with other countries had been conducted in various regions up until the political upheaval, but no such cloth had ever entered Yurgenschmidt."
My grandfather nodded at my adoptive father's words.
"If other countries had been importing Magic Power from Yurgenschmidt via magic stones, I think it would be entirely unsurprising for various changes to have occurred in those countries after their supply of Magic Power suddenly dried up."
In my Reonwei-era life, when petroleum reserves had been on the verge of depletion, people had desperately begun searching for alternative energy sources. It was natural to conserve existing resources while seeking substitutes. Over two hundred years had passed since Boesbeutz was cut off from trade. I couldn't imagine they had done nothing. If information about Boesbeutz had leaked to other countries, they might have been devising contingency plans out of concern that their own trade could be severed.
"If the Giebe Gerlach is still alive,
"Hmm..."
My grandfather pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head, murmuring, "Thinking was supposed to be Ferdinand's job, after all."
"Then let us consult with Ferdinand. He could investigate whether Lanzenave has anything similar. Above all, we must inform him of the existence of cloth that doesn't allow Magic Power to pass through, the fact that Giebe Gerlach is alive, and the high probability that he is in Ahrensbach. If we were to face an attack blocked by this cloth where Magic Power is ineffective, it would make battle impossible. And Ferdinand is in the most dangerous location..."
The Knights' Order had only discovered the silver cloth, but if Giebe Gerlach or the
"Sending information to Ferdinand isn't something Sylvester would object to. But if it's intercepted by Ahrensbach's censors, not only will it fail to reach Ferdinand, it will only alert the enemy. Do you have a way to get it past the censors, Rozemyne?"
At my grandfather's quiet question, I blinked. He was smiling, but his blue eyes seemed to be searching for something. My adoptive father was staring at me intently as well. It felt as though I was being tested. I had been told by Ferdinand to keep the luminous ink secret. I put on a feigned smile, touched my cheek, and tilted my head.
"Adoptive Father, you have a way of conveying messages through letters, don't you? You mentioned something to that effect at dinner once before. As for what I can do, the options are limited to entrusting a letter to
My grandfather's expression softened slightly as he shook his head, saying, "None." My adoptive father stroked his chin while gazing at me.
"Rozemyne, unfortunately, Ferdinand will not be attending the Lord's Conference."
"Eh?"
"Just the other day, the Aub of Ahrensbach passed away, and it seems Ferdinand's fiancée, Dietlinde, must now dye the Foundation with her Magic Power. Since it would be best for there to be no fluctuation in Magic Power until the Foundation is fully dyed, the Star Binding ceremony has apparently been postponed to next year."
Ferdinand had supposedly sent a letter containing this information. It also mentioned his participation in the Ahrensbach Prayer Festival, and it seemed certain adjustments to the approach toward Ahrensbach had become necessary.
"The Star Binding ceremony postponed by a year... What will Lord Ferdinand do?"
"What do you mean?"
"He can't marry until the Foundation is fully dyed, so will he be able to return to Ehrenfest? Will he at least be given a hidden room?"
I hadn't expected that he still wouldn't have even one season's worth of a place to rest, and now this was going to continue for another whole year. As I asked in a panic, my grandfather looked at me with a slightly exasperated expression.
"What exactly are you worried about?"
I looked back and forth between my grandfather and my adoptive father. My adoptive father let out a long sigh.
"Brother, why don't you go ahead and perform your blessing reacquisition? It seems Rozemyne doesn't really understand how Noble marriages work. I'll handle that explanation."
"...Very well. Then, let's go. Melchior, guide me."
My grandfather glanced back several times, observing how my adoptive father and I were getting along, before leaving the room. Once the door had fully closed, my adoptive father let out a deep sigh.
"Rozemyne, what exactly is your relationship with Ferdinand?"
"Huh?"
We had been having a somewhat serious discussion about the silver cloth and the implications of Name Submission.