Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 4.4 - Chapter 12

Haldenzel’s Spring Prayer

“You must all be tired. Please rest in your rooms until Spring Prayer tonight,” Countess Haldenzel said. She hadn’t accompanied us on the tour, but she nonetheless came forward to serve as an excellent hostess. Our attendants had already prepared our rooms and unpacked our luggage for us.

Philine, Angelica, and I entered the room I was guided to, where we found that Lieseleta had prepared my bathwater after having finished unpacking everyone’s luggage. “Will you be wearing your ceremonial High Bishop robes during Spring Prayer?” she asked while she was bathing me.

“Indeed. I will be participating as the High Bishop and the one who brought the small chalices, so I will want my ceremonial robes,” I replied. I personally believed that my work here was done now that I had handed over the chalices, but it was probably best for me to play it safe and wear my High Bishop robes for Spring Prayer.

Lieseleta had apparently been speaking with the countess, and she informed me that Spring Prayer was going to start at sixth bell. We had been asked to gather in the dining hall before then, and from there we would move to the plaza.

Once I was wearing my ceremonial robes and spring hairpin, I climbed into my Pandabus. I was still pretty tired from our tour that day, so I had gotten permission from Giebe Haldenzel to travel around the castle in my highbeast.

“Ah, Lady Rozemyne. That makes everyone. Now then, shall we move to the plaza?”

It seemed that I was the last to appear in the dining hall. Upon my arrival, Giebe Haldenzel stood up and started escorting his wife to the plaza.

“Under normal circumstances, Lord Wilfried would similarly escort you, but unfortunately...” Elvira trailed off and instead asked Wilfried to walk on my right as I traveled in my highbeast. Behind us was Charlotte, then Karstedt, who was escorting Elvira, and then our scholars and attendants, who were lined up in order of status. Our guard knights were surrounding us in a protective formation, with Angelica walking directly to my left.

Giebe Haldenzel and his wife leisurely descended the stairs. I was starting to wonder why they had called the place they were going to hold Spring Prayer a plaza rather than a grand hall, but then I remembered that Illgner’s Harvest Festival was held not in a noble estate, but rather in public, with the commoners and giebe celebrating together. Perhaps having shared celebrations was also common in Haldenzel.

I was already aware that the commoners had their own living space underground, and indeed, there was a long ivory hall with evenly spaced doors. It looked entirely like the hallway that linked the Royal Academy’s dormitories. The white walls seemed to be glowing faintly, but aside from that, our surroundings were dim.

We soon arrived in a large plaza. The commoners were already gathered, but aside from that, this was nothing like Spring Prayer at the winter mansions in the Central District. There was a large cylindrical stage positioned in the center of the plaza, atop which was a stand and a shrine that held offerings to the gods and the small chalices.

During the Harvest Festivals in Hasse and Illgner, there were seats on the stage that looked down upon the commoners. Here in Haldenzel, however, there were round tables near the stage where the province’s nobles were already seated. There were also several other round tables positioned right in front of the stage, but these ones were empty. I could guess that the table closest to the stage was for those from the archducal family, while the seats that were a little farther away were for Giebe Haldenzel and his wife.

“Here you are, Lady Rozemyne.” Giebe Haldenzel pulled out a chair for me, and a tremor immediately shot through all those around me; it seemed that this development had come as too much of a surprise for them to completely hide their feelings. I glanced over at Karstedt and Elvira, unsure whether I should actually sit down, and they shook their heads ever so slightly. It was presumably a signal that I should refuse.

“My apologies, Giebe Haldenzel, but could you offer a seat to Wilfried first? I must put away my highbeast,” I said, indirectly refusing his offer while leisurely descending from Lessy. Giebe Haldenzel gave a noticeably broader smile in response before guiding Wilfried to his seat. He then led Charlotte to hers, and the tension in the air drained at once.

“Here you are, Lady Rozemyne.” Giebe Haldenzel repeated himself and pulled out the chair again once I had put away my highbeast. It seemed to be fine for me to sit now, so I obliged him. The seat was just right, with the height of the cushions having been adjusted for my sake.

