Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.11 - Chapter 8

Blessings from the Gods

“Everyone has arrived,” Ferdinand announced as he entered the waiting room. He instructed us on what to do and then held out a hand to me, acting as my escort. “Take your places by the door.”

“If you will excuse me...” Hartmut said. He had agreed to perform the ceremony as the High Priest, so he entered the auditorium ahead of us, taking the door for professors that led directly to the stage. The rest of us would use the main entrance.

Hartmut’s departure left us with Eglantine and Anastasius, who would also enter ahead of us. Two of their guard knights stood in front of the doors, ready to open them whenever they received the signal. Ferdinand and I moved aside so that we wouldn’t be seen when our new Zent made her grand appearance.

“Now behold the Zent chosen by the Divine Avatar of Mestionora: Lady Eglantine.”

As the doors opened, Eglantine and Anastasius glanced over at me. I nodded at them in response. We had agreed that I would recreate the blessing from their graduation ceremony to make it seem like the gods were smiling down on them. Ferdinand grimaced at the reminder; he had said the Grutrissheit alone would suffice but ultimately conceded the point. Our exchange was fresh in my memory.

“We need the country’s nobles to fully accept Lady Eglantine as the new Zent. Otherwise, I won’t be able to focus on my library city.”

“That is your priority?”

“What else would it be?”

“Nothing, I suppose... If you would rather not get even more involved with the royal family, a single blessing will serve your purpose.”

It wasn’t the most impressive victory, but I’d secured permission nonetheless. I channeled mana into my ring as soon as the door to the auditorium closed.

Lady Eglantine, Prince Anastasius... The road ahead won’t be easy, but I wish you the best of luck! You have my support!

I made sure not to put much feeling into the blessing. It was merely a gesture, like greeting an acquaintance. I nodded when I was done, satisfied with my work, only for Ferdinand to pinch his forehead and deeply furrow his brow.

“That was the worst-case scenario,” he said.

“Wait, what?”

“Are you truly that oblivious? The divine power swirling around you is intensifying.”

“Umm...”

I couldn’t see why Ferdinand was so troubled; a quick glance down at my hands revealed nothing out of the ordinary. Still, the situation must have been bad—he crossed his arms while looking from me to the auditorium to the ceiling. The crease in his brow deepened, and he started tapping his temples.

“What should we do?” I asked.

“The royal couple has already entered the auditorium, and the ceremony is underway. There is nothing we can do but proceed as normal.”

“Are you sure...? I mean, look.” I wasn’t aware of my extra divine power, but the feystones decorating my arms had started to shine—a clear indication that things were dire.

“We expected something strange to occur during the ceremony, but before...?” Ferdinand mused. “You really are impossible to predict.” He clucked, then searched through the rejuvenation potions and magic tools he had on hand. I noticed a number of rather violent-seeming implements hidden among them.

“You seem better equipped for a battle than a ceremony...” I observed.

“Anytime you are involved, I seldom know what to prepare for.”

“I can understand the rejuvenation potions—I’ve needed them for ceremonies in the past—but explosives?” I pursed my lips at him.

“It is better to be prepared than not,” Ferdinand scoffed. “Now, should you not be acting more like the avatar of a goddess? You are about to be summoned.”

I was partway through being lectured on the best ways to exude divinity when the doors to the auditorium opened again. Hartmut made his declaration from within.

“Now behold Lady Rozemyne, Divine Avatar of Mestionora the Goddess of Wisdom.”

Well, here’s hoping I look the part.

Ferdinand and Hartmut were exceptionally thorough, so there was nothing to worry about—assuming we didn’t make any major mistakes. I took a slow breath to steady my nerves, then placed my hand over Ferdinand’s.

Oh, wow. I’m sparkling.

My divine power must have been swelling throughout his entire lecture. The feystones and charms covering my arms were making their presence known, shining so bright that they made my eyes sting. I raised my chin in an attempt to keep them out of sight, trying to avoid making eye contact with Ferdinand at the same time. He was looking straight ahead, but his polite smile chastised me for having unleashed an extraneous blessing in the first place.

I gave the blessing, sure, but this isn’t my fault. It’s all on the goddess.

According to Ferdinand, channeling mana into the foundation had reduced my divine power. Devoting a ton of mana while dedication whirling would most likely cause my shining to fade.

Stay strong, Rozemyne. Hold out just a little while longer.

“We shall provide more information during the upcoming Archduke Conference,” Hartmut informed the auditorium. “On this momentous occasion, the long-absent Grutrissheit shall return.”

I ascended the whirling stage with Ferdinand—and at once, the selection circle materialized underneath me.

