Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.1 - Chapter 5

Practical: Divine Protections of the Gods

The aim of my afternoon practical was to obtain the divine protections of the gods. Doing this for the elemental aptitudes that one was born with made using spells of those elements that much easier. It was a very important class that was held right after third-years separated into their specialist courses.

We were going to be performing the practical one by one, at the shrine to the gods located at the back of the Royal Academy’s auditorium. Those of us who had passed the theology exam—which had required us to memorize the names of all the gods—were gathered together, no matter our status. Everyone from Ehrenfest had passed, so every single one of our third-years was here.

“This is going to be our first practical together, Lady Rozemyne,” Philine said, a smile playing on her lips as we made our way to the auditorium. She was right; every other practical up to this point had required us to be separated according to status.

It sure is cute seeing her so excited.

As I was enjoying the peaceful atmosphere, Philine rummaged through her things and then pulled out her diptych. “Hartmut instructed me to record what divine protections you obtain here.”

“Philine and I will be splitting the workload, so you can get protection from as many subordinates as you want,” Roderick proudly added as he took out his own diptych.

Hartmut! You huge, huge, huge dummy! Why would you tell them to do that?!

“There is no need for that,” I replied. “I shall scold Hartmut at a later date for wasting your time with such trifling requests.” It was hard to say what he was hoping for, but I was the only person who needed to know what protections I obtained. It wasn’t something for my retainers to be writing down.

The auditorium was filled with those taking this afternoon’s lesson. A simple glance showed that most were wearing either Drewanchel’s emerald-green capes or our own dark-yellow ones, with students of other colors being countable on a single hand. In total, our class numbered in the low twenties; memorizing the names of all the gods evidently wasn’t quite so easy.

As we approached the Ehrenfest group, I noticed that Wilfried and Ortwin were in mid-conversation. “What was all that about your duchy struggling to pass because so many of your students were sick?” the latter asked.

“My bad,” Wilfried replied. “Seems I tricked you without meaning to. But trust me, we were dealing with circumstances beyond our control. From this point on, Ehrenfest is going all out.” It was an excellent way of combining an apology with a taunt.

I decided to cheer Wilfried on in silence, not wanting to intrude upon this friendship between bros. As I gazed around the auditorium, I noticed the blue-caped Hannelore standing all alone. It seemed that she was the only Dunkelfelger third-year to have passed on the first day.

I would expect nothing less from my fellow bookworm!

“Lady Hannelore! How do you do?” I called, approaching her with a smile. She turned to me and smiled as well.

“How do you do, Lady Rozemyne? I see that everyone from Ehrenfest is here. How truly wonderful. I struggled so much trying to memorize the names of all the gods.”

“As did I.”

“Oh, really?” Hannelore asked, blinking in surprise.

“I was assigned to be High Bishop at the same time as my baptism, so I was given almost no time to learn the names of the gods used in the temple’s rituals. Even now, I remember my despair as I pored over the bible. It was only because of that experience that I found our class this morning rather easy.”

“To think you were made the High Bishop so soon...” Hannelore sighed, her expression clouding over as though to say, “I can’t believe they would put you in such a place.” It seemed that temples had a poor reputation even in Dunkelfelger.

Wait... Is this going to add to the rumor that Sylvester is a cruel aub? I should probably clarify... and it makes sense to start with those I can speak to directly.

“I do not know how the temple is viewed in other duchies, but it is a pleasant and comfortable place in Ehrenfest,” I said. “The aub visits it personally, and although Wilfried and Charlotte do not have official positions there, they assist with the rituals. Ferdinand was even reluctant to leave it when his engagement to Ahrensbach was decided.”

“The aub goes there, and Lord Ferdinand was reluctant to leave? Truly?” Hannelore asked, her eyes wandering to Philine and Roderick. She was clearly in disbelief, but I hadn’t told a single lie. Sylvester had infiltrated the temple as a blue priest and even attended Spring Prayer, while Ferdinand had loved holing up in his workshop to do research.

