"Gettilt!"
The moment Raoblut pointed his weapon at me, multiple shields once again appeared before me.
Right after I confirmed that more shields had appeared before me, Raoblut—who was guarding the altar while gripping his weapon and pouring magic power into it—shouted.
"Eliminate the enemies of the true Zent! Seize the saint of Ehrenfest! She shall become the Central
The Central Knights surrounding him split roughly into three groups and moved out. The left group rushed toward
The center group kept their eyes on Raoblut while readying their weapons. The right group immediately drew Stappe bows and began firing.
"Huh!?"
The arrows weren't aimed at me, but at Ferdinand and those around him. Multiple arrows were fired in succession. The instant I held my breath upon noticing that Ferdinand's shields were already deployed before me, Eckhart—who had risen to his feet alongside Justus—and the
"Lady
Leonoore cried out in a sharp voice. There was no time to feel relieved that Ferdinand and the others were managing to protect themselves. I could see Raoblut's sword coming down at the edge of my vision. A mass of rainbow-colored magic power was hurtling toward me, growing larger and larger with frightening momentum.
"Gettilt!"
There was no leeway to chant a prayer and deploy
"
Leonoore gave rapid instructions. Just as during the ditter with
"Goddess of Wind who governs protection, Schutzaria, serve by my side..."
The guard knights switched positions, and Cornelius and Matthias reached for recovery medicine. But before they could, the knights who had been standing by with weapons ready around Raoblut began firing masses of rainbow-colored light one after another. Various sizes of rainbow-colored magic power masses assaulted them irregularly. The two raised their shields before they could reach the recovery medicine.
Some weren't very dense, while others contained considerable magic power. With Ferdinand's shield now destroyed, this wave of attacks was quite severe. Feeling magic power being drained by Gettilt's shield, I continued my prayer.
"...Keep those with ill intent away. Wind Shield, be in my hands."
A sharp, metallic sound rang through the air, and a hemispherical Schutzaria's shield was completed. A pillar of yellow noble light rose, and the members of the Central Knights looked on in surprise. Perhaps many of them weren't accustomed to witnessing religious rites.
For now, this should allow us to fend off magic attacks. The guard knights who had been exposed to the continuous barrage of rainbow-colored light slightly relaxed their bodies.
"Don't let your guard down, and take your recovery medicine immediately. The opponents are the Central Knights."
Leonoore gave instructions while glaring at Raoblut and the others before the altar with her indigo eyes. No matter how much the political upheaval had reduced the numbers and quality of nobles, the Central Knights were composed of elite knights drafted from each territory.
Even my guard knights, who were exceptionally strong among Ehrenfest's younger generation, still couldn't surpass the experienced veterans like
"I'd like them to join up with us, but it seems Ferdinand and the others don't have much room either."
Ferdinand and the others weren't just facing arrows—magical tools were being thrown at them as well to prevent them from joining us. I could see them struggling with magical tools that exploded overhead and others that shot silver needles magic power couldn't penetrate. They were probably the ones Lanzernave had provided.
"Lady Rozemyne. Maintaining the shield is the top priority, but if possible, could you pray for the recovery of Prince Anastasius and the others? If they can move, it would dramatically change our combat strength."
Anastasius had said there were knights who couldn't attack him, and his guard knights were from the Central Knights. I couldn't help but realize how important a fighting force he was. If Anastasius and the others could move, then Heisshitze and the others—who were trying to heal them while dealing with the Central Knights—would also be able to move.
...I know that would be best, but...
Feeling the rainbow-colored light continuously striking Schutzaria's shield, I nodded slightly at Leonoore.
"...I'll try. But please, everyone, keep your shields up. The Central Knights' attacks carry strong magic power, and they have a technique of concentrating their power on a single point—these attacks carry a different kind of force and impact from what we've faced so far."
Once I confirmed the guard knights had their shields ready, I closed my eyes and took out Flutrene's staff. Chanting offered more flexibility than the magic circles inscribed on pre-assigned magic paper, which only included designated targets. It would require the leisure to draw out the chanting, however.
"Goddess of Water, Flutrene, and the healing goddess who is her retainer, Lungschmeel."
I could feel magic power flowing into Flutrene's staff. Not only Anastasius and the others, but Ferdinand and his group would need healing too.
"Hear my prayer and grant sacred power. The power to heal my allies—place it in my hands..."
"Angelica, Matthias!"
In the middle of the prayer, Cornelius's sharp voice echoed through my closed-off vision. At the same time, Leonoore shouted, "Lady Rozemyne, please concentrate!" Not knowing what was happening, my throat tightened and my voice nearly faltered. My body trembled and I could feel my heartbeat racing, but I continued the prayer.
"I offer you sacred melodies. Cast the supreme ripples and bestow your pure blessing."
The instant I finished chanting, I dismissed the staff and opened my eyes. A knight before Schutzaria's shield had sent Cornelius flying back.
"Wh-What's happening?!"
"The Central Knights attacked while closing the distance, and the moment Lady Rozemyne began chanting, they attempted to breach Schutzaria's shield using silver cloaks. Matthias, Angelica, and Cornelius are handling it."
Leonoore answered. Even though I was the one maintaining Schutzaria's shield, I had felt absolutely no sensation of the enemy infiltrating—but the Central Knights had apparently entered with silver weapons while cloaked. If they weren't knocked out before fully entering, just like when Restilaut was breached and Judith was expelled, there was a risk my own guard knights would be the ones expelled.
"Stand down! I will not permit any disrespect toward Lady Rozemyne, the incarnation of
Clarissa said this while taking a running start, lightly leaping, and hurling magical tools at the knights before the shield. Right after the magical tools burst with a bang at close range, red powder scattered and the knights grabbed their faces, coughing and writhing. They must have been filled with Negalosi.
