My Adoptive Father's Orders

The so-called "Miracle of Haldenzel," currently the talk of noble society, apparently refers to the events of the prayer ceremony at Haldenzel, when I pointed out that something was different from what was written in the Holy Book, Geibe Haldenzel decided to "try following the Holy Book exactly," and as a result, the Thunder Goddess Flutranne enthusiastically melted all the snow overnight, bringing about early-summer weather ahead of schedule.

"You say I revived an old ritual, but it was Geibe Haldenzel's decision to follow the Holy Book, and it was the women of Haldenzel who carried out the ceremony. I don't think I revived anything… Wasn't it the women of Haldenzel who sang the song and supplied the Magic Power?"

"That may be true, but still…"

My adoptive mother smiled softly and told me about Haldenzel this year.

Just as Geibe Haldenzel had explained at the start of the social season, the complete snowmelt overnight meant that Haldenzel could do fieldwork earlier and longer than usual, and their harvest had nearly doubled. However, the effects of that ceremony were limited to Haldenzel alone. As I'd seen from my ride back on my riding beast, the Thunder Goddess Flutranne's blessing ended sharply at the border, and the surrounding lands had their usual climate.

Naturally, the geibe of the neighboring territories asked Haldenzel what had happened. Geibe Haldenzel, putting aside his own responsibility for the decision, reportedly answered, "It was a miracle performed by Ehrenfest's Saint."

…Don't say something like Hartmut!

"Because of that, questions and meeting requests from numerous geibe about how to conduct the old rituals have been pouring in. What would you like to do?"

"…There's nothing I can answer. Please tell the geibe to direct their questions to Geibe Haldenzel for details. I cannot answer anything they ask me."

I said this and shook my head. My adoptive mother, who hadn't witnessed the ceremony at Haldenzel, looked puzzled and tilted her head. "Rosemine must have advised them, surely?"

"I only pointed out that men and women had been swapped over the course of many years. The people of Haldenzel were the ones who preserved the old lyrics that no one else had kept, and who continued the old rituals. I don't even know where to place people on the stage for that ceremony."

I had realized the song matched the hymns in the Holy Book, but just reading the Holy Book wouldn't have told me to use it as a song during the ritual. Besides, I'd carried out the ceremony together with Geibe Haldenzel at his request, but I'd even missed the timing to stand up and ended up crouching on the stage the whole time. I don't think anyone could call that a miracle of mine.

"Furthermore, if you meet with the other geibe, they'll certainly ask you to come for the next prayer ceremony."

"That's probably their main reason for requesting a meeting. Every geibe would want the earliest possible spring, after all."

My adoptive mother, who'd grown up in Haldenzel where winters are especially long even within Ehrenfest, carefully explained just how much the northern lands longed for the snowmelt. Even this city of Ehrenfest had winters far longer than in the time of Mestionora.

"I understand the desire for spring, but I cannot travel to every territory's prayer ceremony. I went to Haldenzel this year because I planned to bring Gutenberg along, but I have no plans to go next spring."

There were considerations regarding the other blue-robing Priests as well, and practically speaking, it would be difficult for me to visit every territory for reasons of time and physical stamina. I had no intention of going to Haldenzel next spring either.

"…As for me, I'd like to go to Haldenzel because I'd get to read freshly printed books, but if I go to Haldenzel every single year, people will say I'm playing favorites, and that could cause serious problems down the line."

"Indeed, we can't have you heading to Haldenzel all the time."

My adoptive mother nodded and smiled. "So Rosemine wants to go to Haldenzel not for the prayer ceremony, but to read books." As if there could be any other reason for me to move. No, there couldn't.

"Please decline all those citing the Haldenzel miracle as their reason for the meeting. If they want to know about the ritual or the stage, they'll get more detailed answers by asking Geibe Haldenzel."

My adoptive mother nodded at my words.

"I understand Rosemine's position. Let's have your brother handle the geibe who want to know about the rituals. Oh, and take this—it's apparently a gift from Haldenzel. It's a new romance novel that I co-wrote with a friend."

