Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.8 - Chapter SS2

Philine — Just like Our Drills

“Let us be quick, Philine,” Gretia said. “We are going to be late.”

“Right,” I replied. “We need to hurry. Everyone, excuse us.”

Together with my fellow retainer, I rushed out of the dressing room and climbed upstairs to the retainer room. Our lady wasn’t present at the castle—she had gone to Ahrensbach to save Lord Ferdinand—but those of us who remained still gathered at second bell for a meeting. We would share intelligence before returning to our operations.

“Good morning, everyone,” I said. “Apologies for the wait.”

“Philine, Gretia—such a leisurely arrival is rare for the two of you. Has something happened?” Ottilie asked, looking at us with concern.

“The dressing room was busy. In part because Lord Bonifatius’s group was deployed, everyone is fervently gathering intelligence...”

Archnobles and upper-class mednobles serving as archducal retainers generally lived in the castle, so they brought attendants from home to dress them. Gretia and I were too poor for that, however, so we had to dress ourselves. Our weak positions coupled with the fact we were still underage made us easy targets, so we had ended up being surrounded by those seeking information.

“I will send an ordonnanz the next time I feel you are being kept from your duties,” Ottilie said.

Bertilde smiled and added that she would fetch us if ever the need arose. As an archnoble, she seemed quite curious to see the inside of the dressing room.

Once Gretia and I were seated, Ottilie looked over us all. “Now then—allow me to begin my report. An ordonnanz from Rihyarda arrived.”

In our lady’s absence, important news from the archducal family reached us through Rihyarda or Lord Melchior’s retainers. It was Ottilie’s duty to receive their ordonnanzes as someone permanently stationed in the castle, but she had easy access to such intelligence anyway. Her husband served as Lady Florencia’s scholar, after all.

“There has been a disturbance in Gerlach as well as in Illgner and Griebel,” she continued. “In all cases, the invaders seem especially wary of Lord Bonifatius. We are to remain on high alert in case anything happens here.”

The evening before last, the castle’s atmosphere had turned exceptionally sharp when Lord Bonifatius’s group had departed for Illgner, intending to serve as reinforcements. Invaders had appeared in Griebel the next day—and we had received word that the war had grown even larger in scale, creating further issues. The chaos had then spread to Gerlach this morning. In truth, it was hard not to feel like the conflict was quietly approaching us.

“On another note, a letter has arrived from Clarissa. Lady Rozemyne is still unconscious, but Lord Ferdinand has set out for Ehrenfest with Dunkelfelger’s knights. The aub has been informed.”

Ottilie held out an envelope as if to punctuate her report. The border gate we shared with Ahrensbach must have fallen into enemy hands, as the only letter that had made it through was from Clarissa, a Dunkelfelgerian. We knew there had been other attempts at correspondence because she had mentioned that Hartmut was also sending letters.

“Bertilde, how is the archducal family?” Ottilie asked, turning to look at the girl in question.

Bertilde rummaged through her things before taking out a piece of paper. She was supporting Brunhilde in Lady Rozemyne’s absence—in part because Brunhilde was still short of retainers, but also so that she could more easily obtain information about the archducal family.

“Lady Charlotte has been overseeing communications with the Knight’s Order and directing the rear line, allowing the aub to stay with the foundation,” Bertilde said. “Two days ago, Lady Florencia was managing the distribution of provisions, rejuvenation potions, and other supplies to the knights, but my elder sister took over from her yesterday. All roles can be swapped as necessary... And that is my report!”

Bertilde had concluded as dramatically as if she’d just finished reading a script; I suspected that Brunhilde had written the report for her. The castle’s main building seemed particularly busy right now as everyone made their final preparations for the archducal family to join the battle.

“Still, even now, I struggle to believe Lady Rozemyne has taken Ahrensbach’s foundation. Is such a feat even possible...?” I mused aloud. Maybe because I was a laynoble who knew very little of the foundational magics, I’d always seen the aub as a strictly hereditary role. The idea of someone stealing a foundation was absurd.

