"Princess, I would very much like to sit down and hear what you are thinking. What do you mean by having lord candidates from other territories participate in a religious ceremony? We were not consulted at all!"
The moment I returned to the dormitory, Richarda was standing there like a Nio guardian statue. With her hands on her hips and her eyebrows raised, I could tell a lecture was coming. But I hadn't done anything yet, had I?
"...That is, only if
"It is not about 'if Dunkelfelger gives permission.' I am objecting to the fact that you would undertake something so significant without any prior consultation."
"Didn't Aub say that research conducted in the Noble Academy is within the students' domain, so no particular consultation is needed?"
I tilted my head sharply at Richarda's words. It felt like our perceptions were somehow misaligned. At my words, Richarda slowly shook her head.
"In your case, Princess, it would be better to report beforehand—but that is not what I mean. I am talking about consulting with the attendants who will be acting to support you. At the very least, please tell us in advance what you are thinking and what you intend to do."
"We have discussed holding a religious ceremony as part of the joint research with Dunkelfelger before, haven't we? I only suggested it because it seemed like everyone wanted to participate in the joint research. The activities are the same, aren't they?"
Even if told what to do, holding the ceremony was already decided, wasn't it? At my words, Richarda slowly shook her head again.
"Do you think such words will fool me? Until now, you have only considered ceremonies that you could perform by yourself, Princess. Why have you suddenly decided to include lord candidates from other territories?"
The expressions of the attendants surrounding me were stern, and no one was trying to stop Richarda's questioning. I pouted my lips once in dissatisfaction, then deliberately put on a bright smile.
"It's not as though I've grown tired of dealing with the small and medium territories who, at every tea party, only listen to malicious rumors about my adoptive father, refuse to listen to anything about religious ceremonies—yet still demand benefits."
"...You seem quite upset."
Richarda let out a small breath, saying, "You have become quite skilled at hiding your emotions, Princess," then shook her head with a troubled look and added, "But this time, please learn to release your emotions in a more constructive manner."
"Then, Princess—what exactly do you plan to do for the ceremony?"
"If Dunkelfelger grants permission for others to participate, I will hold a Dedication Ceremony in the Noble Academy."
"A Dedication Ceremony? That's the ceremony you usually hold at the
"Yes. If I am to show Dunkelfelger the ceremony I regularly perform in Ehrenfest, there is nothing more appropriate than the Dedication Ceremony. Filling the Holy Cup with my Magic Power alone is difficult, and I had been worrying about what ceremony to show Dunkelfelger—but with many collaborators, the Holy Cup can be filled easily."
"Um, Lady Rozemine. Doesn't that mean taking Magic Power from lord candidates of other territories?"
Grethia asked tentatively. The other attendants' faces quickly changed color. I looked at Grethia and chuckled.
"Oh my, no. Grethia, please don't say such misleading things. I am not forcing anyone at all. Everyone is an enthusiastic, well-meaning collaborator who is eager to participate in Dunkelfelger. They will offer their Magic Power of their own free will. Such a suggestion would be rude, wouldn't it? Besides, I'm sure the royals would be delighted to see so many cooperative lord candidates."
Only those who want to participate will join. I am not forcing anyone, and if they don't want to, they simply shouldn't ask in the first place.
"Um, Lady Rozemine. Why are the royals involved?"
Laurentz asked with an expression suggesting he had heard something very ominous. Seeing
"If we want to use the altar in the Noble Academy, we would need the royal family's permission, wouldn't we? And even though they are participating voluntarily, in times of Magic Power shortage like this, it would cause problems if I were to personally use the Magic Power donated by everyone. So I intend to have the royal family make effective use of it."
If many lord candidates donate their Magic Power, I believe the royals—who are perpetually short—would be grateful. And if the royals had even a word of thanks, those territories wouldn't be able to complain.
"Do you believe it is possible to obtain permission from Dunkelfelger, which has until now refused to allow other territories to participate in joint research?"
At Matthias's observation that it is difficult for a higher-ranking territory to suddenly change its stance, I smiled with the corners of my lips rising.
"If I propose that Dunkelfelger hold a Ditter with them as a condition for accepting participants, I think they would be quite pleased. They would want to verify the ceremony, and they have been eagerly requesting Ditter."
