"I have returned."
"Welcome back, Lady
"It is good to see you all in good health."
"We came to check on the Temple and the orphanage and confirm that everyone is safe. Please, tell me everything in the High Priest's chambers."
"Sister Rozemyne, I have already reported to the Aub, but do you require a separate report on the Temple attack? Father saw Lady
"...Please, go ahead."
I had come specifically to hear the report, so there was no way I could say I didn't want to hear it.
"Was nothing amiss in the High Priest's chambers? I heard there may have been someone who guided Georgine..."
"We are all safe."
"Oh, thank goodness. I will check on everyone at the Temple and the orphanage, hear your report, and then head to the lower city. We will have many guests, so Monica and
I politely conveyed that the changing of clothes could be fairly casual, and Monica and Nicola exchanged glances and giggled.
"When Fran and Zahm heard that Lord Ferdinand would be visiting, they were so excited that there wasn't much for the rest of us to do."
"As soon as Lady Rozemyne finishes changing, I will go and inform everyone."
Once Monica left the High Priest's chambers and Nicola headed to the kitchen, Fran and Zahm entered pushing a tea wagon with somewhat tense expressions. Both were trying not to show it on their faces, but their nervous excitement was palpable, which was rather endearing.
...The former attendants really do love Lord Ferdinand, don't they?
Thanks to Monica's announcement, everyone gathered in the High Priest's chambers. I offered Melchior and Ferdinand seats directly facing me. Fran immediately began brewing tea. After I took a sip and indicated it was good, Ferdinand and Melchior each reached for their cups.
"...A nostalgic taste."
Not wanting to interrupt Ferdinand as he savored Fran's tea after so long, I turned my attention to Melchior. At lunch, our seats had been too far apart for me to see clearly, but looking at him now, I could tell he was thoroughly exhausted.
"Melchior, Fran's tea is delicious, isn't it? Perhaps it will help with your fatigue?"
"Yes, Sister Rozemyne. It is delicious. ...Um, Father asked me to deliver rewards to the soldiers who fought bravely at the West Gate. Would you be willing to accompany me there? He said that since you know the soldiers better than I do, it would be best if we went together."
The preparations for the rewards seemed impossibly fast, no matter how you looked at it. The attack had only happened yesterday. Perhaps my adoptive father had arranged things so that I could meet with Father even with my limited time, since I still planned to visit the lower city.
"Of course. Let us go together. Melchior, you will have more opportunities to meet the soldiers at the small temple in
I had introduced them before, but more meetings could only help. I turned to
"Damuel, Matthias. Please make your rounds of the gates in the lower city to gather intelligence, and have the soldiers who fought at the West Gate assembled. I will be presenting the rewards from the Aub."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Since only a day had passed since the attack, it was highly likely that the decorated soldiers were at home resting. I needed to notify them early and have them gathered, or those who had fought so hard would miss out on their rewards. Damuel, having fought alongside them at the West Gate, would surely recognize many of their faces.
"Laurentz, please check on the children—
"Yes, ma'am!"
Angelica wasn't exactly the best choice for this, but Judith, Roderich, and
"Melchior, please tell me about the attack on the Temple. You may omit what I already heard at the feast. Who was the inside contact? The children of the former
"No, it was Krappeh, a blue priest. However, it seems he wasn't actually the one who served as a guide."
The unfamiliar name of a blue priest made me tilt my head. Krappeh wasn't particularly capable in administrative matters, so I rarely encountered him in the Chief Priest's chambers, and his magic power was lower than Kampher's or Fritak's, so I had never crossed paths with him during dedication ceremonies either.
"Krappeh is from a middle-ranking noble family aligned with
Ferdinand lightly tapped his temple as he asked Melchior for a more detailed explanation. Melchior looked at Ferdinand with a startled expression.
...Ah, right. Melchior had only just taken over from Hartmut. He had never met Ferdinand in his capacity as Chief Priest.
"You can rely on your attendants to explain, Melchior. The burden may be too heavy for someone your age."
It felt wrong to leave the entire report to Melchior alone. I suggested having an attendant take over. Melchior glanced back, and upon seeing his attendant give a small nod, seemed to find some resolve and opened his mouth himself.
"According to Father, who viewed the memories, Lady Georgine had arrived in Ehrenfest on a different ship—one that departed even earlier than the nobles who attacked the West Gate."
She had then infiltrated the lower city through the waterways without passing through any gate, met up once with those who attacked the North Gate to coordinate their plans, and then used the waterways again to head for the Temple. She seemed surprisingly aggressive. No matter how I thought about it, I could never pull off something like that.
"How did Lady Georgine from another territory know about the waterways built with Entwicken?"
