Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.10 - Chapter SS2

Magdalena — Smiting the Traitor

The discovery of several intruders at the Royal Academy had prompted Raublut, the Sovereign knight commander, to send a fresh set of orders by ordonnanz. He advised that the palace be sealed and that nobody be allowed to approach the Academy—and the Zent made it so.

The palace had already been sealed once before, so everyone acted quickly and efficiently. Movement between it and the Royal Academy ceased, and duchies lost the privilege of contacting the palace directly. Henceforth, all communication would first be filtered through the villas.

“Ralfrieda, send word to the scholars and attendants in the palace,” King Trauerqual instructed. “Clementia, direct the knights. Magdalena, contact the villas. Be sure to warn Sigiswald to strengthen his guard; his villa is nearest to Ahrensbach.”

“Understood.”

As the Zent’s wives, we moved at once in response to his orders. Lady Ralfrieda would contact the palace as the first wife, while Lady Clementia would oversee the knights as the second. My duty as the third wife was to send word to the various villas. I would tell them of the intruders discovered at the Royal Academy, that the palace had once again been sealed, that they should remain vigilant, and that Lady Clementia was going to direct the knights.

“King Trauerqual,” Lady Clementia said, taking a somewhat feeble tone, “once the knights have gathered, I shall take them with me to my villa. As the knights returning to the palace from the Royal Academy will need to pass through my villa, its teleportation door cannot be sealed. May I station more guards there?”

She gazed at King Trauerqual with aqua-blue eyes. In the aftermath of the civil war, when many had refused to accept him as the Zent, her villa had come under attack. Her daughter had died in the violence, and she had come to fear brutish men who spoke and acted roughly. It stood to reason that she was so concerned; her villa had the fewest male knights of them all and rarely saw much traffic. The returning knights would not have access to her living area, but that was hardly a comfort.

Lady Clementia’s delicate light-green hair was loosely tied, and she looked as frail as she sounded. I was told she had never once held a weapon outside her Royal Academy classes. As a woman of Dunkelfelger, I thought she should learn to protect herself—not that I could actually say such a thing.

“You may,” King Trauerqual replied. “I shall send two of my guard knights with you. Entrust the management of your villa to them.”

“I thank you.”

I couldn’t help but furrow my brow. It made sense to send experienced knights to Lady Clementia’s villa, which would serve as an important supply line going forward, but two of the Zent’s own guard knights? King Trauerqual would be far too vulnerable.

Perhaps I could move knights from my villa to the palace.

After watching Lady Clementia leave with two of the Zent’s guards, I considered which of his knights remained and the security of my villa. Aside from requesting more knights, there was plenty one could do to bolster one’s defenses. Laying traps and relocating one’s bedroom were among the more obvious examples. Moreover, unlike Lady Clementia, I could depend on my own martial might. If our king was lacking knights, then perhaps I would guard him myself.

Lady Ralfrieda sighed. “To think Ehrenfest’s warning was correct...” She shook her head a few times, causing her golden tresses to sway.

The palace had previously been sealed in response to a message from Prince Sigiswald, who had met with Aub Ehrenfest in the king’s stead and relayed the archduke’s warning that an invasion was coming. The Sovereign Order had spent three days at the Royal Academy awaiting an attack, but they had seen neither hide nor hair of any intruders. The Sovereign temple had sent three distinct requests for the Royal Academy to be reopened for their ceremonies, and when consulted through the villas, Ehrenfest had said nothing in response.

The absence of a threat had made it hard to justify keeping the royal palace sealed, so King Trauerqual sent Raublut and Prince Anastasius to search the Royal Academy. They had reported nothing of note, so the decision was made to reopen the palace.

And that was when our invaders had struck. Their timing seemed more than a mere coincidence.

“I wonder,” Lady Ralfrieda continued, “where were these intruders hiding that they were not discovered during the search?” Her blue eyes turned to me. “Do you have any ideas, Lady Magdalena?”