"Sending eager volunteers to serve as Dunkelfelger's sacrificial lambs..."
Matthias said that with a dumbfounded expression.
"Matthias, you're being just as misleading... These are people who are desperate to participate, and they would only be showing their enthusiasm toward Dunkelfelger. I am certainly not thinking that this would relieve Ehrenfest of the burden of participating in ceremony verification or Ditter."
"They will even help with verifying Dunkelfelger's ceremony—what enthusiastic and admirable collaborators! I support Lady Rozemine's thinking."
If we were to Ditter with Dunkelfelger—a major territory with many people—Ehrenfest would have to respond with all of its knight apprentices. Once might be manageable, but accompanying repeated verifications with changing conditions would be difficult. The guards of
"Dunkelfelger gets to verify the ceremony and have Ditter, I can gather the necessary number of people for my ceremony, the royals can use the collected Magic Power, and the small and medium territories can participate in the joint research. ...Dunkelfelger will be a little busy handling everyone's requests, the royals will have their hands full as well, and the participants will use a lot of Magic Power outside of lectures—but don't you think this is a good plan that benefits everyone?"
When I said that with a smile, my attendants looked indescribable. It was a subtle expression, neither agreement nor disagreement.
"Does Lady Rozemine benefit from this proposal? You listed benefits for everyone around you, but I cannot see a benefit for Lady Rozemine."
"Just having Ehrenfest not need to participate in Ditter would be enough... is what I'd like to say, but there is something I want. However, it's still a secret for now. Let me just say that if the royals grant permission, my benefit will materialize."
And so, I wrote letters to Dunkelfelger and
I wrote that many wished to participate in the joint research with Dunkelfelger; that having more people would be beneficial for showing Ehrenfest's ceremony—the Dedication Ceremony; that if they said permission would be granted upon a Ditter, it would also benefit Dunkelfelger; that the Magic Power gained from the Dedication Ceremony would be given to the royals; and that I wanted permission to use the innermost room with the altar for the ceremony. I had the letters delivered right away.
"You must come discuss the details. Come to my estate tomorrow afternoon."
...I sent a letter to Prince Hildebrand, but for some reason I received a reply from Prince Anastasius instead. I couldn't understand why.
I was once again summoned to Anastasius's estate. Thinking it was just about borrowing the altar and shouldn't be a big deal, I went there—only to find that
"Now then, Rozemine. Tell me everything—what exactly are you planning, without any holding back."
Glared at by a clearly wary Anastasius, I explained the joint research overview and the ceremony that Ehrenfest would now perform. Just as I had told my attendants, I carefully emphasized the benefits for the royal family as well.
After listening to everything, Anastasius pressed his forehead and alternated between looking at me and Hannelore.
"...Why do you two always have to blow things up?"
"What do you mean, 'you two'?"
When I tilted my head, Hannelore shyly looked down.
"Dunkelfelger, um, caused quite a commotion and created trouble for everyone."
It seemed that Dunkelfelger's verification of the ceremony caused pillars of light to rise, and a considerable number of inquiries had been directed at the royal family. But the ceremony that produced those pillars of light—wasn't that the imitation of what I had done at Dunkelfelger the other day?
"...Isn't that my fault?"
"No. They tried imitating Lady Rozemine by conducting a ceremony with a Magic Power offering, and experimented with changing the shape of spears. As a result, pillars of light rose in Dunkelfelger's dormitory as well, so it is entirely Dunkelfelger's fault."
They had apparently performed the ceremony in the training ground adjacent to the dormitory, then divided into two teams for Ditter. It was the kind of story that truly conveyed the luxury of a large territory.
...As expected of Dunkelfelger. They won't spare any effort or Magic Power in their quest to become stronger.
"Yesterday, we were surprised by the sudden increase in territories wanting to participate in the joint research, and have been scrambling to keep up..."
Ruffen, the dormitory supervisor, said that, then broke into a wonderful smile.
"The Ditter stories and the ceremony that grants true blessings have everyone's Ditter enthusiasm soaring, and then you go and create Ditter opponents for them—truly, this is Lady Rozemine! Your reputation within the dormitory has skyrocketed overnight. Last night was a huge celebration."
...I didn't need that kind of reputation.