Wilfried and then Charlotte were seated to my left, while Giebe Haldenzel and then his wife were seated to my right. Karstedt and Elvira were sitting across from me. It seemed that everyone was now in their designated seats, so our scholars and attendants sat down as well. Only our guard knights remained standing behind us. Our attendants would need to work again once Spring Prayer began.

It soon reached sixth bell, indicating the start of Spring Prayer. As each chime echoed through the plaza, the previously bustling commoners all fell silent.

“High Bishop. Please come to the stage,” Giebe Haldenzel said as he stood with his wife and headed up the stage. I promptly did the same and followed after them, my head spinning at the sudden request.

Hold on a moment. I never heard anything about this. I thought my work here was done after handing over the chalices! Ferdinand! Help! Fran! Hold up a sign telling me what to say! AAAAAAH!

“This is the celebrated High Bishop, known to all as the Saint of Ehrenfest. She is the daughter of my little sister, Elvira, and we celebrate her return to our homeland!” Giebe Haldenzel declared, causing the gathered commoners to erupt in cheers. It seemed that the people of Haldenzel intended to treat me as family entirely because I was Elvira’s daughter, even though they had never actually met me before.

Giebe Haldenzel extended his hand, raising it as high as his shoulder. His gesture quieted the crowd, allowing him to then break that silence with a declaration spoken in a heavy and profound voice.

“Today, the Saint of Ehrenfest has brought spring to Haldenzel. Once again, Flutrane the Goddess of Water’s clear streams have pushed away Ewigeliebe the God of Life and rescued Geduldh the Goddess of Earth.” Giebe Haldenzel pointed at the chalices on the shrine, paused for a moment to look over the crowd, and then continued in a louder voice. “Sing so that the gods might hear your prayers! Dance so that the gods may know your gratitude! Blessed be the melting of the snow!”

Again, the crowd started to cheer. The passion of the citizens who had eagerly been awaiting the end of winter was overwhelming to behold, and thus began Haldenzel’s Spring Prayer.

There would apparently be singing and dancing from this point onward. Now that the small chalices were here, the farmers who lived in the south would soon be heading home, while the hunting tribes would similarly be heading north. Spring Prayer was both a festival for celebrating the coming of spring and a melancholic farewell among citizens.

Having merely been called on stage to be introduced to everyone, I returned to my seat without doing anything in particular. Food was brought out, and we nobles began to eat while the commoners beat drums, played flutes, sang songs, and danced around.

“When the commoners are done, we will dedicate our own sword dances and songs to the gods,” Giebe Haldenzel informed me as he returned to his seat beside mine. Wilfried and Charlotte took that opportunity to note that they had heard similar songs while traveling between the winter mansions.

What ...? But I’ve never heard any songs during Spring Prayer before.

It seemed strange to me, but when I gave it more thought, it occurred to me that my top priority had always been going to give the next blessing. In other words, while I had gone all over the place for Spring Prayer, I had never actually stayed until the end and participated in the entire ceremony. It was a shocking twist.

“The two of you also participate in Spring Prayer?” Giebe Haldenzel asked Wilfried and Charlotte with widened eyes. It seemed that most were unaware of this fact, since land-owning nobles returned to their provinces after the feast celebrating spring was over.

Wilfried nodded in response to the giebe’s question. “Yes. We siblings need to help each other out. It would be too much of a burden for Rozemyne to bear alone, and we’re all equally the archduke’s children,” he said, speaking in a tone that seemed to emphasize this was obvious.

“Indeed,” Charlotte added. “Erm... We can only be of use because of my sister’s mana, but what matters is that we are participating at all. We are slowly developing more skills, and my goal is to perform the blessing without relying on Rozemyne.” As she spoke, her indigo eyes started to sparkle.

Oh no... My siblings are such wonderful people, and then there’s me, the girl who cares only about books. Sorry! I’m not going to change, but... I’m sorry for that too! The most I can do is apologize and press forward.

