Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 4.01 - Chapter 19

My First Earthday 

When I eventually made it back to my own room, Rihyarda instructed me to put my Divine Will on the bed. “I don’t really want to do this, since it might impact the feystone, but...” She trailed off with a sigh, then started peeling off my clothes while wearing mana-blocking gloves. 

One would normally only bathe after filling their Divine Will with mana, but after falling asleep against exposed rock, I wasn’t nearly clean enough to get in bed. Rihyarda had said that I wouldn’t be able to get into a proper bath, but she was at least able to wipe me down with wet towels. It made me feel a lot better. 

“Drink this and rest well, milady.” 

After preparing one of Ferdinand’s special, awful-tasting potions for me, Rihyarda stepped back and silently waited for me to drink it. I could still move a little thanks to my enhancers, but my head was spinning and the chills were unbearable. There was no denying that I’d developed an intense fever, but I couldn’t help looking between Rihyarda and the oh-so terrible potion. 

I might be sick, but I still don’t want to drink that mercilessly nasty thing... 

As I shrunk back in fear, Rihyarda somehow managed to give me a judgmental look while still maintaining her smile. It was quite impressive, all things considered. 

“To think you were asleep in the Farthest Hall, in this season... Even a normal child would catch a cold, or if worst came to worst, climb the towering stairway! Is it not a miracle you are even alive right now?!” 

“I’m sorry for worrying you...” 

Rihyarda had always been the one to panic most over my ill health back in the castle, so it was no surprise that she had started to worry when I hadn’t come back from the cave. She revealed first to Hirschur and then to all the other professors just how many incidents my poor health had caused in the past, which had made the other professors realize that I wasn’t just an unfit student who had gotten tired while getting my Divine Will; rather, I was so sickly that I had collapsed and almost died. 

“Drink it all. Now, milady.” 

“Okay...” 

I picked up the vial and chugged the goopy green liquid that was inside. There was no point in hesitating—trying to drink it slowly would only prolong the suffering. 

“Nghhh!” 

It had been such a long time since I last drank one of these vile potions that I immediately had to clap a hand over my mouth to avoid throwing up. But as I rolled around on my bed, tears welling up in my eyes, I started feeling better and better. The potion really did work; it was just the drinking it part that made me feel as though my soul were being torn from my body and dragged down into hell. 

“Enjoy your rest, milady.” 

After confirming that the potion was gone, Rihyarda finished cleaning up my room, then swiftly exited. 

“It sure has gotten smaller...” I mused while lying on my bed, looking at the Divine Will. It had shrunk enough that I could now hold it in one hand. I squeezed it tightly, and the more mana I poured into it, the smaller it got. It seemed I was absorbing it into my body as it fused with my mana. 

When I had woken up after falling asleep in the Farthest Hall, my Divine Will had shrunk so much that it initially took me by surprise. Hirschur had thankfully explained that this was simply how it worked, and she had noted that I should keep pouring my mana into it until it became one with me. 

Absorbing the Divine Will into oneself could only be done by cradling it, almost like a mother hen warming her egg. Completing the process would require hugging it for an entire day and night while pouring mana into it, so it was tradition for schtappe acquisition to take place on a Fruitday. This way, students could dedicate the subsequent Earthday to their Divine Will. 

“Either way, I’m just glad I got back safely,” I said with a sigh, thinking back to all the fuss I had caused. Rauffen had managed to wake me up with an especially loud shout, and everything after that had been terrible...

The mana levels in my enhancers had gone back to normal while I slept, and my muscles had already started to ache, so my legs were wobbling from the moment I stood up. I had also caught a cold; my head throbbed, and while I had the chills, my body also felt burning hot at the same time. The professors couldn’t touch me, so they anxiously watched on as I hobbled down the tunnel. 

“Professor Hirschur, can I ride my highbeast back to the dorm? Please. Just for today,” I begged. 

Sylvester, as Aub Ehrenfest, allowed me to ride my highbeast inside the castle, and since he also owned the Ehrenfest Dormitory, this permission applied there as well. The Royal Academy itself, however, was an institution run by the royal family; I would need permission from those invested with their authority to ride my highbeast inside. It was for that reason that I glanced between the professors, hoping they would allow it. 

