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Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 4.9 - Chapter 12




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A Change of Plans

And so, the autumn coming-of-age ceremony ended without incident. I had expected that some noble or other would come to check on the bible, but it seemed that Egmont had been in charge of overseeing matters in the temple. A letter from his home family arrived asking whether I had been able to open and use the bible during the coming-of-age ceremony.

“Ferdinand, what should we do with this?” I asked.

“Pen a response in Egmont’s name stating that you simply brought the bible to the ceremony and did not attempt to open it. I look forward to seeing how many nobles fall for it this winter,” Ferdinand said, his lips curving into a grin. Hartmut nodded in agreement, saying that they needed to eliminate all the nobles who posed a threat to me in one fell swoop.

That may be so, but I think Hartmut is the most dangerous of them all.

I had Monika write a response as if she were Egmont’s attendant. It was a magic letter, so when I placed it inside its envelope after checking the text, it turned into an ivory bird and flew away.

“I need to go back to the castle and prepare for winter socializing as soon as the winter baptisms are complete,” I said, “but when I think about the danger of nobles sneaking in again... I fear for the temple.”

Even after we were gone, nobles from the south were going to be passing through the temple on their way to the castle. There was a chance that one of them would attempt something again, so I decided to have Damuel stay back in the temple until the last possible moment. Ferdinand and I had been called to a meeting of the archducal family, so we needed to leave for the castle as soon as the winter baptisms were over.

This meeting would center around us telling the higher-ups of the Knight’s Order what we had learned from Viscount Dahldolf, and finalizing our plans for the winter purge. It was being held in secret, so we were limited to one retainer of each field—specifically those with the tightest lips. In my case, I was bringing Hartmut, Rihyarda, and Cornelius.

Sylvester began explaining his plans for the winter purge, and which nobles he intended to detain. Wilfried, Charlotte, and Melchior listened in complete shock, having not been privy to the purge before this point. I could see their retainers tense up as well. Sylvester then went on to note that a far greater number of members of the former Veronica faction had given their names than expected.

“Father,” Wilfried said with a tense expression, “what do you plan to do with the nobles who no longer have names to give?”

Given how many former Veronica faction members had thus far refused to change sides, one could easily deduce that there were more name-sworn among them than an Ehrenfest person would ever have guessed.

“I intend to spare those who gave their names to Veronica, the former first wife—as long as they are not involved in any wrongdoing,” Sylvester replied. Veronica had not brought their name-sworn feystones with her to the Ivory Tower, meaning there was no risk of her giving new orders. Sylvester had thus determined that it was best not to treat them any differently than the nobles who hadn’t given their names.

“Um, would it be possible to have Lady Veronica return their names?” I asked. It was sure to be an option; I remembered hearing that Ferdinand had tried to give Eckhart and the others their names back when entering the temple.

“Rozemyne, do you think she would give up her forever loyal servants so lightly?” Ferdinand replied, shooting down my idea in a heartbeat. “She would only use the opportunity to give troublesome orders or speak in a code we would not understand.”

“Not to mention, those name stones are most likely in Mother’s hidden room,” Sylvester added. “We could open the door if she climbs to the distant heights, but in that scenario, her name-sworn will already have climbed with her. We don’t want more deaths than are needed, and if they swear to serve Ehrenfest, that’ll suffice for me. However”—there was a sudden glint in his dark-green eyes—“those who are name-sworn to my sister are another story. Georgine is the first wife of Ahrensbach, which means those sworn to her will be working for her duchy, not ours. Nobles who can’t defy treasonous orders are nothing but dangerous to Ehrenfest. I want to save as many children forced into their faction as I can, but I have no mercy for those who gave their name to Georgine.”

I recalled Viscount Dahldolf saying that his parents had ordered him to give his name. One could imagine there were many who had similarly been forced to give their names to Georgine during her last visit. The faces of the former Veronica faction’s children flashed through my mind.

Will everyone be okay...?

“Considering that everyone could enter Rozemyne’s shield during last year’s attack at the awards ceremony, we know there are none among the children who are hostile toward the archducal family,” Sylvester continued. “There are some we plan to execute for the crime of association, which must be done if we are to keep our authority stable, but I’m trying to save as many lives as possible. I want you all to convince the children to give their names to the archducal family so they aren’t punished alongside their parents.”

Those of us in the Ehrenfest Dormitory all worked hand in hand at the Royal Academy, and I wanted to ensure that the bonds we had formed weren’t destroyed by the purge. Wilfried and Charlotte both nodded in response to Sylvester, firm resolve in their eyes.

“I will do everything I can to save them,” Wilfried said.

“As will I, Father,” Charlotte agreed.

“I concur that we should have the children at the Royal Academy make this decision for themselves,” I said, “but what of the children who are not yet students?”

