Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.7 - Chapter 8

I’m Back

So... what now?

Upon leaving the Garden of Beginnings, I found myself atop the shrine in the Farthest Hall. Only royals could open this room—and on top of that, it was nighttime.

As moonlight streamed in through the thin, high-placed windows, I fell into thought. I had no idea what time it was right now, so contacting the royal family was out of the question. It was one thing to send them an ordonnanz during dinnertime, but when they were bathing or asleep? Even I understood that it was much too risky.

Lieseleta wouldn’t mind, though... I think.

She had come to the Royal Academy as my attendant and would be able to contact the royal family at an opportune time. That was surely my best move.

“This is Rozemyne,” I said to an ordonnanz. “I am currently in the Farthest Hall at the back of the auditorium. My apologies, but please contact the royal family—there is no way for me to leave unless one of them opens the door for me. I must also ask you to bring me a hooded cloak when you come to fetch me—one that will cover me from head to toe. I do not wish for others to see me as I am now. Oh, but the cloak must be an appropriate size for an adult, not a child. I repeat: an adult!”

I was fairly confident that I’d made my wishes clear. Lieseleta would doubtless arrive with at least one of the royals; I couldn’t let them see my loosely bundled hair or the tattered clothes beneath my High Bishop robes.

I swung my schtappe, and the white bird passed through the window en route to its destination.

“Well, that’s that,” I said, then formed my highbeast and jumped down to the bottom of the shrine. There, I remade the Book of Mestionora and started to read. Because I’d imagined it as an electronic tablet, it shone with a faint light that made its text easy to see even in this dark chapel.

Aah. Now it doesn’t matter how long the royal family leaves me waiting.

Of course, I wasn’t reading for pleasure; this was a serious investigation. I’d glimpsed something about stealing foundations, which had reminded me of Georgine’s intentions with Ehrenfest. I needed to know more. From what I remembered, I’d started to panic when the focus of my newly acquired knowledge had turned to duchy foundations, as was perhaps obvious.

I ran a search using the first keywords that came to mind, then delved into the history of foundations and the battles that had taken place over them.

Here! This is it! I need to tell Sylvester right away!

The text written in the Book of Mestionora had shaken me to my core. I needed to relay this information to Ehrenfest as soon as possible and prepare for Georgine’s attack.

Is there enough time? She might have already made her move.

Last year, she had planned to act at the start of winter—and we had only managed to outmaneuver her thanks to the intelligence we’d received from Matthias and the others as soon as we’d arrived at the Royal Academy. If she was following the same schedule again this year, then her attack would come any day now.

It shouldn’t be easy for her to worm her way in now that her collaborators are out of the picture, but who can say for sure?

Our purge last winter had ideally eradicated the nobles name-sworn to Georgine, but there was a chance she had other allies we didn’t know about. Unable to sit still, I climbed out of my highbeast and turned it back into a feystone.

“Eep!”

I tried pacing around the shrine but immediately twisted my ankle and fell over. The floor was cold, and the sensation reminded me to cool my head. I crawled over to the shrine and sat down on its bottom step.

Calm down, Rozemyne. You managed to send an ordonnanz to Lieseleta, so Lady Georgine can’t have stolen the foundation yet.

Panicking wouldn’t get me out of here any sooner. Ordonnanzes couldn’t cross duchy borders, meaning I couldn’t send one to Ehrenfest. A magic letter could, but I didn’t have one on me. The best I could do right now was learn as much about foundational magic from the Book of Mestionora as I could.

I mean, this is the Grutrissheit the royal family is looking for, so I’ll need to be extra careful about who sees it. Now, while I’m all alone, is the perfect opportunity to give it a thorough look through.

In an attempt to calm my nerves, I devoted all of my attention to the Book. I was only drawn back to my senses when a bright flash came from the chapel door. At once, I stood and turned to face it; they had come to get me sooner than expected.

A group of several people entered, with Sigiswald and Hildebrand at the very front. Behind them and their retainers were Lieseleta, Cornelius, Matthias, and Gretia.

“Lady Rozemyne!” Lieseleta exclaimed. She rushed over with a folded cloak in her hands and a look of sincere concern on her face.

“I see you brought what I requested,” I replied. “Thank you ever so much, Lieseleta.”

She wrapped the cloak around me with some help from Gretia. “I am glad to see you safe. We were truly worried.”

