Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.9 - Chapter 11

The Temple and Melchior’s Report

“Welcome back, Lady Rozemyne. And, Lord Ferdinand... we are glad to have this opportunity to see you once again.”

“I, too, am glad you all remain in good health.”

Fran and Zahm had greeted us with the other gray priests, which had brought a slight smile to the lips of our usually stoic Ferdinand. He was clearly nostalgic for the temple; it was one of the few places he could truly feel at ease.

“Time may be of the essence, but we have come to check on the temple and orphanage and confirm that everyone is safe,” I said. “Please tell me what you know in my chambers.”

“Sister, I’ve already told the aub everything I know about the attack, but would you like a report anyway?” Melchior asked. “Father saw Lady Georgine’s memories, he said. I was summoned and told about them this morning while we were disarming traps.”

“I would, thank you.” I’d come to the temple precisely because I wanted information; refusing a report wouldn’t have made any sense at all.

Melchior said that he would meet me in the High Bishop’s chambers once he had put on his robes and then took his leave. Ferdinand wouldn’t be able to enter my chambers while my retainers were helping me get changed, so he visited the High Priest’s chambers with Hartmut for the first time in quite a while. His former attendants would surely rejoice to see him again.

“Did nothing happen in the High Bishop’s chambers?” I asked. “I heard that someone in the temple was working with Lady Georgine...”

“We were all safe. Lady Philine and Lord Roderick were with us.”

“I see. That’s good to know. Once I’ve observed the temple and heard its reports, I intend to head into the lower city. Monika, Nicola—there are going to be a lot of guests, so you will need to prepare plenty of tea.”

The two girls exchanged glances and then giggled. I’d essentially told them they could skimp on dressing me properly—to a reasonable extent, of course—if other duties were demanding of their time.

“I don’t imagine there will be much for us to do,” Monika said. “Fran and Zahm have been working exceptionally hard ever since they learned that Lord Ferdinand would be visiting.”

“I will inform the others once we are done, Lady Rozemyne,” Nicola added.

Monika exited the High Bishop’s chambers and Nicola went to the kitchen, at which point Fran and Zahm entered with a fully equipped tea trolley. They looked faintly tense... but also excited, as much as they tried to hide it.

Ferdinand’s old attendants really do love him, don’t they?

From there, Monika summoned everyone to the High Bishop’s chambers. I gestured to the seats in front of me, urging Melchior and Ferdinand to take them, then took a drink of the tea Fran had prepared us. Melchior and Ferdinand picked up their own cups in response.

“How nostalgic...” Ferdinand said once he’d also taken a sip. He had gone without Fran’s tea for a very long time, so he must have been relishing the taste.

I turned my attention to Melchior, who I thought looked especially tired. We’d seen each other at lunch, but he’d been seated so far away that I simply hadn’t noticed the bags under his eyes.

“Fran brews the most delicious tea, does he not?” I asked. “Has it helped to ease your exhaustion?”

“Yes, Sister. It was delicious. Um... Father gave me something for the soldiers who fought valiantly at the west gate. Might we head there together? The soldiers know you better than they do me, so Father said it would be best if we both went.”

We were handing out rewards already? That was an unusually quick turnaround. Had Sylvester gone out of his way to prepare everything early so that I would still have a chance to meet with my dad...?

“But of course,” I said. “Let us go together. You will see the soldiers on a regular basis when you start visiting Hasse’s monastery. This seems like a good opportunity for you all to interact before then.”

I’d already introduced Melchior to the soldiers, but the more chances they had to touch base, the better. I moved to address my retainers.

“Damuel, Matthias—circle the lower city and gather together everyone who fought at the west gate. I wish to give them something from the aub. Collect as much intelligence as you can in the process.”

“Understood,” they replied.

It was the day after the attack, so many of the soldiers who had taken part in the fighting were probably still resting at home. If we didn’t gather them all together, some of them would miss out on their reward. Damuel would know whom to seek out, since he had fought alongside them.