Oh, come on! What now?!

Under normal circumstances, one had to whirl to make the circle appear. If the severity of my mana leak hadn’t been obvious to me before, it certainly was now. No wonder Ferdinand grimaced and tapped a frustrated digit against his temple; this was so extreme that even I was taken aback.

On the bright side, I guess Ferdinand can leave out the part of his speech explaining that the magic circle will arise once we start whirling...

I waited patiently while Ferdinand gave his lecture on religious ceremonies and the magic circle. We had originally agreed that I would give the explanation, but now I was being made to keep silent so as not to lessen the divinity of my image. It was the right decision, but a mean one nonetheless.

His speech complete, Ferdinand spoke in a low voice that reached my ears and mine alone: “Unleash as much divine power as you can while you whirl.” Then he descended the stage. The musicians beneath me strummed their instruments, which told me it was time to start.

I knelt atop the stage. Ferdinand was now among the musicians, where he would play for the gods before using Verbergen’s charms to ascend the altar with me. His decision to perform had seemed out of character for him, especially when I thought back to his insolence in the Garden of Beginnings, but he had quickly set me right. It was one thing to oppose Erwaermen, who no longer had the power of a god, but he couldn’t risk disrespecting the actual gods responsible for his divine protections.

Oh, is the sound check over?

The musicians had stopped playing. They must have been ready. I took a slow breath, then began.

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

To stop the audience from doubting my status as a divine avatar, I needed to put my all into my whirl. Eglantine would perform the same ceremony right after me.

If nothing else, my pillar of light needs to be bigger than hers!

I doubted my whirling was better than Eglantine’s, but that was fine; I could compensate in other ways. I drew as much attention as I could to my status as a divine avatar, adding my natural mana to the goddess-dyed mana flowing through me. The pillar of light slowly grew as a result.

Perfect. Perfect! Just like that!

As I spun, I saw the statues of the gods move, opening a path. Eglantine was waiting before the altar and would step forth to whirl once the path was fully open, ensuring that nobody in the audience would notice if she couldn’t erect high enough pillars. The knowledge that everything was going according to plan brought me some comfort, allowing me to focus on my dance. My luminous feystones obscured my view, so I didn’t even notice the waves of mana radiating from the stage and ascending the altar or the fact that the statues had started to shine. I simply finished my whirl and then returned to kneeling.

“Praise be to the gods,” I said.

In an instant, I was swallowed up by the most dazzling light. I squeezed my eyes shut on instinct and suddenly felt weightless. Then a voice reached my ears.

“So you have returned. You came second, Myne.”

Um, what?

I sheepishly opened my eyes and gazed upward. We had planned for me to bring Eglantine and the unseen Ferdinand to the Garden of Beginnings once the whirling was complete, but here I was, facing Erwaermen alone.

Hold on... We didn’t account for this.

The blood drained from my face. I frantically looked around, searching for an exit, but I couldn’t find one anywhere. Even the entrance behind the statues was shut for some reason.

Um, is Lady Eglantine going to be okay?! Can she reopen it on her own?! Ferdinand, what’s the plan?!

As far as I was aware, he hadn’t expected me to teleport to the Garden of Beginnings immediately after finishing my dedication whirl.

“Are you listening, Myne?” Erwaermen asked.

“No, sorry. This happened so suddenly that I was lost in thought. Could you repeat yourself?”

“I said you came in second in the race.”

Second...?

“Do you mean... Gervasio got here before me?!” I exclaimed, my eyes wide with terror. Ferdinand must have made a mistake. Maybe he’d destroyed the wrong medal, allowing Gervasio to escape the country gate.

Erwaermen shook his head. “Would that were the case, but no. Terza has disappeared. I do not know where he is.” Maybe he wasn’t able to track Gervasio now that the man’s medal was destroyed. Or maybe Gervasio had gone somewhere else.

“Does that mean Ferdinand came first, then?”

“Yes. The coward who attacked Terza to obstruct him returned to me before you.”

Wait, Ferdinand attacked Gervasio? This is the first I’ve heard about that.

He must have traveled all over while I was holed up in the Ehrenfest Dormitory. I didn’t know which route he had taken to reach Erwaermen, but it didn’t really matter; time hadn’t been of the essence.

“Look,” Erwaermen said. His eyes were still closed, but he indicated a direction with a subtle turn of his head. “Upon his return, Quinta declared his victory and then withdrew without asking for the path to the foundation. He even left something behind. Surely he does not consider this garden a storage room of some kind.”

