Right past the rainbow curtain, there was a magic circle. "Eek!" I gasped, hastily stepping to a spot where no circle lay.
"...Ah, that was close."
I had told my adoptive father, "Why not place traps inside too?" but with
"Could this be one of
I suspected Dietlinde or her sister—those who knew the Foundation's location—had actually set it, but the proposal likely came from Georgine. Staying cautious, I tossed a magic stone filled with my own Magic Power. The instant it clattered down, the magic circle blazed to life and a pillar of blue flame shot up with tremendous force.
"Ah!"
The sheer force and searing heat struck me, and I pressed myself flat against the wall. If even a single strand of my hair touched that flame, it would burn along with everything else. The blue fire looked as though it would devour everything, and it seemed to embody Georgine's obsession itself—I began to feel suffocated. Clutching my chest tightly, I could only stare as the magic stones holding my Magic Power were swallowed one after another by the blue flames.
As the blue fire dwindled and vanished, the magic circle disappeared with it, and both the floor and the room returned to their familiar pristine white. Still, I feared something might remain, so I scolded my trembling legs into motion and carefully made my way to the edge before stepping forward to the Foundation.
Inside the windowless room enclosed on all sides by blank white walls, seven magic stones the size of softballs hovered in the air, glowing with the noble golden hue of a Supreme Deity. They orbited like a celestial globe in movements closely resembling those in the Supply Room, and from them, glittering particles of light—like luminous dust—trickled down little by little.
These seven magic stones were connected to the Supply Room, and the shimmering particles of various hues were the Magic Power being supplied from there. In other words, the light particles falling now were
Following the cascade of light particles downward, I could see them landing on a section where part of the white floor had been cut away, revealing a portion of a great sphere. Even the visible part was larger than if I spread both arms wide. This was the territory's Foundation. Its pale green glow told me that the current Aub
"So the real thing is this big."
I peered into the Foundation. Inside the enormous spherical stone, a pale green liquid shimmered and swayed, but it appeared less than half full. For Ferdinand having channeled Magic Power for over half a day, the amount inside seemed remarkably low.
...Could he have kept the rate of Magic Power drainage to the bare minimum?
Unlike a ritual conducted by many, he had been sealed in there alone, so he couldn't have been swept along by the flow of others' Magic Power. I had worried that Dietlinde had activated the magic circle and thus controlled the drain rate, but perhaps Ferdinand had resisted as much as he could in that situation.
...If they had wanted to kill him by depleting his Magic Power, they would have drained it far faster.
But no matter how much less the drainage was than expected, the fact remained that Ferdinand was still losing Magic Power at this very moment. Quietly watching the gently falling particles of light, I placed an empty magic stone atop the Foundation. This would absorb Magic Power to make it easier to dye the Foundation, even if only slightly. I had to be careful not to reduce the Magic Power inside too much—doing so would seriously affect the white building and the barriers—but reducing it did make dyeing easier.
"...About here?"
Since there was less Magic Power in the Foundation than I had expected, I was able to handle it with the stones on hand. After tucking the faintly green-tinged magic stone into my pouch, I pulled out my Schtappe with a recovery potion in my other hand.
Just as I had learned in the Lord Candidate lectures, I would touch the Foundation with my Schtappe and channel Magic Power into it to dye it. Drawing out the Magic Power I had compressed and stored deep within my body, I would pour it in all at once.
...Go!
I drank recovery potions continuously while flooding the Foundation with Magic Power. Dyeing such an enormous magic stone was no simple task. Normally, to avoid burdening the body, one would take one's time, gradually shifting the color from the previous Aub's Magic Power to one's own. But this time, I had no luxury to worry about strain.
I could feel Magic Power returning only to drain away again, but I did not stop pouring it in. The pale green of the Foundation was visibly shifting to a pale yellow—my own color.
...Hurry up and change!
I kept drinking potions that restored only Magic Power while continuing to dye the Foundation.
The green hue faded entirely, replaced by my own color. The moment the transformation was complete, the Foundation blazed with a brilliant flash of my light.
"...I-It's done."
Perhaps from expending an absurd amount of Magic Power for the first time in ages, I felt a mild dizziness. I leaned against the Foundation to catch my breath, then stood and stepped out of the Foundation chamber.
Even after catching my breath, my complexion apparently hadn't improved, because Hartmut, who had been waiting in the Temple Library, asked with deep concern, "Lady
"It would be best for your health to rest a while, Lady Rozemyne, but Lady
"I'm quite well. Let us hurry to the castle. ...But for the walk to our flying beasts, could you lend me a hand for just a moment?"
"Not just a moment—I am happy to lend you as much help as you need."
