Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 4.6 - Chapter SS

Unshakeable Resolve

“You have already been giving me that which I desire most,” Lady Rozemyne said to me. “I will accept your name alongside your stories.”

Her words entered my ears and diffused through my very being. Back when I had first voiced my desire to give Lady Rozemyne my name, her golden eyes had clouded over with concern and reluctance, but now they were brimming with compassion and resolve. They crinkled softly as she regarded me with a warm smile.

She accepted not just my stories, but me as well.

Ever since the Ivory Tower incident, I had spent years in isolation. My father beat me, and even those of my own faction ostracized me. My only respite was the book that Lady Rozemyne had made with my story—it gave me greater joy than absolutely anything else.

How should I express this happiness...?

I wanted to put my feelings into words, but none came to mind. Perhaps that was to be expected; surely no one else could understand the relief and sheer depth of emotion that was coursing through me. I simply wanted to relish the joy... but whenever Lady Rozemyne asked me about my family, I remembered my father—I remembered the way he had so suddenly turned his back on me and resorted to physical abuse. A sense of panic crawled up my spine and seized me by the heart.

Please, stop...

I could tell that Father and the others were trying to exploit me to get closer to the archducal family, now that they had lost their places in the former Veronica faction. It was disgusting and an affront to the compassion that Lady Rozemyne had shown me.

“I ask that you allow me to leave my home upon receiving my name,” I said. Lady Rozemyne accepted my request, and for a moment, I could feel at peace. I wouldn’t let Father do as he pleased again; I would ensure that Lady Rozemyne didn’t get wrapped up in his putrid schemes.

“Isn’t this great, Roderick?” Philine asked. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Thanks, Philine,” I replied, genuinely appreciative. I had spent so long selfishly envying her, such that even when she had worried about me, I hadn’t been able to accept how she felt. But now, I could accept her congratulations without any hard feelings. I was more surprised at this change of heart than anyone. I no longer viewed things through the bitter lens of cynicism—I simply felt happy.

However, to my regret, it seemed that Philine was the only one who was pleased for me. Most of Lady Rozemyne’s retainers were associated with the Leisegangs, who were so untrusting of the former Veronica faction that they suspected even those who gave up their names. I was summoned to a conference room during Lady Rozemyne’s bath, when she would not notice their absence or what they were doing. Four archnobles—Lord Cornelius, Lord Hartmut, Lady Brunhilde, and Lady Leonore—looked upon me with harsh expressions. There wasn’t a single mednoble in the world who wouldn’t cower at least somewhat before this lineup.

I swallowed hard, and the joy that had filled my heart soon gave way to worry. Would it even be possible for me to get along with Lady Rozemyne’s retainers after giving her my name?

“There is still time, Roderick,” Cornelius said. He was the first to break the silence and watched me with hard, dark eyes. “Won’t you rethink this decision to give Lady Rozemyne your name? There are a lot of people who won’t take kindly to the idea of you doing this to become her retainer. It seems to me that you just aren’t thinking straight.”

His attempted intimidation was presumably because he didn’t like me, but I wasn’t going to surrender so easily. Others had said the same things to me countless times before.

“Lady Rozemyne has agreed to accept my name,” I replied, “and I have no intention of changing my mind. If you would rather this not happen, speak with Lady Rozemyne.”

Lady Brunhilde drew her eyebrows together in a look of displeasure. “I can see nothing but problems arising from this,” she said. “I shan’t oppose it openly, for Lady Rozemyne has made her decision, but I would very much like to.”

“Oh my...” Lady Leonore added. “I personally consider him preferable to someone like Traugott, as he will at least be name-sworn. However, even without this faction business, I imagine that Lord Wilfried will not appreciate his being here; I can only hope it will not sow seeds of conflict in his engagement with Lady Rozemyne. Hartmut, what are your thoughts?”

I glanced up with a start. I was the one who had guided Lord Wilfried to the Ivory Tower—albeit at my father’s orders—so I had been made to take full responsibility for his fall from grace. In other words, there would be no better source of discord between him and his fiancée. I hadn’t thought about things from that perspective, so concern suddenly flared in my mind. Although I didn’t intend to stop the name-swearing, I had no idea how my relationship with Lord Wilfried would develop. I peered at Lord Hartmut, whom Lady Leonore had asked for an opinion.

In truth, I was more worried about Lord Hartmut than anyone. He was a skilled archscholar and would act as my boss, assuming that I became Lady Rozemyne’s apprentice medscholar. Out of all her retainers, my relationship with him was the most important. He would often narrow his orange eyes at me whenever I spoke with Philine and seeing how sharp they were right now reminded me of that.

The other day, Hartmut had advised me to voice my true thoughts and feelings to Lady Rozemyne, as only then would she accept me. It was a kind gesture, but I suspected that his motivations weren’t wholly altruistic. A breath later, he had said, “You’ll only get in our way if you continue to drag your feet. Make your choice now and get it over with.”

Will this be okay...?

I was perfectly aware that I wouldn’t be welcomed with open arms, but I didn’t want to be blatantly ostracized or bullied. I was at an overwhelming disadvantage here in terms of status.

