Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 4.9 - Chapter SS3

Out of Time

“You aren’t paying attention to your surroundings, Matthias,” Laurenz said. “Your mind needs to be focused on the hunt. Aren’t you the one always telling me that?”

I couldn’t deny that I was at fault—I had allowed a feybeast on the larger side to distract me and subsequently missed a smaller feybeast that had managed to get behind me. I sighed and turned around, brushing aside my bangs.

“My apologies, Laurenz. Thanks for the assist.”

I had arrived at the Royal Academy early, now a fifth-year, and then ventured out to gather materials with Laurenz, now a fourth-year, as soon as he arrived. Ehrenfest’s gathering spot had been rich with mana ever since Lady Rozemyne regenerated it with a blessing, and the materials it produced now tended to have either numerous elements or plentiful mana.

Of course, this increase in the quality of materials also meant that the feybeasts coming to eat them were stronger than usual. Laurenz and I had come alone, assuming that things would be the same as last year, but it was clear now that we would want another helper or two for our next visit.

“We’ve got a decent haul, so let’s call it a day. What’s on your mind, anyway?” Laurenz asked, swiping his schtappe sword through the air to make it disappear and then fixing me with a hard stare. I could see the exasperation in his orange eyes as he started stuffing his ingredients into a leather pouch.

I put my own ingredients into my pouch, produced my highbeast, and then jumped onto it. “This whole name-swearing thing...” I replied. “Did your parents not demand that you offer up your name, Laurenz?”

“They did, but I followed your advice and evaded the subject by saying that I would do it after coming of age,” Laurenz said, sounding annoyed, as he climbed atop his own highbeast.

My father had similarly ordered me to offer my name to Lady Georgine, but Laurenz and I were still growing our mana using the compression method that my father had learned from Lady Georgine. In most cases, it was better to wait until you came of age and your mana stopped growing before offering your name, since you could then gather and use ingredients that were best suited to your final mana quantity. Of course, waiting was less important if you already had materials that you were very unlikely to outgrow—as had been the case for Roderick, who had received ingredients of very high quality from the ternisbefallen hunt.

In truth, Laurenz and I had received some high-quality ingredients from the hunt as well, but we were keeping that a secret from our parents to delay ourselves having to make a decision.

“You met Lady Georgine in the summer, right?” Laurenz asked. “What’d you think?”

“I thought, well... ‘That’s my father’s lady for you.’”

Lady Georgine’s visit had taken place after the midpoint of summer. Laurenz’s parents had actively hosted meals and tea parties in the Noble’s Quarter during her stay, but Laurenz had been made to hold the fort in their absence, so he hadn’t actually met with Lady Georgine.

I had similarly been left behind in Gerlach, but Lady Georgine had stayed at our estate for a night during her frantic return to Ahrensbach, which had given me an opportunity to see her. The whole visit had been treated as a spur-of-the-moment decision, but the fact that a room had already been ready for her upon her arrival suggested that it had been planned well in advance—as did the fact that my father had returned home by highbeast before Lady Georgine had even departed from the castle in Ehrenfest.

On the day that Lady Georgine arrived, the nobles who had given their name to her gathered in my family estate. It was a secret meeting of very few people, all of whom had arrived on highbeasts without any attendants. I was not permitted to join them, since I had yet to give Lady Georgine my name, and my father had ordered me to stay in my room.

Incidentally, Lady Georgine had known that I was an honor student and wished to meet me. Father had immediately contacted my attendant, who had dressed me at once and then brought me along to this meeting of adherents.

By the time I arrived, everyone had already finished eating and moved to our estate’s parlor. The fireplace was lit for some reason, despite it being the end of summer, and I could hear the occasional crackle of burning wood. The adherents had formed a circle around Lady Georgine, who was wearing a gentle smile; it was clear at a glance that she was their sworn lady.

All of a sudden, the eyes of every person in the room fell on me. I nervously stepped forward, knelt before Lady Georgine as politely as I could, and said, “I am Giebe Gerlach’s son, Matthias. May I pray for a blessing in appreciation of this serendipitous meeting, ordained by the vibrant summer rays of Leidenschaft the God of Fire?”

“You may.”

After I gave the blessing and we finished our initial greetings, Lady Georgine reached toward me. The next thing I knew, her cold fingers were stroking my temple.

