Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume Short Story - Chapter 16

Hannelore — Ehrenfest’s Books

I sent Lady Rozemyne a get-well message after she collapsed at the tea party, but no positive news came back to me. In the end, I spent about three days sick with worry about her well-being before the Interduchy Tournament began.

The Interduchy Tournament was the busiest event of the Royal Academy and the day when Dunkelfelger was more united and riled up than ever. One could tell how enthusiastic we were just by the fact that almost every knight in the duchy came to watch, save for the bare minimum needed for communication. It was very stifling.

On the morning of, I went downstairs to prepare and saw the knights who had teleported over drinking vize and trying to rouse the apprentice knights. The dining hall already stank of alcohol. I furrowed my brow on instinct, at which point the knight commander spotted me and broke into a smile. He looked so young that it was hard to believe he was in his mid-forties.

“Oho, Lady Hannelore! Good morning!” he exclaimed. “I hear you defeated Lord Ferdinand’s disciple the other day.”

I shook my head as fervently as I could and said, “Th-That’s not true, commander. I did nothing of the sort.”

It must have been my brother who told him this nonsense.

Despite my best efforts to explain what really happened, my voice didn’t reach anyone. Heisshitze, the knight commander’s nephew and an archknight, even started praising me, saying it was an impressive feat to have defeated a disciple of the Lord Ferdinand. His praise made the other knights join in, and soon enough, they were all cheering my name. It was an enormous misunderstanding and awful slander against Lady Rozemyne.

“I-I simply wished to be friends with Lady Rozemyne. She is very...”

I wanted to say “sickly and faints often,” but before the words could even leave my mouth, Heisshitze gave a firm nod of agreement. “Ditter makes the greatest friends out of your greatest enemies,” he said. “I am glad you understand this as well, Lady Hannelore.”

“That is not what I meant...”

Heisshitze viewed Lord Ferdinand as quite the rival, having been in the same grade as the Master Tactician of Ehrenfest. They had competed at every opportunity since their third year, when they could start participating in ditter games, and Heisshitze had always ended up losing. Those who spoke of their exploits at times used the word “frenemies” to describe them, apparently.

Am I the only one under the impression that Lord Ferdinand thinks nothing of Heisshitze?

“Father, Uncle,” came the voice of an apprentice archknight—the second son of the knight commander, “we were no match for Lady Rozemyne. She utterly trounced us with her plots, but when she claimed victory, she did not boast; rather, she praised how coordinated we were during our battle.”

“Oho. That is interesting... Lord Ferdinand’s disciple managed all that? I simply cannot wait for the Interduchy Tournament now. Tell me, what schemes did she employ?”

The apprentice archknight eagerly began to explain, while all the knights in earshot listened with much interest.

Incidentally, Heisshitze’s and the knight commander’s wives were sisters with an age gap, and while Heisshitze and the apprentice archknight were actually cousins, their relationship was more that of an uncle and nephew. This was all to better keep the hotheaded Knight’s Order under control.

I turned my back on the discussion and swiftly exited the dining hall, not wanting to listen to yet another retelling of Lady Rozemyne’s plots. I was so familiar with the story by this point that I could practically recite it verbatim.

I never intended to defeat Lady Rozemyne. Not once!

Heisshitze and the knight commander had both been looking forward to seeing Lady Rozemyne at the Interduchy Tournament, but she had ended up not attending so that she could rest. She had apparently regained consciousness last night but was still too unwell to move.

To think she was absent despite coming first-in-class... Perhaps, like me, she lacks the divine protection of Dregarnuhr the Goddess of Time.

“Lady Rozemyne came first-in-class, and she has the mind of a plotter...” the knight commander mused aloud. “Is it just me, or would she make a perfect wife for Lord Lestilaut?”

“Hm. Agreed,” Heisshitze replied. I could only hope that our duchy would one day look beyond strength and scheming as the most desirable traits for an archduke’s wife.

“Father, Uncle, I’m sorry to say that Lord Lestilaut and Lady Rozemyne did not seem to be on particularly good terms,” the apprentice archknight noted.

“That’s fine,” Heisshitze said. “As long as they keep playing ditter together, they’ll come to understand each other for sure. Just like Lord Ferdinand and I did.”

I had heard that Heisshitze had given his Dunkelfelger cape to someone as proof of his defeat. Perhaps that someone was Lord Ferdinand.

Lady Rozemyne was absent for the graduation ceremony the next day, but she at least seemed to recover after that. I sent her a letter expressing my thoughts, and soon after, Ehrenfest lent me a book.

