"
"Given that your appearance changed so drastically, I can imagine what must have happened over winter. Rest well tonight,
Cornelius reached out as if to ruffle my hair like he always did, then stopped midway, clearly thrown by my changed appearance. Noticing his hesitation, I swept back my hood, took his hand, and placed it on my head.
"It was truly awful, Cornelius."
I looked up at him, urging him on—go ahead, pet my head—and he scratched it with a complicated expression, muttering that Rozemyne really needed to mature on the inside too. Meanwhile, Grete headed to the kitchen to ask
"Tomorrow's going to be rough with
Cornelius said this with a thoroughly exasperated look and waved me off toward my room. I summoned a single-person riding beast, climbed in, and headed back. I still wasn't used to my suddenly elevated viewpoint and body. The hem-trailing ceremony robes made the stairs genuinely dangerous.
Back in my room, I threw off the hooded cloak with a flourish. When I'd returned to the top floor of the altar in the innermost chamber, I'd told
...Am I not perfect? Though this adult cloak does feel a little long.
Grete set down the meal and stared at me with an expression caught somewhere between surprise and bewilderment. My teal eyes, once so clearly visible, were now harder to catch at this angle—it must be the change in eye level.
"...Your gaze is nearly the same as before, Lady Rozemyne, so it's likely to feel disorienting until you adjust."
Lieseleta's words drove home the reality that my body had grown. I was about the same height as Grete, or perhaps just slightly shorter. Our eyes were now nearly level—where before, I'd always had to look up.
...Still a bit shorter than Lieseleta, though.
"More importantly, what exactly happened? Hartmut kept saying Lady Rozemyne was growing every single day, but I never imagined it would be this sudden. You're truly beautiful."
"I was made to grow by Anvarax, the God of Growth. The sudden growth was incredibly painful."
When I removed the High Priest's ceremonial robes, the tattered state of the garments beneath was fully exposed. Lieseleta and Grete's eyes went wide at the sight, and they directed their anger at the gods who had forced such rapid growth.
"To make you grow until your socks won't even fit, without providing a change of clothes or any Attendants—what were they thinking! And furthermore, isn't Anvarax the God of Growth a male deity?"
"I think it's wonderful that you've grown so beautifully. However, it's simply unforgivable to me that Lady Rozemyne, who desired growth so fervently, is filled not with joy but with bewilderment and frustration."
I told them that I felt the same—frustration with nowhere to direct it.
"But now that my eye level has truly matched Grete's, I'm starting to feel genuinely happy about it. Before, I had no one to compare myself to, and I couldn't even see myself in a mirror, so I had almost no sense that I'd grown at all."
I'd been in too much pain and too busy just trying to hold my clothes together to savor any growth. Looking in the mirror now, I'd grown into a genuine beauty—even I could admire that. If I wasn't more careful with how I carried myself, I'd end up even more of a wasted beauty than
"Lady Rozemyne... are you truly alright with this? It seems you've essentially prioritized Ehrenfest over the royal family..."
As Lieseleta undressed me, she asked with obvious concern. But I wasn't particularly worried. They'd caught me off guard with this physical transformation, yes, but I'd already obtained the approval of both
"The royals gave their permission, so shouldn't there be nothing to worry about? I'm more concerned about Ehrenfest than the royals, and look—my clothes are in tatters. With this much of a size difference, I won't have a single thing to wear starting tomorrow. Even without the crisis in Ehrenfest, it would be completely impossible to hold discussions with the royals."
There was no way anyone could tailor clothes fit to be seen by royalty in just a few days. I was already planning to rush back to Ehrenfest and wear the High Priest's robes until new garments could be made.
My words prompted Lieseleta and Grete to exchange a glance before disappearing into the wardrobe room. They emerged carrying garments in a larger size.
"Because Hartmut insisted so adamantly that Lady Rozemyne was growing, we set aside a few of
"Huh?"
Apparently, starting from the moment I'd gone missing in the library, Hartmut had been declaring that "Lady Rozemyne has been summoned by
...What? That's terrifying, not even a little.
"While most people were skeptical, Hartmut spoke with such absolute conviction, and the other blue-shrine-blessed agreed it couldn't be wrong, so we made preparations just in case."
