I returned to the Underground Archive. After escorting me back,
"We must report that the shrine pilgrimage is finished and discuss matters with Father and the others."
"...So was this whole thing, perhaps, Prince Anastasius's own decision?"
"I wouldn't call it entirely my own decision, but I am aware I may have rushed ahead a bit."
...A bit? Was this really only a "bit"?
It didn't seem like just a bit to me, so I tilted my head. Anastasius's face looked expressionless, but his grey eyes seemed to flicker with agitation. It was the sort of deliberate blankness used to conceal similar emotions—though compared to
...Could something have happened with the royals?
I returned to the library and descended the stairs to the Underground Archive. Beyond the transparent wall, I could see Hildbrand copying text,
Glancing toward the rest area in front of the archive at the bottom of the stairs, I spotted Hannelore drinking tea. Her attendants appeared to be preparing lunch, but they noticed us and stopped what they were doing.
"I've just returned. Once I speak with Lady Magdalena, we'll head back to the separate building. Something has come up that I must discuss with my father and brother immediately. Please send word."
"Understood."
Before I had even finished descending the stairs, Anastasius was already busy conferring with his attendants. The attendants of both Anastasius and Eglantine were dispatching ordonanzes or preparing to pack up, while Magdalena's attendants were signaling toward the archive to summon their lady.
"Welcome back, Lady
I headed toward Hannelore, who set down her cup and smiled warmly. Soothed by her gentle, kind expression, I returned the smile and greeted her.
"I've just returned, Lady Hannelore. Everything is finished."
"Princess came back."
As Hannelore and I were talking, Weiss shuffled over in his usual bobbing gait. Up until now, he had been standing motionless in front of the transparent wall the entire time the archive was open, so I couldn't hide my surprise at his sudden movement. Hannelore seemed startled too, blinking her red eyes as she watched Weiss intently.
"Weiss suddenly started moving, and I wasn't sure what had happened—is he perhaps coming to welcome everyone?"
Weiss ignored Hannelore's words and walked straight toward me, taking my right hand.
"Princess, I will guide you."
"Eh? Um, Weiss?"
I started to ask where—to, then caught myself. There was only one place I could be guided to now that I had finished all the prayers at the shrines. It had to be the next destination I needed to reach to obtain the Book of
Just as I swallowed hard, Hildbrand emerged from the archive, practically pushed out by Schwartz.
"Schwartz suddenly told me to go outside, so I'm not sure what's going on... Rozemyne?"
Everyone watched with puzzled expressions as
...Will it really be okay if I just go?
When I looked back, Anastasius's face was taut with tension, but he gave a single nod. Confirming that I had Anastasius's permission, I entered the archive with Weiss. The moment I stepped inside, Schwartz took my left hand.
"Princess, we will open the way."
I didn't need to ask what for. What lay beyond was the
Schwartz and Weiss guided me to the wall of the archive and pressed my hand against it. My Magic Power flowed into the white wall. Just like when the key to the Underground Archive had unlocked, a magic circle surfaced, and a hole opened in the wall.
...Looks like a path has appeared.
Wondering how everyone on the other side was reacting, I turned around—only to find that the transparent wall had somehow turned completely white. The princes and attendants who should have been on the other side were nowhere to be seen.
"This way, Princess."
Led by Schwartz and Weiss, I stepped through the opening in the wall with my heart pounding. It was a pure white corridor. Knowing that the goddess's book lay somewhere beyond filled me with so much tension that my legs trembled, my heart raced, and excitement built whether I wanted it to or not.
...I wonder what it's like. The goddess's book.
After walking a short distance, I discovered a door with an intricate magic circle floating upon it. The sight of such stringent security only heightened my tension.
"Here, Princess."
At Schwartz and Weiss's words, I reached out and touched the magic circle. The instant I did, there was a sharp crack—like a static shock—recoil flinging my hand back. It was the same sensation as when someone without registration or permission tried to touch Schwartz and Weiss.
"Hyah!?"
Startled by the unexpected sensation, I quickly pulled my hand back. Schwartz and Weiss looked up at me.
"Princess, you are not registered."
"You cannot pass this point."
I didn't want to understand the blunt words that Schwartz and Weiss delivered, and I stared back at them in a kind of daze.
"...Not registered? What does that mean?"
"Royal registration."
Their terse reply made the blood drain from my face.
The Grutrissheit was kept in an archive that only those of royal blood could enter. Ferdinand had told me as much. I'd heard before that because I was born a commoner, I couldn't enter—and therefore could never become the king.