“Lady Rozemyne, are you on good terms with your siblings?” Giebe Haldenzel asked.

“Of course. They worked very hard for my sake during my long sleep. They have grown so much that I can only bemoan my own lack of growth,” I replied. Upon hearing this, the giebe leaned back against his chair and crossed his arms in thought.

“I am one who offers prayer and gratitude to the gods who have created the world,” came a familiar prayer. I glanced over at the stage to see that the knights of Haldenzel, who were going to be leading the tribes heading north to hunt, were lined up next to each other. “Grant an end to this world of pure white,” they continued. “Shatter the all-consuming ice and free our Goddess of Earth...”

Oh, I know this song. 

Or rather, I knew the lyrics. It was the song that the goddesses subordinate to the Goddess of Earth sang when seeking aid from the Goddess of Water after the God of Life tore them from Geduldh. The subordinate goddesses offered their power to the Goddesses of Light and Water, praying for the Goddess of Earth to be saved.

It was my first time hearing the lyrics in song form, but they pretty much just repeated the same phrases over and over, so it was easy enough to follow along. I started to sing with them, but then I caught myself and stopped; singing biblical songs of prayer ran the risk of me granting some strange blessing.

Giebe Haldenzel noticed that I was humming to resist the urge to sing and leaned forward in amusement. “This is a Haldenzel song celebrating the coming of spring and marking the beginning of the hunt,” he explained. “The hunters sing it before leaving.”

“Oh...? Is this not a song to pray for the melting of the snow and summon the Goddess of Water?” I asked, cocking my head to one side. Giebe Haldenzel returned a curious look.

“Not once have I heard this song in the Royal Academy or in Ehrenfest, not even during the feast. I thought it was sung only in Haldenzel... Do you know it from elsewhere?”

“This is my first time hearing it, but the lyrics are written in the bible passed down from each High Bishop to the next,” I explained. “The lyrics also have art associated with them, and they aren’t found in the other bibles in the temple’s book room, so they must be truly old. According to the illustrations, the song was originally sung by the subordinate goddesses on a circular stage much like yours.”

First Giebe Haldenzel, then Karstedt and Elvira blinked in surprise. Atop the stage were offerings to the gods and the small chalices.

“Will you sing as well, Lady Rozemyne?” the giebe asked. “I feel that spring will come early this year if the Saint of Ehrenfest offers her prayers.”

I glanced around in surprise. It was written on everyone’s faces that they were interested in the suggestion, but I didn’t want to get in trouble for blasting out blessings like some kind of party trick. “I did not plan to perform any religious ceremonies here...” I noted.

“Oh, but is delivering the chalices not part of a religious ceremony?”

“I suppose, technically speaking... But...”

What do I do?! Ferdinand, heeelp!

Just as I was debating whether to send an ordonnanz, Elvira interjected. “Dearest brother, it would be cruel to have her sing a song she is only now hearing for the first time. Instead, why not have women from Haldenzel sing? We can have them sing together in the same way that the men did.”

There we go! Thanks, Mother! I can always count on you.

A wave of relief washed over me; there was no need for me to get involved when the women of Haldenzel could sing instead. But that reminded me—this was Elvira’s home province.

“Oh, does this mean we are going to hear you sing once again, Lady Elvira?” one noble asked.

“This is a rare opportunity indeed. I certainly would like to hear your harspiel playing again,” another added. There were Haldenzel elders who seemed about as old as the retired Bonifatius looking at Elvira with amused smiles; it seemed that she had seldom returned home after being wed to Karstedt, and the older folk found her playing to be nostalgic.

“Ah, now that is an idea. Elvira, how about you get on stage? You can still sing, I assume?” Giebe Haldenzel asked, his lips curving into a grin as his gaze moved from me to her. It was the expression of an older brother teasing his little sister, but his eyes still carried an unmistakable touch of familial warmth.

“If you insist. I suppose I am the one who brought this up. I shall sing with the women.”

