"You overdid it, you fool. Most of the giebes were left behind."
"If they get used to praying sooner rather than later, that would be fine. I must say, there were unexpectedly many nobles who could pray properly, so I was quite surprised at the results of
"I am honored by your praise."
After the engagement ceremony, I had come to tour the newly constructed laboratory and library. Spice trees were lined up inside a large greenhouse, giving it the feel of a botanical garden. Among the many trees I had never seen before, a scholar reported on the research results they had achieved so far. It seemed that cultivating sugar was still proving difficult.
"Without the greenhouse, the plants would wither, so large-scale cultivation may be difficult. However, we have been observing gradual changes with each generation as they absorb Magic Power."
"Visible changes with each generation—that sounds interesting. Shall I contribute some Magic Power as well?"
If it was just a matter of channeling Magic Power, that was something I could handle. I offered my cooperation to the scholars, but
"Wait. Your Magic Power is somewhat special, given that you have once caused a goddess to descend. For the sake of a controlled experiment, I would like to limit the subjects receiving Magic Power. This will require some preparation, so let's do it another day."
Ferdinand began discussing with the scholars which variety to infuse with my Magic Power and where it could be channeled without affecting anything else.
In the meantime,
...It's only this tidy because his Attendant can come in.
"Still, this is the first day I'm entering the library, so why is Lord Ferdinand's personal room in the laboratory already so well furnished?"
He must have been busier than me in recent days with
"Compared to before he collapsed from the poison, his sleep time has increased, and the amount of medicine has decreased as well. He has taken to eating both lunch and dinner regularly since he shares meals with Lady
Justus said it would calm down a bit more once the lord's conference was over. I nodded, and Justus gave a small smile. "Are you not used to the form of address yet?"
"Richhilda was the only one who had been calling you 'Your Ladyship' in the same way..."
"If you continue to call someone who has formally gotten engaged as 'Your Ladyship,' her mother will scold you."
Justus was clearly amused, and glaring at him had absolutely no effect.
"Speaking of which, Brother
In truth, the marriage discussion between Brother Eckhart and Angelica had resurfaced. Now that both their masters were settled in
"Brother Eckhart and Angelica do get along when it comes to their attitudes toward work and such. However, please do check with Angelica about her feelings as well."
When I said that, Brother Eckhart nodded with a "Right" and turned to Angelica.
"What'll it be? I still haven't forgiven the
"The other day, I also received a proposal from a weak knight, and it was such a hassle thinking of a way to refuse without causing offense, so this works out perfectly for me too."
...Wait a moment. Their discussion wrapped up in the blink of an eye!
When I heard the full story, they had decided to get engaged again with a casualness that would surely disappoint Mother.
"Oh, but it's the same as Lady Rozemyne, isn't it? Neither of them has romantic feelings for the other, but she wanted to refuse the weak knight, and she has no reason to refuse Lord Eckhart's proposal."
"...Now that you put it that way, I suppose so."
I felt somewhat dissatisfied at being lumped together with Angelica. I had, after all, genuinely wanted to become family with Ferdinand, and I hadn't decided on marriage as casually as all that.
Pouting with my lips pushed out, I left Ferdinand's room.
"Lord Ferdinand, I'm heading to the library now."
Entwicken was still in its early days, and apart from the greenhouse, the laboratory was mostly empty rooms—so there was really nothing to enjoy there. I just needed to remember where Ferdinand's room was located.
...The library is even emptier, though.
As I walked along the connecting corridor of the laboratory, Ferdinand caught up. Justus unlocked the door, and we entered the library.
"Wow!"
There wasn't a single book on the shelves yet, but I was moved to see before me a library resembling the reading room of the Great
"This library is truly remarkable. The ceiling is hemispherical, and see how the windows are lined up in a row? We maximized natural lighting as much as possible, but at the same time, to keep as much direct sunlight off the books as possible, the walls are entirely lined with bookshelves."
There were Magical Tools that could provide light, but in present-day Alexandria, they were rejected as a waste of Magic Power for daily library use. Therefore, the library's design was made to take full advantage of sunlight.
"Reading desks are arranged radially beneath the ceiling, so that nearly equal light reaches every desk. Unlike the library at the
As I spoke of this library's magnificence, I pointed to the central area among the radially arranged reading desks.
"I was planning to place the OPAC and KENSAC standby positions there..."
"Wait. Unfamiliar words just came out of your mouth—what are you talking about?"
Reprimanded by Ferdinand, I tilted my head.
"They're the names of the Magical Tools for the search-only library. Given how vast this place is, and the fact that the walls and bookshelves blend together so that many items are out of people's reach, surely multiple Magical Tools will be needed?"
"The books from the Ahrensbach castle weren't all that many. One Magical Tool should suffice for a while."
"I intend to make a separate one for search purposes, and another for security—to drive out anyone who tries to smuggle books out or cause trouble in the library."
