Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.3 - Chapter 15

A Discussion with Eglantine

“My apologies for the abrupt summons,” Eglantine said, offering me a seat. We had just finished exchanging the usual greetings.

Oswin immediately began preparing an area-affecting sound-blocker, so Karstedt and Rihyarda stepped outside its range. I could see the worry on their faces.

Eglantine cleared the room of her retainers, sat on the sofa directly opposite me, and looked me dead in the eye. Anastasius was attending the graduation ceremony right now, so she was here in his place.

“Lady Rozemyne, we do not have much time,” she said. “May I speak frankly?”

Using obscure turns of phrase would only lead to misunderstandings, especially when I was far from being a master of noble phrasing. The more direct we were, the better—so I nodded and said, “Of course.”

Eglantine went on to explain the situation. The Sovereign High Bishop and High Priest had caused a stir during lunch by openly stating that the magic circle was for selecting the Zent. Some old-time retainers had responded that Trauerqual deserved the Grutrissheit for all his hard work, while others were concerned by the idea of Detlinde becoming Yurgenschmidt’s next ruler after what they had seen of her. Some had even claimed this was all a secret plot orchestrated by Ferdinand, who was now trying to manipulate his fiancée after losing control over me.

“Many opinions were expressed,” Eglantine continued, “but King Trauerqual considers the Grutrissheit essential to ruling Yurgenschmidt. He even said he would readily cede the throne to Lady Detlinde if she obtains one.”

“But why, when he sent Lord Ferdinand to Ahrensbach over similar suspicions?” I asked. Could the king not have waited for Ferdinand to get the Grutrissheit and then given the throne to him instead?

“At present, I can say only that the status of one’s duchy is of great importance. The upcoming Archduke Conference will see Ehrenfest treated equally to those on the winning side of the civil war, but you were considered a mere neutral duchy at the time. An archduke candidate from Ahrensbach, which made such great contributions during the war, would naturally be preferred.”

It had apparently been decided that a Zent coming from Ehrenfest was unacceptable because of our duchy’s average rank, low number of Sovereign nobles, and insufficient diplomatic engagements with other duchies. It was impossible to say who would have allied with us if Ferdinand had obtained the Grutrissheit and become Zent. Many had worried that someone would then appear to steal the throne from him, and the last thing anyone wanted was another civil war.

Eglantine continued, “The civil war originally started when the first prince of the time began to resent the second prince inheriting the Grutrissheit and tried to take it for himself.” He had murdered the second prince in the process, but that did not grant him the Grutrissheit. From there, he began to suspect that the third prince, who was the maternal brother of the second prince, had the text instead... and thus began the war.

“The royal family lost kin and comrades over the Grutrissheit,” Eglantine said. “Thus, we are trying to avoid another conflict to the best of our ability. Lady Detlinde obtaining the Grutrissheit would be, um... fairly concerning. But if she has the wise and knowledgeable Lord Ferdinand supporting her as her husband, King Trauerqual believes she will perform her duties nonetheless.”

Please no. Ferdinand would die inside. The light would never return to his eyes.

“However,” she continued, “we do not know whether the Sovereign temple speaks true. That is why we need to learn all that we can about the magic circle, and as soon as possible.” Her orange eyes focused on me. “Lady Rozemyne, what do you think of their claims?”

I met her gaze, knowing that she wouldn’t let even the smallest lie go unnoticed, and gave a noble smile. “My apologies, Lady Eglantine. One whirls for their coming-of-age only at the Royal Academy. The custom is not followed in Ehrenfest.”

“So you do not know?” Eglantine asked, sighing.

Having to keep a secret from her made my heart ache, but I could at least take solace in knowing that I wasn’t outright lying to her. Sure, the bible said “ye who wish to be Zent,” but what did that really mean? One assumption was that the circle had something to do with the next ruler, but I didn’t know that for sure. I hadn’t even looked into it. Thus, I couldn’t give a better answer.

“The underground storage room of the Royal Academy contains various documents regarding religious ceremonies,” I said. “Lord Ferdinand has read them, so he might be of more help to you.”

As if on cue, Oswin announced that Ferdinand had arrived from Ahrensbach. Eglantine paused our conversation and stepped outside the range of the sound-blocking magic tool to greet her new guest.

