Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume Short Story - Chapter 8

Angelica — A Guard Knight at the Temple

“Mother, Father, may I stay in the temple during the Dedication Ritual?” I asked. “That’s when the blizzards are the worst, and Lady Rozemyne is worried about me commuting every day.”

Lord Ferdinand and the commander had given their permission for me to stay in the temple, but only if my parents were willing to allow it. I wasn’t really happy about that, since my parents usually opposed me doing most things, but I was asking anyway.

“Surely the temple is no place for an unmarried woman,” my mother replied, sounding worried. “And this would mean spending the nights there as well, no? Are you really going to be okay?”

I tilted my head blankly. I didn’t get it. “Lady Rozemyne isn’t married yet, but she was raised in the temple. And as her guard knight, I think it’s normal for me to go wherever she does. Is it really as dangerous as you think, Mother? If so, that’s even more reason for me to stay by her side.”

The temple hadn’t seemed dangerous when I first went there a few days ago, met Lady Rozemyne’s gray priest attendants, and was told what to do by Damuel. I hadn’t been there since, because I was training with my master, Lord Bonifatius. Our sessions together had seemed more like an interrogation than anything else. He really loved Lady Rozemyne, and he always asked me questions about what she was like in the Royal Academy.

Master had at last granted me permission to go to the temple, but if the place was as dangerous as my parents made it sound, I would need to be more on guard. It was always important to be aware of potential threats ahead of time, and with that in mind, my hand strayed to Stenluke.

Father sighed and waved a dismissive hand at me. “The danger of which we speak isn’t the kind you’re thinking of... And in any case, my beloved wife, while some of the rumors are a bit concerning, the temple has changed a great deal. Lady Rozemyne is the new High Bishop, and Lord Ferdinand maintains a watchful eye as the High Priest. It’s also important to remember that nobles were forbidden from entering the temple for the two years that Lady Rozemyne was in her jureve.”

“Oh, I see...” I muttered. “I think I understand now.” I didn’t really care about the temple, so this was all news to me, but Lady Rozemyne had evidently brought about a lot of change. It was probably like how she had changed the children’s playroom.

“Not to mention,” my father continued, “visiting the temple was one of the conditions of Angelica being assigned as Lady Rozemyne’s guard knight, remember? I don’t think her staying the night is going to be a problem.”

“Visiting the temple is completely different from spending the night there,” Mother protested, continuing to refuse in spite of my father’s approval. I already knew from experience that trying to change her mind would only make her double down, so I remained silent and stared at Father. It was best to wait patiently for her to relax.

“Angelica managed to finish all of her Royal Academy classes midway through winter. It’s clear how much effort Lady Rozemyne put into helping her, and if she wishes for our daughter to stay at the temple, it must be done. Such is the duty of a loyal retainer. Angelica, you may dedicate the rest of the winter to your lady.”

“Yes, Father.”

I gave a big nod, recalling that Lady Rozemyne was the one who had decided to teach me the fourth step of the mana compression method. If not for that reward, I certainly wouldn’t have been able to return home with her.

“But what will Angelica’s fiancé think of her staying in the temple...?” Mother asked.

“She is to marry Lord Traugott, after some involvement from Lord Bonifatius,” my father replied. “Their marriage wouldn’t be canceled over something this trivial—although, to be frank, I would feel much better if rumors of my daughter visiting the temple did result in such an outcome.”

Father was slumping his shoulders, while Mother gave me a similarly troubled smile. At times like this, I usually felt a bit sad that I was disappointing my parents... but not this time. I puffed out my chest with pride, fully aware that, on this occasion, I could grant their wish.

“Mother, Father, there is no need to fret,” I said. “Lord Traugott resigned from being Lady Rozemyne’s guard knight, so our engagement will be canceled. Rihyarda and Lord Bonifatius are holding a family meeting to settle things, and we’ve been asked to wait until they contact us.”

Both my parents stared at me with wide eyes before eventually managing to choke out an “Excuse me?” For some reason, they didn’t look very pleased about the engagement falling through. Their surprised expressions smelled of danger. For me.

What now...?

They were so taken aback that they didn’t say anything else. I sensed that they were about to ply me with questions I couldn’t answer, which would only be annoying and painful, so I turned around and left the room before they could collect themselves. I already had permission from Father to stay in the temple, so I wasted no time flying to the castle.

That was close...

Having escaped from my parents, I met with Damuel at the knight dormitory and then left for the temple. Lady Rozemyne was waiting for me when I arrived, and she greeted me with a smile.

“Angelica. It somehow feels like so long since I last saw you.”

I couldn’t help but agree. I always felt like I was closest to my true self when on guard duty—maybe because it gave me a clear task to fulfill.

Lady Rozemyne practiced the harspiel even while she was in the temple, and seeing her practice so hard without any musicians really showed me how hard it was to be an archduke candidate. Had we been held to the same academic standard, there was no way I would have graduated from the Royal Academy.