Primevere furrowed her shapely brow and shook her head. “I can grant you permission, but you will not be capable of creating your highbeast while holding your Divine Will,” she said. 

That reminded me—all the mana I had tried pouring into my enhancers had gone straight into the Divine Will instead. Even so, I was sure I could forcibly pour mana into my highbeast feystone; I just needed to hold it in my hand and focus. 

“I’ll at least give it a go,” I said, then I gripped my highbeast feystone and started pouring in my mana. Half was sucked into the Divine Will, but I somehow managed to use the rest to make a one-person Pandabus. I uneasily climbed inside, then set the Divine Will down by my feet and put my hands on the steering wheel. 

I could guess that the Divine Will was sucking out my mana through Lessy, and the fuzziness in my head was making my mana flow strangely. My trusty Pandabus drove on nonetheless. He was going much slower than usual, but still fast enough that we were making decent progress, which the professors were all relieved to see. They started offering their commentary while walking around me. 

“So this is the rumored highbeast...?” one said. 

“Oho. So this is what knocked Fraularm unconscious,” Rauffen remarked. “It sure looks tough.” 

Lessy’s not tough! He’s cute, and adorable! 

I wanted to protest Rauffen’s praise, but I could barely even manage to open my mouth. In the end, I resorted to a simple pout and an annoyed glare. 

“Isn’t it spectacular that she can ride it even while wearing a skirt?” Hirschur added. “I have decided to try making such a highbeast myself, to see what it is like.” 

This declaration seemed to interest Primevere in particular. “Oh my. Now that you mention it, she can indeed ride it with a skirt on. The design of the highbeast seems to be fairly complex, though.” 

As expected, having to change into riding clothes every time they wanted to ride a highbeast was not something the women liked very much at all. 

“Even after receiving an explanation from Lady Rozemyne herself, I struggled to conceptualize the ‘steering wheel’ and ‘accelerator’ of which she spoke,” Hirschur said. “My current plan is thus to copy the overall structure while using reins like any other highbeast on the inside.” 

Fraularm had screeched about how unnatural it was for a highbeast without wings to fly, but according to Hirschur, it could almost certainly be reproduced now that it was proven to be possible. It was the confirmation and mindset that mattered most. 

“Fraularm is rather hardheaded, you see. What could possibly be wrong with caring more about the utility of a highbeast than its beauty?” Hirschur had said. “Being able to carry luggage in your highbeast is simply marvelous, if you ask me.” 

The way she had insulted Lessy’s appearance and treated him like an object while simultaneously praising his ability to carry my luggage reminded me a lot of Ferdinand. 

Like teacher, like student, I suppose... 

And so, I spent the rest of the journey with curious professors peering into my highbeast. Being inside Lessy meant I was moving much faster than I could have on foot, and once we were safely back in the chapel, everyone let out such blatantly relieved sighs that they kind of stuck in my mind. 

Rihyarda and Wilfried wept at my safe return, having been worried sick while waiting at the entrance. Hirschur had then walked me back to the dormitory, making the excuse that she could hardly focus on her research knowing that I could die in class at any moment.

It was now Earthday morning—my first day off since coming to the Royal Academy. We first-years didn’t get to enjoy this sacred day, however; instead, we had to carry around our Divine Wills like chicken eggs while filling them with our mana. Since the mana of others would reduce the quality of our schtappes, we had our attendants bring our breakfasts to our rooms, where we would then eat alone. 

“Rihyarda, how do the older students spend their free days?” I asked when she came in with my food. From what I had seen, they normally did whatever suited their tastes, whether that be going to the library to study, having tea parties with their friends from other duchies, gathering information, or participating in apprentice knight training sessions. “I was hoping to go to the library.” 

“That will need to wait until you are better again and have passed your classes.” 

“I’m fine. I drank the potion, remember? And my Divine Will is really small now.” 

