In time with
Amid mantles of various duchy colors, Rozemyne, dressed entirely in white, was strikingly conspicuous. She exuded an aura of such tranquility that the word seemed tailor-made for her, advancing slowly between the kneeling attendees. Her gaze was fixed on the altar, as though nothing else in the world existed.
What further accentuated the white of her attire was her hair, flowing like the night sky, and therein a rainbow-colored magic stone hair ornament—the very emblem of a lover's devotion—sparkled and swayed like a star. I had never seen a hair ornament so magnificent, strung with magic stones of such quality.
...I too hope to one day encounter a gentleman who would gift me such splendid magic stones.
My elder sister tells me to stop dreaming fluffy dreams and face reality, but I do understand that in the end I will marry whomever my parents decide. This is the only time I have to dream, so why not indulge in it a little while longer?
...The only person who resonates with those words of mine is
While my mind drifted to the delightful times Muriella and I spend chatting about romantic tales, Rozemyne had arrived at the slightly cleared area in the center. Then, gazing up at the altar behind me, she gently raised both hands toward the heavens, as though offering a prayer to the gods.
I had once heard that raising both hands and the left foot in prayer was done to draw nearer to the Supreme God who governs the lofty, majestic heavens, and that placing one's hands on the ground when offering gratitude was to draw near to the five great gods who govern the vast, boundless earth. The form of prayer had been difficult for me to understand even after hearing it explained, but seeing Rozemyne perform it, I felt I could grasp it just a little.
"Ehrengedauel."
Raising her staff in her uplifted right hand, Rozemyne fixed her golden eyes upon the altar and chanted in a clear, high-pitched voice. The staff transformed into a massive Holy Cup—the same Holy Cup that
The enormous golden Holy Cup, which seemed far too large for Rozemyne to hold, was embedded with a great magic stone. Its color was transparent, and the intricate carvings were reproduced exactly as they were on the Holy Cup, prompting everyone to hold their breath.
"Geduldh's Holy Cup..."
Because the room had fallen into such silence, someone's whispered words carried with startling clarity.
I had been in the same year as Rozemyne and shared practical classes with her, during which I heard her say that since she had been raised in the
...A Holy Cup is neither a weapon nor armor, is it? Where on earth did she learn the spell for this transformation? Could one learn such things in the Temple?
While I tilted my head in puzzlement, I noticed my elder sister holding her breath beside me. Perhaps I was somewhat used to it, having witnessed Rozemyne summon a round shield and play the Fespiel while performing a blessing during music practicals.
...My sister always tells me that my reports are "exaggerated," but it seemed I would finally be able to make her understand that nothing I had reported was exaggerated at all.
Hartmut took the Holy Cup—which seemed far too large for Rozemyne to hold—and gently placed it on the ground.
Then both Hartmut and Rozemyne knelt. Rozemyne disappeared from my field of vision. In her place, a prayer resembling a song began to echo.
"I am one who offers prayers and gratitude to the gods who created this world."
Remembering that I had been told to repeat after Rozemyne, I hurriedly opened my mouth.
"I am one who offers prayers and gratitude to the gods who created this world."
Because the speed and timing of our repetition were all out of sync, the combined voices sounded ragged and somewhat grating. After everyone's voices faded and a silence returned, Rozemyne spoke the next words.
"The Supreme God who governs the lofty, majestic heavens is the divine couple of Darkness and Light."
"The five great gods who govern the vast, boundless earth."
Matching Rozemyne's voice—same cadence, same pace—the voices of those repeating after her gradually began to harmonize. Just as the sounds echoing through the room grew unified, so too did our spirits come together. The sense of sharing an action and a moment with everyone, doing the same thing together, made my chest grow warm.
"The Water Goddess,
"The Fire God,
"The Wind Goddess,
"The
"The Life God,
By the time each deity's name had been recited one by one, our voices blended beautifully, resounding toward the altar. As I felt an indescribable sense of unity, something began to shimmer and rise from everyone's bodies.
