Discussion of the Inter-territorial Tournament and Justus's Cross-Dressing

"I've heard that Justus will be accompanying you today, Lady, but regardless of whether it's Lord Sylvester's or young Lord Ferdinand's orders, are you truly all right with this?"

The moment I woke up, Rihyarda greeted me with a deeply troubled expression and posed precisely this question. Learning that her son would be cross-dressing and serving as an attendant, I could well imagine the terrible headache it must be giving Rihyarda as his mother.

"I am somewhat anxious, but the information Brother Wilfried and I have is clearly insufficient, so I have no choice. Justus was recommended by Lord Ferdinand, so I trust he won't make any mistakes."

...I felt bad for Rihyarda, who was clearly worried sick, but I had to admit I was partly motivated by sheer curiosity—or perhaps more accurately, I was genuinely interested in seeing Justus cross-dress.

Today, I was scheduled to visit the library in the morning to supply Magic Power to Schwarz and Weiss, then meet with Anastasius in the afternoon. Justus would be cross-dressing and accompanying me as my attendant for the occasion.

We were rotating attendants for the day, and Rihyarda would be taking over Traugott's attendant duties.

"Justus prioritizes the work he enjoys above all else, so I imagine Traugott's care will be the very last thing on his mind. You'll need to keep a sharp eye on just how much work Justus is actually doing as an attendant."

She was going to check every last detail with a fine-toothed comb, wasn't she? Rihyarda's dark eyes glinted as she spoke.

After breakfast and before the library opened, we held discussions about the Inter-territorial Tournament in the multipurpose hall.

The Inter-territorial Tournament, if thinking about it in terms of my previous life in Japan, was something like a combined cultural festival and sports festival. Royalty from the center, Aub from other territories, and the students' guardians all came to watch, so it was an opportunity for students to showcase their strengths and put their best foot forward.

There were those who tried too hard to impress their lover's parents in hopes of securing permission to marry, and professors who turned what was supposed to be a student showcase into a platform for their own research presentations. Apparently, all manner of hijinks occurred every year.

First, for the knight apprentices, it was a Ditter face-off. They competed to see who could defeat the magical beasts summoned by their professors as quickly as possible. The results were immediately visible, individual achievements were easy to spot, and the spectacle was impressive—making it the crown jewel of the Inter-territorial Tournament.

There was a significant gap in ability between large territories that could field a full selection of participants and small territories where everyone had to compete regardless of skill, but that too was a reflection of a territory's power.

Ehrenfest was a middle territory closer to the small end of the spectrum. While it had vast lands, its population was on the smaller side, meaning it had to compensate for its lack of numbers with raw ability.

However, based on what I'd seen of our knight apprentices so far, that ability was still somewhat... shall we say, they had plenty of room for growth. Through Magic Power compression to boost their magical reserves, studying magical beasts, and training in formations and teamwork, they should be able to climb the rankings.

"According to Leonore's instructions—based on research into the magical beasts' weaknesses and past battle records—Angelica and I will be leading the offensive this year. Embarrassingly, we still can't really call what we're doing coordinated teamwork."

Cornelius's words were met with a nod from Angelica. After fighting against Dunkelfelger, they had learned the importance of coordination, but apparently they had only just begun practicing it. Her grandfather had said he would train them starting in spring, so next year things should be considerably better.

"I'm planning to bestow the Blessing of the God of War upon the knight apprentices before the Ditter begins, but would that be considered unsportsmanlike?"

"...Lady Rozemyne's Blessing is a valuable strategy that Ehrenfest can employ. If you would pray for our Ditter victory at the dormitory before we depart, I can think of nothing more reassuring."

From Leonore's words, I gathered this was a rather grey—bordering on black—level of sneaky trick: so long as other territories didn't find out about it.

For the apprentice retainers of the scholarly faction, the Inter-territorial Tournament was a chance to present their research—improvements and inventions of Magical Tools, potions, and the like. Bearing their finished prototypes and compiled research documents, they would pitch their expertise to the central territories.

The Chief Priest had apparently debuted his own Magical Tools here, sold them to the center, and made a fortune. Since his graduation, the Hirschur research presentation had apparently become a fixture of the event for years on end.

"Hartmut, will you be presenting anything?"

"I am conducting research on Lady Rozemyne's practices, but I have not yet reached conclusions worthy of presentation."

...I could have sworn I just heard something terrifying, but maybe I was imagining it?

"To be precise, it is a study of the differences between the magic taught and used at the Noble Academy and the Blessings and Divine Protections that Lady Rozemyne employs. At the Noble Academy, one must first acquire the will of the gods and obtain a starp before one can handle Divine Protections. Lady Rozemyne, however, was able to use Divine Protections even without a starp, correct?"