“Yes, yes. Either way, you are still spending today in bed,” Rihyarda said incontestably, producing one of the improved-flavor potions. No sooner had I downed it than I was immediately chased back into bed. 

“Rihyarda, could you at least bring me a book?” 

“You must focus on your Divine Will today, milady.” 

Reading evidently wasn’t an option. I sadly listened to Rihyarda’s retreating footsteps, then picked up my Divine Will, which was now small enough to fit comfortably on my palm. It was then that I suddenly realized something. 

“Won’t this whole process go a lot quicker without my enhancers on?” I wondered aloud. I experimentally moved the Divine Will to my left hand and removed the enhancer on my left arm, and just as I theorized, the feystone started to shrink before my eyes. Soon, it was gone entirely. 

Gaaah! Why didn’t I think of this sooner?! 

I stared at my now-empty hand in a daze, let out a heavy sigh, then started putting the enhancer back on, all the while telling myself that the fever was to blame for my not noticing sooner. The Divine Will had seemingly been absorbed into me, but I didn’t feel any different. 

“Mm... Does this mean I can actually make a schtappe now?” 

I thought back to the shape of the schtappes I had seen all the adults use, then visualized holding one in my right, dominant hand. In an instant, a familiar-looking shining wand appeared. 

“Wow! I actually made one! Holy cow! I’m like an actual magician!” 

Brimming with excitement, I swung the wand-shaped schtappe around while lying in bed. 

“I wonder... Could I turn it into another shape? Like a mage’s staff, maybe?” 

I decided that a long and bumpy staff was ideal, like Flutrane’s from the temple, so that was what I visualized as I started to remake my schtappe. 

“Aah! It worked!” 

I tried swinging the staff around like a wand, and that was when it hit me—using such a huge staff was really inconvenient. The wand-shaped schtappe I saw most often was the perfect length to tap a feystone, pour mana into it, and create an ordonnanz; doing this with a staff would no doubt be much harder. 

“Mm... I guess schtappes are so short for a reason.” 

I spent some time playing around with my schtappe, turning it into swords, hammers, and even books and pens, but these designs were all pretty unwieldy. In the end, I discovered that I needed a clear image in my head to change the schtappe’s shape or add decoration, which meant each incarnation was slightly different. It also always disappeared when I kept it out for too long. 

The thought of a book or pen schtappe had set my heart aflutter, but it wasn’t easy to tap a feystone with them, or morph them into different objects to, for example, hit Sylvester over the head as Ferdinand once had. Neither option seemed feasible, so I ultimately settled with a wand just like the ones adults used. 

“I hope there’s at least one way I can use them for fun...” I murmured. But in any case, I would be learning to use the schtappe at my next practical lesson: schtappe fundamentals. I was seriously looking forward to it. 

“I brought your lunch, milady.” 

After my meal, Rihyarda reminded me not to leave my room or needlessly walk around. She offered no mercy whatsoever, even though my fever was gone and I had already absorbed my Divine Will. 

“If you behave until dinner, I will allow you to eat in the dining hall,” she said as she collected my plates and exited the room. 

I watched her leave, then slid out of bed the moment I could confirm she was gone. A whole day without reading was a surefire way to die of boredom, so I stealthily plucked a book from my desk drawer and dove back under the covers. 

“It’s reading time. Eheheh...” 

Not long after I started to read, Rihyarda returned, having finished putting away the dishes. Her eyebrows shot up in anger the moment she saw me holding a book. 

“Milady! I told you to rest today!” 

“But I am. This is my way of resting.” 

“Good gracious! When it comes to books, you simply never learn! You’re just as stubborn as Lord Sylvester and Lord Ferdinand!” Rihyarda huffed while snatching the book away. “If you are well enough to read, then you are well enough to talk. You don’t intend to become Aub Ehrenfest, do you?” 

I tilted my head in confusion; I was sure someone else had asked me that question just yesterday. “Why do you ask?” 

“As the formally adopted daughter of the archducal couple, your claim to the seat of Aub Ehrenfest is equal to that of the other candidates,” Rihyarda explained. “Unlike before when Lord Wilfried was decreed to be Lord Sylvester’s successor, you could now potentially become the archduke yourself, if you so wish. There is no problem with your bloodline either, as Karstedt has the blood of the archduke from two generations ago.” 

