"Have you recovered from your fatigue, My Lady? It is nearly time for the fifth bell. I believe you could rest a little longer if you wish..."
I considered Richarda's words. Part of me still wanted to keep sleeping, but I felt remarkably refreshed. It would be better to get up than to risk falling back into a restless doze.
"I'll get up. ...Has Lord
"He had lunch here, held various discussions with the Aub, and sent out ordinances to several parties. He should currently be resting at the secondary building with the
As the Aub, I had already dyed the Foundation, but since the brooches for using the Dormitory at the Noble Academy hadn't been made yet, the Ahrensbach knights couldn't enter or leave it. I was glad the secondary building connected to the Lanzanave estate existed, but I doubted Ferdinand could truly rest in a building that held no pleasant memories. That worried me.
"Shall I prepare tea first? You haven't had lunch, so I'll have some light refreshments brought in."
"Please do. Could we prepare a room on the first floor for tea? I'd like to hear reports from everyone."
"I shall ask the Aub for permission."
When Richarda said that, I blinked several times. If someone were coordinating rear support, I would have expected my adoptive mother—who excelled at it—to be the one calling the shots.
"Is my adoptive father here as well?"
"If you were to appear before everyone in your current state, it would cause a great commotion, so it has been arranged to invite the royals to the tea room for a discussion over lunch the day after tomorrow. We received instructions from Lord Ferdinand during lunch, and the Aub and his wife have been extremely busy with preparations."
After briefly discussing the current situation, Richarda called out beyond the tent.
"Otilie, contact the male attendants.
From beyond the tent, I could hear the attendants springing into action.
The sisters Brunhilde and Bertilde helped me change. As I looked down at the unfamiliar outfit, Brunhilde smiled awkwardly.
"We've been rushing the completion of the dress that was still being fitted in Ehrenfest. This one isn't from the
She helped arrange my hair. I noticed her hands trembling slightly, and I watched Brunhilde through the mirror. Sensing my gaze, she averted her eyes and touched her cheek as if searching for words.
"...I believe this is the Goddess's blessing, but it takes considerable willpower to look directly at Lady
"My sister... ah, no—Brunhilde is quite right. Lady Rozemyne looks truly divine. I'm so happy to have the opportunity to serve you so closely."
...Hey, Bertilde's looking at me with sparkling, adoring eyes, but if the Goddess's blessing makes me divine and awe-inspiring... doesn't that mean I'm practically no longer human?
"If
"Normally, when the difference in mana is too great, people can't sense it anymore, but the Goddess's blessing seems to be felt by everyone. All those who traveled here from Ehrenfest were concerned about Lady Rozemyne's room. After Lord Ferdinand had a silver cloth draped over her futon, it became less of an issue, but..."
I had been completely unaware, but it seemed those around me had been having quite a difficult time. Was there any way to dispel this Goddess's blessing? Daily life was going to become incredibly inconvenient if this persisted.
"While you were sleeping, the other guard knights were also resting, so
It seemed Judith and Damuel had also arrived at the dormitory while I was sleeping. Wanting to have participated in the battle in the lecture hall that had turned into something like an enormous washing machine—Judith was really something.
"During the battle in the lecture hall, I really wished I'd had Judith's throwing skills. It was such a shame she was underage."
When I told her that if it had been Judith, the Laubruel would have reached its target, she beamed with pride.
As we finished changing amid such conversation, I draped the troublesome silver cloth—meant to block the Goddess's blessing—over my head like a veil and made my way to the room for tea. The one who carried me in her arms was
...This silver cloth was so opaque that even the little I could see of my feet was dark—it was genuinely dangerous!
If I'd had my way, I would have moved using a Lesser, but
...Getting carried in someone's arms like a small child when I'm not even a little kid!
Trembling with embarrassment inside the cloth and silently crying out "Ohhhh!", I was carried into the room where our so-called tea session—really a report meeting—was to take place.
"You seem to have slept well?"
At the sound of Ferdinand's voice, I removed the cloth. Brother
"I'm grateful for having slept well, but were you able to rest, Lord Ferdinand?"
"I used a bit of medicine, but I got proper rest."
