Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.4 - Chapter 9

Touring the Temple

It was the day of our tour, and our highbeasts soared through the air in single file as we made our way to the temple. The children from the playroom were chatting away in my Pandabus; they were going to experience life in the temple before we asked them to choose between living there and in the castle and Melchior decided whom he wanted to serve as his temple attendants.

We had with us the four children who had been left in the playroom—two boys and two girls, with Nikolaus being among them. The parents of one of the girls had been executed, while the parents of the other children wouldn’t return from their punishments for years to come.

Incidentally, the parents who had only been lightly punished had already retrieved their children. Far more were taken back from the playroom than from the temple.

In this world, pre-baptism children sure are treated differently...

“This is the temple,” I said upon our arrival at the front entrance. “Everyone, do step out. You’ve been behaving excellently so far.”

Inside my Pandabus, the seating arrangement was as follows: Judithe and Leonore at the front, then Melchior and a guard knight behind them, then the playroom children, then Cornelius and Damuel at the very back. We had used Schutzaria’s shield before leaving to confirm that nobody held any malice, but even so, the guard knights had been adamant about keeping a close watch over the children. That was their job, so I was letting them do as they liked.

“Your highbeast is so cool, Rozemyne,” Melchior said. “I’ve never seen one get so big. I want one just like it.”

“I would love for us to have matching highbeasts,” I replied, but that only made his retainers grimace.

“Lord Melchior...” one said, clearly uncomfortable. “Gruns are, um...”

“As the son of the aub, tradition dictates that you must use a lion as your highbeast,” another added.

The scholar and attendant who had been riding their own highbeasts put them away. Meanwhile, everyone else marched out of Lessy. I watched the children gazing up at the temple out of the corner of my eye as I went over to Hartmut, who was clad in blue robes, and my temple attendants.

“Preparing for today must have been quite the ordeal,” I said. “I greatly appreciate your efforts, Hartmut.”

He gave a bright smile. “I am glad to have been of use to you, Lady Rozemyne. After discussing matters with the temple attendants and considering what would be safest, we have decided to show them to the chambers of not the High Bishop but the High Priest. I intend to serve as their guide, so you may dismiss your highbeast and change clothes in the meantime.”

Grateful that Hartmut was taking care of showing our visitors around, I checked to make sure that everyone had gotten out of my Pandabus, then morphed it back into a feystone. After that, I went with Fran, Zahm, and Monika to the High Bishop’s chambers. Damuel and Leonore accompanied us as guards, while my other retainers took the job of guiding Melchior’s group and looking after the children. Judithe and Philine were great at handling kids, maybe because they both had younger brothers.

“Back at last,” I said. “It’s been some time; has the temple changed in my absence?”

Fran and the others replied with their usual peaceful expressions. The tension immediately drained from my shoulders, and the muscles in my face, weary from the fake smiles I constantly needed to wear in the castle, started to feel more at ease.

“The High Bishop’s chambers are the same as always,” Fran reported. “The orphanage, on the other hand, has changed quite considerably as a result of all the new children.”

I nodded, at which point Monika added with a smile, “Wilma is there now, preparing to welcome everyone. Nicola has also made sweets for our guests, as per Lord Hartmut’s instructions.”

“That must have been difficult, since neither Hugo nor Ella is here...” I replied. I was only visiting the temple for this tour, so my personal chefs had stayed behind in the castle.

“She made parue cakes, as I understand it, so it was very manageable for her alone. The parues were supplied to us by Gunther and the orphanage children. They timed it well, since the parues go bad if not eaten quickly.”

They had gone out of their way to put away some parues for me, since they knew how much I enjoyed eating them. That was nice. Damuel was bound to be pleased too, considering that he looked forward to parue cakes each winter.

“Gil and Fritz finished their work for the morning and directed those in the orphanage to clean the temple,” Zahm said. “The gray priests will also be gathered in the orphanage by the time everyone arrives.”

“Thank you, Zahm.”

From there, I got Monika to help me change clothes. It had been quite some time since I last donned the High Bishop’s robes.

“Monika, would you invite the Merchant’s Guild and the Plantin and Gilberta Companies here three days from now?” I asked. “There is an urgent matter we must discuss.”

“As you will,” she replied while dressing me. “It would be wise to have the Gilberta Company alter these robes. The hem comes up much higher than before.”

On closer examination, she was right. The hem had originally been tailored to go down past my shins, but now it sat just below my knees.

Yes! Yesss! I’m growing so much taller!

