"If anything happens here, I will contact
"Understood."
I returned to the castle with
"Welcome home, Lady
"I have just returned. ...
"Yes. They were quite enthusiastic about making magic paper for you, Lady Rozemyne. Roderich has been getting quite the education from Clarissa in potion-making. Part of that is because Roderich has been working hard on Magic Power compression and has increased his reserves, but experience matters too."
Ottilie told me this with a chuckle. As the first retainer to have sworn his name, Roderich was apparently being drilled mercilessly by Clarissa to raise his potion-making skills to a level where he could assist his lord before they moved to the capital.
"I often go to the library with Clarissa, but I was also made to do quite a lot of potion-making myself."
Euditz said she had been taught various ways to make Magical Tools for throwing. It was a blessing, but Clarissa's
"It's important for Roderich to raise his potion-making skills so he won't be looked down upon in the capital, and for Euditz to be able to make her own weapons."
I was already up to my ears with my own affairs, so Clarissa's efforts were honestly a help.
"The meeting is this afternoon, Lady Rozemyne. Will the attending retainers be the same as usual?"
"This time, I will have Lieseleta accompany me. Lieseleta will be the one coming with me to the capital."
When I said that I would bring Lieseleta rather than Ottilie, the senior Attendant, Ottilie smiled and nodded.
"That sounds like a good idea. Then Grétya and I will begin preparations for the move to the capital. The luggage here has already been sorted, so we can pack immediately once we receive word from the royal family. How are things at the Temple and the library? If there are items to bring to the capital, please have those gathered together and brought to the castle soon."
Just as
"Since Roderich and the others did so much potion-making recently, the hidden room's materials have been quite depleted. Rather than restocking, I moved the remaining materials and tools to the library workshop. Also, the majority of the items in the Temple will be transferred to Philine. The luggage I need to move from there will mostly be large items, though..."
The things I was moving from the Temple were all bulky—mattresses, futons, book chests, and the like. I would be using them at the Temple right up until the last moment, so moving them would be a hassle, but the actual volume of luggage wasn't that great.
"How much luggage do you expect from the library?"
"I wrote a letter to Ferdinand asking how many books and materials I could bring to the capital. He sent it back along with a meal from my adoptive father, so I'm waiting for a reply now. How are the garment preparations coming along? Will they be ready in time for the Lord's conference?"
Ottilie nodded. It seemed the people working on everyone's custom outfits were getting to the point where they wanted to start doing trial fittings soon.
"We don't know what will come up at the afternoon meeting, so let's decide on the fitting date afterward."
"Understood."
"Ah, you're back. You left guard knights at the Temple, yes?"
"Of course. Right, Melchior?"
At my adoptive father's question, I turned my gaze to Melchior. Melchior smiled and nodded.
"I left four of Sister Rozemyne's guard knights and three of mine at the Temple.
At Melchior's words, Father, who was standing behind my adoptive father, showed a faintly relieved expression. It seemed that after I had left the Noble Academy, Nikolaus had sought a patron there and ended up frequently accompanying Melchior's guard knight apprentices, with whom he was familiar at the Temple.
As a sister, I felt somewhat inadequate, but since my move to the capital was already decided and Brother Cornelius was wary of Nikolaus, I was hoping Melchior would continue sheltering him.
"Now then, I'd like to discuss Ehrenfest's defense plans."
My adoptive father began explaining that
"Father, I've been hearing things from the guard knights of the retainers who participated in the discussions with the knights' order, but how reliable is that information?"
At
"I cannot reveal the source. I believe it's highly reliable, but there's no definitive proof. Even so, there's no doubt that
"The year Georgine obtained the method for acquiring the Foundation's magic was when the purge occurred, and all those who had sworn their names to Georgine were executed simultaneously. Crushing her operatives and intelligence sources within Ehrenfest was a significant blow."
He also stated that this winter, since I had been bedridden for a long time, Georgine may have grown cautious after word spread at the Noble Academy that I had returned to Ehrenfest. Indeed, if her intelligence sources had been crushed, it would take time for her to learn about Ehrenfest's internal affairs.
"I believe the period of highest risk for an attack is between now and Ferdinand's Starbinding. Ferdinand said that in Ahrensbach, the rooms he was given by royal decree are in the western wing, making it extremely difficult to gather intelligence on Georgine. There's a high chance they'll act before the marriage, while Ferdinand still can't fully operate as a member of the Lord's family."
Everyone's expressions tightened at my adoptive father's words.
"When it comes to the defensive deployment if we're attacked, as the Aub, I will be sheltering in the room where the Foundation is located to protect it.
He said that the district lords along the border had already been put on alert, and they were being instructed to gather information widely from Commoners if any unusual events occurred or suspicious individuals were spotted.
"If it comes to that, you will each lead your guard knights and participate in the defense. Each of you will lead your respective guard knights: Florentia and
"Not just the men—we'll be leading guard knights into battle as well?"
Charlotte murmured anxiously that she had been thinking of rear support but hadn't expected to end up on the battlefield. Seeing this, my adoptive father's expression grew stern.
"That should be obvious, Charlotte. You are a Lord candidate, and moreover, you're aiming to become an Aub, aren't you? Then you must be in a position to lead from the front."
Protecting the Foundation was an Aub's duty that couldn't be delegated to anyone else. The moment you gave up the Foundation to another, you lost your qualification as an Aub. One could say it was the most important responsibility of all.
"An Aub who cannot protect the Foundation is no Aub. What are the guard knights for? Use them to protect the Foundation."
