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

Epilogue

“Welcome, Aub Ehrenfest, Lord Ferdinand,” said one of the gate guards, looking relieved to see the arrival of the Ehrenfest party. “The Ahrensbach archduke candidate has already arrived and is waiting inside.”

Karstedt and several guards entered the border gate first, then Sylvester and Florencia followed with their retainers. Ferdinand similarly entered with his guard knight Eckhart, leaving behind Justus, who would instead be directing the luggage exchange.

Ferdinand glanced over his shoulder and saw Rozemyne leaning out the window of her highbeast. “Justus, where should I put my highbeast to make the moving easiest?” she asked.

“Right here would be ideal, milady.”

Rozemyne, you fool. Do not speak in such a loud voice. Those visiting from Ahrensbach will think of you as discourteous.

Despite his misgivings, Ferdinand could only sigh; he was too much the center of attention to chastise her. The saintly demeanor she had adopted while giving him a blessing of all the elements before his departure had vanished entirely. Perhaps the melancholic beauty he had witnessed had been but a figment of his imagination, he thought—a consequence of the sentimentality he was feeling now that he was leaving Ehrenfest. It certainly had not been due to anything of Rozemyne’s doing.

Though I would still like to research that beautiful magic circle. Never before have I seen such a thing...

She had used a magic circle that was neither wasteful nor inefficient despite using all of the elements at once—an enchanting sight, to say the least. Ferdinand started drawing the circle in the air with a finger, having burned its every detail into his mind... but then shook his head to disperse the thought. He would not have the time or leeway to research such things where he was going. Henceforth, he would be overseeing Detlinde and Letizia while facing Aub Ahrensbach and Georgine.

The Ehrenfest party started toward the room to which they were directed, and a young voice greeted them upon their arrival: “I am honored to have been graced with this opportunity to meet you.”

“You are their representative, Lady Letizia?” Sylvester asked.

The plan had initially been for Georgine to come, but she had taken ill, so Letizia had been chosen as an urgent replacement. Aub Ahrensbach was, of course, still unwell, and Detlinde was absorbed in studying for her upcoming archducal duties.

“I am not yet attending the Royal Academy, but I will strive to fulfill my duties as a representative of Aub Ahrensbach,” Letizia said, facing Sylvester and offering a proper greeting despite her youth.

Ferdinand tapped a finger against his temple. It was almost certainly the truth that Aub Ahrensbach was unwell and that Detlinde was frantically preparing for the countless duties she would need to accept while succeeding certain aspects of the archduke’s position. He was more curious about Georgine’s absence; the suggestion that she was ill seemed very dubious indeed.

I would much like to know what she is planning...

Ferdinand was confident that everything related to the bible incident could be traced back to Georgine. Perhaps there was still more to come.

“Wagons have been prepared as per your request, Aub Ehrenfest,” Letizia said. “We may begin moving the luggage at once. Now, where might Ehrenfest’s wagons be?”

“We did not bring any,” Sylvester replied. “We transported our luggage via highbeast.”

Letizia looked confused, so the Ehrenfest party took her outside. Rozemyne had already placed her highbeast in the most convenient location for transferring luggage and was now in the process of opening a door on its rear.

“Um, Aub Ehrenfest... is that truly a highbeast?” Letizia asked.

“It is. Are drivable highbeasts not yet found in Ahrensbach?”

“I am aware of their existence, and a number of younger students in the Royal Academy use them... but this is my first time seeing one so large.”

“I expect that Lady Rozemyne is still the only person who can change the size of her highbeast at will,” Sylvester said with a restrained smile.

Letizia was visibly fascinated; it seemed that, unlike Detlinde, she was actually capable of listening to others. This realization put Ferdinand more at ease, since he had been entrusted with educating her.

After listening to Sylvester, Letizia turned to her knights and those guarding the border gate and said, “Please assist Lord Ferdinand with his luggage.”

Those from Ehrenfest were so used to Rozemyne’s highbeast that they barely reacted to its presence, but those from Ahrensbach were completely taken aback. Ferdinand almost found the situation comical as he watched them start moving his luggage, all the while remaining on guard against what appeared to them to be a fat grun.

