Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.3 - Chapter 12

Dinner with Ferdinand

“Could we place the food-preserving magic tool here? It would allow the trolley to pass through without incident.”

“Has there been a change in how many retainers he is bringing?”

The moment we returned from the Interduchy Tournament, my retainers began preparing the tea party room. I glanced around and then nodded; everything was perfect. Wilfried and Sylvester were here too, waiting for Ferdinand.

Partway through directing the preparations, Rihyarda turned to the other students who had returned with us and said, “You have your own arrangements for dinner, do you not? Go to your rooms for now.”

The students did as instructed. Soon enough, aside from Wilfried, Sylvester, and me, the only other people in the tea party room were adult attendants like Rihyarda, Sylvester’s retainers, and those of the Knight’s Order who would be guarding us during our meal.

A bell rang from outside the tea party room.

“Lord Ferdinand has arrived,” announced Sylvester’s attendant who had been waiting by the door. He allowed our guests to enter, and into the tea party room came Justus, Ferdinand, and Eckhart. Also with them was a man I didn’t recognize, pushing a trolley with a large preservation magic tool atop it. He was probably one of Ferdinand’s retainers from Ahrensbach.

“Welcome home, Ferdinand,” I said.

Ferdinand stared at me for a moment, surprised, and then gave a hesitant “Yes...”

“That won’t do. You should say something like ‘It’s good to be back.’ Proper greetings are important, are they not?”

“It is... good to be back,” he forced out, looking very reluctant all the while. He then turned away from me and started greeting Wilfried and Sylvester. “I am going to be in your care tonight. My apologies for the burden. Wilfried, I need not introduce you to Justus or Eckhart, correct? The other man with us is Sergius. He serves me as an attendant in Ahrensbach and is the son of Lady Letizia’s head attendant.”

That meant he probably wasn’t a member of Georgine’s faction. I examined him casually. He had blue-green hair, yellow-green eyes, and a peaceful, attendant-like smile.

“It is a pleasure to meet you all,” Sergius said, concluding his greeting and introduction.

Sylvester proceeded to offer Ferdinand his seat. He then gestured for Wilfried and me to sit as well before turning to the door. “I need to go eat dinner with the students, but I’ll be back once that’s over. Ferdinand, let’s go at least one day without over-scolding Rozemyne, alright?”

Ferdinand watched Sylvester hurry out of the room and then muttered, “If you need to be elsewhere, then why waste your time here waiting for me...?”

“Probably because he wanted to see you again more than anything,” I said. “But putting that aside... As you saw—and as you asked—I came first-in-class again this year. Two of our joint research projects also received awards. Now, praise me.”

Before the inevitable lecture began, I wanted to receive some praise. After that, I would be able to endure any amount of scolding. Sylvester had even confirmed that Ferdinand would compliment me as long as I outlined my accomplishments, so I puffed out my chest and bragged my heart out.

Except, rather than praising me... Ferdinand gave me a swift flick to the forehead.

“What was that for?!”

“Is it not obvious that I must interrogate and scold you before uttering even a word of praise?” he said. He reached toward me in what could only be an attempt to pinch my cheeks, so I hurriedly covered my face.

“Sylvester just told you not to chastise me today, didn’t he? At the very least, start with some compliments. I am prepared to listen to a lengthy lecture afterward.”

Ferdinand shook his head, exasperated. “I do not care how prepared you are to be lectured. I would rather you grow accustomed to not doing things that will get you scolded in the first place.”

I pursed my lips. This didn’t make sense. I’d mentioned my achievements loud and clear, but Ferdinand still hadn’t said anything even remotely positive.

“That is precisely why I think you should praise me first. If not even coming first-in-class is good enough, then what is?!” I demanded, exploding at him in dissatisfaction.

Ferdinand paused for a moment. Then, in a voice completely devoid of emotion, he said, “You did very well.”

No! That’s not the praise I was hoping for!

“There was no heart in that whatsoever!” I cried. “You leave me no choice—I’ll use the tournament shumil to—”

“I apologize for that, Rozemyne,” he said all of a sudden. “It was my error that I could not stop her from stealing the magic tool you intended to give to another.” His face was twisted in the same bitter expression I always saw when he spoke about Veronica, and at that moment, I realized he had seen Detlinde as her grandmother when she stole the stuffed toy from me.

Eep... I must have brought some traumatic memories to the surface.

