My Next Life as... Georgine?! Just because I like the Villainess Genre doesn't mean I want to BE in one!!!
An Ascendance of a Bookworm Fanfic by Timefiddler
https://archiveofourown.org/works/89165676/chapters/236725746
Below is the first ten chapters of “My Next Life as Georgine,” a fanfic I started out of my guilty pleasure for the villainess genre.
Fair warning: it is very spoiler-forward, and expects you to be up to date with the mainline series.
Chapter 1: A Rude Awakening
Rihyarda, how could you leave me?!
How could you betray me like this?
Mother, how could you take her from me??!
NO!!!!!! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!!!!!! I CAN'T…!!!!!!!
Guttural screams of anguish filled my mind as a thunderous and explosive heat threatened to burst from my body. The pain was more than anything I'd ever felt in my life, and a very real sense of dread and doom came to the forefront of my mind, and with it, memories of what to do to steady your heart rate. Maybe it could apply here??
Hey, just breath deep breaths. Take a deep breath. Now hold it. Hold. Now breathe out.
I couldn't tell if it helped. My body was wracked in pain, and I could feel my skin bubbling all over. The sense of foreboding didn't go away, and the heat kept building, like it was about to burn me alive.
Wait, did the voice say "Rihyarda?"
The unusual name distracted me long enough to suddenly realize something. No, this couldn't be…
So I tried it. I tried to imagine the heat as a sheet of fabric, and I tried imagining a box. No, its too much right now, just squeeze together. SQUEEZE DAMN YOU!
And just like that, the heat receded.
I opened my bleary eyes, and I could feel my sweat cool against my skin, almost too cold in the sharp contrast to what I had just experienced. I could finally catch my breath.
After another moment, I tried again, imagining the heat as a fabric, folding it neatly like laundry, shoving it into a small thin bag like those cheap ones you used to be able to buy at the checkout line, and then shoving that into another, bigger bag, pushing it to the very bottom of a hiking bag to make space with expectations for more luggage later. Trying to imagine it as a sleeping bag was a little too unwieldy. It doesn't matter anyway.
What mattered was where I was right now. I opened my eyes again to take in my surroundings.
I was laying in a bed, with a rather thick canopy above me. I couldn't sense anyone else in the room, but there was something about this place...
Is this…
And just as suddenly, a huge rush surged through my mind, memories unburdening themselves onto me through shocks of lightning, memories of pain, a child's desire to please their parent, malicious remarks, comparison, judgment, and the bare minimum of care from a woman I called mother. Memories of Rihyarda, of her kindness and love, of the news that she was being taken away from me… to attend my newborn, and allegedly sickly, baby brother. Of my father, who would look at me with a vague sense of concern. Of my uncle, who showered me with kind smiles. Of Karstedt, the older boy my mother had torn down at every turn and ensured I would be educated to be superior to, only to watch him be demoted at the birth of a son to the Aub, and the very real threat to my own potential change of status. Then the memories again returned to all the pain she inflicted upon me, all in the name of my education. Of the silent but sad faces of adults in the room who did nothing.
Feeling all of these feelings at once, I couldn't help but feel this poor girl's despair, which was now mine. All of her suffering and pain.
And now this deep sense of grief and betrayal.
…Georgine.
That was my name. That was this girl's name. Oh god. Oh no.
With the torrent of memories and accompanying pain subsiding, I sat up in panic, then looked at my hands. They were a child's hands. It was jarring to see.
Then a thought occurred to me.
"Georgine?" I thought to myself.
No response.
"Georgine? …Can you hear me?" I whispered under my breath.
Nothing.
Of course I wouldn't be lucky. This wasn't some cute light novel or fanfic. Of course I wouldn't have someone I could talk with in my head. I was Georgine now.
Fuck.
I sat in silence for a while, hunched over, hugging myself.
After taking another deep breath, I decided to try to settle my emotions. It came easier than I expected.
Hey, universe, just because I like Villainess stories doesn't mean I would WANT to be in one.
I had read and loved the Ascendance of a Bookworm series. It had been my new hyper-fixation for the past three years or so. I had gotten deep into the rabbit hole, even reading fanfics for the first time since middle-school, and I had been reading them every second I could for the past year after I had already re-read the series. I had been itching to write one myself, and a villainess one about Georgine at that! And then I suddenly died.
At that thought, I was overcome with a new wave of grief and worry about my past life, and my own mother who I had left behind. I thought of the pain she must be in now. Of all the trouble I left her with. Of how difficult everything would be for her.
I was a terrible daughter.
My mother had constantly worried about how she would leave me behind when she eventually passed, and how difficult it would be for me. But I never spared a thought about the reverse. I never made any preparations. Instead…
Is this my punishment?
It was a sobering thought. My mother loved me, but I was often self-serving in how I lived. And now she's gone. And I'm gone. And I'm here.
I found myself staring at the middle distance for a while, when a voice suddenly sounded from behind the bed curtain.
"Milady? It is time to prepare for dinner."
The voice had snapped me out of my fog. How long had I even been in this state? My body tensed as I tried to peer beyond the curtain.
"…I see," I replied at length, trying to wipe the sweat from my brow and cheeks. I was positively drenched.
The curtain opened, revealing a young woman dressed as an attendant, who gazed upon me with a look of concern.
"Are you feeling unwell, milady?" She asked.
"…Yes," I replied, then paused for a moment before continuing. "Beatrice, could you ensure there is no one else in the room, I would like to speak with you privately."
"Of course, milady," she replied, a look of surprise flickering on her face before turning to send off the other attendants who had silently entered into the room along with her at some point. I then gestured towards an empty chair.
"Beatrice… I will be honest with you. As you have undoubtedly guessed, Rihyarda's departure… no, removal, from my retinue has had an adverse affect on me. I am not feeling very good, and as a consequence, I would like to let Mother and Father know that I will not be joining them for dinner for the next several days. I do not care if Lady Veronica complains. I… imagine that she is more than happy and occupied with my newborn sibling.
"Right now… I have a lot of thoughts I need to sort through. You may tell them I am feeling unwell, or something of the sort."
"Understood, milady. In the meantime, do you wish to take a bath before dinner? Perhaps it will relieve your mind and body to take a nice soak?"
"Yes, I think I shall. Thank you, Beatrice," I nodded at the pleasant thought and gave a rather pitiful smile to my attendant. "Oh, and one more thing," I called to Beatrice as she prepared to leave for preparations, "Could you retrieve a copy of the Bible from the castle library? I wish to study it as a form of relaxation for the rest of the evening."
"Of course, milady," she replied with a slight nod.
And so, I somehow managed to enjoy the rest of my evening to myself, familiarizing myself with the adult retainers in my retinue, partly to see how pervasive their loyalty to Veronica might be, and doing my best to familiarize with my new surroundings at a comfortable pace.
As I laid in bed, with the day settling in behind me, I turned my thoughts to my foreknowledge of the events of this world and its story. There was... so much to do.
Exhausted by that thought alone, I decided to try Rozemyne's 4th compression stage, and immediately passed out from the exertion.
Chapter 2: Dungeons & Talfrosche
I awoke to the sound of some shuffling around me. My bed curtains were still closed, and to my own lamentation, this was indeed not a dream.
The cold light of morning dawn filtered through the sheer curtains (Ahrensbach, huh?), beyond which I could see the faint silhouettes of my attendants moving about. Since my attendants hadn't woken me yet, I decided to pretend to sleep.
I pondered over what I could do to pass my days until I reached my baptism. My mobility was simply too restricted, short of playing with Constanze.
My mind wandered to Beatrice, my sole neutral attendant in my retinue. Considering the likelihood of the others being Veronica's namesworn, I internally decided I would push for her to become my head attendant, regardless of whatever else had been decided without my input. With that thought, I called for her.
"Yes, milady?" Beatrice replied, looking up.
"I would like to send an invitation for tea with my uncle, Lord Bonifatius, in three days time. In the meantime, can you also let my sister know I will be visiting her today?"
"Of course, milady," she replied.
There were plans I wanted to set into motion, and the only person I could trust and hope to rely on was Bonifatius. He was too lenient with Adelbert in how he had given Veronica free reign to terrorize the duchy in her quest for vengeance, and if nothing else, his sense of duty and general principles always came across as being reliable, if a bit rash at times.
Gaining the Leisegangs' favor was an obvious move. The Veronica faction was useless to me outside of whatever sway I could eventually pull. But as I was, I was sitting in stagnant water that was at the mercy of chaos. With that in mind, my thoughts turned to my other uncle.
Bezewanst had a favorable relationship with his sister, but it was generally one-sided. She might have cared for him in her own way, but he was ultimately treated as a tool, never to be elevated to the nobility. Even an inch of more favor than that would be easy enough, and I had to admit, I had ambitions with regards to the temple as well. It would have to be a long-term plan, but hopefully something could be done for the poor gray robes and the orphanage with my authority. The civil war had yet to occur, after all. A part of that plan would be to manipulate my uncle to just be a better person when it came to human rights, though that was likely an uphill challenge considering his own inferiority complex.
If I could succeed with him, it could cause a lot of good change, and at worst, I could force a magic contract on the blue robes.
Then there was my aunt, Irmhilde, who was the daughter of my grandfather's second wife, but she was the only woman in the archducal family I could likely trust (or at least I hoped), as both Father and Uncle Bonifatius seemed close to her, as much as half-siblings could be in this world. Veronica often spewed venom at the woman, and obviously considered her a threat, as she did anyone, and so the lady seemed to keep to herself, from what I could glean.
…Would I be able to convince either of them to adopt me?
But just as the fleeting thought entered my mind, seeking my own protection, Constanze's face filled my mind. I couldn't abandon the poor girl. Though… no, Mother would want to keep her pawns.
It's at least worth asking.
Before long, it was time for my harspiel practice. My body and its memories took a moment before falling into the groove with the instrument. I was to practice for my eventual winter debut, and had to choose a song dedicated to Geduldh. Afterwards, I fiddled with the instrument, and started to play a melody that seemed to catch during that exploration.
Of course, it wound up being Tifa's Theme from Final Fantasy VII. I fumbled about before finally being able to play through it pleasantly.
Before long, my instructor spoke up, with a look of awe in her eyes.
"What a lovely song, my lady. I don't believe I've heard that song before. Did you compose that yourself?"
"Hmm? Oh, no… perhaps it would be accurate to say that Kunstzeal and Schlaftraum has blessed me with the song. The original composer only exists in my dreams, and he was rather famous for music accompanying… stories of a sort." Trying to not say "video games" and having to explain that made me stumble over my words for a moment.
"Oh my! Well it's a very lovely piece! If you do not mind, my lady, I can try arranging the melody to be more befitting of your status."
"Yes, if you would be so kind. There are a several more songs from the story that song came from that I would love to have properly arranged."
"Why of course, my lady! If I may ask, what is the story for these songs?"
"Well, the piece I just played was simply named 'Tifa's Theme,' one of several key characters in the original plot. If you are wondering about lyrics, there weren't any to accompany them, so I'm not entirely sure how one might write for it."
"I see. Tifa, you say? It sounds like a commoner's name," my instructor observed with a slight frown.
"Mmm… I suppose she was, though it would be more accurate to say that the character had martial prowess akin to an archknight, as well as magic. Perhaps Tiffany would be more fitting? She was one of the two main love interests in the story, you see."
To my own surprise, I found myself relaxing a bit as I began to ramble on about the plot and characters, offering comparable examples for someone from Yurgenschmidt to understand. Do plays exist here? I imagine Klassenberg probably does, right? How would you even adapt a story like that? Or would I be outright introducing an entire world of new genres all at once? Eco-terrorists fighting against mega-corporations and an existential alien entity threatening the world? I'm not sure how the nobility would take to it. Maybe the children would be more receptive? Maybe an adaptation of Final Fantasy IV instead? Hmm… or maybe Final Fantasy XVI? A tale of a fallen Archduke Candidate marked as a Devouring soldier, exploited in wars, who one day reunites with a childhood friend, and with the help of an outlaw with a heart of gold, escapes his chains and rises up to fight against a corrupt greater duchy where his own mother had sold him out, attains the blessings of the Gods, and on the eve of the country as a whole reaching the precipice of turning to sand, saves the country, but pays the ultimate sacrifice.
Or something like that. Clearly needs a bit of workshopping.
Eventually it was time to visit Constanze. It was abrupt by noble standards, but I couldn't care less.
Upon entering, Constanze greeted me with a toothy grin. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, but her features clearly took after Father, and from what I knew, she would wind up looking similar to Sylvester as well (or would it be more accurate to say it's the other way around?). She then proceeded to kneel and cross her arms to begin introductions, likely at the instruction of her attendant to practice her greetings, much like myself at her age.
"May I pway for a bwessing in appweciation of this sewendipitous meeting, o'dained by the vibwant summa ways of Weidenschaft, the God of Fiya?"
Oh gods, she's too cute.
"You may," I replied, trying to scold my features.
"O Weidenschaft, may Wady Geo'gine be bwessed," she finished with a proud expression on her face. After she rose, I found myself walking up to her to give her a big hug. I couldn't help myself. I could hear the slight rustles of those around me, but honestly I didn't care about decorum at the moment. How could my mother ignore this precious child?
"Good job on your greetings, Constanze, be sure to keep practicing, okay?"
"Okay!"
We then sat at the prepared tea table, did our poison testing, and began our chat. I had brought a few light pastry snacks with me with a raffel filling.
I mostly asked her how her lessons were going, she pouted and lamented over how mother wasn't seeing her much, if at all, and then we proceeded to play with her plushies and dolls. A thought came to mind, and I asked if she wanted to play a game. Immediately, I called for a few boards, pen and ink, and asked if one of the guard knights in the room had a small feystone or four on them that they could carve into cubes. I instructed the knight to put little divets to indicate numbers on each side, and then filled the holes in the lightly-translucent feystone dice with ink to make them easier to distinguish.
With everything prepared, I pondered a bit to myself, with Constanze's mirthful and curious gaze glancing between me and my instruments. I took her shumil plush that was wearing a dress and began:
"Once upon a time, there was a shumil princess named Constantina, who lived in the duchy of Shumilandia. She was strong, smart, and beautiful, and her sickly father loved her very much, almost as much as her people. She was blessed by the Gods, and she enjoyed peaceful days filled with joy.
"Her lands were ravaged with poor mana, and her people suffered, but not as much as other duchies, for it was blessed by the protection of the Goddess of Wind. Being the adventurous sort, Constantina often flew on her high beast, accompanied by her trusted knights, Gertrude and Sylvania. She had heard from one of her scholars that there was a legend stating that deep within the great poison forest was an ingredient for a miracle cure that healed all ailments. And so, Constantina flew off with her knights in search for the entrance to this forest… which is where upon we arrive as this story begins."
I glanced at Constanze, whose mouth was agape in the way children do when listening to a story, to which I smiled in amusement, handed her the shumil plush, and set a pair of dice in front as well.
"You land at the clearing in front of the forest. The trees tower above you, and you can hear the chittering of feybeasts echoing from deep within the forest. What do you do?"
Constanze looked at me surprised, having not expected me to prompt her so. She glanced around the room at her attendants with a look of uncertainty, then replied, "Um, I walk into the fowest!"
I took two dice and rolled them, using my other hand to block her view. Six. I gave the dice a tentative look before continuing.
Was there a reason to roll the dice? No. Did I want to build up a sense of mystery and tension? Yes. I was playing fast and loose DnD, after all.
"You walk into the forest with your knights for a good while, then reach a fork in the path. At the intersection, you see an old statue of a goddess, covered in vines, moss, with clear signs that it had not been cleaned in a long time. What do you do?"
"What goddess is it?"
"You look around the statue, but there are no clear signs indicating what goddess this belongs to. Roll your dice to see if you can figure it out," I said, smiling.
Constanze excitedly took her dice and rolled them on the table, eyes gleaming.
"What numbers did you get?"
"Um, foa' and… six!"
"And how much is that together?"
Constanze scrunched up her adorable face, staring at the dice, before she began counting on her fingers.
"…TEN!" she exclaimed.
"Very good! You think really hard, and you remember that the goddesses are mostly either the Goddess of Light, the Goddess of Water, and the Goddess of Wind, as well as the Goddess of Earth, though Geduldh no longer has subordinates. Looking closely, you see that the statue may belong to the Goddess of Water, Flutrane, or one of her subordinates.
"The statue is still covered in moss and overgrowth, so it hasn't been taken care of for a very long time. What do you do?"
"Hmm… should we clean it?"
"Do you want your knights to clean it?"
"Yeah!"
"Gertrude and Sylvania go ahead and clean the statue. After cleaning, Gertrude mentions that there's an old commoner tale saying that the Goddesses of this forest like sweets."
Constanze looks up at me with a pensive look. "Do we have sweets we can give the Goddesses?"
"You and your knights brought rations with you, but Gertrude pulls out an apfelsiege she'd been holding onto as a snack, slices it into pieces, and places it at the feet of the statue as an offering. As she does this, you see light peeking out in the distance in the forest."
"Let's go there!"
"You start heading to the light, and as you do, it almost feels like the forest itself is guiding you down a path that wasn't there before. Eventually, you arrive at a clearing with a beautiful lake, and at its center are several flowers floating upon its surface. At the edges of the lake, however, are several slimy looking and scary feybeasts. What do you do?"
"Um…!" With a look of concern, Constanze turns to her knights, and I followed her gaze.
"Would any of you like to join to take the role of the knights?" I asked them.
"Certainly, my lady," one of the lady knights replied, nodding. I think her name's Samantha?
"It would be my pleasure," another said. I think that's… Vivianne?
They both took a seat at the table, and I asked them to go ahead and carve two dice for themselves. I handed them mine to look at to model after, and soon enough, they were done. During that time, one of Constanze's attendants refreshed our tea.
"So, upon seeing the feybeasts, what do you do?" I asked the knights.
"What does it look like?" queried Vivianne.
"It appears slimy, and there are several of them around, coming in and out of the water," I replied, and set about drawing a frog on one of the boards in front of me.
"A talfrosche?!" Samantha barked, as looks of disgust spread across the women in the room. Constanze looked around, confused at the reaction.
"They are… truly unpleasant creatures, my lady," Vivianne explains to Constanze, who nodded in understanding.
"How many are there?" Samantha asked.
"You can see about three of them."
"We should attack swiftly, then."
"I want everyone to roll their dice."
Constanze, Samantha, and Vivianne rolled a two, seven, and four respectively. I rolled my dice three times as well, and wrote down each number as the initiative order.
"Unfortunately, the talfrosche sees you, and begin to eat each other up before you can act, reaching the size of this very room!"
Constanze looks around, wide eyed, trying to imagine this creature being so big.
"Samantha, you rolled the highest so you go first."
"Hmm, its grown too big. Vivianne, we must charge up our weapons to attack together"
"Yes, let's do that."
Nodding to their actions, I continue, "The two of you begin charging your blades. In the meantime, Constanze, its your turn."
"Um… I also attack!" Constanze says, uncertain.
