Ferdinand's Perspective
Life in the royal academy is relatively freer and more peaceful than in the castle, as that woman cannot directly touch him. I had finished all my third grade lectures as fast as ever, and today I was in the library again, collecting materials that Professor Hirschur had told me to collect.
Asking Schwartz and Weiss, the library's magical tools, they pile up the books and scrolls I want one after another and transcribe the necessary passages with my retainers.
"Lord Ferdinand should have finished his lectures by now. When you're all done, please collect your materials."
A few days ago, I was handed a few wooden notes with a memorandum written on them. While deciphering this, I would search and transcribe the material needed for my research. I was amused when I first saw them in the royal academy the year before last, but I'm used to it now.
... should not be aligned too quickly. Let's call it a day, shall we?
Whenever Professor Hirschur finds research material that interests her, she wants to get on with it immediately, no matter what. It is not hard to imagine what will happen when all the necessary materials are in place and all that remains is to get on with it. I don't want to be locked in the lab and get caught in the middle at a time when lectures have just started, so I've decided to pull out for today.
The scribbled wooden tag is carried by the retainer down the stairs.
There are not many retainers with me. There's one apprentice guard knight, one apprentice attendant, one scholar apprentice, and one apprentice attendant and scholar apprentice. There are several more apprentice entourages who were self-appointed on entering the royal academy, but they have not yet completed their classroom lectures.
I have no intention of letting them follow me when I have just finished ...
The ones who are here now are all making a name dedication. 'I will not trust you unless you give me your name.' I told them off, and they prepared a really famous dedication stone for me. They are indeed an odd lot. It is insane to decide to make a name dedication after only a few years of association, since the baptism.
What drove them to do so and the principles of their behaviour are still not well understood.
Almost at the bottom of the stairs, I heard the heavy doors of the reading room open. One of the librarians must have come in, as students rarely come to the library at this time of year. I thought so, but what I heard, unexpectedly, was a high voice with a childish quality.
"Oh my...! How lovely!"
The owner of the voice, who seemed to be moved to tears, was a girl with shiny, night-coloured hair and a cloak of the same colour.
"She is an Archduchess Candidate of Alexandria, Lady Rosemine. She passed all her lectures, including the practicals, in one go."
"Her reputation for excellence seems to be true."
... Alexandria.
Alexandria is the third largest territory. The territory is rich in nature, with oceans and forests, and many of its residents are research minded. It is a research city with research centres for feyfish, feybeasts and feytrees in addition to a general research centre.
The products developed so far are numerous and range from magical tools to foodstuffs. Since there is also research in fields unrelated to magic, it is said that even commoners without magical powers can become researchers if they have the knowledge and ability, but conversely, no matter how much money or status they have, they will be turned away if they cannot demonstrate their qualities. The thoroughness of the meritocracy is a good thing.
... I'd like to visit one day.
I almost stopped to think about what it would be like to escape all the fences and immerse myself in research in such a place…. It's an impossible and meaningless fantasy.
Only Alexandrians can be researchers at the Alexandrian research institute. As a candidate for the Archduke of Ehrenfest, the only way for me to move to Alexandria is to become a son-in-law. It is a dream come true to be groomed from a bottom territory to a higher territory.
I gently exhaled one breath to bring my awareness back to reality.
The candidate for the Archduchess of Alexandria stopped near the entrance to talk about something with Professor Solange, the librarian. She is a first year student who just joined the House of Lords this year and is the only biological child of the current Archduke.
The information that Justus had gathered before the fellowship gathering was that she was very talented but had been frail since childhood and was often bedridden with fever.
... If she were to fall down in front of us, even if we were not at fault, it would be troublesome.
Many higher-level territories think that they can say anything to lower-level territories. I don't know about Alexandria, but it's better not to get involved. It would be best to greet them appropriately and leave quickly. As I was thinking this, the clear voice echoed through the library again, and shortly afterwards I witnessed something extraordinary.
"Let us give thanks to Mestionora, the Goddess of Wisdom, for our encounter with her wonderful library! Pray to God!"
As soon as she said this, she raised both hands and her left leg and looked up to the heavens, and a yellow light flooded from the ring on her left hand and spread throughout the reading room, and was absorbed into the magic stone on the forehead of Schwartz and Weiss, who were walking in front of her.
"What the?"
... Blessed Light…? What's with that insane amount?
Eckhart, an apprentice knight, had reflexively moved into a position where he could set up his schtappe and protect me. Heidemarie, a scholar apprentice, and Lasfam, an attendant apprentice, are frozen to the spot with their eyes wide open.
"What was that!?"
"There seems to be no doubt that it was Lady Rozemyne…. The people in Alexandria don't seem to be in that much of a panic. They seem to know what's going on. Would you like me to go and ask them?"
In contrast to Eckhart, who sounded impatient, it was Justus, an apprentice and scholar, who was smiling. Curiosity has not been hidden at all. As I stared and stopped Justus, who was about to run, I saw a group of Alexandrians and Professor Solange coming towards us.
...It's still a hassle…
I sincerely regretted that I should have left the reading room earlier, but it was too late to think about it now. Clearly, we were involved in an unusual situation.
"Good day to you, Lord Ferdinand. I haven't seen you since the fellowship gathering."
Rozemyne smiles softly. After exchanging a few words, Rozemyne then offered a polite apology for disturbing the reading room.
"No need to worry about it. ... By the way, what is that light? It looked to me like a blessing had just descended upon us…"
When I expressed my doubts, Rozemyne nodded cockily and affirmed.
"Yes, it was a blessed light. The library of the House of Lords was so wonderful that I couldn't help but pray to Mestionora, the Goddess of Wisdom!"
Did she pray to ... Mestionora?
"... That's it?"
"What?"
"Nothing else?"
"Yeah, I just said my prayers, you know? Is there anything else?"
"..."
... How can a prayer be such an unorthodox blessing? I don't understand it at all.
I couldn't help but pull a face. For starters, I can tell that she is a possessor of a tremendous amount of magical power. Rozemyne, with her hand on her cheek and tilting her head with a blank expression, is slightly smaller than average, but the amount of magical power she carries within her is immeasurable.
"Um, Lord Ferdinand?"
"It's nothing. I am done with my business and will now leave. Please enjoy the library at your leisure, Lady Rozemyne."
I smile socially, gives Professor Solange a quick hello, and decides to leave the place. I had a feeling that if I stayed here any longer, something more troublesome was going to happen.
...But it seems that the gods had abandoned me that day. The next voice I heard reminded me of that.
"Hime-sama"
"Hime-sama, compile a book?"
"... What?"
Rozemyne blinked repeatedly, her mouth gaping open in disbelief at what had just happened. Most of her entourage standing behind her had their heads in their hands. While everyone was stuck in amazement and bewilderment, only the two magical tools in the library walked carefree and unhurriedly to their new master, and I couldn't help but let out a sigh.