"Hiya!?"
I lost my balance with a jolt, slid across the angled leaf, and launched into open air.
I could see everyone calling out "Lady Rosemine!" and
Something shot out from beyond the trees, faster than Brigitte's riding beast. My heavy head dipped downward in midair, my vision spinning wildly, and through the afterimage of what I'd glimpsed, the something barreled straight toward me.
Gravity seized me, and I began plummeting headfirst. Something grabbed me with a tight grip. In the next instant, the sensation of rapid ascent jolted my insides, and I let out an involuntary "Ugh."
Blinking in confusion, I looked around to figure out what had happened—and for some reason, the Chief Priest's frightening face was right in front of me. The furrow between his brows looked about fifty percent worse than usual.
"...Chief Priest? Why are you here?"
"To retrieve you as you fell, obviously?"
His glare implied that if I wasn't satisfied, he'd gladly drop me again, so I hurriedly clung to the Chief Priest's arm so I wouldn't be shaken loose.
"Thank you. You saved me."
"...Yes."
I'd been saved from the fall, yet I didn't exactly feel relieved, probably because I was certain a lecture was coming next.
Trembling at the Chief Priest's thoroughly ill-humored demeanor, I was set down in front of the lesser beast.
"Lady Rosemine, are you all right!?"
"Now then, Rosemine."
The Chief Priest's low call came after he'd put his riding beast away. I braced myself, thinking, "Here it comes, the lecture," but the Chief Priest merely asked in a tired voice, "Did you manage to collect it?"
Feeling slightly let down—I wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed—I nodded and held up the bottle of Leirannen honey toward the Chief Priest.
"Yes, I successfully collected the Leirannen honey, so please praise me."
He took the bottle from my outstretched hand, opened the cap, and let a tiny drop of honey spill onto his palm. Narrowing his eyes, he channeled Magic Power into the honey, then let out a slow breath.
"...As I expected, this has been steeped in your Magic Power. Magic Power won't flow through it."
"What? That can't be... I scooped it exactly the way you told me to!"
My collection method couldn't have been wrong. I pulled out the collection spoon from my kit and pouted, "Was this defective?" But the Chief Priest simply shook his head.
"That's not it. This Leirannen grew from your Magic Power. The flowers themselves must have already been steeped in your Magic Power."
"Ugh... Could it be... that I failed?"
I'd gone to all that trouble defeating Taruchuroshe, making a request of the Goddess, and obtaining the Leirannen honey—had I managed to fail after all? Filled with guilt toward the Chief Priest and everyone who had accompanied me, I asked. The Chief Priest shook his head slowly.
"No. From the standpoint of your material collection, there's no issue. No issue at all, but... Hah. Anyway, we need to return to Fontefdolf's winter estate as quickly as possible."
It wasn't just the Chief Priest—all the men, including Fran,
"Did something happen?"
"We'll discuss the forest's mysteries tomorrow. Getting back and resting comes first. You lot probably haven't slept properly either."
As it turned out, the Chief Priest's group had been tormented by the forest's mysteries as well. However, he said the detailed explanation would come tomorrow, and the conversation was cut short there.
Tilting my head in puzzlement over what could have happened, I called out to the men who were already hurrying to pack up and leave.
"Just a moment. I'd like to take some water from the spring here before we go. It's a healing water effective against minor injuries and ailments, isn't it? It would come in handy if a child at the orphanage falls ill, and since we've been cared for here for several days, I think the Fontefdolf village chief would be happy to receive a share."
"Do as you like."
Fortunately, there were barrels on the lesser beast that had been brought along to transport water during the journey. They were large enough to hold several liters, and two were already empty—used for last night's meal and for Brigitte and me to wash ourselves.
I had the Attendants fill the barrels with spring water and load them onto the lesser beast.
"Since we're at it, let's replenish our drinking water as well."
Everyone refilled their leather drinking pouches from the spring water, and then we returned to Fontefdolf's winter estate.
Not only the men, who were visibly exhausted, but also the women—who, despite having fun, had stayed up excitedly through the night—were sleep-deprived. Everyone was suppressing yawns and rubbing their eyes intermittently. Since everyone was tired, we agreed to take a full day of rest.
"Rosemine, drink this before you go to sleep."
"Yes."
After a bath that left me refreshed, I drank the fatigue-recovery medicine the Chief Priest had handed me and slipped into bed.
"So what kind of mysterious experience did the Chief Priest and the others actually have?"
The following morning at breakfast, I asked the Chief Priest over post-meal tea.
Unlike me, who asked with eager excitement, the Chief Priest, Eckhart, and Damuel all grimaced in unison. It clearly wasn't a fond memory.
"...To put it concisely, we were being harassed by the Goddess."
"Huh?"
The night of
"Rosemine, during the night, we were taking turns keeping watch, weren't we?"
At Eckhart's words, I nodded. Keeping watch in shifts was something the knights, accustomed to it from training, had volunteered for.
It apparently happened during the Chief Priest's watch.