"The three of you charge your blades," I begin, then rolled my dice. "The talfrosche appears momentarily fatigued from its sudden change of growth. All three of you attack at once, and the feybeast explodes! Kaboom!" I exclaim, my hands wide.
Constanze gasps, while the two knights kept on a serious face.
"As the mist from the explosion clears, dozens of mini talfrosche come flying at you! Do you evade or attack?"
The women in the room paled and shuddered, while Constanze just looked surprised.
"Attack," the two lady knights replied.
"Attack!" Constanze echoed.
"Roll for attack," I said. Constanze pouted as she got another two, Samantha got a twelve, and Vivianne got a six.
"Samantha, you successfully slay twelve of them in a single swipe," I tell her, which she responds to with a proud grin. "Vivianne, you have managed to dodge most of them, while slaying six."
I look to Constanze with a teasing grin and say to her, "My dear sister, you swipe your sword, but miss, as two land on your face."
"NOOO!!" Constanze cried as she reached up to her face to swat away the phantom frogs, almost in tears. A few attendants stifled chuckles.
"The dispersed talfrosche begin gathering again, with some beginning to consume the others to grow. Samantha, its your turn."
"I pull away the the talfrosche on my lady to kill them."
"You successfully kill the two talfrosche. Vivianne?"
"I attack the talfrosche that have begun to eat the others."
"Please roll," I say, to which Vivianne rolls a ten. "You successfully kill ten more talfrosche, and the ones that ate the others do not split. Ten remain. Constanze?"
"I attack!" Constanze exclaimed and rolled her dice, her cheeks pink from before, rolling a twelve, to which she squeals in excitement.
"Nice! After recovering from a brief moment of embarrassment, filled with fury, you ready your blade and leap off of your high beast, and with the speed of Stiefebrise, you zip across and slay the remaining feybeasts with precision and skill, bringing this encounter to its end."
"Yayy!!" Constanze cheered, surrounded by warm smiles from her attendants and knights.
"Upon the deaths of the feybeasts, you see the lake suddenly glow, and you feel a divine presence, only for it to suddenly fade away, almost as if the goddesses themselves thanked you."
Constanze looks at me with wide eyes, her mouth agape yet again.
"You manage to determine that the water itself was blessed by the goddesses, and gather some to bring back home to heal your sickly father," I began to conclude, but then made a dark expression.
"But as you're about to set off, an ordonnanz suddenly arrives, announcing that the duchy is under attack…"
The two knights and Constanze looked at me with alarm, to which I couldn't help but smirk.
"…and that's where we'll end today."
Suddenly, the whole room seemed to let out a breathe. I looked around to see that the attendants and knights had been watching with rapt attention. It was funny to see, as they suddenly relaxed collectively. Constanze looked a touch antsy, but had a satisfied look as well.
"That was a lot of fun, sista! Can we play again soon?"
"Most certainly," I smiled. This sudden game had been a bit off the cuff, but it had been fun nonetheless.
"Lady Georgine, if I may ask, is this based on a real location?" asked Samantha. At that, I stiffened for a moment.
"I believe I read it in a book, only that there was a lake that was indeed infested by talfrosche. As to where it is in the duchy, I do not recall, nor do I remember which book," I replied blithely.
Our tea party came to an end, and I spent the rest of the evening enjoying dinner in my room, reading the bible transcription I had asked for the day before.
It had been a good day.
Chapter 3: Bonifatius: Out of the mouth of babes
Some time after Adelbert's son was born, I received an unexpected invitation for tea from my niece, Georgine.
She had yet to be baptized, and though I had only heard whispers, the poor girl had collapsed after Rihyarda was taken from her to attend to Sylvester, as the infant had been born with poor health. By all accounts, Georgine was a bright girl, and murmurs of her mother's harsh methods in her education to compete with my son, Karstedt, were certainly concerning, but it was not my place to intervene.
We had interacted sparsely, and at most received her greetings as family during dinner, as all pre-baptismal children of the archducal family do.
I replied positively to the girl's invitation, and upon the set date, I arrived at her room with a handful of my attendants.
"Dregarnuhr, the Goddess of Time, has answered my prayers and woven the threads of our fates together once again. Greetings, Uncle Bonifatius, I pray this morning finds you well?" Georgine began with an impeccable noble smile.
"It does indeed," I replied, giving a firm nod.
After the customary poison testing, we shared a few light pleasantries as I inquired about how her education was going and she asked a few light questions about my duties as Knight Commander in return, and to my surprise, the girl motioned for the tea to be changed and had a soundblocking tool passed over.
"If you do not mind, Uncle, I would like to clear the room," said Georgine, bearing a rather serious look for a six year old child.
This was not turning out to be the familial tea party training I had expected it to be. However, I couldn't help but admire the determination in her eyes.
"I do not mind, no. Everyone, clear the room," I said calmly, turning to my attendants.
Once it was just the two of us, and soundblocking tools in hand, Georgine seemed to tense, only to immediately let out a deep sigh before speaking.
"Uncle, I seek Erwachlehren and Anhaltung, as Schlaftraum, Gluckitat, Sehweit, Wentuchte, Mestionora, and Dregarnuhr have all conspired to burden me with a duty from the Gods, and a vision of Wentuchte's weave that may yet come to pass," Georgine spoke solemnly. "I ask that you keep all I am about to share under Verbergen's shroud. In fact, I am concerned that there are very few I may be able to trust with this information, and am actively second-guessing myself as to whether it is even wise to seek your protection at this time."
I furrowed my brows, but gave a nod, so Georgine continued.
"You may be wondering to yourself, 'Did Veronica put her up to this?' or perhaps 'What do all those gods have anything to do with each other?' To dispense with Grammaratur, Uncle, based on the wisdom I have received from the Gods, there are two threats facing the duchy in the next three decades: my mother, Veronica, who will truly become Chaocipher incarnate through acts of desecration in Gebordnung and Wiegenmilch's domains, if she has not already, and the consequences of the coming civil war, whereupon the royal family will lose the Grutissheit, purging entire duchies in its wake at the urgings of Klassenberg and the zealotry of the Sovereignty's Knight's Order, throwing the entire country into a mana drought, and all of this will ultimately push the country's foundation to the precipice of destruction."
All I could do was stare at my niece with wide eyes as I attempted to process everything she had said. And no matter how much I scrutinized her face and posture, my gut instinct told me she was telling the truth. Had the Gods truly spoken to her? And more importantly, there was a coming civil war during which the royal family would lose the Grutissheit?!
I attempted to settle and organize my thoughts as I took a sip of tea. It had the calming effect I needed; perhaps she had chosen it on purpose with expectations of my reaction?
Taking a deep breath, I could only mutter, "I see…"
"The information the Gods bestowed upon me is, despite its wealth, somewhat limiting in ways," Georgine continued. "In terms of what is immediately relevant to our Archducal family, I can tell you a handful of details of what may or may not come to pass, should we refuse to act on any of it at all."
I motioned for her to continue.
"For one, as you may imagine, despite the harsh education Veronica has inflicted upon me through my own blood, sweat, and tears, in her campaign to tear down Karstedt as an archduke candidate, it will all be made null the moment my brother reaches his baptism, whereupon she will announce him as heir, without consulting father, let alone anyone else. Despite this act of treason, he will refrain from correcting her.
"In… the other weave, this act infuriates me, only furthering and turning into murderous hatred for my baby brother, as the child simply does not have the inclination or personality fit for Aubhood, and survives as Aub purely thanks to the competence of others. If anything, he displays excellent gut instincts and blessings of Griefechan and Gluckitat, much like yourself, Uncle. He has a carefree spirit, and to be honest, I would ultimately advise you to take him under your wing to better mold him to be an excellent archduke candidate due to your resemblance in this regard.
"I advise this not simply because of that specific shared disposition, but also because Veronica will, against all logic, proceed to spoil the child rotten to the point of incompetence, purely in her desire to mold the perfect puppet. Sylvester will only ever show blessings of Leidenschaft when Blanfuah dances for him in the Royal Academy, going against Veronica's desire to be Liebeskhilfe to someone from her beloved Ahrensbach. The poor girl, in turn, will not be able to wear her crown for many years after due to Veronica's selfishness and greed for absolute power, even after Sylvester ascends to Aubhood.
"Constanze, seeing my own hardship, and under the iron grip of Veronica, proceeds to behave submissively, maintaining a low profile to not stand out in the name of survival, eventually escaping the duchy through a marriage with a son of the third wife of Frenbeltag. Frenbeltag itself drops in rank quite precipitously after the civil war, as they wind up being on the losing side, and much of the archducal family is purged, and so Constanze winds up as first wife.
"As for myself, despite my own ambitions for the seat of Aub Ehrenfest, both mother and father sell me off to be the third wife of Ahrensbach, cancelling my prior engagement. Father sees it as an act of love and consolation, by elevating me to a greater duchy, while of course Veronica simply sees it as another opportunity to strengthen her perceived connection to something more than herself. Neither ask me for my desires or input, and Father proves too cowardly to recognize the merit in my own excellence in contrast to the spoiled Sylvester. It is in Ahrensbach where… the Other Me ferments in a long and quiet quest for vengeance for the long series of betrayals. Oh, and I suppose the execution of Uncle Bezewanst, who in the end died as little more than Veronica's puppet, which fully cements it all."
Georgine paused to look down for a moment, speaking a little more softly, "I meet my end during an invasion of Ehrenfest through the culmination of country-wide schemes, in the Foundation room, at Sylvester's hands."
Before I could speak, Georgine looked back up and directly in my eyes as this unending prophecy continued, "Aunt Irmhilde meets her end at the hands of Veronica, though I do not know the details."
"WHAT?!" I shouted, shaken out of my stupor at such a revelation, rising to my feet, to which Georgine widened her eyes for a moment before motioning me to sit back down.
"During Sylvester's summer, Father will receive a summons by the Zent to come to the Sovereignty, accompanied by both yourself and Aunt Irmhilde, whereupon he will have a pre-baptismal child of all divine colors given to him to raise, by the guidance of Dregarnuhr, the Goddess of Time. To be much more exact, I do not know if the child is indeed Father's own blood, but the boy's existence and adoption into the Archducal family threatens Veronica's ambitions and power. Father instructs Irmhilde to baptize him as the child's mother, but before the day arrives, Irmhilde disappears, doubtlessly murdered through Veronica's web of means. Father had also planned to marry Irmhilde to be his second wife, but that never came to pass, obviously.
"That said, I can say with clear confidence that the boy does grow to be quite instrumental in the survival of not only Ehrenfest, but Yurgenschmidt as a whole, along with one other figure who will not come into the picture until after the boy graduates from the Royal Academy, as he escapes to the temple to avoid Veronica's unending harassment and assassination attempts.
"However, as you can surmise, I find myself blessed by Gluckitat and Mestionora with all of this prophetic knowledge, and I doubt everything will play out through Wentuche's weave now that I've shared this with you. In that regard, I ask that you pray to Duldsetzen, perhaps literally, as I imagine all of this has been difficult to swallow, let alone believe."
I was lost for words. Where do I even begin? It was like an avalanche of information, and I knew I would need more than a few nights to fully digest it all. Here was Adelbert's first born, carrying herself and speaking in a manner that might make one mistake her for someone in her autumn, sharing with me an entire wealth of secrets. One might think these were fictive musings of a child, but their thoroughness was alarming, and what followed next completely sealed it beyond a doubt.
"There is one small detail I'm rather curious about, though, Uncle, that remains hidden behind Verbergen's shroud, and you are welcome to confirm or deny it," began Georgine once more, wearing a much more ponderous expression as she rested a hand on her chin, looking off into her thoughts. "Was Lady Gabriele's death jointly orchestrated by the archducal families of both Ehrenfest and Ahrensbach…?"
I could feel all of the blood leave my face, and a chill ran down my back. Georgine looked back at me with amusement.
"Of course, it's just conjecture. The woman could be readily described as a fool with how she forced her way into Ehrenfest based on merely receiving kindness from a bottom ranked duchy's archduke candidate. And considering how there were ultimately no consequences for her death, by childbirth or otherwise, let alone her immediate demotion, it makes one wonder," Georgine finished, looking at me with an impish smirk.
"But I tease, Uncle Bonifatius. Please, do not look so alarmed. I do not plan on spreading anything spoken here with you to anyone else, let alone Lady Veronica or Father, or my siblings, and least of all to the Leisegangs, neutrals, or otherwise. Rather, as I said at the top, I am here seeking your guidance and protection."
It was a while before I finally found my voice and spoke.
"I imagine you seek protection from your mother?" I asked, observing her expression.
"That is certainly a thought I've had. To be more exact, I would ask for immediate transferal to your guardianship and to be baptized under you and your first wife," she replied, with a determined look in her eyes, but then her expression shifted with a touch of melancholy. "I would also ask that you adopt Constanze. The girl has basically been abandoned by Veronica anyways, but I worry that Veronica will fight to keep her political pawns. I am at a loss as to what she could be given of value in exchange."
Georgine seemed to mull her thoughts over, her index finger pushed against her lips, before continuing, "Perhaps a decree from Father to make Sylvester heir, giving it a personal touch of sorts. It would solidify Veronica's sense of legacy. It would be the least costly solution, and one that is easy to work with."
My eyes widened at that.
"Georgine, do you not seek the seat of Aub?" I asked, louder than I intended, as I was simply too astounded. My niece looked back up at me from her thoughts with a small smile.
"No, Uncle. As a matter of fact… I intend to become High Bishop."
"WHAT?!!" I shouted, slamming my hands against the table, causing the teacups to rattle. At that, the doors burst open with looks of alarm on the faces of the attendants and Georgine's knights.
Georgine turned to look at them and waved them off, and after collecting myself with a cough, told them to leave as well. Once I grabbed the soundblocker again, I had to ask:
"Georgine, what are you thinking?! The temple is filthy, and no place for a young lady in her spring, let alone her summer. In no world would I let my adopted daughter enter that place!" I exclaimed, my face twisting involuntarily.
To that, Georgine gave me a warm smile, "Am I already your adopted daughter in your heart, Uncle?"
I could feel my face soften and warm. I had always wanted a daughter, and faced with the thought of having not one, but two, had gotten my imagination and mana swirling in me.
"Please understand, I do not plan to give up my position as an archduke candidate, let alone any sort of demotion. As High Bishop, I intend to cleanse the temple and lay down heavy reforms, so that it may return to its original state.
"To say that the Gods are not pleased with the nobility is an understatement, and especially with the state of the temple across the country. It has turned into a den of depravity, violence, and disdain.
"The divine color of blue represents growth under Leidenschaft's rays, and yet what growth do blue robed priests and shrine maidens of today achieve, exactly? They are abandoned there with little thought given to them, begrudgingly funded by their families.
"I assure you, Father, the Gods are very real, and they are furious with the royal family in particular for not tending to their garden appropriately, let alone offerings of mana from the nobility as a whole. The current Zent, even with his false Grutissheit, does not commune with the Gods as Zent should.
"The first Zent of Yurgenschmidt was also High Bishop, after all," she ended with a smile.
At those words, the sheer scope and scale of what my niece, no, daughter, was planning, sent my mind reeling. What did she mean that the Zent had a false Grutissheit?? And the Gods were furious?! Let alone real?? Against any doubt, I couldn't help but take her for her word. Georgine had been visited by the Gods, and a burden had been placed upon her. As her father, it would be my duty to protect and guide her to the best of my ability.
"I have many questions, Georgine, but I think we should shelve this conversation for today," I said, recovering from my whiplash.
"Indeed, Father. Oh, there is one more thing you should know, I suppose."
At that, I immediately tensed and braced for another world-shattering piece of news.
"I plan to meet with Uncle Bezewanst, the current High Bishop, and Veronica's dear baby brother, some time soon. I have plans for him, and I ask you to refrain from inflicting any sort of violence upon the man. If Greifechan is on my side, I hope to make him rather useful in moving flower offerings out of the temple, keeping the man happy, and above further manipulation from his sister, whether through magic contract or otherwise. As Knight Commander, I'm sure you're more than familiar with how the knights seek comfort—"
"GEORGINE!" I shouted in alarm, as my face completely flushed at this wildly inappropriate topic.
"—and amongst the reforms I am planning, I seek to protect the gray robed orphans, unbaptized children, and the commoners at large from noble abuse, but that can all come later. Just because the flowers are orphans does not make them any less worthy of basic respect and kindness, father. They themselves are someone's son, daughter, sister, or brother, even if abandoned or lost," she said with a firm smile.
"They are all our people, and as members of the archducal family, it is our responsibility to look after their well being, just as an archnoble must take care to not throw their weight around with laynobles and mednoles, or a leader of a faction looks after their own."
I looked upon the girl before me with a solemn expression, as the wisdom she had shared went against noble convention when it came to those below the ennobled, but there was both righteous truth and compassion in them, and I couldn't help but appraise her quality of character as being greater than the duchy that currently bound her. Before long, I found myself letting out a sigh.
"There is wisdom in your words, Georgine."
"Your words honor me, father," she smiled, "but before you depart, can I ask a small favor?" Georgine clasped her hands, very suddenly transforming into a precious little girl before me.
"Of course! Anything within my power."
"Hirschur, until just recently, served as Karstedt's apprentice scholar, yes? In the other weave, she eventually escaped Ehrenfest to become a Sovereign noble and became both Ehrenfest's dormitory supervisor and a professor of the scholar course. I know I am not yet baptized, which restricts who I may meet, but I would like to meet her very soon," she punctuated.
Looking off into the distance, she continued, "She is an eccentric researcher, and I believe I can put her to great use. She will be in her third year this winter, which means she will be performing the divine protections ritual, along with the rest of her year."
Then she placed a hand on her cheek, before turning back to me.
"…I would like to give her an offer she won't refuse."
"And what offer is that?"
"How would you like to become omni-elemental?"
Chapter 4: Now it's Adelbert's turn
Once my new (potentially) adoptive father left the room, I collapsed unceremoniously onto my bed.
"Milady!—" I could hear Beatrice begin to scold me, and it went in one ear and out the other.
"Beatrice, please, I am exhausted," I muttered, my voice muffled by the comforter.
"Even so. But… very well. Do you wish to rest in bed for a bell?" she asked, a slight exasperation in her voice.
I mumbled affirmatively, then proceeded to firmly grasp the blanket below me to roll myself into a cocoon. From beyond my burrito, I could hear further cries of how unlady-like I was being, but I didn't care. My child body and brain had been spent.
Once the voices settled, as they had seemingly decided to leave me be, much to my own surprise (I thought they would have forcefully changed my clothes and tucked me into bed), I fell into existential thought.
How much of me is Georgine, abused yet willful firstborn daughter of Lady Veronica, and how much of me is Katey, the grown adult woman who loved Ascendance of a Bookworm? I have thirty-eight years of life on Earth, and all the memories that come with it, or would it be more accurate to say I have the emotional tempering and general regard to adults that a fellow adult would have?