At third bell, Lady Rozemyne went to the High Priest’s chambers to help Lord Ferdinand with his work. Damuel and I followed our lady as guard knights, and I could only watch as one stack of paperwork after another was piled on the desk before her. She soon had as much work as would normally be given to an adult, at which point she casually mentioned that she could only really help with math.

“I think doing this much math is amazing...” I said. An awed sigh escaped me as I thought about how talented Lady Rozemyne had to be to manage so much proper work despite having only recently entered the Royal Academy. My thoughts were soon interrupted, however, as Ferdinand started giving out instructions.

“Eckhart, handle this. Damuel, handle these. Angelica, work with Damuel and—”

“I shall guard the door with my life,” I quickly interjected. This was my first time hearing of a guard knight being made to do math work, so I hurriedly glued myself to the door instead. My Royal Academy days and all the studying I had to do there were finally over; I didn’t want to go back.

I was steeling my resolve to refuse work as many times as was necessary... but Lord Ferdinand gave in immediately. “Attempting to give work to the incompetent is a waste of time,” he said. “Let us begin.” And with that, everyone but me began to work their assigned jobs.

Wow... Lord Ferdinand really is wonderful.

His rational approach moved me; it really was a waste of time to waste time like that. I couldn’t do math—Father would always grimace and say that I made things take twice as long—but for some reason, my parents and other family really wanted me to do paperwork anyway. Of course, all that did was frustrate them, and they would often complain about how slow I was, how many mistakes I made, and how much extra time it would take them to redo everything. It happened so much that I couldn’t understand why they hadn’t given up on their complaining. Not to mention, them reminding me of my incompetence always made me feel sad.

The room was filled only with the low noise of working calculators and fervent scribbling. There must not have been a distinction between scholars and attendants in the temple, as Lady Rozemyne’s attendants were all doing paperwork as well.

I glanced around the High Priest’s chambers from where I was standing at the door. Indeed, the High Bishop, High Priest, and all their attendants were doing work—including Damuel and Lord Eckhart, even though they were guard knights. Maybe I was expected to help out as well.

I think I underestimated guard duty in the temple...

All of a sudden, there was the ring of a bell on the other side of the door. A gray priest working near me stood up and walked over. “Welcome, Brother Kampfer. We’ve been expecting you,” he said as he opened the door, revealing a blue priest and his attendants.

My hand was already resting on Stenluke by the time the door was opened. Our guests saw me, and their eyes immediately widened.

“This is Lady Angelica, who will now be accompanying Lady Rozemyne to the temple as her guard,” the gray priest explained. “Lady Angelica, they have come to deliver paperwork. There is no need to be so on edge.”

“Oh...”

I wasn’t familiar with the bell for guests, and the fact I was so on guard against a simple paperwork delivery had clearly surprised the new arrivals.

Come fourth bell, it was time for lunch. Damuel and I were taking turns, with one of us eating while the other stood guard for Lady Rozemyne while she ate. My initial thought was that I would scarf down my food as quickly as possible, as I normally would in the knight dormitory... but it tasted so good that I ended up going slower than I thought.

“It tastes as good as the food in the Royal Academy...” I noted.

“Lady Rozemyne’s personal chef made this, so it shouldn’t be any different from the food served in the castle,” Monika replied; she was serving both Damuel and me. “Lord Damuel enjoys eating here. I’m glad that you enjoy it as well, Lady Angelica.”

After my meal, Monika started pouring my tea—and it was then that she asked for a moment of my time. It seemed that she wanted to speak to me about life in the temple.

I can listen, but I can’t guarantee that I’ll remember anything.

“As you are going to be living in the temple, Lady Angelica... I wanted to seek your permission for something.”

“Yes?”

“I am told that noblewomen only have attendants of the same gender, but as you will be sharing Lady Rozemyne’s attendants here, that will not be the case,” Monika began. I recalled the temple attendants, and indeed, some of them were men. “Nicola, Wilma from the orphanage, or I will carry out any tasks that require you to be touched, such as bathing or changing clothes. However, we will not have enough time to carry in bathwater, clean your room, or serve your food without the assistance of male gray priests. For that reason, may we have your permission for men to enter your room?”

It was only then that I realized male attendants basically never entered my room. Maybe this was why my parents had said the temple was dangerous; it was probably a big deal to most noblewomen.

“This may be hard for a noble to imagine, but the temple has almost no magic tools,” Monika continued. “We draw water from wells, heat it ourselves for baths, and clean rooms by hand. As there are so few female attendants here, we simply cannot manage everything on our own.”

I half-listened to her explanation, but I was mostly thinking about how to get through this with as little stress as possible. I didn’t really understand, but a single careless report would be enough for my parents to restart their complaining about me taking up guard duty here.

“Is this what happened with Brigitte?” I asked.

“Yes,” Monika replied. “The same thing sometimes happened in her home province, Illgner, so she gave her permission.”

If the little sister of a giebe said it was fine, there shouldn’t be an issue with me doing the same. Right?

“If such is the way of the temple, I do not mind,” I declared, trying to look as cool and sharp as I could.

