Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.12 - Chapter 8

Library and Laboratory

“You went too far, fool. You lost more than half of your audience.”

No sooner had the engagement ceremony concluded than Ferdinand launched into his newest lecture. We had moved to the waiting room for Ehrenfest guests, so he had no need to maintain a fake smile or resort to euphemisms; he could chastise me as directly as he wished.

Dumping my own facade, I turned away from him and pouted. “There’s no need to exaggerate; it was almost half. If you ask me, we should celebrate the fact that all those nobles knew how to pray in the first place. Hartmut’s and Clarissa’s teachings have made it such a long way.”

“Your praise honors me,” Hartmut replied with a proud but embarrassed smile. “It must have been a result of the entire city praying together during the ancient spell.”

I consulted my other retainers on instinct. “Um... Can someone tell me what he means by that?” I’d spent the duration of the spell inside the foundation’s hall, so I didn’t have a clue what the nobles had gotten up to in the meantime.

“Most of us were at the gates or stationed in the aub’s living quarters, so we only found out when it was already too late...” Cornelius replied at length, a distant look in his eyes. Hartmut had apparently ordered every noble and commoner in the city to pray.

“Ferdinand, why didn’t you stop him?” I asked.

“By doing what, exactly?” he replied with a glare. “I was with you in the foundation’s hall.”

I couldn’t argue with that logic, but I tried my best anyway. “I thought you might have foreseen his actions and done something to stop him in advance. It must have taken a lot of planning to make all the commoners pray.”

“If you understand that much, then you should also understand that there is nothing wrong with making nobles and commoners pray to you.”

Aha! So you were in on it!

I tried to strike, but Ferdinand stopped me before I could. “The fewer enemies you have, the better,” he said. “Your retainers will agree with me.”

A quick glance at them revealed that he was right.

“Now, should we not see our Ehrenfest visitors to the border gate?” he continued. “We are not the only ones with plenty to do before the Archduke Conference.”

Ehrenfest had played major roles in the battle against Lanzenave and the installment of a new Zent. Not to mention, I was Sylvester’s adopted daughter; he would need to actively support my becoming an aub during the conference. It made sense that they were so much busier than usual.

“Fathers, Mothers, Grandfather,” I said, “I thank you ever so much for coming to my engagement ceremony.”

“Don’t look so sad,” Sylvester replied. “We’re going to see you in Ehrenfest, aren’t we?”

“Yes,” Ferdinand answered in my stead. “Expect her tomorrow afternoon.”

“She’s welcome to come through the Royal Academy’s dormitories. I wouldn’t normally extend that kindness to someone no longer associated with Ehrenfest, but what can I say? I’m a generous man.”

“My, what lackluster security. Are you not worried about information leaking? I will accept, though, as such an arrangement will aid me greatly.”

Ferdinand and Sylvester were lost in conversation, so I called over Damuel. He approached me from Bonifatius’s side.

“Yes, Lady Rozemyne?”

“Please tell Ottilie and the others my schedule. And as we plan to move my retainers’ belongings before the Archduke Conference, I must ask that you inform their families as well.”

“Yes, my lady.”

I moved to continue but paused and took a deep breath. My next question would require some resolve.

“Damuel, do you intend to move to Alexandria with Philine when the time comes? I must select which Old Ahrensbach nobles to bring to the Archduke Conference as my retainers before my departure tomorrow. May I introduce you to them as a fellow retainer who will join them in two years’ time?”

He stood up straight and nodded without hesitation. “Yes, of course. I will wait for Philine to come of age and then move to Alexandria with her. Please introduce me as one of your retainers.”

“I am glad to see you have steeled your resolve.” I giggled and then added, “I shall ask Philine about her progress and what happened while I was away.”

Damuel averted his eyes. “Yes, ask her, not me.”

As soon as that was settled, we teleported to the border gate. We saw Sylvester’s group off as they teleported to Ehrenfest’s castle, then returned to our own.

“Now, if you would wait in your room until it is time to leave...” Ferdinand said to me.

“No thanks. At long last, I’m going to tour my library and your laboratory.”