Ferdinand alone entered the sound-blocker’s area of effect; Eckhart and Justus waited with Karstedt and Rihyarda. Seeing them all together, I realized we had two parent-child reunions: Karstedt and Eckhart, and Rihyarda and Justus.

I’m sure they’ll be stealthily exchanging information. Sylvester had given Karstedt a small, folded piece of paper to hand over, and Rihyarda was getting something ready too.

I watched them for a moment, then noticed that Ferdinand was looking down at me. His expression seemed to say, “Why are you here?”

“Lord Ferdinand, might I ask you to sit next to Lady Rozemyne?” Eglantine asked.

“Certainly. If you will excuse me.”

“How is Lady Detlinde faring? Was she perhaps feeling unwell to begin with?”

“She was fine prior to the ceremony. The dedication whirl drained her of mana, which caused her to pass out. That said, I ensured she was fed a rejuvenation potion, so she is on the road to recovery. I apologize from the bottom of my heart that an Ahrensbach archduke candidate disturbed such a critical portion of the dedication whirl.”

Her bizarre hairstyle, her sparkly whirling, her falling unconscious, her activation of an unknown magic circle... Ferdinand apologized for the sequence of bizarre and downright disturbing events.

“I did everything I could,” he continued, “but she did not listen. My own shortcomings are to blame.”

Ferdinand then took out and activated the sound-recorder he had left with this morning. Immediately, we heard him warning Detlinde not to wear five hairpins, since doing so would be seen as a slight against the royal family. Detlinde then replied that she would remove some, though she sounded very dissatisfied.

“I never thought she would replace the hairpins with other decorations,” Ferdinand said.

“I see you’ve had a rough day...” I remarked without thinking.

Eglantine gave a similarly troubled smile. “Lady Detlinde’s own decisions led to all this, so we will not hold you accountable. You may rest easy.”

Ferdinand visibly relaxed, but then his brow furrowed. “I expected a harsh lecture when I received an urgent summons so soon after the incident... I suppose asking me about her well-being is an excuse and you instead wish to speak with me about Rozemyne.”

“You are only half-correct,” she continued with an apologetic smile. “During lunch, the Sovereign temple revealed some information that has sparked chaos. We must now gather information of our own, and we have heard from both Aub Ehrenfest and Lady Rozemyne that you are well informed about the ways of the temple.”

For some reason, Ferdinand glared at me. This time, he seemed to want to say, “Do not get me wrapped up in these things.”

“I simply said you know of these matters better than I. Is that not true?”

Ferdinand let out a defeated sigh and said, “I shall ask what happened.”

Eglantine and I explained what we had already discussed. Then, Eglantine asked, “Lord Ferdinand, are you familiar with the magic circle that appeared on the stage?”

He nodded slowly and said that he was, then fell silent. Eglantine must have realized that he didn’t intend to say anything else, because she continued her questioning.

“The Sovereign temple claims its purpose is to select a Zent.”

“To be frank, I am surprised they know that. Those of the Sovereign temple are scarcely able to read the bible.”

As he said, last year’s investigation had revealed that the Sovereign temple could only read half of the bible at most. I was pretty confident that they hadn’t been able to see the magic circle at the start of the bible, and yet they managed to identify it when it flashed on the stage for just a couple of seconds. Impressive!

“Ehrenfest’s temple contains boards, documents, and old transcriptions of the bible for gray priests to use when preparing rituals,” I said. “Perhaps the Sovereign temple has its own documents that do not require mana to be read.” My mind raced as I tried to imagine what wonders awaited me in this unfamiliar book room.

Ferdinand glared at me in a way that said, “I do not disagree with your opinion, but keep silent.” In accordance with his wishes, I swiftly buttoned it.

Eglantine gave a bemused smile and then frowned. “Does that mean the Sovereign temple is telling the truth about the magic circle?”

“They are not entirely mistaken... but why are you asking both Rozemyne and me these questions?”

Eglantine placed a hand on her cheek. “Though it shames me to admit, nobody in the royal family is familiar with religious ceremonies.” Because of their strained relationship with the Sovereign temple, they couldn’t access the documents needed to fight back against its claims. “Lady Rozemyne’s Dedication Ritual within the Royal Academy was evidence enough that she is a genuine High Bishop who performs true rituals. We thus hoped to receive your advice at this concerning time...”

