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

The Defense of Ehrenfest (Second Half)

Charlotte — Supporters of the Rear Guard

“Here is what you ordered, Lady Charlotte. We will now begin work on today’s portion.”

“It is thanks to your dedication that Lord Bonifatius and the others can fight without restraint. Please continue your hard work.”

I exchanged the order form I’d received last night for the completed potions and magic tools, then left the castle’s brewing room. I needed to deliver everything to Brunhilde, who was working in the castle’s kitchen—well, the room for attendants right beside it.

“Lady Charlotte, are you taking all that to the kitchen yourself...?” my attendant Kathrein asked. “Would it not be better to entrust the task to someone else and—”

“Oh my. I intend to go there anyway as part of my patrol. And is it not obvious that I would want to express my thanks to Brunhilde, who has been managing these support lines on her own since yesterday afternoon? I fear that something might be troubling her by this point.”

“You have become exceptionally active since putting on your riding clothes...” Kathrein said with a titter.

Normal clothes were generally being worn in the northern building and other locations with protective barriers, but in the castle proper, women were wearing riding clothes as a matter of course—Kathrein included. It meant we could mobilize as soon as we needed to, so for the past three days or so, I’d also been wearing them, with feystone armor hardened underneath.

The feystone armor in question was the same kind one learned to make during one’s second year at the Royal Academy. It was light and primarily protected one’s back and chest. The professors had told us we all needed to know how to make it or else we would end up in trouble when danger came. Still, I’d never thought the day would come when I would actually need to use it.

I do appreciate being able to move better, but still...

Every morning when I put on my riding clothes and when I saw the castle’s nobles wince at the sight of such uncouthly dressed women, I was reminded of the abnormal situation Ehrenfest was currently facing. I couldn’t help but pray that our lives would return to normal soon enough.

“Lady Charlotte. I did not expect you to come to the kitchen. You can always summon me if you require my services.”

Brunhilde had stopped instructing the chefs and was staring at me in surprise. She looked just as mobile and active as I did, perhaps because she, too, was wearing her riding clothes.

“I was already headed in this direction on patrol. And with how little I can contribute, I would not dare summon you away from such important duties. I came to give you the rejuvenation potions and magic tools from the scholars. And while I am here, I wish to give a report on our latest meeting...”

Brunhilde must have realized that my report was too important to be delivered through an ordonnanz; once she had finished instructing those around her, she cleared the room and produced a sound-blocking magic tool.

“Carrying out such an important duty on your own cannot be easy...” I said. “Are you having any problems that you might be hesitant to bring up during a meeting?”

Brunhilde, who was due to become the archduke’s second wife, was here by the kitchen because she was in charge of sending supplies to the front lines. She had the important duties of directing the castle’s chefs and sending the finished provisions to the knights engaged in combat. She also passed along any magic tools and rejuvenation potions the scholars sent over. It was because Brunhilde and those working with her were maintaining the supply lines with such assiduousness that Lord Bonifatius’s group had managed to fight in Illgner and Griebel for so many days in a row. One could say she was fighting her own battle within the castle’s walls.

“I am fine,” Brunhilde replied. “Though I am tackling this position alone, my duties make up but a portion of the work I was carrying out already.”

In truth, it was Mother’s duty as the archduke’s first wife to oversee the food and other essentials being sent to the front lines. She had been in charge of them until yesterday morning, with plenty of support from Brunhilde and me. Going through the process with her had taught us the proper order of things, whom to ask for what, when to distribute supplies, and how much to send at a time, among other things.

Once Brunhilde had picked up everything she’d needed to know, she had received the role in full, thus completing the handover process. Mother was having to guard a hidden passageway in case Lady Georgine’s group tried to invade the castle, and it was important that the flow of supplies not be suddenly interrupted when that time came.

“Your managing of the city’s shipments has allowed us to focus on hosting the knights,” I said. “According to Lord Bonifatius, Lady Georgine should make her move very soon.”

Ahrensbach’s invasion force had apparently retreated every time our knights had tried to challenge them. This meant there were very few casualties on both sides, but the scope of our enemies’ invasion had steadily increased over the past few days. We believed their goal was to draw our knights away from the castle and divide them before launching their attack, but even knowing that, Lord Bonifatius couldn’t return with his troops while Ehrenfest’s mana was being stolen.

“I am more concerned about you than about myself, Lady Charlotte. The air in the castle is as sharp as a knife, and the aub has ordered you to operate with Lord Karstedt when the time comes, no?” Brunhilde asked with a respectful smile.

The previous afternoon, Father had instructed me to work with the knight commander in the event of an emergency. His order was tantamount to recognizing that I was due to become the next aub, not my brother. I would serve as Father’s representative in the archduke’s office while he stayed with the foundation.

Father had asked me the status of my resolve, then told me the location of our duchy’s foundation and the nature of the High Bishop’s key. I personally believed that Melchior would grow up to be a much better aub than I—he had been raised to appreciate religious ceremonies, and schtappes were now being obtained much later—but it wouldn’t have made sense to give him my current duties. He hadn’t even obtained his schtappe yet.

“How is Lord Wilfried?” Brunhilde asked at length.

“My brother was informed about his engagement’s cancellation a full year before the news was made public. He has firmly refused to become the next aub, so my assignment to the role in an emergency should not bother him. His retainers, on the other hand, must be finding it hard to accept that he is being kept out of the loop.”

The retainers in question had kicked up quite a fuss when I, not my brother, was attached to the knight commander. That much was to be expected; they had yet to learn that my sister was being adopted into the royal family, that her engagement to my brother had been canceled, and that their charge was no longer the next aub.

“However,” I continued, “with Kirnberger’s knights spreading rumors as they are, most nobles have no choice but to accept the truth of our situation.”

In the aftermath of our archducal meeting—when Rozemyne had revealed so many secrets during an emotional outburst—Mother had sworn everyone in attendance to silence. But that magic contract was no longer enough; Kirnberger’s knights who had come as reinforcements, largely thanks to my brother’s connections, spoke openly of what Father had said and done during his visit to their province. The news was quickly spreading that my sister had the Grutrissheit, that the first prince had given her a courtship necklace, and that Kirnberger’s country gate had activated for the first time in two hundred years. Such rumors made the cancellation of my brother’s engagement obvious and stressed why I was chosen to act alongside the knight commander.

“I did not think Father would return without first silencing Kirnberger’s knights...” I mused. “Mother must have the headache of a lifetime. I was hoping the battle would end before circumstances required me to work with Lord Karstedt, for fear of destabilizing the nobility even further... But at this point, I think it might be inevitable.”

“Personally... I am glad that people now know the seat of aub would go to you if something happened before Lord Melchior came of age,” Brunhilde said. “I understand your concerns, since your first duty involves the very fate of our duchy’s foundation, but the Leisegangs must understand the archducal family’s stance on these matters.” Her voice then lowered to a whisper as she added, “Well, assuming Lord Wilfried stays on board...”

The archducal family couldn’t risk being divided at a time like this; it would only create an opening for the Leisegangs to exploit. I wanted to respectfully bow my head to Brunhilde, who was keeping her promise to control the Leisegangs even in these dire and busy times.

“I shall strive to reward your dedication,” I said. “In any case, I see no reason to believe Lady Georgine will stop short. Perhaps I should consider it inevitable that our nobles will discover the truth.”

“Indeed. Lady Georgine must believe she has a good chance of achieving her aim, else she would never have launched such an indiscreet assault. Lord Bonifatius concurs, and the aub will stay with the foundation for as long as he needs to. Though I will pray this battle does not last much longer.”

Even now that my sister had taken Ahrensbach’s foundation and rescued Uncle, the forces invading us weren’t deterred in the slightest. She had enough influence to stop the knights belonging to Ahrensbach, but a letter had informed us she was currently asleep. Given the circumstances, Uncle planned to bring Dunkelfelger’s volunteers into Ehrenfest to support us further.

“Last night,” I said, “Gerlach was attacked in the same manner as Illgner. The invaders retreated at the first sign of a fight, so Gerlach’s knights are fine for now, but the time will come when they will need reinforcements. It makes me wonder—will my uncle join the fray before Lord Bonifatius and his troops are stretched too thin?”

We might not have known how long this battle would endure, but tensions in the castle would clearly only continue to rise.

Brunhilde pondered the question. “As I understand it, the journey from Ahrensbach’s castle to the border gate it shares with Ehrenfest takes two days by highbeast. I cannot say whether Lord Ferdinand would make it in time, but several giebes sent reinforcements in response to the aub’s and Lord Bonifatius’s calls for aid. Are they expected to make it in time?”

“Most certainly. Troops from Haldenzel arrived soon after those from Kirnberger. In fact, I came here specifically to announce their arrival. I suspect this gives us enough knights to defend the Noble’s Quarter.”

Brunhilde clapped her hands together, a joyous smile spread across her face. “Goodness! That is most welcome news. The hole left by Lord Bonifatius’s knights has almost entirely been filled, then.”

“Precisely. But with so many more mouths to feed, the castle’s food stocks must be under a lot of pressure. It is said that war cannot be waged on an empty stomach...”

The arrival of reinforcements was reassuring enough, but it also meant we needed more food, rejuvenation potions, magic tools, and so on. We currently had these supplies in excess, since we had been preparing for this battle for over a month, but not only were we unsure how long the war would continue, we also hadn’t expected to host so many extra knights.

“Furthermore—though I must apologize for asking at all—could you send Leisegang a request to aid us?”

“You may rest assured—I have nudged them several times since it was decided that Kirnberger’s reinforcements would come and that Haldenzel would participate. The teleportation circle in the giebe’s estate will be linked this afternoon.”

Now that my sister had gone to Ahrensbach, Brunhilde’s engagement to Father played a critical role in obtaining the Leisegangs’ assistance. It was good to know we hadn’t run out of provisions partway through a war.

“I thank you ever so much, Brunhilde. Nobody else could perform your duties so exceptionally well. Please tell me if any of the returned food containers come with reports or requests from the knights.”

“You may count on me,” she replied with a reassuring smile. I’d intended to give her my support if she needed it, but I could see now that she was capable enough to manage on her own.

After returning the sound-blocker, I carried out the rest of my patrol and then returned to the archduke’s office. I needed to make sure the newly made secret passages hadn’t been discovered or used—a duty that could be completed only by a member of the archducal family.

At present, the archduke’s office was serving as a command post for the Knight’s Order. There were knights stationed in the dormitory and around the training grounds, but the commander and several other higher-ups were in the office gathering intelligence. Just as we wore our riding clothes at all times, they wore their armor, ensuring they were ready to sortie at a moment’s notice. My father, Aub Ehrenfest, was armored as well, though he also wore the surcoat that distinguished him as the archduke.

Of course, the knights weren’t the only ones here; there were also scholars sending out ordonnanzes and recording the responses they received, and attendants looking after all those gathered. Everyone was doing their job.

“You’re back, Charlotte?” Father asked. “Give me your report.”

I reported the state of the castle’s brewing room and kitchen, then stated that I hadn’t seen anything unusual on my patrol.

Father nodded. “So we’re to receive provisions from Leisegang this afternoon, are we? That’s good to hear.”

“Brunhilde seems to be performing her role just fine on her own. She is completing every single duty expected of her. Where is Mother?”

“She went to check the special emergency room and make sure the traps in the hidden passageways hadn’t activated.”

Just then, an ordonnanz flew into the room. It circled above our heads, then perched on the arm of Lord Karstedt, who was standing behind my father. The bird must have come from a knight at the training grounds.

Has a patrol schedule been prepared for the knights of Haldenzel?

That was my first guess, but it actually concerned a likely invasion force: “We received word from Illgner that two days ago, individuals who appeared to be nobles boarded a merchant ship in Leisegang. A lumber merchant saw them.”

The unexpected news surprised us all; we could only stare in silence as the bird started again. No regular nobles would come to Ehrenfest by boat—and those who did would use a far more luxurious vessel.

“Send word to Leisegang and investigate this!” Father ordered. “Find out when the boat is going to arrive!” Before the bird we’d received could even finish repeating its message, he took out a yellow feystone and tapped it with his schtappe.

“We should also inform the commoners at the port,” I said as the newly made ordonnanz took flight.

How long will this investigation take? The boat set out two days ago, did it not?

“Father, if the boat departed two days ago, it might already have arrived,” I said. “There is no knowing when the fighting will begin. We have not heard from Mother, so the hidden passageways must not have been used, but we will never recover if our foundation is stolen. You must go protect it at once!”

“Right. I’m leaving the rest in your hands. Karstedt, support Charlotte with your men,” Father said. Then he marched out of the room, bringing with him as few knights and attendants as was socially acceptable.

I turned first to Lord Karstedt, then to the remaining knights and scholars. “As the archduke has decreed, I shall oversee things in his absence. May we all work well together.”

“Understood!”

“I do not know when Leisegang will respond, but we should do as much as we can on our own in the interim,” I continued. “Any ship that arrives at Ehrenfest will dock at the west gate, so we should first increase the number of knights stationed there. Please also station the knights from Haldenzel as quickly as you can.”

Lord Karstedt nodded in agreement with my orders. “We should station more knights at the other gates as well. If our potential invaders were suspicious enough to be noticed, then they might be a decoy meant to distract us from another attack.”

“It does seem suspicious that a group of nobles was acting so indiscreetly...” one of the knights agreed, spurring a discussion among his peers.

“Still, we can say for sure that nobles of some kind are en route to the west gate. We know not whether they are friend or foe, but a defense of some kind is necessary.”

“What if we assigned some of the knights guarding the Noble’s Quarter to the west gate and temple?”

