In the Foundation Hall, a room with no windows surrounded on all sides by pure white walls, seven magic stones floated in the air, each glowing in the precious color of the supreme god. The jewel-colored stones began to radiate light, and particles like glittering dust started to scatter. As a signal that
"Shall we begin, then?"
As discussed the other day, this Entwickeleln was to renew parts of the castle and Noble District, along with the
Despite the need to pack and move out belongings, only five days' grace had been given before the Entwickeleln, so the nobles had apparently been in a terrible state. My room still had few belongings, so there was no problem, but things around the Chief Steward's office had been hectic with sorting out luggage.
Decorations and furniture were being carried out from areas that were rarely used, and carpets and tapestries were being stripped from the walls. Apparently, this land had no custom of using carpets in summer, and the Attendants had been saying to each other, "If we just think of it as a rather early redecoration..."
Because I would only get in the way of the large-scale cleanup by wandering around, Ferdinand had ordered me to review what was needed for the Entwickeleln, drilled me in putting on a composed face so I could touch the magic stones, and made me practice handling an adult-sized FeSchpiel suited to my grown body. He really was terrible for not leaving me any reading time.
However, when I complained to Ferdinand, he told me that after the Entwickeleln, before bringing books into the newly built library, I could first teach the civil officials the
...The building itself is modeled on the British Museum Reading Room, you know. Hehehe, fufufu.
The new library to be built within the castle grounds was to be a massive circular library. It had been designed based on the British Museum Reading Room, planned by Antonio Panizzi in 1852 and completed in 1857. Actually, my room was going to be inside the library itself. Once I retired as Aub, I would live in the library like
The research laboratory connected by a covered walkway was supposedly designed to Ferdinand's tastes, but I didn't know the details. Ferdinand had been discussing it with the civil officials, so he'd probably made it to his own liking. I would just build it according to the blueprints as they were.
I confirmed the blueprints were within reach, thrust one hand into the leather pouch, and grabbed a handful of gold dust. I extended my arm straight out over the foundation and opened my hand, and the gold dust scattered down in a fine cascade. Watching this, I gripped my staff in the other hand. I transformed the staff into a "stylo" and began by drawing the supreme god's symbol in the air.
"I offer my prayers and gratitude to the gods who created this world, and I wish for change in the world they have wrought."
The gold dust in my hand rose of its own accord, gathered at the tip of the stylo, and painted the magic circle I was drawing in gold. The glowing magic circle grew increasingly complex in time with the movements of my hand, expanding larger and larger. The spinning magic circle was completed above the foundation, shining with brilliant light.
"In the name of the Darkness God, Schickzandtraht, who holds the power to absorb all things—"
When I brought my staff down, the magic circle slowly descended toward the foundation. The magic circle touched the foundation. The foundation shone. I seized the blueprints.
"In the name of the Light Goddess, Feuerstrahlendi, who holds the power to create anew—"
When I opened my hand, the blueprints flew toward the magic circle as if blown by a gust of wind, and burned golden at its center.
"I offer fragments of life, offering prayers and gratitude, that we might receive the blessing of the great divine pair and establish upon this land a new haven of rest—"
To keep the magic circle from breaking, from fading, I poured magic power into it and kept adding gold dust. Pouring magic power until the blindingly bright magic circle vanished completely—this was the Entwickeleln as Aub.
After Entwickeleln came the new Zent's visit and the betrothal ceremony. Books that could be placed in the library sat packed in boxes stacked in the storeroom, just waiting for the moment I would arrange them on the shelves—yet they had been pushed to the back burner. Despite having just finished the new library, I was swamped with the Aub's duties in preparation for
Aaagh, my library! *Sigh* I'm feeling so deflated.
Ferdinand had decided almost everything regarding the schedule for when Eglantine arrived and the deployment of the knights, but I had to review everything to grasp the overall flow.
Eglantine and the others would come through the Country Gate, so I would go to the Border Gate to welcome them, then teleport to the castle. After that, we would share a meal to host the Zent and discuss the betrothal arrangements. Once the betrothal was approved, I would conduct the Academy's practical examination—the destruction of medals for the criminals held in the Central Government. While comparing the blueprints of
...That's rather busy.
"I have grasped the schedule for the Zent's visit, but has Lady Rozemyne's outfit for the betrothal ceremony been decided? Are there any items that need to be sent from Ehrenfest?"
At
"I think the most suitable would be the outfit I wore during the discussion with the royalty—the Ehrenfest-dyed fabric layered with Ahrensbach cloth. What do you think, Lieseleta?"
"It beautifully expresses Lady Rozemyne's desire for the bond between Ehrenfest and Alexandria. Moreover, this outfit was made with the consideration that you would be meeting royalty, so there would be nothing out of place about wearing it to the betrothal ceremony."