“Lieseleta, Gretia—my apologies, but could you keep these shoes and tattered clothes hidden from the others?” I asked in a quiet voice.

Gretia swiftly retrieved them under the guise of adjusting my sleeves, then enveloped them in some cloth she’d brought. That would save me a lot of embarrassment.

There we go. I handled this perfectly, didn’t I? Heh.

After confirming that the slightly oversize cloak was covering me from head to toe, I took Cornelius’s hand and slowly approached the others. His escort meant I wasn’t likely to fall over again, but I wanted permission to use my highbeast anyway. Better safe than sorry.

Having carried out their duties, Lieseleta and Gretia moved to stand behind me, conscious of all the eyes on us. Meanwhile, Cornelius and Matthias waited on either side of me.

The next thing I knew, Hildebrand was standing in front of me. “Rozemyne, why are you...?” he said, looking up at me in shock. We’d stood at practically the same height before my disappearance, but now I was more than a head taller than him. It made me realize just how much I’d grown.

“I visited the Garden of Beginnings, where His Divinity Erwaermen asked Anwachs the God of Growth to make me, well... grow,” I explained.

“The Garden of Beginnings?”

Hildebrand clearly had so many more questions to ask, but I didn’t have time to answer them. I said, “Rucken” to get rid of my Grutrissheit, then carefully made my way over to Sigiswald. His eyes were so much closer to being level with mine.

“Prince Sigiswald, I do not wish to inconvenience you, but can we discuss the details of my absence during the Archduke Conference? I must return to Ehrenfest at once to speak with the aub.”

Sigiswald gave me permission to leave and use my highbeast, which was good. I still wasn’t used to seeing the world from so much higher up, and while some shin-length robes wouldn’t have been too bad, trying to travel on foot in low-hem ceremonial attire was far too dangerous. I climbed into my single-person Pandabus, ignoring the looks I was getting from the royals, who clearly weren’t ready for our conversation to end, and returned to the dormitory.

“Cornelius, Lieseleta, where is everyone...?”

I’d expected the dormitory to be alive with bustling students, as it always was. Instead, I was met with darkness and an eerie silence. I couldn’t help but look around in shock.

“They have returned to Ehrenfest,” Cornelius replied. “This year’s graduation ceremony came and went.”

“You were absent for an entire season, Lady Rozemyne. We were so very worried.”

“What? An entire season...?” The academic term was over, and we were now almost in spring. From my perspective, it had only been a day or two at most.

“Might I ask when you intend to join them?” Lieseleta asked. “It is almost seventh bell, so there will not be time to return today. If you need a few days to rest, that can easily be arranged.” She was hinting that she could delay sending word to Ehrenfest, but I shook my head; I needed to get back as soon as possible.

“Cornelius, Matthias—contact Ehrenfest,” I said. “I shall sleep in the dormitory tonight and return home tomorrow, assuming there are no issues. I am hungry and exceptionally tired.”

“A lot must have happened over the winter to make you grow this much,” Cornelius remarked. “Take as much rest as you need, Rozemyne.” He then reached out to me, intending to pat my head, but stopped short. I’d changed so much that he was starting to question whether the gesture was still acceptable.

I pulled off my hood, then grabbed his hand and placed it on my head. “It was exhausting. Please pat my head, dear brother.”

“You need to hurry and grow up on the inside too,” Cornelius replied. He was wearing a conflicted expression but ultimately conceded.

In the meantime, I asked Gretia to head to the kitchen and get Hugo to prepare a meal for me.

“Hartmut is gonna lose his mind when we get back tomorrow...” Cornelius muttered with a grimace. Then he waved me away and said, “You should go rest for now.”

I nodded, then went with Lieseleta to my room, where I got rid of my highbeast and removed my cloak. Gretia arrived with my food a short while later but froze the moment she saw me. Because I was taller now, I could no longer see under the bangs covering her blue-green eyes.

“My apologies, Lady Rozemyne,” she eventually said. “It might take me a while to get used to the new you.”

Before, I’d always needed to look up at Gretia, but now I was her height—or perhaps just a tiny bit shorter. I really had shot up.

Mm, but I’m still not as tall as Lieseleta...

“Still,” she continued, “what actually happened to you? Hartmut was declaring nonstop that you were getting taller, but I never expected such an extreme growth spurt.”

“Indeed,” Lieseleta added with a nod. “You were so small and adorable before, but now you look so beautiful and grown-up.”