In the end, an arrangement of only women gathered to sing atop the cylindrical stage. They already had the song memorized, since the men sang it every single year. The crowd stirred with excitement at the sudden, completely impromptu development. Unable to refuse the hopes and dreams of so many eager audience members, Elvira would be acquiring her harspiel and performing as well.

“Father, I did not mean for Mother to...” I began, feeling a little worried about Elvira having been somewhat forced into this situation. Far from being anxious, however, Karstedt was watching his wife with an amused smile.

“Don’t worry. Elvira is fairly skilled.”

“Are you really going to use this opportunity to brag about your wife...?” I said, having been so genuinely concerned that I couldn’t hold back my complaint. Lamprecht burst into laughter, while others covered their mouths with their hands and gave Karstedt teasing looks.

“Oh my, bragging about me now, are you?” Elvira asked, looking down at Karstedt with an expression that was far more teasing than the rest. He inhaled sharply and, after looking around, coughed to clear his throat.

“Er, Rozemyne... That’s the kind of comment you should keep to yourself. Alright?”

“Certainly. I will refrain from mentioning that you sometimes cannot contain your romantic feelings for Mother.”

But no sooner had I made that promise than Elvira gave me a conflicting request. “Please do tell me more about that later, Lady Rozemyne.”

Okay then... What’s the solution here?

Karstedt was putting silent pressure on me to keep my mouth shut while Elvira smiled at Giebe Haldenzel and said that she was going to fetch her harspiel. The giebe returned a smile, telling her to hurry since her room was the farthest away.

Wait, why is Mother going to fetch it on her own when she has attendants?

That question played on my mind as I watched the sword dances dedicated to the gods, and it was only when Lieseleta moved forward to pour me some fresh tea that I received an answer. Elvira had apparently insinuated that she needed some time to practice, and the giebe had in turn said that she could perform at the very end of Spring Prayer, but that she would need to hurry up nonetheless.

How was I supposed to understand that?!

I was stunned into silence, and there was nothing I could do but watch the continuing sword dances. Seeing it up close reminded me of the sword dances that Karstedt and Sylvester had performed when the latter had accompanied us for Spring Prayer disguised as a blue priest. I remembered them being a sight to behold, and it was for that reason that I wanted to see Angelica dance too. I made sure not to voice that desire, however; the last thing I wanted was to cause chaos here in Haldenzel on a whim.

“Apologies for the wait.”

Elvira returned with her attendants carrying her harspiel after the sword dancing had finished and while the whirling was entering its final phases. She sat down and took a breath right as the performances came to an end.

Spring Prayer normally would have ended there, but not this year. Giebe Haldenzel stood up and announced that he wanted to have the women sing the song as per the ancient bible passed down through the duchy’s High Bishops. He then introduced his little sister, Elvira, as the harspiel player.

Elvira climbed onto the stage with her harspiel in hand. I could only kneel in admiration at how she did so without so much as a trace of panic or fear, especially after having been unexpectedly forced into the role to back me up.

Although the women had been instructed to climb onto the stage, there was no avoiding that this was not a regular part of the festival. They all eyed each other, waiting for someone to make the first move. Even those who actually wanted to go up found themselves in a bind, since they could only do so after those who were above them in status. The giebe’s wife, Countess Haldenzel, sensed this and stood up, calling for the other noblewomen at the surrounding tables to join her.

“Lady Elvira is offering the sound of her harspiel to the gods. Let us sing and pray with her.”

Now that the highest-status woman in Haldenzel had made her move, the other noblewomen advanced toward the stage while inviting each other up. I saw some women preparing instruments instead, presumably because they weren’t especially talented singers.

“Lady Rozemyne, why don’t you participate with us?” Countess Haldenzel asked, extending a hand to me with a calm smile. For a moment, I could only blink in surprise; hadn’t Elvira sacrificed herself specifically to save me from this fate?

“I am not from Haldenzel, so...”

“Nonsense. Any daughter of Lady Elvira is family here. Furthermore, having you bless spring as the High Bishop will encourage our citizens and give them strength in the upcoming hunts.”