But I had managed to enter the shrines and obtain the stone tablets for each attribute, so I'd optimistically assumed I'd be able to continue forward. I never imagined I'd be repelled. Of course a door leading to something as important as the Grutrissheit would have a selective magic circle—that was only natural.
...What do I do?
There was no way I, who was not royalty, could obtain the Grutrissheit within a year and save Ferdinand. The most certain method had been taken from me, and my world went dark.
...Royal registration would take three years...?
To prevent the central region from unilaterally claiming talented Lord Candidates, Lord Candidates were not permitted to transfer to the central region outside of marriage. I couldn't become
"Open..."
When I smacked the door with my palm, it crackled and bounced my hand back. The repulsive force was stronger than before, and my fingertips tingled with numbness. I alternated between looking at my fingers and the magic circle before me, then struck the door again.
"Open!"
The hand that was flung back hurt even more.
Frustration at being unable to reach what was so close, despair at no longer being able to help Ferdinand, and fury at the magic circle that kept rejecting me—all of these emotions churned together inside me.
I clenched my tingling hand into a fist and, giving in to my emotions, struck the door with all my strength.
"Let me in!"
My Magic Power, which wanted to break through the magic circle, clashed with the power defending the door, sending sparks flying. One of the charms on my wrist shattered. Then another immediately broke. Watching the protective charms Ferdinand had given me break one after another under the counterattack from the door's magic circle, I quickly pulled my hand back.
"Princess, dangerous."
"Princess, we will assist."
Schwartz and Weiss's magic stones lit up on their foreheads—they had judged me a threat after I attacked the magic circle.
I couldn't afford to waste any more of the charms Ferdinand had given me on foolish behavior. I murmured "I'm going back now" and began retracing my steps with my shoulders slumped in defeat, while Schwartz and Weiss walked behind me, wary of my movements.
Back in the archive, the wall was still white and I couldn't see through it. I stood rooted in front of the entrance that had turned into a white wall, staring at my throbbing, feverish hands. The spot where I had punched the magic circle with my fist was swollen and dark red, as if burned. Even Ferdinand's charms hadn't been enough to protect me.
"Ow..."
While I was staring at my injuries, Schwartz and Weiss closed the corridor, then shuffled over to stand in front of the wall. The instant Weiss passed through, the wall turned transparent again, and I could see everyone on the other side—their faces tense, apparently having been holding their breath the whole time.
"Rozemyne!"
Hildbrand rushed forward, but Anastasius stopped him with "No one else enters," and stepped into the archive alone.
"Rozemyne, over there..."
"It didn't work. Without royal registration, the door beyond won't open."
"...I see."
Anastasius murmured regretfully, then noticed my hands and his expression changed.
"What happened to your hands...?"
"...I was repelled by the magic circle."
"I didn't expect something like this to happen... Let's leave the archive immediately and get healing."
As Anastasius tried to escort me out, I grabbed his hand and shook my head.
"Forget that—what's going to happen to Ferdinand? There's no way I can obtain the Grutrissheit within a year. What should I—"
"Rozemyne, calm down. Your Magic Power is..."
He told me to calm down as if it were that easy. I couldn't help but glare at him.
"If I don't obtain the Grutrissheit within a year, Ferdinand will be punished as part of
Anastasius, who had been wearing a strained expression, clenched his back teeth once before looking at me with a puzzled look.
"...You and Ferdinand aren't family. You're not married, nor engaged, are you?"
"He's like family to me. To me, Ferdinand is family I must protect above all else—is it not natural for me to be worried? He was already refused once, but then he was ordered by royal decree to go to Detlinde as a consort, forced to prop up
The moment I became emotional, the charms I was wearing began to glow. Magic Power filled the charms distributed across my entire body, and they started shining.
...This is bad. If this continues, I'll be intimidating royalty...
My cool head snapped back just in time as I was on the verge of leaking Magic Power. I took a slow, deep breath and compressed the swelling Magic Power, storing it away. My Stappe really had grown—it was easy to compress Magic Power now, and the charms' glow subsided without any leaking out.
"Like family, is it... I only meant to fan the flames to spur you toward obtaining the Grutrissheit quickly, but it seems I said quite a bit more than necessary."
Anastasius sighed and showed a look of regret as he cast healing on me.
