Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 4.3 - Chapter 1

The Dedication Ritual and Returning to the Castle

Angelica came after second bell, while I was eating breakfast.

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

“I had training with Lord Bonifatius. My parents summoned me too, but they gave me permission to stay in the temple.”

Angelica hadn’t yet graduated from the Royal Academy, so her guarding me in the temple was something of an unusual circumstance. The plan had initially been for her to follow me to the temple even if she couldn’t spend the night there, but traveling back and forth from the castle was dangerous with the increasing intensity of the blizzard, so she had asked her parents for permission to start staying overnight.

“I thought that would mean I could also participate in the Lord of Winter hunt, but when I asked Lord Bonifatius, he refused. What a shame...” Angelica sighed, wistfully lowering her eyes. The tragic look on her beautiful, fairy-like face made it hard to believe the reason for her sadness was not getting to take on a dangerous beast in a battle to the death.

At third bell, I moved to the High Priest’s chambers. Such was part of my daily routine here in the temple.

“Ferdinand, that was third bell. It’s time for work,” I called to his workshop door. He stepped out a brief moment later, fixing me with a reluctant glare that had also become part of my daily routine. I glared right back at him.

“I only interrupt you once a day, you know. You should think twice before looking at me like that,” I said. It wasn’t as though I was calling him out because I wanted to either; he had started ignoring the bells entirely while in his workshop, so it was up to me to remind him of the time. He had also blocked out Eckhart entirely, no doubt fed up with his insistent calling. “If you do not wish for me to interrupt you, then might I suggest you allow Eckhart’s voice through again?”

“You come only once per day, but Eckhart calls for me more times than I care to count. It reminds me of Lord Bonifatius from the recent past.”

“Oh? Was Grandfather being a pain?” I asked, trying to recall what points of contact they might have had.

Ferdinand shook his head with a bitter grimace. “It is over now. I do not even wish to remember it.” Bonifatius had evidently done something to really annoy him.

Now that Ferdinand was no longer in his workshop, it was time to start work. I took my usual seat and pulled out my stone slate.

“Do you always do work like this here, Lady Rozemyne?” Angelica asked, her eyes wide with disbelief as she looked between me and the stacks of paperwork.

“Ferdinand personally handles all the paperwork in the temple,” I explained. “As the High Bishop, I should technically be doing much of it myself, but I have had no choice but to entrust things to him. The most I can do is assist him with the math, since I still know far too little to approve the paperwork myself.”

“No, no! I think doing this much math is amazing!” Angelica exclaimed, a distinct sparkle in her blue eyes. She had become a knight specifically because she was so bad at her written classes, yet Ferdinand decided to give her work anyway. All those in the High Priest’s chambers shared the workload equally.

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

“I shall guard the door with my life,” Angelica interrupted, sucking in air and clinging to the doorway. She had finally completed her written classes, so the very thought of needing to use her head again made tears well up in her eyes. Ferdinand flatly cut her loose without a moment’s hesitation.

“Ah, yes. Lord Bonifatius did mention that you were a problem child on the verge of failing. Attempting to give work to the incompetent is a waste of time. Let us begin.”

Damuel gave Angelica a look of concern, since she had just been called incompetent and useless, but she showed nothing but relief at not having to do any work.

Fear not, Damuel. She does not need our concern.

Angelica was the only one in the room not doing any paperwork, and so she planted her feet firmly in front of the door with a stern look on her face. It seemed she planned to do her job as a guard knight with aplomb.

We continued working in silence until fourth bell, which signaled that it was time for lunch. “Ferdinand, please eat before you hole up in your workshop again,” I instructed while cleaning off my table.

Ferdinand, however, simply gave me a steady look. “No, I plan to spend this afternoon giving you a checkup.”

“Wait, what...?”

“I have concluded from last night’s dinner and your work today that your recovery is progressing slowly due to you relying so thoroughly on your magic tools. It was pointed out to me that I have not given you even a single checkup since you returned from the Royal Academy, and... judging by the color of your face, you do not seem to be in particularly good health.”

“O-Ohoho! But I feel perfectly fine!” I exclaimed, trying to mask the truth, but there was no tricking Ferdinand now that his mind wasn’t on his research. A smile played on his lips as he looked at me; it was like he could read every inch of my mind.

