And so, my new life began.
Since my chief attendant Richalda was with me, life felt not much different from my time in the castle.
However, when I woke up, Lieselota and
Breakfast was to be taken in the dining hall. Once I finished changing, Brunhilde and Lieselota, along with my guard knights and their own respective attendants, all filed out together toward the dining hall. It appeared advance notice had been given, because by the time I descended to the second floor on my steed, Brother
"Good morning, Lady Rosemine."
The student retainers would be eating with me, while the serving was left to each of their own attendants. Apparently this was because once lectures began, it would be difficult to take meals at staggered times. In other words, I would be eating while Richalda served me.
After finishing breakfast, I had the materials the Chief Priest had drilled into me brought along and headed to the multi-purpose hall. A strategy meeting for the first-years was about to begin.
"I have Richalda as my attendant and
"Your guard would be too thin, Lady Rosemine."
Both Brother Cornelius and
"The dormitory is safe, Cornelius.
"Protective charms?"
"Magical Tools so dangerous that whoever attacks me would be the one to pity."
Without a Stave, I could only cast prayers or fly into a rage to trigger intimidation in order to launch anything resembling an attack. I had told the Chief Priest that during the attack two years ago, I had been completely helpless on my own, and he had given me Magical Tools that would automatically replenish my Magic Power while I wore them and could be activated immediately when under attack.
"He told me that I must never reveal how I wear them or how they are activated, since it would be problematic if countermeasures were devised. But they are very much the kind of Magical Tools Ferdinand would make."
At my words, "very much the kind of Magical Tools Ferdinand would make," both Brother Cornelius and Wilfried's expressions twisted in unison. Had something happened between them and the Chief Priest while I was sleeping?
"...Very well. Then,
"No, Cornelius. Please, leave the guard duty to me."
"The key to the apprentice knight team's victory lies in countermeasures against Angelica. Neither the strategy meeting nor the study session can begin without her, can they?"
Grinning, Brother Cornelius dragged Angelica away. Though both of them had matured in appearance, what they were doing was no different from the days of the "Team for Improving Angelica's Grades."
I turned to look at Judith, who was watching Angelica being dragged off with a dumbfounded expression, and gave a small laugh.
"Judith, you may go too. The second-years have already started their discussion at that table over there."
"Y-yes. I'll be going."
Perhaps I had just shattered Judith's long-held illusion of Angelica. It was a pity, but the sooner she learned the truth, the shallower the wound would be. Angelica was only a little too weak at studying—her strength was the real thing.
"Is Leonore not going to need to study?"
"You need not worry. Cornelius provided me with the materials, and I've already reviewed everything regarding the fourth-year lectures."
"My, Leonore, you are quite capable."
Recalling
"Lady Rosemine, I heard from Cornelius that what you learned was from two years ago..."
"I had the materials compiled to teach Angelica, together with Damuel. I didn't fully memorize everything, and I've forgotten most of it by now."
"There you go being modest again. Lady Rosemine, you are so humble."
...No, it's not modesty—it's the truth.
I had indeed learned quite a lot as part of the "Team for Improving Angelica's Grades," but I had been gradually forgetting it bit by bit. The tactics involving knight combat and magical techniques wouldn't come up in tea party conversation, so forgetting them was no real problem.
"Which areas did Brother Wilfried find difficult in the lectures?"
"History and geography. For everything else,
Wilfried showed me his own educational plan. There were lectures in arithmetic, divine studies, history, geography, and magic, with large marks placed on history and geography.
"What practical subjects are there? The Chief Priest drilled me on the lectures, but I never had time to practice."
"The practical courses for first-years are: handling and compressing Magic Power, creating steeds, and obtaining a Stave. You've been drilled so thoroughly that you don't even need to practice those. After that, it's court etiquette, music, and the Dedication Dance—none of which should be a problem for you."
...So it turned out that even in practical matters, I had been drilled on all sorts of things two years ago. The Chief Priest was truly fearsome.
"Will I meet the passing grade? Especially the Dedication Dance—I don't think I can do it at all."
"First-years cannot participate in the Dedication Dance, so there's only practice. For all of them, you should have cleared the minimum passing grade at the very least. If anything were truly hopeless, Uncle would never let it slip by."
Wilfried was right. The Chief Priest, who worked so hard "for my sake," would never let something that might cause me to fail pass unnoticed.
"All right, then. Until the Third Bell rings, we'll all study history and geography together. After that, we'll start Feuchspiel practice."
Wilfried and I divided the work between us to teach history and geography. Among the upper-ranking nobles, some had already been taught this material.
As expected, the lower-ranking nobles seemed to have had less fortunate teachers, and there were vast gaps in knowledge regarding the history and geography that hadn't been covered in the winter children's room. Philine, who had no older siblings, especially seemed to be struggling.
