Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.9 - Chapter 2

Confronting Grausam

No sooner had we entered the giebe’s estate than Matthias charged ahead of me. Keeping up with him was tough even in my highbeast; this place had once been his home, so there wasn’t any hesitation in his footsteps. On more than one occasion, we passed a corpse slumped against the side of the hallway—servants unfortunate enough to have crossed paths with Grausam, I suspected.

Still running full tilt, Matthias turned his schtappe into a sword and then enchanted it with Darkness, as was taught in the Knight’s Order. I formed my schtappe, turned it into a water gun, and said the relevant prayer.

“O mighty and supreme God of Darkness, who rules the endless skies; O mighty Father who created the world and all things. Please hear my prayer and lend your divine strength; bless my weapon with the power to steal mana, all the mana which is yours by right; grant me your divine protection to purge the unnatural fey.”

“Lady Rozemyne,” Matthias said when he saw my black water gun, “please refrain from attacking. Instead, focus on blocking the door.”

“Matthias...?”

“I doubt Grausam knows what kind of weapons you use or which divine instruments you can make. If we plan to win this war, then we would do well to conceal such information for the perfect moment. Until then, I shall fight him alone.”

Matthias’s eyes were brimming with resolve, but they narrowed when he saw the staircase ahead of us. “There are traps on those stairs. Disarming them will take some ti—”

“Can we not simply fly over them? Get in. We don’t have time to waste with traps.”

I made Lessy large enough for two people and patted the passenger seat. Matthias glanced between the stairs and my Pandabus, then let out a small chuckle and climbed inside.

“Is something funny...?” I asked.

“Not exactly. I expected Grausam to put detection traps on this particular staircase, since there are no other paths to reach him. Knowing we can simply fly over them is just...”

The stairs in this estate weren’t broad enough for a highbeast to flourish its wings; my idea was only feasible because of my Pandabus’s unique shape and design. Matthias found it amusing that, because using a highbeast indoors was such an unusual concept, Grausam had never even considered what we were about to do.

“You always act outside of everyone’s expectations, Lady Rozemyne. I was speechless when you shattered the walls between factions in the Ehrenfest Dormitory and when you spared even the pre-baptismal children from the purge. Looking back, I am relieved that I get to serve someone who always does so much to save people instead of Lady Georgine, who would order a man to invade and subsequently destroy his own home.”

We flew over the stairs and soon arrived outside our destination: a room on the estate’s second floor. Matthias climbed out of my highbeast, his expression tight, and placed one hand on the door. Then he took a deep breath and—

“Now.”

His resolve steeled, Matthias rushed into the room. I did the same, violently slammed the door shut behind me with Lessy’s tail, and enlarged my Pandabus so that it completely blocked the entryway.

“So some of you were still able to pass through the barrier...” Grausam said as he turned around to face us. Blue flames coiled around him like a suit of armor. He swung his fire-infused right hand at those attacking him outside, then came in from the balcony.

I spotted someone slumped on the ground—the man assigned to replace Grausam as Giebe Gerlach, no doubt. Blood was still pooling beneath him.

“Healing—”

“It won’t work,” Matthias said, interrupting me. “He’s already turning into a feystone.” He then stepped in front of me, his black sword raised, and carefully stared down our opponent.

Grausam grimaced at the sight of my Pandabus and me, then approached us with his gleaming black prosthesis raised. “Are you not ashamed to be serving a commoner, Matthias? I realize your hands were tied, but still...”

“I consider it far more shameful to serve an invader,” Matthias replied, his voice calm but cold as ice. “Not only have you brought harm to your own duchy’s archduke candidates, but you’ve also turned your back on your home and its people.”

Grausam’s brow twitched; this must have been the first time one of his sons had spoken back to him. “Lady Georgine is an Ehrenfest archduke candidate, not an invader. Say it. Now.”

“No, she was an Ehrenfest archduke candidate until she became a member of Ahrensbach’s archducal family. And now that Lady Rozemyne has taken its foundation, she isn’t even that anymore.”

Grausam gave me a cruel smile. “I no longer care who holds the position of Aub Ahrensbach. Ehrenfest is Lady Georgine’s true prize.”

“She brings only chaos and destruction wherever she goes!” Matthias shouted, holding up his blade. “I will not allow her to become aub!”

