The Pale-Faced Royals, Part 3

Almost simultaneously with Ferdinand raising his anxious voice, the people at the edges of my vision clutched at their chests and twisted their faces in pain, and groans began to rise from all around. The sight before my eyes was the same as when I was intimidating others. But right now, I wasn't feeling anger to the point of my mind going blank. It was just that my fear had swelled up.

"I-I didn't mean to..."

Seeing firsthand how the fear swelling inside me was causing suffering to others, my terror of the Goddess's Power within me only grew stronger.

"Control your emotions, Rozemyne."

Ferdinand grabbed my shoulders—to keep me from seeing how everyone was doing, to protect them from the Goddess's Power. Ferdinand, too, had his brow furrowed in pain, beads of sweat trickling down his temples as he looked down at me with a grave expression. Even he, the unflappable Ferdinand, couldn't maintain his usual mask.

"Lord Ferdinand, please stay back. The closer you are, the stronger the effect..."

Ferdinand was precious to me, and I didn't want to hurt him with my power. I slapped at the hands on my shoulders, praying that he would move away.

The next instant, Ferdinand coughed. That strange "koff" sound triggered my memories, and fragmented recollections of facing the High Priest and Chief Priest in the Temple the same way after the Baptism Ceremony in my commoner days floated to the surface.

Back then, I had been desperately trying to protect someone, standing against the High Priest and Chief Priest. But now, I wasn't protecting anyone. I was only hurting people. If I could, I would have stopped it immediately—but even though this power was supposed to be mine, I had no idea how to control it.

"Use that power properly, and protect the city."

"I... won't use it in a way that would anger you. I promise."

A promise I had once made with someone suddenly echoed in my mind. It was supposed to be an important promise. The regret of having broken it made me want to cry. Even though reason was warning me not to get any more emotional, I had no idea how to stop.

"Lord Ferdinand, please, stay away from me. I made a promise with someone. To use my power to protect people."

Looking at Ferdinand's face, I could see that the Goddess's Power leaking from me had only increased. After coughing several times, red blood—the same as in my memories—trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"Let go!"

I violently brushed away Ferdinand's hands, which had reached out to embrace me, and fled the scene. The chair I'd risen from toppled over with a loud clatter.

...How far do I need to go before everyone's safe?...

I looked around the room for somewhere to go. The door connecting to the central building was on the far side of the table, but everyone would suffer even more before I could reach it. The door back to the dormitory was behind me, but going there would only increase the number of people I'd hurt.

After glancing at his hands that I'd brushed away, Ferdinand quickly wiped the blood from his mouth and turned his gaze to my adoptive father.

"Archduke of Ehrenfest, grant Hartmut and the others permission to enter!"

"Enter, Hartmut."

My adoptive father pressed one hand to his chest while sending an Ordinance with the other.

Almost as quickly as the Ordinance spoke the words "Enter, Hartmut" on his arm, the door to the dormitory swung open, and Hartmut, Clarissa, Matthias, Laurentz, Gretia, and Roderich—all six of them—filed in.

"Pardon our intrusion."

"Hartmut, you mustn't come any closer to me either—"

"It's all right, Lady Rozemyne. We are always enveloped in Lady Rozemyne's Divine Power, so while we can feel the increase and its sacredness, it doesn't affect us much."

Smiling as if to say "Please rest assured," Hartmut and the other men positioned themselves around me, creating a wall between me and everyone at the meeting. Whether it was because the wall partially blocked the Goddess's Power or simply a psychological comfort, the pained groans ceased. Just that alone eased my fear and lightened my heart a little.

...Hartmut and the others really aren't in pain.

Hartmut and Laurentz were smiling reassuringly. Matthias and Roderich wore intensely serious expressions, as if thinking "We must fulfill our duty," but it wasn't the strained look of someone suppressing pain—it was entirely natural.

