Consultation

Eglantine's consultation couldn't be held in the library, so she invited me to her tea party at the royal villa. It seemed like quite the emergency, and if possible, she wanted to meet tomorrow morning. I had no plans other than the underground library, and since it was an invitation from Eglantine, I was fine with any time.

"What on earth do you need to consult with Rozemyne about?"

"That is... Once I've finished speaking with Lady Rozemyne, I will tell you as well, Anastasius."

"Eglantine, what is that supposed to mean? That sounds as though you're refusing to let me attend!"

Anastasius asked in a low, furious voice, but Eglantine had no intention of changing her mind and stared right back at him.

"I wish to speak with Lady Rozemyne. Anastasius, I must ask you to refrain from attending tomorrow's tea party."

"Rejected. Whenever Rozemyne is involved, things almost always end in disaster. It's essential that I have a grasp of the situation. Therefore, I will not yield."

Eglantine and Anastasius had been going back and forth for a while now. Whether Anastasius attended or not didn't really matter to me. The only hassle was being glared at by him, so as long as they settled on something they could both accept, that was fine by me.

...To be honest, what concerned me more was that Eglantine looked rather unwell.

His wife was looking positively pale, so I thought Prince Anastasius would do better to worry about her health rather than bicker like this. But he seemed unwilling to budge on attending the tea party. If I stuck my nose in, the argument would only drag on, so I decided to focus on some documents in the library until they reached a resolution.

...Prince Anastasius was jealous to a troublesome degree, after all.

"Lady Rozemyne, what will your schedule look like tomorrow? A royal invitation wasn't among the plans during the lord's conference, so we'll need to report to the Aub and make preparations."

I had already decided this wasn't my fight to referee, but Ottilie, who wasn't accustomed to dealing with royalty, was having trouble moving on and asked me with a worried expression.

Visiting royalty required all sorts of preparations—clothing, gifts, and more. If the outcome of their argument left tomorrow's schedule uncertain, her duties as an Attendant couldn't proceed. Especially since she'd been told to keep a low profile during this lord's conference. She'd never had any plans to receive a royal invitation in the first place. Ottilie's mind must have been in utter turmoil.

"I'm not sure. This is something that can only be decided once they've come to an agreement."

As I watched the two of them with my hand against my cheek, thinking what a mess this was, Magdalena set down her teacup and stood up. Then she stepped in front of them both and let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Prince Anastasius, Lady Eglantine. This is rather unbecoming of you both."

"Lady Magdalena..."

I deeply admired Magdalena for being able to shut down Anastasius and Eglantine so bluntly. Neither I nor Hannelore, who was carefully observing from a distance while gradually backing away, could ever manage that.

"Prince Anastasius, are you not aware of why Geduldh clung to those around her for salvation and sought to distance herself from Ewigeliebe? Perhaps you should return to your studies and review your myths?"

Anastasius flinched at the utterly exasperated rebuke from Magdalena. The Life God must have worn a similar expression when rejected by the Earth Goddess.

"There are things women wish to discuss among themselves. If the normally tolerant Eglantine, who readily accepts your opinions, is turning you away, there must be a good reason. Surely you understand that learning to read such feelings is part of being a husband?"

Having silenced Anastasius with the warning that clinging to her like Ewigeliebe would only make her hate him, Magdalena turned her crimson eyes to Eglantine.

"Lady Eglantine, if you intend to push Anastasius aside for your conversation, you must know that will only provoke a backlash. You should resolve that matter with him first before speaking to Lady Rozemyne. Otherwise, Anastasius's displeasure will be directed at Rozemyne."

Eglantine's expression shifted to one of realization, and she looked troubled as she glanced between Anastasius and me. Magdalena softened her gaze toward Eglantine slightly as she continued.

"Scheduling a meeting with royalty at the last minute is a tremendous burden not only for the one invited, but for everyone around them. Your poor health may be to blame, but it shows a certain lack of consideration."

"...I believe I've let myself become rather flustered. I'm sorry—it hadn't occurred to me."

Eglantine apologized to both Magdalena and me.

"I did wish to speak with Lady Rozemyne urgently, but it seems I must first talk this through with Anastasius. Lady Rozemyne, I'm terribly sorry, but I'll have to ask you to postpone our consultation."

The fact that she had to smooth things over with her husband's feelings before she could even hold a tea party—Eglantine really had it rough. I told her not to worry about it, thanked Magdalena for settling things, and headed into the library. In the corner of my vision, I caught sight of Ottilie looking relieved that the tea party had been postponed.

