During winter, adults prioritize socializing.
Nobles who owned land near the borders with other territories brought back information from those lands, while the lord and his entourage, traveling to the central city for the Lord's Conference, brought home rumors and stories from the capital.
At gatherings of peers, they gained information through horizontal connections; at meetings between nobles who governed territories, they discussed the year's harvest and magical beast damage; and at women's gatherings, various rumors circulated. Adults were busy.
Meanwhile, children who had completed the
Based on what they'd heard from their older siblings, they chose which course to join at the Royal Academy and built connections with those aiming for the same course. Even if they weren't as refined as adults, they were learning the art of socializing. At the same time, they were expected to understand rank hierarchies and adopt proper noble behavior.
"Starting this year, Lord
After breakfast, Richarta explained the upcoming activities at length.
"For them, this will be the place to choose and nurture their future retainers. Since attending the Royal Academy together makes it easier to build bonds and trust, they'll tend to choose retainers close to their age."
Then, with a somewhat stern expression, she explained that parents would scheme behind the scenes to compete for those retainer positions.
"Please never forget that relatives are always standing behind the children."
I nodded in agreement.
After breakfast, I headed to the room where the children were gathering. Today, all four of my guard knights were accompanying me. The students who would be departing for the Royal Academy were also gathered in the same room, and since there were so many children, a large number of guard knights would apparently be needed until the transfers to the Royal Academy were complete.
"Today is the transfer day for the senior students, so there are the most people, My Lady."
At the same time winter socializing began, students also started transferring to the Royal Academy.
On the way to the room where the main building's children were gathered, I spotted carts lined up and loaded with large amounts of luggage. They belonged to those heading to the Royal Academy, and I could see people wearing cloaks and brooches indicating their Royal Academy affiliation coming and going.
Everyone who saw my lesser bus did a double-take, looking back two or three times. I was used to their surprised expressions, so I pressed forward without paying it much mind.
My guard knights and attendants seemed used to it as well, walking along as if nothing were out of the ordinary.
"Every year, the senior students who are already accustomed to the Royal Academy transfer first, and the new students transfer last."
"But there are some who aren't wearing cloaks or brooches?"
"Those are attendants. Each student is only allowed to bring one attendant."
They transfer to the Royal Academy bringing attendants from their family homes. And if they deemed it necessary, they would hire those enrolled in the attendant course, hire those from the knight course as guards, or hire those from the scholar course to help with assignments.
Because of this, all children who had completed the Baptism Ceremony wanted to hear stories about the Royal Academy — to gather information for deciding which course to pursue.
"This is the room for socializing during winter. It's a bit cramped, but it will serve until the students leave for the Royal Academy."
After I parked the lesser bus, Richarta opened the door to a room. Everyone who had been chatting merrily fell silent and turned their attention to us, then hurriedly knelt.
"My Lady, please come this way."
I was seated in a chair prepared at the back of the room. Richarta moved to prepare tea, and my guard knights stood around me.
From then on, it was nothing but introductions. People kept coming without end.
"Please allow me to pray for blessings upon this rare and extraordinary meeting, granted through the stern selection of the Life God,
"I grant your permission."
One after another, people introduced themselves, but there was no way I could remember them all. At the very least, I was told whose child each was along with their parents' names, so I made sure to remember anyone who appeared on the watch list I'd compiled from the former High Priest's secret letters. I tried my best. The list proved useful.
There was a line of people waiting to introduce themselves to me, and after that, when Wilfried arrived, another line formed before him.
Since they couldn't approach us until the line of introductions was over, the children who had finished their introductions gathered at a distance and began asking the Royal Academy students various questions. The students, having gone through the same path themselves, cheerfully answered.
Why they chose that course, what kind of lectures there were, what the teachers were like — I caught snippets of such questions here and there, which was rather enjoyable.
I looked around.
"Why did you decide to become a knight,
"My older brother is a scholar, so I thought being a knight would be more useful."
In terms of gathering intelligence, being in a different position rather than the same one allowed them to collect a wider variety of information. Since his brother was the more capable scholar, he apparently chose to complement his brother's abilities.
"What about you,
"I've always been more physically capable since I was young, and the Ilknur Baron territory has many small magical beasts, so the people around me would be pleased if someone had the skills to defeat them."
I admired Brigitte's spirit in taking the initiative to eliminate magical beasts that became pests. Remembering the sight of Schutzeria's nighttime battle efforts, I nodded several times.
Then I turned my gaze to Brother
"Why did you decide to become a knight, Cornelius?"
"Both my father and my brother are knights, so I never even considered becoming a scholar."
Well, with that family environment, it made sense. I nodded. Father could only think about training his sons — he'd even told me he didn't know what to do now that he had a daughter. He must have trained them ruthlessly to make them into knights.
Finally, I turned my gaze to
From her work so far, I could tell she fought with a speed-focused style and was strong enough to be selected as the guard knight for the lord's daughter, but I'd never had the chance to ask why she aimed to become a knight.
