The Beginning of Alexandria

"With the conclusion of the engagement ceremony, the attendees for the Archduke Conference have been finalized. The Aub will now distribute brooches to those heading to the Royal Academy."

In truth, Hartmut and the others had done the prep work and Ferdinand had crafted the brooches, but I was the one handing them out. First, I distributed them to my own retainers and Ferdinand's.

"Without everyone's support, neither I nor Ferdinand would be standing here today."

If Justus and Eckhart hadn't been there, Ferdinand would never have been able to spend a year and a half in Ahrensbach. Without the retainers he had gained there, we could never have consolidated the territory in such a short time.

If my own retainers hadn't moved without hesitation, I couldn't have helped Ferdinand. Since we couldn't immediately recruit local nobles, I expressed my appreciation to the retainers who had been working so hard amid the shortage.

"It will continue to be busy for a while yet, so I appreciate your continued efforts."

Once the brooch distribution to my retainers was complete, it was time for the knights Strahl had selected for the Archduke Conference, the scholars Ferdinand had chosen, and the attendants Zelgius and Feyerzele had selected. They were mostly people Ferdinand had deemed trustworthy during his stay in Ahrensbach. I had been instructed to choose my own retainers in Alexandria from among their ranks.

"The attendants will need to enter the dormitory ahead of time and arrange things inside, won't they? I'll leave the selection of the servants to you as well. Aub, territory name, colors—there are so many changes that this year's Archduke Conference will be difficult, but I'm counting on your capabilities as scholars of a large territory. As for the knights' strength and tenacity, I know them well from having fought alongside them. During the Archduke Conference, I'm counting on all of you."

As they received their brooches, the nobles seemed to grasp at last that the Archduke Conference was imminent. Every face had turned deadly serious.

While I was handing out brooches to the nobles, Hartmut explained the situation regarding the orphans created by the Lanzanave incident. Fundamentally, they were the same as the orphans produced by Ehrenfest's purge.

I, as Aub, would become the guardian of the orphans. Children who had already undergone the Baptism Ceremony would spend time at the Temple as blue-robed apprentices. Children who had not yet been baptized would be sent to the orphanage. Children with Magic Power who possessed their own Magical Tools could receive their Baptism Ceremony as nobles. Even those without tools could be given Magical Tools and elevated from the orphanage to nobility, depending on their motivation and ability.

"Letizia, having also lost her home due to the Lanzanave incident, will remain at the Temple together with the other orphans. By royal decree, she is to be adopted after the Star Binding, but, well, the earliest I can take part in the Star Binding ceremony is two years from now."

The nobles stirred with murmurs. I caught voices saying things like, "Are you going to keep Lady Letizia as an archducal candidate?" and "Sending an archducal candidate to the Temple..."

"For young people to visit the Temple and offer prayers to the gods is necessary for increasing the divine blessings they receive. By living at the Temple and offering prayers daily, they will gain the ability to function more powerfully as nobles in the future."

This was already well known from the research presentations at the Inter-Territory Tournament and the Dedication Rituals held at the Royal Academy. However, among the Ahrensbach nobles who had been unable to properly participate in the Dedication Rituals due to Dietlinde's preferences, some did not yet know that views on the Temple and religious observances were changing.

"I encourage the children of Alexandria to visit the Temple and participate in religious observances, so that they may receive as many blessings from the gods as possible. At the same time, I plan to open Temple classrooms so that education can be provided equally regardless of social standing. My goal is to raise the literacy rate of all of Alexandria, commoners included, to one hundred percent!"

I thought I heard a "Huh?" from somewhere, and the nobles looked somewhat dumbfounded. Ferdinand gave a slight cough with a slightly exasperated expression. I guess I'd gotten a bit ahead of myself. I coughed lightly to compose myself, then moved on to explaining the current state of Alexandria.

"As you all know, Ahrensbach held an advantage over other territories through its trade with Lanzanave, but due to the recent incident, the Border Gate has been closed. However, since the new Zent has obtained the Grutrissheit, the other Border Gates should be opening before long."

The advantage of being the only territory with an open Border Gate would be lost. In fact, there was a high chance it would become the only territory with a closed Border Gate. No Ahrensbach noble could fail to understand what that meant—they had once mocked Ehrenfest for exactly that position.

"Given all this, I trust you understand that new industries are needed to develop Alexandria into a great territory respected by the other dominions."

My words brought expressions of understanding from the nobles. I glanced at Ferdinand, and he gave a small nod, signaling I could continue. I turned my gaze forward.

"At the research institute newly constructed within the castle grounds at Entwicken, all the research conducted by volunteer scholars on cultivating Lanzanave spices and sugar here has been consolidated. Research into finding a substitute sweetener for sugar is also planned, and we expect further progress ahead. If we can achieve sugar cultivation, Alexandria's competitiveness will rise. However, these are not the kind of research that yields immediate results."

It would take considerable time before a stable supply could be achieved. In the meantime, what did Alexandria have to do?

"Until now, I have been establishing new industries in Ehrenfest. I intend to do the same here, and I have received permission from Aub Ehrenfest to transfer my own specialists. I plan to establish the papermaking and printing industries in Alexandria as well, and I also intend to create new restaurants."

The nobles murmured, their eyes turning to my adoptive father and the others. It was plain to see they were thinking that this wasn't something that should be shared with another territory. My adoptive father nodded calmly without so much as flinching.

"I'm not taking these industries away from Ehrenfest. We will cooperate so that both territories can prosper. To lower prices, a product needs to circulate widely in the Market, so considering the procurement of raw materials, it's impossible for a single territory to monopolize the papermaking industry."