“Good idea. We can have Haldenzel guard the Noble’s Quarter. They don’t know as much about the lower city’s gates.” The knights in question visited the Noble’s Quarter for winter socializing but never ventured into the lower city or used its gates, so it stood to reason that they might not work well with the soldiers there.

“Would you care to weigh in, Lady Charlotte?”

“I am in full support of your proposals,” I said. “Reinforce the gates posthaste and give the knights from Haldenzel their new orders.”

No sooner had we come to an agreement than an ordonnanz swooped into the room. Leisegang had sent their response much sooner than expected.

“This is the scholar Giebe Leisegang assigned to investigate the suspicious nobles,” the bird said. “I see no reason to doubt the claims that the group in question boarded a merchant vessel. They are scheduled to reach Ehrenfest at fourth bell today.”

Before the ordonnanz could finish repeating its message, another white bird perched on Lord Karstedt. “This is Damuel. I received a response from Leisegang. Please order the Noble’s Quarter to start evacuating—and ensure they are done before fourth bell. I will do the same for the temple and each gate.”

Damuel was my sister’s guard knight. Illgner must have contacted him, which was why he’d asked Leisegang to investigate the matter. That explained why their response had come so quickly. His ordonnanz prompted the scholars present to begin sending one ordonnanz after another to the Knight’s Order and the Noble’s Quarter, asking them to start the evacuation.

“Mother, this is Charlotte,” I said, having made an ordonnanz of my own. “We have reason to anticipate an attack at fourth bell and the arrival of a separate enemy force. Please move into position once you have finished your patrol. May Angriff guide you.”

Then I prepared a second ordonnanz: “Brunhilde, we have reason to anticipate an attack at fourth bell. Please finish your shipments before then.”

From there, I contacted each member of the archducal family one by one. A new ordonnanz shot into the room while another of mine was taking its leave.

“Sister, this is Melchior. Damuel has contacted the temple, and Kazmiar has started our evacuation. I will send another ordonnanz when it is done. Let us both continue to do our best.”

Kazmiar must have sent the ordonnanz, but Melchior’s voice made it clear he was putting his all into carrying out his duties. The atmosphere in the room started to relax as another ordonnanz flew in.

“Charlotte, it’s me. Seems like we’ve got invaders coming at fourth bell, huh? I’ll come protect you.”

It was Wilfried. The knights around me glanced at one another. Someone in my brother’s retinue was apparently in contact with a former, dismissed retainer, so we couldn’t allow him in the archduke’s office. The threat of sensitive information being leaked to the enemy was far too great.

“What if we have Kirnberger’s reinforcements guard the east side of the Noble’s Quarter with Lord Wilfried while the knights from Haldenzel guard the west?” a knight suggested.

“We could ask Lord Wilfried to command them. He has training as a knight and enough leadership experience from playing ditter at the Royal Academy.”

I prepared an ordonnanz. “My apologies, Brother, but could you instead lead Kirnberger’s knights in defense of the east side of the Noble’s Quarter?” The knights were only lending us their aid because of Alexis, one of his guards, so this felt like a sensible arrangement.

“Scholars,” I said, returning my attention to the room. “Take our brewed goods to the knights at the training grounds. Attendants—those of you who can cast healing should go there as well.”

I was about to continue when an ordonnanz interjected in Father’s voice. “Charlotte. Giebe Gerlach sent me a request for reinforcements. His province is under attack by an army far too large for him to defeat alone. Gerlach must have been our enemy’s true target. They need troops as soon as possible.”

A stir ran through the room.

“We must inform Lord Bonifatius!” one of the knights shouted.

“He’s still fighting in Illgner,” another replied. “Only once he finishes there can he proceed to Gerlach.”

“Let us ask Gerlach’s neighbors to help them.”

I sent ordonnanzes to the giebes, but they didn’t respond as we’d hoped. They said they couldn’t send troops to Gerlach when their own provinces might be invaded next.

What should we do...?

Lord Bonifatius was caught up in a battle too intense for him to leave right now, Gerlach was facing more troops than it could ever hope to fight back, and a ship carrying suspicious nobles was headed straight for the west gate. The plots to disperse and distract our troops were now in full swing. Lady Georgine’s group would surely begin their attack at fourth bell.

My throat was raw. My hands trembled. My heart pounded in my chest. I could feel my every thought vanish into a pure-white void. As the next aub, how was I supposed to respond...?

“Lady Charlotte?” Lord Karstedt asked, peering down at me with a look of concern.

At that moment, a bird shot into the room and turned into a letter. Ordonnanzes could travel only to nobles, but magic letters could also be sent to places and even commoners without mana. This one was from Heisshitze, one of Dunkelfelger’s commanders, and was addressed to the office of Ehrenfest’s archduke. It said that Uncle would soon arrive at the border gate with Dunkelfelger’s volunteers and that they sought permission to enter Ehrenfest.

They’re at the border gate?! I can’t believe it! They made it in time!

A ray of hope had cut through the darkness. The remarks made by the knights now staring down at the letter didn’t even bother me.

“Should it not have been Lord Ferdinand who sent this letter?”

“Has something happened to him and Lady Rozemyne?”

“I received a report stating that while Lady Clarissa’s letters are allowed through, Lord Hartmut’s are not. Perhaps the enemy has control of the border gate and is destroying all correspondence from Ehrenfest residents.”

“Lord Ferdinand is no fool; he must have asked Lord Heisshitze to send a letter identical to his own, ensuring that their message would reach us.”

“Get them Father’s permission to pass through the border gate,” I said, interrupting their back-and-forth. “And start writing a response.”

One scholar sent an ordonnanz while another penned our response to Heisshitze. My father and I were in agreement as to what should happen next.

“Send word to Ferdinand,” Father said. “Have him go to Gerlach.”

I wrote in our letter to Uncle that Gerlach had been attacked last night, that we wanted him to contain the Ahrensbach knights, and that his force had our permission to get involved in the battle. In the meantime, I asked a scholar to contact Ehrenfest’s knights at the border gate. We told them it was likely our letters were being confiscated and that they should give the correspondence they were about to receive straight to Uncle when he arrived.

“This will ensure our letter reaches him once he arrives at the border gate,” I said.

I was starting to feel relieved, but then another knight entered. He introduced himself as one of the knights from the teleportation hall, then held out a letter from the Sovereignty. “This inquiry was delivered to us,” he said.

“Did something happen at the Royal Academy?” I asked.

“Um, not exactly... The Sovereignty said that Ahrensbach and Lanzenave have yet to invade and wish to know when the attack is going to happen.”

I was overcome with the urge to clap a hand to my forehead. What made them think to ask Ehrenfest about Ahrensbach’s concerns? I wished to pretend the letter had never arrived... but with the Archduke Conference right around the corner, we could not ignore an inquiry from the Sovereignty. Thus, I did the only thing I could: send an ordonnanz to Father while he was in the foundation’s hall.

“Father, how should I respond to this inquiry?” I asked.

“How thoroughly stupid... If they’re not caught up in this mess, they can wait until we’re out of it. They didn’t use the emergency water mirror, so let them focus on themselves while we do the same. Prioritize our defenses.”

I nodded, and we elected to postpone our response to the Sovereignty. Fourth bell was fast approaching. It was best to obey the aub and devote my attention to protecting Ehrenfest.

“Lord Karstedt, will we make it in time for fourth bell...?” I asked. “I worry that an attack will start before then.” As prepared as we were to sortie, it would still take a while for the knights to move to their designated positions. I also couldn’t shake the feeling that the boat arriving at the west gate was a diversion.

“At the very least, there is no mistaking that a portion of their forces will arrive at fourth bell. Even if our suspects on the boat are a mere diversion, we can expect an attack at the same time they arrive. They might even act under cover of the commotion at the west gate.”

“We could not possibly act any faster than we do now,” a knight added. “Let us simply be glad we were not caught by surprise.”

I nodded. My heart was pounding as the time for battle approached. I’d been entrusted with the archduke’s office, but I was starting to question whether I really had what it took to be the next aub. An indescribable anxiety spread through my chest... yet I needed to press on. Our attackers weren’t going to pause for the sake of my nerves.

As I tried to refocus, a slew of ordonnanzes arrived from the knights who had reached their stations.

“I am at the south gate. As of yet, no suspicious individuals have been seen. The lower city’s evacuation is progressing smoothly.”

“This is the east gate. We have closed the gate and stopped any carriages from entering or leaving the city.”

“We have arrived at the temple. Henceforth, we shall serve under Lord Melchior and Lord Fonsel.”

“The Noble’s Quarter has been evacuated. The streets have been cleared.”

“Our reinforcements from Haldenzel are in position. We are keeping watch from the sky.”

Everything was going to plan, it seemed, but that wasn’t the end of the ordonnanzes; two more birds arrived in short order.

“This is Brunhilde. Our shipments to Lord Bonifatius have been made. He is fighting in Illgner but claims to sense a most powerful foe in Gerlach.”

“I thank you ever so much, Brunhilde,” I replied. “Uncle and his force are on their way and should reach Gerlach in time to help.”

“This is Melchior. The temple has been evacuated. May Angriff guide you, Sister.”

“Melchior, this is Charlotte,” I said in response. “Your report has been received. Do not leave your guard knights. I shall pray that Angriff guides you as well.”

Father must also have received a ton of ordonnanzes; he was sending birds to us from within the foundation.

“One of the knights saw a suspicious figure in one of the castle’s back hallways,” the first said. “He lost sight of them almost at once, but considering where they were seen, they are thought to have entered a hidden passageway. Be on your guard.”

Then another arrived: “Rozemyne has reunited with Ferdinand and arrived in Gerlach. I granted them permission to use military force.”

Rozemyne is in Gerlach!

I remembered how she had taken her retainers into Ahrensbach and commanded our knights during ditter matches at the Royal Academy. Oh, how her unwavering eyes and determined expression had inspired me. I was still afraid, but as the next Aub Ehrenfest, I needed to defend my duchy until the last. I wished to face this battle with the same motivational posture as my sister.

Gong... Gong...

It was fourth bell. We all held our breath as an ordonnanz flew into the room.

“This is the west gate. As reported, a ship carrying suspicious individuals has arrived. They are clad in silver cloth and using wolfaniels.”

And thus, the battle for Ehrenfest’s foundation began.

Leckle — The Battle for the West Gate

Of all the passengers disembarking the Leisegang merchant vessel, one lot stood out to me most: the very first group who had poked their heads out. It was weird; even from a distance, it was obvious they were used to people doing everything for them. And if even I could tell they were nobles, they couldn’t have been trying too hard to be discreet. The knights must have noticed too, as they were looking especially wary.

“There they are...” I said.

Together with Lord Damuel, we’d warned the dockworkers about our suspicious arrivals well in advance. They kept their distance from the obvious nobles, creating a path to the gate for them. Those still on the merchant ship were staying back and watching.

“Leckle—get into position,” Captain Gunther ordered.

“Yes, sir!”

Oh man... I can’t believe this is actually happening!

It wasn’t that I was surprised; more knights had arrived at the gate, we’d tightened our guard, and people had run around the city telling everyone to evacuate. I’d just never thought commoners like us would take part in a battle between nobles. This was the real deal.

“Silver cloth...” one knight muttered. “I see some under their capes!”

“Are those dogs with them?” another asked.

A third shook his head. “Not just any dogs—those look like wolfaniels to me.”

The knights were lying in wait. Lord Damuel said something about the enemy arriving at the gate and reinforcements; then one of those voice-carrying white birds shot up into the air.

“Stay away from the wolfaniels,” one of the knights warned me and the other soldiers. “You don’t have any mana to fight them with.”

“Is the waste ready?” asked a second.

It was. The ladle in my hand was buried deep in a bucket of excrement.

Erk. I’m terrified. Feels like I’m gonna throw up.

And not just because the stench of the waste made me want to retch. I was so nervous about the coming battle that my stomach was twisted in knots. Nobles fought by blasting each other with magic, right? We commoners wouldn’t stand a chance. I wanted to hide before these suspicious nobles reached the gate and mowed us all down like grass. It was a primal urge—the animal inside me was screaming that we had to get outta here. My hands trembled, and my legs shifted, unable to stay still.

“Not yet, Leckle. Stay in place.”

Captain Gunther’s words of caution made me jump a little. He must’ve thought I was desperate to charge into battle, but I’d actually been fighting back the urge to run away.

“Things’ll get worse if you try to run,” the captain said in a low voice, having seen straight through me. “These are nobles we’re dealing with, remember—they can use highbeasts and magic. Our job is to throw waste on them until they tear away their silver clothes. Make it count.”

I turned to look at him without even thinking about it. He was a commoner like the rest of us, but he didn’t sound even the slightest bit scared. In fact, he looked more eager to fight than anyone. He was grinding his teeth so hard that I could practically hear it, and the grave look on his face made me think he was dying to punch a hole in these nobles’ faces. His eyes were so sharp that I could see the anger in them, even in the dim light of the room we were waiting in.

I’ve seen the captain like this before...

Back then—it must have been years ago—not a single soldier at the gate had wanted to go near him. He’d scared us half to death as he beat down the east gate’s commander, saying it was “all his fault.” I’d since learned what the whole incident was about. The commander at the time had envied Gunther getting all sorts of exclusive intelligence from the knights, so he hadn’t spread the word when he was instructed not to let any outsiders into the city.

And as a result, the captain lost his daughter.

Captain Gunther’s daughter... I couldn’t remember her name anymore, but she’d spent a year at the south gate when I was there, helping Otto with his math work. She hadn’t even been baptized, but she’d pointed out problems with our paperwork and advised us on how to educate the apprentices. I’d rarely seen her—probably because she was too weak to come to the gate every day and spent the days she was there cooped up in a room—so I couldn’t picture her face. But I sure remembered Otto showering her with praise.

Because he wouldn’t stop comparing us.

