After a few questions,
"Freeze the ship!? How on earth can the power of Schneest, God of Ice and Snow, be brought to bear in this warm climate filled with the power of Fruerlene!?"
"We will perform a ritual to call winter to this part of the ship only."
"Huh?"
...I get it. I totally get that feeling. You'd think, "What is he even talking about?" wouldn't you? The one who's truly beyond common sense is definitely Lord Ferdinand, right?
Ignoring the bewildered expressions on HeischiTze and the other knights, Ferdinand instructed my guard knights to wield the Sword of Evielie.
"It's not possible for all the guard knights to do it, Lord Ferdinand. Using that will drain every last drop of our Magic Power. We cannot afford to reduce Lady
"Besides, after using the Sword of Evielie, if no one comes to recover the wielders, their riding beasts will disappear. You'd plunge straight into the sea."
My guard knights wore the same baffled expressions at this bizarre plan, but Cornelius and Leonore immediately began coordinating.
"We don't know how much one person's Magic Power can freeze. The more people wielding the Sword of Evielie, the better, and those with greater Magic Power are preferable. But Rozemyne still needs her guard knights."
Upon hearing Ferdinand's words, Matthias turned his gaze toward the shore.
"
Ferdinand reacted immediately, humming in approval and directing his gaze toward the shore alongside Matthias. However, his eyes were not on the Outer Wall's gate pillars. They were aimed further beyond, at the castle.
"...Rozemyne, if your guard knights obtained the Sword of Evielie through dedication at the
"Of course he can. He was competing with Cornelius over who could learn it faster. ...Lord Ferdinand, don't tell me—"
You're going to have Hartmut use it too!? When I blurted out the question, Ferdinand gave a light snort.
"He's a blue priest who can wield the Sword of Evielie. It would reduce the number of guard knights we need to commit, so isn't that ideal? If you call him, Hartmut would come here immediately, wouldn't he?"
Ferdinand handed me the magic stone for the ordaunce and told me to summon Hartmut. I did as Ferdinand instructed and sent my request.
"Hartmut, we are about to perform a large-scale divine rite to use the Sword of Evielie. Your assistance is needed, as you were formerly the Chief Priest. Don your armor of magic stones and come here at once."
While I was breathing my voice into the ordaunce perched on my left hand, Ferdinand took hold of my left arm.
"Have
"Understood, Lady Rozemyne. At once."
"Come, everyone! Burn into your eyes the sight of Lady Rozemyne, who could be mistaken for a true goddess!"
The two voices that came back were brimming with energy. I hadn't allowed Clarissa access to the Temple, so she couldn't create divine tools. It couldn't be helped, but I imagined Clarissa herself found it frustrating, so I was glad she'd been given a role.
...As long as this isn't part of the nobles' brainwashing!
Hartmut and Clarissa were so fired up that I was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed. Behind me, Ferdinand was sending an ordaunce to Laurenz in the recovery unit, requesting him to wield the Sword of Evielie.
"Laurenz, Rozemyne's guard knights are going to wield the Sword of Evielie shortly. Select four apprentice knights who will recover those who have lost their Magic Power and administer recovery potions, then bring them to me. I am sending Clarissa your way to handle Magical Tool management."
"...So I am to conduct an urgent selection of recovery and retrieval personnel for use of the Sword of Evielie, then rendezvous after handing off to Clarissa?"
Laurenz's response, which sealed away every possible question, left me cheering "Laurenz, do your best!" in my heart.
"Cornelius, consider who among you will remain as Rozemyne's guard knights. You will leave two behind."
"Yes, sir!"
While my guard knights began discussing among themselves, HeischiTze, who still hadn't come to terms with any of this, was glancing around in every direction. My guard knights had sprung into action swiftly, but the
"Why can the people of Ehrenfest react so calmly!?" Lord Ferdinand just said he would call winter to freeze the ship!"
The person HeischiTze directed his question to was Angelica, who was keeping a slight distance and observing the guard knights' planning. Startled by the sudden question, Angelica blinked in surprise, then placed a hand against her cheek and offered a faint smile.
