Math, Theology, and Controlling Mana
Classes were due to begin tomorrow, starting with an orientation for the new students during which the various subjects and institutions throughout the Academy would be explained. With this in mind, Cornelius spent dinner telling me what my average day would be like going forward.
“The number of times the bell rings will change on days with classes,” he began. Second bell apparently marked the start of breakfast, with second-and-a-half bell then marking the start of morning classes. Third bell signaled a change in subject, as did third-and-a-half bell, then at fourth bell we would return to our dormitories for lunch. Afternoon classes would begin at fourth-and-a-half bell, continuing until dinner at sixth bell. Seventh bell was curfew, meaning this was when the doors to the dormitories would be closed.
“So my free time will be from fourth to fourth-and-a-half bell,” I said. “I believe I shall spend my lunches in the library.”
“That is not free time, Lady Rozemyne—you are expected to spend it preparing for your afternoon classes. Furthermore, you have not even been registered at the library yet,” Cornelius said, a broad smile spreading across his face.
I fought back with an even broader smile. Spending my lunch reading in the library had been an iron rule of mine ever since my Urano days.
There’s a library here, so no way am I going to let my opportunity for lunchtime reading slip through my fingers!
“I am of course referring to after I am registered,” I replied. “I will prepare for the entire day in the morning before leaving for my classes. That way, there will be plenty of time to—”
“No, there will not.”
Nghhh! I won’t lose here! I’ll fight Cornelius to the bitter end for my reading time, even if that means prying it from his cold, dead hands!
“You must allow me to visit the library!” I exclaimed. “I will return as soon as the bell rings for afternoon classes.”
“This is unnegotiable, Lady Rozemyne. Do you think we can trust you to hear the bell and actually stop reading?” Cornelius asked. His words hurt, though there was some truth to them—back in my Urano days, the librarian had gotten used to forcibly kicking me out whenever the bell rang.
“But, but... The books need me, and I need the books. At the very least, allow me to very, very thoroughly look over them. I will even go without lunch, if such is what it takes.”
“No. That is incredibly unhealthy. Plus, if you go without lunch, then your retainers will be forced to do the same.”
“N-No way... My precious library...”
I had come to the Royal Academy with the understanding that I would get to go to the library once I arrived, and now here I was being denied entry right outside the gates of paradise. The cruelty was astounding.
As I glared at Cornelius with tearful eyes, I heard Wilfried sigh from where he was sitting beside me. “Rozemyne, leave it at that. You look young enough already, so throwing a tantrum like this will make people think you’re an actual toddler.”
What...? I look like a toddler throwing a tantrum?!
Shocked by the accusation, I hurriedly looked around. Wilfried was right—Cornelius, a fourteen-year-old, was repeatedly rejecting my pleas while I, a girl with the appearance of a seven-year-old child at best, stubbornly refused to accept his answer. From an outside perspective, I was clearly throwing a tantrum.
“You have to be more careful than anyone about how you act,” Wilfried warned me. “Your appearance can create openings for those from other duchies to exploit.”
“...You’re right. I’ll give up on going at lunch and just visit the library after class,” I said with a weak nod, hanging my head sadly. Wilfried had grown so much while I was asleep that I really had turned into his little sister. It was incredible how much children could change over just two years.
“Excellent work stopping milady there, my boy.” Rihyarda praised Wilfried with a smile, then knelt down beside me. “And milady, Ferdinand has instructed me to not let you into the library until you have passed all of your exams. He said it should be your highest priority to pass them quickly so that you can return in time for the Dedication Ritual.”
“Whaaat?! That’s so unfair! Cruel, even! At least let me spend my free time how I please!” As far as I was concerned, forbidding me from entering the library at all was just going way too far.
“You may use your free time here as you wish, milady, but we cannot allow you to access the library so readily when we know you will only cause trouble for everyone while you are there. In the temple book room, you prioritized reading over eating until you eventually collapsed, terrifying all those around you. At Lord Karstedt’s estate, you rushed to the book room with such fervor that you collapsed on the way there and traumatized poor Cornelius. And then, when you first entered the castle book room, you became so focused on reading that Oswald could not get your attention, and I had to be called to drag you out. The library ban is there for a reason.”
