Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.11 - Chapter 11

Gold Dust and Going Back

“Move,” Ferdinand said, brushing aside Sylvester’s retinue while carrying me out of the room. “You are in our way.” His quick march brought us back to our retainers, who looked stunned to see me in his arms.

“Did something happen to Lady Rozemyne?!” Hartmut exclaimed, rushing over at once. I’d thought he would tease or chastise me for being carried, but the panic in his voice told me he feared the worst.

Cornelius was watching us just as closely. Though he seemed to want to say something, he didn’t look upset that Ferdinand was holding me.

Um... Am I the only one who thinks this is weird...?

“Take care that Rozemyne does not try to walk anywhere,” Ferdinand said. “She must preserve as much of her strength as she can. Depending on the circumstances, she might not be able to use rejuvenation potions.”

“Really?” Hartmut asked. “Not even those that primarily replenish stamina?” He and the other retainers stared intently at Ferdinand as they awaited an answer.

“As you said, those potions primarily replenish stamina,” Ferdinand replied, his frustration more than apparent. “They still target mana to some degree, and even the slightest increase in Rozemyne’s mana will cause her divine power to swell and put a strain on her body. As we do not have time to research a potion that will serve our purpose, I would rather we avoid them entirely.”

And with that, he handed me over to Angelica.

“This must be very hard for you,” she said to me.

I averted my eyes. As much as Angelica was trying to console me, I wasn’t sure she truly understood the problem; her tone was too subtle for me to tell. There must have been a vast divide between the actual issue and what others thought I was going through.

I guess there are more important things to consider than how to save face the next time I see Lady Eglantine.

Ferdinand had picked me up without batting an eye, and not a single one of our retainers had considered it strange. Nobody had even mentioned it, which only added to my embarrassment. I was embarrassed for having been embarrassed in the first place!

Looking back, romance had always seemed alien to me, even when I was living in Japan. I already knew that nothing was going to happen, so why was I stressing? There was zero chance of me ever being caught up in some dramatic love story.

Books are my one true love! The Super Monster Bookworm—that was what people used to call me, right? No one this obsessed with reading needs to worry about getting drawn into a normal relationship. And a relationship with Ferdinand, of all people? Unthinkable. I’m getting worked up over nothing.

I took a few deep breaths to steady my nerves. As much as my blunder with Eglantine hurt, my interactions with Ferdinand weren’t scandalous enough to warrant any criticism.

But, wait... It wasn’t that long ago that everyone was telling me to keep the proper distance from him. Are they turning a blind eye to it because this is an emergency? No, that can’t be right. It was an emergency back then too.

I was about to query Ferdinand when he returned to addressing our retainers. “Though we hope to drain Rozemyne tonight by creating an excess of gold dust, her mana is depleting far too slowly for us to assume we shall succeed. We can also expect her mana to replenish overnight—not by much, but enough that it bears mentioning. I must ask you all to be ready for a trip across Ahrensbach tomorrow.”

I’d thought my retainers would oppose the sudden change to our schedule, but I was wrong. At most, a few asked whether I truly was that pressed for time, anxiety clear on their faces.

“Those of you who received permission to accompany Rozemyne to Ahrensbach, gather your things from the dormitory and prepare to perform Spring Prayer,” Ferdinand instructed. “The duchy’s last harvest was far from generous, so take special care to arrange chefs and whatever ingredients they might need. I shall bring stamina rejuvenation potions for Rozemyne in case they become absolutely necessary. Hartmut, stay in your robes and go fetch the divine instruments from Ahrensbach’s temple. Nobody will protest if you say we are using them for Spring Prayer. We might as well take this opportunity to fill the tools with divine mana.”

Everything made sense so far. The chalice might already contain mana from the blue priests, but that didn’t matter; we would use it all during Spring Prayer anyway.

“Rihyarda,” Ferdinand continued, “Ahrensbach knights should soon start arriving with materials to be turned into gold dust. Please station an Ehrenfest scholar or attendant by the door to welcome them. I also expect ordonnanzes to arrive asking to meet with Rozemyne about today’s ceremony. Reject them all, be they from the aubs of other duchies or the royal family.”