“This book...” I said, feeling the blood drain from my face as Cordula handed it to me. “Cordula... Could it be that Lady Rozemyne knows I am not too fond of reading?”

“You are overthinking things, milady. She addressed you as a book-loving friend at the tea party, so I find it highly unlikely that she knows.”

“I-Is that so?”

I was still worried, despite my head attendant’s reassurance. It seemed to me that Lady Rozemyne would only lend me such a thin book if she thought I would be unable to read thicker ones.

“Milady, it is best to stay optimistic when considering these things; embracing pessimism will see you trapped in a never-ending spiral of negative thoughts. This book is thin enough that even you should not struggle to read it all, and if you pay close attention to its content, you should find it easy to discuss it with her.”

“That is true...” I replied, accepting Cordula’s encouragement. I picked up Lady Rozemyne’s book and noticed that it had no cover; instead, the front page was made of unusual paper that seemed to have real flowers in it. “This paper is fairly white and thin, unlike the paper we normally use. It even seems to smell different...”

“Perhaps that is Ehrenfest paper,” Cordula suggested. “I seem to recall the apprentice scholars saying that Ehrenfest students are using some new kind.”

It seemed that even paper was strange in Ehrenfest. I opened the book and started flipping through it when—“Oh my!”—I cried out despite myself.

“What is it, milady?”

“This book is written in modern vernacular. It is very easy to read.”

Dunkelfelger books were so old and often used such complicated vocabulary that trying to decipher them was a time-consuming ordeal. Lady Rozemyne’s book, in contrast, was simple enough that even someone as inexperienced with reading as I could breeze through it.

The contents were what I had requested as well: knight stories centered around romance. They were entirely unlike Dunkelfelger knight stories, and each made my heart throb as though I were listening to a minstrel. Accompanying the text were wonderful pictures showing scenes such as a handsome knight fighting for the female archduke candidate he loved and offering a feystone to propose to her. This book couldn’t even be compared to the Dunkelfelger tomes consisting of nothing but letters!

“I can hold the book in one hand, its pages are easy to turn, the language is modern and straightforward... To think that reading could be so enjoyable. I think I understand why Lady Rozemyne fell in love with such a hobby; had I been born in Ehrenfest, perhaps I would not have such a distaste for it.”

I wrote my thoughts on the book in a letter, and for the first time in my life, I actually wanted to read another. I was struck with the feeling that I would never tire of reading Ehrenfest books, no matter how many there were.

“I am overjoyed to see you so enthusiastic about reading, milady, but did you not promise to lend a book to Ehrenfest in return?” Cordula asked. She was right, and that realization snapped me back to reality. I needed to choose a book for Lady Rozemyne to borrow, but I didn’t even know what books Dunkelfelger had.

“What should we do, Cordula? Do we have any books fit to lend to Ehrenfest, a duchy of such high literary status?”

“Perhaps you could ask your family.”

The graduation ceremony was over, but my parents were still in the dormitory; they were due to return to Dunkelfelger tomorrow. I picked up Lady Rozemyne’s book, exited my room, and started down the hall, hoping to explain that we were lending Ehrenfest a book in return for the one that Lady Rozemyne had lent me.

Dunkelfelger was a duchy that prioritized practicality above all else, so our dormitory and castle were sparsely decorated. Vast expanses of white were broken up only by things colored blue for our duchy, and since this dormitory was only ever used in the winter, it had an exceedingly cold feel to it.

“If only Dunkelfelger had a greater flair for the artistic...” I said. “The dormitory would feel a little warmer if we at least had some sculptures, or if our duchy’s color were red.”

“This dormitory was constructed many generations before buildings were decorated with statues and the like, so that cannot be helped,” Cordula noted. “If you are so concerned, perhaps you could decorate it yourself, milady?”

Whenever other duchies invited me to tea parties, I tended to be overwhelmed by the fanciness of the decorations. I truly loved admiring it all, but when it came to the actual decorating process, I had no idea where to start or how to bring everything together. Memories of my fervent battle to redecorate my room immediately came to mind. Everything had ended up a disjointed mess, and not even three days later, I had simply put everything back to the way it had been before.

“You know I cannot do that, Cordula. You are so mean.”

“I see no harm in making an attempt nonetheless. Just as you found a book that you can read, perhaps you will find decorations that suit you.”

“Well, well,” Father said. “You certainly seem to be in a good mood today, Hannelore.” He beckoned me over when he noticed me enter the parlor, having been discussing something with Mother and Lestilaut.

