Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.8 - Chapter 6

Ahrensbach’s Foundation and Replenishment Hall

As soon as I stepped through the rainbow film, I noticed a magic circle on the floor right where I was about to put my foot. A small shriek escaped me, but I managed to change course at the very last second.

“Th-That was close...”

I shouldn’t have been too surprised—I’d advised Sylvester to do the same thing back in Ehrenfest—but Hartmut’s assertions that he hadn’t found any traps in the book room and that none of the visiting nobles had even ventured inside had made me too relaxed.

“Was this trap Lady Georgine’s doing?”

Detlinde or her elder sister had most likely set it, but I suspected they had done so at Georgine’s command. I cautiously tossed a feystone containing my mana onto the circle. There was a light clink as it struck the ground; then a furious burst of blue fire shot up into the air.

“Eek!”

The intensity of the flames made me draw in a sharp breath and cling to the wall. The all-consuming inferno looked to me like the embodiment of Georgine’s obsession. Even the slightest touch would incinerate me. The most I could do was clutch my chest as I watched my feystone vanish into the blaze.

As the blue fire disappeared, so, too, did the circle, leaving only its pure-white surroundings. I was scared that there might be more traps, but I willed my shaking legs to continue toward the foundation.

Inside a square, windowless room of white ivory, seven softball-size feystones floated in the air. Each shone with one of the divine colors and moved in a circular orbit, reminiscent of the celestial globe in the Mana Replenishment hall. A glittery substance that I took to be golden powder trickled down from one of their cores.

These seven feystones were connected to the replenishment hall, and the golden dust was the mana coming from it. In other words, it was the mana being sucked out of Ferdinand at this very moment.

As my eyes followed the falling dust, I noticed that one section of the white floor was open, exposing what appeared to be part of a massive globe. Just the area I could see was larger than both of my arms stretched out. This was the duchy’s foundation; it glowed with a faint green light, which told me that the current Aub Ahrensbach was Water inclined.

“I didn’t realize the real thing was so big...” I mused, peering down at the foundation. Swaying inside the globe was pale-green liquid, but the vessel wasn’t even half full. Even though Ferdinand had been supplying his mana for the best part of the day, the foundation was mostly empty.

Has he somehow managed to minimize the channeling speed...?

He wasn’t offering mana as part of a large crowd; he was locked up alone, meaning there wasn’t a flow for him to get caught up in. I’d assumed that Detlinde had chosen the rate at which his mana would drain, since she had activated the magic circle, but it was moving far too slowly for that to be true.

She wants him to die of mana deprivation, so she wouldn’t have set the speed so low. Could this be Ferdinand’s last act of resistance?

Still, even if the flow of mana was much slower than expected, it didn’t change the fact that Ferdinand was being drained. I watched the falling dust for a moment, then started placing the empty feystones we had prepared on top of the large globe. They would suck mana from the foundation, hopefully making it easier to dye. Of course, going too far would impact ivory buildings and the border barrier, so some caution was needed.

I think that should do it...

Because the foundation had already been quite empty, I wouldn’t need to ask Hartmut for any more feystones. I put the ones I’d taken out back in my bag—they had all turned pale green—then formed my schtappe in one hand and grabbed a rejuvenation potion with the other.

I touched the globe with my schtappe, as I’d done during my archduke candidate class, and then started channeling mana into it. I unleashed the mana compressed inside of me in a tremendous burst, hoping to dye the foundation as quickly as I could.

Come onnn!

As I continued to move my mana, I downed the potion in my hand. It wasn’t easy trying to dye a feystone this massive. One would normally do it gradually over a much longer time span to ease the burden placed on the body... but I didn’t have the leeway for that.

My mana was drying up faster than it could recover, but I still pressed on. I could see the pale-green liquid inside the globe turning light yellow.

Hurry up and dye already!

I chugged the mana-focused rejuvenation potion and continued to channel my mana into the foundation. Over time, the green faded, and my color began to dominate. Then it flashed yellow, announcing that the dyeing was complete.

“I-It’s done...”

I was slightly dizzy, maybe because I’d used so much more mana than I was used to. I slumped against the foundation to catch my breath, then stood up and exited the hall.

My attempt to regain my composure must not have worked; as soon as I returned to the book room, Hartmut asked, “Are you feeling alright, Lady Rozemyne? You would do well to rest for a moment, but Lady Hannelore is awaiting the news that the foundation has been dyed.”

“I am fine,” I replied. “Let us hurry to the castle. Although... I will ask for some assistance on the way back to my highbeast.”

“Some assistance? That simply will not do. I shall provide as much as you require.”

I took his hand and forced my legs to carry me out of the room. Then I spoke with Justus, ordered that Ahrensbach’s High Bishop be freed, and said to him that he should remain in the temple until a formal announcement came from the castle. All that remained was to free the gray priests.

“Have we received any updates on the situation?” I asked while climbing into Lessy.