I was assigned to work as Otto’s assistant when Captain Gunther’s daughter was baptized and stopped coming to the gate. Sure, I was a bit better at math than most people, but it wasn’t something I enjoyed doing. Otto would compare me to the captain’s daughter day in and day out, to the point that I actually considered quitting. It never came to that, though; the girl said something about how soldiers used to more physically strenuous work wouldn’t last doing math all the time, so the gate created a brand-new role for that kind of work.

Though I couldn’t remember what Captain Gunther’s daughter was like, her influence had reached all sorts of people. She’d also been doted on pretty heavily by her dear old dad. Her death at the hands of an outsider noble must have been heartbreaking. Captain Gunther hadn’t even been given her body.

He must be getting revenge for his daughter.

That realization made the blood drain from my face. The captain looked ready to throw punches at these nobles like when he beat up the old commander.

Wait. Huh? Has he got a death wish?!

His family had already lost one person to an outsider noble; what would they think if Captain Gunther died too? Lady Rozemyne wouldn’t be impressed, that was for sure. A rumor had been circulating for a while now that she’d taken Captain Gunther’s family as her personnel because it was her fault his daughter died. Like, the noble was actually targeting Lady Rozemyne and took the captain’s daughter by mistake.

This can’t be good, right? It’s gotta be bad.

Fourth bell rang as I fought back the urge to cradle my head. The silver-wearing nobles were about to enter the gate when one of the knights cried out from where he was hiding.

“Now!”

“Hraaah!”

Captain Gunther was the first to move. He swung his waste-filled ladle, and a sickening squelch filled the air as he landed a direct hit.

“Ngh!”

“What in the...?!”

“Mere guards, attacking us?!”

The invaders were openly furious, but the captain didn’t care; he hit them with another helping of waste.

“Come on, men! Throw!”

At once, we started scooping up waste and pelting the nobles. We let out weird battle cries at the same time, screaming things like “Screw you!” and “Eat this!” We were desperate—or, like, almost ready to die. All we could do was act as ordered.

“Gah! Commoners!”

“How dare you!”

Soon, excrement wasn’t all we were throwing at the nobles; we added stones and sharp blades to the mix. The silver cloth blocked magic, but it wouldn’t protect our attackers from normal weapons like the ones we soldiers used, or so we were told—a knife thrown by one of our knights in hiding struck a noble and then bounced right off.

“They have charms too,” another knight explained. I didn’t know what that meant, but whatever; I was too focused on how great it felt covering the outraged nobles with waste. I’d put up with the stench for days now; I wanted to unload it all right here and now.

“Hraaah!”

I couldn’t help but laugh. I was getting cocky—and maybe that was the problem. For my next shot, I aimed for one noble’s head... and scored a direct hit. Waste clung to the hood of his cowl and dripped down to his face.

The noble threw his hood back, revealing a dirty white mask. His eyes were visible through two holes, and they stabbed into me like spears.

Guh!

“Commoner! You will pay the price of defying a noble!”

The invaders threw aside their silver clothes. Our plan had worked, so the captain and everyone else pumped their fists and cheered victoriously. I wasn’t so excited, though.

“Waschen,” the invader said, cleaning the waste away in one quick motion. He didn’t look away from me for a single moment; he must have been dead set on getting revenge.

This isn’t good...

The invader was holding that magic stick all nobles had. They could wash things, make weapons, and even contact people with them. It went without saying that they were pretty damn useful, and now this person’s was shining. In other words, something dangerous was coming.

“Eep!”

“Leckle!”

I’d taken a panicked step back, tripped on a rock, and fallen straight on my butt. Even then, my eyes were locked on the green light coming from the stick, now bigger than a fist.

“Their cloth’s gone!” one of the knights shouted. “Capture them! Now!”

“Yes, sir!”

This was the moment the knights had been waiting for. They leapt out from the shadows, and in an instant, the battlefield was overrun with capes. Someone shouted, “Geteilt!” and an explosion rang out barely a moment later. If not for their intervention, the invading noble’s attack would have finished me for sure.

“Fall back!” the knight shouted at me. It was Lord Damuel. I’d never thought a noble would put themselves in danger for a commoner like me. I shakily bobbed my head in response, but my body was so tense that I couldn’t actually follow his instructions. The best I could manage was to crawl away.

“The Knight’s Order?!”

“Ngh! They were hiding!”

The knights and invaders began fighting each other, magic against magic, but now there was no silver cloth involved. The distance between them got smaller and smaller.

“Unleash the wolfaniels!”

The enemy nobles weren’t our only threats; at their command, massive black dogs were loosed on us.

“Soldiers, stand down!” a knight shouted while fighting one of the invaders. “Wolfaniels can only be defeated with mana!”

“Get inside!” another cried. “Wolfaniels attack anything with less mana than them!”

“Ngh! There’s too many!”

The soldiers near me scattered like spiders after being told to hide inside the gate. Explosions rang out from every direction as the knights blocked the mana blobs being launched at us by the invaders.

“Gah! Run awaaay!”

“Don’t stop! Don’t slow down!”

“Shut the doors once we’re inside!”

I desperately tried to follow everyone as they ran, but the noble’s glare and mana must have paralyzed me; my knees were creaking and refused to work. I somehow managed to stand, but running was out of the question.

“Hold on!”

The wolfaniels were deftly avoiding the knights in their single-minded determination to catch me and the other soldiers. Most of them were blocked in time, but we were already on the defensive; there just weren’t enough knights to contain them all.

“Leckle!”

One of the wolfaniels that had managed to slip through stalked toward me, growling. Seeing it from afar, I’d thought it was just like any other big dog... but that wasn’t the case at all. It had gone from being below my eye level to above it—and it was getting taller!

“Th-The dog... is growing...”

The wolfaniel was getting increasingly larger, and it leapt at me with its mouth wide open. It was big enough to sever my head with a single bite. I could see its tongue extending between sharp teeth and wiry bridges of saliva and smell its disgusting breath.

It’s gonna eat me!

My throat seized up to the point that I couldn’t even cry for help. I dropped to the ground, and its teeth gnashed right above my head. It had bitten the air where I was just a moment ago.

I’m alive?!

Dark fur blocked my vision. I thought I’d managed to escape being eaten, but the feybeast was pinning me down with its huge forelegs. I dodged its first bite, but its claws dug into me and kept me in place. I couldn’t even process the pain before the dog lunged at me for another bite. The most I could do was watch in horror... until the patter of quick footsteps caught my ear and a gauntlet traveling at an unbelievable speed smashed into the side of the beast’s head.

“What’re you doing to my subordinate, you mangy pup?!”

The wolfaniel didn’t collapse from the blow, but it did stop trying to tear me apart. It changed its target to Captain Gunther and immediately bit down on his arm.

“Gunther!”

“Captain!”

Lord Damuel and I cried out in unison, and a moment later, the dog exploded with a surprisingly quiet thump. Blood and chunks of meat rained down on me as I watched in a daze.

“Th-The dog... exploded?!”

“What the...? What was that?” Captain Gunther muttered, looking between his fist and what remained of the wolfaniel.

Lord Damuel readied his weapon and turned his back to us. “That was the charm from Lady Rozemyne! It protected you!”

“The charm... protected me?”

“Everyone! Get away while you still can!”

Lord Damuel was already staring straight at another wolfaniel. Seeing him ready to protect us made a rush of emotion surge through me. Meanwhile, there was a loud metallic clang as the captain smacked his gauntlets together.

“Alright. I get how these charms work now. And that means... I can fight!”

“Captain?!”

“Gunther, wait!”

Lord Damuel and I tried to stop him, but it was no use. “Protecting the city’s my job!” he roared, then leapt at another wolfaniel. “Come at me!”

The heck d’you mean, “Come at me”?!

The captain always scolded the apprentices for going berserk in combat, yet here he was doing exactly that. There was nothing we could do but watch, I thought, but Lord Damuel rushed after him.

“Hraaah!”

Captain Gunther punched another wolfaniel, which returned the favor by slashing at him with its claws. The attack activated another charm, and while the dog didn’t explode this time, it must have felt something. It registered the captain as a threat and pounced, snarling all the while.

“Gunther!”

Lord Damuel swatted away the black dog to protect the captain. “Those charms only reflect attacks! They’re not meant for combat or killing feybeasts!”

“So I just need to bait them into attacking me, right?” Captain Gunther asked.

“This is an order, soldier! Stand down!” Lord Damuel shouted as he slew another black dog. I appreciated the attempt, but it was too late; the door leading into the gate had already been closed and secured to stop the wolfaniels. We were stuck out here.

“Leckle, are you alright?”

“Those claws went pretty deep. Let’s get you somewhere safe.”

“Over there in the shadows should do.”

Other soldiers who hadn’t been quick enough to enter the gate rushed over and whispered among themselves as they carried me into the shade. Only now that I’d escaped immediate danger did the unbearable pain of my wounds sink in. I was barely even able to move.

“Ow ow ow ow...”

“Stay still,” one of the knights warned me. “There are more of those dogs.”

I slumped against the wall of the gate and overheard my colleagues and the apprentices chattering inside. They must have been watching the fight from the meeting rooms and whatnot.

“That noble over there just picked up his silver cloth! That’s bad, right?! Get him, knights!”

“Look over there! That knight’s taking them down with the same kind of weapon we use!”

“Whoa! That’s amazing! Keep fighting!”

They sure don’t seem concerned, do they?

Maybe it was because knights from elsewhere had come to reinforce the gate and nudged the situation in our favor, but the apprentices were treating the battle like some kind of spectacle. They sure were relaxed now that they were out of harm’s way.

“Captain Gunther just took down another dog!”

“Nah, that was Lord Damuel, wasn’t it?”

“He’s protecting the captain and defeating those beasts? At the same time?! Wow!”

I started searching for Captain Gunther and Lord Damuel. They were standing so that none of the feybeasts’ or enemy nobles’ attacks would reach the wall where we were hiding.

“Over here, mutt!” the captain shouted, baiting a wolfaniel to bite him. He was a commoner like the rest of us but wasn’t content with letting the knights protect him.

“Be careful, Gunther! Stop this already!” Lord Damuel snapped, clearly having a rough time of it. “That was the last of the charms your family gave you!”

That exclamation prompted one of the enemy nobles to lob a magic tool, though he remained completely focused on the battle at hand. “If that was his last charm, then this is where his interfering ends!”

“Geteilt!”

Lord Damuel stepped forward to shield Captain Gunther. It was only a momentary distraction, but it was enough for the man who appeared to be the enemy’s leader to shoot a ball of light from his ring toward the captain.

“A commoner soldier using magic tools to kill wolfaniels?!” the noble cried. “Pure arrogance! Get out of our way!”

“What?!”

“Captain!”

The ball of mana raced through the air, closing in on the captain. We held our breath, wondering how he was going to avoid it... only to witness him run toward the attack.

“You’re not getting into my city!”

It was with that determined roar that Captain Gunther disappeared into the light. A scream soon followed, and when the light faded... the captain was kicking the enemy’s leader square in the stomach.

“How...?” the noble grunted as he collapsed.

“Damuel, secure the enemy!” a knight shouted.

“Right!”

Lord Damuel did as instructed, quickly slapping bracelets on the noble’s wrists before tying him up. He then removed the man’s mask and tossed it to the ground, cracking it.

“Grausam...! Excellent work, Gunther!”

The noble must have been someone famous, as Lord Damuel gasped upon seeing his face. The knight giving out orders tightly bound the noble he’d just defeated, then shouted, “Send word to the aub immediately!”

Once the enemy’s commander was out of action, the rest was straightforward. I couldn’t see him from where I was, but he was said to be a nasty foe who used all sorts of magic tools. The captain had taken down two wolfaniels, then used a charm to block Grausam’s final attempt at resistance.

“Captain, Lord Damuel said you were out of charms,” I said. “How did you survive that last mana attack?”

“I ran out of the charms my family sent me, but I still had my first one—the one that Lady Rozemyne gave me personally.”

Lord Damuel wanted you to run while you had protection to spare... so you kept fighting?

“You sure got carried away. I was terrified just watching.”

“But none of our guys got seriously hurt, right? A pretty damn good result, if you ask me.”

He was right—it was a good result. I was far from the only one groaning and nursing my wounds, but none of us had died or were on the verge of death. And in a battle against nobles, that was a monumental achievement.

“Attention! The fighting is over!” the gate commander shouted through the door. He’d stayed outside with the rest of us, though I wasn’t sure whether he’d deliberately chosen to guard the rear or just hadn’t been quick enough to make it into the gate. “You lot, start carrying the wounded inside!”

“We gotta clean them first,” a soldier retorted as he stepped outside. “Leckle’s covered in blood. This is from when that feybeast exploded, right?”

“Given how many injured there are, it seems better to bring buckets of water than carry them all to the well. Then we can take them to the first aid room.”

The commander waved a hand. “Go fetch water, then. We’re gonna clean up the gate and all the wounded. We also need to start inspecting all those still on the merchant vessel.”

“Commander, what if there are more threats inside the boat?”

“The knights are checking as we speak. Our job is to clean the gates—and that includes you apprentices who just sat back and watched the whole battle. You lot must have energy to spare, so go fetch those buckets of water. Now. From the river or the well.”

The apprentices started picking up buckets, their faces twisted in grimaces. “Guh... The fighting’s over, but we’ve still gotta do dirty work...” one complained.

“Nobles could clean everything in a snap using magic,” added another.

“Yeah. They could even have cleaned the gate.” A third apprentice gestured at the random clean spots on the ground where the invaders had washed their clothes.

“Shut it, idiots,” Captain Gunther said. “Do you really expect us to waste the knights’ time with something like this? Our job was just to defend the west gate, but theirs is far from over. Take a look.”