"Clarissa, next use these two without pause!"
"Leave it to me!"
While watching the writhing knights with a proud grin, Clarissa received magical tools one after another from Hartmut. I looked toward the altar. Though I gave orders to the knights, Raablut wouldn't budge from in front of the altar he was guarding—the altar from which
...If it were Judith's throw, it would reach.
Gritting my teeth in frustration while measuring the distance to Raablut, I deeply regretted that Judith hadn't been brought along since she was still a minor.
"It seems Hartmut's magical tools are more effective against the silver weapons. Matthias and Angelica, fall back for now. Laurenz and I will move forward."
Leonoore and Laurenz stepped forward while Angelica and Matthias fell back. The two began drinking recovery medicine from Hartmut near me.
"Honestly, I didn't expect us to struggle this much even with the divine blessings we received from Lady Rozemyne. The experience gap is there, but still—it's like there are multiple Lord Bonifatius over there."
Matthias, who had switched with Laurenz, glared at the Central Knights in frustration while drinking recovery medicine. Looking at his profile, heavy with despair at the gap that remained even after receiving divine blessings, I slowly shook my head.
"Matthias, we're not the only ones who can receive multiple blessings from the gods. Wasn't it Ehrenfest and Dunkelfelger who published the method for knights to obtain blessings on their own? Perhaps the Central Knights have already adopted it as well."
Dunkelfelger had demonstrated the dedication dance, and the Ehrenfest knight order had been practicing it to use when fighting the Lord of Winter. Since the inter-territory tournament included royalty and their retainers, it wouldn't be at all strange for the Central Knights to have incorporated the dedication dance as a published research result.
"Shall we use the Sea Goddess's ceremony?"
First returning everyone's blessings to the gods, then granting blessings to our allies again should give us at least some advantage. As long as we didn't give the Central Knights the leisure to perform the dedication dance again, it seemed worth trying.
"Lady Rozemyne, we're coming to support you now!"
The moment I took out my Stappe, Heisshitze's group called out. It seemed Anastasius and the others had recovered and returned to the battle line. This should give us a bit more room. The relief I felt at their encouraging voices lasted only a moment.
"Crush them before they join up! That's the weakest point!"
Raoblut ordered concentrated attacks on us while firing rainbow-colored light toward Heisshitze's group to prevent them from joining.
...If we could reduce Raoblut's group's attack power even a little...
While praying that Heisshitze's group would join us safely, I took out my Stappe, drew the Sea Goddess's mark, closed my eyes, and chanted "Streitkorben" to transform my staff.
"Goddess of the Sea, Feuermea."
While chanting the sacred words, I swung the staff. Amid the clamor of battle heard from every direction, the sound of crashing waves—shaa-shaa, shaa-shaa—began to be heard.
"What are you doing?! Stop it!"
"My body suddenly became heavy!"
"At least give your allies advance notice!"
Everyone had been fighting while blessed. Suddenly having their blessings forcibly stripped away made their movements awkward, and several people seemed affected. Panicked voices rang out, but I continued the ceremony.
"To the gods who have blessed us, with prayers of gratitude, I offer magic power."
Chanting the sacred words, I raised Feuermea's staff high toward the sky. A deep, resonant sound rang out as a pillar of light stood tall.
...That's good. Now, if I layer blessings on our allies...
I released the staff's transformation and opened my eyes. I let out a soft breath at the sight of the lecture hall, suddenly quiet after the heat of battle and the gods' blessings had been forcibly stripped away.
At that moment, I felt a strange pressure.
It's hard to express in words, but I could sense something there. As I began looking around intently, Leonoore asked, "What's wrong, Lady Rozemyne?"
"...Something feels strange. There's a strange pressure—or perhaps a presence—coming from over there..."
I said this while pointing at the very top of the altar. A man who had been slowly advancing toward the position where he would be welcomed as the supreme god had stopped. The only person who could come from there was Gervasio. He was hard to make out from a distance, so I enhanced my vision.
...An aged Ferdinand with silver hair!? If anything, he looks more like Lord Ewermin?
Gervasio was a man in his mid-forties with long silver hair tied together at his back—the only way to describe him was "aged Ferdinand." You could tell just by looking that they were blood related, without even needing confirmation. He could well be Ferdinand's much older brother, or perhaps his father.
Gervasio looked down at us from the top of the altar and spoke.
"What is the meaning of this, Raoblut?"
A heavy voice descended into the lecture hall, which had fallen silent as though waiting for the battle to subside. Partly because the Sea Goddess's ceremony had just ended, and partly because it was the voice of someone accustomed to commanding. Everyone in the lecture hall turned their attention to the voice's owner all at once.
"...Lord Gervasio! Please, show us the
Raablut raised his hand toward the altar in a theatrical tone.
Gervasio held out his hand and said, "Grutrissheit." A Holy Book of the same form as Mestionora's divine instrument appeared in his hand. Standing between the statues of the supreme god, holding up the Grutrissheit, the man looked every bit the Zent no matter how you viewed him.
"He is the true Zent chosen by the gods! Yurgenschmidt is saved!"
Raoblut's voice, thick with emotion, echoed through the hall, and some of the Central Knights raised fanatical cheers. Anastasius and his guard knights had gone pale. But the most common sound spreading through the lecture hall was that of people comparing Gervasio and Ferdinand.
"...Lady Rozemyne, is that Gervasio?"
"He came from there, so I believe so."
"He's related to Lord Ferdinand, isn't he?"
"He bears a strong resemblance, so they may be closely connected. ...But Lord Ferdinand is from Ehrenfest's ruling family, Leonoore."
I was supposed to not know about the