Justus had been in contact with Dunkelfelger while I was dyeing the foundation, and he had plenty of news to give me. Their knights had apparently invaded the castle to find not Ahrensbach nobles but people from Lanzenave. They had imprisoned them one after another and were now searching for those wandering the Noble’s Quarter.

“Those from Lanzenave are apparently on a rampage—with approval from Ladies Detlinde, Alstede, and Georgine,” Justus concluded.

“But why would they...?”

“According to the report we received, the Lanzenavians have an obvious bias when it comes to their targets.” The main building was untouched, but the northern building for archduke candidates and the western building where Ferdinand was living had both been thoroughly ravaged. The magic tools inside had all been stolen, and the usual inhabitants were nowhere to be seen. “In the Noble’s Quarter, only some estates were raided. It would seem that those branded with a particular mark on the entrance were spared.”

“They are targeting those close to Lord Ferdinand and Lady Letizia, then. We won’t need to worry if they’re in their hidden rooms, which the Lanzenavians wouldn’t be able to open, but...”

If the nobles had been caught unawares and without any knowledge of the silver equipment or poison, they wouldn’t have stood a chance.

“Have the knights suffered any casualties?” I asked.

“The intelligence we shared with them has proved most useful—as of yet, they have not sustained a single injury. In fact, they seem quite disgruntled that they came all this way for true ditter only to face opponents who cannot even fly.”

That’s so like Dunkelfelger that it’s relieving. Or maybe kind of exasperating.

In any case, I was glad to know our allies weren’t hurt.

Justus continued, “We received a report that a portion of the Lanzenavians in the castle and the Noble’s Quarter fled to the Lanzenave Estate, whereupon some of them tried to reach their ships.”

Some of the Lanzenavians were using carriages borrowed from Ahrensbach; since they had come by ship, they didn’t have personal horses or anything of the like. They obviously couldn’t ride highbeasts either, so their movement speed was exceedingly slow.

“As slow as they might be, if our foes who fled manage to hide, trying to find them again will prove troublesome,” Justus concluded.

“Are Lady Letizia and her retainers safe at least?”

“We do not know. The Lanzenavians are tracking ordonnanzes and the light of rotts to find nobles, so we have not tried to contact them for fear of putting their lives in danger.”

I cast my eyes down. As much as I wanted to believe they were safe, Detlinde had arrived in the Mana Replenishment hall not long after Letizia had rushed out. The two had most likely crossed paths, which meant Letizia had surely been captured.

It would break my heart if an ordonnanz sent to her didn’t take flight...

“Justus. If, as you said, Dunkelfelger has chased the Lanzenavians out of the castle, it may be safe to contact the retainers assigned to Lord Ferdinand. Please try.”

“As you will.”

Justus then began sending several ordonnanzes, all with the same message: “This is Justus. I am on my way to the archduke’s office. Ehrenfest and Dunkelfelger have purged the castle of Lanzenavians. I am told the northern and western buildings have been ransacked. Are you safe?”

Three of them refused to fly.

Upon our arrival at the castle, Hartmut and Justus climbed out of my Pandabus. Then I shrank it down to a one-person highbeast so that I could continue to use it inside. Hannelore was waiting for us outside the archduke’s office, so Justus guided us through the hallways and staircases meant for servants—the quickest route, apparently.

As we reached the last hallway before our destination, we saw Hannelore standing among a circle of Ahrensbach nobles. Justus’s ordonnanzes had coaxed them out of their hiding spots.

“Lady Hannelore, I thank you ever so much for your support,” I said. “I could not have stolen the foundation without your duchy’s assistance. All that remains is to rescue Ferdinand.”

“Lady Rozemyne...” she replied, evidently relieved. She then turned to look at the nobles, causing her light-pinkish, light-purplish hair to sway. “As I continue to tell you, we simply accepted an invitation to participate in this game of true ditter. If you wish to know more, then you will need to consult Ehrenfest.”

Lady Hannelore, that won’t make the situation the slightest bit clearer to them...

I giggled—seeing Hannelore so flustered was kind of adorable—and then addressed the nobles myself. “I can elaborate once Ferdinand is safe. In the meantime, Lady Hannelore, I must ask you to guard the door so that we are not interrupted. We will not be victorious until we have him.”

“Then guard it I shall,” she replied, sounding more formal than usual. “Secure our victory.”

I asked Justus to open the door—but before I could enter, one of the nobles had a striking realization and rushed over to me. “Lady Rozemyne! Is it true that you have taken Ahrensbach’s foundation?!”

“Indeed. I could think of no other way to save Ferdinand. And of course, this means I am now your duchy’s aub.” I showed the necklace given to me by Sigiswald and smiled. “As you can see, I am acting with the royal family’s consent.”

I’d presented my necklace as a threat, indirectly warning the man not to get in my way. Upon seeing the royal crest, however, he cried out in delight.

“Aah! You have the royal family’s support! In that case, I beg of you, close the border gate at once! Lanzenave’s ships have yet to leave. If we act now, we can capture them all before they flee! We can save my imprisoned daughter!”