Brunhilde's clothes had been modeled after my own designs, with the back fastened by ties for easy size adjustment. They were winter garments tailored after she'd been chosen as the Aub's second wife, so in terms of trends and quality, they suited me better than anyone else's. Since Brunhilde had come of age, nobody would be inconvenienced if her clothes were left at the
"Once we return to the castle, we'll take your measurements and have new garments made right away. But in the meantime, shouldn't these get you through?"
"I'm genuinely amazed."
At Lieseleta's urging, I changed into adult-sized undergarments, donned the simple magic-stone armor, and tried sliding my arms into Brunhilde's dress. The chest was a bit tight and the length was long, but the back ties allowed for adjustment, and I could hem it enough to wear. Lieseleta had apparently used her spare time to prepare several sets of undergarments—since I'd been going through a growth spurt, she'd figured making a few wouldn't go to waste.
"As for shoes, they'll need to be fitted to your feet, so for now, you'll have to make do with ones made from magic stones."
"That's fine. Magic Power-wise, there's no real issue."
I ate dinner and took a bath. In the meantime, Lieseleta and Grete filled me in on what had happened at the Royal Academy. The dedication ceremonies for both the lower and middle ranks had gone smoothly. I'd spent the rest of the Academy bedridden. Hannalore had been very worried and lent me books to read for company. The materials brought by Klassenburg had been read and copied by
"In the end, Matthias asked
I never would have thought Matthias would end up asking Ottilie. He was handsome and accomplished—I'd assumed he could snap up a girl or two without effort. I hadn't realized what he'd had to take on as a parentless ward.
"I failed him as his guardian... What could I possibly say to make it right?"
"No, Lady Rozemyne. Matthias never intended to select an escort partner in the first place, considering that he's the former Count
Grete stated flatly that even ordinary students had to scout their own partners and introduce them to their parents, or for other territories, meet the partner's parents during the inter-dterritory competition and lay the groundwork—without all that, an escort was impossible. Since Matthias's guardian was me and I hadn't been around to make introductions beforehand, his planning was bound to fail.
"Seeing how Matthias struggled, it seems Lorenz—who graduates next year—is already panicking and realizing he needs to prepare early. Now, Lady Rozemyne. Let's end the chatter and get some sleep. You'll be busy starting tomorrow, won't you?"
Lieseleta told me to get into bed. I obediently followed her words. I was truly exhausted, and tomorrow would undoubtedly be hectic.
The next morning, after finishing breakfast, I had Hugo help me prepare for departure, and Lieseleta and the others made ready to return to Ehrenfest. The escort knights came in shifts at the dormitory, so their luggage was light, but Lieseleta and Grete—who had stayed at the dorm the entire time waiting for my return—had quite a lot.
"I'm sorry, both of you."
"There's nothing to apologize for, Lady Rozemyne. There's no point in us staying at a castle without our lord."
Ottilie alone was more than sufficient for gathering intelligence within the castle. The attendants had work at the
Once the luggage was ready, I moved to the teleportation chamber with Lieseleta, Grete, Cornelius, and Matthias.
"Lieseleta and I will use the teleportation circle to return with Lady Rozemyne. Grete and Matthias will check on the luggage and the cooks' transport, then follow.
The two knights standing guard flinched at the sight of me. Beneath the shock on their faces, I caught the unconscious revulsion people wore when encountering something that defied all common sense. The retainers had shown bewilderment at my sudden growth but never disgust, so I hadn't realized just how abnormal I'd become. I instinctively took a step back.
"Still not used to your body? Anvarax's blessing does seem like quite a burden."
Matthias gave a gentle smile and a soft push to my back. Feeling the reassurance that it was alright, I turned back to Matthias with a small smile.
"Matthias, I'm counting on you. Please return as quickly as possible with Grete."
"As you wish."
Cornelius, Lieseleta, and I boarded the teleportation circle. Seeing Matthias and Grete off, I returned to Ehrenfest.
In the teleportation chamber, the stationed knights gaped at me yet again, and I left the room feeling thoroughly uncomfortable.
"We were worried about you, Rozemyne! Whoa!? I heard from Hartmut, but you really have grown, Rozemyne! You've become the greatest beauty in
"You're exaggerating, Grandfather."
