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Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 4.01 - Chapter 9




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The Advancement Ceremony and Fellowship Gatherings 

Thanks to my head attendant Rihyarda being here, my new life in the Royal Academy wasn’t all that different from my time spent in the castle. One thing I hadn’t entirely gotten used to, however, was Lieseleta and Brunhilde already being dressed and waiting in my room when it was time for me to get up. It really pained me knowing that I was relaxing in bed while everyone else was awake, but such was the fate of anyone who had attendants. Waking up earlier would only lead to my attendants having to get up even earlier than usual to make their morning preparations, so my only option as a high-status rich girl was to wait in bed and at best pretend to be asleep until everything was ready. 

Breakfast was eaten in the dining hall rather than in my room, so once I was changed, my female retainers and I all went there together. Cornelius and the boys had already been informed that I was ready, so by the time I had climbed into Lessy and reached the second floor, they were already waiting for me. 

“Good morning, Lady Rozemyne,” they said. 

Once classes began, there wouldn’t be time for the usual process of my retainers having to wait for me to finish my food, so we all ate at the same time. We were served by the adult attendants we had brought with us, which meant Rihyarda served my food for me. 

After our meal, I fetched the documents Ferdinand had prepared when beating the lessons into my head, then moved to the common room. There we would begin the first-years’ strategy meeting. 

“I already have Rihyarda to attend me and Philine as a fellow first-year, so I will only need one guard knight to stay with me,” I said. “The others can go and be with the knight group, assuming they are holding a meeting as well.” 

“We may be inside the dormitory, Lady Rozemyne, but it is not enough to have only one guard knight here to protect you,” Cornelius said. Both he and Wilfried were wearing clouded expressions. 

“I will be perfectly fine here. Ferdinand gave me many protection charms.” 

“Did he?” 

“Oh yes. They’re magic tools so deadly that I genuinely feel bad for anyone who would attempt to attack me.” 

Since I didn’t have a schtappe, the only way I could attack anyone was by praying or getting so mad that I Crushed anyone in sight. Upon hearing that the attack two years ago had occurred too suddenly for me to fight back, Ferdinand had given me magic tools that would absorb my mana on their own and activate the moment I was attacked. For this reason, he had told me to keep them on me at all times. 

“I cannot say where the magic tools are or when they will activate, since we cannot risk any plans being made to counter them, but trust me when I say that they are exactly what you would expect from Ferdinand,” I explained. That alone was enough for Cornelius and Wilfried to grimace; I could only wonder what had transpired between them and Ferdinand while I was asleep. 

“...Very well. In that case, I will entrust this duty to Leonore.” 

“No, Cornelius,” Angelica said, stepping forward with a broad smile. “Please allow me to guard Lady Rozemyne.” 

Cornelius faced her down with an equally broad smile. “You are the one and only thing posing a threat to the knight team’s victory. Neither the strategy meeting nor the study group can begin without you,” he said before promptly dragging her away. They might have grown on the outside, but they were still acting the same way as they had two years ago. 

I couldn’t help but giggle at Judithe’s dazed expression as she watched Angelica getting dragged away. In an attempt to reclaim her focus, I gestured to a nearby table. “Judithe, the second-years have already begun their meeting.” 

“R-Right. I’ll be right there.” 

I had to wonder whether her saintly mental image of Angelica had just been shattered to pieces. I genuinely felt a bit sorry for her, but learning the truth sooner rather than later would save her a lot more heartache down the line. Besides, it was only studying that Angelica was bad at; her strength was the real deal. 

“Do you not need to study with them, Leonore?” I asked. 

“Fear not. Cornelius has lent me his study guides, and I have already looked over all the fourth-year material.” 

“My, you really are talented,” I said, remembering how much the Raise Angelica’s Grades Squadron had struggled. 

Leonore gave a conflicted smile. “He informed me that it was all material you learned two years ago, Lady Rozemyne.” 

“I only helped Damuel organize it so that he could teach Angelica. I certainly haven’t memorized it all, and there is much I have forgotten.” 

“Yet more humility. You truly are a modest individual, Lady Rozemyne.” 

Er, no... It’s just the truth. 

It was true that I had learned a lot while participating in the Raise Angelica’s Grades Squadron, but most of that knowledge was already long forgotten. That said, it had mostly covered the ways knights fought and battle strategies involving magic, so I couldn’t imagine this would be much of an issue; it wasn’t like battle magic would ever come up during tea parties with other duchies. 