Florencia smiled. “I intend to handle the winter playroom. We will take them into our care and give them homes in the castle’s knight dormitory. There we will explain the crimes their parents have committed and the dangers of treason, then give them the choice to either be executed by association or live in the dormitory with the others.”

Children too young to attend the Royal Academy couldn’t make the feystones necessary to give their names, so there was no need to worry about them being sworn to someone else. Furthermore, as they had already been baptized, they had the magic tools and rings necessary to survive as nobles. Florencia explained that if we just looked after them for the few years before they were due to enter the Royal Academy, then they would be able to start apprentice work and earn an income, from which point they could pretty much live independently as proper nobles.

Those who had surviving family members could perhaps be taken in by them, but Florencia’s plans meant that even those who didn’t would be able to get by. That made me feel relieved at first, but then I found myself thinking of the children who wouldn’t be included.

“What about those who have yet to be baptized?” I asked. “I know we cannot officially recognize them as children of Ehrenfest, but their survival will greatly determine how many nobles we will have in a few years’ time.”

“Well, we don’t know how many of them exist, so we haven’t thought that much about them,” Sylvester replied. “There may be nobles willing to adopt those with especially high mana, but most won’t want anything to do with the children of nobles executed for treason. Not to mention, it’ll be hard to raise really young kids without a mother.”

Newborns weren’t officially registered as children until they were baptized. Some, like Konrad, had their magic tool stolen from them in their own homes, and others were never given one at all, so it was impossible to predict how many existed. Sylvester said that the castle had no need for those who wouldn’t become nobles, so saving their lives simply wasn’t a priority.

“As it stands, we can’t know how much manpower or funding we’d need to raise them, nor whether they’d have enough mana to become nobles in the first place. We should treat those who haven’t been baptized as if they were never born.”

“Could I take them to the temple orphanage, then? Those without magic tools could survive by giving mana to the divine instruments, and rituals would become easier with more mana at hand. It’s very possible that we will end up losing blue priests during this purge, depending on how it affects their houses.”

“Blue priests, huh...? They hadn’t crossed my mind,” Sylvester said. That was probably because most nobles didn’t view blue priests as fellow members of the nobility.

“This is my opinion as the High Bishop, but if we lose any more blue priests, the temple will suffer both financially and in terms of mana. At the very least, I would like some children with mana to replace them.”

By working together, Wilfried, Charlotte, and I were able to make up for the mana shortage that had resulted from our duchy losing so many blue priests and shrine maidens after the civil war. However, we were soon to lose Ferdinand, and we still needed to find a way to fill the hole that his absence would create. Losing too many blue priests now, of all times, would prove especially problematic.

“And where would we find the money to support them?” Sylvester asked. “This is an expensive idea you’re putting forward. I don’t think you’d want to take so many kids at once.”

I smiled. “We can simply take the funds from the estates of the purged parents. There should not be any problem in using the wealth of the children’s houses to support them once they have moved to the temple, no?”

“Well... you’re not wrong. I trust that you won’t waste the money, so consider it yours,” Sylvester said, agreeing to the idea despite not seeming too enthusiastic about it.

“If we raise them in the orphanage, they will receive a mednoble-level education up until their baptisms. Naturally, without the magic tools given to newly born children, they will find it difficult to live as nobles... but I believe we could reward the children who excel with special funding and baptize them into the nobility.”

My suggestion was that they could be baptized without parents, instead having the archduke or orphanage director as their guardian, then take up residence in the castle dormitory to learn the ways of the nobility.

“What about those who don’t excel?” Sylvester asked.

“As long as they have mana, they can fuel magic tools. They may not be able to live as nobles, but they can devote their mana to the divine instruments within the temple. If you, Aub Ehrenfest, were to pay them an amount equivalent to what current blue priests receive, then they should not struggle to get by.”

There was no need for them to have the same living standards as the current blue priests. We could have them live in the orphanage and dedicate their mana, as Bezewanst had intended for me to do; and if we were receiving funding from the castle and could provide them with the necessary chefs and carriages, they would be able to perform Spring Prayer and the Harvest Festival without issue.

“And in the potential event of there being enough blue priests that the divine instruments become full, we can have them take on other mana-related tasks such as teleporting my books or writing magic letters,” I continued. “My intention is for the lower-city merchants to one day start hiring the orphans.”

If we gave the orphans work involving mana, then it was possible for them to live as commoners. There was no need for the innocent pre-baptism children to die by association, and we didn’t need to go through the trouble of ensuring they were raised as nobles.

“I see. So you do think matters through on occasion,” Ferdinand said. I pursed my lips at his very rude remark, but it was hard to argue back, since I really did tend to be thoughtless.

“Alright,” Sylvester said. “If you can handle it, then you can look after the pre-baptism children in the orphanage.”

