……Library, library, I can go to the library~!
In high spirits from the morning, I pinned on the library committee armband while Brünhilde scowled at me, saying, "I really don't think it matches your outfit," and headed to the dining hall.
"Let's go to the library right away today."
"I'm sorry, but the attendants who can accompany you to the library aren't available, so please wait until tomorrow."
I was promptly shut down by
"
"……Understood."
I meekly nodded before Cornelius's pitch-black eyes that brooked no argument. I understood that this was an important lecture for the knight apprentices and my selfishness couldn't take priority, but my spirits plummeted nonetheless.
……I worked so hard to pass on the first try, jeez.
"Rozemyne, this is exactly why I've been holding onto these books from
"An excellent idea,
If I can't go to the library, there's nothing to be done. I'd spend the day reading the books Hartmut had borrowed from the Chief Priest. Preparing the groundwork for my ideal library made my heart race. My spirits lifted with a gentle flutter.
"You managed Ferdinand's assignment brilliantly last time, so I'm confident you can handle this one too."
As Hartmut said, I'd managed to pass the previous task of condensing the magic circles described across multiple books into a single magic circle. Theoretically, it shouldn't have been wrong. If it worked properly, I could return overdue books to the library automatically.
……Not just return them to the library—all the way back to the shelf, on their own. That was what I had strived for. Hartmut helped me with about seventy percent of it, though.
He told me I was being too greedy cramming everything into one magic circle, but I didn't think it was a bad thing to be greedy for the sake of an ideal library. Since I was told to combine them into one circle, I packed in as much as I possibly could.
"Now then, Princess. Here are today's books."
After finishing breakfast and waiting in my room, Richarta thumped the books she'd borrowed from Hartmut onto my desk. Philine and I would read through them together together.
"Oh, I wonder what kind of books they'll be today? Ah, Rozemyne, there's a note tucked inside again."
According to the Chief Priest's assignment memo that Philine picked up, if I took the magic circle used in the small-voice magical tool employed during
……This time's assignment includes embroidery too.
As I sighed at the Chief Priest's assignments, which kept growing in difficulty, Philine encouraged me by saying, "Being able to read in a quiet environment is wonderful, so let's do our best."
Apparently, last year while I was away for the Dedication Ceremony, Philine had been hard at work at the Noble Academy collecting stories and making copies. When the final exams approached and more users started flooding in, she was quite surprised by how noisy the library became.
"Most of the people who came to the library were from lower-ranking territories, and there were fights over reference materials and carrels, so I found it rather difficult to approach."
As a lower-ranking noble, Philine was the type who would be pushed aside by overbearing nobles, so whenever I was absent, she would borrow books for copying and leave the library immediately to return to the dormitory.
"I was safeguarding the deposit for borrowing books from Rozemyne, and Judith came along with me, so carrying the books wasn't terribly dangerous. But lower-ranking nobles from lower-ranking territories couldn't borrow and take books home, so they had to study using carrels only. It must have been very difficult."
Philine's account sounded like it was describing a completely different place from the library I knew. I had no idea the Noble Academy's library had become such a hostile environment.
"If the principle of free access were in place, fights over carrels would probably decrease, but……"
Without a deposit, you couldn't borrow anything, which was why the fights over carrels happened. Of course, if more people borrowed books, then more people would run into problems when books ran out. Spreading printing so that everyone could get the books they needed—that was probably the only way forward.
……When should I start expanding printing? I can't make that decision yet without watching how
No matter how much I thought about it, there was almost nothing I could do about the Noble Academy library. Right now, my only contribution was providing Magic Power to
"Rozemyne, is something the matter?"
"No, it's nothing. Let's keep reading."
Today's magic circle task wasn't difficult. I just had to change the range of the soundproofing magic circle, and that was it. Hartmut had definitely gotten the order of books wrong.
No sooner had I thought, "I wish he'd give me easy tasks first instead of jumping straight to hard ones," than Judith, who had finished her morning lectures, came calling: "I'm back, Rozemyne. It's time for lunch."
……Oh, he hadn't gotten the order wrong. He'd gauged exactly how long it would take me to finish reading each book and timed it accordingly. ……It was definitely the Chief Priest's doing.