Upon noticing my gaze, Lord Hartmut smiled. “Lady Rozemyne does not consider factions; she sees only individuals,” he said. “For that reason, why would I ever oppose someone she has decided to accept?”

“My, how surprising. To think you would offer so little resistance,” Lady Brunhilde said, widening her eyes and placing a hand over her mouth in shock. I was just as taken aback—I had assumed that he would be more annoyed than anyone.

Lord Hartmut raised an eyebrow and turned to Lady Brunhilde, offended. “You find this surprising?” he asked. “Once I graduate, Lady Rozemyne will only have Philine, a laynoble, as an apprentice scholar. I would rather she have an apprentice archscholar here, but there is nobody who would suit the role. So, what choice do I have but to raise Roderick before next year? His mana quantity may be closer to that of a laynoble, but he is a mednoble all the same.”

“The lack of apprentice scholars certainly is an epidemic. If you wish to raise him, Hartmut, I will accept that—especially as it seems that his resolve has not shattered even in the presence of so many archnobles,” Lady Brunhilde said with resignation.

Lady Leonore giggled, and with that, the girls became a lot more welcoming. I wondered if they had been testing me to see whether my resolve was strong enough, and as I considered the likelihood of that being the case, Lord Hartmut and Lord Cornelius stepped forward. Lord Hartmut was holding out a small slip of paper.

“Roderick, you said that you don’t know how to make a name-swearing stone, right?” Lord Hartmut asked. “I’ll teach you later, so gather everything that is listed on this paper as soon as possible. The Royal Academy has a lot of good ingredients that Ehrenfest does not.”

“Thank you, Lord Hartmut.” I accepted the paper with trembling hands. It was like a test that I needed to pass in order to become Lady Rozemyne’s retainer.

“Listen well, Roderick,” Cornelius said. “We retainers won’t help you with your gathering because we don’t want others who wish to offer their name asking for our help too. Hire some apprentice knights to accompany you to the gathering spot and gather the ingredients you need on your own.”

“Understood. It will be done, Lord Cornelius.”

I had spent an entire year writing new stories to give to Lady Rozemyne, and she had said that she would accept my name. They would teach me how to make the stone so long as I gathered the ingredients.

Just a little more to do!

Although the finish line was in sight, the final stretch wasn’t easy. Collecting the ingredients that Lord Hartmut had told me to fetch was too hard for me to do alone as an apprentice scholar. Some of the feystones described needed to be taken from hunted feybeasts, which meant I would need to hire some apprentice knights to kill the feybeasts and then give me the stones, but I didn’t have the money to pay them. My earnings from transcribing books had already been spent on basic necessities, and with my focus having been on writing stories for Lady Rozemyne rather than doing much transcribing work, I hadn’t earned all that much in the first place.

This isn’t good...

Not knowing what else to do, I spent the following days working to transcribe books so I could earn as much money as possible. On one day in particular, the dormitory was abuzz with news that Professor Hirschur had taken an Ahrensbach apprentice scholar as a disciple. Lord Ferdinand would apparently be coming from Ehrenfest and Professor Hirschur from her laboratory in the scholar building to have a discussion. Even we regular students could tell how big of a deal this was—those two were never in the dormitory, and now they were both going to be here at once.

Seems like the archducal family is a long way away from trusting Ahrensbach again...

The nobles of the former Veronica faction were hoping that two brides from Ahrensbach being wed into the duchy would renew our relationship with Ahrensbach, but judging by how the archducal family, their retainers, and Lord Ferdinand remained so cautious, that future would not be coming anytime soon. It would take a lot more for them to lower their guard.

I viewed the impromptu meeting as something that wasn’t my problem—and it wasn’t, until Lord Hartmut called me over.

“Roderick, have you gathered the ingredients yet?”

“No, not yet.”

I wanted to gather all of the ingredients I needed in one go, since paying for guards was so expensive. To achieve this, I had spent my time thus far researching the ingredients; I had yet to even step foot in the gathering spot.

“In order to minimize contact between Raimund and Lady Rozemyne, we scholars are going to be acting as a bridge between them. There’s now a lot more that you need to learn before next year, including how to gather information on Ahrensbach and how to watch out for what information Professor Hirschur might be leaking. We can’t just sit back and wait until next year to begin anymore. Get your ingredients gathered, fast.”

“That’s much easier said than done. Archnobles may have a great deal of money on hand, but I cannot afford to hire guard knights to protect me or hunt feybeasts. I will not be able to gather my ingredients until after I have earned enough from my transcribing.”

“You must be dull in the head,” Hartmut said, fixing me with a scornful glare. “Status has nothing to do with it. If you don’t learn to use all of your knowledge and connections to make money, you will never survive as Lady Rozemyne’s scholar. I’ll teach you what to do this time, but learn to use your brain from then onward.”

Following Lord Hartmut’s instruction, I gathered the apprentice knights of the former Veronica faction who were looking for a means to speak with Lady Rozemyne’s retainers and deliver a letter to the archduke by the end of summer. Lord Matthias and Lord Laurenz were among them.