"Why did you decide to become a knight, Angelica?"
"Because I didn't want to study."
"...Huh?"
Taken aback by these unexpected words, I blinked several times. Angelica repeated herself with a perfectly serious expression.
"Being a knight meant I wouldn't have to study as much."
"I-I see."
"I'm glad that Lady Rozemyne is a master who enjoys studying. The Knight Commander also said that a good lord-retainer relationship is one where each compensates for the other's shortcomings."
I got the distinct impression she was asking me to use my brain in her place.
I'd suspected she didn't like studying, given how she seemed around books, but I never imagined her reason for becoming a knight was simply to avoid studying. People really aren't what they seem.
"So everyone has their own reasons. I want to become a scholar. I'll become a scholar and manage the library."
As I talked about my future plans, imagining myself spending my days in the library with a blissful sigh, Brigitte opened her mouth with extreme reluctance.
"Lady Rozemyne has been decided to attend the lord candidate course. You are the lord's adopted daughter, after all."
"Huh? I'm an adopted daughter, so I won't become the lord, you know?"
"A lord's child is a lord candidate. Wasn't that the very reason you became an adopted daughter, Lady Rozemyne?"
I had become the lord's adopted daughter because the former High Priest, protected by the lord's mother, needed a patron who could stand against nobles from other territories, but the official explanation was that I had been taken in as an adopted daughter to put my powerful magic to use for the territory.
It was already decided that I would use my magic power for Ehrenfest, and there were no objections to that.
However, I hadn't realized that being a lord candidate at the Royal Academy would mean I couldn't become a scholar or a librarian. The lord would be Wilfried going forward, and I'd planned to assist him while freely renovating the
"Um... does not being able to enter the scholar course mean... I won't be able to become a librarian?"
"I wonder... I've never heard of a lord's child becoming a librarian."
Assisting the lord and marrying into another family was apparently what was expected — not staying at the family home to become a librarian. That wasn't part of the role of a lord's adopted daughter.
I was devastated.
My vision went dark, and my consciousness began to fade.
"Lady Rozemyne!?"
"My Lady, please pull yourself together!"
When I came to, the High Priest was there. He was frowning deeply, looking down at me with an utterly displeased expression.
"High Priest! I can't become a librarian!?"
I shot upright and asked, and after pointing out that I'd used the wrong form of address, the High Priest let out a deep sigh.
"When Richarta burst into my meeting with such a pale face, I wondered what had happened... and it was just this?"
"This is not just 'this'! It's a critical matter concerning my life! Lord
As I tearfully wailed and protested, the High Priest quietly looked down at me, then tapped his temple with his fingertip and spoke.
"Rozemyne, calm down. ...It's difficult, but it's not impossible for you to become a scholar."
"Really!?"
Clinging to a thin thread of hope, I raised my face and gazed intently at the High Priest — my savior. A faint smile appeared on his face.
"You simply need to take all the lord candidate lectures while also taking the scholar lectures."
"Huh?"
I stared with my mouth agape at these unexpected words.
I stared at the High Priest, who had just made this outrageous demand — to take all the lectures required for lord candidates on top of all the lectures for the scholar course.
"Is that even possible?"
"There's a precedent. It should not be impossible."
"A precedent... could that be you, Lord Ferdinand?"
I couldn't think of anyone else who would have taken the scholar course on top of being a lord candidate. At my words, the High Priest nodded lightly.
"Yes, I was also a lord candidate once. I took both the scholar and knight courses combined."
...What kind of superhuman was he!?
I had apparently underestimated the fact that the High Priest could handle scholarly work, was a member of the Knight's Order, and could assist the lord.
I clutched my spinning head.
"Most people only stay at the Royal Academy during winter, but it's not impossible to stay during other seasons. I stayed at the Royal Academy unless I was summoned."
If he wanted to return, he could use the teleportation magic circle right away, and the Royal Academy was apparently more comfortable for him than the castle. To avoid giving anyone grounds for complaint, he fully utilized every spare moment, resulting in conquering all three courses.
"You can't expect me to have the same abilities as Lord Ferdinand! I'm just an ordinary person!"
"Hmm. An ordinary person can't become a librarian. If you don't have the will to put in the effort, give up from the start."
The High Priest waved his hand as if to say the conversation was over. If he ended things here, the path to becoming a librarian would truly be closed.
I couldn't allow that.
Giving up on the path to becoming a librarian before even trying was simply not an option.
I clenched my fists tight and looked up at the High Priest. As if he already knew I would never give up so easily, the High Priest curled the corners of his lips into a smirk.
"I will absolutely never give up! If I'm ordinary, I won't settle for that — I'll aim to become an eccentric!"
"Wait. You're already an eccentric. That's not the direction you should be aiming for."
The High Priest held out his right hand in front of my eyes, immediately halting my resolve. Then, with an exhausted sigh, he showed me the path forward.