In the story, Urano was always present, but Myne's childishness came fairly full-force when it came to her emotional connections to people/books. Her family was loving, and pre-Urano-consciousness Myne reportedly displayed mention of dreams of walking and other things that would indicate she saw Urano's memories. But Myne was also sickly, bedridden, and had little to no opportunity to explore beyond her domicile. It's easy to imagine how that allowed Urano to take over the reigns.
Only a few days had passed since my own incident. I shivered a little, revisiting the sheer emotional despair I had felt. It was hard to tell if my Georgine-self found comfort in being tempered by knowledge, or if there was a notable personality shift at all.
Then my mind briefly jumped at the prospective meeting with Hirschur… and to my own embarrassment, all I could think about was how she was drawn as a sexy teacher in the manga adaptation. I stifled a laugh at my own thoughts.
Oh how I would miss manga… and comics. Oh, and drawing!
Immediately, I unrolled myself and called for my attendants to ask for board, parchment, ink and a hard-edge or ruler of some sort. As they began to busy themselves, some ridding the wrinkles in my dress, I turned to Beatrice.
"Beatrice, I would like to send an invitation for tea with the High Bishop in three days time. Please ask him to bring along with him one of the divine instruments, ideally the Crown of the Goddess of Light, and if that is not possible, then Schutzaria's Shield will do."
Beatrice looked at me with astonishment, "The divine instruments, milady?" she exclaimed.
I nodded before continuing, "I seek Mestionora's blessings in all things involved in our duchy, and just as Lord Bonifatius serves as Knight Commander, speaking with an uncle who serves as High Bishop should prove just as enlightening," I smiled at her.
"Very well, milady, I will send the invitation," she nodded at my explanation.
For the rest of the day, I spent it practicing drawing my attendants and knights. To my own surprise, my hands were surprisingly skillful after half a bell of warm ups on boards. Right as dinner was around the corner, I had managed to draw a handful of halfway decent portraits of my retinue, which they seemed to gladly accept as gifts. The drawings weren't up to my own standards, but such could be expected with relearning a skill in a new body.
After dinner, I decided to continue reading my copy of the bible while compressing my mana.
The next day, to my slight surprise, I was visited by the Aub and Lord Bonifatius. Bonifatius had both a firm but warm look in his eyes, while my father looked… somber? I could imagine they had spoken a few details about my potential adoption, but I hoped that Bonifatius did not share more than that.
After greetings and first tastes of tea and snacks, Father touched a magic tool that had been placed on the table, which activated an area-effect soundblocking barrier around us, and motioned for everyone to turn around. He took another sip of his tea before slouching in his chair a bit.
"Your uncle tells me you wish for you and Constanze to be adopted and baptized by him and his first wife. Georgine, is that correct?" he asked as his eyes took on a pained expression. I could not let myself be swayed by this.
"Yes, Father," I nodded, schooling my face and heart as much as I could. My thoughts flickered to how Myne's emotions were so easily moved due to the age of her physical mind and body, but I quickly pushed out the distracting thought and replaced it with the harsh memories of Veronica's education. A part of me wanted to give him a dress-down for his failure to protect me from his wife, along with much darker thoughts of wanting to send the woman to the towering heights along with her currently accumulated namesworn, just to throw the duchy into chaos for my own amusement, but alas, I had plans to fulfill.
Father closed his eyes before asking, "Why?" bracing himself.
I paused for a moment, studying his face.
"I seek a true Wiegenmilch for myself and my sister. Lady Veronica is finally satisfied at having given birth to a boy, and he shall be made heir, no matter what. I do not know how much Ordoschnelli has successfully reached you over the years, Father, but I can assure you, what I have had to endure from her is an upbringing that would have had Constanze greet the Supreme Couple, for I have long served as Mother's supposed salvation. I have little desire to tolerate any more of it, and pray for Jugereise to deliver me away from her reach, for Duldsetzen's blessings can only do so much. Sylvester can have it all," I said plainly.
That startled both Father and Bonifatius. I glanced at the latter.
"As I have advised Uncle Bonifatius to suggest," I looked back to Father, "to ensure a safe transferral of guardianship, I believe it would be wise to officially decree Sylvester as heir, to satisfy Lady Veronica. Furthermore, at my baptism, I wish to be named High Bishop—"
"Are you out of your mind?!" Father interrupted. Of course, Lord Bonifatius remained unmoved, only glancing between me and Father.
"I wish for both Constanze and myself to keep our status as archduke candidate as part of this adoption, as a further safety measure against Lady Veronica, but also as Foundation suppliers. By entering the temple, it will serve as a stain in noble society, keeping her satisfied and not feeling quite as threatened by the adoption as she would have otherwise. I also plan on having Constanze join me as well," I concluded calmly.
Father scrunched up his face in a rather undignified way, clearly baffled by this martyrdom.
"You would bring your sister down with you as well?" he asked pleadingly.
"I am not dragging down anyone. If anything, I will be bringing her up."
Baffled by my answer, he then turned to my uncle.
"How do you not object to this?!" Father questioned, exasperated.
Uncle Bonifatius had crossed his arms at some point during the conversation, and when questioned, he simply looked up at the ceiling, letting out a held breathe. It was a while before he spoke again.
"The first Zent was High Bishop, Adelbert. Perhaps… it is time for Flutrane to flow through the temple, so that Leidenschaft's rays may shine once more upon Geduldh's children."
Father gawked at Uncle, who had a rather… reverent look on his face. Even I was taken aback a little.
Father continued to stare at Uncle for a while longer in silence, perhaps trying to tease out any sort of detail from his expression, but eventually turned back to me with the look of a man defeated.
"Very well, Georgine," he said, closing his eyes with furrowed brows, "You and your sister will now be in the custody and protection of Bonifatius, to be baptised under him as his daughter, keeping your status as archduke candidate, and come this winter, you will be named High Bishop."
While the Aub looked rather pitiful as he clutched his stomach, Father Bonifatius simply gave a firm nod.
I simply smiled, "Thank you, Father. I… know this will be a difficult transition for you, but it will be for the best."
Nodding, he spoke, "You have… changed, Georgine. There is something I cannot quite put my finger on, and it has made itself known throughout this conversation. I know… I wasn't always the best father. I…" Adelbert paused, looking down at his cold tea, before continuing, "Perhaps I simply didn't pay enough attention to even notice to start with. Perhaps one day, you will not find me so wanting as a father—"
I raised my hand, cutting him off, "Father, this is not a hidden room, and I do not want to hear your self-pity; Lady Veronica used that as her tool of choice to justify her abuse throughout my education to the point that I find it revolting," I said firmly, causing the Aub to flinch, and Bonifatius to widen his eyes. Seeing this reaction to my sharpness, I softened my voice, "You are Aub Ehrenfest.
"Be Leidenschaft's rays for our people so that they may reach greater heights, be Schutzaria's shield for our people against those who may unduly force themselves upon their lessers, be Flutrane by washing away that which keeps our duchy stagnant, and be Ewigeliebe by protecting our Geduldh with ferocity against those who would steal her away. Work hard, so that you may wear your dark cloak with strength and pride.
"I hope that… you find the strength to do what is right and just, when the time comes," I finished ominously.
Aub Ehrenfest looked like he was stunned silent, while Bonifatius could only nod repeatedly at my words. Eventually, Adelbert found his voice.
"I will, my daughter." I could only give him a crooked smile at that.
Let's see how long that lasts.
Father Adelbert took down the soundblocking barrier and announced to the retainers in the room the decisions that had been made regarding the adoptions (except for the temple and High Bishop part), causing a rush of murmurs and waves of shocked faces.
Before they departed, I let Father Bonifatius know that I had sent an invitation to meet with Uncle Bezewanst soon, to which he asked if I wanted his presence. I let him know I'd be fine, but would have an attendant report to him should anything pressing occur. In the meantime, I invited him to a tea party with Constanze for the following day, extending the invite to his first wife as well. I could imagine that she might want to play more, after all, and what better way to familiarize oneself with new family than a game?
Chapter 5: Constantina of the Valley of the Wind
Did I feel a little bad about dropping this adoption on Constanze without consulting her? A little. But Veronica clearly didn't appreciate her, and I could only hope that her attendants helped more than not.
Of course, I knew little to nothing about Bonifatius' first wife, but if Florencia was anything to go by for adoptive noble mothers raised as an archduke candidate, at least she would probably be nice, if opportunistic at worst. I trusted our new father to be a better shield regardless, and Karstedt didn't seem worse off from what I could tell.
I arrived in Constanze's room a half bell early, mostly so I could explain the situation to her. She honestly seemed to take the news better than I expected. Veronica had genuinely abandoned her. The thought left me feeling melancholic, but I tried to hide it. With that heavy feeling, I kneeled down and held her hands, as she eyed me curiously.
"I do not know much about Lady Priscilla, but it is very important that we make a good first impression on her, okay Constanze? She is first wife to Lord Bonifatius, and together they will be our new Mother and Father. Do you want to practice greetings before they arrive?"
She nodded, and so we practiced. Eventually, our new adoptive parents arrived.
Imagine my surprise to see a petite little lady accompanying Bonifatius, with pink hair and green eyes. Very otome-game-protagonist energy.
We did our first-time greetings together. Upon completion, I could see that Lady Priscilla dusted a few feystones; a good sign. Constanze's adorable lisp had surely helped, though I couldn't help but wonder if the lady would try to hammer that down if it didn't go away in the next two years on its own.
The goal for today was partly information gathering, and partly to become better acclimated with our new family, and so, after sips of tea and snacks, and Constanze being absolutely precious and shy with new faces in the room, I turned to Father Bonifatius.
"Father, it may interest you to know that as of very recently, Constanze and I have started to play a game involving knights and interduchy intrigue," I said, which caused Bonifatius to raise an eyebrow with curiosity. "It's a simple game that only requires your imagination and just a few carved feystones turned into dice, with each side denoting a number. I have had my retainers prepare a set for everyone, including a few new shapes, notably one with twenty sides," I smiled, motioning for my attendants to hand out the lightly embroidered bags (that I had set all of my attendants to work on the day prior). After the dice bags had been handed to Bonifatius and our new adoptive mother's attendants for inspection, they both examined the feystone dice with curiosity, while Constanze gawked at her new d20, which she held aloft in the light.
"In the future, I hope to reach out to some gemstone or artisan merchants to carve and polish them into something a little more presentable; I’ve been told that dusting such small feystones is a concern. Thankfully, they do not take too long to make should the unfortunate occur, as Constanze's guard knights may attest when I had them join our last game," I nodded to Samantha and Vivianne off to the side, who gave a polite smile in return.
"Would you care to join us in an impromptu session and continuation of the game?" I asked our new parents, eyeing Lady Priscilla in particular, who was watching Constanze gazing at her dice, who in turn suddenly jolted in excitement and immediately chirped:
"Oh! Ith's weally fun! Las' time, Sista had us fighting big nasty tal… talfr… talfwosh! And they blew up and went everywhe'e!" she exclaimed, after stumbling over her words, raising her hands into the air to indicate an explosion. I watched as Lady Priscilla tried her best to keep a polite smile despite the twitching eyebrow, while Bonifatius was trying his damnedest to not let out a big grin, and failing.
"Oh, and what kind of feybeast is a talfrosche, Constanze?" Lady Priscilla asked, who clearly knew, but I had to give her credit in her effort to engage my baby sister.
"They'a big and slimy and get as big as a room! Samantha and Vivianne told me they can even eat you if you're not ca'eful! But we didn't get eaten, huh sista?" Constanze asked me, to which I nodded with a smile.
"Yeah, you, Samantha, and Vivianne powered up your swords and made it blow up into a bunch of small ones, and then two wound up on your face!" I teased, smirking.
"Sista!" Constanze scowled adorably. "I slayed ten of them!" she said, showing me all ten of her fingers.
"That's right, and then you acquired the healing water from the lake after the goddesses blessed it and thanked you for ridding it of the talfrosche," I replied, to which Constanze nodded triumphantly.
"Well, this sounds like quite a bit of fun! What do you say, dear, should we join them for a game?" Bonifatius asked his wife, clearly eager. Cornered on all fronts, Lady Priscilla could only reply affirmatively.
I asked the attendants to close the curtains and to dimly light the room, setting a magic tool lamp that had a warm glow to it at the center of the table; hunting down the props to make today's game moody was surprisingly difficult yesterday. It was still early summer, so setting the fireplace simply didn't make sense.
I set up my small DM's folding screen, which was really just three boards held together with glue and fabric; my attendants had objected, but time was against us. They wound up insisting on wrapping each board and decorating them with embroidery. Again, all of my attendants were quite busy yesterday.
Did I feel bad for overworking them? Mildly, but this was self-inflicted. I was fine with something more bare bones, but propriety and my station demands such and such, after all.
Once everything was ready, I could see that my players had looks of mild surprise and curiosity, seeing the unusual nature of my presentation and preparations to set the mood.
"Once upon a time, in the duchy of Shumilandia, there was a shumil princess named Constantina. She was strong, smart, and loved by her people," I began, as I recapped the setting and events of the prior session for the sake of our new players. Constanze clutched onto her shumil plush, hanging onto my words with such seriousness, and I could see as I swept my eyes across the players that our adoptive parents were stealing glances at Constanze and her plush with amusement.
"As you were about to leave, an ordonnanz arrived, perching on your arm. You hear the voice of the Knight Commander, Lord Yupatius, who grimly reports: Lady Constantina, a large number of manaed individuals have crossed the duchy border, but the knights on patrol report there is a huge swarm of feyinsects flying in from that direction! Please return to the castle immediately!"
I had initially riffed off of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind for some light inspiration, but I wound up agonizing over how to deal with the airships. Should I introduce them? Would that be odd?
"Constanze, what do you do?" I asked her. She widened her eyes at being put on the spot, but with some determination and experience under her belt, she replied, "I say that I'm on my way, and head back to the castle!"
"You and your guard knights fly back to the castle as fast as Stiefebrise upon your high beasts. Roll for me that big die with twenty sides for a perception check."
Constanze picked out her d20 and excitedly rolled it.
"It's a 15!" she chirped.
"Nice! As you're flying, you use the mana enhancement that Lord Yupatius taught you to try and spot the the encroaching feyinsects, and possibly the nobles or whatever else that crossed into the duchy border.
"In the distance, shadowed against the twilight of the dusk sky, you spot them: it is not just a swarm, but what appears to be a flying ship absolutely covered in them! You can hear an eerie buzzing noise emanating from its direction. Roll the d20 again for an insight check."
She rolled again, with a troubled look on her face, which then blossomed into excitement.
"I got a twenty!" Constanze exclaimed. I briefly gaped at it before collecting myself.
"Wow, a natural 20! Good job Constanze!" I cheered, grinning.
"You instantly recognize it as the rumored magic tool airship rumored to have been in development by one or two of the greater duchies in collaboration with the Sovereignty. It had been developed as a form of transportation powered with a secret technology instead of solely on mana, as part of a larger answer to the mana drought. You realize that the eerie buzzing you hear isn't just the insects, but the airship itself making some kind of loud noise as it travels across the sky. From what you can see of it, you estimate it's almost as big as a mednoble's estate."
Father seemed to pale; I realized I would need to assure him later that this was purely fictional, and was not part of my prophecies. Meanwhile, Constanze simply seemed to be furiously thinking, before she answered that she would still head to the castle.
"As the God of Darkness's cloak begins to sweep across the sky, you and your knights arrive at the castle, greeted by Lord Yupatius, and see that the knight's order has been mobilized for interception. What do you do?"
"I tell him that there's a big airship covered in bugs!" Constanze answers.
"An airship, you say?" I began, putting on a gruff voice, "I've heard rumors… but to hear it is real! We must try to stop it and assess whether or not it is a threat to the duchy. It is flying in from the direction of the duchy of Lindhberg, and we have good diplomatic relations with them. It would not do to attack without knowing whether this is a declaration of war. I will inform the Aub at once!
"Lord Yupatius sends an ordonnanz to your ailing father. What do you do?"
"I want to go see the airship!" Constanze says.
"You leap onto your high beast and shoot off to the airship without another word, as you hear cries from your attendants and knights who trail after you. You eventually come upon the airship, and upon closer inspection, the airship isn't flying quite right, with plumes of smoking billowing out of it from fires unseen, and you see that there are knights aboard fending off the feybeasts that are crawling all over its hull. The airship flies faster than you expect for its size, and its trajectory seems to be going almost in the direction of the duchy capital itself! Fire errupts from inside the ship, and as you fly by you see through the windows women and children with terror on their faces. You shout at the ship to turn, so that it would not hit the duchy capital city and try and land safely on a plain, but the words are lost to the wind and the noise of the feyinsects, let alone the loud droning of the ship itself. You watch, helpless, as the ship crashes, BOOM!, as a deafening explosion rips through the air, the impact so immense, you can feel its intensity in your chest and momentarily leaves you without breathe."
Constanze's eyes were filled with mild horror. I realized at this point that maybe going with the Nausicaä plotline wasn't entirely age appropriate for her, but I was already on a roll. I continued, lowering my voice.
"You arrive just outside of the city, as pillars of fire whip violently about at the crash site, to try and find survivors, along with your guard knights, the knight commander, and a contingent of the knight's order.
"There, amongst the wreckage, is a girl dressed in finery, with schtappe sealing bracelets, and you immediately recognize her as the first born archduke candidate of the middle duchy of Lindhberg, Lady Lastelle. She appears alive, but bears fatal wounds, and as you search upon her person, you find her jureve appears to have shattered.
"She says to you, Please, find my brother, Asbellio, and (cough) give this to him, as she hands you a small but intricately designed magic tool. Having done her duty, she closes her eyes for one last time," I finished, as the room filled with silence.
"As you begin to rise, safely stashing away the mysterious magic tool, one of the knights cry out: the feyinsects are still alive!" I said, then turned to Bonifatius, "Father, would you kindly take the role of Lord Yupatius?" I smiled at him expectantly.
"Of course! How many feyinsects are there?"
"Please roll a perception check for me, yes, that big one with twenty sides," I pick up my own to indicate the shape of it.
Bonifatius landed a 12, to which I nodded.
"Through the wreckage and firestorm, mounds of corpses of both man and feyinsect, dotted by the flickering reflections of the occasional feystone, you immediately spot several creatures that are barely moving, with some emerging from below the bodies of others, having been shielded to some degree. There are more than you care to count, but not enough that you feel the need to call for reinforcements beyond the retinue who followed.
"Father, would you permit for Samantha and Vivianne to join us for this battle to reprise their roles as Lady Gertrude and Lady Sylvania, Lady Constantina's guard knights?" I turned to ask, to which he nodded his assent, and so they joined our table with their previously made dice in hand. I then turned to Lady Priscilla, who had seemingly only recently returned from her very own theater of the mind, as she subtly startled when realizing I was looking in her direction.
"Mother Priscilla, what kind of role would you prefer in this type of scenario? A knight, a front-line scholar, a support scholar, a healer, a tactician, something else, or a combination of several roles?" I asked curiously. "If you have any questions about each role, I will do my best to provide assistance."