“Laurenz, check on the apprentice blue priests, starting with Bertram. Angelica, could you do the same for the apprentice blue shrine maidens?”

“As you wish.”

Angelica was far from the best person for this job, but sending her out was the most logical choice. Judithe, Philine, and Roderick had traveled all over while defending the temple, which meant they had most likely already heard what Melchior had to say.

“Melchior,” I said, “please tell me about the attack on the temple. You can skip over everything that was mentioned during the feast. There was someone on the inside assisting Lady Georgine, was there not? Were any children of the former Veronica faction involved...?”

“That was all a misunderstanding. The blue priest in question was Krapech, but he was not working with her.”

I cocked my head, having recognized the name but not much else. Most of my interactions with blue priests happened in the High Priest’s room or when we gathered in prayer. Krapech wasn’t all too good with paperwork, and he didn’t have as much mana as Kampfer or Frietack, so we’d never had reason to speak to one another.

“As I recall, the previous High Bishop mostly ignored Krapech,” Ferdinand interjected. “The man was from a mednoble family more aligned with the Leisegangs, so I find it hard to believe he was connected to Georgine.” He gave his temple a few inquisitive taps, his expression so severe that Melchior actually recoiled a little.

Oh, right. Melchior took over from Hartmut. He never knew Ferdinand when he was the High Priest.

I was feeling bad for Melchior, who was faced with the daunting task of reporting to Ferdinand, so I decided to give him an escape route. “Melchior—if you would rather your retainers give this report, nobody would take issue. This burden must be too much for someone of your young age.”

He looked over his shoulder at his retainer, who gave a reassuring nod. That must have been enough to encourage Melchior, as he turned around again and continued on his own.

“By looking through her memories, Father learned that Lady Georgine came to Ehrenfest on an earlier ship than the one that started the fight at the west gate.”

Georgine had avoided the west gate entirely and instead made her way into the lower city through its waterway. She had met with those who attacked the north gate, then used the waterway again to gain access to the temple.

She’s surprisingly tenacious, huh? And aggressive. I would never have been able to do any of that.

Still, something about Melchior’s story confused me. “I don’t doubt what you’re telling me—not when Sylvester looked through her memory—but how did she know about the waterway we made? She was in another duchy.”

“Like magic contracts, entwickeln schematics disappear after use,” Ferdinand said, beginning his explanation. “This was problematic for future aubs, however, so copies were made and archived. As I understand it, most of the people involved in the waterway’s schematics were later... removed... during the purge. But of course, our entwickeln happened prior to that, when we did not know who had given their name to her.” He paused, then muttered, “I did not think a thoroughbred noble such as Georgine would actually take such an approach...” It was clear to us all that she had intended to do absolutely anything to steal our foundation.

“As it stood, Georgine should not have had any noble supporters left in Ehrenfest,” Ferdinand continued. “Yet she still managed to create and execute a plan of such outstanding complexity. If only she had put her intellect, ambition, and expertise toward some other purpose... Her skills were wasted on revenge.”

“Indeed,” I said, empathizing with his every word. “If she had devoted her talents to my library scheme, for example, Ehrenfest and Ahrensbach would already be transformed. It really is a shame that so much potential went to waste...”

Ferdinand gave me a repudiating look. “Hmm... I see. On second thought, I suppose revenge is but one of many ways a person can waste their life. I should not be so quick to judge.”

“Um, what do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what I said.”

Hmph!

I was debating how to fire back when Melchior said, “Um... May I continue?” His eyes were darting between Ferdinand and me, so we responded in turn.

“You may.”

“Of course, my dear little brother.”

Georgine had arrived at the temple before the battle at the west gate had even begun. She’d emerged near the orphanage at a time when none of the orphans or gray priests had been around and then moved to the noble section of the temple. The west basement entrance hadn’t been locked; some of the servants for whom it was meant had actively been using it.

