Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 4.8 - Chapter 9

Giebe Leisegang

“Farewell, Lady Rozemyne.”

Judithe alighted from my Pandabus, since she was going to be sitting out this trip. Angelica climbed in to take her place, at which point the nobles surrounding me produced their highbeasts and took flight in order.

“Angelica, did you get some rest?” I asked as I took to the sky as well. She had gotten several days off, since she had already accompanied me for Spring Prayer and was now joining us on our journey to Leisegang.

“Yes,” she replied. “I rested when Master wasn’t training me.”

I’m going to assume that means she didn’t rest much at all...

“Master trained me even more than usual after I mentioned you praising me for cutting up that fish, Lady Rozemyne,” Angelica continued. “He told me to show you even greater precision during the next dissection. I think he wants to participate too.”

“In that case, inform him that I shall invite him to the temple at the next opportunity.”

“Understood,” Angelica replied, sounding delighted. “I’m sure that will make him very pleased.” She then started to tell me how amazing Bonifatius was, who the strongest knights in the Knight’s Order were, and what fighting styles both Eckhart and Ferdinand preferred to use. I gave a few perfunctory responses until Cornelius brought his highbeast a little closer.

“Lady Rozemyne,” he said, “we have arrived in Leisegang and will soon be landing at the summer mansion.”

I squinted down at the scenery below us; there was nothing but blackish earth with patches of snow here and there, making for a very pitiful sight lacking much in the way of greenery. I was sure there had been a greater abundance of plants and shrubbery during Lamprecht’s wedding.

“The land certainly does change with the seasons,” I commented. “It hadn’t even occurred to me that we had entered Leisegang.”

“This makes it easier to identify enemies attempting to hide,” Cornelius replied. Leisegang had already been the setting for many failed ambushes in the past, but I wasn’t worried about another attempt—the Knight’s Order was accompanying my guard knights, and during Spring Prayer, everyone was busy preparing the fields to help increase the harvest.

That reminds me... The first time I came here, Sylvester was disguised as a blue priest.

The highbeast at the lead started to descend, signaling that we had arrived. We had visited Leisegang many times before, but the only thing I remembered clearly was the side building used for temple visitors. We had gone inside the summer mansion when we attended Lamprecht’s wedding, but we had departed right after lunch. The entire affair had also left me so tired that I went straight to sleep, so it hadn’t stuck in my memory.

I exited my highbeast, whereupon Fran, Monika, and Hugo started unloading luggage and food and carrying it to the side building for priests. Our ceremonial work here would involve nothing more than handing the small chalices to Giebe Leisegang—which would take no time at all—but we had to stay until the printing talks ended. Thankfully, Leisegang had a side building we could use, which meant that Fran and the others would never cross paths with the province’s nobles. It was a lot more comforting than in Haldenzel, where the winter mansion was like an iron fortress.

“Lady Rozemyne, the chalices are to be handed over after the greetings, correct?” Fran asked.

“Indeed. Do prepare them.”

After receiving the chalices, I waited with Fran and Monika for Giebe Leisegang to arrive. Our plan was to take the Gutenbergs to their lodgings in the city once our immediate business here was done; for now, they were waiting inside Lessy.

“Welcome to Leisegang.”

Giebe Leisegang started exchanging lengthy greetings with Elvira, the representative of the printing industry. He was a scholarly-looking man who seemed a bit older than Karstedt, and while his eyes had been burning with the flames of ambition during our first encounter, I did not sense any such fire now. I determined that it was best to keep my guard up, purely as an extra precaution.

Once the greetings were complete, I stepped forward with the chalices. “By the grace of Flutrane the Goddess of Water, the bringer of healing and change, and the twelve goddesses who serve by her side, Geduldh the Goddess of Earth has been granted the power to birth new life. I pray from the bottom of my heart that the countless lives upon this mortal realm are filled with Flutrane’s divine color.”

“Indeed,” Giebe Leisegang replied, “Geduldh the Goddess of Earth is filled with Flutrane the Goddess of Water’s mana. Blessed be the melting of the snow. Blessed be the coming of spring.”