Oh no. He’s going to get mad. He’s going to figure out I haven’t been exercising at all.

I desperately glanced around for help, but both Damuel and Angelica averted their eyes, while Fran gave me a slightly frosty smile and asked me what exactly Ferdinand meant by me being in an unhealthy state. Eckhart would always ally with Ferdinand no matter what, so I couldn’t expect any help from him either.

I was alone. Threat Level: Dragon.

“Fran, I will visit her chambers in the afternoon.”

“Understood. We shall be waiting.”

Fran, don’t make plans without me! I haven’t even said anything!

I protested on the inside, but of course, nobody could hear it. Meanwhile, those serving Ferdinand were all cheerfully rejoicing over his research frenzy having calmed down a little.

“Now, Rozemyne. Return to your chambers and finish lunch,” Ferdinand instructed, having decided my afternoon plans before I could find any allies.

“I believe you should focus on your research, Ferdinand. We must hurry to finish Schwartz’s and Weiss’s clothes, after all.”

“You are the one who said those can wait until next winter.”

Ah. Aah! No! I did say that! Why do I have to be so dumb?!

“Um. Wait, wait. Professor Hirschur really needs her magic tools fixed and sent back soon.”

“I have already fixed them.”

Whaaat? Really? Already?

“What about arranging the songs, then?” I asked, almost grasping at straws. “Those must be completed before I return to the Royal Academy, do not forget. The song for the Goddess of Light in partic—”

“I will arrange the song tomorrow afternoon while I direct your harspiel practice. I imagine you think you have escaped practice by leaving your personal musician behind, but that is not the case.”

He saw right through me?!

“Why, I would never think that... Ohoho... hoho...”

“Rozemyne, know when you are beaten. This is disgraceful. The plans have been made; return to your chambers and eat. Remove your magic tools before I arrive.”

“...Fine.”

I exited the High Priest’s chambers and trudged back to my own. As expected, I hadn’t been able to trick him. Maybe it wasn’t too late though. Maybe I could bust out some weights and train enough for my slacking to go unnoticed.

“Fran, why did you accept his visitation without my permission?” I asked, venting my unjust anger on him with a glare. He met my frustrations with a calm smile.

“Now that you have met with the Plantin Company, you have no plans until the Dedication Ritual. Would it not be best to finish this checkup as soon as possible? I, too, am worried about your health, Lady Rozemyne. This will ease my own concerns as well.”

Fran had spoken to my other attendants about checking up on me, since their last update on my health was before I departed for the Royal Academy, and they had all agreed it was best to entrust things to Ferdinand. It felt like they trusted him more than me, considering that he had spent two years managing my health in the jureve. My defeat was absolute. There was simply no room for me to refuse.

“The High Priest is surrendering some of his research time for your sake. That shows just how worried about you he is, Lady Rozemyne. His words are harsh, but he is a kind man at heart,” Fran said, respect and admiration clear in his eyes.

No, no, nooo. There’s no kindness here. Ferdinand gave a nasty grin the second he sensed my terror. You’re being brainwashed, Fran! He’s getting in your head!

I gazed up dismally, realizing that I should have ignored Eckhart’s plea for help and allowed Ferdinand’s attendants to suffer until my muscles and stamina had recovered.

Another blunder on my part... Please, Ferdinand! Please return to your impenetrable fortress!

After lunch, I used my borrowed ordonnanz to ask Ottilie to prepare for my meeting with Giebe Haldenzel. With that done, Monika and Nicola began removing my magic tools. My body got heavier in an instant, and I fell onto the chair behind me with a thump.

“Lady Rozemyne! Are you okay?!”

“I’m quite alright. There’s no need to worry.”

“‘No need to worry’? You immediately went limp and became unable to stand,” Nicola and Monica said, gripping the magic tools in their hands as they peered down at me with teary eyes.

I tried waving a hand to indicate that I was fine, but my arm didn’t quite do as I wanted. It was only once I focused on my mana, wrapped my body in it, and enhanced myself that I could move properly.

“It simply took me a moment to get used to not having the magic tools,” I assured them. “See? I am just fine.”

“It was shocking to see you collapse like that... Are you truly okay?”

I stood up and showed that I could now move normally. Nicola and Monika relaxed at the sight, overcome with relief, and then changed my clothes as normal. All that remained now was to wait for Ferdinand.

