Called by Luewen, Ehrenfest's knight apprentices mounted their riding beasts and descended into the arena. After circling once around the inside, the bright ochre mantles took their positions, and
"So it's not Lady Fraulem this year. I'm somewhat relieved."
Just a little while ago she had sent an ordnance flying over and screamed at everyone in that piercing voice of hers, so if Fraulem had been in charge, we surely would've ended up with some troublesome magical beast.
"I don't think you should relax with Gundolf either,
"Lord Wilfried speaks truly. After learning that magical paper was being made from magical wood through our joint research, I was gathering as much information about magical wood as I could."
"Still, there seem to be quite a lot of spectators this year."
At Wilfried's words, I looked around the spectator stands. Even when it wasn't their territory's turn, many people were leaning forward to watch the ditter.
"Even among adult knights, there are few chances to see less well-known magical beasts from other duchies. They're probably getting worked up over how to defeat a magical beast for the first time."
While we were talking, Gundolf activated the magic circle with his staff. It flashed with a strong burst of light once, and when that light faded, a large tree with thickly rustling leaves appeared upon the magic circle.
"Is that a magical tree?"
"It must be. If he brought out an ordinary tree here, Gundolf would be criticized."
However, it didn't move from the spot like a Nansève. It didn't scream like an Eifon. It didn't seem to be the type to drain all the ambient magical power like a Trombe. It looked like an ordinary tree—not one of those fantastical-looking things like a Luer tree.
…Hm, this tree really makes me want to sing "What Kind of Tree Is This?"
It was so completely motionless that I was starting to doubt whether it was really a magical tree.
"I've never seen this magical tree before. What is it?"
I had asked Giebe about the magical wood in Ehrenfest to test whether it could be used to make paper, but they weren't knowledgeable about magical wood from other duchies. Worried, I squinted and focused my gaze on
"Everyone except Judith—switch to the same weapons you use for hunting Trombe, the ones for sweeping aside branches! Senior knights, charge your magic in turn!
Leonore's voice as she transformed her own staff and began charging her magic radiated confidence. It seemed she knew this magical tree.
"Judith, on my signal, fire your most powerful Magical Tool into the Gummimocha. As you all know, at the same time as an attack above a certain threshold of power, numerous thin branches hidden among the leaves should emerge. They extend fully in just a few seconds. In that time, sweep away as many branches as you can. However, be careful not to touch the branches. The tips have thorns that cause terrible numbness."
…Gummimocha? Isn't that a rubber tree?
I vaguely recall
"Ignaz,
I turned to Ignaz and Marianne, who had interacted with Gundolf before. But they didn't know either.
"I'll ask Gundolf again."
…If this weren't a trial-competition magical tree created by the professors' magic, I would've been shouting "Prioritize material collection!" right about now. Oh, I want rubber!
As I stared at the Gummimocha, imagining what I could make if I had rubber, Liesereta gently pressed down on my shoulder.
"Lady
She warned me that at this rate, my intentions would be discovered. She had a point—it was dangerous. But I was simply captivated by this Gummimocha I was seeing for the first time.
"Lady Rozemyne, before you ask Gundolf, ask Leonore first. She should at least know the habitat."
"Y-yes, you're right."
All I could think about was asking Gundolf who had summoned it, but Leonore, who knew how to handle it, should at least know the habitat.
"Even if you learn the habitat, if it's a special magical tree that only grows in other duchies, you must give up on obtaining it. We can't very well take a large group of knights to another duchy for a collection expedition."
"Then, how about a material trade?"
"Lady Rozemyne, you have a worrying tendency to agree to whatever the other party demands when it's something you want, so I cannot support that proposal."
Cornelius shut down my idea without hesitation. The retainers nodded along with his words, saying, "If it's something kept within Ehrenfest, perhaps, but this would involve trade with another duchy."
…I feel like you can't be too picky about your methods when it's something you want.