I had been thinking it would be nice if Dunkelfelger got a little busier, but it turned out that immediately after reading my letter, they had started welcoming participants with open arms and handling Ditter registrations, so Dunkelfelger suffered no damage whatsoever. If anything, they had apparently started calling out to various territories asking, "Would you like to have a Ditter and participate in the ceremony?"
"If we are to fight having received the blessings of the gods through the ceremony, it might be better to have combined teams from several territories against Dunkelfelger. And if they see the blessings being bestowed, they too will likely take religious ceremonies seriously going forward."
"Hmm."
"And if the enemy isn't strong enough, Dunkelfelger won't get fired up, will they?"
"That's exactly right!"
Ruffen was getting very worked up, but seeing the blessings bestowed in person would indeed make the knight apprentices take the ceremony seriously, I thought. Just like when I had told Ehrenfest's knight apprentices to follow Dunkelfelger's example and obtain blessings on their own going forward.
When my conversation with Ruffen reached a natural pause, Hannelore spoke up hesitantly.
"Dunkelfelger does have benefits, so there is no objection to granting permission for participation—but my brother says that listing it as joint research might be going too far. He says the contribution is not significant enough."
I was having them participate in Ditter with Dunkelfelger and in the Dedication Ceremony, so I thought that was contribution enough—but apparently Dunkelfelger didn't see it that way.
...Since they hold ceremonies, Ditter must be obligatory in their territory.
I needed a proposal that would mediate between Dunkelfelger, who said this wasn't enough for joint research credit, and the other territories who wanted their names listed in the joint research. But thinking about it, I had only asked, "Would you like to participate in the ceremony?"—I never promised that their names would be listed in the joint research. They had just assumed that on their own.
After thinking for a moment, I raised my index finger with a snap and smiled.
"Then how about this: at the end of the research, we list as collaborators the knight apprentices who helped with the questionnaire survey, and the lord candidates and higher-ranking nobles who helped with the ceremony? We would state that the joint research itself still belongs to Dunkelfelger and Ehrenfest. Would that satisfy both Dunkelfelger and the participants who will be joining going forward?"
"...Y-yes. That would be fine. My brother would accept that as well."
Hannelore stared at me for a while, then slowly nodded.
"Then, since the ceremony will take place after
"He seems to be finishing them quite quickly. He was very motivated to surprise Lady Rozemine."
Hannelore described with a wry smile how Lestilaut was completing his lectures at a remarkable pace. Even though he was in his final year, it seemed he would finish all his lectures around the same time as last year. I was genuinely surprised by his unexpected turnaround.
"...I'm impressed. Then, once the Ditter with the participants is finished and the participants are confirmed, please let me know."
"Leave it to me!" was Ruffen's response. Hannelore and I glanced at Ruffen and shared a slight shrug.
"Rozemine."
Anastasius cleared his throat.
"Yes?"
"About your request to use the altar in the innermost room..."
"Yes."
"That altar falls under the jurisdiction of the Central Temple."
Come to think of it, the Star Binding Ceremony held during the lord's conference and the coming-of-age ceremony at the Noble Academy were all conducted by the Central Temple.
"Using the divine instruments here requires the Central Temple's permission and discretion, but they are said to be quite busy at the moment."
"It is the season for the Dedication Ceremony, after all."
They would be gathering Magic Power-rich Blue Priests and Shrine Maidens from various territories. While it might not be as hectic as Ehrenfest, the number of small Holy Cups they had might also differ.
"Then, if I have the necessary items for the ceremony sent from Ehrenfest, could you lend me just the room with the altar? I want to teach everyone to pray to the gods."
"...As long as you do not touch the altar, that should be fine."
"I appreciate it."
While thanking Anastasius for his permission, I suddenly realized something.
"Ah, um, if we don't touch the altar, we won't be able to take down the Holy Cup for the Magic Power offering either, will we? What should we do? Would permission be granted just to take down the Holy Cup?"
The cloth for channeling Magic Power could be sent from Ehrenfest, but without taking down the Holy Cup, there would be nowhere to offer the Magic Power.
"If there's truly no other way, then I suppose there's nothing to be done."
"I could make one with my Stappe, so I can prepare the Holy Cup—"
"You can!?"
At Anastasius's wide-eyed reaction, I nodded lightly. I had found a spell in the archive that required three keys the other day, so I could indeed create a Holy Cup.