“I much appreciate skilled children who know the value of hard work. Grausam, you have raised a fine son,” she said, her oh-so-red lips curving into a grin. Her sweet aroma numbed my senses and made my head spin. Her narrowed, dark-green eyes contained a darkness of unfathomable depth, sending a shiver down my spine. Despite the warmth of the room, my blood ran cold in my veins.

I recognize those eyes.

They looked just as insane as my father’s as he sought to serve his lady with maddening determination. She was facing me as she spoke, but her gaze was locked onto something else entirely. It was as though she looked straight through me—and everyone else, for that matter. Her only focus was her objective, and, while I didn’t know what that objective was, my instincts told me that she was someone to fear.

“Your praise honors me,” my father replied. “I did not expect Matthias to grow into such a fine young man myself, but being wrong is sometimes a blessing.” He actually sounded proud, which was strange, considering that I couldn’t remember him ever complimenting me before.

I could only listen in silence, continuing to kneel with my head bowed low. I couldn’t understand why my father placed Lady Georgine at the center of his universe.

Gah. I want to go back to my room already.

Unfortunately, I was forced to stay at the meeting. There was no way for me to leave—especially not after what Lady Georgine said next, her bewitching smile never faltering.

“Attention, everyone. I have a wonderful announcement. It seems that, after all this time, I will soon be able to obtain Ehrenfest’s foundation.”

“Truly?!” Father exclaimed. “You have removed all obstacles?”

“No, not yet. But I am close. Oh so close...”

Lady Georgine went on to explain that her movements were still quite limited, owing to her being Aub Ahrensbach’s wife, but that she would return to obtain Ehrenfest’s foundation as soon as he passed away. Owning the foundation made one the aub. In other words, if she were to secure the foundation and then take Lord Sylvester’s life, she would automatically become the next Aub Ehrenfest.

“I will return to Ehrenfest without fail,” she said. “May I trust you to make all the necessary preparations, Grausam?”

“I shall succeed without fail. I await your return with bated breath,” Father said, his voice dripping with emotion as he accepted a letter from Lady Georgine. It was my first time seeing him so overcome with joy.

“I will need excellent retainers in Ehrenfest,” Lady Georgine continued.

“My son Matthias has vowed to offer his name upon coming of age. He wishes to aid you from the bottom of his heart, Lady Georgine, so I am certain he will serve you well.”

“Oh my. When he comes of age?” Lady Georgine asked, turning to look at me. Her tone was joyous, but her dark-green eyes were anything but. They were scrutinizing my every move—my every reaction.

Feeling crushed beneath the weight of her gaze, I repeated the reasoning that I had given to Father. “I am growing my mana using your mana compression method, Lady Georgine, but as of yet, I do not have suitable ingredients. Once this growth ceases, I wish to gather ingredients anew. Will you accept my name then, my lady?”

“My, my... I see. Your mana has grown so much that the ingredients you gathered last year will no longer suffice. As one would expect from an honor student. Of course I shall accept your name, Matthias. I look forward to seeing how much more you grow.”

The atmosphere of the room was bizarre and mystical. It was crucial that I keep my wits about me at all times, else I feared that it would suck me in with Lady Georgine’s adherents. I balled my hands into tight fists as I endured, never letting my noble smile falter for a moment.

“So we have until we come of age...” Laurenz said with a sigh as we flew through the air. “Looks like fate’s demanding that we give our names to Aub Ehrenfest. The problem is, we don’t know whether that’ll be Lord Sylvester or Lady Georgine.”

I couldn’t have agreed more. We children of the former Veronica faction had two options: separate from our houses and give our names to the current archducal family, or stick with our houses and give our names to Lady Georgine.

“Both of my brothers gave their names to Lady Georgine during her visit,” I said. “They’ll probably take after Father and dedicate their lives to serving her. I can’t make that decision yet, but who’s to say that she won’t suddenly turn the tables on Lord Sylvester, in the same way that he suddenly turned the tables on Lady Veronica? All the more so if she knows she can get the foundation.”

I could serve the current archducal family or wait for Lady Georgine to return and serve her instead... In truth, choosing a side seemed absolutely impossible.