This was the first time I’d ever seen such a clear indicator of my growth. It was probably the result of the jureve melting away all of my mana clumps—or was it because I wasn’t compressing my mana anywhere near as much anymore? Either way, I was happy.

Once I was changed, I went to the High Priest’s chambers with Fran and the others. Melchior’s guard knight was standing in front of the door for some reason, but he let us through without issue.

“Why is Melchior’s guard knight stationed outside?” I asked.

“Because I said that I would guard the inside,” Angelica replied, then made a show of standing in front of the inside of the door as if proving that she was doing her job. I could imagine she had declared that she would take up her usual position, leaving Melchior’s guard knight with no choice but to stand outside on his own.

To be honest, it seemed more logical to have Melchior’s guard knight standing inside, in sight of his lord, while they were both still unfamiliar with the layout of the temple—but, if everyone else was fine with this arrangement, then so was I.

“Welcome back, Lady Rozemyne,” Nicola said. “We are serving parue cakes today.”

A sweet aroma tickled my nose while Nicola and Lothar brought in parue cakes. The familiar scent was sheer heaven. I took in Nicola’s gleaming smile, allowing its radiance to heal my soul, while Ymir pulled my chair back for me. Then, the very moment I sat down, Fran, Monika, and Hartmut’s attendants began preparing tea.

The children were all staring at the parue cakes, overflowing with anticipation, but Melchior’s retainers were carefully watching the work of the temple attendants. I smiled, recalling how Brunhilde had shot appraising looks every which way.

“Well trained, aren’t they?” I said. “Hartmut’s and my attendants were all trained by Lord Ferdinand. My retainers also watched them carefully at first to see how much gray priests are capable of.”

Melchior’s retainers looked up with a start, then their expressions softened a little. “It certainly is remarkable,” one said. It seemed that Fran and the others had earned their approval.

Hartmut gave a slight smile and gazed at his attendants. “I was surprised at first too. It was because of how carefully Lord Ferdinand trained them that I could perform my temple duties without getting lost. I plan to assign one of my attendants to Lord Melchior so that his scholars can learn. Lothar, if you would.”

“Understood,” came a voice, then a man stepped forward. “My name is Lothar.” I remembered him as the calmest of all the attendants who had once served Ferdinand. As far as I was concerned, he was a perfect fit for working with Melchior.

“For his other attendants,” Hartmut continued, “we will turn to the orphanage. It would be wise to choose from among those who once served blue priests. They already know the expectations for serving nobles and would require no training in that regard. On top of that, they also know about life in the temple, the yearly religious ceremonies, and the facilities in the noble section.”

The children weren’t paying attention at all and were instead staring longingly at the sweets, acting as though this had nothing to do with them. I called out to them and noted that, if they ended up living in the temple, they would need to pick attendants as well.

“Aren’t our attendants in the temple supposed to keep an eye on us?” Nikolaus asked, blinking in surprise. “Should we really be picking them ourselves?”

I nodded. “Your attendants will report on how your lives are going and whether you’ve gotten sick or some such—but, as you are going to be spending so much time with them, it would make more sense for you to choose them yourselves, would it not?”

It was outright painful needing to spend time with an attendant who wasn’t on your wavelength. As someone who had gone from being a commoner to having many attendants, I understood that fact better than most.

The kids stared up at me, at least somewhat interested in the idea of picking their own attendants. Back when I’d first met them in the playroom, they had all been staring at their feet, looking so lifeless that it had actually concerned me. All the children around them had returned to their families, whereas they had lost their parents and their futures as nobles. It was nice to see them looking a little more positive.

“Here you are, Lady Rozemyne.”

“Thank you, Fran. That looks delicious. Everyone, this is a parue cake, a sweet that can only be found in the temple during winter. It is made from parues harvested by those of the orphanage and the lower city.”

I sipped my tea, then took a bite of the parue cake so that the others could start eating too. Well, the only ones actually sitting down with me were Hartmut, Melchior, and the playroom children; Melchior’s and my retainers were awaiting the leftovers.

Aah, it’s been so long! How I love parue cakes!

Because I hadn’t returned to Ehrenfest for the Dedication Ritual, this was likely the only chance I would get to eat parue cakes this year. The flavor reminded me of the lower city, which I was more nostalgic for than anything else.

I wonder how Mom and Dad are doing...

“These taste so good,” Melchior remarked.

“Don’t they?” I replied. “As I said, winter is the only time we can have them. Parues go bad almost immediately after it gets warm out, so my attendants stored some in the ice room for when I returned and could eat them.”