“Understood,” Rihyarda said. Draining my mana came above all else; any of the duchies’ or royals’ concerns could wait until the Archduke Conference.

Ferdinand then turned to me. “Rozemyne, I shall use these rainbow feystones to create as many large highbeast stones as I can. Dye them with your mana, stick them together, and turn them into a highbeast you can use with your current mana.”

“I thought you didn’t want me to make a highbeast.”

“I would rather you not modify any feystones while your memory is splintered, but alas... There is far too much at stake.”

This must have been a tough call for Ferdinand—the bitter look on his face revealed all—but I still didn’t understand the connection between my lost memories and using feystones. Highbeasts were a great way of getting around while also using up some of my mana; of course I was going to make the most of this opportunity.

“That said, won’t the highbeast become unusable once my divine power runs out?” I asked. “This feels like a waste of all those rainbow feystones.”

Making a highbeast was all well and good, but I wouldn’t be able to use it once my mana changed color. I supposed that Ferdinand might be able to use the feystone in a brew of some kind, but no ideas came to mind; it wouldn’t be anywhere near as useful as all-purpose gold dust.

“It very well might be a waste, but this trip will take days, and some of your retainers are not used to traveling. You will need somewhere you can all rest. Though staying at the giebes’ estates is one option, I intend to give each of them an especially wide berth; they would only drain your stamina further. That leaves us with staying in a farming town’s winter estate or sleeping outside. Your knights are used to both, I suspect, but I doubt the same can be said for your attendants. We must ensure they have somewhere safe and comfortable to stay.”

I clapped my hands together in realization. Staying at the giebes’ estates would mean long formal greetings and dinners spent socializing. I’d already been told to avoid rejuvenation potions, so I wouldn’t survive consecutive days of mingling with nobles I didn’t know. And then there was the matter of my attendants; they wouldn’t have any experience of sleeping outside, but my expandable Pandabus would put their minds at ease.

At long last, Ferdinand acknowledges the worth of my Pandabus!

“Once you have made your highbeast feystone, start turning the ingredients brought here into gold dust. I will ask you tomorrow morning how much your mana recovered during the night, so be mindful of your quantity before you sleep. Avoid doing or speaking about anything that might unnecessarily cost you stamina or disturb your emotions.” He paused, then sternly summarized what he’d told me: “Be patient and simply continue to turn the delivered materials into gold dust. Do not forget that a threat to your life puts all your name-sworn at risk as well.”

Several of the people around me gulped. Their lives were in my hands, and the pressure weighed heavily upon me.

“The nobles in the villa will return sequentially to Ahrensbach,” Ferdinand said. “Everyone, be ready to move to the villa when necessary. Rihyarda, I entrust Rozemyne to you.”

“You may count on me,” she replied.

Having doled out the last of his instructions, Ferdinand marched off with Eckhart and Justus in tow. Hartmut didn’t even wait for them to leave before he turned on his heel and started making his way upstairs.

“Let us hurry as well,” he said.

My retainers sprang into action, moving busily around the dormitory. Many of them would return to Ahrensbach ahead of me. Charlotte arrived with her retainers a brief moment later to deliver some of the materials the knights had foraged from Ehrenfest’s gathering spot.

“Mother explained what a tremendous strain the gods’ divine power is putting on your body and the urgency with which your mana needs to be drained. I can only hope these materials are of use to you. Karstedt just led a contingent of knights to Ehrenfest’s gathering spot, so there are plenty more materials to come.”

Charlotte watched my retainers hurry around the dormitory while her own brought over bags of materials. Time really was of the essence, so we’d expected attendants and scholars to oversee the delivery. We weren’t ready to give her a proper greeting.

“Rihyarda,” I said.

“I advised Lady Charlotte not to come, but she insisted on speaking with you, milady.”

I returned my attention to my little sister; there must have been a reason for her persistence. Her eyebrows met above her nose in a troubled frown.

