Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.1 - Chapter 12

Finishing the Archduke Candidate Lessons

There were too many people gathered for us to clear the room and speak with Sylvester alone; instead, it seemed best for us to save the details about Roderick’s name-swearing and acquisition of new elements for later. All of the students who needed to offer their names to survive had already finished the ceremony for obtaining blessings, so there was no need to hurry—it could even wait until this year at the Royal Academy was complete.

“That’s all that I’ve got for you,” Sylvester concluded. “Everyone, return to your rooms.”

I did as instructed, then started decompressing my mana by dumping it into feystones. I would need to stop unconsciously condensing it from this point on.

But compressing my mana is how I’m used to containing it... Trying to picture it spread as wide and as thin as possible is tough unless I really concentrate.

During my commoner days, my very life had depended on how much I could compress my mana; only by pushing my vessel to its absolute limits had I managed to survive. Now, however, I needed to decompress and expend my mana so that I could actually regain some control over it.

“Oh...?”

As I continued to pour my mana into feystones, I was suddenly hit with the sensation of entering a state of flow, and a feeling like my body had gotten lighter. I instinctively understood this to be my schtappe’s limit, so I expended just a bit more mana.

“Okay. That should be enough,” I said.

I really hoped it would be.

The next day, after breakfast, we gathered the students in the common room to discuss the details of the purge. Everyone knew about the archducal couple visiting the dormitory, so there was a sea of very harsh faces. The children of the former Veronica faction looked especially tense; some were so pale that I had to wonder whether they were feeling light-headed.

“As everyone knows, the aub visited last night,” Wilfried said, exuding the utmost confidence as he began his explanation. “That was because Professor Hirschur requested a meeting, but he took the opportunity to discuss the purge as well. I want to share what he told us with you all.”

He continued by saying that all those who had offered their name to Georgine, the first wife of another duchy, had been executed. The others were being interrogated, and their punishments would be decided during the winter.

“The following five students must offer their names to not be executed alongside their families: Matthias, Laurenz, Muriella, Barthold, and Cassandra. The others may return to their families, although not immediately.”

“Thank goodness...” sighed the first-year whom Leonore had restrained before. “I can endure the wait; I’m just glad that I’ll get to see my family again.” His words did wonders to brighten the atmosphere in the common room.

I was pleased that the first-year’s family hadn’t given their names to Georgine and relieved that only a select few students were having to give their names to us. However, in contrast to my comfort, Barthold and Cassandra looked worryingly unwell. They had lost their families, and now they were each having to surrender their life to another. I could see that they were giving forced smiles, and they must have realized this; the moment our eyes met, they quickly looked away, conscious that their true feelings weren’t hidden enough.

“The children in the orphanage are going to be handled as we described previously,” Wilfried continued. “Those whose families are only being fined as punishment will be returned home after the academic year, but those whose families are receiving more substantial punishments—that is, menial labor and the like—will stay in the castle dormitory until their sentence is up. Not all punishments have been set in stone, so keep this in mind.”

By the time the announcement was over, the children who had been worried about never seeing their families again were all wearing such genuine smiles. My retainers didn’t seem too dissatisfied either.

“Lady Rozemyne.”

I turned to the voice calling my name and saw that Matthias and Laurenz were making their way over. Leonore and my other guard knights slid forward, all with particularly cold expressions. Brunhilde and Lieseleta had their eyes narrowed, making for a very heavy atmosphere.

Matthias and Laurenz knelt before the wall of guards. “We have prepared our stones, Lady Rozemyne,” they said. “You may summon us whenever you are prepared to accept our names.”

“The sooner, the better, then,” I replied. “We cannot allow this tension between you and my guard knights to fester. Lieseleta, prepare a room. Matthias, Laurenz, will you be okay with my retainers being in attendance?”

“Yes, my lady!”

My experience accepting Roderick’s name was still fresh in my mind, so there was no need for me to make any further preparations. My guard knights all watched closely as Matthias was summoned to carry out the oath, then Laurenz. Both grimaced in pain the moment they were bound with my mana.

“You are both my retainers henceforth,” I said. “I trust that you will serve me dutifully as guard knights.”

“It is our honor, my lady.”

Upon our return to the common room, Muriella let out a long sigh. “I would also like to give my name sooner rather than later, but I simply do not have good enough materials.” She was giving Matthias and Laurenz envious looks and was clearly keeping her distance from me.

“We were thinking of getting ingredients for you next Earthday—with Lady Rozemyne’s permission, of course,” Matthias said.