"That's right. The fabric is also of the highest quality, and there is a matching hair ornament. If we decide on this, I need to notify
...That outfit for the betrothal ceremony.
Unlike the discussion with the royalty, I would be wearing the outfit made from the cloth Mother had dyed and the cloth Ferdinand had gifted me, along with the hair ornament Turi had made—and I was so happy about that that a smile naturally crept onto my face.
"I'm so glad to see Lady Rozemyne so happy, now that her engagement to Lord Ferdinand has been decided,"
I almost blurted out, "Well, actually—" but caught myself. I couldn't say that here.
"For the betrothal ceremony, shall Lieseleta hold Lady Rozemyne's magic stone?" Clarissa asked.
I nodded and asked Lieseleta to accompany me, when Roderich chimed in with, "Um, Lady Rozemyne."
"The magic stones appear to be prepared, but have you decided on the proposal words for the betrothal ceremony? Ferdinand told me I must check beforehand, but..."
Roderich, who did some writing on the side, had apparently been ordered to help with the editing. I looked away from the Attendants who had been discussing hairstyles and accessories for the day and turned to Roderich.
"The problem is, I actually haven't decided yet. Since I'm welcoming Ferdinand as my consort, I assume I should be the one to propose? There are very few precedents for proposal words from a woman. Should I reference historical queens' words, or extract something fitting from the Holy Book or the love stories of Ehrenfest... I'm really struggling with this. Either way, I'll need to do some reading to decide."
...The proposal words at the betrothal ceremony were important for the territory as well. Oh boy!
What a predicament—I struck a pose, but couldn't stop the corners of my mouth from curling up. When I clenched my fist inwardly, Roderich smiled gently and said, "Please rest easy."
"Lord Ferdinand has instructed me to ask Lady Rozemyne about the general direction of meaning she wishes the proposal to convey, and then I will extract appropriate wording from the Holy Book and so on. Lady Rozemyne's schedule is packed, so I understand you won't have time for reading."
...Frustration! That Ferdinand!
He had gotten ahead of me again. How infuriating. Without any reading time, I looked over the stack of wooden tablets piling up one after another.
On the day Eglantine arrived, Ferdinand and I, each with our escort knights, were waiting at the Border Gate. The Country Gate began to glow, and the Zent's retainers came flying out one after another on their riding beasts. Finally,
When the new Zent descended upon the roof of the Border Gate where we stood, everyone except Eglantine and me dropped to their knees in unison. I was about to kneel as well, but Eglantine raised her hand lightly to stop me.
"The threads of the Goddess of Time, Dre Fangua, have crossed, and it has been granted that we may meet face to face at last, Lady Rozemyne."
"I am truly honored that you have taken the trouble to come during such a busy time before the Lord's Conference, Lady Eglantine."
Eglantine's expression had changed somewhat. Her gentle smile appeared not to have shifted much, but the soft, princess-like aura she once had was gone.
...To have her demeanor change this much in such a short time—she must really have been through a great deal.
"Eglantine Zent, today's schedule has already been conveyed to you. Let us proceed to the castle via the teleportation circle."
Ferdinand's voice cut through my thoughts. I touched the teleportation circle I had copied onto the roof of the Border Gate. I had the knights from the Central Government, who cried out in surprise when the magic circle rose up, step onto the teleportation circle, and we moved to the castle.
After finishing a lunch featuring lots of Alexandria-style fish dishes, I entered the Aub's office.
A range-specified anti-eavesdropping Magical Tool. The only people within range were Eglantine, Anastasius, Ferdinand, and myself—four in total.
"That was a most wonderful meal. I have dined on Ahrensbach cuisine several times before, but I was quite surprised by how different the flavors are."
"I feel terrible saying this about the people of Ahrensbach, but the spices are simply too strong for me to eat. I've been adding spices little by little to Ehrenfest cooking methods to explore new flavors."
Not only Eglantine but Anastasius also seemed satisfied, and the atmosphere was relaxed. I was touched that they had found it so delicious, when he said, "Eglantine's appetite has been poor these past few days, but it seems she ate well today," and gazed at her.
...As always, he only has eyes for Eglantine.
I found it a bit exasperating, but I could understand why Anastasius was concerned about Eglantine, whose bearing had changed.
"Well, the duties of the Zent must be quite demanding."
"...Yes. In a short time, I have seen many things I had never seen before, things I had gone out of my way not to see. I realized that there is a great deal I must apologize to Lord Ferdinand and Lady Rozemyne for."
Her words, delivered with a soft smile, made my chest ache. The feeling that apologizing now couldn't change the past, and the feeling that I wanted to trust her once more, rose up simultaneously. As if seeing through my heart, Ferdinand smiled gently.
