When I asked in an upbeat mood,
"I thought that during emergencies, thinking of fun things could help me stay positive, but I suppose this wasn't the kind of topic to bother you with, Ferdinand. I'll just ask the gods or something and decide on my own."
...Which... one... should... I... pick...? Just... as... the... gods... say...
I was mentally labeling right as
"Wait. Now is not the time for praying to the gods. What exactly are you thinking? Staying positive isn't a bad thing, but you need to be careful with your naming. Some of these sound unfamiliar to the ear. Shouldn't we hear the origins and sentiments behind each name choice before making a judgment?"
My retainers nodded several times at Ferdinand's words.
"Indeed. The name of a territory is terribly important, so it would be best to seek everyone's opinions and deliberate carefully."
"The territory's name won't just be used by Lady
This had the same atmosphere as when I'd suggested "Kensaku" and "Oppaku" as name candidates for the library's Magical Tools, only to have them rejected and end up with "Adret" before I knew it.
...Hm? Was I about to get subtly rejected again?
If it were the names of the library's Magical Tools, I could always make more and name them whatever I wanted, so it wouldn't matter. But the library city's name could only be given once. I had no intention of yielding this naming right.
"Alexandria is—"
"I said it was an emergency, didn't I? There will be time to talk tonight, so do it then. I was planning to discuss your library city plan as well. I can't design anything without the blueprints, after all. We can decide on the new territory's name at that time. More importantly, I'd like to heal as much of the wasteland as possible, so draw a teleportation circle."
I waved Ferdinand off with a few fluttery hand gestures, but if we could talk tonight, that was fine by me. I chanted "Gutturisheit" and produced the Book of
As exclamations of awe rose around us, Ferdinand sidled close and murmured, "Is it safe to use a divine tool for that?"
"...I was a bit careless, but I think it'll be fine as long as I use Magic Power to transport it."
"You fool."
I would prepare the teleportation circle and pour Magic Power into it, but the one to actually activate it was Ferdinand, who had been certified as Aub by the Bindevalt foundation. Ferdinand took a somewhat large magic stone in hand, drew out his Stab, and chanted, "Nenryüssel Bindevalt."
The amount of Magic Power consumed was greater than anticipated, as we were transporting not just me and Ferdinand's retainers, but also dedicated chefs and ingredients. Even so, considering how much Magic Power remained, it was a negligible amount.
"There's no trace of anyone here. It's completely deserted."
The last time I had come here, there had been a boisterous chorus of "Hnmua!" from the knights of
"I've had the place completely sealed off and the workers relocated to nearby towns. It will remain this way until you appoint a new Giebe."
Since I couldn't officially appoint a new Giebe until the Lord's Conference formally established me as Aub, the Bindevalt mansion remained closed. More precisely, it wasn't that I couldn't appoint one—it was just that doing so prematurely would appear disrespectful to the new Zent, so it was best not to.
"If we don't appoint someone soon, the Commoners living on this land will have a terrible time."
Without nobles to perform the Prayer Ritual, collect taxes, and hold the Harvest Festival, the Commoners couldn't pay their taxes. And without someone to consolidate the records, if they failed to pay, it would be the Commoners who faced punishment.
"I'll look through several candidates before the Lord's Conference so that we can appoint someone as quickly as possible. For now, bring out your knightbeasts so the Attendants and chefs can move around."
"Yes."
I brought out my rainbow Lesser, imagining a camper van-like interior, and kept making it bigger and bigger. It wasn't just going to be a space where I could sleep—everyone would need to be able to sleep in it.
"How's this? Now everyone can sleep safely."
When I showed Ferdinand the Lesser, which had grown to the size of a double-decker bus, he tapped his temple rhythmically and continued piling on further demands. He wanted the floors separated by gender, a separate area for the workers to rest, complained it was too narrow, said the ceiling was too low—demanding more spaciousness than any camper van could offer—until it ultimately became something resembling a two-story house.
"Ferdinand. The Lesser doesn't really look like a 'vehicle' anymore..."
Just as I was about to ask Ferdinand what a knightbeast was really supposed to be, he nodded with satisfaction several times and said, "As always, your knightbeasts are the very definition of absurd, but this will do."
...Of all people, Ferdinand, I really didn't want to hear "absurd" from you! Hmph!
"Feel free to use the well here. Prepare food and sleeping arrangements. Rozemyne and I will take our escort knights and heal the land."
After placing a magic stone to prevent the knightbeasts from disappearing and leaving the Attendants and chefs behind, I held the Holy Cup and rode as a passenger on Ferdinand's knightbeast. Starting from the Bindevalt summer mansion, the plan was to heal the northeast in the morning and head south in the afternoon.