“Wilfried, what written subjects did you struggle with the most?” I asked. 

“History and geography. I learned everything else in the playroom, and Moritz said I’m already good enough to pass. I think we should have everyone else focus on history and geography too, then get as much practice in with the practical subjects as we can,” he said, clearly having thought up his own study plan. The main subjects were math, theology, magecraft, history, and geography, with history and geography evidently being the main problem areas. 

“What should we expect on the practical side of things? Ferdinand was quite strict with teaching me the written subjects, but we had no time for practical exercises.” 

“First-year magecraft lessons cover mana control, mana compression, highbeast creation, and schtappe acquisition—none of which you’ll need to practice for, of course. There’s also court etiquette, music, and the dedication whirl, but from what I saw in the castle, you’re fine with those as well.” 

...In a shocking twist, Ferdinand had gotten me to learn most of these things two whole years ago. He truly had planned ahead to a fearsome degree. 

“Am I already passing?” I asked. “I certainly don’t feel like much of a whirler...” 

“First-years don’t perform public dedication whirls, so all we need to do is practice. Either way though, I expect you are already above a passing grade in all areas. Uncle would not sit still if you were blatantly lacking at something.” 

Wilfried was right. Ferdinand had been working hard for the sake of “the” future, so he would have made it painfully clear if there was a subject I wasn’t doing well enough in. I had been a little worried about whether I would finish things in time for the Dedication Ritual, but surprisingly enough, I was now feeling a lot more confident. 

“Okay, let’s all study history and geography together until third bell,” Wilfried said. “Harspiel practice will begin right after.” 

Wilfried and I divided the work, then started teaching everyone history and geography. Some of the archnobles already knew the material we were due to cover, but the laynobles barely knew a thing—they hadn’t been blessed with skilled tutors, and neither subject had been taught in the playroom. Philine in particular was in an immensely bad spot, since she didn’t have any older siblings to rely on. 

“Let’s start with a basic history,” I said. 

“Yeah,” Wilfried agreed. “The picture book bibles already covered a bit about the founding of the country, so this should be easy to remember.” 

The first-year team was the smallest of all the groups, being the only one with fewer than ten students, and that was exactly why we were focusing on winning through having all of our members pass first. 

“Goodness me. I see we have a passionate bunch of students this year,” Professor Hirschur said with a surprised expression as she walked into the common room. Despite her being our dorm supervisor, she was so busy with her work as a professor that we rarely saw her in the dormitory. 

“Hello, Professor Hirschur,” I replied. 

“I imagine you are all busy with your studies, but your attention please,” Hirschur said. “Tomorrow’s advancement ceremony will be held in the auditorium at third bell, with the fellowship gatherings then being held concurrently with lunch. Always keep in mind that Ehrenfest is ranked thirteenth this year; it will give you an idea of how you should act around others. I myself will be focusing on my own research until my class begins, so I will be in the main school building. I ask that the archduke candidates manage everyone carefully so that no problems interfere with my work.” 

And with that, she briskly left. The fact that she was prioritizing her research over managing the dormitory surely hinted at why Ferdinand was still in contact with her—no doubt she was a mad scientist as well. 

“That is one weird professor...” Wilfried muttered. 

The guard knight standing beside him nodded. “Indeed. Professor Hirschur is somewhat eccentric. In previous years, however, she only ever showed her face when unlocking the dormitory at the start of the semester, and then when closing it again at the end. Despite how it may seem, she is making an effort to show herself out of respect for you and Lady Rozemyne. From what I know, she previously settled all business matters through ordonnanzes.” 

This had apparently extended to dealing with the students in her dormitory as well. Hirschur would normally receive an ordonnanz when the new first-years had gathered, and then she would rely on ordonnanzes to inform the students of any official matters. 

Wilfried furrowed his brow. “Hirschur didn’t even kneel or greet us when she first came by. What kind of Ehrenfest noble is she? That just isn’t right.” 

“No, Lord Wilfried, you must remember that Professor Hirschur is not an Ehrenfest noble—she has moved to the Sovereignty, and so she is now a Sovereign noble. Furthermore, it is well established in the Royal Academy that professors are of a higher status than students, so I do not believe you will find any professors kneeling to students on the Academy’s grounds.” 

“...I see.” 

We spent our time going over the material in our groups and identifying our weakest points. From there, we just needed to work on our shortcomings and strengthen ourselves overall. 