"Even the supreme god cannot change the past, but with the blessings of the gods, is it not possible to change the future for the better? Toward that end, I would ask your signature of approval on these documents."
He was saying things with the subtle implication of a yakuza boss—*apologies don't change the past, so show me some tangible sincerity*—while asking for approval of the betrothal and her accompaniment to the Lord's Conference.
Eglantine, looking over the documents Ferdinand offered, placed a hand against her cheek and tilted her head.
"Since the betrothal between Lady Rozemyne and Lord Ferdinand was ordered by royal decree, my approval is technically unnecessary unless you intend to abolish it, but..."
"That document is proof that it was a royal decree. To make it easier to inform the nobles of other territories that the Zent has changed, I would appreciate your approval nonetheless."
Eglantine still wore a not-entirely-convinced expression at Ferdinand's words, but began signing the documents with a stylo.
"I don't mind signing documents. But I was under the impression that today's invitation was to discuss hastening the star-binding ceremony..."
"Excuse me!?"
I didn't understand what Eglantine had suddenly said and stared with wide eyes.
"Didn't you hasten the arrival of winter to dispel the divine power that had taken root in Lady Rozemyne? So I assumed you wished to discuss hastening the star-binding ceremony?"
...Aaargh! She really did misunderstand!
"Winter hasn't arrived! That's not it at all, Lady Eglantine!"
"Rozemyne, calm yourself."
"I can't possibly be calm about this misunderstanding! Because, I mean, to be...!"
Not only was I completely misunderstood, but to think she believed I wanted to hasten the star-binding ceremony was utterly mortifying. She told me to calm down, but how was I supposed to calm down? I never knew what to do in situations like this.
"Lady Eglantine, I did not hasten the arrival of winter. I used several types of potions to dye Rozemyne. As you know, the Arrival of Winter cannot produce that level of coloring in such a short time."
"It was indeed remarkably fast."
...Please, stop! Seriously, stop bringing up the Arrival of Winter!
I wasn't the only one holding her head in her hands. Anastasius hurriedly tried to intervene on Eglantine's behalf.
"If it was a misunderstanding, then the star-binding ceremony can take place after Rozemyne comes of age. That is the end of this matter. We will discuss the speed of dyeing no further!"
The wife who had been stopped by her husband smiled and said, "Indeed."
"You both appear to accept the betrothal ordered by royal decree, but the decree handed down by
The other royal decree was to become Letizia's guardian, raise her as the next Aub, and make her the next Aub Ahrensbach.
"Alexandria has no need to inherit Ahrensbach's customs, so we intend to continue treating Letizia as a lord candidate even after Rozemyne assumes the title of Aub. Furthermore, I intend to, as the decree states, serve as Letizia's guardian and provide her with an education befitting the next Aub. I also believe there would be no issue with adopting her after the star-binding ceremony."
To live as a noble, one needed a patron. Ferdinand believed that if Letizia fulfilled her obligations as a lord candidate, they could adopt her, and if she demonstrated ability befitting the next Aub, there would be no problem making her the heir.
"However, the command to make Letizia the Aub Ahrensbach is impossible for me to execute alone, since Ahrensbach will cease to exist."
With a pointed look at Eglantine, Ferdinand gave a thin smile, making it clear that at least among the royal decrees he had received, none instructed him to make Letizia the next Aub Alexandria.
I thought at first it was the fake smile he wore when dumping troublesome matters on someone else, so I decided to watch how things unfolded. Fewer troublesome matters for Ferdinand to deal with was a good thing.
"We could name Trauerqual's new territory Ahrensbach and install Letizia as Aub after her marriage to Lord
Every option Ferdinand proposed placed a heavy burden on the royalty. Anastasius looked slightly displeased.
"Ferdinand, you're forgetting the option of abolishing it as an impossible royal decree."
At this, Ferdinand wore a venomous grin and fixed his gaze on Anastasius and Eglantine.
"Abolishing it as impossible would be simple enough, but the casual annulment of royal decrees would lead to future decrees losing their weight. I would very much like those of the royal family, starting with Lord Trauerqual, to bear the full weight of the decrees they themselves have issued."
...It wasn't the fake smile for dumping troublesome work after all. It was the smile of revenge.
I averted my eyes from the two of them, who had gone pale. The royalty had done all manner of things to Ferdinand, so I felt nothing in particular about them receiving a little payback. As long as Letizia wasn't disadvantaged, I hoped they would carry out the decree as a consequence of their own actions.
"Oh, by the way, has the interrogation of the criminals been completed?"
"Yes... As Ferdinand and Ehrenfest explained, Trug had apparently spread quite widely. Many of them couldn't remember crucial parts when I searched their memories, which made things difficult, but it has all been concluded."