I worked on my modern-language translations until my adoptive father came to collect me, then we returned to the dormitory together. On the way, I told him about the planned invitation from Eglantine, and his face contorted dramatically.

"Why are you—a minor—being invited to a royal villa? Can't you just talk in the library?"

"Eglantine said she had something she wanted to consult me about. ...I haven't heard any details yet, so this is just a guess, but it probably involves a question about religious ceremonies. She's asked me about the Temple before."

My adoptive father looked down at me with an expression of deep skepticism.

"Consulting with you, of all people... Well, given the poor relationship between the Central Temple and the royal family, you are probably the easiest person to ask about religious matters. Still, it makes me uneasy."

"Prince Anastasius said much the same thing—that he wanted to attend for the same reason. Eglantine refused him, so the date hasn't been set yet. I'll let you know once the details are finalized."

"Very well."

In the end, Anastasius apparently gave in after being admonished by Magdalena, deciding that being disliked by Eglantine was worse. Eglantine's consultation was pushed back to two days later. Until then, my days consisted of working on my modern-language translations, having lunch, and being escorted back to the dormitory by my adoptive father. The days passed like this, so I was hardly in a position to go shrine-hunting.

...Making time to act was important, but I also needed to do some research.

If I wanted to visit the shrines quickly, I'd be stuck without knowing their locations.

"Angelica, Damuel. How do you two spend your days?"

When I asked the two of them that evening while they were keeping watch outside the library, Angelica answered, "We're keeping watch on the corridor that connects to the library."

"Cornelius and Leonore told us to stay alert, since Detlinde might show up again."

"Is that so... Then, would one of you be willing to search for shrines based on this map? They're spaced roughly equally around the central building, so it shouldn't be too difficult. Alternating shifts is fine."

As I showed them the map and explained that there should be shrines similar to the one south of the library, the two of them readily agreed. Apparently, standing around in the same place all day was tiring too, so they planned to alternate between watch duty and shrine-hunting in the mornings and afternoons.

"What will you do once you find the shrines, Lady Rozemyne?"

Clarissa, who was supposed to be helping the scholars prepare for the next day, suddenly joined our conversation. I smiled and answered, "I'll purify them."

"I can't leave a god's dwelling in a dirty state, can I? I purified a shrine the other day, too, and the wide-area magic circle you'd been researching was very helpful, Clarissa."

"I'm glad I could be of help to you, Lady Rozemyne... but how exactly did you use that magic circle?"

Damuel explained to the puzzled Clarissa how we had thoroughly washed the shrine. Clarissa lamented that she wished she could have been there, and I told her to keep quiet about it.

"Lady Hannelore was with us, so Dunkelfelger probably already knows about this. But since it happened in the course of assisting royalty, please keep this confidential. Hartmut, who's eavesdropping from the shadows, is included in that."

"Understood."

While we were having that conversation, Ottilie and Lieseleta were busy making preparations for the meeting with royalty. A lot of the dealings with upper duchies and the royal family had previously been delegated to Brünhilde. They also called in Richarda, who had come to the dormitory as my adoptive father's Attendant, to help with clothing, gifts, and other items.

"So this is what every day is like when you go to the Royal Academy with Lady Rozemyne. I can see why Gretia, who just joined your retainers, is being trained beyond all expectations."

Ottilie said this with a wry smile, since she'd heard about it but never actually dealt with royalty at the Academy herself.

"Thank you so much for coming, Lady Rozemyne."

After we exchanged greetings, Eglantine took a sip of tea and a bite of each sweet before offering them to me. It felt strange to truly be alone with Eglantine, without Anastasius.

"Your complexion looks a bit better, Lady Eglantine. You were quite pale when you returned from the shrine, so I was worried."

"I'm sorry for worrying you. It was just from using too much Magic Power. I'm fine now."

"Did you perform a purification at the shrine as well, Lady Eglantine?"

Since I couldn't think of any other reason to use large amounts of Magic Power at a shrine, I asked this, and Eglantine's bright orange eyes widened before she giggled.

"You had already purified it for me, Lady Rozemyne, so there was no need for me to do so."

Since they were married, Eglantine's villa was the same as Anastasius's. Apparently, Anastasius had gone to the underground library alone today. With Eglantine having sent everyone else away, the two of us were finally alone. Even so, Eglantine took extra precautions and brought out a Magical Tool to prevent eavesdropping.

"I was surprised that you were so adamant about excluding Prince Anastasius, Lady Eglantine."

As I said this while sipping my tea, Eglantine smiled and replied, "If I speak with Lady Rozemyne first, then I think I could discuss it with Anastasius as well..."

"What sort of consultation is it? I hope I can be of help..."