Discouraged by those around me, I stared at the Gummimocha with a somewhat resigned expression.
In the arena, the knight apprentices had already spread out around the Gummimocha, their staffs transformed into halberd-like weapons similar to what we had seen during the Trombe extermination. Since they didn't know how far the branches could extend, they were keeping their distance with a degree of caution.
The senior knight apprentices were charging their magic as instructed, their weapons each glowing with a rainbow-hued light.
"Can anyone perform that kind of attack?"
"Yes. All you're doing is concentrating your magic power into your weapon and striking, so with a bit of training, anyone can do it. However, the power varies dramatically depending on the amount of magic and the number of elements, so it's rather meaningless for junior or intermediate knights. Those close to senior rank might be able to manage it even if they're intermediate."
Furthermore, since it involved concentrating all of one's magic into a single strike, it was a technique that could only be used when you were certain you could defeat the target, or when you had recovery potions and someone to cover you during recovery. This time, the leftover recovery potions from the dedication ceremony were being distributed, so it would probably be fine.
"Judith, aim for the area of thick foliage! Senior knights, take turns targeting the upper part of the trunk—there should be a spot where the color is slightly lighter. When I call your name, strike that spot!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
When everyone had taken their positions, Leonore brought down her raised hand.
"Judith!"
"Haah!"
What Judith launched from her sling was the remainder of the Magical Tool she had used in the ditter against Dunkelfelger. When it struck the densely rustling leaves, a tremendous explosion erupted.
The Gummimocha shook as if startled, and from the shadows of its thick leaves, thin branches shot out with frightening speed. There were perhaps thirty to forty of them. Just as Leonore had said, the tips of the branches that had shot through the gaps in the trembling leaves bore sharp thorns.
"Hah!"
"Haah!"
The knight apprentices mounted on their riding beasts swung their halberds, mowing down the extended branches one after another. However, the thin branches remained extended for only a few seconds. They quickly retreated back into the foliage, and then began swaying and writhing like tentacles, attempting to ensnare the surrounding knight apprentices. The sight of tentacles emerging from the bushy clump of leaves reminded me of a jellyfish.
…If touching the branches causes numbness, that means—it's a tree jellyfish! Gummimocha is a tree jellyfish. Quite dangerous. Right, I'll remember that.
"Those branches can't be cut when they're not extended! Pull back! I'll strike!"
Leonore had the knight apprentices retreat, then slammed her own charged magic into the Gummimocha's trunk. Accompanied by a fierce battle cry, the halberd swung in a wide arc released a rainbow-colored light that flew toward the slightly discolored area on the upper trunk.
Upon impact, the Gummimocha rustled and shook its leaves violently. But there was no shockwave to the surrounding area, as if the full-power magic attack had been ineffective. As I stared wide-eyed at the unexpected result, a thin branch shot out immediately after.
"Now!"
Not missing the moment it extended, Leonore swung her halberd and severed the dangerous branch. She then ordered, "Nathalie, charge your magic!" while drinking a recovery potion and watching the knights' movements intently.
Would they continue with full-power magic attacks? Was it really working? Worried, I watched Leonore, but her delivery of instructions showed no hesitation whatsoever.
"Alexis!"
"Yaaaah!"
At Leonore's command, Alexis struck with his magic. A fairly large burst of light was driven in, but again there was no shockwave to the surroundings. They cut down the branches that shot out, watched them retreat once more, and the knight apprentices quickly pulled back from the Gummimocha. Then came the next attack.
"
Traugott began charging magic into his weapon, and Nathalie struck with hers. I finally understood what Cornelius had meant about the power differing depending on the amount of magic and its elements. The complex rainbow hues produced by different combinations of magic each had their own distinct coloring, and the power varied enormously.
"Weren't most of the thin, dangerous branches already cut away? They've almost stopped coming out."
"Judith, use your trump card to clear away the leaves! Everyone, pull back!
"Yes!"
