Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 4.8 - Chapter 20

Ferdinand’s Estate

It was the day of our trip, and we archduke candidates were traveling by carriage. “This is my first time going to Uncle’s estate,” Wilfried said. “Have you been here before, Rozemyne?”

I shook my head. “No, this is my first time as well. We normally conduct our business in the castle or the temple.”

“This is my first time being invited outside of the castle, so I’m a bit nervous...” Melchior admitted, though he seemed openly excited as he gazed out the window.

Although traveling by carriage was slower than the alternatives I was used to, Ferdinand’s estate was right next to the castle, so the journey didn’t take very long at all. We arrived in the blink of an eye.

“Ferdinand certainly lives in a big estate, considering that he’s not even married...” I said as I alighted from the carriage, looking up at the massive white mansion that greeted us. In terms of size, it wasn’t that much different from Karstedt’s estate. It being abandoned was such a waste.

Wilfried shrugged in response, having stepped out of the carriage before me. “All archduke candidates leave the northern building once they come of age. He must have been given this place under the assumption that he’d marry right after graduating. I doubt Grandfather expected that Uncle would remain unattached this late into his life.”

It was then that the door to the estate opened, revealing none other than Fran. “Please do come in,” he said, welcoming us inside.

“Fran? Why are you here?” Wilfried and Charlotte asked, surprised to see a temple attendant at an estate in the Noble’s Quarter. They knew Fran from my two-year slumber, when he had accompanied them for Spring Prayer and the Harvest Festival.

Upon seeing the two archduke candidates frozen in place, Fran directed a troubled smile in my direction. I took that as a signal for me to explain.

“Ferdinand has spent so much time in the temple that his estate barely has any attendants and servants,” I said. “He has so many visitors today that Fran and Zahm have agreed to help, having once served as his attendants.”

Wilfried, Charlotte, and Melchior’s retainers all seemed to accept this explanation.

“Lord Ferdinand will soon be leaving for Ahrensbach,” Charlotte noted, “so I suppose there would not be much point in him taking on more personnel now.”

“Especially when he’s going to be spending his remaining time in Ehrenfest in the temple, training his successors,” added Vanessa, her head attendant.

“Please keep it a secret from Lady Detlinde that those working here are temple attendants,” I said. “I don’t imagine she will respond positively.”

Everyone nodded their understanding.

As we made our way inside, I noticed many more similarities to Karstedt’s estate. At the same time, however, the interior was very distinctly Ferdinand—that is to say, one could tell at a glance that a woman had never so much as touched it before. It was simple, practical, and entirely lacking in decoration. In a way, it kind of resembled Dunkelfelger’s tea party room.

Ferdinand noticed our arrival and turned around, having been instructing the attendants in his parlor. “Ah, there you are.”

“Your estate truly is bare, Ferdinand.”

“You simply do not understand the beauty of practicality.”

We passed through the entrance hall and were taken into a sizable parlor that seemed a lot more inviting—largely owing to the many tables, chairs, benches, rugs, and important magic tools. Zahm brought in some sweets, working under the instruction of someone who appeared to be the noble attendant usually in charge of the estate.

We sipped tea while the final checks were made before Detlinde’s arrival.

“This room is the only one you may eat and drink within,” Ferdinand said. “Once the Gilberta Company arrives, I intend to take Raimund and the other male scholars to my book room for a research meeting.”

“No way...” I muttered, my interest piqued. The idea of a research meeting with Raimund was my own suggestion, but this was the first I was hearing about it being held in a book room. “I want to come too.”

“You offered to host Detlinde and discuss hairpins, trends, and such with her, did you not?”

“So I’m expected to suffer, knowing that your book room is just outside my reach?” Denying me access to a treasure trove of new books that I’d most likely never have another opportunity to visit was the height of cruelty. “Oh, I wish I were a man just for today. Wilfried, can we exchange clothes?”

“That won’t help you,” Wilfried replied.

“I know that deep down... A girl can dream, though.”

After witnessing my desperation, Brunhilde suddenly clenched a fist and said, “Lord Ferdinand, may I offer a few words of advice?”

