Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.3 - Chapter 1

Awakening and Reports

Upon opening my eyes, the first person I saw was Rihyarda, looking at me with an incredibly relieved expression.

“Milady, how are you feeling?” she asked, helping me to sit up. “If you want something to eat, I shall have food prepared at once.”

I drank some of the water she offered me, then lay back down. My head was still fuzzy from my fever, and I didn’t have an appetite.

“I truly am relieved,” she continued. “It was trying on my heart knowing that I could only wait for you to awaken. This time, we were unable to even aid you with rejuvenation potions.”

My fever had apparently skyrocketed while I was unconscious, sending my helpless attendants into a nervous panic. But even then, there were traces around my bed that they had done whatever they could to cool me down.

“Rihyarda, I apologize for worrying you,” I said.

“Next time, no matter what happens, please do not drink more potions than you have been prescribed.”

I tried to nod in response, but I wasn’t sure whether I actually managed to. A pleasant feeling like cold water spread through my body, and my eyes slowly drooped shut again.

The next time I awoke, someone was holding my hand. I supposed that it was probably Rihyarda. My whole body was still too heavy for me to move right away, so I settled for turning my head. As I did, I realized that it wasn’t Rihyarda holding my hand but Brunhilde.

She was kneeling by my bedside, looking down at me with pain and regret clear on her face. It was rare to see her express her emotions so openly, since she was a very proper noble.

I blinked as best I could and said, “I’m fine,” hoping to see the same look of relief that Rihyarda had given me. But her expression remained unchanged; instead, she screwed her eyes tightly shut and began to apologize.

“Lady Rozemyne, I am truly sorry. This is my fault. Had I not fainted during our ditter game, this would not have happened. I am a failure of an attendant for not having stopped you from drinking an excess of rejuvenation potions.”

I certainly hadn’t expected Brunhilde to feel this responsible for my rejuvenation potion antics. At the time, my only focus had been winning the game at all costs.

It took all of my energy, but I managed to turn my head to meet Brunhilde’s gaze. “No, this is not your fault,” I said to her. “I was the one who determined that the potions were necessary.”

“Perhaps, but it was my duty to prioritize your health above all else and stop you. I lost consciousness at a critical moment and failed to carry out my duty as an attendant.”

By that logic, it was my fault for having asked Brunhilde to participate in our ditter game in the first place. She had a considerable amount of mana, but she had never been trained for combat.

“I will say it as many times as it takes: this is not your fault, Brunhilde. I drank them simply because I did not wish to lose.”

Brunhilde tried to protest, still unconvinced, but Lieseleta pulled the bed curtain aside before she could. “Brunhilde, do leave it at that,” she said as she came to join us. “I understand your feelings of regret, but you are going to tire Lady Rozemyne out when she has only now awoken.”

That was enough to snap Brunhilde back to reality. She let go of my hand and stood, shutting off her emotions once again. There was likely still a storm of regrets raging in her heart, but she didn’t allow it to show. After helping me drink some water, she used waschen to clean the sweat off my body.

“Brunhilde, you are an excellent attendant,” I said. “I do not consider you a failure at all. Rather, I am more concerned that my own failures have put a black mark on your work record.”

“A black mark? Not at all. This is simply a personal regret of mine. That said... please do avoid drinking too many potions going forward.”

I promised at once. The last thing I wanted was for my retainers to look as haggard with worry as Brunhilde did now. But as that thought crossed my mind, my consciousness faded again.

Even after my mind cleared, I was made to stay in bed until my fever disappeared completely. That much was the standard routine, but I could tell that I really had worried everyone; they were a lot more active than usual. I accepted their warnings and care without being selfish about wanting to read books.

One day, Lieseleta brought me a stuffed shumil. It had navy fur, golden eyes, and a feystone on its stomach.

“What do you think, Lady Rozemyne?” she asked. “She ended up quite adorable, in my honest opinion.”

“She’s wonderful, Lieseleta!”

It was the stuffed toy and sound-recording magic tool that Raimund had designed, which I intended to fill with messages for Ferdinand. Personally, I’d wanted the toy to be a red panda like Lessy, but I’d ended up caving to Lieseleta’s overwhelming love of shumils. I’d entrusted her with making it, since I didn’t have any time to spare, but I’d never expected her to finish it so quickly.

I hugged the stuffed shumil while lying on my side. It was the perfect size and just soft enough for hugging. The face was cute as well, and I could feel all the love that Lieseleta had poured into it.

