The Dedication Ceremony and the Return to the Castle

"Chief Priest, the third bell has rung. It is time for work."

"…I understand."

"I only come to call you once a day, so please don't glare at me with such a terrifying look."

When the Chief Priest came out of the workshop and glared at me, I glared back with a grumpy expression. It wasn't as if I enjoyed calling for him either. Once he retreated into the workshop, he couldn't hear the bells at all, so I was only bothering to let him know.

Brother Eckhart had apparently called for him so many times that his voice was now completely shut out, no matter what he said.

"If you dislike being called by me, wouldn't it be better to make it so you can hear Brother Eckhart's voice?"

"…You only come once a day, but Eckhart calls out to me all day long. He reminds me of Bonifatius from that time."

"Huh? What did Grandfather do?"

When I tilted my head, the Chief Priest shook his head with a deeply bitter expression. "It's already over. I don't even want to remember." Apparently, Grandfather had done something that thoroughly exasperated the Chief Priest.

After getting the Chief Priest out of the workshop, it was time to begin work. I sat in my usual designated seat and took out my slate.

"Lady Rozemyne, do you always do this kind of work at the Temple?"

Angelica, who was seeing the Temple work scene for the first time, looked back and forth between me and the growing pile of documents with an expression that said she couldn't believe her eyes.

"The one processing the Temple documents is the Chief Priest. He has taken on what the High Priest—that is, I—should really be doing. All I can do is help with the calculations; I haven't been trusted with document approval yet."

"…No, I think doing this much calculation is amazing."

Angelica, who had become a knight because she was bad at desk study, let out an admiring sigh. Meanwhile, the Chief Priest began assigning tasks one after another. Everyone in this room was given work equally.

"Eckhart gets this, Damuel takes that over there, Angelica works together with Damuel…"

"As a guard knight, I shall defend this door with my life!"

Hiii! Angelica gasped and pressed herself flat against the door. When the Chief Priest saw her eyes glistening with the look of someone who had just finished surviving the Academy's desk study, he let out a light sigh.

"Come to think of it, Bonifatius did mention something about a problem child barely scraping by."

Deciding that putting work on someone incompetent would only be a waste of time, the Chief Priest cheerfully cut Angelica loose and began the paperwork.

Damuel looked slightly taken aback when Angelica was dismissed as "incompetent," and gazed at her with concern, but the person in question clearly looked relieved. Worrying was pointless.

The only person in this room not doing any document work, Angelica stood ramrod straight in front of the door. She apparently intended to make her guard duties flawless.

And while everyone worked silently on their documents, the fourth bell rang, marking lunchtime.

"Chief Priest, please eat your lunch properly before locking yourself in the workshop again."

As I cleared off the table and prepared to return to my room, the Chief Priest looked at me and narrowed his eyes.

"No. This afternoon, I need to examine your condition."

"…Huh?"

"Based on how you moved during dinner last night and during today's work, it seems like you're relying entirely on your Magical Tool and your recovery is extremely slow. I haven't checked your condition at all since you returned from the Academy. …And based on your current complexion, aren't you in a very bad state?"

"Th-That isn't the case at all!"

I tried to brush it off, but there was no way I could fool the Chief Priest once he had pulled his eyes away from his research. His lips curved up slightly as his eyes slowly narrowed.

…This is bad. He's angry. He'll find out I haven't been doing anything at all.

I looked around for help, but Damuel and Angelica averted their gaze, and Fran asked me with a slightly cool smile, "What do you mean by a bad state?" Brother Eckhart, the Chief Priest's unconditional ally, didn't look like he'd be on my side either.

"Fran, we'll go this afternoon."

"Understood. I will be waiting."

…Fran, don't just decide on your own! I haven't agreed yet!

I protested in my mind, but no one was listening. The Chief Priest's Attendants were happily agreeing with each other that "The Chief Priest must have reached a stopping point in his research."

"Well then, Rozemyne. Go back to your room and finish your lunch."

While I was panicking and looking for allies, the afternoon schedule was decided without me, and I was going to be examined by the Chief Priest.