Eyeing his son without the slightest trace of emotion, Grausam slowly raised his flame-covered right hand. “One must destroy the old to make room for the new. To think even that much was beyond your understanding... Of all my sons, why did the most useless and incompetent have to survive?”

For just a moment, Matthias pressed his lips together. Grausam was giving him a cold, disparaging look completely devoid of any fatherly love.

“I am now registered as an Ahrensbach noble, which means you are a son of mine no longer,” Grausam continued. “Cease wasting my time and die already. I will not allow you to stand in Lady Georgine’s way!”

He swung his right hand, and the blue flames leapt at Matthias as though they had a mind of their own. Matthias chopped them apart with his black sword... creating an opening large enough for Grausam to dart over and kick him in the stomach.

“Ngh!”

Matthias grunted in response to the blow. It was hard to believe that a scholar could fight at such a tremendous speed; Grausam’s movements were comparable to those of a physically enhanced knight, bringing even Angelica to mind. Matthias held up his sword again and took a step back in preparation for the next attack.

“Hmph. You were so arrogant before, yet this is the best you can do?” Grausam asked, oozing confidence. “Knights train their bodies, whereas scholars make complex magic tools. Let us see which is stronger.”

He crossed his flaming right hand with his black prosthesis, and in mere moments, the entire room was torn apart. The reception desk exploded and turned to ash, while the chair beside it split cleanly in two. We could see Laurenz at the balcony window trying to rush to our aid, but an invisible wall was blocking him.

Matthias was facing Grausam alone; he couldn’t rely on anyone coming to his rescue. An attack from his foe’s prosthesis would drain his mana, whereas an attack from his foe’s other hand would cause severe burns. And then there were the blue flames still darting about the room.

As his first move, Matthias desperately attempted to block Grausam’s right hand with his black sword. He was stuck on the defensive, unable to do much else against such an intimidating adversary.

“I designed these magic tools to vanquish Lord Bonifatius; someone of your level could never hope to compete with them,” Grausam sneered. He and Georgine had expected the former knight commander to arrive with his own troops and join the fray while Karstedt stayed put to defend the castle and the Noble’s Quarter. “That man’s instincts, initiative, and combat potential are all deserving of the greatest caution. He was the one who interfered that winter night when I planned to secure that commoner.”

As far as Grausam was concerned, luring Bonifatius away from the Noble’s Quarter had been the most crucial step in helping Georgine steal our foundation. Bonifatius was unpredictable. He had a talent for crushing schemes that neither Sylvester nor Karstedt shared.

And these magic tools were for taking him down, hmm?

I didn’t know what magic tools Grausam had made, and it was impossible to ignore how immensely strong they had made him. That didn’t mean he was going to win, though. He was only so arrogant because he hadn’t factored me into this fight.

Think, Rozemyne... How have you participated in battles before now?

I glanced at my Darkness-blessed water gun, which I was keeping concealed for the time being. As far as I could remember, other people usually did my fighting for me; I seldom took down opponents on my own. My accuracy was poor, and while I could channel more mana into my water gun to guarantee a hit, the resultant blast would wound Matthias as well.

There are some things I know anyone could do if they knew about them, but right now, I’m the only one.

I channeled mana into my ring. If Grausam was going all out with his magic tools, then I would do the same with my blessings. Not a single part of me questioned this decision; my restraint had fallen by the wayside long ago.

“O Steifebrise the Goddess of the Gale, Duldsetzen the Goddess of Endurance, subordinates to Schutzaria the Goddess of Wind—grant Matthias your protection.”

Gentle yellow light rained down on Matthias, who managed to dodge Grausam’s next kick. He would only continue to improve as he got used to the blessing.

“Hmph. A meager speed boost won’t aid you in the slightest,” Grausam said.

Now I was really ticked off. I could easily have granted more blessings, but it was better to start small so that the recipient could get used to them. Too many blessings could end up being a curse, as we had seen during our time at the Royal Academy.

Still, I’ll show you what happens when I get serious.

“O Angriff the God of War, Schlagziel the God of Hunting, subordinates to Leidenschaft the God of Fire—grant Matthias your protection.”

This time, blue light rained down on Matthias. It was supposed to improve both his accuracy and the strength of his blows—and indeed, as I watched the battle play out, I noticed that his swordplay had improved significantly. Grausam was actually having to dodge his attacks.