His words "a bit of medicine" caught my attention, and I glared lightly at Ferdinand.
"Don't tell me—that was the kind of medicine that makes you jolt awake from nightmares?"
"Given that the location would give anyone bad dreams regardless, using medicine was the more efficient way to get proper rest."
...In other words, you didn't really rest well at all?
While I was pouting with pursed lips, the attendants prepared tea. Seeing the light refreshments arranged before both Ferdinand and me, it was clear he hadn't eaten lunch either.
"I heard the Ahrensbach knights have been taking turns resting at the secondary building. What happened to the prisoners?"
"They're still being held in the secondary building. The Central Knights are completely useless. The charges will be determined during discussions with the royals. We'll need to discuss how to handle the Goddess's opinion that we should avoid taking lives as much as possible."
...In other words, you want to pass the buck as much as possible.
"Since the Aub and his wife are busy preparing for the royal invitation,
During the previous battle against
"She's well-suited to being the First Wife. She excels at supporting others, from what I can see."
"My, how rare for you to offer such praise, Lord Ferdinand. I'll pass it along to Charlotte along with my thanks."
"Yes. Make it as grand as possible. It will serve as promotion for Ehrenfest."
Just as the conversation about Charlotte reached a natural pause, the area-designated anti-eavesdropping Magical Tool activated. I looked at Ferdinand while sipping the tea Brunhilde had brewed.
"Lord Ferdinand. Was it really all right for me to sleep so leisurely? Shouldn't I have gone to the Garden of Beginnings?"
"There shouldn't be a problem. The one waiting is someone whose sense of time is such that even a ten-year gap doesn't trouble her. She would be happier if I brought the new Zent to her, or at least went to report that the selection of a new Zent had been completed."
Indeed, Ehremer had a sense of time where events separated by over a decade—like the political upheaval back then and this current affair—were practically connected. Keeping her waiting a day or two probably wouldn't make much difference.
"But what happened to
"No. I intend to have you recover him eventually."
"...Recover him?"
There was something ominous about the way he'd phrased that.
"What did you do to Gervasio?"
"First, the moment my teleportation circle was complete, I shot through Gervasio's hand, broke his concentration, and caused the magic circle he was drawing to vanish—buying us time."
"In front of Lady Ehremer!?"
I was so shocked I nearly lost an eye—performing such a violent delaying tactic in the place where we'd been told to value lives. I hadn't realized he'd already carried out the interference by the time he appeared at my border gate.
"I was told not to take his life, and since it was merely a delaying attack, I did give him enough medicine to heal the wound in his hand."
...I really didn't think that was something to sound so smug about!
"You said 'first,' didn't you? Which means there's more? I heard you went to the Central
I could piece together more or less what Ferdinand had done at the Noble Academy from the attendants' accounts, but I knew nothing about the Central Temple.
"I recovered the Holy Book and its key, as well as the medals of the Lanzanave king and Gervasio.
...Wait a moment. That had a really dangerous ring to it.
I instinctively pressed one of the charms I was wearing through my fabric. Had he used the magic circle inscribed on it?
"The recovered Holy Book and key are being managed by Hartmut—your devotee and the former Chief Priest. He should be well-suited for the task, wouldn't you say?"
I glanced briefly toward Hartmut, who was standing in line against the wall. He was watching me with a sharp, serious expression—the kind of face that made me wonder if the bizarre antics in the lecture hall I'd heard about before going to sleep had been my imagination.
"Um, and the medals...?"
"Aren't medals the domain of lord candidates? I destroyed Gervasio's medal, but I'm holding onto the Lanzanave king's. I plan to discuss its disposition with the royals."
"Huh? Um, one moment, please. I thought I heard you say 'destroyed' just now..."
Which mouth was the one that had just said he wouldn't take lives? When I looked at Ferdinand, he replied with a perfectly innocent expression, "I'm not lying."
"I disposed of it when I was at the Gillesenmaier border gate, so it doesn't constitute taking a life. He merely lost his Stab. That's precisely why I went to the trouble of buying time and having the teleportation circle watched."
"Oh..."
Gervasio, suddenly stripped of his Stab, would naturally be unable to obtain the Book of
...I absolutely never want to be on Ferdinand's bad side. He's far too terrifying.
