Morning lectures had ended. Since I now had free time in the morning, I wanted to go to the library, but the day of my promise with
...Two more days feels so long! Someone, give me a book!
"Muu, muu," I sighed, and called out to the first-years to begin creating reference materials for next year together. Everyone got on board with the idea that if they prepared in advance now, they wouldn't have to struggle as much next year.
"Please put them together carefully. Once they're done, I'll buy them from you."
"Yes!"
The responses from the middle- and lower-tier Nobles were fine, but the upper-tier Nobles were rather lukewarm.
"Since it's Lady
...Oh ho? Earning money on your own is something lower-tier Nobles do? And it's not something you'd willingly do?
"I'm the Lord's adopted daughter, and yet I earn money on my own, you know?"
"...Ah."
"Without earning at least that much, I wouldn't have been able to distribute sweets in the orphanage, nor prepare multiple printed study materials for the orphanage. You understand how to spend money, but you don't know the hardship of earning it, and simply spend your parents' money, is that it? You should study a bit more about money as well."
"...I apologize."
The words said sorry, but the eyes and expression said "I'm not wrong." Perhaps this was the standard for upper-tier Nobles.
I looked at
"Wilfried, is this how all upper-tier Nobles think?"
"...Yes, I suppose so. They live off income from their territories and annual stipends from the Lord, so the idea of earning money themselves probably doesn't occur to them. Even I was taught about budget allocation by
Apparently Wilfried had been shocked to learn from the Chief Priest—who managed my budget—that my available budget was increasing even while I slept, after he'd gone to ask about having snack expenses covered. Until then, the idea of increasing one's budget had apparently never crossed his mind.
"But it's unsuitable for upper-tier Nobles to scramble around earning money in such a degrading manner."
"Doesn't you know about Giebe
"Giebe Haldenzel!?"
My mother's family was upper-tier Nobility. There was no way they didn't know. I nodded at the upper-tier Noble who had gone pale with shock.
"Managing a territory means having Commoners do the work to earn money instead of doing it yourself. If you dismiss earning money outright, you'll never become a shrewd Noble. You need to be able to think of ways to earn money that befit an upper-tier Noble."
"Having others do it instead of yourself...?"
"Yes. I don't personally print and create the books. The ink, picture books, karuta cards, playing cards, and pumps are all made by the workers in the workshop. But every time they make something and it sells, money comes in to me. That's why my budget increases even while I sleep, and I can use it to have sweets made, buy information, commission copies from everyone, and acquire books."
I intended to pay fair compensation for information and copying, but if this was the mindset of the upper-tier Nobles, it would be hard to gather information from them. More importantly, if copying and gathering information were dismissed as degrading, that would be a problem. It might reduce the number of people willing to help.
In order to get as many copies as possible, I needed to somehow change their attitudes, or get them willingly motivated to earn money.
...I need to make upper-tier Nobles feel the necessity of earning money.
"Hmm," I pondered as I threw myself into creating reference materials. While I was working hard on putting them together, the fourth bell rang and the upperclassmen returned.
...I don't just need the first-years—I want the upperclassmen to help with copying too.
Rather than having eight first-years do the copying, it would be far more efficient to mobilize over sixty people including the upperclassmen. And rather than just lower-tier Nobles, I wanted the upper-tier Nobles working too. If that were to happen, I'd need to show them the benefits of working. Was there anything among what I possessed that upper-tier Nobles would want badly enough to earn it themselves?
"You look quite troubled, my lady. What's the matter?"
"
"Would that not be the method of Magic Power compression? The adult lower-tier Knight
I had heard that their Magic Power had grown and expanded, but I hadn't realized it was to that extent. This looked like excellent bait.
At the lunch gathering where everyone assembled, I drew attention by announcing a major declaration.
"Those who wish to know my Magic Power compression method—whether you're upper-tier Nobles or Lord candidates—must earn it on your own."
"Wh—!?"
Wilfried and the other upper-tier Nobles of the same faction, who were supposed to be taught the compression method, froze with stunned expressions.
"There are many ways to earn money at the Royal Academy—gathering information, copying documents, collecting magic stones and materials to sell to someone. As payment for being taught the compression method, I plan to charge upper-tier Nobles two large gold coins, middle-tier Nobles eight small gold coins, and lower-tier Nobles two small gold coins. The second person from the same family gets half price, so let's allow parents to cover the other half."
"That's too harsh for upper-tier Nobles!"
After looking around in a panic, the upper-tier Nobles raised objections to me.
"Upper-tier Nobles have more Magic Power, private tutors, and advantages in both practical and written studies. Besides, wouldn't having more Magic Power also be an advantage when defeating magical beasts and obtaining magic stones? Lower-tier Nobles have to pay even the library registration fee out of their own pockets, so I believe the price difference is quite reasonable."