"If you perform Entwicken the same way as Contract Magic, the blueprints vanish. However, since that would cause problems for future Aubs, they always make copies. Many people were involved with the blueprints, and I have heard that some were eliminated during purges. ...At that time, purges had not yet been carried out, and it was unclear which nobles had pledged their loyalty to Georgine."
Ferdinand murmured that he hadn't expected that noble-looking Georgine to actually use waterways. It was clear she had been entirely serious about stealing the Foundation, appearances be damned.
"She must have had almost no supporters left within Ehrenfest at that point. And yet, she was able to devise and execute a plan of this scale. If only she had used that intellect and drive for something other than revenge... What an absolute waste."
"Indeed. If she had devoted herself to the library project, Ehrenfest and
As I sympathized with Ferdinand over what a terrible waste her brilliance was, he gave me a look of utmost exasperation.
"...I see. It seems there are those who waste their talents on other things as well. My perception has been corrected."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean exactly what I said."
...Hmph!
While I was racking my brain for a retort, Melchior looked between me and Ferdinand and called out softly, looking troubled.
"...Um, may I continue with my report?"
"Please, do go ahead."
"By all means."
When Georgine arrived at the Temple, the attack on the West Gate hadn't yet begun and there were no children in sight. However, the servants' entrance on the west side leading down from the basement wasn't locked, and people had been coming and going through it.
"As evidenced by the absence of the orphanage children, evacuation orders had already been issued. However, the attendants and servants had merely stopped coming up to the second floor where we stay. Until the attack on the West Gate, they had still been moving about on the first floor and in the basement, carrying out their normal duties."
Even during an evacuation, meals were necessary. With additional knights on patrol, they couldn't completely halt meal preparations. When one's master said "prepare meals," they had to be ready—that was the duty of personal cooks and attendants.
"When Georgine spotted people entering and exiting through the west servants' entrance, she made her way there without hesitation and seized the robes from a Gray Priestess who had just come out."
Ferdinand glanced at me and lightly raised his hand, indicating there was no need to say how she had taken the robes. He had been watching my reaction before cutting his words short—Georgine had almost certainly killed her. I clenched my fists on my lap and listened to the rest.
"The Gray Priestess whose robes were taken—was she Krappeh's attendant?"
"...No, she was Kampher's attendant."
Having put the Gray Priestess's robes on over her silver outfit, Georgine slipped into the basement through the west entrance with an innocent expression, climbed the nearest staircase to the first floor, confirmed the location of the open atrium, and entered a single room.
"Krappeh's room was broken into for the sole reason that it was the closest room to the Library."
The basement of the Temple's noble quarters housed the kitchen, while the first floor was lined with attendants' rooms. They entered and exited through staircases that connected to their master's chambers. Georgine used the attendants' staircase to infiltrate Krappeh's room, killed everyone inside, and then waited for chaos to erupt in the Temple.
"According to Father, Lady Georgine listened intently to the noise of the attack at the Temple gate and the commotion in the Library. She could apparently hear my guardian knights making a fuss about what kind of trap they had fallen into, and she rejoiced at the sound of them saying they had been teleported."
When the footsteps and voices disappeared, Georgine passed through the transparent barrier—accessible only to Temple personnel—in her silver outfit. Knowing what traps had been set, she easily avoided them and entered the Library.
Inside, she found gloves and shoes removed in preparation for the mochi-making, along with the discarded silver outfit. Having learned that a teleportation circle was there even though she couldn't see it, Georgine apparently pulled on something like a cord and removed the silver outfit without taking off the Gray Priestess's robes, using it as footing.
From there, the account connected with my adoptive father's report. Ferdinand commended Melchior, saying, "Report complete. Well done." Melchior, who had been speaking quietly, hung his head and shook it.
"No. Because of my negligence, Krappeh and his attendant, as well as Kampher's attendant, lost their lives. If I had left a lookout in the Library when submitting the report, if I had ensured the servants evacuated properly, if I had noticed the waterways... I made a terrible mistake."
No matter how much he tried to compose himself, it was obvious up close. Fatigue and sleeplessness were deeply etched on Melchior's face. He had probably spent the same sleepless nights as
"There may have been places where our response was insufficient. But their deaths were not your fault, Melchior. Georgine was the one who killed them. You must not focus on the wrong things and torment yourself with guilt."
"But, Sister..."
"Melchior, will you also mourn the dead and offer a prayer of farewell? Hannelore and I went at dawn. I prayed for everyone who died in Ehrenfest, so my prayers should have reached Krappeh and the others as well, but..."
As I spoke, I rose to my feet. Then I knelt before the altar in my room.
"Let us pray for Krappeh and the attendants who died alongside him, Melchior."
