Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 4.4 - Chapter SS3

A Secret Tour of the Library

by Miya Kazuki

“Philine, come to the retainers’ room when you finish cleaning up,” Leonore said after Rihyarda and Lieseleta took Lady Rozemyne to the bath.

Have I made some kind of mistake?

I promptly cleared away the stationery and such that I had been using to make study guides, then made my way to the retainers’ room as instructed. “Excuse me,” I said as I entered, my quavering voice betraying my nerves.

Leonore and Brunhilde were the only other people in the room. Leonore was seated, her brow drawn into a slight frown, while Brunhilde was briskly preparing tea for the trolley, signifying that she was working.

“You may sit,” Leonore said, gesturing to the seat opposite her.

“U-Understood!” I replied, so anxious that my eyes were brimming with tears.

“There is no need to be so worried,” Brunhilde interjected with a giggle as she took the seat beside me. “Leonore’s deep in thought, not stewing in anger—though her resting expression can be a bit intimidating. She just wishes to discuss our plans for tomorrow.”

Leonore placed a hand on her cheek. “Was I really making such a scary face? My apologies,” she said with an embarrassed smile.

I suddenly felt a lot less tense. This was my first time speaking to two archnobles directly without Judithe or Angelica close by.

“Brunhilde and I intend to go to the library tomorrow morning to speak to Professor Solange,” Leonore explained to me. “Would you like to accompany us?”

“I certainly appreciate the offer,” I replied. “Hartmut has been suggesting that we go to the library before Lady Rozemyne starts to frequent it, and that we get permission from Professor Solange to distribute crest-certified work. That said... is it really acceptable for us to go there while Lady Rozemyne cannot?” She was so enthusiastic about going but was being denied access until she finished all of her classes, and it didn’t feel right for us to go without her.

“Empathy like yours is very important for a retainer; Lady Rozemyne would doubtless be impacted if she learned of our trip,” Brunhilde noted. “However, that is no excuse for us to give up on laying the groundwork expected of us. To be a skilled retainer, one must be able to effectuate a thorough investigation in secret, stash it within one’s heart, and then utilize the acquired intelligence when necessary.” She was using some pretty big words—maybe because she was an archnoble—but I desperately tried to keep up with her.

“U-Um, so... we’re going to the library without Lady Rozemyne knowing?” I asked. “And keeping it a secret?”

“Your understanding is... not incorrect,” Brunhilde said with a nod, though her brow was somewhat furrowed. Had I mixed something up, perhaps? I glanced at Leonore for confirmation, but she didn’t seem mad. On the contrary, she was looking at me warmly.

“Will we be the only ones going?” I asked, not fully understanding why the others hadn’t been called as well.

“The second-, fourth-, and sixth-years have practical lessons to attend in the morning. I am the only exception, as I passed music in my most recent class. Of the first-, third-, and fifth-years, Hartmut and Cornelius are both free, but the latter has prioritized getting Angelica to pass her written lessons, and the former is going to stay with Lady Rozemyne in your stead.”

“Hartmut seems to have borrowed many books that Lady Rozemyne has yet to read from the library,” Brunhilde explained. “Rihyarda will give them to her and get her to read while we are gone, so our absence will not disturb her.”

I was in awe; who else but Hartmut could conceal our absence while at the same time pleasing Lady Rozemyne? He was simply on another level.

“In that case, I will not let Hartmut’s kindness go to waste,” I said, expressing my resolve. “I will make good use of the opportunity that he has made for us.”

Brunhilde met my comment with a faraway stare. “Did you hear that, Leonore? ‘Hartmut’s kindness,’ she says.”

Leonore had an equally distant look in her eyes. “His motivations aside, we cannot deny that he is fulfilling an important role.”

After breakfast, the students with classes to attend exited the dormitory, while Hartmut lured Lady Rozemyne into the common room. He and Rihyarda would take things from there, allowing Leonore, Brunhilde, and me to make our way to the library in secret.

We left the central building and walked down the hall until we reached a door. One simply needed to hold up their hand to open it—assuming they were registered. This led to a hallway, which in turn led to the library’s hall, where Professor Solange was waiting.

“Ah, Lady Rozemyne’s retainers. Good morning.”

“As mentioned in our recent ordonnanz,” Leonore began, speaking as our representative, “we would like to examine the library for ourselves before Lady Rozemyne begins to visit. Our intention is to check for any dangerous places or individuals, or other unexpected occurrences.”