Melchior held the most status of all our guests, so only after he gleefully dug in did the other children begin reaching for parue cakes. They were all doing their best to appear elegant... but I could see how quickly they finished their sweets.

“Nicola,” I said, “we don’t have much time on our hands, so tell the retainers to take turns eating now, while we have the chance. Damuel is particularly fond of parue cakes, so please give him a few extra.”

At once, Hartmut raised an eyebrow at me. “Lady Rozemyne, Damuel and Cornelius ate parue cakes during the Dedication Ritual. There is no need to give them special treatment.”

“Oh my. They enjoyed them without me? Then give them the same amount as everyone else.” I had considered it a shame that Damuel would only have this one chance to eat them, but this new information changed things.

Damuel stiffened and then glared at Hartmut. “You said those were a reward for helping with the Dedication Ritual, didn’t you?”

“Do you not consider it arrogant to accept special treatment from Lady Rozemyne after having already received a reward from me?”

I sipped my tea, resolved to leave them to their squabbling. Fran had given me the blend that Ferdinand enjoyed most, and the strong aroma took me back.

Though I can’t imagine these chambers were this full of chatter when Ferdinand was the High Priest...

“Lady Rozemyne,” Nikolaus began, clenching his fists and pressing them against his lap as if expecting to get yelled at. “You are...”

“Yes, Nikolaus?”

“You are my elder sister, correct?”

“Indeed. You are my paternal half-sibling.”

Cornelius tried to interrupt, saying my name in a very low voice, but I chose to ignore him. I was only speaking the truth.

“I am the aub’s adopted daughter,” I continued. “I am forbidden from treating even Cornelius and Lamprecht, my full siblings, as brothers in public. Thus, I cannot show you any favoritism either. I imagine Cornelius would be none too pleased.”

Cornelius and Nikolaus both gave me looks of relief.

“I’m glad you understand,” Cornelius said.

“So you do think of me as family...” Nikolaus muttered at the same time. He had worried that, because we had never so much as spoken before and our mothers were on such bad terms, I was rejecting him completely. “I assumed you would not even tolerate my speaking to you, but I’m glad to hear that you don’t hate me.”

Nikolaus gave a shy smile while gazing down at me; he was taller than I was, despite being my younger brother. Getting along with him like this was actually kind of nice—but, as I smiled back, I noticed that Cornelius was giving me a very stern look.

Aah! That look speaks volumes! “Don’t be soft on him just because he’s younger than you”!

By using Schutzaria’s shield, we had already confirmed that Nikolaus didn’t mean us any harm. It seemed that Cornelius was still on guard against him, though.

“Lady Rozemyne, regarding our plans for later, I believe it would be best to check the rooms before going to the orphanage. I expect Lord Melchior’s attendants are more concerned about that matter than anything else.”

I turned my attention away from Nikolaus. There were a lot of decisions that could only be made after seeing the rooms, so of course that was a priority for attendants who desperately needed to make furniture arrangements.

“Then we shall do just that,” I said.

“Furthermore,” Hartmut continued, “I have successfully arranged for Frietack’s return. Please secure his attendants so that they are not taken by anyone else.”

“Thank you and well done. Splendid work as always.”

Hartmut’s negotiations with Sylvester had worked in our favor, which was great to hear. Frietack’s return would make our administrative work here in the temple a little easier. Even performing Spring Prayer was going to be difficult with so few blue priests.

After our meal, we immediately began touring the rooms. I stepped out into the hallway and pointed at the doors around the High Priest’s chambers.

“These rooms are used by blue priests from archnoble houses,” I said, then headed to one door in particular. “This is planned to be Melchior’s room. Under normal circumstances, it would be best to clear the High Priest’s chambers for him, but we require the space while we have so many people working here. Melchior will move into the High Bishop’s chambers once the handover is complete, while his most suitable retainer will take over as High Priest and use the High Priest’s chambers. In the meantime, however, I ask that you make do with what we can provide.”

“Right.”

We had chosen this room for Melchior because it was the largest one available, not including the High Bishop’s and High Priest’s chambers, and was in close proximity to plenty of empty rooms, which would be convenient for when his retainers slept here overnight.

Melchior’s attendants accepted my reasoning and started measuring the exact dimensions of the room. While the adults discussed the beds and the placement of the desk, among other things, the children gazed around curiously—it was rare to see a room that was completely empty.

“Now, let us proceed to the other rooms,” I said, leaving Zahm to look after Melchior’s attendants while I moved everyone else along. “Those for the girls are up this stairway by the front entrance. There are gendered spaces here, much like in the castle and the Royal Academy.”