Among the students who had gone pale at the sudden announcement, Cornelius, who already knew the compression method, furrowed his brow in bewilderment.
"Lady Rozemyne, why such a sudden declaration? Did something happen this morning?"
"It seems upper-tier Nobles don't know how difficult it is to earn money, so I thought I'd have them experience it firsthand. I'm not angry about being called 'degrading'—I simply don't appreciate it coming from someone who doesn't even know the hardship of earning money."
As a hunt for the culprit began among those asking "Who said it?", I went ahead and recommended that "it would be good to copy documents in order to earn money proactively."
"If you can write books and earn money, wouldn't that be intellectual and befitting of an upper-tier Noble?"
"If you're using the Magic Power compression method as bait, even the upper-tier Nobles will have no choice but to move. You get to take revenge on those who spoke rudely, reform the upper-tier Nobles' attitude toward money, and on top of that, the books you want will flow in. How wonderful, Lady Rozemyne. You can obtain everything you desire without lifting a finger."
After saying this, Hartmut narrowed his eyes with a delighted look.
By using Plant Paper and Plant Paper-compatible ink instead of Parchment, I could keep costs down, and by using money and the Magic Power compression method as bait to mobilize students into copying, the number of books I could obtain would be incomparably cheaper and more abundant than if I painstakingly copied them myself or bought them normally.
"Then I shall also demonstrate my loyalty to Lady Rozemyne by gathering information and copies."
"Hartmut, don't you feel any aversion toward earning money?"
"It's less about earning and more about receiving fair compensation. I'll simply continue using the connections I've cultivated as an upper-tier Noble to gather information, just as I always have. And I'll hire people to do the copying. I won't be desperately scrambling to earn money myself."
As Hartmut said that upper-tier Nobles should earn money in a manner befitting their station, the complaints ceased.
After the chaotic lunch ended, the afternoon brought practical lessons in creating rideables. The girls needed to change into riding clothes in order to mount their rideables.
After lunch, I was changed into my clothes by Rihyarda and Lizelote. It was my first time wearing riding clothes. The culottes had long, fluttering hems that looked like a skirt when standing normally.
"Your Ladyship's rideable can be ridden without changing, so the riding clothes aren't strictly necessary. But since you'll be using them at the Royal Academy, we had them made for you."
"I can't very well go in a skirt when everyone else has changed."
After changing, I had to take the magic stone for my rideable and head to the afternoon practical. I fastened the metal ornament containing the magic stone to the belt of my culottes from above and hung it at my waist.
Though we studied in different rooms,
"Dyeing the magic stone must have been difficult, wasn't it?"
When I created my rideable, a considerable amount of Magic Power had been drained into the magic stone. For Philine, a lower-tier Noble who hadn't yet compressed her Magic Power even once, it must have been quite a task.
At my words, Philine tilted her head in puzzlement.
"Why would it be difficult?"
"...Huh?"
According to Philine, Nobles receive a Magical Tool and magic stone as gifts when they're born. The Magical Tool absorbs their Magic Power and places it into the magic stone. It was a Magical Tool that only accepted the Magic Power of the person who first registered with it, so there was no risk of parents, siblings, or Attendants touching the magic stone and ruining it. If you didn't use it, there was a high chance someone else's Magic Power would contaminate the stone.
The magic stone placed inside that Magical Tool would be gradually filled each time Magic Power was about to overflow, and the dyed magic stone would eventually be used at the Royal Academy.
...Each child needed their own Magical Tool, and they had to accumulate over ten years' worth, so each person needed multiple magic stones. That costs money.
For the first time, I learned how ordinary Noble children handled the Magic Power that overflowed during their growth. Nobles who couldn't prepare the Magical Tool sent their children to the
"Was it different for Lady Rozemyne?"
"I was, well, raised in the Temple, so my Magic Power was basically all donated."
"Eh? Then how did you prepare your rideable magic stone?"
Philine's eyes went wide. "You were raised in the Temple until your
"I poured Magic Power directly into a magic stone that Lord
"...That must have been difficult. Only someone like Lady Rozemyne, an upper-tier Noble, could manage that. I couldn't do it."
...I see. I really do lack common Noble knowledge in certain areas. I should try to keep quiet about this.
After leaving the dormitory and parting ways with Philine and the others, I headed to the small hall with my Retainer Knights. After being reminded as usual to "wait until we come to collect you," I entered with Wilfried and the other upper-tier Nobles.
Everyone gathered in the small hall was holding the magic stones they had dyed, showing each other what they had produced. Wilfried also proudly took out his own magic stone.
"Rozemyne's magic stone is pale yellow, but mine is pale green."
"Oh, it really is!"
The color difference was largely determined by the attribute of one's Magic Power. Mine was a color somewhere between yellow and gold, probably meaning wind or light was my strongest attribute. For Wilfried, among his multiple attributes, water was likely the strongest.
