Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume Short Story-1 - Chapter 10

Lamprecht — Where My Path Leads

A short story originally written as a sales bonus for Part 3 Volume 3. Lamprecht is given the chance to stop serving Wilfried, who is at risk of disinheritance, and decides to consult his family on the matter. Which path is the right one for him?

Author’s Note: Eckhart’s scathing remarks à la Ferdinand went through several revisions over the course of writing this chapter. They were originally so much worse, so what you see here is actually pretty tame. (Hahaha.)

I’d returned home after sending my mother a very abrupt ordonnanz, but she welcomed me back without so much as a single question. I gazed around, searching for Cornelius.

“Lamprecht, if you are looking for Cornelius, he has already eaten dinner, said good night, and returned to his room,” Mother noted. “Did you wish to speak with him?”

I shook my head. “No. Just with you.” This had to do with Rozemyne, so it wasn’t unrelated to Cornelius, but I didn’t want my little brother seeing me so confused and uncertain.

Mother sighed and beckoned me over. “Lamprecht, come to my room. We are best to converse there, are we not?”

My return had come so suddenly that my room hadn’t yet been prepared for me. I’d suggested that Mother and I wait until it was ready, but she had coolly refused and suggested that we go to her room instead.

Upon our arrival, Mother ordered her attendant to prepare us some cups. Then, once we had everything we would need, she cleared the room and started to pour us both some wine, filling our cups with the amber liquid.

“I am always with Lord Karstedt when I receive your reports, so it has been quite a long time since we have been alone like this, Lamprecht,” Mother said.

I accepted the cup she offered me, and a rich, nostalgic scent tickled my nose. This was the first wine I’d ever drunk, and the last time I’d shared some with Mother had been when I made the decision to serve Lord Wilfried.

“This discussion will not be too different from our last,” I said.

“Oh? Have you been relieved of duty already?”

“No” was my firm response. As it stood, being removed from Lord Wilfried’s service was equivalent to being labeled “incompetent” by Rihyarda or Rozemyne. It was an extreme dishonor for a noble, which was why I could allow no room for doubt.

“However,” I continued, “Oswald told me in no uncertain terms that he would not mind my resignation. What I choose to do next will have a considerable impact on our house... so I thought it best to return and discuss my options with you.”

Mother cast her eyes down briefly, then silently indicated that I should continue.

I took a sip of wine and sighed. Right... where to begin?

“I expect you have already heard this from Father, Cornelius, and Lady Florencia, but Lord Wilfried has changed dramatically since he spent a day in Rozemyne’s shoes at the temple. This has been especially obvious to those of us serving him. It was only ten or so days ago when our main duty was to keep him from running away, but now he works harder than ever.”

“So I have been told,” Mother replied, bringing her cup to her lips. “But his newfound work ethic is the bare minimum expected of a child of the archduke, and he is still a long way from being considered ‘acceptable.’ His lack of an education must be because Lady Veronica desired a puppet aub whom she could control effortlessly... Lady Florencia must bemoan how low he has been permitted to sink.”

I could not deny Mother’s words. Lady Veronica had only ever scolded Lord Wilfried when he disobeyed her orders; not once had she spoken out against him neglecting his studies or being unreasonable with his retainers. In fact, when we had tried to lecture him ourselves, she had very harshly warned us not to “criticize the future archduke.”

“Lady Veronica instructed me not to defy my lord under any circumstances,” I said.

“And with such yes-men in his service, Lord Wilfried still might fail to prove himself, even with his new education. Oswald has decided not to take any new retainers, correct?”

“Correct. Lord Wilfried is already struggling with his new lifestyle; surrounding him with unfamiliar faces would only make things worse. Plus, if he does end up being disinherited, then those retainers would end up with black marks on their records. Oswald therefore decided that splitting the workload between fewer people is ideal.”

Out of everyone in Lord Wilfried’s service, Oswald was undeniably working the hardest. He was having to manage the distribution of work and keep the rest of us on track even as we lost more and more people.

I continued, “Given the likelihood that Lord Wilfried will end up being disinherited, I think minimizing the collateral damage is wise. And considering his current state, we cannot expect any Leisegang nobles to want to enter his service. We’re trying to keep this as private as we can, but tensions are always going to be high. I think Oswald is making a very reasonable decision.”

There were some Leisegang nobles among the retainers Lady Veronica had collected, but most of us had been intimidated into serving Lord Wilfried, and the treatment we’d received hadn’t been exceptional. The others had all quit as soon as Lady Veronica was detained, meaning I was the only Leisegang remaining.