The temple even had separate stairs for boys and girls. I’d never actually visited the blue shrine maidens’ rooms before now, since I’d moved straight from the orphanage director’s chambers to the High Bishop’s chambers and thus never had a reason to, but I wasn’t going to reveal that fact.

“Nikolaus,” I said a short while later as our tour continued elsewhere, “over here is where you are going to stay.” As an archnoble, he normally would have been given a room in the northernmost part of the temple, but guard knights who didn’t trust him were going to be frequenting the area around the High Bishop’s and High Priest’s chambers, as well as Melchior’s room. Thus, somewhere on the border between the archnobles and mednobles seemed best.

I continued, “Everyone else will take rooms to the south. The size of the room that you stay in will depend on the funding that you receive from your house. They should suffice, since you have not yet begun to attend the Royal Academy.”

Fran opened the door to a room that still contained the furniture from its previous blue priest occupant. It was ready to be used pretty much as soon as two or three attendants were chosen from the orphanage and a chef was hired.

One of the girls looked around and asked, “Can we bring furniture from our own rooms here?” It seemed that years had passed since this room was last occupied, so most of the furnishings were neglected and scratched. I didn’t see that as much of an issue, but these children who had been born and raised as nobles thought otherwise.

“You can,” I replied, “assuming that you have people who will move it for you. The aub will need to give his permission for any furniture that has been confiscated, but I can make such requests for you.”

The children cast their eyes down, likely because they didn’t know whether their furniture would be sent over. Had there been any adults willing to help them, the kids likely wouldn’t have been left in the playroom to begin with.

“After you enter the temple and don your blue robes,” I said, “you will awake each morning and eat in your rooms, then go to the orphanage to study. We have resources that cover the first few years of the Royal Academy’s written lessons, and my musician will teach you as well.”

From there, I mentioned that the pre-baptism children were working hard to be baptized as nobles. “To be honest, their position is far less stable than your own. They might not end up being treated as nobles, yet they are still doing their best in the orphanage. Some of them may even be your younger siblings.”

A few of the kids shot their heads up. Perhaps that had rung a bell.

“Now, let us go to the orphanage,” I said, already leading the way. “Seeing the pre-baptism children should help you to understand what life is like here. Plus, Melchior needs to select his temple attendants.”

“Lady Rozemyne,” one of the girls gingerly said, “might I also pick some attendants while we’re at the orphanage? If we are allowed to study here, I would rather live in the temple than the castle. My big brother told me that everyone studies together in the Royal Academy and receives good grades, which earns them praise from the professors and recipes for new sweets. I am sincerely looking forward to going there myself.”

Hearing about the collaborative atmosphere in the Royal Academy had inspired this girl to live in the temple with the other kids, it seemed.

“I feel the same,” Nikolaus said, “though having time to train for knighthood would make this even better...”

“You are sure to have opportunities to train with my guard knights while I am here, though I cannot guarantee anything aside from that...” I said. The gray priests hadn’t exactly trained to become apprentice guard knights, so trying to fit something like that into their daily schedule wouldn’t be easy. I contemplated how best to resolve this, conscious that I hadn’t really done that kind of training either.

Cornelius shook his head, wearing a look of thorough displeasure. “Nikolaus, shouldn’t you be staying in the castle? Trudeliede wouldn’t like you living here in the temple. She’d probably start complaining to Mother again.”

Nikolaus seemed troubled as he replied, “She bothers me as much as she does any of you.” Then, he turned to me for help.

“Cornelius,” I said, “as Father is too busy to take him in, Nikolaus should get to choose whether he lives in the castle or the temple. Schutzaria’s shield was able to alleviate your immediate suspicions, was it not?”

“I don’t know...” he muttered, averting his eyes in a show of annoyance. Even now that Nikolaus had proven he felt no malice toward us, everyone assured me he was dangerous. Still, I wanted to hear him out while we had this opportunity to speak face-to-face.

“I am not asking to take Nikolaus as a retainer,” I said. “My request is merely that he be allowed to choose where he lives. I realize that it may be hard to consider a noble child separately from his parents, but I think we are fine to treat Nikolaus as an individual with his own thoughts and intentions, at least while he is here in the temple.”

Yes, it was possible that Trudeliede would complain about her son’s move to the temple, but we could always silence her by saying that she was to blame for committing the crimes that had put him in this situation to begin with.

My firm appeal made Nikolaus loosen up a little, but Cornelius just rubbed his forehead. “Your mindset is admirable, but this is very likely to end with you taking him as a temporary retainer at the Royal Academy—much like your arrangement with Theodore.”