“Rozemyne, cancel your enhancement magic,” Ferdinand said with a sigh as he entered. I averted my eyes; he had seen through me the instant he walked in. “Or would you rather endure an attack powerful enough to force you to cancel it?” he quietly added with a cold expression.

I speedily canceled my enhancements the second I saw his schtappe appear in his right hand. At that same moment, Angelica stepped between us with Stenluke at the ready.

“Ferdinand, it’s cruel of you to rely on violence!” I protested, poking my head out from behind Angelica. He scoffed dismissively.

“Do not blame me for your ignorance. My words were merely a euphemism requesting that you do not waste my time.”

“I’ve never heard a noble euphemism like that before! In fact, it doesn’t even sound like one!” I took a seat as I continued to complain, since it was much too painful trying to stand without magically enhancing myself. Angelica bobbed her head in agreement as she continued to wield Stenluke.

“Then you have not studied enough,” Ferdinand said with an exasperated headshake.

Angelica widened her eyes with a start. “Oh. You’re right. I didn’t know there was a euphemism like that either,” she said as she stepped away. My shield was gone.

Wait... Don’t just abandon me like that...

Ferdinand watched my attempts to cling to Angelica before turning away. “Eckhart, you may train with Angelica in the plaza by the Noble’s Gate. Angelica, your body will grow dull if you remain inside all day, no?”

“Wait, I can go outside?!” Angelica exclaimed.

“Damuel will suffice. Do not return until I summon you by ordonnanz.”

“Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!” Angelica replied. She then excitedly left with Eckhart. Why was she abandoning me when I had explicitly wanted a female knight for checkups like this...?

Angelica, you big idiot! Don’t let yourself get manipulated so easily!

“Hm. She has the loyalty to wield a blade against me without hesitation, but she is shockingly brainless,” Ferdinand observed. “Rozemyne, should you truly trust a half-wit like her to serve as your guard?”

“I might have defended her this morning, but I feel incredibly uncertain all of a sudden...”

Fran lifted me up at Ferdinand’s instruction and set me down on a chair. I then moved my arms and legs as I was told to. It was surprisingly arduous and even painful without enhancements.

“Good grief. You didn’t train at all in the Royal Academy, did you?”

“A lot happened. I was busy every day.”

“The reports indicated you spent every single day during the latter half of your time there visiting the library.”

“Yes, that is what I was busy with. The walk to and from the library was my exercise.”

“While it is important to show no weakness in the Royal Academy, here you need not fear attacks. Focus on your recovery while you are in the temple,” Ferdinand said, ordering me to practice whirling with my magic tools and then remove them for rehabilitation, on top of my harspiel practice. “The Dedication Ritual involves using large quantities of mana, and your offering will be more efficient without your enhancement tools on. You will want to grow strong enough to move on your own before then.”

“I should be fine enhancing myself without any tools. I’ve actually gotten kind of good at it.”

“It may not be fine. You still lack experience.”

Once my checkup was over, my grueling days of rehabilitation began. Ferdinand had remarked in all seriousness that my continuing to use magic tools would make me dependent on them for the rest of my days, and so my attendants—starting with Fran—were desperate for me to recover. I appreciated their love and concern, but there was one thing I wanted to shout in their faces.

PLEASE! Open your eyes and realize he just wants more time alone to do his research! You’re all getting fooled!

I started exercising as per the schedule Ferdinand made for me. It started with me removing the magic tools and raising my legs while moving my arms around, but since I wasn’t at all used to moving without the magic tools, I ended each day completely exhausted. Not to mention, with Ferdinand working as my temporary harspiel instructor, I was being forced to practice at a much higher level than usual.

“Guhhh... I want to go back to the Royal Academy. That place is a paradise. There’s a library there, for starters, and rather than drowning in work, I can actually relax.”

“The more freedom you are allowed, the more those around you suffer,” Ferdinand replied. “You will be returned to the Royal Academy only when the Interduchy Tournament demands it. It is too dangerous for you to participate in winter socializing before you have learned more about noble society.”

“That’s so mean...” I wept. “My library is waiting for me.”

Ferdinand shook his head, his expression completely flat. “I have a contingency plan that is marginally crueler than this,” he said dryly.

What the heck?! That’s terrifying!