Philine nodded with a smile. “Roderick and I began visiting the temple after becoming Lady Rozemyne’s retainers. It is spotlessly clean, and the food is delicious as well. Not to mention, the attendants there are trained to the same level as the nobility.”

“Now that Lord Ferdinand has gone to Ahrensbach, we have Hartmut as our new High Priest,” Roderick added. “He has been visiting the temple quite eagerly.”

It occurred to me then that I needed to give Clarissa a letter. It was my duty as Hartmut’s lady to explain the circumstances surrounding his entering the temple and taking on his current position. The purge really had pushed so many other things from my memory.

“There seem to be noticeable differences between the temples in our duchies,” I said. “I will speak to Clarissa—who is engaged to Hartmut—about the details at a later date.”

“O-Oh. Certainly. I will inform her for you,” Hannelore said, maintaining a smile but blinking rapidly. Something had apparently thrown her mind into complete chaos, so I said a swift farewell and went on my way.

Well, hopefully that makes people reconsider those bad rumors about Sylvester, even if only a little.

Now that I was on my own again, I told Philine and Roderick to go over the names of the gods. “As one can only take this lesson after passing the theology exam, memorizing those names is more important than anything else,” I said. “I do not care about Hartmut’s request in the least; the two of you need to focus on yourselves.”

A noble’s elemental aptitudes were determined at birth. One generally had the element of one’s birth season, with the rest being influenced by the elements of one’s parents, so siblings tended to have similar elements.

One’s mana quantity also depended on the size of one’s vessel, which in turn depended on how much mana a pregnant mother channeled into her child. As a result, it wasn’t uncommon for there to be disparities even among siblings. One’s vessel grew along with one’s body, and one’s mana quantity depended on how much mana was compressed during one’s growth period.

“The divine protections you obtain have a considerable impact on what spells and what amount of mana you can use,” I said. “If you two are bemoaning your lack of aptitudes, I would recommend that you start praying carefully so that you can obtain them sooner rather than later. Okay?”

Wilfried, having finished talking with Ortwin, came over with a quizzical expression. “I know it’s said that acquiring divine protections and taking certain actions can give you more elements, but I’ve never heard of anyone in class getting divine protections from an element they didn’t already have.” This was news to me, but that wasn’t much of a surprise; I wasn’t exactly the most informed when it came to Royal Academy affairs.

“Still, the textbooks say that one can improve their elements, so it must be true,” I said. “Though I have heard of someone failing to obtain a divine protection despite having the necessary element.”

“What?! They had the aptitude but still couldn’t get divine protections?!” Wilfried exclaimed, shocked. “I’ve never heard of that happening before.”

It wasn’t something that had warranted mention before, entirely because it had never come up in conversation, but Angelica hadn’t been able to get one of her primary divine protections. It was such a rare occurrence that some people—Wilfried included, until just a moment ago—were unaware it could even happen.

“In truth... it was Angelica,” I said. “Despite having an aptitude for Wind, she failed to get divine protection for it. I’d understand her not getting a response from Mestionora the Goddess of Wisdom or Kunstzeal the Goddess of Art, but I find it so strange she couldn’t even get anything from Ordoschnelli the Goddess of Couriers or Steifebrise the Goddess of the Gale.”

Schutzaria was the symbol of protection and speed, associated in particular with the fast delivery of messages, so it was only natural that her subordinates were known for their swiftness. I had thought that Angelica would receive protection from them all, what with her light nature and speed-focused fighting style, but that hadn’t happened.

Philine paled. “What will I do if the gods of the one element I possess do not grant me their divine protections?” She was going to be appealing to Wind as well.

“There is nothing for you to worry about,” said none other than Hirschur, who was cackling to herself as she entered the room.

“What makes you so sure?” Philine asked, still clearly anxious.

“Because I know precisely why Angelica failed to obtain the protection she sought. I, too, was forced to assist with her studies as her dormitory supervisor.”