In other words, I couldn’t try to refuse on the basis of accidentally giving a blessing—any such attempts would just result in her saying something like, “Oh, please do bless Haldenzel.” But what else could I say to get her to give up? I didn’t have strong enough social skills to come up with anything on my own, so I looked to Karstedt for help.

“Cooperation and unity is important in festivals and celebrations of this kind,” Karstedt noted with a shrug. “I understand that you may not be able to sing along because you aren’t familiar with the song, but couldn’t you at least stand at the podium as the High Bishop?”

Um... They want me to climb up onto the stage and just stand there to boost the giebe’s reputation?

In all fairness, there was no need for me to disrespect him and risk tarnishing his reputation. I climbed onto the stage with Countess Haldenzel and Angelica, practically being pushed from behind.

“Lady Rozemyne...” Elvira said, her eyes widening when she saw me. It was an understandable response—her sacrifice had ultimately been for nothing. If she had any complaints, however, they would need to be directed at Karstedt.

“I shall only be offering my prayers as the High Bishop,” I explained. “I wish to respect Haldenzel’s culture of cooperation, but I cannot sing myself.”

Elvira sighed, having deduced the circumstances. Meanwhile, Countess Haldenzel instructed the women on where to go based on where the men stood, placing down stands which they then knelt upon.

“Lady Rozemyne, please stand here,” Countess Haldenzel said, directing me to a position right in front of the small chalices I had brought. Since I was standing among the other women, I could just pretend to sing and put on High Bishop airs. Having so many adult women surrounding me meant that I was actually quite hard to see, but all that mattered was that I, the adopted daughter of the archduke, was participating as the High Bishop.

I got on my knees like everyone else, rested my hands on the floor, and then listened as someone spoke a prayer I was already familiar with: “I am one who offers prayer and gratitude to the gods who have created the world.” Those with instruments were the first to slowly raise their heads and stand up. They lined up around the edge of the stage with Elvira at the center.

Elvira plucked a sharp note on her harspiel, and from there the music began. More harspiels soon joined in, as did several flutists, creating an impressive overture. The singers then gradually stood up in time with the music, with Countess Haldenzel standing in the very middle.

“Grant an end to this world of pure white. Smash the all-consuming ice and free our Goddess of Earth...”

Oh crap! They started singing!

It seemed that everyone from Haldenzel knew the song well enough to begin together without even needing to rehearse things first. I wasn’t quite so fortunate, though, so I completely missed my cue to stand up.

Still on my knees, I desperately racked my brain, trying to figure out a good time to stand. Getting up now would make me stick out for sure, but I didn’t have any other ideas. Maybe it would be best for me to keep kneeling and make it seem like I was praying. I decided to do just that, listening carefully to Elvira’s harspiel playing and everyone’s singing.

“Let us send our prayers to the gods,” Countess Haldenzel declared once the singing was done. She was naturally leading into the part where we would all pray to the gods.

Now!

Having finally found my opportunity to stand, I sprang up onto my feet. I managed to raise my hands in prayer at the same time everyone else did.

“Praise be to the gods!”

In an instant, I felt my mana being sucked out of me. A massive green magic circle lit up beneath us, having apparently been sketched into the cylindrical stand to begin with.

“What...?”

Everyone watched with wide eyes, their mouths agape as the magic circle slowly rose above even the tallest person’s head, reaching over two meters high.

As we looked up in awe, the magic circle suddenly paused. In the blink of an eye, it got sucked into the chalices that were directly beneath it, almost immediately being replaced by pillars of green light. A moment later, several of the women who had been staring up at the circle in a daze like everyone else abruptly collapsed, dropping to the ground without any warning whatsoever. It came as such a surprise that I inhaled sharply.

“Aah!”

“What in the world?!”

Cries of surprise and fear rang out. Not all of the women had collapsed—some such as Elvira and Countess Haldenzel remained on their feet, while others had slumped down into a sitting position, looking sick.

