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Chapter Text

Ferdinand sat at his desk in his Temple quarters slavishly working through a mound of paperwork. It had piled up during his time at the Royal Academy assisting his brother with the interduchy tournament.

In a rare moment of self honesty, Ferdinand admitted that he had begun to resent how heavily his brother leaned on him. He had been pulled away from his Temple duties to assist with shumil management, which he fully understood. And it was a good thing he had taken a table with Rozemyne as they had been inundated with both upper-middle and grand duchy Aubs and Archduke candidates seeking information about Ehrenfest’s research projects, Rozemyne’s trends, the new paper, and of course, rinsham and hairpins. Rozemyne certainly couldn’t have handled it on her own.

However, he was both perplexed and annoyed by these questions being directed towards himself and his ward when the Archduke and his designated heir were sitting nearby at their own table. He had known, of course, that he had greater prestige outside of Ehrenfest than Sylvester, but their blatant disregard of Sylvester as the Aub offended him as a member of the archducal family. Of course, Ferdinand, being the master of evasion, redirected them to Sylvester’s table (which Sylvester had the nerve to complain about later on. Was the man the Aub or not?)

What annoyed him even more was the veiled, and sometimes blatant, overtures these Aubs made towards Rozemyne trying to entice her to end her engagement and come to their duchies as the 2nd and sometimes even the 1st wife of their heirs, or sometimes a future 3rd wife of the Aubs themselves. That last bit was offensive as some of these Aubs were contemporaries of his father. Rozemyne wasn’t yet even in her teens publicly, although Myne was actually 13 already. Rozemyne hadn’t understood their veiled references to secondary water goddesses, and even Gedulh, with respect to themselves (and was wholly disgusted when Ferdinand explained it to her later).

She had, however, understood what they were saying about their heirs. That was made clear by her answers. But, instead of stating that Ehrenfest was her Geduldh, or that her Dark God was already chosen, in the form of Wilfred, she actually questioned them about the type and number of books the Aubs had in their libraries. He had wanted to pull her cheeks until she squealed like the shumil she looked like.

He couldn’t, however, in such a public venue. Her tactics, while irrational and entirely unbeffiting of a noble lady, so thoroughly confused the Aubs that they gave up, and slunk away to Sylvester’s table to try to set the stage for trade negotiations that would take place at the annual Archduke conference.

Thank all the Gods she had given the correct answers when Klassenberg, Drewanchel, and Dunklefelger probed. Klassenberg of course wanted the secret of rinsham and her food and fashion trends. Drewanchel desperately wanted the process for rinsham and paper ( it was tormenting their research obsessed minds), and her status as his disciple. Dunklefelger, muscleheads that they are, were still in awe of her tactical genius evidenced in the resounding defeat of their heir in Ditter.

The boy himself, Lestilaut, still hadn’t truly given up, which pleased Aub Werderkraft of Dunklefelger to no end. Ferdinand wondered whether it was the boy's Dunklefelger pride, or if a raffel had sprouted through her conquest over him. (Justus had told him that some men liked to be punished by women during the act of welcoming winter, and he wondered whether the boy was growing into a man with such proclivities. Bizarre!)

At any rate, when he had rightfully complimented Rozemyne on the appropriateness of her responses to these grand Aubs later in the Ehrenfest dorms (after thoroughly getting his fill of tormenting those doughy cheeks over her library interrogations with the others), she then blithely revealed that her main motivation was her dislike, or disinterest, in the grand duchy heirs.

After pulling her cheeks again, he reminded her that she was already engaged to Wilfred specifically for these situations and to prevent her from being poached by other duchies. She was entirely too dismissive of that fact, until he reminded her that leaving Ehrenfest would likely mean a separation from her biological family. That gave her pause.

For while she could, theoretically, have her exclusives and their families transferred if she married out as part of her marriage settlement, she couldn’t really protect them in a new duchy with no power base, or even see them as often as she did now, which was not often enough. In fact, her businesses would likely be taken over by her new Aub as they were just that lucrative. Rozemyne was fiercely protective of her people, her family, and would go to any lengths to defend them, as Bezawanst, Veronica and Bindewald learned to their regret.

Ferdinand let out an evil chuckle reminiscing about the total defeat of these particular enemies, which actually frightened the poor priests working in his chambers.

In all honesty, Rozemyne was so disinterested in Wilfred that Ferdinand would have been concerned that his nephew would be saddled with an unfaithful wife, if Rozemyne wasn’t already thoroughly married to her books.

What Ferdinand was annoyed about now was the fact that he had been stationed in the castle doing Sylvester’s work on the days that he hadn’t attended the interduchy tournament. And Sylvester, slacker and escape artist that he was, had specifically left some work undone because he knew Ferdinand would be working in his office while he was away. And because Sylvester was so…..he had to say it…..inept, immature, and irresponsible, he couldn’t even get through the tournament without Ferdinand being there to hold his hand.

So, Ferdinand had Sylvester’s overdue work, his own duty on gremlin patrol, and then all his own work that had backed up while he was away. Ferdinand honored his promise to his father to help Sylvester rule Ehrenfest wisely. He really did. The man had saved Ferdinand from certain death as a child and becoming merely a feystone to power Lanzenave. He owed his present existence to his father. But after seeing Myne and the love she and her family had for each other, and that Lutz and his family had for each other as well, what Ferdinand once did for Sylvester out of a sense of family pride and obligation, he now did only out of a sense of debt.

And at times, it made Ferdinand bitter because he now knew he was being used, and Ferdinand truly hadn’t known that before Myne. If anything, Ferdinand had felt grateful to be needed by Sylvester. It had given him a sense of value, which is something that he had never felt growing up. Ferdinand had never felt valued as a child, not even once.

Ferdinand still loved Sylvester, and Sylvester had been loving and affectionate brother towards him since the day they had met. But Ferdinand had suffered greatly in his time in Ehrenfest, and even now he constantly worked without any break at all.

So, when the white bird that flew through the wall landed on Ferdinand’s desk and began to speak in Justus's voice, Ferdinand felt this was the break he was waiting for.

“My Lord, I request your assistance pulling back Verbegen's shroud on a mystery written in the most ancient language."

The bird repeated this baffling and thoroughly enticing message three times. Ferdinand, for the life of him, could not even begin to guess what his eccentric scholar/ spy had stumbled across. He vaguely wondered if it had anything to do with the lost Grutrissheit, but knew Justus would never use an ordonnanz to communicate something so utterly dangerous.

But Ferdinand was hooked, and now he had to know. However, Rozemyne had been in her Temple chambers all day reading. Ostensibly, she was recovering from a light fever after the tournament. But in reality, she had recovered quite quickly and Ferdinand was using her illness to avoid going to the castle and being given more work by Sylvester.

While Ferdinand could leave Rozemyne in the Temple, and quickly run to his mansion to meet Justus, the thought made him uneasy. For one, although Rozemyne had her knights Angelica and Damuel with her, one was a laynoble, despite his now mednoble mana level. The other was a complete airhead and utterly useless with anything involving thought, let alone intrigue. It just felt unsafe to leave Rozemyne solely in their care alone.

The other concern was leaving Rozemyne to her own devices. While she was very content reading at the moment, if something managed to distract Rozemyne, the Gods only knew what she might get up to in a bell's worth of time while he was away. Her sensible apprentice retainers were all with their families post tournament. Ferdinand would have to take Rozemyne with him.

His decision made, Ferdinand tapped the bird and said “Ordonnanz. Justus, this is Ferdinand. I will meet you at my mansion in a bell.”

He then sent a grey robe priest to tell Rozemyne to expect him in a quarter bell. Finishing up one last document a quarter bell later, he then went to round up his wild shumil.

Ferdinand found Rozemyne at her desk, surprising as she normally lolled around in bed on a reading day, and even more surprising, she was even dressed well enough to meet with her downtown associates, although not well enough to go to the noble section. Unsurprisingly, she did not look up from her book when Ferdinand entered her chambers.

So intent was Rozemyne on her reading, she was trying to eat a cookie through the side of her face because she was so focused on her book that she kept missing her mouth.

“Rozemyne”, Ferdinand called.

No response. Ferdinand then clapped his hands loudly, which sent her commoner attendant Rosina into a fit of refined giggles. Still no response.

Ferdinand then snatched the book out of her hands, to which Rozemyne replied, “Bwuh".

Ferdinand rolled his eyes at this unladylike response. Rozemyne puffed out her cheeks at his expression,  and then quickly adopted a noble demeanor when he glared at her.

“Greetings, Ferdinand. How are you today?”

“Much better response" Ferdinand said still looking at her sternly.

“I require your assistance with something at my mansion. “

She just managed not to pout again at his words.

“I thought that you said I would be able to read all day today.”, she complained.

“ Well, this actually involves reading.”, he replied.

“Oh yes?!” Rozemyne sat up like a knight at attention.

“Yes, Justus stated that he’s found something written in a style of language so ancient that he can’t decipher it. He’s requested my assistance and I thought that you might assist me,  since you are highly proficient in reading the ancient language. And four eyes are better than two, as you say.”

“Two heads."

“Excuse me?”

“The saying is two heads are better than one, not four eyes"

Ferdinand glared at her again. “Are you interested?”

“Yes”, she chirped way too loudly. “ I am absolutely, positively, definitely interested!”

So easy, Ferdinand thought.
“We would need to be at my mansion in a half bell. I need to say in advance that the only reading that we will be doing is of this document, not of the books in my library.”

She gave him a smile that was way too open and genuine.

“Understood. Reading is reading, however, and who knows what this document might say".

“Quite", Ferdinand replied. “We both need to change into clothing suitable for the noble quarter. I'll meet you at the noble gate in a half bell, then"

Ferdinand smirked as he turned away from her. She never even suspected that his request for help was due to his fear of leaving her unsupervised. Way, way too easy, he thought.

Chapter Text

Ferdinand and Rozemyne, and her two knights, barely made it into his mansion before Lasfram ushered Justus in as well. The man was radiating the energy of a happy puppy. Ferdinand found his interest peaking even more. What had the man found that had him so excited? After noble greetings were exchanged, Ferdinand led Justus, Rozemyne, and her knights to his library. There Justus took out a piece of paper and handed it to Ferdinand.

Ferdinand glanced at it and was confused. How could ancient writing have been found on new paper?

“Justus”, Ferdinand asked “ do you have the original tablet where the writing was found?”

“The writing wasn’t found on a tablet, Milord. It was found engraved into the face of a cave covered by moss and dirt. I waschened the rock face and then transcribed each letter exactly onto our new paper".

“You found it on the rock face of a cave? Where?"

“In Reunwalt, Milord. Very near the Zausengas border.”

Ferdinand took a moment to process the implication.

“So then it would have originally been a part of old Eisenreich. Why would you even think to go to Reunwalt on your precious days off?”

“Because I heard a rumor through traveling traders recently of a mysterious cave that could not be entered that had an even more mysterious plaque on its entrance. Of course, it wasn’t actually a plaque as the writing had been carved into the rock itself, but I was absolutely not able to enter the cave. The cave was very hard to find, and the opening to the cave was quite small. Door sized in fact, and door shaped as well. But try as I might, I could not enter the cave".

Leaving aside Justus's sudden need to go exploring, a somewhat ominous thought struck Ferdinand.

“So in essence the cave it’s like the mana restriction on a hidden room?”

“Just so, Lord Ferdinand.”

Well, that wasn’t good, thought Ferdinand, tapping his forehead. If a foreign noble, such as someone from Ahrensbach or even Klassenberg, was somehow able to set up a mana restricted cave on Ehrenfest soil, they could conceivably have a whole base of operations close to the capital. He needed to investigate that cave as soon as possible and for that he would need Eckhart. Rather than go with the entire Knights Order, some stealth and discretion might be advised. But first he needed to translate the document.

“Justus”, he ordered, “send an ordannanz to Eckhart asking him to meet you at your house, and then go and collect him and bring him here. I’d rather not make anyone aware that I’m not in the Temple at the moment. In the meantime, Rozemyne and I will work on deciphering your transcription.”

Before he even finished speaking, Rozemyne was reaching for the paper. He ignored her and placed it on the table between them, while Justus sent off the ordannanz and went to collect Eckhart. Rozemyne instantly became enthralled with the document and after a short while asked about a phrase.

“Does this say daughter of Chaoscipher?”

Ferdinand handed her an eavesdropping tool with a look and began to read out loud. He didn’t distrust Damuel. He had kept Myne’s secret all these years without being name sworn, but Ferdinand wanted to know what the document contained before he figured out how to manage Damuel’s perception of the information. Angelica wasn’t a concern, as she would neither understand nor remember anything they discussed.

“Contained within is the daughter of Chaoscipher, cast down by Verdraeos and bound by Chaosfliehe".

Ferdinand paused to think about that. He had never heard that Chaoscipher had a daughter, but he knew the gods were real since he had met Erwarmen face to face himself. But that didn’t rule out the possibility that cave had been empty and appropriated by foreign agents as a prelude to invasion.

Rozemyne continued to read out loud .

“Let neither god nor mortal ever unbind her lest she raise up her mother who seeks to free Ewigeleibe, the enemy of Geduldh’s children, and return them and this garden, blessed by the gods, to white sand.

What do you think, Ferdinand. Do you think it’s true?”

“I can’t say that it’s not true, but it’s of more concern that the cave was empty and is now being used by nobles from other duchies as a staging base to spy on Ehrenfest, or even to prepare an invasion. If the mana restriction was set on the cave was high enough to shut out Justus, an archnoble, then it would have to have been set by..”

“An Archduke candidate noble and someone with as much mana as you or I”, Rozemyne finished his thought.

“Correct. And in all of Ehrenfest, you and I have the most mana, and we have considerably more mana than most middle duchy archdukes. That would mean that we are talking about someone from a greater duchy like possibly Ahrensbach or Klassenberg. We have to investigate the cave, but on the off chance that this is related to the gods, we can’t have the information spread through the Knights Order.

While we were able to suppress many Veronicans and those of Georgine’s faction, we know that we didn’t get them all. And even without the concern of the information leaking out of Ehrenfest, it would be absolutely terrifying to anyone to think that a powerful, malicious goddess is imprisoned anywhere in Yurgenschmidt that’s accessible.

Most people don’t believe in the gods as real entities. It would cause chaos, civil unrest, and possibly a religious war. And if it’s a case of foreign incursion, we don’t want to alert anyone in the Knights Order who may be disloyal to Sylvester or Ehrenfest”.

"But you believe the gods are real?", Rozemyne asked.

"I do, and even if I hadn't, I would believe after seeing your insane blessings. I just don't generally care if they are real".

Rozemyne rolled her eyes at him calling her blessings insane.

"But how can you not care if you think they're real?", she asked.

"Well, they never saved me from Veronica's....... attentions."

"Or maybe they did and that's why you're alive and free, and she's locked up in the White Tower. In the dream world, there were many religions, but they all had the concept of man's free will".

Ferdinand now had a ferocious frown on his face and barked" Explain!"

Internally, Rozemyne was amused. His scowl and gruff, deep voice would have made the soft hearted Philine or Hannelore cry. But, Rozemyne knew that this was his default reaction when something blew his mind.

"Well", she began " in the dream world there was a notion that even gods had limitations on how much they could interfere with mankind. The notion behind it was that they could not prevent evil deeds as it was mankind's responsibility to strive to be better, to be good. However, they could grant those who suffered the power to endure and hopefully become a force for good in the world.

This society is corrupt and the abuse of power is an epidemic. But in the dream world, a country like this one would be looked down on by other countries, and trade sanctions might have been imposed by other countries, or even been invaded by the United Nations peace keeping force. There's always corruption where humans are involved, but it was generally hidden and when exposed, people were removed from power.

Here, it's not only expected, it's accepted. We had laws against these things".

Ferdinand just stared at her like he couldn't even conceive of a such a country, or free will. He had never had free will.

Then he said, "Perhaps another time you can explain more about free will and these laws and safeguards against corruption and abuse, but not now".

“Whenever you'd like, but you will tell Sylvester and my father Karstedt about this cave, right?”

“Not yet. Not until we have more information. Not all of Sylvester’s scholars and knights can be trusted, and he's rarely alone and your father is always with him. Just my reaching out to Sylvester when I've been quietly working in the temple would make our enemies perk up their ears. Also, our Aub….”

Ferdinand trailed off unwilling to say more out loud, but of course, Rozemyne had no such fears.

“And our Aub doesn’t always handle stress very well.”

“That last part could have been left unsaid, Rozemyne.”

“So what will you do?”

“We. I will need your mana to cast blessings and Schutzaria's shield. It’s too much of a tactical advantage in an uneven armed confrontation and it frees me up to fight. And on the off chance that it is a god, you have the most blessings of anyone I’ve ever known. The gods will be inclined to listen if you call for aid. I’m very sorry to put you in danger, but as you demonstrated in Ditter, you provide an absolute advantage to any group even when that group is outnumbered."

Rozemyne was struck mute for a moment. It was the first time that Ferdinand ever acknowledged her prowess as a warrior. He was always overprotective to the point of overbearing and harping on her physical weakness. But a powerhouse knight like Ferdinand saying he needed her help in a fight made her feel like Wonder Woman.

Her whole face lit up with a smile and she said, “I’ve got your back".

For once he didn’t criticize her open display of happiness.

He simply said, “ I think I understand what you mean by that expression, and thank you.”

Chapter Text

Ferdinand and the others only stayed at his mansion long enough for Justus to return with Eckhart, and for Ferdinand to load himself up with magical tools used for combat. Since he had recently taken back many of his old tools from Hirschur’s lab when she took Raimund as her apprentice, what he had on hand was quite lethal. As an afterthought, he grabbed some talismans in the form of bracelets for himself, Rozemyne, and Justus, who was the only non-knight among their entourage. Not that Justus couldn’t defend himself adequately. He was Ferdinand’s retainer after all, and had had to defend himself often over the years from Veronica’s assassins.

He gave Rozemyne and Justus feystones and instructed them to form light armor, while forming his own. He then instructed Rozemyne to ride on Damuel’s feybeast. Truthfully, she would be safer in her own, as her absurdly high mana level made it nearly impregnable to anyone other than him. However, he would rather she conserve her mana until they arrived at their destination. There was no telling how much she would have to use once they landed. He also grabbed rejuvenation potions, but there was a limit on how many you could drink in a short time. He would rather save them for any actual battle.

Once they were in the air, it only took a little over a bell and a half to reach their destination as Reunwalt was just beyond Hasse. As Justus had stated, the cave was quite out of the way and very close to the Zausengas border. They had to put up their high beasts at a certain point and approach on foot. The forest near the cave was quite dense, and they were constantly on alert for enemies, both the two-footed and the four-footed kind. Luckily, they didn’t encounter either.

The area around the cave had no footpaths, which made Ferdinand begin to doubt for the first time that they were looking at a foreign incursion. Here and there, he saw footprints in the dense, dark soil, but those seemed to have been made by Justus earlier, as they matched the size of his shoes. The earth underneath their feet was tightly packed due the season, but not actually hard like soil usually was in winter.

The air around them was also somewhat warmer than it should be in winter. Ferdinand was struck by the lushness of the winter vegetation around them. It was as if the plants had been constantly exposed to a rich mana source. At the same time, there were no feybeasts around, as if something in the environment was warning them away. The immediate area around the entrance to the cave was devoid of vegetation as well, as if even the plants themselves dared come no closer. Highly curious, Ferdinand thought to himself.

Once in front of the entrance itself, Ferdinand noted that the doorway seemed to be covered in a shimmering field which covered the opening entirely. He had never seen anything like it in his life. Insatiably curious now, Ferdinand reached out and placed his entire hand on the barrier. At his touch, the field flashed brightly with all the colors of the rainbow.

“Oh! It’s a force field!”, chirped Rozemyne.

“What is a force field?”, asked Ferdinand.

“I read about them, um, in a book.” Her eyes darted left and right as she faced Ferdinand, willing him to understand that she was referencing something from the dream world.

“Force fields, in stories, were used to keep people out. Usually you would need a special device, ah, tool, keyed to the force field to lower it”. Of course, this was purely from the realm of science fiction, but Rozemyne couldn’t exactly say that last part out loud.

“As we have no tool, how did the characters in these stories work around it?”, Ferdinand asked. Clearly he understood her silent communication and was asking for a dream world solution.

“Well, you could sometimes overload the force field with energy attacks, um, mana. Or, since this one seems to be made of mana, could we drain it?”

“Explain”.

“Could we use the God of Darkness cloak ?”

“Hmm”, Ferdinand pondered the suggestion. “Well, that is made out of your schtappe. Rather than a cloak. What if we tried this?”, Ferdinand chanted “watergun’, and his now totally black and sleek looking watergun appeared. Rozemyne pouted slightly, still somewhat sore about how much cooler his watergun looked as compared to hers, when she was the one who had invented the spell.

“Doesn’t that shoot mana though?”, Rozemyne asked.

Ferdinand smirked his most superior smile. “Not if I use the God of Darkness spell to enchant it”. His tone of voice indicating that he was quite pleased with his ingenuity.

“Wait, Milord. Won’t the noise alert those inside of our attack?”, asked Justus.

“ Which is why I will immediately toss in this”. Ferdinand took out a tool from the bag slung over his shoulder. “This tool creates a blinding light that will leave anyone looking at it unable to see for almost a quarter of a bell. In addition, we will get an idea of how many attackers are inside from the volume of their groans of pain”.

Eckhart and Justus looked delighted, while Damuel looked a little pale, and Rozemyne looked thoughtful. Angelica looked indifferent as she placed her hand on her sword and prepared for action. Shouldn’t Damuel be a little less squeamish as a knight, Ferdinand wondered. But, he continued.

“If my attack works, I will go in fast and toss the tool. Eckhart and Angelica, follow quickly behind me and prepare to attack. Justus will follow with Rozemyne behind him and Damuel guarding the rear. Rozemyne, start chanting Schutzaria’s shield as soon as we begin moving but don’t finish it until you see the tool leave my hand. Everyone, as soon as you see me let go of the tool, close your eyes tightly. Rozemyne, you will have to finish the chant with your eyes closed. Stay on me everyone so that you will be covered by Rozemyne’s shield. Ready everyone?”

“Yes!”, they chorused.

Ferdinand whispered the God of Darkness spell. His weapon glowed with blacklight briefly and then settled. Ferdinand pulled the trigger and a barrage of black arrows bombarded the force field. The first barrage had no effect, but Ferdinand kept firing. The second barrage seemed to make the rainbow colors, now visible, start to swirl. The third barrage seemed to cause minute cracks to appear in the field. The fourth barrage seemed to nearly break through the force field, and the fifth one shattered it. It literally broke apart with the sound of breaking glass.

Ferdinand raced down what looked like a white hallway from the castle, with Angelica and Eckhart close behind him, and Justus, Rozemyne, and Damuel bringing up the rear. Ferdinand came to a stop in a huge white room seemingly made out of the same white stone used to construct noble buildings. He had a second to note that it seemed totally empty, but his arm was already moving to toss the tool and he turned away with his eyes closed tightly. He heard Rozemyne yell out the end of her prayer to Schutzaria and heard a loud clank as the shield engaged around them.

The bright flash of his tool could still be dimly seen through his closed eyes, but then it was dark again. He opened his eyes and then instructed his party to do the same. He looked around in complete surprise. The room was totally empty without any signs of recent habitation and looked exactly like the Temple room where Rozemyne and he performed the baptism and starbinding rituals.

“What?!”, Ferdinand exclaimed out loud.

Chapter Text

After his exclamation, Ferdinand was struck mute. He couldn’t understand what he was looking at.

“It’s a Temple!”, Rozemyne said in an excited voice.

“It appears to be a Temple.”, Ferdinand corrected. “Justus, Eckhart, help me search this place for any hidden people or evidence of recent occupation or other rooms”.

“What’s that?”, Rozemyne asked, pointing towards the furthest wall where there seemed to be an altar. It looked a lot like the altar where they placed the chalices from the various provinces when they dedicated mana over the winter. She began to walk towards the altar.

“Stop, Rozemyne. Didn’t you just hear me ask Damuel and Justus to help me search this space to make sure we are truly alone?”

“But it’s totally empty, Ferdinand!”

“Or, there are cleverly concealed or even hidden rooms, and the occupants fled there when they heard me breaking through the mana shield. The first rule of an armed occupation is to make sure the area occupied is truly free of enemy combatants and that no dangerous traps were left behind. Kindly stay with your knights while Justus, Eckhart, and I secure the space. Damuel, Angelica please keep your charge by your side and don’t move from this spot. Damuel, keep an eye to our rear and make sure we’re not ambushed from behind”.

As Ferdinand moved further into the room, he took notice of the statues situated along the walls. They were amazing. He had never seen any sculptures this spectacular and lifelike. The stone used to carve them was such a pure white that the statues seemed to lightly glow. He saw the supreme gods and the eternal five. There was the God of Darkness with a truly magnificent cloak billowing around him. It was so perfectly sculpted that you could see the ripples in the cloak from the wind blowing. Directly opposite him was the Goddess of Light in a crown with stars on the tines and a sun with rays rising behind her. She was tall and slender, and her hair, what could be seen of it, seemed to be arranged in the most complicated updo Ferdinand had ever seen. Next to the God of Darkness was Flutrane holding her staff and standing on waves of water that almost appeared to move. Then came Leidenschaft with his spear, heavily armored and muscled, who looked so fierce that Ferdinand half expected him to jump down from the base of the statue and attack. The statue of Schutzaria clearly portrayed her as a warrior woman. She was tall with broad shoulders and lightly muscled arms. Her body was full figured and generously endowed, but it was clear that her larger proportions were due to muscle and not fat, and the way that she braced her shield made it appear she could not be moved.

Next to the Goddess of Light on the other side of the room was her daughter, Gedulh. She was carved as sweet-faced and incredibly beautiful. She was shorter than her mother and Schutzaria, but generously endowed, although not full figured like Schutzaria. She appeared to be in the beginning of her autumn and her chalice was tilted downward with liquid appearing to flow from it. It reminded Ferdinand of when he poured the liquid mana from the Temple chalice into the buckets of the various mayors and village heads during the spring. Next to her was her dreaded husband, Ewigeliebe, holding his sword. But curiously blindfolded, as if forbidden to even gaze upon his wife. He also wore manacles with chains on both his wrists.

Ferdinand then realized that there were two other statues to the right of Ewigeliebe. One was a God with what appeared to be a schtappe in each hand and rays of light or energy coming from the schtappes. Next to him, was a god holding in his right hand what appeared to be the most complicated magic circle Ferdinand had ever seen. It was so complicated that Ferdinand would have to refer to his secret book of wisdom to decode it, if he was able to even copy it correctly. It was then that he realized that this must be Chaosfliehe, God of warding. And the magical circle must be a ward. Then the God next to him with the two schtappes, going by what he and Rozemyne read earlier, must be Verdraeos, who dispels evil.

Ferdinand began to get a knot in his stomach, and sympathized with Sylvester for maybe the first time. He was questioning the wisdom of breaking through the mana shield as it was looking more and more like this cave had been sealed by the gods. Going towards the altar, Ferdinand saw that the only thing it held was a giant, dark crystal suspended in the air over what looked like the same magical circle Chaosfliehe was holding, although he purposely didn’t get close enough to see it clearly yet. There was nothing else but the crystal, which was black at the edges but glowed with a muddy purple light in the center.

Eckhart and Justus had been cautiously running their hands over the walls of the Temple cave, looking for seams in the white walls, or embedded feystones that could indicate a hidden room.

“Justus, Eckhart”, Ferdinand called out, “anything to indicate additional rooms?”

“Nothing, Milord. Nothing to indicate any traps or that other people have ever been here at all”, Eckhart responded on his right.

“Lord Ferdinand,” Justus began as Ferdinand turned to his left to face him, “these walls appear to be as smooth and solid as the castle walls. There are no feystones or seams in the walls at all. The stone is the exact same consistency as those of any noble building, smoother if anything”.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Rozemyne had passed him on his right with her hand reaching towards the crystal. How had she moved fast enough to get that close to the altar so quickly?

“Fool!”, he barked out “Don’t touch that!”

He raced over to knock her hand away. Unfortunately, in his haste and fear for Rozemyne, he wasn’t careful, and ended up bringing his hand even closer to the crystal than Rozemyne’s had been. Ferdinand felt a jolt of pain in his chest as he hit the floor. It felt exactly like getting hit with a mana bolt from someone’s schtappe, except a lot more powerful. Then, he felt a draining sensation in his mana organ, as if all his energy, his mana, and even his blood, was being sucked out.

He heard Justus and Eckhart yell, “Lord Ferdinand!”, and Rozemyne cry out his name. Then everything went dark.

Chapter Text

Rozemyne’s mind went blank. Her first thought was that Ferdinand was dead and the grief threatened to overwhelm her.

Then she realized that whatever that energy beam was, it hadn’t disconnected from Ferdinand’s chest since he went down. So whatever was happening, he wasn’t dead yet. That meant she could still save him.

Eckhart and Justus looked as devastated as she felt since they were frozen in shock, but she needed them.

“Everyone get further back by me! Eckhart, Justus, drag Ferdinand over here to me!”, and she began to chant the prayer to Schutzaria as she scrambled backwards.

“O Goddess of the Wind Schutzaria and the twelve goddesses who serve by her side. Please hear my prayers and lend me your divine protection. Grant me a shield of wind so that I might blow away those who mean me harm!” The shield engaged with a clank.

“Quick, Justus, Eckhart, drag Ferdinand into my shield!”

The men each took one of Ferdinand’s arms and quickly pulled him under the shield. Unfortunately, the beam was still connected to his chest. The beam had simply lengthened as Ferdinand got further away. Why?? Rozemyne wracked her brains. Maybe because the beam was already attached to him when he was brought under the shield, so it wasn’t registering as an attack. Why did Schutzaria have to be so literal? Clearly an energy beam that knocked you flat and refused to let you go was hostile. Was this divine punishment, Rozemyne wondered? No, it couldn’t be. Nothing had happened since they entered the Temple until Ferdinand got too close to that crystal. Why had she been trying to touch it anyway? This was all her fault, and Ferdinand had rushed to protect her like he always did. Looking at it now, the crystal was ominous looking and not even pretty. But it was like she had been compelled to touch it. Enough of that now. First, save Ferdinand! Schutzaria didn’t work. Let’s try Heilschmerz!

Rozemyne began chanting, “O Goddess of healing, Heilschmerz of Flutrane’s exalted twelve, hear my prayers. Lend me your divine power and grant me the power to heal those who have been wounded. Play the divine melody and cast your pure divine protection!”

“It’s not working, Princess, and his breathing is getting shallow!”, Justus yelled.

“Maybe I should try and smash the crystal.”, Eckhart suggested in a desperate voice.

“No!”, Rozemyne yelled. “It might latch onto you too, and then we’d have two people down!”

“We have to break that crystal though, Rozemyne! That’s clearly the answer!”, Eckhart said frantically.

Break the crystal, Rozemyne thought. The crystal had to be broken, but not by them.

“You’re right!”, Rozemyne said. “The crystal has to be broken, but not by us!”

“What are you talking about?!”, Eckhart demanded
I hope this works, Rozemyne thought as she began to pray.

“O Mighty Verdrenna, Goddess of Storms of Flutrane's exalted 12, hear me as a faithful worshipper of the gods!! I pray you let loose your roar and with your power strike down the daughter of Chaoscipher that seeks to kill this beloved child of Geduldh! Let your lightning smite this enemy of the gods! Strike! Strike! Strike!”

And thank all the gods, holy be their names, Verdrenna answered. There was a warning rumble of thunder, and then a deafening thunderclap so loud and so deep Rozemyne felt it in her bones. Three blinding lightening strikes hit the crystal dead on. The beam connected to Ferdinand sputtered, went out, and then reengaged again!

Oh no you don’t, Rozemyne thought. You can't have Ferdinand! She prayed again.

“O Verdrenna please aid me in defending this man who faithfully dedicates his mana in the name of the gods and strike down this evil seeking the life of a child of Geduldh! Strike! Strike! Strike!”

Three more lightening strikes hit the crystal. The power of the last strike had caused the left corner of the altar to crack and a large piece of the white stone fell onto the floor.

The beam was fainter, but stubbornly refused to let go of Ferdinand's chest.

Rozemyne was enraged that the beam was still hurting Ferdinand. Her eyes had begun to glow with all the colors of the rainbow. The shield of Schutzaria shattered around them. The rest of her party crouched down on the floor from the pressure she was releasing. A fierce wind began to howl around her in a circular pattern and her hair was whipped into a frenzy. Avoiding the beam, Justus and Eckhart crouched over Ferdinand to protect him, as a mini cyclone lifted Rozemyne five feet off of the ground. Visible sparks of electricity crackling and surrounding her body.

“Let go of him!!!!”, she roared and yelled out a prayer again.

“O Mighty Verdrenna, let this evil not be loosed upon this world! I pray you release your power and strike it down!! Verdrenna save him!!! Save Ferdinand!!! Strike! Strike! Strike! Strike! Strike! Strike!”

The last strike was so powerful it totally disintegrated the crystal with not a shard left over. Rozemyne plummeted downwards, unconscious, as Damuel leapt to catch her. Eckhart began his own prayer to Heilschmerz to heal Ferdinand.
Damuel and Justus were momentarily frozen in shock by what they’d just seen Rozemyne do.

Justus said quietly in an awed voice, “Forget being Mestionora’s disciple. She’s clearly Verdrenna’s daughter!”

Then he chuckled to himself softly as he pictured Hartmut openly weeping over having missed his Lady’s clearly divine display of power.

Angelica stood up from her crouch and looked around.

She said, “I wonder if they’d let her use that in Ditter?”

Chapter Text

Eckhart’s healing of Ferdinand was successful and he began to come back around. As soon as his Lord started blinking his eyes, Eckhart grabbed Ferdinand’s emergency potion from his belt and propped him up so he could drink without choking.

“Your emergency potion my lord.”, he said.
Due to the noxious taste of Ferdinand’s potent potions, he felt it wiser to inform his lord of what he would be drinking before giving it to him. It wouldn’t do to have Ferdinand fight him thinking that he was being poisoned. Ferdinand’s face grimaced in response to his own potion. It was a testament to how confused he still was after being knocked unconscious that he allowed an honest expression of disgust to show on his face. Eckhart allowed himself a small smile.

Near Ferdinand, Justus had been healing Rozemyne, as he had more mana than Damuel. Rozemyne came around and was actually able to sit up on her own, although Justus was supporting her back. He also fed her one of Ferdinand’s mana potions, and her response was extreme. Her eyes opened super wide. She clapped her hand over her mouth to keep the potion in, while banging her fist on her leg to fight the urge to vomit. Justus actually laughed out loud because her response was so comical, and given the taste of the potion, entirely understandable.

“Are you okay, Princess?”, Justus asked.

“Ferdinand!”, yelled Rozemyne at the same time that Ferdinand shouted out her name.

They both turned and looked at each other in surprise, blinking like owls. Justus thought to himself that they were much alike deep down. For all the differences in their personalities, their first thoughts were not about themselves, although they both had been unconscious and Ferdinand had nearly died. No, their first thoughts were to wonder if the other was alright.

“Thank the gods you’re alright! I was so afraid the crystal had killed you!”, Rozemyne exclaimed.

“What happened with the crystal, and why is Rozemyne on the ground?”, Ferdinand asked everyone in general and then zeroed in on Justus in particular. Justus grinned openly, while Rozemyne looked down and started to twiddle her thumbs. Ferdinand’s eyes refocused on Rozemyne’s hands as they narrowed, and then shot up to her face as Justus began to explain with a storyteller’s flare.

“My Lord, the situation was most dire. The crystal shot out a potent beam of dark purple light that knocked you back several feet onto the floor. It then remained connected to you. Lady Rozemyne was quite in command of the situation though. She immediately moved back and chanted the prayer to Schutzaria while ordering Eckhart and I to bring you under the shield, along with everyone else. When the beam remained attached to you, she immediately began the prayer to Heilschmerz, all while maintaining Schutzaria’s shield. When that failed, Eckhart was about to leave the shield and attempt to physically smash the crystal, but she immediately countermanded him. Instead, she began to pray to Verdrenna for aid, and Verdrenna answered!”

Justus’s voice had begun to rise as he was telling the story, and his face began to take on a fervor Ferdinand had only previously seen in Hartmut. Ferdinand began to get a headache that was more due to intuiting that he was about to hear something that defied human understanding, than to having been drained of nearly all his mana. However, Justus wasn’t done yet.

“She then prayed to Verdrenna to strike the crystal! Strike, strike, strike, she commanded, and Verdrenna obeyed! Thunder roared in such a deep pitch that I felt it in every bone in my body and the floor even quaked! Lightning, brighter than any flash ever seen before, struck the crystal! Once, twice, three times! The beam sputtered and disconnected, and I immediately rejoiced, only to be driven back into despair! The beam reconnected again, but the Princess was undaunted! She prayed again for Verdrenna’s aid, and so mighty were her lightning strikes that they actually cracked the altar where the crystal sat! The beam was visibly weakened, but still stubbornly refused to release you. Lady Rozemyne flew into a rage and her mana began rampaging. The pressure that she released actually sent us all to our knees! She shouted “Let go of him!!!”, and then yelled out another prayer. The wind started howling and spinning in a circle. She was lifted up at least a grown woman’s height into the air! Tiny flashes of lightning were snapping all around her body, as the wind whipped her hair into a frenzy! She finished her prayer commanding Verdrenna to strike and strike and strike! Each time she shouted strike, Verdrenna’s fury smashed into the crystal, and on the sixth strike she commanded, the crystal was obliterated!” Justus finished his story at a volume Ferdinand had only heard before from Dunklefelgers describing an epic Ditter match.

His befuddled mind was still having trouble believing what he had heard. She had prayed to Verdrenna and the goddess had allowed Rozemyne to direct her lightning bolts?! Is that really what happened? He looked at Eckhart who nodded with a slightly proud smile, and then his eyes jumped to Damuel who also nodded, but was somewhat pale. Why was this so called knight so timid?! He had no idea why his eyes jumped to Angelica, and he was sorry they did because Angelica gave him a beatific smile, and Ferdinand knew he needed to brace himself.

She said, “Dunklefelger has no hope of ever defeating us in Ditter now that My Lady can command the goddess’s lightning! Master will be so proud!”

Ferdinand had no response to that. He had no response to any of it right now. He would need to think, and they’d been gone from the Temple for too long as it was.

“Are you alright, Rozemyne?”, he asked in a quiet voice.

“Yes, I am. Are you?”, she responded timidly.

Clearly, she expected to be scolded, and he might scold her still for trying to touch the crystal, but not for saving his life. He was still overwhelmed by the idea of her directing Verdrenna’s bolts as a weapon. He had never heard of a spell that allowed this. He would have to check his secret wisdom in detail to see if a spell once existed in the past.

“Eckhart, can you enhance your eyesight and scan the area to see if any sliver of the crystal remains? It wouldn’t do to leave even a tiny piece behind.”

Eckhart obeyed Ferdinand and inspected the altar and the floor in it’s entirety, but found nothing. Ferdinand then ordered the group to depart, while swearing them to secrecy for now.

He told Rozemyne to ride back with Damuel. She had expended enough mana for today. He himself rode back with Justus as he was thoroughly exhausted. That left Eckhart and Angelica free on their own mounts to guard the group, and fight if needed.

He would still need to debrief the group, and Rozemyne in private. He would also need to inform Sylvester and Karstedt, and tell Bonifatius that his beloved granddaughter could command lightning. He honestly wouldn’t have if Angelica hadn’t been there. Most things didn’t actually register with Angelica, and he could be confident in her discretion because she thought and remembered so little. But he was reluctant to have the airhead withhold such information from her beloved master, particularly about the granddaughter he so adored.

He also needed to see if he could reseal that cave somehow, if not with mana, then with a cave in at the entrance. It wouldn't do to leave it empty for bandits, powerful feybeasts, or even foreign agents to take up residence.

He was also fearful of the repercussions of Rozemyne having destroyed a god, well, the divine essence of a former god. However, the gods had allowed it, so perhaps it was alright. Additionally, he was concerned that he had been able to break through the Gods' seal on the cave. He did have more mana than nearly all of the nobles in Yurgenschmidt, and it had taken several attacks. But should any seal made by the gods be able to be destroyed by mortals? Was the power of gods waning? Or had the countrywide mana shortage affected the shield? Was it that Ehrenfest's foundation was weakened from too few suppliers, or was this indication that country's foundation was undernourished?

This saga wasn’t quite over yet, and it had given him much to consider and research. Although, right now, he was struggling to stay awake as Justus flew him back to the temple.

Chapter Text

After Justus dropped him off at the temple, Ferdinand locked himself in his hidden room, cleared off his padded sofa-bench entirely for the first time in years (he didn’t even do that for his discussions with Rozemyne), laid down, and fell deeply asleep. Ferdinand felt unsafe sleeping deeply outside of a hidden room. Years of assassination attempts by Veronica’s minions had conditioned him to sleep with one eye open. However, the level of exhaustion he felt was worse than having spent four days fighting the Lord of Winter. Ferdinand was fearful he would fall so deeply asleep that he wouldn’t awaken even if he was in real danger.

Therefore, after seeing Rozemyne to her chambers, and telling Fran and Rosina to watch over her carefully for signs of fever, he had dismissed Eckhart and Justus back to their regular duties. Since Angelica and Damuel had done nothing but fly their high beasts and had not given either him or Rozemyne any healing, he had them continue their guard duty in the Temple. Angelica was instructed to guard Rozemyne inside her chamber doors. Damuel he took with him to his own rooms. The timid, scholarly knight could do some paper work while surreptitiously guarding Ferdinand as he slept.

Upon awakening, Ferdinand discovered he had slept through the night and the sun was rising. Feeling somewhat guilty, he found an exhausted Damuel still at one of the desks in his chambers. He dismissed the knight to get some sleep in one of the unassigned bedrooms in his suite and went to check on Rozemyne. He found Angelica still surprisingly alert after the long hours spent standing watch. That was impressive! What she lacked in brain power, she certainly made up for in stamina. After confirming that no one but Rozemyne’s trusted retainers had entered her rooms during the time he was asleep, he dismissed her to go to sleep in her room within the High Bishop’s chambers. He then conferred with Fran regarding the state of Rozemyne’s health. Rosina had told Fran that Rozemyne had had a slight fever when she was put to bed upon their return, but had woken up hungry a little after sunset. Her fever had already broken by that time, so she had eaten a light, but solid meal, and then gone back to sleep. Since she was still asleep, Ferdinand instructed Fran to let her continue to rest, but to inform him as soon as she woke up.

Now, Ferdinand had a bit of a dilemma. His overdue work from yesterday was still undone, and he also had today’s work as well. However, he needed to check his Grutrissheit to see if there was any mention of the daughter of Chaoscipher or any prayers specifically to Verdrenna that would explain what Rozemyne had been able to do. These early morning hours were best for this as he was unlikely to be interrupted by an ordonnanz from the castle, and Rozemyne was still asleep. After ensuring that his staff were working diligently, he took the breakfast he ordered back to his hidden room to read through his sacred text.

Since the Grutrissheit was a sacred tool, it intuitively opened to the pages that matched his inquiry, provided they were in the portion of the book contained within his schtappe. He did find a reference to Chaoscipher being assisted by her daughter in a scheme to free Ewigeliebe. It made no more mention of her daughter, or her daughter’s father. However, it did say that the scheme was foiled by Verdraeos and Chaosfliehe under the authority of the God of Darkness. Next he looked up divine seals. There was no mention of the gods sealing anything, but there was a spell that a Zent could use to seal a space so that it would not be accessible to anyone else but another Zent.

Well, thought Ferdinand, the sad truth was that he was the closest thing this country had to a Zent currently. If he used this spell on the cave's entrance, he could reseal it and no one other than someone who had their own Grutrissheit could open it again. In fact, he could even take Karstedt, Sylvester, and Eckhart with him when he went back to the cave. He could claim it was an ancient spell he recalled from the underground library of the Royal Academy, but required an enormous amount of mana to cast. Even if Sylvester demanded to try to cast the spell himself, he would try and then fail. Ultimately, Sylvester would agree to sealing the cave up after he had an opportunity to inspect it himself. It would be one thing if it had been home to regular animals. But leaving it empty and unsealed was just inviting someone or something to move in. Also, Ferdinand was concerned that the area was mana rich after perhaps millennia of housing that crystal. He didn’t want it to become a breeding den for feybeasts grown to monstrous proportions.

He looked up Verdrenna and found references to her of course. He saw the spell for a tool that would emit small bolts of lightning. It was actually used for lighting the royal capital streets at night in ancient times. How ingenious, thought Ferdinand!! He would have to experiment with this when he had time. Of course, every noble building had light tools fixed on it’s exterior to illuminate the area around the building during the dark hours. But this tool was for standing poles topped by lights. He remembered Rozemyne being surprised by the exterior building lights used at night in the noble quarter. According to her, the entire downtown area was dark at night, except for fire lanterns that hung on hooked poles in front of the wealthy homes and shops in the north area. But the lanterns were lit and supplied with oil by the shop owners and wealthy commoners themselves. Sylvester didn’t fund this. She said that it made all but the north most area of the city very dangerous at night, and that her father had to carry both a lantern and his sword traveling to and from work during the dark hours. This would be an ideal tool to be used in the City of Ehrenfest, since they now had merchants visiting from other duchies. He would have to talk to Sylvester about implementing the use of the tool once he had time to develop a prototype. He didn’t see any spell that was specifically used to call Verdrenna’s lightning, although the light pole could potentially be modified into a small one-handed weapon that would shoot bolts of lightning he believed.

Of more concern was the fact that he was able to break the gods’ seal. He wondered if anyone could have forced their way into that cave with a darkness weapon, or was it just him because of his incredible amount of mana? If mana capacity was the issue, could Rozemyne have done it also? Did you need seven colors, or was it capacity and colors together? Or, was it because he had a Grutrissheit, well, a partial Grutrissheit? If there were other former gods sealed in Yurgenschmidt, where were they? He shuddered at the thought of one of these caves being hidden in Ahrensbach and the thought of Georgine getting access to it. Or worse yet, Ahrensbach’s trading partners, the Lazanave, who he thought about often as a blood descendant of that line. While he was ruminating, Fran used the tool to call him in his hidden room to tell him that Rozemyne was actually outside looking to speak with him.

Chapter Text

He let Rozemyne into his hidden room, and she took her customary seat. She eyed the fully visible cushions on the bench, and raised an eyebrow at him.

“Don’t tell me you slept here last night.”, she said.

“Alright, I won’t tell you.”, he quipped.

This girl! How can she be so uncannily perceptive about some things, and so dangerously oblivious about the things she should be most aware of, including her impact on others?!

“Why would you sleep here when you have a perfectly good bed in another room?”

Should he answer honestly? Yes. It was a tactic she may need to employ one day, especially since he would not always be there to keep her safe while she slept.

“My years of dealing with Veronica, her repulsive brother, and their followers were often fraught with assassination attempts, often late at night when I was quite naturally asleep. This continued for my first two years in the Temple. Naturally, their agents didn’t succeed and are no longer among us. My status as an archduke candidate prevented them from pursuing any inquiries, since it would bring to light their crimes against me. And having a schtappe means that I’m technically always armed, so eventually, they gave up rather than continuously losing more people. However, I learned over the years to secure myself when my exhaustion reached the point where I may not wake quickly enough to defend myself against an attack. I would have suggested that you also place a bed in your hidden room, but originally, you used it to meet with your downtown associates, and then the connotation of a young girl meeting with males in a hidden room that contained a bed would be damaging to your reputation in the extreme.”

There was a lot for Rozemyne to unpack in what he had just shared.

Finally she asked, “Does Sylvester know? About the assassination attempts?”

“No.”, he answered emphatically.

“Why would you not tell him?!”, she demanded. But, Ferdinand didn’t answer.

“I get not wanting to tell him something bad about his mother and his horrible, horrible uncle, but aren’t you jeopardizing his rule by withholding the truth?!”

“Explain.”

“You created a false sense of security by preventing him from knowing how treacherous the people around him actually were.”

“Which is no longer relevant because Bezawanst is dead, and Veronica is locked in the White Tower and wearing schtappe sealing bracelets.”

“But he would have been more emotionally prepared for those events, and even now, he tends to minimize the seriousness of conditions in this duchy. If you shared what you had been through, how dangerous things were for even you, his ghost Aub, he would have had to confront how dangerously volatile things still are with the Leisegangs and neutrals who have suffered under Veronica and her brother for decades. There are still large swaths of the population who could easily be swayed to revolt and Sylvester has done only the bare minimum to rectify the situation. If not for you being the ghost Aub, and my mother working frantically to pacify them, Sylvester still would have had a civil war on his hands, regardless of Veronica and Bezanwanst being gone. And he still has Veronicans in positions of power, not many, but enough who still possess real authority and are stubbornly trying to operate in their usual ways. If you don’t tell him how they really are, the things that they really do and have done, then you are allowing him to maintain his delusion that everything is fine. I read in a dream world book that it is not the job of a minister to hide the truth from his king, but to tell the king the truth and help him find solutions that strengthen his rule. And history in the dream world showed that every time the truth was hidden from a king, that dynasty was either toppled from the weight of unresolved problems, or the ministers were removed from their positions when the problems grew too big to hide, sometimes violently, by the very king they tried to shield”.

Ferdinand was silent. His first response was anger that this slip of a girl dared to tell him how to do a job that he had been specifically brought to this duchy to do. She who has ruled nothing, could barely control her emotions and acted on impulse without thought. But then he stopped. This slip of a girl had lived to be his peer in age in another world that was vastly more advanced than this one. And she had successfully run businesses from an incredibly young age that had been instrumental in reversing the downward spiral of Ehrenfest’s economy. She had raised the grades of the entire duchy, and was probably the sole reason for all of Ehrenfest’s recent success. In fact, she might of saved all of Yurgenschmidt yesterday when she wielded the power of Verdrenna to destroy an evil god that was draining his life and mana to break free of her prison. He owed her words respect. But there was one thing he didn’t understand.

“What’s a ghost?”

Rozemyne laughed.

“Why are you laughing?”

“After everything I said, I didn’t expect your question and it was such a surprise that I had to laugh. A ghost is, well, I guess I should use myself as an example. In the dream world, and apparently in this one too, a ghost is the soul of the person who exists after death. You know how I died and was reborn here? The part of me that survived is called my soul. It’s the part of you that goes up the Towering Staircase here. In the dream world it was thought by many cultures that sometimes, for whatever reasons, the soul didn’t go up the Towering Staircase or get reborn. Instead it lingered in the land of the living. That is called a ghost. Sometimes these ghosts were said to invade the bodies of the living and take them over.”

“So these ghosts are like fey creatures?”

“Well, most people didn’t believe in them, but some people did. Most cases were disproven, but some never were. Ghosts remained a most likely not true, but still possibly true phenomenon.”

“So what’s a ghost Aub, then? And how am I one?”

“Oh!”, she laughed again, but this time he didn’t question it. “I told you before how many books were published each year in the dream world. Well, sometimes writers would run out of story ideas. They would get what was called “writers block”. But writing books was a business in the dream world and successful writers wrote under contract. If they failed to produce a book after signing a contract, it would create huge legal and financial problems, and may prevent them from selling their books in the future. So if they got writers block, they would sometimes hire another writer, who would write the story for them under their name, for a fee. This person is called a ghost writer. And you’re the ghost Aub, well, because most of Sylvester’s better decisions as an Aub are plans that you thought up and handed to him, but he only implemented. Without you to think of solutions, policies, and counter strategies against his enemies he couldn’t rule.”

Ferdinand was flabbergasted. “Isn’t that the job of a minister?”

“No. A minister is usually in charge of a specific area, let’s say commerce, and they oversee the area and report to the ruler, but the ruler makes all the final decisions about the administration of his territory. Ideally, there would be ministers over different areas, commerce, construction, military power, education. They do advise, and may have autonomy over their area, but they don’t make decisions regarding the entire territory. You’re not a minister, not really. You’re the power behind the throne, a ghost Aub, making the actual decisions in the place of the ruler, which the ruler, Sylvester, then implements under his name. Of course, since he’s the named ruler, he can go against your decisions. But, you can usually get him to do things your way, usually, and more often than I think you actually try to, in fact.”

Ferdinand sat back. He had leaned forward while she was explaining. She had unknowingly hit on the source of his recent dissatisfaction. That he was doing more of the work of the Aub than Sylvester. Sylvester’s existence was far more carefree than Ferdinand’s, and Ferdinand still had to manage the Temple. He wondered if other people thought this way as well. So he asked her.

“Is this viewpoint shared by others, or is it only you who thinks this?”

“Oh, everybody thinks this way. Some people only hint it at using barely comprehensible noble euphemisms, and other people flat out say that Sylvester would have been deposed long ago if not for you. Veronica knew this too about her son. In fact, she’s probably the major one who made Sylvester so unfit to rule, although her idea was for her to rule through him, herself. You ruined her plans by being so excellent, by being so much better at ruling than she was. That’s probably the real reason she tried so hard to kill you even after.....when you were sent to the Temple. She wanted to be the power behind the throne, but Sylvester preferred You. I mean, obviously you’re way smarter than Veronica, and you didn’t actually covet his power, so he could trust your intentions. And there's the fact that you're not insane. Even if Sylvester likes to bury his head in the sand with delusions, on some level he had to have a gut instinct that Veronica was not a safe person. Didn’t you notice that all the Aubs at the interduchy tournament ignored Sylvester and came to speak with you before you sent them his way?”

“Do mean to say that people outside of this duchy think this way as well?” Was that the real reason the Aubs had initially ignored Sylvester?

“Haven’t you been visibly attending at least some part of the interduchy tournament since Veronica was locked up? I bet Sylvester even had you sneaking over late at night when Veronica was still in power."

Ferdinand averted his eyes at her last statement.

"And Ferdinand, you’re still a legend in the Royal Academy. I heard that both Drewanchel and Dunklefelger both wanted to adopt you, and Dunklefelger even tried to arrange a marriage to bring you into their duchy. All the teachers, except Fraularm, still sing your praises. All of them. Sylvester is only known for chasing after Florencia. Of course, anyone with half a brain knows that Sylvester entirely relies on you. Not that Sylvester isn’t bright, but he’s hardly a genius and he never applies himself. He runs away from his work!”

“He doesn’t do that anymore.”

“Only because my father, Karstedt, is sitting on him, and he knows if he runs away to the Temple, I’m going to say something”.

Ferdinand sighed.

“Well, you’ve certainly given me a lot to think about, but now we need to talk about yesterday.”

“Yes. That was why I originally came to see you.”

Chapter Text

Rozemyne hadn’t intended to say all that to Ferdinand, and she truly didn’t want to emotionally overwhelm him, not when he was always overburdened as it was. And she could tell that everything that she had said had destabilized him. He was very bad at dealing with emotions, especially his own after a lifetime of denying them, and having them denied by others.

But she had been very aware during the interduchy tournament of how the Aubs interacted with Ferdinand, basically like he was another Aub. No one talked down to him. She had shared a table with Sylvester before, and the same could not be said of him. The other Aubs, even the ones that they now technically outranked, always spoke in a condescending tone to Sylvester. When Ferdinand had explained that some of the dirty old men from higher ranked duchies were offering to take her as a third wife, she was sure. That was absolutely not a conversation that they should be having with anyone other than her adopted father and Aub. It was one thing to try and tempt her directly with boys close to her age who, one day, might become Aubs. However, to discuss her becoming the third wife of a Current Aub, one higher ranked than Sylvester, is a serious political conversation that needs to happen on the Archduke level. That’s when she was sure that they saw Ferdinand as the real power in Ehrenfest, and Sylvester as a figurehead. One who didn’t even know he was a figurehead. And Ferdinand, he didn’t demure and evade about cancelling her engagement to Wilfred. He shut them down, and they accepted it!

It was only when they started wheedling him about trade negotiations that he got fed up, and sent them scurrying off to Sylvester. And they Had scurried. This man, who saw himself only as a minister, had intimidated higher ranked Aubs and sent them running. No one, or almost no one, wanted to make the Lord of Evil angry. The grand duchies didn’t feel that way, of course. They didn’t fear anyone, maybe not even the Zent. But they came to speak with Ferdinand first too, although they weren’t tacky enough to try and discuss trade negotiations with him.