“Exactly. I still remember how shocked I was when you collapsed. Lord Ferdinand’s decision here isn’t cruel—it’s a necessity.”
I couldn’t even argue back; those were indeed all things that had happened.
Grr! Curse you, Ferdinand! How far will you go to interfere with my plan to hole up in the library? It seems like you might be my greatest foe after all.
“In return, he has given you permission to spend entire days in the library once you pass all of your classes,” Rihyarda said. “You’ll have all the free time in the world—except for when you have to return for the Dedication Ritual, of course—so if you pay attention to your health and remember to eat, he said you can read as much as you want.”
My head shot up at once. “So I just have to pass my exams then?”
“Indeed, milady. Is that not why you studied so hard in the castle?”
I nodded. My cramming with Ferdinand had been intense, but it was predicated on the fact that it would allow me to finish my exams before the Dedication Ritual. Assuming I really was already at a passing level, then I would surely still have plenty of time to go to the library.
“Very well. I will dedicate my all to my classes so that I can visit the library as soon as possible!” I declared, my fists clenched in determination, but Wilfried merely shook his head.
“Hold it, Rozemyne. Don’t forget you need to make sure all the first-years pass too.”
“...Is it absolutely necessary that they all pass?” I asked. I was the only one who had undergone Ferdinand’s brutal study regimen, and there was no guarantee I could bring everyone else up to the required level before the Dedication Ritual.
“Yeah. We can’t have you locking yourself away in the library and abandoning the Better Grades Committee. Remember, you’re an archduke candidate,” he said, making it clear that I couldn’t escape my duties of raising everyone’s grades and ensuring the victory of the first-years’ team.
“I see... Very well. I shall put my all into that as well,” I declared, cackling to myself as I thought over tomorrow’s plans. I then turned to address all the first-years in the dining hall. “Tomorrow we have the introductions, math, and theology, correct? I’m told that, over the past two years, everyone with prior experience from the playroom has passed math and theology on the first day. In other words, we should all be able to do the same. I will not allow anyone to shamefully fail the exams.”
“Y-Yes, ma’am!”
I nodded in satisfaction at the first-years’ prompt response. Each one flinched and straightened their back the moment I made eye contact with them.
“In the afternoon, we have a practical lesson regarding the control of mana. Once that is over, return to the dormitory at once and study so that you might pass the history, geography, and magecraft exams that are going to be held the next day. You will be working on the weak points you identified yesterday, and I will assist you all with your studies. Our goal is for everyone to pass all of their classes at once.”
“Everyone, all at once?! Rozemyne, are you insane?!” Wilfried exclaimed, abruptly rising to his feet. But what else did he expect? I wasn’t allowed into the library until everyone had passed, so I was obviously going to make sure it happened as soon as possible.
“I said I would be dedicating my all to this, Wilfried, and I meant it. If I am expected to sacrifice my library time for the sake of everyone else, then I expect everyone else to sacrifice their peace of mind for my sake in turn. They will work as hard as I am working to contain myself.”
It was so quiet that only the nervous swallows of the first-years could be heard, and in the midst of that, Hartmut smiled to himself. “And so begins another chapter of the legend of the Saint of Ehrenfest.”
After dinner, I made the first-years study history and geography until seventh bell. Some of the kids ended up exhausted in no time at all, which was honestly pretty pathetic, since classes hadn’t even started yet.
Come seventh bell, I was bathed and then put to bed. I made sure to wake up earlier than usual at first bell so that I could start organizing cheat sheets to help the five children—a mixture of mednobles and laynobles—who weren’t quite good enough to pass yet.
“Lady Rozemyne, what in the world are you doing up so early?!” Rihyarda barked upon entering my room. She had come in to clean before waking me up, only to find that I was sitting at my desk in my bedclothes.
“We don’t have much time before the exams.”
“You are pushing yourself much too hard, milady. This isn’t good for your body.”
“I’m not pushing myself at all. Compared to when I had to prepare for Charlotte’s baptism ceremony, there is practically nothing for me to do. It would be easy for me to pass on my own, but whipping the others into shape is really hard,” I replied, all the while wondering how much I would be able to pack into their heads today.
Once it was time for breakfast, I headed to the dining hall with the cheat sheets in hand, which I then distributed to the five children who needed them. “Use these to study. I’ve written down everything that you haven’t memorized yet.”