I’d constructed an entire library with my entwickeln, only to be told that I wasn’t yet allowed to explore it. Anytime I’d proposed going there, someone had retorted with one of many true but unnecessary excuses, claiming that I would refuse to leave and that I would abandon all of my important duties to bask in its excellence.

“I patiently waited until our engagement ceremony was over,” I continued. “Now that I actually have some time on my hands, I wish to see them now more than ever.”

“Your library is still without books. The scholars have not had time to move any inside.”

“But your laboratory is reasonably well stocked, I assume. I will start there.”

Ferdinand grimaced, but I eagerly headed to his newly made laboratory. The large greenhouses contained rows upon rows of spice plants, giving me the impression of a botanical garden.

“There certainly are a lot of plants here, considering that the entwickeln was only a few days ago,” I mused aloud.

“I teleported the resources from various other laboratories here at once.”

The scholars of Old Ahrensbach, frustrated with the domineering Lanzenavians, had started researching ways to grow spices locally and end their duchy’s reliance on international trade. Some of the giebes ostracized by the old archducal family had also attempted to grow spices, which they had planned to sell to other duchies. Their plants and research were all gathered in this laboratory.

Ferdinand continued, “The scholars are in a great hurry to organize their research to prove during the upcoming conference that Alexandria is a worthwhile trade partner even now that its country gate is closed.”

We were still standing among all the plants I’d never seen before when a scholar arrived to deliver Ferdinand a report. As expected, our attempts to cultivate sugar were seeing limited results.

“The plants wilt without a greenhouse, so large-scale cultivation will not be easy...” Ferdinand explained. “That said, channeling mana into them has induced slight changes in each new generation.”

“That sounds fun. Can I add some of my mana too?” Supplying things was pretty much my specialty by this point.

Ferdinand shook his head. “Your mana remains a tad peculiar as a result of your body having housed a goddess. We should reserve it for other experiments, though they will take some time to prepare. Be patient for now.”

He and several scholars then discussed which of the crops I should supply and the best way to keep my mana from contaminating the other plants. In the meantime, Eckhart and Justus showed me and my retainers to their lord’s room in the laboratory.

“When he joins us here in Alexandria, Lasfam will oversee this place as one of his duties,” Justus informed me. “He should be more at ease here than in the castle’s chambers.”

I examined our surroundings. There weren’t many magic tools here yet, but I spied all of Ferdinand’s brewing equipment. It brought to mind his old hidden room.

Except his paperwork is in order for once, since his attendants now have access to it.

“Still, why was Ferdinand allowed to enjoy his laboratory when I wasn’t permitted to even visit my library?” I asked. Given how busy he must have been with Eglantine’s visit, the engagement ceremony, and preparing for the Archduke Conference, I was genuinely surprised to see it in such great form. “Is he even getting any sleep?”

Justus glanced in the direction of the greenhouses and gave a wry smile. “Compared to before he was poisoned, he is sleeping more and using fewer potions. Eating with you has also led to him having both lunch and dinner on a regular basis. It is a good trend, Lady Rozemyne. We should see even more improvement once the conference is behind us.”

“Lady Rozemyne,” hmm?

Justus chuckled, having noticed my strange expression. “Not used to me addressing you that way?”

“Well... you and Rihyarda always call me ‘milady.’”

“Mother would give me a pretty stern lecture if she caught me using that term with someone who’s formally engaged,” he noted, clearly amused.

I glared at him, but he wasn’t bothered in the slightest. I couldn’t complain about him resorting to a more common form of address—Rihyarda had already done the same with Ferdinand—but the emotional distance it created was a little upsetting.

“Speaking of which,” I said, “Eckhart, Angelica, what’s happening with your engagement? Mother wanted an answer before the Archduke Conference, did she not?”

Now that Eckhart and Angelica were both in Alexandria, they could revive the engagement they had previously needed to cancel. Bonifatius supported the idea more than anyone.

“The two of you seem perfect for each other in more ways than one,” I continued. “As long as Angelica feels the same way.”