The man must have been an archnoble from one of Ahrensbach’s archducal branch families; he followed me into the archduke’s office as though it were the most natural thing in the world and then began expounding the reasons I should do as he advised. On the one hand, he was in luck; I already knew the importance of closing the border gate. But on the other, he was in for an unpleasant surprise, as rescuing Ferdinand was far more important to me. No way was I going to waste time flying all the way to the border gate when I was already right outside the Mana Replenishment hall.

“If you and Ahrensbach’s knights wish to attack Lanzenave’s ships, then go ahead. You have my express permission,” I said plainly. “Speak with Dunkelfelger; they will tell you how to fight Lanzenavians. Then go rescue your family.”

The man stared at me. “Are you not the new Aub Ahrensbach? Did the royal family not order you to come here and purge the Lanzenavians?!” Again, he begged me to close the border gate. He wanted me to rally the Knight’s Order to rescue his daughter and those who were imprisoned with her. I understood the pain he was going through, but he was in my way. Even this conversation was a waste of valuable time.

“No, I was not sent here to purge the Lanzenavians,” I said, making my stance abundantly clear. “They told me only that I could rescue Ferdinand. If you cannot even wait for that, then I would advise you to dye the foundation yourself.”

I shot the man a stern glare. Out of everyone in the room, he was the only one wearing an Ahrensbach cape.

“And as fate would have it,” I continued, “you are no longer qualified to enter this office. Angelica, if you would.”

“Yes, my lady!” She promptly forced the man out of the room and then shut the door.

Once I’d confirmed that only those of us from Ehrenfest remained, I climbed out of my highbeast. “Justus, do you know where the entrance is?”

“Yes, I asked Strahl a moment ago. You need only look here.” He moved aside a box that was flush against the wall and gestured to what was behind it: a small door inset with a feystone.

Crouching down a little, I touched the feystone and channeled my mana into it. The door steadily grew until it was large enough for me to pass through.

“I don’t see the registration feystone,” I said.

“But of course,” Justus replied with a somewhat confused smile. “You will need to make your own.”

I shook my head. “That’s not what I meant. Ferdinand’s registration feystone has been removed.”

To enter or exit a replenishment hall, one needed to have a registration stone slotted into its door. In other words, even if Ferdinand managed to regain mobility and stop channeling mana into the circle, he wouldn’t be able to leave. Detlinde’s unusual thoroughness infuriated me.

“How is Ferdinand supposed to get out...?”

My original plan to use physical enhancement magic to drag him out of the hall and then get Justus to administer potions was impossible now. I would need to make him a new feystone and then get him to register his mana with it, but that would require him to be conscious.

Justus’s expression changed the moment he understood our situation. “We have only one option, milady: you will need to give Lord Ferdinand the potions while you are inside the replenishment hall. I shall put them in the order they are to be administered. If you find him unconscious, start with this one.”

He opened the box and explained the order to me at breakneck speed. Once he was done, I opened the door to the hall and went to grab the now rearranged potions.

“One moment, Lady Rozemyne,” Hartmut said.

“What?” I snapped. “I’ve already committed Justus’s instructions to memory.”

“Would you be able to stick just your hand through the door, form your schtappe, and clean the entire replenishment hall with a waschen?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never attempted anything like that before.” Confused, I put only my arm through the door and then tried to form my schtappe. “Yes, it would seem so. But why do you want me to? I’ve used an insane amount of mana today and would rather not use any more.”

“There might be poison lingering in the air. A nonlethal dose was enough to put you in a two-year coma, so we cannot afford to take any risks.”

I’d only had such a strange reaction to the poison because of the mana clumps inside of me—but that wasn’t to say I’d since become resistant to it.

“I see...” Justus mused. “That certainly is a concern. Lord Ferdinand developed a strong resistance to various poisons throughout his life. That might be why the instant-death powder didn’t immediately work and gave him time to drink an antidote. We could not hope for the same from you, milady.”

“Indeed,” I said. “If there’s still poison in the air, I might collapse before I even get the chance to rescue Ferdinand...” I wasn’t proud to admit it, but it was the truth.

“I can think of nothing more disastrous,” Hartmut agreed. “You are the only one who can enter the Mana Replenishment hall at this time, so we would not be able to rescue you. That is why I ask that you cleanse the room first.”

“The waschen won’t hurt Ferdinand, will it?” I asked, speaking mainly to Eckhart and Justus.

Justus shook his head. “If poisonous powder was thrown at him, then he is most likely still covered in it. You will need to purify him before you can touch him, so you might as well wash the entire room at the same time.”

I was taken aback by the crudeness of what they were suggesting... but even so, I stuck my arm into the room again and cast a large waschen.

“That will do,” Justus said. “Please take care of him for us.”

I picked up the box and entered the replenishment hall. Ferdinand was on the floor, lying exactly as Detlinde had left him.