"Don't we give Blessings during greetings as well?"

Even without a starp, everyone performed Blessings after receiving the magic-stone during their Baptism Ceremony. At my words, Hartmut's eyes widened slightly.

"I'm not referring to Blessings that merely expel Magic Power, but rather those where one offers prayers in the name of the gods and receives effective Divine Protections. To me, those are two entirely different things, but to Lady Rozemyne, they appear to be the same."

"A new discovery," Hartmut said, but it was just as revelatory to me. To my mind, everything was a prayer offered to the gods. Greetings, Blessings at the Temple, Divine Protections—they all involved speaking the gods' names and releasing Magic Power.

...Ah, but maybe there was a difference between when I felt my Magic Power being drawn out on its own versus when I consciously channeled it in? There were probably all sorts of variations I didn't fully understand, so I decided to stop thinking about it.

"In any case, Hartmut, you really should conduct some more meaningful research."

"You're right. Next year, I'll present research that's actually ready. Since Lady Rozemyne's research wouldn't be complete even in a lifetime, I plan to devote myself to it properly after graduation."

...Stop! Don't make that your life's work!

"This year's research presentations will focus mainly on Schwarz and Weiss, Lady Rozemyne."

Philine said this to me as I clutched my head. Apparently, all sorts of research was needed to create their new attire, and since Ehrenfest had to tackle it as a united front, Hirschur had made it the main research topic.

"That must be why you were so desperate for Lord Ferdinand's materials yesterday. I was quite surprised by Professor Hirschur."

At Philine's wistful tone, I recalled yesterday's events.

Having learned of my return through an ordonnanz, Hirschur had burst into the dormitory yesterday afternoon with a fierce, almost ghostly expression, intent on collecting the Chief Priest's gift.

The one who dealt with her was Justus. In exchange for the research materials on Schwarz and Weiss, he had Dunkelfelger agree to decline any Ditter rematches, and had them commit to never challenging me to a rematch again.

When handing over the materials, Justus had said, "Once you confirm that my request has been completed, I'll deliver the other half," which apparently spurred Hirschur into immediate action. She came to collect the remaining half before dinner that very day.

Hartmut had remarked, watching Hirschur descend like a storm, grab the bundle of documents, and vanish just as suddenly, "I never expected the negotiation to be settled in less than the time it takes to ring a bell once. This is the first time I've learned that Professor Hirschur is competent in matters beyond research."

...Between the adoptive father and Professor Hirschur, it seemed like the people at the very top of Ehrenfest were the type to act entirely according to their own whims. What a handful.

For the apprentice attendants, the Inter-territorial Tournament was an opportunity to host guests and set new trends.

Apparently, in previous years, Ehrenfest had received virtually no visitors beyond the guardians of their own territory.

Without something new or noteworthy to offer, visitors from other territories naturally kept their distance. The Inter-territorial Tournament didn't last very long, so people naturally gravitated toward whatever caught their interest or wherever crowds were gathering.

Even the guardians and Aub and Aubess Ehrenfest themselves immediately headed to other territories to build connections. Since no one was going to come to you, you had no choice but to go to them.

Brunhilde had apparently been terribly frustrated that no matter how much she honed her hosting skills, there had been nowhere to put them to use.

This year, however, they had Rinshan, hair ornaments, quatre-quarts, and Plant Paper—plenty of things to showcase. Ehrenfest had already been drawing considerable attention during the socializing period so far, so Brunhilde was eager to polish everyone's hair with Rinshan, just as she had during the advancement ceremony.

Lieseleta had been saying she was "beside herself with worry, not knowing how many guests to expect." Justus had apparently said that with two Lord candidates—myself and Wilfried—and with new trends being born, things were different from before; no matter how much you prepared, you could never feel fully ready.

As long as any hiccups stayed within manageable bounds, it would be fine, but if things spiraled out of control, the results could be worse than last year.

"Oh my? Who might that be?"

Suddenly, an unfamiliar woman entered the multipurpose hall. She bore a striking resemblance to Rihyarda, but the real Rihyarda was standing behind me. It had to be someone else.

The moment I wondered who it could be, my eyes fell upon Traugott, who was covering his face in a gesture that practically begged for mercy. When I turned around to look, Rihyarda was grimacing with undisguised disgust.

Wondering who on earth this was, the woman threaded her way through the crowd, glided forward with poise, and knelt gracefully before me.

...This is Justus in disguise! Amazing—he actually looks like a refined middle-aged woman!

Before me stood not the Justus I was familiar with, but a middle-aged woman who looked remarkably like Rihyarda, differing only in her younger-looking complexion. Since it was winter and everyone wore high-collared clothing, the Adam's apple was completely hidden, and with gloves neatly in place, the only exposed skin was her face.

