Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 4.8 - Chapter 16

Another Discussion and Making Rejuvenation Potions

The day of our talk with the lower-city merchants had arrived, and as Ferdinand was going to be in attendance, we had to meet in the noble’s section of the temple. Also attending were the guildmaster, Freida, and their Othmar Company attendants; Benno and Mark from the Plantin Company; and Otto, Theo, and Tuuli from the Gilberta Company. It was unfortunate that Lutz had gone to Leisegang and not come back yet.

We all exchanged lengthy greetings, then sat down and reported on the decisions made during the Archduke Conference.

“Gustav, there are going to be eight merchants from the Sovereignty, six from Klassenberg, and six from Dunkelfelger coming this year,” I said. “I imagine that trying to accommodate even more people than last year will prove to be a challenge, but I trust that you will manage well.”

“I will strive to meet your expectations, Lady Rozemyne,” the guildmaster replied with clear relief. He had most likely been relieved that the number stayed within agreed-upon bounds and that he did not have to give in to unreasonable demands.

“We owe much to the chefs the Othmar Company dispatched for the Archduke Conference,” I noted. “I thank you ever so much, Freida.”

“I am told they were extremely moved by the different environment,” Freida said with a smile. “They exchanged new recipes with your chefs, Lady Rozemyne, and returned far more skilled than before. Some of the nobility sent requests to purchase the recipes, even, and the Italian restaurant is currently more lively than ever. Please do visit when you have the chance.”

Visiting the Italian restaurant with Ferdinand sounded like a good idea for a breather if we ever had the time.

The Gilberta Company had hairpins to deliver in the summer, so Tuuli showed me two she had made: one for normal use, and another, fancier one for use in ceremonies.

“Tuuli is the one who makes your hairpins, Lady Rozemyne, but the other craftspeople are steadily developing their skills,” Otto said, explaining that a small number had gotten good enough to make hairpins for nobles. Hairpins were very popular in the summer when the merchants from other duchies came, so the craftspeople were apparently in quite a busy spell at the moment, trying to prepare as many hairpins as possible ahead of time for both nobles and commoners. “That said, Tuuli is the only one capable of fulfilling orders from royalty; the other craftspeople still cannot compare to her.”

I purchased the hairpins, pleased that Tuuli was being praised, then informed the Gilberta Company that I would be summoning Corinna to prepare new clothing when I returned to the castle.

“Furthermore, as we will now be spreading our printed goods, I ask the Plantin Company to make solid preparations for next year and beyond,” I said. “Though I am sure you are already on top of things, Benno.”

Benno gave a confident smirk. “With you in charge, Lady Rozemyne, we aren’t at all concerned about book sales. We will make sure everything meets your expectations.” I quickly understood this as: “I’m gonna prepare so many books, so make sure you actually sell ’em.” Somehow, I was the one feeling under pressure now.

Once the primary reports were concluded, Ferdinand began to speak. “I have a report as well,” he said, causing all the merchants present to sit up straight and watch him carefully. “It has been decided that I will marry into Ahrensbach, as I am the archduke’s younger brother. Ahrensbach was not included in this year’s trade deals, but I imagine that relations with them will increase in all other areas.”

Benno’s expression changed in an instant. Ferdinand noticed this, and a grin played on his lips as he said, “Indeed, it was an Ahrensbach noble who attacked Rozemyne a number of years ago. Keep this in mind when making trade deals and gathering intelligence.”

It was a noble with close connections to Ahrensbach who had been primarily responsible for my two years spent stuck in a jureve. That was all Ferdinand could say in front of the scholars and guard knights, but an Ahrensbach noble—specifically Count Bindewald—had also been the reason for my becoming the archduke’s adopted daughter. The Plantin and Gilberta Companies knew that much already from Dad and Otto, so they all looked at me with palpable discomfort.

“We are aware that Lady Rozemyne was once harmed by an Ahrensbach noble,” Benno said, speaking for the others. “Will she perhaps be targeted again?” His eyes were blazing with the resolve to face down a foe, while Tuuli’s were gleaming sharply.

