A few days after
...I'll get to see Turi again for the first time in a while.
When I told
Philine was right—that would require the least effort. But if the winter outfits were sent to the castle, I wouldn't be able to see Turi.
"The craftsman making my hair ornaments isn't yet permitted to enter the castle. That's why I'll continue to receive them here and also place my order for the spring hair ornaments."
I added that I wanted to order my own hair ornaments myself, and Philine nodded in understanding.
Truthfully, since my retainers had begun coming and going from the Temple, there was now even more need to conceal the relationship between Turi and me. On the Chief Priest's orders,
Among the documents Wilma had compiled for
The story went something like this: I, who had no attendants other than those chosen by my guardians, attempted to select my own retainers, which led me to discover the orphanage. I secretly visited it, witnessed its dire state following the reduction in blue priests and shrine maidens, and desperately struggled to save those poor orphans. I ordered my contracted merchant, the Gilberta Company, to establish the Mine Workshop.
Incidentally, the ones the Gilberta Company dispatched when the workshop was founded were Lutz and Turi. Apparently, I was so moved with gratitude for their tireless efforts to save the orphans that I taught Lutz how to build a printing press and Turi how to weave hair ornaments.
Furthermore,
...It's not exactly wrong, but it sure gives me mixed feelings.
According to Wilma, the merit of providing orphans with food and work—guiding them to sustain their own livelihoods rather than simply waiting for charity—was truly admirable. And I, who heard the voices of the gods in my dreams and produced things never seen before, was nothing less than a saint.
...The subjective embellishments are really laying it on thick.
I felt that the phrasing around these parts was distorting the truth, so I pointed out the exaggerated subjective portions and asked for them to be rewritten. Strangely, they came back even more embellished. Apparently, it was the result of "expressing the facts as they truly are."
Wilma told me that Hartmut had been deeply moved by reading the "modest" version of the documents, but I didn't want to think about what that had added to Hartmut's research.
Turi arrived, and the meeting with the Gilberta Company was held in the High Priest's office. Since we were only purchasing hair ornaments, the scholar retainers didn't need to come along, but Hartmut insisted on joining us. With the Temple being littered with Saint's Legends, he apparently found it tremendous fun.
Come to think of it, Hartmut had been submitting meeting requests on his own and was sometimes visiting the Chief Priest's room in the afternoon. I'd heard that in exchange for listening to a few stories, he was being saddled with enormous amounts of work, but since he seemed satisfied, I left him to it.
"Well then, Turi. May I see the hair ornaments?"
"Here they are. We created these to match the winter outfit you ordered, Lady
It was a beautiful flower with petals that graduated from a deep red near the stamen to a vermilion hue at the tips—just like the flower that had been dyed into the fabric my mother had created. The shape was as though the flower pattern on the fabric had been pulled right out of it. It was immediately obvious that it had been made to match the winter outfit.
...Since my mother was the one who dyed the thread, this was basically a collaboration between the two of them.
Just looking at the hair ornament, I could feel the love from both of them, and my cheeks naturally softened.
"It's splendid. You've improved even further, Turi."
"You're too kind."
Turi smiled happily. I had her change my hair ornament as usual and then showed the new one to Philine.
"What do you think, Philine?"
"It suits you wonderfully. You can really tell it was made specifically for you, Lady Rozemyne."
Since Philine praised it, I approved the winter hair ornament and moved on to placing my order for the spring one.
"For spring, green is the noble color, so please make one that evokes the image of fresh young leaves sprouting to life."
"You haven't decided on the fabric for the outfit yet, have you?"
"No. I'll leave the colors and the fine details of the design to Turi. She's never disappointed my expectations before."
When I smiled, thinking, "Turi will be fine, right?" she kept her smile but shot me a look that seemed to say, "Don't pile on the pressure again!"
Nonetheless, all she said was, "I shall dedicate myself wholeheartedly to meeting Lady Rozemyne's expectations."
After the hair ornament exchange was finished, Turi turned her gaze to Otto, and next, Otto opened his mouth with some difficulty.
"From Lady Rozemyne, we received an order for over thirty hair ornaments to be delivered to Lady Rozemyne's attendants. Is that correct?"
"Yes. This year, all the women at the Noble Academy will be wearing hair ornaments, so I asked my attendants to order ones suited to each person's hair color and appearance. These are my orders."
While I was heading to the Harvest Festival,
"I see. Then we'll deliver them along with the winter outfits to the castle. And here are the armbands you ordered. Are these also correct?"