Professor Solange nodded with a smile. “I shall spare no effort with assisting you. I would not want Lady Rozemyne to face any dangers—especially not after she brought life back to Schwartz and Weiss. We have no other visitors today either. Although, with all that said... I cannot imagine you will find anything dangerous here.” She pointed at the door we had come in through. “The library is built such that only those who are registered or who have the permission of a librarian such as myself can pass through the end of that hallway. No unfamiliar faces ever enter the library’s grounds, and those who attempt acts of violence while inside will be captured by Schwartz and Weiss.”

One even had to be registered to enter the basement and the first floor that the servants used—and there were no servants working in the library at the moment anyway.

“The security here certainly is strict,” Leonore observed.

“It reflects the value of our reading material. We also have a statue of Schutzaria the Goddess of Wind—she who protects all knowledge within the Royal Academy—carved into the wall over there.”

Leonore headed in the direction that Professor Solange had indicated. There was a statue of the Goddess of Wind at the far end of the hall, opposite the office, holding up a shield and looking very serious. I was so enraptured that I couldn’t help but sigh in awe, but Leonore simply wore a stern expression. She looked between the statue, the door to the reading room, and the door to the office.

“Professor Solange, what is behind this carving?” Leonore eventually asked. “Given the library’s size, there must be a room of some sort.”

“On the other side of that wall is a storage room for magic tools related to the library. It can be accessed via a staircase in the reading room. Unfortunately, as I am the only librarian currently working here, the bulk of the magic tools are not operational,” Professor Solange explained, looking quite disparaged. She then said, “Shall I show you the office next?” before turning around and starting toward the other end of the hall.

“Please do,” Leonore replied, following her. “In particular, I wish to check the door connecting it to the reading room.”

This wasn’t my first time entering the office—we had already been there once before when registering with the library—so I didn’t feel particularly nervous. As I remembered, there were some benches right by the entrance, a round table to the right, and an administrative desk beyond it.

“The desk looks rather large,” Brunhilde said, looking curious. “Does it also function as a work table? I imagine there is a rest area behind that partition.”

Professor Solange stroked the desk wistfully. “It surely looks too large for me to use alone, but back when there were so many more librarians here, it was actually troublesomely small,” she explained, then led us to the other side of the partition and gestured to the large table there. “I also use this table here as a work desk.”

Just as Brunhilde had predicted, behind the partition was a rest area. As well as the large table, there were three chairs in the far corner that had presumably once been used by the other librarians. The chairs looked quite old, and seeing them empty made the room feel somewhat lonely.

“We used to have our meals in here,” Professor Solange said, “but as I do not like to make my attendant bring food all this way for me alone, I now eat in the staff dining hall instead. We would also listen to the concerns of the professors, but there is so much work to be done that I no longer have the time. I rarely eat in this room nowadays.”

“Does that mean the library has facilities for making tea, then? I had been wondering what to do about Lady Rozemyne’s drinks when she stays here for extended periods,” Brunhilde said, her voice brightening.

Solange thought for a moment, then shook her head. “Our tea-making facilities are through that door, in the librarian dormitory,” she said, pointing. “I cannot permit a student to enter.”

“I see. Then my only option is to push a cart from the Ehrenfest Dormitory,” Brunhilde said, her joy from moments ago giving way to disappointment. It would be no small feat to bring so many different kinds of tea all this way.

“Might I suggest consulting Lady Rozemyne about her preferences before you come?” Professor Solange said. “I am sure she would not complain about only having one blend if you speak with her in advance.”

“Indeed, she would not. However...” Brunhilde rested a hand on her cheek and sighed. The library was a public space, visited at times by professors. If said professors saw her and concluded that she was slacking or being inconsiderate as a retainer, then they would deduct points from her during her attendant course practical lessons.

“I see...” Professor Solange said, understanding the situation. “That is difficult, indeed.”

“Attendants judge each other even during tea parties with other duchies—and the inadequacy of an attendant is seen, by extension, as the inadequacy of their lady!” Brunhilde exclaimed, getting more and more heated.

Professor Solange let out a small chuckle and remarked that Lady Rozemyne was very fortunate to have such dedicated retainers. In response, Brunhilde’s cheeks colored red with embarrassment.

“Professor Solange, that shelf over there is where Schwartz and Weiss were sitting the last time we came here, isn’t it?” I asked, trying to change the topic. “Do they return there for the night?”