It seemed that dormitory supervisors had to take responsibility for students who were unable to pass during the winter term and needed to attend remedial classes in spring. Hirschur sighed and added that it had truly been a nightmare.

“Professor Hirschur, please do tell me why Angelica failed to receive the divine protection of Wind.”

“It was because she proved unable to remember the names of the gods and could not give the required prayer.”

“What...?”

That doesn’t make any sense. You need to have passed the test proving that you remember the names of all the gods before you can even take this class. What is Professor Hirschur saying?

“She may have been a season later than most everyone else, but Angelica took this class right after passing the exam retake, as is standard. She clearly experienced some kind of mental lapse, though I cannot be sure as to what actually happened. Perhaps she forgot all the names immediately after the test because she thought she no longer had need for them, or perhaps she only vaguely remembered them to begin with. It could be that she expended all her energy remembering the prayer itself. Only the gods know. But in the end, she failed to say the names upon the magic circle. She merely waited there with her head tilted to one side.”

Oh nooo... I can totally imagine Angelica getting into her “oh dear” pose atop the magic circle.

I could also picture Hirschur standing beside the magic circle with her head in her hands. Even when working together, those of us in the Raise Angelica’s Grades Squadron had struggled to get Angelica to pass. I could only imagine how much Hirschur had suffered on her own.

“So if one can’t say the names of the gods correctly, they won’t receive their protections?” Wilfried asked.

“The gods must not want to assist those who cannot even remember their names,” Hirschur replied. “I cannot express how relieved I am that Angelica was able to graduate—even if only due to Lady Rozemyne’s influence as her lady.”

Hirschur then moved to the front of the room. She and Gundolf, an old man who was both her research buddy and rival, were our professors for this class. Maybe they had been selected because most of the students here were from Ehrenfest and Drewanchel.

“Aah. Not many people here today,” Gundolf said. “Everyone, move up to the front.”

We all did as instructed—and instinctively sat in order of our duchies’ rankings. This made the unusual fact that everyone from Ehrenfest had passed even more apparent.

“Now, bring it here,” Hirschur said.

A man dressed like a servant stepped forward with Hirschur’s magic tool—the same projector thing she had used for last year’s class. She set it up, then turned around to face us all.

“Now then—I shall explain the ritual for receiving the divine protections of the gods.”

To summarize, one had to start by memorizing the prayer. Those who were quickest to memorize it would perform the ritual first. Only one person was going to be allowed to enter the Farthest Hall with the shrine at a time, to prevent distractions, and everyone else could use the extra time to study for tomorrow’s written lesson. Those who finished their ritual would be allowed to leave.

“This is the prayer,” Hirschur said, then used her magic tool to project the words onto some white cloth. I was nervous at first, but the tension quickly drained from my body when I saw the words that were written.

It’s basically the same prayer as always. “I am one who offers prayer and gratitude to the gods who have created the world. O mighty King and Queen of the endless skies, O mighty Eternal Five who rule the mortal realm, O Goddess of Water Flutrane, O God of Fire Leidenschaft, O Goddess of Wind Schutzaria, O Goddess of Earth Geduldh, O God of Life Ewigeliebe. We honor you who have blessed all beings with life, and pray that we may be blessed further with your divine might...”

The main difference was that this prayer, unlike those for the Dedication Ritual and Mana Replenishment, also included the names of the subordinate gods. The speaker then had to conclude with the line: “Let me be granted the protection of those divinities who grace my prayers with their approval.”

“That’s surprisingly simple,” I observed.

“Sure, it’s just like the Mana Replenishment prayer, but can you really call it simple?” Wilfried asked. “You can’t make a single mistake when repeating it.”

Now that he mentioned it, I noticed that everyone around us was mumbling to themselves as they attempted to memorize the prayer. To my surprise, even Ortwin and Hannelore were wearing hard expressions, despite them being from the archducal families of greater duchies and presumably used to helping with Mana Replenishment.

Well, that was no reason for me to waste any more time. I stood up at once and said, “Professor Hirschur, I have memorized the prayer.”