Otto held out the armbands in various colors with a look that seemed to ask, "Do you really want something like this?" They were armbands for me, Hannalore, and for Schwartz and Weiss, embroidered with the characters "Library Committee" in kanji.
Beside them, a small wooden box containing the safety pins Johann had entrusted to them was set down with a soft thud. I'd heard that Johann's apprentice
"Just as specified. Perfect."
Beaming with delight, I wrapped the armband around my arm and instructed Philine to secure it with a safety pin. I was growing increasingly happy about having "Library Committee" on my left arm.
...Nice, nice. I'm a library committee member!
Humming a tune as I bent and straightened my arm, Hartmut suddenly seemed to come to himself.
"Lady Rozemyne, please compose yourself. Your ring..." he said, placing a hand on my shoulder.
I noticed that my ring was faintly glowing, on the verge of releasing a blessing, and hastily suppressed my Magic Power.
"Gilberta Company, today's meeting is concluded."
"It's fine, Hartmut."
"No, it would be prudent not to be careless."
Because my Magic Power had nearly overflowed, Hartmut issued his instructions and the meeting was swiftly concluded. Turi departed with a worried look back over her shoulder.
Fran ordered Monica to fetch divine instruments from the prayer room, then picked me up and hurried back to the High Priest's room.
I thought I could still hold it back fine, but I offered Magic Power to the divine instruments Monica brought and let out a light breath.
"Still, Hartmut certainly noticed quickly."
"I've been receiving various instructions from Lord
...Wait a moment. What exactly have they been teaching you?
"Because these are necessary things for restraining Lady Rozemyne at the Noble Academy."
Hearing the full details of what he had learned from the Chief Priests and Eustachius, I found myself compelled to reflect on my own behavior whether I liked it or not.
...Why did they have to teach him in such detail? That Chief Priest and Eustachius are such idiots!
After receiving the hair ornaments and armbands from Turi, I transferred my residence to the castle. The winter social season was approaching. The winter preparations at the Temple and orphanage were on track, and with the Deduction Ritual preparations handed over to
"I'll return for the Deduction Ritual. Until then, I'll leave everything here in everyone's care."
"Understood. We look forward to your swift return."
I loaded the ceremonial garments and decorations for the
Upon arriving at the castle, the winter outfits and hair ornaments from the Gilberta Company were promptly delivered. The preparations for the winter social season and the Noble Academy advanced steadily.
It was during this time that Mother relayed a question from
"Lord Ferdinand, my precious fish may end up being discarded at this rate! Precious fish! Even if they can't be prepared as meals, I would at least like to take custody of them and manage them myself."
I sent an orotund plea to the Chief Priest, who had banned fish dishes, hoping to manage the fish myself, but received the reply, "You are not permitted to take custody."
"There are numerous scenarios that could lead to complications—contacting Aurelia, secretly attempting to cook them, involving
My fish were placed under the care of the Chief Priest, who wished to avoid trouble.
Apparently, it wouldn't be proper for Aurelia to make direct contact with the Chief Priest to present gifts, so the arrangement was for Aurelia to give presents to Mother, who would then share them with the Chief Priest as rare items she had come upon—a pretense that provided a reason for the Chief Priest to manage them.
Noble customs are troublesome, but this way the fish wouldn't be discarded for the time being, and Mother was delighted upon learning that the Chief Priest would be contacting her. So, well, it was fine.
By the time I was reassured that the fish had been properly delivered from Mother to the Chief Priest, the nobles had returned to the Noble District and the winter social season had begun.
The winter social season started with the Baptism Ceremony and debutante presentation, followed by the ceremony awarding brooches and mantles to the new first-year students heading to the Noble Academy, which concluded with luncheon.
Since I wasn't participating in either the Baptism Ceremony or the award ceremony this year, I was to serve as the High Priest and perform the rituals. I would enter the grand hall alongside the Chief Priest, so I wouldn't come into contact with any nobles. My conversations with nobles would begin in the afternoon.
...That's Giebe Ilgner and Brigitte over there. Ah, Giebe
Standing on the dais to perform the Baptism Ceremony and surveying the grand hall, I could see that the number of nobles I knew from the papermaking and printing industries had grown.
...I really worked hard this past year, didn't I?
Incidentally, even if you didn't know their faces, Aurelia was immediately recognizable as a higher-ranking noble seated closer to the front. She was wearing a veil made from Ehrenfest's newly created dyed fabric, hiding her face as always.