Rozemyne was helping Justus to direct those moving the luggage, but the climate was cold enough that snow had started to fall. It was only light, but Rozemyne would most likely collapse unless she went inside soon—Ferdinand could tell using his intuition as her doctor.

“I shall oversee my luggage in Rozemyne’s place,” he said to a nearby knight. “Instruct her to enter the border gate.”

“Yes, my lord!”

Rozemyne received the message, then turned to look at Ferdinand. They looked each other in the eye for a moment before she slowly made her way over and said, “Should you not be using this time to associate with Ahrensbach? I am more than capable of dealing with your luggage.”

“Have you not noticed the snow? In this weather, even those who are healthy are at risk. I see no reason for you to chance it. Go inside already.”

“But this is a rare opportunity for me to be helpful,” Rozemyne protested, disregarding the fact that Ferdinand was trying to be considerate.

Ferdinand reached out and pinched Rozemyne’s cheek. It was much softer than expected, and quite pleasant to the touch. He squeezed harder, practically massaging her face. It was her fault for having such pinchable cheeks.

“That hurtsh!”

“If you do not go inside, then Wilfried cannot either, for you are of the same status. Leonore, Angelica, take her inside already. Brunhilde, Lieseleta, prepare some hot tea to warm their bodies. Men, assist with the luggage.”

Ferdinand glanced toward his luggage, ignoring Rozemyne as she pouted and massaged her cheeks. The pile had decreased steadily during the course of their pointless conversation, like the sand in an hourglass indicating that his time in Ehrenfest was running out.

“Ferdinand...” Sylvester said, then gritted his teeth and stared down at the floor. Ferdinand understood exactly what that small sequence meant and cast his eyes down as well; it was how Sylvester acted whenever he was trying to squash down the feelings rising in his chest. “As stated previously, once you leave the duchy for this engagement, you will start being treated as an Ahrensbach citizen. Just as Georgine was.”

There are tears in your eyes, Sylvester. What kind of an aub cannot keep his feelings hidden?

Or so Ferdinand wanted to say, but he could not get the words out for some reason. He felt a burning pain in his throat, and the most he could do was swallow.

Sylvester’s eyes suddenly turned fierce as he continued, “Ferdinand, on that night, I said all that I wanted to say. I don’t know if you remember, but it’s still true.”

Ferdinand thought back to the night in question, when he had shared drinks with Sylvester and Karstedt for the very last time...

“I’ve put up with him for long enough,” Karstedt announced to Ferdinand, looking completely exhausted. “I think it’s time for the source of our problems to have a talk with him.”

Karstedt wasted no time in bringing Ferdinand to Sylvester’s personal chambers. It seemed that Sylvester had started drinking already—and with very little restraint, as he was waiting in a drunken stupor.

“There you are, Ferdinand. Come! Drink!” Sylvester exclaimed, thrusting a wine-filled cup toward him with such force that the liquid spilled out onto his fingers.

“I do not have long to prepare before I must leave,” Ferdinand replied with a grimace. He thought Sylvester a troublesome drunk and wanted nothing more than to escape having to deal with him... but Sylvester was having none of it.

“You have time to make a ridiculous charm for Rozemyne but not to drink with me?”

Ferdinand reluctantly accepted the wine, determining that he had no other choice. He had some business with Sylvester, at least; he recalled a request that he wished to make regarding Rozemyne.

“You know what?” Sylvester slurred. “You, Ferdinand... are cruel.”

“I must say, that took you far too long to notice.”

“I’ve never liked that part of you,” Sylvester continued, unfazed. “I wanted to be an older brother you could rely on.” He sounded eerily similar to Rozemyne trying to support Charlotte—and when Ferdinand realized this, he could not help but chuckle.

“Ah, but I am relying on you.”

“Don’t say stuff you don’t mean!”