Oh... I didn’t think of that.

“You’re very smart, Cornelius,” I said. “The idea hadn’t even occurred to me.”

Cornelius clapped a hand over his mouth in shock, while Leonore gave him a few comforting pats on the shoulder.

After leaving the noble section of the temple, the orphanage came into sight. Fran and the others opened the door and guided us into the dining hall, where my attendants Wilma, Fritz, and Gil were all kneeling. Behind them were the gray priests and shrine maidens of the orphanage, also on their knees, and even farther back were the apprentices and pre-baptism children.

“Welcome back, Lady Rozemyne,” they said. “Lord Melchior, we have been awaiting your arrival.”

It seemed a lot busier here than usual. There were plenty more children around the same age as Dirk and Konrad—likely those sent here as a result of the purge—and more gray priests and shrine maidens because of the blue priests who had returned to their homes. Seeing them all made me realize the true scale of the purge.

“To think there are all these people in the orphanage...” Melchior murmured.

“There weren’t as many here before,” I replied in a quiet voice. “It just goes to show how many blue priests we lost. Not to mention, more children came this winter...” I stepped forward to address my attendants. “Wilma, Gil, Fritz—thank you for summoning everyone.”

As the person in charge of mobilizing the priests, Hartmut took over from there. He said that we were here to select attendants for Melchior and the children who would soon be joining the temple as blue priests, then looked their way with a dazzling smile.

“Select at least one former attendant with experience serving a blue priest,” he said. “Otherwise, you may choose from anyone who has been baptized. Those here at the orphanage are well trained and quick to learn new duties. You may even select those of your age to be your apprentice attendants.”

Melchior looked at the crowd of gray robes, his eyes brimming with curiosity.

Hartmut continued, “Lord Melchior, you may pick five. Everybody else, pick three, including someone who can help to cook your meals. We will start by gathering together those who already have experience serving as an attendant. Gil, Fritz.”

Gil and Fritz did as instructed, after which Hartmut began handpicking the most ideal candidates from among the gray priests and shrine maidens. Using his perspective as a noble, he divided all those with attendant experience into two groups, left and right, then told the former to stand down.

“Those still standing before you have worked assiduously here in the orphanage, never showing even a trace of dissatisfaction about having lost their place beside a blue priest,” Hartmut explained. “They have sharp eyes and always consider the needs of others. I am sure they will serve even a young lord with great diligence.”

Some of the gray priests and shrine maidens had apparently complained about needing to work in the orphanage again and taken their frustration out on others. I was surprised to hear that.

“I never realized just how much Hartmut knows about the orphanage,” I muttered.

Philine overheard me and giggled. “He visited more than anyone and remained in close contact with your attendants. Dirk and Konrad really admire him, and he uses their youthful perspectives to gather information. It seems they state their opinions without any reservations.”

Damuel added in a whisper, “Hartmut’s good relationship with the gray priests and shrine maidens might seem innocent enough, but you should remember that he views them all in terms of how they would perform as your attendants, Lady Rozemyne. His grading is very harsh.”

Roderick nodded, then said that Hartmut was just as harsh when grading his fellow retainers. It seemed that his excellence made others fearful at times like this.

Nikolaus carefully listened to Hartmut while waiting for Melchior to make his first choice. Meanwhile, the gray priests and shrine maidens without attendant experience waited in place, motionless, surprised and scared about Hartmut’s ruthless selection process.

“Wilma, summon the pre-baptism children,” I instructed.

At once, the children too young to be taken as attendants were lined up. As well as Dirk and Konrad, there were the new faces who had joined this winter. I watched out of the corner of my eye as Philine and Konrad met one another’s gaze, and then—

“Brother!”

One of the children had cried out in surprise, and following the boy’s eyes led me straight to Laurenz. “Is that your younger brother, Laurenz?” I asked.

“Yes, my lady. We only share a father, but my mother planned to take him in for his baptism, since his own mother passed away.” Seeing the warm smile on Laurenz’s face as he looked at the boy—Bertram—reminded me that he had welcomed the orphanage arrangement for saving his younger brother.

“Once we are done here, you may speak with him at your leisure,” I said.

Next, I asked the children how their studies were going and whether anything troubling had happened over the winter. They responded in slightly quavering voices that they were getting better at karuta and playing cards. As it turned out, some were even managing to beat Dirk and Konrad, who had utterly trounced them at the start.