"When you are asked to do something difficult, it is more important to fulfill the role you have been assigned than to understand it all. This time, what was requested was either wielding the Sword of Evielie or standing guard. Calling winter is not my job."
"I see. So this is how one cultivates composure..."
...What she basically means is that she doesn't think about complicated things from the start and only does what she can do, but it sounds like Angelica is saying something incredibly profound.
HeischiTze, deeply moved, was about to say "Lord Ferdinand, give us a role too!" but Ferdinand brushed it off. Instead, he sent an ordaunce to the knights conducting rescues and Magical Tool recovery from the badly damaged lead ship, asking, "How long will it take to rescue those who fell into the sea?"
"Lord Ferdinand, this is StraHL. The rescue of the abducted young ladies is complete. We are now recovering magic stones and Magical Tools. ...We would like to recover as many of the deceased's magic stones as possible."
"Understood. I am going to call winter and freeze our ship now, so the sea temperature will likely drop sharply from the aftershock. Be careful."
"...Huh?"
StraHL's reply came back with a rising inflection of confusion, but Ferdinand chose to accept it as acknowledgment and sent no further explanation. I felt a little sorry for StraHL.
"Lord Ferdinand, who is StraHL?"
"He is the former Knight Commander of Allenberg who was dismissed by Dieterlinde. He now serves as my guard knight."
Ferdinand also sent an ordaunce to the ship that Dunkelfelger's knights had infiltrated and taken control of from the inside, saying, "I want interior intelligence from the ship—send one person over." The reply of acknowledgment came back, and Ferdinand then sent the ordaunce to
It sounded like Hannelore's group had also nearly completed the ship's capture. They were escorting the hostage young ladies off the ship and had begun taking statements on the damage.
"Rozemyne, extend both arms straight, place your hands on your riding beast, and lean your body slightly forward into a tilted posture."
"What is this for all of a sudden?"
A question mark floated in my head, but I followed instructions—arms straight, hands on my riding beast, leaning forward. Ferdinand said, "Maintain that posture for a little while," and placed something board-like on my back. It was probably something shaped from magic stones. A bit heavy.
"This posture is incredibly difficult, Lord Ferdinand. What exactly are you planning to do?"
"Be patient until I finish drawing the magic circle."
...Whaaaat!? I'm being used as a desk!?
Using my back as a writing surface, Ferdinand began tracing a magic circle onto the magic paper I'd given him with a stylus.
"Lord Ferdinand, my arms are trembling."
"This is far too soon. Endure a bit longer."
To distract myself from my trembling arms, I asked whether it might be possible to deliver an impact strike right after freezing the ship, since we were going to all the trouble of freezing it.
"The metal-like substance that nobles make from Magic Power varies in impact resistance based on its Magic Power content, but ordinary metal used by commoners has the property of becoming brittle in extreme low-temperature environments such as below freezing. If the Lanceinave ship is made of metal that doesn't contain Magic Power, wouldn't it be more effective to call winter, wield the Sword of Evielie to freeze it, and then deliver a heavy blow rather than attacking normally?"
"Oh? It would be easy to have Dunkelfelger deliver the impact, but what kind of attack do you think would be best?"
Ferdinand asked this without pausing his work on the magic circle.
"Well, metal has the tendency to contract when the temperature drops rapidly. If we could use swords or spears to strike the narrow gaps, we might be able to peel off that black and silver material covering the surface."
If we could peel off a few pieces, the rest would follow.
"If we can just seal that attack port, we can descend to the upper deck and handle things with brute force. There are plenty of knights with a reputation for raw power, after all. But since we're going to the trouble of freezing it, I think an impact strike is a good idea. What matters most is peeling off that silver and applying the Aub's Shield. If we can open even a hole large enough for one person to pass through, the Magical Tools and Dunkelfelger's knights can be deployed and the hostage rescue can proceed however we need it to."