Eckhart nodded, then turned to Angelica. “How do you want to proceed? I haven’t forgiven Ahrensbach’s nobles for what they did to Lord Ferdinand. Our marriage would give me a convenient excuse to block any future proposals.”

“I, too, would consider it convenient. A weak knight proposed to me just recently, and I’m not sure how to turn him down.”

Wait. Hold on. You’ve settled the matter already?!

The rebirth of their engagement had come about in such a bland and unromantic way that I could already imagine Elvira’s disappointment. Lieseleta smiled about how appropriate this was for her sister, but marrying Eckhart just to avoid rejecting someone seemed crazy even by Angelica’s standards.

“Oh my. Are you not the same, Lady Rozemyne?” Lieseleta asked. “My sister might not be in love, but she is marrying Lord Eckhart out of convenience and to avoid an engagement with someone who does not meet her standards. Are you not getting married for the same reasons?”

“That is... I guess?”

She had a point, but being lumped together with Angelica didn’t sit right with me. I really did want to be part of a family with Ferdinand, and our engagement hadn’t been decided so carelessly.

I returned to Ferdinand, my lips pursed, and announced that I was going to visit my library. Now that I’d seen his room, there was little else I wanted to do here; there wasn’t much enjoyment to be had in a laboratory that was mostly empty save for a few greenhouses.

Though my library is going to be even emptier.

Ferdinand caught up to me while I was crossing the sky bridge connecting the lab to my library. Justus unlocked the door at the other end.

“Aah!”

Its shelves were bare, but the library of my dreams stretched out before me. So great was its resemblance to the British Museum Reading Room that, for a moment, I felt as though I’d stepped into a photograph. I gave an accidental blessing in my excitement, but no one even reacted; they had probably thought this might happen.

“This place is something else...” I said. “See the domed roof and its many windows? They allow more than enough light into the library while ensuring it never reaches the shelves along the walls, reducing the risk of discoloration.” Light-producing magic tools were always an option, but Alexandria didn’t have enough mana in its current state to keep them operational on a daily basis.

“The reading desks under the dome all receive an equal amount of light,” I continued. “Guests won’t need to worry about the time of day or where they’re seated—one of the main problems with the Royal Academy’s carrels. Furthermore, there is a magic tool on the ceiling that will use light to announce when it is closing time.”

I pointed to the radial reading desks. “I intend to have Opac and Kensaku stationed there, while—”

“Pause,” Ferdinand said reproachfully. “I do not recognize those words.”

I cocked my head at him. “They’re magic tools dedicated to helping our guests find whatever books they need. The library is enormous, and the placement of the shelves means that some people might not be able to reach them on their own. The more magic tools, the better, no?”

“You’re still set on using those names...?” Cornelius asked, slumping his shoulders. I thought they were simple and easy to remember, but Ferdinand disagreed; he called them “ugly and foreign-sounding” and took particular issue with Kensaku.

“In any case, there were few books in Ahrensbach’s castle,” he said. “A single magic tool should do for now.”

“I also intend to use security shumils to drive away those who cause trouble or attempt to steal from the library. How many would you advise I make?”

Clarissa raised a timid hand. “I cannot answer your question, but might I suggest you make them a tad less... lethal than the ones you stationed in Ehrenfest?”

“Certainly. I shall entrust such changes to you, Hartmut, or Raimund.”

“You may count on me,” said not just Clarissa but Raimund as well. He would help make whatever improvements were necessary for the library to run optimally.

“Still, should you not have made the library smaller?” Raimund pondered, looking around the massive reading room. “There aren’t enough books in the entire country to fill all these shelves.” Entwickelns used up a tremendous amount of mana, so all this empty space must have seemed wasteful.

“The mighty Ironquill once stated that man builds no structure which outlives a book. This library might look spacious now, but the day will come when its shelves are all packed. I really am looking forward to it.”

By that time, the literacy rate among commoners would surely have improved. I could establish a new library exclusively for them and set up more libraries on the outskirts of the Noble’s Quarter. Highbeasts made travel a nonissue, and teleportation circles could transport goods with ease, so it wouldn’t even be hard to move books between them.