“This must be the sound-recording feystone,” I said, touching the feystone on the navy plush’s stomach. I registered my mana with it, then immediately got to work recording some messages.

“Ferdinand, are you resting properly? Do be reasonable with your workload.”

“No matter how busy you are, you won’t have the strength to work if you don’t eat. And don’t just rely on potions. You need food as well.”

Once I was done, I checked to see whether the shumil repeated my messages properly. It did. Amazing. This would definitely ensure that Ferdinand maintained a healthy lifestyle even in Ahrensbach.

Oh, who am I kidding? He’ll never use this.

Back in the temple, whenever his attendants or I had spoken to him, he had almost always said, “Cease interrupting me.”

“Ferdinand would just throw this in a box, never to be seen again,” I mused aloud, staring down at the shumil. “Maybe I should gift it to Justus instead so that he can bring it out when necessary...”

As I continued to ponder, Philine came in with several letters. “Lady Rozemyne, letters from Ehrenfest and Lady Letizia of Ahrensbach have arrived. It would be best to read them before the Interduchy Tournament.”

Lieseleta and Brunhilde stepped back, allowing her to approach my bedside.

Philine smiled as she handed me the letters; as an apprentice scholar, it was her duty to have checked the contents before giving them to me. “This letter appears to be one of the tasks that Lord Ferdinand set for Lady Letizia.”

Apparently, it was important for young nobles to practice sending letters to other duchies through the border gates rather than straight to their intended recipient. Letizia’s aim was to successfully convey her position while at the same time accounting for the nobles of opposing factions within her own duchy, the border guards, and the nobles from the other duchy who would read it.

Huh. Neat. So normal archduke candidates do tasks like this before entering the Royal Academy.

I probably would have done the same, had I not ended up asleep in a jureve. No doubt I would have learned any number of noble phrases and exchanges in the process.

“This letter seems to be a task for you as well,” Philine continued. “It says here that you need to send a response that will serve as an example to Lady Letizia, using all the phrasing expected of a noble.”

“Oh no, Philine. I seem to have developed a fever.”

I’m still unwell, so giving me a task from Ferdinand is just plain cruel. He even told me to use proper noble phrasing—my worst enemy!

I appreciated that Ferdinand was trying to educate us both at once, but my sheer displeasure was clear as day. My retainers giggled at the sight of me agonizing over this unexpected task.

“I believe your response to Lady Letizia can wait until this academic term has ended,” Lieseleta said.

“Oh my. But if she intends to deliver it to Lord Ferdinand during this year’s graduation, is sooner not better?” Brunhilde replied. “He will be attending to escort his fiancée, after all.”

My retainers, whose faces had previously looked drawn out of regret and concern for my health, were now smiling and bantering with each other. It was so nice to see, I thought, as I took and opened my first letter from Letizia. I made sure to savor the crinkling of the paper and the scent of the ink before beginning to read.

“I will read this first, to finish this task from Ferdinand as soon as possible,” I said. “Let’s see here...”

“By the time you read this, Lady Rozemyne, will the Royal Academy term have ended already? Lord Ferdinand recently mentioned during one of our tutoring sessions that you finished your classes early. He says it is only a matter of time before you collapse from ill health, but I hope that does not happen. My wish is that you are doing well. From what I am told, you are an excellent student indeed. I, myself, am spending my days studying and working on the tasks that Lord Ferdinand gives me.”

The letter was normal up until that point—but everything after was filled with so many allusions to the gods that I couldn’t keep my brow from furrowing.

“She says here that Ferdinand’s teachings follow the direction of... Erwachlehren? That’s the God of Guidance, I think. He’s involved with those who educate others, like teachers and instructors, but what does she mean exactly? Considered alongside this line about Verdrenna’s visit changing the seasons, maybe she means to say that she’s thankful for her new learning environment under Ferdinand. So is she indirectly bragging about how good a teacher she has? But, no... this bit about the winter subordinate gods can also be interpreted as her struggling with the change...”

Before I knew it, Rihyarda had come to my side. “Milady, let us read it together,” she said. “A response founded in misunderstandings would be quite disastrous.”

“...Please and thank you.”

I had zero confidence in my reading comprehension, so I accepted Rihyarda’s offer without a moment’s hesitation. For some reason, I just couldn’t seem to grasp the proper meaning of the ambiguous, context-heavy writing patterns that nobles used. During conversations, I could at least make an educated guess based on the other person’s tone and expression, but that wasn’t possible through text alone.