“I much appreciate it,” I replied—and it was then that a scholar requested entry to the room. They were allowed in, and silence fell as we all waited to hear what they had to say.

“Aub Ehrenfest, we have received an urgent letter from Aub Ahrensbach,” the scholar said. We had been in the middle of discussing the mass execution of the duchy’s Ahrensbach-leaning nobles, so the uncanny timing of this message made us all fearfully apprehensive. “He requests a response at once.”


Sylvester took the letter with a hard frown and wasted no time reading through it. By the time he was done, his brows were deeply knit, and his complexion had changed entirely. He slowly looked up at Ferdinand.

“Aub Ehrenfest, if the letter relates to me, may I request your permission to read it?” Ferdinand asked.

Sylvester paused for a moment and then said, “You may.”

Ferdinand read through it, then let out a deep sigh and started tapping a finger against his temple. My heart stirred with unease; that was how he reacted to troubling news. Ahrensbach was already causing enough problems for us—what else could they possibly be doing?

Sylvester squeezed his eyes shut, then gave Ferdinand a look that was completely devoid of emotion. “We have three days to respond. I want to refuse it myself... but I will leave the decision to you.”

“I am grateful. I will consider this carefully.”

“Ferdinand, what did it say?” I asked, grabbing his sleeve once the meeting was over and everyone was moving to leave.

Ferdinand remained silent for a moment, scanning our surroundings, then shook his head. “I suppose I cannot act as though it does not involve you.” He directed me to come to his office, so I made my way there with Hartmut, Rihyarda, and Cornelius in tow.

“It seems that Aub Ahrensbach’s health is already much worse than expected. He has asked me to depart at once, if possible, such that he can introduce me to his duchy’s nobles over the winter and ensure that we get along.”

“He wants you to leave even earlier? We were given so little time to begin with...”

Considering how long engagement periods usually lasted, Ahrensbach was already being very selfish and unreasonable in its expectations. Shortening the time frame even further was ridiculous.

“He made a point of saying that I should come ‘if possible,’ which gives us room to refuse him if we so wish. That said, I am very much of the opinion that I should leave for Ahrensbach sooner rather than later.”

“Why’s that?”

“First, I have already gathered everything necessary to execute Georgine’s name-sworn nobles: the details of their living situations, reasons to purge them, and evidence of their crimes. The aub and those of the Knight’s Order can manage the rest without me. The handover in the temple is largely finished as well. My leaving will complicate things somewhat, but not enough to prevent our success. Second, I sense that Georgine aims to distance me from Ehrenfest before we follow up our suspicions of Gerlach. Viscountess Dahldolf’s disappearance has already become common knowledge among the nobility, and the kidnapped gray priests never reached their destination, so Georgine will have deduced that something unexpected occurred.”

She would doubtless conclude that Ferdinand was responsible for their attack on the temple ending in failure—and she would, of course, be correct. He had made a show of proving his involvement when both searching Egmont’s memories and going to Viscount Dahldolf’s estate.

“She has been approaching this with great caution from the start,” Ferdinand continued. “I cannot say how much information her side has acquired, but I expect that their goal is to remove me from the picture, since they see me as having destroyed their plots one after another. Little do they know that the credit actually belongs to you.”

They were probably under the impression that removing Ferdinand from Ehrenfest would make things easy for them, and in truth, I really couldn’t blame them. The most I had done was notice that something was amiss; Ferdinand had taken care of the rest.

“We’re dealing with a woman who lays devious, multilayered traps,” I said. “The last thing I want is for you to be stuck so close to someone like that.”

“Our move to the offensive has always been inevitable. Here in Ehrenfest, I can do nothing but defend, meaning that Georgine’s onslaught will never cease. But in Ahrensbach, I can keep an eye on her, send intelligence, and work to forestall attacks.”

As it stood, we had so few connections in Ahrensbach that there was nothing we could do to fight back. Ferdinand was right when he said that being cautious would mean unending trouble for us.

“But still... you don’t have to leave right away. Can’t we wait until spring?”

“By then, it will already be too late. Aub Ahrensbach is in danger, and I believe he speaks the truth when he says that he wishes to help me form noble connections in his duchy while he still can.”

Aub Ahrensbach could introduce Ferdinand to all sorts of nobles—which was exactly what we needed right now. It was only a matter of time before the archduke ascended the towering stairway to the distant heights, and, when he did, Georgine’s power would swell significantly, and the strength of someone like Ferdinand, who was marrying in from another duchy, would wane. Finding friends among the Ahrensbach nobles was crucial, and the winter when they all gathered to socialize was the best opportunity for this.

“If the first wife’s power becomes too great, then there is a chance that I will not be able to act when it matters most,” Ferdinand continued. “But the greatest reason for me to spend the winter in Ahrensbach is that Detlinde will not be there. She will, as you know, be at the Royal Academy, meaning that I will be able to move freely without her interference. I was so busy babysitting her during her summer visit that I was unable to keep an eye on Georgine’s movements, and the same will be true when we are both in Ahrensbach. I cannot overstate the benefits of my being there in Detlinde’s absence.”