As a souvenir from Geibe Haldenzel, I received a copy of my adoptive mother's new romance novel. Looking at the new book, an idea came to mind and I said it aloud.

"Mother, would you tell Geibe Haldenzel to print the lyrics used in the ritual and sell them to the other geibe? Since we have the printing press, it would allow the lyrics to be preserved in other territories as well."

My adoptive mother's eyes went wide, then she giggled and nodded. "That you would suggest distributing them not for preservation but for sale—now that is so like Rosemine," she said.

After the tea party, I headed straight to my room to read the new book. Among the several love stories, there was one about a lower-ranking knight who fell in love with a geibe's daughter and desperately increased his Magic Power, only to end in an unrequited love.

…This is probably about Damuel.

The names were different, Brigette's role had changed from the geibe's sister to a daughter, he wasn't a guard knight of the lord's family but was torn between his sworn lord and his love interest, and there were other creative changes—but the broad strokes were the same.

At the climax, the protagonist agonized over choosing between the woman he loved and his sworn lord, and then a god appeared and summoned a raging storm to express the depth of his anguish. After that, a goddess appeared, recited a poem, waved her long sleeves, and made rain fall, causing the flowers to wilt. Reading the context before and after, I could tell it was meant to convey the pain of heartbreak. But even though the imagery was beautiful, I still couldn't really grasp just how painful it was.

…I understood the flow of the story. Yeah.

Life at the castle was monotonous. In the mornings, I'd go to the children's room, read books while keeping an eye on the kids, write new stories, practice the fey instrument, or go to the knights' training grounds and do radio calisthenics for light exercise. But none of it could be done together with the other children. While the reasons were opposite—one academic and one physical—the gap in our levels was simply too great.

Even though our skill levels differed, spending time together let me see each child's personality and way of thinking. Having slept for two years with no interaction at all with the younger children, I'd been told to visit the children's room as often as possible.

In the afternoon, I was to go to my adoptive father's office and sit at the desk that had been set up for Wilfried, review reports arriving from the Noble Academy, draft replies as needed, and help with my adoptive father's work. This was the first time I'd been sitting side by side with my adoptive father at a desk, working together, and it was actually kind of fun.

The Chief Priest had made me think my adoptive father was an incredible slacker, but seeing things firsthand, he was surprisingly diligent. Ever since he'd been placed alongside Wilfried to work together and could no longer escape out of paternal pride, his workload had steadily increased, and by now he apparently couldn't run away anymore. When I told him "That sounds tough," he lightly glared at me and said, "You were the one who kept adding tasks one after another."

…Well, yeah. Still, Wilfried and Charlotte are all working hard, so I hope my adoptive father does his best too.

In truth, the Chief Priest had told me that my adoptive father wouldn't be able to slack off as long as I was around. I was basically his watchdog. Incidentally, the Chief Priest, no longer burdened with my reports, had been busy gathering intelligence in noble society.

"Today's report from Hartmut includes a bonus that'll make Rosemine happy."

My adoptive father, having read it first, smiled and handed me a thick stack of papers. I glanced through them and let out a cry of delight.

"As expected of Hartmut—he's so capable! He actually got his hands on several Dankeferlur romance stories!"

It seemed that Hannelore's apprentice attendant, who'd attended the book-lover's tea party, had been collecting Dankeferlur romance stories and had sent two over.

…The Dankeferlur romance story collector working so hard is Clarissa. Right, noted. When I get back to my room, I need to read these and see if they can be made into books, and consult my adoptive mother again. Hehehe, hahaha.

Forcing myself to hold back my eagerness to read the romance stories Hartmut had sent, I turned to Wilfried's reports. According to them, Wilfried was having a somewhat more peaceful life at the Noble Academy since my return. The report described him clashing with Orthwine of Drewanchel in practical training.

…I don't care whose weapons look cooler.