“The order to evacuate had already been given by the time Lady Georgine reached the temple,” Melchior told us. “The attendants and servants stopped using the second floor where everyone was hiding but carried out their usual duties on the first floor and in the basement until the attack on the west gate.”

Because of the extra knights keeping watch, the attendants and personal chefs had needed to continue preparing food. People needed to eat, even during an evacuation, and a servant ordered to fetch provisions had no choice but to obey.

“Lady Georgine took advantage of the unlocked door and stole the robes of a gray shrine maiden who happened to be leaving at that moment,” Melchior continued.

Ferdinand shot me a glance, then requested that the details of the theft be omitted. I clenched my fists in response; the shrine maiden must have been killed in the process.

“Was the gray shrine maiden whose robes were stolen one of Krapech’s attendants?” I asked.

“No, she was Kampfer’s.”

Georgine had put the stolen gray robes on over her silver clothes, nonchalantly entered the basement through its west entrance, and climbed to the first floor via the nearest stairway.

“She then stole away in Krapech’s room, but only because it was closest to the book room,” Melchior noted.

Georgine had passed the kitchens in the basement of the temple’s noble section and ascended to the first floor, where the attendants’ rooms were located. These rooms were connected to the blue priests’ chambers via stairs to make it easier for the attendants using them to carry out their duties. According to Melchior, that was how Georgine had gained access to Krapech’s room, whereupon she had slaughtered everyone inside.

“Lady Georgine waited patiently as the fighting started at the temple gate. Then she listened out for the inevitable clamor in the book room, deducing which traps her body double had fallen into by the cheers of my knights. Father told us she even heard them rejoice that our teleporter to the Ivory Tower had worked as anticipated.”

Once the footfalls and voices had receded, Georgine had used her silver clothes to pass through the book room’s barrier. She had then avoided the remaining traps by combining what she had overheard with what she could see. The gloves and shoes stuck to the floor had made it clear where the glue was, and the heap of clothes that had once belonged to her body double had marked the location of our concealed teleportation circles. Georgine had pulled a long string of some kind, allowing her to remove her silver clothes from under her gray robes, and then placed them on the floor so that she could safely amble over the circle.

“Thank you for your report,” Ferdinand interjected. Sylvester had already explained what she had done from there.

“It’s my fault that Krapech, his retainers, and Kampfer’s attendant died...” Melchior began in a whisper, slowly shaking his head. “If only I’d stationed guards at the book room after the impostor was teleported away. If only I’d evacuated the servants more thoroughly... or considered the waterway as a potential weak point. I made such a horrid, unforgivable mess of things.”

No matter how he tried to hide it, any one of us could see that Melchior was exhausted. He looked so sleep-deprived that he must have had the same kind of night as Hannelore and me.

“Your guard might not have been perfect, but you are not to blame for those deaths,” I said. “Lady Georgine was the one who killed them. You must not forget that.”

“But Sister...”

“Would you like to mourn the dead with a prayer? I gave one with Lady Hannelore at dawn. I dedicated mine to all those who died in Ehrenfest, so it should already have reached the temple, but another prayer could not hurt.” I stood, then knelt in front of the small shrine in the High Bishop’s chambers. “Let us pray for Krapech and the attendants who lost their lives.”

Melchior stood as well, though his legs wavered. He accepted a feystone from his retainer and squeezed it with both hands while kneeling beside me.

It wasn’t long before Judithe, Philine, Roderick, and Melchior’s retainers were all in a row behind us. Fran and the temple attendants then formed a second row behind them. Everyone here must have seen the fighting in the temple.

For a gathering this large, it might have been a better idea to move to the chapel.

The small shrine meant we were all rather cramped, but it made sense to pray now while everyone’s feelings were most sincere. I formed my schtappe, which prompted everyone else who had one to follow suit.