"Shall we start with the broad flow of history?"
"Right. The founding period overlaps with the picture-book version of the Holy Book. That should make it a bit easier to remember."
The first-year team had the fewest members. They were the only group with fewer than ten. That was precisely why I wanted to aim for a swift victory with everyone passing.
"Oh my, the students are so studious this year."
"Professor
Though she was the dorm supervisor, her duties as a teacher seemed to take priority, and she was rarely seen around the dormitory. Hirschur entered the multi-purpose hall and looked around with wide eyes.
It was no wonder she was surprised—everyone gathered in the multi-purpose hall, split by team and working on exam strategies, when lectures hadn't even begun yet and there was no year-end crisis of failing grades.
"I know you're all busy studying, but please listen. Tomorrow's Advancement Ceremony will be held at the lecture hall at the Third Bell. After that, there will be a social gathering that also serves as lunch. Ehrenfest's number this year is 13. Please keep that in mind as you go about your activities. I'll be in the main building, working on my research before lectures start. Lord candidates, please manage your people thoroughly so they don't cause any problems that would trouble me."
Hirschur delivered only her official notice and left in a hurry. Prioritizing her own research over dormitory management—she was truly the colleague the Chief Priest still kept in contact with. A fellow mad scientist, without a doubt.
"What an unusual professor."
Wilfried's guard knight, standing nearby, nodded at his remark.
"Yes, Professor Hirschur is rather eccentric. However, until now, I've only ever seen her when she opened the dormitory doors at the start of the Noble Academy and locked them at the end. Even so, she's actually being considerate of the Lord candidates by showing her face. As far as I know, she used to handle all official notices through Ordonnanz."
Last year, the upperclassmen had sent an Ordonnanz to notify all new students to gather, and then a separate Ordonnanz with the official notice had been sent back.
Hearing this, Wilfried frowned.
"That Hirschur knelt before us from our very first meeting and didn't even introduce herself. Not just as a teacher—as an Ehrenfest noble, that's strange, isn't it?"
"No, Professor Hirschur is not an Ehrenfest noble. She transferred her registration to the central region, so she is a central noble. And within the Noble Academy, teachers are nominally in a higher position than students, so I don't believe any teacher would kneel to a student inside the Academy."
"...Is that so?"
For the time being, we spent the day reviewing the scope of the lectures, identifying each person's weak points, and planning to build from there.
"Looking at today's results, the Feuchspiel practice during winter in the children's room seems to have paid off. If this is any indication, even the lower-ranking nobles shouldn't have much difficulty passing. ...Come to think of it, shouldn't we add geography and history to the winter children's room studies as well?"
"Yes, I think so. To do that, though, we'd need to create picture books that could serve as study materials. Professor Moritz would have a terrible time starting from nothing."
When I enthusiastically clenched my fists, saying I wanted to make books for the children, Wilfried raised a hand lightly to stop me.
"Wait, Rosemine. If we're making study materials, we should make them from the second-year reference books so they benefit us next year too."
"Because you plan to make everyone study like this again next year, right?" Wilfried grinned.
He was right. Even if I spent all my time in the library, the environment for everyone to improve their grades through mutual cooperation was necessary, so if this worked out, I planned to do the same thing next year.
"Understood. We'll make them from the second-year material."
"Mm."
After dinner came bath time, but since the Advancement Ceremony and social gathering were tomorrow, I decided to have my hair carefully cleaned using Rinshan. When I asked for the Rinshan preparations, Brunhilde's face lit up.
"This really is wonderful, isn't it? Lady Rosemine, you had this made too, didn't you?"
"Yes. I commissioned it from the
Brunhilde savored the scent of my new Rinshan and let out a sigh of admiration. She had said she was also a devoted user of Rinshan.
According to Brunhilde, for women, faction politics and beauty trends were entirely separate matters. Unlike two years ago, almost all upper-ranking noble women were now using Rinshan regardless of faction.
"If all the girls of Ehrenfest have beautiful hair, wouldn't it serve as a subtle statement of fashion?"
"I think so. A luster like this is quite rare. Men who aren't interested might not notice, but any woman would certainly take note."
"Then, let's start distributing it little by little to the girls on the third floor who don't have Rinshan yet. Tomorrow, everyone will attend the Advancement Ceremony looking their best."
As Brunhilde and I were discussing this, Lieselota, who had been preparing the bath together with Richalda, came to call me.
"I'll go distribute the Rinshan. Please head to the bath, Lady Rosemine."
The girls in the shared rooms also shared the bath, so only a small amount of Rinshan was truly needed. Lieselota offered to take the Rinshan and even teach them how to use it. She was a very perceptive girl.