Oh boy. There are some serious political problems with my bloodline, I assure you. 

“The archduke seat is best taken by the most powerful candidate,” she continued. “Men are generally preferred over women, as the term suggests, but you have your status as the Saint of Ehrenfest to overcome that. As such, some of your retainers are working under the assumption that you may become the archduchess in the future. I would like to confirm your thoughts on the matter before you are led down this path.” 

Aah. Hartmut must have said something... 

It seemed that Hartmut had been acting in the shadows over the past few days, working toward some mysterious goal. I could imagine he was trying to further accelerate my saint legend. 

“I have absolutely no interest in becoming the next Aub Ehrenfest. I intend to focus my efforts on managing a book room while supporting whoever takes the position.” 

“That is very much like you,” Rihyarda said with a chuckle, relaxing her shoulders. “As you have no intention of becoming the next aub, milady, I will stop these troublemakers from getting in your way.” 

Rihyarda exited the room with a notably serene expression; she would probably block my retainers from trying to push me toward the archduke seat. Once her footsteps had grown distant, I grabbed a book from another hiding spot and snuck back into bed.

“Milady!” 

My plan had been to hide my book under my covers before Rihyarda got back, but I had ended up falling asleep partway through reading it, so she caught me in the act. 

Whoops, whoops. 

Still, I managed to get plenty of rest and woke up feeling completely refreshed. Rihyarda changed my clothes, grumbling that my secret reading time would have been better spent socializing in the dining hall; then together we exited my room. 

My two-year slumber meant I was woefully lacking in social connections within my own duchy, to say nothing of within other duchies. I had bonded somewhat with the first-years through the trials and tribulations we had faced passing all our written exams on the first day, but the older students were still pretty much strangers to me. In all honesty, I had barely even spoken with my own retainers. 

I climbed into Lessy, my muscles still aching all over, then started making my way to the common room. Angelica accompanied me, having been guarding my door from the outside. It was almost time for dinner, so the students who had been out and about were slowly trickling back into the dormitory and relaxing as they pleased. 

“What did you do today, Angelica?” I asked. 

“This morning Cornelius, Leonore, and Traugott invited me to practice ditter. Judithe wanted to join us, but she had guard duty, so she wasn’t able to take part this time.” 

We soon reached the second floor where Traugott was waiting for me. We met up, then continued going down the stairs. 

“Ditter is a kind of sport, right? How do you play?” I asked. Eckhart had mentioned it a very long time ago, but he had only described it as a game that apprentice knights often played at the Royal Academy. 

“You hunt feybeasts,” Angelica replied, giving me the briefest possible answer. 

“Angelica, that really doesn’t explain things...” Traugott said with a grimace, then turned to me to elaborate. “There are many different kinds of ditter. Participants compete by comparing things like the strength and speed of the hunted feybeasts, as well as the total number caught. The victory conditions depend on the type of ditter.” 

The largest-scale form of ditter was apparently something called treasure-stealing ditter. Each duchy would have its own group of apprentice knights, and these groups would form bases near their respective dormitory buildings. The aim was for each duchy to hunt and capture a feybeast, which then served as a treasure to be guarded from the other duchies. It was crucial to weaken the feybeast first, but not so much that it turned into a feystone. 

Each group would protect its captured feybeast from the attacks of other groups, all the while attempting to take feybeasts from other duchies. Incidentally, it was totally okay to turn opponents’ feybeasts into feystones to make stealing them easier, though direct conflict between groups was not allowed. 

“In the past, treasure-stealing ditter was the heart of the Interduchy Tournament, but the overall population has dropped so low that playing is hardly feasible anymore,” Traugott continued. “It’s currently more popular to play the kind of ditter during which teams race to hunt training feybeasts created by the professors.” 

“I see. In that case, I look forward to the Interduchy Tournament,” I said. 

“I shall train hard to honor your name, Lady Rozemyne.” 