I sighed. “Erwaermen told me my vessel was not big enough for his needs, then got Anwachs the God of Growth to make me like this. The process was excruciating...” I said, removing my ceremonial robes to reveal the tattered clothes beneath. Lieseleta and Gretia widened their eyes in surprise.

“You outgrew even your socks...?!” Lieseleta cried, unable to believe what she was seeing. “How could anyone allow that to happen when you had no change of clothing or any attendants present? And... is Anwachs not male?!”

“I consider it wonderful that you have grown so beautiful,” Gretia proclaimed. “At the same time, though, you have been looking forward to this for ages. That he would tarnish the memory is unforgivable.”

It was nice that they both shared my helpless anger at the gods.

“To be honest, Gretia, seeing that we are the same height made me appreciate how much I’ve grown,” I said. “Before, there were no mirrors I could use or other people I could draw comparisons to, so I didn’t feel changed at all.”

I’d been in so much pain and so desperate to look presentable that I hadn’t stopped to admire my new appearance. Now that I had a mirror, though, I could see that I’d turned into a very attractive young woman. I almost couldn’t believe it. Unless I started paying more attention to how I acted, I would probably end up being seen as an even greater waste of beauty than Angelica.

“Still, were your actions earlier wise, Lady Rozemyne?” Lieseleta asked nervously while helping me remove my clothes. “You prioritized Ehrenfest over the royal family...”

That didn’t really concern me. Hildebrand and Sigiswald had both given me their permission, even if only because I’d scrambled their brains with my sudden change of appearance. I didn’t expect there to be any issues.

“The royal family allowed it, so I don’t believe we have anything to worry about,” I said. “I am more concerned about Ehrenfest—and in any case, my clothes were in tatters. I do not have an outfit for tomorrow, let alone for a formal sit-down with members of royalty.”

Preparing the clothes necessary for the meeting at such short notice would never have been possible. Even when I returned to Ehrenfest, I would need to wear my High Bishop robes until we could order new clothes for me.

Lieseleta and Gretia exchanged a look, then went into my clothing room. They returned a moment later with some clothes that were the perfect size for an adult.

“Hartmut was so insistent that you were growing that Brunhilde left several of her outfits here for you,” Lieseleta explained. “I should also note that we have contacted the Gilberta Company and asked them to halt any commissions they are currently working on for you.”

From the moment I’d disappeared, Hartmut had apparently started telling everyone that Mestionora had summoned me. He’d spent each day in a dreamlike trance, narrating how my mana was growing. Everyone in the dormitory had ended up less worried about me and more concerned about how to shut him up.

What the heck? That’s more than a little scary...

“We were skeptical,” Lieseleta continued, “but Hartmut spoke with such overwhelming confidence, and the others name-sworn to you told us they could also feel that you were growing. So we made a few preparations.”

Lieseleta then looked to Gretia, who nodded and said, “I am enveloped in your mana, Lady Rozemyne, and could sense that it was growing stronger. I saw it as evidence you were alive. Though, um... unlike Hartmut, I did not think it meant you were physically growing...”

There were several reasons why I was borrowing from Brunhilde in particular. Her clothes had been made in the same style as my own, which meant they had easily adjustable lace at the back. They were winter clothes she had ordered since being engaged to the aub, so they were both trendy and appropriate for someone of my status. And on top of all that, because she had come of age, there was nothing wrong with her leaving them here at the Royal Academy.

“You will need to get remeasured and order new clothes upon returning to the castle,” Lieseleta noted. “But until then, these should serve you well.”

“I am shocked,” I said. “Truly shocked.”

I changed into some adult-size undergarments, donned some light feystone armor, then put on Brunhilde’s clothes. They were a bit too long for me and tight around the chest, but we could always hem them up and relax the lace on the back to give me more room.

During my absence, Lieseleta had spent her free time preparing undergarments for me. Because I was going through a growth spurt, she’d determined that I couldn’t have enough.

“Your shoes must naturally be made to suit your feet, so you will need to make some from feystones for now.”

“That is fine. I can definitely spare the mana.”

Once I’d eaten dinner, I took a bath. Lieseleta and Gretia used that opportunity to tell me what I’d missed during the academic term. The laynoble and mednoble Dedication Rituals had concluded without incident, and anyone who’d inquired about my sudden absence had been told that I’d taken ill. Hannelore had apparently been extremely worried about me by the end of the term and even sent me some books as get-well presents.