But since she was using the same dyed fabric for her veil as the higher-ranking noble ladies of the Florenzia faction—including my adoptive mother and
I felt that hiding her face was drawing even more attention from those around her, but as an advertisement for the new dyed fabrics, I couldn't imagine anything better.
Since Brother
...I want to apologize for the fish dishes being taken away. She must be missing the taste of her homeland... Come to think of it, what about the other bride?
I scanned the grand hall, searching for the other bride who had come from
The Baptism Ceremony and debutante presentation concluded without incident. After that, the award ceremony took place. I would have liked to see Charlotte receive her mantle, but I needed to change for the luncheon. The Chief Priest and I both made a quick exit the moment the presentation ended and hurried to change.
Matching the brisk pace of guard knights
It was made from fabric my mother had dyed, based on Turi's design.
The bodice was vermilion, with fabric that deepened toward a rich red as it went downward. The long sleeves also darkened in red toward the tips, and the flowers dyed in various colors were adorable.
For the noble color of winter, the floral decorations placed throughout the red outfit were white. The balloon-shaped skirt fell above knee length, with white solid fabric extending to the shins underneath, edged with delicate lace.
The matching hair ornament was also Turi's work. It was perfect.
"Well? What do you think?"
"It suits you wonderfully, my lady."
Richarda smiled with satisfaction as she praised me. I was thoroughly pleased as well.
After luncheon, the real socializing began. This year too, I was to head to the grand hall with Wilfried and Charlotte, and the conversation along the way continued from luncheon—the topic being the Noble Academy.
"This year, I'll finally be going to the Noble Academy with my brother and sister, just like everyone else. I'm looking forward to it. Last year, being left behind alone at the castle was lonely."
Charlotte laughed happily, her balloon-shaped skirt matching mine thanks to the fabric chosen in the dyeing competition. Even though we both used dyed fabric and the skirts had a similar shape, the different preferences meant she wore a rose-toned red that suited her, giving an entirely different impression.
"A few days before departing for the Noble Academy, the first-year students study in the children's room using the reference books made by the previous year's upperclassmen, correct?"
As I nodded to Charlotte's words, Wilfried opened his mouth with an expression caught between laughter and teasing.
"Rozemyne, you intend to continue the Academic Improvement Committee's activities this year as well, yes? You'll be told by the second-years that providing reference books to the first-years constitutes aiding the enemy."
"Oh my. All the second-years and above finished their lectures early last year, giving everyone room to prepare for the following year. First-years need that time to study as well, don't they? A game is no fun unless it's played fairly."
The scope of the first-years' desk studies wasn't particularly broad, and aside from geography and history, what they'd studied in the children's room was more than sufficient. If they spent a few days in the children's room studying geography and history before heading to lectures, I thought it would make for a reasonably even match.
"I hate to say this to you and Wilfried, but this year, the apprentice knights will emerge victorious. Angelica has graduated, after all. We all worked together to try to teach her—how to explain things so she could understand—so we've all become quite confident in our desk studies."
Brother
"I see. So I was actually being useful to everyone, even if I was causing trouble."
Now that she'd graduated and had nothing to fear, Angelica declared proudly, "This year's apprentice knights are strong." Indeed, I thought, the knight course had surely become more formidable. As I was thinking this, Hartmut gave a slight shrug.
"In previous years, reference books and note-taking paper were scarce, making it difficult for lower-ranking nobles to improve their grades. Plant Paper was distributed to them, and upper-ranking nobles who aimed for victory engaged in mutual teaching. So grades were competitive across the board."
Representing the scholars, Hartmut spoke with equal confidence, noting that it was different from last year when the knight course alone had good reference books with no preparation elsewhere. Brigitte nodded in agreement with his words.
"Yes, indeed. We shared information at the Noble Academy last year and each created reference books for our respective years. The apprentice attendants will emerge victorious this year."
"If we wish to keep up with Lady Rozemyne, who tries to finish her lectures and head to the library as quickly as possible, then we too must finish our lectures as soon as we can..."
"I see. My library visits are contributing to my retainers' academic improvement as well."
"Lady Rozemyne, please stop imitating your sister."
Lieseleta scolded me, and I shrugged as I deflected the topic and their gazes.
"Come to think of it, the Lord's children won't be present. What will happen to the children's room this year? Did Charlotte hear anything from our father?"