All eyes fell on me, and Hirschur gave an exasperated sigh. “Lady Rozemyne, is this not much too soon?” she asked.

“I mean, I am the High Bishop. This is almost identical to the prayer I usually give at the temple, but with a few more words added on.”

“Is that so?” she asked. Everyone was now blinking in surprise.

I nodded with a smile, hoping that my efforts would improve everyone’s opinions of the temple. “The prayer is also similar to the one given when performing Mana Replenishment on the foundational magic, so I would not consider it strange for an archduke candidate to have memorized it so quickly.”

“A prayer when performing Mana Replenishment?” Ortwin said. “As far as I’m aware, there’s no such thing.”

Hannelore nodded in agreement.

Wilfried exchanged a glance with me, then turned back to Ortwin. “The aub, my sisters, and I—in Ehrenfest, we all pray while performing Mana Replenishment. Is that not the case in Drewanchel or Dunkelfelger?”

“In Drewanchel, it’s uncommon for us to perform Mana Replenishment at all, since we have so many adults in our archducal family... but when we do perform it, all we do is put our hands on and channel our mana into the magic circle. I’ve never said a prayer for it.”

Hirschur clapped her hands together and said, “Let us leave it at that,” interrupting Wilfried and Ortwin’s increasingly heated conversation. “Perhaps the practice changed over the long history of your duchies. We can discuss the possible merits of researching this further after class. First, memorize the prayer.”

Nobody was talking about researching it, though...

Hirschur and Gundolf were both grinning. I had something of a bad feeling about this, but before I could dwell on the matter any further, Hirschur gestured me over.

“Okay, Lady Rozemyne. This way.”

Hirschur took me to the shrine in the Farthest Hall through a door in the back of the auditorium, leaving Gundolf to oversee the other students. It was larger than the shrine in the temple’s chapel, but the setup was the same—statues of the gods, and the same red carpet used for the Dedication Ritual. Offerings such as flowers and incense were also prepared, so, excluding the lack of chalices, it was basically identical to what I was used to. The biggest change was the large carpet embroidered with a magic circle of all the elements. Praying there would most likely send mana to the shrine.

“I just need to kneel in the center of the circle and pray, right?” I asked.

“Indeed. You always save me the need to waste time with explanations.”

I stepped into the circle and faced the shrine, as I would for the Dedication Ritual, then knelt down. I placed my hands on the circle and slowly began channeling mana into it.

“I am one who offers prayer and gratitude to the gods who have created the world...”

I went on to invoke the supreme gods and the Eternal Five. Each name that passed my lips caused the circle to shine brighter and a beam of the respective element’s color to shoot up from the appropriate symbol.

“Light for all of the elements... Could it be...?” Hirschur mumbled, shocked. The room was so quiet that I could very clearly hear what she was saying.

I continued to channel mana into the circle while carefully listing the name of each subordinate god. By the time I was done, about half of the names had produced a reaction. Each one had made the light shine brighter and the elemental pillars grow taller. All that remained was the last line of the prayer.

“Let me be granted the protection of those divinities who grace my prayers with their approval.”

Light from the seven elemental pillars shot up into the air above my head, flashing and spinning together in what looked to be a boisterous dance. The light then rained down upon me and flowed across the red carpet, each color being sucked into its respective statue.

I gazed up in awe, taken aback by the divine beauty of the display—then a low rumbling caught my attention. The statues began to spin as if performing a dedication whirl, all the while moving to either side of the shrine.

“Wha? Wha-wa-wa?! Professor Hirschur, what’s going on?!” I asked, turning back to her. She was looking up at the shrine with an expression that made it hard to tell whether she was surprised.

“It’s entirely like what happened during Ferdinand’s ritual. I somewhat anticipated this, but to think it actually came to be...”

“This happened with Ferdinand too?” I asked.

“Indeed. He looked up with a curious expression and said something along the lines of ‘Hm, is this not one of the mysteries passed down in the Royal Academy?’ It was then that he began to investigate them all.”

