Blessings of the Gods, Part 2

As I descended from the altar, Hartmut murmured with an intoxicated expression, "How painful, yet how divine..." Ferdinand must have explained the situation to him.

"Then, shall we proceed with the contract with the Goddess of Light...? Lady Rozemyne, is this a suitable position for the Magical Tool?"

I nodded at Hartmut as he prepared the surroundings and brought out the Divine Instrument of the Goddess of Light. I gently placed it atop Eglantine's head as she knelt. Keeping it from falling or tilting when she stood up—fitting it on neatly—was surprisingly difficult. I had known this, of course, but it seemed I had no aptitude as an Attendant, given how I struggled with a single crown.

As Eglantine spoke her oath, the Crown of Light blazed with dazzling brilliance. In that instant, a part of the Blessings of the Gods within me responded. It seemed the power of the light deity's lineage was also included among the divine powers.

...What would happen if I bestowed the blessing of all elements?

After this, I was supposed to bestow upon Eglantine the blessings of all elements. Eglantine was meant to act as though she had obtained the Grutrissheit through those blessings. Without prior coordination with Hartmut and Eglantine, I couldn't just cancel it, and I couldn't think of any other divine-looking way to bestow the Grutrissheit on the spot.

My eyes met with Hartmut, who was adjusting the position of a Magical Tool designed to amplify sound. Hartmut blinked as if he had noticed something, his expression becoming slightly flustered. His gaze began to wander, searching for Ferdinand with the Feberbeken amulet.

...No! I can't let an important ceremony fall apart here.

I stopped Hartmut from moving and spoke up, announcing the bestowal of the Grutrissheit. I drew my staff, chanted "Stil," and performed the flashy blessings of all elements exactly as planned.

"In the name of the Great Gods who govern the lofty, towering heavens..."

Along with the words of prayer, the symbols of the Great Gods glowed. With each one, I could feel the divine power within my body stir and swell. As the blessings of all elements rained down upon Eglantine, my body grew hot, as though running a fever.

"Lady Eglantine, present the proof of Zent to everyone."

I yielded the stage to Eglantine and stepped back. Hartmut followed a little behind me and whispered, "Are you all right?" Before I could answer, I heard Ferdinand's voice from somewhere—I didn't know where.

"I've made most of the preparations for heading to the Foundation... but your face is flushed with fever."

"The divine power responds to the blessings and keeps swelling up."

"As the Goddess instructed, we need to head to the Foundation. We must keep everyone in the lecture hall so that no one learns the Foundation's location. I'm leaving the stalling to you, Hartmut."

At Ferdinand's sudden, unreasonable demand, Hartmut blurted out, "Huh?" But his voice was drowned out by the cheers directed at Eglantine, who was holding up the Grutrissheit.

"After this, have Lord Trauerqual take over the speech that the new Zent was supposed to give to the Aub candidates. If that's still not enough time, have him discuss the Lord's Conference and drag it out."

"...Understood."

While this rather rough and hasty coordination took place, the cheers gradually subsided. It seemed the existence of the Grutrissheit had been accepted. I let out a sigh of relief, knowing I had properly fulfilled my assigned role as the "Goddess Incarnate."

...All that remained was to leave without losing consciousness.

"Well then, everyone—"

Hartmut, who had been dumped with the unreasonable task of changing the ceremony's progression and stalling for time, delivered the closing address with a somewhat tense voice.

"Pray to the gods!"

As it was part of the closing, I couldn't avoid offering a prayer here. But when a soft glow of blessing light leaked from my ring and my fever spiked, I wanted to clutch my head.

...Ohhhhh... I'm such an idiot.

"Lady Rozemyne, Lady Eglantine will be taking her leave. Please raise your staff to send her off!"

Hartmut's voice rang out, informing the relevant personnel of the changed ceremony progression and urging the protagonist's departure. Ferdinand, who had removed his Feberbeken amulet, and Anastasius, who was desperately suppressing his surprise, arrived at the altar to serve as escorts.

"Are you really this much of an idiot in a crisis like this?"

"...Lord Ferdinand, in a crisis like this, please don't state the obvious."

We exchanged quiet complaints while wearing social smiles, hurrying to make our exit as quickly as possible. No matter how fast I tried to move, my steps felt unsteady, and I couldn't stop my hand from trembling as I gripped Ferdinand's arm.

"We'll finish everything while Hartmut and the others are stalling."