The chalices were delivered, and my work as the High Bishop was thereby complete. I took a step back and instructed Fran and Monika to prepare the side building while Hugo cooked for us. Ottilie would be getting my guest room ready in the meantime. As for Brunhilde, I instructed her to stay with me; she would surely benefit from seeing more of a province other than Groschel.

“Is that why you went out of your way to bring me, despite my being underage?” Brunhilde asked.

“There are many reasons,” I replied. “Did I not explain them?”

Ottilie would have struggled if she were my only attendant here, but bringing Rihyarda along simply wasn’t an option—she had served both Gabriele, who had brought about Leisegang’s decline, and Veronica, so her presence wouldn’t have been welcomed. Lieseleta was also an option, but it was much easier to bring Brunhilde, who was an archnoble and part of the family.

Brunhilde shook her head. “You did not mention that you would make me observe Leisegang’s lower city.”

“Oh, did I not? How absentminded of me. Ohoho...” I turned my back to Brunhilde and walked over to Giebe Leisegang. “Now then—although we have not been here for long, may I ask to be guided to the Gutenbergs’ lodgings?”

“Certainly.”

Giebe Leisegang waved a hand, signaling one of his scholars to step forward. It was the head of their printing industry. He must have already heard about things in Haldenzel and Groschel, as he led the way without saying anything in particular about me bringing the Gutenbergs in my highbeast.

“The Gutenbergs will be staying in Fluss, only a short distance away from the summer mansion,” our guide said. The mansion was located on a modest hill surrounded by forestland, and Fluss was a commoner city closer to it than any other settlement.

Once everyone was in my Pandabus or atop their highbeast, we flew over the walls surrounding the summer mansion and made our way down from the hill. Fluss felt very similar to Hasse—the commoners were primarily farmers, and the way that all those doing other jobs were concentrated around the winter mansion was very familiar.

Several of the nobles grimaced about being in a commoner city, but Wilfried and Charlotte looked more excited than anything—they were used to visiting these kinds of places for Spring Prayer and the Harvest Festival, and were commenting on how Fluss resembled the farming towns of the Central District.

“The smithy and carpentry workshop are here as well,” our guide continued. “We ask that you inform the city’s people of your arrival.”

“Understood.”

We greeted the foremen of the smithy and carpentry workshop, then left some luggage with them. It was the same process as in Groschel, and the Gutenbergs had gotten used to it.

Brunhilde, who had been watching the Gutenbergs work, suddenly looked around in wide-eyed realization. “There is no stench here as there is in Groschel, nor do I see any filth. Is there a reason for this?”

“Because this province has a bustling farming industry,” I replied. Groschel was firmly surrounded by walls—as was Ehrenfest, for that matter—but Leisegang had them only around its summer mansion. This resulted in sprawling farmland within arm’s reach of the city proper. The focus on farming also meant that the population density was low, which stopped any smells from being concentrated in one location.

“Leonore, as a Leisegang noble, have you ever visited a commoner city?” Brunhilde asked.

“Indeed,” Leonore replied with a nod. “As an apprentice knight, I at times left the summer mansion to hunt feybeasts on farmland and in forests. This was before I entered Lady Rozemyne’s service, though, so it was only for a period of a few years.”

Brunhilde was related to the Leisegangs, and she had visited the province several times before, but she had never ventured outside the grounds of the summer mansion. She muttered to herself, surprised that commoner cities could differ so much—presumably because she hadn’t looked at or even thought about them before now.

“I see that other provinces truly are unlike Groschel...” Brunhilde said. It was a comparison that she could make only because she had seen Fluss in person. I proposed that she continue visiting and learning from other places, using that knowledge to improve her home province, and she responded with a confident “I shall.”

“Incidentally, where is the printing workshop?” I asked.

“Next to the winter mansion,” Wilfried replied, having already visited the city when performing his final checks. “I hear that printing in Leisegang is going to be done as winter handiwork.”

Leisegang had many acres of farmland, and because it was in the south, its snow melted quicker than that of somewhere like Haldenzel. It had such a rich farming environment that it was called Ehrenfest’s breadbasket, and the printing industry would purely be a side business, rather than its primary focus.