I turned to see something wrapped in silver cloth and tied with magic rope, the former to prevent mana from seeping out and the latter to keep anyone from touching it. I recognized it almost immediately.

That’s the magic tool Grutrissheit we were going to give Lady Eglantine!

I’d pleaded with Ferdinand to let me see under the cloth, but he’d refused; my goddess-dyed mana would have overwhelmed the tool and forced him to remake it from scratch. He had taken it here to the Garden of Beginnings and used the opportunity to announce his victory.

Well, that shouldn’t surprise me.

“You came here later than the insolent Quinta, but you were first to reach the foundation,” Erwaermen explained. “Its mana has increased, though it has yet to be dyed completely. My congratulations on defeating the coward.”

Ferdinand wanted me to supply the foundation before him. But thanks.

I wasn’t going to correct Erwaermen—far be it from me to turn down his praise—but my victory against Ferdinand wasn’t at all deserved. I’d only supplied the foundation as a means of releasing my excess mana and so Ferdinand could see whether it changed the divine power within me.

“Moreover, the country gates are almost entirely dyed with your mana. I acknowledge your triumphs and shall make you the new Zent, not Quinta.”

“Um...”

This was getting a little out of hand. I didn’t want to become the Zent out of nowhere. The role didn’t appeal to me, and I was already in the process of granting Eglantine the Grutrissheit as the Divine Avatar of Mestionora. Not to mention, Ferdinand would be furious if my actions undid all of his hard work.

“Myne. Finish supplying the foundation before Quinta.”

“It seems wrong to make me the Zent. Ferdinand won the race, didn’t he? And there are plans in place to make me Aub Ahrensbach.”

Erwaermen’s decision undermined the whole point of our race, but he was unperturbed. “You filled the foundation with mana.”

“Yes, but only because—”

“And most of all, I dislike that insolent man. I would rather anyone else become the Zent.”

So it was a matter of personal preference. I doubted there was much I could say to change Erwaermen’s mind, especially when he had so many reasons to hate Ferdinand.

“I understand,” I said. “Ferdinand was anything but courteous with you. But he also won the race, so I would argue we should do as he says.” Passing him over would mean casting aside the reason we’d competed in the first place. Besides, honoring the results would guarantee Ferdinand the throne; Erwaermen would still get his way in the end.

“Quinta must dye the foundation before he can be freed. Such was our agreement. He has yet to finish, so act quickly. Dye the foundation before Quinta steals it from you.”

Could you maybe not speak like it’s already set in stone?

Fully dyeing the foundation in my current state would make it so much harder for Eglantine to dye it as the new Zent. Not to mention, I wanted to save my mana for Ahrensbach’s Spring Prayer and entwickeln. We were all working so hard to put Eglantine on the throne, so I refused to budge no matter how strongly the former god felt.

I desperately searched for the right words to convince Erwaermen. Did they even exist? How was I to convince someone whose actions were founded in the realm of the gods?

“Your mana alone will not be enough,” he continued, more or less ignoring me. “Mestionora shall provide her aid and grant you yet more of her inexhaustible power. She will make use of your body until the foundation is dyed.”

Light rained down on me before I could even respond. The feystones covering my body began to spark as if resisting Mestionora’s descent.

“Eep?!”

My charms from Ferdinand activated on their own, and it was then that I realized the gravity of the situation. Rather than seeking my consent, Mestionora was outright attempting to steal my body. Goose bumps rose all over my arms.

Am I about to lose even more of my memories?!

“No! I won’t give up my body!” I cried, resisting the presence trying to enter me. I crossed both arms in front of my chest and channeled mana into my feystones.

I refused to give up more of my memories. Some things were too important for compromise. I’d also promised Ferdinand that I wouldn’t carelessly surrender my body again. He still refused to tell me what Mestionora had done the last time she’d taken control of me, and the thought of what the goddess might do if she descended again turned my stomach.

I don’t want to worry or hurt him!

I focused on rejecting the presence until the light ceased raining down on me. Erwaermen began to radiate an overwhelming amount of power in response.

“You would take up arms against us?”

“I’m not trying to fight you! It’s just... when Mestionora used my body before, it cost me so many of my most precious memories. Even now, they haven’t returned. I don’t want to lose anything else that matters to me.” I wouldn’t have minded dyeing the foundation temporarily—despite the problems Eglantine and Ahrensbach would face—but I absolutely refused to lend my body to the goddess.

“Your only concern is your memories? Then I shall call upon the aid of the other gods.”

“Hm? How can they—?”