"Lord Ferdinand told us this might be needed, so we were standing by. The overflowing charm of the Goddess's Avatar can be quite harsh for us common folk, after all."

"I've also wanted to try working as an attendant for Lady Rozemyne at least once!" Clarissa said, looking so cheerful she might break into song, as she unfolded the silver cloth in her hands. Clarissa's bright smile lifted something in my chest. It was a relief to know there were people I could approach right now without hurting them. The loneliness and fear gradually faded away.

"Lady Rozemyne, Lieselotta and the others shaped the cloth into a cloak because simply draping it over you wouldn't look proper in front of the royals and archdukes. It's a shame you can't show off your lovely outfit, though..."

Gretia draped the silver cloth, now fashioned into a hooded cloak, over my shoulders. As she adjusted it to prevent any unsightly wrinkles, she casually wiped the area around my eyes. Gretia, who usually worked in near-silence, was carefully choosing her words to ease my mood, and I could feel it. My heart warmed.

"Thank you both. Truly."

"Oh my, Lady Rozemyne. There's no need to thank us. If people kept fainting from the overwhelming charm of the beautiful Lady Rozemyne, we'd never get anywhere with the meeting. You see, Lady Rozemyne, you are blessed by all the gods, the avatar of Mestionora, who—"

"Lord Ferdinand, how is this? With this much exposed, you can still see her face, and while she can still feel the Goddess's Power, I think it's been reduced to a manageable level."

Gretia stepped forward, cutting off Clarissa's praise, and spoke to Ferdinand. Ferdinand looked at me in the silver cloak and nodded. "That should work. Thank you."

"Lady Rozemyne, as a reward for your quick-thinking retainers, might we see the healing of the Goddess's Avatar?"

Hartmut winked playfully, begging to see my healing as the Goddess's Avatar. At first glance, his expression seemed like a joke, but his amber eyes were intently searching for my reaction. His teasing expression and tone were probably meant to give me an easy excuse to refuse, if I wanted to.

"Hartmut, thank you."

"You're too kind."

I chanted "Streitkolben" and took the staff of Flutrene into my hands.

"O Lungschmer, attendant of the Goddess of Water, Flutrene!"

With just that invocation, healing energy poured from the green magic stone at the tip of the staff, raining down over the entire room. The faces of those who had been seated visibly improved, and sighs of relief escaped their lips. The healing had worked properly.

"How beautiful... The wondrous Mestionora, granted the use of divine instruments by all the gods..."

"Step back. We need to continue the discussion."

When my adoptive father casually waved his hand, ordering my retainers to take the excited Hartmut and step back, Matthias and Laurentz immediately escorted him out. Being marched away between the two of them, Hartmut looked nothing like the capable retainer he'd been moments ago.

My adoptive father replaced Hartmut and the others with attendants and had them prepare fresh tea. The attendants' movements washed away some of the tension in the room, changing the atmosphere to something slightly more calm.

"Won't you take your seat as well, Lady Rozemyne?"

Clarissa spoke up, indicating that Gretia was setting the overturned chair to rights, so I nodded and let Clarissa escort me back to my seat.

"Ah..."

My eyes met Ferdinand's as he stood before my seat. I'd brushed away his hands when he'd tried to help me, and I wasn't sure how to address him, feeling a little awkward.

"Um, Lord Ferdinand. Are you hurt anywhere? I... well, I..."

"Lungschmer's healing took care of it, so I'm fine. And you—just when you'd finally calmed down, you mustn't carelessly stir up your emotions."

Ferdinand took my hand from Clarissa, ordered her and Gretia to step back, and guided me into my chair. I stared intently at Ferdinand's face, searching for whether he was truly fine. Was he pushing himself despite the Goddess's Power causing him pain?

"There's no need to worry like that. Keeping you here means you won't hurt anyone with the Goddess's Power."

"If I'd known it would come to this, I would have worn it from the start."