I was thinking about how many I would need when
"Lady Rozemyne, perhaps you should keep the offensive capabilities more restrained than the Magical Tools you built for Ehrenfest's defense."
"That's fine, but I'll ask Clarissa, Hartmut, or
"Leave it to me."
Not just Clarissa, but Raimund as well offered to take on the task. He said he would modify them to suit this library.
"But, Lady Rozemyne. Even if you build such a grand library, there aren't enough books to fill it. Couldn't it have been smaller?"
Raimund gazed around the vast library as he spoke. Apparently, Entwicken required a tremendous amount of Magic Power, and he felt it was terribly wasteful.
"As Iron Quill always says, nothing man-made lasts longer than books. No matter how spacious it looks now, the day will come when there won't be enough room. I'm already looking forward to that day."
By the time books were overflowing from this library, the literacy rate among Commoners should have risen as well. At that point, we could build a library for Commoners, or add a new annex at the edge of the Noble District. Nobles could easily travel by riding beast, and if a teleportation circle were installed, lending books from the annex wouldn't be too much trouble.
As we talked about such things, we crossed through the reading room and moved from the laboratory's connecting corridor to the library's entrance. From there, we headed toward the wing where the Librarians' rooms were located. Hartmut stopped in front of a door at the top of a staircase.
"This will be Lady Rozemyne's room."
I was shown into a room that held nothing yet. I would have furniture brought in and make it my home within the library.
"A desk and chair for reading, and a chaise longue for reclining are essential."
"When Lady Rozemyne gets overly excited in the library, or collapses from exhaustion after working too hard, shouldn't you prioritize a bed over a desk and chair for reading?"
Ferdinand pointed this out, and my attendants all nodded in unison. As usual, Ferdinand and my attendants were both being overprotective.
"I think a chaise longue would be sufficient, though..."
I confirmed that there were various facilities for living, and Lieseleta asked me what should be set up and how far.
"Basic living will be handled in the castle, so for the time being, I think a desk and chair for reading would be all I need."
"Set everything up properly from the start so it's always ready when you need it. You tend to put these things off, and then when the time comes, you're not prepared and panic."
When Ferdinand said this, my Attendants began discussing how to set up my room.
"Rozemyne, I'm going to create a hidden room."
"...I think just the room itself would be enough?"
"In order to store what's precious to you in this library, it's necessary."
Urged on by Ferdinand, I created the hidden room. I placed my hand over his as he pressed a red magic stone against the wall, and channeled Magic Power. We registered two sets of Magic Power.
"Please wait until both of us can enter the hidden room together!"
By the time Cornelius said this in a panic, Ferdinand had already pulled me by the hand, and we were inside the hidden room.
"Brother Cornelius is going to scold me again at this rate."
"Don't worry. I'll threaten him into silence next time."
"Wait, please. I cannot be reassured at all. There's no need to threaten him!"
When I desperately tried to stop him, Ferdinand snorted and took out the Book of
"Lord Ferdinand. This teleportation circle... could it be..."
"...It's connected to your room in the Commoner town. Think of it as a door to your family."
I looked down at the completed teleportation circle. Kneeling and touching it would send magic through, lighting up the magic circle. Like the ones in the castle and the Royal Academy dormitory, it was a teleportation circle with a fixed destination.
"Is my family's home beyond this?"
"Yes. They'll need to be moved from Ehrenfest, and there are scheduling matters to work out, so I can't promise it'll be anytime soon—but this is your path home."
Even after I was no longer Aub and no longer lived in the castle, Ferdinand had created a hidden room in the library and set up a teleportation circle that could only be used with the Book of Mestionora, ensuring this path would not disappear.
My chest grew warm. I was glad this was the person beside me. I stood up and threw my arms around Ferdinand.
"...Let's go together, okay? When I go to see my family, Lord Ferdinand is coming with me."
"No, I would only be a nuisance during your family time."
Ferdinand, looking somewhat flustered, tried to pull away, but I glared at him and tightened my arms around him. Ferdinand tended to be negative about family matters, and I didn't want to let him go.
"You're not a nuisance at all."
"Rozemyne, let go."
"No. I won't let go until you agree to come with me."
"If someone of noble standing like me goes, wouldn't it trouble your family? I'd just be putting them to inconvenience. Besides, if I'm there, you'd find it harder to be affectionate with your family, wouldn't you?"
He averted his gaze and said this with a sigh mixed in. I was rendered speechless. That might well be true. But I had gotten engaged to Ferdinand.
"The noble family was able to attend the engagement ceremony, but my Commoner family couldn't go, and they don't even know I got engaged. I want to properly introduce you to my family—that you're the person I'm going to marry. ...Do you not want to be introduced to my family?"
As I gazed up at him, Ferdinand's eyes met mine as he lowered his gaze slightly. After a moment of hesitation, Ferdinand murmured, "...It's not that I don't want to," and gave up resisting, his eyes downcast. I thought I could see the faintest crack of a smile at the corners of his mouth.
A path from a private room in Alexandria's library, connecting to family.