Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.9 - Chapter 3

Victory and Return

“I see you both kept busy while I was overwriting the giebe’s foundation...” Ferdinand said in a cold voice. “Tell me, how did things end up like this?”

I sat bolt upright and my Pandabus quickly deflated down to its usual size. I’d been too caught up in the battle to notice before, but during my attempt to intimidate Grausam, Lessy’s head and front legs had burst right through the roof of the estate, creating a massive hole. As I stared up at the blue sky—and at Ferdinand, who was looming over me—I desperately tried to think of an excuse.

“Grausam’s black hand was breaking Lessy apart. I mean, look at his face! He’s hurt! Fire was shooting all over the place, and, well... I needed to make my Pandabus bigger! It was the only way to keep me safe—or at least, that was what I thought, but—”

I was trying to plead my case when I suddenly realized the true severity of our situation. Giebe estates were made by the aub through the use of an entwickeln, and they were constructed out of pure-white ivory. The people of Hasse had been accused of treason simply for attacking a monastery, so this... This was very bad.

“Um, Ferdinand... Am I going to be charged with treason?”

“You are the current Aub Ahrensbach,” Ferdinand said dryly. “Rather than an act of treason, this could be considered a declaration of war.”

The blood drained from my face. “Noooooo! That wasn’t my intention! Not in the slightest! Please, Ferdinand, apologize to Sylvester for me! Maybe I could give him the gold dust he needs for the entwickeln and pay for any further repairs. Would that be enough to smooth things over?”

“I would not know.”

“Please! I need your help now more than ever!”

Ferdinand gave an amused chuckle, then held out a hand to me. “Perhaps we should embrace the inevitable scolding. It would seem that the situation in Ehrenfest has likewise been resolved.”

Accepting his encouragement, I stepped out of my highbeast and looked around. My knights were caught up in a lively debate over who had dealt the killing blow to Grausam, but I ignored them and stared up at Ferdinand.

“Is the fighting really over?” I asked.

“I would gain nothing from lying to you. An ordonnanz from the archduke arrived not too long ago; Grausam and Georgine were acting in perfect sync.”

As it turned out, they really had planned thoroughly. Grausam had conquered the estate and Old Werkestock’s giebes had started stealing mana at the same time that Georgine had arrived in Ehrenfest to begin her own battle.

“Sylvester was on his way to the foundation’s hall when we sent him our ordonnanz. He was pleased to hear of our safe arrival, it seems.”

“Was anyone in the temple or lower city wounded...?” I asked, cutting right to the chase. Sylvester had told us the battle was over, but what did that mean? Had Georgine made it all the way to the foundation, or had they captured her while she was still en route?

“As you can expect, the report was not detailed enough for me to answer that.”

Sylvester had told us only that our war with Georgine was over. In truth, his vague summary of the situation made me want to return to Ehrenfest at once; I was dying to see if everyone was okay. Would we make it there by nighttime if we left right away?

“Well, let’s head to Ehrenfest,” I said.

“Hold on,” Ferdinand interjected. “You must settle matters here first. Under no circumstances can you just leave them as they are.”

I wavered. Truth be told, now that the threat of Old Werkestock was no more, I wanted to leave everything else to the locals and go home.

“Well, what do I need to do?” I asked. “And when can I return to Ehrenfest?”

“It would not be wrong of you to leave Gerlach to the remaining knights and nobles until the aub gives his final verdict. However, do not forget your role as Aub Ahrensbach. You must instruct your duchy and, above all else, conclude the situation with Dunkelfelger.”

“I’m not sure what you mean...” I certainly didn’t want to disrespect the knights who had done so much for our sake, but why couldn’t we bring them back to Ehrenfest with us? Then the aub would be able to thank them personally.

“First, announce our victory. As you invited Dunkelfelger’s knights to this game of true ditter, it will not end until you declare the outcome. If you leave now, they will need to come with you. And need I remind you that Ehrenfest has just endured a battle against intruders?”

I placed a hand on my cheek and cocked my head, unsure why Ferdinand was so opposed to us taking Dunkelfelger’s knights into the city. “Is there a problem with that? They’ve done so much to assist us that I would expect Sylvester to thank or even reward them. It’s the perfect excuse for us to leave now and take them with us.”