I thought back to the report Raublut and Prince Anastasius had given and went through the buildings on the Academy’s grounds. “As I understand it, they searched everywhere with connections to Ahrensbach—their dormitory, their tea party room, and even Old Werkestock’s dormitory. The dorms and tea party rooms of the other abolished duchies were searched as well. There are other villas dotting the grounds, but they were sealed at the hands of past Zents and cannot be reopened without the Grutrissheit. Though nowhere else comes to mind, the facts speak for themselves—there are hostiles lurking somewhere in the Academy.”

“What in the world are Raublut and the others doing?” Lady Ralfrieda seethed. “How have these intruders not been captured when we have guards stationed all over?” She had put Raublut forward for the position of knight commander, so incidents like this made her more frustrated than most. Still, as we had merely taken shelter in our villas, we could not criticize their lack of results.

“Our foes must be convinced we will not find them; they would not have had the arrogance to invade the Royal Academy otherwise. Perhaps it was because Raublut and the others were on high alert that they were discovered at all. In any case, now that we know about them, we are in a state of war. We will need to ready ourselves and plan ahead.”

“Goodness. But once the royal palace is sealed, the villas will serve as the only way inside. Should we not move our focus from the palace to those entrances?”

My chest tightened, and a strange sense of unease began to take root. I could not ascertain the reason. It was like we were missing something crucial, or the information we had access to was being manipulated, or some grand scheme was proceeding beyond our reach...

“Indeed,” I said. “The villas will need to be guarded, but only as a means to an end. The Zent is our main focus, so we should assign him more knights than anywhere else. I will check on my villa and then return to the palace to protect him.”

“You, Lady Magdalena?! Once the palace is sealed, our foes will not be able to access it from the Royal Academy. I see no reason for us to worry ourselves.”

“If our foes are from Ahrensbach and Lanzenave, then Prince Sigiswald’s villa in the southeast will need the most guards. Mine is in the southwest and should require only the bare minimum. As our most important location, the royal palace should receive more troops, not fewer. Know that nothing is ever certain. If the knight commander has his eyes on the Academy, then we must keep ours on the Zent.”

And if others intended to leave the Zent underprotected, I would join his guard to ensure his safety.

“Magdalena, there is no need to go to such lengths for me,” King Trauerqual said, clearly troubled.

I smiled gently and shook my head. Even as a little girl, I’d understood that Dunkelfelger was the Zent’s sword. My heart was set on defeating the foes of our divinely mandated king and protecting the peace in Yurgenschmidt. I needed to make good on my duchy’s oath—if not now, then when?

“I am a woman of Dunkelfelger,” I said. “As the knight commander has his hands full at the Royal Academy, I wish to carry out my duty as your sword. Is it really that unusual for a wife to worry about her husband? For my own peace of mind, please allow my guard knights to protect you as well.”

King Trauerqual sighed, exasperated, but gave me a kind smile nonetheless. “As long as it remains within the living quarters... do as you please.”

I temporarily returned to my villa; rearranged the knights stationed there; instructed them on how to contact me, rest, and respond to various emergencies; and then went back to the royal palace with my knights.

Our first course of action was to quickly comb the Zent’s living quarters. It was well protected—isolated through the use of mana and accessible only to those with the correct authority—but that was no excuse for the poor security I witnessed upon my arrival. The guard was so lax that it actually made my head spin.

I addressed those with me: “King Trauerqual will be most vulnerable when he is asleep. Let us begin by revising the security here, if nowhere else. First, we shall add my knights to the night watch. Then we must lay detection traps; nobody should enter or leave his quarters except those guarding it. I would also advise you to move the king’s bed to that side room. Our aim is to deceive the enemy.”

“Should you not sleep alongside the Zent to further secure his person?” one of the guards asked me.

“Though I would not mind that, my being there would make King Trauerqual too anxious to sleep.”

Indeed, it was hard to believe he would get much rest with a fully armored woman beside him, ready to fight at a moment’s notice. Some smiled at me and said that I was being too cautious, but I disagreed. I took a brisk nap and prepared to act in the dead of night if necessary.