"Then let's head to the village right away."
As we ascended into the sky atop Ferdinand's white lion, I said this to him, but Ferdinand shook his head and passed over the village.
"No. The plan is to pour Magic Power into areas far from settlements first."
"Why? Isn't this a Prayer Ritual? Shouldn't we go to the village?"
To increase harvest yields, heading to the village was the best option. With the land this depleted of Magic Power, I thought the village should absolutely be prioritized.
"That won't do. If we pour Magic Power into only the village while the rest of the territory's Magic Power is this depleted, the likelihood of magical beasts swarming the village is extremely high. We need to first flow Magic Power into areas where magical beasts are abundant, then distribute Magic Power to the village—or the farmers will be attacked."
Magical beasts, too, were starving for Magic Power just as much as the territory was lacking it, so the mountains and forests needed to be healed first to prevent magical beasts from attacking the Magic Power-rich village.
"Then we need to move quickly to the mountains and forests. The Holy Cup is starting to leak."
Seeing the rainbow-colored liquid beginning to overflow from the Holy Cup in my arms, Ferdinand's knightbeast surged forward with increased speed.
As the rainbow-colored liquid streaming from the Holy Cup rained down, I could visibly see the land's color shift—patches darkening, green areas suddenly expanding—as the landscape regained its original, vivid hues.
With my own Magic Power, I wouldn't be able to heal the land itself like this without offering a prayer. At most, magical beasts or magical trees targeted by the Magic Power would grow to enormous sizes.
...The gods' power really is incredible.
However, my ability to admire the sight while looking down didn't last very long. Soon, my arms began to tremble.
"Ferdinand, this is terrible. My arms are getting tired from holding the Holy Cup..."
"Just endure a little longer until the Fourth Bell."
"I'll endure as long as I can, but I'm about to drop the Holy Cup."
The Holy Cup, a divine tool, was quite large—about eighty centimeters tall, shaped like a wine glass. Since I had colored it with my own Magic Power, it didn't feel particularly heavy. But holding it continuously like this was exhausting.
With Ferdinand helping me hold the Holy Cup, I managed to keep going until the Fourth Bell rang, but honestly, I wanted to shout "I can't take it anymore!" My Magic Power was gradually decreasing, and the land was being healed, but the dispersal method clearly needed to be reconsidered.
When we returned to the Lesser Bus for lunch, I could see
"I know the term 'goddess descent' may sound extraordinary, but it was a truly mystical and beautiful sight. The incarnation of the goddess, radiant with the power of the gods, poured the light of all attributes from the Holy Cup held in her graceful hands, and
"Hartmut, is this really something we need to hear about during this emergency? If it can wait until later, please share it once Lady Rozemyne has rested."
"My lady's exploits make it a story I desperately wish to hear, but I must prioritize Lady Rozemyne's service, so do forgive me."
"Ferdinand, shouldn't you help Zelgius?"
"
Justus, who had headed toward Zelgius, took the plates that Zelgius had been preparing for Ferdinand's service and walked back toward us.
"...That wasn't so much 'helping' as it was 'sacrificing' him."
"The most important thing for an Attendant is to serve their master. No problem there."
...Hang in there, Zelgius.
Sending my silent encouragement, I turned my gaze to the plates Lieseleta was setting out. Looking at the plates from which warm steam gently rose, Lieseleta tilted her body slightly and peered at my face.
"Lady Rozemyne, do you not look rather tired?"
"Holding the Holy Cup is really quite exhausting. Starting this afternoon, perhaps you could tie it around my stomach with a cord or something, and I'll just rest my hands on it."
"A cord around your... stomach?"
Lieseleta gazed upward as she imagined it, then made a complicated expression and looked at Ferdinand. I appealed to Ferdinand, who appeared to be deep in thought.
"Even if it's not befitting of an incarnation of a goddess, I really can't hold it elegantly by myself."
"I already understood that from this morning. But how is the Magic Power consumption? Is it worth taking such an inelegant measure?"
Was I the only one who thought elegance was irrelevant during an emergency serious enough to put the library city's naming on hold?
"The Magic Power drain is looking pretty good. At this rate, if I keep dispersing Magic Power all day, even accounting for overnight recovery... I'd say we'd run out in about five days."
"That doesn't account at all for your stamina, which is already fatigued from the morning."
"Isn't managing my stamina your job as my physician, Ferdinand?"
Being glared at so irritably didn't help. The only reason I had followed this method was because Ferdinand, as my personal physician, had determined it was the most efficient approach.
"...In other words, we need a more efficient method."
Ferdinand pondered this while eating lunch, but in the end, the afternoon plan was to strap the Holy Cup to my stomach and disperse Magic Power in the same way.