Next, Charlotte's apprentice attendant Marianne's report stated that all first-year students had finished their coursework. However, they were struggling with the practical exams. Charlotte apparently had everyone's attention—people were watching to see if she would start some new trend with her staff-transformation practical. I'd suggested she try sharing information about female crests with the first-year girls.

"Rosemine, let's take a break."

When the fifth bell rang, it was the afternoon break. Having this time to chat with my adoptive father during this period might have been the greatest gain of this winter. Thinking about it, I'd rarely had the opportunity to sit across from my adoptive father and talk like this. Drinking tea, eating sweets, and chatting together was quite enjoyable.

"Rosemine, how are things in the children's room?"

My adoptive father asked while eating a Korde honey tart. I sipped the tea Rihardya had brewed and thought back to the morning's activities in the children's room.

"Even without lord candidates present, things went smoothly thanks to Teacher Moritz. The children's studies were progressing well."

"My, that's good to hear. By the way, how is your physical training coming along?"

"That is… gradually… I am making earnest efforts."

…I mean, the Chief Priest did say my efforts weren't enough.

Smiling sweetly to dodge the topic, I changed the subject.

"Speaking of which, this morning in the children's room, I was told to select Attendants."

My Attendants, like Cornelius and Hartmut, would be graduating this year. Leonore would follow next year. If I didn't replenish the lower-level staff, I'd have no Attendants at the Noble Academy. I'd been told I needed to select at least two Attendants, three guard knights, and one scholar, all from the same year or younger.

"That is certainly necessary. Given that your selection criteria differ from others', you'd do well to choose carefully yourself to avoid someone resigning like Traugott."

Apparently no one else could understand what criteria I used for selecting Attendants, since I'd brought in lower-ranking nobles like Damuel and Philine, or accepted names and recruited someone like Roderich from the former Veronica faction.

"I do want to choose them, but there simply aren't enough candidates because the lord candidates' age group is too narrow. Melchior's Attendant candidates will be needed too, won't they? Aren't those already decided?"

I'd heard that Melchior's Baptism Ceremony would take place in spring. Once it was over, Melchior would move into the northern wing, and Attendants would be assigned to him. That was why there was a scramble for Attendant candidates.

"If I could, I'd pick whomever I liked regardless of status, but that's not really possible, is it?"

Even if I didn't care about status, those around me certainly would. And when conducting negotiations with other territories at the Noble Academy, status mattered. For Attendants, scholars, and guard knights, I wanted at least one from the upper nobility for each.

"So I've been thinking—what about having the upper-nobility Attendants serve double duty with Melchior at the Noble Academy?"

My adoptive father sprayed his tea with a sputter, and Rihardya, who'd been serving tea, looked dumbfounded.

"Your Highness, double duty for Attendants? What on earth are you thinking?"

"Huh? I can't share Attendants with Melchior since we're different genders, but the guard knight apprentices and scholar apprentices won't have any work at the Noble Academy until Melchior enrolls, will they? So I'd be training them while putting them to work for me. Of course, they'd only serve me during the time they're at the Noble Academy."

"You're being outlandish again…"

My adoptive father took a cloth from his own Attendant and dabbed his mouth, then pressed his fingers to his temples. It might be outlandish, but I thought it was logical.

"Because if you think about recruiting upper-nobility Attendants for the Noble Academy, there really aren't enough, are there? Melchior won't enroll until I'm in my final year, so I think it would be mutually beneficial."

"What about your final year as a lady candidate? You'll have no Attendants at all. Please think this through more carefully."

Rihardya said this with an exasperated expression. She was right that when I handed them back to Melchior, I'd be short on Attendants during my final year.

"I'd only be missing upper-nobility Attendants in my final year. I'd still have middle and lower nobility, so I don't think it would be that big a problem."

If it came down to it, I could borrow upper-nobility Attendants from Wilfried or Charlotte just for when I needed them. My adoptive father shook his head at my argument.

"If Charlotte were proposing this, I might agree, but I can't approve it for Rosemine."

