Reply, Part One

After the tea party with Dunkelfelger, I came down with a fever and had to rest in bed for a while. I'd gotten so used to being healthy that the familiar feeling of running a fever almost felt nostalgic. As I happily mused about this from my bed, Richarla remarked with exasperation, "I'm not sure how I feel about someone celebrating how healthy they've gotten while bedridden with illness."

I left the tea party report to my attendants and spent my time rolling around in bed reading books. I had books borrowed from Anastasius, Solange, and Ortensia in my room. Having so many unread books was a blissful feeling.

"This section seems to be about research on Schwarz and Weiss. I wonder if Ferdinand has read this book before?"

It seemed to be an old book from the restricted archives, so he might not have read it. Then again, he'd apparently been on good terms with the former Librarians, so maybe he'd gotten them to lend it to him.

"...He definitely hasn't read this one. There was nothing about the Life element in Ferdinand's research materials."

During the Inter-Duchy Tournament, we had discussed whether a magic circle containing the Life element would be needed to create Schwarz and Weiss, but ultimately, we still didn't know what kind of magic circles were incorporated. Here, a magic circle with the Life element included alongside a partially completed one was depicted, accompanied by a note that read, "This much has been determined, but what lies beyond remains unknown. I entrust this to future generations." Some parts overlapped with Ferdinand's research findings, so combining this with his materials could significantly advance our research. I needed to let Ferdinand know right away.

"Lieselote, I'm going to go write a letter in the hidden room—"

"My Lady Rozemyne, you may write letters once your fever has gone down."

"But this is urgent... It might help us figure out how to create Schwarz and Weiss."

I tried to win Lieselote over by explaining how I intended to place Schumil figures like Schwarz and Weiss in my library. Lieselote murmured "creating a Schumil" and paused for a moment. The instant I was sure I'd won, Lieselote let out a soft sigh and smiled sweetly.

"Please rest and recover first. Even if you write a letter, you won't be able to give it to Raimund if you're unwell, and we won't be able to research how to create a large Schumil either."

Lieselote pushed me back into bed once more, insisting that I lie down.

Reluctantly, I set aside the letter-writing for later. As I lay in bed reading, I could hear Lieselote humming cheerfully from beyond the canopy curtains. It was unusual for her, who never showed emotions during work. She must be truly excited about the prospect of making progress on Schumil research.

...Lieselote seemed to really be looking forward to it.

My fever had gone down, but I was still confined to the premises and forbidden from going out. The only places I could go were the dining hall and the common hall in front of the hearth. I had books in my room and could stay inside all day, but since it was hard to get in touch with my male attendants, I was told to show my face in the common hall at least once a day. After dinner, I'd appear there to listen to the day's reports.

"This is the reply from Ehrenfest. Lord Wilfried and Lady Charlotte have already reviewed it."

I looked over the reply from Ehrenfest that Roderick had handed me.

"They've approved all the joint research."

Research at the Royal Academy was the domain of students, so they wouldn't deny permission unless there was a serious reason. The letter stated that joint research with three of the great duchies was fine.

Joint research with Dunkelfelger had come with a directive from the royalty, so there was no refusing it. Research with Drewanchel was valuable for Ehrenfest. And joint research with Ahrensbach was something I'd originally planned to do anyway, so there was no reason to stop it.

Furthermore, they praised me for assigning the joint research with Drewanchel to Wilfried and Charlotte's attendants. Running three research projects simultaneously was difficult, and if the leader took credit for everything their subordinates achieved, it could easily raise suspicion.

"And these are the papers delivered from Ehrenfest."

Papers made from the magic trees we'd purchased from Ilgner as research materials had arrived. However, each box was only labeled with names like "Eifon Paper" and "Nansève Paper," so apparently no one knew what kind of paper they were.

"This Nansève paper is called verification paper—the same kind distributed to duchies that have been granted trade permission with Ehrenfest. When actually distributed, it's dyed to match each duchy's cloak color. It has a tendency to cluster toward larger fragments. As for this one, since it's made from a magic tree called Eifon, I think it's probably suited for producing sound."

I explained the properties of each magic tree as I handed them out to the research group. Ignaz and Marianne were taking notes with serious expressions.

"If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'll be staying away from Professor Gundolf's research room to prevent any information leaks to Drewanchel."

"Understood."

We'd already completed the introductions and meetings. Once the research materials were delivered, Gundolf would surely be absorbed in his work.

"My Lady Rozemyne, this is the reply regarding the Star Binding. It suggests that, considering your position as High Priest and your relationship with the Central Temple as well as your personal safety, it would be best to bestow your blessing from a distance, just as before."