Monika sighed with relief and thanked me; at the very least, it seemed that my answer was what they had wanted. She poured my tea, said that she was going to change places with Zahm, then left. Lady Rozemyne had a health examination in the afternoon, so Monika needed to finish eating as quickly as she could.

Looks like being an attendant in the temple is pretty rough too.

Zahm was fixing me with a concerned stare as he prepared food for Damuel, which I took as a signal to take over guarding Lady Rozemyne. I finished my tea, then did so.

Next was Lady Rozemyne’s examination, but Lord Ferdinand had permitted me to spend that time training with Lord Eckhart instead—more proof that he was a very, very good person. Cornelius had warned me about him before I came to the temple, saying that I needed to protect Lady Rozemyne from him and that he was “scary beyond words, considering that he’s her guardian,” but he wasn’t scary at all.

Lord Eckhart told me to change into a full set of armor, since we were going outside, so I did just that. He then guided me to a door near the High Bishop’s chambers, which was opened to reveal a fierce blizzard. Barely visible among the snow was the white Noble’s Gate.

“Angelica, do you see the plaza by the Noble’s Gate?” Lord Eckhart asked. “That’s where carriages are stopped when the gate is opened. Let’s train there. It’s the perfect place, since nobody else will be going out in this weather.”

“Understood, Lord Eckhart.”

I formed my highbeast and followed after him. The snow buffeted my side, which was annoying and caused quite the racket, but the mostly unchanging temperature of my feystone armor meant it wasn’t too bad otherwise. For no real reason, I remembered Lady Rozemyne being wrapped in layers upon layers to fend off the cold. Maybe it would be good for her to join the knight course and learn to make feystone armor herself.

I don’t think she ever will, though. She doesn’t like ditter.

Lord Eckhart paused in the air when we arrived at the Noble’s Gate. I tried to do the same, but the blizzard was so strong that it was hard to keep my highbeast steady.

“Moving through a blizzard doesn’t seem too hard, but staying in place is another story entirely, right?” Lord Eckhart called to me. He was perfectly still, but when I tried to follow his example, the onslaught of snow bumped me around. I would never have thought that staying in place in a blizzard required a lot more mana than flying.

“I wasn’t expecting to struggle so much,” I replied. “I usually practice in the castle’s training grounds, so this is my first time training in a strong blizzard.”

“Not surprising. Training in weather like this is normally done to prepare for hunting the Lord of Winter, and the Knight’s Order doesn’t have time to include apprentices who won’t actually be joining the hunt. That said, if things were better, training in such weather would be made essential for all knights. Those without the necessary experience won’t be able to stabilize their highbeast or swing their weapons in the midst of a blizzard.”

Lord Eckhart then taught me how to properly endure the blizzard and stabilize my highbeast enough to fight in the snow. Throwing weapons were apparently more dangerous in such weather than mana attacks, since they didn’t glow or make their presence known. You had to be especially on guard against them.

“I like training with you, Lord Eckhart. You’re very strong.”

“Same to you. Seems like Grandfather’s training is doing wonders for you. And your willingness to turn your blade on even Lord Ferdinand to protect your lady was a sight to behold.”

“I am honored.”

Lord Eckhart had praised me. According to him, guard knights needed to be wary of all people at all times so they could protect their lord or lady.

“You commend my actions, Lord Eckhart, but if I had actually attacked Lord Ferdinand, would you have been able to protect him?”

“Of course,” he replied with a smile. “If Lord Ferdinand hadn’t stopped me—bam.”

No sooner had the last word passed his lips than something struck my arm, specifically in a spot that was usually only covered with cloth when I was wearing my light armor. I gazed down and saw a small dagger falling toward the snow. If not for the fact I was wearing full armor, it would have pierced through me for sure.

If Lord Ferdinand hadn’t stopped him, then...

I shuddered at the thought. Even with the blizzard in full force, Lord Eckhart’s aim was expertly precise. It wouldn’t have been hard for him to strike me in the neck. It wasn’t his precision that surprised me, though—it was the fact that I hadn’t even noticed him throwing the dagger, even though this was training and I was completely on guard.

A stealth attack... I didn’t have a clue.

It was an attack unlike any that my master was training me to use. I couldn’t imagine that he would ever use it himself either. A bubbling heat began writhing inside of me; in a battle against Lord Eckhart, I simply wouldn’t be able to protect Lady Rozemyne. I needed to learn to block that kind of attack. I needed to learn his technique. And with those realizations made, my next goal was decided.

“Let’s start training,” I said.

“Schtappe weapons need a spell to transform them. Manablades glow with mana and are easy to notice. This is a normal blade, but it’s perfect for wounding an enemy before they notice you’ve launched an attack. They become even deadlier if you throw them in the direction of the wind while in a blizzard like this.”

“To think you’d need to be that on guard... Does Lord Ferdinand have enemies who are that dangerous?” I asked. These skills were far, far above anything expected of a normal knight.

