Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.5 - Chapter 7

Consultation

The archive was too public for whatever Eglantine wished to discuss, so I was invited to have tea at her villa. It must have been urgent, because she wanted us to meet tomorrow morning. The only thing on my schedule right now was my translation work, and this was an invitation from Eglantine; any time would do.

“What exactly do you intend to discuss with Rozemyne?” Anastasius demanded.

“That is...” Eglantine paused. “I will inform you after our discussion.”

“That makes it sound as if you don’t intend to allow me to join.” His voice was low and tinged with anger, but not even he could sway his wife; she simply returned a firm glare and replied without hesitation.

“It is Lady Rozemyne whom I wish to speak to. Do sit tomorrow out.”

“I refuse. Things always get out of hand when Rozemyne is involved. I must be fully aware of the situation at all times, which is why I cannot leave you two alone.”

Eglantine and Anastasius’s battle continued. Personally, I didn’t care whether he attended, but I hoped that he would at least spare me from any dirty looks if this quarrel ended in his defeat.

I’m more concerned that Lady Eglantine looks so unwell...

It seemed to me that Anastasius should care for his sickly wife rather than argue with her, but he was dead set on joining our tea party. In any case, my involvement would only complicate matters further, so I decided to take my leave and return to translating.

Prince Anastasius’s profound jealousy always proves troublesome. Into the archive I go.

I quickly disengaged from their lovers’ quarrel, but Ottilie was less accustomed to dealing with royalty and struggled to follow my example. She caught me on my way to the door and whispered to me, “Lady Rozemyne, what will your schedule be for tomorrow? We did not anticipate that you would attend such a tea party during the Archduke Conference, so preparations will need to be made and the aub will need to be informed.”

From outfits to gifts, there was plenty that needed to be considered when meeting with royalty. My plans were up in the air until a winner was decided, and that meant my attendants couldn’t yet do their job. Not to mention, we were completely unprepared for such an event; I had been told to stay hidden during the Archduke Conference, which obviously meant no tea parties. Ottilie’s head was presumably spinning.

“Who can say?” I replied, then looked at Eglantine and Anastasius with a troubled hand on my cheek. “We will need to wait until a decision has been made.”

Magdalena set down her teacup, rose from her seat, and elegantly approached the quarreling couple. Then, with an exaggerated sigh, she said, “Prince Anastasius, Lady Eglantine, this is unsightly.”

“Lady Magdalena...”

She was getting right in their faces, and it made me respect her from the bottom of my heart. I could never have done something so bold—and the same must have been true for Hannelore, who was simply watching from a comfortable distance.

“Prince Anastasius,” Magdalena continued, her exasperation clear, “do you not know why Geduldh the Goddess of Earth chose to avoid Ewigeliebe the God of Life, and sought the protection of those around her? Perhaps you should reenroll at the Royal Academy and repeat your studies of the divine.”

Anastasius twitched. His dour expression was exactly how I imagined the God of Life had looked when he was first rejected by the Goddess of Earth.

“There are some things that a woman might only wish to discuss with other women,” Magdalena explained. “Lady Eglantine has the magnanimity to hear your will at most times; she must have an especially good reason to refuse you now. Is it not the duty of a husband to understand such things and act accordingly? If you continue to bind her so tightly, as the God of Life did to the Goddess of Earth, then you will only earn her ire.”

Then, after threatening Anastasius into silence, she turned her red eyes upon Eglantine. “As for you, Lady Eglantine, I would advise that you take more time to think before you speak. You know a perfect reason for excluding Prince Anastasius, do you not? If you do not conclude such debates before speaking with Lady Rozemyne, then your husband will end up directing his dissatisfaction at her.”

Eglantine looked up with a start, then shot Anastasius and me concerned glances.

Magdalena’s eyes softened as she continued, “Sudden invitations from the royal family trouble not only those who receive them but their retainers and duchy as well. The burden is heavy indeed. Although we can attribute some of this to your apparent poor health, I must say that you were rather inconsiderate.”

“It would seem that I allowed my composure to slip... My apologies for my lack of thought,” Eglantine said to Magdalena and me. “Lady Rozemyne, I must apologize to you twice over. Although I do wish to speak with you at once, our discussion will have to wait.”

Eglantine had it rough; she couldn’t even host a tea party without first needing to placate her husband. I replied that she need not worry about me, thanked Magdalena for having resolved the issue, then finally made for the archive. As I went, I caught a glimpse of Ottilie’s relief at the tea party having been delayed.

I continued my translation work until Sylvester arrived to get me; then the two of us headed back to the dormitory. On the way there, I informed him of Eglantine’s plan to invite me to a tea party. The news must have come as a surprise, because he immediately recoiled.