“Go ahead.”

“Having men and women socialize in separate locations is by no means uncommon, but as the goal of this socializing is for you to deepen your bond with your fiancée, it would not be wise for the two of you to remain apart.”

Lieseleta nodded in agreement. “Perhaps you could leave the doors to the parlor and your book room open, such that your guests can move between them as they please. Such transparency will only work to your advantage, as being able to see her fiancé will put Lady Detlinde at greater ease.”

Charlotte fell into thought for a moment, then looked at me and smiled. “Still, Lady Detlinde may be hesitant to enter a room without any other women present. We could avoid causing her any unnecessary discomfort by having Rozemyne stay in the book room and read for the duration of our visit.”

Oh, Charlotte! You’re an angel!

“Are you not being too soft on Rozemyne?” Ferdinand asked.

“Not by any conscious effort,” Charlotte replied with a concerned smile. “I simply do not think we should trust Rozemyne with socializing while she is so fixated on your book room. Were you hosting Aurelia, who is more open to discussions about books, then this caution wouldn’t be necessary, but Lady Detlinde does not share this interest.”

Brunhilde and Lieseleta nodded in agreement, then they both puffed out their chests. “We are used to hosting others while Lady Rozemyne is absent, so you may entrust this to us, Lord Ferdinand.”

“In other words, Rozemyne’s shifted motivation makes her dead weight, which is why we should put her in the book room to begin with,” Ferdinand said. “I see the logic.”

“Indeed. It is impossible to say what Rozemyne might do when books are involved, so the most peaceful solution is to distance her from the start.”

I shot my head up at once; everyone was labeling me as useless. I can’t let this stand. Melchior is here; I need to show him that I’m a competent big sister!

“Wait just a moment,” I said. “I’ll focus on socializing. After all, I’ve already resolved to do everything I can to help Ferdinand.”

“No, you would do well to stay within the book room,” Ferdinand replied. “Perhaps because of your tendency to cause problems at the Royal Academy, those around you all seem a lot more dependable. I feel safest putting this matter in their hands.”

I don’t know whether I should celebrate that Ferdinand is willing to trust other people or weep at the reality that I’m proving entirely useless here.

As I fell into thought, Ferdinand made his way to a nearby door and unlocked it with the turn of a key. An attendant then stepped forward without missing a beat and opened the door fully to reveal the room beyond.

“Rozemyne, this is my book room.”

“On my way!”

All thoughts of my promise to help went out the window as I rushed over to the open door. Through it, I could see rows and rows of shelves, all neatly lined with books. There was far more reading material here than in Karstedt’s estate; in fact, there was more than I would expect any one person to own.

“My, what a magnificent book room. You never let me down, Ferdinand. Praise be to the gods!” I exclaimed, showering the area with the light of a blessing. Before I could charge inside, however, Ferdinand grabbed me by the collar.

“Fool. You will enter only after the Gilberta Company has arrived and we have discussed the hairpin.”

“Then why are you showing me it now?! Are you trying to hurt me?!”

“I had a feeling that, in your excitement, you would unleash a blessing the very moment you laid eyes on my book room. My prediction was entirely correct.”

I put my head in my hands, regretting my spur-of-the-moment prayer, while Wilfried started nodding to himself. “I see,” he said. “Rozemyne is very likely to give a blessing when seeing a new book room.”

“Yes. You would do well to note that while dissolving her mana clumps reduced the rate at which she collapses, it simultaneously increased the rate at which she expends blessings.”

Stop! Nobody write that down!

“Lord Ferdinand, carriages have just arrived,” an attendant said. “It seems that Lady Detlinde is here.”

Ferdinand made for the entrance hall, and we followed to welcome Detlinde. My first observation was that her retainers were all women—presumably because she was here to pick a hairpin. Raimund was also with them, as per Ferdinand’s request. He was trailing behind, looking very small and uncomfortable.