“Oh, no. I get them to stay in the librarian dormitory to keep them from being stolen,” Professor Solange replied, opening its door ever so slightly. Working alone in the office sounded very isolating—living alone in the dormitory even more so.

“Do you not get lonely living all on your own?” I asked.

“My attendant, Catherine, stays there with me, and with Schwartz and Weiss now active again, things are actually quite lively. So, to answer your question: no, not anymore,” she replied, chuckling to herself as she closed the dormitory door again.

Next, Professor Solange led us into the reading room. Immediately through the door was the administration desk where visitors could take out books. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, perhaps because entering from the office was such a rare opportunity.

“This is where documents and carrel keys can be borrowed,” Professor Solange said. “Please avoid touching the shelves here. This is where we store collateral, and an errant touch could result in Schwartz and Weiss coming after you.”

There were no visitors in the reading room, since most students were busy with their classes. Schwartz and Weiss were sitting in chairs, paying us no mind. It was a little unusual, considering that they followed us around when we were with Lady Rozemyne, saying “milady” this and “milady” that. She received special treatment, it seemed.

“Oh my,” came Leonore’s voice. “The light from the hall is illuminating those carrels over there.”

I turned to look. Carrels were personal study spaces, and the ones here were nestled cozily between the large pillars lining the room’s perimeter. Leonore seemed to be looking specifically at the carrels along the north wall, which were basking in the light streaming in through the room’s long windows. They were surprisingly bright for desks on the north side of the building.

“Those carrels are a lot less popular than the others, since they look out on the hall,” Professor Solange explained. Students often found the bustle of people coming and going and the exposure to wandering eyes distracting.

“I suppose we will need to look at each carrel,” Leonore said. “I want to know which ones are best to recommend to Lady Rozemyne when she comes to use them.” She then started examining the carrels with a very stern expression, weighing up their structure, windows, distance from the entrance, and so on. The work of an apprentice guard knight looked very challenging—and, to be frank, completely beyond me.

“In that case, let us circle the first floor, starting from the west side,” Professor Solange said.

We passed the administration desk and traveled a short distance along the west wall until we reached another door. Professor Solange rapped it a few times while noting that it led to the Second Archive.

“This archive contains old documents,” she explained. “It remains locked unless something needs to be taken out, and even then, I relock it as soon as the documents have been removed. I possess the key, so we have little cause to worry about intruders.” She turned the knob to prove that it was locked, then allowed Leonore to check for herself.

“The Second Archive...” Leonore muttered. “Does that mean there is a First Archive?”

“Indeed. The documents of professors are stored there, so it exists in the central building. I can guide you there as well, if you wish—though I will need some time to prepare, as it is a fair distance away.”

“There is no need. I am concerned only with the possible entrances and exits to the library.”

“Understood. Let us continue, then.”

The carrels near the archive had no windows to speak of, so they were darker than the others. Light would instead come from several magic tools above the tables.

“Those magic tools require mana, so these carrels are ill suited for laynobles,” Professor Solange said. “That said, when finals approach, visiting students are desperate to secure any carrel at all.”

After reaching a certain point along the west wall, the carrels started to have windows again; the Second Archive evidently didn’t span the entire length of the building. Light streamed in from outside, and we could see the snowy landscape of the Royal Academy. Leonore, who had been checking the carrels, inspected the scenery through slightly narrowed eyes.

“Professor Solange,” she said, indicating some steps that were visible through the window, “where do those stairs go?”

“Into the archive we just passed. New documents should be detoxified and safeguarded with a preservation spell prior to being stored, but this process requires open space, so it became standard practice for us librarians to use our dormitory’s garden. Circumstances meant that quite a few documents never underwent this procedure, but with Schwartz and Weiss active again, we can reregister them properly.”

Professor Solange gazed out the window, her eyes crinkled in a nostalgic smile. It seemed that Lady Rozemyne waking Schwartz and Weiss was doing more good than we had imagined.

“So many lovely flowers bloom in the garden around the time of the Archduke Conference, and the tea parties we librarians had there were ever so delightful...” Professor Solange said.

“As students, we only attend the Royal Academy during the winter, so I cannot imagine the grounds without their familiar blanket of snow,” Brunhilde replied. I nodded in agreement; I couldn’t even begin to picture the pure-white expanse before us being awash in color.