"The trees began to rustle and move. At first I thought it was the wind, but there was no wind blowing—only the trees whispering and shifting."
While cautiously scanning the surroundings, the trees had suddenly begun to move and started passing the lesser beast from branch to branch. From the Chief Priest's description, I imagined the lesser beast being carried along by the trees like a bucket relay, and I couldn't help furrowing my brows at the sheer absurdity of it.
"I don't blame you for finding it hard to believe. Even I, who saw it with my own eyes, could scarcely trust what I was watching. The trees moved as though they had wills of their own, carrying your riding beast along. It was an impossible sight."
Having witnessed the lesser beast being relayed along, the Chief Priest had immediately roused everyone and given chase, launching attacks at the trees to reclaim it. However, they couldn't strike the lesser beast directly with their attacks.
While they were struggling to find a solution, the lesser beast was apparently carried off to the Goddess's bathing springs.
"...Thank goodness the Chief Priest and Eckhart didn't attack with full force."
Even when they tried to reach the spring on their riding beasts, the trees blocked their path. The obstruction kept pushing them further and further away. They eventually hacked through the obstructing trees and reached the spring, only to be confronted by a thick wall of magic that kept them out.
"The area around the spring was free of snow and cold, wasn't it? We already knew from the Taruchuroshe subjugation that the magic power suffusing that place was significant, but we never imagined it would be so powerful that it would repel us."
The Chief Priest said this with a bitter expression, explaining that despite the abundant Magic Power, they had broken through most of the barrier.
He described the intensely frustrating situation: they could see the spring and the lesser beast through the gaps in the trees, yet no matter how they tried, they couldn't enter.
When the magic-infused light was flying about and swarming the lesser beast, they had been in a panic wondering what would happen. And when we had emerged from the lesser beast and started playing, the Chief Priest said he had involuntarily shouted, "You fools!" Though we hadn't heard a thing.
"In any case, I hope you will never again engage in such reckless behavior as wandering out into a place teeming with dangerous concentrations of mobile Magic Power."
The Chief Priest said that as long as we stayed inside the riding beast, which was filled with my Magic Power, we would be safe. Going outside without knowing whether the magic-wielding entities were hostile or not had been a dangerous act.
"I didn't sense any hostility from those sparkly things at all."
"...Even if no hostility is felt at first, there's no telling what would happen if you were to offend them."
"Oh, that's true. There was that possibility."
Beyond the wall of magic, the Chief Priest, Fran, Damuel, and Eckhart had all been tearing their heads out over our actions.
No matter how much they called out, no one listened. Probably because no one heard.
Oblivious to the feelings of those watching over us, the musicians began playing the fespil, and the cooks and Attendants spread out refreshments for a picnic.
The Chief Priest glared at me and Brigitte, saying that if we were going to peer into the spring and hunt Taruchuroshe, we should have noticed that they weren't there.
Brigitte and I exchanged glances. He had a point—we should have noticed the men were nowhere around, but the thought hadn't crossed our minds at the time.
"Maybe it's because the scenery around us felt so surreal, like a world from a dream?"
"I had every intention of sending an Ordinance the moment I stepped out of the lesser beast, so I gripped my magic stone before going outside. But the instant I stepped out, I completely forgot why I'd planned to send one. At that moment, I genuinely didn't find it at all strange that there weren't enough people."
It may have been the Magic Power's influence on you as well, the Chief Priest said, pressing his fingertips to his brow.
"Then you began singing toward the spring. The magic expanded with your song, and flowers began to bloom. Can you even imagine our panic at that moment?"
Whether we could actually collect the Leirannen honey or not—the flowers were already starting to open, and they'd been watching me leisurely singing, growing extremely anxious.
Eckhart shrugged as well.
"Rosemine climbed onto a leaf and went to collect the honey, didn't she? I was truly shocked."
"No sane person would ride a leaf with no stable footing. Think carefully about what riding beasts are for and why I gave you one."
At the Chief Priest's words, I clapped my hands together in realization.
Of course. If I'd gone to collect while riding a lesser beast, I wouldn't have fallen even when the morning sun shrank the leaf.
"Ordinary people are quite sensible."
"No. You're just foolish."
Apparently, watching me diligently collecting on a leaf that looked like it could blow away in a single gust had made their stomachs twist with anxiety.
"As we watched, wondering when you'd fall, the sky grew brighter and the wall thinned."
The morning light dispelled the mysterious glow. Along with it, the strange scenery faded, and the spring reverted to its familiar form.
"Everything was returning to normal before our eyes, the leaf beneath your feet was shrinking by the moment, and yet you were still gazing blankly at the sky, weren't you? We summoned riding beasts in desperation, broke through the weakened magic barrier, and charged forward—sure enough, the stem snapped before we reached you."
The stem snapped just after they'd already started rushing forward on their riding beasts, which was how they'd managed to catch me as I was flung into the air.
"You truly helped me out. If I could make something, I'd want to make you stomach medicine, Chief Priest."
"I wouldn't drink such a dangerous thing. The sentiment is enough—just refrain from doing anything so reckless in the future."