"...Yes."
Charlotte nodded meekly. Come to think of it, I had participated in the Yulevve material gathering and the diutra with Dunkelfelger, so in a sense, I was accustomed to combat. It must be difficult for Charlotte, who had no combat experience whatsoever and had never received knight training.
...This kind of thing must be another reason men are considered more suited to being Aub.
Having trained with knights since childhood, Wilfried and Charlotte clearly had different mindsets when it came to fighting. Wilfried had been training with the knights and discussing the city's defense with his guard knights. It seemed he already had a grasp of how to coordinate with the knights' order in defending the Noble District.
"Um, Adoptive Father. I don't seem to have an assignment..."
"You'll be leaving by the end of spring. I can't assign you a fixed role, Rozemyne. I'd like you to fill in wherever needed."
"Fill in?"
"Honestly, we don't know when the royal family will summon you. I've practically stopped planning for the Spring Prayer. Your retainers have also been complaining that you've been spending too much time crafting Magical Tools and haven't properly prepared for the move to the capital. I'd like you to prioritize your move preparations over defense preparations."
He said that while Ehrenfest's defense was important, so was preparing for my entry into the royal family.
"I spoke with Ottilie this morning. I plan to have it finished by the time of the Lord's conference. ...I appreciate your concern, but if an attack were to happen before my move to the capital, I'd need to know what I'm supposed to do. Otherwise I'd just be wandering around aimlessly, getting in everyone's way."
If an attack came from Georgine, I couldn't just be leisurely preparing to move. Whether it meant going to the royal family for help or heading to the battlefield, I would need some course of action.
"You're surprisingly brave. Were you always like this?"
"Father, this isn't exactly new. I've suspected for some time that Rozemyne likes diutra second only to Dunkelfelger."
"Brother Wilfried!"
"I know there were reasons each time, but still—no other Lord candidate has spent less time at the Noble Academy than every other student, has never even taken the knight course, yet participates in Dunkelfelger's treasure-stealing diutra every single year."
...Whoooaa! That's true! I can't argue with that!
"Well, fine. If you're willing to lead your retainers into battle, then during the Spring Prayer, if an attack happens, I'd like you to fill in for whoever has gone to their domain."
During the Spring Prayer, Wilfried, Charlotte, and Melchior would take turns traveling to their territories to deliver the Holy Cup. I was to remain at the castle or the library preparing for the move, and fill in for anyone who was absent if an attack occurred.
"Understood. How are the Magical Tools for battle preparations coming along?"
"As you instructed, Rozemyne, we've mobilized not just the retainers' civil officials but also knights and students to produce healing potions and Magical Tools."
Since they had been able to gather an abundance of materials during the Lord's conference and the Noble Academy period, it didn't seem they had too much trouble crafting them.
"I've also contacted the various district lords to prepare for battle, and the retired elders are apparently proving surprisingly useful."
By asking the young knights which traps had been effective in the treasure-stealing diutra of past generations, and what Magical Tools had been used at what timing, the generational gap had been somewhat bridged in some regions, and in others where the
"When there's a common enemy outside, it's much easier to come together inside. This is an excellent opportunity to unite Ehrenfest."
The Foundation of one's territory was something that had to be protected across generations and regions. The purge being over, no nobles who had sworn to Georgine remaining, the old Veronica faction's collective punishment being avoided, and more nobles—swearing their names included—pledging loyalty to the Aub would all work in their favor.
"Come to think of it, Rozemyne, I heard you've been crafting some kind of large Magical Tool. Is it finished?"
At Wilfried's question, I puffed out my chest proudly.
"Yes. Three Schmuls have been completed to guard the Temple gates. They're already in place at the gates. To conserve Magic Power, they aren't activated yet."
I had wanted them in red, blue, and yellow, like a sentai show, but Lieseleta's preferences while preparing the fur resulted in pastel colors—pink, light blue, and cream. They were dressed in outfits adorned with ribbons and lace, making them absolutely adorable. Sitting at a gate alongside gray Priests and knights, they looked incongruously cute, yet once activated, they were extremely powerful from a defensive standpoint. The result was a rather surreal existence.
"I've given activation Magical Tools to my and Melchior's guard knights, as well as the gray Priests who stand watch at the gates. I incorporated several of the counter-magic arrays carved onto Ferdinand's protective charms, so from a defensive standpoint, they're very powerful."
I had just begun explaining how powerful the Schmuls were when Ferdinand's voice echoed directly inside my head.
"Hm? Ferdinand?"
I reflexively pressed my hands to my ears and looked around. The instant I thought I might have imagined it, I felt myself enveloped in rainbow-colored light.
"Huh? Where?"
The scenery before my eyes changed abruptly. Wilfried and Charlotte had been right in front of me, yet now a completely different landscape stretched out before me, as if I had been transported to an entirely different place.
"...The Supply Room, right?"
The sight was familiar—the center of a pure white room, with a celestial globe–like apparatus of magical stones in mysterious motion, and complex characters and patterns glowing with magical energy, orbiting around it.
"Ferdinand!? Ferdinand!"
I turned toward the voice, startled by how it still carried a hint of youth. A girl with golden hair rushed toward Ferdinand, her face pale with worry. She had grown since I remembered her, but it was undoubtedly
...Ferdinand!
Back at the castle for discussions. Preparations of all kinds are progressing.
Wilfried, who had been training with the knights, is looking rather lively.
Amid it all, the vision brought by rainbow-colored light.
Next: Ferdinand's crisis.