They accepted the papers, albeit with sickly expressions.
Wilfried furrowed his brow. “Rozemyne, do you really have to push them this hard? All so you can go to the library sooner?”
“Yes. I mean, didn’t you forbid me from going there specifically so that I would push them and make everyone pass as soon as possible? Need I repeat that I said I was putting my all into this?”
After breakfast, we immediately started preparing for our classes, then studied in the common room.
“Philine, you misspelled the king’s name,” I said. “Roderick, you have mixed up the names of these two duchies.”
“My apologies.”
“I will fix them at once.”
I put the five children through a brutal training regimen, and soon enough, it was time for class. I crossed my arms and frowned slightly as I looked over their progress; things weren’t going quite as I expected.
“...Well, it’s time. You should have no problems with today’s exams, at least. I trust that you will all pass without issue,” I said, causing the five who had been struggling to lean back in their chairs in relief.
“Milady, aren’t your expectations here just a tad too harsh?” Rihyarda asked, making her concern clear.
“This is absolutely too harsh,” I said with a nod, “just like it was too harsh to deny me my time in the library until all the first-years pass their exams. But I will stay strong nonetheless. I will swallow the pain in my heart, complete my duty as an archduke candidate, and then speed to the library as soon as humanly possible. I’ll do anything to peacefully read my books!” I declared, balling my fists with conviction.
I could already hear Wilfried apologizing to everyone nearby.
I headed to the auditorium, accompanied by my retainers and with Rihyarda carrying my study tools. Once I was inside, my guards would be changing places with the Sovereign soldiers on watch by the doors.
“You must not leave the auditorium before we come to get you,” Rihyarda warned before leaving with my other attendants. The first-years and I went into the auditorium, then sat next to each other in chairs with the number thirteen on them.
“The introduction will now begin. Listen well, as it will come in very useful for life in the Royal Academy,” began the professor standing at the podium. He was going to be explaining more about our upcoming classes, though as there were exams on the first day of any subject, only those who didn’t pass would actually be attending them. “Many first-year students pass their written exams on the first day, but practical classes take much longer,” he explained.
Shared classes were held in the auditorium for all years, but practical lessons depended on one’s mana capacity, so they were divided by status. These classes took place in the rooms that yesterday’s fellowship gatherings had been held in, though they would be moved to classrooms once the class became small enough.
Next began an explanation about the library. It was open from today onward, and anyone could use it by going there and registering themselves. Registering could only be done when the library manager—that is, the Academy librarian Solange—was there, so we were told to make sure we schedule the meeting in advance. This, alongside having to wait for a reply and then the day of the meeting itself, made registering seem like a much longer process than I had expected.
I need to schedule that meeting as soon as I get back to the dormitory for lunch.
Registering at the library also required a fee that many laynobles wouldn’t be able to afford by themselves, so we archduke candidates and other archnobles were asked to give them work so that they could save up for it.
Right. I’ll have the laynobles transcribe books that we haven’t already got in the castle book room.
We were also told that mingling between duchies was encouraged, and that we should therefore actively involve ourselves with interduchy socializing. Since students could not enter the dormitories of other duchies, there were numbered rooms based on rank intended to be used for tea parties. I didn’t care about that though, since I didn’t care about tea parties. I would have preferred that the professor go back to talking about the library.
The explanation continued for quite some time until third bell eventually rang. It was time for our math exam, and we had a short break before the new professor arrived.
“Now, one student from each duchy come forward to fetch the exam papers.”
Roderick the apprentice scholar went up for Ehrenfest. The exams themselves seemed to be on parchment, which was actually quite refreshing given how much I had been using plant paper lately.
“Prepare your writing utensils,” the professor said. “You will be expected to write down the questions as I state them. I will repeat each question three times, and you may think of your answers after writing them all down.”
We were all using magic pens as our writing utensils—that is, those weird pens that required you to pour your mana into them. I had been told that I didn’t need to use one when writing down notes in class, but using one was necessary for Academy exams; the professors would apparently dip the parchment into mana-dissolving liquid afterward, which would erase the writing and allow the parchment to be reused. That was certainly something I wanted to learn more about.
“The exam will now begin,” the professor announced. We all set our papers in front of us and readied our pens.