"Next year, perhaps everyone could wear matching hair ornaments. We could keep the shape uniform and choose colors to match each person's hair."
Having decided to gradually spread fashion trends, Brunhilde was already thinking ahead to next year.
"That would be lovely. But would lower-ranking nobles be able to purchase the same ones I have?"
"...Matching shapes would be difficult. But matching colors would be a mistake. Everyone's hair color is different, so the colors that suit them would differ as well."
"Let's think about it by next year."
With Brunhilde and Richalda helping me, I finished my bath. Lieselota had already returned. While drinking the fruit juice she had prepared, I asked about the reactions from distributing the Rinshan.
"The girls who had never used it before were eager to try it out."
"Lieselota and Philine, you may use it too, so please make yourselves beautiful."
"You are too kind."
After my bath, I studied with Philine until bedtime. More precisely, I was teaching Philine while also compiling the second-year reference materials, as Wilfried had asked. Reference materials for everyone to study with would definitely be needed again next year.
And then, the next day.
At the breakfast table, the boys were staring wide-eyed in surprise at how all the female students' hair had become silky smooth and gleaming overnight. To Wilfried's question of "What on earth are you thinking?" I replied with a satisfied giggle.
"A subtle statement of fashion."
"Where is anything subtle about that? You're practically shouting it!"
"This is the only thing I plan to do for now, so I think it's fairly subtle. Next year, I'm scheming to have everyone wear matching hair ornaments."
Personally, I wanted to start spreading fashion trends from book sales, but considering the grade improvement efforts, I wanted to keep things a bit more discreet. If the Ehrenfest Grade Improvement Committee's activities got properly underway, I wanted to transition to selling books.
For Ehrenfest's fashion trends, it would be best to start gradually with beauty, clothing, and gourmet food. Just as Rinshan had been accepted by women across faction lines, these fields would surely be accepted as well.
"If you have your own plan, that's fine—just don't do anything too flashy. You already stand out enough with that appearance of yours."
"...Yes."
After finishing breakfast, I needed to reach the lecture hall before the Third Bell, so I tidied up my appearance, fastened my mantle and brooch properly, and made myself presentable enough to leave the dormitory. Without the mantle and brooch, I wouldn't even be able to return.
"Lady Rosemine, the social gathering will involve many people and is essentially held by rank. Please select three guard knights and one each of scholars and attendants from your retainers."
A social gathering by rank meant that Wilfried and I would be attending the one with Lord candidates and royalty. It would be safest to surround ourselves with upperclassmen who knew the ways of upper-ranking nobles and the Noble Academy.
"Then, for guard knights, I'll take Angelica, Cornelius, and Leonore. My scholar will be
"Understood."
Once preparations were complete, I mounted my steed as usual.
Upon reaching the dormitory entrance hall, Brother Cornelius told me to dismount. Riding steeds inside the Noble Academy buildings was apparently not permitted. The Academy's grounds were vast enough that riding outside was no problem at all.
"If a new student who just enrolled were seen riding a steed of unusual form, it would attract unwanted attention."
"Indeed. Besides, Rosemine already looks young for her age. Best not to draw any more attention than necessary."
"But if the walk to the lecture hall is too far, I really won't be able to manage."
Slacking off and having one of my attendants carry me would attract attention too.
"The lecture hall isn't far, so it should be fine. Lectures also begin in the lecture hall or a large classroom nearby, so that shouldn't be a problem. If it truly becomes too much, Hartmut or I will carry you. It would draw less attention than your steed."
Everyone assembled in the entrance hall. They were all dressed in black-based outfits with matching mantles and brooches, so despite different clothing designs, there was a sense of uniformity.
The dormitory entrance door opened, and surrounded by my retainers, I began to walk.
Beyond the entrance was not the outdoors, but something resembling a hallway. Looking around, I could see a door some distance away, from which students wearing light blue mantles were filing out one after another.
"This door marked 13. This is the entrance to the Ehrenfest dormitory. Be careful not to make a mistake. Doors from other territories won't open, and a one-time mistake might be forgiven, but if you repeatedly try to force other doors open, it could be treated as harassment or an attack, and you could be detained."
The upperclassmen's warning was met with solemn nods from the new students. This number 13 was assigned based on the previous year's results and the territory's influence, changed annually, and closely tied to life at the Noble Academy.
"When it comes to the order of greetings and seating arrangements, this ranking determines everything."
As we walked along the hallway, more and more students emerged from doors. With each step, the door numbers grew smaller. And it seemed we had to yield the way to students with smaller numbers, so everyone had to wait until all students had emerged from their doors.
...The mantles here were deep green.