I granted them my permission at once; it would be hard for those who had just lost their families to work alongside those rejoicing over their families having been spared. The sooner Muriella was made my retainer the better.

“Yes, please do,” I said. “Now, Leonore... could you call Gretia over for me?”

“Wait, milady—what do you intend to say to her?” Rihyarda asked, fixing me with a hard glare.

“Hm? Well... I just intend to ask if she is still willing to serve me now that she no longer has to give her name.”

My retainers all fervently shook their heads.

“Lady Rozemyne, Gretia’s family is of the former Veronica faction. She cannot serve you without giving her name,” Cornelius said.

“That’s right, Lady Rozemyne. People will only think it’s safe for her to serve you once she gives her name,” Judithe agreed.

“Taking her as your retainer despite her faction would only reopen old wounds, and Gretia would suffer as a result,” Leonore concluded.

I could only hang my head as everyone joined forces against me. “At the very least, could she not serve me exclusively in the Royal Academy, like Theodore?” I asked. “I am struggling because of a lack of student attendants, as you know.”

Brunhilde and Lieseleta both fell into thought; I already had enough attendants in the castle, but the Royal Academy was another story. They understood better than anyone how important it was for them to train their successors... but even so, they ultimately refused my suggestion with conflicted frowns.

“Those who serve archducal family members in the Royal Academy end up their closest vassals. Considering this future, I must protest the idea of Gretia serving as your retainer without first giving you her name.”

There was no fighting them on this matter. Matthias and Laurenz had their lives on the line here, but Gretia had a choice; I couldn’t force her to give me her name. Roderick had said that name-swearing was a ritual wherein a person swore their loyalty and surrendered their very life to their true lord or lady. I really had to doubt that Gretia had the resolve to make such a sacrifice.

“Know to pick your battles, milady,” Rihyarda said. “Gretia cannot serve you unless she actively expresses her willingness to give her name.”

“Understood...”

I made my way to my morning archduke candidate lesson. My retainers were accompanying me, carrying my gold dust, city blueprints, and such, but they could only take me as far as the classroom. Rihyarda had on a worried expression as she handed me my things one by one.

“Milady, is this not too heavy for you? There is still the gold dust for you to carry...”

“I... I’m quite alright,” I replied. “These are my own belongings. I need to be able to carry them myself.”

In truth, the blueprints, gold dust, and feystones were quite a struggle for me to carry on my own. I was only having to bring them all at once because I had blasted ahead of the rest of the class. Pretty much everyone else would gradually bring in new items as they progressed through the course, meaning I was the only archduke candidate having to fight with my luggage.

“Give ’em here, Rozemyne. That’s clearly too much for you to carry on your own,” Wilfried interjected. He wasted no time taking the feystone bag from me and the gold dust from Rihyarda.

“Thank you ever so much, Wilfried.”

I went past several rows of desks and the little gardens atop them on my way to my own workspace, where a stand was already in place. I set down the only thing I was carrying—my blueprints—while Wilfried set down the feystones and gold dust.

“Good day, Lady Rozemyne, Lord Wilfried.”

“Good day, Lady Hannelore.”

After we greeted my desk neighbor, Hannelore, Wilfried went off to speak with his own friend. I thanked him for his help as I watched him go, then Hannelore let out a small giggle.

“It really was kind of Lord Wilfried to carry your things for you,” she said, her eyes full of admiration. “I am envious that you have such a wondrous fiancé.”

I shook my head on instinct; our relationship certainly didn’t warrant any envy or admiration. “He only helped me with my luggage because my short stature put me at risk of getting buried under it all. Besides, I am sure Lord Lestilaut would help you if you were in a similar situation, no?”

Hannelore’s gaze suddenly became somewhat distant. “Um, well... yes, I imagine he would summon an attendant to assist me.”

So, in other words... he wouldn’t help you himself...?

“On a more important note, Lady Rozemyne, there is something I wish to ask you. Have you not been visiting the library lately? I was supplying mana to Schwartz and Weiss yesterday evening and was very surprised when they began calling me ‘milady.’”

“They... They did what?!” I exclaimed. It seemed that Hannelore had taken Hortensia’s place as their new owner. “Um, a new archnoble librarian has been sent to the library, so I was told not to supply Schwartz and Weiss with any more mana until they were hers.”

“Um. Um... So, that means...”

“Professor Solange did say that she wanted you helpers to continue helping out, but did she not say anything while you were supplying the two shumils with your mana?” I asked.