...Huh?
Immediately after, my Magic Power was suddenly drawn out of me. The sensation of it being siphoned away on its own was something I had never experienced before, and I had no idea what to do. Since the Magic Power was being drawn from my hands, releasing them would be easy enough, but if this was part of the ceremony, I could not simply interrupt it.
Magic Power was flowing from my hands, pressed flat against the red carpet. Unable to move, I watched fixedly as the carpet began to emit tiny, sparkling points of light.
And then, the Magic Power, transformed into waves of light, flowed toward the Holy Cup placed at the center of everyone. I could feel Magic Power that had flowed from behind me passing through me and continuing onward, and in response my own Magic Power was drawn out as well. The speed of the light's flow seemed to keep increasing, and more Magic Power was pulled from within me.
"In reverence to the gods who bestow their blessings upon all living, breathing life, may we humbly repay the grace of their sacred divine power."
The moment the prayer's words concluded, the surroundings suddenly grew brighter. Startled by another light entering my vision—I had been watching the flow of light—I looked up and saw the Holy Cup at the center of everyone, glowing.
"Wha—!?"
"It's glowing!?"
In the instant after cries of surprise rose from around me, a pillar of red light shot upward from the Holy Cup, stretching straight to the ceiling. It was Geduldh's noble color—the hue of a warm hearth.
"Wh-What is happening?"
I heard the King's strained voice. As though giving voice to everyone's feelings, Rozemyne answered in a calm tone.
"Most likely, a portion of the Magic Power is flying off to somewhere in the Noble Academy. This always happens when a ceremony is held there. It doesn't happen in Ehrenfest, so this is probably a phenomenon unique to the Noble Academy."
A voice confirmed that the same thing had occurred during
"In our ceremonies, the light is usually blue, but this time it's red..."
"Because this is a Dedication Ritual in which we pour Magic Power into the Holy Cup. This red light is the Magic Power that everyone here is offering to the gods. ...Don't you think it's beautiful?"
I nodded repeatedly at Rozemyne's words. It truly was beautiful—the pure red light born from nothing but Magic Power.
...So this is a true noble color.
For me, the seasonal noble colors were something I only ever thought about when planning outfits and room decorations. I had even resented that the color of the outfit for the Coming-of-Age Ceremony was decided by the season of one's birth, with no choice given to the wearer. This was the first time I had ever seen such a beautiful noble color. I had never thought magic stones of the red attribute could be this stunning.
"That's enough, dear sister!"
Suddenly
"The ceremony is over. Everyone, please lift your hands from the floor. The overseers should be arriving soon."
At Rozemyne's words I lifted my hands from the floor. The sense of unity I had felt during the ceremony vanished, and it was as if I had woken from a dream and crashed back into reality all at once.
At the same time, I was hit by overwhelming fatigue and Magic Power depletion. My body grew suddenly heavy, my vision blurred, and I could not move. Simply maintaining my kneeling posture was all I could manage. From behind me came the sounds of several people losing their balance and collapsing.
"Well done on the Dedication Ritual. Those of you accustomed to supplying Magic Power for the foundation magic—royals and lord candidates—may be fine, but for the high-ranking nobles, this must have been a tremendous ceremony. As a participation reward for the precious Magic Power you have all provided, I have prepared Magic Power recovery medicine for you."
Hartmut gave a slight nod at Rozemyne's words and began to move.
The royals and lord candidates had not lost their posture, but among the high-ranking nobles there were many who could not even kneel.
...The royals and lord candidates endure something this demanding on a regular basis. This was the first time I truly understood.
I knew as a matter of knowledge that the lord's family had to pour Magic Power into the foundation magic. But I had not understood what that entailed, or how exhausting and Magic Power-intensive it was.
"This should recover your Magic Power more easily than the medicine taught at the Noble Academy. Of course, for those who suspect it may contain poison, if you speak up, I won't distribute any to you from the start. Please use any recovery medicine you prepared yourselves."