"Chief Priest, you should do your research in the workshop. Look, you need to rush the new outfits for Schwartz and Weiss…"

"You said to have them made before next winter, I believe."

…Ah. Ahh. That's right. Yesterday's Me was such an idiot!

"Ah, yes, that's right. Teacher Hirschur is probably waiting to have her Magical Tool repaired as well, so please prioritize that."

"I've already repaired it."

…Huh? Huh? Already?

"Then, how about the musical arrangement? I need this done before I return to the Academy, so I'd appreciate it if you could hurry. The song dedicated to the Goddess of Light…"

"We'll do it tomorrow afternoon along with your feyphil practice. With no musicians around, you might be trying to escape from practice."

…I'm found out?!

"That isn't the case at all. Ho ho ho… ho ho…"

"Rozemyne, you're hopeless. Today's schedule is decided. Go back to your room quickly and eat lunch. Make sure you've removed the Magical Tool by the time I arrive."

"…Yes."

Leaving the Chief Priest's room, I trudged back to my own. I hadn't been able to brush him off after all. If the Chief Priest was coming this afternoon, there was no point in starting muscle training now—it would never be enough time.

"Fran, why did you decide the schedule on your own?"

When I returned to my room and glared at Fran more or less in a fit of pique, he gave me a gentle smile.

"Now that the meeting with the Plantan Company is finished, I have no appointments this afternoon, and wouldn't it be better to have the examination as soon as possible? I was also worried about Lady Rozemyne's physical condition, so having the Chief Priest examine you puts my mind at ease."

Fran said he only knew my condition from before the Academy and wanted to understand my current situation, and all my Attendants nodded in agreement, saying, "The Chief Priest is the best person to handle this."

The Chief Priest had created my yurieveh, detoxified me, and managed my health for two years. My Attendants were completely devoted to him. They probably trusted him more than they trusted me.

Total defeat. All I could do was keep my mouth shut.

"The Chief Priest is setting aside time from his own research for your sake. You must be very worried about Lady Rozemyne."

"You say harsh things, but he is a kind person," Fran said with a look of admiration.

…That's not it. He grinned when I thought "Oh crap!" Fran has been brainwashed by the Chief Priest!

Even if Brother Eckhart and my Attendants had begged him, the Chief Priest should have just left me in the workshop until my stamina and strength recovered. I made a huge mistake.

…Izanagi's Rock! Undo! Undo!

After lunch, I used a borrowed orator to ask Ottilie to set up a meeting with Giebe Haldenzel.

After that, Monica and Nicola removed my Magical Tool. My body immediately became heavy, and I collapsed into the chair they had prepared.

"Lady Rozemyne!? Are you all right!?"

"I'm perfectly fine. Nothing's wrong."

"You don't look like nothing's wrong."

I wanted to give a light wave to Monica and Nicola, who were peering at me with tearful expressions while still holding the Magical Tool, but I couldn't do it right away. I focused on wrapping Magic Power throughout my entire body and performed body-strengthening.

"See? I'm fine, right?"

"…You collapsed so suddenly, it was alarming. Are you really all right?"

"Yes. See."

I stood up and moved around normally. Monica and Nicola relaxed their expressions with visible relief, so I dressed normally and waited for the Chief Priest.

"Rozemyne, release the body-strengthening magic."

The moment he walked in, the Chief Priest sighed and told me this, and I quietly averted my gaze. He'd figured it out immediately.

"Or perhaps—do you want to receive an attack severe enough that you'd be forced to release the body-strengthening?"

When he said this in a cold, expressionless voice, and I saw the Stab materialize in the Chief Priest's right hand, I hurriedly released the body-strengthening. At the same time, Angelica, who had drawn the magical sword Stlinlook, squeezed in between me and the Chief Priest.

"Chief Priest, resorting to violence right away is terrible!"

I accused the Chief Priest from behind Angelica, but he just snorted derisively.

"Don't say things that make me sound terrible. What I meant was: don't make me go to extra trouble."

"I've never heard any noble phrase like that!"

Because I had released the body-strengthening magic, standing had become painful, and I collapsed to the floor as I spoke. Angelica nodded vigorously in agreement.