“I cannot guarantee that she will not be,” Ferdinand replied. “I intend to leave only after disposing of as many dangerous elements within the duchy as I can, but any who arrive after I am gone will be outside of my vision and reach. I can learn about noble politics from retainers, but nobles struggle to gather intelligence on the lower city. The intelligence from merchants of other duchies was not to be scoffed at, and the information you brought me proved useful indeed.”

Ferdinand was praising Benno and the guildmaster, as well as the others who had brought him intelligence. I had seen this intelligence myself, but I had no idea how or where it had ended up being useful. Even thinking back, I couldn’t put the pieces together.

As far as I remember, most of it was just them saying how well things were selling.

As I blinked in confusion, Ferdinand slowly exhaled, eyeing the gathered commoners one by one. Freida, the guildmaster, his attendant, Benno, Mark, Otto, Theo, Tuuli... They all knew me from my time as a commoner.

“You have all associated with Rozemyne since her time as a blue shrine maiden, and there is not a single noble in the entire duchy who is so close to you and yet also so powerful,” Ferdinand said. “She is irreplaceable to each and every one of you.”

Of the nobles present, only Ferdinand, Justus, Eckhart, and Damuel knew me from my days in the lower city and therefore understood my relationships with those gathered. And when Ferdinand moved to Ahrensbach, it would only be Damuel.

“You also hold her close to your hearts, do you not?” Ferdinand asked.

A normal noble would never bother to set up meetings like this and seek the opinions of commoners. For the most part, the merchants in attendance could only speak properly with laynobles, but I was the archduke’s adopted daughter and on track to become the next first wife. And above all else, I was connected to all of the products being spread to other duchies as new trends.

The gathered commoners nodded along as Ferdinand chose his words very carefully, saying only that which was acceptable for our retainers to hear.

“I must ask you all to work your absolute hardest to protect Rozemyne,” Ferdinand continued. “There are some things that we nobles cannot reliably track ourselves, such as whether any suspicious individuals have entered Ehrenfest and the recent goings-on of other duchies. Should anything happen that could pose a threat, I would appreciate you telling Rozemyne or her retainer Hartmut, the soon-to-be High Priest.” He then looked at Hartmut, who was dressed in his blue robes and nodded in response.

“We shall do as you command, High Priest,” the merchants replied.

“Of course, Ahrensbach is not the only potential risk,” Ferdinand said. “I ask that you keep a close eye on the workings of other duchies and even the Sovereignty as well.”

Benno’s expression softened into a slight, sympathetic smile. “This strengthening of the bond between Ehrenfest and Ahrensbach is likely to be celebrated, but we will miss the comfort of you being at Lady Rozemyne’s side. You have provided her with so much education and assistance, all while so generously striving to convey our words to the archduke. We deeply regret your departure.”

Ferdinand gave a half-smile in turn and said, “I can understand the reason for your concern; Rozemyne is nothing if not unpredictable.” Those from the lower city were all too familiar with my rampaging tendencies, and they quickly averted their gazes as they held back their laughter.

Am I right to assume that Benno means he could relax with Ferdinand keeping me in check but is now concerned about there being nobody to rein me in? And now he wants some reassurance that things are going to be okay? Hm?

The air seemed to relax a little as everyone acknowledged their mutual concern of me sowing chaos. It was unbelievable! Of course, I couldn’t protest no matter how much I wanted to, so the discussion continued without me. Benno, Otto, and the guildmaster reported on their current preparations and thoughts on the future while Ferdinand listened intently.

I could deduce from the conversation thus far that Ferdinand had been listening to my opinions and reports, then conveying them in part to Sylvester. Now that he was leaving Ehrenfest, I would need to do that on my own.

“High Priest,” Otto said, “I apologize for the rudeness, but there is a question I wish to ask.”

Ferdinand arched an eyebrow in response, then permitted him to continue.

“If you are going to be married to a woman with archducal blood, will you be needing a hairpin this year?”

“I will think about it in the event she asks for one,” Ferdinand replied, waving the idea away while looking entirely devoid of enthusiasm. “Only a fool would think of Ewigeliebe in the summer.”

It seemed that Ferdinand was perfectly content with ignoring the suggestion, even though it was diplomatically unthinkable for someone being married into another duchy from Ehrenfest to not gift their partner a hairpin. I couldn’t imagine that Tuuli and the Gilberta Company shared his reluctance, though; a last-minute order would only end in disaster, as they would need to come up with a design and prepare the necessary thread at such short notice. Tuuli shot me a glance as I thought this, confirming my suspicions.