I followed his finger to swarms of highbeasts over the temple and north gate, and countless bright flashes shooting across the sky.

Judithe — Those Left Behind

Not long after third bell, Damuel sent an ordonnanz instructing us to finish evacuating everyone by noon. Philine’s hands were shaking too much for her to respond, so I made my schtappe and sent word to Roderick in the High Bishop’s chambers.

“This is Judithe. Damuel wants the evacuation done by noon. We’ll go to the orphanage. Don’t forget our drills!”

Lord Melchior’s retainer Lord Kazmiar managed to get Philine back on her feet, but she still seemed kind of unstable. If any of the gray priests saw her so panicked, the entire temple could end up descending into chaos.

I thought for a moment, then looked at Lord Kazmiar. He gestured subtly with his fingers, indicating that I should take Philine to the orphanage on my way to the temple’s back gate. I gave a brisk nod in response.

“Come on, Philine,” I said, and we left Lord Melchior’s chambers together. We called out to the gray priests and shrine maidens we saw en route to the orphanage, telling them to evacuate as we had practiced. It seemed to distract Philine from her nerves.

I shouldn’t need to stay with her the entire time, then.

Upon our arrival at the orphanage, an ordonnanz flew over to us. “This is Fonsel,” it said. “I’ve arrived at the Noble’s Gate. Dedryck is heading to the front gate now.” Lord Melchior’s guards had remained with the Knight’s Order, but now they were arriving one by one.

“I’ll make my way to the back gate,” I said to Philine.

“Take care,” she replied. “And... Just be careful.”

I went into the basement of the girls’ building and out the back door, where I spotted gray shrine maidens returning from the workshop. Fran had most likely headed to the boys’ building to spread word of the evacuation. We needed to relieve the priests guarding the back gate of duty as soon as we could, so I made my highbeast, flew straight there, and delivered my instructions.

“Evacuate at once. We will take over guarding the gate.”

“Thank you.”

I watched the priests hurry into the boys’ building, then sent an ordonnanz to Lord Kazmiar: “This is Judithe. I have arrived at the back gate and evacuated the gray priests.”

“I am about to seal the temple’s gates,” he replied—and a moment later, the large gate beside me started to rumble. As I watched it close, I couldn’t help thinking that the temple really was meant for nobles.

No sooner was the back gate shut than knights from the Noble’s Quarter arrived. “Lady Judithe,” one of them greeted me.

“Welcome, Lord Odis,” I replied, doing my best to sound polite. “As we are going to be fighting together, I permit you to address me untitled.” Then I activated the pink shumil that had previously been deposited at this gate.

“What is that pink stuffed animal doing here?”

“This is a battle-ready shumil. Lady Rozemyne designed it. Because it requires so much mana, it can be active only for a limited time, but I doubt we have anything to worry about; she said it was stronger than the royal family and any archduke candidate.”

“Uh...”

Yeah, it really is hard to believe—especially when Lieseleta dressed them up to look so cute. At a glance, they don’t look dangerous at all.

“I assure you, they really can fight. They are based on the magic tools in the library—the same ones that easily scattered even Dunkelfelger’s knights.”

Everyone gasped. Lady Rozemyne’s victories at the Royal Academy were common knowledge by this point. I told them what I’d seen with my own eyes, and they finally acknowledged the shumil, even if only with some reservations.

“The shumils Lady Rozemyne made for us will, in her words, ‘mercilessly slaughter anyone who threatens the temple,’” I said. “She asked that we use them if we encounter more invaders than expected or if we are wounded too gravely to fight back.”

Each gate had only three knights assigned to protect it, so Lady Rozemyne had created these truly lethal magic tools to help us. They were excessively dangerous, to be honest, to the point that I found them kind of terrifying... But defending the temple came first.

“R-Right,” Lord Odis said. “So they are to be used in times of danger.”

“Correct. To operate them, first channel mana into these feystones. This is how the shumil tells friend from foe, so anyone not registered with it risks being exterminated. Subsequently...” I told the knights exactly how to use the shumil. It was a nerve-racking experience, considering that they were all much, much older than me.

“Hmm... I appreciate the explanation,” Lord Odis said when I was done. “You should do this for the knights at the other gates as well.”

“That won’t be necessary. One of Lord Melchior’s guard knights should already have arrived at each of the other gates.”

We’d received a warning about the merchant vessel well in advance, which had given us time to prepare ourselves and evacuate the others, but we wouldn’t have that same leeway once the fighting started. Relying on one person to inform every single gate had seemed dangerous, so we’d ensured that each gate had at least one person in the know.

“I see,” Lord Odis said. “Has the temple finished its evacuation yet? Damuel sent word from the Knight’s Order that the lower city is done with theirs.”

“I expected as much. I went through the girls’ building not long ago and can confirm that its doors are firmly shut. Lord Melchior should send word to the castle soon. Would you like me to contact him?”

“No need. If you are done here, then you can move to your station.”

“This is my station. Though I was asked to support the other gates with hit-and-run attacks—within reason, at least—my main order was to protect this location.” Much like Lord Melchior’s knights, my role here was to activate one of the shumils and then keep Lord Kazmiar abreast of the battle situation. Defending the gates largely fell to those of the Knight’s Order.

“A scout, then? In that case, I would ask for you to check on the lower city. We don’t have enough experience there to know what things are normally like.”

“Understood.”

As one of Lady Rozemyne’s guards, I wasn’t included among the knights properly assigned to the gate. I would fight alongside them if we were attacked, but otherwise, we followed a separate chain of command. As nice as it was for someone to call me a scout, my actual role didn’t feel anywhere near as important.

Lord Melchior is here at the temple with his guard knights, but my lady is absent. It makes me feel a little out of place...

Lady Rozemyne was currently in Ahrensbach. Reports claimed she had succeeded in rescuing Lord Ferdinand, but she’d since been bedridden in Ahrensbach’s castle, and we’d yet to receive any news about her waking up. The looming attack had made things especially tense, so even if a report did reach the castle announcing Lady Rozemyne’s return to consciousness, I doubted that I or any of her other retainers would receive the news right away.

No matter what information gets sent to the castle, I assume I won’t hear about it until the fighting’s over.

Feeling dejected, I stared down at the lower city from atop my lone highbeast. People were hurrying about in waves, having most likely been driven home by all the soldiers running around and shouting for them to evacuate. Among that tangle, three large carriages were heading to the north gate. Maybe they were carrying the Gutenbergs.

The stores on the north side of the city closed one by one, and the main streets emptied, but there were still a lot of people in the south. I could see wagons with produce leaving the city. There weren’t many evacuation points for farmers within the city limits, so most of them were going back to their towns.

I’m just sitting here, looking around. Is this helpful in the slightest...?

Lady Rozemyne had given everyone clear roles: Damuel was evacuating the Gutenbergs, Philine was managing the orphanage, and the attendants were defending her library. It seemed strange to me that I, an actual guard knight, hadn’t been given anywhere to protect. I supposed that I was protecting the temple as a whole, but it wasn’t like I’d taken part in its evacuation. Philine was overseeing the orphanage on her own, which made me a little bit upset.

I’m supposed to be Lady Rozemyne’s guard knight...

Frustration and regret welled up in my chest. Having to scout the lower city on my own felt like proof that the others were leaving me behind. It wasn’t Lady Rozemyne’s fault that I couldn’t go to Ahrensbach with her—it was against the rules to take underage knights on missions outside of the Noble’s Quarter. One could skirt that limitation with parental permission, but my father’s words echoed through my head.

“Stay in Ehrenfest. I’d even ask you to come back to Kirnberger while Lady Rozemyne’s away. I can’t let you go to Ahrensbach when you’re still so young. There are other ways for you to maintain your pride as a knight, like guarding Ehrenfest’s temple or castle.”

Father doesn’t get it. Not in the slightest! Laurenz is my age, so why was he allowed to go?!

I puffed out my cheeks. The retainers of the former Veronica faction had their own problems—I wasn’t denying that fact—but at times like this, I couldn’t help but feel jealous that they were able to follow Lady Rozemyne everywhere. Father had refused to let me go to the Sovereignty with her, and now I couldn’t accompany her to Ahrensbach. I just wanted to be with my fellow guard knights.

Stop it, Judithe. Being a guard knight is about more than just marching into battle with your charge. Lady Rozemyne cares about Ehrenfest, and ensuring its safety is important to her. There are some things the knights of other archducal family members won’t be able to protect for her.

My mind wandered to when Lady Rozemyne had taken Damuel aside and given him a special order of some kind. They had used sound-blockers, so I wasn’t sure what they’d discussed, but he had clearly agreed to carry out her request.

No fair... It’s always Damuel.

Like me, he was protecting Ehrenfest rather than staying with Lady Rozemyne—yet he didn’t seem insecure about his role in the slightest. I wasn’t on Hartmut’s level, but I was a little jealous that Damuel was her most trusted retainer. The gap between us was so clear that it frustrated me. Was I really her worst guard knight...?

One way or another, I need to be useful during this fight.

The streets of the lower city had almost been evacuated. Some were refusing to close their stalls, and others were trying to relocate to their workplaces so they could continue their work... but most people were safely inside.

It should almost be fourth bell...

As I nervously watched the west gate, two ordonnanzes darted into my vision. One went to the castle, while the other came to me.

“Judithe, this is Damuel. The reports were true—threats have arrived dressed in silver cloth. Defend the temple.”

At once, I sent ordonnanzes to Lord Kazmiar and Lord Fonsel. The knights assigned to the back gate had normal weapons not made with mana so they could attack any silver-clothed invaders who tried to force their way through. I needed to do my bit as Lady Rozemyne’s guard knight.

I’ll defend the temple, no matter what!

Fourth bell rang, and the west gate suddenly became a lot busier. Maybe they’d started fighting the intruders.

Guh... I want to be there too.

I was raring to go, but not a single intruder had shown up to face me. As much as I wanted a chance to shine like Damuel, my only option was to stay where I was. I couldn’t abandon my station and charge to the west gate in case someone attacked the temple in my absence.

We each have a role to play here.

I’d once slacked on my knightly duties, having believed that Damuel was assigning me to ride with Lady Rozemyne as a slight against my talents as a knight. I didn’t want to repeat that mistake and remain ignorant to what was expected of me.

I need to stay here. Leaving isn’t an option, so why am I still so curious?!

Making sure to stay within the temple’s grounds, I edged my highbeast closer to the west gate. Shouting soon reached my ears. I noticed some commoners wandering around with uncertain looks on their faces despite everyone having been ordered to evacuate. Several knights flew to the west gate, having most likely been reassigned there.

I really want to join them! Damuel was tasked with overseeing the entire lower city! He should be keeping an eye on other places too!

I was pouting about my unfortunate situation when a realization hit me. Was Damuel so focused on the west gate that he’d stopped paying attention to the other parts of the lower city? My role was to scout for potential threats, so maybe I could remedy that. I scanned the city below from atop my highbeast, all too pleased that I’d found a way to be useful.

Damuel can be a little clumsy sometimes. I should cover for his blind spots!

The commoners who had refused to evacuate before had quickly changed their tune when the fighting at the west gate started—the central plaza’s remaining stalls were put away in the blink of an eye, and their owners rushed east or south. There was no reason for anyone to go west toward the fighting or north to the temple.

So what’s with that wagon, then?

Farmers transporting their produce were either leaving to return to their hometowns or making their way to the evacuation center in the south part of the city. But this wagon was heading against the crowd and traveling north. Was it going to the Noble’s Quarter? If so, the knights stationed at the north gate would turn it away without a second thought. It looked small and crummy compared to the ones that normally frequented the Noble’s Quarter; I doubted it would receive permission to pass even during times of peace.

As those thoughts ran through my mind, I suddenly lost sight of the wagon.

Oh...? Has it reached its destination? Or is it lurking in the shadows of an alleyway?

Suspicious, I paid close attention to the nearby side streets. It wasn’t long before I spotted some shady figures continuing north while taking extra care to stay in the shadows.

Were there people hiding in that wagon...? The attack on the west gate might be a diversion!

I anxiously returned to the back gate, where I told the knights what I’d seen and my theory that the temple and north gate might soon come under attack.

“Send an ordonnanz to the knight commander,” I was told. “I shall inform the north gate directly.”

“Right away!”

According to Lord Odis, several changes had been made to the knights’ stations because of the attack on the west gate and the arrival of reinforcements from Kirnberger and Haldenzel. This meant ordonnanzes were less reliable for contacting specific locations—but as the knight commander was locked in place, I could send mine there.

“This is Judithe,” I said. “I was watching the lower city from the temple’s back gate and saw several suspicious individuals approaching the north gate. They did not appear to be wearing any silver cloth, but be warned—the fighting at the west gate might be a distraction for an attack on the north gate or temple.”

“There may be more like them,” came the knight commander’s response. “Keep a close eye on the lower city. Do not look away for a moment.”

Determined to carry out my new order, I raced up into the sky above the gate. I could see two knights flying to interrogate the figures I’d reported.

Hm...? That group’s smaller than it was before, right?

Before I could dwell on the thought any longer, it was blown right out of my mind. The knights did something I couldn’t quite make out... then the strange figures made highbeasts and shot up into the air. One of the knights immediately launched a rott, calling for backup from the north gate.

And so an airborne battle commenced.

“This is Judithe,” I said, sending ordonnanzes to Lord Kazmiar and Lord Odis. “The knights of the north gate are in combat with the suspicious individuals.”

“This is Kazmiar. Understood. We received a report that intruders appeared in the castle’s hidden passageways. The temple and the Noble’s Quarter are on their guard.”

“This is Odis. Your message has been received. It seems that another group with magic tools was spotted in the Noble’s Quarter. A fight could break out at any moment. Be on your guard.”