There were two librarians now; surely one of them had been in the reading room. And for Hannelore to have supplied Schwartz and Weiss with enough mana to have become their new master, she must have been there long enough to have bumped into Hortensia. Solange absolutely would have said something.

“I was only there to provide my mana, and, erm... I was in too much of a rush to go to the reading room. To think the Academy has a new librarian—and one who’s in the process of taking over Schwartz and Weiss, at that...”

“Have your first-years not been registered yet?”

“I am told that is being done during today’s lunch break.”

Holy cow. Is it just me or is her timing terrible?!

“Did you not think to consult Professor Solange as soon as they started calling you ‘milady’?” I asked.

“To be honest, I did not consider it a very serious problem. I thought you would regain ownership as soon as you supplied them with your mana...”

We both cradled our heads as we grappled with the issue at hand—and it was then that a peculiar thought crossed my mind. Hannelore presumably had a great deal of mana as an archduke candidate of a greater duchy, but Hortensia was an archnoble from the Sovereignty; if she was offering her mana each and every day, then it seemed strange that Hannelore had managed to overtake her so easily. Solange must not have expected a development like this either, else she would have simply asked us all to stop helping entirely.

“We will need to contact the library to get this resolved,” I said. “You did not mean any harm, Lady Hannelore, and the library did ask for your continued assistance, so I do not imagine this will go poorly.”

Eglantine then entered, and seeing her reminded me that the tools’ change in ownership had involved the royal family. On top of that, Hortensia was the first wife of the Sovereign knight commander; consulting Eglantine before we went to the library would probably be wise.

After starting the class and giving out today’s instructions, Eglantine came over to direct me, since I was ahead of everyone else. I took that opportunity to go all out.

“Um, Professor Eglantine, I have a question unrelated to the lesson,” I said. “The decision to change the master of the library’s magic tools was made by the royal family, correct? I recall that one member needed to be present when Professor Hortensia was selected as the new owner.”

Hannelore twitched. It was written on her face that she hadn’t known the royal family was involved.

“It seems that their current owner has...”

I went on to explain—and when I was done, Eglantine made a show of surprise. “Oh my. Lady Hannelore is their current owner?”

“My sincerest apologies,” Hannelore said at once, her face now pale. “I had no idea what was happening.”

“Indeed. Lady Hannelore did not have any bad intentions,” I added, doing my best to back her up.

“Yes, I can tell. She has provided a great deal of mana for the library’s sake, as you have. I understand why Professor Solange was so glad to have helpers.” She smiled. “Lady Hannelore, I thank you ever so much for the assistance you have so generously offered.”

The tension drained from Hannelore’s shoulders at once; she had actually been trembling in fear of getting scolded by a member of the royal family.

“Professor Eglantine,” I said, “hearing Lady Hannelore’s story made me a little curious—does Professor Hortensia not have as much mana as one would expect? I would have thought that, if she were donating mana to Schwartz and Weiss every day, then Lady Hannelore would never have been able to take control, no matter how excellent of an archduke candidate she may be.”

“But the library has so many magic tools,” Hannelore interjected. “I imagine that Professor Hortensia has simply chosen to prioritize others for the time being.”

I cocked my head in thought; Schwartz and Weiss were more or less invaluable when it came to library work, so it was hard to imagine them being set aside for other magic tools. Plus, the royal family was openly pushing for this change of ownership, so surely that was Professor Hortensia’s highest priority.

“I thank you both ever so much for your concern, Lady Rozemyne, Lady Hannelore,” Eglantine said. “I am told that, in the past, the library needed three archnoble librarians at the very least. There must be a limit to how much one person can do with their mana. I will consult the library to confirm that all is well.”

“Thank you, Professor Eglantine,” I replied. “Should, um... Prince Hildebrand be informed too?” He was here at the Royal Academy as a member of the royal family, and his pouty remark about how he could have overseen the transfer on his own had immediately come to mind.

“Fear not,” Eglantine assured me. “I will keep him updated.”

That was that, then; with her help, I could ensure that my contact with the royal family was kept to a minimum.

“This discussion has been immensely helpful, Professor Eglantine,” Hannelore said. “I was unaware that this matter involved the royal family. Had I reported this myself, they might have summoned me to a meeting. It would have thrown my parents and so many others into such a panic.”

A wave of guilt washed over me. “I have the most opportunities to see Lady Hannelore, so I should have informed her of what happened. My apologies.”

“Oh, no. I should have gone to the reading room and greeted the librarians.”