Leaning on Hartmut's hand, I left the library and called out to
"Has anything changed?"
Once I climbed aboard my Lesserbus, Justus—who had been exchanging information with the outside while I dyed the Foundation—filled me in on
"It appears that behind the rampage of Lanzanave, there are instructions from Lady Dietlinde, Lady Arnestlde, and Lady Georgine."
"What do you mean?"
"According to those from Dunkelfelger who entered the castle, the damage is very specifically targeted."
The main building was unscathed, but the northern wing where the Lord Candidates resided and the western wing containing Ferdinand's quarters had been thoroughly ransacked. Not a soul remained, and Magical Tools of every kind had been looted bare. In the Noble District, some houses had been hit while others were passed over entirely.
"It seems those with close ties to Ferdinand and
"The houses marked with a sign at their gate appear to have been left alone. Our leaking of information seems to have borne fruit—there's no meaningful damage among Dunkelfelger. In fact, they're complaining that the opponents who can't even fly are hardly worthy of a proper Ditter."
...So quintessentially Dunkelfelger that I can't decide whether to feel reassured or exasperated.
"We've received reports that some of the Lanzanave people in the castle and Noble District have retreated into the Lanzanave estate, while others are trying to flee onto their ships."
Some of the Lanzanave operatives were moving about in carriages lent by Ahrensbach, but having arrived by ship, they had no personal horses. Nor could they ride flying beasts, so their movement was slow.
"I'm told that once they hide, they become rather troublesome to track down."
"...Are Lady Letizia and her attendants safe?"
"The Lanzanave people are locating hidden nobles by tracking the movements of Ordinances and the light of compasses. I have not yet sent any Ordinances, to avoid potentially exposing them to danger."
At Justus's words, I lowered my gaze slightly. I hoped Letizia was safe, but considering the time between her leaving the Supply Room and Dietlinde entering, the chances of them running into each other were quite high.
...I hope her Ordinance didn't fail to fly.
"If Dunkelfelger has driven the Lanzanave out of the castle, then please try to contact Ferdinand's attendants through them."
"Understood."
Justus launched Ordinance after Ordinance—one bearing news of Lanzanave's expulsion and inquiries about safety.
"This is Justus. I am currently heading to the Aub's office. Thanks to Ehrenfest and Dunkelfelger, the Lanzanave have been driven from the castle. I've heard the northern and western wings are devastated—are you safe?"
Three Ordinances failed to take flight.
Upon arriving at the castle, I set Justus and Hartmut down, shrank my Lesserbus to single-rider size, and made my way inside. I had arranged to meet Hannelore in front of the Aub's office. Guided by Justus along the staircases and doors used by servants, we took the shortest route to the Aub's office.
In the corridor before the office, numerous Ahrensbach nobles had apparently been summoned by Justus's Ordinances, and I could see Hannelore surrounded by them.
"Lady Hannelore, I cannot thank you enough for your cooperation. Thanks to Dunkelfelger, I was able to claim the Foundation. All that remains is Ferdinand's rescue."
"...Lady Rozemyne."
Hannelore turned around with a relieved expression, her hair—somewhere between pale pink and purple—swaying as she did.
"As I have said on numerous occasions, Dunkelfelger merely answered Ehrenfest's request and participated in an authentic Ditter. For details, please inquire of Ehrenfest."
...Lady Hannelore, that explanation probably won't mean a thing to the Ahrensbach nobles.
I let out a small laugh at Hannelore's slightly flustered appearance and told her to put the Ahrensbach nobles off for later.
"Let us hold our discussion until after Ferdinand has been rescued. Lady Hannelore, until we complete the rescue, would you please guard this area against any disturbances? Without saving Ferdinand, our victory is not assured."
"Understood. Victory is certain."
I had Justus unlock the Aub's office. Just as I was about to enter, one of the Ahrensbach nobles suddenly gave chase after my flying beast.
"Lady Rozemyne! Is it true that you've seized the Ahrensbach Foundation!?"
"Yes. I simply couldn't think of any other way to save Ferdinand. Having dyed the Foundation, I am now Aub Ahrensbach. This rescue has been authorized by the royalty as well."
I showed the necklace given to me by Prince
"Then please close the Border Gate immediately! Lanzanave's ships haven't departed yet! If we act now, we can capture them without letting anyone escape and rescue the girls who have been taken—"
He seemed to be a high-ranking noble who had served as a retainer to a Lord Candidate in the past. Without a shred of hesitation, the man barged into the Aub's office and proceeded to argue urgently about the importance of closing the Border Gate. I understood the importance of closing the Border Gate as well. But when weighing Ferdinand against the Border Gate, Ferdinand would win every time. Having finally finished dyeing the Foundation and arrived at the Aub's office, I grudged even the round-trip time from the castle to the gate.
