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

Epilogue 

No sooner had Rozemyne departed for the Royal Academy than Sylvester started getting a series of unsettling and downright baffling reports. In previous years, Hirschur had only ever mentioned the bare minimum, usually stating that there was nothing special to report... 

This year, however, was very different. 

I haven’t had this bad of a headache since my first Archduke Conference! Curse that little problem child! 

The first report from the Academy came on an Earthday, before the advancement ceremony had even begun. It was from Wilfried, listing Rozemyne’s newly picked retainers. 

Given the growth and diligence Wilfried had shown over the past two years, in addition to the current power balance between factions, Sylvester still wanted him to become the next archduke. To that end, he had entrusted him with leading the Ehrenfest Dormitory, telling him to secure as powerful a position as possible before Charlotte arrived. That likely wouldn’t be too much of a challenge, assuming he cooperated with Rozemyne. 

Hm. Looks like he’s certainly working hard... 

Sylvester glanced over the first report. There were a few points where Wilfried had expressed his thoughts perhaps too directly, but nothing he had written was hard to understand. Florencia and Elvira had been discussing who Rozemyne should take as her retainers ever since being told she had started to wake up, and excluding Judithe the apprentice medknight and Philine the apprentice layscholar, it seemed she had followed their recommendations to a T. 

“Charlotte, do you know Judithe or Philine, Rozemyne’s new retainers?” Sylvester asked at dinner, partly because his daughter so desperately wanted to hear how her siblings were doing in the Royal Academy. She had dedicated herself to leading the winter playroom, so it was likely she knew at least something about them. 

“Judithe is an apprentice knight who reveres Angelica. She declined to be my guard knight so that she could join her in serving Rozemyne. I am glad her dream came true,” Charlotte said with a smile. 

This was not the reaction one would expect from a member of the archducal family after being turned down by a mednoble, but after relying on Rozemyne to save her from a kidnapper, Charlotte’s spirit was completely shattered. She had utterly failed to fill the hole her big sister left behind without outside help, and now she was borderline obsessed with Rozemyne, if not also a little delusional. Sylvester was a little worried that this obsession might lead her to go off the deep end at some point in the future. 

“As for Philine, she adored my sister more than anyone in the winter playroom, and put her all into collecting stories as an apprentice scholar while awaiting her return. She swore her fealty to Rozemyne the very moment she could this winter. Few viewed that favorably, assuming she would not be taken as a retainer, but it seems they were wrong.” 

In other words, they’re both plenty loyal to Rozemyne. Good. 

Sylvester was relieved, but that feeling didn’t last very long at all. A week later, once again on Earthday, Hirschur’s regular report was filled with brief and baffling messages. 

“The girls of Ehrenfest had shockingly glossy hair at the advancement ceremony, and Lady Rozemyne drew much attention due to her unique hair stick and youthful appearance.” 

“All first-years passed their written classes on the first day. The professors are discussing what manner of studying might have caught on in Ehrenfest.” 

“Lady Rozemyne’s original compositions caught the eye of the music professors, and they have invited her to a tea party.” 

“The professor leading highbeast creation claimed she was attacked by Rozemyne’s highbeast, no doubt due to its grun-like appearance.” 

“Please do teach me Lady Rozemyne’s mana compression method.” 

“I do not know how, but Lady Rozemyne is now the active master of Schwartz and Weiss, the library’s magic tools. It seems to be the work of the gods.” 

“Lady Rozemyne collapsed in the Farthest Hall, resulting in a squad of professors having to rescue her.” 

Sylvester was both impressed to see Hirschur write a report consisting of more than just a single sentence, and absolutely horrified by what he was reading. 

This is all about Rozemyne! What’s that little gremlin doing over there?! 

For the most part, he thought the events detailed in the report were understandable enough—his planned steps to boost Ehrenfest’s grades and increase its influence in the Royal Academy had no doubt played some role, and Rozemyne couldn’t be blamed for whichever professor had been shocked by her highbeast. Hirschur had probably covered for her letting the mana compression method slip, and given how Rozemyne had just awoken from the jureve, it was easy to see why she would collapse in the Farthest Hall... 

But the gods guiding her to become the master of some magic tools in the library... That just boggled the mind. 

What in the friggin’ world...?! 

“Ferdinand, look at these reports from the Royal Academy,” Sylvester said, holding out the various boards he had received. “Any thoughts?” 

He had summoned Ferdinand in hope that the reports were a coded message or something that only Hirschur’s former disciple was able to understand. His half-brother skimmed them, then gave a polite smile. 