“Thou hast my blessings,” Erwaermen said, waving a hand. “Receive this power to supply the foundation.” Light beams of various colors descended on me all at once, and the divine power of their elements coursed through me, clashing with Mestionora’s influence.

“Eek!”

Goose bumps spread from my arms to the rest of my body. This clash of mana made my stomach churn; it felt like tendrils too slender to be seen were wriggling their way into the pores of my skin. It was unlike any blessing I’d ever received—rather than working together, the gods’ divine power fought for dominance inside of me.

I was racked with pain as the mana inside me continued to rebound. Parts of me felt hundreds of small twinges like they had electricity coursing through them. Other parts were throbbing and numb. So intense was the agony in some areas that I genuinely wondered if my bones had snapped. My head, neck, back, stomach, arms, legs—everything hurt, and it was all I could do to stop from crying out.

“Now go forth and dye the foundation,” Erwaermen said. “Myne?”

The pain was too much. I crumpled to the ground and screamed, “I-It hurts! I can’t! AAAGGGHHH!”

I couldn’t even sit. Mestionora had dyed my mana while I was unconscious, inadvertently sparing me the torment, but now several gods were fighting for control. They all pushed against each other in their battle to establish dominance. Unlike the Devouring heat, I couldn’t control this foreign mana; I could only curl up and scream as my body was torn apart from the inside.

“Hmm... The gods did not expect this...” Erwaermen muttered, looking up at the sky. “They seem to be in quite a panic. Mestionora wishes to descend and restore order to the divine power of the gods inside you. Can you remove those ornaments from your arms?”

“NGHHH! AAAGGGH!”

I desperately shook my head. Even sitting was beyond me; how could anyone expect me to roll up my sleeves and start messing around with intricate charms?

Erwaermen crouched down and reached out to me, but I was too far away. Even in his human form, he wasn’t able to move from his spot.

Then what’s the point of transforming in the first place?! How stupid can you be?!

“Hmm... This is troubling.”

Though tears blurred my vision, I saw Erwaermen stand up again. I couldn’t tell whether he really was concerned—his voice betrayed not a trace of emotion—but he was definitely looking for something.

“Someone is trying to open a path here,” he said. “There are some mana concerns, but inviting them seems worthwhile if they can remove your ornaments.”

I nodded as much as I could. No doubt he was referring to Eglantine. Unless someone intervened, the divine powers swelling and rebounding in my body would surely kill me.

Erwaermen slashed the air, creating an entrance that stood out like a sore thumb in the perfectly white Garden of Beginnings. No sooner had its iridescent barrier wavered than small explosions popped all around the former god.

Oh. It’s Ferdinand.

Nobody else would use charms from the God of Concealment to sneak into this place and start attacking—not that his bombardment appeared to be doing much. Erwaermen looked slightly annoyed, but that was all.

“It was not your mana that opened the path, Quinta. I assume you employed another of your craven tricks. So be it. Come here and remove Myne’s arm ornaments.”

“For what purpose?” Ferdinand asked, still unseen.

“To allow Mestionora to descend.”

“I refuse.”

Wait! No!

Ferdinand appeared out of nowhere, having likely removed his concealment charms. I could tell that he was still in battle mode; he had several magic tools in hand and appeared to be gauging the distance between him and Erwaermen.

This was bad. Refusing the goddess meant refusing my only hope of surviving. I reached a trembling hand toward Ferdinand, terrified of my approaching demise, but he was too busy staring at Erwaermen to notice.

Ferdinand... Help...

“I see,” Erwaermen said. “Myne’s death will complete your Book of Mestionora and allow you to claim the foundation. A most adequate plan—and one that leaves you without any blood on your hands. I would expect no less from you.”

The former god paused in thought. “Hmm... Loath though I am to admit it, I must acknowledge you as the next Zent. Myne, it is unfortunate, but there was not enough time to support your ascension to the throne.” He shook his head in disappointment, but his resignation was clear. “Quinta, it seems unnecessarily cruel to leave Myne in her current state. Show some compassion and put her to rest, then hurry up and dye the foundation.”

Ferdinand inspected us both, concerned. He must have then noticed my desperation because he knelt down beside me, keeping a cautious eye on Erwaermen all the while.

“Would allowing Mestionora to descend save Rozemyne?”

“Only the gods can control divine power. There is nothing mere mortals can do for her.”

Ferdinand ground his teeth. “Rozemyne, do you oppose Mestionora descending into your body?”

“No...! Save... me. AAAGH!”

Ferdinand put away his magic tools and pulled out what appeared to be a small sweet. He wrenched open my clenched jaw, stuck it in my mouth, and then popped one in his own mouth before rising to his feet. He moved to stand between Erwaermen and me, then struck the former god with an attack. I couldn’t see it through his cape, but there was another explosive pop.