“I see the preparations for your departure are already being made... I am relieved to see it. Upon hearing Mother’s explanation, I thought it best that you leave the Royal Academy. I came here to propose just that.”

Though she claimed to be relieved, Charlotte’s indigo eyes wavered with concern. Was she aware of something that had escaped my notice?

“Charlotte... Is there a reason for your urgency?” I asked.

“The Royal Academy has closer ties to the gods than anywhere else in Yurgenschmidt. You made that clear to us all, did you not? As did the lights that appeared during its religious ceremonies. I would assume, then, that the gods’ sway is at its strongest here. Going elsewhere should reduce the burden of the divine power on your body.”

I stared at her. That... made a lot of sense, actually. Though I’d already known that the Academy was the country’s holy land, I’d never stopped to consider the impact it might be having on my divine power.

“Knowing that Uncle has set your departure in motion puts my mind at ease,” Charlotte said. “After all, Sister... in your limitless compassion for others, you seldom seem to consider your own needs.”

“I... daresay that is untrue. Going forward, I plan to build my very own library city and spend my days surrounded by books.” I’d paused only because, at one point in time, death hadn’t seemed all that bad. The promise of Mestionora’s library had gotten its hooks into me, and now that I was banned, I’d resolved to continue living for the sake of winning her over again.

Charlotte’s brow furrowed in response. Had she noticed my hesitation? She opened her mouth to respond, then closed it again, her arms crossed over her chest like she was desperately trying not to reach out to me.

“Charlotte?”

“I hope to one day visit this library city of yours, so please... do what you can to be rid of your divine mana. If you will excuse me. I should not like to get in the way of your retainers.”

She departed as quickly as she’d arrived. I wanted to speak with her for a little while longer, but my hands were tied; we really didn’t have the time to host a guest.

I got straight to work turning the materials Charlotte had delivered into gold dust. The process was as simple as sticking my hand into each bag and swirling it around until nothing solid remained. Transforming the materials would have been easy even without my divine power, so my mana barely decreased at all.

I’ll devote my all to making this gold dust for Ehrenfest and my library city... but I really don’t think it’s going to help much.

In the meantime, I received a fresh batch of materials from Ahrensbach’s knights. I pressed on and continued to make gold dust.

Come dinnertime, Ferdinand sent me a bag of rainbow feystones. I ate, then filled them all with mana and fused them together by repeating the words “round, round, sticky clay” in my head. My deity-dyed mana must have impacted the process because my Pandabus ended up not light yellow but rainbow colored.

Uh-oh. Lessy’s taken an unexpected turn. His new complexion looks so weird.

Still, manipulating such a large mass of rainbow feystones had drained some of my mana. I strove to keep making gold dust until it was time for bed.

I ate breakfast before being changed into my ceremonial High Bishop robes and carried to the common room. There, I continued to make gold dust until the very moment Ferdinand arrived.

“Rozemyne, how much mana did you recover overnight?” he asked.

“Well... As much as I spent forming my rainbow highbeast and creating all the gold dust,” I answered, my lips pursed. Any progress I’d made the night before had already been undone, and my night’s sleep had left me feeling worse than before I’d gone to bed.

Ferdinand pressed a hand against his forehead. “You regained that much in a single night? Is the divine power causing you pain or doing anything else of note?”

“As one would expect, it gets worse as more of my mana recovers. I’m still only a quarter full, though, so I’m fine.” It certainly wasn’t as bad as before, when I’d crumpled to the ground and erupted in screams. I just felt heavy and a little absent-minded, like I was battling a fever.

His expression hardened. “For someone who has not consumed a rejuvenation potion, that is still deeply concerning. We are running out of time.”

Damuel and Judithe were my only knights for the moment; the others were in Ahrensbach making the last of their preparations. Ferdinand addressed them at once.

“I shall depart with Rozemyne. Strive to ensure that her associates can move from Ehrenfest to the new duchy immediately after the Archduke Conference.”

“Yes, sir!”