The reply from Ehrenfest that Philine handed me suggested that for Sigiswald and Lady Adolphine's Star Binding ceremony, it would be best to avoid appearing before the public as much as possible.

"Indeed, being able to bestow the blessing without appearing in public might be ideal, but honestly, I don't think that's possible."

"Is that so?"

"Because I've never intentionally performed a distant blessing before."

I'd performed distant blessings a few times, but those were moments when my emotions overflowed and the blessing just happened on its own. I had never done one consciously. If I practiced at the Academy and started shooting blessings left and right, receiving one would become commonplace there and lose all its value. On the other hand, practicing without success would also be a problem.

Besides, I'd have to pour more blessings onto Sigiswald—someone whose face I barely knew and with whom I had no personal connection—than onto Anastasius or Eglantine. Having the blessings skew toward Adolphine, who would be standing next to him, might be forgivable, but there was a real risk of missing Sigiswald entirely. The very issue was the presence or absence of blessings and whether they were skewed, yet I couldn't guarantee success or even time it properly. I couldn't expect this time to go well by chance either.

"Please tell them that since I've only ever had distant blessings happen spontaneously and never performed one intentionally, it would be impossible to avoid failure unless I'm physically present."

If I were to send blessings from a position where I could recognize Sigiswald, standing in my capacity as High Priest would be the best approach. Sending blessings from a completely different direction while the High Priest of the Central Temple stood right there would look like an outright provocation. Making the High Priest lose face before a crowd of nobles—compared to that, publicly announcing that I was bestowing the blessing at the request of the royalty seemed far more diplomatic.

I wrote down Ehrenfest's concerns and handed Brunhilde a letter with the gist being, "The matter of coordinating relations with the Central Temple has been entrusted to Prince Anastasius, who proposed this, so please ensure there are no further disadvantages for Ehrenfest."

"Please deliver this to Professor Eglantine."

In addition to the Star Binding matter, there was a note about the Library Committee's duties being changed to that of key keeper, though it simply stated, "Comply with the royalty's demands in a dignified manner." It was clearly a response that said, "We don't really understand the job duties either, but just go along with it for now."

"It seems the policy of not getting involved until we're called upon should work fine."

"Also, as per your request, they will be rushing to print the second volume of the Fernestine story."

Since they needed to transport the magic stones to the Temple for the Dedication Ritual, the manuscript would be delivered along with them. Once it arrived, the misunderstanding that Fernestine was me would hopefully ease a little. I heaved a sigh of relief.

The following day, Muriella and Gretean came bearing their name-swearing stones. I had decided to receive them in a separate room. Since both were girls offering their names, all the guards and witnesses would be female as well.

"Leonore, is everything set? If there are no issues, please call for Muriella, Philine."

"Yes."

I received the name from Muriella, whom Philine had brought in. I tried to minimize the pain by flooding the stone with Magic Power in one swift flow and binding it, but she still seemed to be in considerable discomfort.

"Are you all right, Muriella?"

"I'm fine. It's still a little painful, but I'm so happy. Because I made the decision to offer my name to Lady Rozemyne, I was able to accompany you to the tea party with Dunkelfelger. I got to hear Lady Hannelore's thoughts."

"Lady Hannelore's thoughts?"

"Yes."

Apparently, Muriella's thoughts on the romance story Hannelore had shared at the Dunkelfelger tea party were the kind that made you want to agree wholeheartedly and discuss it all through the night.

Even though she was breathing laboredly from the magic binding, Muriella's green eyes sparkled as she spoke—about which parts had moved her, which had thrilled her—reminding me even more of her mother than Hannelore did.

...No wonder she wanted to offer her name herself. Muriella seemed to get along wonderfully with her mother.

"So, I would like to collect as many romance stories as I can at the Royal Academy, as an offering to Lady Rozemyne and Lady Elvira."

I had to put a stop to Muriella, who seemed poised to go on a rampage at the prospect of romance stories, just like her mother.

"Story collecting is Philine's job, so Muriella, I'll need you to first learn about the papermaking and printing industries. You'll need to be able to start working right away when you join your mother's staff."

"That's right."

...Yeah, by any measure, she was perfectly suited to being her mother's subordinate.

"Philine, please teach Muriella about the papermaking and printing industries. And also about writing the reports for Ehrenfest. If you have time, share your methods for collecting stories with her so you two can gather them together."