I felt like the books were sorted by how long they'd take: half a day, a full day, several days' worth of assignment. It was just like how Ferdinand, when entrusting me with materials for
……My treatment was exactly the same as Hirschur's! Somehow that stung.
In the afternoon, I spent time on Fespield practice and prep work for next year. The next day, I put on my armband and headed to the library in high spirits. My guard knights were Leonore and Judith, my attendants were Hartmut and Philine, and my side attendants were Richarta and Lizelote.
"Princess came."
"Princess reads books?"
Schwartz and Weiss approached me with little hops, and I stroked the magic stones on their foreheads to supply them with Magic Power.
"My, you've arrived quite early. Rozemyne never ceases to amaze me."
"Solange, I've finished my second-year lectures. From now until the Dedication Ceremony, I'll be visiting the library as often as possible."
When Solange asked if that wasn't earlier than last year, I nodded emphatically. Last year, I hadn't gotten a first-try pass on the practical horsebeast creation, which had taken up time. This year, including the practicals, I'd passed on the first try, so it went much faster.
Next year, I planned to take both the attendant course and the lord candidate course, so I was sure that would take longer.
"I wanted to come to the library as soon as possible. I also wanted to deliver the outfits for Schwartz and Weiss. When should we schedule the change of clothes?"
I had heard that at the Lord's Conference, even the central territories were worried about whether Ehrenfest could make them, but since the Chief Priest had approved the results, there shouldn't be a problem.
"Princess, amazing."
"New outfits."
It seemed that receiving new outfits from their new Master was an important thing for Schwartz and Weiss, and I could sense them getting a little giddy.
"If possible, I'd like to borrow a room in the library for changing Schwartz and Weiss's outfits. I understand it's normally done in the Master's room, but given the commotion that happened last year when I brought them out, I'd rather avoid a repeat."
It was best to nip potential disturbances in the bud. When I said this, Solange surveyed the reading room and smiled. "If it's before the increase in users, I can certainly lend you a room." The fact that a request that had been turned down last year was now accepted showed how much closer my relationship with Solange had become, and that made me a little happy.
"When would be best? Lizelote, do you have a preference?"
"My preference?"
"Yes. You put the most effort into the embroidery on Schwartz and Weiss's outfits, so it's only natural to accommodate your ability to be present, isn't it?"
Lizelote began to seriously consider it. The way her deep green eyes gleamed as she stared into the void reminded me of
"How about three days from now in the afternoon? It's when the attendants' schedules align best, and there shouldn't be a lecture from Hirschur."
If Schwartz and Weiss were going to change outfits, Hirschur might ditch her lecture again. Lizelote was incredible for having considered all that and keeping track of Hirschur's lecture schedule.
"I have no objections either, Rozemyne. I'll reserve a room for you on that day."
Once the change-of-clothes day was set, I wanted to schedule the tea party too.
"Solange, about the tea party at the library—
"As long as it's early enough, there's no problem for me. As you can see, we don't have many users right now."
Solange glanced around the empty reading room as she said this, then chuckled softly.
"Then let's hold the tea party early next week. Since we're at it, how about after Schwartz and Weiss's outfit change is done? That way I can show the new outfits to Hannelore. I'm simply beside myself with excitement. I'll be doing library committee work together with Hannelore. Look, I even made an armband."
When I showed the armband on my own arm, Solange tilted her head with a blink.
"The library committee—I believe you mentioned it's for helping out in the library?"
"That's right. When it gets busy, like at the end of last year, I help you and Schwartz and the others."
After the Chief Priest's reminder ordonnance flew out, a flood of book returns had made things chaotic in the library, and I had thoroughly enjoyed my library committee activities there. I was going to do that again. But seeing me swell with anticipation, Solange's eyebrows drooped as though she were in quite the bind.
"Rozemyne, I truly appreciate the sentiment, but during the period when you're here, there are very few users, and we don't need any help."
……How terrible! I was told the library committee wasn't needed!
It was true that the library only got busy after I returned to Ehrenfest from the Dedication Ceremony. In a sparse library like this, there wouldn't be much to help with.