“I see the drink has yet to dull all your senses. I am not being entirely dishonest, though,” Ferdinand replied, slowly bringing his own cup to his lips. The aroma of wood from a ripe barrel reached his nose, then became even more fragrant with his first mouthful. At the same time, a dense, somewhat bitter grape flavor spread through his mouth and down his throat.

Sylvester watched with a proud grin as Ferdinand took another sip. “Whaddaya think? Pretty good, huh?”

“Indeed. This is my preferred flavor. I imagine it was quite difficult to obtain.”

Sylvester chuckled to himself, evidently pleased with that answer, and similarly drank from his cup. Meanwhile, Karstedt picked up his own cup with a wry smile, seeming more at ease now that Sylvester had calmed down.

“Once I am gone, the duty of protecting Rozemyne will fall to you both,” Ferdinand said, leisurely continuing to drink. “I have given her all the charms I can, and I intend to bind her to Ehrenfest by giving her my estate to use as a library. But even now, I cannot lower my guard with Wilfried as her fiancé.”

Sylvester’s eyes widened. “You’re giving the estate Father gave you to Rozemyne? I was planning to oversee it myself.”

“I have no children, and she is my charge. Is it not proper that it should go to her?”

“It is, but... I never thought you’d give it to anyone.”

Karstedt seemed equally as stunned.

Ferdinand exhaled, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. “I, too, struggled with the idea of giving up the estate that Father gifted me. However, Rozemyne will need some tangible attachment to Ehrenfest if she is to resist the Sovereignty’s temptations. Her engagement to Wilfried will not be anywhere near enough.”

Ferdinand was well aware that Rozemyne was more worried about him than any other noble, so, despite having had a considerable amount of time to think of ways to keep her chained to noble society, his efforts thus far had proven largely unsuccessful.

“We know her absurd origins and that she cannot be expected to behave as a standard noble,” Ferdinand continued. “Thus, as someone whom Rozemyne considers ‘family,’ I had no choice but to become those chains myself. It was to this end that I adopted the familial role that she desires of me.”

“Is that why you gave her that hairpin?” Karstedt asked with a sigh, seeming exasperated for some reason. “It’s become quite fashionable to give a hair ornament to one’s escort partner during the graduation ceremony. If she looked her age, it might have come across as a proposal.”

“But she does not, and, at least for now, I remain her guardian. I did not give her a necklace, so there is nothing to fret about. It would have been ideal for Wilfried to make the charm as her fiancé, but I did not have the time to teach him the brewing or the magic circles required—nor does he have the necessary mana or ingredients.”

“That’s too much!” Sylvester cried despite himself.

“Which is why I did not demand that Wilfried make it. I also thought it unreasonable to ask either of you, since you are both so busy with our winter plans. If at some point my gift comes to be seen as a proposal feystone, then Wilfried can simply replace it when he matures. And once he and Rozemyne have graduated and gotten married, and we no longer need to worry about interference from the Sovereignty, Rozemyne can remove the charm entirely.”

Ferdinand waved away any further complaints, frustrated. As far as he was concerned, he had made the optimal decisions for protecting Rozemyne.

“It’s my fault that you couldn’t resist all that pressure from the king and Ahrensbach...” Sylvester said, beginning his grumblings once again. He went on to scold Ferdinand for being so heartless as to decide on the matter alone, bemoaned the limitations placed on him as the archduke, and then muttered about being an unreliable brother. “I don’t want you to leave, so... don’t.”

All in all, Sylvester was being embarrassingly emotional. Ferdinand struggled to recall just how many times he had needed to endure this cycle over the past half year—and the realization that he was having to endure it again was tiring beyond words.

“Again with you, and again with Rozemyne... You are all so troublesome to deal with.”

“Maybe you should just accept that people care about you,” Karstedt interjected. “In fact, though you might not realize it, I think you already have. There’s a very obvious smile on that sourpuss face of yours.”

Ferdinand attempted to grimace in response, but the truth was that everyone needing him so much did make him feel strangely warm inside. He wasn’t particularly pleased about it, but perhaps Rozemyne was correct in saying that he struggled to notice others showing him affection.