“Father, Mother. Lady Rozemyne of Ehrenfest lent me this book,” I said. “It was a pleasure to read, and now I wish to read other Ehrenfest books as well.”

“Oh my. You wish to read, my dear Hannelore?” Mother asked. “How rare.”

“You should read it too, Mother. It’s a very wonderful collection of knight stories.” I walked over to her with the book clutched affectionately to my chest.

“Ehrenfest knight stories?” Brother said, making no attempt to hide his grimace. “I trust that the knights in question aren’t uncouth villains who make their way through devious plots.”

“No, Brother. These stories are of wonderful knights and grand romances.”

“Love stories, then? How weak...” he said with a derisive sniff. I turned my back to him and presented the book to Mother, who shared in my initial surprise and examined it carefully.

“This is a book?”

“Indeed. Lady Rozemyne lent it to me herself, so it is unmistakably an Ehrenfest book. It is thin, light, and very easy to read.”

“Hah. Is their duchy incapable of something as simple as creating a proper cover?” Lestilaut asked. Mother shooed him away at once and started skimming the book.

“This certainly is easy to read,” Mother eventually said. “The language is modern and uncomplicated, and the book is even filled with beautiful illustrations.”

“Ehrenfest must have been formed too recently to have any books written in proper language,” my brother interjected. “How pitiful. They do not even have a history.”

“Lestilaut, I am talking with Hannelore right now. Could you quiet down?” Mother said with a smile, silencing him. “They must have hired an exceptionally skilled transcriptionist; the handwriting is beautiful and almost suspiciously consistent. You could learn much from them, Hannelore. That said... This paper certainly is unusual. It feels different from any I have touched before.”

“It is called Ehrenfest paper, and to my knowledge, it was only recently invented,” I explained. “I am told that their apprentice scholars have been using it at the Royal Academy this year.”

“I see...” Mother gazed down at the book without another word, as if deep in thought.

“Ehrenfest books are new and wonderful, are they not? I promised Lady Rozemyne that I would lend her a book in return.” I turned to my father. “She said that she wishes to read Dunkelfelger knight stories, but what should we give her?”

Lestilaut’s eyes gleamed. “This is a good opportunity to show that fake saint what a real book is like. We should give her a proper volume—not something shoddy and cheap like the one she gave us.”

“Hm.” Father paused for a moment to contemplate. “If this Ehrenfest archduke candidate enjoys knightly tales, I do believe I have just the book for her.”

“Truly, Father?!” I exclaimed.

Dunkelfelger was a duchy filled with strong knights, so we were second to none when it came to knight stories. If my father, the archduke himself, was recommending a book, then it was surely perfect.

The next day, Father returned to Dunkelfelger and then sent a large, single-volume book back through the teleporter. It was so massive that Lady Rozemyne would struggle just to open the cover, and if she was not careful, it was likely to crush her.

“What is Father thinking...?”

I compared this thick tome, which was pretty much a history textbook, to Lady Rozemyne’s book. There was a wooden tag resting atop the cover of ours, which Cordula picked up and read.

“‘Ehrenfest is competing with the new, so Dunkelfelger will compete with the old, which our opponents cannot replicate,’” Cordula said. “That is what is written.”

“I did not wish to compete with Lady Rozemyne...”

Why is everyone so insistent on us becoming rivals? Is it not obvious at a glance that I can’t compare in any regard? Lady Rozemyne came first-in-class. We aren’t even on the same level.

Everyone around me seemed to be brimming with excitement, but I merely slumped my shoulders. Feeling thoroughly upset, I resigned myself to giving Lady Rozemyne this enormous book.

Of course, for me, this was easier said than done. Everyone from Ehrenfest had already returned to their duchy, and the door to their dormitory was now completely closed off. My scholars asked whether we should entrust our tome to one of the remaining Ehrenfest guards, but I weakly shook my head; valuable, expensive books needed to be delivered in person, not passed through intermediaries.

“Perhaps we could give the book to them at the Royal Academy next year,” Cordula suggested. “Lady Rozemyne was the one to fall ill, so you will surely not be criticized for failing to deliver it.”

“I suppose.”

“Do not be so down, milady. Your timing was simply unfortunate.” She was trying to console me, but I couldn’t help but sigh.

I agreed to give Lady Rozemyne a book in turn, but she has already left. Why must my timing always be so pitiable?

In the end, I asked Cordula to put the book and a letter in a large, locked box used to store valuable books. Never in my wildest dreams did it occur to me that Father would happen across both prior to the Archduke Conference and give them to Aub Ehrenfest without consulting me.