Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume Short Story - Chapter 11

Wilfried — Male Socializing

Socializing season was underway, and my time was being spent attending one girls’ tea party after another. The nightmare seemed to be going on forever, so when I received a gewinnen invitation from Lord Ortwin of Drewanchel, I almost jumped for joy. I read the letter again and again, excited to be socializing with another man at last, then ordered Isidore to pen a response confirming my attendance.

All my gewinnen practice has been for this day!

Gewinnen was a board game often played during male socializing. You used mana to control the pieces, and the aim was to steal your opponent’s treasure—in essence, it was ditter on a board. I regularly practiced with my retainers so that I wouldn’t embarrass myself against other duchies. It was a lot more enjoyable than harspiel practice or dedication whirling. Back in the winter playroom, I always lost to Rozemyne at karuta and playing cards, but I was confident that she’d never beat me in gewinnen.

“Up for a game, Ignaz?” I asked.

“I do not mind, but...” Ignaz glanced over at Oswald. Games of gewinnen took a while, so it was rarely played on days when my schedule was packed. It was normally reserved for snowy winter days when one couldn’t go outside—which was part of why it was so popular in the Royal Academy.

“Oswald, I can’t risk embarrassing myself against Drewanchel,” I said, emphasizing that this was going to be my first time socializing. “I need practice.”

He gave my request some thought and then said, “You have time for one game.”

“In that case, Ignaz, get your pieces,” I said. “Alexis, help Oswald prepare the board.”

Those who played gewinnen usually had their own pieces, which they would bring with them and use for games. Many of these pieces were shaped after knights, and they were often very artistic. Part of the fun was seeing how your opponent had decided to customize them.

I’m pretty used to my retainers’ pieces, so I’m looking forward to seeing what an archduke candidate from another duchy uses.

As I waited for Ignaz to come back, my head attendant Oswald and apprentice guard knight Alexis prepared my gewinnen board, which was ornately decorated, rectangular in shape, and exceptionally large. Since mana was used to play, the pieces and the board all incorporated feystones.

“I have returned,” Ignaz said. He opened the box he was carrying and then held it out to me. “Shall we exchange pieces?”

I accepted my own box from Oswald, opened it, and then gave it to Ignaz in turn. We checked each other’s pieces, making sure they didn’t contain any mana from the last game.

“All good,” I said.

“Lord Wilfried, this piece here isn’t completely empty. You must be careful when playing against other duchies.”

“There really isn’t that much in there, but... I’ll be careful.”

I removed the offending piece from the box and pressed an empty feystone against it, removing the last vestiges of mana, then had Ignaz check it again. He gave his confirmation, at which point we took our places at the board, sitting across from each other.

“I suppose we’re playing one-stone today?” Ignaz asked.

I nodded while removing the cover from the short end of the board, revealing five feystones that were used to make the game more complicated, and poured mana only into the first one. The more you filled, the more pieces you could use in the game, which allowed for more varied attack patterns. For this reason, we had to inspect the stones to make sure our opponent had only filled the agreed number with mana; once these checks were done, opening the cover again would result in an immediate disqualification.

“Ten pieces,” I said to Ignaz while taking out that number from my box. The treasure piece was the first one I grabbed; the game was about stealing each other’s treasure, so it was always used, no matter the difficulty.

But what else?

I needed to pick nine more. During one-stone games, players could use bow, sword, and spear pieces, and in any combination. This meant that choosing only bows was completely viable, but as pieces had different ranges of attack, it was generally not advised.

Filling more of the difficulty feystones gave you more mana to work with, which you could manually distribute to adjust the offensive power, defensive power, and speed of each piece. It also had other uses, such as allowing the employment of a scholar piece for setting traps or a support piece for carrying rejuvenation potions, thereby making the battle even more complex.

I’ve never used more than ten pieces before, but from what I’ve heard, Uncle’s win rate against Father gets higher the more that are in play.

In the end, I picked three of each of the available pieces, placed them in my territory, and channeled mana into them. The pieces would glow once they were ready, and this interim period was when the players decided who would go first. I took a scholar and a support piece from among the ones still in my box, concealed them in separate hands, then held my fists out to Ignaz.

“Choose.”

“Left, if you would.”

I opened my left hand. Resting on my palm was the scholar piece, meaning that Ignaz would take his turn first.

All of our chosen pieces had started to shine, which meant it was time for our game to begin. Ignaz’s finger hovered over the board as he looked up at me and said, “I shall make my move, then.”

I spent the days leading up to my meeting with Lord Ortwin honing my gewinnen skills with my retainers. By this point, I could beat Ignaz pretty consistently, but I rarely ever won against Alexis. It frustrated me quite a bit.

“Isidore, am I forgetting anything?” I asked. “Oswald, is it safe to leave?”

“Wait until third bell,” my head attendant replied. “The tea party room is not so far away.”

I did as advised, feeling restless all the while, then headed out with my retainers to meet with Lord Ortwin. This was my first time socializing with other boys, so I was especially tense as I waited outside the numbered door.