"...I'll do my best."
He said I could imagine the rest, and I let out a long sigh.
"I never imagined you gentlemen had it that difficult."
We'd been in a dreamlike state having a wonderful time, so it had never occurred to me that the men were struggling so much and wracked with anxiety.
"That said, why couldn't you gentlemen get in? Does the Goddess of the Spring dislike men?"
"It is called a bathing spring, after all. Perhaps the night of Flutrane is strictly for women."
No matter how Brigitte and I thought about it, we couldn't determine the difference between men and women in this regard. Perhaps the Goddess had been after the snacks inside the lesser beast. We came up with various possible answers, but naturally, no one could know the correct one.
"At any rate, we successfully harvested the Leirannen honey. The original objective has been fulfilled, so starting tomorrow, we'll resume the Dedication Festival."
"Yes."
Since we had also gathered spring materials, we departed Fontefdolf and returned to the Dedication Festival itinerary.
Before leaving Fontefdolf, we distributed the spring water as originally planned.
"Thank you for everything during our stay. This is water from the spring. Please use it for any injuries or illnesses."
"You are too kind."
"It is likely more potent than ordinary water, after all—it was drawn by the Saint of Ehrenfest."
When the Chief Priest said this to the village chief, the village chief gasped in astonishment and looked back and forth between me and the sealed container of water.
"To think I would receive such precious water...!"
"Chief Priest!"
When I fixed him with a sharp glare, the Chief Priest whispered, "Just play along."
It seemed there were various complications with it becoming known that the spring's waters in spring had high Magic Power. To conceal this, the Chief Priest had said something peculiar, and as a result, the water I'd presented was treated with great care as sacred healing water.
...Well, if they use it precious, that's fine by me.
Several days after safely completing the rest of the Dedication Festival and returning to the
"What is it you need? I have a meeting scheduled with the
"Just come."
I was pulled into the hidden room that served as the Chief Priest's workshop and told about the Leirannen honey I had collected. The Chief Priest explained rapidly in his excitement, but there were far too many technical terms for me to follow.
"...Could you explain what that means? Please drop the technical terms and keep it simpler. Or give me a book with the technical terms defined. I'll read it right now."
According to the simplified explanation, the Leirannen honey I had collected did carry my Magic Power, but it wasn't completely steeped in it.
"I don't understand."
"When Magic Power is fully infused, it becomes this. For the portion you use in your medicine, crystallize it like this."
He showed me a crystal that formed when proper Magic Power was infused—a green crystal resembling a magic stone. He'd dyed it with his own Magic Power to create the sample, and he handed me a bottle.
As I slowly poured in Magic Power, I listened to the Chief Priest's explanation.
"The honey you collected came from flowers grown with your Magic Power, so it contains a high proportion of your Magic Power from the start. It's a high-quality material rich in Magic Power."
"If it's steeped in my Magic Power, no one else can use it, right?"
"Normally, yes. However, this Leirannen honey can also be dyed with another person's Magic Power. Because your Magic Power is present, the repulsion is strong, but the quality makes it worth dyeing."
The Chief Priest rolled a green crystal in his palm as he spoke.
"That this is possible may be because the Leirannen was harvested during the night of Flutrane, or it may work with other materials as well—I'm extremely curious to find out. Rosemine, would you like to try growing various magic trees using your Magic Power?"
"It does seem like it could contribute to the Papermaking research, so I wouldn't mind growing magic trees..."
If I could grow magic trees under the Chief Priest's supervision and apply them to Papermaking research, I absolutely wanted to do it. But there was a major concern.
"Does Ehrenfest have enough Magic Power to spare for growing magic trees and conducting experiments?"
Keeping the secret that I was secretly growing Trombe to myself, I tilted my head.
The Chief Priest's eyes widened slightly, then deep furrows carved themselves into his brow, and he slowly shook his head with an expression of anguish.
"...No, we don't."
"I didn't think so."
The magic tree cultivation plan was immediately shelved, but the Chief Priest wasn't one to give up easily.
"Rosemine, how about trying it in about ten years, when the territory has built up some Magic Power reserves, or when you've grown and your Magic Power has increased?"
It was a new material, and whether it represented a new theory of magic or not, the Chief Priest was brimming with enthusiasm. A ten-year plan, of all things.
"My Magic Power is quite high, you know."
When I puffed out my chest with a proud "Hmph," the Chief Priest snorted dismissively.
"What do you want? Gold? I'll prepare it."
"Chief Priest, do you really think I want money?"
When I smiled sweetly, the Chief Priest's expression turned slightly guarded.
Even if he was cautious, he clearly wasn't going to say no outright—for the experiments, my Magic Power was indispensable.
He seemed to place a very high value on it, so I decided to drive as hard a bargain as I could.
"Ten years from now is perfectly fine. In exchange for my Magic Power, grant me a library."
The Chief Priest's brow furrowed deeply, and he gave no clear answer.
The men had been through a lot of hardship.
How unfair.
Next time, new outfits.