“Lady Rozemyne, are you okay?!” Angelica shouted, cautiously eyeing our surroundings with one hand on Stenluke. I responded that I was fine while likewise looking around. I could see the knights rushing over, their expressions a mixture of shock and grave seriousness. Karstedt reached us first, having been sitting the closest. He leapt onto the stage, ignoring the stairs to save time, and rushed straight toward me.

“Rozemyne, are you okay?!”

“I don’t feel unwell in the least.”

“That magic circle has to be responsible, but what even happened...?”

I had also cleverly deduced that the magic circle was responsible for the collapsing women, but I couldn’t work out what had actually happened, so I just shook my head. Karstedt looked me over from head to toe to make sure that I really was fine and then looked toward Elvira, who was already coming our way.

“Elvira, are you likewise feeling okay?” Karstedt asked.

“I feel completely fine, but the burden seems to have been too great for the laynobles,” Elvira replied. “The magic circle a moment ago must have completely drained their mana. Please give them rejuvenation potions at once.”

Upon receiving this order, the knights hurriedly pulled out the rejuvenation potions they always carried on their belts and started pouring them down the throats of the unconscious women. Those who were still conscious took that opportunity to drink their own potions. According to Elvira, the women who had collapsed were laynobles, while the sick-looking women currently sitting down were mednobles.

“Lady Rozemyne, let us entrust this matter to the people of Haldenzel. Brother, I shall escort Lady Rozemyne and the others to their rooms,” Elvira said, entrusting the cleanup to the giebe couple and taking on the duty of returning us three archducal children to our rooms. Karstedt and two others guarded us on the way, while Wilfried and Charlotte looked at me with worry.

“Rozemyne, are you alright?”

“Sister, are you okay?”

“I am quite alright,” I replied. “It seems that the issue arose from the circle draining mana, but I am personally well suited for such a situation.”

Once we reached my room, I looked up at Elvira while waiting for Lieseleta to open the door. “I shall be resting in my room now, but will you be going to help Giebe Haldenzel, Elvira?”

“Indeed. This is an unprecedented event; I intend to help my brother as much as I can.”

“If you are going to assist Giebe Haldenzel, please do drink a potion first,” I said. “You also had your mana taken by the circle... Mother.”

Elvira smiled, said, “I thank you ever so much for your concern. Please do get some rest,” and then headed for Charlotte’s room. As I watched her go, I noticed that she seemed very similar to Ferdinand when he pushed himself past his breaking point despite claiming he was fine. I grabbed on to Karstedt’s cape.

“Father, please ensure that Mother actually does drink a potion.”

“Of course. Elvira’s always had a bad habit of putting the needs of others above her own. I know what to do,” Karstedt said, patting my head. I decided to trust him with this.

I went into my room, bathed, prepared for bed, and then climbed under the covers. Upon seeing that I was ready to sleep, Lieseleta glanced toward the liquid embodiments of Ferdinand’s kindness, which remained untouched on the table. “Will you not drink a potion, Lady Rozemyne?” she asked.

“I did not lose nearly enough mana to warrant drinking one,” I replied. “I may not have stamina, but I have plenty of mana.”

It was just as I started dozing off that I heard an unsettling rumbling coming from outside. Even with my consciousness fading fast, I recognized it in an instant.

Neat, thunder...

My calm drowsiness lasted only a brief while, however. The thunder quickly grew in intensity, becoming so loud that I feared it might splinter the wooden shutters covering the windows. Abrupt flashes illuminated the room and the curtains around my bed, creating an atmosphere that was disconcerting to say the least. It was impossible for me to sleep like this.

“Eek!”

What the heck?! This is scary! So scary! It’s not just loud; it’s also bright as heck!

I could hear it even when I buried my head beneath the covers. The next thing I knew, the curtains around my bed started to rustle—a development that caught me so off guard that I inadvertently let out a little shriek.

“Erm... Are you quite alright, Lady Rozemyne?”