“Ehrenfest is your Geduldh, Ferdinand. And don’t you forget it!” Sylvester declared. “As your older brother, I refuse to accept anything else!”

Ferdinand did not offer a response. There was no need, as Sylvester had already fallen asleep.

“I remember...” Ferdinand said.

And not just that night. He remembered Sylvester accepting him as his little brother on the first day they met, right after his father had brought him home. He remembered him playing the part of a big brother, dragging Ferdinand around everywhere and trying to protect him from the sharp-eyed Veronica even when the battle was unwinnable.

Beyond that, Sylvester had agreed to adopt a commoner for the good of the duchy. He had also defied the aub of a top-ranking duchy during the Archduke Conference in an attempt to keep his younger brother from being moved to Ahrensbach. He would have openly defied the king himself had Ferdinand not intervened.

Now that their father, the previous archduke, was gone, Sylvester was the only person Ferdinand could call family. And yet, the moment Ferdinand departed for his new home, Sylvester would need to start treating him as a noble from Ahrensbach and nothing more. Their usual pastimes were soon to be a thing of the past. No longer would Sylvester be able to clear his room and summon Ferdinand to come by highbeast. No longer would they be able to discuss plans, or have a few drinks and share in some meaningless conversation.

Why am I feeling this sense of loss now? Has this not been clear from the very beginning? Something must be wrong with me...

Ferdinand put on a cynical smile, but Sylvester remained the picture of seriousness. In response, Ferdinand sighed, allowing his expression to stiffen as well.

“Focus not on Ehrenfest, but on finding happiness in Ahrensbach,” Sylvester said. “That’s the only thing I ask of you.”

It had been countless years since Ferdinand last thought about his own happiness, yet both Sylvester and Rozemyne brought it up incessantly.

How foolish. Ehrenfest is clearly more important than that.

Ferdinand was used to dismissing their fanciful ideas, but on this particular occasion, he found that he was unable to give his usual response. He remained silent for some time, then finally said, “I will not forget those words, Brother.”

Having said farewell to Sylvester, Ferdinand made his way into the border gate, where he found Rozemyne speaking with Letizia. They were about the same height, despite the latter having not yet entered the Royal Academy.

Or is Rozemyne ever so slightly taller?

Rozemyne had appeared to be the shorter of the two during Lamprecht’s Starbind Ceremony. That she was now a similar height to Letizia proved that she had finally started to grow.

Ferdinand noticed a familiar-looking hairpin adorning Letizia’s golden tresses. It was the one that Rozemyne had prepared, arguing that Ferdinand should give the young Ahrensbach girl a gift.

But why would you give it to her yourself...?

Ferdinand sighed; as always, it was hard to tell whether Rozemyne was being considerate or the complete opposite. As he got closer, he realized that the retainers around the two girls were desperately trying to keep themselves from laughing. A sudden change came over Wilfried when he saw Ferdinand, and he desperately tried to alert Rozemyne, but Ferdinand stopped him and stood behind Rozemyne to listen to her conversation.

“—right. Ferdinand’s kindness is very indirect and just as hard to understand. He is extremely harsh as a teacher, but that is because he is so passionate about seeing his students grow. That said, if you find that he is being too extreme, please contact me at once. I will send word for him to reflect on his actions and improve.”

“Rozemyne, what in the world are you saying?”

“Eep!”

The moment Ferdinand spoke, Rozemyne jumped into the air and almost out of her skin. “I was just offering a few warnings so that you aren’t misunderstood,” she said with a quivering smile, attempting to justify herself. “I have said nothing insulting. Isn’t that right, Lady Letizia?”

“Um... Y-Yes, that’s right,” Letizia replied—though it was clear from the look on her face that she did not want to join the fray. Meanwhile, Rozemyne was wearing the same guilty expression that she always wore when caught doing something very unnecessary.

Everyone can tell you are forcing that smile, fool.

Ferdinand had an urge to pinch Rozemyne’s cheeks and pressure her into revealing what she had actually said, as he normally would in such a situation, but there were too many Ahrensbach eyes watching them.