“Well, now we know for sure that harspiel practice in the playroom is having a big impact,” Wilfried said. “Seems like even laynobles won’t have much trouble passing now, which means we should add history and geography lessons to the playroom, yeah?” 

“Yes, that sounds like a natural next step. I’ll need to print picture books that can be used when studying those subjects; Professor Moritz would definitely struggle having to do it all on his own,” I said, clenching my fists with determination as I thought about making new books for the children. 

“Hold on,” Wilfried said with a grin, raising a hand to stop me. “If you’re going to be making study materials, at least start with something we’ll be able to use ourselves as second-years. I can already tell you’re gonna make everyone study like this again next year.” 

I nodded. It was necessary to establish a system in which everyone supported each other so that things would continue functioning even when I withdrew into the library. If our current group system went well, I would naturally be reusing it next year. 

“Indeed. I will start with material for the second-years then.” 

“Great.” 

Once we’d had dinner, it was time for a bath. With the advancement ceremony and fellowship gatherings being held tomorrow, I decided to thoroughly clean my hair with rinsham. Brunhilde’s eyes sparkled when I asked her to prepare it. 

“Rinsham certainly is wonderful, isn’t it? Did you have this order specially made, Lady Rozemyne?” 

“I certainly did. The Gilberta Company made it at my request.” 

Brunhilde turned out to be quite a regular user of rinsham. She opened the jar of the newly-made product and let out a dreamy sigh as she inhaled its scent. It seemed that beauty and fashion transcended factions for women, such that all archnoble girls had started using rinsham over the past two years. 

“In that case, do you think washing the hair of all the Ehrenfest girls will draw attention to us at the ceremonies and potentially kick off a trend?” I asked. 

Brunhilde fell into thought for a moment, then nodded. “I do. It is rare to see anyone with hair this glossy, after all. I imagine unobservant men will not take much notice, but it will catch the attention of other women without fail.” 

“In that case, please distribute rinsham to the girls who don’t have any. We shall all attend the advancement ceremony with clean hair.” 


As Brunhilde and I talked, Lieseleta came to call me for the bath she had just finished preparing with Rihyarda. 

“I shall distribute the rinsham for you,” she said. “Please take your bath, my lady.” 

The children who were sharing rooms also shared bathwater, so there wasn’t much rinsham needed in the end. Lieseleta had volunteered to distribute the rinsham among them while taking the opportunity to teach them how to use it as well. She was an observant and overall very considerate girl. 

“It might be wise for everyone to wear hair ornaments next year as well,” Brunhilde suggested, taking the long-term into account now that we had decided to start spreading trends. “We can have a universal design, but with a selection of colors to match people’s hair.” 

“That is an excellent idea. I must ask though, will laynobles be able to afford ornaments the same as the ones I wear?” 

“...Considering the cost, perhaps a universal design will not be so easy after all. Using the same color would certainly be a foolish misstep though, as there is no single color that would look good on everyone.” 

“I suppose we have until next year to think of a solution.” 

By the time Rihyarda had finished bathing me, Lieseleta had already returned. She gave me a massage, and as I sipped the fruit juice Brunhilde had prepared for me, I asked how the rinsham distribution had gone. 

“The girls who had never used it before were quite excited to finally try it out,” Lieseleta replied. 

“You and Philine may use it as well. I look forward to seeing you both with glossy hair.” 

“As you wish.” 

Following my bath, Philine and I studied together until it was time to sleep—or rather, I tutored Philine while organizing study guides for the second-years like Wilfried had said. We would need them next year for everyone to study together again.

The sun rose on a new day, and at breakfast, the boys gawked at how all the girls’ hair had turned glossy and shiny overnight. Wilfried demanded to know what I had planned, and to that I simply laughed. 

“It’s just a casual statement that we’re going to push a new trend.” 

“How the heck is this casual?! You’re going to be shoving it in their faces!” 

“I could be spreading countless more trends, but instead I’m just going with one. That makes it casual. I am also currently figuring out how to have everyone wear matching hair sticks and the like next year.” 

On a personal level, I wanted to kick off a trend of selling and buying books, but considering the need to raise our grades, we had to keep that a secret for a bit longer. Bookselling needed to wait until after the Better Grades Committee had left its mark on Ehrenfest history. For now, we could start by gradually pushing trends in beauty, fashion, and cuisine. With the rinsham having been embraced by all women regardless of faction, I could guess these three areas would be accepted by everyone across the country regardless of politics. 