“That is enough, you two,” Eglantine said, giggling at our back-and-forth. “The greatest fault lies with the library for not contacting its helpers. This is nothing for you to worry so much about.”

“Professor Eglantine... I imagine this will not be relevant for some time, but...”

I went on to explain the research we were doing into the divine protections ritual, then used that opportunity to inform Hannelore that we were hoping for Dunkelfelger’s assistance.

“Ehrenfest doing research with Dunkelfelger?” they asked in unison, their eyes equally wide.

“Yes,” I replied, then turned my attention back to Hannelore. “I am told that many of your duchy’s apprentice knights obtain multiple divine protections, and we would sincerely appreciate your help to demonstrate circumstances outside of Ehrenfest. As I am aware, the royal family also considers it important that nobles obtain the divine protections of as many gods as possible.”

Of course, I was hinting ever so lightly that Anastasius pushed for us to do exactly that through his official advice.

“I am sure that Professor Rauffen is already familiar with this matter,” I continued. “We believe that, if we are going to learn about Dunkelfelger’s long-standing traditions and organize them as research, then it would be ideal for our two duchies to publish our findings together. Naturally, I am not asking for a response here and now; I imagine you will first need to speak with your aub, so I can wait until a future tea party.”

“Understood,” Hannelore replied. “I will consult our aub.”

Now that we had settled all of our royal-family-related matters, I presented Eglantine with the blueprints I had prepared for class. She examined them for a moment and then said, “Lady Rozemyne, do you intend to turn the entire city into a library?”

“That is correct,” I declared, my chest puffed out. “Such is my ideal city.”

Eglantine gave a wry smile and muttered, “Perhaps, but I cannot say it is very realistic...”

That face she’s making... Why does she look like a mother hesitating to crush her daughter’s nonsensical dreams?!

I needed to do something—and with that in mind, I started to explain the architectural philosophy behind my blueprints.

“Actually, I think you will find that my city is very realistic indeed. For one, there is proper zoning. The roads and port on the left make up the mercantile district, where books can be bought from and sold to other lands. On the right is the production district, where our own books can be made. This zone here is for entertainment, with inns and restaurants for those visiting the library, and—”

“Now then, shall we begin?”

She cut me off with a smile?!

“Please follow me, Lady Rozemyne,” Eglantine continued. She then led me to the back of the classroom and into a smaller room that contained only a magic circle. “Fill this circle with mana, if you would. Once that is done, you will be graced with the names of the God of Darkness and the Goddess of Light.”

“Wait, really?” I asked. “The divine names of the supreme gods?” What was this about me being graced with the names of the gods instead of them being taught to me?

“It turns out that the supreme gods do not have a singular name,” Eglantine explained. “There is a tale of a researcher from a time long ago who, in an attempt to learn these names, sought the help of an archduke candidate who had already been granted the privilege. The researcher found the answer he had so desired, only to be engulfed in flames of Light and Darkness and disappear entirely. Meanwhile, the archduke candidate who had abetted him lost their divine protections and was no longer able to receive the gods’ blessings, even when using their names in chant. They were ultimately demoted to an archnoble.”

What the heck?! That’s terrifying!

“I am going to be in the other room,” Eglantine concluded. “Return once you have learned their names—and take great care that nobody hears you repeat them.”

“Understood,” I replied with a nod. Even when tutoring me, Ferdinand had been very careful not to tell me the names of the supreme gods. I had wondered why at the time, but now I realized that he had been trying to keep me from dying a horrible death by multi-elemental fire.

After confirming that Eglantine was gone, I knelt atop the magic circle, pressed my hands against it, and assumed the usual praying pose. “I am one who offers prayer and gratitude to the gods who have created the world...”

The magic circle wasn’t very large, but it didn’t seem to be filling up at all—not even when I poured, and poured, and poured my mana into it.

I should have waited until after class to dump all of my mana. My timing is pretty bad too, I guess.

Keeping one hand on the magic circle, I grasped at my hip and took one of my kindness-filled rejuvenation potions, which I then downed in one go. I continued to pour mana into the circle... and, eventually, a voice began to speak in my head. The names of the supreme gods appeared in my mind with a blast of radiant fire, as though light were searing every letter directly into my brain.

Schicksantracht the God of Darkness... and Versprechredi the Goddess of Light.

The names of the gods were normally so long and such a struggle to remember, but with these two burned directly into my brain, I was confident that I would never, ever forget them.

“O mighty King and Queen of the endless skies, Schicksantracht the God of Darkness and Versprechredi the Goddess of Light...” I muttered on instinct.