"Why not?"

"As long as you're in Ehrenfest and hold influence, Charlotte will most likely marry into a different territory. She'll only be able to take a very few Attendants with her. In that case, sharing guard knights or scholars with Melchior wouldn't be much of a problem. But Rosemine, you're going to marry Wilfried and stay in Ehrenfest forever. You need to select and train Attendants who will support you, or you'll find yourself in trouble later."

Attendants who'd lived together at the Noble Academy reportedly had a stronger sense of camaraderie and closeness than those recruited afterward.

"…I thought it was a good idea."

"The idea itself isn't bad, but it doesn't suit the position of the future Lord's wife that you'll be taking."

My adoptive father said this with a wry smile.

Even though I was engaged to Wilfried, I still hadn't quite grasped the reality of it, but my adoptive father apparently already saw me as the next Lady of the Archduke. That felt strangely surreal.

Reports from the Noble Academy arrived almost daily. Hildegard had been spotted appearing in the library, prompting students to crowd the place, after which he never came out of his room again. Hannelore had been caught petting Schwartz, and the girls who wanted to pet him too had been repelled by something like static electricity that gave them a zapping shock. Raimund had finished an assignment and wanted me to grade it. All sorts of reports.

"Rosemine, this is a report from Charlotte. It's less about Drewanchel and more about a commission from the royal family. I'll leave the order to the Gilberta Company to you."

My adoptive father said this and passed the report over to me. It was from Charlotte. Apparently Drewanchel had reached out to Charlotte about a tea party, and during that tea party she would receive an order for a hair ornament to give to Adolphine upon the graduation of First Prince Sigiswald. The plan had originally been for me to be present at the tea party and receive the order, like with Eglantine last year.

If the order came under Sigiswald's name as a royal family member, Drewanchel couldn't be refused on the grounds that they didn't have a Contract, and I couldn't say I didn't want to hand over hair ornaments because I didn't want Drewanchel studying them.

"I've never received a hair ornament order at a tea party before, so I'd be grateful if Big Sister could give me some advice. (Charlotte)"

When the report ended with words like these, I had no choice but to enthusiastically write back as the elder sister.

"Bring Brunhilde to the tea party. Ask Lady Adolphine about the colors and designs of the outfits she plans to wear at the graduation ceremony, as well as some of her favorite flowers. My Attendants are well versed in what's needed to order a hair ornament to match an outfit. I'll have words sent ahead to the Gilberta Company, so please rest assured. (Rosemine)"

If I left it to Brunhilde, a proper order form should arrive. The problem was on the Gilberta Company's end, receiving the order.

"They'll receive the order at the tea party and it'll take several days for the order form to arrive, but I'd like to contact the Gilberta Company in advance. That way they can secure craftsmen and check thread inventory ahead of time."

"Indeed. But sending a messenger out in this heavy snow will be difficult. If you don't need a reply, you could use a Magical Tool letter."

When my adoptive father said this, one of his scholars immediately brought over a Magical Tool letter. Apparently, if I wrote on it and sent it flying, the letter would transform into a white bird and deliver the message even to a Commoner without Magic Power. If the recipient was a Commoner, they couldn't reply, but if the recipient was a noble with Magic Power and I included reply paper inside, a response would come back.

…Come to think of it, the letter that reached the former High Priest from Lady Georgine had reply paper inside too.

I gratefully accepted the Magical Tool letter and wrote that another royal commission would be coming this winter as well, that the detailed order form would arrive in a few days, so preparations should begin now, and that additional library-committee armbands would be needed. Then I sent it off.

…Another impossible demand from the royal family this year. Sorry, Turi!

As I sincerely apologized to Turi in my mind, the fifth bell rang. Time for tea.

"I never expected another hair ornament order from the royal family this year."

"You're surprisingly naive about what lies ahead. The Second Prince gave his to Klassenburg. When you heard that a Drewanchel lord candidate would be marrying the First Prince, couldn't you have predicted this to some extent?"

…No, I couldn't.