“All I know is, Father is serious about ensuring that Lady Georgine becomes the next Aub Ehrenfest. He had some kind of plan back in the autumn.”

“Really?”

“I can’t say for sure... They’re leaving me in the dark, since I didn’t offer my name to Lady Georgine.”

My noticing really had been a coincidence. Father had summoned me while preparing for winter socializing—and while he was ordering me to acquire honor student grades at the Royal Academy next year for Lady Georgine’s sake, I noticed a bright light come from a small teleportation circle. A moment later, something tiny bundled in cloth appeared above it.

It wasn’t particularly rare for things to be teleported over while we were gathering our things from throughout Gerlach for winter socializing. However, there was something about this particular instance that stood out to me. The cloth that had appeared was very similar to that used by Lady Rozemyne, and it didn’t look like anything that was usually teleported to Father’s room.

“I have received the package. Get rid of the circle at once,” Father said to an ordonnanz, then picked up the tiny bundle—small enough to hold in one hand—with a satisfied grin. He looked as pleased as he had upon hearing that Lady Georgine was due to return.

Father immediately sent the bundle away via another teleporter, then prepared a second ordonnanz. “As soon as you receive the package, burn the circle,” he said.

“This is Bettina,” came a response. “I have received the package, Giebe Gerlach.”

Upon hearing this, without a moment’s hesitation, Father burned both of his circles.

“What a waste...” I muttered on instinct. Making teleportation circles required a variety of materials.

Father shot me a cold, exasperated glare. “You must not leave loose ends, Matthias. Once something has served its purpose, destroy it. Ah, I suppose that I no longer need this either...” He took a feystone from a nearby drawer, then used his mana to reduce it to dust. It was a feystone linked to a submission ring. Somewhere, one of Father’s soldiers had just died.

“He seemed to have sent a small bundle to Lady Bettina,” I said. “Do you know anything about that, Laurenz? Her husband is your brother, Lord Freuden, right?”

“Not a thing. They moved out after getting married. That said... I heard that she sent a few things back home to help with winter preparations. Ahrensbach’s mana shortage is really harsh, apparently.”

“In which case, she might have sent that tiny bundle to Ahrensbach. I don’t know what Father had planned, but whatever it was, he might have succeeded. He’s cautious and always adds layers of insurance to everything he does.”

I wasn’t sure how far Father’s plan to make Lady Georgine the aub had progressed, but he had been in a good mood before my departure for the Royal Academy, so I could guess that it was going well.

“What’s your plan, Matthias? Going to give your name to Lady Georgine?”

“Don’t think I can do anything but wait... I don’t have enough information to choose a side, nor do I know how the situation is going to develop.”

There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that Father was planning to assassinate Lord Sylvester; the seat of aub needed to be empty for Lady Georgine to return right away. I didn’t know the details, since I hadn’t given Lady Georgine my name, but Father often summoned my brothers to his room, where they spoke about plans I wasn’t privy to.

“And you’re not going to tell Lady Rozemyne or the aub about this?” Laurenz asked.

“To be honest, I’m agonizing over it as we speak.”

If my father’s intention had been to assassinate the aub and throw Ehrenfest into chaos, then I would have done everything in my power to resist Lady Georgine—even give my name to the archducal family. But, apparently, Lady Georgine had the means to obtain the foundation. And if she actually managed it, a new aub would rise to power, and my father and I would thrive as her vassals.

Above all else, if Lord Sylvester was to be discarded for the sake of a new government—in the same way that Lady Veronica had been discarded before him—then there was no reason for me to go as far as to renounce my family and give my name to the archducal family.

“Bear in mind that it would affect your family too,” I said. “Are you really prepared to renounce them when we still don’t know how things will turn out?”

“I like Ehrenfest as it is right now, with Lord Wilfried and Lady Rozemyne bringing everyone together. I doubt the first wife of another duchy will make things any better.”

I visualized the archducal family. Apart from Lady Detlinde, Lady Georgine’s children were all already married. Even if she intended to adopt a successor after becoming the next Aub Ehrenfest, she would want to use her blood ties with Lord Wilfried, Lady Charlotte, and Lord Melchior to form connections with other duchies. At the very least, their lives wouldn’t be in danger.

But the same can’t be said for Lady Rozemyne...