“Why are you getting invited over me, the aub?” he asked, stung. “Can she not just tell you whatever’s on her mind at the library? If we send you to that royal villa, I expect you’re going to cause all kinds of trouble. Tell her that I want to be there too.”

“Lady Eglantine has yet to tell me what she wishes to discuss, but I imagine it has something to do with religious matters. She asked me about the temple once before.”

Sylvester stared down at me, unconvinced. “So she wants to consult you, huh...? You may be their best bet, seeing as the royal family and the Sovereign temple are on such bad terms, but... I don’t feel good about this.”

“Prince Anastasius said that he wanted to join us for the same reason. Lady Eglantine refused, though, and we haven’t yet agreed on a date.”

“Doesn’t seem like there’s much chance of me getting in, then. I assume Lady Eglantine’s more trustworthy, at least?” He sighed, his expression betraying his suffering.

“I’ll inform you when the details have been settled. Nothing’s been decided yet, after all.”

“Right. Don’t forget.”

In the end, Anastasius finally conceded; as he saw it, missing the tea party was better than having his wife resent him. An ordonnanz arrived for me not long after my return to the dormitory and announced that I was to meet Eglantine in two days’ time. Until then, I would continue my translation work as normal. It seemed that I wouldn’t have time to go shrine hunting.

That’s a shame, but our preliminary investigation is just as important, I thought. There was no point hurrying out to visit the shrines when I didn’t even know their exact locations yet.

“Angelica, Damuel, how did you spend the day?” I asked after dinner. They couldn’t enter the underground archive and were, to my knowledge, keeping watch outside the library.

“I monitored the library’s outer corridor,” Angelica replied, immediately confirming my assumption.

Damuel nodded. “Cornelius and Leonore told us to remain vigilant, as Lady Detlinde could visit again.”

I paused in thought. “Could one of you use this map to investigate the locations of the shrines? As I understand it, they can be found at regular intervals around the central building, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find them once we have a general idea of where they are. You may take turns.”

I showed them the map in question, and they readily agreed. Guarding the same place day in, day out was exhausting in its own right, so they would take turns hunting for the shrines and swap at noon.

“What do you intend to do once the shrines have been found, Lady Rozemyne?” Clarissa suddenly asked. She was supposed to be working with the other scholars in preparation for tomorrow, so I was surprised to see her wriggle into our conversation. Still, I offered my response with a smile.

“I intend to clean them. They house the gods, and it certainly wouldn’t do to leave them so filthy. I cleaned the shrine we found the other day, and might I add that your magic circle for enhancing wide-area magic was of great assistance. I would appreciate having some for the other shrines as well, but—”

“Consider it done. I am honored that you found my research useful, Lady Rozemyne! But might I ask how you used the circle, exactly?” She had yet to piece together that I’d paired it with my waschen, but Damuel explained on my behalf.

“I see...” Clarissa murmured. “My research was used to perform a large-scale spell. To think I was unable to witness it with my own eyes... Oh, what vibrant colors the droplets must have shone as Lady Rozemyne brought life back to the shrine...” Her eyes were wet with sorrowful tears.

“Lady Hannelore was there with us,” I said, “so I expect that everything we have discussed is already known to Dunkelfelger. However, as this all occurred while we were assisting the royal family, I must ask that you keep it to yourself. That goes for you as well, Hartmut; I can tell that you are eavesdropping.”

“Understood.”

As we continued our discussion, Ottilie and Lieseleta were busily preparing for the royal meeting. They were finding it a struggle, since Rihyarda and Brunhilde had taken care of such dealings in the past, but at least Rihyarda was still around as Sylvester’s attendant; we would need to request her assistance with the clothes, gifts, and so on.

“Lady Rozemyne, to think that every day is like this when you are at the Royal Academy...” Ottilie said with a wry smile, having never done business with the royal family before. “That explains why Gretia is unusually well trained despite being so new to your retinue.”

“Lady Rozemyne, I thank you ever so much for coming.”

After our greetings, Eglantine took a demonstrative sip of tea and then bit into one of the provided sweets. It really felt strange to be alone with her, without Anastasius breathing down our necks.

“I am glad to see that your health has improved,” I said. “It really did concern me when I saw how pale you had gotten after visiting the shrine.”

“I am sorry to have worried you. I simply used too much mana and needed time to recover.”

“Did you clean the shrine as well, Lady Eglantine?” I was unsure how else she might have used so much mana.

At once, Eglantine’s bright orange eyes widened, then she giggled. “There was no need; it was still positively sparkling from your own visit.”

Eglantine and Anastasius shared a villa now that they were married, but it was still only the two of us here—Anastasius had gone to the underground archive to work, while Eglantine had asked everybody else to leave the room. Still, she proffered to me a sound-blocking magic tool.

“I never expected you to be so firm with Prince Anastasius,” I remarked, sipping my tea.