However, perhaps because of the wounds he had sustained thus far, Matthias wasn’t moving as freely as usual. He needed to be healed.

“O Heilschmerz the Goddess of Healing, Verdrenna the Goddess of Thunder, and Greifechan the Goddess of Luck, subordinates to Flutrane the Goddess of Water—grant Matthias your protection.”

The next blessing was green. Matthias would receive not only Heilschmerz’s healing but also the momentum of Verdrenna, who could repel even Ewigeliebe with her power. And of course, some extra fortune wasn’t going to hurt our chances.

As I’d hoped, Matthias gained an astounding burst of speed. He used his sword to block Grausam, who had reached out his black hand in an attempt to steal mana, and grinned.

“What madness is this?” Grausam asked, cheek twitching as his dominant streak crumbled into pieces. “Enough of your games...”

“Games? These are nothing of the sort,” Matthias retorted. “Just as scholars support themselves with magic tools, Lady Rozemyne supports her knights with blessings. As someone with the gods’ favor and plenty of experience with temple ceremonies, this is how she does battle.”

“I see you have gone mad since last we met, Matthias.”

Grausam was landing hits, but now Matthias was too; my stream of blessings must have put them on an equal footing. The smile on my retainer’s face was getting broader.

“O Verdraeos the God of Deliverance, subordinate to the God of Darkness. O Unheilschneide the Goddess of Purification, subordinate to the Goddess of Light. Grant your protection to Matthias.”

As I prayed for Matthias to cut down misfortune and forge ahead on whatever path he chose, black and golden light spread throughout the room. I appreciated that one could simplify a prayer by praying to subordinates of the two supreme gods at once.

That should do for now, though. The God of Life’s subordinates are fickle; one wrong move could end up dispelling the other gods’ blessings.

I was satisfied with my work, but Grausam’s face contorted with rage as he continued to attack. He swung his black hand at his opponent, knocking him back. Matthias’s pained gasp was barely even audible over the sound of the impact.

Grausam finally addressed me, “I would never have thought blessings could transform a basic knight like Matthias into someone able to fight me equally. I intended to drain every last drop of the mana that brought about your adoption, but this necessitates a change of plans. I shall ensure that you die here.”

Our opponent swung his right hand, throwing more blue flames in our direction. Matthias caught some with his sword and absorbed them, but those he missed came straight toward my Pandabus. They slammed into its windshield, and the mana I was using to maintain Lessy’s form drained out of me through the steering wheel.

I gulped, now painfully aware that I wasn’t as safe as I’d thought. It hadn’t even crossed my mind that I might lose this much mana while sitting inside my highbeast.

He’s so strong!

Grausam had made his magic tools to counter Bonifatius, so seeing them in action made me wonder how inhuman the former knight commander’s strength must have been.

Matthias got between Grausam and me, readying his sword once again. “Complain that Lady Rozemyne is a commoner all you want, but there is nobody I would rather serve,” he said with a provocative smile. “Tell me, has Lady Georgine ever blessed you?”

“Silence,” Grausam retorted, knocking the blade aside with his prosthesis before responding with a gout of blue fire.

Matthias dodged the attack and continued, “Has she ever used her mana for your sake? Or does she only ever take yours? Has she ever saved your life? Your pride? Your home? Has she ever defended you?”

“Silence!”

As if unable to think of a single time Georgine had done any of those things, Grausam furiously knocked Matthias aside and turned to look at me. His gray eyes were ablaze with pure rage.

“I’ll take that as a no, then!”

“You arrogant half-wit!” Grausam snapped, his face so red that not even his flames could mask it. “You don’t have the slightest idea what you’re on about! One’s loyalties shouldn’t be driven by the expectation of rewards! I work so that my lady’s wishes can be granted, and as much as I want to follow her on her path, I would never expect anything in return! Do not undermine my devotion with your nonsense!”

Grausam thrust his fist into Matthias’s flank, sending him flying into the wall. The one person standing between us was now gone, allowing Grausam to look straight at me. His eyes were multicolored and rich with mana, betraying the anger that must have been eating away at him.

“Come out of that creature, commoner!” he roared. “I will reduce you to ashes! Feel my strength!”

“Not today!”

Just as Grausam swiped at me, Matthias leapt between us and swung his sword. A loud clatter rang out, like the sound of metal striking stone, and the flames covering our foe waned just enough to reveal a blue feystone. Matthias’s black sword must have stolen too much mana for the fire to stay active. Grausam’s movements also seemed considerably more sluggish than before.