The final proof was yesterday when Ferdinand made the unilateral decision to investigate the cave, without even Attempting to inform Sylvester first. He could have waited a day. He could have waited until the evening after work was over and then invited Sylvester and Karstedt to share an imaginary bottle of special wine that he didn’t actually have. He could have discussed it with Sylvester, and then gone to the cave today, if that’s what Sylvester wanted. But why should Ferdinand bother when the decision on how to handle it would be up to him anyhow? Sylvester would have freaked out of course, whether it was a possible evil goddess, or foreign agents. He would have then looked to Ferdinand to come up with a solution. Sylvester was going to freak out even now that it was over anyway. At least, she sincerely hoped it was over. And her father would follow whatever orders from Sylvester or Ferdinand he received, without question. She doubted Sylvester would even be upset once Ferdinand justified why he acted without notifying him of the situation first. He’d probably be relieved he didn’t have to deal with it himself. Well, enough of that for now. There were more pressing concerns. Rozemyne took a breath to center herself and then began.

“First of all, I want to apologize to you for putting everyone in danger by trying to touch the crystal. I didn’t intend to disobey your command. In fact, I felt like I was being compelled, and the next minute I was near the altar. Once it started attacking you, I came to my senses quickly. When I looked at the crystal then, it was actually kind of repulsive. It had an evil feel to it.”

“So you originally found it appealing?”

“I actually found it scary, but then the next thing I knew, I was reaching for it.”

“Hmmm.” Ferdinand began to rapidly tap his forehead, and in her mind, Rozemyne heard a computer voice saying “processing, please wait.”, and tried not to giggle out loud.

“I’ve come to absolutely believe that Chaoscipher’s daughter's divine essence was imprisoned in that crystal. It’s possible that she targeted you as the youngest, and therefore, the most susceptible to mental persuasion.”

“I’m hardly a pushover, Ferdinand! And anyway, wouldn’t Angelica have been the most susceptible to any mental persuasion?!’

“Maybe, but you are a mana rich child. If I was needing to siphon mana from anyone, you would be my first choice. Few defenses and more mana than most adults. You’re ideal.”

“Thanks a lot, Ferdinand!”

”What’s become of your etiquette lessons? Don’t you mean thank you kindly?”

“No, I don’t!” Ferdinand had to smirk. Teasing her was almost as fun as pinching her cheeks.

“Calm down. My second choice would be me because of my own mana capacity.”

“So…so then yesterday, I killed a god, right?”, she asked in a nervous voice.

“Well, we don’t know whether she’s truly destroyed, or whether she’s just horribly weakened and will become strong enough to assert her will again in a millennia or so from now. Certainly, you banished a god at the very least, and perhaps she was destroyed.”

Rozemyne looked at him teary eyed. He hadn’t realized that she would be that upset by the notion. Ferdinand could see himself killing a god, if he was able to, and the god was a threat to him and those he valued. He had sincerely wanted to trim that old tree that wanted him to be Zent, despite the fact he was still in his teens at the time, and would have been instantly killed by everyone hoping for a lasting peace.

“Ferdinand?! Are the gods going to punish me?!” Oh, so that’s what had her so upset.

“Rozemyne”, he spoke softly. “Try to calm down a little. Let’s try to look at this situation logically.”

“Alright…”

“First of all, have you used your mana at all today or tried to call your schtappe?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Let’s start there then. First, call your schtappe.” She did so and her schtappe appeared.

“Your schtappe is your divine will given directly to you by the gods, and it appears you still have yours. Next, why don’t you try the waschen spell on your hand?”

She completed that easily. “Next, why don’t you cast healing on me?”

Rozemyne prayed to Heilschmerz, and blessings burst from her ring and showered Ferdinand.

“Did you mean to make the blessing so big?”

“I don’t know. Maybe? I did push a little more because I was still afraid it wouldn’t work.”

“Let’s try it again and make it a smaller blessing.”

This time her blessing was normal sized.

“So, you think that because I still have my divine will, and I can perform spells and blessings, that the gods aren’t angry?”

Ferdinand did think so, but the truth was he really didn’t know. He knew Verdrenna granted Rozemyne her power, but he didn’t know whether that was Verdrenna’s decision alone, and she was now being penalized by the other gods, or if they had all agreed that she should aid Rozemyne. It might have been a unanimous decision. He knew that the gods’ sense of time was very different from theirs. It was possible that they would not act right away, even if they were angry. They may not be of one mind about the situation. He also didn’t know if they communicated with each other regularly. It was also possible that the other gods didn’t even know what Verdrenna had done.

What he did know was that Rozemyne could not have destroyed that crystal without divine intervention, and he had no problem going to the Garden of the Beginnings and demanding that old tree tell the gods that, if they attempted to punish Rozemyne in any way. In fact, he would even complete his Grutrissheit, if that kept the gods from harming her. He couldn’t tell Rozemyne any of his thoughts right now. They would only scare her and her mana would rampage her into a fever. He also couldn’t tell her that he was very concerned that he could break through a divine barrier at all.

Instead, he said “It doesn’t seem as if there has been any judgement against you. Over the next couple of days, you need to make a point to use your high beast, change it’s size, and create the shield of Schutzaria. Use your mana whenever it’s feasible and take note of anything that might seem different, although I really don’t think that you will find any changes.”

“Thank you, Ferdinand! You’ve made me feel so much better!”

“I’m glad to put your mind at ease.”

“When are you going to tell Sylvester and my father? Oh, and what are you going to do about the cave being wide open now?”

“I think I will invite them for a drink tonight, and tell them while they’re here. There are fewer people in the Temple in general, and far fewer spies.”

Was Ferdinand a Mind Reader, Rozemyne wondered?! That was her idea!

“As far as the cave is concerned, there is an old spell that I recall that I believe can be used to recreate a barrier at the entrance. It takes a tremendous amount of mana, but I believe I can perform the spell. As long as Sylvester agrees, I’m sure that will suffice. I do believe that that both of your fathers will want to see the cave, and they should know where it is anyway. Then I can, perhaps once a year, inspect the barrier and make sure it’s holding.”

“Will you need me for the meeting?”

“It will most likely be quite late at night, and you will probably be sleeping, plus it will be a drinking occasion, so I don’t think so, no. But I would expect that at some point, after they get over the shock, they will want you to demonstrate the prayer to Verdrenna, and it’s…. ..affects.”

“I don’t think I should do that though.”

“No?”

“No. This was a life or death and the world being taken over by evil situation. I think it would be disrespectful to the gods and Verdrenna to use that prayer again except in the most dire situations.”

Her reasoning made sense to Ferdinand. No sense in angering the gods if they weren’t angry now.

“Then, I’ll tell them that. Your grandfather will be disappointed though, not to see it for himself.”

"He’ll have to accept it though. I’d rather not attract any more of the gods’ attention right now. Oh, and can we have everyone maintain their secrecy, and put a lid on Angelica’s Ditter enthusiasm. And under no circumstances can Hartmut ever know. He would lose his mind over this.”

“Very wise. Make sure you order Angelica to silence today then. Let her know that you will make the decision when and how your grandfather will be told, but that it was a special…. Blessing granted by the gods, and not to used for sports competitions. I need to get back to work, and so do you. So I’ll speak with you later, although if anything changes with your mana or schtappe…”

“I’ll tell you right away! Don’t doubt that!”

“Right.”

Chapter Text

Ferdinand spent the rest of the day plowing through his overdue work and determining that he needed more information about Chaoscipher’s daughter, and how the gods viewed Rozemyne’s actions. There was only one way to get it, unfortunately, so he would have to do what he had sworn he would never do. When evening came, he ate at his desk so he could continue to work. Stopping at a reasonable point, he decided that he couldn’t put it off any longer and sent an ordonnanz to Sylvester asking him to join him in sharing a rare vintage of wine.

Fortunately, he had such a bottle that he had long ago tested for poison, but never experienced any occasion grand enough to justify drinking it. It had actually been given to him by the former Aub Drewanchel upon his graduation from the Royal Academy. Sylvester, of course, responded with an immediate “yes” and his ordonnanz proclaimed that he was on his way. Ferdinand got out three glasses, since he knew Karstedt would surely accompany Sylvester as his escort knight.

“Ferdinand!” Sylvester blew into his room with none of the dignity of an Aub.

“I can’t believe my little brother is actually inviting me to drink! Have you finally found someone to turn your thoughts to spring?!”

By the Seven, when would Sylvester learn to read the room, Ferdinand wondered, and why is romance the first thought he had? He really was, what had Myne called him when she was only seven herself? He had scolded her for that, but it seemed now that she saw Sylvester clearly. Oh, yes, a man-child. Sylvester was permanently arrested in his very late summer, just on the cusp of autumn, despite having ascended to his Aubhood when Sylvester was younger than Ferdinand was now.

Was this partially his fault, as Rozemyne indicated? Ferdinand had always blamed Veronica for crippling Sylvester’s power, chipping away at it with deceit, corruption, and the murder of those who wanted a better Ehrenfest. But, his father hadn’t really trained Sylvester to rule, had he? His father, as the Aub, had information that only he could have given to Sylvester, instruction that only he could have provided as the ruling Aub.

Certainly, his father had instructed Ferdinand in what he needed to know to be a proper minister. Veronica had originally objected to this, but his father had pacified Veronica by telling her that he was making sure that Ferdinand was clear that his role was to support Sylvester, the rightful heir, and that his instruction was designed to make sure Ferdinand understood that. Ferdinand had memories of slaving over paperwork in the corner of his father’s office, while Sylvester left the same office with his work undone and not returning. He remembered Veronica often being there at the same time as Sylvester, and making excuses to Adelbert about Sylvester’s youthful energy. In fact, while Ferdinand didn’t spend any quality or social time with his father at all, he did get to spend a lot of working hours with him, and some of those hours were spent with them being alone. Veronica was less and less able to be around him physically the older he got. And of course, he had already moved into his own mansion by the age of 13, much to Veronica’s delight. But, he didn’t really remember seeing Sylvester in his father’s office without Veronica being present. Was she monitoring what his father taught Sylvester to ensure that Sylvester remained incompetent and dependent on her? Did his father really teach him, the one born to be a feystone, the duties of an Aub and not a minister, in an attempt to subvert Veronica’s plan to cripple Sylvester? Was Ferdinand supposed to have been teaching Sylvester the duties of an Aub, and not coming up with solutions and policies himself? And how was Ferdinand supposed to get him to sit still for that? Sylvester loved the power of being an Aub, but hated the work, the responsibility. Maybe he should share his thoughts with Bonifatius and see what he thought about Ferdinand’s new perceptions.

For now, he had to give Sylvester a stomach ache. Ferdinand set a wide area eavesdropping tool on his coffee table and the two men with him paled.

“Although this really is a special vintage from Drewanchel that was given to me as a gift”, Ferdinand began, “I, unfortunately, invited you here to discuss something that is beyond sensitive”.

“What has the gremlin done now?”, Sylvester whined.

“I’ll get to that, although she rather solved a major problem than created one, and it was actually Justus that brought it to my attention”.

“Justus?”, Karstedt asked surprised.

“Yes, Justus. He came to me yesterday with a tale of a sealed cave high in the mountains by the border of Zausengas that could not be entered. This was after investigating the cave himself and confirming this. He reported that the face of the cave had writing carved into it, writing so ancient that he couldn’t read it. He brought a transcription to me to translate, Rozemyne assisted, and we read a warning about a god being banished and sealed."

Jumping up, Sylvester yelled, “WHAT??!!”

“Sit down, Sylvester, and kindly let me finish.”, Ferdinand quietly commanded.

“Not quite not knowing whether to believe a tale of gods, and fearing that perhaps foreign operatives had set up camp in the cave, I decided to investigate. All of this took place during the hours when your office would be the most crowded, Sylvester. I didn’t want to tip off anyone in the castle who might still be loyal to Ahrensbach. I also didn’t want to create a religious frenzy if it turned out to be related to the gods, especially with the fundamentalists in the Sovereignty openly opposing Trauerqual’s rule. That information would also not be something to share with traitors to Ehrenfest.“

Sylvester was calm now. “So what did you find?”, he asked.

“I found the cave, sealed as Justus said. The vegetation in the area was lush, as if saturated by mana, but no feybeasts were seen. The cave was sealed by a field of mana that shimmered when touched. Using the “water gun”, I changed it to a darkness weapon and broke through the shield with black arrows. It took a lot of mana, but not so much that I was exhausted. The shield shattered and inside we found a temple with statues to the Seven, as well as Chaosfliehe and Verdraeos.”

Sylvester was now slumped over holding his head in his hands, as if to escape what he was hearing. He grabbed the wine bottle and topped off his glass. He offered the bottle to Karstedt, but Karstedt declined because his glass wasn’t yet empty. Sylvester tilted his glass and drained it completely, only to refill it again. Ferdinand had stopped talking to watch his brother guzzle his wine, but now continued.

“After securing the room, we determined that the only thing present in the room was a rather large dark feystone, not completely black. It was emanating with a sickly purple light in the center. The stone was suspended in the air, much like the duchy foundation stone. I warned everyone to stay back, but the stone bewitched Rozemyne..”

“Bewitched?”, Sylvester questioned in a skeptical voice.

“Compelled”, Ferdinand corrected himself. “The stone compelled her to touch it. In the process of knocking her hand away, I got too close. The stone fired a mana bolt at me that sent me flying into the air and knocked me back several feet. It then began draining my mana, and what felt like my lifeforce.”

Ferdinand took a sip of his wine and continued.

“I lost consciousness. When I was brought around, Eckhart was healing me. Justus was healing Rozemyne, and he had quite the tale to tell. Apparently, Rozemyne had used Schutzaria’s shield to protect the group, hoping it would also dislodge the beam attacking me. When the shield failed to help me, she next tried Heilschmerz.

When that failed, she prayed to Verdrenna several times asking for her to blast the crystal with lightning, which seemed to affect the crystal, but not quick enough. Apparently my breathing was becoming shallow. She then flew into a rage, and her mana rampaged crushing everyone in the room. Then she prayed so aggressively that she was thrust into the air by Verdrenna’s power, higher than she is tall, with a cyclone spinning around her, complete with sparks of lightning. She screamed out another prayer to Verdrenna, which the goddess answered with extreme prejudice, and after several increasingly powerful lightning bolts, the stone was blasted out of creation”.

Ferdinand finished his tale in the same tone as someone reporting the weather. Karstedt appeared frozen.

And Sylvester, Sylvester looked like he wanted to cry.

Chapter Text

Ferdinand glanced at Sylvester and tried to understand what in his story had moved him almost to tears.

“Ferdinand!”, he yelled, “you almost died! How can you be so calm?? You could have died while I was doing paperwork and I never would have known what happened to you, my own brother, that you had been drained of life by some fallen god!! Did you even leave a note for me with Lasfram, explaining where you went?”

Ferdinand looked at Sylvester in amazement. That was what was bothering the man? How bizarre! His life had been actively in danger since he entered this duchy. In fact, it was a full two years after he entered the Temple before the attempts had finally stopped. Although that didn’t take into account subjugation missions, where Veronica’s opportunistic followers sometimes tried to curry favor with her by using the chaos of the mission as a cover for assassination. Ah, that’s right, Ferdinand thought, as Rozemyne said, he doesn’t know this. This is part of what he, and also Karstedt, Bonifatius, and Ferdinand guessed, everyone in the duchy, kept from Sylvester. Well, let’s test Rozemyne’s theory, Ferdinand decided, and hoped his brother didn’t break.

Ferdinand then sheepishly remembered that he had not, in fact, left a note due to the highly sensitive nature of the information. He would have to do that next time. Lasfram had proved his trustworthiness, and he should plan for extreme contingencies, even if he didn’t think he would lose a battle.

“I apologize, Sylvester, and to you too, Karstedt. I should have left a note. Both the urgency and the delicacy of the situation caused me to act in haste.”

Sylvester looked at Ferdinand speechless.

Karstedt added laughing, “The urgency, the delicacy, and your obsession with research. Admit it, Ferdinand, you couldn’t wait to investigate that cave.”

Ferdinand looked away, as Sylvester’s face became progressively more flushed.

“That’s not the important point, Ferdinand!”, Sylvester yelled. “Yes, you should have left a note, but the point is that I thought you were peacefully working in the Temple when you were actually dying in a cave somewhere! That’s the point! Your life is the point!”

“Sylvester”, Ferdinand began quietly, “my life has been in danger since father brought me home. First from poisonings, and later as I got older, from actual attacks”.

“Ferdinand!”, Karstedt barked.

Sylvester’s head whipped around to look at Karstedt. At first, Sylvester thought Karstedt was criticizing Ferdinand for what could only be a ridiculous statement. After all, Ferdinand wasn’t even baptized when his father brought him home, not even seven. Then he realized that Karstedt’s anger had an anxious quality to it. Anxiety that meant that Karstedt knew what Ferdinand was talking about! Sylvester turned to Ferdinand with a stern look on his face.

“Is what you said true Ferdinand?!”, Sylvester demanded.

“Yes.”, Ferdinand answered quietly.

“But you were only a little boy when father brought you home.”

“Yes.”

“Mother’s followers were that fanatical that they tried to kill a child?!”

“Sylvester”, Ferdinand said gently, “after I was baptized, I became an Archduke candidate. An attack on the archducal family is considered treason, remember? That’s why we were able to take down Bidenwald and Bezanwanst when they attacked Myne. Veronica’s followers were protected when they should have been executed….. because they were acting on the orders of Veronica herself.”

Sylvester gaped like a fish out of water, opening and closing his mouth as if to suck in more oxygen.

“Sylvester”, Karstedt said quietly after nodding at Ferdinand, “this is well known”.

“But you were a little child! Are you saying my mother tried to kill a little boy?!”

“In the beginning, the poisons were less deadly and just made me violently ill. Your aunt Lady Irmhilde was also targeted, as my adopted mother and your father's future second wife..... although that last part wasn't well known."

Sylvester looked at him in shock.

"At family dinners, our meals were always over spiced to the point of being unpalatable and would set our mouths and stomachs on fire. Later, we would rush to take antidotes, although we weren’t always sure which poison was used. However, our other meals were more risky because they weren’t being shared with the other members of the archducal family, so they were fair game. After Lady Irmhilde died, Justus was assigned to me and my life became a little safer due to his knowledge of poisons, although the attempts increased. Sometimes, I went days without eating because all my meals were poisoned, and I had to survive by using potions. Even at the Royal Academy, even while you were there and even after you graduated, my food was still poisoned. At the Royal Academy, Veronicans would often try to attack me during Ditter using the fighting as camouflage. The same for subjugation missions, and that continued until Veronica was imprisoned. Once I moved into my own mansion, I was often set upon by assassins, and Justus, Lasfram, and even Eckhart as well. We even found out much later that the symptoms of Lady Irmhilde’s illness were actually those of a rare poison from Ahrensbach, although I didn’t know that until I gained access to the Royal Academy library.”

Sylvester’s face was white as a sheet. He shook his head in denial as tears silently traveled down his face. He looked Ferdinand deeply in the eye, as if desperately searching for any sign of falsehood. Of course, none was found.

“There’s more, Sylvester.”, Ferdinand began speaking again. “The poison used by Trudeliede to kill Heidemarie and her unborn child were definitely from Ahrensbach. In fact, when we emptied your mother’s hidden room, we found many such poisons. We also found lists of her agents, as you know. That’s how we were able to identify her followers. What you don’t know is that there were ledgers where the tithes of what her agents owed to Veronica as payments from their embezzlements were recorded, and some of the lists contained the names of Leisegang nobles with their names crossed out who died over the years. They included not only men and women, but children, and even infants. The lists went back decades. We also found the cape that father had given me, ruined and stained with I don't know what. My childhood magic tool that was stolen from me was also there.”

Sylvester looked horrified as he asked Ferdinand, “So you had to compress like Myne did in order to survive?!”

“Yes, but unlike Myne, I could get feystones periodically, although I had to compress like mad during the times I couldn’t.”

“So your legendary mana is due to my own mother trying to kill you as a child by taking your magic tool?!”

Ferdinand nodded.

Sylvester was openly crying now, although his face was stoic.

“Why didn’t you tell me, Ferdinand?! I would have helped you! Why didn’t you tell father?!”, Sylvester asked in a confused voice.

“Sylvester”, Karstedt began, “surely you realize that your father knew? Sometimes, these crimes left an obvious trail, not always to Veronica, but often to her followers. They were greedy and brazen and oftentimes made little effort to hide their deeds. Sometimes………sometimes your mother made little effort to hide her crimes as well, first under my father’s tenure as Knight Commander, and then under mine. Your father…..if evidence made it’s way past the Veronican scholars in the Aubs office….your father ordered the investigations to cease, even if the investigation was into a possible murder.”

Sylvester’s face went white with anger and then turned an ugly red. His eyes began to shine with multiple colors.

“Summon your father, Karstedt!”, Sylvester demanded. “Summon Bonifatius here right now! I have questions for my uncle regarding my father!”

Chapter Text

Karstedt sent an ordannanz to his father, who responded immediately. Before Bonifatius arrived, Ferdinand wanted to review the situation with the Temple cave and decide on a course of action. He also wanted Sylvester to determine whether his uncle should be informed of the matter. Although he had stated that Rozemyne should make that decision, he realized that it was really Sylvester’s place to decide as Aub.

“Sylvester”, he began, “I realize that I have shared a lot of disturbing information that must preoccupy your mind…”

“You think?!”, Sylvester yelled.

“Well, yes, but nevertheless, how would you like to handle the cave? Do you want to inspect it in person, and also, do you wish to reseal it? I believe that I know a very old spell that I can perform that would prevent anyone with less mana than I from reentering the cave. Also, do you wish to share the events of the cave with our uncle, including Rozemyne’s …….. solution to the threat?”

Sylvester looked beyond overwhelmed, but attempted to set aside his concerns over his parents to consider Ferdinand’s questions.

“I believe that we should share the information with Bonifatius. As an elder of the archducal family, I think he should be made aware. As for Rozemyne’s part, I think we should be honest about that, while cautioning him that it seems unwise to demonstrate this new prayer without dire need, lest the gods take offense at her using such a powerful skill so frivolously.”

“I agree”, said Karstedt. “The time for secrets has long passed.” He gave a meaningful look to Ferdinand.

As Karstedt finished speaking, Bonifatius literally blew into Ferdinand’s chambers like a storm.
“Karstedt!”, Bonifatius began in a booming voice, “What is so urgent that you called me over at an hour when most everyone is sleeping?”

“Many things, Uncle.”, Sylvester answered. “Please have a seat. Ferdinand if you can share with our uncle what you told me?”

Bonifatius took a seat on the other end of the couch from where Sylvester was sitting. Ferdinand reactivated the wide range eavesdropping tool and recounted his story. At the end of his tale, Bonifatius’s expressions were almost comical. His noble countenance was non-existent. His mouth was wide open in shock, and then he grinned with an expression so wicked that he rivaled the Lord of Evil himself. Then he burst out laughing in pure delight.

“So, my precious granddaughter was able to smite a god! Truly she is a daughter of the Linkbergs!”

If only she really were, thought Ferdinand.

“I had heard of this cave when I was a youth! I even went looking for it myself, but never found it! Trust Rhiyarda’s son to find something so obscure! He’s a canny one!”, Bonifatius said while still laughing.

“Uncle, you knew about this cave?”, Sylvester asked to confirm.

“Yes, yes. Not about the gods, of course. Only that there was a cave that couldn't be entered. Before your father married Veronica, we did a fair bit of commerce with other duchies. Oh, not the grand duchies like now through Rozemyne’s efforts, but the other lower ranked duchies. We also had a large number of traveling traders that would visit Ehrenfest. They knew of the cave. Of course, this was long before the civil war when trade was unrestricted. We even got merchants from Zausengas back then, and the tale was known to them as well. To think, it wasn’t a myth afterall!”

Sylvester, Karstedt, and Ferdinand were all shocked.

“Do you mean to say, Uncle, that Ehrenfest traded freely with other duchies?” Sylvester had thought that open commerce was something that had only happened under his tenure!

“Yes, of course! No duchy can survive for long without a thriving economy. Leisegang used to sell quite a bit of produce to other duchies as well! That was before that lecherous slob, Bezanwanst, had control of the chalices! Of course, when your father married, your mother put a stop to that. Not intentionally mind you, but merchants from other duchies were unwilling to sell their goods at prices that disadvantaged them! There was no profit. And of course, those that refused were likely to disappear, never to be seen again. Over time, and not a very long time mind you, merchants stopped wanting to trade with Ehrenfest. Oh, Adelbert tried to negotiate trade spots at the Archduke’s conference ever year, but less and less Aubs were willing. Put off by ordoschnelli singing warped tunes from their merchants, no doubt. And Veronica offended quite a few first wives of other lower duchies by lording her Ahrensbach heritage over them.”
It seemed, thought Ferdinand, that they would not need to probe Bonifatius about Sylvester’s parents’ deeds. His uncle was freely offering the information.

“Do you mean that my mother had the merchants who refused killed, Uncle?”, Sylvester asked him directly.

Bonifatius gave him a hard look.

“Your mother was the Great Trombe of Ehrenfest, Sylvester. I’m sorry, but there it is. She killed any who opposed her, and even those who didn’t simply because they were Leisegangs or neutrals, even if they were obedient. She not only allowed her followers to embezzle funds that should have gone to the duchy’s coffers, but encouraged it and took a piece for herself as well. Ferdinand! Did you not show this boy his mother’s ledgers as I instructed you?!”

Ferdinand looked down, and Karstedt looked away from Bonifatius as well.

“Damn you both!”, Bonifatius yelled, striking the coffee table in front of him and cracking it. Another blow would surely break it completely.
“What is wrong with you two?! How is Sylvester supposed to rule effectively if you withhold the truth to spare his feelings?!”

“So it’s all true then.”, Sylvester whispered.

“What’s that?!”, Bonifatius inquired. “Did you two just get around to telling him the truth?” Karstedt and Ferdinand still didn’t answer.

“Uncle, is it true that Mother killed children and infants, and tried to kill Ferdinand as a child, and that Father knew all this?”

At his question, Bonifatius looked at Sylvester’s stricken face.

“Yes, it’s true. She killed scores of Leisegang and neutral children and infants, although her favorite target was Ferdinand. It’s just that due to Justus’s knowledge, and Ferdinand’s own skill as he grew older, she never succeeded. She killed my poor Eckhart’s Heidemarie and unborn my great-grandchild. She killed my poor half-sister, Irmhilde, as well. And yes, your father knew because I told him to his face, many, many times, but he ordered me to let it go!! It broke my heart and my spirit to see my good, upright younger brother twisted into a thrall for your Chaoscipher mother, but nothing I said penetrated! I had to choose between overthrowing my own brother and making my family more of a target than they already were during the fighting, or obeying him and supporting Veronica’s criminal acts!! It would have meant civil war, and of course killing my own brother, and you Sylvester, would have been executed in collective punishment when I won, which I would have! Constanz, Georgine, and possibly even Ferdinand, would have been killed as Adelbert’s seed. I have my own children, so, the children of my brother surviving would have been………..an unnecessary future risk. Although I might have been able to spare Ferdinand, due to his excellence and not sharing blood with Veronica. Her emnity towards him may have helped with that as well. But I couldn’t do it! I couldn't condemn my own blood to death, and by the time your father was willing to listen to me, Veronica held the names of nearly forty percent of Ehrenfest’s most influential nobles. It was too late, and we were lost.”

Sylvester sat back, visibly shaken. He had believed Ferdinand and Karstedt, of course, but he had still held out hope that his father had been kept in the dark as much as he had been. The knowledge that his father had allowed his mother’s evil to reign unchecked filled him with a feeling of indescribable loss.

“Why, Uncle? Why do you think my father allowed it?” Sylvester asked in the small voice of a lost child.

“I think she took his name as well!!”, Bonifatius declared.

Chapter Text

“You think she took Father’s name?!”, Sylvester asked in shock. “That doesn’t ….how…....I don’t understand! Why would he agree to that?”

Bonifatius shook his head.

“You youngsters have gotten so used to taking people’s names as a means of forcing compliance that you forget that it was originally an act of pledging devotion. Yes, devotion to one’s Lord or Lady, but also devotion to one’s true love. A sign of the deepest love. Adelbert was very much in love with young Veronica. I could see him pledging his name to her as a way of proving his love to a girl who had been alternately tormented and neglected by the Leisegangs. I could see him offering it in the same way a man offers an engagement stone to his future goddess of light.”

“But”, Ferdinand began, “why didn’t she just order Father to kill me? She tried to kill me so many times. Wouldn’t it have been simpler to have him do it himself.”

Sylvester looked upset by Ferdinand’s statement, but remained silent.

“You forget, Ferdinand, that the namesworn can go against an order, if they are willing to forfeit their lives. I can see Adelbert refusing to follow certain extreme commands and being brought to the verge of death.”

“But if my uncle died, wouldn’t that have given her what she wanted, Father, the power of the Aub as regent?”, asked Karstedt.

Sylvester was having a very hard time with this conversation, but still managed to keep his peace.

“Think”, Bonifatius said, “Sylvester became Aub at only 21, which made him the youngest Aub in recent history. If Adelbert had died when Sylvester was even just a bit younger, he may not have been allowed to become the Aub. Veronica is an archnoble. She’s not an Archduke candidate, never was, and wasn’t trained for the duties of the position. Many people wanted me to rule as interim Aub until Sylvester was a little older. But I didn’t want the position because I knew that if I took it, I would be forced to clean up the mess that my brother had allowed Veronica and her minions to create. I would have had to sweep the board clean with a slew of executions of corrupt Veronicans, and the Leisegangs would have swarmed over the land in a bloody revolution that would have ended with both Veronica and Sylvester being assassinated. The Zent would never have allowed her to be regent. And the Zent was barely convinced as it was that Sylvester would be able to do the job at 21. If he had been any younger, I think the Zent would have commanded me to take the seat. It was only me stating that I stood behind my nephew’s right to rule that finally persuaded him. You remember that Sylvester? And, Veronica knew all that. She knew that Adelbert dying while Sylvester was too young to rule would mean the loss of her power, and her life.”

“That’s a lot of supposition, Bonifatius.”, Ferdinand stated. “I would be more willing to think that it was trug.”

“And so I thought too for awhile, but his clothes, rooms, and person never smelled like it. And don’t forget, it was an old scholar who had previously served Adelbert who was familiar with the substance and identified it. He also pointed out that prolonged use wears down the afflicted, making their speech and thoughts unfocused and confused. I never got that sense from Adelbert. Adelbert would have had to have been drugged with it for decades. He was never vague or confused. Certainly, he was always very commanding when he ordered me to abandon an investigation, or refused to listen to my counsel. No, I think he gave her his name in an act of love, and lived to regret it. I think he refused her more extreme orders on pain of death, but was too sickly to refuse her regularly and simply let her rampage as she willed. It's supposition, yes, but Adelbert dedicating his name to the woman he loved as an act of devotion? That I could see the young man that he was doing.”

“But why would he refuse her order to kill me? Wouldn’t that have made things simpler for him?”, Ferdinand asked, too wise to believe that his father would have stood up to Veronica for Ferdinand’s sake alone.

“Well…..before he brought you home, Adelbert said that he had been blessed by a goddess with a son who would be the savior of Ehrenfest. And you have saved Ehrenfest, many times, with your good counsel.”

Ferdinand was surprisingly moved by Bonifatius’s praise. To push away these warm and unfamiliar feelings that he was experiencing, Ferdinand deflected with a quip.

“I think it’s Rozemyne who is the true savior of Ehrenfest, through her connections to higher duchies, her inventions, and of course,…… her lightning.”

“But without you to protect my granddaughter in the Temple”, Bonifatius said gently, “she might not have lived to save the rest of us.”

“I wonder what goddess Father was talking about”, Sylvester said to no one in particular.

“I certainly asked him many times.”, Bonifatius confided. “But he would never tell me.”

Ferdinand wondered also, but unlike everyone else in the room, he knew who he could ask.

Chapter Text

Bonifatius left shortly after he said his piece, but before leaving he had a few words for his nephew.

He said, “Sylvester, I am very sorry that I couldn’t help your father. I’m very sorry that you couldn’t have inherited a better Ehrenfest, but I truly couldn’t see a way to fix things without me taking over, and all that would have entailed.”

Sylvester looked up at the tall, strong, old man standing over him from where he was sitting on the couch. He was exhausted on every level, physically, mentally, and most of all, emotionally. But Sylvester did know that he placed no blame upon his uncle.

“Uncle, none of this is your fault. The only actions that you could have taken would have led to the executions of me, my parents, and my siblings, along with hundreds of Veronicans, some of whom would have been innocent children. I don’t blame you for not killing my family and starting a bloody civil war. How could I? But please, going forward, lend me your strength and wisdom. I now realize I am horribly undereducated for the duties of my position, and I will need your help as the last properly educated Archduke candidate left in Ehrenfest.”

“Of course.”, Bonifatius responded, squeezing Sylvester’s shoulder as he walked away.

When he had left, Sylvester turned to Karstedt.
He said, “Can you give me a few minutes with my brother alone?”

“Yes", Karstedt answered. "I’ll be right outside the door.”

As the door clicked shut, Sylvester turned to Ferdinand. Sylvester’s face was the picture of despair.

"Ferdinand, I can’t even begin to say how sorry I am for all that you suffered, or how horribly my mother and our father treated you, or how I never noticed you were suffering as a child. I knew about the attacks my mother began after Father died, and I thought that hiding you in the Temple would be enough to quell my Mother’s rage and paranoia. She was always harping on about you stealing my position as Aub, but I thought that was just lingering jealous rage over my father betraying her with your mother. Now, I see that what she was trying to do was isolate me from the person who has fought the hardest to secure my rule.”

Sylvester got on his knees in front of Ferdinand and grasped his hand in both his own. Ferdinand’s eyes widened in alarm, but he was shocked speechless.

Sylvester pressed his forehead to Ferdinand’s hand.

“Ferdinand, my only brother”, Sylvester began, “thank you from the bottom of my heart for fighting so hard for me and Ehrenfest. Thank you for not giving up on me.” Sylvester’s voice cracked. “I am so, so very sorry for all you have endured, and I wish I could take away your years of pain and my blindness. I know I can’t, but I promise you that I will do better as a brother, as a man, and as an Aub.”

Sylvester sat back down on the couch, but Ferdinand found that he couldn’t speak around the lump in his throat, one so big it hurt. It had been decades since Ferdinand had cried, so he didn’t know that the lump was unshed tears fighting to make themselves seen.

Sylvester said, “There will be more that I will need you to tell me going forward, and I now realize that most of it will be painful for me to hear, or for you to discuss, but I beg you to tell me the whole truth. I’ve been living in a lovely daydream, running from hardship and the real problems of Ehrenfest. But meanwhile, people have been dying, commoners, nobles, children, and even family. Eckhart’s child and my aunt, they were family, however distant, and my mother killed them. Please help me, Ferdinand, to cleanse this duchy by telling me the bitter truth, no matter how ugly”

Ferdinand swallowed and said, “I will”.

“Then I will take my leave.”, said Sylvester, and got up to go.

“Sylvester before you leave there is one thing I must tell you.”

Sylvester sat back down with a look a trepidation on his face.

“It relates to the cave. Rozemyne is concerned that the gods may be angry with her, and while I don’t agree, there is a way that I can find out.”

“Alright. How?”

“That’s the thing. I can find out, but I have to take a short trip, and I can’t tell you where I’m going or what I’m going to do. There is a risk involved, and while the risk of discovery is minimal, if I am discovered, you, and Ehrenfest, are far, far better off not knowing.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! What are you saying, Ferdinand?! If the risk is great enough that I’m better off not knowing, that Ehrenfest is better off, then you shouldn’t go.”

“Truthfully, I don’t want to go, but her concerns about her actions, and my concerns about the cave itself, demand that I seek out additional…..information.”

“I can forbid you to go as your Aub, and your elder brother. “

“You could, but please don’t.”

“Will you at least take some knights with you to guard your back, trusted ones? Eckhart, Lamprecht, Rozemyne’s Damuel?”

“Where I’m going, they can’t follow, and will only increase the risk to me.”

“Where are you going?!”, Sylvester yelled.

“Please, Sylvester. Just trust me.”

Sylvester sighed. “I do trust you. Of course I do, more than anyone, but surely you can understand that what you’re saying is terrifying, especially after everything that we discussed today.”

“I do see that, but I assure you that this is a matter related to the Temple that we found, and not Ehrenfest, Veronica, or even Ahrensbach. Also, I need for Rozemyne to either go to the castle while I’m gone, or stay with her family.”

“Well, yeah.", Sylvester said. “We can’t leave the gremlin in the Temple alone. I’ll have her work in my office with Wilfred and me. I’ll call it practice for her future position as first wife. You said she’s really good with numbers, right?”

“She’s excellent with numbers and budgets, far better than most adults.”

“Then I’ll give her the duchy budgets to review. Actually, I’ll give it to both Wilfred and Rozemyne. Wilfred can do the initial review. He always brags about how easy the math is at the Royal Academy for him. He can do the initial check, and Rozemyne can be the second pair of eyes for the budget. Any embezzling that Wilfred doesn’t catch, Rozemyne definitely will. Although for the sake of all my scholars and giebes, they better not find any. Not after what I learned today.”

“Absolutely.”, agreed Ferdinand. “Maybe while she’s there, Florencia can continue her lady’s education.”

“Lady’s education? But didn’t Elvira take care of her noble manners and etiquette lessons before she went to the Academy?”

Ferdinand looked at his brother in shock. Had no one continued her lessons whenever she was in the castle?

“Sylvester, she needs ongoing lessons. There are complexities to noble ladies' manners that I can’t help her with as a man. And Sylvester, she’ll be 13 this summer. She needs education as a noble wife.”

Sylvester looked ashamed. He realized that this is another thing that slipped his attention.

He said, “Honestly, Florencia pretty much ignores Rozemyne.”

Ferdinand’s eyes went cold. “And you allow this?”, he asked stiffly.

Sylvester sighed. “I really didn’t think much about it, like so many other things, I guess. Truthfully, I think Florencia is intimidated by Rozemyne. Her brilliance, her trends, her inventions, her mana, her courage. All of it. I mean you, Karstedt, and I all know that she lived to adulthood in another world and was reborn here with all her memories. But from the outside, she’s this amazing, genius child with the confidence of an adult. I take that back. Even with the unfair advantage of her memories of another life, she’s still a genius to be able to recreate so many things from just her memories. I mean, she was a librarian in her previous life, right? I can’t see the Royal Academy librarians inventing pumps and springs. Florencia was so beaten down by Mother, she doesn’t really have many accomplishments to her name. And Rozemyne had so many accomplishments to her name by the time she was eight, so she just…..avoids her because Rozemyne makes her feel inadequate. At least, that’s my read on the situation.”

Ferdinand was obviously very angry right now, and Sylvester felt like the room around him was actually getting colder. It struck Sylvester that all the outrage that Ferdinand should have felt over his own suffering when he was young, he had transferred to Rozemyne’s situation and any perceived slight against her.

“Look. What do you want me to do?", asked Sylvester. "Rozemyne isn’t exactly dying to get close to Florencia either, you know. She seems to be very content lavishing affection on Charlotte and Melchior, and doesn’t really concern herself with their mother.”

“And Wilfred? I don’t get to observe them together as often as you do.”, Ferdinand asked.

Sylvester dragged a hand over his face. Gods he was tired. Would this day full of problems never end?!

“She’s largely indifferent to him as well. It was fine when they were younger, after Wilfred got over his jealousy of her spending time with me for work. But, honestly, she intimidates him as well, I think. And she sees him as a little boy, I believe. And you forget, Ferdinand, we aged her down for her noble baptism. She’s so small still, so it’s hard to remember, but she’s actually already 13. So she’s already a teenager, a year older than him, and she has memories of being an adult. If there was any other way of Wilfred being Aub, I swear, I would break off their engagement and beg you to take her as your wife.”

Ferdinand was flabbergasted.

“We can’t solve all of this tonight", he said "but for now, Sylvester, please call Rozemyne to the castle. I will write Elvira tomorrow and ask her to attend to Rozemyne’s education as a noble wife, since she will be 13 this summer, as far as anyone knows.”

Ferdinand stopped and took a deep breath, and Sylvester just knew that what he was going to say next was the first of many bitter truths he would hear from now on.

“You need to understand”, Ferdinand began, ”that while Rozemyne is not Elvira’s daughter by blood, she is very much her mother in noble society, and Elvira has taken her role as Rozemyne’s mother to heart. Adopted or not, Rozemyne is her only daughter, and Elvira will not be pleased At All that Florencia has neglected Rozemyne. Not after managing your wife’s faction for all the years of your marriage. Furthermore, Karstedt, her noble father, constantly guards your back, and I don’t even have to explain what will happen if Bonifatius gets wind of this. Florencia’s ignoring Rozemyne is a tremendous insult to the Linkberg family, one that everyone’s retainers may be aware of, even if Rozemyne isn’t aware of it herself. Most of these retainers have family that suffered under the long years of Veronica’s rule. As of right now, they have loyalty to Ehrenfest as their home, but little loyalty to you personally, as Veronica’s son. Therefore, they have no reason not to share their views with their relatives and friends if they feel Rozemyne is being slighted. As far as your son is concerned, Wilfred has shown tremendous growth, far more than I thought possible. However, your son better grow into a man worthy to be an Aub, or he will find himself assassinated shortly after his ascension to Aubhood.”

Sylvester went white as a sheet. “Assassinated?! What are you saying, Ferdinand!?”

"Sylvester, your son is unsuited for the position. He is bright, but doesn’t strive and doesn’t really take the initiative to develop new trends or learn the duchy’s businesses, many of which Rozemyne developed. His grades are very good now, but everyone remembers how he ran from his lessons and was ill mannered. Charlotte never ran from her lessons, easily passed her noble debut, and yearns to be more involved with the business of running the duchy than you allow. Melchior has already decided that he wants to be the next High Bishop. In contrast, Wilfred is still easily influenced by others, misses social cues and insults, and doesn’t have a head for politics, religion, or business. He is far better suited to being a Knight Commander. He is very like his Linkberg cousins, although Cornelius seems to have somewhat of a head for politics, so I’ll exclude him for now. What I’m saying is that everyone in your children’s generation can and does compare Wilfred not only to Rozemyne, but to Charlotte and even young Melchior as well, and finds him lacking in the qualities that will make a good Aub.

One day, all these children will be adults, and it may not be the old Leisegangs or neutrals that assassinate him. It may not even be Rozemyne’s fanatical Leisegang, neutral, or converted Veronican followers that target him. It may very well be someone from Charlotte's or Melchior’s faction who decides that if their candidate can’t be Aub, at least they can eliminate the excess baggage of Wilfred dragging Rozemyne down, and clear the way for her to be Aub in her own right. I know this is foreign to you, but in most, if not all, other duchies, Archduke candidates compete for the seat of being Aub. Someone as talented as Rozemyne, or Charlotte, wouldn’t be disqualified simply because they are female if the male candidates are obviously not suited for the position. And since you have another male child who appears to be of the right temperament, although he’s still young, it’s very clear that Wilfred is the heir only because you chose him to be. Everyone realizes that you engaged Wilfred to Rozemyne so he could be heir, and most would prefer for her to be the next Aub herself.”

“But it was your idea!”, Sylvester yelled.

“Only because you so badly wanted Wilfred to be the next Aub that you were unwilling to listen, and there was no other way for Wilfred to be that unless he married Rozemyne.”

“But, she’s not even a real noble!”

“And because of that, she’s done more for this duchy in her short life than us real nobles have in the last 35 years, if ever. She killed an evil god, Sylvester, one that was intent on destroying all of us and Yurgenschmidt. When is the last time any real noble that you know saved the world?! Don’t look down on her. Verdrenna certainly didn’t.”

“Listen, Sylvester”, Ferdinand continued, “Rozemyne doesn’t want to be Aub, not at all. And I don’t wish that for her, but you have to examine things in the context of the……recent history of tyranny and oppression in the duchy. You have other children who are not Rozemyne or Wilfred. You’re only listening to me now because of everything that you learned tonight. But everyone else in the duchy lived through what you just only learned now. All I’m saying is that I don’t see a happy future for Ehrenfest or Wilfred down this path, and I don’t think your people will stand for any more unhappy futures."

Sylvester held his head in his hands and sighed, but quickly straightened up.

“I hear you, Ferdinand. I do, but this is a big topic that we will have to revisit at length. But right now, I can’t, I just can’t think anymore. I’m too exhausted, mentally and emotionally.” He sighed again. “When will you leave?”

“I will leave right after you call Rozemyne to the castle.”

“If everything is ready for her, I will call her the day after tomorrow. I think I need tomorrow to get my head on straight. I’m going to go. Karstedt is waiting outside, and Florencia is probably waiting up for me as well. Can I…….”

“Take the wine, Sylvester.”, Ferdinand said, guessing what he wanted. “I’m not going to drink it, and it’s already been opened, so it won’t keep.”

Sylvester grabbed the bottle and walked away.

“Good Night, little brother.”, he called over his shoulder.

“Good Night, Sylvester. I know this is hard, but I sincerely wish that Schlaftraum blesses you tonight.”

Sylvester’s sad laughter followed him out of Ferdinand’s rooms.

Chapter Text

Sylvester had sent a letter the next day after their conversation, calling for Rozemyne to come to the castle in three days time. Ferdinand still felt badly that he had to so brutally rip away his brother’s illusions, but the duchy was too destabilized for Sylvester to remain in the dark any longer. The Leisegangs and neutrals who had suffered under Veronica for so long were barely being restrained. He had only told Sylvester about Wilfred’s unpleasant future if he became Aub.

However, Sylvester didn’t seem to be at all aware that many Leisegangs still wanted him removed from his position, and Wilfred removed as heir, permanently. And they wanted that to happen right now. Karstedt had come to see him alone the night after their intense discussion. He had shared that both Elvira and Bonifatius were beset by the Leisegangs’ unceasing demands for Bonifatius to step in as interim Aub immediately, ideally with Rozemyne as his heir. However, they would even accept Charlotte or Melchior as heirs, unloved by Veronica as they were. Anyone but Wilfred. Sylvester and Wilfred were truly in a fair bit of danger.

There would always be subjects who opposed a ruler’s reign, even violently. But they could be managed if the majority of citizens approved of the ruler, or were at least indifferent. The problem with Sylvester was that with so many Veronicans having been removed from the political landscape, and the remaining Veronicans still stubbornly persisting in attempting to live by the old rules, Sylvester only had the support of about thirty percent of the noble population. The main issue seemed to be reparations, a formal acknowledgement of all the evils that had been committed by Veronica. Sylvester had not done nearly enough to make up for the real loss of life and property that had occurred over the recent decades. However, Karstedt had told him that this was a conversation that Bonifatius was planning to have himself with Sylvester. It was ironic that his uncle had criticized Ferdinand and Karstedt for withholding the full truth from Sylvester, but seemed to have not fully disclosed himself the true nature of his ongoing conversations with his Leisegang relatives. Sylvester needed to know how truly precarious his rule really was. The Leisegangs were still simmering with rage and a hunger for vengeance. If Sylvester didn’t find a way to build bridges with them, and quickly, their anger would boil over and explode into violence.

The truth was that they didn’t have enough knights or nobles loyal to Sylvester to put down an armed insurrection. If it came to that, Sylvester and Wilfred would surely die. Ferdinand himself would likely perish defending his brother. Rozemyne might also be lost in the crossfire. He doubted she would allow Sylvester or Wilfred to be killed in front of her without acting, no matter how much she increasingly seemed to disapprove of them both. She would certainly be terrified for Charlotte and Melchior and move to protect them, even though they would probably be in little danger. As for Ferdinand himself, she had already proved she would slay a god to protect him. There was no question in his mind now that she would fight if he were attacked. The thought of the life going out of her innocent, warm eyes filled him with a feeling of grief so profound it was suffocating. As soon as he returned from his mission, he would have to ask his uncle if he had told Sylvester the true nature of the danger facing him and Wilfred.


Rozemyne, of course, had been disinterested in going to the castle, but she seemed to accept the notion of both her and Wilfred needing to become involved in the duchy’s actual management, as a part of training for the future. He had delicately broached the subject of her receiving a noble wife’s education by inquiring whether Florencia had ever made reference to the topic. He had also wanted to determine the true extent to which Florencia ignored Rozemyne. All of his efforts at delicacy were wasted, of course.

She had asked, “ Are you asking if Florencia told me about how babies are made?”

Ferdinand had been absolutely horrified. How could she so brazenly speak of such a matter, and with a man no less. It was shameless. She was desperately in need of further instruction from Elvira. He had thoroughly scolded her. And her response had been equally as brazen.

She had replied “ You nobles are repressed about matters of reproduction to the point of stupidity, and yet regularly have children with your half siblings without any regard for the dangers of inbreeding. Even the animals of my old world avoided reproducing with close relatives by driving adolescents away when they reached sexual maturity. It’s no wonder that this society is so backwards and barbaric. Generations of siblings having kids with each other has resulted in the noble population being filled with mentally deficient individuals from too much inbreeding.”

That upsetting statement had led to an extremely uncomfortable, and equally illuminating, discussion on how her previous society had learned over time that a high degree of close blood relatedness between spouses can cause certain undesirable traits to manifest, such as insanity and low intelligence. In particular, this was observed in royalty who tended to marry close relations to maintain their right to rule. She also stated that the healers of her old world had proven beyond a doubt that half siblings who shared a father were just as closely related as half siblings who shared a mother. She further stated that while in this world the strength of a mother's mana has bearing on how strong a child’s mana was, that didn’t mean that the father’s blood doesn't play an equal role when it came to other family traits. She said that Yurgenschmidt nobles were so focused on mana that they had forgotten that there were other important aspects to human biology, human biology being the name for the study of the human body in her old world.

“How else could Wilfred’s facial features look so much like Sylvester’s, if the father's blood didn’t play such a big role?”, she’d asked rhetorically.

And Ferdinand felt like his entire worldview had been shattered! How could they all had missed such an obvious clue? Ferdinand knew countless nobles who resembled their fathers and not their mothers. Even his own situation, as his “father's” bastard son, had been accepted because he and his “father” shared a similar eye color. Even Rozemyne’s eye color was looked upon as further proof of her relationship to the Archducal family, because she, Ferdinand, and Adelbert all shared a similar color. Of course, neither he nor Rozemyne were related to the Archducal family, but the point was that their eyes were thought to be traits passed down through their fathers.

Ferdinand thought about how many nobles routinely married spouses who were half-siblings and shared a father. It was commonplace. Then he thought about how many nobles he had met who truly seemed to have low intelligence. The number was unfortunately high. He also thought of how many nobles he had met who took pleasure in depravity and cruelty. Hadn’t many of the duchies who had fought in the recent Civil War joined Zent Trauerqual’s side simply because the remaining brother that he had warred against was known to be twisted and cruel?

Ferdinand had been raised with the notion of nobles' inherent superiority over commoners. More specifically that commoners were on the same level as animals and lacked the intelligence to govern themselves. However, he had met many commoners who had made him question that. Not only Myne herself, but the Merchant Benno, her friend Lutz, the Guttenbergs, and that gold grabbing little merchant girl Frieda, all showed a high level of intelligence. In terms of commoners’ artistic talents, Myne’s mother, sister, and personal seamstress, had reached a standard of artistry that made even grand duchies covet their hair ornaments and the clothing they produced. Myne may have had the advantage of knowledge from another world, but the rest of her commoner relatives and associates didn’t. Was the intelligence and creativity that they showed a result of not having been inbred, as Rozemyne called it, for centuries? Ferdinand had begun to wonder.

With respect to Rozemyne’s instruction from Florencia, she had confirmed Sylvester’s statement that Florencia left her largely alone.

Rozemyne had shared, “I don’t really see Florencia, except for at dinner with the whole family. I get the impression that she is busy socializing most of the times. Charlotte and Melchior said that they don’t see her very often outside of dinner time either. Should she have been providing me with this noble wife’s education?”

Ferdinand had simply answered, "Florencia seems to be very busy. I will write to Elvira and ask her to see to your instruction. That will also allow you to spend some time with her at the Linkberg mansion."

Rozemyne had seemed satisfied with that answer, and more importantly, she didn't seem to sense that there was a deeper reason for her being sent away from the Temple.

Ferdinand had then written to Elvira asking for her assistance in beginning Rozemyne’s education as a future noble wife. He then recalled the Aubs who were considering Rozemyne as a possible third wife, and how she hadn't understood what they had been proposing through their euphemisms. Therefore, he had also indicated that Rozemyne needed instruction on the meanings behind social euphemisms, particularly ones that might be veiled insults or might constitute romantic, or other, overtures from men. She replied almost immediately that she would send for Rozemyne in six days time and have her spend a few days with her. If Elvira had been busy socializing with Florencia and her faction, well, Florencia would just have to manage on her own for a few days.

With all Rozemyne related matters resolved, it was time to set out on his journey.

Chapter Text

Ferdinand was flying his highbeast towards the Sovereignty. During his recent searches through his Wisdom for information about Chaoscipher’s daughter, he had come across a spell that allowed an individual to be hard to spot and their mana undetected. It didn’t precisely make one invisible, instead it made the viewer’s eye skip over the person who cast the spell on themselves. While most spells had names associated with the gods, this one had the very whimsical name of “Look Away”. And that was precisely how it worked, by making people look away from the person who cast the spell.

Ferdinand had cast the spell on himself before he took off towards the Sovereignty. “Look Away” was created by a Zent who frequently left his royal housing to walk among the people without being noticed. (Honestly, the Zent reminded him of Sylvester.) The mana drain was moderately low, but the spell did have disadvantages.

The spell was less effective on people with a similar mana range. While Ferdinand had arguably the highest mana level in Yurgenschmidt, it wasn’t guaranteed to work on someone like Queen Magdelena, who was just able to perceive him with mana sensing. It would not work at all on someone like Rozemyne, who could freely enter his mana restricted hidden room. Also, if he made any physical contact with anyone at all, the spell would be rendered ineffective because the person’s conscious attention had now been drawn to him. Ferdinand doubted that anyone with his level of mana would be manning the duchy gates as he traveled from Ehrenfest, so if the spell worked as described , he should be fine. His flight route to the Sovereignty took him from Ehrenfest through Frenbeltag, then the former duchy of Scharfer (which was under Sovereignty management since the end of Civil War), and finally to the Sovereignty itself.

Arriving at the Sovereignty, he had a decision to make as to how to reach the Garden of Beginnings. Originally, he had stumbled on the shrines and completed the tour by accident. The magic circle had then appeared over the center of the Academy, the Library specifically, and he had poured mana into the circle, and essentially, brute forced his way into the Garden of Beginnings. Should he make the tour again and perhaps the circle will reappear? He already had a partial Wisdom, would chanting the Grutrissheit spell over the Library cause the circle to manifest? He had brought a substantial amount of mana charged feystones with him, so he could certainly pour enough mana into the circle to force his way back into the Garden. And no one had seen him or the circle that night, which made him believe that the circle couldn’t be seen by anyone who wasn’t a Zent candidate. It was dark now as well, so that should cover his actions.

He knew from his Wisdom that he could perform the Zent candidate dance in the Farthest Hall to enter the Garden of Beginnings, which everyone now thought of only as whirling. However, the Farthest Hall couldn’t be opened by anyone but the Royal Family. But something had caught his eye in his recent perusal of his wisdom. Something about Mestionora being the key. Well, he would look it up and test one of his theories at the same time. Hovering over the Library he chanted Grutrissheit. His book appeared, and then began to glow with a blinding light that grew and swallowed him whole.

Ferdinand felt his surroundings fade away, and then suddenly, he was in the Garden of Beginnings. Erwarmen had already manifested, and he was already angry.

Ferdinand lamely said, “How am I here?”

He was actually very surprised that he hadn’t had to do anything drastic to get here, and Ferdinand didn’t like surprises. He didn’t have good experiences with them, and they left him unsteady.

Erwarmen answered, “I brought you here, Quinta, when I sensed your Book of Wisdom above the Garden of Beginnings! I was not about to let you bombard your way in here again!”

“But how did you know it was me?”

“How could I not?!”, the former God yelled. “Not only do I bestow Zents with their Wisdom, you are the only mortal in the entirety of the Gods’ Garden who has one! Who else would it be! And why don’t you ever take the proper path to meet me?!”

“I can’t. That pathway is locked.”, Ferdinand answered.

“What do you mean it is locked?!”, Erwarmen roared. “Who dares lock the path to the Garden of Beginnings, to the Book of Wisdom?!”

Why doesn’t he know this, Ferdinand wondered .

“The Royal family has locked the Far Hall. It can only be opened by them.”

Ferdinand was struggling to remain patient as he had a number of questions that he needed answered. However, Erwarmen’s lack of awareness began to make him feel uneasy, and also, he was not enjoying being yelled at like a child. He also detested being called Quinta, but he decided to swallow his distaste as he still needed a lot of information from Erwarmen, and wanted him to remain receptive.