Not even a beat later, my schtappe appeared in my right hand, all on its own. It happened so suddenly that I couldn’t help but cry out.

“Eep!”

My schtappe then rose up into the air and began sucking up the golden flames and black darkness now emanating from the magic circle. Even though it was no longer in my hands, it must have still been connected to me, as I could feel the mana flowing into my body. It wasn’t necessarily unpleasant—probably because it was my own mana going back into me—but it was certainly... strange.

I wish you had told me things were going to be this weird ahead of time, Lady Eglantine!

As I made my silent protest, the last of the light was sucked into my schtappe, and the magic circle became dull in appearance once again.

“Is that it...?” I asked myself.

I must have spoken too soon, as golden light and black darkness immediately shot out of my schtappe and came together in a tremendous helix. It rose high into the air until it eventually passed straight through the ceiling and out of sight.

“Bwuuuh?!”

In an instant, all the mana that had flowed into me and almost all the mana left in my body was sucked out. The change came so suddenly that I wasn’t even able to stay on my knees; the next thing I knew, I was flat on the ground. My vision flashed white as though I were experiencing blood loss, which spurred me to reach for and chug another of my kindness-filled rejuvenation potions.

As I stayed on the ground, waiting to recover, Eglantine’s worried voice reached me through the door. “Lady Rozemyne, it has been quite some time. Are you okay?”

“I expended too much mana and had to use some rejuvenation potions,” I replied. “It may take me a short while to recover. Could you wait a bit longer for me to be able to move?”

“You cannot move?” she asked, now sounding more panicked. “May I open the door?”

“I would rather you not.” I could already hear chatter rising behind the door, and the last thing I wanted was for everyone to witness me slumped on the ground, unable to move. No archduke candidate would want to be seen in such a state. “If you can give me just a moment then I will recover on my own.”

“Rozemyne, it’s me,” came another voice—one that I immediately recognized as Wilfried. “Did you collapse?”

“I just ran out of mana. I drank a kindness-filled rejuvenation potion, so I should be able to move again soon.”

“So this is just another one of your episodes?” he asked, sounding a lot more understanding. “Alright.” I then heard him step away from the door; it seemed that he was consoling Eglantine and telling her that she didn’t need to worry.

“I... think I should be okay now?”

I shook my legs awake, then slowly stood up. It seemed that I could indeed move again. After smoothing down my skirt and combing through my somewhat disheveled hair with my fingers, I stepped out of the room.

“Lady Rozemyne, are you well...?” Eglantine asked.

“I am quite alright,” I replied. “It just took me some time to recover from having used so much mana at once. More importantly, I have learned the names of the supreme gods. What is the next step of the lesson?” I made sure to give a big smile as I spoke, hoping to convince her that I could finish the rest of the lesson without incident.

Eglantine gave a resigned sigh before carrying my garden into the small room. I was going to be staying in there so that the others wouldn’t hear the names of the supreme gods, apparently.

“Now then... let us perform an entwickeln,” Eglantine said. “This is the magic circle. Entwickeln will require all elements.”

I already knew that much; Ferdinand had hammered it all into me during our tutoring sessions. I needed to chant “stylo” to transform my schtappe, draw a magic circle in the air with my mana, and then add some gold dust. Once that was done, I would need to chant a spell while adding my blueprints. The paper they were drawn on was a type of magic tool brewed out of mana.

“Take care to draw the magic circle large so that you do not overlook any mistakes,” Eglantine noted. “After that, adjust its size such that it fits the size of your buildings.” She handed me a list of written instructions, then exited the room.

I performed entwickeln as per the sheet that Eglantine had given me, constructing my ideal city within the garden. From this angle, it looked just like when Ferdinand had made the monastery, albeit on a much smaller scale.

“Professor Eglantine!” I called. “I’m done!”

“Oh my. You finished in one go? Let us make the border gate, then.”

Eglantine placed an example garden next to mine so that we could practice. Border gates were a joint effort; they could only be made with the approval of the archdukes of two neighboring duchies. Both parties were essentially using magic circles to create and then preserve a hole in the barrier between their lands.

“Border gates are left open so that they can be passed through,” Eglantine said, “but as country gates can only be opened with the permission of the king and the aub, they are generally left closed. Ehrenfest has a country gate on its east side, I believe? Have you seen it before?”

“No, but I will soon be visiting Kirnberger, where our country gate is located. I intend to see it then.”

After safely making my garden’s border gate, I was done with my archduke candidate lesson. I had completed it about as quickly as anyone could.