Ferdinand picked me up and carried me away as though it were the most natural thing in the world. We exited the dormitory to find Ahrensbach’s knights and nobles from other duchies waiting for us. The latter group knelt at the sight of me; we wouldn’t get anywhere while they were blocking the corridor.

“O divine avatar, we ask that you grace not just Ahrensbach but also our duchies with your blessings and wisdom.”

I didn’t know how to respond. In my current state, even a perfunctory blessing would produce unwanted consequences. I clung to Ferdinand, who sternly shook his head and whispered to me.

“They are pleading for the losers of the civil war to receive more favor than Ahrensbach, the duchy that caused this mess to begin with. You can simply ignore them. They consider you a divine avatar—someone whose authority exceeds even that of the new Zent—but will turn away from you as soon as the divinity in your mana fades.”

Ferdinand then signaled Ahrensbach’s knights with a glance and addressed the crowd: “The minutiae of the civil war rests with the royal family. It is beneath a divine avatar. Now move. There are places we must be.”

At once, Ahrensbach’s knights started pushing the gathered nobles aside to make a path for me, chastising them all the while. They were desperate themselves; the future of their duchy depended on me.

Ferdinand strode past the dormitories’ teleportation doors, then placed a hand on a door beyond even those connected to the royal villas.

As I recalled, the Adalgisa villa comprised two buildings: one for women and pre-baptismal children and another for baptized branch royals. Ferdinand took me to the latter, where we would use the teleportation circle to the Lanzenave Estate. We headed toward it without the slightest pause.

“Have the knights returned to Ahrensbach?” I asked. “This place feels abandoned now.”

“Correct. They have no more business in the Royal Academy now that the prisoners have been handed over and the transference ceremony is complete. Remember also that the villa is being repurposed as a home for the new Zent. The sooner we leave, the better.”

“True. Should we get the attendants to give it one last clean?”

“There is no need. It is far more important that we seal the teleporter, ensuring that no one from Ahrensbach can intrude upon the new Zent’s estate.”

We made our way down a long corridor. My silver cloak restricted my vision, but I soon heard the clatter of armor and several doors open. Then it grew dark, which told me we had arrived in the windowless teleporter room.

“We shall go first,” Ferdinand said.

Only three people could use the teleporter at a time, so we went ahead with Eckhart. My retainers were waiting for us on the other end. Ferdinand practically dropped me into Angelica’s arms, then turned with a flourish and returned to the villa.

“I was told that Lord Ferdinand wished to perform some final checks before completely sealing the villa,” Leonore explained. “We would rather not risk anyone invading us through the villa as a result of a misunderstanding or the like.”

As I understood it, we were closing the teleporter so that Ahrensbach wouldn’t have a back door to the Royal Academy. But from Ahrensbach’s perspective, it was to prevent invasions from other duchies.

“Everything is ready for you, Lady Rozemyne,” Hartmut informed me. “We have been instructed to first return to the castle. Let us travel by highbeast. Would you like to use your own to further deplete your mana? It was brought to my attention that you made a new highbeast with your divine mana.” He wasn’t even trying to hide his excitement.

I nodded in response. Angelica set me down, allowing me to reveal my brand-new Rainbow Lessy to my retainers.

“His shape is the same, but not the color,” I said as I climbed into my one-person Pandabus. Then, unable to hide my disappointment, “He isn’t quite as cute as before...”

“Oh, no! That isn’t true at all,” everyone replied, trying to console me.

Ngh... My retainers are so sweet!

“Though it might not be cute, it certainly looks divine,” Hartmut said. “A most fitting vehicle for a divine avatar.”

“Indeed,” Leonore added. “Never have I seen a highbeast glitter with all the elements! It is a sight to behold.”

I’d assumed they were just being kind, but their compliments were genuine—they really thought my rainbow highbeast looked more divine. Lessy was far cuter when he was light yellow, in my opinion, but even grun-haters welcomed the omni-elemental sparkles.

Sorry... I just don’t understand the aesthetics of this world.