"Grandfather, you're too close! Please step back another pace."
Grandfather had been the first to greet me. Beyond him stood Father, Mother,
...Ugh, their stares hurt.
"Father, I've returned. I apologize for causing you concern. ...I have something very important to discuss—might I have your time? I've learned how
The instant those words left my mouth, Father's astonished expression hardened into something sharp.
"This concerns the Foundation, so I have no intention of speaking to anyone other than the Aub. Once you're ready for us to speak privately, please summon me."
"Come immediately. This is something I must know above all else. ...
With that, Father turned on his heel and strode toward his office, his own retainers following ahead of him. I saw Grandfather standing with his hand firmly on his hip in a picture-perfect pose, and I chuckled softly as I looped my arm through his. Before, my eyes had been level with his wrist; now they reached roughly his elbow.
Wilfried and my other siblings surrounded Grandfather and me.
"Hartmut was incessant about your growth, but you really have grown. Quite a surprise."
"Hee hee—I've become beautiful, haven't I? When I saw myself in the mirror, even I was shocked."
"Mm. You certainly have become lovely. But has the inside failed to keep up? The gap between appearance and substance is staggering."
"The inability to grow on the inside—Wilfried and I really are alike in that."
"Hm? I've grown tremendously."
We traded light barbs as I gauged our heights by eye. Annoyingly, I was still shorter than Wilfried. He seemed to be going through a growth spurt himself—he looked taller than before.
"Sister, welcome back. ...My, you're a little taller than me now. What a strange feeling."
...Wow, I've really grown. I actually look like Charlotte's big sister!
For the first time, I felt truly grateful to Eywar and Anvarax. This was extraordinary. It felt like I'd reclaimed my dignity as the older sister. Lost in emotion, I looked down to find Melchior gazing up at me with the same moved expression.
"I had been hearing from Hartmut at the Temple that Sister Rozemyne had been invited by Mestionora, the Goddess of Wisdom, to the realm of the gods and was growing after receiving their blessings. So it was true."
"Hartmut!?"
I whirled around, wondering what lies he'd been feeding Melchior, and Hartmut simply smiled, looking perfectly self-satisfied.
"I haven't told a single lie. Lady Rozemyne was taken from before my very eyes by the Goddess of Wisdom, Mestionora, and I could feel her growing every day."
"Hartmut, were you lying?"
Caught under Melchior's steady gaze, I struggled to find the right words. The troublesome thing was that Hartmut's account was largely accurate.
"I... can't say everything was wrong. Broadly speaking, he's correct. I was made to grow by Anvarax, the God of Growth."
"As I thought—Sister Rozemyne truly does have the blessings of the gods."
...Argh! It's not quite right, but it's so hard to explain! And the worst part is that Hartmut's smug face is really starting to irritate me!
Comparing myself with those around me to feel the reality of my growth, and all too aware that Hartmut was accelerating the Saint of
"I'm sorry, Grandfather. I'm still not used to this body..."
"Then let me do this."
Before I could even suggest a riding beast, Grandfather scooped me up as casually as if lifting a feather. Not even Cornelius had time to react.
"Um, Grandfather. I've grown quite heavy, you know. Please put me down."
"Nonsense—this weight is far easier for me to handle."
Before, I'd been too light for him to know what to do with, but now that I'd grown to about this size, his experience carrying his late wife apparently made it no problem at all. As he boasted with a proud grin, my escort knights milled about in confusion, having lost me in the blink of an eye.
"What should we do, Lady Rozemyne? Shall we wrest you back from our master with all our might?"
"That sounds rather dangerous, Angelica. Grandfather has a very steady hold, so this is fine for now."
I relaxed my body and let Grandfather carry me. At the very least, there was absolutely no disgust toward my sudden growth in his eyes. He was purely and genuinely happy about it.
"Normally, once you've outgrown being carried like this, you can never go back—but Grandfather is apparently the exception. So I'll indulge this time."
Before speaking with Father, I straightened my outfit—and then reunited with everyone.
Rozemyne, slightly taller than Charlotte now, had regained her dignity as the older sister.
The Saint legend, accelerating at the Temple.
And Grandfather, who could finally hold her now that she'd grown.
Next: The story of the Foundation.