Moments later, an explosion shook the temple’s back gate. The large entrance for carriages didn’t even budge, but the door meant for foot traffic was blasted open by magic tools.

“Huh?! Intruders!”

“Don’t let a single one into the temple!”

“Oh, we shall see about that...”

The group heading north must have seemed smaller because some of their number had gone to the temple. I could already feel the blood draining from my face as I raced to the gate that was under attack.

One of the invaders was holding a magic tool of some kind. He shouted, “Die!” as he unleashed it on our knights.

“Prepare yourselves!” Lord Odis roared.

The magic tool detonated in the air, but not with the same tremendous boom as the previous attack; this one simply made a light pop as it spread white powder all over the place.

“Powder...?”

“Don’t breathe it in!”

“Waschen!” I cried as I dove down toward the fighting. I’d already been briefed about Lanzenave’s poison, so I cleansed my allies without a second thought.

From there, I readied my sling and shot several offensive magic tools toward our attackers. Bestowed upon me by Hartmut and Clarissa, their purpose was to unleash bugs and powder that would irritate the eyes and throat, meaning they would work even against silver-cloth-wearing threats who were immune to mana.

The invaders hadn’t expected this counterattack; they were shouting out in fear and confusion.

“Hurry up and drink your jureves! You... Oh?”

I’d called out to the poisoned knights only to realize that my own movements were becoming more labored. It was hard to breathe, and my body felt increasingly heavy. I must have gotten too close to the poison and accidentally inhaled some. I used a quick waschen on myself and then downed my own jureve.

“Show them no quarter!” Lord Odis roared, then fired a rott and activated the front gate’s aqua-colored shumil. From where I was watching the battle, I saw the shumil start charging toward the attackers.

“A flash-bang!”

The invaders threw magic tools of their own—probably to buy themselves some time to recover from their confusion. The knights below me were blasted with one flash-bang after another, but the pink shumil dashed through the explosions without even a momentary hesitation. Our enemies couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw the cute combatant racing toward them on stubby legs.

“What in the world is that...?”

“A shumil...? No, it’s too large.”

The shumil readied its radiant golden scythe—a magic tool—and then swung it straight down. It was an eerily quick slash for something that looked so innocent... and just like that, one of our attackers was cleaved nearly in half. Fresh blood sprayed everywhere, even on the shumil as it turned around. Everyone—our own knights included—choked in fear of the sight.

Lieseleta! Seeing an adorable shumil wreak this havoc makes it three times as frightening!

The remaining invaders were so shocked and disturbed that they simply froze in place. The shumil ran to its next opponent, who threw up his hands and pleaded for mercy. He received none and was cut down in short order. Another of the intruders cursed, then turned tail and attempted to flee. He didn’t get very far, though—not with an aqua shumil in his path and a pink one bringing up the rear. They swung their golden scythes in perfect unison.

“GAAAAAAH!”

The shumils had eliminated another enemy. It was good they were working so fast, since they would power down once their mana was depleted, but their speed was seriously unbelievable. It was hard not to want to entrust everything to them.

“Someone got into the temple!”

“Follow them!”

To our surprise, the shumils had allowed one of our enemies to run past them. They weren’t even giving chase. The knights had tried to apprehend the intruder when they’d realized, but their jureves hadn’t kicked in yet, meaning they were still too slow. No matter how hard they tried, their target got farther and farther away.

“Why aren’t the shumils following them?!”

“They see by sensing mana. Maybe the person’s wearing silver cloth, rendering them more or less undetectable.”

“We must contact Lord Melchior! Judithe, are you well enough to do that for us?”

The knights on the ground had endured far more poison than me, and chasing the intruder might have caused it to course faster through their system; they were already collapsing onto the ground. My own mana flow had taken a beating too, but at least I was on my highbeast. We needed to report that a threat had gotten into the temple immediately.

My schtappe didn’t come out as easily as usual. It was only with great difficulty that I managed to send an ordonnanz.

“This is Judithe. One of the intruders avoided the shumils by wearing silver cloth. They’ve managed to get into the temple.”

The knights drank rejuvenation potions as well as their jureves and then devoted some time to recovering. The shumils would take care of any more enemies who tried to attack us. I dismounted my highbeast and also focused on my recovery.

Aah, my mana is returning to normal.

By the time I’d realized my flow was on the mend, an ordonnanz had approached me. “This is Dedryck,” it said. “The silver-clothed invader was Lady Georgine. She set off several traps before being teleported to the Ivory Tower. It is our victory. The temple was defended.”

If we really had captured Lady Georgine, then the battle was indeed ours. The other knights erupted in celebratory cheers, elation clear on their faces. They certainly were recovering well, and they seemed much lighter on their feet than before.

Lord Odis gave a wry smile before instructing the knights: “Right, everyone—start gathering up these intruders. Bring each and every one of them to the Knight’s Order, dead or alive. Start by disarming them, but be careful—even with the shumils still active, we might be vulnerable to more enemies.”

“Yes, sir!”

The rejuvenated knights tied together what remained of our attackers before removing the weapons, magic tools, and such from their bodies. Once they were done, they started unmasking the unmoving intruders—and the final reveal caused me to shriek.

“That’s... Grausam!”

“They say he gave his name to Lady Georgine and died during the winter purge, but... here he is.”

Grausam was Matthias’s father. I personally thought his life had been forfeit the moment he’d decided to invade Ehrenfest, but that didn’t change the truth of our situation—he had succumbed to a magic tool that Lady Rozemyne had made. I also couldn’t ignore my own role in bringing about his demise. How would Matthias react to the news that his lady and fellow retainer had contributed to his father’s death? Would it pain him to learn that the man was a traitor? Just imagining his response made my heart ache—even more so when I overheard some of the knights discussing the matter.

“This man’s son—Matthias, was it? He’s still alive, isn’t he? I’ve heard that he gave his name to the archducal family... but there’s no denying what an irredeemable monster his father was now. Does he not pose a tremendous threat to his lord or lady?”

“That’s not all—I’ve heard that the name-sworn who escaped punishment have been locked up until the duchy’s safe again. The entire archducal family knows they’re dangerous. If you ask me, taking this opportunity to execute them would do wonders for Ehrenfest.”

“At the very least, I don’t want an invasion like this to ever happen again.”

The naked disdain for Matthias and the others sent a shudder down my spine. Their stance would have outraged Lady Rozemyne, who was always saying that children needn’t bear the sins of their parents. I’d thought the knights would be more accepting once Ehrenfest was safe, but that mistake was being thrust in my face.

“Stop that!” I shouted. “Matthias and the others reported their own parents for the sake of our duchy. It was because of them that the purge was accelerated and we managed to catch all those nobles worshipping Lady Georgine before they had a chance to act. Don’t you ever say we should execute them. They’ve done more to save Ehrenfest than almost anyone.”

“R-Right... Matthias gave his name to Lady Rozemyne, then?” Lord Odis asked, seeming a little uncomfortable. “That makes him your coworker. I should not have spoken so carelessly.” He was sorry that he’d made such remarks while I was in earshot, but he hadn’t even attempted to take them back.

And the other nobles probably share his opinion...

It turned my stomach. Was it really that hard to understand what a brutal decision Matthias and the others had needed to make? How much bravery it had taken for them to report their own parents? I wouldn’t have had the guts to do the same thing. Giving their names to the archducal family had enabled them to escape execution, but Matthias was grief-stricken by how Lady Georgine had taken over his entire house. He always wore the most pained expression. The same was true for Laurenz; though he always smiled and cracked jokes, I could sense he was just putting up a front.

“Matthias and Laurenz had their memories searched and were spared punishment because Aub Ehrenfest deemed them loyal,” I said, continuing to put pressure on Lord Odis. “Are you questioning the archduke’s decision?”

“That wasn’t my intention. I meant only that many nobles consider them a potential threat. I understand your desire to support your coworkers and that they helped to prevent the first plan, but this second one came to fruition, and now there are casualties all over Ehrenfest. The aub can burn all evidence of Lady Georgine’s involvement, but the wounds left by her name-sworn will remain. To be frank, those who escaped punishment are going to be viewed with even more scrutiny from now on.”

Lord Odis chose not to say anything else; he and the others put the tied-up intruders on their highbeasts, then flew away to regroup with the Knight’s Order. We had defeated Lady Georgine, but our troubles were far from over; Matthias, Laurenz, and everyone else who had given their name to escape execution would only have it harder from now on. The world was so unfair that it made me sick.

We protected Ehrenfest... but what kind of victory is this?!

Now alone by the back gate, I vented some of my frustrations with a heavy sigh, then went over to the shumils. I needed to deactivate them; there probably wouldn’t be any more fighting now that Lady Georgine was out of the picture.

“Ah...”

The shumils were still covered in blood. Grausam’s must have been mixed in there too. I cast waschen, hoping to clean them as much as possible before Matthias got back. Large bubbles of water swallowed up the two shumils—and moments later, they were sparkly clean. If only Grausam’s mark, Matthias’s and Laurenz’s pain, and the malice of our duchy’s nobles could be washed away so easily.

Maybe it’s a good thing Lady Rozemyne is leaving Ehrenfest.

It was the first time I’d ever thought something like that. We had agreed that I would stay behind, but Matthias and the others were going to follow her to the Sovereignty.

Hopefully that makes their lives even a little bit easier.

I gazed upon the temple and prayed to the gods.

Florencia — At the Ivory Tower

The castle had been overwhelmingly busy since Lord Bonifatius led his troops to Illgner. We received reports on the front lines every morning and afternoon. Supplies were being sent to the knights, and the women were all dressed in their riding clothes—an obvious indication that the fight was right on our doorstep.

“Lady Florencia, where will you be going now?” asked my retainer Leberecht.

I paused to think. I’d welcomed our reinforcements from Haldenzel at the training grounds, ordered the attendants to prepare them rooms in the knight dormitory, worked with the scholars to calculate the supplies they would need, and shared my intelligence with the archduke’s office. In the meantime, Charlotte had checked up on Brunhilde and asked the Leisegangs to send us provisions. I’d entrusted a fair share of my duties to her.

Charlotte certainly is doing her best in these unusual circumstances.

I was partway through visiting those stationed around the castle and checking the entrances to its hidden passageways, searching for anyone suspicious. We had managed to execute Lady Georgine’s most important name-sworn during the winter purge, but who knew how many more nobles had given their names to her in secret? I sincerely doubted she would have attacked Ehrenfest if she didn’t have connections here. They were small in number but no doubt still present in the duchy.

“I said to Lord Sylvester that I would check the special emergency room,” I told my retainer.

The “special emergency room” was our name for where we were keeping nobles of the former Veronica faction who had escaped execution. Barthold, Muriella, and Cassandra were there at the moment. There were separate sleeping quarters for the men and women, but they stayed in one room under constant surveillance during the day.

Ehrenfest’s nobles had expressed their concerns that, name-sworn or not, those of the former Veronica faction would pose a tremendous threat in the event that Lady Georgine invaded. Though we could order them not to assist her, that would not be enough to stop them—perhaps they would start working with some other noble in a way that ultimately benefited their lady. Keeping them under watch seemed to be a much safer option.

“Three days have passed,” I mused. “He must be making his complaints known by now...”

“You are referring to Barthold, I assume? He has been complaining since the very first day that his little sister in the temple should receive the same treatment.”

It was true that some of the apprentice blue priests had almost identical circumstances to those we were keeping locked up—they were all nobles of the former Veronica faction who had lost their parents during the purge. Rather than move them to the castle, however, we had elected to leave them where they were. Melchior’s retainer Kazmiar had said it would make more sense to keep them in the temple, where the gray priests could keep an eye on them.

“The apprentices in the temple are but children,” I said. “I would rather they not be punished and exploited over something that has nothing to do with them.”

After giving her name, Cassandra had learned about various aspects of the purge from Charlotte. The same would naturally have been true for Barthold, and we suspected that he had urged one of the first-years to send a letter of concern to his family. As he could use his gentle demeanor to manipulate the young ones, we had decided to keep him well away from them.

“Were we not going to let Barthold roam free until the day Lord Wilfried finally holds him accountable?” Leberecht asked.

“That was a fine plan when there was peace and only Barthold would suffer the consequences, but we are hosting reinforcements from Kirnberger and Haldenzel. A single mistake could spiral into the execution of twenty-some children—far too great a price to teach my son a lesson.”

It wasn’t enough that the apprentices had given their names to the archducal family—if even one of them did anything that might be perceived as helping the invaders, the loudest voices would demand a return to tradition. The result would be the execution of not just the three we were watching but also Rozemyne’s name-sworn, the apprentice blue priests in the temple, and the orphans.

“I see no harm in sacrificing them for his education,” Leberecht remarked. “As the children of criminals, they should have been executed in the first place.”

“I disagree. Do you not see how much we would need to give for so little in return?”

More than that, if my son’s failure to contain Barthold resulted in the execution of all the children the aub had attempted to save, his education would only be harmed, not helped. Leberecht wanted to use this opportunity to fully stop Wilfried, whose reputation had already been damaged when Lord Bonifatius gave up on him, from ever becoming an archduke. But on this particular matter, I did not agree with him in the slightest.

“Well...” Leberecht said with a meaningful smile, “I am curious to see whether Barthold is oblivious to his current standing or whether he is acting so brazenly despite it. He might be so frustrated because we are preventing him from sharing information with his contacts on the outside.”

I sighed. Barthold was still in touch with some of the retainers taken out of my son’s service, Oswald included. Back when Lamprecht and Alexis had consulted me about it, I’d advised them to turn the situation into a training exercise for Wilfried—to teach him to remove sources of danger from his immediate surroundings—but they had yet to succeed on this front.