Professor Solange giggled. “It certainly is rare for students to witness springtime at the Academy. If you are able to gain enough status, then you may be able to attend the Archduke Conference and witness it for yourselves.”

Leonore chuckled as well as we started eastward along the south wall of the building.

“Professor Solange,” Brunhilde said abruptly as we passed one of the many windows, “we of Ehrenfest wish to use the library to advertise Lady Rozemyne’s crest-certified work to other duchies.”

“Oh my. You do?”

“Indeed. Our intention is to have others start gathering stories, and to spread the word as soon as possible so that Lady Rozemyne is not seen as poor or miserly for visiting the library herself,” Brunhilde replied with a look of concern.

The library was largely seen as being for laynobles and mednobles without their own finances, and, with the exception of apprentice scholars, normal archnobles and archduke candidates rarely ever visited it. They would instead send members of the lower classes to fetch any documents they needed—not out of arrogance or as a means to be exploitative, but as a way of assisting those beneath them. It was the duty of archnobles and archduke candidates to give minor tasks to other students—particularly laynobles—so that they could earn enough money to get by at the Academy. It would be problematic beyond words if people came to assume that Lady Rozemyne was too frugal to send laynobles to the library.

“There can be no denying that retainers with eccentric lords and ladies face their own unique struggles,” Professor Solange said. “Can you tell me more about this crest-certified work?”

Brunhilde glanced at me. I was already doing crest-certified work as Lady Rozemyne’s scholar, so I would need to take care of the negotiations.

“Um, uh... Professor Solange,” I said, so anxious that I couldn’t keep my voice from cracking. “Lady Rozemyne is requesting transcriptions of any books not yet stored in Ehrenfest’s book rooms and of tales passed down in other duchies. We will provide the pens and ink; our only request is that we be permitted to use the library.”

Solange listened with a warm smile, then said, “I do not mind that—outside of when the library is busy before final exams.”

“Are there any carrels that are better for negotiating with students of other duchies?” I asked.

“Hm... The carrels in this area are visible from the entrance when you look between the bookshelves. Perhaps that will make it easier for those interested in the work to find you. However, this is also a popular location, so you may want to ensure you have an archnoble present who can secure your place.”

Mednobles were able to claim a laynoble’s carrel for themselves simply by asking for it, no matter where their duchies placed in the overall rankings. I could only slump my shoulders at the thought; as a laynoble myself—and one of such a low grade—there was surely no way for me to keep a carrel.

Brunhilde gave me a reassuring slap on the back. “There is no need to look so down. You are going to be accompanying Lady Rozemyne, an archduke candidate, when you come to the library. There will not be any issues to speak of.”

Leonore nodded in agreement, much to my relief.

We then made our way along the carrels on the east wall. Leonore checked between the bookshelves as she continued her hunt for the best study space for Lady Rozemyne, noting that there were far too many blind spots.

“Professor Solange, there is a doorway under that staircase over there,” I said as we neared the reading room’s northeast corner. “Is that the entrance you told us about before...?”

“Indeed,” she replied. “It leads to the magic tool storage room. Like the Second Archive, it remains locked at all times. I see no way for an intruder to gain access or hide within.”

Soon enough, we took the wide staircase up to the library’s second floor. Instead of carrels, there were bookcases with desks attached to them.

“The books here are chained to the shelves,” Professor Solange explained, “so you will need to go to the relevant desks to read them. Few students use the second floor, though, so I cannot say whether Lady Rozemyne will want to come up here.”

“What do these books cover?”

“They are collections of professor-led research that earned royal recognition. I expect you will find more from Drewanchel than anywhere else.”

Professor Solange went on to provide a few examples, though her brief summaries were enough to make my head spin. I could understand why not many students came to this floor.

Still, I know for a fact that Lady Rozemyne will gleefully read them all.

“The ceiling has magic tools that indicate when it is closing time,” Professor Solange continued.

“Yes, the color-changing lights. Rihyarda was relieved when Lady Rozemyne noticed them.”

I gazed up at the ceiling. There was light shining in through the glass, but it wasn’t colored. I also made a mental note that the second floor was much smaller than expected, owing to the large atrium in the center that kept the lower floor illuminated.

We followed an ivory handrail south to where the shape of the bookshelves changed. The desks here were slanted, and one could put documents and such on them for a more comfortable reading experience. Beneath them were books stored in neat piles.