The moment the lecture hall doors closed completely, Ferdinand discarded his pleasant social smile and glared at me—more precisely, at the divine power swirling around me.

"Are you all right, Rozemyne?"

"Not really. I don't care if you tell me my manners are terrible or lecture me about how a Goddess Incarnate should behave—I want to just collapse right here."

I felt so nauseous I was about to throw up. What I wanted to throw up, though, was all the divine power that had been poured into me one after another.

"Lady Rozemyne, please take this."

Outside the lecture hall, Gretia and Clarissa were waiting with a silver cloth, and they promptly draped it over me. The moment the cloth was placed over me, everyone around us visibly relaxed, making it clear just how strong an influence the power that had been poured into my body was having.

"Gretia, Clarissa. Why are you here...?"

"During the ceremony, Lord Ferdinand ordered those of us who had undergone name-swearing to prepare the silver cloth and stand by here."

As Clarissa said this while adjusting the hem of the silver cloth fashioned into a mantle, Gretia—who had been fixing the hood over my head—made an exasperated face.

"Clarissa, you insisted on watching Lady Rozemyne's ceremony and went back into the lecture hall, didn't you?"

"But I returned here and was waiting before Lady Rozemyne even arrived, so please forgive me."

They exchanged lighthearted banter, but both of their expressions showed genuine concern for me. While the two of them helped adjust my appearance, Ferdinand continued issuing orders one after another.

"The guard knights accompanying us will be Eckhart, Matthias, and Laurenz. Those who cannot approach Rozemyne in her current state are unnecessary as guard knights. Furthermore, since we will be dealing with state-level secrets, I need to restrict what our companions say and do. Rozemyne, I forbid anyone other than myself, you, and those who have sworn their names to Lady Eglantine from joining us."

Ferdinand silenced Eglantine's retainers—essentially telling them to swear their names if they wanted to come along—and then turned his gaze to Anastasius.

"Of course, Prince Anastasius is subject to the same rule."

"What!?"

"Where we're headed is not somewhere a Zent-to-be should go, and certainly not somewhere I can take someone who hasn't undergone name-swearing and whose words and actions I cannot bind."

Anastasius, who had been told to wait with my retainers disguised as blue-robed Priests, twitched his cheek. Paying no heed to his reaction, Ferdinand lifted me into his arms, silver mantle and all. Just not having to stand on my own was a considerable relief.

"Then, Ferdinand. What about him...?"

"Prince Anastasius."

Eglantine lightly tapped the arm of Anastasius, who was about to protest, to get his attention. Then, with a graceful movement, she slipped away from his side and positioned herself half a step behind Ferdinand.

"Do you not understand where we are heading, or Lady Rozemyne's current condition? We truly have no time right now. Please consider what might happen if something were to occur to Lady Rozemyne."

Anastasius looked at Ferdinand and me with frustration, then took a step back. "So I just need to buy time, then?" Ferdinand shook his head.

"As soon as we're finished here, Lady Eglantine is to go capture the criminals at the border Gate in her capacity as the new Zent. Prince Anastasius and the guard knights, I need you to prepare for that."

Anastasius and his retainers, now with a task assigned, flipped their mantles and moved out. Only those who had sworn their names remained. Eglantine surveyed the area and looked up at Ferdinand.

"Let us hurry, Lord Ferdinand. The divine power seems to be growing stronger and stronger."

"...Will you command those accompanying us not to reveal what transpires during our journey, Rozemyne?"

"Those who accompany us... must not reveal what transpires... to anyone else."

Once I issued the command of secrecy to our companions, Ferdinand began striding forward. With each step, the swaying caused the heat within my body to surge. Trying to minimize even a little of the rocking, I grabbed the fabric of Ferdinand's clothes right in front of me. Ferdinand quickened his pace even further.

Ferdinand headed for the library at a pace that nearly left Eglantine behind, and addressed Solange, who had come to greet them.

"Professor Solange, as I indicated via Ordinance earlier, please wait in your office for the time being. I ask that you allow no one else to enter the library."

"Yes. I am well aware of the proper conduct for welcoming the arrival of spring. Leave it to me."

Solange said this, took a step back, and knelt slightly lower to make it easier for us to pass.

"...Lady Eglantine, from the bottom of my heart, I congratulate you on the birth of the new Zent. I look forward to working with you henceforth."

"I am the one who should ask for your guidance, Professor Solange."

Once she learned just how deeply the library was involved in the birth of a Zent, Eglantine would know it was not something to be treated lightly. Eglantine promised to speak with Solange again and walked on.