The exam itself was hilariously simple, covering addition and subtraction involving two-digit numbers at most. I could solve every problem before the teacher even finished repeating the questions, and a quick look around the auditorium revealed that all the students from Ehrenfest were working through the exam with easy smiles. It seemed that we were all going to pass.
“What do we do when we’re done?” I asked.
“...Once all students of a duchy have handed in their papers, you may begin studying for your next exam,” the professor explained. “However, we request that you do so quietly.”
With that, I signaled for the papers to be passed down. Once I had all eight from Ehrenfest, I handed them to the professor, then quietly instructed everyone to begin studying. We would naturally be preparing for tomorrow’s history and geography tests.
“All passing grades for Ehrenfest,” the professor announced, his voice echoing throughout the auditorium. It seemed he had already finished grading the papers.
A few let out quiet cheers while others sighed in relief, then everyone quickly shifted their attention back to the topics that were actually worrying them. While everyone was desperately working their hardest, I started to think about the upcoming exams.
All of the Ehrenfest students had passed this test with excellent grades, but first-year classes weren’t hard at all, and there were plenty of students from other duchies who passed relatively quickly.
Our next exam was theology. Once again, we students from Ehrenfest finished first, with all of us getting passing grades. It wasn’t particularly rare for every student of a duchy to pass, but the fact we had finished both exams before anyone else earned us a bit of attention—at least, that was what Wilfried said when we returned to the dormitory for lunch at fourth bell.
“Rozemyne, did you not notice everyone looking at us?” he asked.
“I was so focused on our exams tomorrow that I didn’t even think to look around. What’s important here is making sure everyone passes so that I can go to the library. It would be one thing if we were getting attention because our grades are bad, but this is the complete opposite, so who cares?”
“Me. Everyone. Our reputation is important.”
“Then I shall leave that to you. You already seem capable of passing all the exams without issue, so you can pay attention to what the other duchies think of us.”
With that settled, I spent my lunch break helping the five struggling students with their studies and writing a letter requesting a meeting with Solange the librarian, which I then asked Brunhilde to deliver.
I pray that Solange’s reply arrives soon...
The second-years used the auditorium in the afternoon, so first-years were divided into groups based on status for their practical lessons. There weren’t many archduke candidates, so we would be learning alongside the archnobles.
Today we would be learning to control mana. Hirschur stood at the front of the wide room and set a box down on her podium with a dull thump.
“Inside this box are feystones,” she explained. “I want you each to take one and dye it. Direct your mana at the feystone, then show it to me once you’ve filled it. You will then need to completely remove the mana from the feystone. That will conclude today’s lesson.”
Knowing how to put one’s mana into a feystone and then remove it again was necessary for all manner of things, so students were expected to learn to do it quickly and accurately before anything else.
“Remember, you will need to dye your feystone when we move on to making your highbeasts later,” Hirschur added.
We went up and got our feystones in order of our duchies. I got one as well, but by the time I was back at my seat, it was gone; all that remained in my hand was golden dust.
The feystone... disappeared?!
As I blinked at my hand in surprise, Wilfried gave me a confused look. “Rozemyne, did you not get one?”
“No, I did. I was holding it normally, but...”
Once everyone else had gone up to get theirs, I got back in line to get another. This time, I rested it on my palm and watched it carefully on my way back to my seat, only to witness the clear feystone turn yellow before my eyes. It then shone brightly and dissolved into golden sand.
I recognized the process—the same thing had happened when I poured mana into the black feystone Bezewanst had once held out at me. It hadn’t been the same size as this one, and it being black rather than clear meant they probably weren’t the same element, but the end was nearly identical.
But why...?
I hadn’t even thought of pouring mana into the feystone yet, but it had sucked some up anyway and crumbled to dust on its own. My brow furrowed as I looked at the golden sand on my palm.
“Now, pour mana into your feystones,” Hirschur said with a clap.
Everyone began focusing on their stones. Wilfried, who was sitting next to me, must have really gotten used to handling his mana over the past two years, because his stone ended up completely dyed in the blink of an eye.
“Alright... Done,” he said. “Rozemyne, where’s your feystone?”
“I messed up...” I murmured, sadly looking at the sand.
“Wow, that’s rare for you. Maybe go get another one?”