“Welcome, Lord Wilfried,” Lord Ortwin said as we were let into the room. I gazed around and noticed that there were two gewinnen boards prepared. Lord Dahvidh, an archduke candidate from Lindenthal wearing a bluish-green cape, and Lord Konradin, an archduke candidate from Gaussbuttel wearing a brown cape, were already in attendance. That meant all the first-year male archduke candidates were here.

“I see there are no students from the years above,” I observed.

“Indeed, as they have not yet finished their classes,” Lord Ortwin replied. “They have far more on their plates than we do, so they will not be participating until the latter half of the term. I held this gathering so that we first-years might adjust to the atmosphere of socializing before then.”

“I see,” I replied, nodding. He presumably knew this because Drewanchel had so many archduke candidates. Ehrenfest was the complete opposite, so I didn’t know how many classes the older students had. Gathering some intelligence while I was here seemed wise.

“Third-years go hunting as well, no?” Lord Dahvidh said with a chuckle. “I am looking forward to that more than anything.”

We first-years had just gotten our schtappes and learned to make highbeasts in class. Second-years were taught how to make feystone armor and turn their schtappes into weapons, and after finishing their classes, male archduke candidates of the third year and above could lead their guard knights on hunts. Lord Dahvidh seemed pretty well informed on the matter, so I paid close attention to his explanation.

“After you finish your second year, you’ll start practicing hunting with your local Knight’s Order,” Lord Konradin noted. “I’ve wanted to start ever since I saw my half-brothers participating.”

Talking to archduke candidates with older brothers was always very fruitful. Almost all of what I knew about male socializing had come from Father, but he wasn’t telling me all that much anymore, since he was wary of the civil war having changed too much from when he was in the Royal Academy. I had consulted my retainers, but their response was that they struggled with archduke candidate things, so I needed to do this all myself.

Uncle might know more, but we’re not close enough to talk about things like that.

To me, Uncle was the guy who loaded me with homework every time I saw him—or, to be more accurate, he only summoned me when he had work for me to do. Thankfully, Rozemyne was around to distract him from me. I wasn’t sure what I would have done if she hadn’t woken up from her jureve.

After sipping tea and exchanging information, it was time to play gewinnen. We decided that I would play against Lord Ortwin, while Lord Dahvidh and Lord Konradin would play each other. The matches started with us checking our opponents’ pieces, and it was then that I noticed that Lord Ortwin’s were all reddish-purple—aside from his treasure piece, which was light brown.

“I see your pieces are the same color as your hair and eyes, Lord Ortwin.”

“Father ordered them for me, although it seems that they struggled to make them all the same color. Your pieces are...”

“The divine color of my birth season, rather than my eye color.”

“I see. They are very finely crafted.”

We chatted while checking each other’s pieces one by one. This time, all of mine were completely drained of mana, meaning there was no cause for concern.

“Let us begin with a one-stone game,” Lord Ortwin said. “This is our first time, after all.”

“Will we do more later, then?” I asked.

Lord Ortwin nodded while channeling his mana into one of the difficulty feystones. “I am of the opinion that we should practice two-stone games before we start receiving invitations from older students,” he said. “Some of them have a penchant for taunting others, you know. They will smugly ask if you have never played a game with more mana before.”

Father had said that those in lower grades only needed to play one-stone games, since they weren’t yet used to mana compression, but it seemed that I needed practice with more stones as well. It was crucial that I continue playing with my retainers after returning to my dormitory, otherwise I would end up struggling during the latter half of socializing season.

Lord Ortwin finished setting up his pieces before me, took an additional piece in each hand, and then held two closed fists in front of me. “So, Lord Wilfried—which one?”

“Right, if you would.”

Lord Ortwin opened his right palm, revealing a support piece. I would go second in this game.

“I shall begin, then,” he said, returning the two extra pieces to his box. He crossed his arms in thought, examining my side of the board, while I tried to guess how he would move by looking at his. Soon enough, his pieces flashed, and he commanded them to move by waving his fingers. Some of his sword and lance pieces moved one space forward, and with that, it was my turn to act.

First turns weren’t all that important, as I understood it. I moved my pieces while considering several avenues of attack.

“I see you prefer to follow established openings, Lord Wilfried.”

“Father says that I am not yet skilled enough to improvise—that I need to start with the basics. Putting too much focus on my attack and neglecting my defense often earns me a scolding.”

The first time I practiced adjusting offense, defense, and speed, I put too much into my offense and not enough into my defense, which resulted in me getting destroyed by Father’s fast bow pieces. This had annoyed me, but no sooner had I resolved to take down his pieces in turn than he stole my treasure.

Father creates all these weird strategies, but he says it’s still too early for me to do the same.

“Oh, speaking of family—my older sister is interested in your duchy’s hairpins,” Lord Ortwin said, waving his left hand to move his pieces. I glanced up at him, then returned my eyes to the board to think of my next move.

“We are... quite pleased to have earned Lady Adolphine’s attention.”

I wonder why he’s decided to talk about hairpins all of a sudden. Is he going to tell me to pick out the perfect one for Lady Adolphine?