"Roderich, contact Hartmut about the exit clearance. Jutstus and Eckhart, stand guard against anyone approaching the library. The rest of the guard knights, face outward and protect this area."

"Yes, sir!"

Ferdinand issued orders in succession to the guard knights who had accompanied us to the second floor, then instructed Gretia and Clarissa to remove the silver cloth from me and produce the key I wore hanging from my neck.

"Lady Rozemyne, pardon me."

Gretia asked for my permission, but all I could do was nod. Still held in Ferdinand's arms, my hood was pulled off, and the key was smoothly drawn out from around my neck. With Clarissa's help, Gretia took the key and, with deft, careful movements, removed it.

"Hand the key to Lady Eglantine, then the two of you turn your backs as well."

Once the two had turned their backs, Ferdinand explained to Eglantine how to use the key. When Eglantine opened the back cover of the Mestionora statue's Grutrissheit and inserted the key, the goddess statue moved, revealing a staircase leading down to the Foundation.

"Oh my..."

Ferdinand sent the wide-eyed Eglantine ahead and carried me down the stairs. Passing through the iridescent curtain, there lay the Foundation of Yurgenschmidt.

Once Ferdinand set me down, I pressed myself against the Foundation and immediately began supplying Magic Power. As my Magic Power was drawn out in a rush, the divine power also flowed into the Foundation. I could feel my breathing ease, my pain lessen, and my fever subside.

...Ah, I'm coming back to life.

"The key to the High Priest's Holy Book leads to the Foundation of Yurgenschmidt, while the keys to each territory's Holy Books lead to their respective territories' Foundations. This serves as proof that Zents and Aub from ages past served as High Priests, and as the reason why, going forward, members of the royal family and the Lord families must take on the role of High Priest."

As he said, "For further details, please consult the Grutrissheit," Ferdinand continued explaining the keys and the Foundation to Eglantine.

"This Foundation will be stained with Rozemyne's Magic Power, just as Lady Ehvermine and the Goddess of Wisdom desired. That should satisfy the gods who so fervently hoped to avert the Foundation's depletion and Yurgenschmidt's collapse."

Ferdinand said that, based on the historical record, the gods had been tolerant of restaining after the Foundation had once been filled.

"I don't know how difficult it will be to restain the divine power, but since this is the result of the royal family's ignorance, there's nothing to do but have Lady Eglantine and Prince Anastasius push through it."

"Yes."

With no time to talk anywhere else, Ferdinand pressed forward with a one-sided briefing on the plans ahead, while Eglantine listened intently.

"Before the Lord's Conference, we need to redraw the border lines and create the new territories, or we won't be able to appoint Lord Trauerqual and Prince Sigiswald as Aub. This is your top priority, Lady Eglantine. If we can recover the Divine Instruments from the old territories before establishing the new ones, we won't need to bear the burden of creating new Divine Instruments."

...The divine power keeps pouring out, which is fine and all, but...

When I stained Ahrensbach's Foundation, I had needed recovery potions partway through. Yet this time, when I had to fill a far larger national Foundation rather than a mere territory's, there wasn't the slightest sign of my Magic Power running out.

"Lord Ferdinand, something's wrong. No matter how much I supply, my Magic Power doesn't seem to be decreasing. I can feel it flowing out, but the Magic Power inside me barely diminishes. Will my Magic Power really be depleted once the Foundation is full? And if it isn't depleted, what am I supposed to do?"

When I explained that it felt like a more extreme version of what I had experienced after the ritual to receive the gods' divine protection—when my Magic Power consumption had changed—Ferdinand fell into thought, musing, "Do I need to find a way to use even more Magic Power than what's being supplied to this Foundation?"

"Your voice has its strength back, but how are you feeling?"

"Once the divine power started flowing out, my fever went down, so I'm still fine. It's the Magic Power not decreasing that's the problem."

"I see. In that case, let's go ahead and redo the border lines at the same time. Creating the new territories requires consulting the new Aub candidates, and it would also be a venue for Lady Eglantine to demonstrate her role as Zent, so you can't be involved in that. However, the border line redrawing has already been discussed and agreed upon. That shouldn't be a problem."

Eglantine nodded in agreement at Ferdinand's words, which prioritized my condition above all.

"I would be grateful to have the border lines redrawn. However, there is a small correction regarding the redrawing. As a result of discussions with the Aub of Drewanchel and Lady Adolphine, a portion of the land that was supposed to become Prince Sigiswald's new territory will be granted to Drewanchel."