"I'll help you figure out how to arrange your lectures after you enter the Royal Academy, so don't go charging ahead on your own. In your case, the first priority is to make medicine and deal with that frail body of yours. At this rate, even the lord candidate lectures will be difficult."
"...You're right."
I was told to put off thinking about it since it was a matter for after I entered the Royal Academy. As long as the path to becoming a librarian remained open, that was enough. I could safely put the problem aside.
"To expand the sales channels for the printing industry, you'll be spreading karuta and picture books among the nobility, correct? Focus on that for now."
"Yes."
Reinvigorated now that hope was in sight, I diligently gathered information about the Royal Academy. And the day after all the students heading to the Royal Academy — including Angelica and Brother Cornelius — had departed, I brought karuta to the children's room.
"Let's all play together."
Then, divided by grade, we held a karuta tournament. Since Wilfried and I were experienced players, we joined the group of nine-year-olds and played along.
"For a while, we experienced players will be stronger, but if you can't beat us even once during the winter, we certainly can't entrust you with being our retainers, Brother Wilfried."
"Hm?"
At my words, Wilfried tilted his head slightly, and the children around us tightened their expressions. I had no intention of letting these children, who had surely been told by their parents to curry favor, fawn over us. Rather than having them entertain us, I would be educating them.
"We will also strive to be worthy as masters, but we need capable people as our retainers."
"Indeed, that's right."
I stirred everyone up and we began the karuta matches, but beginners and experienced players weren't even a contest. It was a crushing victory for Wilfried and me.
Wilfried had also gotten considerably stronger. If I didn't get serious, I might have lost. I'd probably lose next winter, since I wouldn't have enough speed to rush for the picture cards even when I spotted them.
"We look forward to a rematch. Starting tomorrow, let's give sweets to whoever performs the best."
Sweets were also brought to the children's room, but since they were distributed from the top down, the amount the other children got to eat was small compared to what we had.
By making sweets the prize, the children's eyes lit up and they began staring at the karuta cards with fierce determination.
That day I only brought in karuta, but starting the next day, I brought our entire educational curriculum into the children's room.
After breakfast was training with the Knight's Order, where I practiced walking while everyone else ran. Brother
After the third bell, it was study time. We played karuta, did picture book readings, and had the children practice writing at their respective levels.
Wilfried had learned the entire basic alphabet, so he had begun copying picture books. This put him on par with seven-year-old high-ranking nobles and eight-to-nine-year-old middle-to-low-ranking nobles, meaning he had caught up to the standard expected of the lord's son.
I read books I had brought from the library on my own, summarized their contents, or wrote the text for my next picture book. It was bliss.
For arithmetic, in addition to regular practice problems, we played card games similar to Blackjack that used addition. Many children didn't seem to be good at calculations, and it was amusing to watch them furrow their brows and tackle the games with serious expressions. The children who were good at math earned sweets through the card games.
We also practiced music together. Some children weren't improving because they couldn't find good teachers. If they could receive
I had obtained my foster mother's permission to raise the basic skills of the children in the territory, and special winter stipends would be paid to the teachers.
"I've never seen such a disciplined children's room before."
The attendant who supervised the children's room every year said this with a sigh. Apparently, there had always been high-ranking noble children flaunting their status alongside lower-ranking noble children being bullied, and she had to carefully mediate and run around to keep things in check.
"Now then, once you've finished your writing practice, let's read a picture book."
Since the children weren't accustomed to intensive studying, I kept switching activities.
The guideline was to switch whenever Wilfried started getting bored, and
The one whose eyes shone the brightest during the picture book readings was
"What do you think, Philine? Rozemyne made this picture book. Amazing, isn't it?"
...Why was my brother bragging about it?
As Wilfried puffed out his chest proudly as if it were his own accomplishment, I smiled a little, and Philine, her cheeks flushed, gazed at me with pure, sparkling eyes, saying, "Lady Rozemyne."
She clasped her hands tightly in front of her chest, fidgeting as if about to make a love confession, then with a look of great resolve, she opened her mouth.
"I-I'd like to try making a picture book too!"
"What kind of picture book would you like to make, Philine? Do you know a story?"
Children interested in making books were always welcome. When I welcomed her with a smile, Philine shyly pressed both hands to her cheeks and looked down.
"I want to turn the stories my mother told me into a picture book."
Philine's mother had passed away, and a new mother had come, but the new mother apparently didn't know the same stories. Hearing Philine say she wanted to preserve them so they wouldn't be forgotten reminded me of the stories I had so diligently written down from my own mother.
I had set them aside because they were stories nobles wouldn't understand, but I wanted to compile them as narratives and give them to Turi and Camille.
"Then, would you tell me the stories? You can't write yet, can you, Philine? I'll write them down for you."
I had Philine tell me her mother's stories, and I diligently wrote them all down.
Copying down her mother's stories became Philine's winter assignment.
The children's lessons have begun.
By stirring up competition and dangling sweets as incentives, we aim to raise their basic skills.
Next time: a tea party.