"On the day I offered to consult you, I went to check on a shrine, remember?"

Eglantine stared intently at me as she began her story. She had gone to the shrine with Hildebrand as her guide, and the moment she touched the door, she felt as though her Magic Power had been drained and she was being pulled inside. When she came to, she was inside the shrine.

...That was almost exactly the same as what happened to me.

I personally hadn't felt any sensation of my Magic Power being taken, but according to Eglantine, though it wasn't a large amount, she had felt like Magic Power was being drawn from her Stappe.

...Maybe the amount drawn was so small I didn't notice?

Since I wore magic-stone amulets over my entire body at all times, I was constantly having Magic Power siphoned by some stone or another. As a result, having a small amount drawn out felt like nothing out of the ordinary. You could say I'd become somewhat numb to the loss of my own Magic Power.

"That shrine was dedicated to the Fire God and his subordinate deities. As I gazed up at the statue of Leidenschaft, I suddenly felt compelled to pray... So I danced the offering dance."

...I prayed that I would grow up normally, for once.

People's reactions before the gods seemed to vary just a bit. In my case, the idea of an offering dance hadn't crossed my mind even for a moment. For Eglantine, the act of offering a prayer to a god apparently took the form of a dance.

"It felt just like when I dance on the auditorium stage with magic stones attached—my Magic Power was being drawn out on its own. Yet I didn't find it strange at all and kept dancing. As I continued offering my Magic Power, a blue magic stone gradually began to form in Leidenschaft's hand."

Hmm? When I went in, the blue Slate was already in Leidenschaft's hand, wasn't it?

The Leidenschaft I had seen was holding the blue Slate from the very beginning. It had been faintly glowing, and I could make out inscribed text, so I had recognized it as a blue Slate rather than a blue magic stone.

...Could the difference be in how much Magic Power had been offered up to that point?

When I obtained the blue Slate, the sensation had been one of my prayer's Magic Power mixing with "the will of the gods," so I was fairly certain that was the case.

"After the offering dance, I had almost no Magic Power left, so I used the recovery potion I normally carry at my waist. It doesn't work as well as the potions you distribute, Lady Rozemyne, but it's quite effective at restoring Magic Power."

Eglantine had apparently used the recovery potion commonly used by royalty to restore her Magic Power. And when she did, she felt compelled to pray once again.

"Huh? You prayed again after recovering?"

"Yes. I felt as though I had to."

In the end, Eglantine had apparently offered up her Magic Power until she used every last drop of the recovery potion she carried.

"By the time I finished, the blue magic stone had grown considerably. But it still read, 'Not enough prayers.'"

...Just how much Magic Power do you intend to squeeze out of people, Leidenschaft!?

And once Eglantine's Magic Power was completely depleted, she found herself outside, as though expelled from the shrine.

"I spent what felt like a very long time inside the shrine, but when I came outside, hardly any time had passed at all. And it seems no one else could enter."

She had judged that Anastasius couldn't get in, since he had been pushing on the door and insisting that it was truly locked. Magdalena and Hildebrand also appeared to have experienced nothing unusual.

"Say, Lady Rozemyne. Isn't that shrine where the next Zent candidate is supposed to offer their prayers? The Slates in the underground library had inscriptions about circling around and offering prayers repeatedly, didn't they? What happens when enough prayers have been offered and that blue magic stone is completed?"

At Eglantine's words, I tilted my head. "What would happen, indeed?" If a Zent candidate had already emerged from the royal family, it was best not to mention myself. Saying "I've already obtained the blue Slate" would be picking a fight with the royal family even more than Detlinde, the self-proclaimed Zent candidate.

"...But you were able to go inside too, weren't you, Lady Rozemyne?"

"What makes you think that?"

"Because you, Lady Rozemyne, who pray at the Temple and have increased your divine blessings, I believe you would be able to enter that shrine. Besides, you didn't seem surprised by my story."

I had been thinking about the differences between Eglantine and myself, so I genuinely hadn't been surprised. A mistake—I should have acted more shocked.

"Oh, I was very surprised. So much so that I couldn't even speak. ...What surprised me most was the part about dancing on the auditorium stage with magic stones attached. You attempted to make the magic circle glow?"

I deflected the topic. Eglantine smiled and answered.

"Yes. You and Lord Ferdinand told us it was the magic circle used to select the next Zent candidate, remember? After the graduation ceremony, I performed the ritual to reacquire my blessings, and I challenged it to see whether royalty could make the magic circle glow."