We filed along the hallway, and the entire student body gathered in the lecture hall numbered roughly two thousand. Ehrenfest, a middle territory close to small, had fewer than seventy students across all years, but larger territories had many more—some exceeding one hundred and fifty. On the opposite end, the smallest had fewer than fifty.
I stood at my designated spot, waiting for the Advancement Ceremony to begin. Buried among my retainers, I was inconspicuous, and beyond the Ehrenfest mantles, I couldn't see much of the surroundings. From above, though, the color divisions were probably quite distinct.
"Once again this year, we gather to hone the talents who will carry the future of
They were probably saying the same thing every year. The upperclassmen wore bored expressions.
After the congratulatory words for advancement came instructions about the lectures and other matters. It seemed a sound-type Magical Tool was being used, because despite not seeing anyone who looked like the teacher speaking, the voice was clearly audible.
During the first and second years, lectures were held jointly in this lecture hall. First-years would use the lecture hall for morning lectures, and in the afternoon, they would be assigned to different classrooms and teachers based on rank for practical courses. As lower years passed their exams and numbers dwindled, the classrooms would change.
The Advancement Ceremony ended with the teachers' explanations. What truly mattered was the social gathering that followed. It was a place to interact with students from other territories—the same as entering high society. Failure was not an option.
"Now, you will move to your respective social gathering venues. Please try to stay together with people from your territory. In all venues, upperclassmen are to look after the new students. Since the new students know nothing, they should follow the instructions and actions of the upperclassmen."
"Yes."
Answering the senior-most student's words, the students divided into lower-ranking nobles, middle-ranking nobles, upper-ranking nobles, and then Lord candidates with their retainers. Even the order of departure from the lecture hall followed ranking, with the largest groups leaving first.
Once we left the lecture hall, the upperclassmen guided us to our respective venues. The Lord candidates headed to what was called the small hall.
"From 13th-ranked Ehrenfest, we have Lord Wilfried and Lady Rosemine."
At the voice of what appeared to be a scholar standing before the door, we were led into the room called the small hall. There was a slightly larger table at the front, clearly set apart from the rest—proof that royalty was seated there.
I couldn't see faces clearly from this distance, but if I remembered correctly, the Fifth Prince, who had won the succession dispute, had ascended to the throne, and his second son was enrolled as a senior student—his name was
Since our enrollment periods would overlap for only a single year, there was almost no chance of interacting. The Chief Priest had told me to just remember the name.
...The Chief Priest made it sound so simple, saying "just the name," but every royal and noble name was long and hard to remember! Honestly!
Complaining silently, I scanned the room and saw four-person tables arranged at regular intervals. Since the seats were filling up from the front, this too must have been in order of rank.
"...What is that small one?"
"Looks like a child wandered in."
Curious stares and amused voices converged on me. I could feel Wilfried, standing beside me, clenching his back teeth. Everyone in this room held a higher position than us. We couldn't complain. They were people we could only endure in silence.
"Perhaps you've come to the wrong place?"
Amid the mocking words, I made my way to my table. Brunhilde pulled out a chair for me, and I sat down. A scholar sat beside me, while my attendants and guard knights stood behind me. The other tables were the same.
"Lady Rosemine, please take this. It will be useful during introductions."
Once I was seated, Hartmut spoke to me in a voice only I could hear and discreetly handed me a folded piece of paper. Glancing down, I saw it was a cheat sheet listing this year's territory rankings, mantle colors, and the names of the Lord candidates.
I had been made to memorize the mantle colors and territory names, but I didn't know the exact territory rankings for this year, nor the names of the new Lord candidates present. So it was genuinely helpful.
"Thank you, Hartmut."
"You're too kind. After this, Lady Rosemine will greet the royalty, then pay respects to territories ranked above yours. Those ranked lower will come to greet you. If you observe those who go first, you'll understand."
Once all territories' Lord candidates were present, the doors closed. And the introductions began.
The Lord candidate of
Next to rise was the great territory of
"...
"Their influence has declined in recent years. Apparently things are quite turbulent internally, but information doesn't reach us easily."
Hartmut murmured. It was apparently quite difficult for lower-ranked territories to probe the affairs of higher-ranked ones.
Ahrensbach's wisteria-colored mantles began to move. Leading the group was a girl with fluffy blonde hair. That must be
...Dietlinde.
After finishing her greeting to the royalty, Dietlinde turned in my direction. She was blonde, so the atmosphere was different, but her facial features and eyes bore a strong resemblance to Georgine.
For an instant, I thought our eyes met.
--- I stepped into the interior of the Noble Academy for the first time.
The dormitory's entrance door connects to a door in the hallway before the lecture hall, but the buildings themselves are quite far apart. Not a door that goes everywhere—more like a door that goes to one specific place.
And Georgine's daughter has appeared.
Next time: the prince and the Lord Candidates.