As I gripped the silver cloth in my hands, Ferdinand gave me a resigned look and briefly glanced toward my adoptive father.

"The silver cloth inevitably reminds people of Lanzeneve, so wearing it from the start during a meeting with the royals and Dunkelfelger wouldn't give a good impression. But now that everyone knows about the Goddess's Power, no one here would dare tell you to remove it."

...That might be true, but I don't think I should have to suffer just to get the point across.

"Ah, right. Rozemyne, hold out your hands. You should keep this on hand for next time the Goddess's Power runs out of control."

"There's another countermeasure besides the silver cloth?"

I wondered if it was some kind of charm. When I held out both hands as Ferdinand instructed, a magic tool to prevent eavesdropping and a small white box were lightly placed on my palms with a soft "pon." Before I could even open the lid to see what they were, I felt magic power being drawn out of me, and the white box transformed into a white cocoon-like shape. It was something I'd seen many times before, so with this much change, I knew what it was whether I liked it or not. A Name-Swearing Stone.

"F-Ferdinand, what is this supposed to mean?"

"It would be troublesome if I couldn't approach you during an emergency."

"That may be true, but if I call them the same way as this time..."

"Be quiet."

I pouted as Ferdinand pinched my cheek. I thought it was wrong to use a Name-Swearing for something like this.

"A Name-Swearing done by ambush like this is out of the question. It's supposed to be... how should I put it... a very important vow, isn't it? You of all people should know that, Ferdinand—Lord Eckhart and the others swore their names to you."

My retainers had each poured their precious feelings into their names when they swore them to me. Ferdinand, who had received the loyalty and lives of Lord Eckhart and the others, couldn't possibly fail to understand that. Ferdinand wasn't trying to make me his master—he was merely using this as a tool, and that made me feel as though their vows were being trivialized. It made me terribly sad.

"It only needs to last until the Goddess's Power fades. ...I want nothing beyond that."

"That's exactly why I don't want it used as a mere tool—"

"It's only until the Goddess's Power fades. If you dislike it that much, simply order me to return it."

"I don't want a master-servant relationship to form with someone I consider family."

With Philine, whom I'd hoped might become a friend, and with Damuel, who knew me from my commoner days, the line of master and servant had been drawn, preventing any casual relationship. I didn't want that same barrier to arise between Ferdinand and me.

"You were the one who first used a Name-Swearing to save my life. Just give in this time. It won't be for long anyway."

Ferdinand stubbornly declared this, then took only the eavesdropping-prevention magic tool from my hands and sat down in his own seat beside me. Even if it had been an emergency, he had a point—after all, I had used this method first. I gripped Ferdinand's Name-Swearing Stone and let out a quiet breath.

"Now then, shall we resume the discussion?"

Ferdinand spoke once everyone had finished their tea and the attendants had left the room. Since Sigiswald had nominally volunteered to be Zent for the time being, the discussion turned to whether or not to make him Zent.

"Make Sigiswald the Zent? That is... well..."

Traugottvaal and his First Wife looked at Ferdinand and me with deep concern.

"If there are no other volunteers, then yes. Our side is willing to let any of the royals become Zent and transform Yurgenschmidt as the gods demand, so if a candidate steps forward, we'll leave it to them."

"As the next Zent recognized by the nobles of Yurgenschmidt, I am the most suitable candidate. I will become Zent and save everyone. Please rest assured, Father."

Sigiswald said this with his usual gentle smile. I simply couldn't understand the mindset of someone who could declare so proudly that he would become Zent in order to eliminate the royals.

"Then, Prince Sigiswald, to ensure that you carry out the gods' demands, I'll have you swear an oath using Contract Magic with the Goddess of Light and the Goddess of Order, Gebordnung."

"Contract Magic...?"

"Yes. The moment the Goddess's Power fades, it would be troublesome if you were to ignore the gods' demands or delay them excessively. Naturally, the new Zent will be expected to enter into a contract with the gods."