“Erm, Ferdinand... I want you to praise me, not apologize. The way I see it, there is no reason for you to feel responsible for her actions.”

“But...”

“Did something happen?” Wilfried asked. He hadn’t been within earshot at the time.

“Nothing significant,” I replied. “Basically...”

Wilfried spent a moment listening to my overview of the situation, then said, “Yeah, that really isn’t your fault, Uncle.”

“See? Wilfried agrees with me. But we can forget about praise and gratitude for now. Let me show you your room.” I decided to move the conversation along—it seemed that Ferdinand was going to keep apologizing forever—and guided everyone over to one of the screens in the room. “Rihyarda worked very hard on this.”

“Yes, milady—because you insisted that we help Lord Ferdinand rest as well as possible,” Rihyarda added. She must have been trying to lighten the mood, as she cackled and started explaining the accommodations for Ferdinand and his attendants.

She continued, “Here, we have prepared a place for Lord Ferdinand to sleep. Naturally, there are no bed-curtains, but the screens should allow you to relax at least somewhat.” She then noted where to put belongings, daily-use magic tools, and so on. That part was more for attendants, so I tugged on Ferdinand’s sleeve to get his attention and pointed at the bench.

“Ferdinand, I brought this from Ehrenfest for you to use today.”

“It was finished...?” he asked.

“Yes. I expect it to be far more comfortable than other benches or sofas. Do try sitting on it.”

Ferdinand sat down with great interest, then began squeezing and pushing against the cushioning. We were now roughly face-to-face, which made his sickly pallor all the clearer. He sounded sincere as he said, “Ah, yes. This is good,” but his exhaustion was too much for him to hide.

Has he been chugging tons of ultra-nasty potions?

I was still analyzing Ferdinand when Wilfried quietly asked, “Rozemyne, what is that?” It was his first time seeing the mattress bench.

“It is a new creation that I asked my Gutenbergs to make. Ferdinand ordered it some time ago, but he moved to Ahrensbach before it was finished.”

Ferdinand then interjected, “You may feel it, if you are curious.” He was stroking the mattress with a hint of what may have been pride.

Wilfried approached, a noticeable glint in his eyes. Oswald, his retainer, looked similarly intrigued.

“If you rest here, Ferdinand, then you might look a little less tired,” I said. “It’s been a long time since you’ve looked so openly exhausted. You remind me of the Zent when I saw him at the Dedication Ritual. Just what kind of life have you been leading in Ahrensbach?”

Wilfried examined Ferdinand, looking dubious, then shook his head. “He doesn’t seem much different from usual to me... I’m impressed you could tell, Rozemyne.”

“It’s understandable that you couldn’t. You never had many opportunities to see him, after all.”

Pretty much all nobles hid their emotions, but Ferdinand was an expert after so many long years of dealing with Veronica. That was why only someone very close to him would see through his facade.

Ferdinand grimaced—probably uncomfortable that Wilfried was still staring at his face—and extended a hand to me. “Rozemyne, you don’t look very well yourself. You did not get any rest between the Interduchy Tournament and the awards ceremony, did you? You have been pushing yourself much too hard.”

After squeezing my cheeks, Ferdinand inspected my health as he had always used to. He checked my forehead, wrists, temperature, pulse, and so on. I closed my eyes; feeling his touch was actually kind of nostalgic.

“I’m really healthy now thanks to you,” I said. “I didn’t collapse at all today, and I’ve barely ended up bedridden as of late. Even when I do catch a fever, I usually recover after a couple of days.”

“Even so, your temperature seems a bit high. Have you not had any potions since returning from the Interduchy Tournament? As you are now, you will surely feel the repercussions tomorrow.” His chilly hand on my nape actually felt pretty nice, so he was right—I was probably coming down with a bit of a fever.

“I drank one made with kindness, so I think I’m fine, but...”

“Good, then.” After performing his last few checks, Ferdinand removed his hands. “Exercise regularly to increase your strength. You are still relying on supporting magic tools, no?”

“I will do my best,” I replied. But when I finally opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Wilfried staring at me.

“Is something wrong?” I asked.

“No, I’m just a little surprised.”

Surprised about what? I wondered—but then I saw that he was still pushing against the mattress. No doubt he was captivated by the glory of coil technology.

“Benches like that can’t be mass-produced,” I said, “and there is much room for improvement. They still feel amazing, though, don’t they?”