At this, Mother lightly placed her hand on her cheek as she seemed to return to her theater of the mind to ponder for a moment, during which I handed the returning guard knights my new dice for them to model and carve their own. After a few moments of tapping her chin, Priscilla spoke up.
"I believe some sort of support role would likely do well here. Perhaps a magic too user or a healer? What do you think, Georgine?" she asked me.
"If you'd like, you can do both," I suggested, "Perhaps a support scholar that throws magic tools as the situation calls, but is first to cast healing when it calls for it. Does that work, Mother?"
"Yes, that sounds lovely," she smiled.
"Hmm, how about Lady Milena, a formidable scholar, blessed by the spring goddesses, known both for her terrifying intellect and her compassion for her lessers, feared and admired for her ability to strike like Verdrenna, whether it be in delivering healing or pain, and fiancée to Lord Yupatius?" I offered up to Lady Priscilla, who seemed to glow at the description of such a competent scholar. Of course, I was riffing a little based on a certain original fanfic character, but no one needed to know that.
…Surely Mila would remain as just a fanfic character, right? I'm not doing something weird by vaguely introducing her in a tabletop RPG on a whim, right?
Right?
"Oh my, she sounds quite competant! Yes, I shall be Lady Milena, then," Mother affirmed, breaking me out of my thoughts.
"Excellent!" I said, with an embarrassed smile, "Perhaps a tea party is in order to discuss the newly made characters when Dregarnuhr next crosses our threads, but for now, if everyone could please roll your new twenty-sided die for initiative order in this coming battle."
And so, Bonifatius rolled a 15, showing mild satisfaction, Priscilla rolled an 18 to her surprise, Constanze 10, Samantha an 18 as well (and was clearly avoiding eye contact with Father), and Vivianne 11. I hadn't clarified how many feybeasts there were in this combat instance, but my own rolls were certainly surprising as well.
Truthfully, Bonifatius rolled a 2 at first, and I announced that if anyone rolled below a 10, they could roll again since this was their first time playing. It would have been unnecessarily embarrassing to suggest Bonifatius go last and only react defensively to the feybeasts. I turned to Constanze and her guard knights to explain a few changes, now that we had more dice.
"Unlike last time, combat will go a little differently. You will need to roll the d20 to determine if a strike lands before we determine damage dealt. For the feyinsects we will be fighting, you must roll a 12 or higher to hit, but to make things easier, we shall say that based on number of years of experience after you graduated from the Royal Academy will act as a modifier, so if Father were to roll a 2 for his attack, we could add…" I paused, looking to Bonifatius as I wasn't entirely sure how old he was.
"It has been ten years since my time at the Royal Academy," he informed me.
"…Making that a 12, so the hit would land, but rolling a 1 would truly be tragic, Father," I teased, causing the others to giggle.
"Let's also say that all knights have a +3 modifier for landing attacks by default, in place of the number of years since their time at the Royal Academy should it be less, while scholars and tacticians have the option to roll a second time once per battle should they wish. Additionally, should anyone roll a 20, that will count as a guaranteed hit, and will be prompted to roll a second time. Should that also result in a 19 or above, they will be allowed to roll twice as much for their damage."
After answering a few minor questions, I consulted my initiative order list and realized I needed to resolve the three-way tie for first to move, which I had them resolve with another dice roll, then began.
"Lady Milena had broken off from the contingent of knights trailing after Lady Constantina when she had gone off to meet the airship half-way, choosing instead to calculate the likely trajectory of the careening behemoth and prevent potential casualties at the landing site, resulting in her preparation and readiness to move first upon realizing that there were still surviving feyinsects, despite the absolute destruction that she witnessed. She was accompanied by one additional knight, who she can direct to attack as well on her turn," I explained, then turned to my adoptive mother.
"From your position, you see Lord Yupatius, Lady Constantina, and several knights about to be surrounded by the emerging feyinsects, crawling out from beneath the corpses of their kin. Amongst them, you see one in particular that is almost ready to pounce from the knights' blindspot."
"How big are these creatures?" Lady Priscilla asked.
"I would say they appear about as big as ten grown men standing close to each other."
"Oh my, well, first I would like to direct the knight with me to attack and defend against the closest feybeast, and I want to throw a magic tool at the one that appears to be ready to attack the others from their blindspot."
"Excellent. Please roll for attack for yourself and then the knight."
Priscilla rolled a 19! Unfortunately, the knight rolled a 6.
"Amazing! Your attack lands thunderously. What kind of magic tool did you use? Since we didn't plan anything ahead, feel free to pick out whatever you'd like."
"Hmm… perhaps an explosive?"
"Please roll for damage. Go ahead and roll two of those six-sided dice."
She rolled a 2 and a 6.
"Incredible. As the magic tool smacks the feybeast from behind, a huge explosion errupts, sending gruesome bug parts flying everywhere, and its green innards splash across the battlefield. The feybeast is dead, leaving nothing behind."
Lady Priscilla made a face at the description, caught between disgust and satisfaction.
"Your knight attacks the closest feyinsect, but the attack deflects off of its armored body, only catching its attention.
"Dame Samantha, you are next," I said, addressing the lady knight. I totally didn't forget which in-game character she was playing at all. No ma'am. "You are currently next to your lady, and notice that you are encircled by emerging gigantic feyinsects, and notice one very close by that is ready to pounce. What do you do?"
"I shall attack it with lanze!"
"Please go ahead and roll for attack."
Samantha rolled a NAT 20! Gasps could be heard around the table, with wide eyes to accompany them. Grinning, I asked her to roll again. Unfortunately, it was a 2.
"As unfortunate as that is, your attack still lands squarely upon the creature. Please roll for damage with the two six sided dice," I told her. She rolled a 3 and a 4. "With a swift and fierce thrust, you pierce your spear right at its mana organ straight through from its head, immediately turning it into a feystone."
From behind my screen, I rolled my d20. A 19. Oh boy.
"One of the feyinsects sees this, and immediately starts eating… " I paused to roll a d4, "four of the feystones that are scattered around the battlefield, growing immensly in size." I rolled another d20, netting a 16. I then rolled another d4, which got a 3.
"Another feyinsect follows, eating three feystones, and grows almost as big. The two of them are now twice the size that they once were.
Constanze seemed to pale at this, while Bonifatius appeared determined.
"Father, it is now your turn. You are a short bit away from Lady Constatina and her knights, but as Knight Commander, you have four other knights under your immediate order, though two will only be able to attack after Dame Vivianne's turn."
"I see. I order one of my knights who can act immediately to send a rott, as this may potentially escalate to dangerous levels if we are not careful. I attack together with the remaining knight in a coordinated attack upon the grown feyinsects."
"Excellent, please roll for attack. I'll say that sending a rott will be a free-action, so please roll for all three attackers."
Bonifatius rolled a 19, 13, and 17 for himself and the two knights. Bonifatius then rolled a 9 for damage, and the two knights both got 7s.
"Amazing. Despite the hardened carapace of the grown feyinsect, you and one of your knights absolutely blow past the defenses of one of them, sending bug guts everywhere before it eventually turns into a feystone, while the other enlarged creature has been successfully immobilized as half of its legs and one of its wings have been sundered, but still appears quite threatening."
Bonifatius gave a satisfied nod. I rolled again, 17. 4. Man, these feyinsects are getting some crazy rolls.
"Another feyinsect emerges and devours four feystones, enlarging to twice its size," I said, which was greeted by a round of groans.
"Dame Vivianne, you are next. You, too, have your shield out and are protecting your lady. What do you do?"
"How many feyinsects are left?" she asked.
"You see a recently grown one a fair distance away from you, another that is immobilized next to the Knight Commander and several knights, but many are still emerging from below the piles of bodies, or only just now shaking off their stupor from the explosion. Please roll the d20 for a perception check."
She rolled a 16.
"You count seven remaining," I told her.
"I wish to remain next to my lady and try to kill any particularly close by," she replied.
"You can see two in close proximity, but they appear fairly slow."
"Can I attack both?"
"If you can roll two twenties in a row, yes," I said flatly.
Unfortunately, Dame Vivianne rolled a 7.
"With your shield up, you attack one of the nearby creatures, but your spear deflects off of the hardened armor of the pests," I rolled a d20 for the next monster, but got a 3, "In retaliation, one of them tries to bite at your spear, but misses.
"It is now the turn of the two remaining knights under your order, Father. What would you like them to do?"
"I shall have them attack the immobilized feyinsect," he said, rolling an 11 and a 1. Ouch.
"Please roll for damage," I tell him. 4 and 6.
"Nice. One of the knights lunges at the immobilized creature, but due to its aggravated state, it deftly knocks away his spear as if it were a mere practice weapon. This, however, leaves a great opening for the other knight, who drives his own straight into the creature's mana organ, and it fizzles away into a fey stone.
"Princess Constantina, it is now your turn," I said, turning to Constanze, who seemed surprised to find it was finally her turn to shine, as she clutched her shumil plush.
"As this sudden battle has raged before you, with loud explosions and feyinsect viscera abound, you look around yourself, you look back down to the fallen princess behind you, and absentmindedly touch the protrusion coming from the mysterious magic tool that you've been given and placed in your bag. Thoughts come to you, as you wonder what could have caused these creatures to attack the airship. From your time spent in the poisonous forest, and having studied the feybeasts that lie within over the years, you know that these particular feyinsects are not naturally hostile unless provoked.
"You suddenly remember that you have a unique tool that you crafted as a curiosity out of the carapace of a very large and powerful feyinsect that had molted its shell and left behind long ago, and recall seeing it with awe at its majesty and magnitude, regarding it almost as a monument of what once was and what could be.
"You feel in your bag for the flute in question, attached to a small necklace that you keep on you for your excursions to the forest. You know that in the past, you've found that the flute has similar properties to the feyinsects' natural vibrations and has caused them to fly alongside you when held up to the wind.
"What do you do?" I finally asked, having worked in a potential out for this combat scenario to end.
Constanze scrunched up her face as she looked down to think, a hand cutely on her chin, perhaps mimicking someone else she had seen do the same.
"How do I use the f'ute?" she finally said, asking as she looked back up from her thoughts.
"You can try spinning it in the air to make the flute make a noise, and then once it looks like the feyinsects will follow it, lead them away from the city," I told her.
"Hmm…" she pondered loudly, now tapping her chin with her hand while closing her eyes. Where was she picking these habits up from? Just from watching Lady Priscilla earlier? Haha.
"Do you have any advice, Knight Commander?" I asked Bonifatius to help encourage a more collaborative decision, causing Constanze to look towards him as well.
"Given that rott has been cast, we will be receiving support soon enough to deal with the rest, and we have already halved their number, but who is to say what further threats may loom. If this flute is truly capable of leading them away from the populace without putting the princess in any further danger, it may be the most viable choice. As long as her guard knights protect her, we should be fine," explained Bonifatius.
Nodding, Constanze came to her answer:
"Okay, I will use the flute!" she said brightly.
"You pull out the flute on its string and start swinging it in tight circles, creating a high-pitched note. All around you, the remaining feyinsects suddenly perk up and start to buzz their wings in response, causing some alarm. You swing it faster and faster, and more and more feyinsects emerge, more than any had thought were left, and once it seems like they've all begun to buzz their wings with a readiness for flight, you toss it up into the sky, causing all of the creatures to follow.
"With practiced swiftness, you leap onto your high beast and catch the flute mid-air, holding it out so that the flute continues to make noise from the rushing wind, and you start to fly towards the closest home of the feyinsects, which is still a fair bit away from the central district. As you fly on this peaceful night, lit every so gently by Sterrat under the God of Darkness's cloak, you look around you to see your guard knights next to you, and as you look behind to find Lord Yupatius and Lady Milena, you see the horde of feyinsects that had remained hidden during the fight.
"Much to the relief of everyone, as you pass over the forest and tuck away the flute, the feyinsects fly down into the forest to make their new home, and everyone returns back to the duchy capital, safe and alive, but with much work ahead of them to clean up this mess, and to find some answers to what had brought this potential interduchy disaster to the front door of Shumilandia," I finished, motioning for the attendants to open the curtains to bring in some light into the room, instantly changing the mood, and causing several players to lean back on their seats to let out a breath.
"Phew, that was close!" exclaimed Constanze.
"Indeed, my lady," nodded Samantha.
"How did you come up with such a game, Georgine? To combine storytelling and these dice, I can see quite some merit in using it for socializing," inquired Lady Priscilla. I sipped my tea to hydrate myself a bit before answering.
"To be honest, when I first proposed the game, it was mostly from playing with Constanze and her dolls, and after hearing how her math lessons were going, I thought: what better way for a child to practice their lessons than through play? As for the story, the story with the talfrosche is mostly based on something I read before, but the current narrative is mostly just based on dreams I've had and a little bit of improvisation. As far as I am aware, there are no giant airship magic tools, nor are there likely to be any that I'm aware of," I said this last part while looking at Bonifatius, "I imagine that nobles would sooner use magic circles for teleportation and high beasts than something so unwieldy as something that can be easily damaged to crash and burn in an eruption of fire," I shrugged. At that remark, Bonifatius seemed to make a rather unreadable face, while our new adoptive mother seemed to latch onto the education aspect.
"I see. Would you say that one could use this game to teach and practice other skills beyond math, since there is a storytelling and social aspect to it?"
"Indeed, Mother. One could potentially practice and evaluate etiquette training, or navigating a particularly dangerous tea party. The dice are there to introduce elements of randomness, chance, and likelihood, but ultimately it is up to the Game Master how to dole those elements out, to both the benefit and detriment of their players. It is also a good way to practice experiencing the world through the eyes of those of different status as well, as a shift in perspective can be valuable in its own way."
"There appears to be much wisdom that can be found in this game, Georgine," nodded Bonifatius, arms crossed. I turned to him and smiled.
"I would love to work together in expanding the game into something more detailed, but I'm afraid that tea parties like this would be a touch too formal and demanding, especially as family," I said, looking between Constanze and Priscilla, "While the northern wing has been all we've known for most of our lives, would it not be better if we spent more time with our family at your estate, Father?" I asked Bonifatius, who looked a touch surprised that I had brought it up at this meeting.
It was finally time to put on the cute act. My sister, somehow reading my mind, sidled up next to me and began copying me, with hands clasped in a begging pose.
"Pwease Faddah, Moddah, today has been so wuvewy so fa', and it would make me so happy to spend more time togeddah," Constanze said expertly, looking ever so solemn. I had briefly mentioned something to this effect to her before their arrival, but it seemed that I worried for nothing.
But rather than Bonifatius, it was Lady Priscilla who spoke next, eyes sparkling.
"Oh my, of course, my precious dears! We shall have to move you in posthaste! We'll need to decorate your rooms together, after all. I will speak with your head attendants to see to the arrangements," affirmed our exuberant adoptive mother.
And so, the tea party wound down, with plans made to move within the week.
Next up was my meeting with Bezewanst.
…How in the world was I going to talk him into giving me his job without a fight? I spent the rest of the evening and the next day planning my trap, gently compressing my mana all the while.
Chapter 6: Beatrice: As Flutrane's Waters Flow, Part 1
I began serving milady upon recommendation to the archducal family by Rihyarda some time after my youngest, Leberecht, had entered the Royal Academy. Lady Georgine was just five years old, and had latched onto Rihyarda fiercely. After witnessing her… education from Lady Veronica first hand, I could not blame her. It was not my place to voice changes to Lady Georgine's treatment, as Rihyarda did as much as she could as head attendant, but in the end we were powerless to do much in shielding her.
A mere month after Lady Veronica had given birth to Lord Sylvester, Rihyarda was reassigned, and milady's mana rampaged upon returning to her room after Lady Veronica had coldly shut down her pleas to return Rihyarda, having chosen to prioritize the newborn.
Before serving Lady Georgine, never in Schalftraum's realm would I have imagined such mistreatment of a firstborn archduke candidate by one's own Wiegenmilch. I understood that those in the highest seats might hold themselves to higher standards, but this was outright abuse and neglect. Lady Constanze had been neglected completely, but at least she seemed to have been spared the corrosive education stylings that milady had been bound to in her short life thus far.
After milady collapsed from her despair, we set about calling her doctor, but Lady Veronica refused treatment. We were stunned into silence even after the third repeat of her ordonnanz. Left with little choice, we did our best to calm her fever with empty feystones, and once she had seemed to settle down, we briefly left her room to talk in private.
"I have no words…" muttered Cecilia, milady's head guard knight, as she clenched her fist, jaw taut, as she paced the side room.
"Is it a surprise, though?" asked Gonathan, in his typical lackadaisical fashion, pulling up two chairs. The man was milady's sole male retainer, serving as a fellow guard knight under Dame Cecilia, his wife.
Letting out a deep sigh, I poured some tea for the four of us.
Milady's retinue was composed of three guard knights and four attendants, with two mednoble attendants who answered directly to Lady Veronica, leaving Dorothea and myself as the only neutral archnoble attendants in milady's service, answering directly to the Aub. Technically, my husband was a Leisegang, but his opinion of the Leisegang faction was rather poor, while Dorothea was married to one of Veronica's scholars, but the man originally served the previous Aub's first wife and regularly complained about his new lady's behavior, often comparing the two, and threatening to leave for the Sovereignty when in private company.
Idalia and Gretchen both had their days off, so we could at least speak a little more openly than we would feel safe to otherwise.
"Milady's children magic tool has been drained, but I'm surprised that it wasn't enough to keep her from developing a fever," remarked Gonathan, placing a finger on his lips.
"Perhaps it is defective?" posited Dorothea.
"I will give it a second look once we return from break," I answered, sipping my tea, leaning back in my seat, "Agrias will let us know if milady's condition suddenly changes."
Cecilia nodded before closing her eyes to sip her tea.
"I know I've said it before, Beatrice, but your brew is simply divine," sighed Cecilia.
Chuckling, I smirked at her, "You honor me, Cecilia, but you surely exaggerate."
"No, no, it is true, is it not Gonathan?" she insisted, dragging in her husband.
"Indeed, though I can think of one thing that taste even more," he replied, almost imperceptively winking at his wife, who only stared back blankly.
"Forget I said anything, Gonathan. I hope you enjoy sleeping in the knight's dorm tonight," she said flatly, sharply looking away from him, though I did notice her nose and cheeks turning Geduldh's color.
Honestly, these two.
"Gonathan, you have grown far too comfortable with Rihyarda's absence," I scolded the man.
"What? I simply love our chefs' cooking. What is wrong with that?" he deflected, laughing the way he did.
Silence settled in the room again, as Gonathan's scandalous behavior washed over us in an odd comforting warmth. In light of everything, perhaps this sort of silly distraction was needed.
Our lady had lost the closest thing that she had to a proper Wiegenmilch, the one desperate barrier between her and Lady Veronica. As an archducal branch family member, Rihyarda had more leeway than someone like myself and Dorothea in being able to assert ourselves in protecting Lady Georgine, not to mention her seniority.
But that was gone now.
What can I do for milady?
I was at a loss.
Then, Agrias slowly opened the door, peeking in to whisper, "Lady Georgine seems to have woken; she's been mumbling, though I cannot tell if she is simply talking in her sleep."