There were plenty of Magical Tools to work with: thunderclap-only ones, flashbangs like the one used earlier, Hartmut's specialty tear gas, and so on. Once the Aub's Shield was applied, the Magic Power suppression would become easy too.
After finishing the magic circle, Ferdinand gathered information from the knights who had captured the ship and Hannelore's unit, confirming that there was a room designed to block magical attacks on the hostages.
"HeischiTze, once the ship is frozen, have several people deliver spear thrusts aimed at where the hostages are not located. Leave the personnel selection to you."
"Leave it to me!"
Hartmut, Laurenz, and the recovery team had arrived. As a result of sending ordaunzen to various places to gather information and issue instructions, Ferdinand had thoroughly captured the attention of Allenberg's nobles. Multiple nobles' riding beasts were visible near the Outer Wall, and the commoners had flung their windows wide open and were watching.
Hovering high enough above the ship that attacks couldn't reach us, I surveyed my guard knights, who were sharing riding beasts with the apprentice knights. The four who would wield the Sword of Evielie were Cornelius, Matthias, Laurenz, and Hartmut.
"Rozemyne, begin."
Ferdinand said this just as the sun was beginning to rise. The sun peered out from the gap between sea and sky, and the entire sky brightened at once. A gleaming path of light formed on the sea, and the waves glittered as they shimmered.
I traced the magic circle drawn on the magic paper with the magic stone Ferdinand had given me and began pouring Magic Power into it. I could feel the magic stones' power being drawn into the circle one by one—three, four. Worried whether the stones I had would be enough, I placed the fifth one, and the magic circle activated.
The magic paper floated gently upward, burst into red flames, and the magic circle soared into the sky. Hovering above the ship, the magic circle turned red, and then a pillar of crimson noble light descended straight down onto the ship. It was a pillar of light wide enough to engulf the entire vessel.
From the knights nearby came a chorus of awed "Ohhhh..." The very next instant, the red magic circle began turning white. The white light spread like it was painting over every trace of red, and from the sky downward, it began overwriting the crimson pillar of light heading toward the ship.
"Winter has come. Do it."
"Yes, sir!"
Ferdinand rode his beast into the pillar of light. The temperature was noticeably different there—much colder.
The attendants in full armor didn't seem to feel the temperature shift as much. Without any change in expression, they drew the Sword of Evielie.
The moment it was drawn, the white blade was already gleaming, wreathed in cold air. As they poured Magic Power into it, the faintly wavering cold gradually thickened and transformed into ice and snow.
"I call upon you, Evielie, God of Life who presides over rebirth and death, and the twelve gods who serve at your side."
At the four-fold chant, a wind of mixed ice and snow began to blow. I was involuntarily rubbing my arms when Ferdinand removed his mantle and wrapped it around me snugly. The biting wind laden with ice and snow was blocked, and I let out a breath of relief.
"You have my gratitude."
"No—I failed to think of keeping you warm. That was my responsibility. If an Attendant were present, they would have insisted on bringing cold-weather supplies. Perhaps I should have brought Eustache along..."
As Ferdinand reflected on his oversight, I looked down at the glowing mantle. Reflection was all well and good, but was this really okay? Even from a distance, it had to be obvious—the magic circle had begun glowing the moment I wrapped myself in it.
...It's fine because the sun has come out? You can't see it from far away? Is that really the case?
I had no intention of letting go of it in this cold, but being so conspicuously in the spotlight made me slightly uneasy about all the surrounding gazes.
"To you I offer unyielding resolve, to praise your noblest wish Unwavering, may your protection be bestowed, repelling all enemies, lend you my power."
The chant concluded while I was lost in thought. The four swung their swords downward toward the ship. Retainers of the Lord of Winter took shape—creatures of snow and ice—and charged downhill toward the ship. There were far too many to count, but perhaps around seventy.
The instant the retainers surged forth, the four, now drained of strength, were hurriedly supported by the apprentice knights. They immediately flew out of the white pillar of light to receive recovery potions.