“At the cost of Ehrenfest’s food and alcohol,” Ferdinand said with a sigh and a shake of his head.

This was news to me, since I’d been asleep at the time, but Dunkelfelger’s knights had used the delay in their departure to hold nonstop feasts loosely disguised as “meetings.” In a single day, they had consumed nearly all the food and wine in Ahrensbach’s castle. Bringing these same knights to Ehrenfest, which had spent the past month preparing for war, would deal a huge blow to an already exhausted city.

My knights, who were listening with flat expressions, all nodded in agreement. Ferdinand must have had every right to be concerned.

“But we can’t send them home empty-handed, can we?” I asked.

“We will discuss the matter of payment with Aub Dunkelfelger, but there is no need for us to rush. Go briefly to Bindewald and use the teleportation circle to return the knights to their duchy’s border gate. We may need to repay them for their magic tools, but we are under no obligation to fund their feasting.”

“Surely that’s a bit...”

I paused mid-sentence. Dunkelfelger had sortied in the dead of night, rescued Ferdinand, dealt with Lanzenave, and then come all the way to Gerlach; shooing them away now that we were done with them seemed unfathomably rude.

As I pleaded with Ferdinand, Strahl came to report that the captured Old Werkestock knights had been sent to Bindewald. I took a step back to give him some space.

“Lord Ferdinand, almost all of Old Werkestock’s knights have been captured,” he said. “Dunkelfelger’s are chasing the few giebes who escaped into the forest.”

Thanks to our allies’ assistance, we had captured almost all of Old Werkestock’s knights and giebes. Our focus was now on collecting the scattered feystones.

“I see,” Ferdinand replied. “Continue as you are.”

“Understood!”

Strahl took a step back, allowing me to approach Ferdinand and tug on his sleeve. “See how much they’re helping us? Dunkelfelger’s knights need our gratitude!”

“No, what they need is an exorbitant amount of alcohol. I should also note that no preparations have been made for such a sizable feast. You never considered the relevance of provisions precisely because you meant for this to be a brief, decisive battle, no? Do you intend to make food appear out of thin air?”

He was right—I’d told Aub Dunkelfelger that it would take me only two bells to save Ferdinand. I hadn’t considered the cost of feeding an army of this size for days on end, and trying to prepare a feast now would require us to run around nabbing chefs.

“The match has concluded; announce our victory and send the knights home,” Ferdinand said. “That is the best course of action.”

“Lady Rozemyne, Lord Ferdinand,” Cornelius called.

“Yes?” I asked, turning to look at him.

“I believe Lord Strahl has more to say.”

He indicated Strahl, who was kneeling a few steps away from us. The man must not have wanted to interrupt our conversation, so Cornelius had stepped in for him, having most likely deduced that we weren’t going to stop anytime soon.

“What is it, Strahl?” Ferdinand asked.

“There were some details I neglected to mention. The Bindewald summer estate had food and wine prepared to celebrate the return of Old Werkestock’s giebes. Could we not use those supplies to celebrate Dunkelfelger’s achievements?”

That reminded me—Fraularm and those with her had mentioned something about an arrangement like that.

“Hmm...” Ferdinand gave his temple a few contemplative taps. “Rozemyne, that would allow you to reward the knights as you so wish without bringing them into the city. As for words of gratitude from Aub Ehrenfest, I would advise that Lady Hannelore serve as her duchy’s representative. She can accompany us with her retainers and her fellow commander, Heisshitze.”

“Well said,” I replied. As much as I wanted our nobles to know how much Dunkelfelger had done to protect Ehrenfest, bringing its entire force to see the archduke wouldn’t be necessary.

“If we leave Dunkelfelger’s knights in Bindewald, we can have Sylvester activate the teleporters for us and travel to Ehrenfest in the blink of an eye. That said, the supplies in Bindewald will only last so long, and we will need to return to Ahrensbach tomorrow.”

“In other words, my return to Ehrenfest will only be short?”

“Indeed. We have much to gain from exchanging reports, bringing each other up to speed, and rewarding those who have aided us, but our work is not yet done. Detlinde and Leonzio have gone to the Sovereignty—at least as far as we know—and something must be done about them.”