“Huh? Oh. Yeah...” Wilfried replied. He put on a smile, then glanced between Ferdinand and me while continuing to test the mattress.

“What?”

“No, it’s nothing. Really. Oswald, could you start preparing dinner?”

Oswald got straight to work, but he seemed very conscious of us for some reason. A large preservation magic tool was brought in from the Ehrenfest Dormitory. It contained today’s dinner, as well as several meals for Ferdinand to take back to Ahrensbach.

Incidentally, we had borrowed the magic tool from Elvira. She had immediately accepted my request to provide Ferdinand with delicious food and sent the tool to the temple by carriage.

“Justus, it will take some time to inspect the food in the tool,” I said. “You may do that while we are eating.”

“Thank you, milady,” he replied. “We treasure Ehrenfest meals, as we can use them when Lord Ferdinand does not have much of an appetite. I did not expect our stock to be replenished during our visit, so I am very much grateful.”

In other words, Ferdinand was swamped with work. I glared at him, but he dismissed my concerns right away, saying he had no choice.

“Sergius, I will entrust you with serving me,” Ferdinand said.

“Understood, Lord Ferdinand.”

And so, we started our meal. Today’s food was intended to please Ferdinand above all else, so his favorite dishes were being served. Of course, making double consommé was too time-consuming of a request for the extremely busy chefs of the castle or the dormitory, especially around the time of the Interduchy Tournament. For that reason, we had gotten his temple chefs to make it and then transported it here in Elvira’s magic tool.

“Huh? Is this meat from a tauchen?” Wilfried asked, his eyes widening.

Tauchen meat was pretty rare, so it was never used for dormitory meals. We weren’t eating the same food as those in the dining room, however. Our dinner had been specially prepared in the temple, using tons of rarer and more expensive ingredients. I discreetly asked Wilfried to keep that a secret from the others.

“Ferdinand enjoys consommé and tauchen cooked in pome,” I explained, “so the temple chefs made all this specially. His personal chefs from his days as the High Priest made sure everything is exactly as he likes it, and they followed Hartmut’s instructions brilliantly. Ferdinand, it must take you back being able to have your favorite food prepared by your old cooks.”

“I suppose... Tell them I am highly satisfied,” Ferdinand replied, looking serene as he tasted the tauchen. It was clear that he was genuinely enjoying his food.

As we ate, we discussed the Interduchy Tournament and the guests from other duchies whom Wilfried had spoken with.

“Our joint research with Dunkelfelger sure drew a lot of attention,” I remarked. “Tons of duchies were asking us to collaborate with them next year. Of course, I turned away all the ones I could safely reject.”

“Oho...” Ferdinand said, impressed. “Ehrenfest truly has climbed the rankings compared to when I attended the Royal Academy.”

Wilfried gave a half-smile. “Father asked for Ehrenfest’s ranking to stay the same. He said that if our duchy climbs any higher, we won’t be able to keep up.”

“You went too far again, hm?” Ferdinand asked, fixing me with a stern look.

I went ahead and said, “Yep.” I certainly had overstepped in places. “But our rank won’t increase again this year. Instead, in recognition of our accomplishments, Ehrenfest is going to receive the same treatment as the duchies that won the civil war. I might have acted out of anger, since everyone kept insulting Sylvester...”

“I understand the desire to commit small acts of vengeance, but your whims always end up escalating out of control. I recall saying that you should always report and discuss matters before taking action, but it seems you did no such things. Am I wrong?”

I could only hang my head. This lecture was probably a good opportunity for Ferdinand to blow off some steam, so I didn’t want to stop him, but I wished that it could have waited until after dinner.

“Uncle, even after you told Rozemyne not to get involved with the royal family, she interacted with them again and again,” Wilfried said. “You really need to scold her.”

Ferdinand glared at him. “You should have done a much better job of containing her. She does not learn unless she is scolded while in the act or appropriately set on the right path. Furthermore, Sylvester just told me not to lecture her too much.”

Come again...?

I was genuinely shocked to hear Ferdinand say that, especially when he looked completely serious. “Have you really been listening to Sylvester’s advice? I mean, not once have you praised me so far. And what was all that chiding about?”

“Those were simple warnings,” Ferdinand replied with a very nice smile. “If my intention were to scold you, I would not be acting so kind. Right now, I could easily scold both you and Wilfried until the last light of this world fades away. Instead, I am containing myself as much as possible. Or would you rather I give you a taste of real scolding?”