“O mighty King and Queen of the endless skies, may our prayers reach those climbing to the towering heights. We perform our song of mourning so that you might protect those who can no longer return to us.”

Black and golden lights swirled together as they headed up into the air and through the ceiling. I could feel mana flowing from Melchior’s ring and the feystone in his hands.

“Sister... Giving my mana has put me so much more at ease...” Melchior said when we were done. He looked nowhere near as tense as before.

“Would you like to come to the orphanage with me?” I replied. “Remembering those we have lost is important, but so is recognizing everyone you were able to protect.”

I stood up and gave Monika an order to warn the orphanage of our visit. She opened the door just as Laurenz and Angelica leapt into the room.

“What’s going on?!” Laurenz exclaimed. “We saw the lights of a blessing appear out of nowhere!”

“Are we under attack?!” Angelica cried. The fact she had arrived at the same time as Laurenz despite having been on the third floor said everything one needed to know about her speed. The way she was looking around the room, obviously on guard, reminded me of our exchange with Ferdinand this morning.

“No, Angelica,” I said, unable to suppress a chuckle. “We were just praying in mourning of everyone who died in the temple.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ferdinand grimace slightly. “You are headed to the orphanage, are you not?” he asked. “If you do not leave now, there will not be enough time for you to visit the west gate.”

“Right.”

We made our way down the halls to the orphanage, where Wilma, the gray shrine maidens, and the underage children were already kneeling in anticipation of our arrival. Wilma greeted us as their representative.

“Welcome, Lady Rozemyne, Lord Melchior.”

“I am glad to see you all safe,” I said.

Wilma gave me a peaceful smile. “Lady Philine and Lady Judithe’s warning allowed us to evacuate quickly. On top of that, Lord Melchior and your knights swiftly replaced the guards, so we made it through the fight without experiencing any of the violence.” She and the others had remained in their designated safe spots for an entire bell. Staying there had made them hungry and a little claustrophobic, but it hadn’t been a scary experience for them, at least.

“I see. That is wonderful to hear.”

“Lady Rozemyne, Lord Melchior, and your retainers—we thank you all ever so much. It is because of you that we may continue with our everyday lives while the noble section of the temple remains so busy.”

Wilma’s words of gratitude seemed to comfort Melchior and his retainers, who had worked the hardest of us all. Judithe and Philine had proud smiles spread across their faces.

“Judithe, Philine, Roderick—you all did so much to protect the temple,” Wilma continued. “Fran, the other attendants, and everyone in the orphanage are safe because of you. We thank you ever so much.”

By the time we departed, Melchior’s tense expression was gone, replaced with a pleasant smile. “I am so pleased we were able to protect everyone in the orphanage,” he said. “It comforts me to think that not everything I did was bad.”

“Shall we go to the west gate?” I asked. “Let us praise the soldiers who defended the city with you.”

“Right!” Melchior exclaimed with a firm nod, then instructed his retainer to fetch the rewards. It was good to see him more energized again.

“Have you been praying nonstop since last night?” Ferdinand asked me.

“Obviously not. That was only my second one.”

He gave an exasperated sigh.

“Excuse me? That wasn’t a good sigh, was it?”

“It can wait. Melchior is ready. Let us go to the lower city.”

Ferdinand grabbed my hand, and in the blink of an eye, we were riding atop his ivory lion. He took to the sky and started flying to the west gate without saying a word to anyone.

I turned around, not quite able to flail or cause a fuss. “Um, Ferdinand... What about my reputation?”

“Did you not say it was so troublesome that you wished to cast it aside entirely?”

“I did, but...”

How is this going to impact the others?

In the past, my retainers had gone to such great lengths to keep me from riding with Ferdinand, but now they weren’t saying anything at all. Their silence was very mysterious, but we arrived at the west gate before I could figure out the reason for it. Damuel, Matthias, and the soldiers were all waiting atop one of the gateposts. Dad was among those kneeling.