Watching Ferdinand sip his tea elegantly as he said, "It's more effective to capture the ringleader before negotiating with the royals, and it's preferable for him to be weakened to the point where he has no power to fight back," I couldn't help but think exactly that.
"...But Lord Ferdinand, was it really necessary to use such underhanded methods against Gervasio? He didn't seem that bad of a person, even without going to such lengths. The one who attacked the Ahrensbach nobles was apparently someone else who had obtained Lady Dietlinde's permission. If you'd just talked, I think you could have reached an understanding..."
If the initial approach had been different, perhaps Gervasio and I could have come to an understanding. At my remark, Ferdinand looked worried, as if to say, "Don't tell me you've also lost your memories about crisis management?"
"What he wanted was to save the people of Lanzanave and reward the Central Knights who had opposed the current Zent. He hasn't said a word about us, who attacked the nobles currently in
Ferdinand said you could never know what such a person was truly thinking. It was only natural for nobles to maintain superficial friendliness and avoid causing strife on the ground where a goddess had descended. I had thought Ferdinand and Gervasio had gotten quite close, but apparently that wasn't the case at all.
"He's a man who survived in that secondary building, received an education to become the king of Lanzanave, yet still chose to aim for the position of Zent of Yurgenschmidt rather than go to Lanzanave! He's hardly someone of sound character. His upbringing is beyond anything you could imagine. It's fine if you don't understand him, but don't be so quick to let your guard down. You fool."
"I'm sorry."
Running my mouth had earned me a lecture. I needed to reflect on that.
"What will happen to the other people of Lanzanave besides Gervasio?"
"That depends on the meeting the day after tomorrow."
When you're feeling impatient, "the day after tomorrow" feels incredibly far away. In a state of simmering frustration, I asked Ferdinand.
"The meeting with the royals seems to have some leeway in scheduling—isn't it urgent?"
"The most urgent tasks were capturing the people of Lanzanave and eliminating Gervasio, who had the qualifications to become Zent. Now that those are done, we can leave the Aubs who noticed the border gate lighting up and gathered, and the royals who are making a fuss over the selection of the new Zent, waiting as long as we like."
Ferdinand stated flatly that there was no need for us, in our exhausted state, to accommodate those who had been contacted with emergency notices from Ehrenfest and
"Besides, I hear your outfit won't be ready until the day after tomorrow at the earliest. You'll surely need it, won't you?"
"Outfits are important, yes. It seems my appearance is quite a sight right now, after all..."
When I complained that Ferdinand's attitude hadn't changed enough for me to even realize anything was different, he glared at me and said, "My attitude did change while your insides were different, you know."
...I see. So even Ferdinand changed his attitude when the goddess was involved. Here I thought he was on the rude-and-proud highway straight through. A new discovery. Well, not that it would change how he treated me regardless.
"Until the meeting with the royals, what should I be doing?"
"I believe I already told you to practice the Dedication Dance?"
"...For what purpose? I've gotten used to walking at least, but dancing is an entirely different matter. I don't believe I can properly perform the Dedication Dance in my current state."
When I vaguely expressed my reluctance, he countered, "That's exactly why you need to practice."
"Rather than reacquiring divine blessings, performing the Dedication Dance is more effective for returning to the Garden of Beginnings with the new Zent. Besides, it's not something others can easily replicate. With an appearance that's no exaggeration to call the avatar of a goddess, you can't very well take a spectacular tumble like someone we all know."
"This is the first I've heard of performing the Dedication Dance to return to the Garden of Beginnings!?"
Nobody had told me the Dedication Dance served such an important purpose.
"Is that so? Well, that's how things are arranged—both for bringing the new Zent to the Garden of Beginnings and for showing the noisy bystanders on the outside what happens when a true Zent candidate performs the dance."
"That's not how things 'are arranged'—you made them that way, Lord Ferdinand!"
Fuming, I looked at the source of all this—and Ferdinand put on the sparkling smile he wore when he was in a particularly foul mood.
"Is there a problem?"
"...No. I'll do my best practicing the Dedication Dance."
"Good."
...It's not good at all! Not good at all!