The morning of the Dedication Ritual was busy. Once my body was cleansed, I was dressed in ceremonial robes, and a flower hairpin of white and red was pushed into my braids. My magic tools had already been removed, which meant I was using enhancement magic to move.

As my way of visualizing the enhancements, I called forth, uh... those, you know... Those things professional cyclists wear. Bodysuits? Bodysuits. I was, in short, wearing a tight bodysuit of mana. Ferdinand had said the enhancement tools were there to help me learn enhancement magic for myself, and since I had kept them on near constantly, I certainly had gotten better... albeit at the cost of my muscles and stamina.

“What do you actually do during the Dedication Ritual?” Angelica asked. In response, Damuel explained that the priests would pour their mana into small chalices, which would then be distributed to the giebes of Ehrenfest during Spring Prayer. He had gotten pretty good at coming up with simplified explanations for her, thanks to all his experience teaching in the Raise Angelica’s Grades Squadron.

“You sure are something else, Damuel. You’re able to help Lord Ferdinand with his work, even though you’re a knight. I never thought Lady Rozemyne’s knights would need math skills too,” Angelica said. It turned out that whenever she had tried to get involved in such work in the past, the process had ended up taking twice as long to actually finish. Her parents had thereby concluded that the best way for her to help was to not help at all.

“I’m more impressed with how you show no hesitation at all when it comes to protecting Lady Rozemyne,” Damuel replied. “I am grateful to have you by my side. I would never have thought to draw my sword at Lord Ferdinand.”

Damuel had immediately understood Ferdinand summoning his schtappe as one of his usual bluffs, and so he hadn’t moved to protect me. In a way, that was unacceptable for a guard knight; it was their job to protect their lord or lady when a weapon was drawn in their presence.

“One might have even called you a perfect guard if you hadn’t so easily been lured to the training grounds...”

“I shall not be bewitched next time!” Angelica declared. Her expression was sharp and heroic, but the glee with which she had chatted with Eckhart about strength and training implied she would take the bait again faster than any fish.

“High Bishop, the High Priest is calling for you.” A gray priest had arrived to fetch me, and so I started making my way to the ritual chamber, taking extra care not to step on my own robes. As only priests could enter, my guard knights remained stationed outside the door. Eckhart was also in position, so I could guess Ferdinand was already inside.

The ritual chamber was filled with the aroma of the incense burning by the altar. Kampfer, Frietack, and two other blue priests were already present, holding feystones given to them by Ferdinand.

“High Bishop, we are relieved to see you well again,” Kampfer and Frietack said together, having been entrusted with helping Ferdinand over the past couple years. I thanked them with a smile, though I was certainly taken aback; I hadn’t expected any of the blue priests to be so happy to see me awake.

“My attendants tell me you two have been working very hard in my absence,” I said. “You have my thanks.” I then walked over to the altar, knelt before it, and placed both hands on the red cloth spread along the floor.

“I see everyone is ready. We shall now begin,” Ferdinand said. Acknowledging that prompt, I sucked in air and started to recite the prayer.

“I am one who offers prayer and gratitude to the gods who have created the world,” I intoned. The five men behind me repeated the chant in low voices that reverberated throughout the ritual chamber.

“O mighty King and Queen of the endless skies, O mighty Eternal Five who rule the mortal realm, O Goddess of Water Flutrane, O God of Fire Leidenschaft, O Goddess of Wind Schutzaria, O Goddess of Earth Geduldh, O God of Life Ewigeliebe. We honor you who have blessed all beings with life, and pray that we may be blessed further with your divine might.”

As I continued the prayer, I started to feel the mana drain from my body. The red cloth sparkled as it sucked in my mana, which then turned into waves of radiant light that flowed to the altar. The feeling and the sight were both familiar to me by now. Light streamed from behind me as well, and as if caught in the momentum of their waves, more of my own mana was pulled out.

Oh no! My bodysuit... It’s coming away!

The thin layer of mana supplying my enhancements felt as though it was going to be sucked away too. My eyes shot open; it was like my bodysuit was being torn from my body. No matter how hard I tried to resist, the waves of mana coming from behind were simply too powerful. The mana I tried to use to strengthen my enhancements was getting sucked up by the red cloth before it could do what I wanted it to.

Ah! Aah! Nooo! It’s gone!

Just as I feared, the mana surrounding me was stripped away and went flowing down the cloth. It wasn’t something I had anticipated at all.