“I take it you’ve already made up your mind, then...”

“Indeed,” Ferdinand replied. “There is... one thing that gives me pause, but if we are able to resolve it, then I should go.”

There was no point trying to stop Ferdinand when he had already made his decision—but at the very least, I could try to help him with his problem. I gazed up at him and said, “What’s giving you pause?”

“My early departure will force us to call you back for the Dedication Ritual. I had hoped that you would be able to spend an entire term at the Royal Academy, but this would put all that to ruin.” He spoke with a frown, but I didn’t see this as much of an issue. It was already a yearly tradition for me to return for the Dedication Ritual; there was no point in him worrying when everything was already so disastrous.

“Don’t worry, Ferdinand,” I replied—and then realized that Hartmut had said the exact same thing at the exact same time. “I’m used to it anyway, so...”

I quickly trailed off, realizing that although we had started our responses the same, Hartmut was now saying something else entirely. “We intend to detain many mana-rich criminals this year, and there are many blue priests who are very enthusiastic about assisting me,” he continued. “The ritual can be completed without incident if everyone is given feystones and rejuvenation potions—and if even that is not enough, I will acquire the necessary assistance.” He then turned to me with a bright smile and declared, “Lady Rozemyne, you may enjoy your stay at the Royal Academy. I will ensure that the blue priests complete the ritual one way or another.”

“I can’t help feeling that I should return anyway...” I replied. I was starting to worry more for the blue priests than anyone else.

“No, there will be no need for that,” Ferdinand interjected, waving away my attempted protest. “Hartmut says that he will do it for your sake, so there is no mistaking that it will be done.”

Ferdinand then told Hartmut that he would entrust the Dedication Ritual to him—a sure sign of the trust that had developed between them. Ferdinand definitely wouldn’t have entrusted the ritual to me...

“Rozemyne,” Ferdinand continued, “assuming that you and the temple have no cause to object, I will be going to Ahrensbach. They have said that accommodation has already been prepared for me, but of course, it would be foolish of me to accept those words at face value. My apologies for asking this when you are already so busy, but could you take my luggage to the border gate? Having access to your highbeast during the three days that remain will save us much time compared to using carriages. I wish to use that extra leeway to prepare as many potions and magic tools as possible.”

“...Understood. I will do what I can,” I replied. His mind was made up, and it was only natural that I should do everything in my power to assist him.

“Appreciated.”

Now that his departure was decided, Ferdinand sprang into action. He got his estate attendant to write his response, then ordered that clothes and other such daily necessities be prepared. From there, he sent an ordonnanz to Sylvester, confirming that he was leaving Ehrenfest, but emphasizing that a reply was not to be sent back for three days.

The ordonnanz soon returned with a response, after which Ferdinand contacted me with his schedule for moving his luggage and informed me that we needed to go to the temple to prepare. Meanwhile, Hartmut contacted my temple attendants.

“Rozemyne has my permission to accompany you,” the ordonnanz said in Sylvester’s voice. “Be careful. You’re going into enemy territory.”

“Indeed,” Ferdinand replied; I could tell from the sardonic look on his face that he thought Sylvester was stating the obvious. A second ordonnanz then arrived, this time for me.

“Rozemyne,” came Sylvester’s voice once again, “check with Rihyarda and Elvira to make sure Ferdinand’s luggage isn’t missing anything. He needs a woman’s perspective, which he’s never had.”

Ferdinand grimaced at that, while I pursed my lips. “Is he insinuating that I’m not good enough to provide a woman’s perspective on my own?” I asked.

“Ah. He has a point.”

So mean!

After flatly saying that I wasn’t capable enough, Ferdinand turned to Rihyarda behind me. “I require your assistance. May I ask you to look over the gifts I intend to bring to Ahrensbach? I do not have space for many, but I will at least need some. I have with me a thrown-together list describing which items are for whom that you may use.” He then took out the list in question and handed it to her, saying that she could consult his scholars if she needed anything else.

“You may count on me, Ferdinand, my boy. Though... no, now that you’re engaged, I suppose ‘Lord Ferdinand’ is more appropriate.”

Ferdinand met this remark with wide eyes.

“I always thought it would be a joyous occasion when I changed how I addressed you,” Rihyarda continued with a melancholic smile. “Never did I think that your departure would make me so anxious and concerned.”

“I also am surprised to find that I would rather you continue calling me ‘boy’...” Ferdinand replied with a wry smile, then turned away from her. “I must close off my temple workshop. After that, I will put together the luggage at my estate. Apologies, but I must leave the gift sorting to you.”

“Understood, Lord Ferdinand.”



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