"You simply haven't studied enough."

When the Chief Priest shook his head as if saying "good grief," Angelica, who had been shielding me, looked startled. "Indeed, I am lacking in knowledge. I didn't realize that was what he meant," she said, quickly stepping aside.

Wait. Don't just leave so easily! I tried to cling to Angelica, and the Chief Priest shook his head lightly.

"Eckhart, take Angelica out to the plaza in front of the Noble Gate and do some training. Angelica, if you stay holed up in the room all the time, your body will go soft, won't it?"

"Is that all right!?"

"Damuel can handle the guard duty here. Don't come back until I summon you with an orator."

"Yes!"

Angelica happily left with Brother Eckhart. The one place where a female knight was needed for an examination was exactly here, and now she was leaving!

…Angelica, you idiot! She's way too easy to manipulate!

"Chief Priest…"

"She has enough loyalty to point a sword at me without hesitation, but she's remarkably thoughtless. Rozemyne, are you really sure that person is fit to be a guard knight?"

"…I've never been more worried about it."

At the Chief Priest's instructions, I was lifted by Fran, placed in a chair, and made to move my legs and arms as directed.

"You didn't train at all during the Academy, did you?"

"…There were various things, and I was busy every day."

"There were reports that you went to the library every day during the second half?"

"My trips to the library were my exercise time."

"At the Academy, where you can't afford to let your guard down carelessly, it's one thing, but here there's virtually no risk of attack. While you're at the Temple, you should focus on recovering properly."

Seeing right through me that my stamina and strength had barely recovered at all, I was assigned feyphil practice, dedication dance rehearsals with the Magical Tool still on, and rehabilitation with the Magical Tool removed.

"During the dedication ceremony, you'll be using a massive amount of Magic Power, so it's more efficient to remove the Magical Tool that assists body-strengthening. For that reason, you need to become able to move under your own power at least a little."

"If I use body-strengthening, it's fine. I've gotten a bit better at it."

"You can't be sure of that. You're not used to it."

After the examination was over, every day became a grueling rehabilitation regimen.

Fran and my other Attendants were told by the Chief Priest, with a completely straight face, that "If you leave her here like this, Rozemyne will never be able to live without a Magical Tool for the rest of her life," and they threw themselves into my rehabilitation with desperate fervor. I appreciated my Attendants' concern and love, but I wanted to shout for everyone to hear: …The Chief Priest just wants more time for his research! Is no one else seeing this?!

I followed the routine the Chief Priest had created—raising my legs with the Magical Tool removed, moving my arms—and spent a long time doing all sorts of exercises. Until now, I had relied entirely on the Magical Tool and never really moved my body properly, so I was exhausted every day.

On top of that, since the Chief Priest had replaced Rosina as my feyphil teacher, the level of practice demanded of me had shot up dramatically.

"I want to go back to the Academy already. The Academy has a library, doesn't have this many assignments, and was the perfect environment."

"The more freely you behave, the more those around you suffer. You'll return to the Academy right before the interduchy tournament. If I don't have you learn some noble socializing during the winter social season, it'll be far too dangerous to send you back."

"That's terrible. …My library…"

When I drooped in depression, the Chief Priest gave me a wicked grin. "There are even more terrible plans in store," he said.

…What? That's scary!

The morning of the dedication ceremony was hectic. I purified myself, donned the ceremonial robes of the High Priest, and pinned in hair ornaments of red and white flowers—the precious colors of winter—to complete my preparations.

Today I had already removed the Magical Tool, so I was casting body-strengthening magic all over my body to keep myself moving.

The image for body-strengthening magic is that thing—like the tight leather suit that a biker wears… what was it called again? Ah, a bodysuit. Right now, I'm essentially wearing a Magic Power bodysuit.

Just as the Chief Priest had said about the Magical Tool being supplementary to learning body-strengthening, having worn the Magical Tool for so long, I had actually improved my body-strengthening somewhat—at the cost of sacrificing my stamina and strength recovery.

"What exactly do you do during the dedication ceremony?"