Reading the memories of the Ahrensbach nobles, starting with Dietlinde, had apparently been quite grueling. Dietlinde, who had intended to become the next Zent, had raised a fuss claiming it was "disrespectful," and when she heard that Eglantine had obtained Glutrisheit, she had apparently been furious, declaring, "How dare they steal what is mine!" Those assigned to read the memories had found it mentally exhausting.
"Here are the magic powers of the Ahrensbach nobles whose interrogation is complete. Lady Rozemyne, I would ask you to destroy their medals. Once the medal destruction is finished, we intend to hand them over to their respective territories as magic power providers."
At Eglantine's words, Anastasius produced a sheet of paper with names written on it. The names of the criminals whose interrogation was finished were listed.
"It's the same as the Academy practical examination. Just relax."
"...I can't exactly relax when destroying medals."
I glared at the box Ferdinand had prepared containing the medals, then took out my staff. Waiting for everyone outside the anti-eavesdropping Magical Tool's range to leave, I pressed down on the paper Anastasius had set down.
"Aosvaal."
The name written on the paper glowed, and medals flew out of the box one after another. Taking them in hand, I closed my eyes tightly once and slowly let out a breath.
"Glutrisheit."
I brought out the book of
Having become Zent, Eglantine had chosen to look directly at things she did not wish to see and bore the weight of the Zent's responsibilities. As the Aub who had assumed office, I could not flee from the punishment of criminals.
"O Darkness God who reigns over the vast expanse of the high heavens—supreme god, father of all creation, who made the world—I invoke the name of Schickzandtraht, my Darkness God, and cast upon those who have broken the laws of the Light Goddess the punishment they deserve."
I threw the medals one by one into the magic circle as black mist began to emanate from it. The medals stuck to the black magic circle and began to burn.
"Close the stairway that leads to the distant heights where you reside."
After confirming that all medals had been destroyed, Eglantine declared, "The practical examination is passed." Anastasius had been staring at Ferdinand as if to say, "Are you sane, making this an examination?" but I wished he had raised those objections much earlier.
"Here are the blueprints for the town. While escorting you to the Border Gate, I would like you to see the renewed town of Alexandria."
Ferdinand brought out the blueprints for the Noble Districts of both Ahrensbach and Alexandria and began explaining to Eglantine and Anastasius where the Lanzeneve estate had been and how things had changed. The two of them had to confirm that the Lanzeneve estate was entirely gone and that there was no connection to the former ducal residence.
We mounted our riding beasts and flew over the new town. It was immediately obvious that where the Lanzeneve estate had stood was now part of the Noble District. Having already begun life in the new castle, this was my first time seeing the town of Alexandria after Entwickeleln from above. We circled above the Noble District centered on the castle, library, and research laboratory, and above the area where the Temple and Commoner facilities were clustered, then headed for the Border Gate.
"Truly, you completed the Entwickeleln in such a short time. Even if only in parts, it must have been quite demanding."
When we landed briefly at the Border Gate, Anastasius spoke in an impressed tone after touring the town. Eglantine smiled and nodded. "You can see just how capable Lady Rozemyne is, can't you?"
"It's not me—it's Ferdinand who handled all the coordination. I simply did as I was told."
"Oh my. Then it was Lord Ferdinand who designed the library-centered library city?"
"Yes. Ferdinand is always the one who turns my wishes into something achievable."
When I proudly puffed out my chest and declared how amazing Ferdinand was, Eglantine looked up at him and giggled. Ferdinand grimaced, but I paid him no mind.
"I would love to visit the Alexandria the two of you are building once more."
"By then, the area where the Commoners live might have completed its Entwickeleln as well, and the Temple classes may have already begun. Thanks to the deposit system, the library might be overflowing with books. And not just Ferdinand's research laboratory connected to the library—there might be specialized research institutes for magical plants, magical fish, and magical beasts as well."
We had rushed the Entwickeleln to demolish the Lanzeneve estate and tidy up the Noble District damaged by the brawl, but there were still so many things I wanted to do.
"None of this will remain a mere dream. I intend to carry it all out. Isn't that right, Ferdinand?"
"...In time."
At Ferdinand's response, Anastasius wore an indescribable expression and patted Eglantine's shoulder.
"Let's go, Eglantine. I don't wish to linger here much longer."
"Oh my, how sweet."
Even as she said this, Eglantine drew out Glutrisheit to open the Country Gate.
"...Well then, Lady Rozemyne. I look forward to being guided by the Goddess of Time, Dre Fangua."
It's gotten quite long. But I was able to write up to where I had planned.
The Entwickeleln as Aub.
Preparations for the betrothal ceremony. Rozemyne, who is happy to be able to wear the outfit her family made.
All the matters decided by Eglantine's visit.
Next is the betrothal ceremony.