“What Royal family do you speak of, Quinta?”

Ferdinand could tell Erwarmen was genuinely confused.

“The Zent’s family. The same family that’s been ruling Yurgenschmidt for ages.”

“What Zent?! There is no Zent and the foundation of the Garden is nearly dry!”, the former God yelled. “Never mind that now. You must hurry and complete your Book of Wisdom and fill the foundation before the Garden is returned to white sand!”

Ferdinand froze with shock. His mind was unable to process what he had just been told. He heard a voice calling him from far away.

“Quinta! Quinta! Quinta! Did you hear me? You must hurry!”

“Lord Erwarmen, I promise that I will fill the foundation today. But the realm of men is different from the realm of the gods, and in the realm of men, there is a man who is recognized as Zent, who comes from a long line of Zents. This is the Royal family. Now you say that the foundation is almost dry. I am trying to understand. How long has it been since a Zent, that you recognized, filled the foundation?”

“Do you swear to fill the foundation and not fly off in an angry fright like you did last time, Quinta?”

“Yes", Ferdinand replied, “ I swear".

“It’s difficult for gods to track time as it is measured by man, but I would say probably the length of eight human lifespans. It may be longer. I don’t think it’s shorter, although it could be.”

Ferdinand wanted to sit down. In fact, he had to, so he lowered himself to the ground.

“Will you complete your Wisdom now and fill the foundation?”

“Yes, but I still need to speak with you afterwards about this matter, and two other matters related directly to the gods. Also, as there is a man who is recognized as Zent, I don’t have access to the foundation and would be killed instantly if I attempted to find it. In fact, I will be killed if anyone in the human realm discovered that I filled the foundation or knew that I had spoken with you.”

“You would be killed?! But you will be Zent! They would kill you for saving the Garden from destruction, even though we would all perish?!”

“Yes", Ferdinand stated simply.

“Are they fools?!”, Erwarmen thundered.

And for the first time in a very long time, Ferdinand laughed out loud.

“Yes, yes they are fools.”

Erwarmen’s expression was one of extreme incredulity, even with his eyes being perpetually closed. Ferdinand had to laugh again.

And Ferdinand felt like the laughter gave him the strength to stand again, so he did.

“Be that as it may”, Erwarmen began, “I have no desire to see this Garden perish. I am aware of where the foundation is, connected to it as I am. I will send you there and bring you back here when you have filled it sufficiently. And since you are obviously not quite as foolish as these other humans, I will answer your questions. Now prepare yourself, Quinta. Empty your mind to receive the missing wisdom. You don’t have to understand it now. Your Book of Wisdom will be there for you to learn and understand until the end of your days. No need to decipher it today. Now......it begins.”

And for the second time in his life, Ferdinand felt like he had been hit in the head by Bonifatius. It wasn’t precisely a physical pain, more like his mind would actually explode. It was also torture not to examine the information that was flooding into his brain, but he distracted himself with other things.

He thought of Fran's tea and it’s soothing taste. His mind immediately jumped to Rozemyne’s tea cookies. He thought of Sylvester’s face when he was teasing him. He pictured Justus’s face alight with a curiosity no noble bearing could contain. He thought of Eckhart’s reassuring bulk guarding his back. He thought of Lasfram and the devoted care that he dedicated to Ferdinand’s mansion. He thought of how open Karstedt’s laughter was, despite being a noble. He thought of all the people he didn't want turned to white sand.

He thought of Rozemyne’s genuine smile, that no amount of noble education could erase. He thought of her face when she scolded him when he skipped meals. He thought of how often Elvira furiously scribbled in her diptych when Rozemyne was nagging him, and was seized by an urgent need to find out what in all the gods’ names the woman was writing. He thought….....

“It’s done!”, Erwarmen announced. “Very good, Quinta! You absorbed the rest of your wisdom so quickly this time. You were able to clear your mind?”

“I thought of trusted allies, and my family.”

“ Yes. Even the gods understand family. Now I will send you to the foundation.”

“Wait, Lord Erwarmen. I don’t have enough potions to fill up the foundation entirely, and still escape from here and fly all the way back home without stopping. And I can’t stop and rest because if I am caught entering a duchy without permission, it will be seen as an act of either espionage or war. No one will recognize me as Zent, so I have no right to enter any duchy but my own, although being caught here is the most dangerous for me.”

Again, Erwarmen looked stupefied.

“But you are now the rightful Zent!! Do you mean to say that every Aub in the Gods’Garden will continue to recognize this false Zent’s authority?!”

“Yes, not only the Aubs, but all the nobles and commoners too.”

“What is wrong with your countrymen, Quinta?!”

“Stupidity and greed.”, Ferdinand replied. And possibly inbreeding, he thought to himself.

“Apparently.”, stated Erwarmen. “Well, we can’t have you killed for saving the Garden. Fill up the foundation to the extent that you are able, and then call my name. I will then return you here to me, but you will have to return again to continue filling the foundation."

“I will.”

“Off you go then.

And then Ferdinand was elsewhere.

Chapter Text

Ferdinand looked around the country’s supply room with naked curiosity. It looked exactly like Ehrenfest’s , except much, much bigger. The foundation stone itself was positively huge. It glowed a pearlescent white that shimmered with a seven colors of the rainbow, but as Erwarmen stated, it was nearly empty. Ferdinand estimated in horror that only roughly one-tenth of it remained filled. What was the royal family doing?! Never mind. He would figure that out later.

Ferdinand called his schtappe and placed it against the foundation stone and began to channel his mana. He was unprepared for the voracious pull of the starving stone, as it latched on to his mana and began to greedily siphon it out. Ferdinand unraveled his compressed mana and allowed the stone to consume it until he began to feel dizzy. Ferdinand then remembered all the charged feystones he had brought with him as a part of his plan to storm the Garden of Beginnings. He had leisurely filled empty feystones with his own mana while waiting for Rozemyne to leave for the castle. Usually, you push mana out of the feystone to fill the foundation, but that was when other people’s mana was being moved. Out of curiosity, he pressed a feystone against the giant, hungry foundation stone. The smalle feystone instantly adhered to the giant one. Ferdinand watched as smaller stone began shrink down and then finally disolved, ending in a sprinkle of gold powder. He then pressed one charged feystone after another against the giant foundation stone, and it hungrily consumed them all. Ever the researcher, Ferdinand made sure to catch the gold powder left behind by the consumed fey stones with a cloth.

His stomach growled and he realized he was also hungry. Ferdinand sat down on the floor and dug into the bag he had brought with him, and pulled out some bread. This bread was another of Rozemyne’s recipes and in addition to being fluffy, it had pieces of dried fruit and nuts baked into it. She called it raisin nut bread. She said that the dried fruit in the bread tasted like raisins, a dried fruit from her dream world, although the Yurgenschmidt fruit looked different. Whatever that meant. Although Ferdinand wasn’t fond of sweets in general, he found that the bread greatly tempered the sweet taste of the dried fruit, and the nuts made it more filling. He ate two slices very quickly and followed by drinking half his canteen of water.
He liked to eat this bread for breakfast with salty butter, fried eggs, and sausage. However, he found that the sausage that the commoners made was many times more delicious than the sausage made by noble chefs. It was a secret, but Myne’s commoner sister, Tuuli, still brought her homemade sausage to her now noble little sister every autumn after the commoner pig stalking day. Rozemyne had shared it with Ferdinand, and he had never tasted such savory goodness. It easily rivaled some of Rozemyne’s finest recipes, even though it was food for the poorest commoners. He never told Rozemyne just how much he really loved the sausage, but he had noticed each year, Tuuli brought a greater quantity.

Ferdinand realized he must still be hungry if he was daydreaming of sausage. He brought out another slice of a different type of bread that Rozemyne had created filled with pomme and laundeide that were soaked in seasoned oil, and then baked into the bread. She called it salad bread, and it was also one of his favorites. The herbs, salt, oil, pomme, and laundeide mixed into the bread made it almost as good as meat. Ferdinand often snuck into his own noble kitchen at night to snack on the bread after a full day of non-stop research. He knew his chefs must be reporting to Rozemyne because she would often have a smug little smile, if he happened to see her the day after one of his midnight raids. He should get rid of all his traitorous chefs, but they had perfected all of Rozemyne’s recipes, and he had paid a fortune in gold coins for their training and the recipes themselves. Now, fully satisfied, he drank his second mana restoration potion. He could only take one more and he would need it on the way home.

He recalled his schtappe and touched it to the giant foundation. It was still very hungry, but now not in danger of killing him in its effort to replenish itself. He allowed it to gulp down about half his mana, and then stepped away, banishing his schtappe. Between feeding it the feystones and his own mana, the foundation stone appeared to be one-sixth filled. It was much better than it had been, but still woefully underfilled. Erwarmen was right. He would have to fill it again soon. He would have to plan his moves carefully, but in order to do that, he would need the former god to answer some critical questions. He spoke Erwarmen’s name and found himself once more in the Garden of Beginnings.

“Quinta! Well done! The foundation still needs to be completely filled, but what you’ve provided should suffice for a while.”

Erwarmen was almost jovial, Ferdinand noted.

“Lord Erwarmen, would you allow me to ask my questions now?”

“Yes, but Quinta, much information is contained in your completed Wisdom.”

“I’m sure, but I am under time constraints.”, Ferdinand told him.

Erwarmen said, “Ah, one moment, Quinta.” His entire body glowed with shimmering light. Then he said, “I’ve spoken with Dregarnuhr. She has agreed to unwind your time back to the moment you entered the Garden of Beginnings. This will allow you to reference your Wisdom for information without your time constraints. I have questions for you as well.”

“I see.”, said Ferdinand. “My first question is which Goddess instructed my father to adopt me and why?”

“One moment.”, Erwarmen said and glowed again. Then he answered, “It was the very same goddess, Dregarnuhr. Your weave was tangled by Chaoscipher sneaking in errant threads, which would have resulted in you not surviving to become Zent. If you had not become Zent, the Garden would have most likely ceased to exist, especially with a false Zent with no Wisdom ruling the land. Then everything, including Geduldh’s children, would have ceased to exist. With the Garden destroyed, Ewigeleibe would have been freed from his prison. Unfortunately, the Goddess of Weaving could not untangle your pattern without undoing the whole weave back to the point of your conception, which would have erased the all of the events that had occurred up until that point. Each time the weave is unwoven, all of the threads become a little frayed. This can create small warps in the reweave, which result in Geduldh’s children making different decisions or taking different actions than the ones the Gods had originally planned. Over time, these small differences can change the whole tapestry itself, as the effects of these warps ripple out into the future. But, individual threads can be woven into a single person’s section of the tapestry, as a way decreasing the effects of the tampering with their pattern in the cloth. However, this individual’s pattern is still of a different design than the one originally planned by the Gods. Dregarnuhr told your adopted father that your presence in his duchy would be essential to its salvation and future success if he claimed you as his son, so he did.”

So, thought Ferdinand. It was always about Ehrenfest, and never about his father actually caring about Ferdinand's survival on a personal level. He knew that, of course, especially in light of what Bonifatius had shared a few nights ago. However, it still hurt. Deep down, the shadow of the child he had been was devastated at the loss of his father’s illusory love.

He asked, “So this means that I wasn’t originally supposed to be raised in Ehrenfest?”

“No. You were to be raised in another duchy. And unfortunately, the Gods were so focused on preserving your weave that they failed to notice that your father's duchy was already in the thrall of a bloodline who were of true disciples of Chaoscipher. By the time the Gods became aware, you were already living in the duchy and had drawn one of the disciple’s attention. Both Ventuche and Dregarnuhr worked hard to preserve your pattern each time the disciple attempted to sever your threads. Ah!”

Erwarmen suddenly stopped talking and glowed. Then he continued “Ventuche said that disciple’s influence on the tapestry has been eliminated, but a new disciple of Chaoscipher has risen in the land and wants to alter the pattern of the weave for your entire duchy. The disciple is being aided by those whose threads were spun in the God’s Garden, but whose patterns belong to the weave of another cloth. ”

“What!?” exclaimed Ferdinand. “What does that mean?!”

“That is all I have been told to say.”

But not all Erwarmen knows, Ferdinand suddenly realized!

“Why would the Gods not aid me in preserving their Garden by giving me all the information at their disposal?” Ferdinand had laid a trap with this question. He thought he already knew what the answer was, but its confirmation would give him more knowledge about the Gods than possibly any human had ever had.

“Even the Gods have limitations on how much they can aid their children, particularly children like those of the Garden who channel the Gods’ divine powers. The Gods' interference is strictly curtailed to prevent the warping of other cloths and disharmony in the chorus of the spheres.” Erwarmen glowed once more and said, “The Gods will allow no more discussion on this subject. Ask your other questions.”

Ferdinand felt a sense of victory greater than he had ever felt after winning a Ditter! Erwarmen had confirmed what he suspected! He knew that Myne had lived in another world, but Erwarmen had confirmed that there were many worlds! And other weavers, other gods who ruled those worlds! The bloodline of Chaoscipher’s worshippers were Gabrielle’s descendants. He was sure of it! The rising disciple was Georgine! That meant the threads who originated here, but whose pattern belonged to another cloth were the Lanzanave, who Ahrensbach traded with through the only open country gate. But, then the Lazenave weren’t from a foreign country, Lazanave was in a different world! The country gates led to other worlds, not other countries! And what had Erwarmen said at the end, that the children of the Garden channeled their Gods’ divine power? This meant the nobles of Yurgenschmidt were different because they had mana. But, Erwarmen had said "children like those of the Garden". That implied that elsewhere there were children of other gods who also had mana! Myne’s previous world didn’t, but some worlds did. Ferdinand would have to spend quite a bit of time analyzing this information, and reading about the first Zent and the founding of Yurgenschmidt in his Wisdom. He was sure that with this new revelation, he would glean even more information about their world, Yurgenschmidt, then the Gods ever intended him to know.

Ferdinand took a seat on the ground, and dug through his bag for another piece of salad bread. He was hungry again, probably because he had expended so much mana today.

“My next question is about a cave that I…”

“What’s the smell?”, Erwarmen interrupted.

“I apologize Lord Erwarmen. I am hungry, so I am eating. I didn’t realize the smell would offend you. I will put it away at once.”

“No, Quinta. The smell doesn’t offend me at all. In fact, it smells quite good! What is it?”

“This is a type of food called salad bread.”

“I’ve heard of bread before, even tasted it eons ago, but it never smelled so delicious.”

“You can eat?!” Ferdinand asked in a shocked voice.

“I don’t need to eat, as I get my sustenance from the mana dedicated to the various foundation stones, both duchy foundation stones and the foundation stone of the Garden itself. But I am able to eat, and anything that I ingest is converted to mana, of course.”

Well, that cleared up the distasteful thoughts Ferdinand was having about Erwarmen and waste elimination.

“Would you like a slice of bread?”, Ferdinand asked Erwarmen, although the answer was obvious.

He placed his last piece of salad bread in the former god's hand as he asked. Erwarmen took a bite and his eyes almost opened in wonder, almost. His face took on a countenance of pure joy, as he hastily, but very neatly, devoured the rest.

“That was splendid, Quinta! Absolutely splendid! May I have another slice please?”

That was my last piece, damn it! Ferdinand thought this to himself in angry disappointment.

“Unfortunately, that was my last slice.”, Ferdinand answered politely.

“What a shame.”, Erwarmen replied. “Do you have any other delicious food?”

Damn him! Ferdinand raged internally. He had some tea cookies that he had been planning to devour just before he flew back home. He supposed he would have to share them with Erwarmen now, and eat some himself, lest the former God eat them all.

“I have a treat called tea cookies. They are also baked, like bread, but they are small and crunchy. These particular cookies also have tea in them. Tea is made from the leaves of a plant which humans dry, and then steep in hot water to make a beverage. These cookies are usually served with the tea. I don’t have any tea with me.”

He placed some cookies in Erwarmen’s, already out stretched, hand, and began to eat his own. Ferdinand began eating his own cookies, very quickly.

“As I was saying, I recently found a cave in Ehrenfest which seemed to house a Temple. The Temple contained statues of the Supreme Gods, the Eternal Five, and…”

“I’m sorry, Quinta, but may I have some more cookies? They were quite wonderful.”

“I apologize, Lord Erwarmen, but I have no more food with me.”

“Oh, that’s quite a shame. Quite a shame indeed. When you return to fill the foundation stone, can you please bring more salad bread and tea cookies?”

Ferdinand raged internally! Was he serious?!

Out loud, Ferdinand said, “I will certainly look in my food stores and bring something with me. Although it may not be tea cookies and salad bread. As I shared with you before, my status as Zent will have to be kept secret for a while to ensure that I am not assassinated by those currently in power, or their allies. As such, my trip today, and any trips for the foreseeable future, will be quite impromptu. Therefore, I may not have salad bread or tea cookies on hand the next time I travel here. I promise to bring something equally delicious, however.”

“I understand.” Erwarmen’s face was a mask of sadness.

Ferdinand suspected that Erwarmen’s sadness was due to not having a guarantee of bread and cookies in his future, rather than Ferdinand’s life being in danger!!

“I thank you for your generosity, Quinta. This Temple had statues of the Supreme Gods and the Eternal Five, you say? Surely that is not unique to this Temple?”

“And Verdraeos, and Chaosfliehe, and a dark crystal.”, Ferdinand continued.

“Oh, it was that cave.”, Erwarmen said ominously.

Chapter Text

“You’re familiar with this Temple cave then, Lord Erwarmen?”

“Yes, but I am confused as to how you are familiar with it yourself, Quinta, as the cave was shielded from the perception of mortals. You should have been not only unable to see it, but you should have been unable to enter it as well.”

“The entrance to the cave was quite visible to my entire party. It was actually brought to my attention by a scholar of mine who had heard about it from traveling traders, but I heard from my adopted uncle that the duchy next to ours, Zausengas, was familiar with it as well.”

“What?! Quickly, Quinta, you must return and seal the cave! There should be a spell in your Wisdom that will seal the cave to anyone but another Zent or Zent candidate.”

“I’m aware, but the crystal has already been destroyed.”

“What? You already destroyed the crystal?”

“Well, not me, but another member of my group.”

“Quinta, I am able to sense the mana levels of all the Aubs who hold the duchy foundations. None of them have as much mana as you do, so none of them should have been able to destroy that crystal. Who is this person who destroyed the stone? Never mind telling me. Please allow me to draw the memories from you. Step forward so that I may place my hand upon you.”

Ferdinand’s immediate response internally was refusal. However, he reminded himself that this is exactly why he had come here. And, it was a very good thing that he had because the entire country was on the verge of crumbling into white sand, although the solution now presented another host of dangerous problems he now had to solve and manage going forward.

Ferdinand had thought perhaps he could be a ghost Zent, one with far, far less involvement than he had had as ghost Aub. Unfortunately, the royal family had not even been filling the foundation, so they couldn’t be left in power even as puppets, but that was tomorrow’s problem.

His current dilemma was that everything inside him wanted to protect Rozemyne, to hide her existence from the gods. However, this was absurd since her blessings and the unique way her mana worked made it more than apparent that they were all very much aware of her.

So, Ferdinand stepped forward and allowed Erwarmen to touch his head. He visualized the entire sequence of events, from Justus giving him the transcription of the words carved into the cave’s rock face to Justus telling the story to him of how the crystal was destroyed. He didn’t know if his visualizations would help Erwarmen, it just felt right to do. After a while, Erwarmen removed his hand.

He said, “I see.” And Erwarmen glowed as he communed with the Gods once more. After a long moment, he spoke again.

“So, the one who destroyed it was the special soul transferred to this sphere, the one whose thread is interwoven with yours. That makes sense.”

“The one whose what?!”, Ferdinand yelled.

“Her soul is from another sphere. Did you not know?”

“Yes, I knew that. What do you mean that her thread is interwoven with mine? Wait, I’ll come back to that. Are the Gods displeased that the crystal housing Chaoscipher’s daughter was destroyed?”

“It is always sad when those you know cease to exist. The Gods were aware of this event, and Verdrenna gave her aid freely, which I understand she was most enthusiastic about. Verdrenna said that your young lady's mana is beautiful, and her spontaneous prayers for her aid in protecting you were so strong that she was deeply moved.

Many of the Gods grieve for the loss of one of their own, even though she was a fallen God, but the Gods are grateful. The divine magic placed on the cave should have prevented mortals from ever being aware of it’s existence, but it failed, and not recently at least by mortal standards.
Also, though it was quite reckless of you to break the barrier sealing the cave's entrance, it is very distressing that you could. Though your mana is considerable, no mortal should have been able to do this. This means that the one sealed away would have soon escaped from her prison if she had not been destroyed, and the binding on her powers would also have been undone. It is no wonder her mother was able to gain true disciples in your duchy. Her daughter’s influence had seeped into the land itself.”

“What did she rule over?”, asked Ferdinand.

“Misery”, answered Erwarmen. "Unlike Glucklitat's trials, misery has no reward for enduring it."

An apt description for the state of affairs in Ehrenfest for the last several decades, Ferdinand thought.

“But, Quinta, this is indicative of a much greater problem. Both the divine seal and the warding placed on the one sealed were fueled by mana derived from the Garden’s foundation. The Garden’s foundation was nearly empty of mana. If they failed, it means that the gates connecting the Garden to other spheres may be failing as well. You will have to fill these gates with mana as soon as possible”

Ferdinand let out a scream of rage inside his head. Clearly, the Royal family had to be executed for gross incompetence. The effects of their mismanagement were endless. It was well known that some of the Sovereignty’s most ancient magic tools had crumbled into gold dust, but those events had somehow been blamed on the civil war and the loss of so many nobles. Now Ferdinand wondered if some of these tools had been sustained by mana from the Yurgenschmidt foundation. But, back to the problem at hand.

“I can certainly fill the Ehrenfest gate, and the first duchy that I had planned to seek an alliance with has a country gate. My revealing this issue will certainly increase the likelihood of that duchy’s support, although I expect that duchy would support me regardless. The other country gates are problematic, since two of the duchies would likely kill me immediately. One has close ties with the current Royal family and the other is home to the disciple of Chaoscipher, who already wants to eliminate me as I stand in opposition to her plans for my duchy. The remaining two are unknowns, and not powerful enough to seek out as allies.”

“This must be addressed quickly, Quinta, although I am impressed you have already figured out the identity of the disciple.”

Ferdinand sighed. “Don’t be. Her mother tried to kill me for the majority of my life. She still wants me dead, I’m sure, but unfortunately for her, she’s been imprisoned with no possibility of release.”

He asked, “Can the location on the other side of the gate be changed to a place without inhabitants, or better yet to no place at all?”

“Yes, your Wisdom should provide the instruction on how to do that.”

“Can I set up a transport circle in the foundation room so that I can travel here more easily.”

“Yes, though I urge you to set up the transportation circle on your end so that no one other than yourself can ever access it. You said that you flew here, correct?”

“Yes.”, answered Ferdinand.

“I am sorry to add to your worries, Quinta, but this entire location should have been sealed by a barrier that prevents anyone from reaching it except by a transportation circle. I meant to tell you earlier. That means that the barrier has failed, and both the foundation stone room and the Garden of Beginnings are unprotected. Not that any of the children have the colors, mana, or wisdom needed to access these sacred spaces. However, you should erect the barrier before you leave. If you have no other questions, I do have some of my own.”

“I do have one more question about the young lady whose thread you said is interwoven with mine. What does that actually mean?”

“It means that your threads are already wrapped around each other, although not yet tied. She is your destined one, the one chosen by Liebeskhilfe and Sterrat to tie her threads with yours tightly in this life.”

“Well, that’s a problem since she’s engaged to my adopted nephew.”

“WHAT?!”, Erwarmen shouted. “Why would you give your divinely chosen intended away to another man?! What is wrong with you, Quinta?!”

“She is not yet of age, Lord Erwarmen. I met her when she was just a small child, and her growth has been stunted due to too much mana, so she looks like a child still. Also, she and my nephew are almost the same exact age. I am her guardian in the Temple, and it seemed more appropriate that she be wed to someone who is her peer.”

Erwarmen looked thoughtful and then said, “While Liebeskhilfe and Bluanfah often prefer sprouts that grow at the same pace so that they may dance together with youthful joy, Sterrat is more concerned that Entrinduge will provide her blessings, and that threads tied together will not be easily severed when faced with Glucklitat's trials. And I assure you that Liebeskhilfe, Bluanfah, Sterrat, Entrinduge, and even Glucklitat, approve of the tying of your threads together."

"Children grow up into adults, Quinta. She won’t be young forever. Come Quinta, let me see this boy who she’s engaged to currently.”

“That’s not necessary. I will handle it”, Ferdinand protested.

“Quinta, come here to me so that I may see him for myself!"

“Lord Erwarmen, it’s not his fault. He doesn’t even want to marry her.”

“Come, Quinta!”, and Erwarmen actually lightly Crushed him. The former God of matchmaking was getting Very Angry.

Having no choice, Ferdinand moved his now slightly aching body to stand next to Erwarmen. Erwarmen’s hand landed on his head with just a little bit too much force. Erwarmen was silent for a while, and then removed his hand and frowned ferociously.

He roared, “That boy is an utter fool! How could you allow a child so blessed by the gods to be paired with such a poor choice?! If I were her, I would flee from all of you who had a hand in such an absurd decision! And I see by your memories that he is to be the next Aub! Your duchy must still be in the thrall of Misery to choose one such as him as the heir! And here, I have been so impressed with your maturity and growing wisdom, and you show me this?!”

“I am not Aub Ehrenfest, Lord Erwarmen, to choose his heir.”, Ferdinand said.

“No!! You are Zent!!, Erwarmen yelled. "Kindly undo this travesty of an engagement before you next come to visit me, or I will be most displeased. And I will speak with Heilschmerz and Anwachs so that she may heal and grow properly for her age.”

“No! Not yet, .....please”, Ferdinand interrupted.

“Why not?! You would leave her to suffer as she is now?! For what reason?! I never took you for cruel, Quinta! Why would you treat your divine intended in such a way?!”, Erwarmen demanded.

“I value her as my family and would never wish her to suffer. However, hold off on speaking to Anwachs and Heilschmerz just for now, unless you want other duchies, ones more powerful than Ehrenfest, or even the royal family, to try to steal her away. I will already have to fight battles on multiple fronts. Don’t add any more battles for me to fight right now. My survival is uncertain enough as it stands now.”

“Very well. I will hold off for now, but you must undo the engagement. It’s so ridiculous that I cannot tolerate it."

Erwarmen continued, "Now, open your Wisdom and read so you can explain to me why Zent candidates stopped coming to the Garden of Beginnings to get their Wisdoms, and why the foundation was nearly dry.”

Chapter Text

Ferdinand sat down on the ground and called Grutrissheit and his Book of Wisdom appeared. He was exhausted, and he was getting hungry again, but Erwarmen had plowed through the last of his food stash.

Everything that Erwarmen had told him was terrifying. The country had been on the verge of collapse and no one knew it. The gates protecting the country may be failing, and oh yes, they lead to whole other worlds. Everyone who had benefited from Trauerqual’s reign would want to kill him. Not to mention, that he was a motherless bastard, as far as noble society is concerned, from a historically mediocre duchy with destabilizing factional politics and an Aub, who loved him, but had a weak stomach. Now, he was going to find out how the country had gotten to this point, and he just knew that what he would find was going to make him rage again.

Ferdinand read for a while, and Erwarmen patiently waited. When Ferdinand finally thought he understood what had happened, and it was hard to be sure because it was all so very convoluted and thoroughly stupid, his mana began to rampage.

“Quinta, what is happening? I can feel your mana is going out of control. What is it you have discovered?”

“Those idiots!”, Ferdinand roared. “Stupid, greedy, short-sighted fools!”

“Quinta, what is it? What did you learn?”

Ferdinand took a few calming breaths and then began to speak.

“I will attempt to summarize it because it’s many centuries of history, and it seems to be a series of events, rather than one thing, that were the cause. Some of what I will say to you is based on my own theories of how the events that I read about in my Book led us to where we are today with the state of the Garden."

"Apparently, Zents started keeping notes on the Book of Wisdom. The writings included the magic circles needed to manage the country, along with notes on the political strife during the Zent’s rule, and their own personal impressions and experiences. They also included any new spells developed by the Zent. Apparently, this began because one Zent found the writings of his predecessor and realized that the personal writings were more comprehensive than what was recorded in the Book of Wisdom. Apparently, the Goddess, Mestionora, arbitrarily removes information from deceased Zents’ Books of Wisdom that she finds irrelevant, and scales down the Books to what she finds essential.”

“And, what is wrong with that, Quinta?” Does Erwarmen sound a bit defensive on Mestionora’s behalf, Ferdinand wondered. Best tread carefully here.

“Humans don’t function well under those circumstances. We always seek more information, even if the information is not confirmed, as is the case with rumors and gossip. It is better if that information is put into emotional and political context. This is because we are emotional and political beings. Being Zent is a very difficult and dangerous job. The Zent’s personal writings retained the reference points for the information in the Book of Wisdom, which led humans to prioritizing it, since the emotions made it easier to understand. The Goddess Mestionora’s trimming down of the Books caused this particular Zent to follow his predecessor’s behavior and create his own notes on the Book of Wisdom, and the next did the same, and the next, and it became a tradition. All of these notes were stored in the Underground Library. Since the personal writings are referred to in my Wisdom, I can only assume that the Goddess Mestionora didn’t object to them and neither did you”.

“Mestionora thought that allowing Zents to keep their own notes would discourage them from using the Book of Wisdom to write about their human emotions, and maintain the purity of the Book of Wisdom’s true purpose, which is as a book of instruction on how to maintain the Gods’ Garden”, stated Erwarmen.

“Of course, that’s correct”, replied Ferdinand. “However, if you can understand someone’s emotions, then you can often predict their actions, or at least understand why they took certain actions after they have taken them. Most human actions have their birth in human emotions. Knowing this has saved my life many times, by allowing me to anticipate when someone would move against me due to their feelings. For instance, I know that my life is in danger now as a true Zent because the humans allied with the false Zent will be motivated by the fear of losing their wealth, power, and influence with his removal. Since I am from a lesser ranked duchy, others will fear that I don’t have the training needed to be Zent. Older nobles will fear that my relative youth will make me incompetent. The false Zent will fear that he will be eliminated by me as an impediment to my rule, or that he will be punished for the actions of his ancestors, and seek to eliminate me first. The common motivating emotion is fear. This allows me to understand the magnitude of the opposition facing me as a true Zent, and the reason why it took me so long to come back.”

Ferdinand would never see the irony of him instructing Erwarmen on human emotions. It was true that Ferdinand was excellent in predicting how people's negative emotions would make them behave. This was a consequence of so many negative human emotions and behaviors being directed towards him from a very young age. However, he was terrible at understanding positive human emotions and behaviors. He thought them foolish, and he was blind to how his own positive emotions for a very select few people would cause him to go to extremes on their behalf. Nevertheless, his understanding of the negative dimensions of human nature was nearly perfect.

“Will you eliminate the false Zent, Quinta?”, Erwarmen asked.

“I may not be given a choice. You told me that you hadn’t seen a true Zent in eight human lifetimes, and I saw for myself that the foundation was almost dry, a foundation that this Zent and his predecessors were responsible for keeping filled. Not only are there the centuries of transgressions due to the lies of his ancestors, but this particular Zent killed everyone who fought in the civil war on the sides of his first and fourth brothers. That is recent history and half the country is still angry over the loss of their leaders, colleagues, and relatives. Now it will be revealed that none of the princes had a right to the throne and the war was a needless, senseless tragedy.”

“Isn’t all war a needless, senseless tragedy though, Quinta?”, asked Erwarmen.

“I certainly think so, unless it is to defend yourself from attackers and protect what is yours, meaning your family, your land, your food and industry. But humans see a wide variety of things as theirs, such as social standing, wealth, and power. When those things are threatened, people will attack even if they have not been threatened with violence themselves. The emotions behind it are fear of loss and anger over feeling afraid. Some humans go to war over the feeling of greed, the hunger to possess what others have. Others are plagued by feelings of inferiority and hunger for the feeling of power over others to assuage those feelings of inferiority, so they go about conquering others.”

“I don’t think any Zent has ever so simply explained the emotions that motivate human violence before.”, Erwarmen observed.

“I don’t think that many Zents have been as powerless and unprotected as I was when I was younger.", Ferdinand replied.

"But back to my original point, the result of all these writings from the previous Zents was, in short, there were copies of each Zent’s Book of Wisdom in the Underground Library.
Along comes a Zent candidate who attempts to earn his Grutrissheit the correct way, but is turned away by the Golden Shumil for lack of moral fitness on his pathway to you. That was definitely the right action, since this man decided to reject the Golden Shumil’s judgement and become Zent anyway. I am not quite sure how this was done. This man is only referenced in the writing of a Zent who came after him. The only thing that I can think is that he had the Grutrissheit spell already embedded in his schtappe, but his book was empty. That wasn’t a concern for him, however, because he had all the notes from the previous Zents. Somehow, this information became public knowledge, and it led to extreme bloodshed each time a new Zent was being selected, with those refusing to submit themselves to the Golden Shumil’s judgement not giving way because the information needed to run the country was already contained in the Underground Library. The fighting became so bad that a subsequent Zent decided to move the Zent’s residence and create a new duchy, which is now called the Sovereignty.”

“Yes, I gave my permission for that.”, Erwarmen stated.

“Well, that’s not all that this Zent did. This Zent made Zenthood hereditary for her bloodline alone, and slaughtered anyone who opposed her. She locked all of the previous information from predecessor Zents in a special section of the Underground Library, and employed magic circles that prevented those unrelated to her from accessing the information. She created Schwartz and Weiss as knights, and armed them with dangerous magics so that any Zent candidate that attempted to access this section of the Underground Library would be killed by the Library shumils, unless they were related to her. Finally, she had eliminated all her enemies, and the role of the acquisition of blessings and the role of worship began to decrease among the noble population remaining because they would no longer be allowed to compete for the position of Zent. At least, that’s my theory. Her writings only claim that she made the position hereditary to eliminate the fighting and loss of life over the position. Of course, her actions made her bloodline the most powerful in the country and prevented anyone not descended from her from ever becoming Zent again. Also, she killed everyone who opposed her. She called them warmongers and opponents of the new peace. Additionally, she did not take into account that there might be descendants of hers that were unfit to rule, or that other bloodlines might produce Zent candidates who were more worthy. It was the height of arrogance believing that her bloodline was inherently superior to all others.”

“She deceived me.”, Erwarmen said in a horrified voice.

“Yes.”, Ferdinand agreed. “She hid her true motivations behind pretty ideals, such as preventing unnecessary bloodshed and loss of life, but the emotions behind it were greed and a lust for unending power for her bloodline. Did you not know about the bloodline requirement?”

“No”, said Erwarmen. “I only agreed to the notes from previous Zents’ Books being restricted to Zent candidates. I had no idea that she meant to restrict it to Zent candidates from her bloodline alone.”

Ferdinand said, “The Goddess must have read this after the Zent’s death when she reviewed the Zent’s Book of Wisdom though. Please forgive me for saying this, but the Goddess’s distaste for human emotions has led her to disregard vital information regarding the decay of the Gods’ Garden. I know how vile many human emotions and behaviors are, and can personally understand wanting to avoid them. However, ignoring them will prevent the Gods from understanding how the dangers to the Garden came to be. We humans cannot be separated from the emotions which motivate our behavior. It might also be beneficial for you to be allowed to read the Books of deceased Zent’s, as the divine being closest to we humans.”

“You may very well be right, Quinta.”, Erwarmen said in a thoughtful tone of voice. “I will discuss this with the Gods when the crisis facing the Garden is resolved.”

Ferdinand continued. “The actions of this Zent didn’t cause an immediate problem because her bloodline still practiced the old ways and obtained their Books of Wisdom. And her descendants still supplied mana in the country foundation room. However, down the line, there was a Zent who decided that her favored child should be Zent, even though they did not have the right colors, mana amount, had visited none of the shrines, and had not met with you. This child, essentially, met none of the qualifications to be Zent, and was sickly and often bedridden. Instead, of choosing one of her other children, she decided to cheat. She created a magic tool Book of Wisdom using the Grutrissheit spell. I am not sure how it was done. Also, the Sovereignty foundation stone was connected to the country foundation stone, so that the child could dedicate mana more easily. Possibly the stones were already linked by the Zent who moved the Royal residence. This frail Zent taught their own heir using the magic tool and Sovereignty foundation to dedicate mana to the country. And so the magic tool Book of Wisdom became known as the Grutrissheit over time and was passed down the family line to each Zent heir. The location of the true foundation stone was lost, along with the knowledge of how to acquire the true Book of Wisdom. The Temple’s importance decreased and ceased to be a place of learning. Over time, nobles ceased going there at all and focused on power and money. The blessings that they gained decreased, as did the amount of mana that they had. Instead, the Temple became a place that focused on flowers, cloth, and honey, and only unwanted low manaed nobles and orphaned commoners were given to the Temple. I am also assuming that too little mana is moving from the Sovereignty foundation stone to the country foundation stone, or too little mana is being dedicated, or both. It seems that the Zents of old had vastly more mana than the current Royal family."

Erwarmen asked, “Does your book say all of that?”

“My Book references the creation of the magic tool, with the Zent that created it stating that she judged her sickly child to be more deserving of the position the her other children, even though the child was weak of body and did not have the mana requirements needed to obtain a true Wisdom. To me, it implies that she favored the child. She goes on to write that the child was taught to dedicate mana to the Sovereignty foundation as a way of alleviating the physical demands required to journey to the country foundation. It is conjecture on my part, but that also implies that her other children could make the journey to the true foundation and had the necessary mana requirements. It seems like what she wrote were rationalizations that she included knowing that her Book would at least be read by Goddess Mestionora, and perhaps other Zents if that part of her writing wasn’t purged, which it wasn’t. This Zent also wrote that the child she chose was “more deserving of the position”, not the best suited. There is a distinct difference between those two things. It sounds like she simply had a stronger emotional attachment to this child than to any of her others. As a human reading about a human, I believe her reasons were purely emotional and completely biased in favor of this one child. I am theorizing that this child didn’t know the path to obtaining the true Book of Wisdom or to the country foundation, and simply passed on what they knew to the next Zent heir. Since the Zent that created the tool had her own Book and refers to the country foundation, she must have died before she could educate her grandchild. That also implies that by this point, Zents were withholding the information on how to obtain your own Book of Wisdom from all family members except the designated heir, since her other children didn’t simply get their own and overrule her heir selection. Certainly, their descendants, the current Royal family, doesn’t know how.”

Ferdinand didn’t know if Gods cried, but Erwarmen looked like he might.

Ferdinand continued on. “And this family that had stolen the position of Zent became known as the bloodline of true Zents, though that was a lie. Which brings us to the present, and the previous Zent dying. There were five brother princes from the deceased Zent’s three wives. The second prince was the chosen as Zent heir, and then the new Zent was killed by the first brother out of jealousy. And the magic tool Book of Wisdom, now known as the Grutrissheit, was lost when the new Zent was killed. The heir’s full brother, the third prince, retaliated against the first brother and killed him in return. The fourth brother retaliated against him, and killed the third prince and his entire family. However, the fourth brother was known to be cruel and twisted, so the fifth brother went to war against him, though he had none of the training needed to be Zent, no Book of Wisdom, no Grutrissheit tool, and no idea of where the true foundation lay. He, miraculously, won the war because at least he wasn’t known for being cruel and twisted. That man is the one who is recognized as being Zent by the whole country, and even if by some miracle he doesn’t want me dead, his allies surely will because none of them know that there was never supposed to be a Zent’s Royal bloodline to begin anyway.”

Erwarmen asked in a confused voice, “Why are flowers, cloth, and honey being offered in the Temple?”

“It’s a noble euphemism. It means that priests from noble families require grey robed priestesses, occasionally children of both sexes, and sometimes even blue robed priestesses from lesser noble families, to offer the blessings of Beischmacht to nobles who pay the priests with gold, gifts, and favors in exchange. The priests also partake of Beischmacht's blessings whenever the mood strikes them. The ones who are required to offer these blessings are called flowers. Cloth and honey are euphemisms for gifts, goods, and favors from the nobles who partake of the blessings. To be fair, I am not saying that all priests do this, and I personally know priests who don’t. Also, I am not saying that all the priestesses object. Some may enjoy it, although grey robe priestesses being commoners have no power to refuse. Some of the grey robed priestesses simply prefer offering blessings to starving and the filthy conditions found in the orphanage. It should not need to be stated that children should be left alone, but there are such twisted animals in the Temple. Unfortunately, these practices are common place throughout the entirety of Yurgenschmidt. Due to this, the Temple has a very bad name, and anyone associated with the Temple has a blemished reputation, such as myself.

That is another mark against me as Zent as I am a High Priest. Even though everyone in the country knows that I am not one to ever indulge in the blessings of Beischmacht offered in the Temple, it is still a blemish on my reputation to have lived in an environment where these things go on. Only unwanted children are sent to the Temple because of these practices, only very low manaed nobles and orphaned commoners. I was sent to the Temple to protect me from the Chaoscipher worshipper's escalating attacks on my life. However, my being sent there was seen as a victory for the Chaoscipher worshipper by the people of her faction since the Temple is looked down upon.

The High Bishops in charge frequently let commoner children in the orphanage starve to death. The children are usually left uneducated, unless they are taken by noble blue robed priests into their entourages. Most High Bishops that administer the Temples don’t spend money on properly clothing the orphans, or on their daily hygiene or medical needs. Even when a priest or priestess is put in charge of the Orphanage, they aren’t given the resources to properly care for the orphans, that is, if it concerns them. Although some genuinely do care very much for the children, others use their positions to exploit the children.

The former High Bishop of my Temple, who was from the lineage of the Chaoscipher worshippers, decided to sell off all the pretty grey robed priestesses as flowers to nobles for money. The less pretty ones who didn’t sell, he put to death, so that he would not have to spend money feeding and clothing them, and could steal more of the Temple’s money for himself. Since they had been commoner orphans to begin with, they were worthless to him if they couldn't be used as flowers, an unnecessary expense. The Orphanage Director that he had appointed to care for the orphans used her position to force the attractive boys, still locked in summer, to offer the blessings of Beischmacht to her and her allies, both inside and outside of the Temple. She also sold the children for profit. Since noble authority is based on rank, even in the Temple, those of lesser rank have no way to oppose those in a position of power, and commoners are put to death for challenging noble authority, of course.

I am happy to report that the High Bishop from the line of Chaoscipher worshippers was actually executed for treason against the Aub, which he had most definitely committed. Now, the young lady that we spoke of is the High Bishop and I am her High Priest, and of course, all those foul practices have been eliminated.”

Erwarmen had been silent for a while Ferdinand thought, too silent, and then, suddenly, Ferdinand found himself being Crushed.

Chapter Text

"Deceivers!”, Erwarmen shouted. “Depraved, ignorant savages! Lower than animals! Selfish, avaricious, and ungrateful of the Gods' gifts! Wallowing in perversion and turning the House of the Gods into a den to filth!"

"How many Zents have deceived me?! How many Zents have withheld the truth from me about the true state of the Garden and the Temple, Quinta?! How many?!”

Erwarmen’s Crushing had felt like Ferdinand had had a bout with his uncle, Bonifatius, and lost, very badly. He attempted to catch his breath so he could answer Erwarmen.

“I suppose”, he said hesitantly, “on one level or another, every Zent from the one who asked to build a new residence through the last one that you met.”

“And you say that they are all of the same bloodline, all these Zents, including the current false Zent?”

“Yes”, Ferdinand answered cautiously, but then bravely added, “but in all honesty, the reason that I ran from here when I first met you is because I discovered while absorbing my Wisdom that I am from that bloodline too. I had thought my adopted father was my real biological father, but he wasn’t. A palace was kept in the Sovereignty that was filled with high manaed women, who were treated like the priestesses that I previously described. My mother was such a woman. My father was the Zent heir that was killed by the first prince. Most of the girl children lived and died in that palace, captive for life. A lucky few ones were married into the Royal family over the centuries, or into upper duchies. The boys of every generation, all except the one with the highest mana with all seven colors, were killed right before our baptisms, and our mana stones were given to the Lazanave, the ones whose threads began in this weave but whose cloths now belongs to another weaver. I was scheduled to be killed, but my father brought me to Ehrenfest and baptized me as his son, apparently due to Dregarnuhr's intervention. Since my stone couldn’t be sent to the Lazanave, my mother was killed in my place and her stone was sent instead of mine."

Erwarmen was silent for a long while. Finally, he said, “Heilschmerz, please heal Quinta ”, and Ferdinand was showered by gigantic green blessings.

“I am very sorry for Crushing you, Quinta. Everything that you have described to me is terrible. These are great crimes against the Gods, against other children of the Garden, and crimes against the purpose of why the Garden was created in the first place. Is that palace still engaging in the same activities?”

“No.”, Ferdinand said. “The current Zent closed it down.”

“And the women and children who resided there? What happened to them?”

“No one really knows. However, as we all tend to look alike since we are closely related, and I haven’t seen or heard of a large influx of people that look like me into noble society, it has been assumed that they were all killed.”

Erwarmen let out a tremendous sigh filled with regret and sadness.

“So the false Zent did right by closing the palace, but then committed a grievous crime by killing all those pitiful women and children. He killed scores of high manaed individuals who could have become proper Zent candidates, or be married into the noble population and infused it with more balanced mana. He did this in the Garden which was created as a sanctuary for those blessed with mana, the Gods' divine power.”

Ferdinand added, “And by killing them, if that is what he did, he was eliminating all of his relatives who might challenge his right to Zenthood. This is because all those born of the palace have thicker so called Royal blood than he does. If he had been motivated by the emotion of compassion, he would have cared for them and allowed them to live out their days in peace. However, since they are almost surely dead, I believe that he was motivated by the fear of the loss of his power and position. He may have also been motivated by the fear of the knowledge of this depraved palace, that his ancestors created, reaching the larger noble population. Only Royalty and the Aubs know of it’s existence, and probably not all the Aubs at that. A few, very few, archnobles might have been told by their upper duchy archducal relatives, but not many. Mednobles and lower nobles certainly don’t know. But again, the motivation was fear of the loss of admiration of the greater noble population, fear of tarnishing his reputation. Fear is the emotion motivating his behavior. This is why the actions of previous Zents can’t be separated from the emotions that motivate them.”

“What will you do now, Quinta?”

“I will set up the transportation circle in the supply room, if you will kindly transfer me back. I will then return to Ehrenfest. I will restore the barrier the next I come to fill the foundation, as I need it to remain down so that I can fly home. I will set up the transportation circle on my end in a highly restricted, secret hidden room as soon as I have rested.”, Ferdinand replied.

“What will your first steps be to repair the Garden?”

“After I have had a chance to review the information on country gates, I will change the location of all the closed gates. Is there a way to partially close a country gate, so that it is only wide enough to admit a carriage or very small boat?”

“Yes.”, Erwarmen replied. “You can control how wide the gate is opened. What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking that I want to give the Chaoscipher worshipper in Ahrensbach something to focus on rather than Ehrenfest. I will have to analyze the benefits and disadvantages before I do it, but I don’t like the idea of the Lazanave, who are branches the current Royal family tree, being the only foreigners that can enter Yurgenschmidt.”

“But they were born in the Garden, Quinta.”, said Lord Erwarmen.

“Yes, but this is a land that is ruled by a Royal family that had the practice of having its own child relatives killed for their mana stones to power their country. This is still the same bloodline, Lord Erwarmen, that lied to you, and killed my mother for her mana stone because they did not get mine. Ahrensbach is also still selling them mana, instead of dedicating this mana to the land of the Garden. And as you said, their cloth belongs to a different weave now. They have no loyalty to the Garden. They only seek to take mana from us. They will never give anything back.”

“Alright.”, Erwarmen conceded.

“Please send me back to the country foundation now.” Ferdinand requested, and his request was granted.

Once in the foundation supply room, he read through the information in his Wisdom on the country Gates. Some Zents had been fascinated with the country Gates. There was one Zent in particular who had listed every destination a Gate had ever been linked to, including uninhabited lands, uninhabitable locations, links that led to some very dangerous places, Gates to no where, and the spaces between the stars. Ferdinand had been surprised to find out that some of the uninhabitable places also included places where humans could not breathe the air. Although Ferdinand supposed if the country Gates led to other worlds, he should not be surprised that some worlds were very different than Yurgenschmidt. He would love to talk to Rozemyne about what she had learned about other worlds in her previous life.

For now, he chose to make the closed Gates point no where. In other words, these were unsuccessful links that simply opened to the endless white sand which Yurgenschmidt was built upon. This seemed safest to Ferdinand. If the Gates were failing, he wasn’t sure they couldn’t be breached by people on the other side, even if the Gates were closed. He would rather not have the country exposed and vulnerable to people who already knew that Yurgenschmidt existed. He didn’t want to chance a location that had been uninhabited in ancient times. There was no guarantee that it had remained uninhabited. If it was a world like Myne’s former world that used this science instead of magic, it could very well now be inhabited by society far more advanced than Yurgenschmidt's. The few weapons of destruction that Myne had described to him were terrifying beyond measure. Linking the gates to the spaces between stars seemed as unwise as linking the gates to uninhabitable locations.


He was so very tempted to close the Ahrensbach Gate, but he decided to mull it over. He could close the Gate whenever he chose, and in the future, closing it might prove a great distraction for Georgine. It might also be a way of deflecting negative attention onto Trauerqual, a sign of one more thing failing to work properly as a result of the mana drought caused by the civil war.

However, the more intelligent would recognize it as a sign that possibly there was an unknown player who had found the Grutrissheit. Although most eyes would look past him, a few might suspect a young man with an unreasonably high mana amount, known for his exceptional scholarship in the creation of magic tools and the ancient language, and who, even now, had an uncanny resemblance to the deceased second prince. But, he couldn’t resist narrowing the opening of the Gate by a small degree.

Ferdinand then drew the transportation circle that he would later copy in a new hidden room. This would link his new hidden room to here, the country foundation. With that done, he called Erwarmen’s name, and was transported back to him.

The former God looked less devastated, but very lost in thought.

“What have you accomplished?”, he asked Ferdinand.

“I changed the locations of the closed country Gates.”, Ferdinand answered.

“I can feel that, but why did you do so? The Gates now point towards the barren lands surrounding the Garden.”, asked Erwarmen.

“I was concerned that if the Gates failed that we might be left open to a foreign incursion”, Ferdinand answered.

“Yes, it is possible that they would weaken before crumbling entirely. If they crumbled entirely, then the barren landscape you have chosen would be revealed. The barrenness of the landscape is invasive. It is only held at bay by the barrier surrounding the Garden. The Gates were added to the barrier later so that the children of the Garden may thrive through commerce and interaction with inhabitants of other weaves. Will you not want to continue these interactions?”

“Yes, I definitely will, but for now, my moving the destinations of the Gates was a protective measure. I will be unable to charge four of the Gates before ascending as Zent publicly. I wanted the Garden protected until then. Will filling the foundation help strengthen the barrier protecting the Garden?” asked Ferdinand.

“Absolutely, but you must fill it more thoroughly to strengthen the barriers. Most of the mana is being used to maintain life in the Garden, and the entire Garden is starved of sustenance. Only a small amount is being allocated to maintaining the barrier.”.

Wonderful, Ferdinand thought sarcastically.

“Lord Erwarmen, can you intentionally direct mana to the barrier?”

“Not without taking it from life in the Garden. I can move the mana in the land to the barrier, but the ground will become less fertile and the plants will wither.”

Just Delightful. And this is another reason why Ferdinand never wanted to be Zent, so he wouldn’t have to hear about barriers failing and crops dying.

“I will return to Ehrenfest now. I will create the transportation circle to match the one that I drew in the foundation supply room, so that I may return more easily to continue filling the foundation.”

“When will you return?”, asked Erwarmen in a tone of voice that Ferdinand was having difficulty identifying.

Wait, maybe he could identify it. He sounded sad, and not only sad, but lonely. Was that loneliness he actually heard in a Former God’s voice?

Ferdinand had heard of things like this happening. He had always listened closely when others spoke of their family relations, although he wasn’t sure why he did so. He remembered hearing a conversation between two young, new knights who both had living grandparents. They were complaining that when they visited their grandparents, their grandparents were often reluctant to let them leave, and always inquired about the next visit before the current one was even concluded. Erwarmen reminded him now of the grandparents the two knights had discussed.

“I will return soon. Since I am the only person filling the foundation, I will need to make frequent, very short visits in order to fill it as quickly as I can. I will come to speak with you when I do. ”

“Will you still bring other foods for me to taste, now that you will not being making another long journey?”, Erwarmen asked.

Honestly, thought Ferdinand, was that the priority after all that they had discussed?!

“Yes. I will bring you food, but it has to be food that transports easily like bread or cookies, or perhaps a slice of pound cake.”

“What is pound cake?”

Why did Ferdinand not watch his words?!

“It is another treat, now ,Lord Erwarmen, if.."

“Will you bring the young lady with you? I would like to meet her.”

SERIOUSLY??!!

“Lord Ewarmen, right now my life is in danger as the true Zent. I cannot say when I will disclose this truth to her. Therefore, it will be a while before I can introduce you. Now, I humbly ask that you ask Dregarnuhr to wind back my time and send me back to where you found me”.

“Oh, very well.”, said Erwarmen in an irritable voice.

Ferdinand quickly brought out his highbeast and got on it, while Erwarmen once again glowed.

Ferdinand found himself once again hovering over the Royal Academy Library.

Was that last bit of irritation on Erwarmen’s part actually sulking?!

A while after returning home, Ferdinand would hear of strange happenings that flew on Ordoschnelli's wings, and even took flight through the Aubs' water mirrors.

He heard that the lands now managed by Ahrensbach, the Sovereignty, and Dunklefelger after the civil war looked just a little more green. He heard that the fisherman in duchies with seas said the fish had suddenly become a little more plentiful. Interestingly enough, no one attributed these happenings to Zent Trauerqual's reign, since everyone knew that he had no Grutrissheit. Instead, people said these were blessings of the Gods.

One really strange thing happened. There was a horrible storm over the Sovereignty, not too long after Ferdinand left. Lightning struck an old abandoned palace, repeatedly, and turned the entire palace to ash and rubble. Even what looked like the remains of a transportation circle that had been engraved into a large stone, now unreadable, had been shattered into rubble. Zent Trauerqual had been surprised about the transportation circle and honestly did not know where led. The castle grounds were pulverized too, completely, even the gardens, and the old greenhouse on the palace grounds that still had pretty flowers growing was destroyed. Unfortunately, all the plants had been burnt to ash.

Zent Trauerqual was utterly indifferent to the loss of the palace or the greenhouse, although his Knight Commander Raublut, for some reason, was troubled. Upper duchy Aubs whispered to their fathers that it was the Gods' judgement on both the palace, and what had happened to the palace's inhabitants.

Elsewhere, in Ehrenfest, Ferdinand genuinely smiled when he heard the news, and wondered which snacks would most please a former God.

Chapter Text

Lady Georgine of Ahrensbach was having a quiet moment of thought to herself in her hidden room. She had gone about her entire day pretending like her plan to take over Ehrenfest was not affected by the news that her husband had brought to her shortly after breakfast this morning. Of course, she did not hear the information until after Aub Ahrensbach’s first wife, Melissande, had been informed. Her husband, Gieselfried, usually took breakfast with Melissande. It was a habit that had begun during the early years of their marriage. As much as their marriage had been a political match, it had grown into a strong partnership based on respect, and as the years moved on, even true companionship and eventually affection. Georgine would hesitate to call it anything so common as love, however.

As Gieselfried’s breakfast companion, Melissande got to hear all of the important news first, before Georgine. Back when the Aub’s second wife had been alive, Georgine was barely kept informed of important happenings at all, and had had to rely on her information network that she had begun to build as soon as she married into the duchy. Therefore, when Gieselfried came to see her directly after her morning meal, Georgine listened to what he had to say with rapt attention, not that her noble countenance would ever reflect her hyper-heightened interest.

It seems two separate events involving the Lazanave had occurred, although her husband only saw it as one. First, the country Gate that led to Lazanave had become visibly more narrow. It had not narrowed to the degree that Lazanave ships could not pass. However, that it had narrowed at all was deeply concerning. No one had ever heard of this happening. Of course, no Zent had ever ruled without a Grutrissheit or without having access to the magic that governed the country Gates. There was wild speculation that the magic of the Gates was failing. If the Gate closed, then all trade with the Lazanave would cease and Ahrensbach would be unable to import their precious sugar. More than that, they would lose their status as the only duchy with an open country Gate. Both those things would lead to them ultimately losing their grand duchy status.