“The giebe said that the farming industry will remain the province’s highest priority,” Wilfried continued. “A natural choice for Ehrenfest’s breadbasket.”

Leisegang’s harvest would pretty much decide what the nobles had to eat during the winter, so the province was taking special care every year to avoid any complaints about a smaller yield than usual.

“I see you’ve been working hard, Wilfried,” I said.

“Huh?”

“I am simply impressed by how much you know about Leisegang.”

“I did a lot of research with Ignaz before we left,” Wilfried declared with a subtle but proud smile. Elvira let out a quiet “Oh my...” at this remark, while Cornelius followed with an amused “I guess Rozemyne’s her next target.”

“The Gutenbergs will be staying here during their trip,” our guide announced. We had finally arrived at the winter mansion after stopping at Fluss’s various workshops to drop off most of our luggage. The farmers were due to return to their land, so this accommodation was ideal.

“I see it was wise for us to bring our own cleaning implements,” Gil said. “Lutz, shall we begin right away?”

“Of course. Let’s go, Gil.”

They were very much used to these long trips, and after climbing out of my Pandabus, they got right to work. It was at their instruction that the Gutenbergs started unloading the remaining luggage, and as I saw how reliable they had become, I couldn’t help but smile.

“Hugo is going to be preparing our food for the duration of our stay here,” I said as Lutz and Gil continued to oversee the cleaning. “Meals should be taken in the side building.”

I returned to the summer mansion, bringing only Benno and Damian of the Plantin Company with me, since they were needed for the next stage of the agreements. We sipped tea there while Giebe Leisegang and Elvira led the discussion on the final checks, after which the Plantin Company signed a contract regarding the Printing and Plant Paper Guilds.

Leisegang had a thriving logging industry thanks to its forests and mountains, and the wood it produced was going to play a key role in the making of paper. The children of the orphanage would also be helping out, making it seem like this work could also be done by women and older people.

“Giebe Leisegang. I apologize for my rudeness, but if the printing industry is being treated as winter handiwork, is there not a chance that your income won’t exceed your investment?” Benno asked, seeming a bit concerned at how the contract was shaping up. As it stood, the printing industry would only be active for a short while, and unlike in Haldenzel, not all of the citizens would be working toward it. I was similarly concerned that Leisegang would not draw much profit, especially because they had put so much money into the endeavor.

“That is not for you to worry about, merchant,” Giebe Leisegang said. “Income is not the only thing that will make this investment worthwhile. We have no intention of canceling our contract, no matter how this fares financially.”

“Understood,” Benno replied with a nod. He then turned to Damian, who produced the necessary contract, and the required signatures were soon put to paper.

“That was the final contract we the Plantin Company needed to sign regarding the Printing and Plant Paper Guilds,” Benno said.

“I see. In that case, they may return to the other Gutenbergs,” Giebe Leisegang said. Benno and Damian stood up, said their farewells, and then departed. Coming here must have been a real test of mental endurance, especially with all the nobles around. At least now they could rest in the side building.

Now that the meeting was composed entirely of nobles, Giebe Leisegang called for fresh tea to be poured, then looked over at Wilfried and Charlotte. He kept up his peaceful smile, but his eyes seemed to be searching. I tensed up at once, eager to protect them.

“This is a rare opportunity,” Giebe Leisegang began. “I wish to hear your thoughts directly from you, rather than through a messenger. Would you indulge me?”

Wait, he’s talking to me?!

I instinctively straightened my back while blinking in surprise. Naturally, in this environment, I couldn’t refuse him. The air was heavy with suspense, affecting not just my retainers, but everyone else in attendance as well.

“Uncle...”

Leonore tried to interject, but the giebe simply shook his head. I glanced over at Elvira and Karstedt, who returned almost imperceptible nods. They were instructing me to deal with this properly.

So, I need to prop up Wilfried and emphasize that I don’t intend to become the next archduke.

I turned to face the giebe, recalling the advice that Ferdinand had given me, and said, “You may ask what you like.”

“Thank you. Now, I am of the opinion that Ewigeliebe will always reach out to Geduldh when she is within his grasp. How do you feel about this, Lady Rozemyne?”

