I gazed at my hands. I wanted to protect the people important to me. That was why I needed power. It was something I had always believed. Avoiding
"I merely wish to increase my means of protecting what is precious to me. I have no desire whatsoever to become Zent and rule over
When I responded with slightly relaxed words and posture, my adoptive father also let out a "hmm" and leaned back in his chair, his own posture loosening.
"I know that much. That is precisely why I am saying this. Leave them be until they tell you to come once the deadline has passed. Even if it is one or two months away, if you have neither the will nor the resolve, you should not voluntarily become Zent."
To become Zent, one had to publicly declare possession of the Grutrissheit at the Lord's Conference, receive recognition from the High Priest of the Central
"If there is someone who visibly shows reluctance when ordered to reluctantly take the Grutrissheit, and who possesses abilities that could be forced upon them, you should simply cast all troublesome matters onto them. If you don't, one thing after another will be piled onto you."
"Adoptive father?!"
I glared at him, wondering what he was suddenly going on about, but my adoptive father folded his arms and looked away.
"Even during our prior discussions, it seemed that no agreement had been reached even among the duchy rulers. Even if you obtained the Grutrissheit, none of them—the duchy rulers or the upper duchies—would truly accept you as Zent. They would only use you to serve their own interests. They have no qualms about manipulating those from lower-ranked duchies however they see fit."
"You're just saying whatever you want, aren't you?"
"When else would I have the chance to speak such honest truths? Above all, I had forgotten that noble words do not reach you."
Not merely his posture, but even his expression unguarded, my adoptive father looked at me.
"Let me say it plainly. The situation where you—a former Commoner who received the
That was the greatest freedom I was permitted in Ehrenfest—something absolutely impossible in other duchies.
"You need
He seemed to be saying that Ehrenfest's shortage of nobles and Magic Power was their own fault for conducting purges born of internal conflicts and sibling rivalries that reduced their ranks. My adoptive father was indignant, railing against the duchy rulers.
...Indeed, you wouldn't want to hear that from the duchy rulers who lost the Grutrissheit and wrecked Yurgenschmidt through their sibling feuds.
The elimination of
Ehrenfest currently had too few nobles, resulting in a shortage of Magic Power, and the nobility were in a state of confusion—but I did not believe the purge should not have happened. Moreover, the reason everything had descended into such chaos was because Ferdinand, who was supposed to be the Aub's greatest supporter, had been taken away. Without the royal decrees issued one after another, the confusion would have been far less severe.
"As far as I'm concerned, Rozemyne—if you obtained the Grutrissheit, I think you should simply smash it into the faces of the duchy rulers and say, 'Handle your own affairs yourselves!'"
At my adoptive father's words, a scene flashed through my mind: me presenting the Grutrissheit and declaring, "I shall give you this, so why don't the duchy rulers handle the duchy rulers' business!" and slamming it—BACH!—right into
"Throwing books at people seems rather problematic to me... but as a feeling, it's absolutely wonderful! I'd love to throw it at the face of Prince Anastasius, who told me that Ehrenfest should sort out its own problems."
After sharing a good laugh together, I stared intently at my adoptive father.
"...So, is there a way to deal with Lady
"If you only want to crush her without considering the consequences, it can be done immediately. It could have been done over a year ago."
My adoptive father said this with an extremely unpleasant expression. If it was possible, why hadn't he done it? When I wondered this aloud, my adoptive father said, "It's simple enough," while studying me with a serious face.
"I could order Ferdinand to kill her by any means necessary. Ferdinand went there for that very purpose. If necessary, give the order, he said."
"That's..."
"I don't want to make him do that. Could you give that order yourself? After making Ferdinand dirty his hands, could you play ignorant and pretend Ehrenfest had nothing to do with it? Could you pin all the responsibility on Ferdinand alone, claiming it was done by someone who had already gone to Ahrensbach, or that some dispute had occurred within Ahrensbach?"
I shook my head vigorously. My adoptive father smiled bitterly, saying, "This is why people would call you too soft, even for an Aub." But I was even relieved that my adoptive father was not the kind of person who could calmly give such orders.
"Even when told to cut off family if necessary, the decision is difficult. If you cannot make that decision, you are not suited to be an Aub or a Zent."
"Is there no other way to restrain Lady Georgine besides ordering Ferdinand?" I asked anxiously.
My adoptive father folded his arms. "The most certain method is Ferdinand's proposal, but..."
"There are several methods. However, considering the consequences, we cannot launch an attack on our own when nothing has been done yet. We have no choice but to maintain thorough defense. If we also consider benefiting Ehrenfest and minimizing casualties, it becomes more difficult... You wouldn't want the Temple to become a battlefield, with gray priests and orphans becoming casualties, would you?"
"Obviously not! The Temple is like a second home to me, and the Mine Workshop is there as well. It must be completely protected. I will have everyone train in evacuation procedures before Lady Georgine arrives."
My adoptive father nodded as though he had known my answer.
"That would require considerable effort and Magic Power... But there is still snow on the ground, making carriage travel difficult, and Ahrensbach has likely just finished their spring celebration banquet. Even if danger is imminent, it's not happening today or tomorrow. Rather than tormenting yourself with worry, it would be more productive to think about how to receive them."
From Ahrensbach to Ehrenfest's Temple was far. If they infiltrated with a small group, the snow would be in the way, and if they came in large numbers under the pretext of retrieving the Ahrensbach key, hiding would be impossible, my adoptive father explained.