I could see her so clearly in my mind—her hair the color of the night sky, and her golden eyes looking straight at me. Not only did she have beauty beyond her youth, but she also had a sizable mana quantity and had come first-in-class two years in a row. She had introduced various trends, done a great deal to raise the next generation, and treated everyone like family, whether friend or foe. All in all, she was a model archducal family member.

Roderick had been a member of the former Veronica faction, but she had taken him as a retainer after he offered his name. I had asked him how things were going in the playroom, and, with a pleased smile, he had said that she was treating him well.

“Father says that Lady Rozemyne is a commoner who only became an apprentice blue shrine maiden through trickery,” I said. “I’m worried that she won’t be treated well if Lady Georgine becomes the next aub.”

“Sounds like you’re going to have a bad taste in your mouth no matter who you choose to side with...” Laurenz muttered, scratching his dark-green hair.

I replied with a firm nod. Laurenz and I were in a similar situation, considering that both our parents had given their names to Lady Georgine. Depending on who we gave our names to, our actions would greatly influence the other children of the former Veronica faction—and, by extension, the very future of Ehrenfest.

“I want to secure a little more time so that I can see what Father and Lady Georgine do next,” I said, then exchanged a nod with Laurenz just as we arrived back at the dormitory.

Today, Lord Wilfried and Lady Rozemyne were scheduled to arrive at the Royal Academy. We headed to the common room to welcome them, since archducal candidates passed the time there while waiting for their rooms to be prepared.

Back at home, we always had to be conscious of even the smallest shifts in faction politics. Here at the Royal Academy, however, things were a lot more comfortable—all because Lady Rozemyne had managed to break down faction barriers.

“Lord Wilfried has arrived,” came a voice.

I blinked in surprise; the proper order would have been for Lady Rozemyne to arrive first. And it seemed that I wasn’t the only one who found this odd—everyone began looking around questioningly to see who knew what.

Has she fallen ill again?

One student stepped forward. “Lord Wilfried, why has Lady Rozemyne not come? Is she in poor health?”

“No, she will be here soon,” he replied. “I was scheduled to leave first so that she could carry out the final checks on some books we’re bringing. She’s going to be in charge of them henceforth. There shouldn’t be any problems, considering the scholars who prepared them, but we want to be extra careful.”

He let out a sigh, then gazed around the common room. His smile didn’t reach his eyes, which were noticeably cautious. It was an expression rarely seen here in the Royal Academy, where faction politics was so much less prevalent—the same look he had given those of us from the former Veronica faction while Lady Rozemyne had been asleep in her jureve.

Well, it looks like we’re in danger.

I swallowed hard. I didn’t know much about what Father had planned, but it clearly wasn’t being kept in the shadows. He had done something that impacted the archducal family directly—and they had deduced that the culprit was in the former Veronica faction.

Did something happen to Lord Sylvester?

I struggled to believe that my excessively cautious father would have been so careless as to leave any evidence behind, but the wariness with which Lord Wilfried was watching us spoke volumes.

“Matthias. Seems we don’t have much more time to think things over,” Laurenz whispered from where he was sitting beside me, his lips barely moving at all. He was wearing the smile of one welcoming an archduke candidate, but I could tell that he shared in my panic.

I gave a small nod in response.

Soon enough, there came another announcement: “Lady Rozemyne has arrived.” It was just as Lord Wilfried had said.

We had anxiously awaited Lady Rozemyne’s return, hoping that she would save us. After all, she had extended a hand to us when we were suffering from isolation and turned everyone’s focus outward to competing with other duchies instead...

However, the retainers surrounding Lady Rozemyne looked as guarded as Lord Wilfried. Her guard knights, in particular, made the atmosphere as tense as it had been during the Feast of Beginnings. Back then, I had assumed that the strain was because I had been beside my father, the center of the former Veronica faction... but now I wasn’t so sure. It just didn’t make sense.

Worst of all, rather than telling her guards to stand down, Lady Rozemyne was merely watching us with a look of concern.

I thought that something might have happened to Lord Sylvester, but... was it actually Lady Rozemyne who was targeted...?

If the archducal family had evidence of my father’s plot and was going to punish us by association, then I had no idea how many children of the former Veronica faction would survive. Of course, this meant that I was at risk as well. A part of me had assumed that Lady Rozemyne would protect those of us who weren’t involved in any wrongdoing. She evaluated us more fairly than any other member of the archducal family, so if even she was turning her back on us, then our futures were very bleak indeed.