I would contact my elder brother as well, but King Trauerqual is not yet facing any immediate danger.

My brother, Aub Dunkelfelger, also served as the Zent’s sword. He would come without fail if the king was in danger. Ehrenfest had already spoken with him, and I had said that I would request his aid if anything happened, so he must have been ready to join us.

I spent the night on guard, but we encountered not a single hostile. Raublut sent no word of the invaders having been captured, so the scholars debated over whether to unseal the palace or keep waiting. They had not reached a conclusion by the time night fell again.

“Nothing happened last night,” King Trauerqual reminded me. “Must you continue to push yourself?”

“My love, our enemies will act precisely when we lower our guard. We saw as much when we last unsealed the palace, did we not? Last night might have been uneventful, but that does not mean tonight will be the same.”

King Trauerqual seemed melancholic as he watched me rearm traps and restation the night watch, still partially armored. “I worry about your health. Is it also Dunkelfelger’s way to remain so guarded at night that no one can get any rest?”

“Indeed, for we are in a state of war. Pay no mind to me, dear, and get some sleep in the side room. We hope to catch our foes off guard, remember, so you must not tell anyone but the knights here now where our traps are set or where you are staying.”

Despite the king’s concerns, such precautions were entirely necessary. Returning to my villa would only add to my stresses; I would feel so restless about his inadequate guard that I would not be able to sleep.

“Fine, fine,” King Trauerqual replied with a shrug. “If you insist.” He must have realized that I would not relent because he relocated to the side room.

As I watched the Zent leave, I reaffirmed my resolve to protect him no matter the cost. Then I turned to the night watch and said, “Perhaps I should join you all tonight.”

“If you stand guard, Lady Magdalena, the enemy will notice the change,” one of the knights retorted, chastising me slightly. “Please stay in bed, even if you do not sleep.”

I went into the Zent’s usual chambers to lie down, but I was only half asleep. My knights had refused to leave the bed-curtain open even when I expressed my desire to listen to what was happening outside and what was being said.

Even as I rested, I was ready for battle. My hair was braided so that I could quickly wrap it up and secure it with a single band, and my clothes were suitable to be worn outside. On my belt were offensive magic tools and a feystone that would grant me full plate armor.

I closed my eyes. Much like King Trauerqual and the others, I did not expect there to be an attack tonight. Any incidents of note would occur at the Royal Academy, and there was no risk of our foes slipping into the palace. Still, I remained on guard; it was better to be safe than sorry.

This is why Dunkelfelger women rarely ever fit in or adapt when they marry into other duchies.

My thoughts became hazy as the darkness lulled me to sleep... but then I noticed the whistle of something cutting through the air. My eyes shot open, and a moment later, a man let out a surprised cry that reverberated through the hall.

“An intruder!” I shouted to my knights as I sat bolt upright and started searching my belt. “Do not let them escape!”

I touched the feystone that would create my armor, channeled mana into it, and then leapt out of bed before the armor had even fully formed. By the time I reached the hall, my schtappe in hand, the night watch had already caught the intruder.

“I’m not an enemy!” the man shouted. “I’m one of King Trauerqual’s guard knights!”

If nothing else, the apparent intruder was wearing the standard dress of a Sovereign knight. The night watch attendant lit the area to reveal the man’s face.

“Though you may be one of the Zent’s guards,” I said, “you were not assigned to tonight’s watch.”

“Lady Magdalena?! Why are you here?!” the captured knight exclaimed, shocked that I had just come out of the Zent’s bedchamber. He probably served under Lady Clementia in her villa or Raublut at the Royal Academy.

“There must have been a miscommunication among the chain of command,” he continued. “I—”

“Suspect individuals must be disarmed and imprisoned,” I said. “You might be using a disguising magic tool.”

“Lady Magdalena, this man is exactly who he claims to be,” one of the king’s guards interjected. “I can guarantee it.” He and the others on night watch were against us disarming the intruder.

How naive could these knights be? Our captive had attempted to trespass into a high-security area; under no circumstances could we let him go. That we were simply disarming him and not breaking his bones to render him immobile was enough of a kindness.

