Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 4.01 - Chapter 8

The Better Grades Committee 

“The candidates have all agreed to become your retainers, milady. They are already being moved into their rooms. You will be meeting with the boys during the announcement after dinner, since they can’t come up here,” Rihyarda said, having returned from speaking to all of the candidates. Those selected to be my retainers needed to move into rooms specifically for retainers, and with things suddenly sounding a lot busier outside my door, I could imagine this was already taking place. 

“Lady Rozemyne, may I allow your retainers in?” Angelica asked, standing by the door. 

“You certainly may.” 

Once the door was open, my new retainers stepped inside. The girls had come to greet me and discuss their upcoming work while their attendants and servants moved their things for them. 

Brunhilde came over first and knelt before me. “Lady Rozemyne, I am ever so delighted that you selected me. You may count on me to make your trends fashionable.” 

“Indeed. I intend to rely on you quite heavily when it comes to social matters, Brunhilde. As you know, I was asleep for two years; I do not know the precise details of country-wide politics, nor the relationships between duchies and their various factions. I will be trusting you to gather information and provide support when I am to socialize.” 

Lieseleta was the next to quietly kneel before me. “You saved my older sister when she was about to fail her studies, Lady Rozemyne. My family—no, my entire house—is infinitely grateful. I will do all that I can to make your life here as comfortable as possible.” 

“Angelica has told me that you declined every other offer you received, deliberately waiting for me to awaken so that you could serve me,” I replied. “The strength of your feelings fills me with true joy. I look forward to having you in my service.” 

Unlike apprentice scholars, who could begin work at once by making study guides and assisting with assignments so long as they knew how to write, attendants needed to spend a full year honing their skills before exclusively serving anyone. This was to minimize the risk of them greatly displeasing their charge. 

Lieseleta had been a first-year when I was baptized and had hoped to serve me when she finished polishing her skills, but unfortunate circumstances had resulted in me getting attacked and put into a coma right as she finished her year of training. The dreadful timing had caused her to stagger in disbelief, but seeing Angelica steadily continue to grow stronger while I was asleep encouraged her to train even harder for my sake. 

“Milady, I will teach the two apprentice attendants what work needs to be done here,” Rihyarda said. I gave her a nod, and then she began running them through my daily schedule and such. It would most probably be safe to leave the two girls in Rihyarda’s capable hands, so I turned my attention to the kneeling guard knights. Judithe was looking up at me with a giddy expression. 

“I can’t believe I get to serve you, Lady Rozemyne. I’m going to get as strong as I can. That way, I can be of as much use to you as possible!” 

“I look forward to seeing your efforts firsthand, Judithe.” 

Kneeling next to her was Leonore, a girl with violet hair and indigo eyes that sparkled with intelligence. She seemed quite mature to me, perhaps due to the calm air she exuded or her well-developed body. I never would have guessed from looking at her that she was an apprentice knight; in terms of appearance, she looked a lot more like an apprentice scholar to me. 

“Lady Rozemyne, I am ever so grateful that you have taken me as your guard knight.” 

“Leonore, I am aware that I am asking much of you. I will provide assistance whenever necessary, so I ask that you work with Cornelius to guide and support both Angelica and Judithe.” 

She glanced over at Angelica and Judithe, then nodded with a stiff expression. “I will do all that I can.” 

I sighed in relief, having thought that she might refuse. Angelica looked just as relieved; there was a broad smile spread across her face, no doubt due to her now having someone to think in her place. 

“Angelica, tell these two what their duties will be,” I said. 

“Understood.” 

No matter how bad her explanations were, Stenluke would probably pull through for me. That said, we still needed to formulate some sort of plan to reverse the damage done to her thinking patterns—or rather, the lack thereof. 

As I pursed my lips in thought, Philine hesitantly stepped forward and knelt. “Um, Lady Rozemyne... I am happy beyond words to have been taken as your retainer, but are you truly okay with having a first-year layscholar in your service?” she asked, a nervous look on her face. 