And the more attributes one had, the paler the color. I had seven attributes, giving me a pale yellow, while Wilfried, with six, had a slightly deeper green than mine. Damuel, who had only a wind aptitude, had a quite deep yellow, if I recalled correctly.
"Alright, alright, settle down!"
Today's instructor appeared to be Frauraim, a woman in her mid-forties. Her voice was notably high-pitched and piercing, and she was generally thin, with an air of haughtiness and a prickly demeanor. She turned out to be the dormitory supervisor for
"Today we'll begin with the practice of pouring Magic Power into the magic stones and reshaping them. Please pour Magic Power into your magic stones and change their size."
Just as the Chief Priest had taught me, it seemed we would start by changing the size of the magic stone.
For me, changing the size was already possible and quite easy. However, since this was a rare opportunity to practice Magic Power control, I secretly removed the Magical Tool on my left arm and attempted to change the size while pouring Magic Power directly.
Pouring Magic Power little by little was still difficult, as expected.
...Not a bucketload! If only I could at least do a slow drip, like from a faucet.
I imagined my fingertip as a faucet and practiced adjusting the quantity of Magic Power. Additionally, since I was accustomed to donating but not to retrieving my own Magic Power from a magic stone, I also practiced withdrawing Magic Power from the stone.
While everyone around me practiced changing sizes, I diligently practiced control.
"For those who can freely change the size, let's move on to transforming them into rideable forms. Many people use animals that appear in their family crests, and considering ease of riding, rideables shaped like horses are also quite common."
At Frauraim's words, students began struggling to create rideable forms. Wilfried had apparently become quite skilled at handling Magic Power over two years, and his progress in practical Magic Power exercises was rapid.
"I'll make mine a lion. As the Lord's son, after all. But perhaps a soft rideable like Rozemyne's would be nice."
Muttering "hmm, hmm, hmm" with furrowed brows, Wilfried poured in his Magic Power. It took an enormous amount of time, but it eventually took the shape of a lion.
"It looks very much like Lord Ferdinand's rideable."
"If I tried to model it after Father's rideable, it would end up as a three-headed lion. Uncle's rideable was the easiest to use as a reference."
"Now that you mention it, I once saw my adoptive father's rideable, and it was indeed a three-headed lion. He uses quite a unique rideable, doesn't he?"
"Father would probably not appreciate being told his is unique either."
As Wilfried said, my Lessbus might be considered a bit unusual by this academy's standards, but it was cute, convenient, and in my opinion, the most superior.
"Number 13! Stop chatting and get serious about creating your rideables!"
I flinched at the shrill shout and stared at my magic stone. Would it really be okay to casually bring out the rideable everyone kept calling unusual?
As I hesitated, Frauraim—who apparently thought I was slacking off—strode over with a sharp gait and raised her chin.
"Come now, create it quickly."
I gave a slight shrug and casually brought out my usual single-rider Lessbus as always. The foreign Nobles' eyes went wide upon seeing the Lessbus that one could ride inside, and then they burst out laughing.
"What is that thing?"
"If it's that tall, you can't ride it. How do you plan to get on?"
"What a peculiar rideable."
"My, it looks quite cute, though. Not very practical, is it?"
My Lessbus was being mocked as a strange rideable, but mainly because of its shape—the name "Gryun" that had come up among the Chief Priest and the Knights never came up. No one asked, "Why would you make a magical beast into a rideable?"
"...Before, I was always told it was a magical beast."
"The first-years haven't done any magical beast subjugation, so they don't know. I didn't know either."
As I nodded in understanding, only Frauraim had gone pale and whispered, "Gryun." As expected, the teacher knew of Gryun's existence.
"...Lady Rozemyne! Creating rideables is not a game! Take it seriously!"
I winced at the shrill voice shouting at me. I didn't understand the reason for being yelled at. I certainly wasn't playing around.
"I am being perfectly serious."
"Serious, how?! Making a Gryun into a rideable—in that alone, I can sense not a shred of seriousness. I will not approve of such a rideable. Get rid of it immediately."
Being told flatly to get rid of it, I scowled. It might look unusual, but it fulfilled the assignment of creating a rideable, and my Lessbus was amazing. I had absolutely no intention of removing it.
"Frauraim, with all due respect, my rideable is far superior to anyone else's. I have no intention of removing it."
"How could a rideable modeled after a magical beast possibly be superior?!"
"For one, I can ride it without changing into riding clothes, and I can carry many people as well."
With that, I transformed my single-rider Lessbus into a minibus-sized version.
Everyone around me—Wilfried and the other Ehrenfest Nobles included—went wide-eyed at the sudden size change of the Lessbus.
Come to think of it, I had ridden my single-rider Lessbus around the castle and dormitory, but I didn't think I had ever shown the larger size.