Wilfried and I desperately shook our heads. If this was his idea of containing himself, I didn’t even want to think about him going all out.

By the time we finished eating and started drinking tea, Justus had traded places with Sergius, having apparently finished going through the food in the magic tool. Our retainers were similarly returning from dinner. In their place, Rihyarda, Oswald, and those from the Knight’s Order stepped down to eat.

“All that aside, how was this year’s winter hunt?” Ferdinand asked. “Did it end without incident?”

“Well, it ended,” I said, aware that he was actually referring to the purge. “We were here in the Royal Academy, so we do not know the details. You may wish to ask Sylvester about it later.”

Wilfried gave me a harsh frown. “Rozemyne, Uncle has moved to another duchy. You shouldn’t talk about Ehrenfest’s internal affairs so lightly.”

Perhaps not, but Ferdinand had gone to Ahrensbach to obtain intelligence about Georgine and protect Ehrenfest from a distance. He would be in trouble if we didn’t share at least some of our own intelligence with him in turn.

“Wilfried, Ferdinand is—”

“Stop, Rozemyne,” Ferdinand said. He looked at the attendant side of the screen, where Sergius currently was. “Wilfried is correct—you should think very carefully about all that you tell me. Things are no longer as they once were.”

“That’s true, but sharing intelligence is still important,” I said, frowning. I was afraid of Ferdinand being isolated in Ahrensbach.

He shrugged. “I will speak to Sylvester about Ehrenfest. As for you... Yes, let us discuss that shumil stuffed animal. To whom did you intend to gift it? I will need to compensate you.”

“As I said, there is no need for you to apologize...”

“Lady Rozemyne,” Lieseleta said, stopping me in my tracks. She asked for permission to speak, then whispered, “May I suggest accepting his apology? Lord Ferdinand will feel more relieved to have compensated you, which may be what you wish for in the first place.”

I didn’t want to go along with this, since Detlinde was the one to blame... but if complying would make Ferdinand feel better, so be it.

“But what kind of compensation can he give...?” I asked.

“Perhaps he could make a new stuffed animal for you,” Lieseleta said. “That would certainly do. He could even fill it with messages of his own. Would you not appreciate that?”

Before I even had a chance to respond, she spread out a cloth. There was a teleportation circle on it, from which appeared a pot and a steady stream of ingredients. As it turned out, she had placed the connecting circle in the brewing room and prepared everything well in advance. Our corner of the tea room began to look more and more like a brewing space.

“Naturally, we cannot prepare a brewing stand,” Lieseleta noted, “so please use this table. Lord Ferdinand, if you would start making a sound-recording tool for Lady Rozemyne...”

Ferdinand, who had been watching the teleportation circle in a daze, smirked upon hearing the request. “Making a new one would certainly be ideal compensation. I do not have much time, though. Rozemyne, can I rely on your assistance?”

“My experience is yours,” I replied. “You can count on me.”

Ferdinand wasted no time before picking up the ingredients we needed. His face, which had been so sullen and exhausted a moment ago, was now livelier than ever. The whole “compensation” thing was merely a front; he was simply excited to be brewing again.

I turned to Lieseleta and gave her a big smile.

Ferdinand then turned to Wilfried and the apprentice scholars. “You will assist us too. Apprentice scholars should be capable of preparing for a brewing session.”

From there, Ferdinand started drawing schematics on the table; he had memorized the production process detailed in Raimund’s reports. In the meantime, the apprentice scholars used waschen to clean the brewing tools.

“Now then,” Ferdinand said, “I have been tasked with making a stuffed animal for Rozemyne, but how many more will we produce? I imagine your intended recipient will need one too.”

I pondered the question. “My original intention was to give the stuffed animal to Lady Letizia. It was going to speak words of encouragement, since you are always so harsh, and repeat a warning that you should not scold her any further.”

“Right. That really does sound important,” Wilfried added, a distant look in his eye as he helped the scholars wash the brewing tools. “You’re demanding beyond measure, Uncle—I remember thinking as much when you were teaching Rozemyne and me. You have high standards and a merciless attitude...”

As it turned out, Wilfried had been given an endless stream of tasks during my two-year slumber.

“I’m glad you agree,” I said. “For anyone studying under Ferdinand to survive, praise is absolutely necessary.”