“It does appear that Oswald is doing his best, but what of the other retainers?” Mother asked. “I am worried about Rozemyne. It seems very unlikely that retainers of the Veronica faction, which has spent so long oppressing Leisegang nobles, would obey the ways and words of my daughter. No matter what Oswald might say in support of her, they are bound to take issue. Am I wrong?”

I averted my eyes, instead focusing on the wine in my cup. The other retainers had vented their frustrations to me, and their words resurfaced in my mind.

Lord Wilfried was considered a source of shame for the archducal couple, owing to the lackluster education he’d received from Lady Veronica and the poor behavior of his retainers—but these shortcomings had only reached the public after Lord Ferdinand and Rozemyne exposed them. Their actions had put Lord Wilfried at risk of being disinherited and his retainers at risk of being relieved of duty.

Of course, Lord Wilfried was now working hard to avoid such an undesirable fate, but his efforts did nothing to stop Rozemyne from wandering in, besting him in every way imaginable, and then chastising everyone in earshot. She would say that he wasn’t yet doing enough, that he was letting his guard down too much, and that his retainers were still being too soft on him.

Many of the retainers disagreed with these criticisms—as one would expect when they were used to supporting their lord unconditionally. They wondered how Rozemyne could be so wrong about Lord Wilfried, whom they thought was progressing by leaps and bounds, and started to wonder whether she knew her place as “a lowly adopted daughter.”

“As you expect, Mother, those who were forced to leave Lord Wilfried’s service direct their frustrations not at Lord Ferdinand, who brought up disinheritance to begin with, or at Lady Florencia, who executed the dismissals, but at Rozemyne.”

The retainers’ futures were ultimately decided by Lady Florencia, but Rihyarda was the one scrutinizing their every move. As a result, those who were relieved of duty often believed that Rozemyne was to blame.

“They did not understand me when I said that Rozemyne is trying to save Lord Wilfried from disinheritance,” I continued. “Although they know deep down that I speak the truth, they cannot bring themselves to accept it, and Rozemyne is such an easy target for their ire... Some even claim that Lord Ferdinand conspires to remove Lord Wilfried from his position as the next archduke and install her in his place.”

As I recounted the situation to my mother, I realized just how much Lady Veronica’s influence still colored Lord Wilfried’s retainers. Many continued to dismiss Rozemyne’s advice as “unthinkably rude” and quietly admonish her for speaking out against Ehrenfest’s next aub. Even I had been imprinted with the idea that Lord Wilfried was better suited to rule than any of the archduke’s other children.

“I warned Cornelius to limit how often Rozemyne visits Lord Wilfried, hoping to spare her some disdain... but he refused, saying that her prying was at Lady Florencia’s request.”

I’d thought there was no need for Rozemyne to endure so much hatred if she was just acting on behalf of Lord Ferdinand and trying to undermine her brother, but Cornelius had informed me that this wasn’t the case.

“Cornelius just recently moved to the castle as Rozemyne’s apprentice guard knight,” I said, “so he might still be blind to the dangers of malice. If you were to warn him as well, perhaps he would reconsider...”

Mother nodded in agreement. “I personally do not care whether Lord Wilfried gets disinherited, so I share your desire to keep Rozemyne from becoming even more hated, but...”

I squeezed my eyes shut upon hearing my mother’s complete disregard for my lord. Her blunt phrasing reminded me of Lord Ferdinand. Lord Wilfried was working so hard, but Lady Veronica’s deposition had made it painfully clear how few people actually wanted him to become the next archduke.

“Lady Florencia was overjoyed that her son has finally been returned to her care,” Mother continued. “And it was Rozemyne’s intervention that has given Lord Wilfried a chance to redeem himself. Trying to remove her from the equation now would only complicate things.”

I had not been in the dining hall when Lord Ferdinand proposed the disinheritance, so I knew nothing of what they had discussed or how they had decided on the terms of their agreement. The most I had heard were the aub’s declaration and a report from Oswald.

Mother shook her head in disappointment. “Those serving Lord Wilfried should want to protect their lord above all else, yet they so blatantly oppose Lady Florencia’s wishes and disrespect the girl doing the most to save him... In a just world, they would be assisting her and expressing nothing but gratitude for her efforts.”

I quickly opened my mouth to protest, not oblivious to the fact that she had included me in her criticism. It wasn’t like we were all dissatisfied with Rozemyne; such griping only came from the people who had been relieved of duty.