I could understand why she was worried, considering how rare it was for a member of the archducal family to take on a laynoble as a retainer, but Philine was the only person who had vowed to collect stories from all over the country for my sake. She was a true comrade. 

“My only expectation, Philine, is that you continue gathering stories. I will also have an archnoble scholar here to support and guide you. If you ever find that someone is treating you unfairly for being a laynoble, please consult me at once; I will take care of them.” 

“Thank you ever so much, Lady Rozemyne.” 

As my retainers were busy discussing work matters among themselves, I took the opportunity to mention the Better Grades Committee to Philine. 

“What is the Better Grades Committee?” she asked. 

“I have been ordered by Aub Ehrenfest to increase the duchy’s overall grades, coinciding with the archduke candidates enrolling in the Academy. It is now my duty to raise everyone’s grades while I am attending school, and this committee shall serve as a tool to accomplish that. Wilfried and I will of course be the presidents of the committee, but every student from Ehrenfest shall be a member; I will not let a single person escape.” 

With that, I spread out a number of documents about the Royal Academy that Damuel had gathered for me. There were twenty-one duchies, including the Sovereignty. Ehrenfest had ranked thirteenth last year and was just barely hovering around the middle, but in the past, it had been competing with lesser duchies for last place. 

Our ranking had gone up a little while Ferdinand was attending the Academy, but it then plummeted back down as soon as he graduated. In other words, having a single genius wasn’t enough—we needed to create a system that would increase Ehrenfest’s grades permanently. 

“I’ve heard from the senior students that Ehrenfest’s grade average has risen considerably thanks to the karuta and picture books, but what can we do to raise it further?” Philine asked. 

“The karuta and picture books have shown results only among the younger students; the material they cover isn’t complicated enough to have an impact on older students.” 

In addition to this, it seemed the younger students’ grades had only increased in written lessons. One could perhaps say they had gotten a little better at their practical music lessons as well, but that was about it. The growth we had seen so far was mainly just because they had been so bad before, meaning there was still much room for improvement. 

“I am told that my brother Cornelius became an honor student during my two-year absence. He was able to achieve this because he studied for his written lessons with Damuel a year in advance so that he could teach Angelica, learned my efficient mana compression method, and spent time being trained by Grandfather—that is, by Lord Bonifatius.” 

While the efforts of the Raise Angelica’s Grades Squadron had helped other apprentice knights to boost their grades a little as well, there was a clear gap between Cornelius and his peers. Angelica, meanwhile, was still just barely passing her written classes despite the tremendous efforts of so many people, which truly was a headache-inducing situation. 

“From what I remember, you created the mana compression method yourself, didn’t you?” Philine asked. 

“Yes. I intend to teach it to others once we return from the Royal Academy. I cannot teach it here and now, as it requires both a sizable sum of money and the permission of Ehrenfest’s leaders. If you wish to learn it, I recommend gathering stories and information now so that I can pay you for it all at a later date. I will readily buy stories from other duchies.” 

Philine’s grass-green eyes sparkled at my words. “I’ll do my best. It’s nice that I have time to earn money, but... waiting until we return to Ehrenfest means I won’t get more mana right away, doesn’t it?” 

“Indeed. For now, we will focus on improving everyone’s written lesson grades instead.” 

First- and second-years in the Royal Academy all attended the same classes, where they were taught the fundamentals of various subjects, while third-years and beyond narrowed their focus down to specific courses. Ferdinand had already beaten all the content for the first- and second-year written lessons into my head, since he had instructed me to pass their exams on my very first day. 

Ferdinand had gotten me to make these preparations for good reason; I needed to know the information covered during the first two years at the Royal Academy just to have basic conversations with archnobles at tea parties, and I was told that Wilfried had been working hard as well for this very same reason. It was also apparently common practice for archduke candidates and archnobles with older siblings to pass these exams on their first day, though as these exams only covered the written portion of our studies, we couldn’t just relax once they were over—we would still need to focus the rest of our time on practical lessons and socializing. 