It was hard to imagine exactly what the Interduchy Tournament was going to be like, but I was excited for it nonetheless. I still hadn’t seen Angelica and Cornelius fight in their newly powered-up forms. 

“With Angelica and Cornelius on our side this year, I think we might do well,” Traugott noted, though despite his words, his voice was dark and he looked notably frustrated. 

“You do not seem very happy about the prospect of us doing well.” 

“To speak honestly, I am very jealous. I hope to learn your compression method next year and increase my own mana capacity before I participate again.” 

When we arrived at the common room, a bunch of girls—Lieseleta and Brunhilde included—were gathered in a circle. They seemed to be writing something. 

“What are you all doing?” I asked, causing them to let out startled shrieks and hurriedly hide the sheet of paper between them all. I tilted my head. “Is it something you do not want me to see?” 

Brunhilde shook her head at once, wearing a troubled smile. “No, Lady Rozemyne. We, erm... We just feel a bit uncomfortable about having gotten so festive without you. There is not much more to it than that.” 

Lieseleta bobbed her head in agreement, as did the other girls. “Schwartz and Weiss are simply too adorable... We began discussing what fashion of clothing you might prepare for them. Do forgive us for getting ahead of ourselves in your absence.” 

“I do not mind in the least. May I see what ideas you came up with?” 

I excitedly reached out a hand, at which point Lieseleta passed me the sheet of paper. On it was an impressively well-drawn illustration of Schwartz and Weiss done in black ink. Rather than having the two shumils wear dresses of contrasting colors as they did now, the girls had envisioned dressing one in male clothes. 

“It would be ideal for them to have flower hairpins, and if possible, I believe it would look truly excellent if you dressed them as different genders...” Lieseleta said. “Though this is just my opinion, of course.” 

I looked over the various illustrations and design ideas. In them, Weiss was dressed in frilly lace, while Schwartz wore a cool, sharp uniform. When it came to the flower hairpins, there were quite detailed descriptions explaining how large they should be, and where they should be placed. 

“The skirt of the outfit you wore during this year’s winter feast was exceptionally cute, Lady Rozemyne, so we thought it would be wise to take inspiration from it,” Lieseleta said with sparkling eyes. 

She was referring to the bubble skirt I had gotten made to avoid the outfit looking too big for me. At the time, I hadn’t heard much about what others thought about it, but it turned out they saw it as cute and well-made. People were impressed that I was creating new styles for my own clothes, on top of the dress I had designed for Brigitte two years prior. 

The more you know. 

Angelica smiled, amused to see Lieseleta being far more talkative than usual. “Lieseleta has always loved cute things to death,” she said. “She even dresses up our pet shumils at home with clothes that she makes herself.” 

“Sister!” Lieseleta exclaimed, unhappily puffing out her cheeks at Angelica’s revelation. She was finally starting to look her age. 

“...I will only be able to enter the library once I have passed my classes,” I said. “Lieseleta, if you have finished your written classes by then, I would not mind you coming with me to measure Schwartz and Weiss.” 

“Truly, Lady Rozemyne?!” 

“It will be much more enjoyable if we all think of designs together. Would anyone else like to join us?” I asked, looking around as Lieseleta broke into a happy smile. 

The girls who hadn’t come on our group trip to the library promptly started expressing their interest. “I would like to see Schwartz and Weiss as well,” one said. 

“It will certainly be easier to tell what outfits will suit them once we’ve actually measured them ourselves,” added another. “I cannot wait.” 

“In that case, I recommend you all finish your written lessons before my practical lessons conclude,” I said. “It is always hard to focus on your studying when there are more exciting matters to tempt you.” 

“Indeed! We shall do our best!” 

I could feel a smile touch my lips as the girls pumped themselves up, determined to finish their written lessons as soon as possible. Bringing a bunch of people with me would be the best way to protect my cute little Schwartz and Weiss from Hirschur, especially when said people adored the two shumils as well. 

I don’t know how to measure large shumils like that myself, and the more people I have to stop Professor Hirschur before she goes on a research-induced rampage, the better. I couldn’t handle her on my own. I’m just glad I found so many willing helpers!