Damuel answered Angelica's question. He explained about pouring Magic Power into the small Holy Cups and distributing them to the Giebes of Ehrenfest during the Spring Prayer. Damuel, who had been working hard on Angelica's grades, was skilled at breaking down explanations for her.

"Damuel, you're amazing. You're a knight, yet you can help with the Chief Priest's work too. I never imagined that Lady Rozemyne's guard knights would even need calculation skills."

When Angelica tried to help with calculation work, it usually ended up requiring rework, so the best help she could give was to not help at all. Her parents had apparently told her as much.

"Angelica has absolutely no hesitation when it comes to protecting Lady Rozemyne. I respect that. I couldn't even conceive of pointing a sword at Lord Ferdinand."

Damuel had instantly understood that when the Chief Priest drew his Stab, it was just another form of his usual threats. Failing to recognize that—when the weapon was being pointed at your master, no less—was arguably disqualifying as a guard. Protecting was the guard's job, after all.

"If Angelica hadn't been lured away by training and separated from me, she would have been a perfect guard…"

"I won't be deceived next time."

Angelica answered with a fierce expression, but judging by how excitedly she later talked about training with Brother Eckhart and how strong he was, she seemed likely to be easily lured again.

"High Priest, the Chief Priest is summoning you."

Called by a gray priest, I made sure not to step on the hem of my robes and headed to the ceremonial room. Only priests were allowed to enter the ceremonial room. The guard knights would wait in front of the door. Brother Eckhart was already there, which told me the Chief Priest was already inside.

When I entered the ceremonial room, Camille, Fritter, and two other blue priests were already waiting, each holding the magic stones the Chief Priest had distributed.

"Seeing you looking so well puts my mind at ease."

Camille and Fritter, who had been entrusted with assisting the Chief Priest in my stead, said this with voices that sounded genuinely relieved. I hadn't expected to be greeted with such enthusiasm by the blue priests, so I was a little surprised as I smiled and thanked them.

"I hear from my Attendants that Camille and Fritter worked incredibly hard during my absence. You have my gratitude."

I commended the blue priests, then walked toward the altar, knelt at the front, and placed both hands on the red cloth spread on the floor.

"…Are you ready? Then, let us begin."

At the Chief Priest's prompting, I took a light breath.

"I am one who offers prayers and gratitude to the gods who created this world."

As I spoke the words of prayer, the five people behind me repeated them, and deep voices resonated majestically through the ceremonial room.

"To the highest god who rules the vast, towering heavens, the divine couple of darkness and light; to the five great gods who rule the wide, expansive earth: Flutrene, Goddess of Light; Leidenschaft, God of Light; Schutzaria, Goddess of Wind; Geduldh, Goddess of Earth; Ewigeliebe, God of Life—to all the gods who grant their blessings to every living, breathing being, we offer our reverence, and pray to repay the blessings of their sacred divine power."

As I spoke the words of prayer, Magic Power flowed smoothly out of me—it was the same sensation as always. The red cloth absorbed the Magic Power and sparkled with light as waves of it flowed toward the altar. It was a sight I had grown accustomed to.

The waves of light also flowed from behind me, one after another, and riding that momentum, even more of my Magic Power was drawn out.

…Whoa! It's coming off!

I could feel my body-strengthening magic—the thin layer of Magic Power wrapped around me—being pulled along and flowing away too. The sensation of my bodysuit being tugged made my eyes fly open. No matter how hard I tried to hold on, the force of the Magic Power flowing from behind was too strong to resist. Even if I tried to use just a little Magic Power for body-strengthening, the released Magic Power simply rushed over the red cloth.

…Ah, ah, aah!? It came off!

The Magic Power covering me was peeled away and drained out. It was a completely unexpected shock.

…When the ceremony is over, I'll have to reapply the body-strengthening magic.

With my cheek pressed flat against the floor, I let my Magic Power flow as it was drawn out.

"That should be sufficient. The Magic Power flowed remarkably efficiently."

At the Chief Priest's words, I sensed the blue priests let out relieved breaths and rise to their feet.