I’ll need to recast the enhancements once the ritual is over...

I rested my cheek against the floor, going limp as the mana continued to drain from my body.

“That should do,” Ferdinand announced. “The mana flow was quite efficient today.”

The other blue priests stood up, sighing with relief. I gathered up some mana in an attempt to recast my enhancement magic, but since my hands were still on the cloth, it was merely sucked right out again.

“The ritual is over,” Ferdinand repeated.

At those words, I collapsed entirely. The fact that I had already been genuflecting meant I pretty much just slumped over to one side, so it didn’t hurt very much, but the blue priests still started to panic.

“Calm yourselves. This is not a problem. I know the cause,” Ferdinand said quietly but resolutely. The ritual chamber fell silent at once. “Leave so that the High Bishop’s attendants may enter.”

The blue priests left at once to summon my attendants, leaving me alone with Ferdinand. He sighed. “Fool. Did I not say it was still too much for you?”

“Ngh... Is now really the time to be lecturing me?”

“Your memory is poor enough that you forget even my most important warnings in the blink of an eye. Giving a lecture at a distinctive moment like this is in fact crucial, since it is far more likely to leave an impression. You will at times be put in positions that prevent enhancement magic from functioning. At the very least, you must learn to predict such situations.”

“I’ll take my training seriously and work on my muscles, just as you told me to. Okay? Now please help me.”

“Have you learned your lesson?”

“Absolutely.”

Ferdinand helped me up and then handed me over to Fran, who had rushed in with a panicked look on his face.

“Fear not. She simply did not expect to be in a situation where she could not use enhancement magic,” Ferdinand explained. “Her health is not an issue. She will be fine once she returns to her room and puts the magic tools back on.”

“Understood. One can never truly trust Lady Rozemyne regarding her health,” Fran replied, in awe at how quickly I had ended up incapacitated. His remark made me sadly hang my head.

Because I had poured so much mana into my enhancements, we were able to fill the small chalices much sooner than expected—the process took us only three days to complete, rather than five. And despite the drama of my collapse, it really had just resulted from my being unable to use enhancement magic while my hands were on the red cloth. It was different from the past, when I would get sick with a fever.

It was when Ferdinand gave me another checkup and said, “Good. You are toughening up a bit,” that I noticed the change in my own body.

“What should I do next?” I asked. “I want to carry this momentum all the way to becoming fully healthy.”

“Hold it. Nothing good comes from you trying so hard. I can easily envision a future in which you overdo your exercises and collapse again,” Ferdinand said. He then spoke at length about how even too much of a good thing can be dangerous. I was more than a little familiar with what he was talking about, so I listened to his lecture without protest.

“It would be good for your health for you to continue training here, but you need to learn a bit more about socializing before you return to the Royal Academy,” Ferdinand continued. “Our hands are tied. We are to return to the castle.”

And so we began preparing to move from the temple to the castle. Ferdinand had with him boxes containing things for both his work and his research, and there was enough that I needed to make Lessy into a bigger bus than usual to accommodate it all.

“Over half of this is work related to your needs,” Ferdinand noted, gesturing to the luggage. “I expect no complaints.”

I personally wanted to keep Lessy as small as possible, since he got knocked about by the blizzards more when he was bigger, but there was no helping the situation. After all, I was the one who didn’t want to leave the documents on Schwartz and Weiss, Hirschur’s magic tools, the sheet music, and my harspiel at the temple.

“Do come save me if the blizzard forces me off course,” I said.

“You can handle that yourself. Simply pour more mana into your highbeast. Do not bother me more than you already have.”

“Ngh. Fine.”

Mother, please see the truth! See that Ferdinand has neither the kindness nor the sweetness you write about in your knight stories!

We returned to the castle amid the intense blizzard. I burst through the door that Norbert was holding open, and it was shut behind me a moment later.

“Welcome back, Lady Rozemyne,” Norbert said, taking my hand and helping me down from Lessy. He had already given out instructions, it seemed, as servants appeared from seemingly nowhere to start taking out the luggage from my Pandabus. He wasn’t the only one who came to greet me, however.

“Welcome back, Lady Rozemyne,” Elvira echoed, appearing with her retainers to welcome me back to the castle. “I have been waiting for you. Shall we go elsewhere and leisurely discuss matters of printing?”