“I understand that you’re thinking things through as best you can,” Wilfried said, “but don’t do anything that’ll draw too much attention. You already stand out enough because of your appearance.” 

“...Fair point.” 

We soon finished breakfast. Since we needed to head to the auditorium at third bell, I made myself presentable enough to leave the dormitory, making sure to put on my cape and brooch—I wouldn’t be able to get back into the dormitory without them. 

“Lady Rozemyne, as the fellowship gatherings involve so many people, they are held separately by rank. Please select three guard knights, one scholar, and one attendant from your retainers,” Rihyarda said. 

Wilfried and I would be attending the gathering with the other archduke candidates and members of royalty, so it would probably be safest to stick with archnobles and older students who already knew the ways of the Royal Academy. 

“In that case, I select Angelica, Cornelius, and Leonore as my guard knights. Hartmut shall be my scholar, and Brunhilde my attendant.” 

“As you wish.” 

I got into my highbeast like normal once our preparations were done, but Cornelius advised me to climb out again just as we were about to exit the dormitory. Though the Academy grounds were overall quite massive and highbeasts could be used freely outside, it was apparently against the rules to ride them in the halls. 

“A new student riding an unfamiliar highbeast on the first day will make a very poor impression,” Cornelius said. 

“You already look unusually young. You should try not to stand out any more than you already do,” Wilfried added. 

“I understand your points, but will I really be able to walk all the way to the auditorium?” I asked. Surely I would stand out even more if my attendants had to carry me there. 

“The auditorium is close enough that this won’t be a problem. You shouldn’t have an issue getting to classes either, given that they are initially held either in the auditorium itself or in large nearby classrooms. If you find the distance is too much for you to manage, Hartmut or I will carry you; that will stand out less than your highbeast.” 

When we were all gathered together, our primarily black clothing with identically colored capes and brooches really did make us look like a team, even with the unique styles of our clothes. 

The door leading out of the dormitory opened, and my retainers surrounded me as I started walking. The exit led not outside, but into a corridor. When I looked around, I spotted another door open nearby, out of which streamed a number of children wearing blue capes. 

“Ehrenfest Dormitory is the thirteenth door in the corridor,” one of the older students said. “Please take care not to forget that. The doors to the other dormitories will of course not open for you, and your first mistake will naturally be forgiven, but if you attempt to open the wrong door too many times then you may be imprisoned on suspicion of attempted assault or intimidation.” 

We younger students nodded with bemused looks. Our dormitory was the thirteenth door to match Ehrenfest’s position in the rankings, which were determined by a duchy’s influence and grades from the previous year. By this point, it was clear that the ranking of our duchy would have significant influence on our lives in the Academy. 

“Duchy rankings influence everything from the order of greetings to the placement of seats,” the student continued. 

The farther we went down the corridor, the smaller the numbers on the plates above the doors became, and the more students came out of their dormitories. It seemed that we needed to cede the corridor to students of a higher rank than us, and so we waited by the door for those ahead of us to finish leaving. 

Those capes are dark green... 

All of the students in the Academy were gathered in the auditorium, and there seemed to be about two thousand of us in total. Ehrenfest was a middle duchy closer to a lesser duchy in terms of population, so we had less than seventy students. Greater duchies, meanwhile, had much larger populations, with some even having over one hundred and fifty in attendance, while some of the smallest duchies didn’t even have fifty. 

We stood in our designated place and waited for the advancement ceremony to begin. I thankfully didn’t stand out since I was buried among my retainers—so much so that I could only see Ehrenfest capes around me. 

Since we’re all lined up according to our duchies, I wonder if we look like a rainbow from above... 

Someone began a speech that echoed throughout the auditorium. “Once again, it is that time of year when the children who bear the future of Yurgenschmidt come together to grow and develop. You would all do well to dedicate yourselves to increasing your respective duchy’s influence and to being accepted as Yurgenschmidt nobles,” he began. The older students were already looking exasperated, so I could imagine someone gave this same speech every year. 

Once the speech celebrating the advancement of years was over, announcements pertaining to the upcoming classes began. I couldn’t see who was speaking, but I could hear them just fine thanks to the voice-amplifying magic tool they were using. 

First- and second-years had only shared lessons, which were all carried out here in the auditorium. This was also where the first-years were due to take their written lessons in the morning before moving to practical lessons in different classrooms based on their status. Since there were so many people in the lower years who passed the classes during their first exam, the lectures would be moved from the auditorium to classrooms once few enough people remained. 