After exchanging greetings at the entrance hall, we moved to the parlor to have tea. Thanks to some very careful probing by Justus, we had managed to prepare and were now serving Detlinde’s preferred sweets. We had not only honey pound cake, but also ice cream, which was perfect for the summer months and superbly chilled from the ice room magic tool we had used to store it.

“This cold sweet is quite delicious,” Detlinde said, sounding very content.

“Ice cream is a summer sweet, so it doesn’t get served at the Royal Academy,” I explained with a smile. “I am glad you like it, Lady Detlinde.”

“Indeed,” she replied, smiling in turn. “I quite like it. Could we perhaps bring the chef responsible to Ahrensbach with us?”

“Unfortunately, Ahrensbach ingredients are nothing like those found in Ehrenfest,” Ferdinand said. “There is no point in me bringing my chefs, as they are unlikely to be able to make the same recipes in another duchy. Plus, would it not be strange for me to bring my chefs to Ahrensbach when Aurelia brought none to Ehrenfest?”

Detlinde blinked her green eyes several times, then turned and stared up at her attendant. “Martina, is it true that Aurelia brought no chefs to Ehrenfest?”

“It is,” Martina replied, speaking as Aurelia’s little sister. “I never expected that she wouldn’t be allowed one.”

I clapped my hands together in realization; Aurelia’s magic tool of Ahrensbach ingredients made a lot more sense if she had been expected to have chefs accompanying her.

“Aah. So that’s why her magic tool only contained ingredients,” I said. “Aurelia was very surprised when she found out. She even felt quite down, thinking it was an act of malice, but I am relieved to know that was not the case.”

Martina linked her fingers in front of her chest and shook her head so dramatically that it was almost comical. “We would never do anything so mean,” she said. “Does this mean my sister hasn’t been able to eat any of our duchy’s food since arriving in Ehrenfest? I would very much like to share some with her, if possible...”

“Don’t worry—we have chefs capable of making Ahrensbach food, so we prepared the fish Aurelia brought and cooked it as intended. She was quite pleased with the results.” I was trying to convey that we were treating Aurelia well, but Martina’s expression instead clouded over.

“Um, Lady Rozemyne... I would like to use this opportunity to visit my sister, but her husband is not permitting us to meet.”

“Her partner serves Lord Wilfried, does he not?” Detlinde asked, resting a hand against her cheek. “Lady Rozemyne, could your brother and Lord Ferdinand perhaps speak to him? I just feel so terrible for Martina.”

I glanced at Wilfried, who slowly shook his head and replied, “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“Oh my... Whyever not? Martina is so concerned for her sister.”

“I’m told that Aurelia personally refused the idea. Not to mention, she lives in the knight commander’s estate, and her husband is my retainer; we can’t permit the meeting due to the risk of our duchy’s secrets being leaked,” Wilfried explained, flatly refusing to budge.

Detlinde slumped over, looking dejected, then turned to Ferdinand with tearful eyes. “Lord Ferdinand, please hear my desire.”

“Unfortunately, this is a decision for Wilfried to make as Lamprecht’s lord. I dearly aspire to grant any wish you may have, but this is outside of my control,” Ferdinand replied, his kind smile betraying traces of regret as though he actually felt bad.

“It seems my fiancé is like Ewigeliebe in the spring...” Detlinde said with a sigh. “I am truly sorry for Martina.”

Excuse me? You’re going to call Ferdinand useless because he refuses to force a meeting that Aurelia herself doesn’t want? There are some things archducal family members from other duchies just shouldn’t encroach upon!

Ferdinand and I met this response with equally broad smiles, and once again, I saw Justus holding Eckhart back. He was right to do so, but a small part of me wanted to give Eckhart the go-ahead.

Martina hurriedly put a hand on Detlinde’s shoulder, having noticed the mounting tension in the room. This unease was only momentary, however; Zahm soon appeared and said, “Lord Ferdinand, the Gilberta Company is here. Shall we let them in?” His announcement cleared the air at once. Truly, our saviors had arrived.

Otto, Corinna, and a woman I didn’t recognize entered the room before long. The unfamiliar figure was presumably one of the increasingly talented hairpin craftswomen. Her hair was bundled, but judging by how young she looked, I presumed she was only a few years past her coming-of-age ceremony.