“These reports are quite brief. Even the ones I receive from Wilfried contain more detail.” 

“Wilfried sends you reports?!” Sylvester exclaimed. “Why haven’t I heard about this?!” 

“They were questions directed to me personally, and I did not believe they were worth the aub’s time,” Ferdinand replied. He was speaking formally, since they were presently before the scholars, but he made his intentions perfectly clear through indirect means. 

Sylvester smacked the table, trapped between uncertainty and frustration. “Everyone except Ferdinand and Karstedt leave the room,” he ordered. 

The very moment the three of them were alone, Sylvester glared at Ferdinand, who in return dropped his formal smile and raised an eyebrow. Sylvester couldn’t say he was particularly fond of the way his half-brother was so intent on keeping everything a secret. 

“Wilfried has been sending me deeply flawed reports that also serve as questions on how to deal with Rozemyne. I was annoyed at having to continue my days off correcting his language, but it is good to know that even still, they are better than those you receive from Hirschur.” 

Ferdinand proceeded to leave Sylvester’s office and return with transcribed copies of said reports. As Sylvester read them, his hand found its way to his forehead. The only thing Wilfried said about the incident was that Rozemyne had become the master of two magic tools made by royalty, but that didn’t explain things any better. Still, he could tell that Wilfried had put his all into asking Ferdinand important, relevant questions. Ferdinand had sent back harsh corrections, but Wilfried was staying strong and keeping at it nonetheless. 

One thing the reports did elaborate on, however, was how the Ehrenfest first-years had passed all their classes in one go—Rozemyne had apparently gone on an absolute rampage after being baited with the library. Sylvester once again glared at Ferdinand for having hidden this information from him, but even the scowl of an aub earned no more than a scoff. 

“Is it not blindingly obvious that this is what happens when one foolishly puts other people between Rozemyne and the library? Understand that I proposed forbidding her from entering the library until she passed all her classes to ensure she would be finished in time for the Dedication Ritual. Wilfried was a fool for not realizing this and stupidly adding on the condition that all the other first-years had to pass their classes as well,” Ferdinand said, wearing a cold expression as he verbally tore Wilfried apart. 

“And to be clear, it is not easy to control Rozemyne,” he continued. “Recall that, despite entering the temple for the first time at her baptism, she charged blindly ahead to Bezewanst and offered an entire large gold for him to take her as a shrine maiden, all so that she could enter the temple book room. With the Royal Academy’s library now within reach, there is obviously nothing that could stop her.” 

“Now that you mention it, I do remember hearing about that... Guess it really wasn’t an exaggeration after all. Karstedt, does that mean you weren’t joking when you said Rozemyne rolled out of bed while sick and literally crawled down your halls in an attempt to reach your mansion’s book room?” 

“Ah. The day after she was so excited about the book room that she fell unconscious in the hall. That absolutely happened,” Karstedt noted, then shot Ferdinand a glance. “A wise man advised me to keep a book on the table beside her bed to keep her contained.” 

Sylvester had originally dismissed the story as a comical exaggeration, but as it turned out, it had been completely true. She was now going on a similar rampage in the Royal Academy. He didn’t even want to consider what nobles from the other duchies were thinking about the matter. 

“The first-years wrapped up in her chaos have my sympathy, but Wilfried is to blame for involving them in the first place,” Ferdinand said. “It is too late to back down now. I advised him to offer them his sincerest apologies.” 

G-Good luck, Wilfried... Your father’s on your side! 

After his silent proclamation, Sylvester pointed to the most confusing board of all. “But yeah, what’s all this about her becoming the master of magic tools when she was registering at the library? Neither report tells me anything. Does the library have some kind of special magic tools or something?” 

Unlike Rozemyne, Sylvester did not have an abnormal obsession with the library. To him, it was nothing more than a place where documents were stored. He had never gone there himself, since he could just have scholars bring him whatever he needed, so he wasn’t aware of any magic tools being kept there. Ferdinand, however, had often gone to the library when serving as Hirschur’s assistant. 

“The tools in question are Schwartz and Weiss,” Ferdinand said, tapping his temple. “My understanding is that they once served archnobles assigned there by the Sovereignty, so why Rozemyne became their master, I do not know. Did she steal them through sheer force of mana? I cannot imagine so. From what I am aware, they are covered in protective charms to prevent anyone but their master from even touching them.” 

“In other words, we’re completely in the dark here,” Karstedt mused. He was at as much of a loss as Sylvester. 