Justus had always had an androgynous face, so makeup suited him well. Whether through padding or some other trick, he appeared slightly broader than Rihyarda, but the overall impression was unsettlingly seamless. His hair color appeared to have been changed as well—rather than grey, it now had a brownish tint.

"I'm terribly sorry to have kept you waiting. How does it look, Lady?"

"...Justus, you can even change your voice?"

"You simply need to slightly alter the way you project it."

By changing the resonating point, he could apparently produce a womanly voice. His gestures were thoroughly feminine—whether from careful observation of women, dedicated practice on his own, or simply from cross-dressing so often that he had grown used to it. It reminded me of how onnagata in kabuki or noh theater studied and trained to achieve feminine movements that surpassed those of ordinary women.

"If there are no issues with this, I would like to attend the ladies' tea parties in this guise as well."

"If there are no issues throughout the day, I see no objection."

"Then, while in this form, please call me Gudrun."

"...Gudrun?"

My head tilted and Traugott let out a wail at almost exactly the same moment.

"Uncle, please—I am begging you—stop introducing yourself with Mother's name while looking like that! There are plenty of female names closer to your own, like Justina or Justine!"

"Oh, how embarrassing, Traugott, getting so flustered like that. ...Besides, the fact that you can only think of names connected to your own identity is precisely why you keep failing."

Chuckling softly, Justus's cross-dressed form apparently bore a strong resemblance to Traugott's mother, Gudrun. The students weren't merely dumbfounded—they wore complex expressions that suggested they actually knew Gudrun.

Traugott, who had been assigned his cross-dressing uncle as an attendant, looked on the verge of tears, clutching his head and pleading, "I truly beg you to reconsider." The gazes that had previously been filled with criticism and contempt gradually shifted toward warm sympathy. Their looks practically whispered, "How pitiful..."

...Could gathering sympathy for Traugott actually be part of the plan? No, he didn't seem to be thinking that far ahead at all.

Watching Justus maintain his perfect feminine composure even while Traugott ranted in distress, Hartmut looked at me with a troubled expression, as though he had been handed an impossible assignment.

"...Lady Rozemyne, this cross-dressing—is it truly a necessary skill for a retainer, for a scholar? I'm deeply ashamed to say I possess no such ability. If Lady Rozemyne wishes me to acquire it, I will of course devote myself to it with the utmost sincerity."

I had told Justus to learn scholarly work from Hartmut, but I certainly hadn't told him to learn cross-dressing. I hurriedly shook my head.

"Hartmut, you need not learn to cross-dress or anything of the sort. I am not asking that of you. There are other ways—educating female scholars to gather the information you need, or collaborating with them. This cross-dressing is Justus's personal hobby, not a skill I'm requesting from you."

At my words, the apprentice scholars around us visibly relaxed, while Justus looked slightly dissatisfied.

"It is not a hobby, Lady. It is the most efficient method for gathering information. If one wants reliable intelligence gathered through one's own eyes and ears, is it not a practical and convenient skill to possess?"

"...An efficient method?"

"Hartmut, don't let him sway you!"

Sensing danger as Hartmut's expression turned serious and he began to seriously contemplate the idea, I hastily intervened. Justus smiled and stopped me in turn, then began extolling the virtues of cross-dressing to Hartmut and the assembled students alike.

"Lady, it is not about being swayed—it is about what one chooses for oneself. If one believes that firsthand information is more reliable than secondhand, then one should pragmatically accept cross-dressing as a skill and master it..."

"Be silent, Justus! Don't you dare drag Ottlie's son, who has such a bright future ahead of him, down this path!"

The thunder of Rihyarda—as his mother—struck at last, and Justus flinched with a look that said, "Oops." He had apparently been holding back as my attendant until the very last moment, but her patience had finally snapped. Rihyarda's furious lecture began in earnest.

Because Justus's appearance so closely resembled Rihyarda's, it was almost as if there were two Rihyardas—one wearing a mother's stern expression, the other pulling the face of a son caught misbehaving—and the absurdity of it was almost comical.

"I am only assigning you to the Lady because Lord Ferdinand and Aub Ehrenfest have ordered it! I am deeply reluctant about this! And should you do anything to tarnish Ehrenfest's reputation while in that form, I have been granted the authority to deal with you personally. Don't you forget that. Understood?"

"...Understood perfectly, Mother."

With Rihyarda finally putting a stop to Justus's rampage, I was at last able to head to the library.

Escorted out by a worried Rihyarda and a Traugott clutching his stomach, I made my way to the library with Gudrun—who was really Justus—and my other retainers. It had been a while since I last saw Schwarz and Weiss.

"Welcome home, Lady." "Welcome home, Lady."