“Lady Rozemyne has elected to accept my name,” I said. “I must now gather ingredients for my name-swearing feystone, and to that end, I wish to hire you as guards and as hunters. However, I will not be paying with money. Instead, I will instruct you on how to make your own name-swearing feystones and will vow to serve as your liaison with Lady Rozemyne upon becoming her retainer.”

As expected, the apprentice knights grimaced in response. I continued to speak, straightening my back to look more imposing and taking care not to let my voice shake.

“Is it not in your best interests to prepare your ingredients sooner rather than later? Did we not write our letter to the aub with resolve in our hearts, knowing that we were contradicting our parents?”

“Roderick, are you blackmailing us?!” Lord Laurenz exclaimed.

“Calm yourself, Lord Laurenz. I am merely offering some advice,” I replied, almost disgusted at my own sophistry. From their perspective, I was obviously threatening to tell their parents what they had done unless they came gathering with me.

Lord Matthias, who had been listening with crossed arms, narrowed his blue eyes at me. “Roderick, those aren’t your words, are they?” he said. “Out of all Lady Rozemyne’s retainers... I suppose Lady Leonore or Lady Brunhilde might have told you to say that? No, considering how you wove threats into your euphemisms, it was probably Lord Hartmut.”

“You are as astute as ever, Lord Matthias,” I remarked. After spending so long at the bottom of the former Veronica faction, I hadn’t even considered threatening them. I didn’t specify who exactly had given me the instructions, but Matthias understood anyway.

“We don’t want to go up against Lord Hartmut,” he said. “Let’s do as he says and go gathering.”

“But, Matthias!” Lord Laurenz protested.

“Part of our compensation is Roderick serving as our liaison with Lady Rozemyne. Given the current incident with Professor Hirschur’s disciple, it isn’t a bad idea for us to prepare an emergency exit.” Lord Matthias then looked at me again, his eyes more scrutinizing than before. “But make no mistake, Roderick—I told you to be careful. You should stop after you get your ingredients. You can’t give your name to someone on a whim like this.”

His warning came to mind, but I had no intention of changing my decision. “I understand that you are concerned for me, Lord Matthias, but that advice is not applicable,” I said. “It may seem I am doing this due to inertia, but I have spent an entire year searching for a way to serve Lady Rozemyne. If giving her my name will earn me her trust, then that is what I shall do.”

Lord Matthias’s eyebrow twitched. “And what will you do when politics change? Regrets won’t save you then.”

“Are you again referring to that man? I doubt he regrets giving his name simply because the political landscape has shifted. I imagine that his loyal heart did not falter even when the one he is sworn to left for another duchy. He presumably spends his time thinking of what he can do for them and whether there is any way he can prove himself to be useful.”

The word “frustration” couldn’t even begin to describe how someone would feel if their lord or lady were taken from their position as the next archduke and sent to another duchy. True, there would be a great deal to think about—such as whether their service had truly been enough or whether there was something else they could have done—but their loyalty would never change. They would remain dedicated no matter the situation, for that was simply how much resolve was needed before a person offered their name.

“Have you not considered your family...?” Lord Matthias asked in what was almost a low growl. I thought back to my family and gave a bitter smile. There was my selfish, violent father, and my mother, who had readily changed to match. There was no place for me back home. Had there been one, I wouldn’t have so desperately sought for somewhere with Lady Rozemyne.

“Do you think they would do anything for me?” I asked. “I intend to cut my family off soon. I will not forgive them bringing misfortune to my lady.”

“But, that would...” Lord Matthias began, his blue eyes hardening. He had gone pale, and it was clear that he had more to say, but I was fully resolved to give Lady Rozemyne my name. Our conversation was going nowhere, and there was no point in us talking further.

“I wish to give my name, and that wish is who I am,” I said. “Nobody can change that except Lady Rozemyne.”

“Roderick’s right,” Lord Laurenz interjected, patting Lord Matthias on the shoulder. “Leave things at that, Matthias. Name-swearing is supposed to be a private matter. It’s not right for us to get in the way of something they’ve decided for themselves.”

“Laurenz...”

Lord Laurenz turned his orange eyes to me. “I think it’s a good thing that Lady Rozemyne resolved to take your name. We can watch you to find out a lot of the things we want to know—how the archducal family views students of the former Veronica faction, how they intend to treat us, and how people will react to that. What’s important here, Matthias, is where Roderick ends up, and that’s not something for us to interfere with. Am I wrong?”

“Are you telling me to exploit him...?” Lord Matthias asked.

“Hey, he’s exploiting us for his gathering. Birds of a feather, right? And either way, it doesn’t look like there’s anything we can do to change Roderick’s mind.” Lord Laurenz was looking at me carefully as he spoke, seemingly trying to observe even the most minute reaction.

He was right—at this point, it frustrated me to no end to be exploited, but I was already exploiting them to gather my ingredients, so we were indeed birds of a feather. If they wanted to exploit me, they were more than welcome to. I would just keep working to achieve my goals.

“Alright, then. Let’s go.”

That Earthday, I produced my highbeast at Lord Matthias’s signal. I took to the skies with the apprentice knights consisting mostly of those from the former Veronica faction, and together we flew into the gathering spot... not noticing the long black line that was leading into it.