Lord Eckhart looked in the direction of the castle, a gentle smile on his lips. “He did. Enemies who attacked from every angle you could conceive of... Now they’re small fry, but that’s no excuse to soften up. You should stay on guard too and start learning other means of attack than just Stenluke. Rozemyne’s in a unique position, and it’s almost a certainty that she’ll make many troublesome foes.”

I wasn’t entirely sure what he meant by Lady Rozemyne being in a unique position, but she definitely attracted a lot of danger. She had flown off on her highbeast two years ago to save Lady Charlotte and openly defied the will of a Dunkelfelger archduke candidate in the Royal Academy.

And I’m sure she’ll do more things like that in the future. Probably.

In order to serve Lady Rozemyne properly, I needed to be as skilled as Lord Eckhart. I wanted to use our training to learn as many techniques from him as I could.

Once I was able to steady myself against the blizzard and swing Stenluke without the slightest waver, we took a break by the temple door. I vanished my highbeast and started stretching my legs. My knees and thighs seemed to ache, I thought—probably from all my time spent straddling my highbeast and tensing my legs in strange ways to keep myself still.

“Angelica, would you mind me using this opportunity to ask you something?” Lord Eckhart said. “Mother wants to know what you think about your engagement to Traugott being canceled.”

“I heard about it from Rihyarda and Lord Bonifatius. I’m actually relieved, since it means I can put off getting married for a while longer.”

“You’re relieved...?”

Lord Eckhart’s eyes sharpened. My first instinct had been to give an accurate—and apparently too honest—answer. Maybe it was because I was still in my training mindset, but either way, it hadn’t been the proper conduct of a noblewoman. I racked my brain for a better response, but nothing came immediately to mind. I was terrible at thinking during training.

Or... Actually, I’m always terrible at thinking.

“Ah, um...” I muttered. “Rather, I am... exceedingly... feels bad...?”

“I don’t understand why you’re being so vague. You’re aware that your future is going to be shaped by whom you choose to marry, right?” Lord Eckhart asked, his mouth twisting with amusement. It seemed that, unlike my parents, he didn’t get mad when I gave frank answers. That was a relief.

“My parents decide who I’ll marry. I don’t really care about it all, personally.”

“You’re a girl and you’re graduating—yet you still don’t care about marriage?”

“Well, I care a tiny bit... but I want to stay as Lady Rozemyne’s guard knight, so I would prefer someone who’ll permit me to serve her for as long as I can. I’ll need to quit when I get married and have children, right? I don’t want that. I would rather marry someone who doesn’t want kids—who wants me as their second or third wife, not first. And, although this might be asking a bit much... I would prefer someone stronger than me, so we can train together. I couldn’t ask for anything more at that point.”

Lord Eckhart met my honest desires with a very serious look. I knew those eyes well—they were the eyes of someone who couldn’t believe or even comprehend what they had just heard.

And that’s not good, I think.

It seemed that my answer had not been appropriate for a noblewoman. I decided to apologize at once and ask that he keep our exchange a secret, and with that in mind, I placed a hand on my cheek and cast my eyes downward. In my experience, this pose made people most likely to forgive me. It was my best means of escaping from a painful conversation.

“I truly apologize,” I said. “It seems that I have said too much. Please keep this a secret from my parents; they often yell at me for saying things I shouldn’t in public.”

“Well... I think it’s best to put feelings like that out into the open. You never know who might agree with you. I’m sure your parents will try to be accommodating.”

I really doubted that, but cutting this conversation short was my top priority. “I pray that is the case,” I said, allowing a smile onto my lips as I continued to look down.

Lord Eckhart nodded and said nothing more.

Yes! It worked again!

“Now, Lord Eckhart... Let’s continue our training.”

Lord Eckhart paused for a moment and then chuckled. “I think I understand why your parents tell you not to speak so freely.” And with that remark, he stood up, indicating that it was time for us to get moving.

“Angelica, you must not be so susceptible to tricks,” Lady Rozemyne said, reprimanding me as soon as I finished training and returned to the High Bishop’s chambers. But who had tricked me? I couldn’t remember being tricked, and no matter how much I struggled to think of a good response, nothing came to mind. In the end, I simply went ahead and gave a report on my training with Lord Eckhart.

I’ll ask Damuel about why she scolded me later.

I waited for Lady Rozemyne to bathe before putting my question to him. He sighed and said, “So you didn’t understand after all. I thought as much. She scolded you because you went off to train with Lord Eckhart after Lord Ferdinand pushed you to.”

“I still don’t see the issue,” I replied, now feeling even more confused.

Damuel put his head in his hands. “It was Lord Ferdinand who suggested it. Lady Rozemyne didn’t give her permission, did she?”

“I see at last...”

“You don’t understand anything, do you?” Damuel asked—a question that we both knew the answer to. He knew me so well. “Let’s pretend you’re on your way to the aub’s office with Lady Rozemyne when Lord Wilfried suggests that you train with his knights. How do you respond?”