As for my retainers, Hartmut and Damuel had transcribed the documents we’d received from Klassenberg. Then, during the Interduchy Tournament, the fey paper we’d made had been delivered to Ferdinand. Matthias hadn’t been able to decide on a partner to escort for his graduation, and the children of the former Veronica faction had united in serious discussion to decide what to do.

“Matthias ended up escorting Ottilie,” Lieseleta informed me. “As someone without parents, he struggled to find a partner from another duchy. He might have been able to escort Gretia or Muriella, but there was not enough time for them to prepare clothes.”

Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined that Matthias would escort Ottilie. He was a handsome fellow and a fine noble, so I’d assumed that he would easily nab a girl or two. As it turned out, there were so many things I’d needed to do in place of his parents.

“I am a failure of a lady... How can I apologize to him?”

“There is no need, Lady Rozemyne,” Gretia said firmly. “Matthias never intended to find someone to escort, as he was the son of the previous Giebe Gerlach and already knew he would go with you to the Sovereignty. If he had wanted a partner in a situation similar to his own, he would have needed to act much sooner.”

Even a normal student would need to find a partner, introduce them to their parents, and meet their partner’s parents at the Interduchy Tournament—assuming they were from another duchy. And that was just the beginning of the groundwork that would need to be laid in time for their graduation. Gretia was adamant that if Matthias had wanted to escort someone else, it was his own fault for not having introduced me to anyone sooner.

“Laurenz saw Matthias’s situation and took it as a warning that he would need to begin his own preparations as soon as possible,” Lieseleta said. “But let us leave our discussion there for today. There is much for you to do tomorrow, is there not?”

I certainly was tired, so I obediently climbed into bed. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.

After breakfast the next morning, I got everyone to pack their things in preparation for our return to Ehrenfest. My guard knights didn’t have much luggage with them, since they’d only been staying at the Royal Academy in shifts, but Lieseleta and Gretia hadn’t left since my disappearance.

“Please accept my apologies, both of you,” I said.

“It is quite alright, Lady Rozemyne,” Lieseleta replied. “It would not have made sense for us to stay in the castle without our lady there.”

Ottilie could gather intelligence in the castle on her own, which had allowed Lieseleta and Gretia to stay in the dormitory. The scholars hadn’t been able to join them because they had work to do in both the castle and the temple, while the knights had training to partake in.

Once everyone was ready to go, we started toward the teleportation hall. Because of a rather embarrassing display while getting changed, I was in my Pandabus once again. I’d managed to bump into everything within my reach and subsequently fall over in front of my two attendants. Not wanting me to navigate the stairs in my current state, they had advised that I use my highbeast.

“A welcome party is already waiting for us in Ehrenfest,” Cornelius said when we met up with him downstairs. “Lieseleta and I will return with Lady Rozemyne, so Matthias, Gretia, could you stay a little longer to ensure all the luggage and the chef are sent over? You won’t need to worry too much, since Norbert will carry out a final check when he comes to lock the door.”

We arrived at the teleportation hall as those final checks were being discussed. The two knights stationed there recoiled when they saw me, their expressions tinged with subconscious revulsion at this uncanny development.

On instinct, I took a step back; my retainers had been troubled by my sudden growth spurt, but this was the first time anyone had reacted with displeasure.

“Are you still not used to your new height?” Matthias asked with a reassuring smile, as if telling me not to worry about the knights, and gently urged me forward. “The burden of Anwachs’s blessing is a heavy one.”

I smiled in turn. “Matthias, I entrust the rest to you. Please return with Gretia when you can.”

“As you will.”

Cornelius, Lieseleta, and I then stepped onto the magic circle. The knights on the other side reacted in the same way as their Royal Academy counterparts, leaving me with an unpleasant taste in my mouth as I exited the room.

“There you are, Rozemyne!” boomed an unmistakable voice. “Ooh! Hartmut said you’d grown, but look at you! You’re the most beautiful woman in all of Yurgenschmidt!”

“You exaggerate, Grandfather.”

Cornelius was quick to intervene. “You’re too close!” he exclaimed, trying to wave away the overeager Bonifatius. “Please take a step back.”

Waiting behind Bonifatius were Sylvester, Florencia, Wilfried, Charlotte, Melchior, and their retainers. Their jaws had all dropped. Of course, my own retainers were there too.