“I expect she has already informed you that the underground archive beneath the Royal Academy’s library contains documents of great importance to you and to the country’s archduke candidates. I struggle to see why the royal family does not already have the information it seeks, unless...” He glared at me. “Did she not inform you, despite her frequent encounters with members of the royal family?”

I vigorously shook my head and said, “I told them. I went with the three princes and even helped them to translate the text into modern vernacular.”

“Despite my warning that you should not enter the archive under any circumstances?”

In my desperation to prove my innocence, I’d revealed another of my sins. “I-It was a royal decree!” I sputtered. “They didn’t allow me to refuse!” There really hadn’t been anything I could do.

“Lady Rozemyne is very talented when it comes to understanding old language,” Eglantine chimed in. “Her talents assisted us a great deal, so I must ask that you do not chastise her.”

“Rozemyne has eyes only for books,” Ferdinand said plainly. “It is impossible to predict how she might cause offense, and this becomes even more dangerous when we consider that the archive is only accessible to the royal family and select archduke candidates. Our only option is to forbid her entry to begin with.”

There was nothing I could say in protest. During my visit with the princes, I’d given Sigiswald half-baked answers and ended up needing Anastasius to drag me out.

“Be that as it may—what else could I do?” I asked. “Neither Prince Sigiswald nor Prince Anastasius is knowledgeable about ancient language. Lady Hannelore and I are scheduled to help them again during the coming spring’s Archduke Conference.”

Ferdinand grimaced. “They wish for you to interpret? Then the information they seek will remain buried for a very long time.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“You always start at the top left of whatever bookcase you are presented with, correct? That is how you approached the book rooms in the temple, Karstedt’s estate, and the castle—as well as my own bookshelves. I seem to recall the documents about the magic circle in question being near the bottom, so it would take many moons for you to reach it.”

It’s a habit of mine. Starting from one end is the best way to make sure I don’t miss anything. I didn’t realize he’d noticed, though!

“In any case,” Ferdinand continued, “I must emphasize that the archive is replete with knowledge essential for the next Zent. If you do not already know about the rituals and ceremonies of the temple, that is where you should start. Learning to read ancient language would also be in your best interest.”

“The royal family does not have the time to invest in such an endeavor,” Eglantine said.

I recalled what a state the king had been in before, back when he’d looked as haggard as Ferdinand, and the devotion with which he offered mana. It really was hard to imagine him having the time to study.

Ferdinand shook his head. “Rozemyne’s interpretation skills were developed within a mere season or two while she was memorizing the prayers necessary for rituals and devoting herself to reading the bible, all while striving to save the children of an orphanage. I understand that the royal family has much on its plate already, but if you study with the same dedication she did, then you will surely learn what you seek.”

Eglantine gave me a strange look. I could vaguely remember spending most of my days as an apprentice blue shrine maiden staring at boards, trying to memorize prayers. All those years ago, I’d complained about the names of the gods being way too confusing and hard to remember.

Ferdinand continued, “On this occasion, because you truly are short on time, I will provide the answers you desire. But if you do not learn to read the relevant documents on your own, you will never know how information might be being twisted. I sincerely believe that understanding such language is an essential skill for a Zent. The Grutrissheit granted by Mestionora the Goddess of Wisdom is likely even older than the bibles held by High Bishops.”

Eglantine looked up with a start. It hadn’t really crossed my mind before, but he was right—the bible and its instructions for becoming king were sure to be more modern than the Grutrissheit.

“The magic circle does identify Zent candidates,” Ferdinand said. “However, it would not be at all correct to say that Lady Detlinde making the circle appear means she is closest to being the next Zent.” It was an explanation for Eglantine, but I was listening closely too. The only thing I knew about the circle was that it rose from the bible when I opened it.

“In the Royal Academy, when an intelligent and competent archduke candidate or member of the royal family came of age, that dedication whirl would be performed to see whether they had sufficient mana to become Zent.”

The circle would appear when one prayed and offered their mana to the gods while whirling. For those with all elements and enough mana, a pillar of light would appear.