“We can listen to his excuses later,” I said. “Consider this treatment a punishment for his neglect. He should have known that only those assigned to the night watch are allowed to be here.”

Paying no mind to the man’s associates trying to smooth things over, I sent an ordonnanz to the knights guarding the teleportation doors to the villas: “This is Magdalena. We have an intruder in the Zent’s living quarters! The enemy might be disguising themselves as Sovereign knights. Be on your guard!”

As my bird departed, more arrived with urgent messages.

“Intruders spotted running to the villas’ teleportation doors! Requesting aid!”

“There are knights running to the scholar building! Be on your guard!”

The guards who had just moments ago been defending the intruder now looked at him with hard eyes. I considered it unlikely they would free him against my orders and rushed into the side room where the Zent was staying. The fuss outside had awoken him.

“King Trauerqual, the enemy have disguised themselves as Sovereign knights and infiltrated the palace. I request your permission to summon Dunkelfelger, the Zent’s sword.”

Though he stayed in bed, the king nodded and said, “Please do.”

“Issheit, this is Magdalena. We caught an intruder trying to enter the Zent’s living quarters in the royal palace. Inform my brother, Aub Dunkelfelger, and tell him we require his aid.”

First, I sent an ordonnanz to the guard knight I had entrusted with defending my villa.

“The royal palace has been sealed,” I continued. “Send a letter to the aub and one to the knight guarding the Dunkelfelger Dormitory’s teleportation circle. Correspondence sent from the palace might be interfered with. Any knights with access to Rauffen, the dormitory supervisor, should contact him by ordonnanz. Ask him to send word to Dunkelfelger as well. Ensure that all responses go through you and then report back to me.”

We would contact my brother through as many avenues as we could. As I continued to send more ordonnanzes, my knights sent some of their own.

“Intruders have infiltrated the royal palace. Mobilize everyone in the knight dormitory!”

“Aid those chasing the intruders!”

“Ralfrieda, this is Trauerqual,” the king said. “The palace has been breached. Magdalena is leading the defense and has called upon Dunkelfelger for aid. Contact the princes at once. Tell them to seal their villas and prioritize their safety.”

My eyes widened. I was in charge of protecting the Zent’s living quarters, but this was the first I was hearing about leading the defense as a whole.

“You are putting me in charge of the defense?” I asked.

“Yes. As the knight commander is absent, I trust you to lead the knights in his stead. You will apprehend our foes no matter what form they take.”

I knelt and said, “As you wish.” Then, as I stood up again, one of my attendants approached with a pouch containing offensive magic tools, rejuvenation potions, and the like. I expected no less of an attendant of the sword. I gave her a grateful smile, noting that she was equipped for battle as well, then accepted the pouch and hooked it onto my belt.

It was then that yet another ordonnanz arrived.

“Lady Magdalena, this is Issheit. We received a response from Lady Sieglinde of Dunkelfelger. She informed us that Aub Dunkelfelger is already fighting at the Royal Academy and that she is stationed in her dormitory to provide rear support. She will direct the aub to head to the royal palace at once. Please unseal the entrance.”

Shocked though I was by the speed of the response, I was more taken aback by its contents. Who was Dunkelfelger fighting at the Royal Academy, and why had we not been informed of their presence? My thoughts turned to the man who had asked us to seal the palace to begin with—who had been at the Royal Academy ever since Ehrenfest sounded the alarm bell.

Raublut!

As the face of our true foe arose in my mind, I could not suppress a grimace. I turned to King Trauerqual and voiced my conclusion.

“Magdalena! How can you say such a thing?!” he exclaimed in response. Few lords would accept that their most trusted knight and the head of their Order had betrayed them.

As much as it pained me to see the king so stunned, it also reminded me to close my heart and not to err. “If the Sovereign knights were fighting with Dunkelfelger, do you not think they would have told us through the villas? That we were kept in the dark leads me to believe the two groups are fighting one another. Do you recall who told us to seal the royal palace in the first place, stopping us from communicating with the duchies? Very few people could sneak an intruder into your living quarters.”