“They have been very dedicated to their harspiel practice as well,” Wilma said. “I am their only music tutor at the moment, but once you properly return to the temple, they will also have Rosina to guide them.”

She went on to tell me what practice she was doing with the especially skilled children. I was pleased to hear that even those who had initially struggled with the temple’s lifestyle had managed to adapt.

“Dirk and Konrad served as fine examples for the other children and offered help to those who needed it,” Wilma added.

“I see. Dirk, Konrad, thank you both.” I praised their efforts, then promised to give them parue cakes later. We had some left over from our tea party.

“Do share with Delia and Lily as well,” Wilma said to me. “They have been doing more to look after all these new children than anyone else.”

I turned to look at the two girls, who were standing farther back. Neither of them could be chosen as attendants—Delia because she was forbidden from leaving the orphanage and Lily because her child had yet to be baptized.

“I am grateful to you both as well,” I said. “Please enjoy the parue cakes with Dirk and Konrad.”

“We are honored.”

After hearing how things had gone over the winter, I addressed the gathered children. “I come bearing some good news. Five of you are going to be returned to your parents, at their request, and they will come to pick you up soon.”

I called out the names of the five children, and their faces lit up with glee. All the other kids immediately deflated, crestfallen.

“That is not all,” I said. “The aub has a message for those of you who remain: he will meet each of you in the autumn and decide then whether you are to be treated as nobles. Those who receive his approval will be baptized in the winter. This is not how you hoped things would go, I am sure, but please work hard so that you may become nobles.”

“Understood!” exclaimed Laurenz’s little brother, Bertram, unmistakably determined. I could guess from his height and speech that he was close to his baptism ceremony, and the look in his eyes made it clear that he was resolved to live as a noble.

The other kids raised their heads as well, seemingly inspired.

“That is all from me,” I concluded. “Perhaps you could show me the fruits of your studies while Melchior and the others are picking their attendants. Laurenz, Philine, you may speak with your little brothers.”

I took my retainers to the corner with books, toys, and instruments while Laurenz and Philine went to their siblings. Matthias and the others who were visiting the orphanage and temple for the first time widened their eyes at the lined-up harspiels.

“There are this many harspiels in the orphanage?” Matthias asked.

“We retrieved them from the children’s various estates so that they could practice before their debuts,” I replied. “This is my first time seeing them all together as well.”

There were ten small harspiels lined up on a tall shelf, which made the corner feel a lot like the music room of an elementary school. They were probably being kept just out of reach so that the little children wouldn’t mess with them.

“The harspiels aren’t the only surprise,” he continued. “Although there aren’t any textbooks on them, the bookshelves here look the same as the ones in the Royal Academy.”

“Those textbooks are important, but yes—these shelves are impressive, are they not? You might also notice the book of commoner stories that we made when testing the printing press.”

The stories from around Groschel that Lutz and Gil had compiled into a book had a very unique appeal compared to those sold to nobles. And since the book wasn’t for sale, most nobles couldn’t read them.

“Do give it a look if you’re curious,” I said. “You might find it entertaining to glimpse what life is like for the commoners.”

In the blink of an eye, Muriella poked her head out from behind Matthias. “As I will be participating in the printing industry henceforth, I shall take you up on that offer, Lady Rozemyne.” Then, her green eyes sparkling in wonderment, she fluttered over to the bookshelf. She was an avid lover of romance stories, so I had to wonder if she would take to tales from the lower city.

If nobles actually do like commoner stories, that should dramatically expand the kinds of books I can print. Fingers crossed.

As my mind wandered, I took in the melody of the children strumming their harspiels and watched some of the others read.

After playing a few more notes, one of the girls playing harspiel stopped and gazed somberly at the children selecting their attendants. “Why is my big brother not joining us in the orphanage?” she asked, almost certainly referring to the boy who wasn’t Nikolaus.

“He has already been baptized as a noble, meaning that simply isn’t an option for him,” I explained. “That said, he will be staying in the temple as an apprentice blue priest. When you next get a chance, be sure to tell him all about your studies and how your life has been here.”

“Oh...”

I understood why she wanted them to live together as siblings, but there was a stark difference between those who were baptized as nobles and children yet to be baptized at all. They could come together to study in the orphanage, but that was about it; the orphans were forbidden from going to the noble section of the temple.

It would have been easy to make an exception for siblings, but more and more nobles were going to be visiting the temple for things like meetings with merchants and the divine protections ceremony. Letting the children roam freely would be much too dangerous. As the unbaptized children of criminals, their position was as weak as my own back during my days as a commoner shrine maiden; we couldn’t predict what kinds of complaints the nobles might come up with to punish them. Thus, while living with one’s family in the temple sounded easy enough, the reality was far more complicated.