"Teacher
"Unlike you lot, I won't be hosting tea gatherings that require musicians."
Wilfried said that for practice at the Noble Academy or for any social occasions that absolutely required it, they could borrow Charlotte's musician or my
It was obvious to everyone that the studies in the children's room had a major impact on the grades of Ehrenfest's children, so it appeared that staffing arrangements had been made to maintain the current state. Moritz had been involved in managing the children's room for four years already, so it should be fine to leave it to him.
"It's not as though the Lord's children are always present in the children's room, so this is a good opportunity to consider what to do when they're not."
Upon entering the grand hall, a great many nobles were already present. Of course, since Wilfried, Charlotte, and I were all involved in the papermaking and printing industries, numerous nobles came to greet us.
The first to approach were the Giebe Groschel couple—Brigitte's parents. They had started the papermaking and printing businesses in Groschel, but had encountered numerous difficulties and were working hard to get things on track.
"Giebe Groschel, how are things with the papermaking and printing businesses?"
"For this winter's printing run, we'll be purchasing both paper and metal type to carry out the work. In papermaking, since we simply can't produce white paper no matter what, the craftsmen are considering whether we might be able to make colored paper from the start instead. We're currently exploring whether Aub Ehrenfest might be persuaded to apply the Entwicken process for Groschel's sake."
The Magical Tool for purifying water was something the Chief Priest had said would "consume an absurd amount of Magic Power." Introducing it right away would be difficult. It seemed they were considering, at minimum, cleaning up Groschel's lower town to the same standard as Ehrenfest's, in hopes of reducing water contamination somewhat.
"If you're going to request my father's assistance, I would also recommend approaching the matter from the angle that beautification is necessary not only for the papermaking business, but also for welcoming merchants from other territories. The acceptance of foreign merchants is a problem for all of Ehrenfest."
I'd heard that the Entwicken performed in Ehrenfest—which had laid underground water and sewage pipes—had concluded using less Magic Power than anticipated. If that was the case, then the excess Magic Power should simply be used where it was needed.
...If handled well, I think this could bring Giebe Groschel over to Father's side.
Having condemned his own mother and distanced himself from the former
Of course, whether Father would spend Magic Power for Groschel's sake was his decision, and whether they could build a true alliance remained uncertain. But how to make the request, how to win their support, how to gain advantage from it—this would be a chance for both Giebe Groschel and Father to demonstrate their social prowess.
"With Lady Rozemyne's endorsement, that would be most reassuring."
I smiled and nodded in return to Brigitte's smile.
After finishing my conversation with the Giebe Groschel couple, the next to greet me were the Giebe Haldenzel couple. After their lengthy pleasantries, I asked about how Haldenzel, where spring had arrived early, had fared.
"The snow melted early, and with favorable weather, this year's harvest increased dramatically. Even I was astonished that Haldenzel could produce such a yield."
In Haldenzel, where snowmelt was late and the summer season short, poor harvests were the norm. But this year, thanks to the Prayer Ritual bringing spring overnight, the warm period had been extended, and the harvest had nearly doubled compared to normal years.
"But it wasn't all good news, was it? With the summer being so hot, were there people who fell ill?"
"I too feared how hot the summer would become with the early snowmelt, but it wasn't that severe. It felt as though spring's climate lasted quite a long time. In Haldenzel, there are no weaklings who would fall ill simply from a stretch of warm days. They couldn't survive in our environment otherwise."
...I would collapse, personally. I'm terribly sensitive to climate changes.
"However, the drastic shift in climate did alter the timing of monster activity, and the hunters had quite a difficult time."
Demon trees showing abnormal growth, magic beasts appearing at unexpected times—there had been considerable trouble.
"But such hardships are trivial. Because Lady Rozemyne became High Priest and taught us the ancient passages in the Holy Book, the people of Haldenzel can now pass this winter without a single worry."
Giebe Haldenzel said this, then knelt before me. He took my hand. This was the gesture of utmost gratitude.
With numerous nobles watching wide-eyed, Giebe Haldenzel gently pressed his forehead to the back of my hand.
"On behalf of all the people of Haldenzel, I offer my deepest gratitude to Ehrenfest's saint."
I received hair ornaments from Turi, got excited over the armband, and was stopped by Hartmut.
Hartmut is expected to be active at the Noble Academy.
And the Giebes who started the printing industry are doing their best.
Next, we head to the Noble Academy.