King Trauerqual paled, at a loss for words. There was no reason to drive him into a corner. My enemy was at the Royal Academy.

“Dunkelfelger is the Zent’s sword,” I said. “We smite those who oppose the divine mandate and protect the peace here in Yurgenschmidt. As promised, I shall protect you no matter who your foes may be. I shall see them slaughtered. I ask only that you unseal the palace so Dunkelfelger’s knights can enter.”

The Zent got up and went to do just that. I exited the room and sent out more ordonnanzes.

“This is Magdalena. By the decree of Zent Trauerqual, I am leading the defense. The palace shall once again be unsealed. Let the knights of Dunkelfelger through when they arrive.”

“This is Magdalena. The enemy was not disguised after all—a portion of the Sovereign Knight’s Order has started a rebellion! Our foes are Raublut and those who follow him!”

“Lady Ralfrieda, this is Magdalena. Raublut arranged the attack on the palace! The knights of our Order are fighting among themselves. Please spread the word to each of the villas.”

Some of the night watch stared at me in shock.

“Mere slander!” one of the knights exclaimed. “The knight commander would never betray the king. Are you trying to divide us?! Take it back! King Trauerqual, Lady Magdalena must be stopped!”

“Silence!” I snapped, then turned to my knights. “Protecting the Zent is our highest priority. As we have good reason to believe Raublut is a traitor, we should not trust any of the king’s guards. Detain them all.”

I joined my knights in restraining the others. Our targets resisted and requested the aid of their fellow guards, turning the Zent’s living quarters into a battleground.

“Protect the Zent! We must stop Lady Magdalena from doing as she pleases!”

“We know not who is working for Raublut, so none must be allowed near the king!”

King Trauerqual was likely still coming to terms with Raublut’s betrayal. He could not join his guard knights in stopping me, nor could he join me and order his knights to comply. He simply closed his eyes, wrought with pain, and dropped into a chair.

My attendant and I fought back anyone who tried to approach King Trauerqual while my knights steadily detained his guards. Two ordonnanzes arrived amid the chaos.

“Zent Trauerqual, this is Aub Dunkelfelger. I have arrived at the palace and request your authority to start capturing Sovereign knights.”

“Magdalena, it’s Werdekraf. Where are you right now?”

I could see that King Trauerqual was still torn over how to respond. Keeping him in the corner of my eye, I responded for him.

“Brother, this is Magdalena. I am with King Trauerqual. There is fighting in the Zent’s living quarters. I grant Dunkelfelger permission to capture Sovereign knights.”

I noticed the tension leave the king’s shoulders—he was relieved to have escaped making such a grave decision—but only for a moment. Then he frowned as if to chastise me for answering without his authorization.

“Relax, dear. You have entrusted me with command over this battle. It would not be wise to put this burden on the Sovereign knights; they would not find it easy to fight their former allies, and we would struggle to tell friend from foe. This battle will go much quicker if we have Dunkelfelger’s knights subjugate our enemies for us. Furthermore... our true foe is not in the palace but at the Royal Academy.”

We would not be able to release any of our prisoners until their leader, Raublut, was dealt with. King Trauerqual clutched his chest and heaved a pained sigh.

Another ordonnanz darted into the room. I expected a report from Dunkelfelger or the knights in the palace, but I was taken completely by surprise.

“Zent Trauerqual, this is Ferdinand of Ehrenfest.”

The bird went on to make some truly shocking announcements. Together with my brother, Ehrenfest had fought the rebels from Lanzenave and Ahrensbach hiding in the Adalgisa villa. They had taken prisoners, but Lanzenave’s King Gervasio was not among them. He was apparently working to obtain the Grutrissheit, and Raublut was positioned in the auditorium to protect him.

That much has been going on at the Royal Academy...?

There was so much new intelligence that I was at a loss for words. The same went for King Trauerqual; he sat motionless upon hearing that Raublut really had betrayed him and that a foreigner was about to obtain the Grutrissheit he had spent over a decade searching for.