I went to interject, but Ferdinand raised a hand before I could say anything. “I do not care to speak of the matter now. More importantly: Gustav, have you found out whom the feystone store in the lower city sells its goods to?”

“It seems that their largest and most lucrative customer was Viscount Joisontak,” the guildmaster replied. “Since his death, they have struggled to find someone so interested in their products, so they are now working on selling more to their regular customers.” He produced a list of all the nobles who regularly purchased from the business, having looked into the matter very thoroughly since being asked.

Ferdinand examined the list and then said, “You have done well. This is very expertly researched.” His expression betrayed his true personality as the Lord of Evil.

The hairpin for Ahrensbach received no further mention throughout the remainder of our discussion, so after our meeting came to a close and everyone had left, I decided to confront Ferdinand about it.

“Lady Detlinde was quite interested in acquiring a hairpin last year,” I said. “Furthermore, as hairpins are an important Ehrenfest trend, not giving her one will damage your reputation. I do not want the people there speaking ill of you.”

Ferdinand seemed about to disregard me, but he must have been struck by some realization, as he suddenly looked down at me with a suspiciously bright smile. “Fascinating... I shall leave the matter to you, then. Make one as you wish.”

“What?! You’re perfectly capable of picking out accessories and whatnot for girls. You can do it yourself, without my help. I am sure Lady Detlinde would appreciate that far more. Perhaps you could begin your relationship by asking her about her preferences.”

It was true that Detlinde looked very much like Veronica, but they weren’t the same person. Perhaps socializing with her would ease the contempt that Ferdinand was feeling... although it also risked making it worse.

“You are essentially my family, no?” Ferdinand asked. “I see no issue with you assisting me. Prepare something that will not bring shame to me, then.”

It really feels to me like you’re just using this whole family thing to your own advantage!

I pursed my lips and started thinking of colors that would suit Detlinde, at which point Ferdinand poked my head and added, “You may order one for yourself at the same time.”

“What?”

“Consider it a farewell gift. You are leaving the nest of my protection, after all.”

I would have said that he should prepare it himself, but he wasn’t even interested in having one made for his future bride, so there was no point in trying. Instead, my focus shifted to the words “farewell gift” and how final they sounded.

It could be worse, I guess. I’ve at least got time to prepare my heart, which is more than I can say for when I had to leave my lower-city family.

I shook my head to dispel my glum feelings, then looked up at Ferdinand. “I’ll prepare a farewell gift for you as well. Perhaps some Ehrenfest food to bring comfort to your stay, like what Aurelia brought from Ahrensbach. If we can use that time-stopping magic tool, I think it’ll be a worthwhile endeavor; it’s always nice to have the flavors of your home nearby. You tend to skip even essential meals when you’re busy, Ferdinand. Rejuvenation potions are important, but food is absolutely necessary. Plus, if you fill the magic tool with fish and send it back when you’re done with it, we can work on improving our recipes here in Ehrenfest.”

“You are simply after the fish,” Ferdinand said, exasperated. In my opinion, it was a perfectly reasonable transaction—Ferdinand got to be healthy, and I got my fish.

“I shall prepare other farewell gifts for you as well,” I continued. “For example, I will use a voice-recording magic tool to preserve a clip of me saying, ‘Are you eating properly? Sleep is important.’ Justus can play it for you every now and again, and—”

“There is no need,” Ferdinand said curtly. “I would toss that out the window. It would only exhaust me further.” His response reminded me of something a friend from my Urano days had said before moving to a college far away from mine.

“You may not know this, Ferdinand, but when one moves far away from home, one starts to long for familial love through home cooking and motherly chiding.”

“I have never heard of that in my life.”

Okay, probably not...

Ordonnanzes weren’t able to cross the barriers along duchy borders, so relying on the voice-recording magic tool was our only option.

“I will need to ask Raimund to modify them to be smaller...” I said. “Will there be enough time, I wonder?”

“Rozemyne, Raimund is my disciple, not a retainer of yours to be used as you please.”

“But as you are my teacher, are your disciples not like older brothers to me? Or younger brothers, even, since I came first? Either way, we are bonded together, so I should be safe to make requests of them. Professor Hirschur similarly uses me at her convenience.”