“May this serendipitous meeting, ordained by the vibrant summer rays of Leidenschaft the God of Fire, be blessed by the gods.”

After exchanging the usual greetings, we jumped straight into talks about the hairpin. Brunhilde seamlessly weaved in and out of the conversation, such that the commoner craftswoman only had to speak when absolutely necessary.

“First, we shall ask for your preferences, Lady Detlinde,” Brunhilde said. “Have you ordered clothes for your graduation ceremony? If so, what color might they be? Do you have any preferred flowers?” She was utilizing all of the talents she had developed while ordering so many hairpins and even overseeing the ones for Eglantine and Adolphine.

Charlotte noted that she wanted to order a hairpin as well, while Melchior watched the discussion about this new thing with sparkling eyes.

After confirming that the atmosphere in the parlor was likely to stay calm, Ferdinand smoothly rose to his feet and said, “Lady Detlinde, please take your time and choose whatever your heart desires. Women tend to take quite some time when shopping, so I will wait in the book room next door. Come, Raimund.”

“Yes, Lord Ferdinand,” Raimund replied. He was the only Ahrensbach visitor to move to the book room.

“I shall go as well, then,” I said. “Judithe, Angelica—wait here, if you would.” I made my way into the book room at once, with Cornelius, Damuel, Leonore, and my scholars in tow, then sighed with bliss. “Hartmut, Philine, Roderick! Start preparing a registry of all the books here!”

“One already exists,” Ferdinand replied. “If you are looking for material you have not read before, I would recommend starting with this shelf. This one contains books transcribed from the royal library, and that one holds books I have already lent you.”

“You’re as on top of things as ever, Ferdinand!” I was rejoicing to no end, while Ferdinand shot me a clear grimace.

“Rozemyne, your reading time may begin only once my conversation with Raimund about magic tools is over.”

“You would prolong my suffering...?”

“This is something that you yourself requested, so yes.”

Raimund reached into his bag and pulled out two medium-sized pieces of cloth, looking tense all the while. They were experimental versions of the feystone-assisted low-energy magic circles, and Ferdinand wasted no time in looking them over.

“The ingredients I was able to prepare weren’t of a particularly high quality, so...”

“Indeed,” Ferdinand said. “We could have further reduced the mana cost had we used the ingredients I have on hand. Still, the magic circles themselves are well made.”

This praise made Raimund smile, then his expression turned more quizzical. “Lord Ferdinand, can I ask what you intend to do with these magic circles? They’re quite limited in the size of what they can send, so I’m not sure what use they can serve.”

“Rozemyne wanted them for transporting books,” Ferdinand replied.

Raimund eyed the nearby books, no doubt concerned about their thickness. Of course, Ehrenfest books were thin and used Japanese binding methods, so I didn’t expect them to be a problem.

“Let us try a volume,” I said, spreading out both teleportation circles and setting a piece of paper atop one. I touched and channeled mana into that circle, and a moment later, the paper appeared on the other. The process had barely taken any mana.

“Ferdinand, that required so little mana that it might as well not have taken any,” I observed. “Can we try a book next?”

He paused for a moment and then said, “Have Philine or Damuel send it. We need to know whether a laynoble can use these circles as well, but we cannot determine this with you as our test subject.”

I did as instructed and asked my two laynoble retainers to try sending books and paper, testing the limit of what they could send and the amount of mana it required. Interestingly enough, they were able to send one of Ferdinand’s thick books but not another.

“The mana cost varies depending on the size and weight of what’s being sent,” Philine and Damuel summarized after extensively experimenting for me. “An average laynoble should be able to use it ten or so times before being on the verge of running out of mana. Extended periods of work won’t be feasible without rejuvenation potions.”

In short, this system was well suited for delivering books as per my book deposit system, and it wouldn’t take much mana either. I was sure it could serve as work for people like Konrad and Dirk in the future.

“Raimund, I wish to purchase this magic circle,” I said. “May I?”