"However, I cannot bring my Holy Cup to the Central Temple. So, I would ask that either the royals learn to create a Holy Cup with a Stappe, or prepare many empty magic stones to carry everyone's Magic Power back. One of the two."
It would be quickest if the royals could create a Holy Cup with a Stappe, but divine instruments cannot be made without frequently touching them and channeling Magic Power through them. If they cannot touch the altar, creating a Holy Cup would likely be impossible, and maintaining one would require an enormous amount of Magic Power. The royals wouldn't have the spare Magic Power for that.
Preparing empty magic stones and immersing them in a Holy Cup to carry the Magic Power—just as Ehrenfest had obtained Magic Power from my Yuleve—seemed like the most practical method for transporting Magic Power.
Anastasius let out a weary sigh at my proposal. It seemed that among the royals, they had been discussing having to give up on what looked like a massive influx of Magic Power, since they couldn't secure the Central Temple's cooperation.
"...So if we can't borrow the divine instruments, we can either make our own Holy Cups or transfer Magic Power from a Holy Cup to empty magic stones and carry those. You certainly know a lot of unusual tricks."
"Perhaps it's because I had a good teacher."
When I chuckled, Anastasius pressed his forehead.
"Having you hold a Dedication Ceremony in the Noble Academy and making the collected Magic Power available to the royal family is, frankly speaking, a tremendous help."
"I'm glad to hear you say so. If possible, I would also like the royals to participate in the Dedication Ceremony—is that possible?"
"We participate as well?"
Anastasius's eyes widened in surprise, and I nodded seriously. If the royals took the lead in participating, the participants wouldn't be able to turn around and say, "Actually, let's cancel." Moreover, I believed the royals—who needed the gods' divine protection—should have the opportunity to pray seriously.
"Since the Central Temple is so far away, have the royals perhaps never experienced a true religious ceremony? When we pray together, Magic Power flows more easily and prayers are more readily received. So why not join us? Of course, I am not forcing anyone."
"...I'll consider it."
Having completed the groundwork for the ceremony, I was scolded by
I reported the turn of events that led to holding the Dedication Ceremony in the Noble Academy with the royals involved, and asked them to send the cloth for channeling Magic Power, offerings for the gods, my High Priest ceremonial vestments, Wilfried and Charlotte's ceremonial vestments, and everything else needed for the ceremony once the Temple's Dedication Ceremony was complete.
"Charlotte and I are also participating in the Noble Academy's Dedication Ceremony?"
"Yes. Showing everyone performing the same ceremony is the fastest way to dispel strange rumors. The Dedication Ceremony is the same as infusing Foundation Magic with Magic Power. Even if it's your first time, Brother Wilfried and Charlotte can do it."
I told them that to dispel the rumors, they should carry on as though this was something they did regularly, and both nodded with solemn expressions.
"Lady Rozemine, we've received a reply from Ehrenfest."
The reply contained a note from my adoptive mother saying the ceremony had become such a big deal that she was overwhelmed, and a message in my adoptive father's handwriting saying that since the royals were now involved, it absolutely had to succeed. He said he would properly send everything needed for the Dedication Ceremony.
Also included was a letter from Hartmut—who had apparently read
"...This is going to be scary when we return to Ehrenfest. I sense Hartmut has become quite difficult," Leonore murmured with a serious face.
So I wrote down what Hartmut should do: I wanted to redo the ceremony to obtain divine protection with the adult retainers who remained in Ehrenfest, and he should spend his days reviewing prayers and the names of the gods so that as many divine protections as possible could be obtained. If he had something to do, he might feel a bit better.
Thinking that should do it, Judith tilted her head with a "Hmm."
"That alone, Hartmut would finish immediately. Why not also include an order for him to have
"...Judith, wouldn't that just increase
Judith let out a small "Ah" and grinned.
"Damuel will be fine, surely."
"No, no, no, no—absolutely not!"
Watching the exchange between Philine and Judith, I felt a warm sense of camaraderie for the first time in a while—my attendants really do get along well.
When Rozemine gets a good idea, it usually becomes a big deal.
The Dedication Ceremony will now be held involving the royals as well.
Everyone gets some benefit. The only one with no complaints is Dunkelfelger, though.
Next: the Dedication Ceremony at the Noble Academy.