Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.10 - Chapter 6

The Road to the Garden of Beginnings

“Lord Ferdinand, where are you going?!” Cornelius cried.

This was neither the time nor place to explain the details, so Ferdinand took to the sky without so much as a response. Heisshitze and my knights were quick to follow, which didn’t seem very wise; we were about to unleash a burst of powerful magic.

“Take cover under the ivory buildings!” Ferdinand shouted. “Or if you insist on coming with us, fly higher than we do! You will die if you linger between us and our target!”

He then accelerated, continuing his ascent. I wanted to turn around to see if anyone was still following us, but that wasn’t an option right now; I squeezed the reins tight so that I wouldn’t fall.

First bell rang as we continued toward the sky—a single chime that reached the entire Royal Academy. The sun had yet to rise.

“Rozemyne—use Leidenschaft’s spear,” Ferdinand instructed once we were high enough to look over the entire Academy. He made his schtappe into a one-handed sword, then began filling it with mana.

“The spear?” I repeated.

“Yes. Pour a tremendous amount of mana into it. Then, at my signal, close your eyes and throw it downward. No matter how poor your throwing arm might be, there is no way for you to miss; the magic circle covers the entire Royal Academy.”

I wouldn’t have the slightest bit of trouble pouring mana into Leidenschaft’s spear. But when it came to actually throwing the thing...

He’s right. My aim leaves a lot to be desired. But was that little jab really necessary?! Just because a statement is true doesn’t make it any less hurtful.

“Lord Ferdinand, what are you doing?!”

“Please stop him, Lady Rozemyne!”

Cries rang out while Ferdinand prepared to swing his mana-filled sword; some of our tagalongs must have caught up to us. They were mostly my knights, but I noticed a few blue capes as well. Ferdinand gazed down at them and muttered, “If only they listened as well as Eckhart.”

In truth, I thought that was a pretty unreasonable expectation. Eckhart was so devoted to Ferdinand that he obeyed the man’s every word; I doubted anyone else would measure up to him.

“I warned you of the danger,” Ferdinand called. “Hurry up and get above us. Or were you hoping to die?”

The knights blanched and did as they were told. Ferdinand waited until they were a safe distance away from us, grumbling all the while that this was a waste of the precious little time we had. His repeated displays of anger revealed just how anxious he must have been feeling.

“Don’t do anything until they’re all above us,” I said. “I will stop you if you endanger my guard knights.”

“I would never do something so cruel.”

Heisshitze asked what we were doing as he passed us, but again, Ferdinand refused to answer. He shook his sword and said, “I see no reason to humor your questions. Get as far away from us as you can. Now, Rozemyne—begin.”

“Right!” I exclaimed.

I closed my eyes, formed my schtappe, and cast lanze. Though I couldn’t see the spear, I felt its shaft appear in my hand. I channeled my mana into it, and it wasn’t long before the weapon started to crackle.

“That will do,” Ferdinand said. “Drop it.”

“Lord Ferdinand?!”

“Lady Rozemyne! Stop!”

Two panicked cries came from above, but our hands were tied. If we didn’t activate the magic circle and go to the Garden of Beginnings, Gervasio would obtain his own Book of Mestionora. I couldn’t let someone who would massacre Ahrensbach’s nobles for feystones and kidnap young women become the next king of Yurgenschmidt.

I need to stop him!

At last, I released the spear I was holding. It fell through the air like a blue shooting star piercing the otherwise gloomy night sky. Then my stomach dropped as Ferdinand took us into a steep dive, almost like he was chasing the light. He used the momentum to swing his sword down.

The attack unleashed a bright burst of rainbow mana that zipped through the air fast enough to catch up with my spear. Their mana mixed together; then there was an explosive boom and a sharp crackling sound as the projectile smashed into its target. In mere moments, the magic circle went from being a faint presence to a dazzling spectacle. Light shot from its center in a vast pillar that seemed to connect it with the sky.

That’s the divine color of Wind! Mestionora?!

I remembered seeing the same light when I obtained my Book of Mestionora in the Garden of Beginnings. At least, something told me it was the same light.

We have to go. Now!

Ferdinand must have had the same thought; his arm tightened around my stomach, and we plunged through the pillar of light. But as we attempted to force our way into the Garden of Beginnings, a powerful gale surged out of the magic circle and pushed us away.

“Eep!”

The unexpected counterattack had caused me to cry out. I wasn’t hurt at all, but the force of the impact had activated and popped several of my charms.

Ferdinand clicked his tongue, then withdrew a short distance. “That wind acts entirely like Schutzaria’s shield—we cannot pass through it while we feel malice toward the person beyond it.” He stared at the pillar and muttered through gritted teeth that he hadn’t encountered this problem last time, since there hadn’t been anyone in the garden.