Therefore, Gieselfried had given Georgine a task. He had asked her to begin to think about native Ahrensbach products that their duchy might market that could replace sugar as their number one commodity, in case the Gate failed entirely. This was a task that would be shared by Georgine, Melissande, Georgine’s son and the Aub’s heir, Wolfram, and Gieselfried himself. Klassenberg was probably already poised to step back in with their honey to fill the gap. They would probably start pushing honey onto the market preemptively. They would be fools not to take advantage of the other duchies' fear of losing their sweetener. Ahrensbach needed to secure their status as a grand duchy in case the Gate suddenly slammed shut.

The second event was even more momentous, at least to Georgine and her allies. The old palace of Aldagisa had been thoroughly destroyed by lightning in a catastrophic storm. Not only were the grounds reduced to rubble, but the transportation circle to Ahrensbach and the greenhouse, where the flowers used to make trug grew, were both destroyed as well.

Georgine had made a secret agreement with the King of Lazanave, Gervasio. In exchange for her assistance with his planned take over as the new Zent, Georgine would be aided in invading Ehrenfest, and formally recognized as its new Aub after Gervasio’s ascension. Additionally, Ehrenfest would be recognized as a grand duchy once Gervasio ascended, and her useless daughter, Dietlinde, would be married to his heir as a third wife. She often despaired over why her youngest daughter could not have been an intelligent and biddable child like her older sister, Alstede. Georgine was almost certain that Dietlinde would only live long enough to give the Zent’s son a child, and then die of a mysterious illness. The girl really was too idiotic, self-absorbed, and arrogant to ever be a queen, even a third one. However, her purpose would have been served by establishing a blood tie between Georgine and the new Royal family.

Now Georgine would have to reexamine her arrangement with Lazanave entirely. If the Gate actually shut, the Lazanave would be unable to bring in the military aid needed to establish their rule, not to mention replenish their special silver cloth and armor. There was no way Gervasio could rule Yurgenschmidt without continous military support, perhaps for even decades. For all that Gervasio saw himself as a true Royal of Yurgenschmidt, to everyone else, including Georgine, he was a foreigner. Georgine was quite sure that Gervasio would want to move up the time table of his takeover, but Georgine was fairly certain that his plan couldn’t now succeed. They had lost the hidden transportation circle that led to the Sovereignty. Without it, Gervasio would not be able to move his army into place without being discovered. Also, they had lost the majority of the trug crop for good. While Georgine had a small crop for her use and that of her allies, it would be difficult for her to constantly supply Raublut with what he needed to keep Trauerqual pacified and obedient, without any gaps in Trauerqual’s exposure to the substance.

Raublut had been able to keep Trauerqual under the influence of a steady supply, while gradually increasing his exposure, precisely because of the abundant amount of trug available in the Adalgisa greenhouse. He had also been able to use trug on other supporters of Trauerqual. The sheer number of people that he had been able to subvert with trug was staggering. However, that was only because he had unfettered access to the vast majority of trug in Yurgenschmidt. Now that that supply had been obliterated, Georgine simply did not have enough of the crop left herself to give Raublut to help him keep the sheer number of people he had been controlling under the influence. And even if she had, without the transportation circle it would be nearly impossible for Raublut to meet with her in secret regularly enough to keep him supplied. There was simply no rational reason for Raublut to frequently meet with Ahrensbach. There was basically no need for him to meet with Ahrensbach at all. He was a Knight Commander, not a minister, for goodness sake. And without a constant exposure to trug, Trauerqual would not accept whatever feeble excuses Raublut could give as the reasons behind his visits. In fact, without keeping everyone who needed to be suppressed with trug under the influence, it was only a matter of time before someone recognized that Trauerqual was not operating with his full faculties, or began noticing the irregularities in Raublut’s own behavior.

If Gervasio launched an attack now, he would have to fight his way to the Sovereignty. She was quite sure the whole of Yurgenschmidt would rise against him. Gervasio had assured her that he could find the Grutrissheit that the Royal family had misplaced, but that also included him being able to transport himself to the Sovereignty in secret to search. Trauerqual had rejected Gervasio’s offer of an Aldagisa princess and had shut down the palace. He had declined to meet with Gervasio in person any further after that. There was now no way for Gervasio to get to the Sovereignty without using Ahrensbach’s transportation circle in the Royal Academy, and Georgine would not allow Ahrensbach to be used in a failed coup.

All her plans for claiming Ehrenfest were falling apart. Once Gieselfried’s second wife had been executed due to her Werkenstock lineage, Georgine was promoted to second wife. She had groomed her son to be her excellent agent, only to be subverted by Melissande. With Gieselfried’s older sons being demoted to archnoble, in exchange for their lives since their mother was from Werkenstock, Wolfram became the heir. Melissande convinced their husband to allow her to adopt Wolfram, since she was his first wife. Georgine had invested more time in training Wolfram than she had spent on her other two children. And, he had deserved it, as the boy was extremely smart. She had thought that her attention to him would have earned her his loyalty as the woman who gave him life, but somehow Melissande won him over to her side, with something as ridiculous as affection and praise. How pedestrian.

She had toyed with the idea of eliminating him and having Dietlinde take his place as the only remaining heir. The girl was stupid and hard to manage because of her blindness to anything other than herself. However, her lack of intelligence made her easy to manipulate. Georgine had arranged to have Wolfram poisoned, and it had worked, in as far as the poison reaching him. Unfortunately, Melissande had appointed her own scholars to his entourage, and one of them was as skilled at detecting poisons as that eccentric who had dared to refuse to become one of her followers back in Ehrenfest, Justus. Needless to say, Wolfram was carefully guarded now, and Georgine didn’t bother making another attempt. She had intermittently attempted to poison Melissande as well over the years, but none of her attempts had succeeded. Therefore, she remained second wife and away from the true seat of power in Ahrensbach. Her last hope had been Gervasio.

With him as Zent, her military action against Ehrenfest would have been forgiven, and he would have appointed her Archduchess of Ehrenfest in her own right. She had even been willing to adopt Sylvester’s children as her own, and train them to be proper archduke candidates, training she was quite sure they lacked. After all, Sylvester was barely trained to the level of a giebe. Of course, she would have eliminated Gieselfried and Melissande on her way to Ehrenfest. And, Wolfram would have learned to bow down to the new world order as a fledgling Aub.

However, now she sincerely doubted Gervasio’s coup could ever succeed. So much had depended on that transportation circle, and the trug. She was quite sure he would soon be looking to meet with her, but Georgine was prepared to put him off. She was also quite sure that when he did finally meet with her, he would threaten to cut off the sugar trade in order to pressure Georgine into moving forward with his coup. However, she would threaten him right back with the withholding of the mana stones that Lazanave so desperately needed. Then she would whisper in her husband's ears that Gervasio had been strongly hinting at overthrowing Trauerqual, and commenting that he, Gervasio, had purer Royal blood. She would wonder if that had been his longterm plan all along, but now after the trouble with the Gate, he was showing his hand before the Gate slammed shut. And, if he invaded, well, she had no love for Ahrensbach, but that wouldn’t stop Georgine from urging her husband to call for aid from the Sovereignty, Dunklefelger, and even Frenbeltag, Ehrenfest, and Klassenberg. After all, Lazanave was another country, and an invasion of Ahrensbach’s borders was an invasion of Yurgenschmidt, and that affected them all.

What to do about his agent, the Sovereignty Knight Commander, though? If Gervasio’s coup was going to fail, and Georgine couldn’t imagine it succeeding now, then there was no use in disrupting the post civil war peace of the country. It would take some time for Raublut to make his way secretly to Ahrensbach. Maybe the key to smothering the fire in Gervasio’s belly was eliminating his principal agent, Raublut. Georgine had many types of poisons, besides those from Ahrensbach, Lazanave, and the Aldagisa palace, poisons that were unlikely to be known to Raublut. She had poisons from Ehrenfest, Klassenberg, Werkenstock, and other duchies as well. Raublut usually came alone when he visited Ahrensbach. That was the best way to maintain his secrecy after all. High treason required the utmost discretion. Perhaps she would simply kill him with a poison unknown to him, and hand his feystone to Gervasio. She could imagine Gervasio’s face twisted in anger. The thought made her laugh out loud. Of course, she wouldn’t do that. Better to kill Raublut and feign ignorance of his whereabouts. She could act like she was distraught over the prospect that his treason was discovered, and worried that she might be next. That would derail Gervasio’s plan enough that he would have to come up with an entirely new strategy. Now Georgine was almost hoping that the Gate would shut and remove the Lazanave from her life.

If she couldn’t have Ehrenfest, and it really was so very, very disappointing, then she would have to develop a new strategy to become the sole ruler of Ahrensbach. It wasn’t ideal, not her first choice, but she was determined to be Archduchess in her own right. It was her destiny. She knew this. Maybe the first steps along that path would be finding a new product to replace sugar as the foundation of their economy, or maybe even several new products. Georgine didn’t believe in limiting herself, after all. She would see her plan through and eliminate all obstacles to her rightful rule. Her mother had taught her that one thing at least, and Georgine had been an excellent student. Perhaps she would annex Ehrenfest after she was Archduchess of Ahrensbach. The future could still be bright.

Chapter Text

Since Dregarnuhr had wound Ferdinand’s time back, when he left the Garden of Beginnings, it was still dark. He made it back to the borders of Ehrenfest before first bell, but then faced a dilemma. He would rather not appear at the Temple so early and have his movements remarked upon. Yet, Ferdinand knew that he would sleep very heavily if he went to his mansion and not wake up in time for his regular work. He decided to go to his mansion anyway. He really needed to sleep and set up the transportation circle to the country foundation.

So as not to alarm Lasfam, he sent an ordannanz ahead instructing him that he would be arriving shortly. Lasfam was there to greet him when he arrived, and was looking fairly concerned. It was unlike Ferdinand’s usual behavior to arrive at such a time. Lasfam was worried that something terrible had happened. Truthfully, something terrible had happened. Ferdinand was now Zent, and Yurgenschmidt was such a mess that it was literally unholy.

Ferdinand looked at Lasfam’s worried eyes and said, “I am unharmed. No need for concern. I will rest, and have a bit of work to do here when I wake, which will probably be late. After you start your day and the sun has risen, please send a magic letter to Fran at the Temple letting him know that I am here and will be back at the Temple late. If the Aub should contact you inquiring about me, please let him know that I am here, but only if he asks.”

“You seem like you could use a quick meal, my lord.”

“Is there anything on hand that doesn’t need much preparation?”, Ferdinand asked.

“Yes, I can prepare you one of the sandwiches that you like to eat while your researching. Will that do?”

“That will be fine. Actually make it two.”

Shortly, Ferdinand was eating a sandwich made of chicken slices on fluffy salad bread with mayonnaise. He was so glad he still had some salad bread left. His second sandwich was ham with cheese with mayonnaise on plain fluffy bread. He washed it down with water and then went to his hidden room in the mansion.

Like he had in the Temple, he had placed a couch in the room. This one was a proper couch though. Ferdinand was too tired to even undress properly. He used waschen to clean up and then laid down. His last thought before sleep claimed him was that he really would have to create an additional hidden room and install the transport circle to the country foundation immediately.

It was well past midday when Ferdinand awoke. He went into his bedroom and rang for Lasfam. Lasfam promptly attended his Lord and Ferdinand was finally able to bathe and change his clothes. After a very, very late breakfast of fried eggs, sausage, and buttered raisin nut bread, Lasfam brought him up to date on what correspondence had been received since Ferdinand had left for the Sovereignty last night.

There were actually a few social invitations for Ferdinand. They had been trickling in since Veronica’s imprisonment. No doubt looking to either get the lay of the land from Ferdinand as the "ghost Aub", or get in Sylvester's good graces by being cordial to his brother. Ferdinand was already dreading having to socialize as a new Zent. How much worse would it be? He knew many women were superficial and prized him for his looks alone. Now he would be Zent, only in his 20s, and unmarried. He felt like a shumil facing the Winter Lord at the thought.

Never mind that they couldn't match his mana, or talk anything other than lies, intrigue, or trends. All useful, but there were so many things in the wide world to know. He was beginning to warm to the idea of Rozemyne as his partner. If they married, she would be his family in the eyes of nobles and the gods. In fact, this is what the gods desired. He had so many things he wanted to ask her about her old world: about life on other planets, laws and systems of governments, methods to combat corruption and abuses of power, about the gods and religions of her old world, and the splendid educational system that had still served her well in even a second life in a new world. Now it was his responsibility to really think about these things and began changing society. What would it be like to have someone who could really help at his side, not just help politically, but to shape a new society. Noble society as it was would inevitably lead the country back down the path of destruction. It was too power hungry, too corrupt, to bloodline focused, and too short-sighted, sacrificing lives wantonly for short-term goals while the country literally crumbled to dust. So focused on bloody factional politics that they didn’t even realize that they were facing the end. They all needed to change, not necessarily quickly, but steadily and continously. And now it was his job to lay the foundation for that change.

Lasfam had been speaking while Ferdinand dual focused on his words and his own thoughts. Fran had been sent the magic letter early this morning informing him of Ferdinand’s location. Sylvester had contacted Lasfam by magic letter, as Ferdinand had expected, inquiring about Ferdinand’s status. He was glad his brother had been wise enough to not contact the Temple, and know when not to use an ordannanz. Sylvester had asked Lasfam to inform Ferdinand that “the Aub” had requested that Ferdinand contact him immediately upon awakening.

With little time to spare now before having to meet with Sylvester, Ferdinand returned to his hidden room to create a secondary one. He installed the transport circle to the country’s foundation supply room and sealed the room using a magic circle that no one without a Book of Wisdom would know. He also raised the mana requirement to Rozemyne’s level. If he decided to take her to meet Erwarmen before he ascended to Zent, and it was still an if, at least he would not need to reset the mana restrictions on the room. For good measure, he looked through his Wisdom and found a concealment spell, one which would disguise the door to the second hidden room. With that done, he left his hidden room and asked Lasfam to prepare a tea service for company in the Library. Ferdinand then sent a magic letter to Sylvester informing him he was at his mansion.

Ferdinand was working through some documents that he had brought from the Temple, when Lasfam came to the Library with an anxious look in his eye.

“The Aub is here?”, he asked his attendant.

“Yes, my lord. Shall I go ahead and bring up the tea service?”

“Please do.”, Ferdinand said and went downstairs to greet his brother.

Sylvester received Ferdinand’s greetings with the dignity of an Aub, but the look in his eyes was quite frantic. Sylvester instructed his guard knights, who were all Leisegangs for once, to wait downstairs while only bringing Karstedt to guard his back as they both followed Ferdinand to his library. After Lasfam had served the tea and departed, Ferdinand handed Sylvester a sound blocking tool.

Sylvester was very surprised, as almost all the conversations that he had with Ferdinand usually included Karstedt.

“Is it that bad that Karstedt can’t hear it?”, asked Sylvester.

“It is. Although the issue with the Temple cave is resolved, the cave itself was indicative of a much deeper problem. The problem is one that you need to be aware of as Aub, but I am hesitant to burden Karstedt with the information before discussing it with you as his Aub first.”

Sylvester just stared at him.

“Sylvester?”

Had he gone into shock before even hearing what Ferdinand had to say? That wasn’t a good sign. What Ferdinand had to tell him would probably knock him unconscious.

“Karstedt, please turn around and face the wall.”, Sylvester ordered, putting down the tool for a moment.

Karstedt looked confused, but promptly obeyed.

“In addition to being concerned about Rozemyne having destroyed a fallen God”, Ferdinand began, “I was concerned about the fact that I was able to destroy the cave’s barrier with my attacks alone. And once I entered the cave, it was apparent that the Temple inside had not been constructed by human hands. The craftsmanship of the statues of the Gods was beyond human ability in terms of realism. They looked almost alive. They also each glowed with a faint divine light. And the crystal that had been sealed in the cave was pulsing with an extremely powerful and malevolent mana.”

“Gods.”, Sylvester whispered.

“Gods indeed. I knew I needed to find out more information about it, so I returned to a place that I had gone to when I was still at the Royal Academy.”

“The Royal Academy? What does that place have to do with the Gods?”, Sylvester was thoroughly confused now.

“Let me tell you about what happened to me when I was young. You remember that we used to do the Blessing Acquisition before we got our divine wills before the civil war? When I got my blessings, I received 24.”

“24?!”, Sylvester yelled.

“Yes. And the divine instruments on the altar all glowed, and then the altar folded back and revealed a tall staircase. Hirschur encouraged me to take the stairs, but honestly, I was afraid.”

“Understandable.”, Sylvester responded. “I’d be afraid to go up some unknown staircase too. What if it was actually the Towering Heights? Honestly, Hirschur would sacrifice anything for her research, even her precious disciple’s life.”

“My mana was quite out of control for a long while afterwards. I compressed like mad and funneled the rest into magic tool creation. In all truth, I became wealthy through needing an outlet for all my excess mana. I was already selling my magic tools for money for myself and Hirschur’s funding, but my excess mana led me to create new magic tools obsessively.”

“Wait, Ferdinand. Are you saying that father didn’t give you an allowance or Hirschur a research budget?” Sylvester was almost afraid to hear the answer to his question after his previous conversations with Ferdinand and Bonifatius.

“He allocated money to be given to me as an allowance, but your mother stole it.”

Sylvester made a face that was equal parts sad and disgusted. “And Hirschur?”, he asked.

“Your mother withheld Hirschur’s research budget and salary when she refused to give me up as a disciple.”, Ferdinand responded.

Now Sylvester looked plain angry. “Did she ever get her funding back?”, he asked.

“Did you ever have anyone trustworthy review the Academy budget after your mother was imprisoned?”, Ferdinand countered.

“No.”, said Sylvester sighing. “I didn’t think to look at that budget too. But wait, how has she survived in the Sovereignty all this time without a salary?”

“I send her money quarterly.”, Ferdinand answered simply.

“My Gods, Ferdinand! You graduated a decade ago! Mother has been imprisoned for half that time! Why didn’t you say something sooner? That’s a horrible financial burden for you to carry.”

“Truthfully, Hirschur was the only person to ever truly stand up for me. She not only let me sleep in her lab when things in the dorms got too…. dangerous, she defied your mother head on. She told her “no” to her face and refused to turn me away, even at the cost of her livelihood. I owe her.”

Now Sylvester just looked sad again. “Is this why those who moved to the Sovereignty never returned, even for a visit? “

“Yes, one of the reasons. It was quite the scandal at the time. Veronica actually came to the Royal Academy, against convention, and confronted Hirschur in person. Well, you know Hirschur has no fear of authority at all and is technically a Sovereignty citizen. They had a very loud public argument inside the the dorm, and the tale was carried by the Leisegang students who witnessed it throughout the Academy. I would recommend, Sylvester, that you go over the duchy budget down to the smallest detail. You may find that someone else has been embezzling Hirschur’s funds since your mother has been locked away. You may also find proof of other embezzling in areas of the budget that you normally wouldn’t look at closely. It may enable you to make additional arrests.”

“Will you help me with that Ferdinand?”, Sylvester asked meekly.

“I can’t. However, if you let me finish my tale, you will understand why. To continue, when I got my divine will, it was situated very far from all the others. It was at the very end of the hall, up some stairs, and in a beautiful pavilion where a large white tree stood. There were no other people there when I arrived, only the beautiful garden and the tree, and my will was resting against the trunk of the tree. I took my will and hurried back, and never spoke of where I’d found it. After receiving my will, my mana became easier to control, but I became insatiably curious about other …….mysteries after my experiences with getting my blessings and divine will. My curiosity eventually led me back to the white tree. 

This time the tree turned into a very large man with hair, skin, and clothing as white as the tree itself. The man then asked if I was a seeker of wisdom and sought the book. Of course, I wanted to read this book, whatever it was, and he laid his hand on my head and began imparting the wisdom, and….”

Now Sylvester looked terrified. “D..d..do you mean?”, he asked stuttering.

“Yes. A third of the way through my receiving this wisdom, I understood what it all meant. So I ran away in terror and vowed never to go back. I hadn’t come of age yet, but I knew that my life was now in more danger than it ever had been. So I graduated, returned to Ehrenfest, and got on with the business of my adult life. But when the issue of the cave occurred, I knew who to ask. However, I knew that he would ask me to finish the process, and…”

“C…c..can I see it?” Sylvester was still stuttering.

“Grutrissheit.”, Ferdinand chanted, and his Book of Wisdom appeared.

Sylvester immediately kneeled, bowed his head, and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Get up, you fool. No one is here with us, but Karstedt, and he’s facing the wall.”

“Does this mean that you’re now Zent?”, Sylvester asked.

“Yes.” Ferdinand said in a disgruntled voice.

“Do you not want to be Zent?”

“Definitely not.”

“Well then”, Sylvester said frowning slightly, “can’t you tell Zent Trauerqual, although I guess he’s not actually Zent, is he, but can’t you tell him how to get his own Book?”

“That’s the issue. He can’t get his own book.”

Chapter Text

“But why not, if you don’t want the position?”, asked Sylvester.

“When you receive the Book of Wisdom, you not only get information on the magic circles needed to manage the country and all of the past Zents, you get information on how to become Zent, the requirements for it and the process. You get pieces of information on deceased Aubs, and giebes. You also get information on everyone who has ever had a schtappe up until that point. The more mana that the person had, the more colors, and the more mana they dedicated to the land, the more information about the individual is recorded. However, at the very least, there is information on the mana range, colors, and number of blessings for everyone that has received a schtappe prior to that particular Book of Wisdom’s creation. Trauerqual, Sigiswald, and Anastasius all have six colors. Trauerqual has 12 blessings, Anastasius has 10, and Sigiswald only has eight. In order to become Zent, you need a large mana pool and all seven colors. You also need to have a large number of blessings. The number of blessings I have is sadly low compared to the ancient Zents.”

“I get needing a lot of mana, but what to do your colors and blessings have to do with the Book of Wisdom?” Sylvester was baffled.

Ferdinand turned the Book into his schtappe, and looked at Sylvester. “Because the Book is contained within your schtappe. You need to have had all seven colors when you received your schtappe to make it omni-colored. You can’t contain the Book otherwise. You need blessings for mana efficiency, but there is a real religious component to it. Zents used to be High Bishops, and Aubs too. You can’t receive blessings without sincere prayer. Also, it takes an enormous amount of mana to feed the country foundation continuously. Not only do you need a large reservoir of mana, you need many blessings for mana efficiency so that you don’t collapse every time you dedicate mana to the foundation. Trauerqual only has six colors, and even if he used Myne’s compression method and sincerely prayed to get more blessings, his schtappe is not suitable. Neither are his sons'.”

“Explain something. If the Grutrissheit is a part of your schtappe, what has the Royal family been looking for all this time?”

“A magic tool. A false Book of Wisdom known as the Grutrissheit.”

“WHAT?!”, Sylvester yelled, standing up from his chair. Ferdinand waited for Sylvester to seat himself again.

“About 400 years ago, a Zent decided that her favorite child should be Zent, even though the child did not have the mana requirements. The child was also largely homebound and unable to travel without effort to the country foundation. This Zent made her favored child Zent by crafting a magic tool Book of Wisdom which became known as the Grutrissheit. The Sovereignty foundation was linked to the Country’s foundation and the Zent taught the child to dedicate mana there, which was ultimately insufficient. Apparently, the Zent never told any of her children about the true requirements to be Zent, the path to the true Book of Wisdom, or where the country’s real foundation was located. This Zent must have also have died before she could tell her grandchild, her child’s heir, the truth. And so the knowledge was lost. None of the current Royal family are qualified to get a Book of Wisdom or know how to get it. So for the last few centuries, the so called royal family has been passing a false Grutrissheit down the family line and dedicating mana to the Sovereignty’s foundation, not the country’s. Sylvester, Yurgenschmidt was on the verge of all being returned to white sand. The country’s foundation was nearly empty.”

Sylvester jumped up, grabbed his tea cup, and hurled it against one of the library’s walls. Karstedt whirled around, ready to draw his sword, having heard the tea cup shatter. Sylvester looked at Karstedt and placed his anti-eavesdropping tool on the table. He said to Karstedt, “Forgive me. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Karstedt’s eyes darted between Ferdinand and Sylvester. Then he asked Sylvester, “Bad news?”

Sylvester didn’t even answer him. Instead he gave Karstedt such a withering look that Karstedt almost took a step back. “Please turn back around now.”, Sylvester ordered. Karstedt hesitated for a moment, but then obeyed.

Sylvester sat back down and picked up the anti-eavesdropping tool again.

“Sylvester, it’s even worse than that.”

“Worse than the destruction of the entire country?!”, he asked in sarcastic anger.

“Sylvester, being Zent is not a hereditary position. How could it be? It’s based on mana colors, sincere religious participation and prayer, blessing acquisition, and a suitable schtappe. An insanely powerful Zent that lived several centuries ago with almost 80 blessings decided that she was tired of all the fighting over the position of Zent. Back then, many people met the requirements. She decided that only her family could be trusted with the position and not to fight each other. So she used powerful magics to lock parts of the Underground Library to hide the knowledge of the Book of Wisdom away, created Schwartz and Weiss to kill anyone who tried to break into the area, slaughtered everyone who rightfully opposed her, and founded a royal dynasty. Sylvester, she took the Zent position and locked it to her bloodline, the same bloodline that Trauerqual is descended from.”

Sylvester looked at him in open mouthed shock, and then his face turned red with rage, and his eyes began to shine with many colors.

He screamed, “Those filthy lying criminals! We should kill them! We should kill them all! Everybody is bending their knees to them like they’re almost holy! Currying favor! So worried about offending them!! They fought a war over greed for a fake Grutrissheit and they weren’t even filling the damn country foundation! They don’t even know where it is! Florencia’s family was executed! Constanz could have easily lost her life! All the people who died in the war for a position none of them were even qualified to have! All the people they purged afterwards! Half the country is fucking dead because of them! They should be dragged from their beds right now and chopped into little pieces!”

Sylvester was breathing hard, and Ferdinand gave him time to get himself under control. Sylvester had reacted like Ferdinand had told Erwarmen people would. The difference here being that Sylvester lost in-laws and Ehrenfest had been neutral during the war. But the people who had lost close family members in the fighting, whose family had been purged, and dear Gods, the relatives of the children who had been killed as a part of collective punishment, they might literally rip the Royal family limb from limb with mana enhanced, rage fueled strength. Ferdinand would have to think about how to tell the rest of the noble population. The information had to be shared, and truthfully, the Temple and the Royal Academy curriculum had to change in order to produce new Zent candidates.

The Aubs certainly had to be told in order to support his rule, and make the necessary changes to the Temples and the Academy. The priests of the Temple would have to raise their mana level in the short term, and in the long term, higher manaed individuals would have to want to go to the Temple. All that could only happen if nobles learned that the Temple was originally designed to enrich the fertility of the land, increase people’s mana, and lead some to becoming Zent candidates. Rozemyne’s Temple reform was helping since there was a mana drought, but it wouldn’t be enough without the truth. He could probably save Magdalena’s youngest son, and give him to his uncle, Aub Dunklefelger, to raise. But, the people would demand the death of Trauerqual and his arrogant sons and their mother. The second wife was childless and not much heard from, but Magdalena had been instrumental in placing Trauerqual on the throne. He doubted that she could be spared. Rozemyne would say it was ruthless, but sacrificing the Royal Family would go a long way towards calming the country after the truth was revealed.

It would neutralize Klassenberg, also, especially if it was revealed that it was a Klassenberg Zent who founded the royal family, and Klassenberg often intermarried with them. He wondered if Klassenberg currently knew the truth already. He suspected that they did. They had been the first duchy since ancient times and were more arrogant than the actual "Royals". And, even if they claimed that they hadn't known, Klassenberg had pushed for the greatest number of people to be purged. The country would probably demand that both the current and former Aub be executed based on the purges alone. That hidden royal princess, Eglantine, had seven colors, but her family’s shame would keep her from being accepted as a Zent candidate. He could also lower Klassenbergs rank considerably and possibly make them pay reparations to duchies that had been purged, those that were still standing such as Frenbeltag. He could then raise the ranks again of those duchies that were stable enough to sustain it as further reparations. This would win him further support as Zent. Unfortunately, Trostwerk, Scharfer, and Werkenstock were obliterated after losing the civil war. The entire archducal clans, including collateral lines, had been put to death.

He would give Zausengas back to Ehrenfest. It had been taken away because an Eisenreich Aub had tried to usurp the Zent after being talked into by their trading partner Bosgeiz, the country, or sphere, on the other side of Kirnberger gate. However, now it sounded like Bosgeiz, as a centuries long trading partner, was somehow aware of the truth of the "royal" family and simply told Aub Eisenreich. Sylvester wouldn't want it, but he bet Rozemyne could figure out how to transform and market many things the native nobles of Zausengas had overlooked. The Guildmaster's house was old. He may even have records of what Zausengas produced. He hoped Sylvester would be willing to change with Ferdinand becoming Zent. He would need to people to cover all the work Ferdinand was doing, including mana dedication. That meant two more wives, if only as mana suppliers. It also meant Sylvester had to drag Ehrenfest, and himself, forward to become a duchy that was at least somewhat befitting of having produced a Zent. And Florencia was a problem because she was, at her core, too passive, and and not shrewd enough, to be the first wife of the Zent's brother. Five years after Veronica's imprisonment, she still led the faction in name only.

He was still waiting for Sylvester to calm himself and get his mana back under control. Ferdinand had never, ever seen him this angry. He used the time to waschen the wall and floor where Sylvester had smashed the tea cup. Lasfam could sweep up the broken bits of porcelain later. Since Karstedt had joined the two brothers in the library, Lasfam had brought three tea cups. Ferdinand poured himself and Sylvester a fresh cup of tea, and then tried out a new spell from his book of Wisdom. He called his schtappe and then tapped his cup saying “Hitze", and then repeated the process with Sylvester’s cup. Ferdinand’s spell caught Sylvester’s attention.

“What’s that spell?, Sylvester asked, curious even in spite of his overwhelming rage.

“It’s a new spell that I found in the Book. It should have heated the tea up.”

Sylvester smiled through his anger and said, "Show off.”

Ferdinand smirked.

“I almost don’t want to ask this, because I may very well truly snap and go kill that entire family, but is there anything else?”, Sylvester asked.

“Yes.”

“Well, just say it.”, Sylvester demanded.

“Since the foundation was nearly empty, all the mana is being pulled into the land to sustain life. As a result, the country barrier and country gates are weakened.”

“And what happens if the country gates and barrier collapse? No, never mind. I already know. The country returns to white sand, right?”

“If the barrier collapses, absolutely. The gates may weaken before collapsing, allowing those on the other side to enter freely.”

Now Sylvester was muttering, “I’m going to kill them. I’m going to kill them” softly to himself.

“Sylvester!”

“What?”

“I need your help.”

Chapter Text

"What do you need brother Zent?”, Sylvester asked glibly.

Oh good grief, thought Ferdinand. Well, at least he stopped muttering.
“I need to go with you inside the country gate. Once inside, I can charge it.”

“Of course. Should I charge the duchy border gates too?” Sylvester asked.

“It definitely can only help. I need your help to speak with Aubs Dunklefelger and Drewanchel through the water mirrors.”

“You’re going to tell them?” asked Sylvester.

“Yes, although not through the mirrors. I need to arrange to somehow meet them in person as soon as possible. But, my asking to meet will be a signal it's crucial. I need to gain the support from Dunklefelger as the Sword of Zent, and also they tried to save me from Veronica and marry me into their own archducal family. I owe them the truth for that. And the retired Aub Drewanchel wanted to adopt me himself. I still have a relationship with the current Aub because of my magic tools and research. I believe they would gladly support me over Trauerqual, especially once I explain how he can’t get his own Book, ever.”

Not to mention that Ferdinand always had a feeling that both Aubs knew his ancestry. Ferdinand was the first legitimate Zent in a few hundred years. The irony was the he was also the most legitimate candidate under the method of using the false royal bloodline. His father was Trauerqual’s older brother who was actually given the Grutrissheit magic tool and killed for it. His mother was an Adalgisa princess with thicker false royal blood than his father. He was Zent twice over. Oh joy.

“You know, Ferdinand. They weren’t just trying to save you. You’re beyond excellent. I’m sure they were dying to get their hands on you. Now that the shock has worn off a little bit, it makes sense. Only you would find something like the true Grutrissheit.”

Ferdinand smiled faintly, then asked, “Do you want to tell Karstedt and Bonifatius? It’s your decision as Aub.”

“Isn’t it your decision as Zent?

“They’re your citizens first and foremost.”

“Yes, then I’d like to tell Karstedt today, and figure out how and where to tell Bonifatius so that he doesn’t go on a rampage and destroy everything in sight.”

“Right. Should we tie Bonifatius up before we tell him?" Ferdinand asked.

Sylvester laughed.

"I'm totally serious. I have enough mana to hold him."

"I know you're serious.",
said Sylvester. "That's why I'm laughing. He'll be helpful once he calms down, but yeah, we have to think about a physical space that's safe enough to tell him. You know our uncle. He's big on honor and obedience. This will go against his entire worldview. Speaking of honor and obedience, are you sure Aub Dunklefelger won't rush off to slaughter the pretend Royal family. Not his sister and nephew, but everyone else."

"Not my problem.", said Ferdinand coldly. "He'd have the right with the way Dunklefelger was used to further the lie by putting Trauerqual on the throne because of Magdalena’s marriage. And don't be so sure Werderkraft won't kill his sister. Their father might too. But there is one more thing I have to tell you. It’s not related to the destruction of the country.”

“Finally! What is it?!”

“The one who granted the Grutrissheit to me was the actual Erwarmen.”

“What?! You met with an actual God?! Wait, you went to go ask a God to answer your questions?! You’re either the bravest man alive or insane!”

“He's not scary, and he’s only semi-divine. He gave up his full divinity to found Yurgenschmidt, although he is insanely powerful.”

“Everthing you said just now is exactly what an insane person would say!! Well, what was he like?!”

“Intelligent. Incredibly knowledgeable. Very, very angry over the state of the Garden and the Temple . He almost Crushed me to death by accident. Grumpy. He scolds a lot. And he likes snacks. He’s like a frighteningly powerful, grumpy, greedy, grandfather with priceless information.”

“Ferdinand, there are too many things in that description that don’t belong together, the worst of them being that he almost killed you by accident and he likes snacks.”

“He does like snacks. He loved the salad bread and tea cookies I brought, and he wants more.”, Ferdinand said.

“I am completely unable to respond to that.”

“He also likes to rifle through your memories when he wants clarification about something.”

“Uhgh", said Sylvester. “Isn’t that invasive?”

“Yes, but it’s also quicker and easier than explaining. But he has opinions. He knew about Rozemyne being from another world.”

“What?! Rozemyne?! How?! What am I asking?! She has memories of another world. Of course the gods know. What did he say about her? Was she brought here by mistake? Was he angry?” Sylvester was a little frantic again.

“No. Not at all, but he is absolutely, positively, very firmly opposed to her being engaged to Wilfred because of her high mana level and absurd amount of blessings. Also, Verdrenna was very happy and very enthusiastic about helping Rozemyne.”

Sylvester was quiet for a moment. “So he’s mad at me over the engagement.”

"And, me too. Don’t worry, but we do have to cancel her engagement to Wilfred. It doesn’t have to be public. We don’t even have to tell Wilfred and Rozemyne right away, and I suggest that we don’t tell anyone for now. The royals will want to snatch her up. We don’t want her name tied to them, even temporarily before I ascend, since they will more than likely die very shortly. Also, we don’t want Drewanchel or Dunklefelger to make her marriage to one of their heirs a condition of their supporting me, and they might if she’s free.”

“Absolutely. I agree to everything you said. I, as Aub Ehrenfest, formally cancel her engagement to Wilfred, and please tell him as soon as possible.”

“I will.”, said Ferdinand.

“So, who will she marry then?”

“Well, apparently Erwarmen, Liebeskhilfe, Bluanfah, Sterrat, and even Glucklitat, want her to marry me.” Ferdinand said sounding a bit annoyed.

“But you said no to that before. Do you want to marry her? Are you really alright with that?” Sylvester asked in a concerned voice.

“Not as she is in that childlike body, but Erwarmen said he will get the Gods to heal her and to remember that she will grow up one day soon. Also, she will be my match in mana, and I’d rather not be an unattached Zent whenever I do ascend. I also don’t like the idea of marrying a stranger that I can’t trust, and Rozemyne is trustworthy for all her rampaging. She's already a part of my life and I'm responsible for her care. She also has unique information about governments and industries from a more advanced world. That will be crucial. Plus, when Erwarmen gets too annoying, I can pacify him with her food.”

Sylvester laughed nervously. "Isn't that disrespectful of him, Ferdinand, calling him annoying?“

"Sylvester. He scolded me like a child for running away when I still was one. Almost killed me. Went through my mind. Got mad at what he saw and involved himself in Ehrenfest's internal politics. Told me who to marry, and ate the last of my food after I expended a huge amount of mana. Lasfam actually said Iooked hungry. Have I ever looked hungry in my life? You tell me how is any of that not annoying?"

"You don't actually sound that annoyed compared to magnitude everything that you just said he did. Just like how you quickly get over your annoyance with Rozemyne no matter what she does." Sylvester observed.

"Ridiculous.", Ferdinand scoffed.

"But will she want to marry you?”

“I have an extensive library. “

“Right!”, Sylvester laughed. “Wait a minute. I forgot to tell you that Aub Ahrensbach called me earlier today on the water mirror about his country gate narrowing. He called to forestall any rumors about the gate closing shut, and assure me that the Lanzanave ships can still get through with their sugar. He actually hinted at a much lower trade price for Ehrenfest at the next Archduke’s conference, for family's sake he said. I was going to tell you, but obviously, was distracted by, well, everything. Is the empty foundation the reason the gate narrowed?”

Ferdinand looked away, and said “No".

“You did that?!”, Sylvester yelled.

“Yes.”

“Why?!”

“Because I have no time to deal with Ahrensbach, their agents in Ehrenfest, or Georgine. I was going to slam it shut, but I thought maybe I should think it through. However, I couldn’t resist narrowing it a little bit.”

Sylvester started laughing. Not a hysterical laugh. Not a sad laugh. Not a nervous laugh, but a laugh full of joy and mischievousness. His true laugh.

“I love it! You should slam it shut!” he said still laughing.

“Really?”

“Why not?”, Sylvester said. “They’ve gouged us with taxes for decades, instigated a plan to kidnap Charlotte, nearly killed Rozemyne, spread anarchy in our duchy. Close the Gate, or at least close it half way. That will cause them to panic, and Trauerqual too. Let Trauerqual fight off the fundamentalists even harder, who actually seemed like they were right about him.”

“The fundamentalist only want power for themselves. They are a bunch of envious low manaed nobles who spend their time abusing commoners, women and children, just like most of the clergy in the Temple. They will need to be cleansed as well. But, I will wait a bit and narrow the gate again. Make sure to bargain for the lowest price possible for the largest shipment of sugar that we can afford. It will have to last for a while. Although ......I wonder if Rozemyne knows how sugar is made. I bet she does. Nobody can instantly come up with sweets involving sugar so quickly unless their familiar with it.”

"If she does, why wouldn't she tell us?", Sylvester asked.

"Well, we always were worried about the vested interests of grand duchies, but if the Gate closes...."

"Won't they blame you though?", Sylvester asked.

"Not if I can find a replacement. It's very possible that we have the means to make sugar in Yurgenschmidt. I hate to say it, but the Lazanave may even know we have the means to make it here. They may even be laughing at us. We are that short sighted as a country. Also, I am absolutely opposed to Ahrensbach selling mana to a foreign country during a mana drought. I can make that public information as well. No one will disagree."

“You’re right. We can't afford to sell mana especially with what you told me. So, is that it?”, Sylvester asked.

“For today.”

Sylvester put down the sound blocking tool, and said, “Karstedt please have a seat”, while smiling mischievously at Ferdinand, “ my brother has something to tell you.”

Chapter Text

Karstedt looked warily between the two brothers as he sat down. He wasn’t sure what had passed between them but Sylvester had been more angry than Karstedt had ever seen him. Never in all the years that Karstedt had spent guarding his cousin, even when Sylvester had been a child and prone to tantrums, had Sylvester been that angry. Not even when Karstedt had been an apprentice knight who was constantly stopping little Sylvester from dashing headlong into danger, much to the resentment of his young master, had Sylvester ever looked at Karstedt with such rage as when Karstedt asked him “bad news?”. Karstedt would have sworn his far too easy-going Aub was incapable of feeling that.

What ever had occurred, it didn’t seem to be a problem between the two brothers. For that, Karstedt was relieved. The truth was that it would pain him to the core to ever have to fight Ferdinand.

Karstedt vividly remembered when his Uncle Adelbert brought Ferdinand home. He was a delicate little thing, and far too pretty for a boy. The uncouth, pre-teen Sylvester had whispered loudly to Karstedt that even though his father had said this was his new brother, Sylvester wasn’t really sure Ferdinand was a boy because he was way too pretty. None of the adults had caught the remark, but little Ferdinand’s face had suddenly become even blanker than it had been. That told Karstedt two things. One, that Ferdinand had heard Sylvester very clearly. And two, wherever he had lived prior to this day, it had been so bad that even as a young child prior to baptism he had already learned to hide his emotions. Karstedt had made a vow to himself that he would protect his delicate little cousin, as much as he was able.

Sylvester was overjoyed to have a little brother, once he was convinced that Ferdinand was a boy. He would pull the tiny Ferdinand away from his studies, even though he needed to prepare for his baptism and debut. He would lead him to places far too unsafe for a small child. He would rough house with him too aggressively for the differences in their ages and sizes. He wasn’t being malicious. He just had never really had anything close to an equal to play with growing up. There was too much of a status difference between Sylvester and the male children of the med-nobles that primarily made up Veronica’s faction. The few archnoble Veronicans either had girl children, or the male children were Karstedt’s age.

To Sylvester, Ferdinand was a gift from the gods. He had always, always wanted a brother. To Ferdinand, well, Karstedt got the impression that in the beginning, Ferdinand had likened Sylvester to a strange, and unusually friendly, dangerous fey beast. That the beast genuinely liked him and meant him no harm was clear. However, it was still a fey beast and dangerous, and could easily hurt him through simple play. And Ferdinand wasn’t always well.

At first, Karstedt had thought he was sickly because he was so delicate appearing. Later on, he was to find out that Veronica had not only taken Ferdinand’s childhood magic tool, she was poisoning both him and his Aunt Irmhilde. He had told his father, who had then rushed off to confront his brother, only to see his father return home in a black rage. His father had then abruptly left, and returned much later with far too many feystones. He told Karstedt that there was nothing he could do about Ferdinand’s magic tool, but that the feystones could be used to draw out his excess mana. His father was often very busy guarding his uncle, and with his Knight Commander duties. Karstedt barely saw his father himself. Therefore, he couldn’t often hunt for Ferdinand. Karstedt took up the duty whenever he could, when he wasn’t guarding Sylvester. It broke him a bit to have to tell little Ferdinand that he couldn’t get him another magic tool. Karstedt wanted to give Ferdinand his own childhood magic tool, but his parents reminded him that his own children would need it one day to save their lives, and as everyone had discovered at Ferdinand’s baptism, Ferdinand’s mana was unusually strong for such a young child, and beautifully balanced in all seven colors. Very unlike his father’s, although the color of his uncle’s mana had been the exact shade of blue as Ferdinand’s hair. The likelihood was that Ferdinand would have dusted Karstedt’s childhood magic tool before he outgrew the need for one.

One time, Karstedt found little Ferdinand collapsed on the grounds outside of the archducal castle all by himself. He had just come off guard duty for the day, so Karstedt had picked up little Ferdinand and raced him to his mother. Karstedt’s mother had called on her most knowledgeable scholar, and together they had worked to save Ferdinand’s life. His mother had then told his father to tell his Uncle Adelbert that they had found Ferdinand quite ill, and all alone without his attendants. She stated that she was nursing him back to health, and would keep him with her until she was sure his illness wouldn’t spread to Sylvester. For some reason, Veronica was the one who sent a thankful ordannanz in reply. He stayed with them for three weeks. Ferdinand actually recovered quickly. He had been a resilient little thing, in spite of looking so delicate. That was the only time that he had ever seen Ferdinand truly happy. His mother and scholar had taught Ferdinand what they knew about poisons and antidotes. Young as he was, Ferdinand had soaked up everything that he was taught. At the end of three weeks, both his uncle and Veronica came to take Ferdinand back to the castle. Veronica acted the concerned stepmother, but young as Karstedt was back then, that was the moment he had realized that she was insane. Everyone knew that she had refused to stand as his mother at his baptism. Everyone knew that she hated young Ferdinand, and that she had poisoned and killed his Aunt Irmhilde, who was to have been Ferdinand’s adopted mother. So, what was the point, really, of the blatantly false act? Thankfully, Justus became his adult attendant then. One of Ferdinand’s few attendants chosen by his uncle, and not Veronica. At any rate, Ferdinand had grown up to be a brilliant, handsome, stoic, incredibly powerful young man. One who was truly loyal to his brother, and was the backbone of the duchy. The brothers were all smiles with each other now. Well, Sylvester was all smiles. Ferdinand was all minute smirks, which was his version of a full toothed grin. Karstedt had a very, very bad feeling that whatever Ferdinand was going to tell him was something that he would wish for the rest of his life that he hadn’t known.

“Allow me to call Lasfam to refresh the tea and bring another cup.”, said Ferdinand.

“That’s all right, Ferdinand. I may not be as instinctual as my father, but right now my guts are doing an angry dance. Whatever you have to tell me, I will need something stronger than tea, if I am able to swallow anything at all.”, responded Karstedt.

Ferdinand said, “Very well.”, and then proceeded to tell him the most outlandish tale he had ever heard. It was all about an ancient and powerful Zent who had ensured that the position of Zent would only ever be held by those of her bloodline after her. About how she enforced her will through the slaughter of all who stood in her way, and how those little Shumil automatons from the Academy Library, that all the girls loved, were actually the most deadly of killers. The tale continued and told of this Zent’s descendant who chose for her heir the child she loved the most, but who was also the most unfit to rule. This Zent, compounding the crime of her ancestor, created a magic tool that was called the Grutrissheit to aid her favorite, which the current Royal family then lost in their recent bloody war for the throne. Only it turned out that the Royal family was a fraud, a fabrication created by that ancient, bloody Zent to seize power for her bloodline, claiming that only they could peacefully negotiate the hand off of power in each generation. It also turned out that this Grutrissheit tool was also a fraud, and that the real Grutrissheit was actually bestowed by Erwarmen, who was Very Much NOT just a character from the bible. At this point, Karstedt’s guts were ready to gallop out of the house without him.

He stopped Ferdinand so that he could clarify some points. “So you’re saying that there was never such a thing in truth as a Royal family, and that the position of Zent was designed in such a way that many people could qualify regardless of bloodline?”

“Correct, though to be accurate, it is not easy to qualify for Zent.”, Ferdinand answered.

“Before I ask how you know this, can you please tell me what the qualifications are?”

“You need to have all seven colors before you get your schtappe, thereby making your schtappe omni-elemental. You need to have regularly and sincerely prayed in order to receive the blessings of the gods. Sincere prayer is a requirement. Simple rote recitation of the prayers will not work. It is most effective if you pray while dedicating mana to a foundation, or to the sacred instruments in the Temple. You need the blessings for mana efficiency. We are talking about double digit blessings, and the higher the better. The Zent that I spoke of at the beginning of this tale had nearly 80. You don’t need that many, but being Zent is an extremely mana intensive job. To not constantly be tired, I would expect that 20 would be the minimum number of blessings needed to feel well enough on a daily basis, while also using your mana continuously for the country. This is just a guess, it may be that a lower number could suffice. Certainly, a higher number of blessings is better than a lower number, and the higher the better. In keeping with that, you need to have a large pool of mana to dedicate to the foundation. Your mana can be increased using Rozemyne’s methods as we have seen, but an archnoble with seven colors who had very near a mednoble’s mana capacity would be unable to do the job, although I’ve never seen an omni-elemental archnoble with that low of a mana reservoir. Lastly, you would need to pass a moral fitness evaluation prior to Erwarmen granting you the Book of Wisdom.”, Ferdinand finished.

“So bloodlines are irrelevant.”, Karstedt clarified.

“Yes.”

“And the royal family is a sham, and they’re just a noble family who duped the entire country through strong magics and slaughter?”, Karstedt asked.

“Yes.”, Ferdinand answered.

Unfortunately for Ferdinand, Karstedt was his father’s son, and one of the lovely hand-carved arms belonging to the chair that Karstedt was sitting on was suddenly ripped off, and thrown quite forcefully into a library wall. The same poor wall that had recently been assaulted by Sylvester’s tea cup. The chair arm looked quite lonely hanging out of the wall all alone.

After a moment, Karstedt growled, “Explain that part about the magic tool again.”

“After a few centuries, the false royal family became as blood thirsty and competitive as any other noble family, and the Zents started keeping the true pathway to becoming Zent a secret from all of their relatives, except their chosen heirs. Along came a Zent who picked a child that did not meet the mana color requirements, and was physically frail as well. This frail child was unable to get their own Book of Wisdom, in other words, was ineligible to be Zent, to say nothing of not being physically well enough to make the journey to Erwarmen. Therefore, this Zent made her poor, favored child their very own magic tool Book of Wisdom, which became known as the Grutrissheit, and promptly made her favorite child Zent anyway.”

Karstedt cut Sylvester a look that said everything about a parent favoring a child who was not worthy to lead, everything about favoring an ill suited child over his other more competent siblings. Sylvester looked down.

Karstedt looked at Ferdinand, and growled another question.

He asked, “Are you saying that the Grutrissheit that those whoreson thieves started a bloody civil war over, a war where half the country died, and that those haughty, vapid, lying frauds still can’t find, is a gods damned magic toy that some insane Zent made for her sickly child so Mommy’s darling could be Zent?”

“Yes.”, Ferdinand answered simply.

Off came the other, equally lovely, hand-carved chair arm, and it joined the first chair arm inside of the same abused library wall. They did look strange, two chair arms just hanging out of a wall like that, but at least now they wouldn’t be lonely.

“What else, and while you are telling me what else, tell me about the mana colors and blessings of Trauerqual and his sons. I know that you know because my gut tells me you do.” Karstedt’s voice was nearly inhuman now. It was so deep and guttural that it was getting hard to understand him. It was as if a Winter Lord had suddenly learned to speak.

“Trauerqual has six colors, as do both his sons. Trauerqual has 12 blessings, Anastasius has 10, and Sigiswald has eight.”, Ferdinand informed him.

“So not enough colors or blessings to get a real Book of Wisdom. And the biggest thing that you’ve been holding back from telling me?” Karstedt’s voice had dropped to a whisper now, but his eyes were shining madly with all the colors of his mana, and not only shining, but reflecting the light like the eyes of an animal.

“Certainly not enough colors right now, and probably not enough blessings for Trauerqual and Anastasius, and not enough blessings for Sigiswald for certain. Their schtappes are also not suitable, even if they used Rozemyne's method to increase their mana and gained blessings and colors through sincere prayer.  And,” Ferdinand said, very carefully “the country’s foundation was nearly empty. Perhaps it could have lasted another ten years, perhaps.”

Karstedt jumped up and his body was enveloped by Leidenschaft’s blue. It wasn’t the color of his birth season, no, it was the color of his patron god. The same god that loved all the Linkberg men so dearly. The blue aura expanded, and Karstedt roared. He didn’t yell, he didn’t shout, he roared like a Ternisbefallen. The windows in the library shattered from his voice being enhanced by mana fueled rage. He then took off and burst through the closed library door, leaving a hole in the wall.

Ferdinand and Sylvester stared at each other. At that very moment, they heard a sonic boom and the ground rumbled, followed by another boom and a second quake, followed by another.

“What do you think he’s destroying?”, Sylvester asked Ferdinand.

“Hopefully, Georgine’s followers.”

“Did you know our cousin was part feybeast?”, Sylvester inquired.

“I knew his father was.”, responded Ferdinand.

The booms and tremors continued.

Sylvester gave Ferdinand a worried look.

He said, “Seriously, whatever he’s destroying is going to cost a fortune to fix.”

Ferdinand looked a little worried himself. “Let’s hope that his rage and blood lust moves him into the forest where he can actually kill things, and that he comes back with feystones that we can use to make gold dust for the construction repairs.”

Ferdinand got up and applied barrier magic to the shattered window, and the opening where the library door used to be. He then sat back down and picked up his sound blocking tool. Sylvester still had his in the same death grip he had had on it since Karstedt’s explosion.

“It’s good to be Zent, huh?”, Sylvester asked Ferdinand.

“The new magic spells are the only pay off.”

“So”, began Sylvester conversationally, “based on Karstedt, we can’t tell his father the truth anywhere where there are people around, like any people at all. Where can we tell Bonifatius the truth and not have people die?”

“I don’t know about no people dying, but personally, I’d like to break the news to him at Aub Ahrensbach’s dinner table tonight.”Ferdinand quipped.

“No, let’s go to Trauerqual’s house instead.”

They both smiled evilly.

“So about Bonifatius, we better decide quick because he’s probably chasing after Karstedt right now to find out what’s wrong.” Sylvester warned.

Ferdinand said, “Hmm. I think that Kirnberger has some villages that have been deserted since Eisenreich fell.”

Chapter Text

Sylvester and Ferdinand were sipping tea when a group of bemused knights came to the library door, or rather the hole in the wall where the door had been. Lasfam could be seen at the back of the group, where he had obviously been trying to dissuade them from storming the second floor.

The knights had bewildered expressions on their faces. Their hands were twitching over the pommels of their swords. They had apparently expected some kind of violence had been involved, given the nature of Karstedt’s exit, and were surprised to find both their Aub and his brother calmly sipping tea, albeit with the window to the Library also blown out in the background. One brave young knight, that would be Lamprecht, tried to enter the library and bounced off the barrier Ferdinand had set up. Ferdinand manifested his schtappe and lowered the barrier. Lamprecht and company all took a knee and huddled before their Aub.

Sylvester asked acidly, “Why are you here and not guarding my son, Lamprecht?”

“I apologize, Aub, but since my father ran amok and then ran off, Lady Florencia sent me to find you personally. I went to the Temple to find Lord Ferdinand, thinking that you would be there with him, but a grey robe directed me here to Lord Ferdinand’s mansion. When I arrived, I was informed that you were here as well. Eckhart and my grandfather then pursued my father into the forest, but my father and grandfather soon out stripped him, and Eckhart is now downstairs guarding the first floor, awaiting their return.”

Ferdinand interjected, “Is my mansion door still there?”

“Yes”, answered another knight. “When we saw the Knight Commander moving in a blur, we were able to throw open the door at the last minute.”

“Well, we don’t need you all up here. Resume your posts on the first floor. Oh, and Lasfam, please send a magic letter to Rozemyne’s exclusive carpenters letting them know that I need to have a library door and window replaced. Let the carpenters know that both items are completely gone, and they may contract with whatever glass makers for the window that they have confidence will produce satisfactory work.”, Ferdinand ordered.

The knights looked to Sylvester to confirm Ferdinand’s orders, but Sylvester just waved them on, as he couldn’t be bothered with mundane thoughts of door and window replacements at the moment.

Very shortly after the knights returned downstairs, Karstedt returned through the hole in the library wall. Upon his entering, Ferdinand once again raised the barrier and handed Karstedt a sound blocking tool as well. Karstedt took a knee next to Ferdinand, bending his head while crossing his arms over his chest. He spoke, and directed all his statements to Ferdinand.

“My Zent, forgive my outburst, and the destruction of your property. If you please, may I see the proof of your kingship with my own eyes?”

Ferdinand chanted, “Grutrissheit”, and his Book of Wisdom appeared, which he then banished again just as quickly. No telling when the next knight would pop upstairs again.

He asked Karstedt, "How did you know?”

Karstedt answered, “Once I quelled my rage, it was obvious based on the sheer amount of information and detail that you had, not only about the family history of the royal pretenders, but especially about their mana colors and blessings. Oh, and here. These are for you both.”

Karstedt took out a sack and handed Ferdinand five fairly high quality feystones to compensate him for the window and door. To Sylvester, he handed the rest of the bag, which contained an additional 20 feystones. Sylvester looked in the bag and whistled softly, and then he looked dismayed. He now knew the damage was extensive.