I tried to flow Magic Power to reapply the body-strengthening. Magic Power trickled out through my hands, still pressed to the red cloth.

"The ceremony is over."

At the Chief Priest's call, my body flopped to the ground.

Since I had been in a prostration position—kneeling with both hands on the floor—I had only fallen to the side and wasn't seriously hurt. But my collapse caused a commotion around me.

"High Priest!?"

"Don't make a fuss. It's nothing serious. I know the cause."

The Chief Priest's quiet, commanding rebuke silenced the ceremonial room instantly.

"I'll have the High Priest's Attendants come in. You may leave."

"Understood."

After sending the blue priests out and sending for my Attendants, the Chief Priest looked down at me where I lay sprawled and said, "This is why I told you it was difficult for someone unused to it. You fool."

"Please don't calmly lecture me in a state like this."

"In order to etch important things and warnings into your memory—your habit of forgetting things immediately—perhaps you need a sufficiently shocking situation and a powerful impression, no? Under certain circumstances, you may become unable to use body-strengthening. You should anticipate that much."

"Ugh… I'll train seriously and build up my stamina and strength, just like the Chief Priest said. Please help me."

"Have you reflected on this?"

"I have."

After the Chief Priest helped me to my feet, I was handed over to Fran, who had arrived looking pale.

"She simply hadn't considered the possibility of being unable to use body-strengthening magic. Her physical condition is otherwise fine. Once she returns to her room and puts the Magical Tool back on, there won't be any problems, so there's no need to worry."

"Understood. …Lady Rozemyne's 'I'm fine' is completely unreliable."

Hearing Fran say this in a deeply earnest tone, I slumped in dejection.

Because I had been continuously flowing Magic Power for body-strengthening, the small Holy Cups had filled with Magic Power far more quickly than expected. What was supposed to take five days was finished in three.

Even though I had collapsed during the dedication ceremony, it was only because I couldn't use body-strengthening while my hands were on the red cloth. It wasn't like I had suddenly fallen ill or developed a fever.

When the Chief Priest said, "You might have become a bit sturdier," I noticed the change in myself. I would keep aiming for a healthy body.

"No, when you get enthusiastic, nothing good ever comes of it. I can see a future where you overdo the training trying to build stamina and collapse again."

The Chief Priest launched into a lengthy discourse on the meaning of "excess is as bad as deficiency." With personal experience to draw on, I listened obediently to the lecture.

"If you could keep training here, it would be good for your body, but you need to learn more about socializing before I can send you back to the Academy. There's nothing to be done. We're returning to the castle."

"Yes."

The Chief Priest prepared not only his work set but also his research set, and we moved from the Temple to the castle. The leherbus had to be made a bit larger, or the luggage wouldn't fit.

"More than half of it is stuff you requested. You can't complain."

He told me that leaving the Schwartz and Weiss documents, Hirschur's Magical Tool, sheet music, and feyphil in the Temple would only cause problems for me, so I made the leherbus bigger.

When the vehicle got larger, it wobbled in the blizzard, so it was better to keep it as compact as possible, but there was nothing to be done about it.

"If we start blowing off course in the blizzard, please save me, okay?"

"If you just keep flowing Magic Power, you'll manage. Keep up on your own. Try not to cause any more trouble."

"Grrr, I'll do my best."

…I want to tell Mother the truth about this! The Chief Priest doesn't have any of the knight-like gentleness or sweetness you'd find in those stories!

Thinking this, I flew back to the castle through the fierce blizzard. Norbert opened the door and we flew the leherbus right through, after which the door was immediately shut.

"Welcome back, Lady Rozemyne."

As he said this, Norbert took my hand and helped me down from the leherbus. It seemed instructions had already been given, as servants appeared in droves and began hauling luggage out of the leherbus.

"Welcome back. We've been waiting, Lady Rozemyne. Let's discuss the printing business at your room."

The one who greeted me at the castle was Mother.

It was Angelica, whose life at the Temple was actually a continuous series of surprises.

The dedication ceremony was also safely (?) completed, and we've returned to the castle.

Next up is Mother and the Haldenzel printing business.