“I would say: ‘Maybe after my shift is over, if my lady grants her permission.’” It was unthinkable for someone to speak to a knight on guard duty like that.

“Do you still not understand...?” Damuel muttered under his breath. “Alright, let’s consider this another way. Lord Ferdinand isn’t your lord or lady, and you were on guard duty at the time; why, then, did you agree to his suggestion and go out to train? The situation then was no different from our hypothetical with Lord Wilfried.”

I looked up with a start. He was right. Neither Lord Wilfried nor Lord Ferdinand was my lord.

“But Lord Ferdinand is Lady Rozemyne’s guardian, and you follow his orders too, don’t you?” I asked. Lord Ferdinand was the one who gave out work in his chambers and when Lady Rozemyne was traveling between the castle and the temple. It had only made sense to obey him then, so I hadn’t thought anything of obeying him again.

“As long as he isn’t in direct opposition with Lady Rozemyne, I will also follow his orders,” Damuel said. “But you didn’t hesitate to point Stenluke at him. Isn’t that because you considered the possibility that he might be hostile?”

“Cornelius instructed me to protect her from Lord Ferdinand.”

“Cornelius...” Damuel repeated. His eyes grew distant, then he sighed and shook his head. “That certainly is the right mindset for a guard knight to have; even one’s closest friend could one day become an enemy. But putting that aside, Lord Ferdinand didn’t order you to train; he suggested it. In other words, you abandoned your guard duty at the suggestion of another without first acquiring permission. That is why Lady Rozemyne scolded you.”

I abandoned my duty...?

Only then did the gravity of the situation strike me—I had done the one thing that a guard knight should never do, and it could never be taken back. My blood ran cold, and it felt as though my legs had been cut out from under me. I was so scared that my teeth began to chatter.

“M-My... My apologies,” I mumbled.

Damuel gave a troubled smile. “You should apologize to Lady Rozemyne, not me. Though, at this point, that would probably just make her uncomfortable.”

After showing that I was useless with temple paperwork, I had made matters worse by abandoning my guard duty too. Perhaps my luck had finally run out. Perhaps I was going to be relieved of duty. Master training me so that I could protect Lady Rozemyne, everyone tutoring me so that I could finish the Royal Academy, my own goal of serving Lady Rozemyne forever... It had all been for nothing. I could feel the spirit draining from my body, and the whole world seemed a little darker than before.

“Damuel, what can I do...?”

“You won’t be relieved anytime soon,” Damuel said reassuringly. “Lady Rozemyne doesn’t have enough female knights as is, and it’s a special case that you can guard her in the temple.”

I was legally still underage, but I was allowed to leave the Noble’s Quarter for guard duty due to the unique circumstances. I had finished all of my classes in the Royal Academy, and while I hadn’t yet attended my coming-of-age ceremony, I was born in the summer and therefore technically old enough to be considered an adult. Damuel said that this whole situation had only come to be because there would be no female knights to accompany Lady Rozemyne otherwise.

“I suppose you’re wondering why she needs female knights,” Damuel continued. “Well, in the castle, male guard knights can’t be there when she gets changed, can they? The temple works the same way. I can’t go everywhere Lady Rozemyne does. She needs female knights for cases like the checkup earlier, when her clothes were flipped up and her skin touched. Don’t forget that.”

“Understood...”

I was aware from my time in the Ehrenfest Dormitory that there were some places only people of the same gender could go. Just because the temple had male and female attendants who both entered the High Bishop’s chambers didn’t mean that men could go anywhere... but it was only now that I was piecing this together.

“I get that you’re bad at reading the mood and understanding the deeper meaning behind words, Angelica... But you can’t be so easily strung along by the suggestions and verbal tricks of others, whether they be from Lord Ferdinand or anyone else.”

“Well, what should I do in those cases?”

Damuel gave a relieved smile—his usual expression whenever he thought he had succeeded in making me understand something. “It’s simple. Always consult Lady Rozemyne first. Now, repeat after me! ‘I will always consult my lady first!’”

“I will always consult my lady first!” I declared. “Okay... I thank you ever so much. Back then, I should have asked Lady Rozemyne whether I could train, rather than leaving straight away.”

“Perfect.”

Zahm must have been waiting for us to finish our discussion, as he appeared not even a moment later and took Damuel to the bath they had prepared for him.

“Fran,” I said, noticing that he was nearby. He seemed to be preparing a drink for when Lady Rozemyne returned from her bath. “How come Damuel is bathing first?”

Fran looked around the room, troubled, then seemed to relent with a deep exhale. “My apologies. We do not have enough female retainers for you to bathe until after Lady Rozemyne is done, and as there is not enough time for us to wait for you to finish, bathing has ceased to be in order of social rank. I apologize for the inconvenience.”

“I’ve been told the temple has its own way of doing things. It has been a little confusing... but I can manage as long as everything is explained to me,” I said, making sure to repeat in my brain the message that bathing wasn’t done in order of status here.

Fran’s expression softened. “I am glad that Lady Rozemyne’s guard is such an understanding individual as yourself, Lady Angelica.”