To conclude his message, Lord Ferdinand requested that King Trauerqual march to the front line and command the knights as their Zent.

“King Trauerqual,” I said, “tell Lord Ferdinand that Dunkelfelger is here to fight in your stead and—”

Before I could finish, King Trauerqual swung his schtappe with a slightly trembling hand. The yellow feystone he was holding turned into a bird, which then departed with a very clear message: he wanted a true Zent to take the throne.

“No!” I cried, overcome with desperation. “They will think you have abandoned your duties and authority as the Zent! Correct that at once!”

“Still without the Grutrissheit, I am the Zent in name only...” he said with an unchanging expression, repeating his words to the ordonnanz. “The last embers of our country will die without a true Zent to save them. I pray only that one will arise.”

Two of his five bound guard knights echoed the sentiment, shouting that Yurgenschmidt needed a true Zent and for King Trauerqual to be set free from his burdens.

“King Trauerqual, what are you saying?! You are the Zent! The nobles of Yurgenschmidt acknowledge you as such! That is precisely why Lord Ferdinand sent his ordonnanz to you!”

He shook his head and repeated: “Still without the Grutrissheit, I am the Zent in name only. The last embers of our country will die without a true Zent to save them. I pray only that one will arise.”

I suddenly noticed an unusual aroma coming from King Trauerqual. It was sweet like a perfume one might put in one’s hair, but he had never been particularly fond of sweet scents. I sensed danger, somehow.

“Are you wearing some manner of perfume?” I asked. “Or were you perhaps approached by someone with a preference for sweet smells?”

“I recently started sleeping to a calming incense. Perhaps the smell clings to me.”

He had responded normally that time, unlike his droning repetition mere moments ago. I drew my brows together in a frown. Something was amiss, but I could not put my finger on what.

“Lady Magdalena, is this not exactly how the knights under the influence of trug behaved?” one of the bound guards asked. “They appeared normal on the surface but would not respond properly to certain subjects. And they exuded a sweet scent...”

I recalled that strange incident and the plant theorized to have caused it, then inhaled sharply. “Was it perhaps Raublut who brought trug to the Sovereign Knight’s Order?”

Raublut had investigated the trug-driven knights; assuming he was the culprit, it must have been easy for him to give false reports. How much intelligence had he twisted or outright hidden from us? How would the country’s nobles look upon King Trauerqual, who had thus far been acting on false information?

I will make Raublut pay!

First, I released the guards who had not echoed the king’s strange remarks. “It seems clear to me that you three are not under the influence of trug. I return your freedom so you may defend King Trauerqual and his living quarters. I will unite with my brother and smite Raublut.”

“Understood!”

I told one of my knights and an attendant of the sword to stay behind, then led the rest in a charge from the Zent’s living quarters to the teleportation door to the Royal Academy.

“Brother, this is Magdalena. The Zent’s living quarters have been secured. I am now heading to the Royal Academy.”

Leaving the safe-seeming knights to defend the royal palace, I rendezvoused with my brother. Together we sprinted toward the Royal Academy’s auditorium.

“Magdalena, use this,” my brother said, handing me a silver dagger. It was much heavier than any schtappe-made weapon. Depending on how one wielded it, the weight could prove detrimental in combat.

“We retrieved it from one of the Lanzenavians,” he explained. “The silver cloth they wear blocks all mana attacks, and no schtappe weaponry works against it. Conversely, this silver dagger can easily shred through feystone armor. Defeating foes of an entirely different culture is no easy feat.”

I gracefully accepted the dagger and attached it to my belt as we ran, allowing my body to adjust to the weight and find my new center of gravity. It was not long before we reached our destination.

“This is the auditorium,” I said. “Is everyone ready?”

“Absolutely! Open the doors! Charge!” my brother roared. His knights leapt upon the doors and threw them open, and we both rushed into the auditorium.