After rereading the passage with help from Rihyarda and Brunhilde, it became clear that Letizia considered Ferdinand an exceptionally skilled individual and a talented instructor. She thought I was very impressive for having been able to keep up with his teachings—but she was troubled that he expected her to meet the same standards. The one thing consoling her amid the intense education was my sweets; she included her thanks for them.

Oh no... This is a letter about how Ferdinand is way too demanding!

Letizia was practically begging to know how I’d survived Ferdinand piling me with one backbreaking task after another and giving me his nerve-rackingly harsh glare. I had nothing but sympathy for her.

I know how you feel. Oh, how I know. Ferdinand always gives work by the truckload. And every task is hard. I could put my all into the ones that involved reading, but everything else was such a pain. I just wanted to toss them all aside.

Helping out Letizia felt like the right thing to do. After all, I had promised to give Ferdinand a talking-to if he started being too strict.

“Brunhilde, summon Lieseleta,” I said.

Upon her arrival, I asked her to make another stuffed shumil.

“According to this letter,” I continued, “Lady Letizia is struggling to endure the intensity of Ferdinand’s training. We need to give her a few words to stop him.”

I started thinking about what message to record on the shumil. “Do not be too harsh when speaking” would do, or perhaps “I would like some praise when I do well.” Maybe “I hope you will praise me for working hard today”? Surely any of those would make Ferdinand realize he was being too demanding.

“Before I reply to Lady Letizia, can I go into my hidden room and read my letter from Ferdinand?” I asked. My retainers had softened up and seemed more lively again, so I tried to climb out of bed.

Instantly, Rihyarda put on a forceful smile. “Milady, you should wait until your fever has gone completely.”

Lieseleta nodded. “We would have you prioritize your health for now, Lady Rozemyne. Your male retainers cannot visit you here and have been worried this entire time.”

In the end, it wasn’t until three days after our game of bride-taking ditter that I was able to get out of bed.

“Are you truly well...?” I was asked. “You can rest more if you would like.”

“My fever has gone down, and I am eager to eat normal food. Furthermore, while you all seem intent on hiding it, there are important reports for me to listen to regarding the ditter game and the royal family, are there not?”

I went to the dining hall and ate with everyone to show that I was healthy again, then went with my retainers to a meeting room to receive their reports. Wilfried, Charlotte, and their retainers followed.

“Ehrenfest proclaimed the match to be null and void due to the sudden interruption, but Dunkelfelger refused, arguing that the judge did not issue a cease-fire,” Wilfried explained. “They say the match ended the moment Lady Hannelore left their base for the safety of your shield. I hate that, though; it makes it seem like I tricked her.” His arms were crossed in an obvious show of displeasure—but I didn’t share his feelings at all.

“If those from Dunkelfelger believe they lost, then all the better; Ehrenfest would not be able to endure a rematch. However, I do agree that our victory was not entirely sound. I suggest we drop all this about Lady Hannelore marrying into Ehrenfest and get them to agree to stop fighting our engagement in return.”

Wilfried appeared to brighten in an instant. “Right. That would be fitting. Lord Lestilaut said all that stuff about ditter being divine and that they would honor our agreement no matter what, but the aubs can negotiate the terms during the Interduchy Tournament.”

Negotiating with a ditter-obsessed duchy like Dunkelfelger sounded annoying if nothing else, but since we had won our game against them, everything would probably turn out alright.

“Also,” Wilfried continued, “Prince Anastasius gave us a few choice words about not letting this kind of thing happen again. He said that the next time it does, the royal family will take you for themselves. Basically, he... feels I’m not capable of protecting you.”

“Excuse me...?”

Wilfried was slumping his shoulders, looking dejected, but I didn’t have a clue why the royal family were involving themselves in the first place. I looked around for an explanation and eventually locked eyes with Charlotte.

“Sister, we received a report from the Sovereignty while you were asleep. As it turns out, Prince Hildebrand mentioned our ditter game to the Sovereign Knight’s Order.”

Hildebrand had apparently revealed that Dunkelfelger was trying to steal “the Saint of Ehrenfest,” even though my engagement had already been approved by the king. Anastasius had admonished him for this, maintaining that the royal family was in no position to interfere. My engagement had received the king’s permission, but it wasn’t the result of a royal decree; in other words, it was a matter to be decided between aubs.