"It has been decided to place two knights at each of the lower town gates."
"I anticipated them sneaking in through the lower town, so I alerted the Soldiers to be on guard for silver cloth. When they see it, they should send a rescue signal to the Knights' Order."
"I see. You already have countermeasures in place."
My adoptive father said this while slowly stroking his chin.
"By the way, Rozemyne. Where in the Temple is the entrance to the Foundation? Even if we're protecting the Foundation, we can't openly increase the Knights in the Temple and reveal its location. For the time being, we plan to have either
"The door leading to the Foundation is in the Temple Library. There's a bookshelf with a locked door that can only be opened with the High Priest's key. Mestionora's likeness is carved into it. Apparently, the Holy Book portion moves, and there seems to be a keyhole."
Since the box of letters from Georgine had been in that locked bookshelf, I thought perhaps the former High Priest had noticed it while putting away letters where others couldn't see them.
"I haven't tried it myself, but I'm certain that's it."
"Is there a point along the route from the Temple entrance to there that they must absolutely pass through? I'm thinking of setting up a teleportation circle."
A teleportation circle for moving people could only be set up by an Aub. It seemed he wanted to eliminate Georgine by placing one along the path.
I pictured the Temple's interior. The Temple had three gates. The back gate on the lower town side, the main gate where carriages could pass, and the Noble Gate connecting to the Noble District. The Temple building had numerous entrances: the prayer room, the back door to the orphanage basement, the front entrance, the entrance from the Noble Gate, and the back door used by the dedicated cooks.
...Depending on which entrance was used, the route to the Library was completely different.
"The Temple Library entrance, then. The Temple Library is restricted so that those not registered with the Temple cannot enter. Just as I was initially blocked by an invisible wall and cried because I couldn't get in, only those with official business there are permitted."
"They can cross duchy boundaries, so if they use silver cloth, I believe they would be able to pass through."
"Ehrenfest's city was also configured to keep out nobles from other duchies. However, those wearing silver cloth should be able to enter. It would be predictable for them to come to the Temple while keeping the silver cloth on, wary of Magic Power detection."
"But if they're wearing silver cloth, the teleportation circle wouldn't activate, would it?"
"That's true, but to teleport to a location with the Foundation's magic, they would absolutely have to remove the silver cloth. In that case, placing it right in front of the Foundation's entrance would be best... They would keep their guard up wearing silver cloth until the very last moment, but the instant they remove it after unlocking the door to enter—boom, they get teleported. How about that?"
My adoptive father said this proudly, wearing the look of a mischievous child delighted with his trap.
Indeed, the silver cloth would be a hindrance when trying to use the Foundation's magic. They would remove it of their own accord at the very end. The thought of Georgine believing she had succeeded, only to be teleported, was rather amusing. It was decided to place the teleportation circle in front of the bookshelf.
"But if we place a teleportation circle in the Library, no one else will be able to use it."
"No. The plan is to limit the teleportation targets to those not registered in Ehrenfest. Only people from Ehrenfest use the Temple Library, correct? Therefore, placing it in the Library would have absolutely no effect on normal users."
An Aub could distinguish between those registered in their duchy and those who were not. In other words, pre-baptism children in the orphanage could be teleported. But since they couldn't leave the orphanage and enter the Noble District, there would be no particular problem.
"Then, I'll have Florentia and the others create the teleportation circle. You're no good at embroidery, are you?"
My adoptive father normally planned to have my adoptive mother,
"As long as no one notices it's a teleportation circle, it's fine. Fufu. Leave the magic circle in front of the entrance to me. All you need to do is give the final activation permission, Adoptive Father."
If I used ink that disappeared overnight, that would work. Activating it ultimately required the Aub, but I could certainly draw it. It would be much faster than embroidery.
"What have you come up with, Rozemyne? You've got a wicked look on your face."
"There are some things in this world that are best left forgotten, Adoptive Father."
My adoptive father wore an exasperated look as if to say, "Have you become the one in charge without me noticing?" but he gave his permission.
"So, where will you teleport her to?"
"The only destination for a criminal is the White Tower. I'll prepare a room next to Mother for Sister. As long as I don't open the door, no one inside can get out, no matter how much they rage."
"I want to lure her to the teleportation circle without Sister noticing the changes in the Temple. Knowing her, she wouldn't cause a big scene in the Temple that would summon the Knights' Order—she would try to operate in secret."
My adoptive father said she would likely create a conspicuous diversion elsewhere, draw away the Knights' Order, and sneak into the Temple while everyone's attention was on the commotion. Given her past covert operations, Georgine would likely take that approach.
I grinned at the thought of Georgine infiltrating the Temple, believing herself successful, only to be teleported to the White Tower.
"If we can evacuate the people in the Temple, I think it's a solid plan. I don't want casualties in the Temple."
"My top priority is capturing Sister and her faction. A few casualties in the lower town or the Temple are regrettable but unavoidable. If you don't want that, think of a way to lure her that avoids casualties."
Those who guided her to the Library could be killed to silence them, so it wouldn't be strange to expect that. Therefore, it had to be someone who wouldn't be killed.
...Someone who could guide her to the Library, wasn't human, and could fight back if attacked—
"I'll create Schwartz and Weiss as guides to the Temple Library!"
A plan was formed to create a teleportation circle and secretly dump her in the White Tower.
I would have the people in the Temple and lower town practice evacuation drills while creating shmils specifically for guiding her.
Next: Creating Magical Tools.