Melchior rose unsteadily, received magic stones from his attendant, and knelt beside me, clutching them tightly in both hands. Melchior's attendants, along with Philine, Judith, and Roderich, lined up behind us. Fran and the other temple attendants also joined the line behind Philine's group. They had all witnessed the battle at the Temple.
...If it was going to be this many people, we should have moved to the prayer room.
The altar in my room was small, so it was a bit cramped. But praying with a sincere heart in this moment was surely best. I brought out my Staf. Those who held Stafs did the same.
"O Supreme God, the divine couple of darkness and light who rules the vast, lofty heavens, hear our prayers. Grant your blessings to those who have journeyed to the far heights. We offer this hymn of mourning—your greatest protection upon these guests who shall not return."
As I offered my prayers for all who had died at the Temple, swirls of gold and black light spiraled upward and pierced through the ceiling. I could feel bursts of magic power from the magic stones and rings that Melchior held.
"...Sister Rozemyne, I feel as though a weight has been lifted from my shoulders by the amount of magic power I offered."
Melchior relaxed his body, looking relieved.
"If you would like, come with me to the orphanage, Melchior. It is important to face those we have lost, but please also see for yourself those you protected."
I stood and asked Monica to send word ahead to the orphanage. The moment Monica opened the door, Laurentz and Angelica burst into the High Priest's chambers.
"What in the world is happening!? A burst of blessing light suddenly flew through the entire Temple!"
"Is it an attack!?"
The fact that Angelica had returned at the same time as Laurentz—despite having been on the third floor where the girls' quarters were—showed just how fast she had moved. Angelica scanning the High Priest's chambers with a vigilant air reminded me of Ferdinand's appearance that morning, and I let out a small laugh.
"I was simply offering prayers to mourn those who died at the Temple. It is not an attack, Angelica."
I caught a glimpse of Ferdinand looking somewhat displeased in my peripheral vision.
"If you are going to the orphanage, you had better hurry, or there will not be enough time to reach the West Gate."
"Yes."
Walking through the corridor to the orphanage, we were greeted by
"Lady Rozemyne, Lord Melchior. Welcome."
"Everyone seems to be safe."
"Yes. Thanks to Philine and Roderich alerting us, we were able to evacuate early. The gate guards were promptly replaced by Lord Melchior's and Lady Rozemyne's guardian knights, so the people in the orphanage didn't even learn of the fighting."
They had evacuated for about the span of one bell, so it had been a bit cramped and they had simply been hungry from the delayed lunch. No one had been frightened—it had all ended peacefully, Wilma reported with a gentle smile.
"I see. That is wonderful."
"Lady Rozemyne, Lord Melchior. And to all of you—attendants and retainers alike—I am truly grateful. With the cleanup still ongoing in the noble quarters, the fact that we can carry on with our daily lives and continue working in the workshops is all thanks to you."
At Wilma's words of gratitude, Melchior and his attendants—who had done the most—flushed with modest pride. Philine and the others smiled proudly as well.
"Philine, Roderich, and Judith all worked hard to protect the Temple. The fact that Fran and all the attendants are safe, and that everyone in the orphanage is unharmed—it is all thanks to your efforts. Thank you."
"Sister Rozemyne, I was glad to learn that not everything had gone wrong. I'm happy that I was able to protect everyone at the orphanage."
"Shall we head to the West Gate now? And let us thank the soldiers who helped defend the city."
"Yes!"
Melchior nodded firmly and instructed his attendant to bring the rewards. He seemed to have perked up a bit, which was a relief.
"Have you been doing nothing but prayers like that since last night?"
"...Not nothing but. Only twice."
Ferdinand sighed with exasperation.
"What is it? That didn't sound like a very pleasant sigh..."
"It can wait. Melchior seems ready. Let's go to the lower city."
My hand was taken so smoothly that before I knew it, I had been made to ride on Ferdinand's riding beast. No one said a word, and the white lion immediately started galloping toward the West Gate. Unable to make a fuss, I looked back slightly.
"...Um, Lord Ferdinand. Is it alright for the public to see this?"
"Didn't I say I was dumping this on you because it was troublesome?"
"You did, but..."
...I may have dumped it on others, but how does everyone else feel about it?
Still bewildered, I tilted my head as we arrived at the West Gate. On the roof of the gate pillar, Damuel, Matthias, and the soldiers were waiting. Among the kneeling soldiers, I could see my father.
I had wanted to go all the way to the lower city, but it was not to be.
That was Melchior's report—the story of what Georgine had shown my adoptive father.
The orphanage was safe and peaceful, but the noble quarters had suffered bloody casualties.
Next, I would head to the lower city, and then return to Ahrensbach.