“So did Prince Hildebrand order them to interfere...?” I asked. Perhaps my conversation with Hannelore in the underground archive had been the catalyst for all of this madness.

“No,” Charlotte replied. “The Sovereign Knight’s Order admonished him when he spoke to them and made no attempt to involve themselves—his retainers and several of the Royal Academy’s professors confirmed that. Furthermore, Prince Hildebrand had never even met the knights who intruded on our game. He was still presumably to blame for them having learned about it, though, so he received a scolding from Prince Anastasius nonetheless.”

That only confirmed my suspicions. “In other words, Lady Hannelore and I are partially to blame as well for discussing the game near him.” It was scary how even the smallest exchange or attempt to carry out justice could cause such a huge incident.

I sighed. “The more time passes, the less I want anything to do with the royal family. Why would they try to take me in? I’m just a troublemaker causing them problems.” It didn’t make sense, especially when Anastasius lectured me so much whenever I went to his villa.

“The king was there for the Royal Academy’s Dedication Ritual, remember,” Charlotte said. “If they think Ehrenfest is prepared to send you to another duchy, then they would rather take you for themselves.”

But it wasn’t easy for the royal family to intervene, no matter how much they wanted me to join them. Direct interference—like sending the Sovereign Knight’s Order to keep Dunkelfelger from winning my hand in marriage—was out of the question and would only make them appear entirely untrustworthy. On top of that, they had already sent Ferdinand to Ahrensbach by royal decree; reducing the size of Ehrenfest’s archducal family any further would risk impacting our foundation.

With these factors in mind, the royal family was holding back on claiming me—at least for now.

“They made it very clear that we won’t get any more chances,” Wilfried said, still dour. “If we cause another fuss like this in the Royal Academy, they will take you.”

He wasn’t the only one feeling depressed about having failed to protect me; my retainers were the same. I’d already woken up to them expressing their regret at how things had turned out and bemoaning all the things they could have done instead.

“Let us simply be glad that they have spared us this time and resolve not to cause a fuss again,” I said. “More importantly, what happened to the knights and students who interrupted our game?”

Wilfried straightened his back and put on a serious face. “As they believed they were carrying out the will of the Zent, the students are going unquestioned. Professor Rauffen really broke his back for them. The Sovereign knights who riled them up and joined the attack will receive a harsh punishment from the king himself, since they falsely used his name. He thought of them as loyal vassals before, so his wrath and disappointment are extreme, apparently.”

“It seems odd to me that such loyal knights would suddenly start acting of their own accord...” I said, and it was then that Matthias raised a hand, seeking my permission to speak. I granted it.

Matthias prefaced that he didn’t have any concrete evidence to prove what he was about to reveal and then said, “It is possible that trug was used on them.”

“Wait, do you mean... that stuff?!”

As I recalled, trug was a plant that could be used to disturb memories and create hallucinations. It was the same thing the Georgine faction had used during their meetings.

“I noticed a sweet scent coming from the restrained knights when I approached Prince Anastasius to say my farewells. At the time, I couldn’t quite pinpoint why the smell seemed familiar, but it came back to me when I returned to the dormitory and saw the fireplace. There is a chance I am mistaken, though, as I did not smell it carefully.”

“But you must be fairly confident to have decided to tell me,” I said. Matthias was always conservative; he wouldn’t have spoken unless he had given the situation a lot of thought and come to a conclusion that he believed in.

“We would have a better idea if we could observe their memories.”

Indeed, if their memories were distorted, then it was likely that the three knights had been manipulated by someone else. Would the royal family be able to work that out during their questioning? Or was this something we should tell them?

“Is trug common in the Royal Academy and the Sovereignty?” I asked.

“Not at all,” replied one of Charlotte’s apprentice scholars, all of whom were taking an apothecary class. “If it were, then everyone would recognize it as a dangerous substance. I expect it is a specialty plant unique to one duchy.”

That made sense; the royal family and Sovereign nobles wouldn’t necessarily know about every single specialty plant from every single duchy.

“We should ask Aub Ehrenfest for his permission before we inform the royal family that trug might have been used,” I said.

A feeling of unease stirred in my chest. Was it really a coincidence that we were encountering trug again, and so soon after the previous incident? Maybe one of Georgine’s connections was in a position that allowed them to manipulate the knights of the Sovereign Knight’s Order. If so, then perhaps Georgine would find it much easier to return to Ehrenfest than any of us expected.

I reached up and touched the rainbow feystones dangling from my hair stick, and my heart started to beat faster.