Wilfried and Charlotte each took a small bottle from the box and drank it in one gulp, as though taste-testing it. After that, Hartmut offered recovery medicine to Rozemyne, then took a small bottle from the box for himself, drank it, and placed the empty bottle in a separate container.
"The recipe for this recovery medicine was given to me by someone else, so I'm not sure if it's alright for it to be distributed freely. That's why I'd like you to drink it only here on the spot. I might get scolded for distributing medicine to everyone without permission. I'll collect the small bottles afterward."
"This is our little secret," Rozemyne said with a mischievous smile as she handed the empty bottle to Hartmut. I had been drawn in by the words that this medicine recovered Magic Power more easily than what was taught at the Noble Academy, and when I looked at my sister, she wore a stern expression.
"Um, sister?"
"We can't just put something of unknown composition into our bodies, can we?"
It could be some kind of trap—my sister, a close aide to a lord candidate, was on high alert. I hung my head slightly at having my own carelessness pointed out; the possibility of foreign substances had never even occurred to me. Unlike my sister, I don't live life on edge as a close aide, so I suppose I come across as fluffy and impractical.
Hartmut carried the box of small bottles and began asking from the center outward whether Ehrenfest's recovery medicine was needed. The King was first, naturally.
With no attendants or guard knights present, there was no way the royals would touch medicine provided by another duchy. It was a formality, asked with the expectation of refusal. One could not distribute to others without first asking the King.
However, to everyone's astonishment, the King said, "...I'll take some," and reached for the box containing the small bottles. Naturally, a murmur of surprise rippled through the crowd.
The King was always on guard against attacks and poison, and unlike struggling mid-to-small duchies like
...That Ehrenfest had earned this much trust from Zent
We were surprised, but it seemed Ehrenfest's people were too. Wilfried and Charlotte stared at the King with mouths agape, uttering nothing but "Huh?"
Rozemyne, showing not the slightest perturbation, said, "Zent Trauerqual. That medicine will substantially recover your Magic Power, but it won't restore your physical condition. I believe the fatigue will remain." Hartmut nodded earnestly at her words, saying, "If you think of it as recovery medicine made by Rozemyne, any fatigue would blow right away." I suppose the only ones acting normally were Rozemyne and Hartmut.
Perhaps because the King took the lead, the royals one after another took bottles in hand. After showing slight hesitation, Prince
Thinking they could not refuse what the royals had consumed, the apprentice scholars of
"Some duchies may have needed a great deal of recovery medicine because they held Ditter in order to participate in this ceremony. Yet during the ceremony itself, a great deal of Magic Power will be taken from them as well. I had this prepared as compensation for that. If you are worried about poison or the like, simply drink whatever you prepared yourselves, so please choose quickly. I especially want this recovery medicine to reach the high-ranking nobles of mid-to-small duchies who have lost their posture."
Rozemyne was not looking at Klassenberg's high-ranking nobles, but rather gazing with great concern at the high-ranking nobles on the outer edge of the circle who were struggling to maintain a kneeling position.
...She worries not about the upper duchies, but about the lower ones...
Pressured by Rozemyne's worried expression, the high-ranking nobles of Klassenberg hastily took small bottles. After that, the medicine was distributed very quickly. The apprentice scholars of Dunkelfelger drank theirs without hesitation the moment they received them.
"I'll help, Rozemyne!"
Hartmut moved to
"...Ehrenfest, this recovery medicine—doesn't the Magic Power seem to recover remarkably quickly?"
At Prince
"The apprentice knights of Ehrenfest said the same thing."
"Was it not something you prepared yourself?"
Prince Anastasius's voice sounded slightly sharp, and I shuddered despite it not being directed at me, but Rozemyne simply smiled with a troubled expression.
"It is a different formula from the recovery medicine I regularly use, so I'm not entirely sure of its efficacy. After discussing it with my siblings and close retainers, I was told it was the most suitable recovery medicine I could make for this ceremony—using ingredients gatherable at the dormitory's gathering spot."