I went on to list all the phrases I was planning to add to the magic tool. Ferdinand maintained a grimace the entire time, while Justus chuckled and said, “Her letter, I assume.” Evidently, he knew what Letizia had written.

“It may be wise to register the new magic tool with Sergius’s mana, assuming he is close with Lady Letizia’s head attendant,” I said. “Lady Letizia has left her family to be adopted, has she not? If possible, I would like her parents in Drewanchel to record the messages. I am sure their voices will encourage her more than anything else.”

“I see...” Ferdinand muttered. “In that case, you will want four stuffed animals in total: one with her parents’ voices, one with your voice, the one that I owe you, and one to keep in reserve. Apprentices, measure the ingredients accordingly.”

They nodded and got straight to work.

Once the ingredients had been measured, Ferdinand and I cut them into more manageable pieces and separated the elements within them, among other things.

“Ngh... They prepare ingredients so much faster than I do...”

“Yeah. And we’ve never needed to be this precise for a brew before. Considering the quality of the ingredients, this is so far beyond what we’re used to.”

Hartmut had done a good job of keeping up when being taught to make rejuvenation potions, but Philine and Roderick weren’t being much help at all. The same went for Ignaz and the other apprentice archscholars. They were all merely watching in shock, probably because this was their first time seeing Ferdinand brew.

“Hold on... Are we making them all at once?”

“Indeed,” I said. “Brewing in bulk is quite common and much quicker than brewing over a longer period. It also helps us to ensure that our ingredients are all of uniform quality.” I gave Ferdinand some of the ingredients he had entrusted me with. “Finished.”

Justus smiled at Ignaz’s group while also handing Ferdinand some ingredients. “It all comes down to experience. You just haven’t done enough brewing in your lives.”

“Also keep in mind that I have a lot more experience than most other students, since I need to make my own rejuvenation potions,” I added. Those potions, coupled with all that jureve business, meant that I was better accustomed to brewing than the apprentice scholars in my year. Not to mention, I’d started out being taught by Ferdinand. His teachings were logical and efficient, sure, but his demands and expectations had been entirely unreasonable.

“Ferdinand uses a far more efficient brewing style than what we’re taught in class,” I continued. “Even just watching him should be a very enriching experience.”

I must have convinced them, as they all started paying very close attention. Meanwhile, Ferdinand morphed his schtappe, then immediately used a time-saving magic circle.

Mm... I’m still not good enough to use those off the bat.

Ingredients were usually added at certain times and in a particular sequence, so observing any changes in your brew was crucial. The problem with using a time-saving magic circle was that those changes would happen in an instant—one moment you would be watching the pot, waiting for the right cue, the next you would have missed it completely. This drastically increased the chance of you messing up your brew, which was why I only used time-saving circles once the ingredients had all been added and the only thing left to do was stir.

I’ve still got a long way to go if I want to catch up to Ferdinand.

Once all of the ingredients were in the concoction and we only needed to stir, Ferdinand told Justus to add another time-saving magic circle. The apprentice scholars clamored in shock... but Justus merely said, “Understood” and started carrying out his order, drawing the circle atop the brewing pot.

Using a time-saving magic circle at this stage of the brewing process caused your mana to be sucked out all at once instead of being drawn out slowly, which made things a lot harder to control. This was my first time seeing it stacked on top of another time-saving circle, so I was excited to see what would change—but then Ferdinand glanced at me.

“Rozemyne. Draw one of your own when Justus is done.”

“We’re triple-stacking it?” I asked, dumbstruck. “Is that even safe?”

“As I said, we do not have much time. Do you consider me incompetent?”

“No.”

Ferdinand never fought a battle he couldn’t win, so I trusted that he’d pull this off without issue—but that didn’t stop me from being surprised. I wasn’t alone either; the apprentice scholars were just as thoroughly stunned. In fact, the only one of us who looked completely unfazed was Wilfried; he had grown accustomed to seeing Ferdinand pull insane brewing maneuvers back when he tutored us for the archduke candidate course.

“There,” Justus said, moving over. “All yours, milady.”

We traded places—with the apprentice scholars still watching in a daze—then I started drawing a time-saving magic circle with my schtappe. Ferdinand was watching the brewing pot like a hawk, and for good reason—as soon as my magic circle was complete, he would need to pour mana into it and the other two circles.

Of course, Ferdinand didn’t miss a beat; he tightened his grip on the stirring stick the instant my circle was done. The triple-layering meant he would need to expend a ton of mana in an extremely short period, but the defiant smile on his face as he watched the pot made it clear that he welcomed the challenge.