“Lady Letizia, you would do well to not take Rozemyne’s words seriously,” Ferdinand said. “And as for you, Rozemyne... it seems my luggage has all been moved.”

In an instant, Rozemyne reached out and grabbed his sleeve. He could see the same hopeless worry in her golden eyes that he had seen in Sylvester’s.

“I will send letters through Raimund...” Ferdinand said, detaching Rozemyne’s hand from his clothes. “And fear not—I will keep my promise. You, too, should continue to be careful.”

Rozemyne nodded and took a step back, toward Wilfried. He was similar to his father in many ways, and while he was bound to get exasperated or play around with Rozemyne at times, Ferdinand could count on him to protect her.

“Wilfried, I leave the rest to you.”

“Yes, Uncle. Be safe.”

Content that there was nothing more to be said, Ferdinand passed through the border gate without looking back and climbed into an Ahrensbach carriage. Eckhart was seated to his side, while Letizia and a guard took the seats opposite them.

As the carriage began to advance at a leisurely speed, Ferdinand turned his attention out the window. Soon enough, a flock of highbeasts took to the sky on the Ehrenfest side of the gate. Even from a distance, Ferdinand could recognize Rozemyne’s Pandabus; and the fact that he was not with her and the others made him feel exceedingly strange.

“Um, Lord Ferdinand... what manner of person is Lady Rozemyne?” came Letizia’s timid voice. She had seemingly been racking her brain for something to talk about, and this was all that had come to mind. It was possible that she was not on good terms with Detlinde; Ferdinand made sure to remember that as he returned his attention to the inside of the carriage.

“How did she appear to you? You first met during the Starbinding Ceremony held at the border gate, but this was your first time speaking to her, no?”

“She is the Saint of Ehrenfest and a highly skilled archduke candidate who has come first-in-class two years in a row at the Royal Academy. I am told that you educated her, Lord Ferdinand. I thought she was quite beautiful when she was performing the Starbinding Ceremony as the High Bishop, but as we spoke today, I realized that she is much kinder and more sociable than I expected. It was also clear just how worried she is about you.”

Being the fool that she was, Rozemyne had given Letizia a veritable list of warnings and instructions, despite them never having spoken before. And as if she hadn’t been transparent enough, she had outright asked Letizia to “look after Ferdinand for me” on more than one occasion.

“Not to mention... Lady Rozemyne said this hairpin was a gift from you, but she prepared it herself, didn’t she?” Letizia asked, her smile reaching her blue eyes as she touched the ornament in question. Its flowers were the divine color of winter so that they could be used during the upcoming socializing season, and they stood out nicely against her golden hair.

Rozemyne does have a tendency to say things that are best left unsaid and do things that are entirely unnecessary.

Ferdinand felt what he could only describe as a mixture of embarrassment and awkwardness. He was overcome with the urge to deny Letizia’s words, but she seemed so much more at ease while talking about Rozemyne.

“I am her guardian and essentially family to her,” Ferdinand eventually replied, “so while I understand that she is worried for my sake, her excessive concern has started to become somewhat troublesome.”

Letizia giggled as she remembered Rozemyne’s many warnings, but her smile was soon tinged with sadness. “Like family? I am... a little jealous,” she mumbled.

Ferdinand recalled that Letizia was barely connected to her family. Both her parents were from Drewanchel, but she had been relocated to Ahrensbach at a young age after being adopted by her grandfather. Her grandmother-turned-adoptive mother had passed away, and now her adoptive father was on the verge of ascending to the distant heights as well. Her only remaining family were Georgine; Detlinde, her soon-to-be adoptive mother; and now Ferdinand, her soon-to-be adoptive father. It was easy to see why she and the others were so unsettled.

“I understand that you are in a very unfortunate situation, Lady Letizia. You may not be able to trust me, but perhaps you can trust a royal decree. I will educate you and make you a proper aub once you come of age; such is the duty given to me by the king and Aub Ahrensbach.”