Quietly, we returned to her chambers, and I saw through the curtain that milady was sitting upright in her bed, though she seemed to remain silent in her thoughts. For the time, I thought it best to give her a few moments to herself.
"Milady?" I called out eventually, "It is time to prepare for dinner."
At that, she seemed to suddenly flinch, turning to me like she'd seen me for the first time, before recognition dawned on her face and she relaxed her shoulders, turning back to looking down before wiping at her face. Had she been crying? I pulled aside the curtain, and saw that she was positively soaked.
"Are you feeling unwell, milady?"
"…Yes," she replied at length, tinged with uncertainty, before asking that I clear the room to speak privately with her.
It was a surprising request, but considering the delicate state that she was in, everyone complied, leaving us alone. She motioned for me to sit, and a sense of unease began to settle in me. Something was different.
As she began to speak, I was slightly taken aback by the shift in tone in the way she spoke, but with it came a certain maturity I would only normally recognize in someone late in their summer at earliest. Perhaps it was simply resignation? Milady was always highly intelligent, and much to my own shame, I had silently watched her build her noble facade piece by piece in her sessions with Lady Veronica, but this was different; it was almost as if she was completely emotionally cut off.
I silently quenched the fire of unease that lit inside of me.
"Understood, milady. In the meantime, do you wish to take a bath before dinner? Perhaps it will relieve your mind and body to take a nice soak?" I offered. It seemed best to find ways to relieve her burdens and stress, in the ways that only I could as her attendant.
She agreed, and to my surprise, suddenly showed me a rather guilty look before asking that I retrieve a Bible transcription from the castle library for her studies. I, of course, showed no reaction to that at all, and simply complied.
Afterwards, she spent time conversing with us, asking questions she had never asked before, about our personal lives, family, work history, time at the Royal Academy, and so forth. It was rather blunt information gathering on her part, but there was very little to hide from present company.
What was most surprising, however, was how she seemed to glow while flipping through the Bible transcription. We did our best to answer any questions she had with certain words or turns of phrases, but the book was thankfully written in only a slightly older dialect, with lots of obtuse notes scribbled in by the original scholar or whomever had originally created the tome.
It was then that I noticed her children's tool was missing from her wrist, and her bed sheets lightly sparkled with gold dust. When I pointed it out, milady simply placed her hand on her cheek, sighed, and ordered us to keep our silence on the matter, and that she would discuss it with her father when they next met.
The days and weeks that followed seem to come with a fury that would make Stiefebrise blush.
Whether it was Aub Ehrenfest announcing that his daughters would both be adopted by Lord Bonifatius, effective immediately, or the haunted look on both the Aub and Lord Bonifatius' faces each time they left after speaking behind a soundblocking tool with Lady Georgine, or the curious new hobbies and ideas that milady had seemed to take up out of nowhere, little did we know that this was only the beginning.
Milady had sent an invite for a tea party with High Bishop Bezewanst, at which she requested he bring along any divine instruments, framed as a personal curiosity and for her education on duchy matters.
Bezewanst had doted on Georgine as his niece, so he was more than happy to oblige.
To our surprise, milady did not request a soundblocker for this meeting.
"Dregarnuhr, the Goddess of Time, has answered my prayers and woven the threads of our fates together once again," greeted the High Bishop, a young man just a few years Lady Veronica's junior with blonde hair, "Georgine, I see Anwachs has blessed you since last," he chortled.
"Indeed, Uncle," milady smiled warmly before turning to look at the gray priests that followed him, "Oh my! Uncle, you spoil me! I merely asked to examine one or two of the divine instruments of the Gods, but you brought the High Bishop's Bible as well!"
"Why, of course! When I read in your letter that you wished to learn more about my work, it came to mind as the first thing to bring," he smiled warmly.
Nodding enthusiastically, Lady Georgine motioned for her uncle to take a seat, and we began serving the prepared tea and accompaniments.
After their poison testing, the High Bishop began asking about her education.
"My academics are going well, Uncle, but I have recently taken it upon myself to read one of the bible transcriptions from the castle library to learn more about the Gods," said Lady Georgine with an earnest look upon her.
"Oh, is that so! Hohoho, I see you have been eager for this meeting then!" Bezewanst replied warmly.
"Indeed! As a matter of fact, I am ever so curious what duties your job entails, and how it affects the duchy and our people at large," she explained.
Brushing his short beard with his spare hand, Bezewanst began extolling the importance of the temple, how mana offered from the blue priests during the winter's Dedication Ritual was collected, how the mana was then distributed to commoner mayors and giebes during Spring Prayer, and how in autumn they would then go around and collect taxes and the bounty of the harvest during the Harvest Festival. He also mentioned how he and the temple was responsible for both commoner and noble baptisms and starbinding, amongst other duties.
To be honest, learning all the ways the temple was instrumental to the duchy was surprising, as a quick glance at milady's retainers seemed to show the same surprise at these revelations. To the nobility at large, the temple was a filthy place, where those born with mana well below their family's status were discarded, and those desiring flower offerings snuck into.
Lady Georgine nodded along to his explanation, interjecting every so often to request elaborations on certain details of the High Bishop's duties.
"Uncle, it seems clear to me that the temple is pivotal to the health of the duchy," milady began, before placing a hand on her cheek, "and if I am to understand my studies correctly, the blue priests and shrine maidens wear the divine color of Leidenschaft to represent growth, is that not so?"
At that, Bezewanst's expression seemed to briefly soften with a tinge of sadness, before smiling, "Indeed, as praying to the gods and expressing your thanks to them is key to receiving stronger divine protections."
Milady suddenly perked up, a smile crossing her lips, before turning to me, "Beatrice, did you know that?"
"I'm sorry, milady?" I was befuddled at the sudden inclusion to the conversation.
"Did you know that praying to the gods and expressing your thanks is key to receiving stronger divine protections?"
"Um… no, milady," I said, inclining my head at my shame.
"But Uncle," she continued, returning to him, "surely you share this knowledge freely with the nobility?"
Bezewanst nodded, "Yes, it is said as part of the baptism, coming of age ceremonies, and starbindings in the temple, though it is occasionally omitted during noble baptisms for expedience… however, we do urge all of Geduldh's children to offer their prayers and gratitude to the gods."
Milady tilted her head with eyes closed, as she tapped her chin with a finger, "Beatrice, does noble society place any particular importance on divine protections?" she asked.
I began to search my thoughts, immediately gravitating towards noble partings and other euphemisms. Before I could answer, Gonathan suddenly interjected.
"Forgive me for my impertinence, milady, but may I offer an answer?" he asked.
"You may," she said, turning to him.
"There is a Divine Protections ritual in the Royal Academy, where one receives blessings from the gods. It can be rather mana intensive and requires a rather long prayer that requires one to memorize the names of all the primary and subordinate gods. Typically, one receives blessings for the gods from the colors that they are blessed with at birth, though Dunkelfelger nobles are occasionally blessed with additional blessings from the fighting gods under Leidenschaft, the God of Fire."
"How curious," replied milady, as a rather transparent smirk began to creep onto her lips.
"As Dunkelfelger is famously known to be overly blessed by Angriff and their love for ditter, it is relatively common knowledge amongst those who take the knight's course," finished Gonathan.
"So there is a class solely accessible to those who attend the Royal Academy to receive divine protections…" she said, her gaze returning to Bezewanst, who seemed surprised by this knowledge, before taking on a somber look, "Uncle, I apologize for bringing up the subject. I know that blue robes are rarely able to attend the Royal Academy, unless their family decides to ennoble them properly," she said quietly, looking down at the tea cup in her hands.
"Oh, it is no trouble, my dear niece, serving the duchy as High Bishop is plenty reward for me," Bezewanst said, though his pained expression seemed to suggest otherwise.
The room fell into an uncomfortable silence, only to be suddenly broken by milady's bell-like voice.
"Uncle?" milady probed, looking up from her tea.
"Yes, my dear?"
"If your mana were to increase to that of an archnoble, would you be able to attend the Royal Academy to become a noble?" she asked in a rather shy tone.
Bezewanst's face twisted bitterly, with eyes closed, "Perhaps so, but I am in my autumn, and my vessel has long stopped growing."
Another pause.
Milady's expression then turned into one of calculation, and it took everything in me to not react to the change.
"My dear Uncle, you have shown me much favor and kindness, and brought with you today divine relics of the Gods for my sake. The gods have woven our threads together with purposeful intent, along with all those in the room today," began milady, as her eyes scanned the room, "In return, I would deliver unto you a message from the Gods—their divine decree."
Bezewanst startled at her words, as did the rest of us. Where was this coming from? Delusions of grandeur, perhaps? With elegance, Lady Georgine stood from her seat, and motioned for one of the gray priests holding a divine instrument covered in cloth to come forth, who unwrapped it to reveal the Crown of the Goddess of Light.
"The Goddess of Wisdom, Mestionora, has blessed me with a vision where Ehrenfest, under the guidance and protection of Schutzaria, the Goddess of Wind, our patron diety, will burst with bounties beyond compare, but for that vision to come, the Gods have ordered me to first bring that wealth to our brothers and sisters who have been left to suffer in the temple, a place once blessed by the Gods, now only a shadow of its former self, twisted into a mockery, as the nobility of this country uses it to dispose of its undesirables, where debauchery runs free, and those who are noble and commoner-born alike languish, hidden away from Leidenschaft's rays and Flutrane's healing, let alone the gentle touch of Wiegenmilch, the Goddess of Mercy," intoned Lady Georgine, her voice turning to fury as she continued to speak.
"The nobility of this country has failed the Gods, and the Gods are furious," she continued. Suddenly, as red and blue mana began to emanate from her, a crushing force shot through the room, causing the gray robes to suddenly fall to their knees, while the rest of us shook in place, knees buckling as it became difficult to breathe.
"M-milady…" I choked out. From the corner of my eye, I could see Bezewanst on his hands and knees, having fallen from his seat. Lady Georgine glided over to him, peering down at the man.
"Do you wish to become a noble, and through that power, bring glory to the Gods?"
Bezewanst looked up, fear and confusion in his eyes.
"…Y-y-yes," he sputtered. And just as suddenly, the crushing stopped. As everyone began collecting themselves, she lifted the Crown of Light and placed it upon Bezewanst's head.
"Repeat after me: I, Bezewanst, hereby swear to the Goddess of Light and the twelve subordinates who serve by her side that I will do everything in my power to correct the distortions that have taken place in the temple, to treat my lessers with mercy and kindness, to never act or conspire against my niece, Georgine, or Aub Ehrenfest, and their interests to the best of my abilities, to hold Georgine's secrets without fail, and when the time comes, to be Verdraeos and Chaosfliehe when Gebordnung calls to banish Chaocipher."
Bezewanst looked up, shaken, but began to repeat after her.
Before I could register what had just happened, the crown shined blindingly.
By the Seven… milady has forced a submission contract upon the High Bishop, and sworn him to the Gods, no less.
Before anyone could act, she then took the crown and placed it upon her own head.
"I, Georgine, hereby swear to the Goddess of Light and the twelve subordinates who serve by her side that I will do everything in my power to ensure that my uncle Bezewanst is taught how to increase his mana enough that he cannot be ignored by the Aub, attend the Royal Academy, and join the nobility," intoned milady with a gentle smile on her face as she gazed upon the still kneeling Bezewanst, who looked at her with wide eyes, as the crown shined once again, indicating that the contract had been signed. Holding the crown to her chest, she turned to us.
We all flinched. Time seemed to slow as she stepped towards us, as the surrealness of what had just happened had yet to fully process.
"Kneel," she commanded, her crushing mana coming out again in full force.
The shock of her mana and the weight of her words brought us all down. She shouldn't have had enough mana to have any sort of affect on grown archnobles, but the circumstances had left us far too shaken to do otherwise. To my surprise, however, she first approached Cecilia, her head guard knight, and placed the crown on her head.
"Repeat after me: I, Cecilia, hereby swear to the Goddess of Light and the twelve subordinates who serve by her side that I will do everything in my power to protect and defend my lady, Georgine, no matter who may come to threaten her, whether it be the duchy, the Zent, or the Gods themselves. I will keep her secrets without fail, I will protect her interests, and I will do my part to help protect the weak and poor in service to Wiegenmilch and Schutzaria. I will fight without losing sight of Dauerleben, so that Gluckitat may reward me for my service."
Cecilia startled when the crown was placed upon her, but as Lady Georgine began to recite the vow she was being demanded, her eyes became firm with resolve. Once the crown flashed, milady ordered her rise. Then she moved on to Gonathan, and had him repeat what was effectively the same vow.
After Gonathan rose, she repeated the same with Agrias, before she turned to me and placed the crown on my head.
"Repeat after me: I, Beatrice, hereby swear to the Goddess of Light and the twelve subordinates who serve by her side that I will do everything in my power to serve my lady, Georgine, to better serve the Gods, to seek Mestionora's guidance, to serve as Erwachlehren and Anhaltung, to be Wiegenmilch to those in need, to be Verbergen and Unheilschneide against those who seek to corrupt, and to serve Heilschmerz when called."
I repeated her words, and as I felt my mana taken in by the divine instrument, the crown shined light around me, indicating the contract had been made.
"Beatrice, I name you my head attendant in full," milady proclaimed as she removed the crown, "As you may have noticed, there were less restrictions set for you explicitly so that you may have the power to stop me should I ever go too far. I am placing my trust in you. For all that I have planned, you will bear the heaviest burden, and I apologize," she confessed, casting her eyes down.
I looked upon milady's face, and saw for the first time a child who seemed to bear the burden of the world on her shoulders. For all of her sudden maturity, command, and mystery, I couldn't help but see the little girl who had cried so many times.
"No, milady, it is my duty, and now my Gods-sworn promise, to serve you to the best of my abilities," I said, taking her hand and touching it to my forehead. When I looked back up, she gazed at me in shock, her face morphing as tears threatened to fall from her face. Immediately, she turned away, straightening herself, before turning back, cleared her throat, and told me to rise.
I crossed my arms in deference and rose, stepping to my place behind her alongside her knights. She then placed the crown on Dorothea, who was given the same vows as myself, but with the addition of keeping her secrets and protecting her interests.
Finally, she turned to the two mednobles.
"Speak truthfully: have either of you given your names to anyone?" she commanded.
Idalia and Gretchen violently shook their heads, "No, milady," they replied hurriedly.
"Has anyone in your families given their names to Lady Veronica?" she asked. The two looked to each other.
"Not that I am aware of, milady," answered Idalia.
"I have not been told of anyone, milady," followed Gretchen.
Milady seemed to ease at their answer.
"Good, ensure that it remains so," she nodded, then placed the crown upon Idalia.
"Repeat after me: I, Idalia, hereby swear to the Goddess of Light and the twelve subordinates who serve by her side that I have not given my name to Lady Veronica or any of her allies to the best of my knowledge, and will not do so for the foreseeable future. I swear I will do everything in my power to serve my lady, Georgine, to the best of my abilities by keeping her secrets without fail and protecting her interests, by disseminating manipulated information to misguide her enemies, to actively prevent and inhibit the coercive act of nameswearing by her enemies when viable, to act as Verbergen and Anhaltung to those in positions weakened by her enemies, and to act with my lady's best interests when speaking with her enemies. I will pray to Griefechan for Gretchen often with earnest prayer so that our mission will succeed."
The vow had been so different, I couldn't help being stunned. The sentiment seemed to be the shared, as Gretchen looked between milady and Idalia with surprise. Once the crown shined, she placed it on Gretchen, and did the same, ending with having her vow to pray to Griefechan for Idalia. They both rose, and my lady placed the crown upon herself again, turning to look at us.
"I, Georgine, hereby swear to the Goddess of Light and the twelve subordinates who serve by her side that I will strive to be a lady worthy of respect for my retainers to follow, to better serve the Gods, and to do my best to bring great bounties to Ehrenfest for as long as I am able. I will do everything in my power to act as Flutrane and Schutzaria in bringing change to the duchy, and protecting it from those who would cause harm," she proclaimed, ending with the crown flashing once more to seal the vow.
Milady finally turned to the gray robed priests, and after asking their names, had them make a vow of silence and plausible ignorance for all that had occurred in the room.
Once she returned the crown to one of the gray robes, she approached Cecilia, motioned for her to kneel and whispered something. Cecilia then silently approached the entrance, only to suddenly swing it open, and once she saw there was no one outside, closed it and returned to her position.
Milady then returned to her seat and asked to have the tea refreshed, which I proceeded to do, while the rest of us settled back into our positions.
"I…suppose it is too late to ask for an area-effect soundblocking tool?" she asked with a crooked smile.
Chapter 7: Beatrice: As Flutrane's Waters Flow, Part 2
"It is no trouble, milady, I will fetch one at once," I replied.
Once the soundblocking tool was set up, she asked all of us, except the gray robes who were asked to turn around, to stay inside of it. She urged for everyone to have a seat, leaving Cecilia to stand guard. We protested, of course, but she was adamant.
"What I am about to say must not leave this room," began Lady Georgine.
The High Bishop, who up to this point had remained rattled, sat up straight and nodded along with the rest of us, his eyes now firm.
"As I stated, I have received a message from the Gods, and they are not pleased with the state of Yurgenschmidt, let alone the state of the temple," she spoke solemnly.
"It all began with Zent Rauchelstra…"
Milady began describing a history that I knew for a fact had yet to be part of her archduke candidate lessons, including details that I had never heard before. She revealed the truth behind the two shumil magic tools in the Royal Academy library, their purpose, and what lay hidden in the underground archive, accessible only to archduke candidates, aubs, and royalty.
Then came the revelation that the Grutissheit held by the royal family was a magic tool, and not the true book of Mestionora. Due to miscommunication between generations of Zents from the royal family, and how this past Zent had fundamentally altered the value of the temple, prayer lost its importance, and in turn, the temple turned into… what it was now.
"Uncle, as generations of High Bishops have undoubtedly carried out in ritual routine, and as you may now realize, divine protections from the Gods are not mere passive niceties that are spoken as noble euphemisms.
"The truth is that through earnest prayer to the Gods, and by offering mana to the Gods explicitly and in great quantities, you will not only receive divine protections, but you can potentially acquire divine colors that you were not born with."
At that, everyone suddenly shook. Murmurs and words of shock rattled out of us, and I was not an exception.
"The problem, of course, is that the magic circle required to perform the Divine Protections ritual is locked away in the Royal Academy, behind a door that only royalty and professors can open," she continued.
Apparently, it used to be that students would receive their schtappes not in their fourth year, but in their final one, to get the best schtappe they could, after much compression and prayer.
"I, however, have a plan for us to acquire the magic circle in question, and have already put those plans into motion," she smiled at us mischievously.
"There are two easy ways to first acquire blessings, especially from the Seven. The first is dedicate mana to the divine instruments," she motioned to the crown and shield she had the gray priests place on the table prior, "The second method, especially if you have a specific God in mind," she said, while looking between Idalia and Gretchen, "is to brew charms with the sigils of the respective God in mind. I encourage everyone to think of who you wish to pray to, and what blessings you wish to acquire.