"By convention up to now, collective guilt is assured once the marriage takes place. However, any actual punishment of Detlinde won't come until Ahrensbach has stabilized. More specifically, it would be after a royal obtains the Grutrissheit, or between when
"Eh?"
It didn't sound like they were going to be collectively executed immediately after all, so I tilted my head. Anastasius murmured self-deprecatingly, "It seems I had lost much more composure than I thought."
"I was operating on aristocratic common sense, and I forgot that much of it doesn't apply to you."
"Huh?"
"I spoke quite provocatively to fan your flames, but I believe Ferdinand—with his understanding of things—is well aware of what I've just said, unlike you."
...F Ferdinand understands that he'll be punished as part of Detlinde's collective guilt?
Come to think of it, when Detlinde collapsed and I was summoned by Eglantine, he had brought a recording Magical Tool and insisted that he bore no responsibility. Even so, I couldn't accept that collective guilt would follow just because of a marriage.
"Forget about Ferdinand, who seems likely to seize control of Ahrensbach within half a year, and worry about yourself instead."
"Worry about me?"
Was there something I needed to worry about beyond Ferdinand and Ehrenfest?
"...I'm withdrawing the offer to have you become my brother's third wife. If you can't obtain the Grutrissheit without being royalty, then your danger level should drop somewhat. Above all, I can't find a reason to have the royals protect you if you can't obtain the Grutrissheit."
He said this with a weary expression and looked down at me with a hint of concern.
"Eh? Danger level and protection?"
"I should have already discussed this with the Aub. Didn't he tell you?"
"He didn't."
"...You should ask the Aub for the details."
Anastasius shook his head, clearly not expecting that I'd been told nothing at all. Apparently there was a breakdown in communication between me and my adoptive father.
"If the Grutrissheit had been immediately obtainable and my brother, who would have received it from you, could use it, then we would have had to secure you by any means necessary. But if you don't qualify as a Zent candidate, it seems we need to reconsider."
Anastasius escorted me out of the archive and handed me over to my attendants.
"I'm sorry for dragging you along on the shrine pilgrimage today. ...Also, this is advice—you should increase your guard detail."
With that, Anastasius and Eglantine departed for lunch. The moment they left, I was surrounded by my attendants.
"Lady Rozemyne, what on earth happened?"
"Um... what did it all look like from everyone else's perspective?"
The moment Weiss and I entered the archive, the wall had apparently turned completely white and nothing could be seen beyond. Not only my attendants, but the royals who had been allowed inside the archive were also locked out.
"What were you doing behind that white wall, Lady Rozemyne?"
Not knowing how to answer, I looked to Magdalena. She smiled gently and gave a slight shake of her head—meaning it was best not to talk about it carelessly. I smiled brightly.
"I wasn't able to do anything. I didn't have the necessary qualifications."
"Qualifications? What kind of qualifications, and for what purpose?"
At Hildbrand's puzzled question, I recalled Eglantine's words about not wanting to create unnecessary conflict between the upper duchies. I declined with a smile, saying, "You'll have to ask Prince Anastasius for the details."
How to answer Hildbrand's questions was something for the royals to discuss among themselves. I didn't want to say anything more and get further entangled with the royals. In just this one morning, I had understood to my core what my adoptive father and Ferdinand had repeatedly hammered into me: "Don't get involved with the royals or the upper duchies." No matter how friendly you were, your positions were different. Your priorities were different. Even if you called them friends, you weren't equals—you had to swallow any injustice they imposed. If you didn't want injustice forced upon you, your only options were to build enough power to refuse or to stay out of their sight entirely.
"I was out all morning and went through a lot, so I'm hungry. I'd like to have lunch,
"...Very well, Lady Rozemyne. The fourth bell has already rung, so you must be hungry.
Cornelius—my brother—came over with a slightly furrowed brow, looking at me with concern, and extended his hand. I placed my hand atop his and began walking toward my seat.
"Wait, Rozemyne. I..."
"If you ask too many questions, you'll only trouble Lady Rozemyne, Hildbrand."
At Magdalena's words, everyone moved with glances of concern toward me. The attendants began preparing tea, while the knights stood guard around their lord's seat. Hildbrand was called over by his mother and looked back at me several times with a worried expression before heading to Magdalena.
The tense, awkward lunch eventually came to an end, and in the afternoon I threw myself back into modern-language translations. As I worked through the stone tablet contents, I suddenly recalled the time I had been translating the history book of
...A king arose from Dunkelfelger once—how was that possible?