Sylvester asked, “What did you destroy to warrant 20 decent feystones as recompense, and did you leave any feybeasts alive?”

“The training grounds, and yes, I left some alive. Well, after I slew the first 10, I had to chase the other 15 who fled from me, and their remaining brethren got away. If it’s not enough, I will get more….”

Before, Karstedt had even finished speaking, Bonifatius flew up the steps and bounced off the the barrier. Sylvester gave Ferdinand a wry look as his brother lowered the mana field once again.

Bonifatius entered the room and demanded to know, “What in the name of Ewigeleibe's frosty arse is going on here?! Karstedt! What’s wrong with you?! Why would you destroy the training grounds like that?! Sylvester! Ferdinand! Why are you so calm?! What did you tell this boy to make him lose his mind?! Someone better tell me what’s going on!!”, he finished on a roar.

Sylvester decided it was time to leave, while parts of Ferdinand’s mansion and the castle grounds were still mostly intact.

To his uncle he said, “We will tell you everything, but to do so, we must go to Kirnberger.”

“What?! Why?!”, yelled Bonifatius.

But both Sylvester and Ferdinand refused to answer him. Ferdinand took down the window barrier and stepped out onto his summoned highbeast. Sylvester followed him, and an angry Bonifatius and a subdued Karstedt had no choice but to follow. Ferdinand raised the window barrier again and then turned his highbeast towards the country gate.

Away they flew towards Kirnberger, without any escort knights, who were still conscientiously guarding the first floor of Ferdinand’s mansion, blissfully unaware that their leaders had fled. When they finally realized that their leaders were missing, it caused all of the knights, and Lasfam, to panic for the second time that day. It was unfortunate, but better they survive than become a casualty to Bonifatius’s response to Ferdinand’s revelations. And secrecy was still paramount right now.

Arriving in Kirnberger, Sylvester set down in front Geibe Kirnberger mansion and dismounted. The rest of his party stayed on their highbeasts. Norbert's counterpart in the geibe's mansion, who was in fact one of Norbert's distant cousins, came rushing out of the mansion to greet his Aub, followed by Geibe Kirnberger and his retainers. Sylvester had at least notified the man by ordannanz that he was on the way.

However, despite the Geibe's outwardly calm demeanor, he was actually a bundle of nerves. Aub Sylvester had never deigned to visit Kirnberger and his mind was whirling for a strategy that would preserve his lands and people. He couldn’t imagine what he’d done to merit a surprise inspection by the Aub, but he was confident he could refute any accusations of wrong doing, as he’d had truly done nothing wrong.

He said, “My Aub, had we known in advance that you were coming, we would have prepared a feast. Please, come inside so that we may serve you the finest tea and sweets that Kirnberger can offer.”

Sylvester moved closer to the man and handed him an anti-eavesdropping tool.

He said, “Truly, it was not my intention to cause you discomfort, but Dregarnuhr spins with a vengeance today, and I must bow to her pace. I am only here to charge the country gates, a task that is overdue. And to discuss a matter with my uncle. Are there, perhaps, any villages that still remain uninhabited, ones that you won’t mind losing when Mount Lohenberg erupts due to Angriff's over blessings?”

Geibe Kirnberger barely contained his shock. He was aware that Aubs could charge the country gates, privy to old Eisenreich information as he was. However, neither Sylvester or the previous Aub had ever done so. Aub Sylvester had obviously chosen Kirnberger to give Bonifatius bad news and expected Lord Bonifatius to be displeased and go berserk. He wondered if charging the country gates was just a pretext for his other goal. Well, Bonifatius was known for his spectacular fits of anger, and Kirnberger was grateful to be given this warning despite it deviating from normal noble behavior. He also wondered if the news had anything to do with Lady Rozemyne. It was well known throughout all of Ehrenfest how the man doted on his second youngest and only female grandchild. He could easily see Bonifatius going berserk if the bad news involved her. At least now, Geibe Kirnberger would be able to comfort his traumatized citizens when they came running to the mansion in fear of an attack.

He quickly directed to them to the abandoned village of Weisshugel, that had seen its last occupants relocate to Hasse some 50 years ago. The duchy leaders quickly took off and Geibe Kirnberger returned to his mansion. Normally, he would have used this opportunity to try and forge a connection to his Aub for the good of Kirnberger, but he had no desire to be anywhere near the eruption of Mount Bonifatius. Better to mind his own business and survive.

Chapter Text

When Ferdinand’s party reached the abandoned village, Ferdinand began by warning Bonifatius that he must hear him out to the end of his tale. He then explained everything starting with the illegitimacy of the royal family and the magic tool Grutrissheit concluding with the requirements for Zenthood and colors and blessings of Trauerqual and his heirs. He also shared that Erwarmen was no myth, but absolutely, positively very real and angry.

Bonifatius wasn’t an Archduke candidate for nothing, and like Sylvester, quickly understood what Ferdinand had become. He asked Ferdinand to see the Grutrissheit and kneeled to him, and made his pledge. He also asked for clarification about a few items.

“So”, he asked. “While these liars drowned the country in oceans of blood, the true foundation was starved of mana, and their magic toy was lost in a bloodthirsty game of Geiwinnen played by ignorant children who were and are all unworthy of the Zent’s crown?”

“Yes.”, answered Ferdinand quietly. He was beginning to feel uneasy.

“Did they ever even hold the country foundation?”, Bonifatius probed further.

“Up until approximately 400 years ago, or a little more, they did. The knowledge of the true foundation was lost when the magic tool was created. The tool itself appears to have been given a failsafe by it’s creator to protect her chosen heir. It could not be stolen, only willingly granted to another. No doubt this was to protect her favorite child from being slaughtered by their siblings, who were undoubtedly told that the tool was the real thing, while the knowledge of the real Book of Wisdom was withheld. Unfortunately, that bit of lore about the tool being unable to be stolen either didn’t make it to this current generation’s first prince, or he didn’t believe it, and he killed his brother thinking he could claim the Grutrissheit and the Zent’s crown for himself. It may have had a self destruct function in case it was taken, or perhaps it was transported and is even now sealed within the Underground Library rooms with a blood lock on them. Since none of the current false royal family qualify as Zent candidates, they would be restricted from entering the rooms, if they were even aware of them, which they are not.”, Ferdinand concluded. He then felt a creeping sensation down his spine.

"Did the current false Zent’s father qualify as a Zent candidate?", Bonifatius asked.

Ferdinand definitely felt like he was walking on razor thin ice with the insightful direction of Bonifatius's question.

He answered honestly, however. "Since the original recipient of the magic tool Grutrissheit didn't have the mana requirements to be a true Zent, this child could not produce children with spouses who were.... the original Zents of Yurgenschmidt all being insanely powerful.

Therefore, they were wed to other members of the royal family and greater duchies who would match their mana. Sometimes, rarely, the original Zent bloodline bred true, frequently wed to their own blood as they were, as was the case with Waldifred, but not his other brothers, except for Adalfried, and not, surprisingly, his father either.

However, that was irrelevant as the magic tool was now known as the true Grutrissheit. Waldifred, his father, and his brothers all believed the tool was the real thing. It would not have occurred to Waldifred or his father to look for anything else. Although Waldifred was known to frequent the Royal Academy Library. Perhaps, in time, he would have found it, or perhaps not."

Bonifatius nodded, and then exploded. Even though summer was his birth season, like his son, he seemed to channeling the God Leidenschaft directly. His aura, that was rapidly growing, was also blue, but many, many times larger than his son’s. It appeared as if fully grown Goltze was standing over him. He let out a sound, so loud and so deep, that it caused his younger family members to slam their hands over their ears lest their eardrums be shattered, and made every hair on their arms stand up in alarm. The youngsters instantly felt like prey. Rozemyne, if she had known about it, would have said that their ancestral monkey brains were suddenly terrified of being eaten alive, although the nobles of Yurgenschmidt hadn’t evolved from apes. However, there were many things that did eat people in this world, and every bit of that fear of being devoured whole was flowing through Ferdinand, Sylvester, and Karstedt. Ferdinand instinctively activated a new spell he had just learned.


Ferdinand shouted, “Geltilgtwol!”, and a shield barrier appeared around the three. Like Schutzaria’s shield, it covered a large range and was semi-transparent. Unlike, Schutzaria’s shield, nothing could enter. Bonifatius coiled his body and then jumped, and he burst through the old mayor’s winter mansion, creating a giant crater, and the debris that hadn’t been vaporized stormed down on Ferdinand’s shield. Large chunks of white stone the size of a big man’s body slammed into it and the shield began ringing like a deep bell. Bonifatius then began streaking all over the town in a large blue blur. His actions couldn’t be seen because they were too fast, but the results were clearly seen. One farmer’s house after another was left a smoking crater with Leidenschaft’s blue flames setting it alight. Unlike the mayor’s mansion, parts of the farms had been also been built of wood, and the wood that wasn’t obliterated or being burnt to ash, was flying through the air, on fire, and was raining down on the shield and landing around it.


Ferdinand was deeply unsettled. He felt like he was under attack by a Winter Lord. Sylvester was, in a word, terrified. Unlike Aub Dunklefelger, Sylvester, along with most other, sane, Aubs, had never faced a seasonal feybeast Lord, lest the Aub die in battle and destabilize the duchy. Karstedt, after his initial fright, was absolutely in awe of his father’s power, and vocal about it. He felt like a small boy again caught up in the hero worship of his mighty parent. That his father, at this age, had such strength! Karstedt hoped to be as powerful one day!

Ferdinand thought that, no doubt, Eckhart would have echoed his sire’s sentiments whole heartedly. Rozemyne, after her initial terror, would have begun to work on a prayer that could emulate Bonifatius’s destructive power, while Lamprecht would have said that it was as expected of his mighty grandsire. Young Nicholas would have cried bitter tears that his mother’s blood kept him from living with and learning from his magnificent grandfather. Only Cornelius would have seen his grandfather for the epic natural disaster and threat to life that Bonifatius truly was. It seemed that the Linkberg’s Dunklefelger-like temperament had skipped Cornelius, and somehow got passed down to Nicholas, and Rozemyne, even though she was truly unrelated to them. In spite of not sharing a drop of blood with the Linkbergs and for all her dream world sensibilities, Rozemyne was exactly like a Linkberg when angered, and had more than enough power to back it up, even as a child. Had Leidenschaft somehow guided Ferdinand to ask Karstedt to adopt her? He wouldn't be surprised at this point.

Sylvester later reflected that the booming explosions and fire show had so frightened the inhabitants of Kirnberger that they saw nary a soul on the way to the Country Gate, and the ones they did see from the air were running to their houses. When they arrived at the Gate, the white-faced knights guarding the Gate stammered their greetings, and then one and all, promptly turned to the horizon over the Gate and resumed their vigil. Geibe Kirnberger had wisely decided to avoid the archducal relatives, and congratulated himself on that decision when he later surveyed the site of what had once been Weisshugel.

Therefore, Ferdinand was able to enter the Country Gate with Sylvester and charge it with mana without a single person even daring to think of this as an irregularity. Had Trauerqual actually held the country foundation, he would have been very aware that the mana that charged the Country Gate was not Sylvester’s. Alas, he didn’t, so he remained none the wiser. Erwarmen briefly manifested in his human form and actually smiled. His initial impression of Quinta was improving by leaps and bounds, and he reflected that he was so looking forward to their next talk, and this pound….cake. His last thought before returning to his tree form was to wonder if he could somehow convince Quinta to bring this tea he had mentioned.

Sylvester decided that he would withhold the information from Florencia. He had come to the very unpleasant realization earlier today that she didn’t have the temperament or training to help at this time. She would eventually have to be told, but for now, he would tell her that the reasons for Karstedt's rampage remained under the purview of the men of the Archducal family. And his lovely, meek wife would accept that, he also realized. He also had begun to reluctantly realize that she didn’t have what it would now require to be a first wife that was also the sister-in-law of a true Zent staging a coup. He also thought that it might be in his best interest to forge a bond with Drewanchel, regretfully through marriage -- if possible, to protect Ehrenfest from the bloody fall out of Ferdinand’s upcoming rise to power. It would save Ferdinand from an undoubtedly white marriage, and protect Ehrenfest from Klassenberg, and their nominal asylum duchy, Ahrensbach. Ehrenfest was surrounded on two sides. He would need a new first wife, one trained in a greater duchy. He had no illusions that he wasn't a prime candidate. What he was, however, was the only brother of the true Zent, and that had tremendous value. And he thought he might be able to somewhat deal with a Drewanchel wife, as opposed to a Dunklefelger woman that even the renowned Ferdinand would be wary about.

It was decided that Karstedt would inform Elvira. She truly had the makings of a fine first lady, and her political insight and intellect could only be of benefit on how to mold Ehrenfest into a duchy that would at least not be a burden to Ferdinand’s rise to power. What no one other than the old leaders of Leisegang knew about, and Elvira never spoke about, was that Elvira had been trained as a first lady to the best of the old Leisegangs' abilities, in the hopes that Sylvester’s untimely demise leave Karstedt heir. While that had not (yet) come to pass, it was true that Sylvester’s previous adamant stance about only having one wife had forced a Leisegang marriage onto Karstedt in hopes of pacifying the clan. And while Karstedt’s demotion to archnoble had enraged them, Florencia’s ineptitude as a first lady had shoved all the power of the so called Florencia faction into Elvira’s overburdened hands. That, that had pleased the Leisegangs very much.

So while Elvira was an archnoble and not the Aub’s true wife, she did have the political clout of one, at least within Ehrenfest. Far more so than Florencia, so Elvira would be told the truth. And Ferdinand had very unhappily agreed that Rozemyne would be in danger even in the Royal Academy, maybe especially in the Royal Academy where adults were not generally permitted. She was also well known to be Ferdinand’s treasured disciple. For her own protection, she would need to know the whole truth.

Ferdinand was also contemplating telling her the locations of the Eternal Five’s shrines and letting her get her own Grutrissheit. It contained many spells that would protect her like the mana barrier spell and Getilgtwol. It would also make her his heir should he perish, and someone had to keep the country from turning into white sand. She was undoubtedly qualified to get it, however wild and aggressive her ideas on reform may be. Erwarmen had wanted to meet her and would be delighted, and he had said Rozemyne was very beloved by the Gods. Surely they would want to protect her, as Verdrenna had in the Temple cave. In fact, Verdrenna seemed more enthusiastic about helping Rozemyne than even Harmut. How absolutely terrifying.

Chapter Text

Upon their return to Ehrenfest, the Capital, the archducal relatives went back to Ferdinand’s mansion. There they found the knights from earlier milling about in a state of utter confusion. Having received no orders to the contrary, they were loathe to leave the site they were last ordered to guard, even though their leaders were missing. Poor Lasfam was at his wits end as to what to do with them, and had resorted to having them take turns for tea and cookie breaks. Bonifatius offered to escort Sylvester, and the knights, back to the castle, where the Aub would now have to shut down all questions from the confused occupants who had heard, and felt, Karstedt’s rampage. Karstedt would go home to explain things to Elvira, and they both in turn would have to forestall all of Rozemyne’s questions, as she had also heard and felt Karstedt’s destructive frenzy. In the meantime, the ever efficient Lasfam had had Ferdinand’s mansion chef prepare dinner for his Lord and possible guests. Ferdinand had kept Eckhart back when Bonifatius and Sylvester departed, and he now sent an ordannanz for Justus to join him there as well. Since the library was unusable, he would have to use his dining room to have this discussion. His dining room had a door, and with a wide range anti-eavesdropping tool, it would have to do as a place to reveal his new status to his name sworn. He asked that Lasfam join the meal after instructing the chef and two helpers to stay out of the dining room once the meal was served.

Eckhart asked, “My Lord, will this dinner meeting act as Anhaltung regarding the matter of Angriff’s over blessings today?”

“Indeed", answered Ferdinand, “regarding that matter and a great many other things. And Eckhart, if you too feel possessed by Leidenschaft’s spirit after Anhaltung's revelations, as your father and grandfather did, kindly share the God's inspiration with the feybeasts in the forest, and not my mansion or the training grounds. The duchy cannot afford any more destruction of property today.”

Eckhart blinked owlishly. So, he thought, what he would be told was so big that it moved both his father and grandfather to extreme violence. If it was a threat to his Lord, he could promise to save the violence for his enemies. He would always abide by Lord Ferdinand’s wishes and protect his property and all that was his. 

“I promise.”, Eckhart said.

Ferdinand nodded his acceptance of Eckhart’s pledge. 

Justus then came breezing in and made his greetings to his Lord. He was once again vibrating with barely concealed excitement. Justus had, rightly, deduced that he was going to be told the true reason for Lord Karstedt’s earlier display, and he felt exhilarated that he was about to become one of the few in the know. Not only that, but he was in the company of his treasured Lord once again, and by the looks of the plates now being brought into the dining room, he was to have dinner with his Lord as well. This was truly  a day blessed by the Gods! After everyone had been served, and Lasfam had ensured that no servants would enter the dining room until they were called, Ferdinand deployed the anti-eavesdropping tool. Ferdinand began speaking.

“Normally,  noble manners would dictate that we make small talk before getting to the issues to be discussed, but these matters are too crucial, and even now Lord Karstedt is discussing them with Lady Elvira. Both the Aub and Lord Bonifatius are aware. Rozemyne will be informed for the sake of her safety. To not have her be informed may leave her open to a kidnapping, or worse, although she has not yet been told what I will share with you. I will let you know when she has been. Lady Florencia will not be privy to this information at this time, nor will any other staff or inhabitants of the castle yet. I may decide to tell Rozemyne’s namesworn knights to enable them to provide more protection to her. Hartmut has already sworn his name to her, so I may decide to reveal this information to him as another layer of protection for Rozemyne. Also, Justus may benefit from the aid of another archnoble scholar in the near future. Cornelius and Lamprecht will not be informed at this time. If that changes,  it will be Cornelius who is told well in advance of Lamprecht. Lamprecht’s first loyalty is to Wilfred as his Lord, and we cannot be sure that he will exercise discretion. Is this clear? I have now named everyone who is or will be in the know. Check with me, however, before discussing the matter with anyone outside of this room.”

He paused to make eye contact with each of his name sworn, and they all nodded their affirmation. Then Ferdinand chanted “Grutrissheit”, and his loyal retainers lost their noble composure. Lasfam’s face was wreathed in smiles and tears were in his eyes. Justus was openly crying, so proud of the master that he had watched over since childhood. Eckhart was so excited that he stood up and roared his happiness. Thank the Gods for sound blocking tools.

Once tears were wiped, and everyone was seated again, Ferdinand shared the truth about the royal pretenders, fake Grutrissheit, and the true state of the Garden and the foundation. He confided that he had begun a working partnership with Lord Erwarmen, that seemed surprisingly promising. He let them know that Rozemyne’s engagement with Wilfred was at an end as demanded by Lord Erwarmen,  and that he planned to ask her to marry him when she came of age. However, he explicitly warned them that no one except Sylvester was currently aware of this, not even Wilfred and Rozemyne themselves, not Karstedt, and most especially not Bonifatius. He informed them that he planned to have a meeting with Lady Elvira and Aub Sylvester very shortly to discuss the future of Ehrenfest,  and how to drag its nobles into some semblance of unity. Once Rozemyne was informed,  there would be a second meeting involving the archducal relatives in the know, and them as his adult name sworn retainers, to discuss duchy security. Lasfam would need to attend as Ferdinand’s retainer in charge of the Zent’s mansion.  He also informed them that he would soon be reaching out to Drewanchel and Dunklefelger for support with his take over. Then he took questions.

Justus was first, of course. “My Lord, I get the feeling somehow that your Book is not a recent acquisition. Am I correct?”

Damn his uncanny intuition Ferdinand thought, so helpful in his work as a spy, but a real nuisance when turned towards Ferdinand himself.

“Yes. I have had part of it since my fourth year in the Royal Academy, but wishing to live, I did nothing. When the issue of the cave occurred, my ease with forcing entry signaled to me that there may be something wrong with the country foundation, so I sought out Lord Erwarmen again for information.”

Justus nodded as if this made perfect sense, but Lasfam actually paled.

“My Lord", Lasfam began haltingly, “Do you mean to say that you sought out a God to answer your questions?”

Why does everyone find that so strange, Ferdinand wondered. Who else could he have asked?

“Indeed”, Ferdinand replied. “Besides, he's only semi-divine now, and he was uniquely qualified to answer my questions.  And it was a good thing I did seek him out, as the country foundation was nearly empty. I assure you, he didn’t mind in the slightest. He was only too happy to answer all my questions and have me fill the foundation. I am sure when I return, he will ask what kept me.”

Ferdinand sort of grumbled the last sentence. Justus and Lasfam smiled as if it was no surprise that a divine, or even a semi-divine, being was taken with their amazing Lord, while Eckhart looked at him with hero worship in his eyes.

Eckhart asked “When will we kill the royal pretenders? I am quite sure that it is this rightful desire that drove my father and grandfather to violence earlier, or am I  mistaken?” 

Eckhart, a classic Linkberg, Ferdinand thought.

He replied “While it more than likely will come to that, as I imagine they will be loathe to give up their power, we aren’t quite there yet. First, I must secure armed support from a couple of greater duchies and see to the protection of Ehrenfest. Klassenberg is a real concern closely intermarried with the Royal family as they have been for generations, and they are sitting on our border through their management of Zausengas. Ahrensbach is also of great concern and sure to ally with Klassenberg, if Georgine has her way. Lazanave could potentially a problem as the royal family of that country is an offshoot of our own. They may choose to invade with the help of Ahrensbach, if they become aware. The plan for the actual takeover will have to wait until I have secured my allies. I truly want it to be as bloodless as possible. Too many lives were lost in the civil war, and the purges afterwards. We are in a mana deficit as it stands even now, although I doubt that I will be able to spare the royal pretenders. The country will demand retribution. The lives of the current and previous Aub Klassenberg are probably also forfeit, as the driving force behind the purges. But, I truly do not want the country plunged into another civil war, and hope to come up with a viable plan to prevent that. To that end, I am planning to close the Ahrensbach Country Gate soon. That will occupy Ahrensbach as they scramble to salvage the duchy economy due to the loss of sugar, and it will cut off the Lanzanave's access to their troops, although there’s no telling how many Lanzanave are already here. I can’t imagine it’s a very large number yet. I can also always sever Klassenberg’s and Ahrensbach’s access to their duchies’ foundations. However, that will signal that someone has a Grutrissheit and is using it, although the Aubs and ruling families will essentially be defunct without that foundation access.”

Justus laughed out loud and then asked. “My Lord, did you narrow the Ahrensbach Country Gate?!”

Ferdinand was astounded. How, by the seven, did he find out so quickly?!

“How do you know about information that was confidentially shared between two Aubs?!”

“Well”, Justus explained, “our Aub may have treated it confidentially, but Aub Ahrensbach apparently spent the day calling every Aub that he trades sugar with and ordoschnelli and magic letters have been flying since this morning.”

Ferdinand supposed that made a certain economic sense. Better for Aub Ahrensbach to take control of the narrative and hold onto the sugar market while he can. Unfortunately, for him, the sugar trade would soon come to an abrupt end. Lasfam briefly departed and returned with a cart carrying tea and a mildly sweet pound cake filled with candied nuts. It was a sweet that Ferdinand actually enjoyed as the candied nuts complemented the cake that barely contained any sugar. Afterwards, Justus went home with a spring in his step. Eckhart refused to be parted from his Lord given his true status, and promptly chose to spend the night guarding his Lord’s slumber. Having someone to guard his sleep for once, Ferdinand quickly went to sleep in his own bed and slept the whole night through.

While Ferdinand was enjoying Schlaftraum’s blessings, Elvira was ensconced with her husband in her hidden room. Elvira had acted the perfect noble wife today, even though her husband had rampaged like a Winter Lord and terrified everyone! She had then seen him fly off with Ferdinand, Sylvester, and Bonifatius while watching from her mansion window, and Karstedt had not come back for well over a bell. In the meantime, she had been beset with a veritable flock of ordoschnelli from nobles demanding to know what had happened, not the least of which were from Florencia.  But she had maintained her noble composure and told everyone, truthfully, that she did not know, and that they should obtain their answers from their Aub. Honestly, even if she had known, far be it from her as the Knight Commander’s wife to share issues pertaining to the security of the duchy. And for all they knew, Karstedt’s raging could have been due to something quite private in nature, although his very public display was bound to invite many questions.

Her biggest concern was Rozemyne, who had been frantic with worry that something had happened to Ferdinand of all people. When Elvira questioned her as to why she was so worried about Ferdinand, Rozemyne stated that she just had a feeling that something significant had happened to him, and she hadn’t had contact with him in sometime. My, my, my isn’t that interesting, Elvira had thought, and it did not bode well for her future marriage to Wilfred. Not that Elvira was in favor of her engagement, by any means. Common born or not (and Elvira had realized that Rozemyne was commoner born some time ago), Rozemyne was worth 10 Wilfreds, no 20, and the Gods had seen fit to bless her with almost as much mana as the same Ferdinand that Rozemyne was so worried about.

Unbeknownst to everyone,  Elvira had been delicately planting worries in the head of Florencia regarding Wilfred’s safety as the future Aub. This wasn’t purely due to her selfishness as a mother who hated the thought of her daughter being wasted in a hopeless marriage meant to prop Wilfred up as a future Aub. Nor was it the selfishness of Elvira wanting to one day hold Rozemyne’s babies as a grandmother, babies Wilfred would never have the mana to give Rozemyne. No her concerns were for the stability of Ehrenfest. Her Leisegang relatives had made it very clear that if Sylvester persisted in his choice of Wilfred as his heir, Wilfred would be quickly assassinated upon taking the Aub’s seat, leaving Rozemyne to take over his position whether she wanted to or not. They absolutely had heard very clearly that Rozemyne had no desire for the position, but since she would end up being the defacto Aub if she married Wilfred, the Leisegangs were absolutely unwilling to let her be worked to death in the shadows as Ferdinand had been all these years for Sylvester. Although Ferdinand never knew it, the Leisegangs had been entirely ready to throw their weight behind him had he staged a coup and stolen the Aub’s seat. Though Bonifatius was their first choice as one of their blood, there was no doubt that Ferdinand would have made a far more talented Aub than Bonifatius, and he had better connections to greater duchies, which would have removed them from being under Ahrensbach’s asylum, and protected them from retribution due to Sylvester, as the blood of Ahrensbach, being removed from his seat violently. Alas, like Bonifatius before him, Ferdinand had proved much too loyal to his brother. Now, their plan was to simply kill Wilfred when he took over.

It didn’t help that Wilfred was unliked due to his horrible behavior as a young child when he was still under the care of Veronica. Also, Wilfred was not as charismatic as his father, and not even half as clever, so he was a poor choice of heir even without his Veronican upbringing. The Leisegangs were willing to accept Charlotte or Melchior since Veronica had shunned them,   despite them also being her grandchildren. It was well known that Veronica had placed an attendant loyal to her in Charlotte’s retinue when she was just a toddler. And the mad woman had actually ordered the attendant to place pins in poor little Charlotte’s clothes to prick her constantly and cause her pain. Florencia had fortunately discovered this quickly, having been stuck by one of those pins herself while holding Charlotte. The woman had confessed and then promptly died. Veronica had sworn her innocence, and that utter fool, Sylvester, had believed her. Florencia had not, and had  removed every Veronican from Charlotte’s entourage and replaced them with Leisegangs and Leisegang leaning neutrals. Melchior’s entourage was composed of the same. Although Elvira had applauded Florencia’s swift action, Elvira would have killed Veronica if Charlotte had been her baby, Veronica's name sworn be damned. Those that had not willingly sworn their names would have simply been a sacrifice to the cause of freeing Ehrenfest from the grip of Chaoscipher. At least, she felt vindicated that Trudeleide was punished for the death of Heidemarie and her unborn grandchild, although it still hurt. Now Elvira turned her attention to Karstedt and prayed that whatever news he was going to share would not be something that would hurt her children.

Karstedt began, “Elvira, I apologize for giving you and everyone a fright earlier today, and for disappearing for more than a bell. I was given information that was both explosively enraging and hopeful and heartening, yet profoundly dangerous to all of us and to Ehrenfest. There is no tune that can be played that would allow Grammaratur to dance, so I will tell you plainly. The country foundation was almost empty. The royal family are frauds, descended from an archducal family whose ancestor took the Zent’s throne for herself, and then kept it for her own bloodline through rampant murder, deadly magics, hidden truths, and blatant lies. The famed, missing Grutrissheit is merely a magic tool created to continue the power of a bloodline not meant to rule. I know all this because Ferdinand, my cousin, is now the true Zent and holds the real Book of Wisdom, that no one has held in at least 400 years. He has met with Erwarmen in the flesh, who told Ferdinand this himself, and then delivered Ferdinand to the country’s true foundation, which Ferdinand has claimed and begun to fill. Elvira, the false royal family has, in ignorance, only been filling the Sovereignty foundation --- which is merely a duchy, and they have been doing only this for the past few hundred years. They do not know where the true foundation lies, and the country was only a decade away from total annihilation. The Grutrissheit magic tool has either been destroyed through the false first prince’s attempted theft,  or has been permanently transported beyond the reach of the fraudulent royal family. Elvira, the true Zent sleeps in Ehrenfest tonight, and the Gods are behind him!”

Elvira jumped up and screeched, “WHAT?!”, and for the first time in her adult life lost her noble composure. 

Chapter Text

Elvira sat down again and bent over briefly to catch her breath. She then sat up and looked hard at her husband, and he didn’t appear drunk. So, she had to assume that he spoke the absolute truth. She was at a loss for a moment as to what to say, then she was suddenly moved deeply from within to speak from her role as a mother, and not as a noblewoman.

She said, “If Ferdinand is truly Zent, then he must dissolve Rozemyne’s engagement to Wilfred and marry her himself.”

“What?!”, Karstedt shouted, “Why?! And what has that got to do with anything that I told you just now?!”

“I refuse to see my daughter languish in an unequal marriage, and be used to prop up a weak Aub. Rozemyne’s ideas are revolutionary, and she already has ties to greater duchies. She would be a perfect first wife for a young Zent whose mana surpasses everyone’s but Rozemyne’s own. I will drill her in noble manners to ensure she learns the behavior needed as a queen. But, Ferdinand will need heirs, and Rozemyne shouldn’t be trapped in a white marriage with a small minded, petty child who will always resent her for being far better than he can ever dream of being. What if his resentment grows to hate over the years? What if he starts abusing her? Then she will either have to endure it, or more likely snap and then Crush him to death. And then what, be executed for murdering her Aub by the Zent who was once her beloved guardian, or her Knight Commander father? She has a greater destiny than what our poorly trained Aub can imagine. She needs a bigger stage upon which to act. Why shouldn’t it be the whole country? Do you know that she intuited that Ferdinand had experienced something profound and spent the entire day worrying about him after your explosion. She is deeply connected to him, Karstedt. And Ferdinand finally has the power to overrule Sylvester’s ridiculous insistence that Wilfred be the next Aub. This is how we save the duchy from Sylvester’s folly and save our daughter at the same time.”

Karstedt was struck speechless. It was true that Ferdinand would most likely be unable to find a bride who matched his mana as well as Rozemyne, but Rozemyne was still very young, and not truly a noble at all. He also hadn’t realized how strongly opposed to Wilfred Elvira really was, not only as an heir, but to his character in general.

“Eh, Elvira, I’m not sure that Ferdinand would feel that way about Rozemyne, and well, her childhood background…”

“Oh, please", snapped Elvira, “I haven’t forgotten her commoner origins, but we’ve already perpetuated the lie of her nobility throughout all of Yurgenschmidt by sending her to the Royal Academy. Unless you’re speaking of something else?” Elvira hit her husband with a death glare.

Karstedt was cornered now, and while he was very, very skilled at keeping silent, he was, in fact, a very poor liar when directly confronted, unlike his cousins Ferdinand and Sylvester.

“Well, you see, one of the main reasons we wanted her adopted by the archducal family is for her industries which are actually, um, memories of things that come from another world, where she, uh, lived until adulthood before dying and, um, then being reborn here as a commoner child.”

Elvira's eyes instantly filled with swirling mana, and then she suddenly threw her tea cup at Karstedt’s head in a rage. The tea, still hot, splashed onto his neck and burned him, spilling over his tunic.

“Woman, are you insane?!”, he roared.

“Husband, are you stupid?!”, she screamed back. “How could you not tell me this?! Didn’t you think that the values of a different world might impact on her ability to truly understand and absorb the noble customs of this one?!  Why would you force a young child to keep such an earth shattering secret from the one she calls mother?!  Don’t you understand how lonely that must be for her, having to hide such a large part of herself, even from me?!  Why would you ask me to mother a child and then keep the most important facet of who she is hidden?!  Did you not trust me to love her anyway?!  Don’t you understand how amazing this makes her?!  No wonder her mana is so powerful!  She was literally chosen by the Gods, and you let that fool Sylvester tie this miracle child to his idiot son, Wilfred!!  What is wrong with you?! Are you so browbeaten by Adelbert’s blatant negligence as an Aub and Veronica’s abuse that you’ve forgotten how to think for yourself at all?!  How could you possibly have thought not telling me would be helpful to anyone, least of all my poor daughter?!”

Karstedt was absolutely stunned, and even angry. He so wanted to refute her statements, but couldn’t. Then all the anger left him. Everything, everything she had just said was totally correct and none of it had occurred to him at all, or to Ferdinand. Never mind Sylvester. He rarely thought of other’s feelings. But Karstedt realized that he had become so used to being Sylvester’s silent shadow, so used to being overlooked and passed over, so used to being taken from by Veronica and her minions, so used to being forced to ignore rampant abuses and crimes by that woman and her followers that made a mockery of his job as Knight Commander. At some point, he just stopped thinking for himself and began  merely doing what he was told. If he really thought back, the two things that set him on this path were finding out that Veronica had taken Ferdinand’s childhood magic tool and that even his father couldn’t get it back, and his own demotion to archnoble at Veronica’s insistence. That was when he gave up, and by the time Heidemarie and his unborn grandchild were murdered, he was beyond any hope at all. And right now, even though he was a grown man and a hardened knight, right now he felt a little like crying. Karstedt realized that he had not only lost his own agency as a thinking adult, he had become very like the Royal Academy Library shumil automatons, just repeating his functions over and over again.

He looked at his wife, this strong and beautiful woman who was still somehow whole inside despite the years lived under profound abuse, with tears in his eyes and said, “Elvira, I am so very sorry. You’re absolutely correct. I never realized until this moment that I stopped thinking for myself long ago, when I saw it would do no good nor right any wrongs. I could have made an independent decision as Rozemyne’s noble father and your husband and told you the truth. But, Sylvester and Ferdinand were reluctant to tell anyone else, and I just went along with it. I didn’t even ask if that applied to you as her noble mother. Even though I know that Sylvester has a pitiful relationship with his daughter, and his mother is a murderous mad woman. And Ferdinand has no mother to speak of or any children at all. I had a wonderful mother that I could tell anything to and I should have known better than to take their advice in this area. Of course, it must be lonely for Rozemyne to hold such a secret inside. Of course, it created a barrier between you. And no, I never thought that you wouldn’t be able to love her knowing the truth. It just never occurred to me to challenge what I’d been told to do. I think I’ve become so used to fearing that what I love, who I loved, would be taken from me if I dared to think for myself, dared to object, for even a second, that I just stopped having an opinion. And even though Veronica is no longer a threat, the habit has become so deeply ingrained.”

Elvira sighed and said, “Thank you, Karstedt. I am grateful that you told me that, and I understand now that you’ve explained. You stopped thinking in order to survive. I apologize for losing my composure and throwing my tea at you.” Elvira took out her schtappe and cast Heilschmerz and Waschen on Karstedt.

“But, Karstedt, my love, you must start to think again. While Sylvester is fundamentally selfish because of how he was raised, Ferdinand is truly not. I do think that he would hear you out if your points are well stated. And I think that even Sylvester can learn to change now that the reinforcement for his self centered focus, Veronica, has been removed. After all, soon Ferdinand will not be holding Sylvester’s reins anymore, so you perhaps should start to practice while he’s still here. But, tell me, are you…are you opposed to the idea of Rozemyne marrying Ferdinand?”

Karstedt laughed. “No, actually, when the idea of Rozemyne’s future marriage came up long ago, both Sylvester and I suggested Ferdinand as a future husband. But Rozemyne and he were both vehemently opposed to the idea. Ferdinand went on to say that his marrying Rozemyne would push him into the Aub's seat, eliminating any chances for Sylvester’s children to inherit, especially Wilfred. It was actually Ferdinand’s idea that she become engaged to Wilfred.”

Elvira gave a long sigh. “I see. He’s been even more deeply neglected and abused by Adelbert and Veronica than you. While he is perfectly able to think for himself, he seems to truly struggle with thinking of himself, and what might be best for anyone else other than Sylvester, or rather thinking of anything other than what Sylvester wants. I would hesitate to say that all of Sylvester’s plans that Ferdinand tries to implement are actually in Sylvester’s, or even Ehrenfest’s, best interest. Fortunately, that tendency only seems to manifest with Sylvester and no one else, and now he is no longer under Sylvester’s control. Quite the opposite in fact. When can I meet with Ferdinand, or does he not know that you’ve told me about his new status?”

“Oh, he knows. And he wanted you to know. In fact, Ferdinand, Sylvester, my father, and I all agreed that you must be told. We will need your fine political mind to help us with this transition, not only Ferdinand’s transition out of Ehrenfest, but Ehrenfest’s transition into a duchy that will now be catapulted onto the national stage in a way that goes well beyond trends and industries.”

“Well, I’m pleased to know that at least my political acumen is acknowledged.”, said Elvira in a reserved voice.

“I’m sure Ferdinand will be inviting all of us to meet with him at his mansion to discuss strategy soon. However, Florencia will not be told at this time. Sylvester has judged her unable to …….contribute much at this point, recognizing that you are actually the leader of the Florencia faction.”

“So, Sylvester has developed at least some awareness of late. That’s..... gratifying. And he’s right. Florencia is grateful not to be oppressed by Veronica anymore, but has made no moves to take over the leadership of the ladies' factions……..I believe she is largely uninterested in the work that is involved. Tell me, does Ferdinand plan on telling Rozemyne the truth?”

“Yes, he doesn’t want to burden her with this dangerous knowledge, but she will definitely be at risk once this is known. She will definitely need your help with that. I’m afraid that her previous...….society was nothing like ours. She lacks a certain sense of danger that seems…..incongruous with survival, particularly in noble society. At least, those are my own thoughts on it. Ferdinand originally told me that she had been a noble in an advanced society in another world, but that just doesn’t seem to track with her usually unguarded behavior.”

“Why did he think that she had been a noble? Did she say so?” Elvira was genuinely curious, as she tended to agree with Karstedt’s assessment.

“He, well…....after he saw how much mana she possessed when she healed the land after her first trombe raid, he became concerned that she might be dangerous....... and he used the mind reading tool on her to look into her mind.”

And now Karstedt was in trouble with his wife again who was very, very angry that a tool used for criminals was used on a small girl. Elvira’s eyes began to flash, and Karstedt braced himself for another explosion.

However, Elvira was able to regain her calm, but did ask very pointedly, “What kind of danger did he think a seven year old girl presented that warranted that level of violation?!”

“You know how paranoid he is after years of spies from Veronica’s faction trying to trap and trick him. And he always planned to ask us to adopt her, and probably Sylvester too. He just wanted to make sure she wasn’t a risk to us. And Rozemyne had told him that her ideas came from a dream world, and I think he really wanted to see it for himself. I was initially taken aback by it too, but Rozemyne really enjoyed showing him her previous life. She actually begged him to do it again. He came away from the experience saying that there was really nothing in her head but books, but that the world that she came from was vastly more advanced than our own and that her value was immeasurable. Then he asked me to adopt her on the spot so that no one could steal her. However, my impression was that reading her mind had made him trust her implicitly, and that he actually began to care about her, which of course he denied. But, I actually had to struggle not to laugh in his face because it was so obvious that what he saw caused some kind of bond to form. It was shortly after that that Eckhart told me that Ferdinand started eating Rozemyne’s food without any fear of poison at all.”

“I knew he bought her recipes.”, Elvira said. “But I hadn’t realized that he ate her food freely, without fear.”

“Of course, she poison tests it front of him, but he is absolutely unafraid and digs right in.”

“Karstedt, dear, it seems like you’ve witnessed this yourself.”

“Well, yes, a few times at the Temple. I’ve stopped by, and um, had lunch. And, well, that’s how I knew her recipes were worth buying, you know.”

So, Karstedt had been sneaking lunches at the Temple with Rozemyne and Ferdinand. Well, that just made her happy.

Elvira smiled, a real smile, not a noble one. “My, my, my, so he’s shared memories with her. Protests that he doesn’t care for her. Finds her knowledge invaluable. And Ferdinand, who would survive only on potions that he brewed himself if he could, due to a very legitimate fear of poisons, eats Rozemyne’s food with real abandon. Well, all of this makes her his ideal future bride, I would say.”

“You really think so?”, Karstedt still didn’t quite make the leap, but his wife was, admittedly, smarter, and had keener insight, than himself.

Elvira said, “I do indeed. He trusts her on several levels, and also holds her in esteem. Ferdinand doesn’t use words like valuable or immeasurable lightly. Not at all. And they’ve been sharing meals for years now. This bodes well for their future, for their domestic life. They already choose to spend time in each other’s company, repeatedly.” Elvira continued, “I will tell her tomorrow that we spoke of her past life memories. That you shared that information with me as a way of helping me to better guide her education as a soon to be adult noble woman. That will also allow me to talk about romance and marriage in her previous world, and gain some insight into how our concepts differ from both her old world and her commoner background.”

“Elvira, but that’s not what I actually said.” Karstedt complained.

“But it’s helpful to put those words in your mouth, and this will put her far more at ease than the truth. And it will help me guide her so much better, and allow her the space to be more honest about what she doesn’t understand. And just so you are aware, I will be talking to our new Zent directly about taking Rozemyne as a wife, a first wife, and I don’t remotely care of Sylvester doesn’t like it.”

“Ah, Elvira, Sylvester’s still our Aub, despite Ferdinand’s change in status.”

Elvira looked Karstedt straight in the eye and said, “He doesn’t have to be. We don’t have to stay here. Ferdinand will need retainers that he can truly trust. We can leave when he goes to the Sovereignty. I can work as a scholar and maybe you can be his Knight Commander.”

Karstedt was doubtful, at least regarding himself. He said, “I somehow see him giving that position to someone from a greater duchy. And would you really want to leave Ehrenfest, our home?”

“Even if he has to appoint someone from a greater duchy as Knight Commander for political reasons, you can still be Vice Commander, or even captain of his personal knight retinue, much like Damuel is for Rozemyne when she’s home, or Cornelius was when they were at school together. I’m quite sure Ferdinand would be happy to have someone he can actually trust so close at hand. As far as Ehrenfest being my home, I honestly haven’t felt like that since I left Haldenzel. Oh I don’t mean here in our personal home, but Ehrenfest, the Capital, has never felt like home with Veronica’s shadow hanging over us all. And if Rozemyne does marry Ferdinand as I hope, then Cornelius will follow her. You know he will. Eckhart is already on his way out with Ferdinand. Your father won’t stay, but Lamprecht can take over your position. He won’t leave, recently married to Aurelia as he is, and she’s much too timid for the Sovereignty. And, I don’t want to spend the rest of my life holding Florencia’s hand, or babysitting Sylvester. Now that Ferdinand will be leaving, Sylvester will be desperate for a new political advisor, and Karstedt, I think that I hate them, just a little bit, for Heidemarie and my poor dead, unborn grandchild. I really do.”

Karstedt was truly surprised. He had no idea that Elvira felt this way. He said, “Elvira, I understand what you’re saying, but Sylvester and Florencia didn’t cause their deaths. They didn’t kill them.”

“But, Sylvester didn’t believe his mother was involved and listened to her when she defended Trudeleide. He made us swallow the murder of our family. Oh, I don’t blame Florencia for that, she believed us, but I don’t want to spend my life as her crutch anymore than I want Rozemyne to spend her life as Wilfred’s. And maybe if you’re away from here, you will feel free to think your own thoughts again. Aren’t you tired of running behind Sylvester and getting nothing in return? Not even the return of your rightful archducal status?”

Karstedt was visibly uncomfortable now, so Elvira decided to let it go after saying one last thing. “Of course, if Rozemyne stays, if she doesn’t want to marry Ferdinand, or he doesn’t want to marry her, then the rest of our family will stay as well and everything that I just said will be irrelevant.”

Karstedt looked at her, really looked at her, and asked, “Do you really think that Rozemyne will want to marry Ferdinand, and he her, even after I told you how they originally reacted to the suggestion?”

“I truly do. That was long ago, no? And, you didn’t see how frantic she was over the thought that something had happened to him. And Ferdinand, well, he shows more care for her than for anybody besides Sylvester. She’ll be of age in a few short years, and with the true Book of Wisdom, I’m sure Ferdinand will figure out a way to heal her and have her grow up to have a healthy, adult sized body. Ferdinand also trusts her, and now that I know she has memories of another world, it makes sense. Rozemyne will be the one woman in all of Yurgenschmidt who will never be, at her core, a scheming, ambitious noble woman. Her loyalty to him will be true, and she won’t have an agenda, well, other than to publish more books.”

Karstedt had to laugh at that last comment. “And”, Elvira continued, “I’m sure Rozemyne will be quite beautiful when she’s fully grown. She’s always been quite a pretty child, even with her unusually small stature.”

“Ferdinand is the last man in the whole country who would be moved by a woman’s beauty.”, Karstedt commented.

“That’s because Veronica, and probably Bezanwanst also, used beautiful women to entrap, or even possibly attempt to poison and even kill Ferdinand. Feminine beauty has been a weapon used against him, but Rozemyne is probably the only young lady in the entire country who will never think that way. It’s not that she doesn’t know she’s pretty. It’s just that she really doesn’t understand how devastating a weapon female beauty can be, and likely doesn’t care and never will. Why should she when she has the intelligence that she does? That makes her the ideal beauty for a young, handsome Zent who greatly distrusts women. A beauty he can finally appreciate because she's trustworthy. And Rozemyne will have the satisfaction of being cared for by a man that appreciates her for more than just her physical appeal. ”

“You genuinely think they would be a good match, don’t you?” Karstedt asked in wonder.

“I really do, but that may just be a mother's wishful thinking. Although from Rozemyne’s point of view, having a husband that she can be her true self with, a husband that not only knows of her commoner origins but accepts them, who even knows about her other worldly memories, that could be incredibly appealing to her.”

Karstedt reached out and took his wife’s hand. He said, “I’m really grateful to have a wife like you, someone who is a real partner, and can compensate for my shortcomings. I will try, Elvira, to think more, to speak up when I object to something, or have a different opinion. I’m not really sure about moving to the Sovereignty, but it does feel strangely freeing to know that I might have a choice to live elsewhere, to become a different man in a new role. We’ve haven’t been able to choose anything for the entirety of our whole lives in Ehrenfest because of Veronica.”

Elvira squeezed his fingers and said, “Even if we choose to stay, I think we need craft new roles for ourselves, set some limits on the archducal couple’s over dependency on us, and carve out a piece of life that is just ours. Although I have to be honest, I would very much like to be a part of new Yurgenschmidt that Ferdinand will create, especially if the majority of my children will be there alongside him. I also suspect that a surprising number of nobles from Ehrenfest may want to join him. Sylvester will need to be careful once Ferdinand’s new status is known. It’s no secret that Ferdinand is behind all of Sylvester’s best policy decisions, or that he tried to limit the damage of Sylvester’s worst decisions.”

Karstedt looked at Elvira with some alarm. He said, “I sincerely hope you don’t plan to say that to our Aub.”

Elvira smiled mysteriously and said, “Who knows?”

"Oh", Karstedt said, "while we're in here, let me tell you about the Temple cave that started this all!"

"What Temple cave?!", Elvira exclaimed 

Chapter Text

Ferdinand woke up feeling incredibly refreshed in the morning for the first time in maybe, well, maybe ever. He had never felt this good upon awakening. He rang for Lasfam and got bathed, and then greeted Eckhart on his way down to breakfast. Eckhart was a little difficult that morning, as he did not want to leave Ferdinand’s side, but obviously needed to go home and sleep. They were able to compromise by agreeing that Eckhart would return that evening to watch over Ferdinand’s sleep again. Perhaps sleeping in the safety of his own bed with Eckhart watching over him would allow him to rest well again?

Once Eckhart was gone, Ferdinand made his escape to the Temple. He hadn’t been there in a couple of days, and definitely needed to take stock of where his staff was in their work. Fran greeted him as if he had been away for ages, and initially, Ferdinand was anticipating from his manner of greeting that there had been a problem. Thankfully, that was not the case. Fran was actually just happy to see him, and even remarked that he was pleased to see it was obvious that the High Priest had gotten some rest. Did he really look different just because of a good night's sleep, Ferdinand wondered?

Ferdinand spent a bell meeting with each of his key subordinate priests reviewing their work areas and addressing any concerns that they had. After a thorough review, Ferdinand was able to identify some additional administrative work that he would be able to immediately parcel out to his more capable blue and grey robe priests. He also made a short list of blue priests who may be able to take over his post if it was split up among a few individuals. Ferdinand had to begin training them and letting go of his old roles now. He had to speak with Sylvester about handing off his Temple work, so he sent a magic letter to his brother asking when he might be available to speak. He also needed to contact Aubs Dunklefelger and Drewanchel through Sylvester's water mirror, and finesse a meeting with them.

He had already determined that he could use his magic tools as a reason to meet with Aub Drewanchel. In fact, he genuinely wanted to work with him on a tool from Rozemyne’s dream world called a vi-deo. He was playing with the notion of asking Erwarmen to address the Aubs using this tool when he made his debut as the new Zent.  The problem was that people thought that the Gods were only myths. However, if people could see and hear Erwarmen, that would overcome any disbelief. Also, Erwarmen’s involvement could possibly prevent another war from breaking out. If the former God demanded no war be fought, who could oppose him?

He had the information for the technology behind the creation of the water mirrors used exclusively by Aubs in his Book. If that technology could be somehow be incorporated into this new magic tool as well, then could people actually dialogue with Erwarmen? He chuckled at the thought of some of the arrogant Aubs, or those conceited false princes, arguing with Erwarmen, and the grumpy former God's response to that!

He was quite sure that Aub Drewanchel would be eager to work on this new project. And, the project itself would be enough to get Trauerqual’s approval to use the Royal Academy transportation circles for him to travel to Drewanchel. Dunklefelger was a little more challenging. Magdelena’s and Trauerqual’s less than loving relationship with that duchy would make them pay more attention to any request to visit there, particularly a request for him as Magdelena’s former fiance. Still, he needed to meet with Aub Dunklefelger, and it would be better done away from the prying eyes of a Royal Academy tea room.

Sylvester replied to his magic letter surprisingly quickly, saying that Ferdinand could come whenever he wanted. Ferdinand was glad that he wasn't being made to wait, and headed over to the castle. Ferdinand failed to realize that even his brother wouldn't make the Zent wait, and his brother also knew that they their togetherness was rapidly coming to an end. Once Ferdinand left Ehrenfest they would rarely, if ever, be able to spend easy moments again. Sylvester was determined to rise to the occasion and strive to be a support and not a burden to his brother, but he would miss his good counsel profoundly. And he would miss teasing him even more.


After noble greetings were exchanged, Sylvester took him to a smaller office where he, Sylvester, and Karstedt sometimes shared drinks after long work days. It was at a distance from Sylvester’s main office, so they were unlikely to be easily interrupted. As per usual, Karstedt joined Sylvester as his guard knight.

As soon as the anti-eavesdropping tool was activated, Sylvester began his teasing. “Ferdinand”, Sylvester began in a playful tone, “you look different today. If you were a lady, I might suspect you of wearing makeup.”

“You are as ridiculous as always.”, Ferdinand scoffed.

“No really. You look different, younger somehow.”

“I merely got a good night’s sleep.”, Ferdinand explained.

“Seriously?! Well, you should get sleep more often.”, Sylvester declared.

“How was he going to do that when you’ve been the one keeping him from sleep with too much overwork?”, Karstedt quipped.

Sylvester laughed, but no one joined him. He turned to look at Karstedt who just stared back at him blankly. He then faced Ferdinand, who just gave him a hard look back.

“Oh. Sorry.”, Sylvester said in a small voice. “Well, I have left you alone since the night we had our first big talk with Bonifatius. Did you notice? And of course, I know that I can’t bother you anymore with everything that you have to do.”

“I’m glad that you’re aware, and actually, I wanted to speak to you about my replacements at the Temple. I need to start handing off my work.”, Ferdinand replied.

“Did you say replacements, plural?” Sylvester asked in a surprised voice.

“Well, one Ferdinand is worth at least ten regular men, Sylvester. You may even need more than ten men to replace him.”, Karstedt chimed in again.

Wow, Sylvester thought, Karstedt sure was cheeky today.

Ferdinand was actually touched by Karstedt’s support, although he could never let that show.

To cover up his unexpected but pleased embarrassment, he dismissively said, “I don’t know about the ten to one ratio, but my thoughts on the Temple was that perhaps my position can be shared. Perhaps instead of one High Priest, you could have a High Priest and two supporting Head Priests. Or perhaps a senior Head Priest, and three supporting junior Head Priests.”

“That could work, but what will you tell them about why they're replacing you?", Sylvester asked.

"I thought for now, I'd just say you have me working on some projects related to duchy administration that take priority. This would also allow me to be absent from the Temple, to take care of other things, far more often without people wondering where I was."

"What about the High Bishop position? Who’s going to replace Rozemyne?”, Sylvester asked.

“Why would Rozemyne need to be replaced?”, Karstedt asked in a less than happy tone.

Sylvester realized then that he had just made a big mistake. He and Ferdinand had discussed Erwarmen’s mandate regarding canceling her engagement to Wilfred, but outside of Karstedt’s hearing under an eavesdropping tool. Nothing for it now. He glanced over at Ferdinand, who was giving him a pronounced death glare. Sylvester just waited him out. Well, Ferdinand had had that conversation with Erwarmen himself. Let him explain it to Karstedt.

Ferdinand sighed. “I was going to discuss this with you at a later date, Karstedt, but apparently Erwarmen and all the Gods are quite aware of Rozemyne, and..”

“What?!”, Karstedt yelled. “What do you mean they’re aware of her?! Aware of her how?!”

“If you’d let me finish.”, Ferdinand said patiently. “Erwarmen said that Rozemyne is highly favored by the Gods. Apparently, they, well, took it upon themselves to wrap our threads, hers and mine, around each other with their ultimate goal being our marriage.”

Karstedt looked at Ferdinand in shock, and then began to laugh loudly. He laughed for a very long time. Karstedt couldn’t believe that his wife had divined the Gods true wishes! She was a wonder! He was tickled beyond belief and couldn’t wait to tell her!

Finally, Ferdinand couldn’t take his laughing anymore and actually snapped, “Would you please stop laughing?! I fail to see how any of this is funny!”

“I apologize, Ferdinand.”

Damn him, thought Ferdinand. He was still chuckling.

Karstedt said, “I’m just amused that the Gods have decreed that you’re destined to spend your life, how did you put it back then when Sylvester and I suggested that you marry Rozemyne, oh yes, taking care of a problem child. Especially since you are, what did Rozemyne call you, a perpetually grumpy complaint factory. Or something like that.”

Now Karstedt had the nerve to be wiping tears from his eyes caused by laughter. How irritating, thought Ferdinand!

“Do I have your permission?”, Ferdinand asked Karstedt in a strained voice.

“Shouldn’t you be asking Sylvester that as her adopted father?”, Karstedt inquired still amused.

“Sylvester has never been a real father to Rozemyne, and anyway, he’s too afraid of Erwarmen to refuse.”

“Hey! I resent that!”, Sylvester exclaimed.

“Why resent the truth?, Ferdinand sneered. “You are too afraid of Erwarmen to reject me, and at best, you’ve been a crazy uncle to Rozemyne.”

“I’ve been incredibly supportive of all Rozemyne’s new ideas and industries. How is that not fatherly?", Sylvester complained. "And of course I'm afraid of him!”

“That’s how an employer acts, Sylvester, not a parent. Or perhaps a crazy uncle with a taste for novelty. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is if Karstedt objects.”, Ferdinand stated boldly.

“I would have no objections, Ferdinand, provided that you will actually care for her, and not just marry her out of duty to the Gods.” Karstedt was very interested in Ferdinand’s response, and would be sharing his words verbatim with Elvira later as well.