“L-Lieseleta?! Y-Yes, I’m doing f-fine.”

Despite my concerns, it wasn’t the thunder that had pulled open my curtains, but rather Lieseleta and Angelica. On the one hand, I was relieved to see them, but on the other, having my head out from under the covers made the thunderclaps even harder to endure.

“Lady Rozemyne... I happen to be afraid of thunder,” Lieseleta said. “Would you mind my staying with you for a short while?”

“Not in the least! You can even sleep here, if you’d prefer! You won’t be afraid with me here, for certain.”

Quick, quick! Under the covers! 

I pulled back the bedcovers for Lieseleta and Angelica, but they naturally declined to sleep in the bed with me. Instead, Lieseleta sat by my pillow and held my hand, making a point to note, “My mother often did this for me when I was young.”

“Lieseleta, I don’t remember Mother ever doing this for me...” Angelica said, looking down at our hands with a conflicted expression. Seeing that, Lieseleta returned a small smile.

“Why, Sister, that’s because you never stirred no matter how loud the thunder got. You were always long asleep by the time this happened.”

“Wow. I never even noticed.”

It wasn’t until rather late at night that the thunder faded and I could finally sleep. I struggled to wake up in the morning as a result, wrapping myself up in my blankets and mumbling about wanting to stay in bed until I absolutely had to get up for breakfast.

“Lady Rozemyne, this is serious. Please get changed at once. Giebe Haldenzel has an urgent matter to discuss,” Lieseleta said, throwing aside the curtains in her haste. A messenger had presumably arrived a moment ago.

“Did something happen?” I asked.

“Spring has come to Haldenzel.”

“Well, of course... Spring Prayer concluded yesterday.”

In the Noble’s Quarter, it was considered spring after the feast, while in the lower city, it was considered spring after the winter coming-of-age ceremony. Meanwhile, in places like Haldenzel and the farming towns of the Central District, it was considered spring after Spring Prayer. Since Spring Prayer here in Haldenzel was already over, it came as no surprise that it was springtime, regardless of whether there was still any snow on the ground. I tried to express this to Lieseleta, but she immediately shook her head.

“That is not what I meant. All the snow vanished in a single night.”

“What?!”

I got changed at once and headed to the arranged meeting place—a tower that was the highest point of the Haldenzel castle and served as the best place for looking at the surrounding nature. There I found Giebe Haldenzel, his wife, the higher-ups of the province, Karstedt, Elvira, and a bunch of knights looking around in a daze.

When we had arrived at Haldenzel, the ground had still been blanketed with snow. The clouds had been thick and the sunlight weak, such that the north had almost seemed to be a field of white from afar. But now that snow was entirely gone, and surrounding the castle in its place were fresh green trees, vibrant flowers of white and yellow, and bold red cliffs. The breeze stroking my cheek was still a little cold, but it could hardly be compared to the frosty winds that had originally greeted us. Even the sunlight was softer and more comfortable.

“Wow, this is a nice view,” I remarked. “The Goddesses of Spring certainly worked hard.”

“This is not spring in Haldenzel, Lady Rozemyne; it is a sight akin to the start of summer,” Giebe Haldenzel replied, pointing at the blue sky. “The noise last night was Verdrenna the Goddess of Thunder announcing the coming of spring. In Haldenzel, her thunder roars when the snow has melted completely.”

Although Verdrenna was called a Goddess of Spring, in Haldenzel, where the snow lasted for such a long time, her thunder ended up representing the end of spring and the coming of a short summer.

“It did occur to me last night that the thunder seemed quite out of season, but to think this had happened...” Giebe Haldenzel murmured, his brow furrowed in confusion. As I looked around, I noticed people steadily filtering out of the castle and onto the flower-covered fields.

“It seems that quite a few people are leaving the castle in a hurry,” I observed. “Does anything need to be done about that?”

“It’s only natural that they are in a bit of a panic. This is unprecedented.”