He finished preparing the drink just as Lady Rozemyne came out from her bath. She took the cup, brought it to her lips, and then glanced around the room. “Oh. I see Damuel has not yet finished bathing.”

“He should return soon,” Fran replied. The look in his eyes made me want to bury myself deep in the snow outside; Damuel was no doubt running late and throwing off everybody’s schedules because he had spent so long answering my questions.

I can practically hear Father yelling at me.

Barring myself, everyone in my family was an attendant, so I fully understood the consequences of a disrupted schedule. If my father were the one being inconvenienced here, he absolutely would have given me a very harsh scolding. Sad memories of many such lectures arose in my mind.

“Apologies for the wait,” Damuel said upon his return. I could tell in an instant that he had rushed to finish his bath sooner than usual.

“Um, Damuel...” I muttered.

“Sorry, Angelica, but could you bathe first? Monika and Nicola can’t finish for the day until you’ve had your bath.”

It was at this point that Nicola herself stepped forward and gave an introduction. “Thank you for your patience, Lady Angelica,” she then said. “I’m going to be at your service today.”

And so, I ended up returning to my room at Lady Rozemyne’s order, unable to even apologize to Damuel.

“We will be done in just a moment. My apologies for the wait.”

Lady Rozemyne’s attendants Gil and Fritz were bringing buckets of hot water into my room one by one. It was a very strange sight—at home, in the knight dormitory, and at the Royal Academy, attendants would simply channel their mana into magic tools that filled the bath automatically.

I was a little uncomfortable to begin with—this was my first time having men enter my room, attendants or otherwise—but I soon got used to it. My concern then turned into curiosity as I realized that I hadn’t seen these two in the High Bishop’s chambers.

“I don’t remember either of these men being in the High Bishop’s chambers,” I noted. “Are they Lady Rozemyne’s attendants?”

“Yes, my lady,” Nicola replied. “Lady Rozemyne has trusted them with managing a workshop. Gil accompanies the Gutenbergs as her representative, so he is rarely in the temple, much less the High Bishop’s chambers.”

As it turned out, they were working in the printing industry that Lady Rozemyne treasured so much. Fritz was around the same age as Fran and the others, while Gil only looked about as old as me. And yet, Gil was the one serving as her representative.

“How did Gil earn Lady Rozemyne’s trust?”

Nicola met my unexpected question with a look of surprise, but I wanted to know. I was going to need to do a lot of work to make up for my earlier mistake.

“Fritz is the older of the two, but Lady Rozemyne trusts Gil so much that she made him her representative anyway, right?” I asked. “As her guard knight, I want to earn that much trust myself. That’s why I want you to tell me what he did.”

Gil was listening with wide eyes, then he broke into a grin and puffed out his chest. “I don’t know if this will be of any use to you, since I don’t do the work of an honorable knight, but I simply strove to not fall behind anyone else in the workshop,” he said. “I wanted to do the most and the best work—to make Lady Rozemyne’s wish of spreading the printing industry throughout the duchy come true. At the time, I knew how to make every kind of paper in Ehrenfest, and I taught others how to do the same. That’s why Lady Rozemyne trusted me to go to other provinces and spread my knowledge of printing and paper-making.”

Gil seemed to dazzle like the sun as he clearly spoke about his hard work and dreams. I started to wonder whether I could puff out my chest like him when it came to my guard work... but that thought was depressingly short lived when I remembered my tragic blunder earlier that day.

“Erm... I do not know what you are concerned about, Lady Angelica, but everyone has their strong points,” Gil continued. “Lady Rozemyne said we can all use our particular strengths to be useful, which is why I am putting my all into my workshop duties. Our work isn’t confined to the High Bishop’s chambers.”

He gave me a dazzling smile and then took his leave, having finished bringing in the water we needed. I chewed over his words as Nicola urged me into the bath.

I’m not even being useful as a guard, which is supposed to be my strength, so what should I do?

I couldn’t do paperwork, and I had already failed as a guard knight. The only thing I could do at this point was get along with the temple attendants like Lady Rozemyne had asked me to.

“Nicola!” I said. “Please be my friend!”

“What? What?!” she exclaimed, looking concerned as she prepared to wash my hair.

“Lady Rozemyne requested it. She said she wants me to be friends with her temple attendants, since we all serve the same person. If you’ll be my friend, Nicola, then I can at least say I’m being of some use to her.”

Nicola blinked several times before giving me a smile. She seemed to smile all the time, but this was different—it was an expression of genuine emotion, which you almost never saw when living as a noble.

“We are very glad that you wish to be friends with us, Lady Angelica,” she said. The people of the temple hadn’t been raised to hide their emotions like us nobles. We looked the same on the outside, but I could tell we lived in completely different worlds. Nicola was weird to me, but at the same time, I enjoyed that weirdness very, very much. Maybe it was because seeing her smile made me so happy. Most people looked at me critically because of my inability to study or with concern whenever I demonstrated a clear lack of something... but almost nobody ever smiled at me.