...Does that not mean that Rozemyne, despite being a lord candidate, could make several different types of recovery medicine!?
I knew from lectures that she was skilled in blending, but I never imagined she was so deeply versed in pharmacology that she could produce multiple varieties.
"
Suddenly Wilfried's voice rang out, and the lord candidate of Drewanchel visibly flinched.
"This was made for recovering the Magic Power spent during this ceremony. It is not a research material."
It seemed the Drewanchel lord candidate had been trying to sneak some away. Wilfried stopped him with a teasing laugh, and after Ortwin showed an awkward expression, he drank the recovery medicine in one gulp.
Having witnessed the exchange between the royals and upper duchies, I had already decided to accept the recovery medicine—even if my sister tried to stop me. Jossbrenner's recovery medicine had been used up considerably during Ditter. I intended to accept any recovery medicine that was offered.
...I used Magic Power for Ehrenfest's sake, after all. That's fine, isn't it?
I glanced at my sister with just my eyes, and she gave a reluctant, resigned nod. And when Jossbrenner's turn came, my sister too accepted the medicine from Hartmut. Lustraone also received recovery medicine.
I caught sight of the box Hartmut was carrying and gasped. There were multiple boxes filled with medicine—we were already on the third—and the sheer quantity of recovery medicine made my head spin.
To prepare this much recovery medicine, the amount of ingredients, the Magic Power required for creation, and the time needed would all have been immense.
"...Preparing this much recovery medicine—could it be that Ehrenfest will be crushed by Rozemyne's boundless benevolence?"
At my murmur, Hartmut raised one eyebrow slightly, glanced at Rozemyne, and smiled with pride.
"Ehrenfest is filled with the Holy Maiden's benevolence and will continue to prosper. There is no way it could be crushed."
Despite being the lord's adopted daughter, she performed ceremonies as the High Priest, filled the duchy with Magic Power, taught people from other duchies how to receive blessings, and worried about the depleted Magic Power of others enough to prepare recovery medicine. This was not something an ordinary person could do.
...Rozemyne truly is the Holy Maiden.
Everything Hartmut had reported up to now must not have been exaggerated after all, but filled with the truth. I should have paid closer attention and listened more carefully.
Thinking this, I gulped down Rozemyne's recovery medicine.
...The recovery really is incredibly fast. What is this?
I could feel my Magic Power recovering from the very moment I drank it. It was incomparable to the recovery medicine taught in lectures.
"This is... made from ingredients gathered at the gathering spot?"
"The secret to Ehrenfest never running out of Magic Power must be this recovery medicine. If it can recover this much, filling the duchy with Magic Power should be much easier as well."
I nodded deeply at my sister's words. With this level of recovery, making recovery medicine and filling the duchy with Magic Power would both become far more manageable.
"But this recovery medicine—it recovers Magic Power, yet the fatigue doesn't go away."
At Lustraone's murmur, I tried moving my hand slightly. Despite drinking the recovery medicine, my fatigue had not subsided at all.
"If it only recovers Magic Power but you're still too tired to move, then a normal recovery medicine might actually be more practical."
"It would be invaluable for knights in the middle of battle, though. And it's perfect for drinking while performing alchemy that you've been putting off due to insufficient Magic Power."
From my sister's words, I somehow caught a glimpse of what the developer of this medicine had prioritized. It must have been a researcher working on some outlandish study that required staggering amounts of Magic Power.
The royals and lord candidates who had drunk the recovery medicine immediately began to move. But the high-ranking nobles of the mid-to-small duchies still could not move properly. Watching them, Rozemyne clenched and unclenched her hands, touched the area around her neck, confirmed something, and then slowly raised her hand.
"Your Magic Power recovers, but the fatigue remains, doesn't it? It would be troublesome if you can't move, and my Magic Power has recovered as well."