Um, excuse me...? Hold on a second. Let me decode this message.

“It certainly is the case that Ewigeliebe will always reach out to Geduldh...” I said, repeating his words almost verbatim in an attempt to buy myself more time to think.

Um... Geduldh is often used to refer to where one lives, so that probably means Ehrenfest in this case.

After some quick contemplation, I managed to guess at what he was trying to say. “Why do you not aim to be the next aub when you are an archduke candidate with more than enough skill, mana, supporters, and accomplishments to make it happen?” Of course, I couldn’t be certain that this was his question, but I was confident that it was something along those lines.

“But I am not Ewigeliebe,” I continued, “so I do not have a need for Geduldh.” I was hoping to make it clear that not everyone wanted the archducal seat.

The giebe exhaled slowly. “My niece Leonore, my distant relative Brunhilde, and my half-nephew Hartmut all said the same, but I am simply not satisfied. Why do you not seek Geduldh? If you did, Lady Rozemyne, then everything would come together so smoothly.”

So he said, but having a former commoner like me become the aub was bound to cause more problems than anything else.

“Lord Wilfried was clearly on the path to becoming the next archduke, but when he entered the Ivory Tower, he lost his standing and was placed on equal footing with his younger siblings,” the giebe continued. “Now, he is once again seen as being the next archduke—but only because he is engaged to you, Lady Rozemyne. You are the one best suited to becoming the next aub, and this knowledge is eternally frustrating to us Leisegangs, as your family by blood.”

Giebe Leisegang maintained that there wouldn’t be any problems if my engagement were reversed, such that I took the position of aub instead. I tilted my head slightly and glanced over at Wilfried. He was doing his best to keep his head up, but his tightly clenched fists told me everything.

“I firmly believe that Wilfried will make the better aub, so our positions will never be reversed,” I said. Giebe Leisegang and Wilfried himself stared at me in astonishment, while the nearby retainers all did the same. Karstedt, meanwhile, looked to be very interested indeed.

“It is precisely because he was once knocked down that he knows what it takes to claw back up again,” I continued. “He is going to the widely loathed temple and assisting with ceremonies to lessen my burden as the High Bishop. He sees Ehrenfest’s people with his own eyes and possesses the feelings necessary to both protect and live with them. Giebe Haldenzel acknowledges this as well.”

“But the same goes for you, Lady Rozemyne, does it not?” Giebe Leisegang asked, stroking his chin. “You displayed the talent necessary to overcome your poor reputation as one raised in the temple, dedicate yourself to Ehrenfest as the High Bishop, and protect the duchy’s people. In your compassion, you opened your heart even to orphans.”

Well, when you put it like that, I really do sound like a saint.

I could only listen in a daze, struggling to believe that he was referring to me. Hartmut must have been spreading his legends about me to that tune. In truth, I didn’t even want to think about it.

“Giebe Leisegang... there is one thing in particular that separates me from Wilfried,” I eventually said. “To me, this one thing makes it abundantly clear that he is better suited to becoming the next aub.”

“And what is that, exactly?” the giebe asked, leaning forward a bit. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me, but I merely rested a hand on my chest and smiled.

“My very life is dedicated to books and their creation. Making new paper as cheaply as possible, setting up more and more printing workshops... Everything that I do is for the sake of this solitary aim. Yes, my efforts are proving beneficial to the duchy right now, but I can assure you that I act only out of personal interest. I, unlike Wilfried, am driven only by my own selfish desires. I wish to create, read, and surround myself with books.”

“I... I see...” Giebe Leisegang replied. He allowed only the slightest amount of surprise to show on his face, but it was enough for me to guess what he was thinking. News of my book obsession had probably reached his ears some time ago, but only now did he realize its severity.

The tension in the air seemed to ease, allowing Wilfried to crack a smile. “How would Ehrenfest fare under Rozemyne, who always prioritizes her own wishes above all else?” he asked. “Not well, I would say, and ensuring that it does not come to pass is the challenge given to me as the next archduke. There is still much for me to learn, but I intend to put my all into it. Giebe Leisegang—you are Rozemyne’s most fervent supporter, which means you are able to help Rozemyne realize some ideas and convince her to give up on others. I request that you use this to guide Ehrenfest down a brighter path. It would be very heartening to have her blood relatives on my side.”