As we continued our discussion, we cut through the reading room and went to the library’s main entrance, which was below the sky bridge to the laboratory. We made our way to the wing where the librarians’ rooms were located and stopped outside a door at the top of the stairs.

“This room will be yours, Lady Rozemyne,” Hartmut said.

I was given a tour of the empty room, which was as uneventful as one might imagine. It just needed to be furnished; then I could actually live here in the library.

“I will need a desk and chair for when I read and a sofa to lounge on,” I said.

“First you need a bed for when you grow too excited or collapse from overwork,” Ferdinand replied, eliciting nods from my retainers. They were being as overprotective as always.

“I think a sofa would serve that same purpose...”

Lieseleta asked me what else I might need when I moved in.

“I will spend most nights in the castle, so a desk and chair really are all that I need.”

“Still, ensure that everything is ready from the start,” Ferdinand said. “It might seem tedious, but I would rather not risk another incident. Have you forgotten when you first entered the temple and neglected to prepare a bed, only to collapse and cause a mass disturbance?” It was an ancient example, but it spurred my retainers to start discussing the fastest way to get my room in order.

“Rozemyne,” Ferdinand continued, “make a hidden room here as well.”

“Is the room not enough on its own?”

“You need one to keep things precious to you in the library.”

I did as instructed, and Ferdinand pressed a red feystone against the wall. I placed my hand over his and channeled my mana through him, registering both of us to the newly made hidden room.

“Wait!” Cornelius cried, having suddenly realized what was about to happen. “You can’t go in there together just yet!” His protest fell on deaf ears, however, as Ferdinand pulled me into the hidden room without another word.

“Cornelius is going to scold me... again,” I said.

“Rest assured—a few threats will stay his tongue,” Ferdinand replied.

“No! No threats! You’re making me feel worse!”

Ferdinand responded with a dismissive exhale, then formed his Book of Mestionora and started placing a person-teleporting magic circle. I could think of only one reason he would put such a thing in my hidden room.

“Ferdinand, is that...?”

“It connects to your room in the lower city. Consider it a gateway to your family.”

I gazed down at the completed magic circle, then knelt and supplied it with mana until it shone. It had one set destination, much like the circles used to connect the country’s castles to their respective dormitories.

“So my family’s home is on the other end of this circle?” I asked.

“Yes. I doubt you will see them anytime soon—they must first move here from Ehrenfest, and there are schedules to consider—but this is how you will return to them. Expect to wait another season, at least—until the Archduke Conference has passed and your burdens as the aub have started to ease.”

Warmth spread through my chest. By using his Book of Mestionora to place a teleportation circle here in this hidden room, Ferdinand was ensuring that my connection to my family would never crumble, even if my time as the aub came to an end or circumstances required me to leave the castle. He had even come up with a schedule for my visits. I was so glad to have him by my side.

I moved my hand away from the circle, stood, and then pulled Ferdinand into an embrace. “When the time comes, let’s go together. I want you there with me when I visit my family.”

“No, but...” Ferdinand tried to escape me and replied in a panicked voice, “I would only get in the way.”

I glared at him and held on even more tightly. “You would not.”

“Let go of me...” he grumbled, but I refused. He always got skittish when it came to family matters.

“Nuh-uh. Not until you agree to come with me.”

Ferdinand averted his eyes. “Your family would not feel comfortable with a noble in the room. I would put them on edge. And you find it harder to be open with them when I am around, do you not?”

I wasn’t sure how to respond at first. He was right that commoners wouldn’t see him the same way I did. My family would be surprised and probably even a little anxious, but I wasn’t going to leave him behind. We were engaged.

“Only my noble family attended our engagement ceremony. My commoner family doesn’t even know I’m engaged. I want to introduce you to them. I want to point to you and tell them you’re the man I plan to marry.” I gazed up at him, and he met my eye. “Or... do you not want me to?”

There was a long silence before he said, “I would not mind.” He sounded defeated, but I could see the smile playing on his lips.