“We aren’t all ignorant of the work that Rozemyne is doing for our sake,” I said. “Oswald and those who were in the dining hall understand. That’s precisely why Oswald told me I don’t need to continue tolerating fools incapable of seeing the reality of the situation. Unlike the other retainers, I can be of value to the archducal couple without serving Lord Wilfried.”

As I was Rozemyne’s older brother, some of the anger directed at her ended up falling on me as well. Oswald had noticed this, and that had spurred him to suggest that I resign. At this time when everyone needed to work together, he likely considered a member of the Leisegang faction such as I to be a troublesome outsider... but perhaps he had other motivations as well.

In any case, I was sure that he wanted me to leave. He was already struggling with a shortage of retainers, so he would not have suggested it otherwise.

“I expect my decision to have a significant impact on our house, so... what do you think, Mother?” I asked, eyeing her carefully.

She placed a hand gently on her cheek, contemplating my question, then looked at me head-on. “With Lady Veronica’s influence growing weaker by the day, there is no longer any need for you to protect me, Lamprecht. You may do as you wish.”

“Mother...”

“I was passionately against one of my own children going to Lady Veronica... but you defied my wishes and went anyway, did you not? Though that was in large part due to how powerless I was.”

There was a strained smile on her face. She was my mother, but stopping an adult from becoming someone’s retainer was no easy feat—especially when their service was requested and their new lord or lady held a position of power. There had been nothing she could do.

“I can only imagine how much abuse Lady Veronica made you endure on my behalf,” she continued, “but no longer.”

My decision to serve Lord Wilfried had come after my older brother Eckhart refused. I had felt that it was my duty to protect my mother and younger brother... but that had not stopped Mother from worrying about me. It was only now that I realized this.

“Thus, whether you continue to serve Lord Wilfried or consider your duty as his retainer complete and choose to resign, I will not mind. But please know this: if you decide to stay and he fails his winter debut, it will mar your good name.”

Although my family could protect me, there would be no way for me to erase the reality that my lord had been disinherited. Mother looked at me with worry and told me to think carefully about my future. It was a silent plea for me to resign.

Mother continued, “If you wished to serve Rozemyne instead, Lord Karstedt and I could recommend you. She is lacking adult guard knights in particular, so you would be taken on immediately.”

I crossed my arms in thought. Of all the archduke’s children, Rozemyne held the lowest status due to having been raised in the temple and adopted into the archducal family. The Leisegangs, Mother’s and Father’s relatives, were sure to acquire more influence going forward, and Rozemyne currently had very few retainers, so I was sure to be accepted into her service if I expressed an interest.

“I hadn’t considered serving Rozemyne,” I said, “but it would be nice to continue serving the archducal family. I need to consider my marriage prospects as well.”

In the Royal Academy, when trying to make a good impression with the father of one’s bride-to-be, it was much better to be a guard knight who had found a new lady to serve than a former retainer who had become a knight after his lord was disinherited.

Mother blinked at my remark, then her dark eyes hardened. “Lamprecht, I will support whichever path you choose... but if you are going to follow your heart, think carefully about what it means for an archnoble to become a retainer of the archducal family.”

“Lamprecht,” Father said, calling me into his office when I went for training the next day. “Your mother told me everything.”

Mother aside, more or less everyone in my immediate family was a knight. It was funny how we found it easier to meet up at the training grounds than at home.

“Elvira said you can decide for yourself and presented you with a chance to serve Rozemyne,” Father remarked, summarizing my conversation from the day before. “Do you intend to resign as Lord Wilfried’s retainer?”

His eyes were as sharp as Mother’s last night. I could tell that a single misspoken word would prove fatal, so I stuck my chin out and said, “No. My fellow retainers may not think highly of my being Rozemyne’s brother, but I am not yet resolved to resign.” It was a rather ambiguous response, delivered while carefully watching my father’s reaction.

He sighed and then said in a hushed voice, “If you are still undecided, let me give you some advice. I am opposed to you becoming Rozemyne’s guard knight.”

“But why?” I asked, struggling to understand where this was coming from.

“I don’t think you’re built for it. Lord Ferdinand is her guardian here and in the temple, so you’d be serving him indirectly.”

Just as Lady Veronica had overseen Lord Wilfried, controlling his education and directing his retainers, Lord Ferdinand was playing a very intimate role in Rozemyne’s education, since she had spent such a long time in the temple. I recalled the time he had very lightly Crushed me and felt a chill run down my spine.