This time Leonore's next instruction was directed not at Traugott, who had been charging magic, but at Judith. Judith quickly pulled a fist-sized Magical Tool from the waist pouch where she kept her tools, and launched it from her sling.
The Magical Tool flew into the thick foliage as if being swallowed. The next instant, an explosion so loud that the rainbow-hued magic attacks hadn't made a dent erupted, and all the thick leaves burst into flame simultaneously.
"What on earth was that!?"
"They use such Magical Tools in a speed-contest ditter!?"
Cornelius and Angelica both cried out in astonishment. Murmurs rippled through the arena. Come to think of it, I vaguely recalled Matthias mentioning that hardly any duchies used Magical Tools in speed-contest ditters.
"It's a Magical Tool that
"I'm most surprised that you intended to use it against Dunkelfelger. You're quite ruthless."
"It's… a trump card for when we're truly about to lose, you know."
The thick leaves had been completely burned away, but the Gummimocha had not fallen. The upper part of the trunk showed no signs of damage despite being engulfed in flames, and the slightly discolored area remained unchanged.
…Just how tough is this Gummimocha!?
As I was thinking this, a point even higher than the discolored section—the very top of the forked trunk—began to glow faintly. At the same time, some of the branches shifted softly, and tentacle-like branches began to form once more.
"Finish it before they extend! Traugott! Matthias! Attack from above! Everyone, prepare shields!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Coordinating with Leonore's instructions, Traugott and Matthias drove their riding beasts high, higher, watching each other's movements. The trails of rainbow light drawn by their weapons were breathtakingly beautiful.
"Haaaaah!"
"Yaaaaah!"
The two of them plunged downward as if falling, halberds fully extended. Two streams of rainbow light, one from Traugott and one from Matthias, pierced straight through the Gummimocha like a bolt of lightning.
The thudding, rumbling impact was drowned out by the crackling sound of the Gummimocha's living wood splitting apart.
Immediately after, the Gummimocha and the light of the magic circle vanished. However, the impact from their full-power strikes had not yet dissipated. As the knight apprentices braced themselves with shields raised, Luewen's voice rang out: "Ehrenfest, finished!"
"Well done. That was a splendid ditter."
When the knight apprentices returned from the arena, my adoptive father praised them all with visible excitement. With nothing but minor magical beasts appearing and the knight apprentices growing flustered, Ehrenfest's knights—able to launch attacks one after another without any hesitation—had stood out remarkably.
"I never expected there to be someone this knowledgeable about other duchies' magical beasts, Leonore."
"I am honored by your words. However, I was not the only one who knew about the Gummimocha. We all learned it together so that everyone could fight, and so that important knowledge would be passed on."
Leonore spoke proudly as she looked over the knight apprentices.
"This year, I happened to be in a position to lead, so my role may have stood out. But regardless of who was commanding, Ehrenfest's knight apprentices were able to defeat the Gummimocha. Going forward—whether it's next year when I graduate, or the year after—knowledge about magical beasts will not diminish."
She smiled gently and added that she had compiled a document summarizing what she knew about magical beasts for the bookshelf, so that everyone could share the knowledge. As long as they read and memorized it, the knowledge would continue to be passed on.
"As the Aub, I am proud of your efforts."
Stepping forward one pace in acknowledgment of my adoptive father's praise was a high-ranking member of the knight order serving as my father's proxy in guarding the Aub.
"Your efforts are evident not only in your knowledge. The intermediate and junior knights who followed orders and cut down the thin branches that emerged from the senior knights' attacks moved with impressive speed, and their coordination was magnificent. I believe your combat prowess was such that you could already participate in a Trombe extermination after you come of age. You have truly grown stronger. Continue to train with the same dedication."
"Yes, sir!"
Receiving praise from the knight order as well, the knight apprentices beamed at one another with joy. They had pooled their strength. They had produced results. Their smiles were filled with that sense of accomplishment.