"I'm exhausted..."
"It's obvious. You wasted your energy getting all excited over Kannawitz."
By the time I had filled the entire Bindevalt territory and the Kannawitz region to the south, I was quite exhausted come dinner.
"Kannawitz has an ocean, which Bindevalt doesn't!"
"You've seen the ocean plenty of times since coming to
"I've seen the ocean from the castle as scenery, yes, but watching the dark, murky waters of Kannawitz's ocean turn clear and blue through the power of the gods, and then seeing fish leap and sparkle—it's an entirely different experience!"
The fishermen who had been out at sea had cheered and waved from their boats as they watched the ocean transform before their eyes. I had been waving back at them and, as a little bonus, pouring extra Magic Power into the water, which had exhausted me enormously. If someone said I'd wasted energy on something so trivial, I couldn't really argue—but I didn't think anyone could blame me for getting a little excited when a fish paradise was being born right before my eyes.
After making my way back to my Lesser, I had dinner. I could see my retainers who had accompanied me handing fish to
"Rozemyne, please come this way. Ferdinand, this way."
Only Ferdinand and I—both members of the ruling family—would eat first, and the retainers would have their meal afterward. I ate as quickly as I could to make room for them.
After eating, I drank tea and leisurely waited for the retainers to finish their meals.
The escort knights consisted of my brother
I sat on the sofa inside the Lesser Bus and drank my tea. After waiting for Ferdinand, who was seated beside me, to finish his tea, I spoke up.
"Well then, Ferdinand. Let's talk about the library city plan."
"...Didn't you just say you were tired? Perhaps we should avoid exciting topics today."
"Ella prepared grilled fish in a hurry and added it for me, so my energy has been restored. Besides, didn't you say we'd talk tonight? I've been looking forward to it."
Ferdinand touched my forehead and wrist in a cursory examination, then reluctantly sat back down and produced an eavesdropping-prevention Magical Tool.
"The candidates were Alexandria and Venice? For your naming, these are relatively sensible-sounding. What are their origins? They're from the dream world, I presume?"
"'Relatively sensible-sounding'—what a terribly rude thing to say."
"And you have no room to talk, given that you couldn't even come up with decent candidates for your own name."
He laughed, and I turned away with a huff. I remembered how, when I had become a noble and changed my name from Mine, I had excitedly suggested new candidates for a fresh start, only for Ferdinand to tell me they were "beyond disappointing." But the details before and after that were fuzzy.
"Rozemyne?"
"Oh, the origins. Alexandria was the name of an ancient city that housed a massive library alongside a botanical garden. It was a library city that collected books from all over the world. Venice was a trading city with the most bookstores in the world after
After listening to my explanation, Ferdinand pondered for a moment, then opened his mouth as though reluctant to speak.
"It would be best to drop Venice. The sound is too similar to Lanzanave. Even if it came from the gods' world, it would invite unpleasant suspicions."
"I understand that the sound is too reminiscent of Lanzanave. Then would Alexandria be acceptable?"
"Alexandria, hmm. I'd prefer a name that makes the connection to Ehrenfest clear..."
Ferdinand told me it would be better to choose a name that made it clear the Ehrenfest ruling family had obtained a foundation, and for a brief moment, "Ehrendria" popped into my head. It sounded vaguely like a food name, so I quickly dismissed the idea.
...That combination doesn't work!
"I think Alexandria is perfect. It's an ideal name for a library city encompassing the bookmaking through printing by Gutenberg and his associates, Ferdinand's research institute, and my library. The ancient Alexandria's botanical garden had vast quantities of specimens and research materials, and the library itself was enormous, and travelers..."
As I was passionately making my case, Ferdinand adopted a slightly exasperated expression.
"Yet despite asking for my opinion, you have absolutely no intention of conceding, do you? Well, it is the territory you've obtained. Unless the name is exceptionally problematic, I don't mind."
"Thank you very much. Then let's proceed with the Alexandria plan."
As I rejoiced, Ferdinand's expression became somewhat complex.
"Be that as it may, you seem to have a very strong attachment to that other world lately..."
"Hmm, it's probably because my memories aren't connected. The times when I was half a merchant, and the times I spent at the
Right now, my memories of my time as Mine were severely lacking. The Rozemyne era felt almost entirely natural, so if I believed Ferdinand, it meant I had gained many things during my time as Mine that were more important than reading. He had said the memories of my time as a hair ornament craftswoman and a dyeing craftswoman had likely disappeared—but what had those people meant to me?
"There are no problems in my daily life, though."
"No, it's likely because your very foundation has been removed. I've noticed differences between you and the person I know on many occasions. Problems could arise."