“You will get to spend time with your elder brother when everyone comes to the orphanage to study,” I assured the girl. “If you work hard and are baptized as a noble, you will be able to live with him in the noble section of the temple. Please work your hardest with that in mind.”

“Right.”

I smiled at the girl, who now had a goal to work toward... but I was actually feeling a little blue. If working hard was all that was necessary for me to spend time with my family, I wouldn’t have any qualms about pouring my blood, sweat, and tears into whatever I needed to do.

As I wistfully longed for a chance to at least see my family, I overheard someone say, “I don’t believe working hard in the temple will help me as a noble.” I looked up and saw Laurenz trying to hush his younger brother.

“C’mon, Bertram!”

“Am I not right?” the boy asked. “Getting on my hands and knees to clean, drawing water from the well, putting on my own clothes, making my own bed, digging through snow in the forest in search of things to eat... None of these are things a noble should be doing.”

“Is that really what you’ve been put through...?” Laurenz muttered, giving his little brother and the other children a look of pity. Perhaps it all seemed wretched to nobles used to having attendants and being waited on hand and foot, but a simple change of perspective was enough to realize that one gained a lot of experience from living in the orphanage.

“It certainly is a struggle having to go without the help of attendants and embrace the self-sufficiency of the orphanage,” I said. “To be honest with you, were I to attempt it, I simply would not survive.”

My retainers, who knew of my poor health, all nodded in agreement. This was far from something to brag about, but I was the prime example of a person who couldn’t live without help. Yet, even then, my experiences in the lower city had been of so much use to me in noble society.

“That said,” I continued, “there are ways for your experiences in the orphanage to benefit you as a noble. You must find them for yourself, though.”

“What?” Bertram asked, blinking in surprise. He must not have expected anyone to disagree with him.

I smiled. “Merchants with my favor pay visits to the workshop, do they not? That gives you plenty of chances to see what products are being made, which are being sold, make connections with those merchants, and convey their words to nobles in a way that will serve both parties. If you pay close enough attention, you will realize that this place is a wellspring of valuable knowledge. Learn as much as you can from the merchants.”

I already knew from Benno and the others that the merchants wanted more connections to nobles with whom they could speak properly. Things were much too unstable while I was filling that role alone, and any noble looking to improve the situation would surely have their every question answered in return.

Well, the merchants might frown a little, like when I asked them questions, but I can’t imagine Benno will start grinding his fist against any of their heads. Yeah.

“Those who can learn to cooperate with merchants will secure themselves a very firm place in the Ehrenfest of tomorrow,” I declared. “Such a skill is in tremendously high demand among our scholars.”

The girl who had resolved to enter the temple as a blue shrine maiden shot us a very curious look. She probably wanted to be a scholar when she grew up.

“Furthermore,” I said, “you will receive more opportunities to visit the forest once it gets warmer outside, will you not? Summer is also when merchants from other duchies will start visiting Ehrenfest. On your way to the forest, there may be times when you overhear what those merchants desire or what they are dissatisfied with. Perhaps you might receive such information from the commoners who accompany you to the lower city. There are countless ways to make your current situation benefit your future as a noble.”

In response to my assertion, most of the surprise came not from the children but from our noble retainers. If the kids raised in this orphanage used their experience well, they could become fairly talented scholars.

“Also... Ah, yes. Would you like me to show you a secret technique that came from my temple upbringing—one that regular nobles cannot use? Perhaps seeing it will inspire you to broaden your horizons.”

I got up to demonstrate, and a familiar voice asked me what I was about to do. I turned just in time to see Hartmut, his eyes positively sparkling from where he was standing right beside me.

Wha...? How long have you been there? Weren’t you helping Melchior and the others to pick attendants...?

I was taken aback, but then I saw Melchior coming over as well, looking curious. It seemed safe to assume that the selection process had just concluded.

Well, whatever...

There was no point in thinking too hard about Hartmut’s shenanigans. I asked the children to step back for safety’s sake, then took out my highbeast feystone while looking at the well-cleaned, well-polished white floor.

“This is my highbeast feystone,” I announced. “As you are the children of nobles, can I assume you have all seen highbeasts and know that these stones can freely change shape?”

Bertram nodded, though he appeared a little on guard.

“Observe,” I said, then expanded the feystone into a balloon, much like I had once done with Ferdinand. My control over my mana was now good enough that I could pop it without firing shards all over the place, so that was what I did. The feystone broke apart into chunks, which dropped to the floor like puzzle pieces.