It had been an old text, so there weren't many details about how that king had come to power. But if royal registration was required to obtain the Grutrissheit, then a king shouldn't have been able to rise from Dunkelfelger at all. Was there some other method? Or was it that someone who wanted to prevent kings from arising from other duchies had later created the selective magic circle?
...The most certain means, and I couldn't even obtain it.
Prince Anastasius had said that Ferdinand's collective guilt was still a ways off, and that Ferdinand himself was preparing defensive measures—but I couldn't tell how much of that was true.
...I just want to check on his safety and warn him about the danger...
I'd been warned not to worry too much.
"Lady Rozemyne."
Hannelore looked around with great difficulty, clearly struggling to find the right words, then lowered her voice and murmured, "Your sleeve..." It seemed that when the magic circle had counterattacked, I hadn't just been burned—I had also sustained a cut somewhere. There were bloodstains on my cuff. Anastasius had healed the wounds completely, but no one had noticed the bloodstains.
"Thank you for your concern, Lady Hannelore. Prince Anastasius gave me healing, so the wounds are gone."
"Eh? Lady Rozemyne, Prince Anastasius gave you healing?"
I nodded at Hannelore's words. Since everyone else had been told to stay out while we spoke inside the archive, Anastasius was the only one who could have provided healing. Hannelore seemed a bit flustered at my quizzical expression and explained: "Normally, royalty never provides personal healing to others."
Royalty, who had to conserve their Magic Power for the good of the kingdom, rarely performed individual healing. It appeared to be Anastasius's way of apologizing in a manner fitting his royal status—one that couldn't be done casually or easily.
...Hard to understand, and even with the apology, I still can't forgive the fact that Ferdinand will be punished through collective guilt.
"I've come to pick you up, Rozemyne."
My adoptive father, having realized over the past few days that trying to call me away was pointless, simply took the stone tablets from the start. I packed up my writing materials, handed today's progress to Magdalena, and left the library.
"Father, am I in danger? Prince Anastasius told me to ask you for the details."
"That conversation can wait."
My adoptive father's face briefly twisted into an unpleasant expression before he softened into a deeper smile as he looked at me.
"...So something happened that led to you having that sort of conversation with a royal?"
"That conversation can wait."
We stared at each other, then simultaneously let out a deep sigh. My adoptive father was clearly tangled up in all sorts of troublesome matters as well.
"Father, I learned today just how much I should avoid getting involved with the royals—one day was more than enough to understand completely."
My adoptive father looked down at me with an utterly exasperated expression.
"Haa. Only now? That's too late. It's already beyond saving."
...Beyond saving!?
As we made plans to talk properly after dinner, with our attendants in tow, we returned to the dormitory—where
"Oh, Lieseleta. Is something the matter?"
"Teacher
"Teacher Hirschur?"
I exchanged a glance with my adoptive father, and we entered the multipurpose hall. Among the busy adults coming and going after finishing today's meetings and preparing for the days ahead, Hirschur stood out—calmly reading an Ehrenfest book in front of a shelf.
"Hirschur!? Why are you here...?"
"So you've finally returned, Aub Ehrenfest, Lady Rozemyne."
She closed her book with a snap, placed it back on the shelf, and looked up at us.
"I have a letter from Lord Ferdinand."
"Eh? The Starbinding has been postponed—has Ferdinand actually come to the
"He hasn't completed the Starbinding yet, so he's still technically of Ehrenfest. He wouldn't attend the meetings, but surely he could come as far as the dormitory? The person who delivered this was Lord Ferdinand's attendant, after all."
Come to think of it, even back in Ehrenfest, Ferdinand had been called to the Royal Academy whenever something came up while he was minding the estate. He was probably doing the same thing here.
"Please open it right away, Aub Ehrenfest."
Hirschur pointed to a Magical Tool box. It was far too large for a simple letter. Apparently, only the Aub of Ehrenfest could open it.
"He told me to make absolutely certain that I deliver it to the Ehrenfest dormitory, and that he's put research materials inside. Lord Ferdinand is truly spiteful."
"Well, he knows Teacher Hirschur, doesn't he? If the research materials he wanted to read weren't inside, you would have put it off until winter at the earliest, saying it could wait?"
"Well, obviously!"
...Please don't be so proud of that!
Unfortunately, I was repelled by the magic circle. Rozemyne, who is not royalty, cannot enter. And, without anyone knowing, things are already in motion. Teacher Hirschur delivered a letter. Next: a letter and a discussion.