The others continued to praise my highbeast as we made our way back to the castle. Once again, my opinions deviated from the norm. Even the Ahrensbach nobles at the castle were in awe of Lessy’s omni-elemental sheen, while Letizia and her retainers welcomed me with sparkles in their eyes.

“Your highbeast looks beautiful, Lady Rozemyne.”

“I can feel the divine power of all the gods radiating from our new aub’s highbeast. How divine...!”

He looks the same as before! Is a change of color really enough to warrant all this praise?!

Hartmut put his mount away and drew me back from my thoughts. “Lady Rozemyne, dismiss your highbeast and sit over there, if you would.”

We had alighted on the castle’s largest balcony—the perfect landing spot for highbeasts. It connected to a pleasant hall where guests sometimes took their lunch and gazed out across the ocean. Though the room was mostly full of what I assumed to be my retainers’ bags, a vacant seat awaited me in the corner. The divine instruments sat atop the table beside it.

“The instruments are from Ahrensbach’s temple,” Hartmut said. “We humbly request that you fill them for us. Per a request from Lord Ferdinand, I must also ask you to check whether the chalice can be used to drain your mana.”

I started channeling my mana into the divine instruments. It would take a group of blue priests the best part of a day to fill them all, but I completed the first one—the chalice—almost immediately. The nobles around me cheered in response.

“Oh my!” one exclaimed. “The divine instruments were not always this easy to fill, were they?”

“Such an abundance of mana!” cried another.

In contrast to the nobles’ delight, I was feeling a little disappointed; though my mana had decreased, I was far from being empty.

From there, I picked up and tipped the chalice. Rainbow liquid poured out in response, mimicking the color of my mana. It was an unusual sight for someone who had performed so many Spring Prayers in the past, but I supposed it made sense; only when one prayed to the Goddess of Water did the liquid turn green.

“Lady Rozemyne, how fares your mana?” Hartmut asked. He had watched me test the chalice and now eyed me just as closely.

I focused on my mana. “Perhaps because I skipped the prayer, the divine power within me remains stable.”

“I am glad to hear it,” Hartmut said, visibly relieved. “Then you should not have any trouble filling the other instruments.”

“The usual prayer makes the mana turn green, Flutrane’s divine color. Are we sure this rainbow liquid can restore the earth?”

“Let us experiment.”

Hartmut took the chalice from me, then threw some of the liquid out into the castle’s garden. I couldn’t see where it landed—I was told to stay seated to preserve my stamina—but the nobles on the balcony cried out in awe.

“The flowers are blooming!”

“And the grass looks greener than before.”

Soon enough, the nobles were praising my virtues as a divine avatar. The whole song and dance was getting tiresome. I wanted nothing more than to purge the gods’ power from my body—they had forced it upon me, and it really didn’t seem all that special—but what would that mean for the future? Did the people here realize I would return to normal once the divine power was out of my system?

And will they still recognize me as an aub when it’s gone?

Unease spread through my chest. As much as I wanted to be rid of my divine power, I was starting to fear losing it. A small voice in my head told me to keep it—for the duchy’s sake as well as my own.

“Lady Rozemyne shall use this power to purify Ahrensbach and restore its land...” one of the nobles cooed, giddy with joy. Hartmut overheard them and almost laughed.

“You misunderstand. Lady Rozemyne is not here to restore your sinful duchy—she is preparing it for her own creation. Ahrensbach shall crumble, and a library city shall rise in its place.”

“In its current state, this duchy is not good enough to become Lady Rozemyne’s new home,” Clarissa added. “You have two choices: cling to your Ahrensbach roots and face punishment or worship Lady Rozemyne as vassals of her new duchy. We must not have taught you well enough.”

Hartmut gave a firm nod of agreement. In one fell swoop, they had cleared up one of my concerns and given rise to another. I didn’t want to build my city in a duchy of obsessed cultists. In an ideal world, its residents would all be bookworms. Ordinary bookworms.

“Hartmut, Clarissa...”