“Of course, I will care for her. What kind of man would I be not to care for my own wife? I will attend to all her needs, protect all that she cherishes, and utterly destroy anyone who even thinks about harming her. Is that not the job of a husband?”

Ferdinand’s declaration was just so earnest, and right out of one of Elvira’s romantic stories, Karstedt thought. Women would be swooning left and right if they had heard him. And, Elvira would dust a whole bag of feystones. Rozemyne’s face would be as red as a sentis flower if she had heard what Ferdinand said. If Sylvester gave into his temptation to laugh in Ferdinand's face right now, Karstedt might actually kill him. What father wouldn't be happy with Ferdinand's response? But still, Karstedt just had to tease him, just a little.

In a serious voice, he said to Ferdinand. “Fine words. I think that you should make that a vow, and engrave them on the stone that you give to Rozemyne when you tie your stars.”

Sylvester was really struggling to keep it together,  his face was red with suppressed laughter. But Ferdinand was only looking at Karstedt.

With all the solemnity of the knight he still was at heart, he said ”I make that vow to you as her noble father, and I will engrave this vow on the stone that I give her, if she’ll have me.”

Sylvester was desperate to change the subject now, to prevent himself from running into the hall to roll on the floor and laugh.

Sylvester said brusquely, “Well good. But for now, in order to prevent public sentiment from being stirred up again regarding the succession of the Aub’s seat, Karstedt, tell no one. Soooo, who's going to replace Rozemyne?”

Karstedt thought to himself that he was going to tell his wife everything anyway. Succession be damned.

"Well", began Ferdinand, "I think we should allow Melchior to do it since he's made it very clear he intends to be Rozemyne’s successor. Also, as she will be of age in a few short years anyway, she needs to begin training him now."

"I agree, and have said so publicly. But, well, privately, Florencia has said to me often that she is opposed to the idea."

And for the first time, Ferdinand spoke like a Zent to his brother. "Given what we now know about the importance of the Temple in the role of blessing acquisitions, the true path to Zenthood, and the fertility of the land, you would be a fool to have anyone other than one of your blood relatives take over that role. And, as I expect Ehrenfest’s support as my home duchy, I want Ehrenfest to lead the way in Temple reform, and the Aub’s blood child taking over the High Bishop position from Rozemyne would be a demonstration of that support."

Time to keep my promise to Elvira, Karstedt thought. "Also", he began slowly, "given that Rozemyne is acknowledged as my blood child, I find it offensive that Florencia would be opposed to Melchior taking over a role that you so blithely handed over to Rozemyne as a small child."

"I said that I am in favor of Melchior replacing her and I am, and anyway, remember, we originally gave that role to Rozemyne to help build her legend as the Saint of Ehrenfest.", Sylvester complained.

"Yes, I'm aware of our reasons.", Karstedt replied. "However, Florencia is not. Therefore, she is saying with her objection that a role that my daughter performed since she was baptized, a role that she used to return fertility to our barren lands, a role that even brought  about the miracle of the Haldenzel Spring, is too low for her own son. I find that offensive, especially since my wife shielded yours from Veronica since Florencia entered this duchy, and still manages her faction in Florencia’s name."

"I know, Karstedt.  I know. I'm not defending her. I'm just being honest about Florencia’s true opinion."

"Well, what are you going to do about it?", Karstedt asked.

"Obviously, Melchior will take Rozemyne’s place."

"But, what will you do about Florencia’s attitude?"

Sylvester appeared to be at a loss. Not opposed to action, just at a loss on how to deal with his wife.

"I think you need to educate your wife about public perception and gratitude owed to faithful pillars.", Ferdinand interjected. "It's time that you share with Florencia how the public will perceive her objection to Melchior’s taking Rozemyne’s place, just in case she's been less than discreet about her opinions with her own confidants already. And also share the truth that, through her own lack of initiative, the faction that bears her name is not her own, but actually, belongs to the mother of the girl that she thinks her son is too good to replace. And while you're at it, tell her that that faction is made up of people who are mainly the blood kin of the same girl that she thinks of as inferior to her own son. Lastly, you should make her aware that none of her children would approve of her attitude towards the High Bishop's position. And quite frankly, Charlotte’s reaction to her mother's way of thinking, especially about Rozemyne being inferior, would be outright rage. But really, Sylvester, with how important the chalices are to crop production alone, I am baffled as to why Florencia would ever want that power to be outside of the hands of the archducal family. "

"I will tell her. It's just that Florencia isn't going to be very helpful with the tremendous changes coming. She knows very well how my uncle and mother abused chalice distribution, and she is still opposed to Melchior being High Bishop. I agree that if the new High Priest, or priests, is now not going to be a relative, then the High Bishop must absolutely a member of my family. That's only based on the chalices alone, and not the absolutely earth shattering information that I now know. I shouldn't have to explain this to her." Sylvester confided. "I always thought that Florencia would blossom as a first lady when my mother was out of the picture. But, she hasn't done anything differently during the years my mother has been imprisoned. I know that I will need more help than she can give me going forward. I'm not sure she even wants to help in that way."

"So what are you going to do about it?", Karstedt asked for the last time.

"I think that I need a new first lady, and maybe even a second wife to manage the factions of Ehrenfest. Florencia doesn't have the political skill to interact with greater duchies as the sister-in-law of a Zent. They would eat her alive. Unfortunately, she doesn't have the skill, or apparently the interest, to manage the internal factions of Ehrenfest either. I am not romantically interested in other women, and I already have three children with her, two of whom are almost of age. But, with you leaving, Ferdinand, I will need help. And it pains me to say this, but I don’t feel comfortable sharing any of this with Florencia. And I realize that I never really relied on her for political advice anyway. She's a very comforting person, but I can't remember her ever truly giving me advice that was helpful politically."

“Well", Ferdinand said, "I  would encourage you to think about taking a wife from Drewanchel or Dunklefelger. They are also the most likely to be truly loyal to me, personally. Drewanchel is crafty, so you would have to protect the methodology behind any Ehrenfest technology strenuously, but they also tend to have a real surplus of fully trained Archduke candidates, since they adopt so many people. You could probably easily find a new first wife from among the Aub’s older adopted children, or even a blood related more distant relative, or a perhaps a distantly related widow. Now, Dunklefelger women are skilled tacticians so they would necessarily make for more assertive spouses. However, it might be to your benefit to have a wife skilled in military matters for Ehrenfest’s protection, and it wouldn't hurt to have a marriage tie to the military duchy. Dunklefelger is also decidedly less interested in technology than Drewanchel, so you would not have to be quite so aggressive in protecting Ehrenfest technology. You could never be lax, mind you, but you could be less guarded. My change in status will change Ehrenfest’s, so other duchies will be very interested in you as well. However, Dunklefelger is honorable, which is a rarity in our society. Drewanchel will steal technology, take it apart, and improve on it if they can. But that's more of a duchy wide addiction than true dishonor. They believe in merit absolutely. No other duchy does as much to nature talent without regard to blood. And I suppose, that's honorable in its own right."

Ferdinand continued "Speaking of those duchies, I also came today because I would like to have you contact Drewanchel and Dunklefelger through the water mirror so that I can arrange a visit to each of the Aubs.”

“Now?”, Sylvester was surprised at the change of subject selected.

“If you could?” Ferdinand asked. "I must set this process in motion. And when we meet with them in person, Sylvester,  you might want to drop a hint or two about being open to taking another wife."

So, they went to Sylvester’s other office to use the water mirror, and contacted Aub Drewanchel first. The Aub seemed quite surprised to see Sylvester in his water mirror, but was perfectly cordial.

“Aub Ehrenfest”, Constantine of Drewanchel said after noble greetings were exchanged. “to what do I owe the unexpected pleasure?”

“Aub Drewanchel, I have someone here that wishes to confer with you about a project.”, and Ferdinand stepped into view.

“Lord Ferdinand! This is indeed a pleasure!. Am I to understand that you have a magic tool that you’d perhaps like to sell to Drewanchel?”

Ferdinand smiled. “Better than that. I have an idea for a magic tool that I would like us to create, together. A novel invention utilizing the principals of three separate magic tools combined into one, with possible applications in learning, communication, or even entertainment. I would like to discuss my idea in person with you, along with my brother Aub Ehrenfest --- as this would be a joint interduchy project if you were interested. I believe developing a prototype would be possibly doable for Ehrenfest, but if it looks profitable, mass production would be better handled by Drewanchel.”

Constantine was practically salivating. He said, “Yes, yes. I’d be delighted to meet with you. I’d be even more pleased if I could entice you to visit Drewanchel for our meeting. Now, when shall you come, hm? I am between projects right now, so this is timely. Timely indeed. Would you like to come in five days time? We could be ready even sooner, and of course, you are welcome to stay for as long as you’d like. Forever, even.”

Ferdinand couldn’t help but chuckle, while Sylvester frowned.

Ferdinand said, “Shall we meet, in say, two weeks time then? That will allow us to finish up some work here, but we would be very happy visit the land of Mestionora’s disciples.”

“Good, good! I will contact the Zent and get permission for your transportation through the Royal Academy. I will contact you when the arrangements are confirmed, but I look forward to seeing you both in two weeks!” Constantine signed off with the dignity of an Aub, but the unmistakable excitement of Justus.

“I can’t believe that man tried to steal you from Ehrenfest right in front of me!”, Sylvester complained. However, Constantine's rather blatant attempt to poach Ferdinand had shaken off Sylvester’s subdued mood from their earlier conversation.

“Yes, well. At least, that was the easy. Now, what excuse can we give Aub Dunklefelger? I want to get his commitment to me as the Sword of the Zent before meeting with Drewanchel. I thought of maybe using Rozemyne’s relationship with Hannelore as an excuse to visit, but we can hardly invite ourselves. Although Aub Dunklefelger truthfully wouldn’t mind, it just isn’t done.”

Sylvester said, “I know. What if we asked him for some samples of fruits and vegetables for Rozemyne to experiment with making new recipes? At the interduchy tournament, he and I basically agreed to give additional spots to Dunklefelger this year. But, that was for visiting merchants. What if we say that in light of our anticipated expanded trade agreements, we were wondering about possible exports to Ehrenfest to expand our culinary arts in hopes creating something new?”

“But wouldn’t we have to compensate him financially for the samples, Sylvester? Or bring Rozemyne?”

“No. Not at all. Rozemyne’s recipes are the most sought after food creations in the country. If she finds something that she can use to create a new dish, this would be a gold mine for them, even if all they do is export the raw produce after we sell the recipe to other duchies. And even better, she will be honestly be insanely happy to get those samples. I can already picture an explosion of new recipes from her. Who knows? Dunklefelger may have produce that matches food from her previous world. Her otherworldly recipes are priceless. Far from being a ruse, this might turn out to be incredibly profitable! And I know just how to stimulate his competitive spirit with other duchies. Just watch and learn, little brother. I’ll handle this one.”

Ferdinand was impressed with Sylvester’s thought process. Had he been stunting Sylvester’s potential all this time by protecting him from ugly truths? Would he have been the helpful older brother that he seemed to be becoming sooner if Ferdinand had been honest with him about all his mother’s deeds right after she was imprisoned? If he had ripped off the bandage, as Rozemyne liked to say?"

Sylvester promptly called Dunklefelger on the water mirror. The signal went through indicating a call from Ehrenfest, and Werderkraft answered so quickly that Sylvester just knew that the man was hoping to see Ferdinand, the idol of Dunklefelger. Well his wish would be rewarded.

“Aub Ehrenfest! And Lord Ferdinand! Now this is a call that I am happy to take! What can the land of fire do for you?!”, Werderkraft's voice was boisterous and happy.

They exchanged noble greetings, and then Sylvester began his pitch.

“Aub Dunklefelger, I had a thought while reflecting on our preliminary trade discussion that we had at the interduchy tournament. You know my adopted daughter is deeply, deeply devoted to Cuococalura, to the joy of all. I was thinking that it might be beneficial to allow her to experiment with some of your produce in advance of the Archduke’s conference, in the hopes that she might happen upon a new recipe or two that might lead to a export agreement. From what she’s told me, Dunklefelger has a greater variety of fruits and vegetables than even our close southern neighbor, Ahrensbach. I was hoping that you might be interested in sharing some of your more common fruits and vegetables with us as samples. Nothing special or rare, not even fey plants, simply produce that is commonly used with no special preparations. Rozemyne has a real gift for finding uncommon ways to turn common foods into the finest dishes. There are no guarantees, but if she stays true to form, it could greatly benefit both our duchies. Ehrenfest would benefit through the sale of any recipes, and Dunklefelger through the sale of the produce needed to create the recipe.”

“Oooohhh! I like the way you think, Aub Ehrenfest! We would be happy to give you a few boxes of our finest fruits and vegetables, under two conditions. One, that Dunklefelger would get first purchase rights on any new recipes, at a discounted rate, of course. We wouldn't want to prevent the sale of any recipe to another duchy. Just that you would offer it to us first. And two,..”

Here it comes, thought Ferdinand.

“That you and Lord Ferdinand come to Dunklefelger to collect the boxes, and Ferdinand must play a Ditter while he’s here!”

“I’m sorry, Aub Dunklefelger, but I must decline to Ditter at this time. There are far too many administrative responsibilities that I must attend to at the moment, and I am unable to set them aside to prepare adequately for a proper Ditter.”, stated Ferdinand.

“Responsibilities! Preparation! Pah! Ditter is about passion!” Werderkraft complained.

Ferdinand just stared at the man.

“But, Ferdinand, is it not appropriate that we honor Leidenschaft before possibly embarking on a new trade agreement?”

“Aub Dunklefelger", said Ferdinand, “you’re always trying to sneak Ditter into things wholly unrelated to Ditter, like publication rights and potentially profitable trade agreements. You want the profit, but you want the Ditter more. But what would Lady Seiglinde think if she knew you that you were holding profit hostage for Ditter, especially profit that might manifest as a tasty treat that could be offered at one of her tea parties?”

“Ferdinand! You are too cruel! Why would you even mention my wife? Is Ditter not a sacred game among men?” Werderkraft sounded just like Heitschitze at the moment.

Ferdinand just stared at the man again.

“Oh, very well.”, he said glumly. “Would you be able to set aside the time to at least be my guests in my home so that I may show you the splendor of Dunklefelger?”

“We would be honored to visit you.”, Sylvester replied.

“Good!”, Werderkraft boomed. “So, you can come in five days and we will host you for three days! Even if you won’t Ditter yourself, we shall hold one in your honor! Yes, many of your former classmates will want speak with you so that you can reminisce together about the glorious Ditters that you shared! My dining hall will be filled to the brim!”

Sylvester had to interject now before the man planned out any more of their lives. Did he not hear them say that they had piles if work? Did Dunklefelger want to steal his brother too, like Drewanchel? “That’s amazingly generous, Aub Dunklefelger, but we will need at least a week to prepare for our absence, and we really are quite overwhelmed with work, and would not be able to stay for more than a single night, although I sincerely wish we could stay longer.”

“Well, it is disappointing that your stay will be so short, but that just means that you will have to come again just to visit! Yes, as a vacation when all your work is done, and then you will have time to indulge in a proper Ditter! So, you will come before lunch a week from now! We give you a tour of our capital, and then have a Ditter in the late afternoon and a feast that night! Then, in the morning after breakfast, we will review the produce samples that we will send back with you. I will contact Zent Trauerqual now and make transportation arrangements!"

And then he abruptly disconnected and was gone.

Ferdinand said, " If new recipes do come out of this, make sure you get the same discount on our imports that he wants on the recipes."

“That man is a whirlwind! He just planned out our whole itinerary without pausing to take a breath!  I feel bad for him, though.”, Sylvester said. “He’s so happy right now, but shortly, he’ll be more angry than even our uncle.”

“Yes”, said Ferdinand “I think I’ll wait until after the Ditter to tell him the truth. I don’t want any of his men to die during the match just because he went on a rampage from anger.”

“On a brighter note, "Sylvester said, "I think that both Aubs will be delighted to give you their loyalty. They both blatantly would keep you forever if they could!! I’m also surprised to hear that you have so many acquaintances eager to speak with you again in Dunklefelger! He said his dining hall will be packed. Your popularity is incredible. It’s sounds a lot like the concert that you gave a while back at Rozemyne’s request, but instead of fainting women fawning over you, they’ll be sweaty men.”

“Sylvester, please let it go. It literally pains me to think about the fuss that they will make over past Ditters.”

“Rozemyne said in her previous world you would have been considered something called a super star.”

Ferdinand looked baffled.

He asked, “What is a super.......star?”

“She said that there were two kinds, performers, singers and the like, and exceptional athletes. In the case of the performers, ladies would moan, cry, and faint when the super star sang in public. They'd have to carried out by healers because they were so overcome. Buy the super star's pictures at exorbitant prices and spend hours staring at the object of their worship. You know, exactly like what happened when you gave that concert.”, Sylvester was snickering now.

“It was ludicrous, and unseemly.”

“She said that men like that were called "lady killers" because the women were so overwrought that they would just collapse on the spot from the lethal combination of super star’s good looks and singing voice, just like they did at your concert back then.”

“Are you quite done?”, Ferdinand groused.

“With athletes, their feats became a legend. Stories of their prowess would be told for years, even after they retired. Grown men cried to have missed their famed competitions. Doesn’t that sound like familiar? The men would give them a special title to honor their athletic ability and chant that name whenever they appeared. You know, a name like "The Lord of Evil”.” Sylvester was really enjoying himself, and he wasn’t going to stop because Ferdinand’s ears were now red.

“You are beyond absurd.”

“My little brother, once as tiny and delicate and pretty as a little girl, grew up to be the Zent- Lady Killer- Lord of Evil.” Sylvester was laughing openly now.

“I’m leaving.” Ferdinand said in aggravation, and threw open the door and stalked out of the water mirror room. Karstedt, standing just outside the door, gave Ferdinand a look of confusion at his rushed exit.

Sylvester having given up all his dignity as an Aub, called after him, “Come back, Ferdinand! You’re big brother is so proud of you! Lord of Evil! Lady Killer! Come back you super star you! Come back!” His laughter chasing Ferdinand.

But Ferdinand didn’t go back. Instead, he walked out of the castle, jumped on his highbeast, and flew back to the Temple where he could have some peace.

On another note, Karstedt was a dutiful husband who shared every word that Ferdinand had said earlier with his lovely wife in her hidden room that night. And Elvira dusted TWO whole bags of feystones. She was actually quite overcome with excitement, but Karstedt was able to help her with that as well. He was a very good husband, a very good husband indeed.

Chapter Text

Elvira woke up the day after her hidden room conversation with Karstedt feeling absolutely energized. Who would have thought a tea cup thrown in anger would give her a new lease on life, and create a greater sense of intimacy with her husband? But it had.

Now, armed with the full truth about her beloved daughter, she intended to have a long overdue, honest conversation with Rozemyne. Elvira had been spending part of each day tutoring Rozemyne in adult noble manners, so at their regularly scheduled time, she joined Rozemyne once more in the hidden room attached to her daughter’s bedroom, the room that they had created together several days earlier.

Now that she knew what she was looking at, she could see the poor girl was tense with worry. Rozemyne had become more skilled at hiding her emotions after only a short time under Elvira’s tutelage. Without Elvira’s knowledge of the true source of Rozemyne’s anxiety, Elvira would have thought that the girl was simply embarrassed to openly discuss matters of mana sharing and how Entrinduge came to actually give her blessings. But now Elvira knew that it was deeper than that.

Every word Rozemyne spoke had to be carefully selected, lest she reveal a knowledge of marital matters that no young girl should have. Knowledge that Elvira was quite sure Rozemyne possessed having lived to adulthood previously, even if in another world. Additionally, this world had mana, which her old world didn’t. There were intricacies to the process that went well beyond matters of the physical, which were wholly foreign to Rozemyne. When she thought about it, about everything that Rozemyne must have to pretend she didn’t know, coupled with the things she truly didn’t understand, Elvira was astounded that her poor daughter hadn’t gone quite insane.

Add to that that her previous world had been far more advanced according to Karstedt, and she couldn’t help but ache for all that Rozemyne must have suffered coping with what must feel like an incredibly oppressive environment. Perhaps even doubly oppressive given the many restrictions of noble society. No wonder she often charged ahead with her new ideas. She must be dying to drag all of Yurgenschmidt into a brighter future that she knew for a fact was entirely possible, because she’d lived it.

Once they had exchanged their greetings, sipped their tea, and nibbled on a few treats, Elvira decided that she would take a page from Rozemyne’s book, and speak as directly and as clearly as possible with no euphemisms.

“Rozemyne, dear, I had an interesting conversation with your father yesterday”, Elvira began.

“Oh?”, Rozemyne used the perfect inflection to indicate interest without seeming offensively curious, but her large golden eyes were alert.

“Yes, indeed. He finally shared with me the source of your amazing ideas. I must say that I have never been so astounded in all my life, or so angry.”

Rozemyne put down her tea cup on the table near her. And looked directly at her. She took a small, calming breath and then asked Elvira, “What part made you angry?”

Oh, no, Elvira thought! She thinks I’m angry at her!

Very quickly Elvira said, “Darling girl, I’m not angry at you. I knew you were born a commoner,” Rozemyne’s eyes widened, “but not that you’d lived and died as an adult in another world. I’m angry that my husband, Lord Ferdinand, and our Aub prevented me from truly helping you to adjust to noble life by withholding the information that you have memories, clear memories, of another life and place. I’m angry that they made you struggle in silence to adapt to an alien environment as a female noble, when they couldn’t possibly guide you in this new life, having never been female themselves. I’m very angry that they forced you into a lonely existence, cut off by a secret from the one person you should have been able to confide in, your mother. I’m angry that they gave you a virtually impossible task, adjusting to a highly public and prestigious new status in a new world, and then did virtually nothing to help you adjust. And I am filled with overwhelming admiration for all that you have achieved in spite of this crushing burden. You are so miraculous, my daughter. I am honored beyond words that the Gods entrusted your care to me by weaving our threads together, as mother and daughter.”

Rozemyne’s eyes filled with tears, that spilled down her cheeks. “I’m so, so sorry, Mother. I wanted to tell you so many times, but I was afraid to ask for permission. It was made clear to me in the beginning that my knowledge, my inventions, my high mana could all be seen as a threat to the stability of Ehrenfest, vested interests, and even greater powers, and that I could be dealt with, very differently. So, I just thought it best not to ask for anything that might bring about a different outcome.”

Elvira wasn’t sure that she understood. “What do you mean, Rozemyne?”

Rozemyne was openly crying now. “F-f-f erdinand warned me that I might not be s-s-s-afe if I was seen as a threat to Ehrenfest, and Sylvester said that he was being generous by letting my c-c-c-commoner family live, instead of eliminating loose ends. S-s-s-so, I didn’t want to ask for anything more that might put me or them in danger. I wanted t-to t-tell y-y-you. They didn’t even tell me that you knew I was a commoner. I w-w-wish that I had known.”

The mana swirled in Elvira’s eyes as she was filled with rage. They dared to threaten a little girl with her death, and the death of her family, and then never went back to tell her that she would be allowed to live! What possessed them to threaten a child in the first place?! If she had truly been a real danger, then they could have just carried out the deed, but why in the Gods’ names would they actually inform her of it and then force her to live in terror?! And how stupid were they to forget to let Rozemyne know that Elvira had guessed Rozemyne’s true status because of the absolute idiocy of the whole Rosemary’s secret child scheme! If not for nobles avoiding the Temple, and Rosemary often being bedridden due illness, their shoddy plan would never have worked.

“Rozemyne, I am so sorry that I never brought it up because you didn’t. I, wrongly, assumed that you avoided talking about it due to the pain of separation from your original family.”

“I was so scared, and so lonely, all the time, all the time.” Rozemyne was sobbing now.

“Rozemyne, listen to me. You are safe. You are safe. Your blood family is safe. No one will kill you because of this You are not alone. Not anymore. You are safe with me. You are the treasure of Ehrenfest. You have done more for this duchy than any Aub in its entire history.”

“B-b-but everyone says I’m always causing p-p-problems.”, Rozemyne wailed. And Elvira took her in her arms.

“No! No! They caused the problem by doing nothing to help you adjust to life in another world! If they had told me, I would have approached your education completely differently. You are not the problem! How can you be expected to understand the rules of an alien environment?! This isn’t an issue of commoner versus noble society, but of our reality being so vastly different from the one that you spent more years in! This is their fault! But listen, Sylvester can’t afford to have you dealt with now. I won’t let him, as your mother! And all of Leisegang would rise with me! I will never allow them to take another person that I love again! And he is not even remotely considering that. If he were, he wouldn’t have engaged you to his precious heir. Do you understand? And, I can assure you that neither Karstedt or Ferdinand would ever harm you now. They would fight to defend you, to protect you!”

“No, they’re loyal to Sylvester, more than anything!” Rozemyne cried.

“No, Rozemyne. Ferdinand would take you away from Ehrenfest before he let Sylvester kill you, and Karstedt would help him. I would help them! You are too precious, too rare, and special! Please don’t be afraid anymore. I promise you. I will fight for you!”

Rozemyne cried for a while longer, and then finally calmed down and went back to her seat. Elvira cast waschen gently on her face and Heilschmerz on her eyes.

She didn’t want to cause Rozemyne and more pain, but had to ask her, “Do you hate them for frightening you so? For threatening your family?”

Rozemyne couldn’t help but laugh remembering all the people that she had hated who had threatened her family, Bezanwanst, Bidenwald, the thugs in the alley who had grabbed Tuuli. Elvira looked at her quizzically.

“I’m sorry. It’s really not funny, but everyone who I hated that threatened my family, I Crushed, although Bezanwanst was the only one I almost killed.”

“Was this when Sylvester had just adopted you?”, Elvira was getting angry again because every single time she thought she finally had Rozemyne’s full story, another crucial layer that she hadn’t been told about was revealed.

“Oh, no. This was when I was a commoner. It was around a month after I was baptized.” Rozemyne replied.

“I’m sorry, Rozemyne. Did you just say you almost killed the Aub’s uncle as a newly baptized seven year old commoner girl and lived? Now, I am just so confused. Can you please tell me the story?”

“Are you afraid of me now?”, Rozemyne asked.

“Not at all. I wish I’d had the mana to do it. I would have Crushed Veronica and Bezanwanst both!”, and Rozemyne and Elvira both laughed.

“I just can’t understand how that event, which has to have been the start of your journey, actually got you to now. Will you explain it to me?”, Elvira asked.

So, Rozemyne told her an absolutely insane story about Bezanwanst thinking she was rich merchant child and potential apprentice priestess, then trying to take her against her family’s will when it turned out she was poor, about her commoner father beating up a truly large number of priests by himself, Rozemyne Crushing Bezanwanst until he was literally blue in the face, and even Crushing Ferdinand until he bled from his mouth. And instead of her and her entire family being executed, as Veronica must have surely demanded since her brother was truly almost murdered by a commoner child, she became a blue priestesses, then an archnoble, then an archduke candidate, and would most likely be first queen, although Rozemyne didn’t know it yet. And Elvira just finally lost it, and started laughing.

It was all just too absurd. It was so entirely ridiculous that the Gods must be orchestrating things just to watch Rozemyne go. Truly, the Gods must be bored and seeking entertainment with this positively ludicrous turn of events, especially the last part where she more than likely becomes queen. Elvira laughed until tears rolled down her face.

The three idiots hadn’t been trying to terrorize a child. They were actually afraid of her, terrified even. Rozemyne, at seven, had been so tiny that she was literally only slightly larger than a healthy size shumil. And she had nearly killed Bezanwanst and actually Crushed Ferdinand, whose mana level was legendary. Ferdinand must have thought himself uncrushable, only to be at risk from a little tot of a girl.

And because she was enjoying her laugh so very much, she just had to ask, “Rozemyne, did I hear that you killed a God a few weeks back?”

And Rozemyne gave her a scared, little shumil look, because she was quite adorable. Quite deadly apparently, but truly adorable.

And Rozemyne whispered, “I asked Verdrenna to help me because the goddess in the crystal latched onto Ferdinand and wouldn’t let go. So Verdrenna lent me her lightning.”

The way she whispered it was too incredibly precious, as if the whole pantheon of Gods didn’t already know and it had to be kept secret. She wasn’t even of age and she had killed a God!

“So then you don’t hate your male guardians for scaring you, I assume, because they remain uncrushed?” The laughter was bubbling up again, but Elvira would get through this conversation without losing her dignity and rolling on the floor, howling.

“No. Ferdinand did everything that he could think of to arm me for life in noble society. He wasn’t trying to terrorize me into compliance. It would never occur to him not to tell a child that her life could be in danger, given how many times his life was in danger from Veronica trying to kill him when he was a child. He puts enormous pressure on me because he’s afraid for me, and overcoming every obstacle is how he survived. I know he doesn’t want me dead. He’s protected my life over and over again. Protected my health more than anyone. He wants me to be perfect so that I can be perfectly safe, and so Sylvester would never have a reason to give that order to him. It would destroy him completely to have to eliminate me. I know that. I know that he cares. He is far too invested in my life and survival, and way too involved in all of my business, not to care. And I don’t just mean my industries, I mean every single aspect of my life. But, I still think he’d carry out Sylvester’s order, though.”

Elvira now knew that if Ferdinand was ever going to kill her, it should have been when she almost killed Bezanwanst and Crushed him to boot, or at least immediately afterwards. Clearly before she could command lightning!

The man was a somewhat of a fraud, Elvira thought. Who rewards the attempted murder of high ranking blue priests with ever greater power, prestige, and influence? How is that someone being dealt with? And then he had talked Sylvester into ignoring the deadly assault of his mother’s precious little brother by a commoner. And subsequently convinced Sylvester to adopt her. Wait no, Sylvester actually volunteered for that on his own before Ferdinand could even ask.

But Elvira knew Rozemyne’s fear was very real to her, although she doubted that the Gods would even allow her to be killed. Clearly, Verdrenna would not.

So she said, “Ferdinand wouldn’t harm you now, Rozemyne. I would have said maybe before yesterday, but Karstedt said that as soon as he read your mind”, Rozemyne looked at her in shock, “Oh, yes. I know about that too. Karstedt said that as soon as he read your mind, his focus switched immediately to Karstedt adopting you to protect you and keep you from being stolen away. The change in his perception from you being a threat to you must be protected is just a bit too abrupt for someone truly considering elimination. After all, one is either a danger or not, and the value of the individual’s knowledge does not actually decrease the danger that the person presents. Therefore, I don’t necessarily believe now that he was ever going to do it. And, surely the time to have done it was during the Crushing event, or right after.”

Rozemyne gave a watery laugh, but still wasn’t convinced . Elvira let her continue to talk. “I never hated, Karstedt. He was kind to me from the first day that I met him, even knowing that I was a commoner. He was just so nice and relaxed with me, even though I was this weird little commoner girl with OP mana.”

“What does OP mean, my love? Is that a term from your old world?

Rozemyne giggled."Yes, it means Over Powered.”

Over Powered. What a truly appropriate term to describe her, and the fraud Lord of Evil, who ensures that cute, little commoner girls with insane amounts of mana get promoted to a high noble rank when they almost kill his enemies! Oh no, Elvira could feel the laughter rising.

Yes, Sylvester, she almost killed your uncle, but let's engage her to you son! It's utterly, utterly ridiculous! Thank the Gods that Ferdinand's pathetically blatant favoritism of Rozemyne protected her. But, truly, Rozemyne could not marry Wilfred. He would live one lightning bolt away from total annihilation, and that boy would invariably push his luck. Focus Elvira, this is important. Don't let the absurdity defeat you.

“Honestly though,” Rozemyne continued, “I kind of hated Sylvester for being such an incompetent man-child that he needed a little girl to save his duchy, even if it was a little girl with memories of another life. Also, he's lazy and dumped all his work on Ferdinand.”

Praise the Gods, thought Elvira!

“Ferdinand was living off potions and no food to get the work done, but I put a stop to that. I make sure Ferdinand eats real food. And Sylvester doesn’t send as much work as he used to because he doesn’t want to hear from me about it, but if Ferdinand goes to the castle, then there’s nothing I can do. But, Sylvester’s always been really open to my ideas, which is kind of incredible since he knows they’re actually from another world. And being reborn, never stopped him once from teasing me at all. I mean not at all. And, I understand how terrifying dealing with someone from another world might be for someone that’s only known of the one world they were born in, so I understood their fear even though my own fear has been terrible for me to feel personally. But, now that I’m older in this life, and have interacted with people from other duchies, I see how truly insular noble society really is and I can better appreciate just how threatening all of my………differences must have seemed. I’m actually surprised that my guardians have relaxed so much around me that they forget that, like you said, I lived longer in the other world than in this one. They still expect me to intuitively know things that I just can’t. My frame of reference is too different, and I spent half of my new life here as a commoner who was mostly homebound due to illness.”

Elvira was amazed at her insight, even if Rozemyne didn’t quite understand that the trio were actually afraid of her insane level of power. She asked, “What do you mean by insular?”

“Well, nobles here know nothing of the lives of commoners, who make up the majority of the population. Commoners definitely have poor hygiene and bad table manners, but they can also be extremely ingenious. My Guttenbergs were able to perfect products based on my memories of things from another world. Some of them couldn’t even read well, or at all, and they were still able to do it. That's real skill. When nobles ignore the largest part of the global society, they are also ignoring that largest potential for talent and innovation. Innovation requires stimulus from new ideas and experience. Social progress requires exposure to new information. Not every place is like that. Your home isn't. Illgner isn't. Groschel was really bad though. Of course, the world I'm from thrived on progress and innovation. And we didn't really have nobility. Money, innovation, science and technology ruled.

Also, in my world, we learned about other cultures, other countries, in school. That wasn’t a choice. We weren’t scholars of other cultures, but we knew about them. We had books written in other countries translated into our language so that we could expand our knowledge. We had something like the projection tool, but it also included sound, and we could watch it in our homes at any time to see what events were going on in other parts of the world. We could also watch on hand held devices. It wasn’t only for current events. You could watch educational programs or programs about history. They would explore ancient ruins and untouched forests in other countries and show it on these screens. You could see and hear live music performances and watch fictional stories that were acted out. And all but the very, very poorest of households had these screens. Most households had more than one. A few extravagant people had these projection screens in every room. I say extravagant because it’s ridiculous number of screens, but they were very affordable and not considered a luxury item at all. In fact, the better the technology became, the cheaper it was. But nobles here don’t have any real knowledge of the countries beyond the gates. I understand that the gates are closed now, except for Ahrensbach. But it seems like 25 years ago that they were still open, yet, with the exception of scholars and maybe some Aubs or the Zent, no one really knows about these foreign countries, even though trade was going on for centuries with them. That’s insular. Insulated. Confined. Isolated. Only focused on other nobles, and within the nobility, primarily those of equal rank.”

Elvira couldn’t even comprehend how wide her world was, or how advanced. It sounded wondrous. No wonder Rozemyne’s creations were so amazing. Her knowledge base was so broad, and yet she said this was common information and not special knowledge for the elite. How small noble life sounded compared to what she described.

“You must miss that”, Elvira said, “having access to so much information and knowledge.”

“Desperately”, Rozemyne admitted. “I had just started working as a Librarian when I was killed in an accident. I had just obtained access to more information than I would ever in five lifetimes be able to consume, and then I woke up here as a little child in another world. I was very, very unhappy, to say the least. And the world was at a stage that was a few hundred years behind what I left, and there were no books. If I hadn’t met my downtown associates who helped to create at least a few things I wanted from my old life, I don’t think I would have survived.

Although once I discovered that I could do magic, which was only a fictional element in stories in my old world, that did make up for some of what I lost. That’s another reason I didn’t hate the people who took me from my commoner life, because I had magic. I hated being taken from my family, but not the people who took me. Does that make sense?”

“I’m not sure I understand.”, admitted Elvira.

“I remember Ferdinand telling me that I would never read his magic books because magic was the province of nobles who graduated from the Royal Academy. And he said it in that superior Ferdinand way that he has.”, Rozemyne giggled. “And I remember thinking, just you wait and see. There is no way that I was reborn in this world as a commoner with magic power, A Lot of magic power, unless I was destined to use it. I mean what would be the point of giving it to me if not to use it? I was facing death from the Devouring, became a blue robed priestess as a commoner, was healing the land and making grass grow. Of course, I’m here to use magic. And Ferdinand was going to teach it to me, and I would in fact read his magic books, and he would end up  giving them to me to read himself. I mean, the Gods are real here. When I pray, they listen. Of course, they would want me to use the magic power that they gave to me. And who was my personal tutor that allowed me to come in first in class year after year? The very same Ferdinand. The same man who swore that I’d never go to the Royal Academy, would loose his mind now if I came in second in class. And guess who reads his magic books now? So, I knew because I had magic that the Gods had a plan for me, and becoming a noble would take my family out of harm’s way, and protect me from becoming a mana slave. So, I guess I had faith, instead of hatred.”

“Rozemyne, you are the most amazing person that I have ever met. From now on, I want you to tell me whatever you feel that you need to share. Have zero confidence that your male guardians will remember to tell me things.

I also want to tell you that I genuinely think that it was your power level that made your guardians uneasy, and not your ideas, trends, or otherworldly aspects. Most little children are notoriously bad at controlling their mana. A mana rampage for a typical child can be controlled with a single empty feystone. Your mana rampage, even at seven, was enough to Crush a man who has arguably the highest mana in the country, while killing Bezanwanst simultaneously. I think it was a fear that you would lose control and actually kill someone, or a few people, even by accident, that made them be blunt about the consequences. And absolutely, although he was incredibly harsh, Ferdinand would want you to know the stakes so that you would do everything in your power to learn control.”

Rozemyne was thoughtful, and then her eyes lit up.

She said, “Well, every time my mana would flare up they would go into an absolute panic, even if I was only going to give a blessing. So that kind of makes sense. The first time that I met Sylvester, he pretended to be a blue priest. He poked my face, made me say pooey like a shumil, and I was getting mad, but I was being polite. Then he took me hairstick that my sister Tuuli had made especially for me and wouldn’t give it back, so then I got really mad and my mana started to rampage. Karstedt and Ferdinand got really scared, so they beat Sylvester with their schtappes and gave me back the hairstick.”

Elvira laughed out loud. Sylvester got what he deserved.

“But, Mother. Why would Sylvester threaten my family if he wanted to make me learn control?”

“That was probably his attempt at holding them over your head to force your compliance. After all, his plan to ennoble you would have been more secure if there were no way to connect you to your commoner past.”

“Well, that was foolish”, said Rozemyne. “I was already incredibly unstable at having to leave my family that I loved dearly at such a young age. I easily could have had an epic mana rampage in response to his threat, and Crushed him and everyone in the room. I might have been executed if anyone survived, but he would surely have been dead.”

This child is a treasure, thought Elvira.

Elvira said, “Gambling on the emotional control of a seven year old with, as you say, OP mana who is being ripped away from her family is foolish indeed. But then, our Aub has never been known for his wisdom.”

Chapter Text

Just when Ferdinand felt things were falling into place, a major obstacle occurred in his plans to meet with Drewanchel and Dunklefelger. A monstrously huge Winter Lord had appeared in Haldenzel, a Schnestrum, one that was several times bigger than any recorded in the histories of the Knight Order. As if that wasn’t bad enough, for reasons that were almost beyond comprehension, it wasn’t alone. For the first time in history to his knowledge, the Winter Lord had brought a companion, a second Schnestrum that was smaller than the first, but still quite the size of a normal Winter Lord. A faint inner voice in his mind whispered the word “mate".

He knew, of course, that feybeasts mated. They were a normal part of the natural order of the world and reproduced accordingly. It was well known that shumils would breed quite out of control, if not for being the natural prey of both carnivorous feybeasts and humans. Male and female pet shumils had to be kept separated at all costs for this reason. Yet, the Winter Lord had always been singular. It was assumed that natural animal greed prevented feybeasts from sharing the mana rich kills that allowed the individual to evolve into a Winter Lord. But if the second Schnestrum was a female, perhaps they had been in a mating frenzy when they both began the rise together. Or, it was pregnant. How utterly terrifying. If it was pregnant, could it give birth to a new breed of feybeasts that were Schnestrums from birth and didn’t require extensive mana to evolve? Truly, that would be an interesting line of research, if not for the research being guaranteed to end in the death of the researcher and everyone around him.

Ferdinand knew, instinctively, that this had something to do with his own rise, as Zent. All of Yurgenschmidt had been slowly starving for more mana since before the breaking of Eisenreich. The country’s foundation had been only about a tenth filled, but was now about one-sixth full. He had heard from Sylvester that various duchies were reporting a light resurgence of the fertility of the land, and even the fishermen were reporting bigger catches. But, Ehrenfest had long been experiencing increased fertility with him and Rozemyne pouring their combined mana into the chalices at the Temple and the duchy foundation. Their combined mana, and his own filling of the country’s foundation, had together created an abundant environment in Ehrenfest of mana rich feybeasts, enough for a mated pair to share and evolve into nightmares together.

He had asked Sylvester to contact both Aub Drewanchel and Aub Dunklefelger and request that each visit be pushed back so that he could deploy with the Knight Order. Sylvester had said that Aub Drewanchel had been horrified at the thought of double Winter Lords, and had sent his sincere wishes for the safe return of Ferdinand and all of the knights of Ehrenfest. But Sylvester said that that Ditter Maniac, Aub Dunklefelger, had been excited by the thought of two Winter Lords, excited beyond any level appropriate for a noble to display outside of a hidden room, much less an Aub. He was so excited that he had offered two contingents of Dunklefelger knights to aid Ehrenfest in the battle. Sylvester had declined for now, but had actually asked if the knights could possibly be kept on standby in case they were needed. Ferdinand, now into his third full day of deployment, was beginning to think they may have to call for aid as they were not making much headway.

Rozemyne and Elvira had moved to the castle in the North wing along with the archducal family where everyone could be gathered in one place so the few knights remaining there could watch over them. There were real concerns about Ehrenfest’s leaders being spread out in isolation in different locations with only minimal knight protection.  The lengthy battle could run longer than any subjugation ever recorded. This move also allowed Rozemyne’s personal knights, and Elvira’s, to be moved to the castle to increase manpower. Cornelius, Matthias, and Laurenz were stationed in the castle as Rozemyne’s knights. Damuel and Angelica  were actually here with him at Haldenzel. He had suggested that Eckhart stay for the protection of the family, but that suggestion had gone over very badly with Eckhart.

Bonifatius was also here, and had left half of the small number of his personal knights, who were very loyal to him, in the castle. He had brought the other half with him, while Lamprecht had been temporarily relieved of duty and sent home to guard Aurelia from any Veronican incursions on their home, as she couldn’t be moved to the castle because of her Ahrensbach heritage. Normally, Elvira would be banned from the castle as well. However, she was Florencia’s personal friend and Rozemyne’s mother. Sylvester had also asked that she be relocated to the castle because she was a capable scholar. All but a very few highly trusted scholars and attendants had been sent home for the duration of the subjugation. Now, with access to the castle being restricted, she and Rozemyne had pitched in and had been mass producing the rejuvenation and healing potions needed for the knights in this seemingly unending battle against the double Schnestrums. And no matter how many potions that they made, the knights kept on running out.

The problem was they couldn’t make any progress against the Lords themselves because of their combined minions. If they eliminated one beast’s minions, the other’s still had to be contended with at the same time. When they sought to eliminate both sets of minions together, they weren’t able to reduce their numbers enough to attack the Schnestrums directly. The real issue was that Ehrenfest simply didn’t have enough knights. They barely had the numbers needed to take on one Winter Lord, and two were just beyond their ability. Worse yet, many of the knights had been gravely wounded, some had even lost their lives, and everyone else was exhausted and on the verge of mana depletion. Ferdinand was very much afraid that this was one battle that he was fighting that Ehrenfest simply could not win, at least not alone. However, part of being Zent, a king, was using all the resources available to him to achieve his aims. Dunklefelger was a resource. He would have to use them. Plus, allowing the Dunklefelgers to participate in the battle that they were just dying to join, would earn him something Rozemyne called “brownie points" with both Aub Dunklefelger and his men. He understood these brownie points to be goodwill that could be called upon to request aid from people in the future, the type of aid they would normally be disinclined to give. Ferdinand could use all the brownie points he could collect right now. He went to take an ordannanz stone out of his pocket to tell Sylvester to make the call, when a light in the distance caught his eye, in fact two lights.

Ferdinand felt a white hot flash of rage and terror move through him as he watched of headlights of Rozemyne’s grun highbeast fly ever closer to him. What in all the Gods' Holy Names had possessed that girl to fly into the most dangerous battle against a Winter Lord ever known in history?! He knew that she was insane, but this was pure suicidal lunacy! And was that Elvira in the front seat with her?! He thought that he could trust Elvira to keep Rozemyne safe, but obviously she’d been infected with Rozemyne’s poor thought process and was now an unfit mother! He flew to intercept her while she was still at a safe distance, and prepared to blast her verbally with every iota of his fury. Ferdinand was so angry that he knew that his eyes had changed color as Rozemyne rolled down her window.

“Don’t even start.”, she said calmly.

Ferdinand was now so full of rage that he couldn’t even speak. Don’t even start, she says?! Had she hit her little head and gotten a concussion?! Don’t even start?! How dare she?!

“I heard from Sylvester that no progress can be made because there are two Schnestrums.”

Ferdinand now felt his rage building to a level so high that he may never be able to speak again! Was his brother actually stupid?! He knew the recklessness of this foolish girl when people that she considered her family were in danger! Him, Karstedt, Bonifatius, Eckhart, Damuel, and Angelica were all here. What would possess him to ever tell her about the real danger to so many people that she cared about?! Was he trying to sabotage his own brother through the loss of his future wife in battle because, what, Ferdinand was taking her from Wilfred?! Because Ferdinand was finally moving beyond the limitations of Ehrenfest?! He was going to literally beat Sylvester black and blue when he returned, and would KILL any knight that tried to stop him!!

Still in a rage, because Rozemyne had said nothing to decrease it, he turned his incandescent eyes to Cornelius, Matthias, and Laurenz, who had failed miserably in their duties as knights by allowing their Lady to ride into danger. They jerked in response to his Crushing. He then looked at Elvira. He saw her wince and knew he was lightly Crushing her too, and didn’t really care.

“Ferdinand! Ferdinand! Please stop! You’re hurting my mother! Please stop!” Rozemyne begged. “I’m here to offer Verdrenna’s aid, and tell you how to make your water gun more effective against the minions!”

Oh, Ferdinand thought. That actually might be incredibly helpful, and he felt the rage begin to recede from him. He manifested his schtappe and cast Heilschmerz on Elvira. He still wasn’t speaking to her right now, but he knew he owed her healing.

Elvira whispered to Rozemyne, in the quietest voice possible, “Seems like I was almost dealt with for bringing you into danger.”

Rozemyne giggled.

“What was that?!”, Ferdinand snapped.

“Nothing, nothing. Do you want me to explain the imagery for the improved water gun first?”, Rozemyne asked.

“Yes", Ferdinand hissed. “Explain.”

“Okay. Picture your water gun in your mind and focus on the nozzle, the nose.” Ferdinand closed his eyes and did so. "Now instead of it being short, picture it growing into a nose that’s as long as my arm. When that picture is stable, picture the opening of the nozzle widening so that it can shoot arrows larger in size to be more effective. Now, when that’s stable, picture another exact same nose joining it, so that the two large nozzles are side by side.”

“Show me.”, Ferdinand commanded as he opened his eyes.

By now, all of their family, plus Damuel and Angelica, had gathered around Rozemyne’s grun while the knights still battled the minions. They watched as she stuck her hand with her schtappe out the window, closed her eyes briefly, and said, “Double-barrel shot gun!”, and the new gun appeared.

Bonifatius yelled out, “Rozemyne, let me see that new weapon!”, and went to move closer.

But, Ferdinand checked Bonifatius’s highbeast with his own, and grabbed Rozemyne’s arm. He twisted her arm this way and that, up and down, trying to memorize the new lines of the weapon, especially the two nozzles side by side.

Finally, Rozemyne couldn’t take it anymore, and yelled, “And my arm still doesn’t bend that way, Ferdinand!”

He looked at her as if just remembering that she was a living being and said, “Sorry".

Then he closed his eyes and using the image of the gun he’d just seen, he went back through the words she had used earlier to describe the magical creation steps.

When he thought he’d fully visualized it, he manifested his schtappe again and said, “Double barrel shot gun", and the new weapon appeared.

“Ohhh! Ferdinand! Ferdinand! Come here and teach me that!”, Bonifatius commanded.

“Not now. I want to try this out.” And he was off.

Ferdinand roared out the fall back order to the knights and went to face the minions alone. He pictured the arrows previously shot from the smaller gun, and imagined them larger in size and let loose. An incredible barrage of large white arrows came forth and eliminated a quarter of the minions in one blast. Feystones rained from the skies. Absolutely delighted, Ferdinand let loose another blast, and took out another quarter. He then whispered the darkness spell, and shot out a volley of black arrows that caused a huge number of the minions to simply wink out of existence. The two roaring Schnesteums on the ground went silent and stared up at him. Then, they furiously started churning out minions to attack him directly.

Karstedt joined him at his side with his own double barreled gun and let loose his own blast. It seemed like Rozemyne had continued her instruction when he left, and Karstedt had been able to grasp the concept. Ferdinand yelled the fall in order, with the knights supporting them from behind, as he and Karstedt continued their blasts from their new weapons. The knights would take care of any minions that escaped the blasts. He saw Eckhart fly up above him and manifest his own shotgun. While Karstedt’s and Eckhart’s blasts weren’t as impressive as Ferdinand’s, they would still make real inroads.

With the minions in hand, Ferdinand flew back to Rozemyne to hear Bonifatius wail, “Why can’t I get this?!

“You keep saying “goon” or “grun”, Grandpa. The word is gun.”, Rozemyne explained gently.

“Rozemyne, come with me. Time to teach me that other spell.” Ferdinand ordered.

“No, Ferdinand!”, Bonifatius complained. “I almost have it!”

Rozemyne spoke to her grandfather as she place a huge feystone dyed with her mana at her feet in  order to hold her highbeast in place. “Grandpa, I promise that I will work with you until you get it when we get back. For now, there are stores of potions and food in the backseat. Please see that the knights get what they need.”

“Oh, very well, since you promised.”

As Rozemyne stepped out of her highbeast, Ferdinand grabbed her arms and pulled her onto his. While he flew her high above the two Schnesteums, Elvira snuck her hand into the bag on her belt to powder some feystones.

“Now, teach me the prayer to Verdrenna.”, Ferdinand commanded when they were high enough.

“Okay, so first you have to identify the goddess and her domain. So you should say “ O Verdrenna, Goddess of Storms”. Perhaps since we want a big blast, we should say “O Mighty Verdrenna, Ruler of Storms” to acknowledge her mighty power to create them….”

“So you don’t have a set prayer?”, Ferdinand was astounded.

“I never do, unless they’re already established prayers from the bible.”

“But then, how are your prayers so incredibly powerful without a structure?”

“You don’t need a structured prayer or spell. You just need to follow the formula to request aid and have sincerity towards the god being prayed to.”

“The formula to .......request aid?”, Ferdinand had already had a headache from being in battle for three days straight, but now he felt like his brain would slide out of his ears as this incomprehensible girl upturned his entire reality.

“Yes. I understand that you wouldn’t see it, but being from another world, it’s clear to me that in order to get divine assistance in magic, all you have to do is follow the formula, which is: the god’s name, the domain that they rule over, why you are praying for aid, and what aid you are requesting. Your sincere prayer is the offering to the god and in exchange for the offering, they grant you aid. Sometimes you don’t even need all of that. You can just use the God's name and clear intentions with a prayerful attitude. But, you know that already as people often shorten the prayer for healing to Heilschmerz by using just the God’s name. The most important thing is the God’s name to get his or her attention, a clear image of the aid you want, and the sincerity of your prayer request.”

Ferdinand just stared at her. Seems like he was partially offline, but time was of the essence, so she pushed right on.

“Analyze it later, Ferdinand. But for now, have faith in my prayers and the Gods.”

Ferdinand just gave a nod, and Rozemyne wondered if she had broken him.

“”So, O Mighty Verdrenna, ruler of storms.” The goddess’s name and domain. “Aid us as we face these agents of evil who seek our destruction.”, why we are praying for aid. “Lend us your power, and strike them down that we may be delivered from this peril.” That’s the aid that we are requesting.”

Rozemyne looked down and noticed the minions were mostly gone.

“Look, Ferdinand! Most of the minions are gone! Let’s do it now.”

“But don’t we need to weaken the Schnestrums first?”

“Not with Verdrenna! I’ll say the prayer first to get Verdrenna’s attention, and you say it the second time with me. Verdrenna needs a little time to build up her awesome power. She’s not instantaneous like Heilschmerz, but when she joins the party, she’s fully committed!”

And Rozemyne chanted,

“O Mighty Verdrenna, Ruler of Storms,

Aid us as we face these agents of evil who seek our destruction.

Lend us your power and strike them down that we may be delivered from this peril!”

Ferdinand realized the whole world had gone silent, even the Schnestrums and the howl of the blizzard, and then he heard it in the distance, a crack of thunder. He stared at Rozemyne in wonder.

"Come on, Ferdinand! The goddess needs our prayers! Say it with me!”

Together they chanted,

“O Mighty Verdrenna, Ruler of Storms,

Aid us a we face these agents of evil who seek our destruction!

Lend us your power and strike them down so that we may be delivered from this peril!”

A loud, rolling thunder crack echoed around them and made his bones vibrate.

“Again, Ferdinand! Again!”

And they yelled out the prayer again. The wind started churning furiously around them in a circle and lightning began to flash in the sky. One, two, three strikes hit the ground in front of the Schnestrums and they roared in outrage. All of the knights fled from the area. Ferdinand could see Elvira in the distance on her own highbeast now, as he and Rozemyne yelled out the prayer again over the noise.

The two were now in the still center of an incredible cyclone, the wind swirling around them as they continued to pray. Lightning was flashing at the edges of the cyclone, bright yellow, blue, and white flashes. Ferdinand felt his scalp prickle and all the hairs on his arm stand up. They both continued to yell out the prayer, when suddenly, Rozemyne was snatched out of Ferdinand’s arms by a powerful blast of wind and thrust into the air high above him.

“Rozemyne!”, he screamed.

“Keep going, Ferdinand, this is normal!”, she yelled back.

How was this normal?! This isn’t normal! Nothing about this is normal! Nothing would ever be normal again!

“Keep going!”, she yelled, and wind churned around her even faster. Lightning sparks lit her billowing hair and her body begun emitting a faint yellow light, as her eyes began to shine with a rainbow hue. He heard her scream out a different prayer.

“O Verdrenna, Mighty Goddess of Storms,

aid this child of Geduldh,

Strike! Strike!

Mighty Verdrenna, slay this evil!

Strike! Strike!”

Boom, boom, boom, boom! Two massive strikes hit the ground behind the Schnestrums, then a strike blew through the male’s front right paw, and another blew the female’s back left leg clean off! Both Schnestrums screamed in pain, the depth of their bellows shook the air. Ferdinand stopped praying to keep a fearful eye on Rozemyne above him.

Rozemyne, held aloft in her own small hurricane, roared out,

“O Goddess Verdrenna, Ruler of Storms,

Destroy this evil!

Strike! Strike! Strike! Strike!

Smite them with your mighty lightning!

“Strike! Strike! Strike! Strike! O Mighty Verdrenna! Erase them from the world!"

Ferdinand watched in awe as the place where each Schnestrums stood was struck four times by gigantic blasts of lightning. The lightning was so blinding it made his eyes tear up and burn. There was a loud concussive burst of thunder that actually blew his highbeast back, and then the Schnestrums were obliterated into nothingness. Ferdinand heard the knights roaring their cheers in the distance.

And then, Rozemyne was falling through the air while Ferdinand raced to catch her.

Elvira watched with her stomach in her throat until Ferdinand finally caught her daughter and began to fly back towards them. She thought about Ferdinand mowing down legions of minions single-handedly with the new weapon her daughter had just created on the spot, and about her precious Rozemyne floating in the sky blasting Winter Lords with lightning.

She said very quietly to herself, “Forget over-powered. The two of them are absolute monsters!" Then she laughed in delight and flew off to go congratulate them.

This Winter Lord subjugation was formally named the “Rain of Lightning” in the official records of the Ehrenfest Knight Order, but privately called “The Battle of the Beasts”, the beasts not being limited to the Schnestrums alone. Normally, the knights would have been very disappointed not to have been able to collect any materials from the Schnestrums before they were destroyed.

