Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.6 - Chapter 11

The Leisegang Elders

Despite enthusiastically bursting out of Charlotte’s room, I couldn’t keep up with Wilfried on foot. I got into my highbeast, and together we headed to the main building.

“Come on, Rozemyne,” he said from ahead of me.

As I was trying to match his pace, I suddenly noticed something strange—his retainers weren’t in their usual positions. Lamprecht had always stayed right beside his lord, but now he was nearer the back of the group. Meanwhile, Barthold was fairly close to Wilfried. Had the name-swearing earned him that much trust?

I contemplated the odd sight as we headed to the castle’s parlor; according to Hartmut, that was where we were going to find the Leisegangs. Upon our arrival, I saw that one of Florencia’s guard knights was stationed outside the room. I confirmed that the rumors of a disturbance were true, then asked that we be allowed inside. The knight responded with a look of concern—a gaggle of archduke candidates and their retainers requesting access to a private meeting was far from ideal—but went inside to check nonetheless.

“Everyone, what are you doing here?” Leberecht asked as he came out to meet us. He was Hartmut’s father, and was apparently attending the meeting as Florencia’s scholar.

Wilfried stepped forward without a moment’s hesitation. “The Leisegangs are here, aren’t they? Let us inside. We can’t have Mother negotiate on her own.”

“Please, Leberecht,” I added. “Their discussion is about me, is it not?”

He gave us a reluctant look, then returned to the meeting room to obtain his lady’s permission. We were allowed inside a mere moment later, whereupon we found Florencia, her retainers, and several Leisegang elders sitting down together. I’d encountered the elders during feasts and the like, but this was my first time seeing them in a private setting.

“Ooh, Lady Rozemyne?!” they exclaimed.

“Everyone, what are you doing here?” I asked.

“We are discussing a matter of the utmost importance to the future of our duchy. You are the shining hope of the Leisegangs, Lady Rozemyne; the very idea that you might be reduced to serving as the Sovereign High Bishop is preposterous! Just what is Aub Ehrenfest thinking?!”

The elders were being so flagrantly arrogant that their decision to suddenly force their way into the castle no longer surprised me.

Florencia sighed. “As I said to you, any matters concerning the future of our duchy must be discussed with Aub Ehrenfest. Please await his return so that you can speak with him directly.”

In other words: leave already.

The elders shook their heads. “We must ensure that you understand our position as well, Lady Florencia. Only the first wife can save an aub whose sight has been blinded by Verbergen—or are you also a slave to your love for your own children?” They sighed. “That side of him resembles Lady Veronica all too well.”

They were outright declaring that Sylvester was letting his judgment be clouded and that he needed to be set back on the right path. Of course, it was all just a veiled attempt to make me the next aub so that I wouldn’t be taken as the Sovereign High Bishop.

“I do not believe Verbergen is gracing the archducal family with his presence,” Florencia said.

The elders nodded with smiles. “In which case, you must understand that Lady Rozemyne cannot be allowed to leave Ehrenfest. If a royal decree requires an archduke candidate capable of performing religious ceremonies to be moved to the Sovereign temple, then we have others who can go in her place. It should only require a bit of... negotiation.”

They turned their smiles on Wilfried. As the grandson of a criminal who had committed a crime of his own, he was better suited to being sent to a temple. They were also indirectly referencing how he had gone to Leisegang wearing blue robes for Spring Prayer.

In response, Wilfried just pressed his lips together.

This must be how they mocked him when he went to Leisegang.

Seeing this exchange made me understand why Wilfried would get so depressed about people continuously dredging up a mistake he’d made as a young child. It also made me want to sigh at how the older generation continued to look down on the temple.

“Dear mother, please leave the room,” I said to Florencia. “It cannot be good for the baby to hear such hurtful words.”

“Indeed, Mother. Let us go,” Charlotte added. She moved to take Florencia by the hand, only to be refused with a peaceful smile.

“No, I shall stay here,” Florencia declared. “Your concerns warm my heart, but I cannot leave my children alone in an environment such as this.”

Together with Wilfried, I stood protectively in front of Florencia and faced down the Leisegang elders. “I find myself at a complete loss, as I cannot comprehend what brings you here,” I said to them. “There are no plans for me to be sent to the Sovereign temple. What has inspired such rumors?”

“We have our own information network, Lady Rozemyne, and everyone who attended the Archduke Conference corroborates our fear.”

Only a restricted number of nobles could attend the Archduke Conference in the first place, and the fact that my adoption hadn’t been leaked made the list of potential culprits even shorter. One thing in particular stood out to me, though: they were speaking as if they had concrete evidence that I was being made the Sovereign High Bishop.