"If you could just provide Magic Power to Schwartz and Weiss, that alone would be plenty. I can't impose on a lord candidate any further than that."
Pushing back after being refused by Solange would lead to using authority as leverage. I wanted to do library committee work, but I didn't want to resort to coercion. When I slumped my shoulders in disappointment, Hartmut leaned in slightly and lowered his voice.
"Rozemyne, weren't you going to ask about what kinds of magical tools are used in the library? Improving magical tools could count as library committee work that benefits the library."
"Hartmut, thank you so much."
Hartmut's suggestion made me snap to attention. There had to be a form of library committee work befitting a lord candidate that wouldn't get in Solange's way. I pulled myself together and asked Solange a question.
"Solange, are there any magical tools currently in use at the library, or any that you think will be needed going forward?"
"Why do you ask?"
I puffed out my chest and answered Solange, who tilted her head with a hand on her cheek.
"Because I intend to build my own library someday, and I want to know how the Noble Academy library is managed."
"Oh my, your own library? What a grand and wonderful dream."
Solange smiled and told me all about the library's magical tools.
Beyond the tool I already knew—the one that emitted light to prompt people to leave—there were many others, and apparently the building itself was inscribed with magic circles designed to maintain the ideal environment for books.
……That's incredible!
In the books I'd read during my Urano days, medieval scriptoria—mainly those in stone monasteries and churches—were unsuitable for preserving papyrus. Within a few years it would mold or rot, so books shipped from distant lands had to be hurriedly copied onto parchment, or rewritten onto fresh papyrus every few years—preservation was a nightmare. I'd read that although papyrus was cheaper than parchment, you simply couldn't preserve it.
Stone walls could become terribly damp depending on the temperature, so wooden panels had to be installed wherever books were kept. But the Noble Academy library had apparently overcome this enormous problem with a single magic circle.
"It's a shame I can't show you the magic circles on the building itself, but there are books in the Royal Palace library with descriptions of magic circles. And the central Treasury also has, if I recall, magic circles for maintaining the temperature and humidity appropriate for library management, just like the ones here."
……The central territories' magic circles were on another level. Ehrenfest should take a page from their book.
But if maintaining all those magic circles required Magic Power, then I could understand why Ehrenfest would struggle, and why having fewer nobles would be a problem.
"The Noble Academy library's management is basically taken care of as long as Schwartz and Weiss are around. They handle all book lending and carrel management."
Solange explained that trying to do everything by hand required a large number of people and was incredibly demanding. When she had been running things alone, there had been many areas she simply couldn't reach. Hearing stories like that, I found myself thinking that when I built my Rozemyne Library, I really would want magical tools like Schwartz and Weiss.
"Solange, right now I'm researching a magic circle that automatically returns books once their deadline has passed. I'm contemplating whether this could be incorporated into books."
"That would be very convenient, but enchanting each and every book with a magic circle would require a great deal of Magic Power. Rozemyne, you have abundant Magic Power, so you might be able to maintain that many magical tools, but I think it would be quite difficult for most."
Indeed, I had packed so many features into my ideal magic circle that it was an enormous power hog. If I enchanted every single book with a magic circle and actually activated them, it would require a staggering amount of Magic Power. It needed improvement.
"Then, is there a new magical tool you'd personally like to have, Solange?"
"What I'd really like is a magical tool that captures Ferdinand's voice. Last year's reminder was enormously effective, after all. I can't very well ask Ferdinand to help every year, so a tool with his reminder built in would be wonderful."
A recording magical tool already existed, but apparently there had been no opportunity to ask the Chief Priest to record his voice. Seeing how disappointed Solange looked, I tilted my head. I understood—the Chief Priest's voice had been terrifying enough to send every single student sprinting to the library. But for a reminder, I didn't think it necessarily had to be the Chief Priest's voice.
"Wouldn't one of the Noble Academy instructors work? Wouldn't Luefen's voice be effective enough?"
"The Noble Academy instructors' voices are familiar, so considering the impact, I think nothing surpasses the Chief Priest's reminder."
"Everyone was desperate enough to come running with books under their arms, after all. Understood. I'll ask Ferdinand once."