“Done.”

After one bell, Ferdinand announced the completion of his fourth brew—three more than any normal person would have managed under the same time constraints. He had a very pleased look on his face as he removed the completed sound-recording magic tools from the pot; it was good to see him so satisfied.

“Attendants, clean up,” Ferdinand said. “We cannot simply leave these brewing tools here.”

Lieseleta started putting the waschen-cleaned implements onto a teleportation circle. “The other circle is in the brewing room,” she said. “Would someone go to receive the items on that end?”

The apprentice scholars had been watching the attendants in a daze, but they came back to their senses when they heard Lieseleta’s request. Some left for the brewing room, while the others said, “Allow us to put away the implements.”

“Understood,” Lieseleta replied. “I entrust the rest to you.”

Right away, the apprentice scholars started putting the brewing implements and leftover ingredients on the teleportation circle. Each time the circle flashed, the items atop it disappeared. It was pretty fun to watch.

Ferdinand examined the scholars for a moment, then took a seat at the cleared table and exhaled slowly. Sergius poured him some tea, having finished eating dinner while we were brewing.

Wilfried and I also sat down at the table, whereupon we had our attendants pour us some tea. “I never would have thought it possible to make four magic tools in one bell,” I said, looking at the sound-recorders on the table. Then, I turned to Ferdinand and smiled. “Now, with the tools made, I will need to charge you four times for the use of my schematics.”

“I did not use your schematics,” he retorted. “I already have them memorized.”

“But I purchased them, and Raimund needs funding to continue his work as a researcher.” I didn’t have a personal interest in the money—the magic tools were what mattered to me—but I needed Raimund to understand the wonders of getting paid for his research. Spreading the concept of intellectual property was equally as important... but when I explained the idea and my intended introduction of royalties to Ferdinand, he shook his head.

“Your thoughts are always incomprehensible.”

Then, he instructed Justus to pay me.

“The Printing and Smithing Guilds have done a good job of enforcing them so far,” I said, “but for magic tools, we are going to need a much stronger organization.”

“I would suggest you wait until purchasing manuscripts and distributing royalties for book sales become more commonplace. Having a successful precedent will make it easier for you to convince the nobility. I understand that doing everything at once is a bad habit of yours, but you must exercise better self-control. For now, spread the concept among any researchers you purchase schematics from by offering them patent fees, and make it clear that book royalties are always paid when they are due.”

Some good, honest work should definitely help...

Once all the cleaning was done, the apprentice scholars who had gone to the brewing room returned. They were chattering about the “amazing brewing” they had seen and saying that they couldn’t wait to try it out themselves. Some even began to question Ferdinand about the process. He answered with a smile, but he seemed a little tired to me; it was like his rush of satisfaction had started to wane, and in its place had come a ruthless wave of exhaustion.

“You have a discussion with Sylvester after this, don’t you?” I asked. “Do you need healing?”

Ferdinand paused, then said, “It would be appreciated.”

I gazed around the tea party room. Justus and Eckhart looked exhausted too. Sergius and the retainers who had assisted us didn’t seem quite as bad, but I could tell they were tired all the same.

I stood up, produced my schtappe, and chanted, “Streitkolben” to produce Flutrane’s staff. Then, I healed all those present in one fell swoop.

“What in the...?” Ferdinand muttered, his brow furrowed. Despite my efforts to make him feel better, he was pinching the bridge of his nose as if he had suddenly developed a headache.

“Hm? Did it not work?” I asked.

“You have grown beyond my wildest expectations. How have you made this much progress in just one season...?”

“Wha? Wha?”

I’d simply done what came naturally to me—was that really so distressing? But in the face of my confusion, Ferdinand tapped the table and told me to sit back down. I could feel a lecture coming.

I disappeared Flutrane’s staff and resumed my seat, though I made sure to scoot my chair away from Ferdinand in the process.

“Now, Rozemyne,” he began, “why did you go out of your way to produce Flutrane’s staff?”

“Using my ring would have required me to heal everyone individually, no? But by using Flutrane’s staff, I was able to heal everyone at once. It was very useful during the Royal Academy’s Dedication Ritual.”

Ferdinand merely heaved a heavy sigh.

Wilfried shot me a look. “Rozemyne, you shouldn’t—”

“This is not an internal affair that needs to be kept secret,” I said with a smile. “Everyone who participated in the Dedication Ritual is familiar with the process.”