“This is a less potent version,” Ferdinand said. “Stay frozen while I rescue Rozemyne.”

“Aah...! Ngh...!”

Erwaermen groaned in pain, though I couldn’t understand why. He’d weathered all the other attacks like they were nothing. I received my answer when I saw Ferdinand toss aside a silver tube. He must have hit Erwaermen with instant-death poison.

So that thing he fed me was the antidote? It tasted pretty bitter.

Only once Erwaermen was dealt with did Ferdinand roll up my sleeves and start removing my defensive charms.

“It hurts... Gaaah!”

“I understand, but you must stay still.”

That was easier said than done; the pain was intense enough that even the slightest movement brought about a fresh wave of agony. He’d never had trouble ignoring my writhing and complaining before. Couldn’t he continue that trend and get this over with already?

“Um, Lord Ferdinand, Lady Rozemyne... Was this really worth interrupting the transference ceremony?” Eglantine called. Her worried question reminded me that she had opened the path in the first place. She was supposed to have come here, not Ferdinand.

“I am removing some of Rozemyne’s charms so that Mestionora may descend into her body. Do not just stand there; help me. You would do well to realize that you, too, will climb the towering stairway if something happens to her.”

Eglantine came over at once, responding to the urgency of the request. She paled as soon as she saw me.

“Lord Ferdinand, what in the world happened to Lady Rozemyne?”

“I do not know,” he replied, frustrated. “But she will die unless Mestionora descends into her body.” It was then that he finished removing the charms from my first arm.

“Could you keep her arm in place? I cannot find the clasp.”

Ferdinand pinned my arm down while Eglantine quickly rolled up my sleeve. The moment the final charm was removed, Mestionora’s voice echoed through my mind.

“I shall dismiss you for a short while. But this time, I will not grant you access to my library.”

And with that, my consciousness was plucked away. The world around me faded into a blank white void.

I’m banned from the Goddess of Wisdom’s library?! NOOOOOO!

Gone was my only reason for looking forward to the afterlife. The despair had just set in when Mestionora’s voice reappeared in my head.

“I am finished. Now go.”

“Um, did something happen? Did you do something to my body?” I asked. Ferdinand would probably keep me in the dark again, so this was my best chance to find out.

“The last time I descended into your vessel, I dyed you completely. You would not have felt so much pain if you had waited for my influence to fade, but alas. That contributed to how the gods’ power reacted inside you.”

“Was there another reason?” I asked.

“Quinta’s magic tools blocked my descent, no? The gods answered Erwaermen’s call for aid and channeled their mana into you with enough force to overwhelm your charms.”

W-Was that really necessary?

The charms were designed to block the descent of a certain goddess, not to stop the gods’ blessings, so the rush of divine power meant to overcome them hadn’t faced any resistance whatsoever. The gods’ power had slammed straight into me, racking me with more pain than any human could endure.

“The gods were not acting with malice, but they did wish to spite Quinta for lashing out at Erwaermen.”

So they’d put me through hell to get back at Ferdinand. I couldn’t say I was impressed.

“I regret that you were wrapped up in all this. Still, I shall say no more. Return before Quinta starts to rampage in his impatience.”

She was making him out as some kind of angry beast, which simply wasn’t true. Sure, he was calculated and ready to do anything—however immoral—to accomplish his goals, but for the most part, he was really quite even-tempered.

“I wouldn’t say he’s impatient...”

“No? He acts under Ewigeliebe’s influence, and any discipline he might have vanishes when it comes to his Geduldh. From now on, I would rather you both stay far, far away from Erwaermen.”

Mestionora sounded genuinely concerned for the former god. Plenty of stories claimed she was devoted to him—he had saved her life, apparently—and it seemed that they were true. I could understand why she wouldn’t want Ferdinand near him when he had charged into the Garden of Beginnings with explosives in hand.

If one looks only at the things he’s done there, then yeah—the angry beast comparison makes sense.

“Understood. Upon my return, I will take Ferdinand and leave the Garden of Beginnings.”

“Good. And make haste in dyeing Yurgenschmidt’s foundation. That is Erwaermen’s wish and why the gods lent you their power to begin with.”

Though my exchange with Erwaermen had spiraled out of control, it was true that the gods wanted Yurgenschmidt to survive. I wasn’t opposed to granting their wishes; their divine power would prove essential to our cause, and they had given me various blessings in the past.

“I thank you for your assistance, O Goddess of Wisdom. Praise be to the gods!”