"It is worth noting that, the more blessings you acquire, the lower your mana expenditure will drop as well."
At this point, the shock of these repeated revelations had left us in a soft buzz, leaving little room to react at all. Milady then turned to Bezewanst.
"Uncle, I have already spoken with Aub Ehrenfest, and after much persuasion, he has agreed to make me High Bishop at the coming winter debut."
Bezewanst's eyes widened at the news.
"Georgine, if you become High Bishop, your reputation will forever be tarnished. To enter the temple as it is…" began Bezewanst with concern for his niece.
"To the outside and those not in the know, yes, and in fact it is intentional on my part. For the next two decades, my reputation in noble society at large will be spoken of with disdain and mockery as a temple flower, but such is the burden the Gods have placed on me," she said, looking down with a bitter smile.
In a much quieter voice, she continued, "Father Adelbert has agreed to decree that Sylvester be named heir, but I will remain as an archduke candidate, to act as a minister and support Sylvester as a pillar."
"Milady…" was all that came out of me.
What have the Gods done.
"I… I will do everything I can to cleanse the temple in preparation for you, Georgine," spoke Bezewanst, "I will do all that I can to prepare for your arrival."
Lady Georgine looked so small, with everything that she had shared, all those compulsory contracts with the Goddess of Light, her commanding air just moments before, those mysterious meetings with Lord Bonifatius and then with the Aub, and then the adoption, it all made sense now. She had needed to protect herself. She couldn't trust anyone.
"…Thank you, Uncle," she smiled weakly.
"Think nothing of it, my dear niece," he replied, a warm smile settling across his face.
Silence hung in the air between the two, as the room felt a little lighter.
"There are… several reforms I have in mind for the temple," milady began, speaking softly.
"Yes, I imagine… we must do away with certain services," said Bezewanst, looking away awkwardly.
"Indeed. However, I fear if we do not provide an alternative, nobles will begin kidnapping commoner women and worse, and I do not wish for that to happen," replied Georgine, settling her expression.
"Milady!" I exclaimed, shocked by the turn of conversation. She simply stared at me with a flat expression.
"Beatrice, Mestionora blessed me with wisdom, and I'm afraid much of my innocence is now lost."
How… how DARE they…!
As I fumed silently, the conversation continued.
Milady, despite her youth, began describing a potential business that Bezewanst could start in the noble's district that was explicitly around flower offerings. Milady was rather exacting about how important it would be for all nobles who both worked at and used the services of this establishment would need to sign a contract to not harm the flowers, and that all flowers who worked there had to be there willingly and well paid, with healthy working hours and paid vacation time, along with free medical treatments. The business was to offer both male and female flowers, and that the workers in question were to receive a thorough education to be able to read, write, do math, learn poetry and music, and receive etiquette lessons from gray priests and shrine maidens to better serve noble clients.
The flowers were to use an alias, so that their privacy was protected, and any laynobles who wished to earn money were to wear masks and charms of Verbergen to protect their dignity in noble society.
Most alarming, however, was milady's instructions for clients who wished for underage flowers, that they were to be brought to a room blindfolded, and then put in schtappe-sealing cuffs to be sent off to the Knight Commander to be dealt with. The severity of their crime would be based on the age of the flower they requested.
Though there were no laws protecting commoners to this degree, milady held quite a severe expression, stating that she wished to purge the nobility of those who refused to protect their lessers. She said that, if it came down to it, she would either mutilate these offenders herself, or at least curse them with the names of the Gods so that Brennwaerme and Beischmacht would withdraw their blessings forever.
At that, the two men in the room seemed to shiver.
"There are several more reforms that I plan to enact once I am High Bishop, largely centering around the protection of gray priests and shrine maidens, and the orphanage, as well as the ennoblement of all blue priests, but for the time being, let us return to the last important topic, and my promise to you, Uncle," milady said, bringing everyone's attention back to her.
"What I am about to teach everyone today is a mana compression method devised by a saint. It is so powerful, it can potentially turn a pitiful laynoble child on the cusp of being discarded into an archnoble by the time they reach the eve of their autumn, while it'll raise the mana level of an archnoble child to levels unseen since the days of old. It remains effective even for those in their autumn as well," she said conspiratorially, as she looked around the table.
"No one here is allowed to share this compression method without my spoken consent. Is that understood?"
We all nodded, with everyone leaning in. At that, she instructed us to retrieve several emptied boxes from the adjacent rooms, bags, our capes, and brewing equipment and material for any potion or brew that required reduction.
Once they were all brought back into the room, the area-effect soundblocker was adjusted to cover the area milady requested, and she began in demonstration.
As attendants, the first step was easy to understand, folding fabric instead of haphazardly stuffing it away made perfect sense. What came next was… less than elegant, as she proceeded to tightly shove the cape in her hand into the bag, followed by fastening the bag further, then sitting on it to stamp out the remaining air. Finally, she had Cecilia brew a potion recipe that required the materials and mana to visibly reduce over a long period of time, while mentioning that this would be easier to demonstrate with food and soups instead.
We all stood around, trying the compression method, but the truth of this method was clear on everyone's faces: it was beyond taxing, but having at least done the first three steps physically helped imagining it immensely. She advised everyone that the reduction step can be placed either at the start or the end of the four steps, or left out completely, and that everyone was free to make adjustments, encouraging us to begin viewing the world and using our own hands to see what other physical ways we could imagine making something big into something smaller. It was as if I was back at the Royal Academy again.
"While I currently forbid teaching the full method to others, I do encourage sharing the first step with folding the cape and placing it in the box. It should be even safe to teach unbaptized children as well, to help them get used to moving mana in their body," she proclaimed with a big grin, "You are even welcome to attach that it is a gift from me. In the future, I wish to use it to expand my influence and build a faction, but that can come later.
"Uncle," she said, turning to Bezewanst, who was clearly fighting a battle with his mana, "Do be careful with the full method. Be patient with yourself, perhaps start with doing it before going to sleep, and as your body adjusts, increase it to twice a day after it becomes comfortable, and so on. I do not want you collapsing from overexerting yourself. Slow and steady wins the race, after all," she smiled at him.
"Of-of course, dear," he said, smiling awkwardly.
Milady looked around the room, furrowing her brows in thought.
"Beatrice, if I may borrow your baptism ring? I wish to try something."
I looked at her with concern, "What did you have in mind, milady?"
"I wish to bestow a blessing, though I do not know if it'll work. If it does, it'll potentially expedite vessel growth, and if not, then nothing will likely happen."
Against my better judgment, I slowly removed my ring and handed it to her, and she promptly put it on as it shrunk to size.
"Now… how does it go…" she began to mumble to herself. For a few moments, she closed her eyes in focus, as waves of different emotions seemed to wash across her face. Slowly, she opened her eyes, her mana visibly rampaging as red and blue mana began to mist off of her again.
"Milady!" we exclaimed, alarmed by the sight.
"It is quite alright, I am in control," she said quietly, raising her arms, the ring shining brightly.
"O mighty King and Queen of the endless skies, ye mighty God of Darkness and Goddess of Light; O mighty Eternal Five who rule the mortal realm, ye mighty Goddess of Water Flutrane, God of Fire Leidenschaft, Goddess of Wind Schutzaria, Goddess of Earth Geduldh, God of Life Ewigeliebe; I ask that ye hear my prayers and grant thy blessings."
She seemed to pause to look at her surroundings and the ring, as it began to glow with a ferocity.
"I offer thee my heart, my prayers, my gratitude, and ask for thy holy protection. Grant those I wish to protect and love the power to strive towards their goals, the power to deflect malice, the power to heal their pain, and the power to endure trials and tribulations."
Suddenly, the room was filled with yellow mana, swirling around each of us, with several motes of light leaving the room.
Milady looked around, surprised, then a satisfied smile widened across her face.
"Ah… Schutzaria, I see, but…" suddenly, milady faltered. Without another word, Cecilia rushed towards her as I saw the strength leave her body.
"MILADY!!"
Chapter 8: Leidenschaft Twirls His Spear as Dregarnhur Weaves
I dreamed being at a concert, loud and exciting, lights flashing, one of my favorite artists belting out alternative rock/rap as the moshpit electrified. Then it morphed into needing to go to the restroom, and then a long conversation with Constanze(?) about the efficacy of magic circles and cheating by copying the ones on divine instruments, but then some asshole started telling me about how I wasn't a proper, noble lady, and I was like, fuck you, too, dude.
And then I woke up.
I was in bed. Why was I in bed? I was having a meeting with Bezewanst and… then the Goddess of Light contracts… oh, the blessing. It was yellow. That was surprising. I thought the color would be based on my mana colors or be omni-elemental, but I guess even though it was an omni-elemental prayer, Schutzaria was the dominant element due to the prayer for protection? Or was it because I just imagined it that way because of the Bookworm anime? Magic is so weird.
I sat up, and I guess the rustling noise caught the attention of my attendants, as I saw Beatrice pull aside the curtain.
"Milady, you are awake! How are you feeling?" she asked, concern clear on her face.
"Oh, I had a lovely rest, and a very odd dream where Constanze and I were discussing divine instruments and magic circles," I began to speak without restraint, "then this very rude man approached me and rebuked me for being unlady-like, and I was like, 'hey [fuck] you, too, buddy,' and then I woke up."
This was met by a slew of reactions, making me realize we weren't alone. I looked around to see my retainers, Bonifatius, and Bezewanst, who was surprisingly still here.
"Oh, Father! What a surprise!" I said with wide eyes.
"I see you are awake," began Bonifatius with a relaxed smile, but then he raised an eyebrow, "I do not know what that word was, Georgine, but it sounded quite rude."
I immediately slapped my mouth, then began to giggle hysterically. That seemed to make everyone relax.
"Mmm… yes, it is a very rude word, but the man in the dream was rather rude to me, you understand!"
Beatrice seemed to let out a sigh.
"I see we will need to work on your noble euphemisms, milady," she said, exasperated.
"I look forward to your lessons, Beatrice!" I nodded enthusiastically. I would genuinely love to learn the noble way to say "fuck you" to someone.
"How long was I asleep for?" I asked, curious.
"It has been two bells, milady, almost in time to prepare for dinner," she answered.
"I see," I replied, nodding.
"Georgine," interjected Bonifatius, "I spoke with your retainers, and it seems much transpired during your tea party today with the High Bishop, but they all appear sworn to silence. Care to explain?"
"I can, but may I request an area-effect soundblocking tool?"
Bonifatius nodded, and Beatrice retrieved it from the table, placing it on my bed and activating it.
After learning what limited information Beatrice chose to divulge, I began to elaborate on my deal with Bezewanst. To say that Father looked uncomfortable would be an understatement. I also decided to share with him the Saint's Four-Step Compression Method (TM), and since Uncle Bezewanst was in the room, I also explained my plans and hopes to ultimately ennoble all the blue robes over time, starting with the High Bishop; Ehrenfest's noble population was far too small, after all.
I… twisted the truth a little, suggesting that Bezewanst volunteered and agreed to swear to the Goddess of Light and her subordinates in exchange for helping cleanse the temple in preparation of my arrival, and in turn I would help him grow his mana and help him get this new business off the ground.
I mean, yes, technically I coerced everyone in the room through shock and awe, but Father Bonifatius didn't need to know that, at least not yet.
Uncle Bezewanst, however, seemed quite earnest and validated my story. I had successfully stolen him away from Veronica's clutches, mwahaha.
Bonifatius looked at the crown of the Goddess of Light that was still on the table for a while with some contemplation, before eventually turning to me with a concerned look.
"We will speak more on this later, Georgine."
"Of course, Father," I nodded. Then, a thought occurred to me, and hurriedly spoke up.
"Father, I must beg you to not be harsh on Beatrice for lending me her ring. The prayer I spoke was one that I knew would take much of my mana, but it was a blessing I wished to give to all whom I wished to protect, and it was the most powerful one I knew I could perform, though I… did not know whether or not it would succeed," I said, trying to look as precious and remorseful as possible.
Father looked surprised, closed his eyes in thought, then looked up.
"…The yellow blessing you sent out also reached me and the Aub, and I received reports from Priscilla, and Constanze's head attendant, that they received it as well…" he murmured, arms crossed.
I looked at him in slight surprise. He turned back to me, and rested a hand on my head.
"You need not worry for my protection, Georgine," he said, his expression softening as he patted my head, "but your sentiment and intent has been heard," then he began to rise.
"I will speak with Adelbert regarding the changes to the temple, and… your uncle's new business upon his retirement as High Bishop. It is not a bad idea. Beatrice, I expect much from you," he finished, sternly looking at my head attendant.
"I will not fail you, Lord Bonifatius," she intoned, bowing and crossing her arms across her chest.
"Until our threads next meet, Georgine," nodded Father, before turning to Uncle Bezewanst, "Bezewanst, let us speak with the Aub, there is much to discuss."
"Yes, Lord Bonifatius," replied the High Bishop, then turned to me with a smile, and, to my surprise, kneeled and crossed his arms.
"May the Supreme Couple and the Eternal Five bless Lady Georgine with their divine protections. I pray that Dregarnhur, the Goddess of Time, has woven our threads tightly together," he said reverently before joining Bonifatius, who raised an eyebrow at him as they left.
I was left a little baffled by the formal farewell from Uncle Bezewanst.
I asked Beatrice what else had occurred while I was out, and apparently Father Adelbert had arrived as well, but only left after being assured by Father Bonifatius that he would stay behind to ensure my well being. Beatrice and the others had been reprimanded for allowing me to use the blessing, but after she disclosed as much as seemed reasonable, as well as the fact that everyone else had been sworn to silence, Bonifatius had decided it best to wait until I could explain. I hoped that Beatrice wouldn't be punished too harshly for my… overzealousness, and apologized to her as well. Of course, she said it was no trouble and that it was her fault, but it was what it was.
After another week, during which Constanze and I began arriving at the archducal family dinners to say our goodnights together once more (thankfully, Veronica remained absent from them), we were moved to Bonifatius' estate, welcomed by Lady Priscilla. It was a joyous occasion, including formal introductions with Karstedt, who didn't show any sign of being especially guarded against me. If anything, he was very friendly and cordial, as I might expect of someone of his character and upbringing.
I personally didn't have any particular opinions or changes for my room that my new adoptive mother had prepared, but was insisted upon to make additions and give feedback. I did ask for a drafting desk, though, and drew up some schematics to the best of my ability. It was basically a reading desk, which already existed in this world, but I wanting something fancier. Oh, and I did ask for painting supplies and an art instructor. I even inquired about meeting the Guild Master, and discussed with mother and father any preparations to be made for my eventual move into the temple.
Mother was of course displeased with learning of this move, but Father had done his best to assure her that he was taking charge in cleansing the temple. I asked Father to make sure the orphans were being well fed and their living accommodations were in good condition. It wouldn't do my heart any good to find them in an abject state. I also asked Father to relay to Bezewanst to have blue priests he found to have an aptitude for scholarly work to help with the temple's paperwork. Frankly, I didn't want to deal with the prophecized workload, but I would do what I could. Father said he would assign one of his scholars to watch over their training, much to my relief.
That said, I was significantly less familiar with the nature of corruption in both the temple and the castle in this era of Ehrenfest. Frankly, I was relying on being able to bribe the blues with the compression method and swearing them to the Goddess of Light to make any bad behavior get stopped in their tracks. Hopefully, the pending cleansing in question would leave me something to play with.
Eventually, I did wind up having that one on one conversation with Bonifatius to elaborate on the fateful tea party in question, which I took as an opportunity to elaborate on my plans with the blues in question. In the end, he was satisfied with my schemes, and said he'd leave for the opening of Aphrodite's Lounge to spring while I sorted through the temple's grays. That said, I was firmly warned about abusing the divine instrument. I went ahead and told him what I had done with it so far, with particular specifics on the vows I had made my retainers repeat, along with Bezewanst. Father then asked what I was concerned about specifically, and I elaborated on the reality of the other future, and how I was, in a way, try to preempt Veronica's blatant nameswearing scheme to take over half the duchy's nobles in the coming years by building my own faction, except at most it would involve having them swear to not oppose Aub Ehrenfest and myself at its core, so that it wasn't quite so treasonous, while also making me untouchable.
The temple would be my fortress, and I knew Veronica would never step foot in it no matter what. Her noble pride would get in the way, unlike a certain very determined third wife of Ahrensbach of thirty years in the future who crawled through the sewers, from another life.
Father was visibly skeptical, expressing concerns of tyranny, but made me promise to make sure he'd be present for when I swore the blue priests and shrine maidens to the Goddess. In the end, it would satisfy keeping nameswearing an honorable act, while still saving money on contracts.
It turned out that during the meeting between the Aub, the High Bishop, and Bonifatius, Bezewanst had shown quite a change of character that it was slightly off putting. In my uncle's words: the Gods were real, Gluckitat had rewarded him for his piety and prayers with Forsente's bounty, and they had delivered unto Ehrenfest Flutrane's blessings in the form of his niece. I felt somewhat exasperated to hear that. He had said he swore to bring Gebordnung and Unheilschneide to the house of the Gods, so that it would be fit for Verdraeos to bring Leidenschaft's rays upon Geduldh's children once more.
I could feel a headache forming. I mumbled that at least my uncle didn't seem to hold ill will towards me for coercing him like I did, to which Father nodded with unease.
I asked father to convey to his scholar and my uncle to only collect intelligence on the blue priests, especially in regards to bribes, dealings, schemes, and in particular, their treatment of their gray priests and shrine maiden attendants. Frankly, I didn't know enough about the man to find him dependable in knowing exactly how I wanted the situation to be handled. I fully expected those who were of less than stellar character to be sent up the towering stairway by default for failing to treat their attendants with mercy and kindness, though it seemed my uncle was more than motivated by our tea party to uphold that part.
I also asked father to have his scholar spend time teaching uncle what he would need to learn when he would eventually begin attending the Royal Academy in the off-season, once his mana reached a sufficient level, and considering his… fervent shift in behavior, I expected it to be sooner than later.
The following months were true bliss. Sure, there was my education (which was much more gentle under Mother's guidance), and I watched as Constanze flourished, which was even more evident to see in her head attendant's demeanor. Karstedt took particular interest in joining our TTRPG, and once a week, we got together as a family to play through the campaign that I had begun to build, and instead of railroading through a modified Nausicaä storyline, it really turned into something much more. Our brother even carved out little wooden miniatures of our characters after I worked with everyone in illustrating their designs. Karstedt even took it upon himself to teach me Gewinnen, which was very fun, and I began to incorporate some of their elements.
I also began to hear whispers about the second wife and father's other son, who was one year older than me, but we were not introduced, so I ignored it for the most part. I had completely forgotten about Traugott's father. Hopefully the boy wasn't as miserable as he sounded.
At some point, after I began to read through father's military and combat books, I asked Bonifatius to teach me how to fight. He was immeasurably pleased, to say the least. We began immediately with daily warmups before breakfast, and sometimes in the afternoon, after other lessons. Constanze insisted on joining us as well, and through a misguided thought of amusement, I introduced burpees. Father was pleased by how haggard it had made him, if that made sense, and stated he would introduce it into the knight's training routine immediately.