It seemed the southern farmers needed to rush home and get straight to work on their farms to ensure they could produce the biggest harvests possible, while the northern hunters would need to return to their hunting grounds posthaste, since they couldn’t predict how many feybeasts would appear in this new weather. The sudden change had managed to alarm the entire province.

“That magic circle is responsible, I suppose?” I asked.

“Given that nothing else was out of the ordinary, I believe that is a safe guess.”

“In that case, it may be that Spring Prayer was originally a ceremony during which citizens would offer their mana, pray to the gods, and summon true spring. The power of the goddesses truly is incredible, is it not?” I was impressed to once again learn how powerful the gods were in this world, but Giebe Haldenzel widened his eyes and gave me a steady look.

“Lady Rozemyne...”

“Could you not repeat the ritual to hasten the coming of spring for future years too?” I asked. The magic circle was a part of their cylindrical stand, so if they used it again, they could probably repeat the process... albeit at a pretty hefty mana cost.

“We welcome the melting of the snow, but judging by the ceremony last night, the burden it places on the women is much too great,” Giebe Haldenzel replied. “I am frustrated at myself for having been completely unable to help.”

“In the temple, blue priests without much mana perform the Dedication Ritual using feystones containing my mana. I doubt that this ritual strictly forbids the assistance of men, so it should work if you men similarly give laynoble women feystones with your mana,” I suggested. Everyone turned their heads to look at me, having apparently never even considered giving their mana to someone else.

“To think such methods are used in the temple...” Giebe Haldenzel mumbled. “We shall put some thought into it.”

It was then that Karstedt, who had been looking around, narrowed his eyes and pointed at something in the distance. “Giebe Haldenzel, what is that?” he asked.

I used enhancement magic to enhance my eyesight and then looked where Karstedt was pointing. I could see a tree glowing gold in the distance. “That is one strangely colored tree. Is it a feyplant, perhaps?” I wondered aloud.

“Indeed,” Giebe Haldenzel replied. “That is a blenrus, a rare source of sweetness in Haldenzel. Under normal circumstances, it is forbidden to share blenrus with those who are not from Haldenzel, but I imagine the citizenry will not protest some being presented to Lady Rozemyne, she who brought true spring to Haldenzel. Would you like to bring some home with you? Blenrus fruit can also be used as an ingredient for rejuvenation potions. It is exceedingly rich with mana, making it both valuable and expensive.”

It seemed that a Haldenzel specialty was sweet tea brewed with blenrus leaves. The prospect of trying some made me happy, and so I responded to his offer with an enthusiastic nod.

“I thank you ever so much, Giebe Haldenzel.”

“So long as we have the knights here, we should not encounter any danger while gathering.”

Things in Haldenzel had gotten extremely busy, but we couldn’t leave before the Plantin Company finished their work, which was due to take a few more days. In the meantime, Giebe Haldenzel took the visiting Knight’s Order on a journey across Haldenzel under the just cause of acquiring blenrus fruit for me, during which he apparently hunted feybeasts like crazy.

Eventually, when Karstedt returned, he muttered something about Giebe Haldenzel having cleverly exploited him using methods that were very similar to Elvira’s. As a result, Karstedt had ended up being used before he had even known what was happening.

Well, what else can you expect from Elvira’s older brother?

“And this is a blenrus fruit.”

We departed from Haldenzel a short while later, with Wilfried, Charlotte, and I each receiving two of the mysteriously glowing golden fruits as souvenirs.

Johann and Zack both seemed sad to go, but they said their goodbyes to the other smiths with handshakes and bright smiles. Those from the Plantin Company had similarly finished their paperwork faster than planned, which came as a relief to everyone.

On the way back to Ehrenfest, I blinked in surprise after seeing that the blessing the small chalices had given applied only to Haldenzel. When seen from above, the province border was quite distinct; there were still sizable patches of snow in the forests of the province immediately to the south.

“How unusual...” I said.

“I think you’re the most unusual of all, since you’re the one who makes all these unusual things happen,” Angelica commented. Upon hearing this remark, all the Gutenbergs in the back expressed their universal agreement.