“These are the bookrests. Many old works and documents that were never made into books are stored as scrolls, and these desks have magic tools that help with reading them. Beneath the bookrests are the books too large to fit on the nearby shelves.”

The books were so big that just picking them up looked difficult. As an apprentice scholar, I would need to be prepared for the moment that Lady Rozemyne asked to read one. I was hopeful that I would manage... but they looked really heavy.

“This back area is where we keep boards, scrolls, and other, less uniformly shaped documents,” Professor Solange said, leading us to a series of shelves on the west side of the room. There were more old documents than new here—and the smell of dust was much thicker than anywhere else in the library. “Professor Hirschur does not like devoting her time to making books, so many of these are her research results. I sympathize with her disciple, who has to scour the shelves in desperate search of what they need.”

“Oh my...”

We all giggled and continued along until we came to a statue of a goddess. Given the large book in her hand, it was surely Mestionora.

“This is a statue of the Goddess of Wisdom,” Professor Solange explained. “Here, one can pray for many more books to gather at the library.”

“I expect that Lady Rozemyne will pray to it quite fervently...” I said.

“Philine, keep its existence close to your chest,” Leonore said. “We cannot have Lady Rozemyne find out about it, else she will start going on about erecting statues of Mestionora all over the place.”

I could already imagine Lady Rozemyne putting holy statues all over her room, and the thought made me giggle. “I will keep it a secret,” I said. “Oh... Professor Solange, what is that door?”

“It leads to another magic tool storage room. It similarly remains locked at all times.”

“There certainly are a lot of magic tools here...” I muttered. There was the other magic tool storage room on the first floor—and, of course, Schwartz and Weiss. Just how many magic tools did the library have?

“There are some in the pillars and others in the ceiling as well, so if one wanted to run them all at once, one would require far more than a single mednoble librarian such as myself. Only the very bare minimum of tools are being used at the moment.”

I could only imagine how frustrated Professor Solange felt, loving the library so deeply but only having enough mana to keep the most necessary magic tools running. As a laynoble retainer serving the archducal family, I could relate to her well.

I, too, wish that I had enough mana to carry out my duties... I need to earn money so that I can learn Lady Rozemyne’s compression method.

Leonore was asking Professor Solange several follow-up questions when we were bathed in colored light, signifying the end of the class period.

Professor Solange briskly led us back down to the first floor, then said, “Do return to your dormitory now, dears. Students and professors with an interest in Schwartz and Weiss have started to come by on Earthdays and during lunch. Some speak poorly of your duchy, arguing that it has stolen royal heirlooms, and some even wish to take ownership of the two shumils. You may end up in conflict with them if you stay.”

We followed Professor Solange’s advice and exited the library at once, beginning our walk back to the dormitory.

“Lady Rozemyne becoming Schwartz and Weiss’s master certainly has lit a fire under a lot of students in the Academy...” Brunhilde said, sounding worried. “At this rate, I have to wonder if the archduke candidates of greater duchies won’t formally complain once socializing season begins.”

“If we do receive complaints, we would just need to give up the shumils, wouldn’t we?” I asked. Ehrenfest was ranked very lowly, and surrendering to those ranked above us was an easy way to prevent things from escalating. As a laynoble, I was used to such compromises. Maybe the idea just didn’t occur to archnobles.

“Indeed, Philine. You are correct.”

We arrived at the central building right as fourth bell rang. Several classroom doors opened, and students began to stream out into the corridors. We went with the flow of people returning to their dormitories for lunch and were soon back in the Ehrenfest Dormitory.

As we made our way up the stairs, Brunhilde looked at the first-floor common room. “Giving them up to a higher-ranked duchy would, of course, be the correct choice... but I expect that Lady Rozemyne will end up losing control and prioritizing the library over interduchy relations.”

I couldn’t help but remember Lady Rozemyne’s obsessive enthusiasm about the library—and the way she had forced all of us first-years to study and pass each of our classes on the first day so that she could start going there. Just thinking about it made me break out in a cold sweat.

“Philine... my words a moment ago—let us keep them between us,” Brunhilde then said. I realized that she was doing this for my sake, and a warm feeling spread through my chest.

“Understood,” I replied. “I will keep it a secret.”

It was only a short while later that Brunhilde’s fears were realized. At the time, nobody had expected that Lady Rozemyne would crush the complaining Dunkelfelgerians in treasure-stealing ditter and gain the official approval of royalty in the process.