However, since they had been obliterated by the Knight Commander’s little daughter floating in the sky and hurling lightning bolts like the Storm Goddess herself, they wisely kept their peace. When everyone landed their highbeasts to recover from the battle before flying back to the capital, the knights found the ground littered with feystones from the minions ‘ slaughter. Remembering the former Knight Commander, Lord Ferdinand, taking out three-fourths of the minions by himself made them realize that they actually had no feelings of regret at all regarding the Schnesteum materials. None at all, and were quite content to gather the feystones. They did, however, feel very sorry for young Lord Wilfred who was doomed to be married to a girl who would always outclass him in every way. In fact, it seemed rather unfortunate for her as well, since it was quite clear Lord Ferdinand would be a much better match.

Ferdinand made his way to the castle after the battle. Luckily, Sylvester received an ordannanz from Karstedt about his impending doom, and locked himself in the foundation supply room for safety. Karstedt then left Sylvester to his fate. Ferdinand arrived to find his brother hiding, but he was a patient hunter, and sat outside the door drinking tea and eating snacks, but his cowardly brother had refused to come out. It wasn't that Ferdinand didn’t have the means to break into the room. It was that he would have use information in his Book to do it, and that would be indiscreet. In the end, exhaustion won out, and Ferdinand was forced to go home and sleep.

A gag order about the Rain of Lightning was issued by the Aub, but, unfortunately, not fast enough. One novice knight had been quite overwhelmed by his first battle and had been very sure that he would not survive it. He had had a spiritual conversion experience when Lady Rozemyne quite literally blew the Schnesteums away, ending the battle and preserving his life and the lives of all the knights around him. Everyone in Ehrenfest knew that Lady Rozemyne’s scholar, Hartmut, worshipped her as a goddess, but the young knight decided that Hartmut had been quite right. He also had been very mightily impressed with the truly epic number of minions Lord Ferdinand had killed all by himself with that new weapon, a weapon the likes of which he had never seen before. He had already shared the experience with his mother before the gag order went out, shared quite passionately and in great detail, and she had been quite shocked by his words. She wrote a magic letter about it to her favorite sister who had married into Dunklefelger, a sister who served as an attendant to a lady who in turn served another lady who served Lady Sieglinde herself.

When Sieglinde heard the tale she was somewhat disbelieving, but knowing that Ehrenfest had indeed been engaged in a battle against two Schnestrums, she shared the story with Werderkraft. Werderkraft almost wept in bitterness at having missed such a sight. Literally almost wept. The man had been close to tears because he had been glued to the water mirror waiting to be called in by Sylvester.

Fortunately, Sylvester called to let Werderkraft know that Ehrenfest’s battle had been won, and to graciously thank him for the offer of knight aid. Truly, Sylvester was deeply grateful. No other duchy had ever offered him help, even if he knew the offer was based on battle mania. He confirmed the veracity of the story, meaning that Werderkraft pestered him into repeating everything that he'd heard of the battle blow by blow. Sylvester was very distressed to hear that the story had already escaped the boundaries of Ehrenfest, and would need to determine if his gag order had been disobeyed, although Sylvester had to admit that he had been somewhat slow in realizing the need for the order. Actually, it had been Elvira’s suggestion if he was honest. Sylvester implored Aub Dunklefelger to keep it quiet about the lightning.

Sylvester said to Werderkraft, “If it becomes known that my daughter can stand in the heavens on her own, those already standing in the heavens may decide that she should stand with them.”

Werderkraft understood him completely. Then, a strange feeling grew in his chest. It was hot and heavy and felt a little like paternal anger, and a whole lot like treason. Werderkraft realized that he quite liked young Rozemyne. She was brilliant, courageous, and kind to his tender little Hannelore. It was quite clear that the two girls were bosom friends beyond the benefit of duchy alliances. They were true friends, which was quite a rarity in noble society. And Rozemyne would probably bring great wealth to his duchy with her future recipes using Dunklefelger’s produce, and she was the Lord of Evil’s disciple, and well on her way to surpassing even his legend. The feeling grew and Werderkraft realized it was rage.

Rage at the thought of that weak, wisdomless Trauerqual getting his undeserving hands on another tool to prop up his illegitimate reign. Rage at the thought of one of those useless, talentless, arrogant princes, Sigiswald or Anastasius, getting their hands on Rozemyne through marriage. He despised them both even more than he despised their father. Magdelena had forced Dunklefelger into the role of Trauerqual’s tool, but he decided just then that he wouldn’t stand by and let Rozemyne be used as a tool as well. The girl was quite obviously highly, highly favored by the gods and deserved Dunklefelger’s protection.

He knew Sieglinde would be angry at his impulsiveness, but he said, “Leidenschaft’s sons recognize the sanctity of one so obviously touched by his divine favor.”

Aub Ehrenfest seemed very moved by his comment, so Werderkraft didn’t tell him that before the call, he had been complaining about having missed the battle, particularly to Heitschitze. It wasn’t that Werderkraft didn’t respect Sylvester’s request for secrecy, it was rather that he was dying for Trauerqual to just give him a reason.

Heitschitze, knowing Ferdinand personally, didn’t need Sylvester’s confirmation to know that the story was true, and told anyone in Dunklefelger about it who would listen, which was quite everyone in Dunklefelger as this was Dunklefelger and a story about Ferdinand, and Ferdinand’s disciple Rozemyne. And so, unbeknownst to Ferdinand his popularity among Dunklefelger’s residents grew to a level only matched by Eckhart’s devotion to his Lord. And Rozemyne, recovering in bed from a fever, didn’t know that she too had been awarded a super star title. And although Justus still preferred Verdrenna’s Daughter, he was quite tickled by the new nickname Rozemyne was given when he heard it, which was Storm Queen.

Ferdinand would be in for quite a surprise when he finally visited Dunklefelger.

Chapter Text

Ferdinand slept for two days straight upon returning home from the subjugation. He hadn’t even realized that a body could sleep that long without being submerged in jureve. Needless to say he was quite pressed to use the necessary when he awakened. After attending to that urgent matter, he still felt like there were cobwebs in his head, although his mana levels had returned to normal. He rang for Lasfam and asked for a strong cup of tea to help with the return of his faculties before even leaving his bedroom, and then was bathed and dressed for the day. Finally, feeling refreshed and like himself, he found Eckhart outside his door when he exited, and wondered whether the man had gotten any sleep at all. Eckhart said that he had and he didn’t look that bad, so he was forced to take him at his word, although he would be shortly sending Eckhart home to rest whether he liked it or not. Eckhart shared that Rozemyne was in bed with a fever, but it was mild, and she was being tended to at the Linkberg mansion. Eckhart also stated that his mother wanted to speak with Ferdinand quite urgently. For some reason, the thought of talking to Elvira made him uneasy, and he didn’t know why. He decided that he would eat and think about it later.

He enjoyed his favorite breakfast, along with a bowl of extremely delicious pomme- vegetable soup. When he was about to leave to go check in at the Temple, his mild mannered attendant, Lasfam, actually vetoed his plans. When had Lasfam become so bold? Lasfam stated that everyone’s wellbeing was now dependent on his, so he was now required to care for his health. Lasfam even insisted that he stay at home and rest some more, like a small child! When he asked Lasfam who was the master in this mansion, Lasfam actually grumbled something about people fighting feybeasts for three days straight, always on the frontline, and the mana expenditure of using terrifying new weapons and calling lightning, although to Ferdinand’s mind that last bit was mostly Rozemyne. Obviously, Eckhart had been carrying tales.

Lasfam then promptly sent an ordannanz to Justus, without Ferdinand’s permission, who he insisted would be able to give Ferdinand his report while Ferdinand rested in the comfort of his own mansion. Ferdinand failed to see why he had to rest when there was work that needed doing elsewhere. Justus then came over with such unseemly haste that Ferdinand was quite sure that he and Lasfam, and possibly Eckhart, had planned this whole ambush in advance. Ferdinand was then ushered into his own library, thankfully Lasfam had attended to its repairs, and was forced to sit in a new comfortable chair while he was plied with even more tea. Was he some delicate woman now in their eyes?! He retaliated by sending Eckhart home to rest.

Justus began his report on all the information he had been gathering. The Aub had issued a late gag order on the battle, but only after the information had spread from the tired knights returning home to their families. As a result, the tale had already spread to the populace, who now saw him and Rozemyne as heroes. It was the talk of the castle. Hartmut had heard the tale about his Lady, from his father no doubt, and promptly went to the barracks and started proselytizing to the knights, who surprisingly welcomed the sermon and gathered to listen during their lunch break. As a result, a small cult was growing among them centered on Rozemyne, and Ferdinand as her holy protector. They had even given him a new title because they objected to him being called “evil", when he had saved them all, so he had been dubbed “The Beast of Battle" in honor of his new weapon and his slaughtering of the minions! Justus seemed delighted to report that in addition to being called the Saint of Ehrenfest, Rozemyne, was now being called “Verdrenna’s Daughter”. Ferdinand was absolutely outraged about both Hartmut’s preaching and his new nickname, and uneasy for Rozemyne’s to spread outside the duchy!! When he demanded to know whether Karstedt was aware of this inappropriate behavior going on among the knights, Justus shockingly revealed that Karstedt had been at Hartmut’s last sermon himself! Along with Bonifatius!

“What is wrong with them?! How can they condone a cult of worship of their own daughter and granddaughter?!, Ferdinand yelled.

“My Lord, you have to admit, having seen it now with your own eyes, that the princess looked quite divine held aloft in the air, glowing with mana, while hurling lightning bolts to save everyone. I have thought so myself since the cave.”

“But it’s sacrilege!”, Ferdinand argued.

“Is it though? They only acknowledge that the princess is loved by the gods and has been given special favor by them. She is able to bestow wondrous blessings, can wield multiple divine instruments, and hurl Verdrenna’s lighting bolts on command. How is this not proof of her intrinsic divine connection to the gods?”

“Are you Hartmut now?”, Ferdinand sneered.

“No, but I have come to see that Hartmut is right about her. Not about her being a goddess, but about her being granted a portion of their divinity to enact their will in the mortal realm. You too carry a piece of their divinity within you, having become who and what you are now. And, it has escaped no one’s notice that you were also calling down lightning, before the Goddess snatched Lady Rozemyne away to give her full control. That’s why you are seen as her holy protector. And didn’t you declare to the entire Knight Order, when the princess was still just an apprentice priestess, that you had taken her under your wing and would shield her from all harm?” Justus said.

“How do you know those words?! That was years ago and an internal Knight Order matter!”

Justus sniffed. “Please don’t insult my skills, my Lord. That is old news. My point is that you cannot be surprised when normal people recognize the divine blessings that the gods have bestowed upon you and the princess. You’re lucky that the knights being knights are only calling you the Beast of Battle and didn’t give you a holy nickname too.”

Ferdinand actually felt queasy now. He urged Justus to continue with his report.

“Klassenburg has flooded the market with honey through making new trade agreements outside of the Archduke’s conference, and Trauerqual has allowed it because the narrowing of the Ahrensbach gate has caused public confidence in him to plummet. He desperately needs Klassenberg as the only grand duchy still truly on his side. The southern duchies who have a sea gate, outside of Ahrensbach, have all seen a strong uptick in their economies for the first time since the war ended because of increased hauls of fresh fish. You would think that this economic growth might have offset Trauerqual’s fall in popularity, but the lightning attack on the Sovereignty a while back has most firmly been taken as a sign of Trauerqual having lost the gods' divine favor. And it was an attack, was it not, My Lord? Was it your doing or Lady Rozemyne’s?”

“Neither.”, Ferdinand stated.

Justus was surprised. “Neither? Why then did the goddess Verdrenna blast the former palace of Aldagisa?” Ferdinand’s eyes widened in surprise. "Yes, I know about that palace of nightmares. Please give me more credit. But why would Verdrenna attack it?”

“It might have been mentioned, to an elderly gentleman, as a part of a greater conversation. And the elderly gentleman may have found it a distasteful place.”

Justus burst out laughing and he laughed for some time. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he said, “I see. So, you mention something in passing to…… an elderly gentleman. He then tells his powerful friends. The powerful friends then obliterated what was distasteful. How is this not an example of you being divinely favored when your passing… conversations lead to such results?”

“I think you and Lasfam have both become entirely too bold of late.” Ferdinand said with deadly seriousness.

“I think that Lasfam and I, and Eckhart also, recognize you as the great man you’ve always been, but we now know the gods recognize it too. And soon the entirety of Yurgenschmidt will know it, and it won’t even be due to us shouting it from the rooftops. It will quickly become apparent to all, just like when you were in the Royal Academy, so you had better get used to it.” Justus finished primly.

Ferdinand stared at him like a shumil caught by a zantze. He looks so much like his old child self in this moment, Justus thought to himself fondly.

“Moving on.” Justus continued. “Ahrensbach has lowered the price on sugar to compete with Klassenberg’s honey. It’s been reported that both Lady Georgine and the first wife Melissande have been seen wearing distinctive new jewelry of late said to have been made from feystones from the sea.”

“Feystones from the sea?”, Ferdinand was intrigued.

“Yes. The feystones are reported to be a shimmering white and high in water, earth, and surprisingly, wind attributes.”

“So it appears that this feystone jewelry may be a new trade item being introduced in an attempt to offset the loss in the sugar trade. I would very much like to see this new feystone. Continue, Justus”

“I am sorry to report that Lady Florencia was with Geduldh’s burden but is no longer.”

“What?!”, Ferdinand was angry now! How could his brother so irresponsibly impregnate Florencia at this time.

“It appears that the Aub was just as surprised as you. Lady Florencia was resting in seclusion today, grieving no doubt. The Aub, however, while doing his best to hide it, exhibits a distinct air of relief. However, this discrepancy in attitude has created a schism between them, which I suppose is understandable.”

“I am sorry for her loss, truly, but they already have three children who all have archducal levels of mana, a rarity, and they will shortly lose their biggest mana supplier. This is the worst time that Florencia could pick to fall pregnant. It’s no wonder that my brother is relieved. This probably also  saved him from being beaten bloody by Bonifatius. What else?”

Justus continued his report in the most bored tone possible, “Requests have started being made as of today for small charms to be created that one can carry around with them, charms engraved with your likeness and the princess’s, as the holy protectors of Ehrenfest.”

“What?!”, Ferdinand roared. “Absolutely not! I forbid it!”

“I wish you luck with that, my Lord. Even one standing in the supreme heavens can’t control everything, especially things that amuse the gods."

Ferdinand then sent Justus away from him. He couldn’t bear to hear any more outrageous things today. He had Lasfam make him a supply of sandwiches and told him he was going to research in his hidden room. Lasfam knowing that his lord researched to relax, was only too happy to comply and quickly supplied enough sandwiches to substitute for both lunch and dinner. Ferdinand grabbed a sack for the sandwiches, and went straight through his first hidden room to his second, and transferred to the country foundation. Ferdinand was on a mission to prevent his image, and Rozemyne’s, from being used as a charm. If he had divine favor, then now he would use it. Ferdinand had become quite sensitive about his image being used ever since the whole concert incident. He also wanted to know if Ehrenfest should expect a double Winter Lord from now on, as that would be a very serious and dangerous problem, especially after he left the duchy. Would Dunklefelger also have a double Summer Lord this year?

When he arrived, he was happy to see that the foundation was still one-sixth full, and supplied more mana while chanting the dedication prayer his father had taught him and Sylvester so long ago:

"O mighty King and Queen of the endless skies, O mighty Eternal Five who rule the mortal realm, O Goddess of Water Flutrane, O God of Fire Leidenschaft, O Goddess of Wind Schutzaria, O God of Life Ewigeliebe, I offer you my prayers and dedicate my mana to you in gratitude for the gift of this Garden and all that is contained within it.”

He could feel Erwarmen’s consciousness waking from its slumber. It felt, strangely, like someone rolling over in bed. He let the foundation take a quarter of his mana, and then pulled his schtappe away and banished it. He grabbed his sack and spoke Erwarmen’s name and was transported.

"Quinta!”, Erwarmen said in a delighted voice when Ferdinand appeared before him. “I can feel that you added more mana to the foundation and already charged one of the Country Gates! Very good, my boy!”

My Boy?! Had Erwarmen been sipping vize, Ferdinand wondered.

“So, what brings you here to me today”, the former God inquired happily.

“I brought you some different food to try, and I wanted to ask you some questions, if you don’t mind.”

“Oooh! You brought me something different? Is it the pound cake that you mentioned?”

How could Erwarmen remember the name of a food he’s never even tasted? Just how greedy was he for snacks?!

“No, I brought you something better. It’s a complete meal that you can hold in your hand. It is called a sandwich. The young lady created the recipe so that I could eat while researching.”

“So the young lady is already attending to your meals. I see. I see.”

What did he see?! His eyes are closed!

Eager to correct Erwarmen’s misperception, Ferdinand said, “I attend to my own meals. We only eat meals together that she’s prepared twice a week.”

“Only twice a week. I understand.” Erwarmen smiled “Did you arrange for her engagement to your nephew to be cancelled?”

“Yes, shortly after I returned to Ehrenfest.” Now Ferdinand just felt like a child reporting his deeds to his grandfather.

“Excellent!”, Erwarmen exclaimed. “Have you asked her yet to tie your threads in the future?”

“Not yet. I…”

“You what, Quinta?”, Erwarmen prompted.

“I….”, Ferdinand trailed off.

“Quinta, are you shy?”

“No!”, Ferdinand yelled.

“You are!” Erwarmen laughed in delight. “Bold as Leidenschaft about storming the Garden of Beginnings and as shy as a tender lad courting his first young lady!” The former God laughed uproariously. Ferdinand was getting so very tired of everyone laughing at him.

“Here’s your sandwich!”, Ferdinand shoved a sandwich into Erwarmen’s hand.

“I’m sorry for laughing at you, Quinta. Don’t be testy.” If he was so sorry, why was he still chuckling?!

Erwarmen took a bite of the sandwich and raised his eyebrows. “Quinta! What is this sandwich? it’s delicious!

“It’s sliced, seasoned chicken with mayonnaise on the salad bread that you liked. Mayonnaise is a spread used in sandwiches that the young lady, Rozemyne, created from a recipe from her previous world.”

“It’s absolutely delicious! Please give me another.”, Erwarmen demanded. Had Erwarmen simply inhaled the first sandwich?

Ferdinand passed him another. “This sandwich is called egg salad. It is made from chopped eggs from chickens. The chopped eggs, along with salt, pepper, and herbs, are heavily mixed with the mayonnaise to make a hearty spread for the bread.”

“Oh, this is quite as tasty as the first, but in a different way! Egg salad you said? I quite like this egg salad. You may ask me your questions while I’m eating the next sandwich.”

Thank the Gods that Erwarmen couldn’t leave his tree and Ferdinand would never have to host him at a dinner. Erwarmen would exhaust all his food stores in a single meal.

Ferdinand said, “This sandwich is called ham and cheese. Ham is a smoked meat and cheese is made from cow milk, then aged. It also has mayonnaise, but the bread is a dark type that contains just a hint of honey.”

“Yes, I know honey. It’s been 20 mortal lifetimes since I had any. Please pass it here.” Erwarmen was now reaching out his hand for the sandwich.

“My question is about the rise of two Winter Lords that Ehrenfest battled just recently.”

“Oh, yes, I apologize to you for that, Quinta.”

“That was your doing, Lord Erwarmen?!”, Ferdinand asked in shocked anger.

“Of course not!”, Erwarmen snapped. “I would never risk your life on something so foolish! It was the doing of that fool Leidenschaft!”

Ferdinand was devastated. “What have I ever done to earn the God’s disfavor?”

“Quinta, I assure you that Leidenschaft has nothing but praise for you. You’re quite one of his favorites. But, my brethren think differently than mortals, especially about mortals that they bless. Two of his favored disciples in the land that he rules over were bemoaning the fact that you wouldn’t be participating in some ridiculous war game in his honor, and their complaints must have dipped into the realm of prayer because Leidenschaft heard them. If it hadn’t been about you, he would have left well enough alone. However, he decided that if you wouldn’t play with his disciples, he would create a situation where they could join you in actual battle. He found a mated pair, and with his power aided them so that the two Schnestrums would rise together. It was quite easy as the mana levels in Ehrenfest and the Garden have risen. He then asked Anhaltung to whisper in one of the disciple’s ears so that he would offer his aid in battle to your duchy. However, the disciple’s offer was rejected. Due to this, the children of Ehrenfest were in real peril as the two Schnestrums together might have overrun the duchy, and you might have been killed. He flew back to Anhaltung who then whispered to your young lady, Rozemyne, to go give you aid, as she is quite one of his favorites too. He then watched as the events unfolded and came to brag to me all about his masterful plan and the splendid battle. He told me about all of it, the new weapon, how many minions were slaughtered, Verdrenna’s aid to young Rozemyne. If I wasn’t bound to this tree, I would have beaten him black and blue. How dare he risk you both in such a stupid stunt! I’ve been asked to inform you that his ridiculous plan was not a sanctioned part of the weave. Unfortunately Quinta, Leidenschaft is unrepentant and finds both you and your young Rozemyne to be glorious examples of mortal martial power, his own words, and had his kin give you more blessings. Apparently Ordoschnelli, who naturally adores a good story, has been busy flitting all over carrying the tale the of battle. Of course, she’s only involved because you’re the hidden Zent, and she’s especially impatient to carry that particular tale.

Be warned, Quinta. I have explained to the gods what you shared with me regarding how secrecy about your new status will preserve your life, but the gods are very excited about you saving the Garden. They will honor your wishes not to reveal your status as Zent. However Quinta, all the gods who have blessed you feel slighted that you, who they have bestowed their favor upon, are not publicly acknowledged as Zent. You are the first true Zent in several mortal lifetimes, so they feel in a proprietary way towards you. They want all the children of the Garden to know it and be properly grateful that you saved all their Iives. Expect them to act unpredictably."

Ferdinand sighed. “Why was Leidenschaft even boasting to you?”

“Because I get to talk to you directly and he doesn’t, although you are one of his chosen, and Angriff’s too for that matter. ”

“This is a outrageous! I have work to do!”, Ferdinand yelled.

“I know.” Erwarmen confided. “They are behaving like giddy, excitable, impatient mortal children. Even the gentle goddess Kuntzeal is in quite a temper about your status remaining hidden. I’ve seen your memories, but they are quite naturally not of your own visage. Kuntzeal is all a twitter at how much she blessed your appearance, and how gifted you are in creating music, and how your singing voice causes women to faint?”

“I beg you, Lord Erwarmen, please let us not speak of it!”

“You mean it’s true?! Come now, Quinta! That’s hardly fair, joined to my tree and mostly alone as I am! You must tell me the tale.”

“Even for you, I will not speak of it.”

“Oh, very well then. I’ll just ask Ordoschnelli. I’m sure she knows.”

Someone save me!

“So, is the Goddess Kuntzeal the reason why the citizens of my duchy now want to carry charms engraved with my and Rozemyne’s image?”

Erwarmen laughed out loud. “Oh, is that what she did?”

“It’s not funny, Lord Erwarmen!”, Ferdinand complained.

“It’s a little amusing, Quinta. It’s such a tiny thing really, just a trinket, and it will please the Goddess. She really is incredibly fond of you, quite separate and apart from you being Zent. Most mortals want undue praise. You seek neither praise nor fame, and are deserving of both. I’m sorry to tell you, but your humility and shyness just makes the gods want you to be publicly acknowledged all the more.”

“I’m leaving.”, Ferdinand announced. “Please send me back to the foundation.”

“Don’t be angry, Quinta. The gods quite adore you.”

“I just can’t deal with this. It’s like having a bunch of divinely powered meddling parents interfering in my life, a great number of interfering parents.”

“It’s not like that, Quinta. It’s exactly that way.”

“Please send me back.”

“Do you have anymore sandwiches?”

“Here. Take the sack. There are one more of each kind of sandwich inside.” Ferdinand thrust the bag into Erwarmen’s hands.

“When will you come back?” Erwarmen asked.

Ferdinand sighed. “I have to go meet with those disciples of Leidenschaft. The land of fire is where I will be seeking my first allies, the allies that I told you about previously.”

“Wait. Do you mean to tell me you that you were already going to meet with them and this was only about that stupid war game?”

“Yes.”, Ferdinand hissed. “I know exactly who the two are who were complaining. I had already scheduled my visit, but I told them that I would not play. Quite frankly, I didn’t feel like being unnecessarily bloodied playing a dangerous game when I have work to do as Zent and handing off my previous roles in Ehrenfest. I am too busy to play right now. As it was, I had to push back my visit to battle the Winter Lords.”

“That is utterly unacceptable!”, Erwarmen yelled. “Leidenschaft’s interference interrupted your work as Zent! And are these disciples of his foolish children to whine to a God about a silly game?!”

“Yes, they are Ditter fools. That’s the name of the war game. It’s actually a game that simulates defending your duchy foundation from being stolen by an invading force. My continual defeat of them in Ditter has left them with an unending desire to best me in the game.”

“They sound quite vengeful. Will they be a danger to you?” Erwarmen asked in concern.

“They’re not vengeful. They admire my unbroken winning streak and seek to best me so that they can brag about finally having overcome me. They are quite….feverish in their admiration of me."

Erwarmen chuckled. “Ah, I see. They share their patron Leidenschaft’s opinion of you.”

Ferdinand stopped and thought about it. “Yes.”, he said. “That might be true.”

Erwarmen asked, “And the other allies that you spoke about? The other duchy? Who is their patron god?”

“The Goddess Mestionora.”

“Mestionora?! Oh, she’s been boasting nonstop as it is her Book that you now have. If I didn’t adore the girl, I’d forbid her from visiting. She gave you a truly excessive amount of blessings from an extremely young age. Do these disciples of hers admire you as well?”

“In a way.....the previous Aub was eager, very eager, to adopt me when I was a child, and the current  Aub is still very eager for me to move to his duchy……..as of last week.”

Erwarmen laughed out loud. "It seems that you’ve chosen your allies well if they already admire you to this degree. I definitely want to hear more of your life when you return, and the outcome of your meetings with your allies. It’s all very interesting. I am particularly interested in how the blessings from the gods have manifested in your life because it sounds like they have manifested most strongly. I will tell the gods to try and not trouble you because you are busy with your new work of being Zent. I’m not very confident in how effective my words will be, unfortunately. Leidenschaft is being watched, but as you know, there are many other gods.”

“So, essentially, are saying that you wish me luck with that?” Ferdinand asked.

“Yes, unfortunately. You are highly favored by the Gods, and more Gods will bless you now so that they can have a claim on you as well. When the other mortal children return to worshipping at the Temple, then the …..love of the gods will be spread around and they will be less focused on you as an individual. I will send you back to the foundation now. I can hear the tiredness in your voice. Thank you for the sandwiches, Quinta. They were truly splendid. Try and bring some pound cake next time. I am eager to try it.”

Seriously?! Why is Erwarmen so obsessed with pound cake?

Ferdinand returned from his trip to the Garden of Beginnings quite disturbed. He dreaded the idea of the Gods actively taking an interest in his life, and detested the idea of them actively setting in motion plans to spread his fame. He also hated being powerless to stop them while their actions could catapult him onto the national stage too soon, and he would prefer to be making sure moves in the shadows. He decided that he would reach out to Elvira since he may need her political acumen sooner rather than later. And yes, he really did owe her an apology for crushing her a few days before. It seems like it was Leidenschaft and Anhaltung who orchestrated Rozemyne’s rush into battle. Both Elvira and Sylvester were blameless.

My life is a divine farce, Ferdinand thought, a dangerous, annoying, exhausting divine farce. And the Gods are even more absurd than humans.

Chapter Text

Ferdinand checked in with Lasfam about dinner as soon as he returned, knowing the man probably expected him to hole up in his hidden room until the late hours of the night. Lasfam was delighted to see his Lord step away from his research, and quite convinced himself that his stern talking to had made an impact on his master's behavior. Not only had he cut his research short like a normal person, he had eaten all the sandwiches that were prepared for him, and was now asking about dinner. Lasfam would be quite devastated to know that not only had his master not eaten a single sandwich, and was now quite hungry, he had rather thoroughly left the mansion and traveled all the way to the Royal Academy to give up a quarter of his just restored mana, and to speak with……an elderly gentleman who was the anchor of the entire realm.

Ferdinand sent a magic letter to Elvira stating that he had been made aware by Eckhart that she had an urgent matter to discuss. She responded that she was very much at her leisure and could make herself available on short notice at his convenience.  He decided to take her at her word, and offered to host her that very evening for dinner, after confirming that there would be enough food with Lasfam.

She arrived just after the sixth bell as agreed. She was without Karstedt, which was very surprising. Ferdinand had naturally assumed that he would be joining them. They were served the pomme vegetable soup from earlier, a light salad in herb dressing, braised beef cooked with mehren, rigar, and potatoffel, and vargel in a cream sauce. She spoke of Haldenzel and growing up there. She spoke of the bitter winters, the unity of nobles and commoners against adversity, and how Haldenzel was flourishing now. Ferdinand spoke of Sylvester’s antics as his older brother while growing up, what it was like to have the eccentric Hirschur as a master, and being stalked by Heitschitze throughout his time at the Royal Academy. Elvira found his stories genuinely amusing, and he found her stories informative. After dessert and tea were served, Elvira sent her attendants and knights right out of the room, much to their great displeasure, but she was implacable. Lasfam also removed himself, and would ensure that they were not disturbed. Ferdinand activated the wide range anti-eavesdropping tool so that he could start the conversation by making his apologies.

“Lady Elvira”, Ferdinand said, “I must apologize that my loss of composure during the subjugation resulted in injury.”

“Lord Ferdinand, will you allow me to forgo Vergergen’s shroud and dancing with Grammaratur so that I can be clearly understood? The nature of the topics that I wish to discuss do not lend themselves easily to euphemisms. In fact, the euphemisms don't exist.”

"I will.”, said Ferdinand.

“I understand that you were scared out of all reason that Rozemyne had just entered the killing field, and thought that she would lose her life that day. I am aware that you have taken extreme steps to preserve her life, and that you were horrified that those you trusted to keep her safe, Sylvester, myself, and even Cornelius, Matthias, and Laurenz, had all allowed her to ride into danger. While I did not enjoy being Crushed, even lightly, as a mother, I can find no fault in the source of your distress.”

“That’s very gracious of you.”

“What I can find fault with”, Elvira continued, “is that my daughter doesn’t understand what your level of distress implies, does not understand the significance of her riding on your highbeast, and even now believes that Sylvester need only give the word, and you would end her life if she presented a threat to him or Ehrenfest.”

“What?!”, exclaimed Ferdinand reacting to the last part of Elvira’s statement. “Why would she think that?!”

“Because once upon a time, it might have been true, and you never told her that it no longer was, although I personally believe that it may have never truly been the case.”

“Why would she not see that all I’ve ever done is try to keep her safe?!”

"Lord Ferdinand, you ripped her from her loving family, and despite her adult memories of life in another world, her emotions, while mature, are still those of a young girl. Sylvester told her that her family could easily be killed. You told her that she could be dealt with if she was too much of a threat, and that’s what she remembered because you never said anything different.”

“How long have you known, about her memories?”, Ferdinand asked.

“Only a few days, but we can address that later. Why did you never tell her she was no longer in danger?”

“Because she was never out of danger!”, he stated with heat. “First, there was Bezanwanst and Veronica, and even after their end, there were vested interests -- both commoner and noble--- in various industries, there are still Veronicans and hidden members of Georgine’s faction, upper duchies, and by the Gods, let’s not forget the royals. When has she ever been out of danger?!”

“Not from them, from you!” Elvira snapped.

“From me?! I’m the one who has been keeping that girl alive, keeping her safe! I admit her other worldly knowledge was alarming at first, very alarming. And maybe in the beginning, I thought that she might not be able to control her mana rampages and might kill someone, or several someones, especially after Bezanwanst. Do you know about Bezanwanst ?” Elvira gave a nod. “But even then, she could have been put in mana sealing bracelets. I never agreed with Sylvester threatening her family like he did. We made them sign a contract that literally prevented them from disclosing her origins, or even treating her like family ever again, on pain of death. Further threats were unnecessary. But he is the Aub. This is his land. I publicly declared that she was under my protection in front of the whole Knight Order. Saw one knight executed to ensure her safety, and one of my own attendants. I never would have protected her so fiercely if I only intended to kill her!”

“She doesn’t know that, Lord Ferdinand.”

“How can she not know?! Does she not see the care with which I have treated her?”

“She sees.”

“And”?!

“I think that she was a child, despite her special advantages, and her understanding was that of a child. I also think that noble culture is so different from commoner society and so wholly alien compared to her previous world, that it leaves her unable to read between the lines, or even have reference points. What she understood was that her ideas, her industries, her mana, but most of all, her otherworldly origins - her being, meant that she would always be facing her possible death, that her family is being held hostage for her good behavior even still today, and that you would be her executioner. She also believes that a sentence can be pronounced on her simply for causing too many problems.”

Ferdinand looked devastated, and Elvira realized in that moment that she had never seen an honest expression on his face ever before.

Ferdinand said quietly, “I had no idea. Truthfully, we never kept tabs on her family. They’ve always been peripherally connected to her by her industries and responsibilities, but we never kept tabs. I will admit that although the motivation on Sylvester’s part to keep her family alive was actually to prevent a mana rampage which would certainly have been aimed at him, and possibly me and Karstedt as well, he intentionally let her think differently. I never saw them as a loose ends, not when the Temple was filled with real enemies that knew her true origins, who had carried tales to the Knight Order and beyond. Sylvester was focused on the wrong people, but then the true enemies were Veronicans. I felt badly at tearing her away from her family, very badly, but they would never do anything to jeopardize her. I have only ever sought to protect her life, and her interests.”

“Then you need to tell her what you just told me. Right now she believes that Sylvester is still first with you, but I see that you have intentionally sought to give her the highest status possible as extra protection. I believe that you always intended to make her an Archduke candidate, but did you truly mean for Sylvester to adopt her?”

”I wasn’t sure. I truly meant for her to be in your care for a while, but equal in rank to Veronica and well above Bezanwanst. I was still considering having Bonifatius adopt her instead, giving her the protection of his rank, but at a distance from Veronica. But, Sylvester went behind our backs and gave her the blood seal adoption stone….however, it saved her in the end, and allowed us to execute Bezanwanst and imprison Bindewald and Veronica all on the same night.”

“I always wondered after Karstedt told me, why did Sylvester go behind your back and adopt her?”

“I wouldn’t have asked him then since he is Aub, but he had just received a tour of Myne’s workshop, so I would assume it was the novelty of her inventions as much as their profitability, and he knew that she had memories of another world, which would mean a lifetime of novelties and new ideas.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell me of her memories of another life?”, Elvira asked.

“I didn’t want to risk you rejecting her as too strange.”, Ferdinand answered honestly.

“Why would I reject her?” Elvira asked calmly. She was offended but he was talking honestly, and she wanted him to continue.

“Why wouldn’t you reject her? Veronica rejected me almost to death, and honestly, Florencia completely ignores Rozemyne . She never accepted Rozemyne simply for what she believes to be a Temple upbringing. How much more off-putting would other worldly memories be then, on top of her commoner born status?”

“Excuse me?”, Elvira said coldly.

“Which part is unclear?”, Ferdinand asked.

“The part where Florencia ignores my daughter completely after me shielding her for all the years of her marriage. We’ll get to the part where you’ve grouped me together with those two another time. How long have you known this?”

Elvira’s eyes were bright with rage, and it moved Ferdinand to see an open display of maternal anger. He had profoundly misjudged Elvira and that made him very glad for Rozemyne. He wondered what a mother’s love felt like. It must be at once both a comforting and a fearsome thing.

“I've only known a few weeks. Sylvester told me himself.”, Ferdinand answered.

“Did my husband know this?”, Elvira hissed.

“I don’t think he ever put it all together. Sylvester knew, but didn’t understand the significance of it himself.”

“Did not understand the significance of it?!”, Elvira snapped.

“How could he? I’ve been doing all the thinking for him, and you’ve been doing all the thinking for Florencia and when not you, Leberecht. How could they understand anything?”

Elvira looked at him in shock, and then laughed out loud.

“You are absolutely right. I did think for her. Although, I’m very surprised that you told me about Florencia just now. Normally, you would have kept that to yourself to protect Sylvester by protecting her. What changed?”

“I can no longer afford to prioritize Sylvester and Ehrenfest, and I suspect that some of my help was just as harmful as helpful. Also, Florencia distains the Temple, and is opposed Melchior taking over from Rozemyne as the next High Bishop.”, said Ferdinand

“What?! But the chalices!”

“Exactly, and not only that. It’s no mistake that Rozemyne and I are High Bishop and High Priest, and have the mana that we do. Pray to the Gods regularly, Lady Elvira, for they are very real and they are listening and they will bless those who pray to them. The Temple is key, and the Ehrenfest Temple has been reformed. You should visit.”

“I will.”, she promised. “Can you tell me the ways in which Florencia ignored Rozemyne?”

“I was made to understand that it was entirely. She went from your instruction to years of nothing and returned to your instruction just recently. I assumed that Rozemyne was continuing to receive the same level of instruction from Florencia as she did from you. How wrong I was. She received nothing from her whatsoever. When I found that out, I contacted you immediately.”

Elvira’s eyes now glowed with unholy fire from her mana. “So all this time my daughter has been struggling without anyone to guide her at all, making social mistakes because no one at all was giving her a noble education, living in fear that each problem she caused would be her last, and too afraid to ask for help because that would be causing problems also?!”

“Ahhh. I hadn’t made that connection just now. Poor Rozemyne! My Gods! I should have checked to make sure she was still being instructed! I just never imagined……” Ferdinand’s deep voice was filled with true remorse.

“Yes! You should have! But you shouldn’t have had to given what was needed and the fact that Sylvester knew that too, and she is his wife! Not yours!” Elvira snapped. After a moment, she asked, “Do you need another scholar and political advisor?”

"I rather think I do, don’t you? How long will you need to transition out of working with Florencia, and start directly working with me?”

“I will never do another thing for that woman as long as I live! Will I receive a salary as soon as I start? Elvira asked.

Ferdinand blinked. “Yes! Of course, you will. Apparently, I pay quite well too, from what I’ve been told, but I have made grown men cry. Recently, in fact.” Was she never paid for any of her work for the archducal family?

“I survived Veronica. I’m sure that I will survive you. For now, I really need to be available for Rozemyne, so I would want to prioritize her, while still making myself available to you."

She paused and then said suddenly, "Speaking of Rozemyne again, do you want to bind your stars with hers?”

Ferdinand looked at her in shock at her directness, but then gave a look of acceptance at her skills of perception.

“Yes. If I don’t, I will forever worry if she’s safe, if she’s healthy, if she’s being cared for properly, if she’s happy. But now, after what you’ve told me, I don’t know if I have the right to ask her to tie her threads with mine, and as you also pointed out, she’s very young.”

“Then let me truly speak to you as Anhaltung for the first time, about Rozemyne. I know that you used the mind reading tool to look into Rozemyne’s memory.” Ferdinand’s eyes widened in surprise, and then he looked a little ashamed. “You viewed her world, but failed to understand the most important fact about it. The world that you viewed was comprised of commoners.”

“No! How can that be?! I saw her world! It was beyond opulent, and advanced!” Ferdinand protested.

“Had you asked Rozemyne, she would have told you. She doesn’t actually know that you thought her a noble in her previous life. It was Karstedt who told me that. I’ve spent some time talking with Rozemyne about her world. In fact, we’ve been talking about it everyday.

What you saw was a world that commoners built for themselves to enjoy. Everything that she showed you was, forgive me for the pun, common place. There are no real nobles left, and status is really determined by wealth. However, the largest numbers of people were, comparing them to professions in our world, skilled craftspeople, commoner scribes and clerks, those that own their own shops, and those that owned a single a highly successful store. There were many other specialized professions that don't have equivalents here. In terms of wealth, there were those like Benno and the Guild Master who own more than one successful store. Benno would be a new innovator, newly rich, and well on his way to becoming even richer. The Guild Master would be an old, established company with connections all over through people buying his products and centuries of family wealth, although I suspect that young Frieda will surpass them all. The wealth that people could earn in her old world was so incomprehensible as to be obscene. Incidentally, you should strongly consider buying Frieda's contract from Damuel’s brother. He owns her now as a future concubine, which is a total waste. From all that Rozemyne has said of her, she’s an economic genius. She can absolutely help you take economic control of the entire country, and will laugh with joy while doing so. She has mana, so you may want to ennoble her for her own protection.

That library that Rozemyne said that she showed you was open to every citizen, free of charge. In her world, the commoners were most ingenious. They had walked on the moon, could communicate instantaneously with anyone in the world, and Rozemyne’s country was particularly peaceful. They had very little crime. They didn’t poison each other like we do. They openly loved their children, and if they didn’t care for them properly or abused them, they could have the children taken away from them. Children started school as young as three and education could continue until they were well into their 20s, depending on the profession that they chose to enter. Rozemyne was such a person. But all children were required to attend school from age six until the age of 18. People were expected to advance on their own merit. There will always be some nepotism with humans, I suppose in any world, but it was largely expected that you would advance by your own excellence, and not just in her country.

There was injustice. There was crime. There was war. There was poverty. There was corruption. These things existed in different parts of the world, and to some extent in every country, but most countries had some system to either combat or prevent these things. They were seen as the great evils of mankind. Incidentally, owning other people was illegal in most of her old world. There were black markets that abducted and traded people, but it was illegal, and there were organizations around the world who fought against this as their daily work. Very few countries had legal slavery anymore.

They had laws against doing harm to others. They weren’t always obeyed, but they had laws and systems to punish those that transgressed. Rozemyne lived to be 22 in that world, and so she still spent more time alive in that world than she has spent alive in this one. Remember that. By the standards that she is used to, we nobles are vicious, barbaric, dangerous savages, and our commoners are generally better behaved towards each other than we nobles.

Under the laws of her old society, at least half the nobles that you know or more, would have been imprisoned for abuse, corruption, and heinous crimes, some never to be free again. Incidentally, she didn’t have a husband, and was never engaged or courted.

I am saying all this to say that she is an other worlder, and you need to treat her as such. Assume that this is an alien, hostile environment for her, because it is, but that she lived in a society that we should aspire to create. Don’t get frustrated with her for social mistakes. Explain it to her gently and clearly. She’s quite brilliant. She can learn. Express your feelings without euphemisms when you are in private. The good feelings not only the criticisms.

When you begin to court her, be plain with your words, no matter how embarrassing that you find it. Even after she is fully educated on the euphemisms, I doubt they will ever have the emotional impact that you desire because her internal landscape has been shaped by another world and being a commoner here in her formative years."

“I really assumed that she lived as a noble in a society similar to ours but more advanced.” Ferdinand whispered.

“People who act like our nobles in her old world are detained and then imprisoned. Advancement is not only about industries advancing and improving magic tools, it’s also about treating each other better.”

“Perhaps I am not the right husband for her then.”, Ferdinand said regretfully.

“You are the right husband for her in this world, but just remember that your chosen wife is from a foreign land. I expect you to have an honest conversation with her soon. I assure you that she will be far, far happier with you than with anyone else in the whole of Yurgenschmidt.”

“I’m not just me anymore. There’s my position and the real danger of it.”

“Ask her for Verdrenna’s aid to blast your enemies away.

Ferdinand chuckled. “That was a sight to behold wasn’t it?”

“So were you eliminating hundreds of minions all by yourself. You two are quite the pair.”

“Do you think that she will have me?” Ferdinand asked wanting an honest answer.

“I think that once you tell her everything that we have discussed today, you will prove to her that you have only ever been her protector and not her potential executioner. Also, tell her about the things that you didn’t know, like Florencia having taught her nothing or how she’d previously been a commoner in her prior life. She will weep happy tears at the thought of tying her threads with yours then, and tears of relief for having been delivered from Wilfred. And when she weeps, you must not shame her, even if you are embarrassed by her open emotions. You will hand her a handkerchief, and then cast Heilschmerz on her eyes when she’s through weeping.”

“Alright.”, Ferdinand verbalized his acquiescence.

“One last thing, you should become engaged to her formally as soon as possible.”

“I had thought to delay the formal engagement as to not destabilize the duchy. Removing Rozemyne as Wilfred’s fiance will restart the succession crisis.” Ferdinand said.

“My, my, my”, Elvira said, “did you not say only a moment ago that you could no longer afford to prioritize Sylvester and Ehrenfest?”

“Yes, but I don’t want my actions to place the archducal family in danger.”

“At this point, you will create a danger to Wilfred, and possibly Sylvester, through your lack of action. Not only did you take Rozemyne onto your highbeast in front of the whole Knight Order, but you then both proceeded to win the battle with very little aid from anyone. Karstedt told me that the Knight Order is quite enamored with you both now, and openly discuss how Rozemyne should be matched to you, blatantly in front of their Knight Commander. There are now a growing number of armed and trained men who are strongly and vocally opposed to Lord Wilfred marrying Rozemyne. Karstedt also tells me that tales of your heroism are spreading through the duchy, in part due to my brother’s incessant bragging about his niece to all and sundry. I do apologize for that, but your brother didn’t even think to issue a gag order until I told him to and why. But, it’s really too late now. It won’t be long before all the citizens are opposed to Rozemyne being tied to Wilfred. Hence the danger. We would not want someone to think they needed to remove the obstacles to the holy couple’s union. Don’t worry. I will handle the neutrals and Leisegangs and prevent them from pushing either of you to the Aub’s seat. They have no right to seek to impose their will on the holy couple, after all.”

“Are they calling us that?! The holy couple?!” Ferdinand asked urgently.

“Not yet, but by tomorrow, they could be.”

“I was told today that the populace wants to have small medallions engraved with my likeness and Rozemyne ‘s commissioned”, Ferdinand confided quietly.

Elvira laughed in delight. “Excellent! We can use this to begin to garner public support for you in your new role, and for Rozemyne. Once it slips out of Ehrenfest, say to Dunklefelger, it could then spread around the country. We just have to ensure that it spreads there first where they are sure to magnify your deeds beyond their already epic proportions. This will prime everyone in Yurgenschmidt to be eager to welcome you! This is so exciting! I will have my own medallion commissioned right away. I think that I will commission a broach of you two side by side, and wear it everywhere that I go. Whenever I am asked about it, I will simply share my true memories of watching you two during the battle. I will use one of Rozemyne’s exclusive blacksmiths, Johan. After I receive the medallion, I will call Benno to meet with me and set him loose. He will no doubt already be salivating at the potential profit after Rozemyne’s Johan tells him about my commission. We can take a pittance on the sale of each medallion from him. I do suspect that that the manufacturing of the medallions will quickly slip from our control and spread to other artisans. Oh, but we mustn’t forget the Guildmaster’s family. I think that I will commission a painting of you two during the battle and gift it to little Frieda to hang in her restaurant. I will give her permission to have it reproduced if she wishes, for a percentage of the profit of course. After recouping my investment, the rest can be used as a starting budget for our campaign to win over the populace.”

“Um, Lady Elvira?”, Ferdinand began. However, Elvira was now a run away horse.

“You and Rozemyne will be so easy to promote due to your many personal accomplishments! It will be child's play! We can even use the concept of the holy couple to overcome objection to your middle duchy origins and the Temple. In fact, if we handle this right by emphasizing how divinely blessed by the Gods you both are, we can create an atmosphere where anyone who opposes your rise will be viewed as a blasphemer! And the wonderful thing is all we have to do is tell the truth about you both! Ohhohohoho! And best of all, Trauerqual won’t be able to oppose this because his popularity is so low. Not only would he look like a jealous fool, he would be literally ripped to shreds by his own citizens if he tries to move against you! Excuse me, Lord Ferdinand, but I must return home and begin planning!”

Ferdinand was in a daze. The speed with which Elvira had concocted a truly devastating plan left him somewhat dizzy. He too was a devastating planner, but he was methodical. Elvira’s thought process was like, well, lightning, for lack of a better analogy. Fast and with the power to instantaneously destroy opposition. Knowing what he knew now, he had to wonder if she actually had a blessing from the Goddess of Storms. Or was it him that had the blessing, and Elvira simply a manifestation of it?

Elvira sailed out of his mansion like a commander marching into battle. He wasn’t positive, but he thought he heard her humming a happy tune under her breath as she left. 

Chapter Text

Trauerqual went to visit his third, but most important, Queen in her palace. He had received strange requests from two separate duchies asking for permission to use the Royal Academy transportation circles to have Aub Ehrenfest and his brother, Lord Ferdinand, visit them. Since one of the requests was from Magdalena’s brother, he wanted her insight.  Perhaps she’d shed light on Drewanchel's request as well. It’s not that the requests didn’t contain explanations, and he’d already approved them. The requests were just……unusual.

Magdalena received her husband with real pleasure. Her warm welcome was always a soothing balm, struggling as he had been with a beleaguered reign and no Grutrissheit. Worse, ever since a freak lightning storm had destroyed that filthy palace of Aldagisa, public sentiment had turned against him entirely. It was very concerning how thoroughly it had. Personally, Trauerqual was glad the palace was gone, and he didn’t have to be reminded of the disgusting things his family, even his own brothers, had done with the wretched flowers held captive there, or how the boy children were killed and used as feystones. It had been the shame of the royal bloodline, in his opinion. Better yet, he now had no palace to keep a Lanzenave princess, so he would be happily able to turn down their offer of one forever. He actually thought the Lanzenave utter savages, distant kin though they may be. Everyone in that palace was closely related to the King of Lanzenave, but he treated his relatives as if they were all Devouring commoners. 

Unfortunately, it just gave the Sovereign Temple a weapon against him. And while Trauerqual admitted that the narrowing of the Gate may have had something to do with the missing Grutrissheit, the Gate was still wide open. He absolutely did want to find the Grutrissheit, but the fact that it was missing was hardly his fault. He hadn’t asked for his brothers to slaughter each other over the Grutrissheit and revenge. He had simply stepped in at the end to keep his insane fourth brother from taking the throne and  destroying them all with sadistic glee. His fourth brother had tortured his own pets as a child, and what Trauerqual heard he had done to those poor flowers in that hidden palace had truly made him sick to his stomach. Trauerqual had lost his only daughter in the civil war, his precious little girl. He had suffered too. He had never even wanted to be Zent. He had simply done the right thing to prevent his twisted maniac of a brother from taking the throne. Why did no one ever remember that? His brother had been a true monster. Why were they so quick to forget that he had saved all of Yurgenschmidt from him?

“Welcome, my Zent and husband.”, Magdalena said from her kneeling position after their noble greetings had been exchanged.

“Rise, Queen of my heart.”, Trauerqual said while taking her hand to help her stand.  He guided her to the table set up for their tea. Trauerqual seated himself across from her, and Magdalena passed him an anti-eavesdropping tool. 

“What treats do we have today?” Trauerqual said looking at the spread before him.

“We have sliced smoked meats and cheeses with dark bread, a special berry pound cake from Ehrenfest. The berries infuse the cake with the color of Geduldh in honor of the season. We also have another Ehrenfest treat called a “blondie". 

Trauerqual frowned slightly at Magdalena. “How did the royal family get these recipes? I don’t remember them being among the ones the Sovereignty purchased last year at the Interduchy Conference.”

“It was Anastasius’s doing.”, Magdalena said simply.

“What did my son do now?” Trauerqual asked.

“Anastasius and Eglantine tasted these treats at a tea party together at the Royal Academy a while ago, a tea party that Ehrenfest also attended. The young archduke candidate, Lady Rozemyne of Ehrenfest, brought these sweets. During this recent term, Eglantine was reminiscing with Anastasius about how tasty the treats had been, her being with Geduldh’s burden. So one day to surprise her, he commanded that the young Rozemyne attend him in their villa there when Eglantine was teaching class, and ordered her to sell him the recipes. When she demurred stating that the sale of recipes outside of the duchy was the province of the archduke conference, he wrote to Aub Ehrenfest himself and asked to purchase the recipes outright. Of course, Aub Ehrenfest complied as it was a request from a member of the royal family.”

Trauerqual’s face was blank,  but he had closed his eyes because he was incensed. Not only had Anastasius circumvented established policy for trade,  he had made it a royal edict by contacting the Archduke himself directly. And in all probability, the Archduke had received much less off of the sale of the recipe than he would have through appropriate channels. Anastasius knew nothing about the going rate of Ehrenfest’s prized recipes.  It was a blatant misuse of royal authority,  and the fact that Anastasius hadn’t seen fit to tell Trauerqual made it highly suspect . He either was hiding what he had done from his father, or he didn’t see anything wrong with his behavior and would have no reason to remark on it. Trauerqual thought it was the latter, which in many ways was worse.

“How did you get the recipes, my love.”

Magdalena said in the blandest voice possible, “The first Queen was kind enough to share the sweets with me at a tea party that she invited me to recently. When I remarked on how delicious they were, she generously offered to sell me the recipes, and I bought them so that you could experience the new, surprise treats also.”

Trauerqual was flabbergasted. Anastasius had shared the ill gotten recipes with his mother, because for all his faults, his son did love her. She, who should know better after many years as first Queen, then resold the recipes to Magdalena. She should have admonished her son, not resold the recipes! It wouldn’t be long before the recipes spread throughout the entire Sovereignty, with Ehrenfest still having not gotten proper compensation. Trauerqual would have his scholars send Aub Ehrenfest twice the amount that he had paid for the pound cake recipe last year as an apology. Maybe he’d send a little extra for their inconvenience. 

He opened his eyes to see Magdalena still looking at him intently. Merciful Gods, Trauerqual thought, there’s more. Trauerqual put down the sound proofing tool briefly to order his entourage,  and Magdalena's, to face the walls.

“What is it, Magdalena?”

“It took a while for me to hear this, but apparently, Anastasius has shown a pattern of bullying young Lady Rozemyne.”

Trauerqual looked at Magdalena in confusion. He was trying to understand why his grown, married son was being accused of bullying a young middle duchy archduke candidate known to be of frail health.

“That’s quite an accusation, Magdalena. Are you sure these aren’t malicious lies spread by those that just dislike him?”

“I only wish that were true. These stories are well known at the Royal Academy, but it took a while for Hildebrand’s retainers to form connections, and for those connections to trust that they would not be punished for speaking ill of a prince.”

Oh, this was bad, thought Trauerqual. Whatever Magdalena was going to tell him had already spread to the duchies.

“Tell me", he commanded her.

“On her very first full day in the Royal Academy,  during the Fellowship Gathering, Anastasius publicly insulted her saying, loudly, that the rumors of her beauty and sainthood were obviously falsehoods spread by Ehrenfest to prop up their middling duchy.  This was said to her during her greeting to him.”

“What?! Why would a Royal heir, a prince who had just come of age, insult a ten year old girl on her first day of school?! And she is so small now. The difference in their sizes back then must have truly highlighted the differences in their statuses.”

“Yes. Reportedly she looked like a six year old at the time of the insult. While some duchies laughed at her, those duchies envious of Ehrenfest’s rise in the rankings, other duchies saw a grown prince picking on a middle duchy girl whose health is so poor that her growth was stunted. And that was only his first insult.”

“There’s more?!”

“Yes, I did say it was a pattern. The next time Anastasius verbally attacked her was during her first whirling class. He had heard about her peculiar highbeast.” 

Trauerqual was now confused. "How peculiar could a highbeast be?" He asked Magdelena.

“Her highbeast is a grun.”

“Why would she pick that smelly beast, and isn’t it too wide for a small girl to sit astride it?” Trauerqual asked.

“Her highbeast is the carriage kind.”

“Ah, I understand.  It’s like her Dorm Supervisor’s, Professor Hirschur’s.”

“No, my love, it was young Rozemyne who first created the trend, and Professor Hirschur copied her.”

“That tiny girl created the trend that has swept through Lady’s society?”, Trauerqual was astounded. That a Royal Academy Professor created a trend was not surprising. They were the best of the best, but a tiny first year from a rural middle duchy? That was unexpected.

“Yes", said Magdelena, “but it was due to her poor health from what is said. She doesn’t have a lot of physical stamina and needs protection from the elements that a regular highbeast doesn’t provide.”

Ahhh, Trauerqual thought. An accidental trend born from her poor health. 

He said, “So what did Anastasius say to her about this highbeast.”

Magdelena looked directly at him. “That she would need better bait then a strange highbeast to entice him. That is a verbatim quote. He then demanded that she then step out into the hall to produce the highbeast right there in the middle of class.”

“What?!”, Trauerqual thundered. “What would possess him to say something so disrespectful, publicly, to such a young girl who’s engagement I had already approved. How did the poor girl handle the situation?”

Magdalena smiled. “She handled it excellently. She said: worry not, Prince Anastasius, I will never make any attempt to entice you or invite you anywhere. She made it a solemn vow.”