We had determined it necessary to isolate Barthold so that he would not convince Wilfried to do something foolish during Lady Georgine’s invasion. Imprisoning him alone would have aroused suspicion and outraged my son, however, so we had locked Cassandra and Muriella in the special emergency room with him.

Cassandra is his younger sister, which is fair enough... but Muriella is completely innocent.

With the aub’s permission, Muriella had given her name to Elvira rather than a member of the archducal family. She had moved out of the castle to live in the knight commander’s estate and work on the printing industry under her new lady. By working only in places Elvira and Rozemyne could attend, she had managed to stay away from malicious nobles.

Unfortunately for Muriella, the recent incident had seen her dragged out of the safest place she could possibly be. It must have been exceptionally uncomfortable for her. And yet, according to the guards, she’d uttered not a single word of complaint; all she did was read with a pleasant smile on her face.

“How are they?” I asked the knight and attendant standing outside the special emergency room. “Do you have anything to report?” A quick glance inside revealed that Barthold and Muriella were reading while Cassandra worked on her embroidery.

The two guards looked at each other before the first replied, “Barthold groans to no end, demanding to know how long he must remain under surveillance, and frequently requests meetings with Lord Wilfried and the aub. On more than one occasion, we have caught him trying to act without our notice.”

“Cassandra sided with her brother for a time,” the second added. “But she quickly fell silent after Muriella chastised her.”

I stared at them in surprise. “Do you know what Muriella said...?”

“As I recall,” the first guard shared, “she told Cassandra that if she truly does find the situation unbearable, she should take her own life to escape it.”

The second guard nodded. “Muriella also said that, had the three of them been executed, the archducal family would not have needed to spare guards and other resources on them. She assured Cassandra that they were blessed to even be alive.”

This somewhat expected news drew a chuckle out of me; Muriella’s harsh words clearly spoke to her lady’s influence. “She must be spending quite a lot of time with Elvira—or perhaps it came from her upbringing. I can hope only that Cassandra learns to think the same.”

Staying in the castle meant having to deal with malicious nobles at every turn. Muriella and the temple’s apprentice blues had other, more comfortable places to live, which made the harshness of the castle stand out all the more.

Perhaps we should distance Cassandra from the malice as well.

After visiting the special emergency room, I needed to check the traps placed in the hidden passageways. There were knights assigned to their locations, but we had no idea how many intruders were equipped with silver cloth to pass through our magical barriers or whether said cloth would work against our snares. Maybe the intruders would see through the traps and invade the inner portions of the castle before we knew it.

Still, at least we finished rearranging the passageways.

According to Lord Bonifatius, the extensive education Lady Georgine had received when preparing to become Ehrenfest’s next aub meant she knew the castle’s secret routes. It was nigh impossible to say whom she might have revealed them to, so I’d performed a private entwickeln with Sylvester to rearrange them all. Only the two of us and Charlotte knew the current layout; we had elected not to tell any of the scholars about our plan, and the most our retainers knew was that we had changed things around.

It was because we were keeping the new passageways a secret that I, the first wife, was entrusted with guarding them. The knights could take care of the battle; my role was to check whether any of the intruders we captured was Lady Georgine, teleport her away if so, and then head to the Ivory Tower—which was accessible only to members of the archducal family—to confirm she had arrived there.

“Let us hope she falls for our traps soon,” Leberecht said, stroking his chin with a look of apparent delight as we continued through the castle’s corridors. He had spearheaded the creation of so many traps designed to work even against silver cloth—a group project he had done together with his son, I was told.

“You made them with Oliswalt, correct?” I asked, naming his eldest son—the only one of them who worked in the castle as a scholar.

Leberecht shook his head with a wry smile. “Not just him; Hartmut and Clarissa were there as well. Lady Rozemyne’s library holds many recipes belonging to Lord Ferdinand, and, well... We made good use of them.”

They had apparently held a meeting in their family estate, during which they had exchanged ideas for creating and improving the magic tools we would use to protect Ehrenfest. Leberecht had thoroughly enjoyed learning about the advancements in the archducal family’s research at the Royal Academy and the offensive magic tools used during our duchy’s ditter games against Dunkelfelger.

“Hm? Is that an ordonnanz?” I mused. The little bird perched on my hand, then spoke in the voice of one of the scholars working in the archduke’s office.

“We have received intelligence that Lady Georgine boarded a ship in Leisegang and is now en route to Ehrenfest. We are confirming this with Leisegang and have requested more information.”

I exchanged a look with Leberecht, who wanted to know whether we should return to the office. “Let us proceed as we were and check the traps,” I decided. “Leisegang might contact us in the process.”

“Send word to the knights around the castle,” Leberecht said in response to the ordonnanz. “If your source is correct that Lady Georgine is traveling by boat, then another attack force might already be in place. That woman has always been exceptionally thorough with her plans.”

“We should contact the brewing rooms as well. We will need as many rejuvenation potions as we can get.”

Ordonnanzes flew as we circled around to check the hidden passageways. None were disturbed. We were about to return to the archduke’s office when a message from Charlotte arrived.

“Mother, this is Charlotte. We have reason to anticipate an attack at fourth bell and the arrival of a separate enemy force. Please move into position once you have finished your patrol. May Angriff guide you.”

I sent an ordonnanz in response praying that Angriff would guide her in turn. How unexpected it was that a girl who had just been taught about the foundation in preparation for becoming the next aub was already being asked to defend it. Charlotte was young enough that she hadn’t even completed the Royal Academy’s archduke course. Her education as the next archduchess had started not even a year ago, when it was decided that Wilfried would no longer be engaged to Rozemyne. This burden was far too great for her to bear; that was precisely why I needed to stop those who would harm us before they could reach her. There was even my daughter Henriette, to whom I’d given birth within this castle only half a year ago.

My next ordonnanz was to the attendant looking after my dear youngest daughter in her room: “An enemy attack is expected at fourth bell. Take Henriette and hide.”

“Understood,” came the response. “May Angriff guide you, Lady Florencia.”

At my order, Henriette was moved out of the playroom in the archducal living quarters and into a side room. We had prepared it long ago, since it was far away from the path one would take to reach the foundation.

“Lady Florencia, this is Lamprecht,” a fresh ordonnanz announced. “Lady Charlotte has asked for Lord Wilfried to lead the Kirnberger knights. As he is still underage, we believe that you should have the final say.”

Wilfried must have done something truly unexpected; I could not imagine Charlotte making such a request otherwise. The decision had probably fallen to me because their father, the archduke, was now guarding the foundation.

“Have him move to the training grounds and wait at the ready. I will entrust his first sortie to either the knight commander or his head guard knight.”

My verdict must have been relayed at once, because I received yet another ordonnanz before long: “Mother, this is Wilfried. How could you deny me this opportunity?! I was entrusted with protecting the Noble’s Quarter! This is what I trained for!” His tone betrayed an intense desire to join the coming battle.

“I did nothing of the sort,” I replied, taking great pains to sound even calmer and more considerate than usual. “In the face of our enemy’s silver cloth, the common logic of mana equaling strength has been turned on its head. We of the archducal family were trained to rely on our abundance of mana in a fight, meaning we might drag down the knights around us. I will stay quite some distance away from the danger until my knight signals for me. You must follow the commander’s orders in the same fashion.”

Wilfried replied with a flat “Understood.”

A relieved sigh escaped me. I’d explained the situation in enough detail that I doubted he would do anything unreasonable. I sent an ordonnanz to Karstedt instructing that Wilfried be permitted to fight only once we knew the strength of our enemy.

From there, I sent an ordonnanz to my other son. He was still too young to attend the Royal Academy but had agreed to guard the temple as its High Bishop.

“Melchior—the temple must be busy with its evacuation, so do not worry about sending a response. I must ask that you keep in regular contact with Karstedt and Charlotte. Listen closely to Kazmiar and stay in your room until you receive further instruction. Do not leave under any circumstances. May Angriff guide you.”

As I watched the bird take flight, my attendants approached carrying boxes filled with offensive magic tools and rejuvenation potions. Leberecht and the other scholars had worked tirelessly to improve their recipes. All that remained was to distribute them to the knights.

“These were made specifically for this battle,” I said. “You may use them all, if necessary—as long as you ensure that not a single intruder slips past you. We shall defend this castle and our entire duchy with it. Do not allow our foes near Aub Ehrenfest.”

“Understood!”

Next, I received an ordonnanz from one of the knights on patrol: “I saw a suspicious figure near one corner of the castle grounds. They soon disappeared among the trees. Considering their location, they likely entered a hidden passageway. Please be on your guard.”

The air grew thick with tension. If an intruder really had entered one of the old passageways, then a battle here at the castle was inevitable.

“An invasion before the ship’s estimated arrival at fourth bell...” I murmured. “She really must still have name-sworn in the castle and Noble’s Quarter.” The question was how much information they had given her.

Leberecht raised an eyebrow a notch, then crossed his arms. “I do wonder about that... She might have accomplices here in Ehrenfest, but I doubt any of them are in the castle; otherwise she would have known we were suspicious and preparing for fourth bell. In any case, they have made their move, and there is only one way we can retaliate.”

“Yes—eliminate them. Leberecht, inform the knight commander; Fonbart, the vice commander. Knights, be ready for a battle against silver-clothed enemies.”

They all chorused their understanding.

Once I’d given out my instructions, I sent an ordonnanz to Sylvester in the foundation. “Someone is using the castle’s hidden passageway. Do not leave the foundation under any circumstances.” I was well aware how much he wanted to be on the front line, but he needed to stay where he was. I, too, had a duty to fulfill.

Gong... Gong...

At fourth bell, an ordonnanz arrived with a curt message: “Fighting has begun at the west gate.” I caught the yellow feystone as it dropped and squeezed it tight; the time was finally upon us. There wasn’t much distance between the entryways and this exit.

Leberecht pointed. “Lady Florencia—their signal.”

I gazed at the knight on watch. He had raised a hand and was moving three fingers, meaning he had heard footsteps coming from the third passageway.

“Now, will they work...?” Leberecht murmured, his voice betraying a rare hint of excitement. He had taken out some paper to record which of the traps by the entrance activated and the impact they had on silver cloth. I could not shake the feeling that if he failed to obtain the results he desired, he would experiment on the enemy until he was satisfied.

Somehow, I almost pity our foes.

An explosion shook the ground a little, and Leberecht wasted no time scribbling on his paper. The intruders who had activated the traps leapt out of the passageway... and then stared in surprise at the open plaza before them. They hadn’t expected to see all these knights standing in wait for them.

There were five intruders in all. I doubted my eyes at first; such a direct attack on a duchy’s castle surely deserved more troops.

I suppose this confirms that the attack on the west gate is a diversion.

“Aha! So weight-dependent magic circles can be activated even by those wearing silver cloth,” Leberecht said. “They appear to have worked well enough. The traps to remove their silver cloth, on the other hand, do not seem to have worked at all...” He sounded somewhat disappointed, but the blade launchers had succeeded to at least some degree; the intruders fighting our knights had gaping holes in their clothes which allowed some mana attacks to make it through and injure them.

“I suppose I shall record how effectively torn silver cloth blocks mana...” he muttered.

“Please wait until we have captured them before you perform your experiments.”

Our knights threw magic tools in quick succession. It was fifteen against five; not even the intruders’ silver cloth would save them.

“Now that they are backed into a corner, they will surely use their little trump card,” Leberecht said with a grin. And as if on cue, one of the invaders pointed a silver tube at our knights and pulled a string attached to one end. There was a light pop as a cloud of white dust shot into the air.

Rather than turn into feystones, our knights activated magic tools that sucked the white powder right out of the air. Our attackers looked on in disbelief. I understood exactly how they must have felt.

“The tools work even against instant-death poison...?” I murmured.

“They were designed to suck in even the smallest traces of dust,” Leberecht explained. “Once we had enough for everyone in the plaza, it stood to reason that they would successfully counter the poison.”

I’d never thought that tools normally used to clean would manage to counter lethal poison. The knights holding them let out awed murmurs; they had anticipated needing to cast waschen and frantically drink their jureves.

“They need to be activated precisely when the poison is used and cannot be used as cleaning tools ever again, but they seem ideal against this powdered poison,” Leberecht concluded. Anyone who tried to clean out the magic tools would only end up inhaling the lethal poison, so they could serve this purpose only once, but that was a small price to pay to save the lives of a dozen knights.

The intruders were swarmed and overwhelmed in the blink of an eye, their secret weapon having failed to accomplish anything. Bracelets were slapped on their wrists, their silver cloth was cut away with commoner scissors, and their bags and sashes were removed along with any obvious charms. Last of all, their weapons were confiscated, and they were blasted with various physical and mana-based attacks to expend any remaining charms that might have been hidden on them.

Once the invaders were restrained, one of the knights cried, “It’s Lady Georgine!” He had removed the woman’s hood and mask to reveal purplish hair; unwavering eyes; chiseled, almost statuesque features; and red lips curved in an elegant smile. She looked exactly as I remembered.

There can be no mistaking it...

I took a deep breath, and the tension drained out of me. We had won. We had protected our home from Lady Georgine.

“I suppose the battle’s over, then...” I said.

“Not yet,” Leberecht replied, his voice sharp. “There is fighting elsewhere, and we have yet to secure Lady Georgine in the Ivory Tower. I would ask that you stay on your guard. We must first inform the knight commander.”

I straightened my back. He was right. There was still a chance that she could somehow escape us.

“This is Florencia,” I said to a little white bird. “We have captured and are currently disarming Lady Georgine. I will send word once she has been locked in the Ivory Tower.”