“It is,” Damuel replied with a stern expression, “and Lady Georgine knows the same technique Lady Rozemyne used. She could steal our foundation just as easily.”

Ever since Lord Bonifatius’s departure, Damuel had been staying not in the temple but with the Knight’s Order, meaning he was able to keep us abreast of the war. The tension the Order must have been feeling flowed freely through his every word.

“Philine, Roderick, is the temple still running evacuation drills?” Damuel asked.

I exchanged a look with Roderick before giving a firm nod. “Yes. We have reached a point where we now work seamlessly with Lord Melchior’s retainers.”

At first, we had each focused only on the role given to us, but the process had smoothed out as we’d repeated and gotten more used to our drills. Neither gray nor blue priests could use ordonnanzes, so without practice, keeping in touch with them wouldn’t be a simple matter.

“Lieseleta, Gretia, is the Gutenbergs’ accommodation ready?” Damuel asked, continuing his inspection.

“We have bedding for them and two days’ worth of provisions. It is all very basic, considering that this is an emergency situation, and we have only secured two rooms for them—for the men and women, respectively. Still, we are looking into whether we can use the beds and such in Lasfam’s and the servants’ rooms.”

As archducal attendants, Lieseleta and Gretia were somewhat disheartened that they hadn’t been able to make adequate preparations for our guests, commoners or otherwise. I nodded along with their report and then remembered that I also had something to add.

“Um, we received a request from the Plantin Company. In the event of an incident, they have asked for Lady Rozemyne’s incomplete outfits and the Gilberta Company’s seamstresses to be evacuated to the library with the Gutenbergs. They do not want the seamstresses who have so industriously banded together to make new clothes for Lady Rozemyne to be put in harm’s way.”

Lieseleta and Ottilie turned to look at one another, then nodded. To attendants, the completion of their lady’s clothing was a most important duty—especially when she was going to need so many outfits for her upcoming royal adoption.

“Indeed, we would not want to delay the completion of Lady Rozemyne’s new clothes,” Ottilie said. “Lieseleta, Gretia—stay in contact with Lasfam and arrange for the seamstresses to be accommodated. I suspect he would struggle to prepare a sewing room for them on his own.”

Lieseleta and Gretia nodded.

“On a more general note,” Ottilie continued, “Bertilde, continue to support Brunhilde and learn what you can. Lieseleta, Gretia, prepare the library. Judithe, accompany Philine and Roderick to the temple. Damuel, stay with the Knight’s Order. Every single one of you must be ready to take on whatever is asked of you when the need arises. That is all. Disperse.”

Our meeting in the retainer room concluded, I mingled with Lord Melchior’s retainers as we all made our way to the temple. His and Lady Rozemyne’s temple attendants greeted us upon our arrival.

“Good morning, everyone.”

Gil was there too, even though he was usually in the workshop at this time. He must have been waiting for our response to the Plantin Company.

“The Plantin Company’s request has been granted,” I said. “Please evacuate Lady Rozemyne’s outfits and the seamstresses with everyone else.”

“Understood,” Gil replied. “I will inform them at once.” He must have been impatiently awaiting an answer because he immediately took his leave and briskly made his way to the workshop.

“Lady Judithe, Lord Roderick—come with me, if you would,” Fran said. “Lady Philine, Monika will be with you today.”

Judithe and Roderick went with Fran to the High Bishop’s chambers. Meanwhile, I went with Monika to the orphanage director’s chambers to change into my apprentice blue shrine maiden robes. The rooms were in my care, but they were no place to live—not when the attendants and chefs were all still assigned to the High Bishop’s chambers. My current position was that of a commuting apprentice blue shrine maiden.

“The battle in Ahrensbach was successful, wasn’t it?” Monika asked as she helped me put on my robes, her concern clear on her face. “When will Lady Rozemyne return? Have any new letters arrived...?”

I gave a somewhat troubled smile; she had asked me the same questions yesterday. “As far as we know, Lady Rozemyne has yet to regain consciousness. But she is expected to wake up at some point today.”