“Royal decree or not,” the elders continued, “we are highly concerned about leaving Ehrenfest’s future in the hands of an aub who does not understand what his duchy needs and someone like Lord Wilfried, who makes promises that he cannot hope to keep. We want you to lead instead, Lady Rozemyne.”

Still, the elders were pushing for Wilfried to enter the Sovereign temple in my stead. Before they could say anything else, however, Bonifatius burst into the room.

“Rozemyne, are you safe?!”

“Ooh, Lord Bonifatius! Excellent timing!”

The elders looked at Bonifatius with bright eyes and asked for his assistance with keeping me in Ehrenfest. He frowned at them in response. I could tell that he wanted to cooperate with them—and he probably would have, were he not already aware of my new adoption.

In any case, it looks like it wasn’t Grandfather who lit a fire under them...

The elders then repeated that it was unreasonable to send me to the Sovereign temple, since I was better suited to becoming the next aub than any other archduke candidate. For obvious reasons, this took Bonifatius by surprise.

“There has been zero indication that Rozemyne is moving to the Sovereign temple,” he said. “Who told you otherwise?”

“All those who attended the Archduke Conference. Were you not aware?”

“I was not.”

As the elders exchanged worried glances, Wilfried stared at them all in exasperation. “There are no plans for Rozemyne to join the Sovereign temple. It seems to me that someone is trying to trick you all.”

Their expressions darkened; Wilfried was the last person they wanted to hear that from. Then they began mocking him with noble euphemisms.

Hold on... Maybe this is what happened during Spring Prayer. Wilfried must have accidentally taunted them.

Had the remark come from Bonifatius or me, the Leisegang elders wouldn’t have gotten so infuriated, but from Wilfried... It seemed that he was just as bad at reading the room as I was. The elders continued their tirade, even going so far as listing Veronica’s past sins, while Wilfried merely endured it.

Wilfried, I think you’re even less suited for socializing than I am...

“I can sympathize with your position,” I said to the elders, interjecting. “Nobody can deny that the Leisegangs have endured much hardship, or that Wilfried has been careless in the past.”

The elders gazed at me with hope in their eyes, while Wilfried simply looked wounded.

“However,” I continued, “I expect you made similar remarks to Wilfried when he visited Leisegang during Spring Prayer—to enrich both your land and Ehrenfest, might I add.”

“Lady Rozemyne...?”

“You accuse him of being naive, but I think you are being shortsighted,” I said with a smile, causing Wilfried and the elders to blink at me in surprise. “You believe I am being sent to the Sovereign temple, correct? Who do you think will perform Ehrenfest’s ceremonies once I am gone?”

I glanced at Wilfried, who grinned in response before turning to the elders. “After Rozemyne comes of age, Melchior will take over as the High Bishop. But if she leaves now, as you believe she might, my main pillar of support will vanish... making me the most suitable candidate for joining the temple.”

“Indeed,” I continued with a threatening smile. “And you were treated so poorly when you visited Leisegang for Spring Prayer. Nobody would blame you for assuming that the Leisegangs no longer wish to take part in religious ceremonies. One would think that, as the duchy’s breadbasket, they would recognize the importance of Spring Prayer... but apparently not.”

“Please be aware that Ehrenfest cannot function without Leisegang’s crops,” the elders countered. “If our harvest suffers, so, too, will the duchy.”

The Leisegangs were only able to be so cocky because their position as the duchy’s breadbasket more or less guaranteed them a permanent role as landowners. Depriving them of religious ceremonies would deal an enormous blow to that security.

My smile broadened. “Yes, that was true once. But you would do well to remember that religious ceremonies have greatly amplified the harvests of all provinces, even Haldenzel. Of late, Ehrenfest has also been actively trading with other duchies. Let it be known that importing goods is now far easier than it was before.”

In the past, Ehrenfest had seldom engaged with other duchies—but times were changing. Going forward, we would be able to import food in exchange for hair ornaments and paper. I made sure to stress that the Leisegangs’ influence could easily be whittled away as a result, and that such a decision could be made independently by the aub.

The elders paled; they had only ever known Ehrenfest as a backwater duchy that received no attention from anyone. “Lady Rozemyne,” they cried, “how could you say that as our radiant star of hope?! Do you mean to turn your back on your greatest support base?!”