I’d be... serving him indirectly? Is that really true?

As I stood in a daze, Father continued, “Rozemyne’s retainers need to do more than just enter the temple. They visit the orphanage and workshop often, and attend meetings with merchants. According to Damuel, her guard knights are also technically subordinates of Lord Ferdinand, since they assist him with paperwork and report to him on a daily basis. I am hesitant about you becoming Rozemyne’s guard knight when he deems you as incompetent as your lord.”

I hadn’t thought about that at all. In the temple, I only did math work to save Rozemyne the trouble; it wasn’t normal for guard knights to carry out duties like that each and every day. It caught me completely off guard.

“Plus,” Father continued, “when you accompany Rozemyne on religious matters, you may need to perform some duties in her place depending on her health. You may need to eat with commoners when circling the farming villages, and you may need to sleep on bedding most would never consider fit for a noble.”

“What...? Retainers of the archducal family are mimicking the priests and dining with commoners? I find that hard to believe, but... is that really what’s expected of her guard knights?” To me, it was unthinkable to imagine a retainer of the archducal family dining with the commoners of a farming village.

“As a noble, you may find it hard to imagine, but that is what’s expected of those who serve Rozemyne the High Bishop. Or at least that’s what Eckhart said when Lord Ferdinand assigned him to accompany Rozemyne.”

Apparently, Eckhart had accepted the task at once, eager to be useful to Lord Ferdinand. It was unbelievable.

“If you wish to serve her despite all these deterrents, then I won’t stop you,” Father said. “But you should know that, much like Lord Ferdinand, Rozemyne is unique in all sorts of ways. She is not someone who can be served without first forming immense resolve, being completely accepting of changing times, and having no intention of self-promotion whatsoever, so a person like you—a person who still clings to Lady Veronica’s old methods—would find it impossible to be her retainer.”

“What do you mean by that, Father? Is there something about Rozemyne I don’t know?”

He placed a hand on his forehead. “Do you think there isn’t?”

Clearly, he had no intention of telling me Rozemyne’s secret.

“Lamprecht, now that Rozemyne is the aub’s adopted daughter, Elvira and I can’t make any large moves. We must obey Lord Ferdinand in the temple and the archducal couple in the castle. And, naturally, Rozemyne’s education is entirely different from Lord Wilfried’s.”

It was exactly as Father said. Serving under Rozemyne wouldn’t be as simple as accompanying her to the temple and eating nice food; I would also need to help her assist Lord Ferdinand, guard her during religious ceremonies, and, above all else, visit farming towns and spend time with commoners. The job would require me to put some distance between myself and the rest of noble society, which I hadn’t anticipated whatsoever.

“Well, Lamprecht? Think you’ll want to serve as Rozemyne’s guard knight?”

I shook my head and replied, “No, you’re right. It’s not for me.”

“Then that’s all I have to say.”

Father nodded toward the door, so I took my leave... only to find my brother Eckhart waiting outside. My family really was worried about me. He gestured for me to follow him, so I gave a half-smile and obeyed.

Feeling a little embarrassed, I said, “Everyone sure is being a worrywart.” But my small remark was received with a very stern glare.

“I’m not worried about you.”

Eckhart clearly wasn’t one for familial warmth...

A short while passed before my brother spoke again. “So, what’s your plan?”

“I am not suited for serving Rozemyne, so I am unsure of what to do.”

Eckhart cleared his throat, then looked straight at me. “I don’t care what you do, but it’s about time you stop taking half measures.”

“Wha?” I widened my eyes. Eckhart’s words were like Mother’s but with any semblance of compassion stripped away. “Brother, isn’t that a bit harsh? After you refused Lady Veronica’s request, I took on the mantle to protect our family and have served Lord Wilfried ever since. I would hardly consider that a half measure.”

“You seem to be under the misapprehension that I chose to refuse Lady Veronica. It was quite the opposite. I thought that serving Lord Wilfried would put me in a better position to assassinate her and help Lord Ferdinand out of the temple, but Father got in the way.”

Yeah, it doesn’t surprise me that he would...

Even though Eckhart was furious with Lady Veronica, Father had swiftly intervened to keep Eckhart from realizing his scheme. He had stopped Eckhart from doing anything for the family, restricted his access to the castle, and kept him busy with Knight’s Order paperwork and the training of new recruits.