Wilfried... Didn’t you more or less just say that I would make a tyrant archduchess, and that the Leisegangs can only vouch for me to become the next aub if they learn to contain my rampages?!

I wasn’t sure how much of that little speech was genuine and how much was deliberately exaggerated, but it seemed that Giebe Leisegang hadn’t known about my... rampaging tendencies. Wilfried had succeeded in landing a critical hit on his spirit.

“I understand both of your positions,” the giebe said. “However, in either case, Leisegang is a fair distance from the city of Ehrenfest. The degree to which we can help is limited, but we will do what we can, if allowed.”

Despite having made it clear that he was my strongest backer only a moment ago, Giebe Leisegang was now taking a liberal step back and clarifying that there was only so much he could do.

“It’s just, erm... I will need to sway Grandfather’s unbreaking will first.” The giebe looked in the direction of what was presumably my great-grandfather’s room. “He was effectively made to eat dirt when Lady Gabriele married into the duchy, and he continued to suffer under Lady Veronica’s cold treatment. He has lived surrounded by hatred, and his heart has been hardened by it. I understand how he feels, as I experienced our province’s darkest days with him, but...”

Giebe Leisegang turned back to us, sighed, and then looked over all the gathered retainers with a half-smile. “There are now many Leisegangs among the archducal family’s retainers, but this was not the case five years ago. Ehrenfest winters are long and leave the north of the duchy frozen over, meaning the harvest of a southern province like ours is essential. We have used our mana to expand our farmland for generations, since long before Ehrenfest became the duchy it is today, and we have continued to protect our vast fields through the changing of the aubs through loyalty and marriages. We will remain loyal to the aub to protect our province, as we have done and shall always continue to do. In truth, my intention had been to express my loyalty to even Lady Veronica after Grandfather died.”

Wilfried stared at the giebe in disbelief. “But I was told that the Leisegangs hated Grandmother...”

“Very few people would feel otherwise about someone who treated them so poorly. However, she is still a member of the archducal family. Proclaiming our loyalty to protect our land is part of the Leisegang creed, and it remains in our best interests to continue it, even if our expressions do not come from the heart.”

Unlike his grandfather, who had stood among Ehrenfest’s top brass before being knocked down and mistreated when an archduke candidate from Ahrensbach married into the duchy, Giebe Leisegang had been mistreated from birth. He was fine with facing reality, displaying loyalty, and working on climbing his way up the ranks. His plan had been to secure bonds through marriage, perhaps having Sylvester take a Leisegang woman as his second wife, or marrying a Leisegang woman to whoever would be the next archduke.

“And then, everything changed,” the giebe continued. “Lady Veronica fell from power before Grandfather died, and as if by fate, Lady Rozemyne was baptized as Lord Karstedt’s daughter and promptly adopted by the archduke.”

It was when I gave everyone a blessing during my baptism and the aub adopted me that Grandpa Leisegang started getting all excited about glory returning to his house. My adoption meant that it was within my rights to become the next aub, and with the controversy surrounding Wilfried at the time, most nobles had assumed that Sylvester would give the position to me and make Wilfried my husband in order to tie his blood to mine.

The castle had gone through changes of such great substance that even giebes from faraway provinces had come to notice. These included a massive series of replacements for the scholars working in the castle, similar replacements for Wilfried’s retainers, the winter playroom being completely reworked, and Lord Ferdinand and I overseeing the sale of new toys and books.

“If you become the next aub, Lady Rozemyne, then it will mark the birth of a ruling Leisegang archduchess with none of Gabriele’s Ahrensbach blood. No sooner had Grandfather made the call than the Leisegang nobles previously scorned by Lady Veronica gathered and moved to back you.”

However, the Charlotte kidnapping incident had occurred soon after, and for the next two years, I was asleep in a jureve. There was no way for the Leisegangs to regain their former status without a figurehead to support. Great-Grandfather had apparently screamed, “Are there no gods?!” before falling unconscious, and quite some time had passed before he woke up again.