“Turn my back on you? Goodness. I am Ehrenfest’s High Bishop and the archduke’s adopted daughter; it should be obvious that I would not want those who belittle religious ceremonies, berate my siblings, and disrespect the aub among my support base.” I placed a hand on my cheek. “Besides, how many times must I remind you that I do not wish to become the next aub?”

The elders gawked at me in disbelief. At last, they appeared to understand my intentions.

Bonifatius looked between the elders and me. “Rozemyne, don’t you think that’s going too far?” he asked, trying to smooth things over.

“Not at all, Grandfather. The Leisegangs wanted the aub to lower our duchy’s rank, did they not? They were willing to cast aside the fruits of my and everyone else’s hard work at the Royal Academy.” I mimicked Angelica’s classic sorrowful expression and said, “It was as if everyone had betrayed me.”

Bonifatius grunted, having attended that meeting as a Leisegang representative. “Still, not performing any ceremonies in Leisegang would be...”

“Fear not,” Wilfried interjected with a smile, slicing through the tense atmosphere of the room. He turned to the elders and said, “If you find yourselves at a loss, then you could just join the temple. It really is worth considering. By performing the rituals yourselves, you could ensure that your harvests remain as bountiful as you are used to. Your precious star of hope has been performing them for Ehrenfest’s sake, so consider this an opportunity to support her. Retired or not, you still have mana, so why would you not?”

Once again, he’s failed to read the room... But he isn’t wrong.

“Wilfried and Charlotte began religious ceremonies to cover for my absence,” I said, “and they continue to assist me even now. It may be wise to ask my support base to follow their example and perform religious ceremonies as well.”

The elders had retired and withdrawn from socializing. If they sympathized with my having to return from the Royal Academy alone for the Dedication Ritual, then their help would be greatly appreciated. Of course, they actually received the suggestion with very clear grimaces.

“Your assistance would be immediately helpful when I start attending the Royal Academy as well,” Melchior exclaimed with glee.

“We of Leisegang have caused you so much trouble over mere rumors,” Giebe Leisegang said, apologizing the moment he arrived. By that point, the elders had devolved into quiet sadness from listening to me expound my total disinterest in becoming the aub and from the amount of grief they had caused me. “Although they acted with such rudeness, their words and deeds all come out of concern for you, Lady Rozemyne. Please forgive them with magnanimity.”

Giebe Leisegang began to flatly describe how the Leisegangs’ situation had improved since Veronica’s downfall and my adoption. They’d seen better harvests, the revival of the spring-summoning ceremony, the introduction of printing and paper-making workshops, an increase in divine protections, my mana compression method, and a bunch of other things that hadn’t even occurred to me.

He continued, “Upon hearing that a member of our family who has blessed us so dearly was not just being denied the role of aub but was also being sent to the Sovereign temple like some common pest, our elders, who have suffered so much themselves, felt compelled to act.”

The elders had not wanted me to face the same cruelty they had endured, so they had sprung into action the moment they heard that I was being sent to the Sovereign temple by royal decree.

“You are capable of empathizing with Lord Wilfried,” he said. “I can only hope you would extend the same kindness to those who worry that you might be abused or forced out of noble society and into the temple as Lord Ferdinand once was.”

I nodded at Giebe Leisegang and said, “Indeed.” Their methods were extreme, and they had always seemed to be bothering me, but it was most likely true that the Leisegang elders were acting out of concern for me.

“Rozemyne is a kind girl,” Florencia said, smiling at the giebe. “I believe she would have been far more empathetic with the Leisegangs had they not stormed the castle without warning. She came here only out of concern for me and was in fact participating in an unrelated tea party when she received the news. Thus, this is a discussion and nothing more. She is not truly planning to exclude Leisegang from religious ceremonies. Isn’t that right, Rozemyne?”

I was still annoyed at the Leisegangs for asking for our rank to be lowered and also looking down on Sylvester after the purge of the former Veronica faction, but I nodded. “Indeed. As long as they start supporting the aub who cast aside his own faction for the benefit of the duchy, I am sure my thoughts will change.” Leisegang would support Sylvester more in return for continued involvement in our religious ceremonies.

“Giebe Leisegang—if you agree to Rozemyne’s request and support my husband more, I will turn a blind eye to this incident. You are fortunate that, because he is not present, only those of us in this room are aware that this visit was unannounced.”

“You have my gratitude, Lady Florencia.”

Florencia had managed to wrap this situation up nicely. In truth, after hearing the giebe explain just how much they worried about me, I was glad to know that the elders wouldn’t receive a harsh punishment. I supposed that the conversation was over, but then I noticed that Giebe Leisegang was inspecting Wilfried closely.