“In other words, infiltrating from above is no longer an option.” I couldn’t help my feelings toward Gervasio, who had ravaged Ahrensbach, or toward Erwaermen, who had told me to kill Ferdinand. The wind would reject us no matter how many times we tried to pass through it.

“Correct. We will need to think of another approach. The two that immediately come to mind are returning to the villa to try again with silver clothes and using the entrance in the Farthest Hall.”

“To get through Schutzaria’s shield, I suspect we would need to cover our entire bodies with silver cloth. That would put us at great risk, since we wouldn’t be able to use our schtappes immediately upon entering.”

Erwaermen had mentioned that he distinguished people using their mana, which meant Gervasio must have been in a state where his mana could be detected. Silver cloth would protect us from mana-based attacks but also stop us from using our schtappes, which wasn’t ideal when we didn’t know what weaponry our opponent might have.

“Gervasio is partway through obtaining his own Book of Mestionora, isn’t he?” I asked.

“Almost certainly.”

I glared at the pillar of light. It had taken a hefty chunk of mana to activate the magic circle with Leidenschaft’s spear, but now the wind was blocking us. What could we do to stop Gervasio from getting the Book of Mestionora?

If we can’t go inside, maybe we can at least interrupt him from out here.

“Ferdinand—we couldn’t pass through the magic circle, but we did manage to enter the light, didn’t we?”

“What are you thinking...?” he asked with a guarded expression.

Sometimes it was better to show than tell. I used rucken to cancel the spear transformation of my schtappe, then used finsumhang to turn it into the divine cape of Darkness.

“Rozemyne. I told you to use that only as a last resort, remember?”

“Grimace all you want, but this is a last resort.”

Gervasio was already obtaining the Book of Mestionora in the Garden of Beginnings, and our attempt to use the magic circle to catch up to him hadn’t worked. The only alternatives Ferdinand had proposed were trying again with silver cloth and getting the royal family out of hiding to open the Farthest Hall.

“Interrupting the light is the fastest way to stop Gervasio,” I continued, “and the danger is great enough that this feels like a justified response. Besides, won’t it be significantly faster than going to fetch silver cloth or summoning the royal family?”

“Again with your extreme ideas...” Ferdinand mumbled, tapping his temple. “The idea could work, but I assume you have other frivolous intentions in mind. Do not hide them from me.”

“We used a lot of mana to activate the magic circle, so if we’re not allowed inside, I at least want it back. That divine light is pure mana, right?”

“You are hiding more than just that.”

“Ngh...”

How does he know?!

It didn’t make any sense. I was wearing the perfect noble facade, but he’d still seen straight through it. Were my intentions showing on my face? I pursed my lips, rubbed my cheeks, and confessed: “I was hoping that absorbing the light would add more of Mestionora’s wisdom to my Book. I don’t want to wait until I come of age to read it all.”

Ferdinand grimaced, knowing full well that I was being honest, but turned his highbeast to face the light. “Erwaermen said the Book was split between us as the result of accidental circumstances. He would not have instructed us to kill each other if such a convenient solution existed, so I sincerely doubt your method will secure you knowledge meant for another.”

“You miss every shot you don’t take, right? And if this does get me more of my Book, then hey, (jackpot). No reason not to try.”

“What in the world is a jack of pots? Your language is anything but consistent. Even in our current situation, I cannot allow that to slide.”

Right now, who friggin’ cares about being ladylike? Seriously.

Despite my internal complaints, I replied only that I would take more care going forward.

Light was raining down from the distant heights. I stood directly underneath it, my newly made cape spread wide to prevent it from reaching the Garden of Beginnings. The Darkness attribute of my divine instrument began absorbing the mana, which rushed into me and replenished all the mana I’d spent. There was none of the pain or discomfort that came from drinking an ultra-nasty rejuvenation potion; in the blink of an eye, I was back to normal.

That said, Ferdinand was right—I’m not getting any of Mestionora’s wisdom. Bummer...

“Rucken,” I said to dispel the black cape.

“Rejuvenated already?” Ferdinand asked, surprised. The cape would only absorb enough mana for its user to reach their full capacity. It had stopped once I was fully recovered, but still, considering how much mana I’d put into Leidenschaft’s spear, this really was a quick turnaround.

I gazed up at Ferdinand. “I didn’t get what I really wanted, but the cape replenished my mana faster than your ultra-nasty potions. Guess I shouldn’t have expected anything less from a goddess. Her mana was a feast.”

Ferdinand reached out and pinched my cheek. The cold expression on his face told me he had some very strong opinions about the gods. Such thoughts were beyond me.

“Owie...” I muttered. “It really was impressive, but fine—now it’s your turn. We need to keep interrupting Gervasio, and you used up a ton of your mana, right? Just have the gods restore it for you. This is a pretty rare opportunity.”