“I suppose I’ll have to...” I replied, but it was hard to imagine the same thing wouldn’t just happen again. There was no point in me getting another one until I figured out why they were sucking up my mana on their own.
While I was busy stewing over what to do, Wilfried eagerly went to show his feystone to Hirschur.
“You’ve finished quickly and done well,” she said. “Splendid work.”
Wilfried returned with a broad smile, then immediately withdrew his mana to empty the feystone. “Never thought I’d get through a practical class before you, Rozemyne,” he said proudly before skipping out of the room. He had finished before anyone else.
I tried turning the golden sand back into a feystone by pouring mana into it and chanting “Stick! Stick! Turn into a sphere!” over and over again, but nothing happened. The other archnobles and archduke candidates, meanwhile, were all dyeing their stones and withdrawing the mana with ease. Thanks to their excess of mana, they were able to finish their practical lessons in no time at all.
When there were only a handful of students left, people started sneering about how long I was taking despite being an archduke candidate. The next thing I knew, I was the only one remaining.
“Lady Rozemyne, surely it is not that hard to fill a feystone with mana. If you cannot even...” Hirschur began, sounding exasperated, only to trail off upon seeing the sand on my desk. “Aah, I see.”
“What’s going on? They filled up and broke apart on their own; I didn’t even try to pour my mana into them. I don’t know what to do.”
“Ferdinand did inform me you would have enhancement tools on you at all times. They are responsible for this. You are constantly enveloped in a shell of powerful mana, which instantly fills up small feystones such as these just by touch. Remove the tool on your left arm,” Hirschur said, setting another feystone down in front of me while gathering up the golden sand with a bright smile.
“Um... Sorry, Professor Hirschur. I didn’t mean to break your feystones...”
“There is no need to apologize. This mana-saturated gold dust is quite a valuable resource.”
Valuable, hm...? I wonder what happened to the sand from Bezewanst’s feystone then. Did Ferdinand, being the mad scientist he is, gather it all up in secret?
As I pondered such deep mysteries, I removed the magic tool as instructed. My left arm dropped down to my side in an instant, now too heavy for me to move on my own. I had to move it with my tool-assisted right arm.
“First, do nothing more than touch the feystone. Confirm that you are now capable of doing that before you start pouring any mana in, though make sure not to accidentally touch it with your still enhanced right hand.”
I moved my barely mobile left hand to touch the feystone’s surface, resting my fingers on it without pouring in any mana. Seconds passed, though its color didn’t change.
“Everything seems to be fine,” Hirschur said. “Now try pouring mana into it.”
I tried pouring mana into the feystone of my own volition, only for it to burst a moment later, scattering pieces in all directions.
“Eep!”
“You’re adding too much mana, and you’re doing it much too quickly. Add less, and do it more delicately,” Hirschur advised while placing another feystone in front of me. With my heart still pounding over the unexpected explosion, I touched the feystone again with trembling fingers.
Just a little. Pour just a little mana...
I once again tried pouring in some mana. It was just a teensy amount as far as I was concerned, but the feystone still exploded with a loud pop.
“Eek!”
“Try again.”
Another explosion.
“Again.”
In the end, ten noble feystones gave up their lives before I was able to fill and then drain one.
“You have an excessively large mana capacity, so your homework for now will be to learn how to precisely control your mana usage. Now turn these into dust, if you will.” Hirschur set down the fragments of all the exploded feystones in front of me. I put the enhancement bracelet back on my left arm and started touching the shards, causing them to turn into golden dust one after another.
“Professor Hirschur, how can I learn to control my mana?”
“That is a question for Ferdinand. He too had an excessive amount of mana when he first arrived at the Academy, though he studied mana compression to increase his capacity even further. He never so much as batted an eye no matter how compressed his mana became, but it was quite heart-stopping to watch, I assure you.”
I recalled how Ferdinand had consumed rejuvenation potions while trying out my new mana compression method, and it was then that I realized he really hadn’t changed at all since his days in the Academy.
“Ferdinand is still just as much of a research maniac now as he was then,” I informed Hirschur. “He’s still doing the same thing to this very day.”
“I see. He said in the past that he preferred life in the Academy to life in the castle, so it is nice to know he has now found a place in Ehrenfest as well,” she said with a nostalgic smile.
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