“Truth be told, Lady Rozemyne, we received a letter from the new Zent,” Hartmut said, turning back to me without missing a beat. “She wishes to know the name, color, and desired crest of your new duchy so that she can announce them during the Archduke Conference. Lord Ferdinand said you could decide after Spring Prayer, but I disagree; we should make our intentions clear and put any misunderstandings about this duchy’s future to rest. Have you come up with a name for your library city?”

A name...

I paused in thought. What name would suit an entire city of books? I could already feel my excitement growing as ideas shot through my mind. No matter what Ahrensbach’s nobles said, my desire to turn this duchy into my very own library stretched up into the sky like an ever-growing beanstalk. It made me so emotional that I almost prayed to Bluanfah the Goddess of Sprouts.

Not so fast, Rozemyne. Stay calm.

Just thinking about a name and crest made my dream creation seem all the more real. I was already drafting the speech I would give during the Archduke Conference.

How about Alexandria, the ancient port city with its very own library and gardens? Or maybe Venezia, the trade city that accumulated more bookstores than anywhere else in the world after printing was invented. I could also name it after one of the other great libraries back on Earth. Aah, what a tough choice!

I was enjoying my internal debate when Ferdinand and those with him arrived on their highbeasts. “I am here at last,” he said. “Let us begin Spring Prayer at once.”

“Ferdinand, which name do you think I should choose for my new duchy?” I asked eagerly. “Venezia or Alexandria?”

“Is this really the time?” he responded with an exceptionally cold stare. “We are in a state of emergency.”

“True, but emergencies are the best time to contemplate the fun things in life. It boosts morale! I guess you’re right, though; the name of my new duchy isn’t of the utmost importance right now. Put it out of your mind. I’ll consult the gods instead.”

Ip dip doo, the gods get to choose...

I moved my finger back and forth in my head, bouncing between Venezia on the left and Alexandria on the right. Ferdinand grabbed me before I could finish.

“Enough. Do not pray to the gods. Though there is nothing wrong with trying to stay cheerful, the names you come up with have the most unusual pronunciations. Proceed with caution, and submit a name only once you have shared with us its origin and your intentions.”

My retainers nodded in agreement.

“Indeed. A duchy’s name must not be chosen lightly. We should take some time to exchange ideas.”

“Be considerate of the aubs who will succeed you.”

Wait... Are my ideas going to be cast aside before I even realize what’s happening?

I was having flashbacks to when my suggestions of Kensaku and Opac were rejected in favor of Adrett. That hadn’t bothered me too much—I could always make more shumils and give them the names I wanted—but my city could only be named once. I wasn’t about to surrender.

“What about Alexandria?” I asked.

“Did I not just tell you this was an emergency?” Ferdinand shot back. “There will be time for this discussion tonight. Wait until then. We will also need to discuss several other aspects of your plan, as an entwickeln cannot be performed without schematics. Now, make us a teleportation circle. We shall start by filling the duchy’s most ravaged provinces.”

There was nothing I could say to that. Deciding the name of my new city would need to wait—which was fine with me, as long as I got to plead my case. I chanted, “Grutrissheit” to form my Book of Mestionora, then copied and placed a teleportation circle. It was ready in mere moments, eliciting awed murmurs from those around me.

Ferdinand approached me and asked in a whisper, “Were there ill effects of using the divine instruments?”

“There was a... minor problem,” I said. “But it shouldn’t be an issue by the time we’re done with the teleporter.”

“You fool.”

Once our belongings were ready to be teleported, our retainers and chefs stepped atop the circle. It made for a pretty sizable group.

For obvious reasons, it had fallen to me to prepare and pour mana into the teleportation circle. Ferdinand would need to activate it, though; Ahrensbach’s foundation thought he was the aub. He took out a somewhat large feystone before making his schtappe, indicating to those who didn’t know he had dyed me that he was acting as my representative and using my mana.

“Nenluessel. Bindewald.”

The spell drained more mana than I’d expected, though it was still a drop in the bucket compared to how much remained.