She smiled. “I should find it easier to involve him after we have had our discussion.”

“And what is it that you wish to discuss? I will assist you however I can.”

“As you know, I went to check the shrine before I asked you to meet with me,” Eglantine said, watching me closely. She went on to explain that she had touched the door, felt it suck out some of her mana, and then suddenly appeared inside the shrine.

That’s basically what happened to me.

Well, except for the mana part. Eglantine had said that she felt some get sucked out from her schtappe, but that hadn’t been the case for me.

Unless... Did it take so little that I just didn’t notice?

I was covered in feystone charms at all times, so mana was always being sucked out of me. One could say that I was largely numb to the sensation; only when I lost a significant amount of mana did I actually notice it.

Eglantine continued, “The shrine was dedicated to the God of Fire and his subordinates. As I gazed up at the statue of Leidenschaft, I was struck with the compulsion to pray. So, I performed a dedication whirl.”

Hmm... I prayed to grow up.

As it turned out, one’s reaction to appearing before the gods depended on the individual. The idea of whirling hadn’t even occurred to me. Perhaps dedication whirls were ingrained in Eglantine’s mind as what one did to offer prayers to the gods.

“My mana was sucked out on its own, entirely as though I were wearing feystones atop the auditorium’s stage,” Eglantine said, “but I thought nothing of it and continued to whirl. As I offered more mana, a blue feystone began to form in Leidenschaft’s hands.”

Oh? Leidenschaft already had a blue slate when I entered. I guess I never saw it as a feystone, because I noticed the shining text on it from the very beginning. It must depend on how much mana one offers beforehand.

I remembered the blue slate feeling like a combination of the mana I’d previously offered and a Divine Will, so I was probably on the right track.

“My whirling drained almost all of my mana, so I used one of the rejuvenation potions I keep on my hip. They are not as effective as the ones you distributed, Lady Rozemyne, but they are still quite powerful.”

Eglantine had used a royal rejuvenation potion to recover her mana. Then, she informed me, she had once again felt compelled to pray.

“Come again?” I asked. “You prayed immediately after your mana recovered...?”

“Indeed. I felt the need to.”

In the end, Eglantine had made one offering after another until she had used up every single one of her rejuvenation potions.

“By the time I was finished,” she said, “the blue feystone had grown to be rather large. Still, the text on it informed me that I needed to pray even more.”

Just how much mana do you intend to squeeze out of her, O mighty Leidenschaft?!

“Exhausted of mana, I was expelled from the shrine. It seemed to me as though I had spent an eternity inside, but I returned to find that no time had passed at all. Nobody else seemed to have entered the shrine either.”

Eglantine had deduced that Anastasius hadn’t been inside because he had apparently touched the door and said, “So it really is locked.” As for Magdalena, she hadn’t reacted in the slightest.

“So, Lady Rozemyne, is that shrine not a place for Zent candidates to offer their prayers?” Eglantine asked. “The underground archive contains a record about a past Zent, describing how they would continuously circle the Royal Academy and pray. I cannot help but wonder what happens when one has prayed enough and the blue feystone is complete.”

“I am just as curious,” I replied. There being a Zent candidate in the royal family meant that it was in my best interests to feign ignorance and remain as detached from the matter as I could. Being foolishly honest and admitting that I was already in possession of one blue slate would do more to antagonize the royals than anything Detlinde had managed so far.

“You would say that despite having entered the shrine yourself, Lady Rozemyne?”

“Pray tell, what makes you think I did...?”

“You have prayed more than most and obtained enough divine protections, I would think. You also showed not a hint of surprise at the tale I just told you.”

Uh-oh. She was right. My focus had immediately turned to comparing our experiences, so it hadn’t even occurred to me to feign surprise. I’d merely listened with a poker face.

“Oh, but I was surprised. So surprised that I found myself unable to speak. And, speaking of surprises, I was especially stunned when you whirled atop the auditorium’s stage wearing feystones,” I said, changing the topic of our conversation. “Was that the royal family’s attempt to make the circle shine?”

Eglantine smiled. “Quite so. You and Lord Ferdinand said that it was for selecting Zent candidates, correct? After the graduating students repeated the divine protections ritual, so, too, did the royal family. We also attempted to activate the circle.”

Those of the royal family had adorned themselves with feystones and whirled while expending mana; Detlinde had managed to trigger the magic circle, so they were confident that they would succeed as well. In the process, Trauerqual, Sigiswald, Anastasius, and Eglantine had caused the circle to light up.

“Prince Sigiswald, Anastasius, and the Zent all became omni-elemental through their newly obtained divine protections,” Eglantine informed me, “yet I was the only one drawn into the shrine. It makes no sense; what differs between Anastasius and me?”

“Your schtappes,” I replied.

“Oh?” She blinked at me in surprise.