Matthias tore into the flames with a series of attacks. Each swipe stole more of their mana, causing them to shrink and gradually reveal bare skin and more blue feystones.

“I suppose this is my limit...” Grausam muttered as the flames around him disappeared, retreating back into the feystones.

“What?!”

Once the fire was gone, Matthias and I realized that Grausam wasn’t just wearing feystone armor; large chunks of his body had actually transformed. It was a sickening sight to behold—some of the stones dug into his flesh, while others seemed crammed beneath his skin. He didn’t even look human anymore.

Matthias’s face contorted as well.

“How foolish you both look...” Grausam said dismissively. “Even the greatest simpleton would understand that operating this many magic tools this aggressively requires an absurd amount of mana.”

“How? Why?” Matthias asked. “Why are you going to such extreme lengths for Lady Georgine...?”

“My explanation would mean nothing to you.”

Grausam averted his gaze, seemingly not wanting to look Matthias in the eye. Then, the next moment, he put all of his remaining mana into enhancing his speed and charged straight at my retainer. The noise of glass shattering filled the room as Matthias was flung out onto the balcony.

“Matthias!” I cried reflexively.

Grausam didn’t even pause to check the result of his throw; he sprinted over to the dead giebe and thrust his prosthesis straight through the man’s chest. He dug around as if searching for the man’s heart, and a moment later, his blue flames burst back into existence. The corpse was likewise swallowed up before disappearing.

“You. Commoner girl,” Grausam said, a harsh glint in his eyes as he turned to look at me.

My breath caught in my throat. Stealing mana and a feystone from a dead man was bad enough, but the tenacity and almost insane dedication to Georgine that had driven him to such a horrid act were what terrified me most.

“You cannot be allowed to live,” Grausam said plainly. Then he lunged at me, ready to tear Lessy apart with his black hand.

There was no longer anyone in the room who could protect me... nor was there anyone I needed to protect. The risk of accidentally wounding one of my allies had disappeared completely. I stuck my water gun out the window of my Pandabus and pulled the trigger. My mana shot out the end as a black arrow, which then broke apart into many tiny arrows that all pierced their target.

“Gah!”

Grausam roared and covered his face, which had taken the most abuse, before toppling over. Even as he fell, however, he managed to scrape Lessy’s front with his prosthesis. Stealing mana from a highbeast was easy enough, and the flames around him increased in intensity.

“Eep!”

“Haha... Aaahaha! Excellent. Give me all of your mana!”

Grausam sprang back up like a doll on strings and once again swung his black hand at me. Perhaps because of the arrows, even his face had mostly turned into a feystone. The gray eyes peeking out from among harsh stone and raging blue flames were a worrying sight indeed.

Aah!

A shiver ran down my spine. Far from being impenetrable, my highbeast was feeding Grausam’s strength. I squeezed my steering wheel, frantic, and poured even more mana into Lessy.

“Stay away!”

“All of your mana shall be mine!”

To ensure my safety no matter how much of my mana was stolen, I enlarged my Pandabus and made it rear up at Grausam. He was thrust back against the window but reached out just in time to stab Lessy’s stomach with his black hand. An immense amount of my mana was sucked out through my steering wheel.

“Eek!”

As unfortunate as it was, I didn’t have any fighting experience whatsoever. Grausam would eliminate me the moment I ran out of mana to keep my highbeast formed.

But I won’t lose to him!

I gripped the steering wheel and flooded it with far more mana than my opponent could drain. Lessy continued to grow larger and larger.

“What...?” Grausam muttered. “My hand is... turning into gold dust...?” My tactic was saturating his body with mana, causing his fingers to crack and crumble away.

So, basically... as long as I continue to pour mana into him, I might actually win?

I’d found a glimmer of hope—and not a moment later, Ferdinand shouted, “Now!”

“Hyaaah!”

The barrier surrounding the estate must have been deactivated or destroyed; my knights flooded in from the balcony and stabbed Grausam with their black weapons. Some of them stabbed my Pandabus by mistake, but I could forgive them in these circumstances.

Grausam had already been in shock about his mana-stealing black hand turning to dust, but this ambush didn’t elicit a reaction at all. He merely broke apart like a shattered feystone, leaving behind only shards and gold dust.