I enhanced my vision and stared intently at the retainers latching onto the ship. Snow crystals accumulated around the attack ports that had been firing silver needles, and the silver turned white. Perhaps because the four's Magic Power was overwhelming, the entire ship became wrapped in snow and ice, and it didn't take long for the sea to freeze within the pillar of light.
"Are there any retainers left?"
"Two or three, I'd say."
As I reported, watching the retainers gradually fade and dwindle in number, Ferdinand called over the Dunkelfelger knights.
"HeischiTze, go!"
"Let's move out!"
Four Dunkelfelger knights dove into the pillar of light, drew their staves, and declared in unison, "Lance!" transforming them. In each of the four's hands now gleamed a Leidenhaft spear, radiating blue light.
"...Dunkelfelger wielding Leidenhaft spears?"
"The Aub had brought them from the Temple during my third-year inter-dterritory tournament, remember? After that, he apparently continued visiting the Temple for the ritual before the DiTtT tournament. ...Lord Ferdinand must be quite behind on intelligence, having been in Allenberg where nobles don't participate in the Academy's divine rites."
"I am keenly aware of that now."
Blue-cloaked figures carrying glowing blue spears charged downward toward the ship in a near-freefall trajectory.
"Yaaaaaaah!"
With a spirited cry from HeischiTze, the four hurled their spears, taking care to aim away from where the hostages were. Even if Magic Power didn't carry through, Leidenhaft's heat certainly did. The ice covering the ship's surface was blasted away, and portions of the tiles underneath were sent scattering.
One of the four thrown spears had wedged perfectly into a gap created by the metal contracting from the cooling. A network of blue magic lines spread across the surface, and the tiles began peeling off.
"Rozemyne, apply the Aub's Shield!"
Don't let this opportunity slip, Ferdinand urged, and I channeled Magic Power into my staff and swung.
"Volkaufweisen!"
The yellow bird meant to protect the Allenberg citizens inside flew toward the ship. Even faster than the yellow bird launched from my staff, Ferdinand had already issued the next order.
"Strike off the bow and create an entrance,
"Yes, sir!"
"Ninth squad, tenth squad—prepare to breach!"
"Yes, sir!"
Following on the Aub's Shield, Eckhart transformed his staff into a greatsword, channeled Magic Power into it, and advanced on the ship. With the Magic Power-blocking silver stripped away, the ship was no longer a threat. The iridescent sword cleaved through, and through the opening that was created, Dunkelfelger's knights poured in.
Following Ferdinand's instructions, I drew the magic circle with my stylus. Ferdinand tossed three magic stones into it. The white pillar of light vanished, and winter declared its end. The frozen ship floating in the midst of early-summer sunlight and temperatures was an utterly surreal sight.
"Lord Ferdinand, it appears Lady
Seeing the golden-haired girl emerge from the ship, I turned to Ferdinand. She'd grown a bit, but her face hadn't changed much, so I recognized her immediately. Ferdinand, putting on the mantle he'd returned to me, let out a soft breath.
"Rozemyne, what do you want to do with Letizia?"
"...Eh?"
"Declare her family traitors? Prosecute her for attempted murder against me? Find a middle ground and show mercy? ...Depending on the answer, whether we treat her as a criminal captured on the spot or as a rescued victim placed under surveillance will change dramatically."
Comparing the Letizia being led off the ship with Ferdinand, I considered his words.
"If mercy can be shown, I would like to show it. She entrusted me with a name-commitment stone, after all. Surely you, Lord Ferdinand, don't believe Lady Letizia harbored murderous intent?"
"...We can always press charges later. For now, let us treat her as a victim."
The Lanceinave ship has now been fully captured.
Letizia has been rescued as well.
The one most excited about all of this was Clarissa, who had been observing from the Outer Wall's gate pillars.
With a front-row seat overlooking the entire sea, she was in the middle of delivering a speech to the Allenberg nobility about Rozemyne's magnificence.
Next, Rozemyne's choices.