He continued, “Only those who could make this light appear were allowed to continue to the next stage of the selection process. Lady Detlinde could not even activate the magic circle, meaning she cannot be considered a candidate.”

“But neither Prince Anastasius nor I was able to activate the circle...” Eglantine said, concerned. If nobody in the royal family had managed it, then maybe the Sovereign temple was right in saying that Detlinde was better suited to becoming the next Zent than any of them.

“Above all else, one must offer prayers and mana while whirling. The magic circle only appeared for Lady Detlinde because she was expelling mana to make the feystones on her clothes shine. Thus, it was pure coincidence. I would even advise that the royal family experiment with this for themselves. You are fortunate that Ehrenfest and Dunkelfelger’s joint research publicized the means by which to increase one’s elements. Perhaps you could perform religious ceremonies and mana offerings, repeat the ritual for obtaining divine protections, then activate the magic circle yourselves.”

“Offer mana during a dedication whirl, hm...? As you are both experts when it comes to rituals, could we ask for your assistance?” Eglantine’s gaze landed on me. “Lady Rozemyne gives blessings even when she is just practicing her whirl, does she not?”

Ferdinand shot down Eglantine without hesitation. “We do not wish to be viewed with even greater suspicion. Rozemyne would surely form the magic circle more easily than Lady Detlinde, considering her mana quantity and the frequency with which she prays, but that alone does not decide the next Zent. She would only be a candidate. The truly important part is what follows.”

“What follows...?” Eglantine quietly repeated.

Ferdinand did not answer her question. Instead, he moved on to discussing the potential repercussions of getting me involved.

“Even if Rozemyne were to be chosen to rule Yurgenschmidt, the royal family should know better than anyone that Ehrenfest is not equipped to support a Zent. Furthermore, if this experimentation with dedication whirling is done en masse, there is a chance that new Zent candidates will appear one after another, from every single duchy. That will only sow the seeds of chaos, which is why the royal family must keep this investigation to themselves.”

Eglantine’s eyes wandered the room for a moment until she finally—and very hesitantly—spoke again. “Lord Ferdinand, what do you think about those who suspect you are using Lady Rozemyne and Lady Detlinde to search for the Grutrissheit—that you wish to take the throne yourself?”

“I can only assume that your knight commander is among them,” Ferdinand said, unmoved. “It was because my actions were deemed suspicious that I was sent to Ahrensbach, and now Lady Detlinde activated this unknown magic circle.”

His calmness irritated me. He had suffered and endured so much through going to Ahrensbach, and now his loyalty was being questioned even further? That ticked me the heck off, to the point that I could no longer hold my tongue.

“I am astounded by the sheer stupidity of those the Zent surrounds himself with. I would hope you have not forgotten that Ferdinand initially refused Aub Ahrensbach’s offer. He relocated only because the royal family disregarded his wishes and sent him away by royal decree.”

Eglantine’s eyes widened at my uncensored remarks. She should have been glad that I’d clung to enough restraint not to add, “The memories of royals are shockingly convenient.”

“Rozemyne,” Ferdinand said, fixing me with his sternest glare yet, “I believe I told you to remain silent.”

Frankly, he could shove it.

“If we do not make the truth and our intentions heard, the royal family will never understand them,” I shot back, half shouting. “We are better off speaking honestly than remaining silent and acting unmoved while letting hate and resentment build in our hearts. You taught me to use conversations to tie up any loose ends!”

“But not when it means being so rude to a member of the royal family.”

“You worried that following the royal decree would cause you to break your final promise to your father, but you went along with it anyway to clear all these suspicions. If the royal family and their lot are going to question you even now, then what was the point in you accepting to begin with?”

Ferdinand fell silent for a moment, at a loss for words. “Rozemyne, you must stop. I do not matter in this—”

“You do matter. That’s my point. We cannot allow politeness to stifle our true thoughts. We must be direct about our feelings and intentions instead of trying to communicate through others. Isn’t that right, Lady Eglantine?”

She smiled and nodded. “It certainly is. Lord Ferdinand, if you have your own circumstances, I wish to hear them. This may not sound like much, but perhaps I will be able to help.”