It wasn’t unusual for Lady Rozemyne to be away from the temple—she always had one reason or another to be elsewhere—but she had gone to another duchy to participate in a war; it was only natural that Monika was so worried. To my knowledge, Fran and Gil were asking the same questions.

“We are awaiting Lady Rozemyne’s safe return just as eagerly as you all are here in the temple,” I said.

Once I was changed, I went to fetch Judithe; then we headed to the High Bishop’s chambers to help Lord Melchior with his work. Roderick wouldn’t be joining us today—there was no reason for him to get involved with temple work when he planned to accompany Lady Rozemyne to the Sovereignty. Instead, he was transcribing books for her so that she wouldn’t be without any when she moved.

“Today, we must check the income reports of both the Rozemyne Workshop and the orphanage.”

The monthly income check had a direct impact on the orphanage’s daily operations, so it was said to be the orphanage director’s most important duty. It was performed in the presence of both the High Bishop and the High Priest to prevent embezzling.

Monika placed several documents in front of Lord Melchior, the future High Bishop; his retainer Lord Kazmiar, the future High Priest; and me. They were a mixture of wooden boards and paper, and their contents ranged from forms given to us by the Plantin Company to internal reports from the workshop to Wilma’s bookkeeping for the orphanage.

“I see there was a dramatic rise in food costs,” I said. “Was there a reason for that?”

“That was when winter ended and the market reopened, allowing us to purchase more supplies.”

“And the income for winter handiwork? I don’t see it listed anywhere.”

“That will feature in our next check. We have the money, but the Plantin Company has yet to deliver its final report.”

We checked the income reports alongside those from last month, compared them to the ones from last year, and did our best to find any mistakes or discrepancies.

Gong... Gong...

We were only midway through the monthly check when third bell rang. A man of Lord Ferdinand’s talents would have been able to weed out each and every issue merely by skimming the documents, but we were far from being on his level. Still, as much as our inexperience was slowing us down, it was fun looking through the reports and such while chatting with everyone.

“These are the apprentices due to come of age in spring. And this is a list of orphans being baptized in summer,” I said. “We are preparing rooms and clothing for them, as is covered in this entry here.”

“These figures are so much smaller than the costs of preparing my chambers...” Lord Melchior replied. “I have to wonder if I’ve been living wastefully.”

“I would not compare them, Lord Melchior. Your chambers are by no means equivalent to the rooms given to orphans.”

As we continued our conversation, an ordonnanz flew into the room. Rather than going to Lord Melchior or Lord Kazmiar, it came straight to me and perched on my arm.

“Philine, this is Damuel,” the little bird said. We all knew about his connection to the Knight’s Order, so our ears pricked up upon hearing his voice. “We received this tip from a commoner, but several suspicious figures who might have been Lady Georgine’s group were seen boarding an Ehrenfest-bound merchant vessel in Leisegang. We consulted the dock and were told the ship should reach the west gate at around noon. Evacuate before then, but do not panic; there is still enough time for you to follow procedures.”

Damuel wanted us to stay calm, but my heart was already in my throat. Lady Georgine was on her way. My hands shook so violently that when I tried to respond, I couldn’t even tap the feystone with my schtappe.

“Allow me to inform Lord Melchior’s guard knights and summon the blue priests,” Lord Kazmiar said, the picture of composure. “Do you remember what you need to do once you have sent your response?”

I didn’t even need to think about my answer; the words came out almost automatically. “I will announce the evacuation to the orphanage and the gate guards.”

“Good,” Lord Kazmiar replied. His praise calmed me down enough that I managed to steady my hand and create an ordonnanz.

“Damuel, this is Philine. I thank you ever so much for the warning. We will start the evacuation at once. May Angriff guide you.”

I swung my schtappe, and the ordonnanz took flight. Only when it was completely out of sight did I start putting away my writing utensils. Monika had already gathered together the documents, and Judithe sent an ordonnanz to Roderick in the High Bishop’s chambers.

“We received word from Lord Damuel—finish the evacuation before noon. We will go to the orphanage. Roderick, remember the drills.”

Roderick was tasked with using magic letters to contact the Plantin Company. He would then prepare the High Bishop’s chambers.