……Even if the Chief Priest was a no-go, maybe if I asked Angelica, I could get a Schtirenlook that would do the trick?
With that thought, I accepted the request to have the Chief Priest's voice recorded in the magical tool.
Next, I moved to Solange's office to have my magic stone returned. Now that I could come to the library on my own, the magic stone that had stored Magic Power was no longer necessary.
"You were a tremendous help by lending me that precious stone. Please extend my thanks to Ferdinand as well."
"I'll make sure to pass that along. ……Come to think of it, Solange, do you happen to know someone called Jiji-sama?"
"Jiji-sama? No, I've never heard of anyone by that name?"
Since it was library-related, I had no choice but to ask Solange, but she didn't know either.
"Schwartz and Weiss said that supplying Magic Power to the Guldreasheit held by the statue of
As I elaborated, Solange lowered her gaze in deep thought for a moment.
"……It might be a magical tool older than Schwartz and Weiss."
"Huh?"
"It's barely functioning now, but this library has many magical tools. Jiji-sama might be one of them."
Solange slowly shifted her gaze toward the back of the office. Then she let out a soft breath and shook her head.
"Unfortunately, I don't know everything about this library. I took on this job as a middle-ranking noble assisting a high-ranking noble. When the high-ranking nobles all disappeared at once, the handover was far from complete."
So many threads of information had been severed, she murmured. The duties of high-ranking and middle-ranking nobles were different, and in the short time between when their fates were decided and their actual departure, a proper handover had been impossible. The magical tools that several high-ranking nobles had been supplying Magic Power for now had to run on a single middle-ranking noble's power—meaning only the bare minimum of tools were still operational.
"If more central nobles come back like they used to and high-ranking nobles are dispatched again, allowing access to their rooms, then more would probably become clear."
Solange looked down sadly for a moment, then turned to me and put on a smile.
"Now, let's put an end to this sort of talk. Rozemyne, please enjoy your reading at your leisure. That's what you came for, isn't it?"
I entrusted the magic stone to Richarta and returned to the reading room with Solange. The moment I opened the door, I saw nearly a dozen people frozen in the reading room that had been empty just moments ago. It seemed they had just entered at the same time.
Just as our eyes went wide in surprise, their eyes also opened wide as they looked at us. At the center was Prince
"I heard there were no students in session, so I came to the library—but why are students here?"
He had apparently sneaked out to visit the library during a time when no one would see him. The fact that his secret retreat was the library—that prince was a very good prince indeed. He was a young prince who had just finished his
"Don't you need to attend lectures? ……You're a lord candidate from Ehrenfest, aren't you?"
……This prince remembered me after meeting only once!?
In addition to being a book lover, Hildebrand seemed very clever. The fact that he remembered me after just one encounter at a social gathering was astonishing. For reference, I was in my second year at the Noble Academy, and I still hadn't matched every lord candidate's face to their name. I had only just managed to learn them all within my own year group. After the Dedication Ceremony, I was fairly confident I'd forgotten a few.
"I finished my lectures specifically so I could read in the library, so I plan to come here nearly every day. I have no intention of troubling Prince Hildebrand, so please don't worry about me and enjoy your reading."
In any case, I had happened upon the prince, but I had absolutely no intention of disrupting a young prince's reading time. Quite the opposite—I encouraged reading. Read more. Read even more. And I hoped that for the book-loving prince's sake, the library's budget would grow and new books would arrive.
I bid the prince a polite farewell, then promptly turned my back on him.
"Schwartz, where are the research materials on improving magic circles and creating magical tools? Weiss, could you show Prince Hildebrand around?"
"Got it, Princess. I'll show Hildebrand the way."
"Princess's books are this way."
Following Schwartz as he led the way and leaving my attendants to their tasks, I headed to the second floor and began reading. As I started perusing research materials for creating magical tools for the library, I noticed that most of the new research results featured Hirschur's name.
……She might be a teacher with all sorts of problems, but she really is the Chief Priest's mentor. Maybe I should ask her about magical tools at least once.
As I'd expected, it didn't look like I'd be doing the kind of library committee work I'd imagined.
Rozemyne established the creation of magical tools for the library as her library committee activity.
Next time: Hirschur's research room.