“I do not know the grounds on which the royal family and knight commander are basing their suspicions,” I said, “but clinging to them is pointless. Ferdinand is only interested in research and is happiest when locked away in his workshop in our duchy’s temple. If given the option, he would slink away and spend an entire lifetime immersed in his work.”

Eglantine giggled. “Is this true, Lord Ferdinand?”

Ferdinand pinched my cheek, then sighed. “It is up to the royal family whether they elect to believe this, but I have absolutely no intention of becoming Zent.” Of course, convincing Eglantine didn’t mean that everyone else would trust him too, but having even just one member of the royal family in our corner would change the situation dramatically.

“Have you truly never thought to use your knowledge of various rituals to obtain the Grutrissheit?” she asked, watching him carefully.

A terribly bitter smile spread across Ferdinand’s lips. “Not for a moment. All good Zents must give up everything for the sake of the country. I have no desire to take such a wearying role.”

“I know exactly what you mean,” I said. “Becoming the Zent would make you too busy to do any research, right? It would be like me losing my reading time.”

“Do not project your own motivations onto me,” he replied, grimacing for some reason.

“Hm? Are there reasons other than having less research time?”

“Yes, but I find that I no longer care about them.”

Then I guess they weren’t important, right?

Eglantine looked between the two of us and then said, “Lady Rozemyne, I have one more question for you. Aub Klassenberg informed me that Ehrenfest declined to perform another Dedication Ritual next year as joint research.”

“Indeed,” I replied. “The burden would be too great for Ehrenfest.”

I explained that Ehrenfest had needed to conclude its own Dedication Ritual early so that the necessary tools could be transported to the Royal Academy, that we had experienced troubles when our High Priest was only allowed to stay for the day of the ritual, and that preparing so many rejuvenation potions had greatly depleted our resources. There was also the fact that I would probably need to return to Ehrenfest next year to help out with our next Dedication Ritual.

“Do you know what Klassenberg intended to contribute to that research?” I asked out of curiosity.

“That is what the aub wishes to discuss. He seemed quite troubled about being refused before negotiations could even begin.”

“However, one cannot order their temple to provide divine instruments for a Dedication Ritual in the Royal Academy. It will impact the next year’s harvest. Furthermore, as I explained during the ritual, the recipe for our rejuvenation potions is not my own creation.”

Eglantine looked at Ferdinand, having apparently deduced whom the recipe belonged to, and he met her gaze without a word. Joint research between Ehrenfest and Klassenberg was of no concern to him, and there was no reason for him to provide any assistance; by this time next year, he would be married to Detlinde and officially be a resident of Ahrensbach. Plus, rather than publicizing his recipe for us, he was much better off saving it as a trump card. One couldn’t have enough fail-safes when it came to cleaning up after Detlinde and trying to avoid guilt by association.

I continued, “As you can expect, I support Klassenberg’s wish to offer the royal family as much mana as possible, but can this really be considered research for students to do at the Royal Academy? If one intends to make this Dedication Ritual an annual event rather than a one-off research project, we will at least require the Sovereign temple to lend its divine instruments and priests, and the Sovereignty to prepare rejuvenation potions made using whichever recipe they deem best. Ehrenfest can provide its High Bishop and nothing more; otherwise, the new custom would not last for very long at all.”

What I really meant to say was “I don’t want to spend potential reading time preparing for and cleaning up after research that serves no purpose except to give mana to the royal family.” I thought I’d done an excellent job of sugarcoating it, but maybe not. As I was patting myself on the back, Ferdinand gave me a look as though I were a poorly raised child and started rubbing his temples.

Hmm. I sense that I’ve made a mistake of some kind. Again.

“I understand your perspective, Lady Rozemyne,” Eglantine said. “An annual occurrence is far more taxing to maintain than a one-off event. I will discuss all we have talked about today with the royal family and Aub Klassenberg.”

And with that, our conversation with Eglantine came to an end—and before the graduation ceremony concluded. I’d come in response to a summons from Anastasius, but Ferdinand had come at Eglantine’s own request. The prince would probably understand, especially considering the urgent circumstances, but I nevertheless had a feeling that his jealousy would make things a bit annoying.

As always, Prince Anastasius remains the spitting image of Ewigeliebe.