Ferdinand alone gave an amused grin. “The work of the gods, hm? Blessings might be involved here. I cannot say for sure, and I do not know why it would work if such is indeed the case, but her becoming their master means I may now have the chance to study them. One more reason to look forward to Rozemyne’s return.” 

Like teacher, like student... What a bunch of research-obsessed weirdos. 

“The first-years have passed their written classes, and now all she needs to do is dedicate herself to finishing her practical classes,” Ferdinand continued. “I imagine she is going to hide away in the library once she is done, at which point she will have little opportunity to cause problems.” 

That seemed likely. There were some causes for concern, but when looking at the reports as a whole, it was safe to say that Ehrenfest’s grades were rising and new trends were being started. Sylvester decided not to think too hard about the rest.

Another week passed, and Sylvester received yet more headache-inducing reports from Hirschur. 

“Lady Rozemyne made contact with the second prince during her dedication whirl class. It seems the prince is on guard around her, due to her reputation as a saint.” 

“In order to dispel the negative rumors forming around Lady Rozemyne’s highbeast, I am now overseeing her highbeast class.” 

Sylvester exchanged a look with Karstedt, then immediately summoned Ferdinand before once again clearing the room. He had a feeling that Rozemyne having any contact with royalty was exceedingly dangerous. 

“I’d assumed there was nothing for us to worry about, since the prince is only there for one more year and there’s only one class he shares with Rozemyne, but it looks like we weren’t so lucky,” Sylvester said, sliding the reports over to Ferdinand. “What’s the plan?” 

Ferdinand crossed his arms with an exasperated expression. “There is no plan; the prince was simply interested in Rozemyne’s highbeast. He ultimately prioritized other engagements over her, and now that Rozemyne has passed her dedication whirl class, they will no longer have any point of contact. Our main concern here is that Rozemyne has such a stunning lack of awareness that she forgot her promise to the prince.” 

“SHE DID WHAT?!” Sylvester and Karstedt balked, their eyes bulging as Ferdinand slid over copies of the reports he had received from Wilfried. As it turned out, had it not been for Wilfried, she would have rushed straight back to the dormitory, leaving the prince in the dust. They couldn’t believe it; her priorities made no sense whatsoever. 

“There is no use agonizing over it; Rozemyne’s obsession with the library cannot be fixed,” Ferdinand continued. “It would be a more valuable use of your time to consider how to manipulate those around her in the Royal Academy, but even that is not likely to go well. In any case, we have another matter to discuss—Wilfried is due to attend an Ahrensbach tea party.” 

“Come again?! I wasn’t informed of that!” Sylvester exclaimed, lurching forward and snatching the report Ferdinand was holding out. A tea party like that was incredibly important, yet it hadn’t received so much as a passing mention in Hirschur’s reports. “A tea party between cousins... with Frenbeltag’s candidate joining in too?” 

“Rozemyne’s attempt to join was rebuffed, since she is not a blood relative. For now, I advised Wilfried to carefully consider what topics might be brought up and discuss how to respond to them with Rozemyne.” 

Sylvester’s breath caught in his throat. Wilfried had somehow managed winter socializing by learning how to specifically deal with members of the former Veronica faction, but who knew how he would deal with those of a higher status than him? 

“Proper socializing in the Royal Academy starts once all the archduke candidates and archnobles have finished their lessons, right? Is it really safe for Wilfried to go to a tea party while Rozemyne is back in Ehrenfest for the Dedication Ritual...?” Sylvester asked, earning him a dismissive look from Ferdinand. 

“If your son is such a buffoon that he cannot handle a tea party with his own cousins, he would never survive as an archduke. He has plenty of time to prepare; do not interfere unless he comes seeking your counsel himself. Remember that duchies are largely forbidden from interfering in the Academy’s affairs.” 

That was the last thing Sylvester wanted to hear from the guy who was secretly responding to reports from Wilfried. His lips curved into a frown, at which point Karstedt gave him a few supportive pats on the shoulder. 

“Your boy’s growing up just fine; in fact, he’s more reliable than you were at his age. He won’t have any problems so long as he’s willing to ask for advice and actually listens to it.” 

To Sylvester, the Royal Academy had been a fun playground where adults could no longer disturb him. It had never occurred to him how much his parents must have been agonizing back home, and now, as a parent himself, he was experiencing that same worry firsthand. He clenched his fists and put his heart into one single prayer. 

Please don’t cause any more problems than you already have... 

Of course, his prayers went unanswered.