I wanted to dedicate as much of my time as possible to the library, and the only way I could achieve that goal was by setting things up so that everyone could study while I was away reading. The current students had all studied with karuta and picture books, so they wouldn’t encounter any issues with magecraft and theology until their third year, nor would they struggle with math. Our biggest problems were with history and geography, since these were areas where some people were significantly better or worse than others. These were also the subjects I knew the least about myself. 

“Many students with older siblings rely on study guides and the like that are passed down to them, no? I wish to make similar guides myself and create an environment in which everyone studies together to boost their grades.” 

We had documents from when Eckhart was an apprentice knight, and if Cornelius lent them out, everyone could make a great deal of progress together. If we repeated this process for other courses as well, studying would instantly become a lot easier. 

“We’re going to raise the grades of every student from Ehrenfest, including the children from the former Veronica faction,” I explained. 

“Back when you led the playroom, Lady Rozemyne, all of us worked together regardless of age and faction to complete the work given to us, hoping to be rewarded with your sweets. I truly did love the energy in the air,” Philine said with a nostalgic smile. 

As it turned out, Wilfried had been so shocked by his friends betraying him at the hunting tournament and subsequently being attacked in the castle that he had started acting hostile toward the children of the former Veronica faction while I was asleep. He may have looked calm on the surface now, but that was only because Charlotte had taught him not to show his emotions so openly. The former Veronica faction remained ostracized to this day, and for this reason they were neither taken as retainers nor given any important duties. That needed to be fixed, and fast; I wanted to recreate the atmosphere from the playroom that Philine loved so much here in the Royal Academy. 

I think making everyone compete for rewards again is probably the best move. Maybe all this internal strife will fade if we can establish an outside enemy for everyone to focus on... 

“Please remain here after dinner,” I said to everyone gathered in the dining hall. “I will announce my retainers, pay those who provided information while I was asleep, then convey a message directly from Aub Ehrenfest himself.” 

With that, I took my seat. The tables were generally divided into factions. Wilfried and I were sitting with our retainers at a large table with a dozen seats, while everyone else was split between four large tables with their friends. 

It’s kind of funny that we’re bothering to announce my retainers when it’s already obvious to everyone who I’ve chosen. 

“O mighty King and Queen of the endless skies who doth grace us with thousands upon thousands of lives to consume, O mighty Eternal Five who rule the mortal realm, I offer thanks and prayers to thee, and do take part in the meal so graciously provided,” Wilfried said, leading the prayer. When that was done, we finally started eating. 

Incidentally, Wilfried and I had slightly different menus from everyone else, with both of us getting unique desserts. I could see the others glancing at our plates with wide-eyed surprise. 

“The food here has been getting better over the years, but this year’s is something else entirely...” said one of the students. 

“Yeah, the food is what I look forward to most at the Royal Academy. I was at a loss for words the first time I ate here,” replied another. 

The quality of the food had been steadily rising over the past three years due to the dormitory having chefs sent from the castle, and now that Hugo and Ella were here, the quality had shot up even further. It was funny seeing how much the perspectives of the senior students, who knew how the food had been before, differed from those of the newer students, who were only familiar with these high-quality meals. 

“These fantastic dishes were made by my personal chefs, who have been sent here for the first time this year. They have trained very hard over the past few years,” I announced. “Oh, and I plan to release a recipe book containing these foods at the end of winter.” 

“Oh my... Do you mean to say the book will contain instructions for how to make these dishes?” Brunhilde asked, elegantly placing a hand over her mouth to indicate surprise. I needed to learn from her example. 

“It will be more expensive than the picture books, but I believe the recipes are worth every coin.” 

“You are certainly right about that, Lady Rozemyne; recipes are very expensive. Will you also be selling them in the Sovereignty?” 

“My plan is to sell the recipe book in the Royal Academy next year, or perhaps the year after that. This year I will only be debuting a single sweet recipe or two in order to build up anticipation. Trying to change trends too abruptly will only inspire resistance,” I said. 

This earned me a small pout from Brunhilde, who wanted to spread these trends faster than anyone. She was an elegant and mature girl, but she really did look her age when she made expressions like that. 