"The knight apprentices will now watch the other duchies' ditter while guarding
My adoptive father called Wilfried over and, after telling us to keep watching the ditter, returned to the socializing area with his retainers. As I watched my adoptive father and Wilfried lead their respective attendants back, wondering whether I should have gone too, Charlotte let out a soft giggle.
"There's no need to look so worried, Sister. He's doing this to get my brother accustomed to socializing, and also—to deal with the proposals regarding my marriage."
Charlotte said this while taking my hand and guiding me to the platform. Surrounded on all sides by attendants and knight apprentices, we were truly in a state where no one could approach.
Charlotte, standing beside me, smiled as she looked down at the arena.
"Just as the top-ranking duchies have pointed out, we have only been raising our ranking through your achievements alone. Until the internal situation in Ehrenfest stabilizes, we cannot say the ranking is final. If we cannot reform the awareness of Ehrenfest's nobles, we won't be able to decide where I will marry into either."
Other duchies were still evaluating whether they could treat Ehrenfest as a top-ranking duchy or whether they should expect the ranking to drop. This was precisely why the proposals Charlotte was receiving were so wide-ranging.
"I feel it's going to require a considerable amount of awareness reform, but I do hope that by the time I graduate, the people around us will recognize us as a proper top-ranking duchy."
If that happened, choosing a partner would become much easier, Charlotte said. It would be best for both parties if Ehrenfest's partner was reasonably matched, but apparently, the criteria for what constituted a good match hadn't been determined yet.
"You know, Charlotte, Ehrenfest has never really felt the urgency that other duchies have. Because we navigated the political upheaval as a neutral party, we didn't need the dramatic changes that a defeated, devastated duchy would require. But with the purge, major changes are coming whether we want them or not."
With the former
"But those are discussions we can have after returning to the duchy. For now, let us enjoy the interduchy tournament, Charlotte."
"Yes, Sister."
In the ditter, magical beasts we had never seen before appeared one after another. Watching the top-ranking duchies' ditter while listening to the knight apprentices—now thoroughly studied up—explain the proper strategies was immensely enjoyable.
Cornelius praised them admiringly, "Everyone has studied hard. Leonore taught you, didn't she?" and Leonore beamed with delight. The way they looked at each other was unmistakably that of lovers reuniting after a long absence, and I found myself thinking that it was a good thing
"Oh, Angelica—didn't you come to see Traugott's growth? How was it?"
The onlookers held their breath, watching for what could develop into a romance—er, hoping that something might develop, rather. "He'd better be at least stronger than Cornelius," Angelica had said, and I wondered what Traugott looked like through her eyes.
In the midst of everyone's attention, Angelica gently touched her cheek and said with a smile, "…I have once again confirmed the strength of Lord
"That concludes all ditter matches. Now, I would like to present a ceremony performed by the knights of Dunkelfelger."
At Luewen's words, the blue mantles of Dunkelfelger let out a mighty battle cry—"Ohhhhh!"—as they mounted their riding beasts and descended into the arena all at once. Just as the students had done before beginning their ditter, they circled the arena, then dismissed their riding beasts and jumped down to the ground.
The knights arranged themselves in a rough circle centered on the Aub of Dunkelfelger. The movements were so practiced that it was clear the positions were completely predetermined. No one else had produced a staff yet, but the Aub of Dunkelfelger already held the
He struck the spear into the ground with a thud and opened his mouth to speak.
"Among the adult knights, there must be some who did not learn the ceremony dance from Luewen at the
Oh—the gasps of astonishment were even louder than expected, and I flinched as I looked around the arena. Every duchy seemed interested; nearly all the spectators had pressed toward the front, eager to witness Dunkelfelger's ceremony.
"In principle, one must perform the ceremony the day before to receive blessings, acclimate the body to multiple blessings, and then allow magic power to recover."