“Philine—it’s time.”

We stepped out into the corridor, leaving Lord Kazmiar’s group to send out a flurry of ordonnanzes, and started toward the orphanage; as there were no nobles there or in the workshop, we would need to deliver the news to them in person. Nothing slowed our march, but we called out to the gray priests and shrine maidens we encountered en route, telling them to finish up and head straight to the orphanage. We even caught sight of my little brother, Konrad, cleaning the hall right outside the noble section.

“Konrad, you should evacuate as well,” I said.

“Are Dirk and the others okay?” he asked, casting a worried glance in the direction of the noble section as he put his cleaning rag back in its bucket. Those baptized as apprentice blue priests had already moved elsewhere.

“I will check if they have evacuated later. Now run along. If you don’t get to safety, they might be the ones worrying about you.”

“Right,” he replied with a nod.

Fran then spoke up from behind us: “Lady Philine, I will go to the workshop. I must confirm that Lutz and the others have gone home.”

“Please do,” I said; there were Plantin Company employees there, and the Gutenbergs among them needed to move to Lady Rozemyne’s library at once. “As per our drills, gather in the dining hall once the boys’ building has been evacuated.”

Fran nodded, then took the next right to the boys’ building. I went left and continued to the girls’ building. Monika opened the door for me when we arrived, whereupon I addressed Wilma and the others.

“We have received an update from the Knight’s Order: the evacuations must begin immediately. Please stay calm and act according to plan.”

Wilma’s entire body went rigid, but she nodded and went to the third floor to check for any gray shrine maidens. Delia said she would check the rooms on the first floor and then headed downstairs. At the same time, Lily instructed the children in the dining hall to go to the basement. They were doing exactly as we’d practiced.

“All we need to do is follow our plans,” I told myself. “Just do as Lady Rozemyne instructed.”

I entrusted speaking with the returning shrine maidens to Monika and went downstairs with Judithe to tell the cooks to evacuate. It was then that an ordonnanz appeared and landed on my fellow retainer’s arm.

“This is Fonsel. I’ve arrived at the Noble’s Gate. Dedryck is heading to the front gate now.” Those among Lord Melchior’s guard who had been with the Knight’s Order were arriving at the temple one by one.

“I’ll make my way to the back gate,” Judithe said to me. “I need to activate the shumils so they can take over from the gray priests on duty. Remember to go back to the High Bishop’s chambers with Fran and Monika once you’re done here.”

“Yes, I remember. Take care of the gate, and... Just be careful, Judithe.”

Just as she stopped escorting me and went through the basement to get outside, the gray shrine maidens returned from the workshop. “This is all of us,” one of them informed me.

“Then we can close the doors.”

In the past, the doors had been designed in such a way that they could only be opened from the outside. Now the reverse was true. It seemed unlikely that Lady Georgine would enter the orphanage, but for safety’s sake, we started barricading ourselves in with pots and furniture. I confirmed that everything was proceeding smoothly before returning to the dining hall.

“There was nobody upstairs.”

“Everyone has gathered in the basement.”

No sooner had Wilma and Lily reported to me than Fran confirmed the successful evacuation of the boys’ building. A deep sigh escaped me; to my relief, I’d carried out my duty as the orphanage director.

“Now stay inside and remain quiet until we return to announce that everything is safe,” I said, then took my leave with Fran and Monika. We heard the door lock behind us, and Wilma’s footsteps faded into the distance.

“Let us return as well.”

We closed the door to the noble section, hoping to put as many obstacles in our enemies’ path as we could. Then I went to see Dirk and Bertram in their rooms, intending to assuage my little brother’s worries.

“Stay still and remain quiet,” I said firmly. “Even if you hear a fuss or a scream outside, do not open the door to investigate. Is that understood?”

From there, I continued to the third floor where the women’s rooms were located. This was my domain to check, since it wasn’t somewhere the boys were comfortable exploring.

“No matter how scared you might be, do not leave your room under any circumstances,” I said, relaying the same warning to the apprentice blue shrine maidens. “Nowhere is going to be safer.”