Despite having been a political marriage, it had been officially decided that Sigiswald and Adolphine would divorce because the terms of their Contract could not be fulfilled. As a penalty, Sigiswald was apparently required to cede a portion of the central land that was supposed to become his territory to Drewanchel.

"Where?"

"This area here, from the north side of Lindenthal adjacent to Drewanchel."

Following Eglantine's instructions, Ferdinand updated the map. Since the area was about the size of a small territory, Drewanchel grew considerably larger while Sigiswald's planned territory shrank dramatically.

"Prince Sigiswald will be Aub of a mid-sized territory, then."

"In the first year, his territory will receive preferential ranking as the domain of an Aub of royal blood, but since Haufflete—Lady Nayelache's homeland—is far away, we can't expect much support from that quarter. I think things will get tough starting next year."

At Eglantine's words, I shrugged.

"While it's true that he could receive support from Dunkelfelger through Lady Magdalena, I don't think it would be as difficult as what Lord Trauerqual faces, governing a portion of the former Werkestock, which harbors many rebellious nobles. The land Prince Sigiswald receives is all territory that was managed by the central government, so it shouldn't require that much effort."

After all, the Magic Power gathered from everyone at the Noble Academy's Dedication Ritual had all been used for the central territories and the lands managed by the central government, so they shouldn't be run-down. If he took his role as Aub seriously, it shouldn't be that much of a hardship.

"I hear Lady Adolphine, upon returning to Drewanchel, is going to become a Geibe in this area. She was inspired by your library city, Lady Rozemyne, and says she wants to create a research city."

For Adolphine, who had once married into the royal family, finding a remarriage partner outside the territory was difficult. She would therefore return to Drewanchel and become a Geibe. Drewanchel had many members of the Lord's family, and nobles who had gone to the capital were all returned to the territory at some point, so remarriage within the territory was apparently not difficult. It was wonderful that she had carved out her own path forward.

"Rozemyne, now that you've filled the Foundation, redraw the border lines. It's the same as what an Aub does when redrawing the borders of a Geibe. Use my map as your reference for how to draw the lines. ...Oh, and Lady Eglantine, I'm terribly sorry to ask this, but could you please evaluate Rozemyne's work?"

"Evaluate?"

At Ferdinand's request, Eglantine's eyes went wide.

"Are you not a teacher in the Lord Candidate course? I've heard Rozemyne was absent during winter and never completed her Noble Academy lectures. Please evaluate her Lord Candidate coursework based on the border line redrawing she's about to do and the medal disposal she'll conduct after returning to Ahrensbach."

He even asked Eglantine to coordinate with the Dedication Dance instructor to have today's ceremony serve as her Dedication Dance evaluation. I thought this was going too far, even for him. For Eglantine's sake—she was clearly shocked by this sudden, unreasonable demand—I wanted to firmly object.

"This is too high-handed, Lord Ferdinand. I think a surprise examination is awful. Lady Eglantine needs at least a little time to prepare mentally."

Ferdinand snorted derisively at my appeal, then glared at me.

"If you remember what I taught you, you should pass without any trouble. Surely you haven't forgotten everything I taught you during those busy times?"

"I-I remember!"

...Probably, I added silently.

"Then there should be no problem. After all, who do you think is the one most inconvenienced by having to spend time on Noble Academy re-examinations?"

Looking down at me coldly, Ferdinand waited as I thought about it. If my re-examinations took up time, who would be most inconvenienced?

"You'd be the most inconvenienced, Lord Ferdinand. After that, it would be me and your retainers."

"Exactly. Therefore, I will set the schedule for your re-examinations, and I will handle the negotiations with the instructors during the Lord's Conference. All you need to do is pass every exam on the first try. ...Now, get to work on those border lines."

At Ferdinand's command, I took out my staff.

In the re-examination on redrawing border lines—conducted using the Foundation of Yurgenschmidt as the teaching material—the Goddess Incarnate, who had received the blessings of countless gods, passed without incident.

Hartmut, burdened with the unreasonable task of changing the ceremony's progression and stalling for time. Trauerqual, suddenly asked to deliver the speech the new Zent was supposed to give. Anastasius, scrambling to prepare for the recovery of Gervasio. Rozemyne, told to take a re-examination using a real Foundation all of a sudden. Eglantine, the new Zent, forced into the role of examiner. It was all Ferdinand's fault.

Next time: the Magic Power Depletion Plan.