If there were too many blessings, one might lose control of one's body, like the Ehrenfest knight apprentices had experienced. Regular recovery potions wouldn't provide immediate recovery, either.
"However, this is no longer necessary for Dunkelfelger's knights. By performing the ceremony beforehand multiple times, we were able to estimate the amount of magic required to receive blessings, and by increasing the number of participants, we reduced the burden on each individual."
They had gone to the trouble of adjusting everything so that the demonstration could be performed without recovery potions. The depth of their preparation was astonishing. For just a moment, I understood why the First Wife might resent me.
"And this is the authentic sacred tool borrowed from the Temple—the Leidenschaft Spear."
The Aub of Dunkelfelger gripped the Leidenschaft Spear firmly with both hands and began channeling magic into it. The spear, not just its head but its entirety, turned blue and crackling arcs of light enveloped it.
"Wh-what is that!?"
"The Temple's sacred tool becomes that?!"
Nobles who had never visited the Temple or seen a sacred tool with their own eyes cried out in astonishment at the sight of the Leidenschaft Spear wrapped in blue light.
"To us who go forth to battle, grant your strength!"
The Aub of Dunkelfelger roared with the glowing blue spear in hand. At the same time, every knight who had drawn their staff simultaneously transformed them, crying "Lance!"
"I offer prayers and gratitude to the gods who created this world."
With those familiar words of prayer, the spear was driven into the earth once with a resounding thud.
"To seize victory in my hands, grant me power—the might of Angriff, unmatched by any. To seize victory in my hands, grant me speed—the swiftness of Steifeleise, faster than any."
Singing, they spun the spear and struck its butt against the ground. When they lifted it back up, the metal clanking against the armor plate made of magic stone rang out like a beat—just as I had seen before.
However, the adults' ceremony was clearly more polished than the apprentices'. Although it was the same rite, it looked quite different. Not only were their movements perfectly synchronized, but even though the motions were fierce, they possessed a flowing elegance.
"Fight!"
The Aub of Dunkelfelger raised the Leidenschaft Spear high, and the surrounding knights all let out valiant cries as they thrust their spears skyward in unison.
At the same moment, a pillar of blue light shot up with a thunderous boom. Blessings rained down, portions of it flying off somewhere else.
This was the natural result of performing a ceremony at the Royal Academy, but it was clearly not something that happened in the duchy. The first-time sight of the pillar of light drew gasps even from Dunkelfelger, and the Ehrenfest adults stared in disbelief.
"So this is the Pillar of Light…"
Reading about it in a report was one thing, but it was a phenomenon you couldn't truly understand without seeing it. My adoptive father, who had appeared behind us at some point, spoke, and Charlotte and I both nodded.
"Whenever you perform a ceremony at the Academy, this always occurs. It's quite wondrous, isn't it?"
Even among students, those who had seen the Pillar Light were rare. Aside from Dunkelfelger and Ehrenfest students, it was mostly the archduke candidates and senior officials who had participated in the dedication ceremony. Perhaps also those from dormitories relatively close to Dunkelfelger.
"I see. If they can produce such a phenomenon with a natural expression on their faces, it's no wonder they're called saintesses and divine incarnates."
Then the Dunkelfelger knights proceeded to defeat the magical beasts conjured by Luewen. Their speed, the force of their attacks, and their resilience—the ability to move immediately even while receiving multiple blessings—were in a completely different league from the students'.
Finally,
"This concludes the sacred rites passed down in Dunkelfelger."
The Aub of Dunkelfelger's declaration drew exclamations of awe and excitement from the spectators. And so, the interduchy tournament came to an end.
For Leonore, the final ditter she performed at the Royal Academy was the battle against the Gummimocha.
She would graduate, leaving behind the knowledge she had gained.
And there was the Dunkelfelger knights' ceremonial demonstration.
Everyone now knew that performing a ceremony at the Royal Academy would cause a Pillar of Light to rise.
Next would be the first-ever awards ceremony.