Ferdinand sighed, perhaps visualizing his old teacher doing as she pleased. “This talk about farewell gifts is of very little relevance. Let us focus on how to make the final rejuvenation potions before I must leave.”

“Right...”

There was still a lot that Ferdinand needed to teach me, but most important of all was the remaining lessons on making rejuvenation potions. Up until now, he had prepared mine for me, but I would need to start brewing my own henceforth.

“I intend to teach your retainers as well,” Ferdinand said. “Put on your brewing clothes and gather in the workshop of the High Bishop’s chambers.” He ordered that Hartmut and Cornelius accompany me, since they were the only ones who met his two specifications: they had enough mana to endure the taxing brewing process, and they were men who wouldn’t need to leave my service due to weddings or pregnancy.

My greatest obstacle when it came to brewing was my own stamina; I simply didn’t have the vigor necessary to keep stirring the ingredients. On the bright side, the recipes themselves were simple once you had all the necessary components—one just needed to cut and measure them, add them in the proper order, then pour in enough mana and stir until ready. Still, though...

“My arms are starting to hurt,” I said, tears in my eyes.

Cornelius, who had carefully been checking the elements of the ingredients and the required mana, replied with a bemused smile. “The mana quantity and control are where people normally struggle, but in your case, strength really is the issue. Will you even make it through the scholar course’s practical lessons?”

Passing the scholar course was essential for becoming a librarian, so I refused to give up no matter how poor my stamina was. I continued to stir, scolding my throbbing arms all the while.

“Royal Academy lessons are trivial compared to what I go through with Ferdinand,” I replied. The brews we made in class weren’t complicated, and the stirring didn’t require anywhere near as much time or mana.

“Your control over your mana truly is splendid, Lady Rozemyne; to think you can manage brewing while simultaneously pouring mana into your enhancement tools...” Hartmut said while taking notes on the recipe. The stark contrast between his serious expression and enthusiastic compliments was as astounding as ever, but he wasn’t wrong—I was now able to reliably pour mana into both my enhancements and my brewing while making the ultra-nasty rejuvenation potions.

“Put your finished rejuvenation potions in here and cover them with cloth,” Ferdinand said, indicating a largish pot.

I did as instructed, then covered the potions with cloth to protect them. There was enough here to last me quite a while, even if I collapsed, but once these ran out, that was that; I didn’t have the ingredients to make more.

“What should I do when these are all gone?” I asked.

“I have summoned Cornelius here today so that he knows what is required to make more,” Ferdinand replied. “Cornelius, you will memorize the mana capacities and elements of the necessary ingredients and then gather them. Gathering ingredients is the job of a knight, is it not?”

It certainly was the case that knights were expected to gather—even those still in the Royal Academy—but the ingredients required for the ultra-nasty potions were so rare and of such high quality that the thought of searching for them made Cornelius grimace. It wouldn’t be a simple process.

“I intend to leave the bulk of my ingredients in your workshop,” Ferdinand continued. “They should last for about five years. The rest you will need to handle yourself.”

“Will you truly be leaving this fortune’s worth of ingredients here, Lord Ferdinand...?” Hartmut asked, eyeing them in complete shock. I didn’t recognize all of the ingredients, but it seemed that quite a few of them were especially valuable.

“I do not expect to have the time to perform research with them. I am not even sure I will have a workshop in Ahrensbach.”

“Wait, what? Won’t you be needing potions there way more than I need them here?” I asked. It was hard to imagine him enduring the intense duties expected of him without rejuvenation potions.

“I will, but I intend to leave the brewing to Justus,” he replied with a nod. Justus had a massive trove of ingredients, apparently, so Ferdinand wouldn’t need to bring any of his own.

“I can only imagine how many ingredients Lord Justus must have if even this is unnecessary in comparison...” Hartmut said in a daze. As always, Justus was quite the man of mystery.

“Well, this concludes our rejuvenation potion lesson,” Ferdinand announced. “Rozemyne, all that remains is for you to take care with how much you drink. Your understanding of using these potions is still vague at best, so trust the measuring to Hartmut. Hartmut, Rozemyne will fall ill if you give her too much, so take extra care.”