“It is best to introduce trends gradually,” I explained with a smile. “While I am an archduke candidate, other duchies have their own archduke candidates as well. If we consider the Sovereign royalty and the archduke candidates of greater duchies to be archnobles, then we of a middle duchy like Ehrenfest would be equivalent to mednobles. Now tell me, what would archnobles think of mednobles abruptly starting new trends without any warning?” 

Brunhilde gasped in realization. 

“We must move like mednobles. The inventions and such that we can introduce as trends are our secret weapons for establishing connections with the archnobles and increasing our influence. There is no need for us to reveal all of our cards at once; we are better off showing our hand little by little.” 

“It is as you say.” 

After dinner, it was time for me to reveal my new retainers. Everyone already knew who I had chosen given that they had just eaten with me, but official announcements like this were apparently important. 

“I shall now announce my retainers. My apprentice attendants shall be Lieseleta and Brunhilde. My apprentice knights shall be Angelica, Cornelius, Leonore, Traugott, and Judithe. My apprentice scholars shall be Hartmut and Philine.” 

I had already spoken to the girls back at my room, but this was pretty much my first time seeing the boys. We had exchanged our first greetings three years ago at the playroom, but in all honesty, I had greeted so many people back then that I couldn’t remember anyone who hadn’t been on the blacklist I had memorized. 

“It is an honor to serve you, Lady Rozemyne,” Traugott said while kneeling before me. He was a twelve-year-old apprentice archknight in his third year, and despite being both Rihyarda’s and Bonifatius’s grandson, he didn’t really look like either of them. He had exceptionally blond hair and deep-blue eyes, and the silence he exuded was only further emphasized by his unmoving expression. 

Hartmut stepped forward after Traugott. “I have been awaiting your return ever since you first instructed us to gather information in the Royal Academy, Lady Rozemyne. I am overjoyed to serve you,” he said, his amber eyes crinkled in a bright, peaceful smile. His way of speaking made him sound exactly like Justus, though his noticeably red hair meant he probably wasn’t as suited to stealthy reconnaissance. He was Ottilie’s second son, a fourteen-year-old apprentice archscholar in his fifth year. 

Once the greetings were finished, I had Rihyarda bring me a pouch filled with coins. 

“With much gratitude in my heart, I will now distribute payment to those who gathered valuable information for me while I slept,” I announced. 

I began calling the students over one by one, giving them each a few words of appreciation. Brunhilde in particular had earned high praise from Florencia and Elvira for the fashion- and trend-related information she had gathered, while Ferdinand had been quite satisfied with the information Hartmut had collected. A proud light shone in their eyes as they accepted their payment. 

“Furthermore, Roderick and Philine have both gathered many stories at my request. It is thanks to them that I will soon be able to make yet another new picture book,” I continued. While neither of them had been Royal Academy students at the time, they had still gathered information that I found valuable, so I was naturally going to pay them in full. Doing this would also encourage more people to gather new stories for me in hope of making some money themselves. 

Philine happily walked over and accepted her payment, but Roderick looked between me and the coins in his hands with worry. “Is... Is it truly acceptable for me to take this?” 

“But of course. You are being paid for your services, Roderick.” He must never have expected for his efforts to be recognized or rewarded, as his face momentarily scrunched up like he was about to cry. “I look forward to your continued efforts. Please find many stories for me in the Royal Academy.” 

“As you wish. I will live up to your expectations without fail,” he replied, gripping the coins tightly as he returned to his seat. Wilfried watched him go, then looked at me with narrowed eyes. 

“Rozemyne, do you not know? Roderick was—” 

“It is best to reward deeds fairly, dear brother. Roderick gathered many stories for my sake, and I am merely compensating him for his efforts—that is all there is to it. One’s faction is irrelevant to their accomplishments and good deeds.” 

This announcement caused a stir at the table where the children from the former Veronica faction were seated. “Lady Rozemyne, does that mean any information I gather will be rewarded equally as well?” one asked. 

“Of course. Everyone values things differently. Brunhilde gathered information about fashion and trends, while Hartmut prioritized information on interduchy relations. Not everyone found use in what they obtained, but some did. Thus, if someone appreciates the information you gather, I will reward it fairly.” 