“That’s true, but... listening to you speak is nerve-racking. I can never predict what you might say next.”

Putting his concerns aside, I told Ferdinand everything that was already common knowledge while avoiding anything that might get me lectured. “I am maturing even in your absence, Ferdinand. I’ve learned to make two divine instruments at once with my schtappe.”

“So that was not an error or my own misinterpretation...” Ferdinand said. I’d already mentioned my newfound ability in a letter to him, but I’d evidently used too many noble euphemisms in my attempt to get the letter past inspections.

“It’s no different from how knights make swords and shields at the same time. Even the royal family agreed. It won’t be long now before I can follow your example and make several shields at once, so look forward to that.”

In response to my hopes and dreams, Ferdinand squeezed his eyes shut as if trying to endure a sudden sharp pain. “That was a terrible comparison.”

“How so?”

“No, never mind. There is no reason for me to say anything else,” Ferdinand replied, waving me away. “I am a citizen of Ahrensbach now, and this is an Ehrenfest problem.” His dismissive remark elicited a look of surprise from Wilfried.

“Speaking of which,” I said, “we distributed the mana-recovering rejuvenation potions you taught me to make. They are tremendously valuable, it seems. Even the royal family was shocked by their efficacy.”

“How is this relevant?” Ferdinand asked, looking like he no longer had the energy to continue our conversation.

“You could use them to make a great contribution to the country or perhaps calm the waters on Lady Detlinde’s mishap. Regardless, they would be useful to keep in your back pocket.”

Ferdinand narrowed his eyes a little. “Rozemyne, do you expect her to do something? Tell me, if you think I can stop her in time.”

“Wilfried, the hairpins and the light show aren’t secrets, right?”

“Hm... No, I don’t think so.”

So, I explained the situation: that Detlinde likely intended to outshine the royal family with her hairpins, then perform a dedication whirl while covered in sparkling feystones.

“Such a slight against the royal family cannot be overlooked,” Ferdinand said. “I will do my best to take the hairpins from her. But... what brought about this idea for a ‘light show’?”

“It all started after the divine protections ritual,” Wilfried replied. “Rozemyne couldn’t control her mana during dedication whirl practice and ended up making the feystones she was wearing shine.”

“But I did not release a single blessing!” I interjected. “My feystones shone, but I didn’t. That’s deserving of praise, isn’t it?”

Ferdinand shot me a curt glance before ignoring me entirely.

Meanwhile, Wilfried shook his head. “I don’t know what makes you think that. It was because you stood out so much that Detlinde came to us during our tea party and said that she intends to repeat your spectacle for her coming-of-age ceremony.”

“Rozemyne...” Ferdinand said. “You truly are...”

“I-It wasn’t my fault! The incident during practice was unavoidable! And, I think you’re forgetting the role you played in all this, Wilfried. You told her she could shine more easily if she used feystones of a lower quality.” If she had followed that advice and was practicing with more suitable feystones, then surely the blame rested squarely on his shoulders.

Upon hearing my revelation, Ferdinand glared at Wilfried. “You seem to have done something very unnecessary.” It was time for a very long scolding.

“Lady Rozemyne,” Brunhilde whispered while tapping me on the shoulder, “seventh bell is about to ring. If you intend to entrust Lord Sergius with your magic tool for Lady Letizia, might I suggest doing so soon? I am concerned that it may have already been forgotten.”

This also seemed like a good opportunity to stop Ferdinand from lecturing Wilfried, so I tugged on his sleeve and said, “If we give Sergius one of the magic tools we made, would he be able to fill it with messages of praise from Lady Letizia’s family?” I wasn’t able to ask Sergius directly because he wasn’t my retainer.

To answer my question, Ferdinand had to stop lecturing Wilfried. “Well, Sergius? Do you have a means of making contact with Lady Letizia’s parents?”

“I do,” he replied. “I was raised in Drewanchel.” He had moved to Ahrensbach with his parents when Letizia was adopted, but he still had many associates in his home duchy.

“Then we can register this magic tool with Sergius’s mana,” I said. “May I include some encouraging words of my own?”

“Of course,” Sergius replied, his yellow-green eyes creased in a kind smile. “I am sure that Lady Letizia will appreciate your heartfelt concern.”