"You and the Ahrensbach knights are welcome to attack the Lanzanave ships. I authorize it. Consult Dunkelfelger on the pitfalls of fighting Lanzanave, and go rescue your own people."
"Aren't you the Aub!? You came here at the royal family's request to drive out Lanzanave, didn't you!?"
His voice rising to nearly a scream, he begged me to act—his daughters had been carried off by Lanzanave, and he pleaded for the gate to be closed immediately so that the knights could ride out and save them.
"I was not commissioned by the royalty. I was given permission to save Ferdinand. If you cannot even wait for me to rescue Ferdinand, then dye the Foundation yourself to save your own people."
I glanced around the Aub's office, noting that everyone present wore Ehrenfest cloaks except for this one man, and fixed him with a stare.
"You have no right to enter the Aub's office. ...
"Yes!"
Angelica moved in an instant, ejecting the man from the office. Once the door closed and only those who had come from Ehrenfest remained, I dismounted from my flying beast.
"Justus, do you know where the entrance is?"
"I asked Schtrahl earlier. It's behind here."
Justus pushed aside a document cabinet that had been placed flush against the wall, revealing the spot behind it. I bent slightly, touched the magic stone of a small door there, and channeled Magic Power into it. The small door expanded with a groan until it was large enough for a person to pass through.
"...The registration magic stone is missing."
"The registration magic stone is something you would need to create, Lady Rozemyne—"
"That's not what I meant. Ferdinand's registration magic stone has been removed."
Even if he could move, he was being prevented from leaving the Supply Room. I felt a surge of anger at Dietlinde's thoroughness in such a petty detail.
"But this way Ferdinand won't be able to come out."
I had planned to use body enhancement to pull Ferdinand out of the Supply Room and have Justus administer the potions, but this made that impossible. I would need to prepare a registration magic stone and have Ferdinand register his Magic Power into it. If he was unconscious, he wouldn't be able to channel Magic Power into a stone.
"If it comes to this, I'll have to administer the medicine inside to His Highness. They're arranged in order here. If he's unconscious, use this to pour the medicine into his mouth."
Justus began rattling off the administration order at high speed. After hearing the precautions, I opened the enlarged door and reached out to take Justus's medicine case.
"Wait, Lady Rozemyne."
"What is it, Hartmut? I've already memorized the administration order Justus explained to me, you know."
"With one arm inserted, could you take out your Schtappe and perform a Washen cleansing of the Supply Room's interior?"
"I've never done anything like that, so I'm not sure I can..."
Bewildered by Hartmut's sudden request, I stuck one arm inside and summoned my Schtappe.
"It looks like it might work, but why would we do something like this?"
I asked while thinking that I really didn't want to use any more Magic Power today, and Hartmut replied, "The poison remaining in the Supply Room may still pose some risk to Lady Rozemyne."
"Lady Rozemyne, you have a track record of falling asleep for two years on a dosage far below the lethal threshold for others. We absolutely must avoid a repeat of that."
I had reacted strangely because of the clump of Magic Power inside my body, but with a two-year stint as a Yurivé pickle under my belt, I could hardly call myself poison-resistant.
"I see. Ferdinand has built up tolerance to various poisons due to his upbringing. That may be why even the instant-death poison did not fully take effect this time, leaving him room to drink the antidote. We cannot expect the same from her Highness."
"If there is residual poison, it sounds as though I might collapse before I even rescue Ferdinand."
It wasn't something to say with pride, but nobody in the room denied it.
"The moment you collapsed upon entering with the intent to rescue him would be disastrous. Only Lady Rozemyne, who has dyed the Foundation, can enter this room—no one else. Please perform the cleansing first."
"If we perform a Washen like this, will Ferdinand inside be all right?"
I asked Justus and
"If he was showered in poison powder, Ferdinand is likely coated in it—you won't be able to touch him without cleansing. Please Washen Ferdinand along with the room."
At Justus's surprisingly rough-and-ready instructions, I grimaced but thrust my arm in and performed a Washen on both the Supply Room and Ferdinand.
"Then I leave Ferdinand in your care."
I entered the Supply Room carrying the antidote set Justus had prepared.
There lay Ferdinand, collapsed in the same position as when Dietlinde had left.
The Magic Power part was grueling, but the Foundation was dyed with ease.
The Lanzanave soldiers in the castle were driven out by Dunkelfelger with equal ease.
I did not get to witness Lady Hannelore's efforts. The timing was simply unfortunate.
Next—the rescue of Ferdinand.