“This is Karstedt. Excellent work. I await your next ordonnanz. Grausam was the one leading the troops at the west gate. More intruders are being dealt with at the temple and near the north gate, and two more battles are being fought within the Noble’s Quarter. I gave Lord Wilfried permission to sortie.”

According to the knight commander’s report, both of my sons were now embroiled in battle. Melchior was defending the temple, while Wilfried was fighting in the Noble’s Quarter.

“Lady Florencia, we have finished disarming Lady Georgine,” one of the knights said. “We must ask that you teleport her to the Ivory Tower.”

“I will contact the aub,” I replied. Lady Georgine had once been a member of Ehrenfest’s archducal family—and she was still a member of Ahrensbach’s even now that Rozemyne had stolen its foundation. We could not keep her in the general cells alongside the rest of our attackers. Isolating her would also make it easier for us to prevent her escape—or her rescue, for that matter.

“This is Florencia. We have captured Lady Georgine. I shall teleport her to the Ivory Tower using the magic circle I was given and then head there to confirm her arrival. Do I have your permission?”

“You do,” Sylvester replied. “I’ll come visit her as well. Huh... I wasn’t expecting such a dull end to this invasion...”

I ordered the knights to carry Lady Georgine onto the teleportation circle my husband, the archduke, had made and then activated it, sending her straight to the Ivory Tower.

“The Ivory Tower...” I said. “It certainly has been a while.”

Located at the edge of the castle’s grounds, the Ivory Tower existed as a prison for archducal family members guilty of exceptionally severe crimes. Only the archduke and members of the archducal family with his permission could enter; anyone else would swiftly be charged with treason for attempting to free the prisoners within.

Lady Veronica was imprisoned in this very tower, which had also been the focal point of a serious incident involving my son Wilfried—he had ventured inside without permission, having been tricked by his friends, and sustained a weighty blow to his reputation as a result. There was nothing for me here but bitter memories.

That reminds me—didn’t Lady Georgine come here once?

As I recalled, she had visited the Ivory Tower after asking to see Lady Veronica. She had seemed so compassionate and sentimental while hugging her Uncle Bezewanst’s mementos to her chest, but perhaps she had wanted our duchy’s foundation even then.

“I must confirm whether the teleportation was a success,” I said. “Everyone, stand guard and welcome Aub Ehrenfest when he arrives.”

I proceeded into the Ivory Tower, then approached another door at the far end of the room, my legs feeling heavier with each step. Beyond it was a room befitting a noblewoman, except there were bars keeping its occupant from leaving. Lady Veronica was sitting calmly inside; I needed to pass her to reach Lady Georgine.

“Oh my. To think you would come here, not Sylvester...” Lady Veronica said. “What are you scheming this time? Trying to entrap someone else, perhaps?”

I shot her only a single glance before turning my attention to the room beside hers. Sylvester’s teleporter had functioned as expected—Lady Georgine was lying inside, in exactly the same pose as when we had put her on the circle. I could relax at last; I’d accomplished my duty.

“Well?” Lady Veronica pressed. “What in the world are you here for? Have you come to gloat about the two men you seduced to imprison me?”

There she goes again.

I exhaled slowly. Lady Veronica truly believed that her imprisonment was the result of some scheme of mine—that I’d gained control of the temple by seducing Lord Ferdinand, lured Bezewanst into a trap, and then forged evidence to condemn her. She thought that Sylvester, whom I’d apparently bewitched, had wrongly accepted the false proof and subsequently been deceived into betraying his mother.

Lady Veronica’s strange beliefs had stunned me the first time they’d reached my ears. I’d also found it deeply offensive that she would question my loyalty to my husband. Hearing her now was like listening to an ordonnanz stuck on repeat.

“Are you listening to me? Frenbeltag is a wretched, low-ranking duchy that lost the king’s favor during the civil war. And you are merely the daughter of a third wife. Sylvester deserves so much better. He was going to take his first wife from Ahrensbach before you took advantage of his innocence.”

Of course Lady Veronica was living in the past—she had not ventured outside the tower since her imprisonment six years ago. The rankings had changed considerably since then. Frenbeltag was on the rise, having taken Rozemyne’s advice and improved its harvest through the sincere performance of religious ceremonies. And as for Rozemyne herself, she now had the Grutrissheit and was under consideration to become the Zent’s adopted daughter.

In fact, by this point, I find this all rather nostalgic.

During the days before Lady Veronica’s imprisonment, I’d devoted all of my attention to surviving as her daughter-in-law. But now I was negotiating with other duchies and managing our relationship with the royal family—all while overseeing what was essentially a social and economic revolution. In not even a decade, Ehrenfest had changed dramatically. Perhaps it was finally time to speak my mind and thoroughly expunge this creature of the past from my thoughts.

“I pray that Dregarnuhr the Goddess of Time—”

Before I could say much at all, the teleportation circle above Lady Georgine’s room started to shine. One of the traps we had set up in the temple had activated.

“What...?”

In the blink of an eye, a woman dressed only in her underclothes dropped down from the ceiling. It was... another Lady Georgine? The sight of them both together shook me so deeply that I could not even speak. Their eyes, hair, features... Everything about them was identical.

The blood drained from my face. Which one of our two new prisoners was the real Lady Georgine? Could they both be impostors?

“What was that noise?!” Lady Veronica snapped, bringing me back to my senses. “What in the world is going on?!”

At once, I sent an ordonnanz to Sylvester. “A second Lady Georgine has appeared. She fell from the ceiling, so I suspect she was teleported from the temple. There may be other decoys. Please stay with the foundation until the real Lady Georgine has been found.”

As my white bird took flight, another flew past it and perched on my hand. “This is Charlotte,” it said. “Grausam was captured again, this time in the temple. There are fakes! Lady Georgine might be using them too.”

In other words, this invasion was far from over. I told Charlotte that a second Lady Georgine had appeared inside the Ivory Tower, then informed the knights still guarding the castle’s hidden passageways to remain alert.

“Georgine?!” Lady Veronica cried gleefully. “She’s come to save me, hasn’t she?!”

I turned to Lady Veronica, and my fake smile vanished in an instant. Lady Georgine’s obsession with Ehrenfest’s foundation, our strained relationship with the Leisegangs, my eldest son’s poor education, his rotten retainers... These problems all traced back to the woman before me now. Everything was her fault.

“Your son and daughter are at war over the foundation,” I said. “But you will not be leaving this tower, Lady Veronica—no matter who wins.”

“Georgine will save me. She will. That girl is so wonderfully obedient. And then there is Wilfried. Once that sweet young boy comes of age, he will take over as aub and rescue me. He came all this way to make me that promise.”

And what a grave price he had paid. Trespassing on the Ivory Tower had caused more damage to his reputation than hard work could ever repair. How much must that have wounded him? How much had he longed to return to the days before, when he hadn’t been the subject of constant ridicule?

My head swam with thoughts of the dark shadow Lady Veronica had cast over my son’s past, present, and future. Tears welled in my eyes, it became hard to breathe, and my mana swelled so suddenly that the world around me started to spin. Never before had my rage been unbearable enough for me to lose control.

“Goodness,” Lady Veronica sneered. “Are you really this jealous that your own son loves me more? As I’ve said on many an occasion, you lack the upbringing expected of a first—”

“Veronica,” I said coolly. “Ahrensbach, the duchy that your mother took such great pride in—its foundation has been stolen by Rozemyne, the girl whom your little brother Bezewanst continuously tormented.”

“Excuse me?”

Lady Veronica stared at me quizzically. She must not have been able to follow the sudden change of subject. I repeated my declaration, but again, nothing. She continued to watch me with a blank expression.

“Roze... myne?” she muttered.

I supposed it made sense that she was confused; by my recollection, she had never actually met Rozemyne. Still, it was thanks to Rozemyne that she had now lost everything most precious to her.

“I suppose no one bothered to tell you. The Zent deemed Lord Ferdinand worthy to rule Ahrensbach and made a royal decree instructing him to marry its next archduchess. And to make matters worse for you, Sylvester’s adopted daughter stole its foundation when this war first began. There is no longer any value in that Ahrensbach blood coursing through your veins.”

Lady Veronica gasped. She had always taken such great pride in her heritage, so my declaration stunned her into silence. The most she could do was stare at me. My rage had driven me to tear apart her pride—to take away her very reason for living—but I didn’t feel guilty in the slightest.

I contained my rampaging mana and cast a steely look at Lady Veronica. “The day will most likely never come when Dregarnuhr the Goddess of Time weaves our threads back together, but I pray that you live in peace with the divine protection of the gods.” This was surely the last time I would ever see her miserable face.

Sylvester — The Battle for the Foundation

Gong... Gong...

I was still inside the foundation’s hall when fourth bell rang. Everything here was pure white except the faint green glow of the foundational magic, the spinning feystones of each divine color, and the hole through which ordonnanzes could reach me. I’d received plenty of messages since hunkering down, and it didn’t take long for another to arrive.

“We have received word from the west gate that the boat carrying suspicious individuals has arrived,” Charlotte reported, sounding tense. “They were wearing silver cloth and armed with wolfaniels. The fighting has started.”

The battle for Ehrenfest had finally begun. I was stuck waiting with the foundation, so there was nothing I could say in response but “Got it.”

Still...

Rozemyne and Ferdinand were busy responding to Giebe Gerlach’s desperate calls for aid. Bonifatius was defending Illgner. We also had reinforcements from Kirnberger and Haldenzel stationed in the Noble’s Quarter. The entire duchy had spent the past month preparing for this battle; I just had to believe we would win.

Sure is rough being stuck here all alone with nothing to do...

Charlotte was in my office as the next aub, Melchior was in the temple as the High Bishop, and Wilfried was defending the Noble’s Quarter with our reinforcements from Kirnberger. Florencia had sent word that someone was using the castle’s hidden passageways, and she was already waiting to intercept them.

It was my duty to protect my family... but now they were all fighting in my stead. The most I could do was wait miserably for more reports.

“We just heard from the temple’s back gate—there seems to be a suspicious group hidden in the lower city. For now, we are keeping watch for any attacks on the temple or north gate.”

“Hostiles with magic tools were found in the Noble’s Quarter. Fighting has begun.”

“Mother met with the enemy. The traps worked.”

“Knights have engaged intruders at the north gate.”

“There’s a battle underway at the temple’s back gate.”

Ordonnanzes from Charlotte and Karstedt came in quick succession. In the meantime, Rozemyne and Ferdinand were sending ordonnanzes about the battle in Gerlach. It all came in bits and pieces: the invaders were using black weapons and small chalices to steal mana from the land; we knew how to repair the damage they had done; and we had pushed through the enemy’s forces to unite with Gerlach’s knights.

For a while, I was relieved that things were going well. But the calm didn’t last.

“One intruder got past the shumil guards and made it into the temple.”

Here she comes!

I readied my schtappe on instinct. I’d only found out about this through Rozemyne, but the temple’s book room contained a door leading to the foundation. She had set up all various traps there, but I knew for a fact that Georgine would make it past them all. Cold sweat ran down my back as visions of my sister came to mind—her cold green eyes rejecting my entire existence, her red lips curved into a mocking smile...

Ordonnanzes from Charlotte and Florencia arrived at almost the same time.

“The battle at the west gate has been won. Grausam was captured.”

“This is Florencia. We have captured Lady Georgine. I shall teleport her to the Ivory Tower using the magic circle I was given and then head there to confirm her arrival. Do I have your permission?”

She captured my sister...?

I couldn’t believe my ears—not even when the ordonnanz delivered its message for a third time. I’d been absolutely convinced that she would come through the temple rather than use the castle’s hidden passageways.

Well, if Georgine and Grausam have been caught, does that mean the intruder in the temple is just some pointless decoy?

Florencia had met my sister during the Archduke Conference, so this couldn’t be a case of mistaken identity. It was kind of disappointing to think that this whole incident had ended without me doing anything of worth, but that was a small price to pay for minimizing the bloodshed. I gripped my schtappe tight in preparation of sending my response.

“You do. I’ll come visit her as well. Huh... I wasn’t expecting such a dull end to this invasion...”

I gazed upon all the traps I’d set in anticipation of a fight and the magic tools I’d prepared, then sighed. Clearing this place out was going to be a headache.

“Lord Sylvester! I know the fighting has begun, but you must stay inside the foundation’s hall...!”

I’d just locked the hall and returned to my bedroom, and now I was face-to-face with a very stern Rihyarda. Was that harsh expression she was wearing because I’d kept asking her to bring me supplies for all the traps I’d set up?

“It’s over, Rihyarda,” I said. “Florencia captured my sister. I’m going to the Ivory Tower now to check on them.”

“I see...”

This must have been Rihyarda’s first time hearing the news; she spent a few moments in solemn silence, then stepped aside to let me pass. It must have been conflicting for her, considering that she had served my sister in the past.

“This was for the best,” I added. “I didn’t want to fight my own flesh and blood unless it was absolutely necessary.”

“Certainly. Away with you, then.”

I exited the room, and my two knights waiting by the door accompanied me out of the archducal living quarters. We went downstairs and along one of many hallways, heading to a balcony where we could mount our highbeasts; the Ivory Tower was too far away for us to travel on foot. I sent out ordonnanzes announcing our victory along the way.

“Bonifatius—the defense was a success.”

“Ferdinand, my sister’s been captured. I pray for your victory as well.”

I’d just climbed onto my highbeast and started toward the Ivory Tower when two ordonnanzes approached me.

“Father, another Grausam was caught at the temple! There are fakes! The invasion isn’t over yet!”

“A second Lady Georgine has appeared. She fell from the ceiling, so I suspect she was teleported from the temple. There may be other decoys. Please stay with the foundation until the real Lady Georgine has been found.”

The birds were from Charlotte and Florencia, and they both sounded panicked. My two guards and I turned around at once and raced back to my chambers. It was just like Georgine to layer her invasion with so many nasty tricks.