By the time I returned to the High Bishop’s chambers, Roderick was there to welcome me with a “Good work.” Gil, Fritz, Nicola, Hugo, and their assistants from the kitchen were also present. Commoner servants would never normally be allowed inside the High Bishop’s chambers, but they were Lady Rozemyne’s personnel; she had instructed Roderick and me to fuel a barrier magic tool with our mana to protect them.

The tables and chairs had already been moved to make way for the magic tool, which now sat at the very center of the room. Lady Rozemyne had made it to protect us and the other noncombatants staying in the temple. In her words, it would make these chambers as safe as the library.

Once I’d confirmed that everyone was present, I sent an ordonnanz to Lord Kazmiar.

“This is Philine. We have evacuated the orphanage and closed the door to the noble section. I’ve also spoken with the apprentice blue shrine maidens on the third floor. The attendants of the High Bishop’s chambers have all returned.”

“Everyone, are you ready for us to activate the barrier?” Roderick asked. “Once we start pouring mana into it, nobody’s going to be able to leave or enter the room.”

I took a moment to consider everyone’s responses, then turned to Roderick and nodded. His expression tense, he drank a mana-only rejuvenation potion before touching the tool and channeling his mana into it.

Lady Rozemyne’s magic tool was a splendid creation capable of blocking all manner of attacks, but activating it required an immense amount of mana. The device was quick to consume as much as it was given, so if we didn’t remove our hands in time, Roderick and I would almost certainly end up entirely depleted.

I waited for my turn with an identical rejuvenation potion in hand. And soon enough...

“Philine! Get ready!” Roderick called.

I drank the potion and touched the magic tool. Roderick waited until my hand was firmly in place before removing his own so that the flow of mana wouldn’t be broken.

Eek! My mana!

Not even the restorative properties of the rejuvenation potion stopped me from feeling my mana being drained. It wasn’t a sensation I was used to—in fact, it was really disturbing—but it was the only way we could protect the people our lady had put in our care.

Compared to the knights fighting on the front lines, this is nothing!

Roderick’s mana must have been regenerating at an astonishing rate; his breathing was ragged, and his brow was furrowed in displeasure.

“Oh, the feystone’s color changed,” he soon observed. “Just a bit more.”

After taking a deep breath, Roderick put his hand back on the tool. The feystone flashed only a few moments later, and yellow light filled the room as a powerful barrier of wind took shape. The sensation of mana churning within my body disappeared at the same time, replaced instead with complete and utter exhaustion. The same must have been true for Roderick; he had to put his hands on the floor to stop himself from collapsing.

“Lady Philine! Lord Roderick!”

Monika and Nicola held me up while Fran and Gil brought Roderick back to his feet. We were taken to a bench, and we both let out deep sighs the moment we plopped down.

“With this, the High Bishop’s chambers are safe...” I wheezed, thankful the tool had activated before we’d run out of mana. “We did it, Roderick.”

He gazed at the tool, equally relieved. “And that’s our job done. Hartmut should be satisfied.”

Hartmut had said to us during our drills, “Neither one of you will be of any use in battle. But since you’re nobles, you can at least activate defensive magic tools and protect the commoners Lady Rozemyne needs.”

“Excellent work, both of you,” Fran said.

Seeing the barrier we’d activated with our mana gave me an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. Zahm handed us cups of fruit juice while the attendants and chefs all praised us.

And then an ordonnanz arrived.

“This is Judithe. Damuel sent word that the boat has arrived at the west gate. Be ready—people in silver cloth have been spotted.”

Everyone in the room tensed up. The worst was finally upon us, and there was only one thing we could do now.

“May victory come to Ehrenfest. May everyone be safe. O mighty King and Queen of the endless skies, O mighty Eternal Five who rule the mortal realm, O Goddess of Water Flutrane, O God of Fire Leidenschaft, O Goddess of Wind Schutzaria, O Goddess of Earth Geduldh, O God of Life Ewigeliebe—we offer you our prayers and gratitude. Praise be to the gods!”

Fourth bell rang out as we prayed.