"My rideable can freely change its size at will."
Using my abundant Magic Power, I demonstrated by changing its size freely. I puffed out my chest at Frauraim, who was staring at the Lessbus speechless, and she nearly popped her eyes out.
"How is such a rideable supposed to fly?! It doesn't even have wings!"
"My Lessbus can fly perfectly well."
I returned the Lessbus to its single-rider size and climbed in. Amid cries of "Eh!?" I drove the Lessbus across the small hall and ran through the air.
"This is—this is absolutely absurd!"
Frauraim screamed this and collapsed foaming at the mouth, forcibly ending the rideable creation practical. After Frauraim was carried away by the Knights,
As the students filed out of the small hall, I was called back by Hirschur. I sent Wilfried home first, reassuring him that "she just wants to hear the details," and Hirschur turned around to face me.
"Now then, please show me in detail the rideable of Lady Rozemyne, who caused Frauraim to faint. My potion-making was interrupted and failed because I was summoned. Surely you can grant me that much?"
"O-of course."
The smile, very similar to the one the Chief Priest wore when he was being intimidating, made me realize with certainty: "This person is unquestionably the Chief Priest's mentor."
And the next afternoon's practical was Magic Power compression. Since multiple instructors were mobilized for Magic Power compression, the first-years were split in half—one group for court etiquette, the other for Magic Power compression.
I was assigned to Magic Power compression, while Philine would attend the court etiquette practical.
Among the nearly ten instructors lined up, Frauraim—who had collapsed the day before—had made her comeback, and Hirschur stood alongside them.
"As your bodies grow, your Magic Power will continue to increase. Naturally, the size of the vessel that stores your Magic Power will also change. By compressing as much Magic Power as possible into that vessel at that time, you can promote the vessel's growth. If all of you, who are undergoing significant bodily growth on your way to adulthood, can learn Magic Power compression, you'll be able to promote your vessel's growth as well."
After Hirschur finished her explanation, Frauraim stepped forward.
"The amount of Magic Power is the most important factor for a Noble. You must increase your Magic Power as much as possible before your growth period ends. Magic Power compression is effective only within a limited time. You must take this seriously!"
Another instructor held up a Magical Tool high for everyone to see.
"First, we'll use this Magical Tool to measure the density of everyone's Magic Power. After strapping it to your wrist and measuring your initial Magic Power value, you'll attempt compression, and then we'll measure how much you managed to compress. If you can compress even a little, the Magic Power compression lecture is over. From here on, you'll have to compress on your own through personal effort. All we can teach you is the initial method."
...So that means I need to compress even more than I already have? Whoa.
While I was holding my head in my hands, the instructors lined up at the front began explaining their respective compression methods one by one.
"Think of it as drawing water out of fruit juice—pushing out the excess from the Magic Power."
"I tend to gather the vaguely dispersed Magic Power toward the center."
"Magic Power compression is similar to reducing a medicinal potion by boiling it."
"Push, push, and just keep pushing."
One method after another was being described, but I thought this would only cause more confusion. The students being taught actually had blank, bewildered expressions.
"The important thing is finding a method that works for you, and never overdoing it. It could endanger your life."
"But if you don't push yourself at least a little, you won't be able to compress your Magic Power. You have to overcome the Magic Power within you."
Wilfried, who had been listening to the instructors' explanations, furrowed his brow in slight bewilderment.
"What they're saying seems rather contradictory, doesn't it? What are we ultimately supposed to do?"
"It may sound contradictory, but if you actually try to compress Magic Power, nothing they've said is wrong. Pushing your Magic Power inward using a method that suits you is the most efficient approach, and if you don't muster the will to force it in, compression won't happen. However, if you push yourself beyond what you can endure, you could lose your life. I heard from Lord Ferdinand that multiple instructors are assigned to each student to minimize the danger."
At my words, Wilfried swallowed hard, gripping his own hand tightly as he looked at me.
"...How do you do it?"
"Well, for the first stage, I suppose there's no harm in telling you. There's a vessel inside you that stores Magic Power. I pack Magic Power into it until the lid can barely close, then I force the lid shut and lock it so the Magic Power can't escape."
"Ohh..."
"As for the compression methods beyond that, it's the Rozemyne method, so it's a secret."
As I chuckled, Wilfried's eyes went wide. "The first stage? How many stages are there?"
"Three. Lord Ferdinand said that when he attempted the third stage, he suffered Magic Power intoxication and felt terrible."
"Uncle—Uncle felt terrible?"
Just as Wilfried's face stiffened, both he and I were called.
Being told that earning money was degrading really got under Rozemyne's skin.
The other upper-tier Nobles were completely caught in the crossfire, but this should lead to a smooth increase in information and books.
Next is the continuation of Magic Power compression.