I gave one of the magic tools to Ferdinand, who then passed it along to Sergius and taught him how to use it. Then, I recorded three messages: “You are working so hard and so well, Lady Letizia,” “Do not be too harsh, Ferdinand,” and “Ferdinand, make sure to praise Lady Letizia at times and tell her she is doing very well.”

“What do you think you’re doing?” Ferdinand demanded with a glare.

“You must praise Lady Letizia whenever she brings out this magic tool. And do not resort to the same monotone voice you used with me,” I shot back without the slightest hesitation, then handed the tool to Sergius. “There isn’t enough time for us to make the stuffed toy ourselves, so please task Lady Letizia’s attendants with finishing the rest.”

“Sergius, could you send an ordonnanz to Drewanchel, by chance?” Ferdinand asked. “It would be ideal if we could do the recording tomorrow.”

“Understood. If you will excuse me for a moment...” Sergius said, then disappeared behind the screen for attendants.

Ferdinand looked at the three remaining magic tools and grimaced. “So, what am I expected to record for you?”

“Words of praise, of course!” I would then have the tool put inside a red panda plushie, I thought—but before I could get carried away with my excitement, Lieseleta made a very harsh observation.

“Lord Ferdinand, if I may... While I agree that a few words of praise are warranted, I believe Lady Rozemyne would benefit from the same kind of messages she gave you.”

“There should be instructions for her to stop reading and to rest more,” Brunhilde added, nodding along. And my retainers weren’t the only ones—Wilfried chimed in that the tool should include some reproofs as well.

“I certainly would not mind including a scolding or two,” Ferdinand said.

“Hold on,” I interjected. “I said I wanted praise.”

“Irrelevant. Now, on a more important note, what messages do you intend to leave me?”

“Lady Rozemyne prepared this as a gift for you,” Lieseleta replied on my behalf, taking out a dark-blue shumil and setting it in front of me. She must have gone to my chambers to retrieve it. The care and consideration my attendants showed me was almost painful at times.

“No, no, Lieseleta. I intend to give this to Justus. Ferdinand would just stick it in a box, never to see the light of day again.” I picked the shumil up off the table and pushed it into Justus’s hands. “Use this when Ferdinand is too absorbed in his work to listen to reason.”

“Should we see what messages you recorded for him?”

“NO!” I cried, feeling the blood drain from my face. “Later, Justus! Check later!”

Ferdinand scoffed. “We will do no such thing. The last thing we want is a repeat of that incident during today’s demonstrations.”

“Ferdinand, look! That box over there is full of research documents about Schwartz and Weiss! How about we start looking through them? Sounds good, right?!”

“That can come later. Justus, the recordings.”

At once, Justus obeyed the order from his lord. My messages to Ferdinand started playing one after another.

“Ferdinand, are you getting enough rest? Don’t work yourself too hard.”

“No matter how busy things get, remember that you need to eat. Don’t try to get all of your energy from potions; have proper food too.”

“If you run out of Ehrenfest meals, send word right away.”

That was as far as we got before Ferdinand pinched my cheek.

“Ow, it hurts!”

“Justus, that is enough,” Ferdinand said. “I get the idea, so you can hand me the tool now.” He reached toward Justus with a very pretty—and very fake—smile on his face. Without a doubt, he intended to seal that shumil away for good.

“No, Justus! Don’t! If you’re going to give it to him, I’d rather you just give it back instead!”

“What’s all this fuss about?” Sylvester asked, exasperated, as he entered the room with his guards and other retainers. Their sudden arrival made the tea party room feel so much smaller.

“Ah! Sylvester!” I cried. “I made a magic tool for Justus to use, but Ferdinand is trying to steal it away!”

“Is this it here? What did you record for him?” Sylvester snatched the plushie from Justus and touched its feystone. Then, after listening to the messages, he burst into laughter and tossed it back to Justus. “Keep this with you. If you want Ferdinand to obey, all you need to do is threaten to share these recordings with other people in Ahrensbach.”

“Understood, Aub Ehrenfest,” Justus replied with an amused smile. He then put the dark-blue shumil with the rest of the retainers’ luggage.

“Anyway, time for the adults to talk,” Sylvester said, shooing Wilfried and me away. “Back to your rooms, you two.” I noticed that he had some wine with him. The table was immediately cleared of dishes, and some glasses were prepared in their place.

We said good night, then left the tea party room.

In the end, I never got Ferdinand to praise me... Boohoohoo.