In truth, I wasn’t all that worried about the Sovereignty—the royals had agreed to contact Dunkelfelger if anything happened there, and the other greater duchies were already abreast of the situation. Still, no matter how low it placed on my list of priorities, we couldn’t rest until every loose end was taken care of.

“A single day will do, then,” I replied with a nod. “Seeing the lower city and the temple with my own eyes should assuage my concerns. Though I might struggle to leave again...”

“Fear not—I shall drag you away if necessary.”

“Is it just me, or are you being really mean all of a sudden?!” I cried, glaring up at Ferdinand. It was easy to imagine him literally dragging me out of the city.

“Am I...?” he asked, his head cocked to one side. “Is this not how things have always been between us?”

“Thinking about it... you’re completely right. It’s so nostalgic I could cry.”

“Do so later. For now, send an ordonnanz to the aub. Ask him to prepare guest rooms for our visitors and to use the teleporter to save us some time. I shall instruct those from Ahrensbach.”

It was seriously unlikely that any knights from Ahrensbach—not even the ones serving Ferdinand—would receive a warm welcome if we brought them with us to Ehrenfest. Instead, they were all instructed to host Dunkelfelger’s knights in Bindewald.

Host them, hm...? That sounds like a pretty brutal punishment.

I sent an ordonnanz to Sylvester, informing him that the Battle of Gerlach had concluded, that we intended to return with Hannelore and co, that we needed permission to enter the city and access to some guest rooms, and that we wanted to use the teleporter to save time.

“Aub Ehrenfest sent us an ordonnanz—Ehrenfest’s foundation was kept safe from the invaders,” I announced, stepping onto the mostly—er, partially destroyed balcony. Hannelore, Heisshitze, and Ferdinand stood with me as I addressed the knights gathered in the front garden with a sound-amplifying magic tool Matthias had retrieved from the estate. “This, coupled with my successful acquisition of Ahrensbach’s foundation, means the outcome of our match is clear. I hereby announce our victory in this game of true ditter!”

“HURRAAAAAAAAAH!”

Dunkelfelger’s knights took out their schtappe-made weapons and slammed them against the ground in celebration. Then they thrust them high up into the air.

“Ehrenfest was at a numerical disadvantage against Ahrensbach and Old Werkestock, but the participation of you honorable volunteers allowed us to pull through. Your courage and strength are second to none in all of Yurgenschmidt.”

“HURRAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

“Though it might pale in comparison to the value of your achievements, a feast will soon await you in the Bindewald estate. We would ask you to go there once business in this province is complete. The knights of Ahrensbach will guide you.”

Upon seeing the intense fervor that had overtaken her knights, Hannelore stepped forward and made Verfuhremeer’s staff. She then performed Dunkelfelger’s post-ditter victory ritual to curb their excitement.

Huh. I guess it really is an essential part of their culture.

Once calm, the knights began to move. Hannelore let out a relieved sigh, which I took as my cue to mention the rest of our plans.

“Lady Hannelore, Aub Ehrenfest has invited you to Ehrenfest’s castle so that he might express his gratitude in person. I am going there only briefly to report on the war, after which I must return to Ahrensbach, so I realize this is all rather sudden. Nonetheless...”

I went on to detail who was invited and how we would get there. Hannelore thought for a moment, then called over Heisshitze, to whom I gave the same explanation.

“Of course, if you would rather head straight home, I could send you all to the border gate between Ahrensbach and Dunkelfelger. I simply thought it improper to have you depart so soon.”

“Heisshitze—what do you think?” Hannelore asked. “I am of the opinion that we should accept this invitation.”

Her fellow commander grinned and said, “This is more or less the only opportunity we have to enter Ehrenfest. I say we go.”

“Lady Rozemyne, I thank you ever so much for the invitation. Please allow us to join you.”

I appreciated how adaptive they were being—rather than moaning that our invitation was too abrupt or cleaving to customs, they were viewing our request as an opportunity to be seized. The royals, in contrast, had requested the usual three days when we’d gone to them with news of an extremely urgent emergency. They had so much to learn from the people of Dunkelfelger.

I watched Hannelore’s group leave to inform their knights of our plans.

“Strahl, the rest is in your hands,” Ferdinand said.