“I’m glad that you’re glad, Nicola. I’m a failure of a knight. I can’t do guard work like the other guard knights in the temple, something I made more than clear today when I neglected my duties. I’m hoping that I can make up for it in at least some small part by making friends with you all.”

“Ah, I see,” Nicola said. “You’re a bit depressed after messing up today. Well, don’t worry. Lady Rozemyne is never cruel to those who make mistakes. You just need to make sure that you don’t repeat it.” She then tried to reassure me by describing her own mistakes as she washed my hair. Her fingers were so thorough and gentle that it was almost as relaxing as having someone pat my head.

“One thing that always cheers me up is eating tasty sweets while talking about happy things with Ella,” Nicola continued. “I’ll sneak some sweets to you later. We can keep it a secret from Lady Rozemyne.”

Her way of consoling me was shockingly different from that of the attendants at home, but her genuine wish to cheer me up came through anyway. I could feel my eyes growing warm. Now I really understood why Lady Rozemyne preferred staying in the temple instead of the castle, even after being adopted by the archduke.

After my bath, Nicola really did bring me a plate of sweets. She swiftly poured me some tea as well, and things ended up feeling a little bit like a tea party.

“I can’t say I really understand what the work of a guard knight is like,” Nicola said, “but I might be able to relate with the paperwork. I mainly help in the kitchen these days, but I used to provide some assistance in the High Priest’s chambers as an attendant. I was something of an expert when it came to nodding and agreeing that the High Priest was scary or asking for permission to cook instead, since I wasn’t the best at paperwork.”

She confidently thumped a fist against her chest, which made me smile too. It was hard for us to properly talk while she was standing behind me as a server, so I suggested that she take a seat and join me in eating sweets. It was fine, since this was all being kept under wraps anyway.

“Is it okay for me to sit?” she asked. “I won’t get a scolding later, will I?”

“The sweets are already a secret, aren’t they?”

“They are, but... Ngh. Excuse me!”

Nicola looked extremely hesitant as she sat in front of me, but the moment she picked up a sweet, she broke into a happy smile. Her nervousness from a moment ago had somehow vanished.

Mm... I think I understand why Lieseleta loves to feed shumils now.

“So, Nicola... You’re not good at paperwork either?” I asked.

“I’m not terrible at it—well, unless you compare me to Monika. I struggle more with being in the High Priest’s chambers. It’s so quiet, and we all spend so long scratching away at paper... Doesn’t it make you want to talk? It always feels so suffocating in there.”

Nicola went on to explain that these feelings had resulted in her spending more time working in the kitchen as Ella’s assistant. Now, she avoided going to the High Priest’s chambers by saying that she needed to help prepare lunch.

“I may be avoiding the High Priest’s chambers,” Nicola continued, “but I’ve been working hard to make lunch, so I wouldn’t say I’ve been slacking. Maybe you could find a way to avoid the High Priest’s chambers too?”

“As much as I commend your idea of running away from the things you don’t like, my duty here is to guard Lady Rozemyne. I can’t leave my lady’s side.”

“Ah. That makes this more complicated...”

We contemplated the situation for a while... and then there was a sudden knock at the door. “My sincerest apologies for interrupting your sleep, Lady Angelica,” came Monika’s voice as she entered the room with a modest expression. “Nicola has yet to return, even though Lady Rozemyne has now gone to sleep.”

Nicola rushed to swallow her mouthful of sweets and stood up, but it was too late. Monika had seen everything.

“Nicola, what in the world are you doing?!” Monika barked, her eyebrows shooting up. I recognized that look at once, since people in the temple were a lot easier to read than nobles. Nicola was going to receive a very long lecture, I was sure.

“Is something the matter, Monika?” came Fran’s voice from somewhere outside the room. “Has Nicola done something to Lady Angelica?” He couldn’t just step inside, since he was a man, but he had come with Monika to check up on us.

Nicola had turned ghostly white and was shaking like a leaf, while Monika was looking far from pleased. “Nicola,” she said, “it is unthinkable for an attendant to sit with a noble such as—”

“Monika, the scolding can wait,” Fran said. “Have her leave the room at once.”

“My apologies, Lady Angelica. We will take Nicola away for you,” Monika said, having been snapped back to her senses by Fran’s warning. She then moved to grab the seated girl, who was surely in for the rebuking of a lifetime. I couldn’t allow that to happen, especially when she had gone to such lengths to comfort me.

“Monika, Fran... It’s fine,” I explained. “I was consulting her about something. Do not scold her.”

In an instant, Monika’s polite smile morphed into a look of suspicion. Her eyes moved between Nicola and me, and then, with a serious expression, she said, “Consulting Nicola about what...? She usually cheers people on rather than doing things herself, but was she being helpful to you somehow?”

“Yes, very. And if possible, I wish to consult you and Fran as well. Do come in.”

Monika and Fran exchanged troubled glances and then came over, having no room to refuse me. “So, what were you consulting her about...?” Monika asked. “Is there some problem with the temple accommodation?”