“Lord Wilfried,” he said in a low voice, “have you ever paused to consider what Lady Veronica did to the Leisegangs to make them resent you as passionately as they do?”

Wilfried narrowed his eyes a little, no doubt surprised to have received a genuine question instead of more veiled mockery.

The giebe continued, “It seems to me that you do not fully understand, despite the explanations you have received from the aub and your retainers. As a child, you enjoyed the benefits of the faction that Lady Veronica constructed more than anyone. You would do well to reflect on her actions and how third parties see you.”

Having pointed out that Wilfried was accidentally antagonizing the Leisegangs with his lack of knowledge, Giebe Leisegang took his leave with the elders in tow.

Wilfried just stared at his feet, deep in thought.

Days later, I returned to the temple. Hartmut had requested a private discussion with me, so I’d made sure to bring sound-blockers.

“I have found out who riled the Leisegang elders,” Hartmut announced, looking a tad exhausted. “It would seem that several people were responsible, and discovering them was no easy task. First was Barthold, who is name-sworn to Lord Wilfried.”

“Excuse me?”

“He has been taking advantage of the trust placed in him to ply his lord with lies, set him impossible tasks which he claims are from the Leisegangs, and pit his fellow retainers against one another. On top of that, he has been doing everything in his power to prevent you and the other archduke candidates from getting together to exchange information.”

My face twitched. Wilfried was being betrayed by his name-sworn?

Hartmut continued, “Barthold cannot disobey orders, but that does not make him incapable of betrayal. The distinction is... complicated.” Indeed, it was up to a lord or lady to decide how they used their name-sworn. “The main takeaway is that Barthold intensely loathes his lord and the aub, for they betrayed their faction despite having been raised by Lady Veronica.”

“So...”

“It was Lady Florencia who first noticed the sudden change in Lord Wilfried’s environment and came across Barthold’s suspicious behavior. She decided to use the aub’s absence to put the disruptive retainer back in his place and shave down the Leisegangs’ influence.”

“Wait, Florencia did that?!” I exclaimed, wide-eyed. The idea hadn’t even crossed my mind.

“She instigated Barthold and hinted at the Sovereign temple’s actions, among other things, to rile the elders. Her intention was to stir the pot even more during their meeting so that she could have the Knight’s Order imprison them, thereby reducing the Leisegangs’ power.”

She had even scheduled their meeting for when we were going to be in the northern building for our tea party. It really had been an airtight scheme—well, before Hartmut had noticed the elders’ arrival.

“As I understand it, my father was the one who devised the plan,” he explained, then sighed. “It did occur to me that these devious tricks felt strangely familiar.”

In short, evil geniuses were bound to deceive one another. Hartmut had gone to Leberecht with evidence and testimonies in a hard-fought battle to wring the truth from him.

“As it turned out,” he continued, “they had intended to wound the Leisegangs more severely than they actually did in the end. Father said that your involvement caused things to settle down quite peacefully.”

“That’s nice, but... I’m still shocked to hear that Florencia was scheming. I can’t believe it.” She always wore such a calm, peaceful smile, so this revelation had taken me by complete surprise.

“The elders are easy to manipulate now that the purge has made them the duchy’s greatest power. I expect Lady Florencia wishes to curb their influence significantly before Brunhilde becomes the second wife. She cannot borrow Lady Elvira’s strength, after all.”

My face clouded over; I didn’t care for noble nonsense in the slightest. I’d rushed out of our tea party out of concern for Florencia, worried that she was having to deal with the Leisegangs while pregnant... but now I just felt stupid.

“What’s going to happen to Barthold?” I asked. He was plotting the downfall of someone to whom he was sworn, so I couldn’t suppress my curiosity.

“That is for Lord Wilfried to decide. Lady Florencia intends to keep an eye on the unruly retainer and drop hints of his misdeeds until the young lord figures out the truth for himself. Father was quite strict in ordering me not to get involved, since this is a matter of education. And might I add, he scolded me harshly for allowing you to rush into danger.”

Anytime something seemed strange, it was usually because someone was pulling strings from behind the scenes. One risked exposing their lord or lady to danger unless they could deduce exactly what was going on.

“I still have much to learn,” Hartmut concluded. He was greatly troubled that his ordonnanz had caused me to abandon my tea party and take on the Leisegang elders. More than that, though, he hated that only the archducal family had benefited. On a personal level, we had gained nothing from the endeavor, and that was getting him down.

“If not for you,” I said, “I would never have understood the circumstances behind this incident. You did well. Let us drink tea and enjoy some delicious sweets.”