Eventually, I sweet talked him into giving me a high beast, because of course I would. It was quite taxing to form it and play around with it, and I certainly felt… inspired, but first thing's first.
"Georgine, what in Yurgenschmidt is that?"
"It is a rideable high beast, Father."
I thought as hard as I could, but I honestly couldn't beat just making a rideable shumil. I thought about Final Fantasy XIV mounts and how fun they would be, but in terms of every day use, nothing really beats the protective nature and utility of a pandabus-style high beast.
Constanze obviously loved it, and Mother Priscilla, Beatrice, and the other noble ladies immediately saw its value.
But just to appease Father, and since I did want to take the knight's course for fun, I also made a mounted high beast in the form of a chocobo. Father was very bewildered by the unknown creature, but hey, if I'm gonna have to have a mounted high beast, it was gonna be something I actually wanted to use. I simply explained it away as the same beast that was the trusted companion of Lady Constantina from our tabletop campaign.
As the summer season began to come to an end, due to social pressure, I did wind up visiting my future room in the Northern Building to redesign my room from the ground up. I didn't want anything left of Veronica's influence, let alone Ahrensbach. Mother Priscilla helped design most of it, thankfully, and it wound up basically being identical to the one at Father's estate. While we were at it, Bezewanst had begun to move his lodgings in the temple out to another room so that my own High Bishop's quarters could be remodeled and furnished at the same time. He even lent me the High Bishop's bible and gave me boards of prayers to memorize, visiting every so often to supervise my progress. Apparently, rather than fully retiring, he was going to stay in a supervisory role until he eventually graduated from the Royal Academy. Honestly, I wasn't entirely sure how long that was going to take, but I think two summers would probably do the trick for both of us.
One morning, my soon to be baptismal parents gifted me my ring to begin practicing properly and with supervision, and helped me make my hidden room in our estate. I made sure it was furnished with a writing desk, a brewing table, a tea table, chairs, and a bed to rest in, plus a book shelf for good measure.
It was when I had decided to write everything I knew from the story so that my future self 30-or-so years in the future wouldn't forget that I found myself laying in bed, deep in thought:
In all of my time reading Ascendance of a Bookworm, and all of the fanfiction written around it, there had been one repeating theme that kept coming back, with canon to back it up:
The entire concept of the nobility was a farce, the royal family's existence was only a symptom, and that the very life force that was supposed to sustain the garden of the gods had mutated into a cancer.
As Georgine, with how far back in the story's timeline I had been sent, even if the Gods themselves had not even whispered a word to me despite what I told others, there was one burning impulse deep in my core, shining brighter than others:
I would be Chaocipher's Daughter in the fullest sense.
It would bring shame to Veronica to go by that moniker, wearing the title as blatant mockery. But it would also act as my shield to simply do as I wished. To treat Ehrenfest, and soon the country, as my playground.
Wielding the Crown of the Goddess of Light like a cudgel, I would bring down my full weight upon the nobility.
Without someone like Ferdinand around, and with a man like Bonifatius to act as the wind to my back, there was literally no one who could stop me.
I would be a servant of the Gods.
I would herald their unspoken fury.
I would be the Avatar of Verdraeos.
Chapter 9: Hirschur: A Tea Party with Chaocipher's Daughter
In spring, Lord Karstedt was demoted to archnoble out of nowhere, but it was far too easy to read between the lines, even without straining to hear any whispers in the castle.
Lady Veronica had given birth to a boy.
It was the only explanation, and one soon verified when the Aub decreed him as his heir.
The decision baffled the mind. The boy was just an infant, yet instead of having a proper competition for aubhood based on merit, my lord had been demoted, to say nothing of Lady Georgine's fate.
It wasn't until late summer that I received an invitation for tea with the lady herself. Before accepting it, I decided it wise to speak with Lord Karstedt first, and to my luck he was able to meet for a private conversation the same day.
"Dregarnuhr, the Goddess of Time, has answered my prayers and woven the threads of our fates together once again. Lord Karstedt, it is good to see you in good health," I began.
"Likewise, Hirschur… ah, my apologies, Lady Hirschur," Karstedt quickly corrected himself.
"Please, Lord Karstedt, I take no offense, it would bring me great comfort for you to address me simply by my name when speaking in private," I demurred.
"Hmm… well, in that case, I must insist that you do the same. It wouldn't feel right otherwise," smiled Karstedt. I hesitated.
"…Very well… Karstedt," I said finally, to which he nodded in satisfaction.
"So, what can I help you with?" he asked.
"I received an invitation for tea with Lady Georgine in three days time through my mother, and thought it prudent to speak with you," I answered.
"I see," he said, with a thoughtful look on his face, "Well, I don't see any reason to refuse. I imagine she'll be intellectually stimulating for you, if nothing else."
I gave him a perplexed look.
"Ah, it is being kept behind Verbergen's shroud, but Father will be baptizing both Georgine and Constanze, and they have been living at our estate for the past season. It has brought quite a bit of life to the house, if I may say so," he explained, a soft mirth reaching his eyes.
I sat stunned, clutching my soundblocking tool. What?
"…Lady Georgine is to be adopted by Lord Bonifatius?" I said with wide eyes, to which he nodded.
"In fact, I've been expecting your inquiry sooner or later. Georgine asked me for my blessings in her desire to have you become her scholar, and after having spent time with her, I believe you'd enjoy your time in her service," he said with a relaxed smile.
"I… see," I mumbled out.
I asked Karstedt a few more personal questions about Georgine for better insight about his new sister, which he answered freely. It seemed they were on good terms, and Karstedt himself didn't hold any particular resentment for his demotion while Georgine had kept her status. Apparently, she was an excellent storyteller, quick to think, and highly motivated.
However, he expressed his concern with how she seemed to keep guard around her emotions to a frightening degree through a facade of competence and imposition, but had seen behind the veil to see the caring and soft older sister she was to Constanze. It seemed she lowered her guard quite a bit around her, and was quite physically affectionate. His mother had noted that while Lady Georgine had encouraged Lady Constanze to get closer to Lady Priscilla, Lady Georgine herself had yet to fully allow herself to be comfortable around her new family.
Why Lord Karstedt had chosen to give such vulnerable and critical insight into his family's dynamic was lost on me. Perhaps it was to humanize her? Having served as Lord Karstedt's scholar, I had done a small amount of information gathering surrounding Lady Veronica and her unbaptized children, though naturally there hadn't been much to that could be openly shared, if ever, leaving only the openly venomous remarks sent his way during his time as an archduke candidate, and what could be construed from them.
Soon, the day of our tea party arrived. I was brought inside by an attendant to a meeting room, furnished tastefully in the way you'd expect of an archducal branch family, whereupon I saw a small girl, dressed in a richly embroidered blue dress, hair a dark blueish-purple that was shared with the Aub, and sharp green eyes not unlike the first lady. In fact, one could mistake her for a young Lady Veronica, if it weren't for her hair.
She sat poised, matching her station, watching me expectantly, with a soft smile on her lips. If I wasn't paying attention, I would have missed the slight widening of her eyes when I first entered.
I gave my first-time greetings to Lady Georgine, and was seated. The customary poison testing went by, with Lady Georgine describing the light fare, and began our conversation with some light talk.
Considering that Lady Georgine was a prebaptismal archduke candidate, I wasn't surprised by the presence of her guards and attendants, but what did surprise me was the absence of Lady Priscilla, let alone Lord Bonifatius, at what I had initially assumed to be a practice tea party that most children in their spring participated in leading up to their baptism.
We began with talk of the weather, she asked about gossip from the castle, and to my surprise, she asked about my research and studies.
"Presently, I am researching how low quality materials affect brewing, and how that could potentially be worked around, though the tools available to me for measurement has not lead to much progress," I sighed.
"Why is that," she asked, tilting her head, as her brows slightly furrowed.
"While I do have access to the castle brewing room as an apprentice scholar, when I explained my research to the other scholars there, they dismissed it, saying I was wasting my time, and all of the highest quality measuring tools available are usually taken by others."
"Low quality ingredients are materials with lower purity of colors, correct?" she asked.
"Yes, a high quality ingredient is determined by the absence of contamination, so that measuring them into the brew can be done more precisely. When other elements, especially the Life element, is included, the quality of the brew can diminish, with potential for failure."
Lady Georgine seemed to ponder my explanation for a moment.
"Is this concern with mana contamination limited to ingredients that cannot be turned into feystones?" she asked.
"That is correct, Lady Georgine. While it is true that, should one have the affinity needed for a certain brew, they could potentially isolate and enrich an ingredient with that singular color, the skill to do so is quite difficult to develop. Some scholars simply forego this completely, though they tend to be of lesser standing as a result."
"And you suppose that, were one to use low quality ingredients that contained the elements needed for a brew to start with, it might be possible to reach similar results to higher quality ones, and the benefit would come due to the concern of limitations of accessible materials when gathering?"
"That is part of the hope of my research, yes," I nodded, surprised.
"I see… well, that is certainly fascinating research, Lady Hirschur," she smiled.
"Your words honor me," I returned the smile.
Lady Georgine then motioned for a change of tea. Here we go, I thought.
"Lady Hirschur, I have a proposition for you," she said, sipping her tea. I nodded.
"You will be entering your third year at the Royal Academy this winter, correct?"
"That is correct," I answered, my stomach tensing for some reason.
"And, correct me if I'm wrong, but as part of your third year, you will be performing the Divine Protections ritual, yes?"
"Indeed," I replied.
"What can you tell me about Divine Protections?" she tested me. I wanted to thin my lips; what was she asking this for? Surely any details about the Royal Academy should be readily available for her.
"Divine Protections Acquisition, from how I understand it, is a class held in the chapel that is connected to the auditorium, where students must memorize a long prayer that includes names of both the five pillar gods and all of the subordinates, and the class can only be accessed after successfully completing the third year theology class. As for the blessings themselves, I am told that acquiring them increases your aptitude for the elements you are born with. As for why it is compulsory, I do not know, other than to be in the gods' good graces and not be stained with failure," I trailed off.
Lady Georgine slowly tapped her finger on her lips as she eyed me in contemplation.
"The Divine Protections Ritual uses a prayer that is partially learned and used when dedicating mana in the winter in the temple that is later distributed across the duchy during the spring," stated Lady Georgine, her finger now pointing at me from her chin.
What?
"You are partially correct: acquiring blessings does increase your aptitude for the elements you are born with…" she continued, stopping to lean forward. I found myself doing the same.
"…but you can also acquire blessings for elements you were not born with as well," she finished, her face hinting at mischief.
I stared at her as my mind blanked. She rested her arms on the table, weaving her fingers together.
"How would you like to become omni-elemental?"
Silence stretched in the room as I tried to process what had just been shared.
Why did Lady Georgine know about a ritual in the temple? Perhaps because her uncle is High Bishop? But that wouldn't explain why she would make a claim that even I hadn't ever heard before, otherwise the nobility would be clamoring to enter the temple. Moreover, is she seriously offering me the ability to become omni-elemental? This is a joke, right?
Eventually, I found my voice again.
"Surely you jest, Lady Georgine," I smiled nervously. Karstedt had vouched for her, but she was still Lady Veronica's blood. This had to be a trick.
"I do not," she responded coldly, leaning back. Why was this child so scary??
"I will dispense with Grammaratur, as I do not wish to be misunderstood," she began. I nodded, quickly eyeing her retainers who all had a very serious expression plastered onto their faces.
"I wish to have you as my scholar, Hirschur, ideally my head scholar, though if information gathering is not your forte, it is no trouble, as I plan to increase my retinue over time regardless. At the very least, I wish to have your skill and aptitude for research, and I foresee your caliber being great enough to be stolen away by the Sovereignty. By the time you graduate, if you wish to leave Ehrenfest, I will not stop you. In the meantime, though you would act as my retainer, I am willing to fund your research, provided that you do research I desire in addition to your own, and use my status as archduke candidate to ease your access to the tools and materials you need."
"That is… quite generous, Lady Georgine…" I said haltingly. Why was she offering me this? What did Karstedt say to her?
"Additionally, I plan to petition the Aub for a dedicated scholar building in the coming year. He is unlikely to refuse," she stated flatly.
At that, I couldn't help but widen my eyes.
"However, all of this hinges on your answer and your resolve, Hirschur," she said, eyeing me with a stillness that was unsettling.
"Do you wish to become omni-elemental?" she asked again, "I will warn you, just so you are better prepared, that to become omni-elemental, there is a small requirement from you that will be irreversible, but do not fear, as with what I have planned, many more will follow after you, and I will be there to guide you as well."
"…What is required of me," I asked, as I tried to swallow my nerves away.
"At this coming winter debut, I will be pronounced… as the new High Bishop."
WHAT??!!
I was flooded with a swirl of emotion and confusion, but that didn't stop her from continuing.
"And in order for you to become omni-elemental, and as my retainer, you will be joining me there, inducted as an apprentice blue shrine maiden. All of my retainers will be inducted and perform the fealty ceremony as well," she said, motioning to her attendants and guards.
I could feel sweat building across my body.
"Father Bonifatius and Uncle Bezewanst have begun cleansing the temple of its filth, or to be more exact, the practices the temple is known for is being washed away and banned, with plans in place to move such practices outside of the House of Gods permanently. Furthermore, I am planning many reforms to better bring the temple back to its original purpose," she explained.
"But regardless of anything, I understand that the temple has its reputation, and can be particularly damaging to a young noble lady like yourself. But let me ask you, which do you value more: access to all elements, with potential to cut mana consumption by half when brewing, or a stain on your reputation that will soon be forgotten in another year when the rest of Ehrenfest will follow?"
My finger involuntarily twitched at the mention of the mana reduction being cut by half. My mind raced as it began to imagine the possibilities, the potential.
I immediately firmed my resolve. The answer was clear.
"My answer is yes, Lady Georgine."
"Good," she smiled, as her whole body seemed to relax, and the room practically brightening as the mood seemed to lift, then she immediately leapt from her chair.
"We start immediately," she declared, walking to the door as her retainers followed, before speaking to her head attendant.
"Beatrice, please inform Father and Karstedt that the meeting has reached a positive conclusion, and please inform the High Bishop that we are on the way.
I shook at the suddenness of it all, but immediately collected myself as I followed in their wake.
Soon, we reached outside the estate, where there were carriages waiting, with Lord Bonifatius and Lord Karstedt standing by.
"Congratulations, Lady Hirschur, I see you have been swept up in Georgine's schemes like the rest of us," Karstedt smirked, amused.
I could only give him an exasperated glare.
I joined Lady Georgine's carriage, along with her head attendant and head guard knight. Her entire demeanor had shifted into a much warmer one, bubbling with excitement and much more in tune with her age.
She began to elaborate on her plans, and what it is that she wanted me to do, not just at the temple, but in her planned industries, as well as the pivotally important task of transcribing the magic circle that grants divine protections. When asked about how she came upon this information, she simply waved it off as having received a message from the Gods and a vision from the future, stating that it was a future she planned on changing for the betterment of Ehrenfest and herself.
Before I could ask for elaboration, we reached the temple, where we were greeted by the High Bishop and his attendants, and were guided through the temple's halls, with the High Bishop providing a guided tour, explaining the purpose and history of the temple for my benefit. We passed surprised blue priests who immediately stepped to the side to kneel, as well as gray priests and shrine maidens who were busy cleaning, which brought a thought immediately to mind: the temple was shockingly clean.
Eventually we reached the chapel, a grand and spacious room at the back of the temple that faced the lower city. The altar was a rising set of stairs, upon which were statues of the gods themselves, holding or wearing their respective divine instruments.
I had never been to our temple before, and I couldn't help but be awed by the majesty of it. I glanced at Lady Georgine, who seemed to have a reverent look upon her face, or was it determination?
"Uncle, if you would be so kind, we would like to dedicate mana to Leidenschaft's spear, Schutzaria's shield, and Flutrane's staff," she said with a smile.
"Of course, dear," replied the High Bishop, motioning to the gray robed attendants as they carefully brought the items down from their homes.
"Hirschur, as I said in the carriage, you will be dedicating mana to these divine instruments as an apprentice blue robed shrine maiden, as will the rest of us. If your mana capacity is great enough, it may even be possible to complete one divine instrument per visit, though that may tax your stock of rejuvenation potions. I will teach you a secret compression method later, which I have already taught everyone else present. Speaking of which," she paused, turning to the High Bishop, "Uncle, have you noticed much growth in your vessel?" she inquired.
The High Bishop's face warmed with joy, "Very much so, Georgine, thank you for asking. It was challenging at first, but now it is almost second nature. As you suggested, I have abstained from emptying my mana into the divine instruments so that I can compress as much as possible."
She nodded with satisfaction, and then turned back to me.
"The goal will be to offer your mana to each instrument until you see a magic circle burned into your mind. It will signify that the gods have received your mana, and that you have received their blessing. I suggest that you verbalize a prayer to the God in question as you dedicate your mana, as well as the names of any subordinate gods, to expedite the process. You must do so with earnestness in your heart for the Gods, as only earnest prayers will ever be heard when mana is offered.
"I also recommend praying not for yourself, but for others, if you have something in mind. That is the key to receiving the divine protections of the Gods. Selflessness and humility is how we will elevate Ehrenfest to greater heights.
"Now, let us start with Schutzaria's shield. If you do not have a prayer in mind, that is okay, just touch the shield and push your mana. If you wish to expend any rejuvenation potions, you are welcome to do so," she finished, gesturing to the shield that was being held by a gray priest.
"…How might I offer a prayer?" I asked as I approached the shield.
"Hmm. You could say, 'O Goddess of Wind Schutzaria, protector of all. O twelve goddesses who serve by her side. Please hear my prayer and grant thy divine blessings.' It's rather abridged and unproven, but I believe that as long as your prayer is earnest, it should suffice. What do you think, Uncle?" Lady Georgine asked.
I watched as the High Bishop stroked his beard in thought before he nodded in approval, "Yes, I do not see why not."
And so, I reached out and touched the feystone in the center, reciting Lady Georgine's words, as mana began to rush out of me. I watched as the feystones circling the shield began to glow, as a magic circle emerged from its center. As I felt my mana dwindle, I pulled out a potion and shot it down. Perhaps it was reckless, but I wanted to see my limits, in the name of research.
Sure enough, once all of the feystones glowed, a magic circle appeared in my mind's eye, searing itself into me. I immediately let go, and felt exhausted, forcing me to take another potion.
Lady Georgine and the others looked at me with concern.
"How are you feeling, Hirschur?" she asked.
"I am fine, my lady. True to your word, a magic circle appeared in my mind's eye," I said, as I tried to collect myself.
"And how are your mana reserves?"
"They are recovering. Nothing that rest cannot fix. It would take three more of these for me to reach any sort of potion toxicity."
"I see," she nodded, then turned to Lord Bonifatius.