As she said this, Rozemyne summoned her staff. This time she chanted "Streitkolben" and took Flutrane's staff in hand. Unlike the Holy Cup from before, this time the magic stone glowed green from the start.
"Flutrane's staff this time?"
Everyone was dumbfounded as divine instruments appeared one after another, and Rozemyne cast her eyes downward with a shy expression.
"I'm still inexperienced and it's embarrassing, but to bestow healing on this many people, I have to use Flutrane's staff. A ring alone isn't enough."
...That's not the part that should be embarrassing.
Rozemyne was so matter-of-fact about bestowing healing on this many people that I had no energy left to say anything. Normally, one wouldn't spend Magic Power on others for something like this level of fatigue, nor would one even consider healing a large group all at once. Moreover, someone who would bring out a divine instrument for such a purpose—there was no one else in all of
"Lungschmere's Healing."
Along with Rozemyne's prayer, green light burst forth from the staff's magic stone. Just like the ceremony before, a portion of the light formed a standing pillar while the rest poured down upon everyone in the room. Bathed in the warm light, I felt my fatigue draining away.
As I gently closed my eyes and quietly bathed in Rozemyne's Magic Power, I heard a whisper from somewhere: "
...Mestionora? ...Was she a subordinate deity of the Wind Goddess, if I recall?
I was in the middle of memorizing all the gods' names, so I at least recalled that Mestionora was a subordinate of the Wind Goddess. If my memory served, she was the Goddess of Wisdom.
Wondering what this was about, I heard a bright, energetic voice: "I understand, Lady
...I do not.
Unable to help myself, I opened my eyes to find Clarissa of Dunkelfelger clenching her fist and launching into an emphatic explanation. Perhaps because everyone was so startled, Rozemyne's healing had also stopped.
"Before, I had the exact same thought! That Rozemyne, who handles all manner of Divine Instruments with ease, might be Mestionora—the one the gods granted permission to use the Divine Instruments!"
I only knew the gods within the scope of my theological lectures, but was there such a story about Mestionora? Many others seemed to share the same question. Hartmut regarded Clarissa with a suspicious look.
"I don't believe such a story appears in the Temple's Holy Book, though..."
"It's in Dunkelfelger's old books."
The one who agreed with Clarissa was not from Dunkelfelger, but
"The story that Mestionora is the daughter of the Life God and the Earth Goddess, yes? There is a record of it in Klassenberg's old books as well. To hide her from the Life God, Mestionora changed her appearance with the night-sky hair given by the Darkness God and the golden eyes given by the
That might indeed be true. With her abundant Magic Power to handle all manner of Divine Instruments, the intelligence to achieve consecutive top marks, and—if one believed Wilfried's words—having invented all of Ehrenfest's current trends...
As I was thinking this, a small laugh echoed through the air.
"I'm joking, Rozemyne. Please don't make such a troubled face."
"...I don't think anyone would be anything but troubled when compared to a Goddess, Lady Eglantine."
Rozemyne said this with an utterly exasperated expression. I understood her feelings all too well. Being told by royalty that you're "like a Goddess"—what kind of reaction was one even supposed to have?
Before the thoroughly bewildered Rozemyne, Hartmut gently stepped forward.
"There was such a story...? I'm hearing it for the first time. Thank you for such a wonderful account. It's so intriguing I'd like to read it for myself."
Hartmut, who had stepped forward as if to rescue his master, smiled gently at Eglantine and expressed his gratitude.
I let out a sigh of admiration at Hartmut's skill in smoothly resolving the situation. Was this not the ideal image of what a close aide to a lord candidate should be?
...A splendid master gathers splendid retainers around her.
Though it had been an earth-shattering ceremony that destroyed my assumptions one after another, with both my Magic Power and fatigue fully recovered, I returned to the dormitory in high spirits.
For those experiencing it for the first time, there were many shocks, but the ceremony concluded without incident.
For Rozemyne, accustomed to
But for everyone else, it seemed to have been tremendously effective.
Next: After the ceremony.