Since Detlinde had managed to make it glow, the royals had also danced while wearing magic stones and releasing their Magic Power. As a result, Trauerqual, Sigiswald, Anastasius, and Eglantine—the four of them—were able to make the selection magic circle glow.

"The Zent, who gained all attributes through the blessing ritual, Prince Sigiswald, and Lord Anastasius were all able to make the magic circle glow. Yet I was the only one who could enter that shrine. What exactly is the difference between Anastasius and me?"

"It's the Stappe."

"Huh?"

I tilted my head in confusion at Eglantine's blinking gaze. "Hasn't Lady Magdalena reported this to you?"

"It was near the end of yesterday, on a Slate I was translating. How to use the small shrines..."

The small shrines housed subordinate deities, and when you offered prayers, magic stones would form—just as Eglantine had described. By obtaining these stones, you could strengthen your attributes. Apparently, by collecting magic stones from all the subordinate deities, you could receive the blessings of the Supreme Gods. There had even been testimony from royals who had desperately offered prayers during their student days.

"Stappes can only be obtained once in a lifetime, right? So it seems they desperately tried to acquire the blessings of the Supreme Gods before the period when they could receive their Stappe before graduation. Zent candidates are said to receive their Stappes in the Garden of Beginnings. Did you receive yours there, Lady Eglantine?"

"...I'd never heard the name 'Garden of Beginnings' before, but I received it at a place that could certainly be called that."

After saying this with a blank expression, Eglantine's shoulders drooped as though in dismay.

"Then does this mean that Prince Sigiswald, whose attributes were lacking when he received his Stappe, cannot enter the Fire God's shrine and therefore cannot become the next Zent candidate...?"

"Prince Sigiswald may not be able to, but Prince Hildebrand has a chance. If he receives his Stappe before graduation, prays at the small shrines to increase his attributes, and obtains blessings from all the Supreme Gods through the blessing ritual, then I believe he could become the next Zent candidate."

If he had the guts to work hard on magic compression at his age, I believed Hildebrand could pull it off. If Eglantine didn't want to stand in the spotlight, Hildebrand could take up the mantle instead. Now that we knew how to obtain the blessings of the Supreme Gods, something could surely be worked out. The real question was whether the current Zent could hold on until Hildebrand came of age.

"...Lady Rozemyne, Prince Sigiswald has already been announced as the next Zent. If I or Prince Hildebrand were to become Zent candidates, it would throw Yurgenschmidt into chaos again."

Sigiswald had been able to make the magic circle glow and had received unprecedented blessings at the Star Binding ceremony. The central faction was apparently rallying to support Sigiswald as the next king. Eglantine and Hildebrand could not be allowed to sow discord in the midst of that.

"I completely understand your desire to avoid becoming a source of unrest, Lady Eglantine, but isn't the very absence of the Grutrissheit what's causing Yurgenschmidt's turmoil? Major issues like opening and closing the Gate and territorial boundaries could all be resolved with the Grutrissheit. Shouldn't the Grutrissheit be restored as quickly as possible?"

"That may be true, but..."

Even so, Eglantine seemed to have reservations about obtaining the Grutrissheit herself. I imagined the trauma of having her own siblings killed played a part.

...Hmm, maybe I should try to obtain the Grutrissheit as early as possible, so that I could offer to hand it over to Prince Sigiswald in exchange for having Lord Ferdinand returned to Ehrenfest.

Looking at Eglantine, who was tormented by her thoughts and unable to consult with Anastasius—who couldn't even enter the shrine—this was what I thought.

But I kept it to myself.

I was probably the closest person to obtaining the Grutrissheit. The blue Slate had been complete the moment I entered the shrine, so I could probably obtain Slates from the other shrines without too much trouble.

...But Lord Ferdinand had said before that the Grutrissheit was kept in "the unopenable library that only royalty can enter."

No matter how many Slates I collected, there was a possibility that the conditions wouldn't be met. I shouldn't give her false hope that I might be able to hand the Grutrissheit over to Sigiswald.

"If we continue researching the Slates, we might find information that Prince Sigiswald needs to obtain the Grutrissheit."

As I offered these pleasing, politically polished words with a noble's smile, Eglantine looked as though she wanted to say something, then quietly lowered her gaze.

"Thank you for listening to my consultation, Lady Rozemyne."

I left Eglantine's villa and returned to the dormitory. Angelica and Damuel reported that they had finished identifying the shrine locations.

A tea party with Anastasius shut out.

Eglantine, who had come to viscerally understand that she could never be more than a Zent candidate who couldn't rival the princes.

Rozemyne, who believed everything could be resolved smoothly if she obtained it early and handed it over to Sigiswald.

Next time: shrine-hunting.