Nobody from the former Veronica faction had brought me any information. I had initially assumed this was because their parents had forbidden them from doing so, but as it turned out, it was because they hadn’t thought their efforts would be rewarded. Given how Wilfried had reacted to me paying Roderick, I could hardly blame them. 

“Now, we shall convey to you all the message from Aub Ehrenfest,” I began. “Wilfried and I are enrolled in the Royal Academy as archduke candidates, and next year our sister Charlotte will be joining us.” 

Wilfried stood up and faced everyone, then continued in a loud, clear voice. “Starting with us, Ehrenfest will have archduke candidates in the Royal Academy for the next ten years. My father wishes to use this opportunity to increase our duchy’s influence as much as possible, so we want all of you to band together and provide your support.” 

“First, let us consider how to raise everyone’s grades,” I said. 

The apprentice knights spoke up at once. “Simply being taught your mana compression method will be a significant boon. Please teach it to us so that we may raise our duchy’s grades.” 

It was clear to everyone just how drastically my mana compression method had increased the mana capacities of Angelica, Cornelius, and Ernesta, the last of whom was Charlotte’s apprentice guard knight. But most importantly of all, it was a hot topic in the Knight’s Order that even Damuel—an adult layknight—was still seeing a steady increase in his capacity. 

“...I plan to gradually teach my mana compression method to those I deem trustworthy. I will observe your behavior over this winter and select those who catch my interest, then pass these names on to Ehrenfest’s leaders for approval. When this semester ends, I plan to hold seminars to teach those who are accepted.” 

“Is that true?” 

“Yes, though please keep in mind that those who are accepted will need to pay a hefty fee before they can be taught,” I explained, resulting in a number of excited and defeated expressions among the students. “Lessons on using the compression method to increase one’s mana capacity will begin next spring. As for this year, my goal is to raise our written grades, both for Ehrenfest’s and for your sakes. Let us all improve together, regardless of rank and faction.” 

My words caused many to raise their heads. Some were noticeably tense about what I was going to say next. 

“We will first split into groups,” I explained. “The first- and second-years will be put together, as all their lessons are shared, while the rest of you will be divided into your respective specialty courses. In summary, there will be the first-years’ team, the second-years’ team, the apprentice knight team, the apprentice scholar team, and the apprentice attendant team.” 

The teams differed slightly in terms of size, but there were around ten people in each. This was the most efficient method of dividing the students, considering my plans to have them share information and study guides, but people immediately began to complain. 

“Rozemyne, are you insane?!” Wilfried exclaimed. “If you’re going to put them into groups, you should at least divide them by faction!” 

“That’s right. I could never work with someone from another faction!” came a voice from among the students. 

“Lady Rozemyne, please consider how those of us being ostracized feel,” added a student from the former Veronica faction. 

It seemed that my decision wasn’t much appreciated by Wilfried, the members of my own faction, or even the members of the former Veronica faction, but I really didn’t want the dormitory to be awash with faction politics. As far as I was concerned, there really was no point in caring about such distinctions here. 

In the midst of all the complaints, I put a hand on my cheek and shook my head, wearing the most exasperated expression I could manage. “Goodness, everyone... Might I ask why you all seem to love faction squabbling so much? Are you aware that the country at large considers Ehrenfest a backwater duchy without any notable merits? Is it truly wise for us to fight among ourselves in such a dire situation?” 

“Th-That’s...” 

“Rozemyne, have you forgotten that you were attacked?!” Wilfried retorted. 

I couldn’t help but sigh. I had been wondering why Wilfried was so invested in faction politics all of a sudden, and now it made sense—he was trying to protect me. As much as I appreciated his efforts, he was getting in the way of my plan. 

“I have not forgotten what happened, nor am I happy about it,” I said, looking over the dining hall. “Even so, it is worth noting that we have no parents to rely on here in the Academy, which in turn means we have no parents to spy on us and force us to commit misdeeds. The faction squabbling can wait until we return to Ehrenfest, can it not? Here, the foes we must face are the honor students of other duchies—that is what you all must understand. Is it not standard practice for us nobles to consider the future, hide our emotions, and ally with our enemies to defeat yet greater foes? This is what I was taught long ago. Goodness. To think you are all so feeble of spirit.” 