What can I do...?

I clenched my fists on my lap. If the archducal family did possess evidence of some kind, then I couldn’t afford to hesitate. The aub had seen us off on our way to the Royal Academy, so I was confident that we would be safe until the end of the term. But after that? It was unlikely.

It’s all on me... Everyone’s futures depend on my next move.

I instinctively looked at Laurenz. It was clear at a glance that, like me, he was feeling sick to his stomach. We had run out of time before we knew it.

“What say we do all that we can to survive, Laurenz?”

“You took the words right out of my mouth.”

We would seem more trustworthy if we took the initiative, rather than waiting to be summoned. Again, I didn’t know what father’s plan had entailed, but I was aware that Lady Georgine knew what she needed to claim the duchy’s foundation. Would that information be enough to save all of our lives?

No... I’ll make it enough.

“Lord Wilfried, Lady Rozemyne,” I said, balling my fists even more tightly as I slowly rose to my feet. Just the act of standing up seemed to raise tensions even higher, though, so I promptly knelt and crossed my arms in front of my chest. “I have been restlessly awaiting this opportunity to speak without interference from parents or factions. There is something I must tell you about the Goddess of Chaos, who comes to bring unrest to Ehrenfest.”

Lord Wilfried and Lady Rozemyne looked at me with wide eyes. Their retainers seemed much less taken aback; rather, it was like they had obtained confirmation of some kind, and they were watching me through narrowed eyes as if not wanting to miss even the smallest detail. It was just as I suspected: Father or Lady Georgine had done something to the archducal family.

“It is up to you whether you believe my next words,” I continued, “but I wish to tell you everything I know. We may have parents of the former Veronica faction, but we are Ehrenfest nobles above all else. We are loyal to Aub Ehrenfest first and foremost.”

Rozemyne lowered her golden eyes, filled with concern and surprise, then looked back up at me. In the span of such a brief moment, her gaze had turned calm and quiet.

“I shall listen, Matthias,” she said.

I swallowed, then glanced at the children of the former Veronica faction behind me. “There is one thing I must ask first. My loyalty remains unfaltering, but... will Aub Ehrenfest treat us as Ehrenfest nobles?”

“What do you mean?” Lord Wilfried asked.

“Is it still the case that he will permit us to leave our families’ influence if we offer our names to the archducal family?” I asked in turn, staring intently at both him and Lady Rozemyne.

“It is. Those who offer their names will readily be accepted as retainers, even those of the former Veronica faction,” he said firmly. “At the very least, the aub and I will welcome you.”

Lady Rozemyne nodded. “If you were to offer your names to the archducal couple rather than us archduke candidates, then they would accept any name-swearing stones prepared before the Interduchy Tournament.”

“In that case... may I offer my name to you as well, Lady Rozemyne?”

The two archduke candidates didn’t seem at all surprised by my request, nor did their retainers. The reaction instead came from the other students.

As the stir continued, Lady Rozemyne raised a hand to stop her retainers, then stepped forward. “Of course, Matthias; I am prepared to accept even Giebe Gerlach’s son,” she said. In contrast to when she had hesitated over accepting Roderick’s stone, she now looked at me head-on, a strong light in her golden eyes.

Roderick was smiling at his lady from where he stood beside her. Seeing the pride that was positively radiating from him made me certain that my resolve wasn’t misplaced.

I cast my eyes downward and exhaled slowly as the faces of my family drifted through my mind. There were my brothers, so pridefully offering their names; my father, overcome with emotion while speaking to his lady; my mother, wearing such a dreamy smile... Their happiness depended on Lady Georgine. Had she enraptured me as she had them, then maybe those feelings would have been enough.

But I wanted to serve Lady Rozemyne.

I’m sorry, Father. My path is different from yours.

I shot my head up and looked around the common room. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me, but I steeled my resolve and said, “Lady Georgine came to my estate on her way back to Ahrensbach.”

From there, I revealed everything I knew without a care for the time or place. I needed to inform the other children of the former Veronica faction of the dangerous position they were all in and reinforce the impression that I had been impatiently waiting for the archduke candidates to arrive.