“Understood,” Hartmut replied, straightening his back.

With that settled, Ferdinand placed two ingredients and some clear feystones that didn’t contain any mana in front of me. “I am now going to teach Hartmut. In the meantime, you must practice removing others’ mana and transferring it into feystones. This is an ingredient mixed with a variety of mana, and this is one that I removed the excess mana from. I am certain that you will soon begin sensing the mana of others.”

It seemed that my next task was to touch the lined-up ingredients, sense their proper and original mana, then remove the excess.

What the heck?! This is so tough!

I touched the two ingredients as instructed and noticed that they didn’t feel the same. Indeed, I could tell that one contained a bunch of mixed-up mana.

“One of them contains a mixture of mana, while the other contains only the ingredients’ and my mana,” Ferdinand said. “Can you feel the difference between them?”

“Yes.”

“Then gradually start pushing a very thin stream of mana into them while forcing the excess toward the feystone.”

I did as instructed, trying to spread my mana as thinly as possible before channeling it into the ingredient. My plan was to imagine a filtration device of sorts, letting the ingredient’s proper mana stay while filtering out the excess.

In the meantime, Ferdinand taught Hartmut how much of the potion to give me, how to use it, how Rihyarda managed it, and so on. He was going through a long list of minor details.

“I did it!” I exclaimed. It had taken me an exceptionally long time, but pride and satisfaction swelled in my chest as I showed the feystone to Ferdinand.

“Let me see,” Ferdinand said. He touched the feystone with his brow furrowed, then stared at the ingredient. His examination continued for longer than I expected, so I started to feel uneasy.

“Um, is something wrong with it?” I asked.

“No, this is fine. The excess mana has been purged.” Ferdinand returned the feystone, then set a fairly small wooden box in front of me. “Now remove the mixed mana from these ingredients,” he said, placing in front of me a flammerzung fruit, a quellweide leaf, a winfalke hide, and glanzring powder.

“These are the ingredients you stole—I mean, won from Heisshitze in the ditter game, aren’t they?” I asked. “I thought they were your precious spoils of victory.”

“Indeed, they are highly valuable and of exceptionally high quality—which means they are perfect for your jureve. You will not have time to gather more yourself, and you will need to make another jureve before I leave for Ahrensbach.” He spoke casually, but I remembered that Heisshitze had seemed absolutely devastated when giving them up, like he was surrendering his life savings. They were bound to be extremely valuable.

“Is it really okay for me to use these for my jureve?” I asked.

“In the first place, I added the glanzring dust to my demands precisely for this purpose,” Ferdinand replied. “Only so many ingredients can be gathered in Ehrenfest, and the kind that students can find while attending the Royal Academy will not suffice for you. Above all else, we do not have a year to spend on finding ingredients.”

I understood his position, but these were the ingredients he had won after I had more or less forced him to play ditter. “You really, really don’t mind...?”

“Cease your complaining and accept them already. We truly do not have much time. After making your jureve, we will need to resume your studies for the Royal Academy. You must not allow your grades to drop once I am gone; to do so is to invite great shame upon yourself. I will see to it that you come first-in-class in both the archduke course and the scholar course next year,” Ferdinand declared with a hard glare.

I took in a sharp breath and said, “So, I have to come first-in-class now?” I didn’t have a clue what was running through his head, but this was scary.

“I will have an easier time in Ahrensbach if, on top of the renown I obtained at the Royal Academy, there is evidence of my tutoring having produced a student who excels above all others. If you truly view me as family, then you will do me this kindness, no?”

Dad! Help! The Lord of Evil has appeared before me!

I screamed on the inside, but I did want to help Ferdinand as much as I could, even if my work didn’t amount to much. He had done so much for me, and returning the favor would require more than just a little effort.

“Okay, okay. I’ll do it. I’ll come first-in-class and make the jureve.”

“Then remove the mixed mana from all of these ingredients. Such is your task for today.”

I took a deep breath, then faced the ingredients. First was the flammerzung. I focused on pouring my mana into it and started extracting the mixed mana.

The next day, I dyed the ingredients completely. I ended up with feystones of the seasonal colors, just like when I had made the jureve before.

“Very good,” Ferdinand said, looking at the completed feystones. “These should suffice for the jureve.”