It had never occurred to me before, but Father really must have been struggling. For as long as I could remember, he had laughed Eckhart off as “a strange case” for his desire to keep serving Lord Ferdinand “even after being relieved of duty.” The emotional weight of concealing the truth from us all must have been immense.

“If you are judging me by your own standards, Brother, then I can see why you consider me so half-baked,” I said. His definition of loyalty was on an entirely different level. “Mother and Oswald have both said that I am free to stop serving Lord Wilfried. I am simply considering the changing trends and trying to decide which path to follow.”

Eckhart narrowed his blue eyes at me, looking completely exasperated. “You really don’t get it, do you? Though it may sound nice, ‘considering the changing trends’ is the fate of laynobles and mednobles, who spend their lives cowering in the protection of those with power. That isn’t an acceptable existence for an archnoble, let alone one with archducal blood. Just how much have Lady Veronica’s drones corrupted you?”

His words snapped me back to reality. Like so many of the Leisegangs, I was an archnoble, but most of the nobles supporting Lady Veronica were mednobles. Being alone in their presence for so long had started to warp my way of thinking.

“You spent so long as Lady Veronica’s lapdog, unable to chastise your lord and docile to the point that you hindered his growth. And now, instead of supporting him as he works to avoid disinheritance, you’re treating this offer from Oswald as a lucky break and trying to use your family’s power to escape. How is that not a half measure?”

My brother’s words cut me deep. After telling everyone to acknowledge how hard Lord Wilfried was working to improve, here I was prioritizing my future and trying to abandon him. I was stunned into silence, which prompted Eckhart to continue.

“Mother might have praised your selfless endurance, but is abandoning one’s lord in his time of need and searching for someone to replace him not the worst offense an archducal guard knight can commit? If you do something so callous, who will trust you to enter their service?”

From an objective standpoint, my intentions really were unforgivable. But I wasn’t going to roll over and take my brother’s abuse.

“So you say, but my lord doesn’t need me. There’s conflict between the retainers, so Oswald—”

“It isn’t up to Oswald to decide whether you’re needed. At the very least, before you resign, ask your lord what he actually desires.” He started rubbing his temples like Lord Ferdinand so often did. “You might not realize it, Lamprecht, but you’re stupid. And you don’t think things through.”

I was taken aback by how cruel he was being—but then he pointed at himself and said, “The same goes for me. No matter how much I rack my brain and try to follow theories, no good ideas ever come to me. We’ve been a family of mules ever since Grandfather, so instead... you’ll need to rely on your guts.”

Out of my siblings and me, Eckhart resembled our grandfather the most. He really seemed to live on his wild, animalistic instinct. I didn’t trust my gut anywhere near as much, but still, I was given a choice.

“Who do you think you’ll be better off serving?” he asked. “Lord Wilfried or Rozemyne?”

I already knew my answer—and with that in mind, I went straight to Lord Wilfried’s chambers. Oswald and the other retainers were surprised to see me, though I paid them no mind, while Lord Wilfried showed me his to-do list with a proud grin.

“What do you think, Lamprecht? I completed all these tasks!”

“Oh, that’s wonderful. You certainly are making fast progress.”

It was so apparent that he was trying his best, especially in comparison to the days we had spent chasing him all over the place. At that moment, I was struck with the genuine desire to support him for as long as I could.

“Heh. I’m working hard,” he announced. “You should work hard too and improve your math. Lord Ferdinand gave you a scolding before, right?”

“Lord Wilfried,” I said in jest, “do you have a need for guard knights who aren’t good at math?”

“Obviously. Guard knights just need to be strong. Leave the math to scholars. Ah... but you should at least work as hard as me. Can you read numbers?”

“I can do that much.”

Lord Wilfried chuckled, then went to see Professor Moritz. Today, he was going to be using karuta to practice his letters.

He did need me. He had told me without as much as a second thought.

“Lamprecht,” Oswald said, “is there any meaning to you continuing to serve Lord Wilfried?” His eyes were filled with concern, but now I understood why—he didn’t want the stress of a guard knight who could quit at any moment. As the only Leisegang noble here, it had been foolish of me not to make a better effort to prove myself.

“I don’t want to do anything that might be considered a half measure,” I replied, looking him straight in the eye. “Even if you all shun me, I will support Lord Wilfried for as long as he desires my services.”

Oswald gave a small, genuine smile. “Those who would shun you have already been relieved of duty. Let us all work our hardest. Together.”

It was on that day, after receiving confirmation that I was needed and that my fellow retainers accepted me, that I truly started to see myself as Lord Wilfried’s guard knight.