Though a battle had clearly been fought, nobody was in formation; a major spell of some sort had scattered everyone, friend or foe, and stalled the fighting in the process. Our entry was met only with looks of shock, allowing me to immediately spot Raublut.

“Lanze!” I declared, turning my schtappe into a spear and closing in on my target. “Raublut, you dared to poison King Trauerqual despite serving as his knight commander. For that, you will not be spared my wrath. As his wife, I will strike you down in his stead.”

My brother responded to Lord Ferdinand atop the altar and instructed his knights to capture the traitors among the Sovereign Order. Some of our foes were standing in a protective circle around Raublut, but they dispersed somewhat when they saw our force, making it easier for me to forge a path.

Before I could reach Raublut, however, something strange happened. The statues of the gods gave rise to columns of light. Then there was a flash, and the three people atop the altar disappeared.

“King Gervasio?!” Raublut cried, looking completely taken aback as he rushed to investigate. He was wearing not the black cape of a Sovereign knight but a silver cape brought from Lanzenave—yet another sign that he did not see King Trauerqual as his true lord.

I thought back to the king shaken with disbelief at Raublut’s betrayal. I could still see his trembling hands as, under the influence of trug, he claimed not to be a true Zent.

I must not act according to emotion. Raublut’s strength far surpasses my own.

Traitor or not, Raublut was the commander of the Sovereign Knight’s Order; his combat prowess and experience were not to be underestimated. I sealed away the bitterness his superiority inspired, then looked around in search of my brother.

Where is he...?

It took me only a brief moment to meet his gaze. He was directing his knights with a silver sword in hand, all while approaching Raublut from another angle. I realized then that his red eyes had been watching me the entire time—and that I neglected to pay attention to my allies.

Once this is all over, I expect to be scolded for my inexperience.

Recalling my brother’s attitude when we used to train together at home, I refocused and gripped my spear. Raublut was climbing the stairs to the whirling stage. He would prove troublesome for us if he reached the top... but until then, his footing would be poor and his back exposed.

I saw my brother give a curt nod, so I squeezed my spear and charged at Raublut from behind.

“Hmph!”

“Hrm?!”

Raublut turned and dodged my strike, creating the very opening my brother was waiting for. He leapt in from the side and swung his silver blade. Raublut let out a grunt and managed to dodge again but lost his poise in the process. I tossed an offensive magic tool at him before he could ready his weapon.

“Gah...!”

Raublut spread out his silver cape just in time to block the tool entirely. My brother had spoken true when he told me Lanzenave’s silver cloth was immune to mana. The knight commander saw my spear and the silver sword in my brother’s hand, appeared to weigh up his options, and then focused on defending against the latter; he must have concluded that my spear was easier to deal with because he locked swords with my brother while using his cape to block my thrusts.

Not yet. Wait for an opening.

I tried to attack the parts of the knight commander’s flank not hidden by his silver cape, but even then, there was little I could do against his full plate armor. As I continued to strike, I noticed his focus shift more and more to my brother.

“Aub Dunkelfelger,” Raublut said, “you must understand that Yurgenschmidt needs a true Zent with the Grutrissheit. And you, Lady Magdalena—you have supported Trauerqual through his countless struggles. Is it not time to relieve him of his terrible burden?”

I took no interest in the words of a traitor. He had betrayed his lord, and that was reason enough to smite him. I could indulge my curiosity about his background and motives once he was locked up.

“Hmph!”

There was a sharp metallic wail as Raublut’s and my brother’s blades clashed again. It focused my senses as I squeezed the grip of my silver dagger. The tips of their crossed swords each snaked down toward the opposing man’s hilt, taking barely an instant—but to me, it seemed to move in slow motion.

Now!

They had moved to ready their swords again, creating the opportunity I was so intently waiting for.

I stabbed my silver dagger into Raublut’s side. Its glinting blade slid through his feystone armor without any resistance, almost as if he had not been wearing any. The sensation was the same as cutting straight into an opponent’s body.

“What?!” Raublut exclaimed. His eyes wide as saucers, he gazed down at the dagger in his side. “How...? When did you get that...?”