I glared at my pieces, recalling all the similar requests that had been made of me during the flood of girls-only tea parties. To be honest, I wasn’t good at picking out accessories for people. Not to mention, when I was little, Grandmother had always said, “Even when a woman asks your opinion, know that her heart is already set on something. She simply wants you to agree with her, so she will only be disappointed if you pick or compliment something other than her preference.”

Let’s not get too hasty here, Lord Ortwin. You’re making a huge mistake. Picking things out for girls is a nightmare.

For now, I decided to say nothing unnecessary and instead focus on the game. I would respond only if Lord Ortwin made some suggestion or order that needed a response.

“Are you tired, by any chance?” Lord Ortwin asked, fixing me with a searching look after an extended period of silence. I didn’t know where his question was coming from. Maybe I shouldn’t have held my tongue for so long.

“Oh, no,” I replied. “I am simply focusing on our game. Why do you ask?”

“I simply thought it strange that you did not take this opportunity to promote Ehrenfest’s new trends.”

Right, I see... This is a place to market what we have to offer.

The problem was, I didn’t know which trends to focus on; most of them were better suited to girls than boys. I didn’t use rinsham myself, and I couldn’t really say what was good about the hairpins. I wanted to leave all that to Rozemyne.

“Ah, that would be because Rozemyne has returned home,” I explained. “I have been invited to countless girls-only tea parties to speak on the same subjects. In truth, I would like for my sister to return to the Royal Academy soon.”

“Attending a girls’ tea party as the only boy does indeed sound exhausting. I am being made to attend gatherings with my older sister and her friends, and they always take a lot out of me,” Lord Ortwin admitted, his tone becoming one of exasperated annoyance as he revealed that he shared my suffering on a daily basis. I didn’t have to accompany Rozemyne on any socializing endeavors yet, but just imagining her dragging me to tea parties with Lady Eglantine or Lady Hannelore made the blood drain from my face.

“I thought I was used to tea parties after having so many with my grandmother, but it’s completely different from male socializing... I much prefer speaking with boys, as they do not ask about hairpins,” I replied, conveying that I didn’t want to be asked about accessories I didn’t even wear myself.

Lord Ortwin laughed, sounding both amused and sympathetic. “My older sister has asked me to choose accessories for her on many occasions in the past. She said the experience is necessary for when I gift a feystone necklace and cloth to my future partner, but all those she presented me with looked nearly identical.”

Exactly!

“Yes, the options that I’m given always seem so similar that I feel any would do,” I said. “What do girls see that we don’t?”

They said that even the slightest detail could result in a hairpin not matching their outfit, but I didn’t have a clue what they were talking about. If certain colors were going to stand out, why include them as choices in the first place? Voicing these thoughts was never an option, however, as Grandmother would start blabbing on for what felt like an eternity.

Lord Ortwin nodded along in enthusiastic agreement as I spoke. I couldn’t believe it; he was a true brother-in-arms!

“You know what? I think we’ll make good friends. Can I just call you ‘Wilfried’?” Lord Ortwin asked, grinning as he moved his pieces. The same thoughts had been running through my mind.

“I would be honored. May I similarly address you as ‘Ortwin’?”

“Sure. And you can drop the polite speech.”

I had been playing it safe, since he was from a top-ranking duchy, but I now had his approval to speak normally. “Ortwin,” huh...? I was overjoyed to have finally made my first friend in the Royal Academy.

“That was great,” I said to myself. “Men belong at the gewinnen board, not at tea parties.”

I felt amazing. Our game of gewinnen had ended in my defeat, but I now had a new friend and a goal to work toward—becoming skilled enough to beat him. I decided to drop as many tea parties from my schedule as possible so that I could dedicate myself to male socializing. Charlotte was going to be here next year, and my life would end up miserable with two little sisters dragging me to tea parties all the time. I would start by turning down such occasions this year, setting a precedent by which I could completely reject them next year.

Yep. It’s a perfect plan.

Unfortunately for me, my plan wasn’t as perfect as I thought. Just as I was hitting my stride with this whole socializing business, I started receiving requests from local nobles and other duchies asking not only for me to attend male gatherings, but also that I invite other archduke candidates to come to me as an archduke candidate should. The issue was that as soon as I hosted one, I would need to host many; it would introduce too much work for me to manage on my own. To make matters worse, the prince and the top-ranking duchies wouldn’t stop asking me when Rozemyne was due to return.

“Father, please send Rozemyne back to the Royal Academy as soon as you can!”

“I’m sorry to tell you this, but Ferdinand says we can’t send her back until it’s time for the Interduchy Tournament. You don’t want her causing any more problems, do you?”

At first, I accepted that answer; having even more to balance was the last thing I wanted, and with both Father and Uncle in agreement that waiting until the Interduchy Tournament was the best course of action, surely that was ideal. But my opinion changed the moment Prince Anastasius started barging into my gewinnen games demanding to know Rozemyne’s whereabouts. I was willing to endure anything that would put a stop to these harsh royal interrogations.

“Father, Rozemyne is causing me problems even in her absence. Can you at least give me a precise date for when she’s coming back?!”

She was a walking natural disaster who caused me problems no matter where she went. At this point, it was better to have her back in the Royal Academy.