An apprentice attendant for a Lord Candidate had to be able to write reports at a level that would pass Ferdinand's standards. Philine had received over two years of training from both Ferdinand and Hartmut, so she was more experienced in attendant work than Roderick, who was still relatively new.

"Muriella, my attendants aren't ranked by social class. At the Royal Academy, Leonore, a higher-ranking noble, leads the group, but once we return to the castle, Daumel, a lower-ranking knight, takes charge of work assignments. Hartmut oversees the apprentice attendants, but at the Academy, I decided Philine would be better suited as your mentor over Roderick due to her experience and precision with work. I know this is quite different from how things have been done, but this is my way. Please get used to it."

"Understood."

After asking Philine to take charge of Muriella's training, I had Lieselote and Gretean called in so I could receive Gretean's name next.

It must have been just as painful, but Gretean only scrunched up her face slightly, finishing the name-swearing without a single whimper.

"That must have been painful. Are you all right?"

"Thank you for your concern. This level of pain is nothing. Since you have accepted my name, I wish to do everything in my power to maintain rooms where you can feel comfortable, Lady Rozemyne."

Gretean shook her bangs—long enough to slightly cover her eyes—and her blue-green eyes crinkled with delight behind them.

"Lieselote will be in charge of Gretean's training."

Since Brunhilde was busy coordinating with the greater duchies, Lieselote would be taking full charge of Gretean's training. She would teach her the finer details, like how to prepare tea to her preferences and how to arrange rooms. Though she wouldn't be involved in negotiations with the greater duchies, she was expected to support behind the scenes at tea parties, and Lieselote would explain all of that as well. Lieselote stepped forward with a sweet smile.

"As one of Lady Rozemyne's attendants, cleaning Professor Hirschur's research room is part of your duties. I will teach you how, so please pay close attention."

"Professor Hirschur's research room?"

Perhaps she hadn't expected that, as Gretean's eyes went wide.

"Most of the people who enter and exit that room are middle-ranking nobles, and it's rare for strangers to come and go, so it's an inward-facing role. Besides, Lady Rozemyne will soon be busy with her research on Schwarz and Weiss, which means she'll be visiting more frequently. Clearing the path for one's lord is the duty of an attendant, so you'll need to get used to it, Gretean."

Gretean tucked her chin in slightly, then gave a small nod.

...Wait? I have joint research to do before I can even get to Schwarz and Weiss research, don't I?

It seemed Lieselote was planning to fully support Hirschur's research room for the sake of the Schwarz and Weiss project. If I called that reassuring, then yes, it was reassuring.

Finally recovered, I was able to visit Hirschur's research room at last. I gave Raimund the third letter—this one detailing the proceedings of the Dunkelfelger tea party and the magic circles that would advance the Schwarz and Weiss research—and in return, received the reply from Ferdinand.

The letter, passed from Raimund to Lieselote and thoroughly checked, reached my hands.

"That's quite thick."

"They said it contains replies for two rounds combined."

While I was speaking with Raimund, Gretean was receiving instruction from Lieselote on the procedures for handling letter transfers, and my guard knight Laurentz was learning the poison-checking procedures alongside her.

The guard assigned to me was Eudrit.

"I finally got the approval for my Magical Tool that records sound. It's all thanks to your help with the prototype, Lady Rozemyne."

"Please let me purchase the design plans for that recording Magical Tool. I want to make one myself. I don't have the funds right now, but I'll ask Richarla and bring the money next time. So don't sell it to anyone else—I've reserved it."

When I said that, Raimund gave a wry smile and said, "Nobody wants it." That couldn't be right. Others simply hadn't recognized Raimund's value yet.

"I'll be heading back to my room to read Ferdinand's reply, so I'll take my leave for today. I'll have meals left out for Professor Hirschur and Raimund, so please be sure to eat before you start researching. And don't forget the letter for Ferdinand."

"Understood."

After setting a meal in front of Raimund, I led my attendants back to the dormitory.

I had written my letter using luminous ink. There was a high chance Ferdinand's reply was also written in luminous ink. I'd better not open it in plain sight. Once I returned to my room, I grabbed the letter and rushed into the hidden room.

"Yay, a reply, a reply!"

When I brightened the area with a Magical Tool, the luminous characters faded and the ordinary text became readable. I skimmed through it and tilted my head.

"...There are quite a few scoldings even on the surface. Why?"

I'd expected scoldings written in luminous ink, but there were plenty in the regular text too. I didn't think I'd done anything to warrant that much scolding, so what was going on?