Ferdinand and Hirschur sure are tough to surprise, huh? It must take a lot of composure to think about research in the face of something so bizarre.

Hirschur pointed at the altar and said, “They are about finished.” Indeed, it looked entirely as though the statues, after having twirled and twirled, had created a path for me. And now that the supreme King and Queen had moved, there was a hole visible in the mosaic-patterned wall. “Go forth, Lady Rozemyne.”

“Um... where?”

“To the distant heights, as per your invitation from the two supreme gods.”

Her phrasing made it sound entirely as though I was headed to the afterlife. I wished that she would be less ominous, but before I could say anything—

“If you do not hurry, the hole will not close, and you will inconvenience the next student. You may use your highbeast. Just be quick.”

Hirschur was practically shooing me away, so I produced Lessy and went to the top of the staircase where the two supreme gods were waiting. I didn’t have the stamina to reach the entrance myself.

After reaching the top of the stairs, I climbed out of my Pandabus. The supreme gods had originally been holding hands in what had appeared to be a romantic gesture, but now that they were apart, they were pointing to the way forward.

Entering the square hole was very much like going into the Mana Replenishment hall—I needed to pass through an iridescent film, similar in appearance to an oil slick, that was wavering in empty space. I couldn’t tell what was beyond it, and, like my first time entering the Mana Replenishment hall, my whole body tensed up as I stepped through.

“C-Coming in...” I called.

The moment I passed through the iridescent barrier, my environment changed. I was suddenly standing on a circle of pure-white stone, at the center of which was a giant white tree seemingly made of the same material. Its trunk stretched up into the heavens, its branches were splayed wide, and through its leaves streamed gentle light.

I remembered this scenery.

“This is...”

It was the white plaza where I had obtained my Divine Will. I already had my schtappe, so there wasn’t anything new here. The big white tree was just as big and white as ever.

“Hm... Students used to get their schtappes and divine protections at the same time—when graduating. Maybe they found their schtappes here incidentally after getting their protections?”

Maybe the intended way of things was for someone to spend their days studying and praying until they came of age and stopped growing—and only then would they receive their schtappe and protections.

“Though, well... that doesn’t mean anything to me. I guess Ferdinand got his schtappe here when he was a third-year?”

I watched the white plaza for a while... but nothing happened. I decided to return to the shrine through the iridescent film, feeling a little annoyed. Had I come this way when getting my Divine Will, then I wouldn’t have ended up collapsing.

That walk was super long. Like, seriously.

I gazed down from the top of the shrine and saw both Hirschur and the magic circle.

Hm... I could copy out that magic circle. Would that give Angelica a second chance to perform the ritual, I wonder?

Perhaps I could even modify the prayer to help her get the divine protection of Wind, making it so that she only needed to memorize the goddesses overseeing speed and whatever else she wanted. With that in mind, I took out my diptych and recorded the magic circle before descending the stairs.

The opening closed as soon as I exited the circle, and the statues of the gods began returning to their original places. It was a slow but steady process.

“What a strange sight,” I said. “Does this not happen to everyone who does the ritual...?”

“I have only seen it happen with you and Ferdinand. You both truly are out of the ordinary,” Hirschur said—though she didn’t look at all surprised. “Now, Lady Rozemyne—Ferdinand would not tell me what he found in there, but I trust that you will tell me everything.”

It seemed that only the person who performed the prayer could ascend the shrine, so, after watching Ferdinand do the ritual, Hirschur had only been able to wait and stew. To make matters worse for her, he had remained completely silent about what he had seen.

Hirschur was peering down at me, her purple eyes alive with excitement, but I returned a harsh stare. “Do you think I would just go and tell you when Ferdinand determined it best not to?” I said. “I will consult him first before doing anything.”

Looks like it’s time to put my disappearing ink to use. To think I’d need it on my very first day of class, though... Isn’t that a bit much?

Hirschur looked at me, shook her head, and then muttered in disappointment. “Ferdinand was always stubborn about the strangest things...”