Wilfried and all the other children fell silent. 

“That said, I understand that being abruptly told to study harder is not the most motivating thing in the world,” I continued. “For this reason, I have prepared rewards to encourage you all. The first team to have all its members pass their exams and the team with the most talented students shall each receive my pound cake recipe, meaning you may have your chefs at home make them for you when we return to Ehrenfest.” 

Freida had said that I could publicize the pound cake recipe, but it was still mostly a secret. I had of course taught it to a few people who were close to me, but they had paid so much for the recipe that they were keeping it close to their chests. As a result, those in the Noble’s Quarter who wanted pound cake either had to buy some at the guildmaster’s store, or secure an invitation to one of Elvira’s or Florencia’s tea parties. Introducing the recipe as a reward would allow the students to eat pound cake at home, serve it to visitors, and do pretty much whatever else they wanted with it. 

Everyone suddenly looked a lot more receptive to the idea—that is, everyone except Wilfried and Cornelius, who still seemed unhappy. 

“Would you two rather be rewarded with Ella’s new sweets recipe?” I asked. That was evidently enough to solve the problem, as they both nodded with motivated smiles. 

“Given the easier material, I imagine the lower years will pass their exams sooner, but it is unlikely they will be selected as the most talented students for this same reason. Those in the higher years may be able to exploit this chance for victory,” Hartmut mused aloud. He then shot up a hand while eyeing Cornelius. “Lady Rozemyne, there are many guard knights among the apprentices who already know your mana compression method and have access to Lord Eckhart’s excellent study guides. I think this gives them an unfair advantage here.” 

The others immediately began to voice their agreement. Faction squabbling had already ceased to matter entirely. 

“The other teams can surely acquire study guides from their own siblings, but I agree that the mana compression method does provide an unfair advantage. Some adjustments will need to be made to account for this. In which case... I forbid Angelica from using Stenluke in class.” 

“What?! No way are we going to win now!” several of the older apprentice knights cried out. Angelica was similarly taken aback—her face paled as she attempted to choke out my name, but I looked her straight in the eye and didn’t back down. 

“You have relied on Stenluke so much over the past two years, Angelica, that you think even less than you did before. That simply will not do. Please use your head going forward and learn on your own merits. You survived your previous two years; you can surely survive this one as well.” 

“Do you hate me, Lady Rozemyne...?” Angelica asked tearfully. She was almost radiating despair, but I was unmoved. No matter how much of an ephemeral and melancholic beauty she was right now, I wouldn’t be deceived by appearances; she was putting on the same face she always made when she didn’t want to use her brain. 

“Of course not. I would not assign someone I hate to be my guard knight. This is all to aid your growth as a person, and I trust that you understand this as well, Stenluke. I will not tolerate any violations,” I declared, having noticed Angelica touch her manablade’s feystone in a desperate bid for help. 

Naturally, a manablade with Ferdinand’s personality and speech patterns would never in a million years permit any fraud. He responded with a clear, “Understood.” 

“Knights must abide by the rules,” Stenluke firmly continued. “And most of all, I too wish for my master’s growth.” 

“I am glad to see that we are on the same page.” 

“No, Stenluke!” Angelica cried out. “Why, Lady Rozemyne?! Why?!” 

I cheered Angelica on with a grin, then turned to look across the entire dining hall. “Now then, get into your groups. Come up with plans, work together, and do your very best in your classes. With that established... Wilfried, when will we first-years begin our strategy meeting?” 

Wilfried, who had been staring at the table where Roderick and the other children of the former Veronica faction were, abruptly stood. “Spend tonight checking over the study guides and other information you have received from your older siblings. We will hold a strategy meeting first thing after breakfast tomorrow. Victory shall be ours!” 

And so Ehrenfest’s Better Grades Committee was established, with the intense battle for results beginning at once.