This wasn't a contract with me. It was an oath to the gods through magic. Because it was magic that contracted directly with the gods, there were almost no loopholes compared to contracts between humans, making it extremely severe. Violators were said to receive a harsh judgment from the gods themselves. Whether Sigiswald had been planning to dodge the gods' demands through evasive tactics, or whether Contract Magic genuinely frightened him, his face had gone pale.

"Hmm, indeed. A contract with the gods regarding the gods' demands seems entirely appropriate."

"Yes. Before obtaining the Grutrissheit, wouldn't it be best to have him swear before all the archdukes how he intends to guide Yurgenschmidt? That way, the archdukes of other territories will also have a clear understanding of what the gods' demands entail."

With the archduke and archduchess of Dunkelfelger agreeing, the decision to perform the Contract Magic was finalized. The fists that Sigiswald had placed on the table clenched tightly.

Once he agreed to the oath to the gods, all that remained was deciding when and how to conduct the succession ceremony. After that, they would need to determine how to handle the other royals and how to divide up the abandoned territories.

...There's still quite a lot to decide.

As I mentally reviewed the flow of the discussion, Ferdinand stood up with a clatter.

"Prince Sigiswald, I believe you experienced it firsthand just now, but if the Zent who receives the Grutrissheit from the Goddess's Avatar cannot stand together with her on the altar and proceed to the Garden of Beginnings, it would be catastrophic. If you wish to become Zent, swear your name to Rozemyne. That way, the effects of the Goddess's Power can be prevented."

Sigiswald blinked at Ferdinand's words. Indeed, it would be a disaster if the person becoming the new Zent during the succession ceremony collapsed from the Goddess's Power.

...But I really didn't want Name-Swearings to be used as tools like this. It was turning out exactly the way Grandfather had scolded me about.

"I'm to swear my name? The person becoming the new Zent, swearing to the person who would subsequently become Archduke of Ahrensbach? That would make the archduke the master of the Zent..."

Sigiswald grimaced, finding it absurd no matter how you looked at it. It was certainly a means to protect his life, but as Sigiswald pointed out, when you considered the positions of Zent and archduke, even I had to admit it was a strange request.

While I was thinking about this, Traugottvaal, who had taken on a pained expression as though chewing on a bitter insect, quietly raised his hand.

"What is it, Lord Traugottvaal?"

"Lady Rozemyne, I beg your pardon for the unsightly display before you."

Even as he spoke, Traugottvaal rose to his feet and bound Sigiswald with the light bands of his Stab.

"Sigiswald, a person who cannot even bring himself to swear his name and serve the Goddess's Avatar, who granted us—those who should have been executed—our survival and the Grutrissheit, has no right to become Zent. You who refused the gods' contract and rejected the swearing of your name will no longer be Zent. Understand this properly. Our way of life as royals—even without the Grutrissheit—may have deeply influenced your upbringing, but clinging so desperately to a position you've lost is nothing short of foolish and disgraceful."

Traugottvaal's face contorted as though he might break into tears at any moment. His First Wife quietly lowered her eyes. Ferdinand looked down at the bound Sigiswald, then turned his gaze to Traugottvaal.

"Lord Traugottvaal, is it your judgment that Prince Sigiswald should not become Zent?"

"I do not believe the current Sigiswald is capable of becoming the Zent that the gods demand."

"However, if no one becomes Zent, all members of the royal family will have to enter the White Tower. Is that acceptable?"

At Ferdinand's words, Traugottvaal hesitated for a moment. After looking around at Sigiswald, whom he himself had bound, his wife, and his children, he slowly knelt on the spot.

"Now more than ever, I am convinced from the bottom of my heart that only someone who has obtained the Grutrissheit on their own merits is fit to be the Zent of Yurgenschmidt. ...Lord Ferdinand, who ascended the altar and vanished alongside the Goddess's Avatar—surely you possess it?"