What exactly was different? I couldn't quite bring myself to ask. I didn't want to hear Ferdinand say something that would deny either version of me. I smiled gently and changed the subject.
"To regain my memories, we'd need to remove the gods' power, wouldn't we? So thinking about it now won't change anything. More importantly, what should we do about the territory's colors? In the past, they matched the nobility colors of the Gate, didn't they? If so, I think Alexandria should use a color close to black."
Pure black still carried a strong association with royalty, so considering the reactions of surrounding nobles, it might be wise to avoid black. When I said this, Ferdinand studied my expression carefully as he spoke.
"If we're matching this territory's colors to the past and the Gate, I should probably also recommend that the central territory switch to white cloaks when transferring to the
"If we publicize the original origin, then we'll all be wearing white."
The Zent candidates who had received the Book of Mestionora had worn white to avoid being mistaken for Mestionora and attacked by
"However, if we were to fully match the original origin, only you would wear white.
"If the central territory switches to white, that should be enough."
Being the only one wearing white in
"Perhaps the color of Alexandria should match your hair? It's the hair color that Mestionora bestowed from the Darkness God. It would be fitting for the color of a new territory governed by an incarnation of the goddess. Though it wouldn't suit you..."
Sounding regretful, Ferdinand reached out and touched my hair. I was somewhat startled by how casually he extended his fingers.
...Did Ferdinand used to touch my hair like this?
"What's wrong, Rozemyne?"
"It's nothing. The territory's color is worn by all nobles within the domain, so some people's coloring will match and others won't, right? Whether it suits my hair or not is irrelevant at this point."
Honestly, I didn't care what color the territory was. As I kept Ferdinand's fingertips touching my hair at the edge of my vision, I declared, "I want the Lesser for our crest."
The instant I said that, Ferdinand's fingers snapped away.
"Rejected. This will be the crest used by future Aubs of Alexandria for generations to come. You can't just decide on the Lesser because you like it. Since we've already stopped the name inheritance, you should either adopt the lion crest to show the Ehrenfest connection, or use the Schmil from the library Magical Tools—which will see more active use in your library than the Lesser anyway."
I had thought it was a crest perfectly befitting my territory, but it was immediately rejected while counter-proposals were bandied about. His attitude made it perfectly clear that the Lesser was an absolute no.
"You said the Schmil was too weak to serve as a territory's crest!"
"The Schmil you see around here are weak, but the library Magical Tools are strong. As long as you incorporate the magic stone on the forehead into the design and differentiate it from ordinary Schmil, it should work."
I never would have imagined that someone who had declared the Schmil completely unsuitable as a crest would then suggest it as a candidate.
"You dislike the Lesser that much?!"
"You're not the only one who has to carry this peculiar Lesser crest. If you're going to be this stubborn, why don't you ask around for others' opinions? There's no way anyone would agree with you."
I set down the eavesdropping-prevention Magical Tool and turned to Eckhart and Laurentz, who were standing guard. Lieseleta and the others had just finished eating and come to check on things as well.
"Everyone, which do you think would be more fitting as the design for new territory Alexandria's crest—my knightbeast or the library Magical Tool?"
Everyone exchanged glances and then answered in unison, "The library Magical Tool."
"I think a Schmil crest would be very cute."
"Ferdinand once said that strength was important for crest designs."
When I said this to Lieseleta, Grethea, who had been listening, smiled gently.
"According to Judith, the Magical Tool with the large scythe was extremely powerful. Why not add a scythe to the Schmil design?"
...I don't want that!
"If you're going to give it a weapon, give it a book instead!"
"As expected of Lady Rozemyne. That's an excellent idea. If the design features a library Magical Tool holding a book, it would symbolize your library city perfectly."
Laurentz clapped his hands together with a bright smile.
"A library Magical Tool holding a book... As befitting of an incarnation of a goddess, shall we make the book the Book of Mestionora?"
"Won't something that detailed be troublesome later on?"
"The Mine Workshop's crest is made of a book, ink, and a plant, so perhaps we could incorporate those elements as well."
"That's not bad."
Hmm? Hmm? As I was going back and forth, the crest was being decided more and more between my retainers and Ferdinand. My words—"Does the Lesser really have to be rejected?"—were completely ignored.
I thought we'd reached a good stopping point, and then it got long.
Ahrensbach will become Alexandria.
The color is dark blue. The crest is the library Magical Tool, the Schmil. The Lesser is rejected.
Rozemyne, who got too excited over seeing the ocean.
Ferdinand, whose plans—carefully balancing Magic Power and stamina—collapsed on the very first day.
Next time is Part 2.