Lady Georgine explained that it was possible for knights to summon the divine instrument upon receiving the magic circle, or even combine the magic circle with their standard shield as well, to which Lord Bonifatius murmured his interest. She then suggested to Lord Bonifatius to offer his mana to Leidenschaft's spear, and Lord Karstedt to offer his to the shield. However, the High Bishop stopped Karstedt, saying that the shield needed to be emptied into small chalices first, and had it whisked away, returning with an emptied shield after a short while during which Lord Bonifatius asked Lady Georgine questions about the divine instruments. It was very enlightening to say the least.
Lord Bonifatius and Lord Karstedt began dedicating mana with a prayer to their respective instruments as well… only to alarm everyone as the spear began to crackle with blue lightning when he finally declared that he had gotten his magic circle, followed shortly by Lord Karstedt after an additional potion.
"LANZE!"
Held aloft in Lord Bonifatius' hand was his very own Leidenschaft's spear, much to his glee and our terror, as now there were two glowing and crackling divine instruments in the room.
"Father… please put away your spear," requested Lady Georgine, wearing the expression of a tired mother.
Finally, Lady Georgine decided to offer some of her mana to Flutrane's staff, offering a prayer to Griefechan in particular to wish for luck to those present, as green motes of mana landed on everyone.
With that settled, we offered our farewells to the High Bishop, with promises to return again at a later date for the fealty ceremony.
I informed my parents that I was now serving Lady Georgine as her scholar, but as advised, I refrained from mentioning that I would be joining the temple. Apparently, Lord Bonifatius was going to take care of that particular detail.
I could only imagine him using shock and awe by showing off his divine instrument to convince them. The amusing thought brought a smile to my face.
In the following days, I heard nothing but reports of chaos reigning at the knight's training grounds, and felt the impact of explosions all the way from the castle's brewing room, as scholars complained about their disrupted brews.
What in the world had I signed up for?
Chapter 10: Gustav: An Invitation from House Linkberg
My family runs the prestigious and historied Othmar Company, a grocer that dates back to the Eisenreich era, and my grandfather currently sits in the esteemed and powerful position of Merchants Guildmaster of Ehrenfest City.
I have spent most of my life being groomed for excellence not only in the merchant trade, but in building connections and holding a leadership role under the tutilage of both my father and grandfather. Though my siblings were given a fair opportunity to compete, the patriarchs of our family had set me to take over the Othmar company, where I currently served in an assistant directorial role to my father, the presiding owner of the Othmar Company, while grandfather had relinquished his duties several years past due to his age, acting only in an advisory role and guildmaster.
In late summer, we received an invitation to the Linkberg estate, home of Lord Bonifatius, Knight Commander of Ehrenfest and brother to the Aub. It wasn't unusual in the slightest, as we regularly worked with our noble clientele, serving as the primary channel for food and ingredient deliveries. Sometimes there were special orders, such as Dunkelfelger vize, or much more commonly, Ahrensbach imports, such as fish, spices, fabrics, and incense, which had increased in recent years, but at great cost to ourselves, due to the high import tax, and we had been forced to swallow at least part of those expenses by their primary consumer base, forcing us to find ways around it to stay afloat. Thankfully, nobles were too prideful to negotiate on prices, though they could simply dictate the price they were willing to pay as well, but the margins still gave us room to breathe, not to say nothing of our coffers.
Curiously, the invitation specifically requested for both the Merchant's Guildmaster and myself, by name. I had certainly made a number of noble connections, and I hoped that I had left a positive impression, but had yet to personally visit House Linkberg.
Dressed in our finest clothes, we set off for the estate with an array of offerings and gifts. Normally, most communications and orders would be made with the head attendant of the house or their servants, but considering that they had asked for me, it was deemed wise to be prepared for anything.
On the carriage ride over, grandfather brushed me up on some tips in how I was to compose myself before such high ranking nobles, while I shared the newest rumors that had reached me regarding the archducal family.
I did not, however, expect to find the very individual that was at the center of these rumors when we were guided in: Lady Georgine, a small purple-haired girl with sharp features, sandwiched between Lord Bonifatius and Lady Priscilla. Grandfather and I promptly approached and kneeled.
"May this meeting, ordained by the divine guidance of the gods, be blessed by the God of Fire Leidenschaft on this vibrant summer day. It is our pleasure to have been invited, Lord Bonifatius, Lady, Priscilla, and Lady Georgine. I am Erik of the Othmar Company and the Merchant's Guildmaster, and I am here today with my grandson Gustav, my heir. May the bonds formed here be strong and lasting."
"I bless this day from the bottom of my heart. May the God of Fire Leidneschaft's guidance take the Othmar Company to even greater riches," responded Lady Georgine with her hand held out as a soft yellow light rained down upon us.
Lord Bonifatius began, explaining that his daughter Georgine would be baptized this coming winter, and that she had requested this meeting with merchants as her first foray into doing business with commoners.
"You honor us with this opportunity," we intoned, as I crossed my arms across my chest and inclined my head.
As I looked back up, my eyes met with the young lady, who had a look of both curiosity and, unless I was mistaken, slight recognition, though it had to be my imagination.
Grandfather began as he motioned for our employees to bring forward our offerings, new imports from neighboring duchies, vize from Dunkelfelger, Klassenberg's highest grade honey, and summer crops that were freshly harvested. I then followed up with any new orders that the household would want to make, as Lady Priscilla and the Linkberg head attendant conversed on any changes to their usual order.
"Gustav, I would also like to order a few bags of potatoffels and grains," interjected Lady Georgine, her bell-like voice standing out amongst the murmurs of adults.
"Ah, most certainly, my lady," I replied, scribbling down the order.
Potatoffels were considered a rustic root vegetable to keep commoner bellies full, and consequently cheap but plain. But who was I to argue?
Once the orders were finished, tea was brought out by attendants, along with a large stack of wooden boards, most of whom were then sent out of the room, leaving just myself, grandfather, Lord Bonifatius, his wife, his daughter, and what I could assume to be two of their scholars and their head attendants each.
Lord Bonifatius reached forward and activated a magic tool of some kind, enveloping us in a transparent cube. Grandfather didn't react, but it still unnerved me to see noble magic.
"Thank you, Father," said the young lady, taking a sip of her tea, "Now, Gustav, you may be wondering why you were requested here by name, and not simply the Othmar company, along with the Merchant Guildmaster."
I nodded hesitantly.
"As Flutrane's grace flows to Geduldh, and Forsente and Griefechan brings great bounties as Schutzaria raises her shield, Sehweit brings good tidings to Schutzaria's domain, and Yurgenschmidt as a whole, but in order for that change to benefit Geduldh's children, it is through Leidenschaft and his exalted twelve that we may find strength to overcome Gluckitat's trials. And so, it is with humility that Mestionora seeks Erwachleren from Greifechan's brightest," finished Lady Georgine with a smile.
I… think I understand. Change is coming to Ehrenfest and the country, and in order for the people to benefit, we need to find those who are passionate to overcome difficulty, and… she seeks teachings from merchants?
"We are honored to be of service to you, my lady," grandfather intoned.
"How may this humble merchant be of assistance?" I asked.
"I would like you to be my Erwachleren in the skills, mindset, and knowledge of a merchant, as I deem it an invaluable skill for a noble of high standing to have.
"Perhaps some time in spring or the following summer, I would like to receive your direct tutelage on how merchants think and do their work, including the realities and limitations of product development, sourcing, negotiation, and so forth. I have a semblance of understanding negotiations, but I also wish to learn the financial and accounting side to our duchy's infrastructure that the nobility often ignores.
"…I find it a terrible shame that, for instance, Ehrenfest has an… unfavorable trade agreement with the greater duchy of Ahrensbach, with much of the added costs being swallowed by our commoner merchants. Do you not agree?" she asked, a hand resting on her cheek.
I could only widen my eyes at her. This felt like a trap, but maybe it wasn't?
"It… As the Othmar company's portfolio is fairly diverse, we are fortunate in being able to subsume any added costs to better bring the products that our noble clientele seeks, my lady," I said, stumbling over my mouth. Lady Georgine sighed.
"Gustav?"
"Yes, Lady Georgine?"
"This isn't a trap, I assure you. Ordoschnelli must fly in clear weather to sing beautiful melodies.
"I understand that you most likely treat Ahrensbach imports as a loss leader to keep your clientele happy so that coin moves and other sales with better margins continue to remain open, but that only works when it's a small fraction of your business, no?" she inquired further. I nodded.
"That is correct."
"But the current state is less than ideal."
"Correct."
She let out another deep sigh.
"Unfortunately, there is nothing I will be able to do about that for now, but it is my hope that in the coming years, we may develop valuable domestic goods, and that is one of the reasons why I have called you here today, Gustav."
I looked to grandfather, who looked perfectly poised, though I knew he was as nervous as I was, before returning my eyes to Lady Georgine.
"What I am about to share with you is to be kept only to yourselves, and no one else, not even your family, until news has spread, or at least until after the end of winter."
The two of us immediately sat straight.
"This coming winter, I will be making my debut in noble society, and I will be named High Bishop. As an archduke candidate and High Bishop, it will be putting me in a rather unique position, but amongst the first things I plan on addressing will be what to do with all of our extra hands in the temple orphanage with the gray robed priests and shrine maidens. As you may or may not know, all gray robes are impeccably trained to serve their noble-born blue robed priests, and yet I know many businesses in the lower city face challenges with training their employees to meet noble standards. I am considering the potential of allowing leherls and lehanges to come train at the temple for a modest fee in exchange for… well, we'll see.
"With my newfound proximity to the lower city, I also have several concerns with our commoner population. Due to the lack of a proper way to dispose of waste in the lower city, the commoners suffer less than ideal living environments. You have undoubtedly heard of lower cities in other duchies from traveling merchants in your own extensive information networks, Gustav. Please, tell me how our lower city differs."
I glanced nervously at grandfather, who gave me an imperceptible nod.
"Of course, my lady," I began, looking between the three, "Over two decades ago now, we began to hear news from traveling merchants who had visited Drewanchel, and few other greater duchies, that their lower cities no longer smelled of filth, and over time this had become more and more prevalent." Lord Bonifatius raised an eyebrow at that.
"Over time, as Ehrenfest's lower city has remained the way it has, fewer traveling merchants have come to us, though word has spread that lower cities of lesser duchies appear to have finally implemented whatever change that has allowed their lower cities to be cleansed."
Neither Lord Bonifaitus or Lady Georgine reacted, with the latter only nodding, while Lady Priscilla's eyes widened slightly.
"It is as I said, Father—the timeline matches. The lower city's merchant information network is quite valuable, even if the nobility do not place any value on their words," remarked Lady Georgine, before turning back to us.
"Seeing as how there are no impending interduchy trade deals that would require us to cleanse the lower city so that we are not shamed by commoner merchants of higher ranking duchies, I believe that the high cost that would come from bringing our city up to standard can take place over an extended period of time, allowing for parts of the city and its commoners time to move their furniture out before the Aub uses his magic to rebuild it. It will not be any time soon, as I have yet to fully develop the proposal to bring to the Aub's attention, but I would like to work with the merchants in the northern part of the lower city at a later date to make the best changes and accommodations that will help maximize Ehrenfest's potential growth well into the future."
Both grandfather and I were in shock.
"We are honored by your generosity, Lady Georgine," we said.
"I wish for you to find several craftsmen that are worthy of becoming my exclusives. A mixture of young talent and seasoned veterans would be ideal, for I need those with both unique talent that may be overlooked by most patrons, as well as those who are reliable and steadfast," she requested, then motioned to the boards that had been flipped upside down on the table between us.
"Set before you are initial schematics for three separate projects. The first is a hair beauty product, the second is for parchment made from young wood and its accompanying ink, and the third is a writing utensil that you will likely find rather useful in your own line of work. The accompanying boards are the terms of agreement for development of these products, which you will likely find quite generous."
We both picked up the boards, carefully flipping them over.
One board described using oil from fruits and plants to make "rinsham," which both cleaned and moisturized hair, leaving it with a shiny sheen, with special note of using lower quality cloth for the extraction process, or including salt crystals and other elements as abrasives, with room to create additional scents using fruit peels and aromatic plant life.
Another described a clamshell wooden tablet filled with wax, with an accompanying metal stylus to write with, and a flat end to clear words.
But the third one… the third one was…
"I do not expect immediate success in all three ventures, as I expect there will be some back and forth and further meetings for clarification, so do not feel rushed, as failure is part of success," she added.
"My lady, if I may ask a question," I ventured.
"You may."
I held up the wooden board describing plant paper, "This… plant paper, will it be replacing parchment?" I asked nervously.
"Oh, I'm glad you brought that up," she then turned to grandfather, "Guildmaster, I would like for the creation of the new Plant Paper guild. It will be separate from parchment, as plant paper is not to be used for contracts. Yes, I am sure the parchment guild will complain, but this is my one concession to them. The new ink in the schematics is to be sold to the ink guild, but it is to be used primarily for plant paper."
"It shall be done, my lady," he bowed his head, as he returned to reading the contract terms.
"As for the development of workshops, I will leave that up to you, though I do plan on implementing one of them into the temple orphanage once I become High Bishop as well."
I nodded.
"There is a small matter as to who will be the foreman and guildmaster of the plant paper guild and workshop… and it is there that I am at a small loss, as I have a certain commoner in mind, but he is presently prebaptismal," she continued.
"…I'm sorry, my lady?" Did I hear that right?
"Of course, I am under no delusions that such a young child would be able to handle such matters," she laughed, "but when the the boy comes of age, I want him to inherit the business."
"May I ask who…?" I asked warily. Why was she seeking a prebaptismal child, and a commoner at that? How did she know this child, and moreover, for an archduke candidate who's still a small kid, how does she know so much?
"The owner of the Gilberta Company's clothing store should have a son by the name of Benno. Once he has been baptized, I plan to speak with him and his parents, but until then, I would like you to convey my intentions. However, I must stress that I do not want you trying to marry him into your family, is that understood?" she said sternly.
"Yes, of course my lady," replied grandfather hurriedly, bowing his head.
"Good. Now, you may be wondering to yourself right now, 'How does this prebaptismal noble child know so much, and where are these schematics coming from?'" she said, eyeing us. We both nodded.
"The short answer is that I have received a message from the Gods, and a vision for the future of Ehrenfest. I am sharing this with you in confidence, Gustav, as I know your future, and see a potential future where your granddaughter is born with the Devouring, who I plan to enter my protection. The girl for whom Bluanfah will dance before Benno, too, will have the Devouring, and I plan to have her under my protection as well."
My granddaughter?!?! And she will have the Devouring sickness??
"Oh, speaking of which, I have two secret missions for the two of you."
I gulped. There's more??
"The first one is not an immediate concern, but something I plan to do over the course of time, especially in my position as High Bishop. As you know, the nobility do not treat Devouring commoners kindly, and I plan to rectify that, for all of us are Geduldh's children, and those born with mana must pray to the Gods for their divine protections.
"It is my plan to be Schutzaria's shield to protect our Devouring commoners, so that they may have a safe outlet for their building mana, and so that their mana may contribute to the duchy. Should there be any commoners who show particular intelligence or skill, it is my hope to find them good employment, or even potential adoption into a good noble family that would treat them well.
"For instance, I foresee your granddaughter, Gustav," she said, making me almost flinch, "She will be born with pink hair and brown eyes, a merchant's instinct sharp as a knife, her hobby being counting coins, and most notably, she'll take after you the most," she said, and at those words, my heart stirred. " When she is born, you will know. Come find me, and I will provide her a children's magic tool. She will be too valuable to simply be contracted to a noble under a mistress contract. I'd see her adopted into nobility if she chooses, but if she wishes to stay with her commoner family, I'll see to it that she has her mana needs met."
"That is most gracious of you, Lady Georgine," I intoned, bowing my head and crossing my arms.
"Should you come across any other children with the Devouring, do send them my way so they may be tended to. I find how we dismiss the health and well being of our unbaptized children in Yurgenschmidt despicable to the highest order, and a crime against Wiegenmilch, the Goddess of Mercy. The foolish shortsightedness of the nobility knows no bounds," she ended bitterly, earning shocked looks from us and a small startle from the nobles around her.
"Ah, and speaking of crimes against Wiegenmilch and shortsighted fools, we come to your second secret mission:
"I want to begin complete and absolute oversight of the smuggling, trade, purchase, and sale of poison in this duchy."
All of the blood left my face, my body numb.
"Georgine!" exclaimed Lady Priscilla, who looked dumbstruck, as did some of the attendants and scholars, but curiously not all, nor did Lord Bonifatius, though he seemed to only tighten his jaw. Lady Georgine turned to her mother and spoke.
"Mother, we all know of a certain trombe that cannot be touched. My retainers have gathered information, and though its reach has not grown too far, it has already begun to spread. I would rather not feed the trombe any more mana-rich blood than it has already been given. I would starve it as much as possible, so that it might shrink to the point that mere commoner children might cut it down as if it were a common pest," then she turned back to me.
"The Othmar Company is the oldest grocer in Ehrenfest, with history and prestige that reaches back to the Eisenreich era. I imagine that you have a vested interest in not having the food you deliver to the nobility being associated with poison, no?" she asked expectantly.
"Y-yes, my lady, it is something that troubles us deeply," I answered, still numb from where this conversation was going.
"I imagine so. Come time this spring, I plan to invite all of the guildmasters to the temple for a meeting to discuss this issue. I do not plan to ban poison, only to regulate it. Banning it outright would make it even more challenging to track. I'd rather that the nobility foolishly use commoner merchants to smuggle than using magical means. You see, there is a rather nasty habit amongst the nobility to poison pregnant first wives or children that might be considered threats. The purpose of regulating will be to track and warn those targeted households or individuals of malicious intent being directed their way, as well as to outright make difficult to acquire particularly lethal concoctions.
"Now, you may be thinking to yourself, 'Commoners must appease the nobility or face the threat of death,' and indeed, for now, even if I, as an archduke candidate, were to wield my status, there are those higher than me that would override me, and that is why we will have to keep our wits about us for the time being.
"So to start, I want the two of you to start collecting intelligence on the movement of poison, who is known to smuggle, trade, purchase, and sell it, and to start coming up with a plan. Once we have more information, we will have more maneuverability."
From there, the meeting came to a close, signing magic contracts for the various business ventures and passed money between us. She said she trusted us to keep her secrets. And she was right.
With a smile, she saw us off with the largest blessing to Griefechan I'd ever seen, along with an extra blessing to Dauerleben and Heilschmerz to grandfather, which was rather sweet.
On the carriage ride back, grandfather and I sat in silence for a long time, as the sheer terror of our new reality began to settle in.
What had we just gotten ourselves into? It made one want to pull at their hair at the mountain of work that had just landed on our laps. Was I going to go bald at a young age from the stress? I'm only twenty-two, dammit!
Emotionally haggard, as I exited the carriage just outside of the Othmar building, I caught a glint from the corner of my eye. Curious, I approached and bent down to pick up whatever it was, only to find a very dirty and very old large gold coin.