“Your highbeast feystone!”

“How will we get back to the castle now?!”

Paying no attention to the children’s surprise, I gathered together the scattered pieces, channeled my mana into them, and chanted, “Ball up! Ball up!” Then, with my chest puffed out, I presented the feystone to everyone in its original, spherical glory.

“What? It’s... back to normal?”

“That can’t be...”

As the nobles cried out in shock—similarly to how Ferdinand had called my little stunt unnatural—I smiled at Bertram. “Dried-out clay will merely crumble apart in your hands if you try to roll it all together, but add water and it becomes soft and malleable. In a similar sense, it becomes possible to re-form a feystone if you channel mana into it and squeeze the pieces together.”

“But... softening a shattered feystone shouldn’t be possible...”

The nobles stared at my re-formed feystone as though they couldn’t believe their eyes. But, well, we didn’t have the same common sense; what was impossible to them was possible to me.

“The important part is to visualize moving the mana,” I said. “Do not limit yourself to what you think is possible. Anything that you do here might prove useful one day, be it touching the earth, putting on your clothes, or cleaning the floor. How you capitalize on these experiences is up to you.”

My retainers must have remembered my claim that experience made it easier to visualize the mana compression process; they began looking around the orphanage as if searching for hints.

“Seems you’re gonna have more fun here than you would living as a regular noble,” Laurenz said, patting his little brother on the back. “Good luck, Bertram.”

Bertram responded only with a nod. Although he didn’t seem entirely convinced, I at least got the feeling that he would make his every experience here useful in one way or another.

“Rozemyne, I want to have lots of experiences too,” Melchior said, a glint in his indigo eyes. “I want to have loads of talents like you. It’s so amazing how you can do things that nobody else can.”

I smiled at him. “Most other nobles are lacking experience in the temple, so you may use your time here to the fullest.” Going to the temple meant traveling through farming towns for ceremonies, so he was sure to have many interesting experiences.

“Right!”

Melchior’s enthusiasm despite being a member of the archducal family seemed to make the other children more optimistic about their new life in the temple and their upcoming experiences. But as I was enjoying the satisfaction of having raised their spirits, Damuel leaned over and whispered in my ear.

“Lady Rozemyne, I struggle to see why that display cheered them up. They won’t be able to re-form feystones without having an enormous mana capacity.”

“Damuel! Shh!”

The children had selected their attendants and would be accepted as apprentice blue-robes after Spring Prayer. In the meantime, their attendants discussed setting up rooms for whomever they were serving. Talk of chefs and food would need to wait until after a meeting with Benno and Freida.

Hartmut, the High Priest, looked across the newly chosen attendants. “All of you will be making preparations for your new lord or lady. I will provide instructions for their education as blues at a later date. They will start visiting the orphanage after Spring Prayer and under Lord Melchior’s leadership, though worry not—my own frequent visits have already paved the way for you.”

He seems kind of proud about that last part, but blue priests aren’t really supposed to visit the orphanage so often.

I had always been hoping for the culture in the orphanage and among the blue priests to change, and it seemed to be happening faster than I ever thought. Back when I’d first started going to the orphanage as an apprentice blue shrine maiden, I was pretty sure it hadn’t been a place where an archduke candidate could show up at will. Still, Melchior’s retainers seemed to have an entirely different view of the temple now—and, as I hoped that these positive changes would continue, Hartmut began his last farewell.

“Let us offer our prayers to the mighty King and Queen of the endless skies, the mighty Eternal Five who rule the mortal realm, Flutrane the Goddess of Water, Leidenschaft the God of Fire, Schutzaria the Goddess of Wind, Geduldh the Goddess of Earth, Ewigeliebe the God of Life, and finally Lady Rozemyne, the Saint of Ehrenfest.”

“Praise be to the gods!”

The gray priests and shrine maidens shot their arms and right leg up in prayer. Even the children who had only entered the temple this winter performed the gesture without the slightest hesitation. Meanwhile, those who were completely new to the temple—Matthias, Laurenz, Melchior’s retainers, and the children of the playroom—looked slightly repulsed.

Wait, what was that last part?

Hartmut had delivered the prayer so naturally that I’d paid the words no mind, but now that I thought about it... had he included my name among those of the gods? I was overcome with the sudden urge to shout, “What’s the meaning of this?!” and interrogate him... but we were in full view of so many people.

In the end, I took my leave without a word of protest—though there was nothing I could do to keep my forced smile from twitching.