“Have you not yet heard from Lady Magdalena? A slate I translated at the end of yesterday explained how to use the large and small shrines.”

The smaller shrines were dedicated to the subordinate gods, and praying at them would create feystones like the one Eglantine had described. Obtaining those feystones would strengthen one’s elements. Performing the divine protections ritual after obtaining feystones from all of the subordinates would secure the divine protection of the primary gods as well, so the past Zent had prayed almost nonstop while attending the Royal Academy.

“You can only obtain a schtappe once, correct?” I asked. “That is why the Zent who wrote the slate was desperate to obtain the protection of each primary god before he graduated. Zent candidates must acquire their schtappes in the Garden of Beginnings. As you were omni-elemental from the start, Lady Eglantine, I expect that was where you obtained yours?”

“This is my first time hearing the name, but yes, it would serve as an apt description of where I obtained my schtappe. It was a strange place with a white tree,” she said, in a bit of a daze. Then her shoulders slumped. “But does that not mean Prince Sigiswald cannot become a Zent candidate? He did not have every element when he obtained his schtappe...”

Anastasius hadn’t been sucked into the shrine after becoming omni-elemental through the ritual, so I doubted that Sigiswald would either.

“It might be possible for Prince Hildebrand,” I noted. “If we return to the old custom of students obtaining their schtappes immediately before their graduation, have him pray at the small shrines to increase his elements, and ensure that he obtains divine protections from all of the primary gods during his ritual, then he should also become a Zent candidate.”

He had already proven his determination—compressing mana at his young age was no easy feat—so he would probably manage somehow. It would also benefit Eglantine; if she didn’t want to stand at the forefront, then Hildebrand could simply work hard in her stead. It was bound to be possible now that we knew how to obtain the protections of the primary gods.

The problem would be whether the current Zent can last until Prince Hildebrand comes of age.

I thought it was good that the royal family had another potential Zent candidate, but Eglantine’s face clouded over. “Lady Rozemyne, it has already been announced that Prince Sigiswald will next take the throne. If either Prince Hildebrand or I become a Zent candidate, Yurgenschmidt will face war once again.”

The Sovereignty was already in the process of establishing Sigiswald as the next king—he had managed to trigger the magic circle, then his Starbind Ceremony had received a blessing on a level never seen before. Giving the position to Hildebrand or Eglantine was no longer an option; doing so would cause far too much chaos.

“I understand your desire not to bring about any further conflict,” I said, “but is the absence of a Grutrissheit not the most pressing issue facing Yurgenschmidt right now? Should its return not be prioritized so that the border gates can finally be reopened and duchy borders redrawn? Plus, although there might be trouble if you or Hildebrand obtain the Grutrissheit, either outcome is still much better than it going to someone outside of the royal family.”

“That is true, but...”

After marrying Anastasius, Eglantine was now royalty as well, but she was still reluctant to acquire the Grutrissheit. I couldn’t blame her; losing so many family members to assassination during the previous conflict must have been traumatizing.

Mm... Maybe it really would be best for me to obtain the Grutrissheit myself, then give it to Prince Sigiswald on the condition that he return Ferdinand to Ehrenfest...

Eglantine was mentally cornered; she couldn’t discuss this matter with Anastasius, since he hadn’t been accepted into the shrine.

I considered my options, though I did not voice them. It seemed likely that I was closer to obtaining the Grutrissheit than anyone, simply because of how much I had prayed since enrolling at the Royal Academy. The blue slate had already been whole by the time I entered the shrine, and it seemed reasonable to assume that I could obtain the others without much of a struggle.

However... Ferdinand told me that the Grutrissheit was in the forbidden archive, which only royalty could enter.

There were still plenty of documents in the underground archive that I’d yet to read; it was entirely possible that some unknown factor would stop me from becoming the Zent, even after obtaining slates from all of the primary gods’ shrines. For that reason, it was best not to give them any strange ideas.

Not to mention...

The royal family obviously wouldn’t overlook a Zent candidate who seemed capable of obtaining the Grutrissheit through the shrines. If they were set on Sigiswald taking the throne, then they would probably make me marry him. Worst-case scenario, they’d simply kill me and take the Grutrissheit by force. It was best to remain silent; I didn’t want to leave Ehrenfest, where my family was.

I put on a noble smile and said, “Perhaps further research in the underground archive will reveal what must be done to get Prince Sigiswald a Grutrissheit.” Of course, I didn’t believe that in the slightest; it was little more than nice-sounding nonsense.

Eglantine gave me a searching look, then cast her eyes down. “I thank you ever so much for lending me your ear, Lady Rozemyne.”

I took my leave and returned to the dormitory—whereupon I received some exciting news from Damuel and Angelica. They had found all of the primary gods’ shrines marked on the map I’d given them.