The knight commander was wide open. My brother thrust his sword through the man’s shoulder as deep as it would go, then drew it back and swiped it through the air, shaking the blood from its blade as Raublut crumpled before him.

“I confirmed with my own eyes that Lady Rozemyne wields the Grutrissheit,” my brother said. “As the Divine Avatar of Mestionora, she intends to bestow it upon a person of her choosing. I take no interest in a foreign Zent candidate.”

Raublut could fight no longer. The knights who had watched our battle rushed over and started disarming him. He would need to endure many long interrogations in the coming days, so he would likely be given a rejuvenation potion to keep him alive.

“It’s over...” I said with a relieved sigh.

As I enjoyed the satisfaction of having crushed my husband’s foes—of having carried out my duty as the Zent’s sword—second bell rang. My brother and I tapped our fists together with victory in our hearts. We could now redirect our focus from the battle to our surroundings.

“Is that all the prisoners?” my brother asked. “Free and assist Prince Anastasius and his guard knights. Heisshitze, report what happened while we were operating separately.”

I watched my brother go, then climbed the stairs past where Raublut had fallen and gazed upon the auditorium. Dunkelfelger’s knights had detained every one of our Sovereign adversaries. Prince Anastasius was watching from the audience stands. The group wearing Ehrenfest capes was causing some sort of commotion by the door.

“Such overwhelming divinity colored my lady’s embrace!” came a cry from their ranks. “A goddess has descended into her!”

Curious, I enhanced my senses to observe them. They were all retainers serving Lady Rozemyne; I recognized them from ceremonies and my time spent translating in the underground archive.

“Her mana certainly has changed,” another said. “I don’t know about a goddess descending into her, though...”

“Can you not feel the supernatural power that now envelops us? Is its intoxicating, all-consuming beauty beyond your comprehension?”

“The only thing beyond my comprehension is how you drew such an outlandish conclusion.”

Hartmut appeared to be the only one causing a stir. The others with him were simply exasperated.

“Hartmut...” Leonore said, sighing when she noticed my eyes on them. She bound him with light, then set him down in a corner of the auditorium. “You have drawn everyone’s attention and distracted them from their work. You are not only embarrassing us but being a bother as well. Reflect on your actions in silence.”

Her words and deeds were merciless but proper for a knight on the battlefield. I was impressed. Rarely did women of other duchies have it in them to make such cold, calculated decisions.

Still... what was that about a goddess descending?

Their discussion reminded me of that unusual sight not too long ago. My focus on Raublut had pushed it from my mind, but Lord Ferdinand, Lady Rozemyne, and Gervasio had vanished in the statues’ light. It seemed that nobody had heard from them since.

Where in the world did those three go?

I was suddenly reminded of one of the Royal Academy’s twenty mysteries. According to Hildebrand, a student who played pranks on altars and shrines had abruptly vanished in a burst of light from the statues of the supreme gods and was never seen again.

Thinking about it now, the story might have been founded in the process for obtaining the Grutrissheit. Upon learning it from the underground archive, Lady Rozemyne had circled the shrines before disappearing much like the character in the story. By the time she had returned, she had grown so much that she was unrecognizable. Atop the shrine, she had appeared to be an adult.

My brother had said that Lady Rozemyne was the divine avatar of a goddess—one who would return the Grutrissheit to Yurgenschmidt. In that case, it seemed reasonable to assume that Lord Ferdinand and Gervasio had also acquired the holy book.

If they return, would any of them bestow the Grutrissheit upon King Trauerqual...?

I thought about each of their relationships with the Zent, then the ordonnanzes he had exchanged with Lord Ferdinand. I could not help but grimace. There was no one better suited to the role of the Zent than King Trauerqual, who had won the civil war and ruled the country for over a decade despite the great pains it had caused him and the strong opposition of the Sovereign temple.

O supreme gods, if others are being granted the Grutrissheit, I ask that King Trauerqual receive one as well. May his years of suffering be justly rewarded.

I prayed atop the whirling stage, but neither it nor the statues shone.