Schwarz and Weiss toddled over when they spotted me, circling around me and repeating, "Welcome home, welcome home." Being greeted so warmly made me happy.

As I stroked the magic stones on their foreheads to supply Magic Power, I took a good look around the library. There were many gaps between the bookshelves—it looked rather sparse.

"Professor Solange, the shelves seem quite bare, don't they?"

"Welcome back, Lady Rozemyne. The final examinations are fast approaching, after all. Everyone must be studying desperately. There are plenty of gaps on the regular shelves lately, but the carrels are all full."

Solange was right. Unlike the library I remembered from before, today it was packed with users. There was no whispering, but the constant sounds of people moving about rippled through the air like gentle waves. The usual relaxed atmosphere had given way to the palpable tension unique to pre-examination season.

People were fighting over reference books and carrels, and I could see my classmates growing anxious as they rushed to complete their courses.

"If you plan to read today, it might be better to do so in your own room."

"Actually, I spent far too long away in Ehrenfest, so from now until graduation I've been told to focus entirely on socializing. I'd love nothing more than to read in the library, but..."

"Oh my, oh my..."

Solange giggled and encouraged me, "Socializing is an important part of your studies at the Noble Academy. If it's you, Lady Rozemyne, I'm sure you'll be fine."

Watching this exchange, Gudrun tilted her head and pressed a hand to her cheek as though lost in thought.

"Once you've finished your social obligations for the day, there's no harm in reading during your break. Shall we borrow one volume and head back?"

"Gudrun, is that really all right?"

...Justus may be eccentric, but he's a capable and kind person!

I could feel my fondness for him rising as Gudrun smiled with a slightly wry expression.

"In your case, Lady, having a small reward to look forward to tends to boost motivation."

"That settles it. Then, let's go find a book right away."

"There isn't time for that. Schwarz, Weiss—please process the checkout for one volume that the Lady has never borrowed before."

Gudrun pressed down on my shoulder, firmly enough to make escape impossible. Despite the feminine gloves, the grip was unmistakably masculine—the strength was different from Rihyarda's.

Still startled by the unexpectedly rough texture of his hand, I watched as Schwarz and Weiss toddled into action.

"Understood. Starting now." "Processing checkout."

And so, with Gudrun carrying my freshly borrowed book, I set off toward the dormitory in high spirits. Watching Gudrun glide along with feminine grace, a piece of information I'd heard before suddenly surfaced in my memory.

"Gudrun, where is the Library of Forbidden Books? You told me about it once, didn't you?"

To be precise, it was information Stuerlia had shared with me one night to help me stay awake. While the number of Librarians and the size of the collection may have changed, the existence of the Library of Forbidden Books surely hadn't.

Or perhaps it had become a library that was no longer forbidden—but either way, that change didn't matter to me.

"I don't recall ever hearing about such a thing. Is this about the Noble Academy?"

Even the retainers turned curious eyes toward Gudrun at the intriguing words "Library of Forbidden Books." Gudrun smiled gently and shook her head.

"I don't know where it is. During my time as a student, the Librarian at the time mentioned that there was a library that only members of the royal family could open."

"...What? If only royals can open it, then I wouldn't be allowed inside either!"

You can't just get my hopes up and then dash them! I puffed out my cheeks, and Gudrun looked at me in surprise.

"What? You actually intended to enter the Library of Forbidden Books?"

"If there are books in there, it's only natural to want to read them."

"...I wonder how many people share that same thought?"

When Gudrun tilted her head and said that, I felt oddly dissatisfied. The way she said it—as though she herself had no desire to see what was inside—was a bit irritating, especially when I would happily storm the lower city for information and had gone to such lengths with the cross-dressing.

"Gudrun, don't you want to know what kinds of books are in there and what they contain?"

"...If I could get in, I'm sure I would want to. But the moment it's stated that non-royals cannot open it, most people simply give up. That's the normal reaction."

She shook her head and told me it wasn't like crashing a tea party, where you could just sneak in if you put your mind to it. I shot her a small glare for suddenly talking like an ordinary person.

"Gudrun, that statement practically implies that I'm not normal."

"Lady, are you perhaps completely unaware?"

"...Ugh, I'm somewhat aware."

"Oh, thank goodness," Gudrun said with visible relief. "Somewhat?" Cornelius echoed in a tone of genuine surprise.

...Right? Just somewhat, isn't it?

My apologies—I'm guilty of false advertising.

We never made it to the audience with the Prince. That's Justus's and Hartmut's fault.

Traugott ended up receiving everyone's sympathetic gazes.

Rihyarda now has even more people she needs to keep from running wild, and she's overwhelmed.

Next time, I will meet with the Prince. And then—tea parties galore.