The mountains would be stripped bare of trees. While it was possible to accelerate growth with healing Magic Power, each harvesting operation would require a large number of nobles.

"The same applies to printing. Ehrenfest already has multiple printing workshops, but they don't all print the same books. Each workshop prints different books. Even if Alexandria gains additional printing workshops, Ehrenfest's printing industry won't be destroyed."

This was also meant to be heard by the retainers who had come from Ehrenfest. It was not my intention for Ehrenfest's nobles to think that Alexandria had stolen all their industries.

"What matters is increasing the number of printing workshops to produce lots of new books. If multiple territories operate printing industries, the Book Contribution System means my Library will grow even richer."

"Rozemyne, your true feelings are showing."

...A slip, a slip. That leaked out a little too much.

Ferdinand gave me a slight glare, but I smiled, laughed it off, and continued.

"Next, regarding the restaurants—Ehrenfest and Alexandria have different climates, so we can't prepare exactly the same cuisine. What's important is adapting the food to each region. In Alexandria, I plan to develop new recipes centered around seafood."

While asserting that there would be no direct overlap with Ehrenfest, I surveyed the nobles.

"These new industries will be supported by commoners. In Alexandria, we will be developing these industries in cooperation with commoners. Education for the commoners is essential for the territory's development."

I stressed the importance of raising literacy rates and outlined the broad plan for Temple classrooms. The tuition would be low, but some nobles objected to studying alongside commoners. There were those who questioned why the orphanage children could receive the same education for free. While I was the one backing it—effectively paying for it myself—there were surely some who still couldn't accept it.

"...I understand that you may not all be able to accept this just yet, but interacting with people of different social standings is extremely important. Of course, I have no intention of eliminating private household tutoring as it has been done until now."

I had no intention of taking jobs away from private tutors, and the Temple classrooms could only cover up to roughly the middle years of the Royal Academy—equivalent to a mid-ranking noble's education. It would not be sufficient for the education of archducal families or high-ranking nobles.

"As low-ranking nobles, some may be unable to find good teachers and thus fail to develop their children's potential. I witnessed this firsthand in Ehrenfest's winter children's room. Since we are investing in the education of commoners, naturally I also want to invest in the education of nobles. With prayers added to the important education for nobles, I hope you will reconsider your perception of the Temple."

If nobles had the pride not to be outdone by commoners, they might put more effort into their studies. If they interacted with commoners from a young age in Temple classrooms, it could prove valuable in the future. Even just regularly visiting the Temple to offer prayers was important for children.

"As for the orphans, their education is by no means free. While I am their patron, I do not bear all of the costs. I expect them to pay it back once they begin working."

Orphans had to support themselves through subsidies given to blue-robed Priests and blue-robed Shrine Maidens for donating Magic Power, in-kind crop payments for participating in the Prayer Ceremonies and Harvest Festivals, and money they earned on their own. It was by no means an easy life.

"To support them even a little, I intend to gather local stories from around Alexandria, just as I did in Ehrenfest. The orphans will copy manuscripts from the books in the Library, record things they hear from the commoners studying together in the Temple classrooms, and write their own stories—all to earn money on their own."

I was rumored to be generous, but that was just something everyone assumed on their own. I wasn't particularly generous.

"Not just from the orphans. Old documents copied from the Giebe halls, stories gathered through oral tradition including commoners, copies of books from the Royal Academy's collection, original stories written by yourselves, compiled research documents... I will purchase all of these from you at a fair price."

...Please, bring them all in!

My words left the nobles dumbfounded once again, but I couldn't have them shocked by something so minor. This was a path we had already traveled in Ehrenfest. I wanted the nobles of Alexandria to reach the same point quickly.

"Ferdinand, if I may?"

Lieselotta looked at the nobles' reactions and turned to Ferdinand for help. Ferdinand glanced at me.

"Ferdinand, Lieselotta—the most important thing in any endeavor is how you begin. As Aub, I need everyone to understand my goals and the direction we're heading, and to become accustomed to my way of doing things."

Hartmut was smiling and saying, "Lady Rozemyne speaks truly," but Ferdinand shot me a displeased look. Still, I had no intention of stopping.

"Didn't you say before, Ferdinand? That whether you crush Ahrensbach or develop it, it's entirely up to me. If I declare from the start what kind of territory I intend to make of it, the nobles will surely come to terms with it all the sooner."

I had the grand ambition of bringing every book in Yurgenschmidt into my Library. For that, I wouldn't hesitate to use my title as the goddess's incarnation. I had even secured a promise from Eglantine to let me copy the collection housed in the Royal Palace's library. I wasn't going to be picky about my methods.

"I, as the incarnation of Mestionora, Goddess of Wisdom, will devote myself fully as both Aub and Librarian to make Alexandria flourish as a Library and to make my Library the place with the greatest collection and the greatest happiness in all of Yurgenschmidt. Let us together build Alexandria into a magnificent Library City!"

As I made this declaration in a loud, clear voice, Hartmut stepped forward.

"Then, everyone. Let us pray for the prosperity of Alexandria. Let us offer our prayers and gratitude to the Highest God who rules the lofty heavens, the Five Great Gods who govern the vast earth—Flutrene, Goddess of Water; Leidenschaft, God of Fire; Schutzaria, Goddess of Wind; Geduldh, Goddess of Earth; Ewigeliebe, God of Life—and to Lady Rozemyne, the incarnation of the Goddess of Wisdom."

"Let us pray to the gods!"

More than half the nobles joined Hartmut in offering crisp, devoted prayers. I prayed alongside them. My outpouring of love for the Library became a blessing that filled the great hall.

While the Giebes who had never had the chance to interact with Hartmut and the others looked on in astonishment, the history of the territory called Alexandria had begun.