“Even while you were asleep, Ehrenfest continued to change,” the giebe said.

The Veronica faction was replaced, Leisegang nobles were assigned to increasingly important posts, and the mood in the air indicated that Wilfried and Charlotte would be competing for the aub seat. The Leisegangs had united to make me the next archduchess, but as there was no indication of when I might wake up again, there was no helping them drifting apart.

“But no sooner had we lost hope than your awakening was publicized, and you arrived for winter socializing.”

Upon hearing this news, Great-Grandfather had shouted, “The gods have returned! I will make Lady Rozemyne the next aub!”—only to then break into a coughing fit and end up bedridden. Still, none were against helping a blood relative become the next aub, and Giebe Leisegang once again got to work organizing the Leisegangs over winter socializing.

“Incidentally, Grandfather’s wish amounted to nothing when you and Lord Wilfried were engaged,” the giebe continued. “And with a Leisegang due to become the wife of the next archduke, it felt as though history was simply about to repeat itself.”

Ehrenfest was climbing higher up the duchy rankings each year, and now, duchies that had previously never looked our way were giving us their attention. Great-Grandfather had thus assumed that another archduke candidate from a greater duchy would once again come into the picture and force me from my position as the future first wife—that I would end up suffering in spite of everything I did to improve and bring wealth to Ehrenfest. His own prediction outraged him, and the hatred that he felt for Lady Gabriele and the aub of the time was instead directed at Wilfried and Sylvester.

In order to avoid a repeat of such a great tragedy, Great-Grandfather was set on ensuring that I become the next aub, no matter what. Some say that people grow more stubborn as they age, but on top of that, he was mostly bedridden, stuck in his own personal echo chamber, blind to the changes of the outside world. To me, it seemed that he was getting too carried away, but many of the older Leisegangs apparently still empathized with him.

“Grandfather’s fall from grace is the reason that his hatred for Ahrensbach runs so deep,” Giebe Leisegang explained. “Can you and Lord Wilfried cleanse those dark feelings inside him?”

Wilfried was on the receiving end of a very challenging look from the giebe, but he merely shrugged without looking too bothered. “The most I can do is meet and speak with him; I don’t know about cleansing any dark feelings. I can assure you, though—I have no intention of allowing such a tragic history to repeat itself.”

“Thank you.”

That’s nice and all, but... “cleanse” his hatred...? All of a sudden, he sounds like an evil spirit or something.

In the end, we scheduled a date for us to meet with Great-Grandfather. It was agreed that we should see him before we were due to become busy with Spring Prayer work, and with that, Giebe Leisegang turned to his attendants.

“Speaking of Spring Prayer,” I said, “does Leisegang hold the same kind of ceremony as Haldenzel?” I was aware that many giebes wanted to recreate the Haldenzel Miracle in their own provinces.

Giebe Leisegang shook his head. “Leisegang has lost its stage, so we cannot do as Haldenzel does.”

“Does this mean that Leisegang is one of the provinces that destroyed theirs?” I asked, frowning a little as I recalled the various problems that had arisen after I opened the bible to look for instructions on how to make the stage.

“No,” the giebe replied with a wry smile. “We did not destroy ours; we truly lost it at some point amid our long history.”

Leisegang had frequently changed its base of operations while establishing and growing its farmland. They had no records of their distant past, nor did they know where they had originally been situated, so they couldn’t even confirm whether or not the stage was destroyed.

“Are you okay with that?” I asked.

“The speed at which the snow melts can mean life or death to northern provinces such as Haldenzel. That is why the northern giebes despair over their stages being destroyed. Leisegang is in the south, however, and the snow has very little impact on our harvest.”

It seemed that the magic circle for summoning spring wasn’t very relevant down here. At most, having the snow melt earlier than usual was a pleasant bonus that would increase their harvest a little.

“Your chalices will more than suffice, Lady Rozemyne,” Giebe Leisegang concluded. “This year, we will once again be able to fulfill our duties as Ehrenfest’s breadbasket.”