“Nicola, explain for me.”

People usually told me I was too brief and unclear, which made me hard to understand, so I decided to leave the explanation to Nicola and picked up my cup. My work here was done. It would be harder for Fran and Monika to scold Nicola now that they were so involved themselves.

“The truth is, I didn’t really have a good answer, but... Lady Angelica wants to help Lady Rozemyne as much as she can,” Nicola began. “The problem is, she doesn’t have a knack for paperwork. What should she do?”

Monika and Fran knew what had happened in the High Priest’s chambers, and they paused for a moment in consideration. Nicola watched them, then discreetly mouthed “Now they won’t get mad” to me. I gave a small nod in response, holding back the urge to smile. Sometimes, the training I received to hide my emotions actually came in useful.

“I see... If you consider yourself poor at paperwork, Lady Angelica, perhaps you could increase your workload in other areas?” Monika suggested, offering a serious answer despite being so taken aback about the sudden invitation into my room.

“Other jobs? Like what?” I asked, leaning forward. The idea of doing something other than paperwork was like a shining ray of hope.

“Perhaps you could learn the sounds of the bells and use that knowledge to guard the door and receive guests,” she said. It was true that those who guarded doors needed to have a firm grasp on these signals to effectively carry out their duty.

“But there was a gray priest by the High Priest’s door who received the guests last time,” I noted. “Won’t I be stealing his job?”

“If you learn to receive guests, Lady Angelica, then that gray priest will be able to focus on assisting Lord Ferdinand,” Monika replied. She went on to explain that, by allowing the others to work without interruption, I would be helping them make progress without doing any paperwork of my own. The shining ray had turned into a radiant beam; I could help after all.

“That is an amazing idea, Monika,” I said. “As a reward, I offer you this sweet.”

“Lady Angelica, this is...”

Accepting this sweet would make her an accomplice in full, thereby making it impossible for her to lecture Nicola for the same misdeed. Monika glared at Nicola, then accepted the sweet from me and ate it.

Now for Fran.

I glanced over at him, but he shook his head with a bemused smile and said there was no need, as he had no intention of scolding Nicola. Once that was settled, he then said, “You are concerned about not being skilled with paperwork, Lady Angelica, but guard knights are not meant to do paperwork in the first place. Much, much work has accumulated due to Lady Rozemyne spending two years in the jureve, and the High Priest is busily working through it, but such work is by no means your responsibility.”

“Really?” I asked, tilting my head. “But both Damuel and Lord Eckhart were doing it...” This had made me think that all guard knights in the temple needed to do paperwork, but apparently not.

“Do you know that Lord Damuel started visiting the temple as part of a punishment?”

“Yes. Well, that was when he was demoted to an apprentice,” I replied with a vague smile. His circumstances had been explained to me before I came here, but I wasn’t sure of the details. I was told I only needed to remember that his demotion had followed an incident during a trombe hunt, and that he had ended up guarding Lady Rozemyne.

“The current paperwork situation began when the High Priest said that Lord Damuel could earn more money by assisting him with his work,” Fran explained. “As for Lord Eckhart, he is working hard to secure even a little more free time for the High Priest, considering this his duty as a retainer, but it is still something he has taken on by choice.”

I could feel the tension leave my body all at once. According to Fran, I wasn’t obligated to do paperwork after all.

“The High Priest wanted to make the idea of nobles working in the temple more acceptable when the scholars overseeing the printing industry started to visit,” Fran continued, “but he certainly doesn’t consider it necessary work for a guard knight.”

“So I really don’t need to do paperwork, then?”

“That’s correct, my lady. In fact, the High Priest will even be grateful if you, as a guard, simply learn to distinguish the bells that blue priests use. It cannot be said that there are no dangerous blue priests.”

His words put me on guard. The temple seemed much more peaceful than noble society, but even here, it seemed there were enemies. It was my duty as Lady Rozemyne’s guard knight to keep them away.

“I will speak to Zahm about teaching you the bells tomorrow,” Fran said, bringing our conversation to a close. “It is late, and I humbly suggest that we all go to bed.”

“Okay. I thank you ever so much, Fran.”

Fran and Monika ordered Nicola to clear away the tea as punishment for eating sweets during work, then left. Nicola, relieved to have not been scolded any further than that, let out a big sigh. She then smiled and quickly started gathering the cups together.

“I’m glad they solved your problem, Lady Angelica.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Nicola. I thank you ever so much.”

“Aha... You claimed you were a failure of a guard knight, but Fran thinks it’s tremendously helpful that you’re being so open to temple traditions and not making a huge fuss of things. We attendants are all so glad that you were the one to come here, Lady Angelica. Well... good night!”

They’re glad it was me?

I watched Nicola leave, in a daze. That was maybe the first time anyone had said they were pleased to have my company in particular.

That night, as I climbed into bed, there was a pleasant warmth in my chest. Despite all of my failures, it had been a very good day overall. Life in the temple seemed like it was going to be fun.