Curse you, Sister!

As I sprinted back into my chambers, my attendants all stared and asked what was going on. I decided to let my knights explain as I rushed to the far end of the room, grabbed the feystone hanging around my neck, and turned it into a key. I unlocked a door, then pressed the key against the section of wall it had covered and channeled my mana into it.

In an instant, two doors appeared in front of me—one on either side of the key. The right contained various feystones, but only one of them concerned me right now; I plucked out a black stone and dropped it into a golden dish on the other door. Only then did the wall disappear, granting me access to the foundation’s hall. I ran toward the iridescent barrier ahead of me and prayed that I wasn’t too late.

“Grrk?!”

No sooner had I passed through the barrier than I was swallowed up by a great flood of water. It swept me off of my feet and swung me around, then pulled me under so suddenly that I didn’t even have a chance to draw breath. I was suffocating—and there was nothing I could do about it.

“Ah...”

I thought I was going to drown, but the water vanished only a few moments later. I dropped to the floor with a dull thump... then heard a cacophony of crashes as everything else caught up in the torrent landed all around me. I gazed up in time to see one of the washtubs we’d set up as a trap plummeting straight toward my head.

“Whoa! What the...?!”

I dove to the floor to dodge the washtub, which landed near my feet before bouncing away. A close call, to say the least. The thought of taking one of Rozemyne’s traps to the face was positively terrifying.

Just as I was starting to relax, I noticed something sticking out of the wall where we believed the other entrance to the foundation was located. A womanly hand appeared to be floating—and it was holding a schtappe.

It’s Georgine!

The flood of water must have been a large-scale waschen—and an attack on the foundation, at that. I sprang back up to my feet and immediately readied my schtappe.

I was right—she really did plan to come through the temple!

My sister entered wearing the robes of a gray shrine maiden, but she exuded the aura of a self-proclaimed queen. She sauntered through the door like it hadn’t even crossed her mind that I might be waiting for her.

Did she have more supporters hiding in the temple...?

Georgine’s gray robes and the fact she’d made it here to begin with told me she had accomplices among the blue priests. I’d warned Melchior and the others to keep a close eye on the ones who had been close to my uncle, but some had evidently slipped through the cracks.

“Oh?” Georgine’s eyes widened in disbelief when she saw me. “You are here... yet still alive. How?”

“I’m not sure what you mean. I stepped outside for a moment; then when I came back, I got caught up in your waschen. It gave me a fright, sure, but it wasn’t going to kill me.”

“Do you mean to tell me you avoided my instant-death poison purely by luck?”

Instant-death poison?!

That must have been the same poison used against Ferdinand in Ahrensbach’s Mana Replenishment hall. Reports said it turned people into feystones in mere moments. Georgine must have pumped it into the hall to kill me, then washed it away so that she could enter safely. A shudder ran down my spine. If that ordonnanz from Florencia hadn’t drawn me away from the foundation, I would already be dead.

“Fate disappoints me once again...” my sister groused, wearing the same displeased expression she’d given me so many times before.

In all of my memories of Georgine, she was either abusing or insulting me. She had moved into the northern building when I was just a child, so we’d met only once a month, but she had spent the entirety of our meetings frowning at me, criticizing my every action, and then angrily smacking my hands or legs or whatever.

Still, that was a lot better than what came next.

Back then, Mother had at least intervened and stopped Georgine’s violence—but that had all changed with my baptism. It hadn’t been like Mother could move into the northern building with me, so my sister had been at liberty to abuse me nonstop. Anytime I’d gone outside to take a break from the studies I hadn’t wanted to be doing in the first place, I’d seen her waiting for me with her schtappe. I could still remember how the light would dig into my throat as she’d drag me back inside.

One time, she’d even kidnapped Blau, my beloved pet shumil.

But one incident haunted me more than the others: when she’d poisoned my food. My throat had burned so intensely that I’d sworn I was going to die—and all the while, Georgine had watched me with greater joy in her eyes than I’d ever seen before. We’d never proven that she was behind it, but I knew.

“Do you hate me that much?” I asked. “Do you hate Ehrenfest?”

Georgine shot me a scornful glare and said nothing. I couldn’t even remember how many times I’d begged her to tell me what I’d done wrong. I’d never wanted to be the archduke—the role had simply been thrust upon me—and on the rare occasions I’d gotten to see my sister, she had done nothing but shout at me. Anytime I’d said that I didn’t want to work hard—that I wasn’t going to be the archduke anyway—she’d struck me harder than usual. I’d even tried to argue that she should rule Ehrenfest instead of me, but not once had she accepted the idea; she’d just kept demanding that I act more like an archduke and attacking any weaknesses she found.

“After all this time, why are you still chasing Ehrenfest’s foundation?” I asked. “You married into a greater duchy and went from being its third wife to its first. Your daughter is due to become the next aub! You have the best life a woman could ask for, so why are you doing this?!”

Georgine had always been so hostile toward me that our parents had considered it too risky to leave her in Ehrenfest and married her into another duchy instead. She hadn’t been sent just anywhere, though—Mother had pulled some strings to get her into a greater duchy. That was before the civil war, when no greater duchy would have accepted an archduke candidate from Ehrenfest. It had only come to be because Mother had made it so.

“What was wrong with that?!” I cried. “Why couldn’t you find your happiness there?! Have you not thought about what targeting another duchy’s foundation will mean for your children and grandchildren?!”

“Is that what you think...?” Georgine asked. “Then I shall not waste my breath.”

A mixture of colors swirled in my sister’s eyes. She was so enraged that she could no longer contain it, but why? I couldn’t even begin to imagine what she was annoyed about or why she hated me. I wanted to understand—I wanted us to see eye to eye—but she’d refused to even answer my questions. Confusion and despair coursed through my chest.

“We’re brother and sister!” I cried. “Can’t we at least try to understand each other?! If you’ll just talk to me, I’m sure we can figure this out!”

“Hah! It is much too early for Schlaftraum to visit. I will say only this—if you truly wish for us to understand each other, then give me the foundation. Only then can we talk.”

“You know I can’t do that.”

“Oh my.” Georgine pulled a face like she was deeply wounded. It was clearly exaggerated, but she looked so much like Mother that it still made me feel guilty. “In that case, this conversation is over—not that I expected much from you to begin with. I always knew you had no intention of understanding me.”

“You’re the one who refuses to communicate! Just tell me! Why are you so obsessed with Ehrenfest’s foundation?!”

“There is nothing else worth saying. Die already.”

Georgine attempted to restrain me with her schtappe, as she’d done so many times in the past, but I wasn’t the same helpless boy from back then. I said, “Bogen” to turn my schtappe into a bow, then loosed a volley of mana arrows.

“Geteilt!”

The first of my arrows triggered one of Georgine’s charms; the rest burst against the shield she had created. I continued my assault while closing the distance between us.

I won’t give her time to recover.

Georgine threw a magic tool from behind her shield, this time expending one of my charms. Moving closer to her had put me within her attack range. She continued to bombard me while I shot more arrows at her.

She keeps throwing tools. In other words, this is a good time for me to attack with my own.

I used geteilt to turn my schtappe from a bow to a shield, then threw a magic tool as hard as I could so that it would strike the floor behind Georgine. There was a loud explosion, but she didn’t even try to protect her back; she kept her eyes on me and relied on her charms to protect her. In a battle between nobles, it was a fundamental tactic to use weak attacks to get rid of your opponent’s charms—and that was exactly what we were doing now.

“Ngh...!”

A scratch appeared on Georgine’s cheek, followed shortly thereafter by the slightest trickle of blood. She paid the injury no mind, however, and continued to pelt me with magic tools. An ache spread through my hand at the same time.

She must be out of charms meant to block weak attacks.

I threw another magic tool behind my sister. This time, she turned away from me to block the explosion.

Now!

I ran forward, dispelled my shield with rucken, then caught Georgine with bands of light. She tried to break free before freezing in shock; she must have just realized that her mana wasn’t stronger than mine anymore.

“It’s over,” I said. “Surrender while you still can. I won’t take your life.” I didn’t want to kill my sister unless it was absolutely necessary. Keeping her alive would also make it easier to tie up any loose ends. Excuses spread through my mind like wildfire.

“Just kill me. Or do you not even have the resolve?”

“You’re going to the Ivory Tower,” I said at length.

“How naive,” Georgine sneered. She was laughing at me even now that I was pinning her down. “There are nobles still name-sworn to me. Do you not understand what that means?”

“You need name stones to...”

Words failed me. Orders given to one’s name-sworn wouldn’t stick unless one had their name stones in hand. That was why Mother was being allowed to live in the Ivory Tower despite having so many nobles still name-sworn to her—she had kept their stones in her hidden room to ensure they wouldn’t be stolen.

Georgine, though...?

“I command my loyal name-sworn vassals and enslaved Devouring soldiers—Ehrenfest...”

I couldn’t let her finish. Ehrenfest’s internal security was bad enough that we already had intruders in the Noble’s Quarter. I didn’t know how many of my sister’s name-sworn retainers had survived the purge or what they might do at her command. Would they march into battle or start spreading that instant-death poison all over the city? I wasn’t going to wait around to find out.

“Schwert!”

Finally out of options, I swung my sword down and felt the blade dig into flesh. My hand trembled as I gripped the hilt, and tears welled up in my eyes. The knowledge that I’d done something so vile made me want to vomit.

“Ngh...!”

“Gah...!”

My mind was so cloudy that I couldn’t tell which one of us the noises were coming from. My sister gazed up at me with a smile, blood streaming from her neck and bubbling out of her mouth. She looked as overjoyed as when she’d poisoned me, and with her dying breath, she uttered five cruel words.

“I will despise you forever.”

Huh...? The hell was that...?

Georgine was dead. It was my win. So why did the victory feel so hollow? I’d never managed to find out what she was thinking. The most I’d understood was that she sincerely hated me and never had the slightest intention of accepting my existence.

I need to act fast.

I removed the light restraining Georgine, squeezed the grip of my sword, and swung down again. It was gruesome, but I’d severed exactly what I would need to look into her memories. I dropped it into a box that had clattered to the floor with the traps—a time-stopper. It would preserve her memories for a while.

Having to kill my sister had shaken me to my core, but now I felt nothing at all. It was like my emotions had suddenly vanished.

Once I was done, I stabbed my sister’s corpse one last time, aiming for her mana organ. Her body melted into a sticky black liquid, which I then cleaned away with a waschen. The clatter of two hard objects reached my ears as Georgine’s clothes fell in a heap on the floor—a large, beautiful feystone that looked to be either red or blue depending on the light, and the key to Ehrenfest’s bible.

I wasn’t sure how long I’d sat there staring at my sister’s feystone. An ordonnanz flew in and perched on my hand, which still clung to my sword.

“This is Rozemyne. The Battle of Gerlach is over!”

She sounded so bright and victorious, but the message didn’t stop there; she requested permission to use the duchy’s teleportation circles, asked me to let Dunkelfelger’s commanders and Ferdinand into Ehrenfest, and then proposed that we prepare rooms for them. As usual, she was making demands like she hadn’t even considered that I might refuse. It drew my heart out of the dark muck that killing my sister had pulled me into.

“Sheesh... That girl needs to learn she’s not easy to keep up with.”

My sister’s death had weighed so heavily on my mind that I’d completely forgotten there were other battles being fought across the duchy. I sent a response telling her to wait for my mana to recover, then passed the news on to Charlotte and gave my cheeks a few sobering slaps.

I can’t lose heart. I’m Aub Ehrenfest.

I grabbed the time-stopper, my sister’s feystone, and the key to the bible before leaving the foundation’s hall.

“Sylvester...” Florencia said the instant she saw me. She must have seen the blood on my clothes because she rushed over, not even attempting to hide her concern, and tried to cast a healing spell.

“It’s not mine,” I said as I set what I was carrying down on the table. “You can wash it away.”

“That was the real Georgine,” Florencia said, looking at the table once she’d cleaned me with a waschen. It mustn’t have been hard to guess whose feystone I’d arrived with or what was in the time-stopper. “The nobles name-sworn to Lady Georgine perished, and those contracted to her vanished in plumes of golden flame.”

“I didn’t capture Georgine. I took her life. There was no other choice. She started giving an order to her name-sworn. I couldn’t put her in the Ivory Tower like I did my mother.” I took great care not to look at the table as I spoke; seeing the feystone and time-stopper revived the feeling of my blade slicing through flesh.

“I know how sentimental you are, Sylvester. It must have hurt you greatly. But I want you to know that we are all so glad you defeated her. I was praying for your success.” Florencia stroked the hand with which I’d killed my sister before leaning in for a kiss.

“I didn’t want to do it...” I muttered as warmth coursed through me once again. I wanted to cry.

“No, of course not. But with that feystone, we know there are no more fakes, and there is no longer anyone threatening the lives of our children. You succeeded as both Aub Ehrenfest and a father. I am more grateful than I can put into words that you chose to protect your duchy and family.”

My sister’s last words came to mind unbidden. “She didn’t tell me anything about why she was doing all this. She said it was pointless to even try. The most I discovered was that she hated me even more than I could ever have expected.”

“Her memories will show you the life she lived and what drove her to such extremes. But that can come later.”

“Florencia...”

“You lost a sister today. But you regained some family as well,” Florencia said while stroking my cheek. “Lord Ferdinand and Rozemyne are coming back, are they not? Brunhilde and Charlotte have arranged for the next food delivery meant for the provinces to be put toward the feast instead.”

This war felt like pointless bloodshed to me, but it was true that I’d protected people. I’d even regained some things. The woman in my arms continued to remind me of those facts.

I hugged her tight, not wanting to lose her.