All I'd done was clean Hirschur's research room and express concern for Ferdinand's health, yet he wrote, "Try not to meddle too much." That didn't sit right with me. Cleaning that room and worrying about Ferdinand's well-being weren't "meddling."

"Hold on. He's deflecting the issue with scoldings, isn't he? Saying that this isn't a problem and I shouldn't worry—that just means he's leading an unhealthy lifestyle, doesn't it?"

As I pored over the list of scoldings, looking for what lay beneath them, I found a rare word of praise regarding my first-day approval: "Most commendable."

"Yes! Most commendable!"

I hummed a little tune and turned off the light. Sure enough, luminous characters floated up into view.

"More scoldings on this side too... What? 'I'm impressed you managed to cause so many problems one after another in such a short time.' ...It's not like I caused them on purpose, but sorry."

It said, "Stop using the expression 'ascend to greater heights' during the Divine Gift acquisition ritual. In your case, it's literally possible, and that's a problem." As for Ferdinand himself, he had received his Staff after acquiring his Divine Gifts, so he'd never had the issue of losing control of his Magic Power. If anything, gaining a Staff had made his Magic Power much easier to handle. He'd included advice about the coping mechanisms he'd used when Magic Power was difficult to manage before obtaining his Staff, but it was the same as what my adoptive father had told me.

"It's said that accumulating too much Magic Power in the body slows growth. Your Magic Power is already more than sufficient within the range your Staff can handle, so until another method is found, wouldn't it be better to reduce your compression and prioritize your physical growth?"

"I see. I've gotten a bit sturdier since eating Yuleve, so if I reduce my compression, I might grow more easily."

I'd been troubled by my small stature compared to those around me, and I wanted to prioritize growing taller over growing my Magic Power. There had been an unspoken atmosphere at the Royal Academy that, in a time of Magic Power shortage, one should compress as much as possible and focus on expanding Magic Power, which had made me anxious about having to reduce my compression. But Ferdinand's words that "your current level of Magic Power is more than sufficient" put my mind at ease.

I had written about the joint research with Dunkelfelger on the Divine Gift acquisition ritual and about trying it on adults in Ehrenfest, but Ferdinand's reply revealed he had already conducted experiments: "Divine Gifts increase even after adulthood. Mine increased after I joined the Temple." He'd also included notes about precautions for conducting the experiment.

...Just how much experimenting had you been doing at the Temple, Ferdinand!?

However, since he'd been the only test subject, he hadn't been able to obtain results like Roderick, who had gained all elements through name-swearing, from Justus or Eckhart. In a rare moment of straightforwardness, he'd written, "I would like to conduct experiments in Ehrenfest as well." It was stated casually, but this was undoubtedly the soulful cry of a mad scientist.

He also wrote in his roundabout way that he'd felt somewhat reassured to learn that Hirschur and my adoptive father had talked and found common ground. Regarding the purge's aftermath, he cautioned: "Even though it's over, you shouldn't let your guard down. Be especially vigilant after returning to Ehrenfest."

About the joint research with Drewanchel, he wrote, "I look forward to the results to be presented at the Inter-Duchy Tournament." Regarding the joint research with Ahrensbach, he noted, "I learned of it from Raimund's letter, but I have yet to receive a letter from Frauerlam."

...As expected, it either takes a very long time to arrive, or something is being plotted. One of the two, I supposed.

He'd written that I should provide more details about the joint research, but when I asked, "Ferdinand, it seems you did something at the Royal Academy that made Professor Hirschur go along with everything—what exactly did you do?" his answer was a single line: "Nothing as extreme as what you pulled off."

"Hmm. So Ferdinand was up to no good too. ...Wait a moment. 'If the two of them are conducting joint research as my disciples, they'll need to raise their level'... What exactly is Ferdinand competing with!? Dunkelfelger!? Or is it Drewanchel!?"

On top of the joint research with three great duchies, the prospect of Raimund and me presenting our research under the banner of "disciples of that Ferdinand" had apparently lit a fire under Ferdinand's competitive streak. Research from now on was going to be far more Spartan than before.

...I was used to it, but would Raimund be all right? Well, he was Ferdinand's disciple, so surely he'd manage.

And then, right at the very end, in small writing: "By the way, have people believe Geduldhli's song is a love song. That will cause fewer complications."

...Wow, that sounded incredibly dismissive.

By the time my eyes started stinging from following the luminous characters, I finally finished the first batch of his reply.

Replies from Ehrenfest and Ferdinand have arrived.

Muriella and Gretean have joined my attendants.

Raimund is going to have a very hard time from now on.

Next time, Part Two: the reply to the second letter.