“Yes, my lord. I will contact Lady Letizia soon. Can I expect your return tomorrow afternoon?”

“You can. I will go from Ehrenfest to Bindewald, then return to the castle once we have taken Dunkelfelger’s knights to the border gate.”

Ferdinand told Strahl to deliver instructions to Letizia and to help the Dunkelfelgerians staying in Bindewald retrieve feystones and move prisoners. Simply threatening to ban alcohol from the upcoming feast was enough to light a fire under the knights. Just how much did they like to drink? I was both exasperated and in awe of their resilience.

“Lady Rozemyne. I am done,” Hartmut called. I almost couldn’t believe how much hearing his voice put me at ease, but that wasn’t important right now. I turned to him, wrenching my attention away from the feystones gleaming in the sunlight and the knights collecting them.

“Excellent work,” I replied. “You’ve done me a great service. The nobles and commoners of Gerlach can now rest a little easier.”

Hartmut had been tasked with overseeing the small chalices retrieved from the giebes and returning the mana stored within them to the duchy’s land. As a former High Priest, he knew how to operate small chalices better than any of the nobles.

“The now empty chalices must be returned to Old Werkestock,” I said. “How are its commoners, I wonder...?”

“That problem does not concern you, Lady Rozemyne; it is the duty of the next Aub Werkestock.”

Hartmut’s opinion was that we could inform the royal family of the temple’s keys and push for a new aub to be assigned to Werkestock during the Archduke Conference. He was especially critical of their decision to leave a duchy without an aub in the first place.

“Once our business is done, we will return to the castle to celebrate. You went through an especially treacherous battle as a scholar, Hartmut—do take some time to unwind as well.”

“Well, I do want to inform all the people of Ehrenfest how you managed to defeat Grausam.”

“Would that not reveal that my Pandabus destroyed one of the giebes’ estates?” I asked timidly.

Hartmut nodded with a bright smile. “Matthias and you were the only ones who entered the estate. As I prayed for your victory, the light of various blessings shone through the window. Even when your one and only knight was removed from the battle, you continued to fight. And in the end, you destroyed the roof to dispatch Grausam. That enlarged highbeast was a sight to behold; I must describe it to everyone.”

“Please, no!”

I was hoping to sneak Sylvester some gold dust to make up for my blunder. The last thing I needed was for someone to start blabbing about it.

“Hartmut, I forbid you from attending the feast!” I declared.

“My lady would never make such a one-sided demand. And in any case...” He looked at my other guard knights. “I am far from the only one who saw it.”

Cornelius smiled. As my brother, he was best suited to being frank with me. “By the time Lord Ferdinand told us we could charge into the estate, the most I could see were Grausam and the remains of white walls. At first, I wasn’t at all sure what I was looking at. I’m pretty sure you’re the only one in the world who’d try to fight back by making a giant version of your highbeast.”

“Cornelius!” I cried in horror.

“You won by using methods that Grausam would never have come up with on his own. Never would he have expected someone to fly over his traps in their highbeast.”

“Matthias!”

As I desperately tried to keep my guard knights from discussing the battle, Ferdinand called out to me. “Rozemyne, the teleportation circle has activated. Come!” He sounded exasperated.

Hannelore giggled. She was already waiting beside the teleporter with everything she needed. “You played a spectacular role in everything from the Purging of Lanzenave to the Battle of Gerlach,” she said to me, having already named our various skirmishes. “I am moved.”

“Oh no, Lady Hannelore—the role you played was far more significant.”

“If that is how you truly feel, Lady Rozemyne, then I appreciate it greatly.”

I mean, how couldn’t it be?

Soon enough, Sylvester appeared on the shining teleporter with three guard knights. He saw us lined up and broke into a grin. “Rozemyne... I don’t even know what to say. Well done. Lady Hannelore, to you and your knights, I extend my deepest thanks. And finally... Welcome home, Ferdinand. Welcome home. Let us return to the castle; we can save the formal greetings for later. Rozemyne, Ferdinand, help us out.”

As instructed, we knelt down and started channeling mana into the teleporter. Sylvester formed his schtappe in the meantime.

“Nenluessel. Ehrenfest.”

Black and golden lights twirled through the air, and the world around us faded away.