Ngh... So many eyes on me...

“Sylvester, it is good to see you again,” I said. “I am sorry to have worried you. Forgive me for being so blunt, but may I have a moment of your time? There is something extremely important we must discuss. I know how Lady Georgine intends to steal Ehrenfest’s foundation.”

Sylvester’s look of shock hardened into one of grim determination.

“As this relates to the foundation,” I continued, “you are the only one I mean to inform. Please summon me when we can speak alone.”

“We’ll speak now; this isn’t something that can wait. Bonifatius, escort Rozemyne to my office.”

Sylvester then wheeled around, his cape flourishing in the process, and marched away with his retainers in tow. Meanwhile, Bonifatius placed one hand firmly on his hip, imploring me to hold on to his arm. I smiled and obliged. In the past, my eyes had only reached his wrist, but now they reached up to his elbow.

Wilfried stood protectively beside Bonifatius and me; then my other siblings did the same. They were basically forming a defensive circle around us.

“Hartmut wouldn’t shut up about how much you’d grown,” Wilfried said. “Looks like he was telling the truth. That’s a shocker.”

“Eheheh... I’m a beauty now, wouldn’t you agree? Not even I could believe it when I first looked in the mirror.”

“Yep. You really are. But you didn’t grow on the inside, did you? Somehow, the gap between your looks and your personality is even worse now.”

“That makes us the same, then.”

“Huh? Not at all. I’ve grown a lot.”

As we bantered, I tried to eyeball which one of us was taller. Annoyingly enough, he just barely won out. He must have hit a growth spurt too, and it seemed to me that he was still getting taller.

“Welcome back, Sister,” Charlotte said. “Oh my... You are taller than me now, even if only a little. What a strange feeling.”

Ooh! She’s right! Now I actually look like her big sister!

At that moment, I was more grateful to Erwaermen and Anwachs than ever before. I’d regained my dignity as an older sister!

As I trembled with emotion, Melchior gazed up at me, looking equally moved. “Hartmut told me in the temple that Mestionora the Goddess of Wisdom invited you to the world of the gods,” he said. “He told me you were growing through their blessing... but I can’t believe it was all true.”

“Hartmut?!” I sharply turned to the man in question, who was innocently smiling at me.

“I spoke only the truth,” he said. “Before my very eyes, Mestionora the Goddess of Wisdom swept you away. The entire time you were gone, I could feel that you were growing.”

“Hm?” Melchior watched me closely for a moment, then asked, “Was he lying after all, Sister?”

I racked my brain for an appropriate answer. The problem was that Hartmut was mostly right.

“He... was not, no,” I eventually replied. “The majority of what he said was accurate. It was a blessing from Anwachs that caused me to grow.”

“So you were blessed, Sister.”

Gaaah! That isn’t quite true, but I can’t think of a good explanation! Worst of all is that victorious expression on Hartmut’s face!

I wanted to get to Sylvester’s office as quickly as I could; the realization that my sudden growth and Hartmut’s propaganda had only added to the story of my sainthood was making me uncomfortable. But unfortunately for me, I still couldn’t walk very well. My knees buckled almost immediately, forcing me to cling to Bonifatius’s arm.

“My apologies, Grandfather. I am still not used to this body, so—”

“Then allow me,” he said, hefting me up before I could say that I wanted to use my highbeast. He’d acted so swiftly that Cornelius hadn’t even been able to stop him.

“Um... I am much heavier than before,” I said. “Please put me down.”

“Nonsense! Your extra weight makes things easier for me, if anything!” Bonifatius declared, brimming with pride. “You were so light before that I didn’t know what to do with you, but now that you’re a grown woman? I’ve got plenty of experience carrying my wife, so this is no trouble at all.”

My knights were all wavering in the face of this new development, unsure how to react to their charge suddenly being taken from them.

“What are your orders, Lady Rozemyne?” Angelica asked. “Should we launch an all-out offensive to free you from my master?”

“That sounds violent—and a lot more likely to put me in danger,” I replied. “Remain at ease for now.”

I relaxed my muscles and allowed Bonifatius to carry me. At the very least, he didn’t seem taken aback or repulsed; he was genuinely excited to see that I’d grown.

“Most people get carried around when they’re young and lose that privilege once they’re a grown-up,” I mused. “But the inverse is true when Grandfather’s doing the carrying. I might as well enjoy this while I can.”