Thus ended the speeches from the teachers. The upcoming fellowship gatherings were apparently the really important part; since this was where one would socialize with students of other duchies, it was equivalent in significance to socializing back home, meaning no failures would be permitted. 

“You will now be moved to gatherings according to your status, but take care to stay close to members of your own duchy. Seniors of all statuses, take care of your juniors. Juniors, you have much to learn, so take care and obey the wisdom of your seniors.” 

The sixth-years subsequently divided everyone into laynobles, mednobles, archnobles, and finally archduke candidates, who of course kept their retainers. We would be leaving the auditorium in order of our duchy’s rank once again, and so we waited as the massive crowd started to move. 

Once we had exited the auditorium, the seniors split up and took us to our respective gathering locations. We archduke candidates were taken to a small gathering hall rather than a massive meeting area. 

“Lord Wilfried and Lady Rozemyne from Ehrenfest the Thirteenth have arrived,” announced a scholar standing by the door, after which we were guided into the hall. There was a table at the very front that was considerably larger than the others, so I could guess that the royalty were sitting there. 

I couldn’t see their faces, but I knew who they were. The fifth prince had risen to kingship immediately after winning the civil war, and his son, the second prince, was currently attending school as a sixth-year. His name was... Anastasius, from what I remembered. Since we would only be attending the Academy together for a single year, Ferdinand had said that I would almost certainly never have a meaningful interaction with him. For this reason, I only needed to memorize his name. 

He sure made that sound easy, but all these nobles and royals have names that are super hard to memorize! They’re so long and weird-sounding! Geez! 

As I silently complained, I looked around the hall and saw a line of separated four-person tables. Given that the tables closer to the front already had people sitting at them while those toward the back were still empty, I could guess they were also determined by duchy rank. 

“What’s with that tiny girl...?” came a voice. 

Everyone in the hall suddenly looked at me with curious eyes, with a few students here and there even making amused commentaries. I could hear Wilfried grinding his teeth. Those currently here were all of a higher status than us, so speaking up to defend ourselves wasn’t an option; we had to stay silent and endure it. 

“Looks like a toddler wandered in. Anyone know where her parents are?” 

Trying to ignore the sneers and mockery, I headed to my table. Brunhilde pulled a chair back for me and I sat down. Hartmut then sat beside me as my scholar, while my attendants and guard knights stood behind me. From what I could see, this was also the case at the other tables. 

“Take this, Lady Rozemyne. You’ll want it for the greetings,” Hartmut whispered, handing me a folded sheet of paper. I glanced down and saw it was a cheat sheet detailing each duchy’s color, current position in the rankings, and archduke candidates. I had already memorized the names of each duchy and their respective colors, but I didn’t have a full grasp of the rankings or the names of the new archduke candidates, so this was very valuable information to have. 

“You have my thanks, Hartmut.” 

“It is my honor. Your next course of action is to greet the royalty, then those of the higher-ranked duchies. When you are done, those of the lower-ranked duchies will come to greet you. It should be clear once you observe what those who come before you do.” 

Once all of the archduke candidates were in the hall, the doors were closed and the greetings began. 

The archduke candidates from Klassenberg—a greater duchy known to have more power and influence than any other—stood up at once, their red capes fluttering behind them. They approached the royalty with their retainers, greeted them, then returned to their seats. 

Next to stand were two archduke candidates from the greater duchy Dunkelfelger wearing blue capes. They greeted the royalty and then Klassenberg’s archduke candidates before returning to their seats. 

“Why is Ahrensbach ranked sixth despite being a greater duchy...?” I asked, looking over my cheat sheet. 

Hartmut frowned. “Their influence has decreased over the past few years, and from what I understand, they are struggling with an inner turmoil of sorts. It is not easy for apprentice scholars to gather information about them, however, so I do not know much more than that,” he replied, insinuating that it was hard for lower-ranked duchies to gather information about higher-ranked duchies. 

Soon enough, the light-purple capes of Ahrensbach began to move. Standing at the front was a girl with gorgeous blonde hair, who I assumed was Georgine’s youngest daughter. I glanced down at my cheat sheet. 

“...Detlinde.” 

After greeting the royalty, Detlinde glanced my way. The similarity wasn’t immediately apparent due to her hair color, but her face, eyes, and other features all looked very much like Georgine’s. 

For the briefest moment, I could have sworn that our eyes met. 



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