"You seem quite worried, but you produced a magnificent hair ornament last year, didn't you? Don't you trust your personal craftswoman?"

"I trust her completely. My craftswoman is the best there is."

"Then there shouldn't be a problem."

My adoptive father said this with a calm expression and sipped his tea. Hearing that, I was starting to feel like it really would be fine.

…My Turi is the best, so it'll be fine.

"Oh, by the way, I hear you've been declining all meeting requests from the geibe."

"Yes. I can't answer anything about the Haldenzel miracle, and even if they ask me to come to their prayer ceremonies, I can't give a response on my own authority. I can't drag Ferdinand along to every single meeting either."

"I heard as much from Florentzia."

My adoptive father set down his cup and had the room cleared. It seemed he was about to discuss something confidential. The scholars and Attendants who'd been serving tea quietly filed out.

"Karstedt, Angelica, you two step out as well."

This was the first time my own father had been asked to leave. I looked at my adoptive father with widened eyes in surprise, then quietly set down my cup and straightened my posture.

"Is there some problem related to Haldenzel?"

"There is. Several geibe are insisting they must meet with you personally."

…People were dismissed for this kind of conversation?

As I tilted my head in puzzlement, my adoptive father awkwardly cleared his throat.

"If all they want is to hear about it, they only need to meet with Geibe Haldenzel to revive old rituals. However, there are apparently some territories that have already demolished the stages used for the ceremonies. They want to consult with you, as the High Priest, about whether the stages can be rebuilt."

"How would I know anything about that? Destroying the stages used for rituals—were they out of their minds?"

My adoptive father's words made me grimace involuntarily. In this world, where people prayed to the gods and used Magic Power to bestow blessings, destroying a ritual stage was inconceivable.

Watching me show my anger, my adoptive father sighed helplessly.

"You're right—it is foolish. But the fact is, sacred rites weren't given much weight until you became High Priest."

"Besides, isn't a geibe's job to protect and create the large-scale Magical Tools for their own territory? Meeting with geibe who weren't even satisfied with their own work would be a colossal waste of time."

I was incredibly busy copying Dankeferlur books. On top of researching the materials I'd borrowed from Professor Solange, I had to reread my adoptive mother's new book several more times. There was no way I could spare time for meetings.

"I'm sorry to say, but this isn't recorded in the Holy Book, and managing the stages isn't part of the High Priest's duties. They'll have to search through their own territory's old documents and rebuild it themselves."

If reviving a ritual that could truly call spring would dramatically increase harvests and make life much easier in the north, I understood that. But rebuilding the stages was not my job.

"Hmm, so even you don't know…"

"I don't. The Holy Book contains stories about the gods, and there are illustrations of rituals scattered throughout. But it doesn't include instructions on how to build stages for sacred rites or the old magic circles used in them. If it did, I would have told Ferdinand long ago, and he would have been cheerfully researching it."

Don't expect too much from the Holy Book and its Saint, I said, waving my hands dismissively. My adoptive father nodded solemnly.

"That's true. But listen, Rosemine. With requests coming from the geibe, and as Aub, I am ordering you to search the Holy Book for descriptions of ritual stages."

At that point, my adoptive father's deep green eyes glinted, he leaned toward me, and lowered his voice.

"With that as an official pretext, you can return to the Temple and secure reading time."

"Ohhh…"

…What an enticing pretext.

"I've seen it clearly over these past few days—Ferdinand has poisoned you into overworking that small body of his. While Ferdinand is busy with socializing, take it easy for a while. The official reason for your return from the Noble Academy was to recuperate, wasn't it?"

After saying that, my adoptive father grinned and issued his order.

"Rosemine, return to the Temple and re-examine the Holy Book. I sincerely hope you find descriptions of rituals and stages."

"I humbly accept the order."

With my adoptive father's command, I will return to the Temple.

Reading time: obtained.

Since it's an official order, re-reading the Holy Book it is for Rosemine.

Next up: Holy Book research.