This proclamation elicited confused stares from both Letizia and the guard knight beside her. “Your duty...?” Letizia asked. “But what will you do if Lady Detlinde decides that she doesn’t want to give up being the aub?”

“We would need only speak to the king. An aub who defies a royal decree is destined to be eliminated by the Sovereignty.”

Had going against the king’s orders been so simple, then Ferdinand would not have been in his current predicament. No matter how reluctant Detlinde might be to surrender the archducal seat, there was little she could do with a royal decree hanging over her head.

“You appear to be pulling a face,” Ferdinand said.

“I am just a little surprised. Lady Detlinde described you as the kind of man who strives to do everything in his power to grant his wife’s desires.”

Ferdinand put on his public-facing smile. He certainly had given off that impression—and it wasn’t necessarily untrue, considering the room for interpretation that “strives” and “in his power” provided. “If one were to weigh the desires of one’s wife against the king’s decree, it should be obvious which would come out on top.”

“I see...” Letizia replied. She cast her eyes out the window, looking toward Ehrenfest, and gave a smile tinged with relief. “I was eager to learn more about the man due to become my adoptive father, but my efforts saw limited success. Although I learned much about your grades in the Royal Academy, no one had anything to say about your personality. But if you truly do value the king’s orders and command enough respect that those who know you are so reluctant to see you go, then I am willing to trust Lady Rozemyne’s words.”

You would do well not to trust them too much.

Ferdinand swallowed the response he had wanted to give. Letizia was being friendly enough; there was no reason for him to ruin the mood unnecessarily. Earning her trust and the trust of those around her was crucial for him to live more comfortably in Ahrensbach, and as he began to wonder how he could achieve this, the suggestion that Rozemyne had given him suddenly came to mind.

No, wait... There was something else.

On an emotional level, Ferdinand dreaded the thought of actually carrying out Rozemyne’s idea... but at the same time, he could not deny that it had made some sense. He had nothing to gain from wasting all this traveling time, and after they arrived, there was no knowing when they would next have a chance to converse.

And so, Ferdinand started telling Letizia about his planned schedule for her education. It was something that he would have needed to explain to her eventually anyway. He also arranged for them to share a meal when they arrived at their lodgings, where they could discuss the matter with Letizia’s head attendant.

Ferdinand spent the remainder of the carriage ride trying to think of other ways to earn a person’s trust, but his efforts bore no fruit. Though he had spent a lifetime trying to avoid conflict, he had never proactively attempted to make allies, so he was ultimately limited to Rozemyne’s suggestions.

“Perhaps you could play the harspiel, as milady advised,” Justus noted, holding back the urge to laugh while simultaneously electing not to put forward any alternatives. Eckhart nodded in agreement, saying that he looked forward to hearing Ferdinand play.

At this rate, I am going to end up playing the harspiel as she suggested...

After several days, Ferdinand arrived at the Ahrensbach Noble’s Quarter, no closer to finding an alternative to Rozemyne’s suggestion. Winter socializing was soon to begin, but the climate was so much warmer than in Ehrenfest that it still felt like the height of autumn.

“Welcome, Lord Ferdinand.”

Upon his arrival at the castle, Ferdinand was greeted by his fiancée, Detlinde. He found it repulsive enough that she looked so similar to Veronica, but her stay in Ehrenfest had confirmed that she was also thoughtless and self-centered. Keeping her under control was essential to keeping Sylvester, his duchy, and its inhabitants safe... but there was also the matter of dealing with Georgine.

“I ask of you, brought to me by the Goddess of Time... protect Sylvester, and protect Ehrenfest.”

All of a sudden, Ferdinand recalled the last words his father had said to him. He remembered the mana that had enveloped him vanishing when he had agreed, and the small mass that had returned to his hand. He remembered the infirm fingers that had held on to his own, and the golden eyes that had tried so desperately to focus on him.

“I will do as you ask and offer up my protection,” Ferdinand declared. It was a promise to his late Father, but Detlinde smiled and reached out a hand to him.

“I am glad to hear that you understand your place.”