His face blossomed with overjoyed surprise, but then his eyes settled on Ferdinand and worry tinged his expression. “I-It would be an honor for you to buy a magic tool of my creation, but... is that acceptable? I, erm, needed guidance from Lord Ferdinand to finish it, so it should naturally be his to—”

“Do not concern yourself with that,” Ferdinand said, interrupting him. “You are the one who actually realized the idea; and as it stands, I have no need for fame or fortune. You may treat it as your own.”

It wasn’t at all rare for teachers to take credit for their disciples’ creations. I wondered aloud whether Hirschur was doing this herself, but she didn’t seem to have a particular desire for fame either; all she desired to do was seek new knowledge and make new things.

“Hirschur has even been known to ask her disciples for funding and ingredients when she deems it necessary for her research,” Ferdinand noted, “all so that they become strong-willed enough to refuse others. That said, Raimund, there is no need for you to worry. She would doubtless come to leech off of me rather than someone as poor as yourself.”

I chuckled; it was easy to imagine Hirschur doing that.

“Your next task is to modify sound-recording magic tools to be smaller,” Ferdinand said. “Here is a blueprint.”

“I would like them to be finished before Ferdinand leaves for Ahrensbach. Is that feasible?” I asked, then started explaining all that I wanted the magic tool to be capable of. It would ideally be openable by a switch and fully capable of delivering my chastising remarks.

Raimund—and even Hartmut—peered at the blueprint with interest. “If you intend to record long messages, then I will need feystones and magic tools to match,” Raimund said. “If you only want a single sentence, though, that shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Remember that it must be capable of replaying the recording an infinite number of times,” Ferdinand warned. “One that only lasts so many uses is not good enough.”

Raimund—and again, Hartmut—frowned at this news. “For something to replay the same recording an infinite number of times, a magic circle would need to be added just for preservation. In turn, this limits how small we can make the tool.”

“You may learn from the protective circles on Schwartz and Weiss,” Ferdinand said offhandedly while looking at the blueprint.

Raimund and Hartmut stared at him. “So, to summarize: you want us to isolate the preservation magic circle used for the two shumils and attach one to a phrase, all while using only a single feystone to keep the size and mana cost to a minimum?” they both asked. I could tell from the looks on their faces that they understood exactly what he wanted, though I couldn’t even begin to imagine how they had worked that out from what was essentially a hint.

Okay, I’m not sure I’ll manage to come first-in-class for the scholar course after all...

I was starting to get nervous... but then Ferdinand set down a book in front of me and said, “That will do. You may read now.” All of my concerns vanished in an instant, and after asking Roderick to open the heavy cover for me, I started to read. Once immersed in the text, the sounds around me began to fade into the distance.

“Rozemyne. It is time.”

I was brought back to reality by Ferdinand’s deep voice, and the book in front of me was promptly shut. The hairpin order had long since concluded, and both Detlinde and the Gilberta Company had already left.

“If you do not return soon, you will miss dinner and receive a scolding from Rihyarda,” Ferdinand warned.

My attendants made all the necessary preparations for my return to the castle, then we hurried into our carriages. Once we were inside, Ferdinand looked at us all and said, “Wilfried, Charlotte, Rozemyne—you and your retainers hosted Lady Detlinde today with the utmost skill. You have shown much growth, and seeing this has brought me some relief. Continue to strive for greater heights.”

Wilfried and Charlotte smiled in response, and they waved at Ferdinand as our carriages began moving toward the castle.

To our surprise, our hairpin meeting ended up being our only personal encounter with Detlinde. She had intended to stay in Ehrenfest for longer, but an urgent message had arrived from Ahrensbach, forcing her and Georgine to hurry back.

“I pray that you live well with the divine protection of the gods until Dregarnuhr the Goddess of Time weaves the threads of our fates together once again.”

“Indeed. I pray that her weaving is smooth and swift.”

Those of us from Ehrenfest had given the traditional and innocuous farewell meaning “We hope that we one day meet again.” Georgine’s crimson lips had curled into a grin at this, and she had chosen a response that meant “We shall meet again soon enough.”