Ferdinand must have been capable of repeating the process; he had taught me how to use the cape of Darkness in the first place. But a look of uncertainty arose on his face. “You are the only one who would consider draining mana from the gods,” he complained. “Nobody else would dare even attempt it. Despite your regular prayer, I cannot tell whether you are faithful or due for divine punishment.”

There was a drawn-out pause before Ferdinand seemed to make up his mind. “I do this only because we cannot risk Gervasio running rampant,” he said, then made his own cape of Darkness and spread it underneath the light. He must have felt his mana quickly replenishing because his lips curved into a satisfied grin. “Oho... This is quite something.”

Soon enough, the light vanished as suddenly as if someone had flicked a switch, and the magic circle disappeared with it. Ferdinand, whose cape was still spread wide, responded with a contemplative “Hm?”

“I guess they finished,” I ventured.

“My mana has yet to fully recover... Perhaps you absorbed too much.”

“Umm, what? Are you trying to blame me?” I retorted with a glare. “They were probably almost done when we got here; I don’t want to hear any complaints.”

“In which case, we should carefully consider our next move.” Ferdinand took us up into the air. “If, as you suggest, they were already close to being finished, then Gervasio must be in possession of an almost complete bible. Where is the exit? Or rather, where did you reappear when you accessed the Garden of Beginnings to obtain your Book?”

“I wasn’t returned to the library. The exit took me to the Farthest Hall. Was that not the case for you?”

“No, I went back the way I came. I did not wish to be sent somewhere inconvenient.”

In other words, when Ferdinand got his Book of Mestionora, he not only entered through the ceiling in an especially rude manner but also ignored the exit opened up for him. In truth, that had probably been the right decision; it would have deposited him in the Farthest Hall, requiring him to call upon a member of royalty.

But that’s why Erwaermen ended up resenting him.

The knights watching nervously from above must have sensed that we were done—they came racing down on their highbeasts.

“What were you trying to do?” Heisshitze asked. “What was that burst of light?”

“I do not need to answer, nor do I see a reason to. I will not say that again. Now, we must make haste to the Farthest Hall. How are the royals faring? Tell your aub that we wish for him to capture one of them and send them to us. His presence at the royal palace may be necessary for the containment of the Sovereign Knight’s Order, but what need is there for the royal family to hang about?”

Such an outrageous request made even Heisshitze recoil in shock. “You want him to capture a member of royalty? That does not sound the least bit respectful...”

“They failed to defend themselves even after receiving ample warning of the invasion to come. Then they allowed their own Knight’s Order to betray them. Beyond serving as keys to the Farthest Hall, what value do they have now?”

Given the somewhat horrific state of the attack on the royal palace, there was little one could say to argue with Ferdinand. He was telling the cold, hard truth—but some things were best left unspoken.

“You may be right that the royals have been largely useless thus far, but they did grant permission for your rescue,” I said. “Try to be a little more polite.”

“I could say the same to you, Lady Rozemyne...” Leonore interjected with a smile.

Heisshitze was in agreement with her. “I can hardly send an ordonnanz of that nature.”

“Is that so?” Ferdinand asked. “I will do it, then. Rozemyne, close your eyes.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and sensed some movement from Ferdinand. He had presumably taken an ordonnanz feystone and tapped it with his schtappe.

“Prince Anastasius, this is Ferdinand.”

Wait. Come again?

Of all the royals here, why had he chosen to contact Anastasius? I cocked my head, but he continued to speak to his ordonnanz.

“To prevent our Lanzenavian invaders from stealing Yurgenschmidt’s foundation, I need a royal to open the Farthest Hall. As you should know from the aftermath of the civil war, in the event that our enemies succeed, the usurped royals—your family—will immediately be sought out and executed. I would ask that you come immediately and make great haste.” He swung his schtappe, and the ordonnanz took flight. “That should do. Let us proceed to the central building.”

“Lord Ferdinand, why did you contact Prince Anastasius?” Heisshitze asked, speaking for all of us. “The standard procedure would have been to contact King Trauerqual.”

“Is it not obvious?” Ferdinand replied with a smirk befitting the Lord of Evil. “I chose him not only because he can move more freely than any of the other royals, but also because his weakness is the most obvious. Do you think he would choose inaction when Lady Eglantine is at risk of execution?”

Nope.

I’d witnessed more than enough of his lovey-dovey attitude. He wouldn’t sit still when he knew his sweetheart was in danger.

“Still...” I said. “Can’t I just open the door? I may not have the Zent’s approval yet, but I am still technically an aub.”

“But what if the Zent’s approval is necessary?” Ferdinand asked casually while directing his highbeast to our destination. “Think of all the time we would waste if we waited until after the door failed to open to summon him.”

This guy’s treating royalty as a backup plan!