Trauerqual laughed out loud. He laughed until tears leaked from his eyes. “I like this girl! She put my conceited son in his place using his own words against him! I’m sure he left her alone after that humiliation!”

“No, he escalated.”

“Magdelena what are you saying?”

“This last bit of information came from Oswin. He obviously shared it with my head retainer hoping it would reach you. That same term, Anastasius forced his way into the Music Professors tea party to be near Eglantine and then was quite hostile to Rozemyne, who was an invited attendee. He forced Rozemyne to create a song  about the goddess of light dedicated to Eglantine. He did pay her for it, but again it was forced. He forced Rozemyne to be a spy for him and report on Eglantine’s feelings and romantic interests, and berated her when Eglantine did not give Rozemyne the answer he wanted to hear. But really, why would a 15 year old confide in a 10 year old who she had just met, particularly when at that point Eglantine’s romantic choices would determine the next Zent? He commanded her to come to his villa at the Royal Academy to report to him, where he then forced her to enter into the room alone with him and his retainers, while her attendants and knights were made to stay outside. Finally, she couldn’t take it any more and suggested that he break conventions and speak to Eglantine honestly about his feelings. That seems to be the reason that he and Eglantine are married today. Oswin thought that the end of these meetings.

However, this past term, he called Rozemyne, who is now 12, back to his villa. This discomforted Oswin because Anastasius once again demanded that she enter the room alone. She wisely refused to leave her retainers outside this time, and refused to sell him the recipes stating that recipe sales fell under the province of the archduke conference. He then dismissed her shortly after. Oswin was concerned because while it is entirely true that Eglantine was craving the sweets, there was no reason for Rozemyne’s retainers not to be in the room, as no sensitive information was being discussed. In fact, the whole matter could have been handled by correspondence, which indicates that Anastasius wanted to see her. Anastasius may enjoy sharing confidences with her now after her counsel helped secure him Eglantine, but their unequal statuses means this contact is a royal order from him, and cannot possibly be comfortable for her."

Trauerqual said, “Why would Oswin not come to me himself?”

“I would hesitate, as a mere attendant, to tell the Zent this about his son, the prince, since it's based on his analysis of the situation, and his understanding Anastasius’s personality. However,  he could hardly ignore his perceptions.  He believes that the recipe purchase incident may indicate that Anastasius may restart his pattern of summoning Rozemyne to his private villa. This term is over, and this happened at the end of the term, so the situation is resolved for now. But, Anastasius has no regard for the fact that she is an engaged lady, and that much of his behavior towards her has always been inappropriate under those circumstances. Anastasius also allows her to speak to him quite bluntly, reportedly. Oswin believes that Anastasius is fascinated by her, particularly by her resistance to his royal charms and her candor. Hildebrand is also fascinated by her incidentally, although for different reasons. It may be that Anastasius even sees Rozemyne as some sort of friend, but friendship can grow into other feelings. However, those would be one sided feelings, on his part, given their history from her perspective. From Oswin’s perspective, Rozemyne has always seemed quite harassed by these forced meetings. It occurred to me that Anastasius’s thought process that led him to believe that she had created a special highbeast just to entice him could lead him to misunderstand Rozemyne’s feelings towards him in the future.”

“So my son might possibly, what, pursue her as a future mistress?” Trauerqual asked

“More than likely a second wife. She is wife, not mistress, material. But she is already engaged and has made it very clear that Ehrenfest is her Geduldh.”

“Why do you say that?”, Trauerqual asked.

“I recently learned this from my Dunklefelger retainers. You remember that my nephew challenged her fiance to a bride stealing Ditter not too long ago. It turns out that it wasn’t her fiance, but Rozemyne herself who fought the heir of Dunklefelger. She defeated him by summoning the spear of Leidenschaft and turning a priceless treasure of my native duchy, an ancient shield embued with the aspect of the God of Darkness, into so much gold dust. She then used that shield of hers to repel him. She truly does not want to leave Ehrenfest.”

“When did you hear this? Why wasn’t I told about this sooner? She must have a truly prodigious amount of mana, so much more than I had been led to believe.” Trauerqual’s voice had a covetous tone now.

“My love, I know what you are thinking, but do not do this. I shared these things with you so you can be aware that your son has been forcing private meetings on an engaged lady. Do not force this girl from Ehrenfest. It does not look good for us right now to seemingly be poaching already engaged, high value archduke candidates.”

“But Magdelena, she could really help with mana supply. She has already proven that her trends are lucrative. These things could aid us tremendously. And she is the Saint of Ehrenfest. If she was shown to be allied with us through marriage, that could counteract the rumors from the Sovereign Temple about my loss of divine favor. You say Anastasius is possibly interested, or might be in the future. While I am very shocked to think he might look at another female other than Eglantine, it’s also clear that Anastasius manufactured a reason to see Rozemyne privately in person. She could be his future second wife. Surely, Ehrenfest would be honored to have one of  their heirs marry into the royal family. They were a bottom ranked duchy before the war. From what I understand,  Eglantine likes her, and so does Adolphine. She would have friends among us already.”

“Trauerqual,  Rozemyne is engaged and happy in Ehrenfest. And Anastasius, when inspired by Bluanfah, is Ewigeliebe incarnate. If you ripped me from my home and planned future and forced me to marry a harasser like Anastasius, and I could conjure Leidenschaft’s spear, I would use it to decimate all the royal palaces the first chance that I had.”

“Magdelena.”, Trauerqual chided.

“I would. I would summon Ewigeliebe’s sword and send an army of winter minions tearing through the royal palaces, and then throw Leidenschaft’s spear to ensure everyone was dead. You know how I feel about young women being forced to marry against their will.”

“But she isn’t you.”

“She’s enough like me to defeat my nephew in Ditter. He’s utterly humiliated now. Her destruction of the shield was a resounding “NO” to his proposal.”

“It’s interesting that two of my sons are so interested in her. Why not present her with a third? What if she married Sigiswald instead as his third wife? He’s the heir now that Anastasius withdrew his bid for the throne. She could be the wife of the next Zent. Surely that would tempt her.”

“Trauerqual, the intelligence that I have gathered indicates that Rozemyne not only looks like Mestionora, she consumes books and knowledge like her as well. She would have to  in order to be that man’s disciple. I detest him, but he is a genius. Sigiswald, I’m sorry, but he is decidedly not a genius, and his arrogance is astounding, even for a prince. I’m sorry, but it’s true. If I was a devotee of Mestionora and forced to marry Sigiswald, I would just go ahead and use the spear to kill the whole royal family during the engagement ceremony. I wouldn’t even wait for the star binding.”

Trauerqual actually had to laugh at that. His older sons were quite hopeless, but maybe young Rozemyne could be the making of one of them? He was very tempted to declare Hildebrand heir. That might even gain them true backing from Dunklefelger, but he didn’t trust Sigiswald not to eliminate his youngest brother. Also, while Anastasius had no issue stepping aside for his full and older brother, Sigiswald, he might object to being displaced by Hildebrand. He didn’t want to recreate the succession war that had landed him on the throne in the first place. And, even though  Magdalena’s family had abandoned her after their marriage, he was quite sure Dunklefelger would tear the Sovereignty apart  if Hildebrand was killed by either of his brothers, especially after they helped Trauerqual win the war. That’s why marrying Rozemyne into the royal family would be so helpful. Between her sainthood and her trends, she could really win back public favor for the royal family.

Magdelena said, “Trauerqual, we can’t be seen stealing middle duchy fiancés. Rozemyne is quite a well known personality within the Royal Academy. You know her academic achievements very well, but she is also a repeat guest at the Music Professors tea party, and is even better known for her trends. Truly, she is a fitting disciple to that man. We are very unpopular now, thanks to the Sovereign Temple’s machinations, and if you are seen going back on your word regarding her engagement, years after it’s been approved, you will be labeled as untrustworthy too. And, we can’t afford to force the Saint of Ehrenfest to marry one of your sons against her will. That will only make it worse for us.”

Magdelena did make a good point though, Trauerqual thought. His plan wouldn’t work if Rozemyne was unwilling, especially if she was vocal about it. And it was her candor that captured Anastasius’s attention. Also, she had quite publicly thrashed Dunklefelger’s heir. Hers did not seem a quiet, accepting personality like Eglantine’s.

“Very well. I will trust your counsel on this, though it baffles me that you think she would reject the opportunity to marry into the royal family, to become a royal herself, to stay in rural Ehrenfest, no matter how quickly they are rising. And I’ve never heard any stories about her fiance, about his merits or talents beyond an academic award or two.”

“He is not outstanding, but perhaps it’s more of a matter of her being happy in her home duchy, and being content simply to remain there. And I didn’t marry you because you were a royal. I married you so that I would never have to be parted from you. She turned down my nephew too, quite violently. She’s obviously not motivated by status, so Ehrenfest must truly be her Geduldh. And please speak to Anastasius about his behavior towards her. Do not create a situation where you execute that young girl because you did not rein in your son, and she is forced to take aggressive actions against him just because Bluanfah suddenly danced for him. Not every girl is like Eglantine, who seems to favor an Ewigeliebe out of season. In Dunklefelger, a man like him would be cut down by the woman he harassed herself.”

“I promise that I will talk to him, about his behavior and forcing sales outside of the archduke’s conference. And though I think it’s a real loss for the royal family, I will not force an engagement on her that would make her leave her Geduldh.”, Trauerqual said. “But speaking of Ehrenfest, I received requests from both Dunklefelger and Drewanchel to allow Aub Ehrenfest and Lord Ferdinand to travel through the Royal Academy to visit those duchies.”

“Oh, what was the reason they gave for the travel?”

“Drewanchel said it was to collaborate on magic tools, and Aub Dunklefelger said he was giving a gift of fruits and vegetables to Ehrenfest, but not why. But they were both radiating barely suppressed excitement. Doesn’t that seem suspicious to you?”

Magdelena sniffed. “Not in the least. Did my brother even ask about me?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Did he give you a message for me, or send any well wishes at all?”, Magdalena asked with heat.

“No, I am sorry, my love. He expressed his hopes that you were well. That was the extent of our conversation before he basically demanded that I give my permission to have Ehrenfest use the Royal Academy transportation circles to travel to Dunklefelger.”

“Typical. Even years after my marriage to you, he still cares more for that man than his own sister. He’s no doubt overjoyed that The Lord Ferdinand will be visiting Dunklefelger. I bet my father will speak to Ferdinand at length, despite having not spoken a single word to his daughter since her marriage.”

Magdelena could feel her mana getting ready to rampage. Why, why could they not be happy that her marriage ended the war? Why couldn’t they see that Trauerqual had stabilized the realm?! His taking the throne ended the war, a war he had no part in starting! Why could they not be happy that she married the man that she loved, who treated her well? Yes, she had the title of Third Queen, but it was her counsel that Trauerqual sought, not his other queens! Her family had abandoned her!!

She took a calming breath and then continued. “I would guess that the fruits and vegetables are probably for experimentation for Ehrenfest to use to come up with new recipes. I suppose since my nephew’s bid to win Rozemyne through Ditter failed, my brother now seeks to tie Ehrenfest’s threads to Dunklefelger’s through a joint business venture. That is actually quite smart. He will make a fortune if its successful.  We don’t really have diverse crops here in the Sovereignty like they do in Dunklefelger, but we should still have our scholars take a look at any of our native crops for things that Ehrenfest can’t get elsewhere. If we find something, we could gift it to them as well.”

“And, Drewanchel?”, Trauerqual asked. 

“That is undoubtedly the truth, and the excitement is because the previous Aub Drewanchel was dying to adopt Ferdinand, but he was loyal to his father. When we were students, he created magic tool after magic tool, and the old Aub Drewanchel was practically in tears when my father won their private war for Ferdinand through my engagement. My father boasted about it for days on end.”

“Is he truly that exceptional?”

“He is exceptional in every way, including exceptionally cold, exceptional at faking actual human emotions, and exceptionally indifferent to women.” Magdelena concluded.

“Does he perhaps prefer men? There are those who prefer their own gender, you know.” 

“I am aware, but no, that would be human. He’s perfect in every way, except that where a normal person has blood in their veins, he has ice water provided by Schneeahst himself. Just being around him, made my skin crawl.”

“Well, if he’s truly that exceptional, then..….” Trauerqual trailed off as Magdelena stared at him with real rage in her eyes. “It was just a passing whimsy, but we need help, Magdalena, to turn this situation around, at least with public opinion, and if not him, or Rozemyne, we need to find someone we can pull to our side who can either help bolster our reputation,  or help us to find the Grutrissheit.”

“We do need help, but never from him.”, Magdelena hissed. Then more calmly said, “Why don’t we ask Adolphine for help with the Grutrissheit?”

“Ah, excellent. She’s quite bright, and trained as both a scholar and researcher. She may just be the one to help us find the Grutrissheit.”

And so, Magdelena and Trauerqual enjoyed their ill gotten sweets quite thoroughly,  and ended their time together on a very pleasant note. The couple did not know how close Trauerqual had brought them to having total destruction rain down on all their heads. For it was entirely possible that Ewigeliebe’s sword could be used to have the royal family ripped apart by winter minions, quite easily in fact. Most certainly Leidenschaft’s spear could be used to turn their opulent palaces into smoking craters. In fact, the idea about the craters should only be spoken of in the quietest whisper lest Leidenschaft hear of it and slip his leash. There were also three generations of Linkberg knights and Aub Dunklefelger himself,  who were all just itching for a reason. Lastly, but most importantly, there was the Lord of Evil, now also known as the Beast of Battle, the true Zent, who might have responded to Trauerqual’s summons to have Ferdinand come work for him in the Sovereignty with a real smile. For Magdelena was quite wrong about him you see, the smile of homicidal glee that Ferdinand would have shown Trauerqual would have been quite genuine, and that smile would’ve been the last thing that Trauerqual ever saw.

Chapter Text

Elvira was shown into Florencia’s parlor, and was struck at once by the atmosphere of gloom hanging over it. Only half of the curtains on the windows were drawn back, leaving parts of the room in shadow. As she made her noble greetings to Florencia, she surreptitiously examined her. Florencia was dressed in red, and it made a nice contrast with her bright, blonde hair which shone from rinsham. However, her face was quite pale and drawn looking. Something had obviously happened to her former friend, but Elvira had been busy with Rozemyne and planning strategies for Ferdinand, and had no idea of what had occurred. Quite honestly, she didn’t care. Elvira had not been expecting to receive an invitation from her. She had so distanced herself from Florencia mentally that she was almost surprised that Florencia hadn’t done the same. But then, it hadn’t really been an invitation, had it? It was a summons. That was alright with Elvira, the most powerful lady of the Leisegang lineage. It was time for the old ways to die and new ways to begin.

Like Florencia, Elvira too was dressed in red, a dark red dress made of a rich, warm fabric with high quality black lace at the wrists and the sweetheart neckline. It had a wide band of satiny black material at the waist, and several layers of black lace at the bottom of the dress. The dress was patterned through with black leaves that gave a nod to the feather in the wide comb placed at the back of her hair in their shape and color. Elvira had worn the dress for that reason. The comb was made out of finely sanded wood that had been painted with a shiny black lacquer. Both clear and black decorative glass beads were adhered to it, and they shone like feystones when the light hit them.  The comb had a black feather attached in the middle of it, which curled delicately to one side. Elvira had quite liked the look, and was surprised that the feather gave her an unintentionally regal appearance. Her trademark double side buns were secured in black netting made from the highest quality threads and black sequins, which sparkled. Her feathered crown, because that was how she thought of her new comb, made her feel daring, and she quite liked the feeling of daring. She had pinned her new medallion brooch on her dress featuring the “holy couple”. Rozemyne’s eyes had sparkled when she beheld Elvira’s complete outfit, and had said she looked “very fine", using Lord Ferdinand’s phrase signifying the highest praise. She had also blushed furiously when she saw the medallion brooch honoring her and Lord Ferdinand’s deeds during the battle, and worried that he would be upset by something featuring his image. When Elvira told her that she did not fear his displeasure, Rozemyne had looked at her with awe. She had quite liked the feeling of her daughter’s admiration too. Elvira knew that she looked amazing. And, she had to look her best, for this was her farewell appearance.

After Elvira took a seat, tea and sweets were rapidly served by attendants, who then withdrew to a distance to give them privacy. Florencia tested both the tea and sweets for poison, then immediately passed Elvira a sound blocking tool, and said,

“Elvira,  I am happy that Dregarnuhr has woven our threads together once again.”

“Thank you.”, Elvira said and then said nothing more.

Florencia seemed surprised by her short response, but rallied. She looked at Elvira closely and said, “Efflorelume has truly graced you today, and is that a new trend I see adorning your hair?”

“Yes. This feather comb may well become a new trend, but it was actually designed by Rozemyne, who had it created by her exclusives as a personal gift to me.”

She let the impact of the statement penetrate Florencia’s awareness, that Rozemyne had created a new trend once again, and then immediately gifted it to her mother. No thought had been given to Florencia who should be first, or at least included, when debuting any new trends as the Aub’s one and only wife.

Florencia looked at her again closely, more specifically at the gold brooch on her dress. She asked, “Is that another new trend, your brooch? There seems to be very detailed art work on it”

Elvira took off the brooch and passed it to Florencia, after rubbing the front and back quite vigorously to show there was no poison. Florencia took the brooch and looked at it, and then her eyes widened slightly in surprise.

She said in a strained voice, “But this looks like it’s a carving of Ferdinand and Rozemyne.”

“Yes.”, Elvira said. “I had it especially made in honor of what I saw them do that day, how they saved us and all of Ehrenfest.”

“You were there?! I was told that you were furiously brewing potions for the knights at the time of the battle.”

“I had been brewing potions, together with Rozemyne. Of course, when we heard that the knights were over matched by two Winter Lords, Rozemyne sprung into action. As her mother, I couldn’t let Rozemyne ride into battle alone.”

Florencia asked, “ I've heard about it, of course, but is everything being said about the battle really true?”

“Yes. Every word that I have heard repeated about the battle so far has been the unvarnished truth. It was awe inspiring, and terrifying, especially since as soon as the Schnestrums were destroyed, Verdrenna’s power vanished from Rozemyne and down she went, falling through the sky towards her death.” Elvira gave a delicate shudder.

“My Gods! How was she saved?!”

“Lord Ferdinand raced after her and caught her in midair. ”

Florencia put her hand to her chest and said, “I’m glad that she’s alright. She is alright, yes?”

“Yes. Of course, she had a fever by the time we got home, but between the horrid weather and the huge amount of mana she expended, that’s to be expected, and floating in the frigid air high above our heads surely didn’t help. Honestly, her fall took years off of my life.”

Florencia handed the brooch back to Elvira, and then said “The detail on the brooch is exquisite, but isn’t it…..suggestive?”

Yes, thought Elvira. Totally suggestive! Intentionally suggestive!

Feigning ignorance she asked, “Suggestive? Suggestive of what?”

“Well”, Florencia began haltingly, “it makes them quite seem like they are paired, but Rozemyne is already engaged, to Wilfred.”

“Do you really think so? I wear it out of gratitude to them, especially since the Schnestrums rose in Haldenzel, my home province. Some people are only wearing a likeness of one or the other of them, but some do have medallions like mine featuring them both. I chose a brooch for my medallion, but the others I’ve seen have been necklaces.”

“Do you mean to say that other people are wearing these medallions?”, Florencia sounded totally flabbergasted.

“Only a few, but some of them are right here in the castle. Did you not see them?”

Florencia said, “I haven’t been about lately.”,

“Florencia, forgive me for asking so directly, but are you quite well? You don’t look your usual self.”

Elvira’s comment could be considered offensive  because it clearly implied that Florencia looked noticeably less than her best. Of course, a close friend could say it out of concern. Too bad Elvira no longer considered herself to be a close friend. However, far from being insulted, Florencia seemed grateful that Elvira had asked after her health.

She whispered, “I thought to be visited by Entrinduge in the not too distant future, but Ewigeliebe stole away her future blessing.”

Elvira felt her mana want to rampage at what Florencia had disclosed. This irresponsible woman had thought to get pregnant, now?!  Did she plan to have Rozemyne and Lord Ferdinand make up for her inability to provide mana to the foundation by sucking even more mana out of them than they are already giving to both the Temple and the castle?! Did Florencia see them, her, anyone as anything more than tools to use for her convenience?!

But Elvira only said quietly “I too have had Entrinduge's blessing stolen from me, more than once, over the many years that I struggled against Veronica. However, I was still blessed with three fine sons, all with high levels of mana, and with Rozemyne. You too have been blessed with three fine archduke candidate children, and you too have been blessed with Rozemyne. We must be grateful to the Gods for the blessings that we have already.”

Florencia gave a microscopic frown, and then said woodenly, “Yes. I have been blessed.”

Elvira continued, “With three children of your own blood, and Rozemyne, it seems like now would be the time to focus on being Erwachlehren to them as they rapidly grow towards autumn,  and on dedicating mana to the foundation, especially as the archducal family is really deficient in people to dedicate mana, with you having no pillars.”

Florencia was silent, so Elvira finished her point.

“As Wiegemilch, of course, it was a tremendous loss. However, as a leader in Ehrenfest, I must say that you receiving Entrinduge’s blessing now would have placed a heavy burden on everyone else supplying the foundation, since they would have had to make up for your absence. Had you given Sylvester no heirs or even just one, it would be understandable, necessary even. But you have surely done your duty by giving him three healthy heirs of his blood. More are not required.”

Florencia said in a heated whisper, “I have heard as much already, from Sylvester himself.”

“Good.”, Elvira replied.

Florencia quickly changed the subject. She remarked, “Dregarnuhr has not often woven our threads together of late, even well before the Winter Lords rose.”

“Yes. I have been attending to Rozemyne’s education as a noble, and as a young girl soon to reach her autumn. She knows nothing that a young lady, already engaged, should know.”

Florencia looked genuinely confused. “Hadn’t you already been attending to her education”

“I did not educate Rozemyne on noble manners because it was understood that that particular duty fell to you, as the Aub’s wife, once he adopted her. It would not have been my place, even as her mother.”

“I just assumed that you were attending to those matters.”, Florencia said to excuse herself.

“Since Rozemyne was formally adopted by the Aub”, Elvira repeated, “she should have been educated by the Aub’s wife, especially since her engagement to Wilfred means that she would one day also be an Aub’s wife.”

Florencia then said, “I  cannot be Erwachlehren to someone who is not present, and Rozemyne usually resides in the Temple.”

That was her excuse, wondered Elvira? Really?! Well, she would make short work out of something so feeble.

Elvira said, “It’s true that Rozemyne’s industries and work in the Temple keep her quite busy.”

Florencia’s pleased smile made it clear that she felt that Elvira understood her.

“However”, continued Elvira. “she would have definitely responded to an invitation from the Aub’s wife to a tea party. As her stepmother and first lady of the Aub, Rozemyne, of course, is obligated to wait for your invitation. She cannot extend one to you. And once your invitation was received, of course, she must accept. Tea parties are always planned in advance. Some are even planned quite well in advance. Rozemyne would have had more than enough time to arrange her schedule to attend --- even if she had received an invitation from you, say, once a month, so that you could play Erwachlehren, consistently.”

Florencia looked so startled that it was clear she never thought of extending any kind of invitation to Rozemyne whatsoever. Obviously, she thought her excuse of Rozemyne not residing in the castle was sufficient. It was so poorly thought out. Didn’t the nobles of her faction also reside outside of the castle in their own mansions? That didn’t stop them from attending Florencia’s tea parties at the castle. Why would it stop Rozemyne? Florencia acted as if the Temple was another duchy away!

Elvira pushed on, “Rozemyne has recently been sharing with me some of the stories about her social blunders at the Royal Academy. Things that I am sure the Aub must have shared with you. Did you never wonder why she made so many blunders if I was attending to her education regularly?”

Florencia said in a rush, “I never doubted that you were doing all that you could under the circumstances……..”

Elvira said in a clipped tone, “Under what circumstances? I’m not sure what you mean.”

“I simply mean that she spent her early years in the Temple away from noble society, and spends so much time there now…..”

Elvira had already been angry that Rozemyne had been so neglected by Florencia, but she was even more angry now. Did Florencia think Rozemyne incapable of learning simply because of the Temple?! So all that Rozemyne had accomplished, all of her academic achievements, all that she had done for Ehrenfest, were disregarded by Florencia simply because of the Temple?! How utterly foolish!

She said sharply, “Rozemyne is quite brilliant. Capable of learning things that baffle even adults. Truly, her only superior in intellect is Lord Ferdinand. That is why she’s been first in class every year, is always invited to the music teachers’ Tea Party, and has formed connections with grand duchies and royalty, all in  spite of her not being provided with a proper social education. In fact, I’m surprised that you are not more grateful to my daughter.”

“Grateful for what? To what are you referring?” In spite of trying to project her typical calm, noble exterior, Florencia’s tone made it clear that she was both irritated and offended.

But, Elvira was quite heated now. Grateful for what?! Whose trends and sweets had been the highlights of Florencia’s tea parties? And what kind of mother forgets her children being in peril, or the person who saved them? Elvira couldn’t be bothered with propriety now, or with the respect due Florencia because of her position. Clearly, Florencia wanted to be confronted with the naked truth. Well, Elvira was more than happy to oblige!

In a tone Schneeahst would be proud of Elvira said, “Grateful because without her assistance your son, the Aub’s heir, would never have been able to pass his debut and would have been relegated to that same Temple, which you speak of with so much disdain. In fact, Wilfred may not be here at all except for Rozemyne, since she also interceded for him when he entered the White Tower seeking his criminal grandmother, which is considered treason, and she also saved Charlotte from being kidnapped, at great cost to herself. One could even say that Ehrenfest should be grateful to her as well, grateful for its increased harvests—we Leisegangs certainly are, and grateful for its rapid rise through the ranks due to her efforts…… her industries, her trends, her recipes, and her educational materials and study methods, which raised the grades of every student in the duchy, including your own.” Elvira paused for effect and then said “Ehrenfest never could have risen so far or so fast without my daughter.  Ehrenfest may have never risen at all, except for her. I daresay she’s done more for the duchy than anyone ever has or probably ever shall, more than even me, or you.”

Florencia flushed a deep red in anger, an instinctive physiological response no amount of noble training could ever suppress. Elvira thought it was a most unappealing color on her.  Then Florencia hissed , “I am still first lady, Elvira, the Aub’s Goddess of Light. Be mindful of how you speak to me.”

Elvira responded blithely saying, “Please feel free to share every single word that I’ve said with the Aub. I would welcome the opportunity to speak with him on these matters as well. And now, I will leave you to your duties as first lady. I will be focusing on my daughter’s education from now on.”

Florencia asked sharply, “What are you saying?”

“I am saying that my daughter will soon be of age and I must educate her properly, which will take up quite all of my time. I will leave the management of the faction named for you to you, as first lady.”, Elvira said.

Florencia began scrambling to back track now. “Elvira, let us not be hasty. Our relationship has been so fruitful, for so many, many years. I thought…..I  hadn’t realized that Rozemyne meant so much to you. After all, she’s Rosemary’s daughter, and I remember Rosemary…..”

“I see. You thought that I would neglect Rozemyne because of her biological mother, even though Rozemyne never knew Rosemary at all.  You thought I would blame an innocent child, so gifted and yet so frail, for the actions of a dead woman? How would that make me any different than Veronica?”

“I am nothing like Veronica!”, Florencia snapped.

“You are not cruel and twisted like her, very true. But you have neglected Rozemyne every bit as much as Veronica neglected Lord Ferdinand. And you would have known I was not instructing Rozemyne if you ever bothered to speak with her. But you never even thought of her at all, did you?  Not even after she spent two years in jureve as her reward for saving Charlotte? And you not trying to form any type of connection with her at all as your future daughter-in-law? You sabotaging your son’s future rule as an Aub by not educating his first wife and including her in your faction publicly? How is that not like Veronica?”

Florencia said nothing for a very long moment, and then finally said in a very formal tone, “I see now that many things were hidden from me under Verbergen's shroud, and I was not blessed with Mestionora’s grace in this situation. And I realize that amends must be made. Given the lack of Mestionora’s prior grace, it would be most unfortunate for me to now also lose the blessings of Anhaltung in the future.”

Elvira asked in a mocking tone, “Then would it not have been advisable to follow the lead of Anhaltung and act as Wiegemilch as well?”

Florencia’s answer was silence because there was nothing that could be said. It had been utterly unwise of her not to follow Elvira’s lead and act as Wiegemilch also, particularly with Veronica’s tactics so fresh in everyone’s minds.

Elvira then said with a tone of finality in her voice. “And now, since my roles as Wiegemilch and Erwachlehren are both something that I value, I must prioritize them over my former role as Anhaltung. I wish you luck, Lady Florencia.”

Elvira’s last view of Florencia showed her looking baffled and lost. However, Elvira quickly sailed out of the room, her entourage trailing behind her. She was angry but beneath the anger, she felt a kind of joy. A burden had been lifted from her shoulders that had weighed her down every day of every year, ever since Sylvester had first asked her to help shield Florencia from his mother’s wrath. Florencia had so wonderfully followed the path that Elvira had led her down, a path that allowed Elvira to blatantly show Florencia, irrefutably, how she had neglected Rozemyne. With Florencia giving such an insult to Elvira’s baptized daughter, there was no one who could fault her for dropping Florencia, even Sylvester. If Florencia had truly been leading the faction, then what Elvira had just done would be political suicide. However, Florencia, through her own inaction, had left the political power in Elvira’s hands. And now she was free! Her happiness pushed out her anger entirely, and she wanted to laugh out loud. She was finally, finally free! Free of Veronica first and now free of the burden of Florencia, who Veronica’s cruelty and lust for power, and Sylvester’s ineptitude as an Aub, had forced Elvira to shelter! She was free and she would never allow herself to be misused and unappreciated ever again!

Florencia sat for awhile finishing her tea and sweets after Elvira left. Then, she got up and headed directly for her hidden room. Her entourage followed after her, but she was hardly aware of them. Once inside, she let her fears and feelings of loss surface. Tears trickled down her cheeks as her mind raced. Elvira had abandoned her! She didn’t understand how things had  spiraled so far out of control! How had this happened?! What would she do now without Elvira?! Why had she dismissed Rozemyne so thoroughly from her mind?  Why had she assumed that she knew Elvira’s feelings regarding the daughter she had baptized as her own? Had she really been acting like Veronica? No, she couldn’t have been, right? The only thing she ever did think about Rozemyne was that she needed to act more like a future first wife and less like a future Aub. But that didn’t mean she was like Veronica, right?

Sylvester would be so very angry at her for losing Elvira’s support! And he had already been angry that she had planned to have another child without discussing it with him first! How would this effect his rule?  How would she manage the faction, who were primarily Leisegangs, without Elvira? Florencia had never done this on her own! She then had a horrible, horrible thought, what if the faction abandoned her entirely and followed Elvira? How would Sylvester and Wilfred ever win the Leisegangs over if the faction abandoned her? How much worse had she made it for her son and husband?! Now, she was really terrified! What had she done?!

Chapter Text

Ferdinand had spent some time filling the country foundation. It was now a fourth filled. Still woefully empty, but much, much better than it had been. He had not met with Erwarmen on his last trip because he did not want to be laughed at again, or asked about Rozemyne, or nagged about pound cake! Ferdinand did send an invitation to Rozemyne to join him for lunch in three days. He would soon need to leave for Dunklefelger and he wanted to talk with Rozemyne before then. He received a quick reply from her stating that she would be delighted. 

After getting Rozemyne’s reply, he headed to the Temple. He had read about the true location of the duchy foundation lying under the Temple in his Book while researching foundations in general. As soon as he arrived, he retrieved the key and the High Bishop’s bible from Fran, who thought it a strange request, but handed them over to him without complaint. He then slipped into the Temple library closing the door behind him, and used the key to enter the foundation. There, he set up nasty magic tool traps to secure the library entrance to the foundation. He would give the unlocked bible back to Rozemyne. The key he would give to Sylvester.

He checked in briefly with the blue priest to see how they were each managing the portions of his work load that he had split among them. He had already identified three or four who would likely share his position when he left. They still had more to learn, but were well on their way. The real concern that he had was that the blue priests really didn’t have much mana. It would be necessary for the entire archducal family, with the exception of Melchior, to take part in the dedication ceremony to replace him. He gave an evil chuckle thinking of Florencia’s reaction at being told that she must be sworn in as a blue priestess. He would, however, need to talk to Sylvester about that, and a few other pressing issues.

He realized that he had not had any contact with Sylvester since he had gone to the castle directly from the battle. At the time, he had been angry at Sylvester for letting Rozemyne even leave the castle to fight. Of course, Erwarmen had since told him it was all Leidenschaft’s fault. To be honest, they could not have won the battle without Rozemyne. He certainly wasn’t angry anymore, but Sylvester might still think that he was and hide himself away if he asked to meet. He decided to just show up at Sylvester’s office instead. He would bring him a gift, as a form of apology for frightening him before.

To say that Sylvester was nervous at his sudden appearance in his office was an understatement.  It was also  quite amusing to see how many of the scholars literally went pale over him simply walking into the room. What were these people saying about him behind his back? He actually saw a few scholars scurry out of the office from the corner of his eye.  How cowardly of them to abandon their Aub. Before anyone actually fainted, Ferdinand gave Sylvester his gift, a tin of mixed tea and butter cookies from his secret stash in his hidden room at the Temple.

“For me?”, asked Sylvester while his attendant examined  the tin for poison, turning it this way and that. “It’s not secretly a magic tool that will explode when opened, right?

“No, although that is quite an interesting idea for a magic tool. I’m sure I could make something like that.”, Ferdinand chuckled.

“What’s inside then?”, Sylvester asked.

“My favorite cookies from Rozemyne’s recipes.”

“Poison cookies?”, asked Sylvester.

The attendant paused once he opened the tin. Ferdinand reached over and took a butter cookie from the tin and ate it. Then he ate a tea cookie next.

He said to Sylvester, “Poison cookies? That’s absurd. Why would I poison you in front of so many witnesses? I would then be forced to kill everyone else in the room, waschen the whole office, and pick up all the feystones left behind. That would be such an inconvenience. And I didn’t even bring a sack with me to hold the feystones. Not to mention, a few of your scholars already saw me and ran away. I would have to hunt them down, and more than likely end up killing other people as I searched. More waschen. More feystones. No, if I  was going to kill anyone in the room, it would have been more efficient to just kill everyone when I first entered. I still wouldn’t have a sack, but at least I wouldn’t have to waste time hunting for escapees.”

Poor Karstedt was standing behind Sylvester and was barely holding it together. Unlike everyone else in the room, he found the conversation hilarious.

Sylvester said hesitantly, “I know you’re only joking, Ferdinand, but that kind of joke from a man that has a powerful new weapon that he recently used to kill 200 feybeasts…..”

“It was more likely 300.” Karstedt interjected.

“Seriously?! That’s even more terrifying! Ferdinand! You’re terrifying and you made some of my scholars cry!”

Truly?! Ferdinand whipped around, and sure enough, there were two scholars crying in a corner. 

“There are no exploding cookies or poison cookies in the tin, only delicious cookies, that I will take back if they are unwanted.”, Ferdinand said. 

“No! I want the cookies!”

“And for the record, my old gun would be more than effective for eliminating humans.” Ferdinand began, “the new gun would be…..…..overkill.”

“Ferdinand!”, Sylvester yelled.

Karstedt was an excellent guard knight, and had been trained by Bonifatius himself. But alas, he was only human. He sputtered, and then wheezed out, “Overkill!”, and then roared with laughter.

And to the wonder of all, Ferdinand joined him, and laughed out loud. The subject of his amusement might be grim, but Ferdinand was a grim man. However, his laughter was musical, as lovely as his singing voice. It was a deep, bright, happy thing that made him look years younger than his still young 26 years. Ferdinand was a beautiful man, but when he laughed, he shone. 

In another realm, Kuntzeal squealed in delight as she watched him, and Bluanfah danced over to take a look and sighed. Ordoschnelli then raced over sensing a noteworthy event occurring. And because they were utterly enchanted by the sight of the laughing Ferdinand, the three goddesses together showered him with gentle blessings. Nothing visible, but the blessings did make him shine just a tiny bit more. And suddenly, all of the previously terrified people in Sylvester’s office were laughing too, and everything was alright. Scholars would leave work that day and tell others that the fearsome Lord Ferdinand had a sense of humor. The women who heard this  would blush while imagining the sight of his face lit up with laughter. And Wilma would suddenly become inspired and begin feverishly working on a secret portrait of the laughing  High Priest Ferdinand.

Back in the present, Sylvester ushered Ferdinand into his other office so he wouldn’t disturb his scholars’ work any further.

“So”,  Sylvester began after engaging the wide range anti-eavesdropping tool, “what brings you here today, besides a strange desire to both terrify and amuse my scholars.

Ferdinand said, “I needed to talk to you about a few things. The first of which requires Karstedt to step out of range and turn around.”

Sylvester sighed deeply and pulled his hair. He said “So my entire reality is about to be altered again, right?”

“Oh, absolutely”.

“You know what?”, said Sylvester, “I don’t care anymore. Just tell me.”

“Very well. The true duchy foundation is actually under the Temple. The door to the foundation in the Aub’s office is a magic teleportation device that moves you from the castle to the Temple.” He handed Sylvester the Bible key.

Sylvester just stared at him. He couldn’t formulate any questions or words.

“Sylvester?” Ferdinand called his name. He then looked at Karstedt who was equally speechless.

It occurred to Ferdinand that this must be how he himself looked when he had what Rozemyne called a processing error. One time, as he was coming back from a processing error, he heard Rozemyne saying in a strangely monotone voice “processing, please wait". He didn’t understand why she used the strange voice, or even what she truly meant, but he knew instinctively that it was rude. Needless to say, cheeks were pulled. However, as he looked at Sylvester, and Karstedt, he was suddenly seized by the desire to say the same words as she had. Rozemyne’s insanity was obviously contagious.

“Um, why is the foundation there and what’s with the key?”, asked Sylvester. Ah, he was mostly back.

“Because the gods are real, and Yurgenschmidt was founded by a former god, and the Temple was always supposed to be central to our lives. The first Zent, and so many others, was a High Bishop. All the Aubs were too in ancient times, and just like the seat of the Zent was moved to the Sovereignty, the seat of the Aub was moved away from the Temple over time. The key is to the Temple Bible and also opens the foundation door, which makes sense given what I just told you about Aubs being High Bishops originally.”

Sylvester jumped up in a panic saying, “We’ve got to go right now and protect the foundation!” He was fully back now, Ferdinand thought.

“It’s fine for now. I set up magic tools traps inside the Temple entrance. You can think about how you want to handle it going forward, but it’s secure for the moment. However, the bigger issue is that the lock for the entrance is located within the statue of Mestionora in the Temple library. The library can only be accessed by those sworn into the Temple. You will have to be sworn in as a blue robe so you will be able to access the statue, if needed.”

“Riiiight, but I’m married with kids.” Sylvester’s voice was worried.

“And so were the ancient Zent and Aub High Bishops. Celibacy was enforced to make the Temple less appealing to nobles so that they wouldn’t grow in mana and blessings and challenge the false royal family. Just assume everything that you were taught was a lie, Sylvester. There is no conflict with being married. The Gods absolutely want us to marry and have children so that there will be more nobles dedicating mana to the land, and Yurgenschmidt can thrive.”

“Okaaaay, so you can just take my oath?”

“There is a ceremony that has to be done in the Temple, but I’ve done it many times. However, Karstedt, you and your father should also be sworn in so that you can enter the library and all areas of the Temple to protect Sylvester and the other archducal family members. Bonifatius especially, since he acts as Aub in Sylvester’s absence, and I won’t be here in the future.”

“My father won’t like getting sworn into the Temple.”, Karstedt commented.

“Your father will be first in line to be sworn in when you tell him the true foundation is there. In fact, since this information is unknown, you will have to convince him not to station a contingent of knights there permanently. It would be counterproductive since it would draw attention to the Temple, while now, no one is paying it any attention.”, Ferdinand finished.

Sylvester said, “I wonder if Bezanwanst knew and if he told anyone.”

“The only ones he would have told are Georgine or your mother. But, Veronica never tried for the foundation, and Georgine can’t open it without the key. And you have the other key for the castle entrance. If you’re ever invaded, or if Georgine visits, you will need to protect both locations. You need to plan how you will defend the Temple if Georgine ever attacks. I'll also show you how to defuse and reset the magic tools I set up in case you want to keep them there.

“What other mind destroying revelations do you have for me?”, asked Sylvester, sighing tiredly.

“In addition to you, the entire archducal family will have to be sworn in as blue priests and priestesses to take my place during the Winter Dedication ceremony.”

“Did you say the entire family?” Sylvester asked flabbergasted.

“Yes, although Melchior is still too young to dedicate directly.”

“Just how much mana  and blessings do you have?”

“Well, I think you know a special mana meter had to be created for me alone during my first year in the Royal Academy and I was only 10, and the 24 blessings I received during the Blessing Acquisition ceremony have now grown to 40 when I recently redid the ceremony, although it could be more now. So yes, you will need the whole family to replace me. Sylvester, the whole family should start dedicating mana to the divine instruments in the Temple anyway. This will increase your mana efficiency through receiving  blessings,  and you will really need that mana efficiency once I’m gone. Which brings me to the next item. What do you think of giving the blue priests Rozemyne’s compression method? It would allow them to increase their mana capacity. You’ll still have to participate in the Dedication Ceremony until enough of them reach a lower noble level,  otherwise the harvest will suffer when I leave.”

“If we use the contract, I think it would be fine to have the priests learn compression, but Rozemyne is the only one who can teach her methods. I guess the duchy will have to pay her fee for the priests.” 

Sylvester then had a horrifying realization. He asked quietly, “Ferdinand, what percentage of the mana dedicated to the foundation and the Temple would you estimate is yours alone, roughly?”

Ferdinand tapped his forehead then said, “Before Bezanwanst and his conspirators were removed, I would estimate that my dedication alone made up 30% of all the mana dedication in the Temple. Post-Bezanwanst, Rozemyne and I make up 70% of all mana dedicated in the Temple together, with the few blue priests remaining dedicating roughly 30%. The numbers are so skewed because the low number of blue priests remaining don’t have enough mana to be considered nobles anyway, and the corrupt Veronicans who were removed made up the largest number of blue priests. With the foundation, my mana makes up between 20% to 50% of everything dedicated at any given time. Right now it’s 20% because your children, Rozemyne included, and Florencia contribute, in addition to you and Bonifatius. At times, when Florencia was …. unavailable…and your dedication was…..split, my mana may have made up 50% because Bonifatius and your mother were the only other people dedicating mana fully at that time. If not for the fact that you can only dye the foundation stone directly using your schtappe, your Aubship would have transferred to me long ago.”

Sylvester was holding his head in his hands. “What am I going to do?”, he whispered.

Ferdinand’s answer was dispassionate. He said, “You are going to compress daily, starting today. You  will need to dedicate mana to the foundation more often, and so will everyone else. You are going to dedicate mana to the Divine Instruments to increase your blessings starting tomorrow when you’re sworn in. You are going to get a new first wife who can help with mana dedication and duchy management. You will pray during meals and any dedications which also will increase your blessings, and two other crucial things. One, you will not use Rozemyne to make up for my absence because she will soon be of marriageable age and she is not a mana slave…”

“Damn right!”, said Karstedt hotly.

“I wouldn’t!” Sylvester protested. The two other men just stared at him. “I especially know better now after everything you and Bonifatius shared with me  Ferdinand. But if I’d fully understood the percentages you just told me about before now, or even knew to ask, I would have joined the Winter Dedication ceremony long ago. I swear. What’s number two?”

“Under no circumstances can Florencia receive Entrinduge's blessings until Wilfred and Charlotte are of age and able to contribute fully.”

Sylvester laughed bitterly , “Damn that Justus is good! He probably knew before I did!”, then he sobered. “That was definitely not part of the plan.”

“What was the plan, Sylvester?”, Ferdinand asked.

“If Geduldh’s visit keeps a tight schedule, one can know when to avoid Entrinduge’s blessings by not planting seeds. Do you understand what Geduldh’s visit is Ferdinand?”

Karstedt snickered while Ferdinand gave Sylvester a death stare. He said in a menacing tone, “Yes. I understand. So what happened?”

“Sometimes Entrinduge can tempt Geduldh to adjust her schedule with no prior notice, but when intentionally overloaded with mana for a period of time, Entrinduge’s blessing cannot be fulfilled. Due to this, a noblewoman can choose not to be Wiegemilch, and those women with higher mana capacities can more easily make this choice. Florencia is a noblewoman from a former upper middle duchy. To not be Wiegemilch is well within her control. That was the agreed on plan.”

Karstedt barked, “Are you saying she intentionally did this after you discussed why it absolutely should not be done?!”

“Yes!”, snarled Sylvester.

“Why would she do that?! Does she want the duchy to crumble into white sand from mana deprivation?!”, Karstedt yelled.

“You forget, Karstedt, she doesn’t know about the upcoming changes. She probably thought that Rozemyne and I could just make up for her missing mana dedication. Is that what she thought, Sylvester?” Ferdinand’s tone was very dark.

“That and something about longing to be Wiegemilch again. I think each of my children has their strengths and are ambitious in their own way. Florencia isn’t ambitious. Not at all, and I think she longs for a child like herself in temperament. Wilfred is physically active and competitive. Looking back, I should have directed him towards the knightly path after the White Tower incident. Charlotte is very shrewd, especially for her age, and has the political savvy to be Aub. Melchior is burning with religious zeal to be the next High Bishop. Rozemyne is beyond any standard. Florencia has no driving passion for anything, and I found that lack of fire soothing after my mother’s constant burning rage. But, Florencia’s children are all passionate, even excluding Rozemyne who would literally go to war to protect anyone she loved when she was still a tiny girl. And Wilfred is just as hot tempered. Charlotte is cool headed but underneath she is extremely driven, and Melchior is the same way. Florencia may see herself in her children’s features or coloring, but not at all in their natures. I think she wants someone content to sit quietly in the background with her. The Gods know I’m not a quiet, background personality either. If I extend that to other adults that she was or is around, that leaves you Ferdinand, pretending to be in the background while running the duchy with me, the Temple even under Bezanwanst, conducting experiments, and researching ancient knowledge. Only you would discover that Book, Ferdinand, out of sheer curiosity, before you even graduated from the Royal Academy. Bonifatius is Famous for not being quiet or in the background, ever. My mother was obsessed with  revenge, power, and wealth. Elvira is a political master, and Karstedt is only quiet until he crushes your skull like his father.” Karstedt objected to this statement. “We’re all so very different from her in nature.”

“So, she almost created a catastrophe because she’s lonely?”, Ferdinand asked in a scathing tone.

“Yes. I realize how that sounds, but she’s untethered, adrift. She doesn’t have the skills or mindset to truly be a first lady. I can see now that the position is beyond her ability. No true first lady would put her selfish desire for a child ahead of the duchy foundation. And our children have grown beyond Florencia not only in the challenges they face, but in their ambitions, and even their social circles at the Royal Academy. The three older ones have faced dangers Florencia never did as a child, and observant Melchior sees that his siblings are something different and wants to be just like them, especially to be like Rozemyne.”

“Sylvester,  you need to make Florencia your third wife so she can sit quietly in the background before she destroys your rule, and get a new first and second wife as soon as possible, although the new first wife is more pressing. What she did could have destabilized the entire duchy. When you needed heirs, we did what was required, but we’ve always been on the edge of disaster with our lack of mana suppliers. That she cannot understand this is quite frankly dangerous.”, said Ferdinand.

“Believe me, I know all of that now.”, Sylvester said bitterly. “Originally, I thought having one wife was romantic and honorable. I still do in a certain sense, and I was also following in my father’s footsteps. But, it’s not possible for most Aubs, myself included, because the mana demands of the position are impossible to meet, unless that single husband and wife are gifted with abundant mana. And I need a wife, wives, who can help me with the work of the duchy, and who actually want to help. And also, Elvira quit Florencia’s faction the other day,  so I need help more than ever.”

Ferdinand looked at Karstedt and he nodded. Good grief, thought Ferdinand. That woman works fast.

He asked, “Was the break over Rozemyne?   What will you do?”

“Yes, ostensibly it was over Rozemyne, although I imagine Elvira is also tired of trying to get Florencia to be a real first wife. I’m tired of it already and I haven’t struggled with it for as long as Elvira. For now, Florencia will try and manage the faction with help from Charlotte. Then Charlotte can partner with my new first wife. It’ll be good practice for my daughter in faction management if she wants to be Aub. Wilfred is obviously no longer a contender, although I haven’t told him yet. Melchior can also compete if he wants the Aub’s seat.”

Ferdinand said, “Melchior may wind up as a Zent candidate actually with him being so drawn to the Temple, Sylvester. You should ask Bonifatius to give both him and Charlotte archduke training.”

“Zent, huh? That would be something if both my brother and son became Zents! Oh, I already asked Bonifatius and he agreed to train them. He’d already given up trying to teach Wilfred, and Wilfred was resistant anyway.”

Karstedt said, “Maybe my father would be open to giving him sword and body enhancement training instead. You should ask them both if they’re willing.”

Ferdinand said, “Sylvester, to be honest, I doubt that the faction will ever follow Florencia, so be prepared. Perhaps with Charlotte positioned as the future Aub, a few might be willing to stay long enough for you to marry a new first wife and build alliances for the future. I would suggest  that you hire more Leisegang scholars, knights, and attendants so that you can publicly show that you disapprove of Florencia’s offense against Elvira and Rozemyne. And you might want to apologize to Elvira personally, too.”

Sylvester mumbled, “I do want to apologize, but I thought that perhaps Elvira may not want to speak with me either.”

“So your solution is to take the craven route and do nothing, Sylvester?! Are you afraid of my wife now?”, Karstedt grumbled.

“Not afraid. Ashamed. I’m ashamed of how Florencia thought and acted. Obviously, given my mother and her behavior, I didn’t know any better, but I really think Florencia chose to act that way. I’m also ashamed of how much we both relied on Elvira. Bonifatius has been teaching me also, and telling me how my grandparents conducted themselves as the Aub and first lady. It is overwhelmingly obvious that Florencia and I have been failing miserably. I guess that shouldn’t be surprising, since I was following my mother’s method of duchy management, but I am horrified and deeply ashamed to see how far off the mark I was.”

“Well", said Ferdinand, “Don’t compound your errors by being too cowardly to face Elvira and admit your mistakes and beg her pardon. That will only make it worse.” Ferdinand then continued quietly. “I apologize for the subject change, Sylvester, but my last item is that I want to formally announce my engagement to Rozemyne, if she accepts.”

“What?! Why now?! Didn’t you agree that it would destabilize the duchy?! The timing couldn’t be worse! And won’t the royals or upper duchies just snap her up?!” Sylvester exclaimed.

Karstedt said, “Actually, Sylvester, the knights have all become intensely vocal about  being opposed to Wilfred marrying Rozemyne saying it’s unfair to her. Mind you, it’s not just Leisegangs. It’s the neutrals and remaining Veronicans as well. In fact, factional divisions have all disappeared within the Knight Order, at least for now. And since they are now members of the church of Hartmut, they are quite fanatical.”

Sylvester shouted, “What are you even saying, Karstedt?! Hartmut?! What?!”

“I’m saying the knights have formed a type of worship of Rozemyne as the Gods' Chosen and Ferdinand as her Holy Protector, and you know our knights always hero worshipped Ferdinand anyway. After the battle, all the knights now believe the Gods are real. How could they not after what they saw? And Hartmut has been preaching to them, and I’ve never seen anyone as receptive to his message as those knights. So, I’m also saying that armed and trained men will soon view your son as a heretic in their new faith if you don’t untie his threads from Rozemyne’s.”

Sylvester’s face went white, so much so that Ferdinand thought he might actually faint. Sylvester then looked at Ferdinand in terror, his eyes begging him to save his son.

“Karstedt”, Ferdinand said, “tell Hartmut that you don’t know for sure, but that it’s possible the Aub is just trying to figure out how to arrange Rozemyne’s official engagement to me without the Zent snapping her up immediately because her engagement to Wilfred is being cancelled. Tell him he needs to pacify the knights and not cause a civil war in Ehrenfest or against the Sovereignty. Remind him that his beloved goddess will go on a rampage against those same knights if anyone in her family is killed, and Wilfred is her adopted brother after all. Meanwhile, I’ll ask Rozemyne if I can borrow Hartmut down the line to keep him occupied, once I figure out how to utilize him without him driving me mad. Although, I think I may already have an idea.”

Ferdinand continued, “Sylvester, right now the knights detest Wilfred only because they see him as an obstacle to Rozemyne and I becoming engaged. However, once that is no longer the case, they might even welcome him into their ranks in a couple of years, particularly if Bonifatius supports Wilfred’s joining the Knights Order. However, Wilfred might be better off marrying  into another duchy as a son-in-law to a female Aub candidate. It is certain that opportunities for that will come Wilfred’s way as the nephew of the Zent. You will just need to be careful which duchy you choose if you choose to marry him out because Wilfred is very easily manipulated by others, and therefore,  easily used.”

“How did this turn so quickly?”, Sylvester whispered still in shock.

“Ordoschnelli.”, Ferdinand answered.

“You mean through so many people sending an ordannanz to others after the battle?”, Sylvester looked bewildered.

“That too, but I actually meant the Goddess herself. Erwarmen said she’s been running all over carrying the tale of the battle because I don’t want her spreading the tale of my change in status, since I’d like to do things in a timely fashion and not die.”

“Ferdinand……. are you communicating with the Gods themselves through Erwarmen.” Sylvester croaked.

“I suppose I am in a way, but right now, I’ll be direct.”, Ferdinand closed his eyes and raised his arms.  He prayed, “Ordoschnelli, fleet footed Goddess of Couriers of Schutzaria’s exalted 12. I pray to you and implore you not to incite violence in my home duchy of Ehrenfest through the relaying of messages that may lead to the death of innocent children of the Garden, in particular my nephew who is still a child not yet of age. Instead, please use your powers of information to weaken my enemies so that my ascension can occur with as little blood shed as possible. This I pray in your name.”

Ferdinand’s eyes were closed while he prayed, so he didn’t know that he had once again began to shine. But he actually felt the yellow blessings like feathers that fell upon him and were absorbed by his skin and hair. And he could tell, even with closed eyes, that his whole body then flashed once brightly at the end of his prayer. However, it was crystal clear to his brother and cousin who watched him that Ferdinand’s prayers had been both heard and answered by the Goddess. And when Ferdinand opened his eyes again, Sylvester and Karstedt were both kneeling before him with looks of happy wonder on their faces.

Ferdinand looked at them and thought, how utterly annoying. So, he did the only thing he could do in the moment.

He said, “Get up, you fools, and stop looking at me like I’m Rozemyne and you’re Hartmut!”

And that snapped both Karstedt and Sylvester right out of their shared spiritual conversion moment because their combined adult male pride could not tolerate the comparison that Ferdinand had presented. It made them both shudder with embarrassment to think that they had looked upon Ferdinand in any way even faintly resembling the worshipful gaze of Hartmut viewing his Goddess,  Rozemyne. The horror! And they quickly sat back down like two older male relatives who had watched Ferdinand grow up since he had been a tiny boy, which was only right.

Sylvester said with faintly red cheeks from embarrassment, “So, how do we keep Trauerqual from taking Rozemyne for one of his sons?”

“We have you ask Werderkraft if we can bring Rozemyne with us instead, and then we leave her there to visit with Hannelore and research new recipes after I’ve secured Werderkraft’s loyalty. In fact, perhaps I’ll stay a day or two longer too, to see her settled. You then write to Trauerqual immediately upon returning home asking for the change in fiancés, while Rozemyne and I are still in Dunklefelger. When Trauerqual summons you to the Sovereignty to entice you to give the treasure of Ehrenfest to one of his vile sons, you very humbly refuse his offer because you want to honor your daughter’s romantic choices, while also indicating that Rozemyne and I are both in Dunklefelger at the moment. That will definitely rattle him, knowing the happy couple that he wants to separate is in Dunklefelger. Also, your wanting to honor Rozemyne’s choice would be in character for you given your pursuit of Florencia, and also in character for Magdelena and Trauerqual themselves. If he makes it an order, you press him for time to convince Rozemyne, saying that Bluanfah has truly danced for her and she will be extremely emotionally overwrought over Trauerqual’s order. Extremely. Make sure you tell him that exactly.  Let him contemplate that for awhile, the delight of forcing an angry saint beloved by the Gods and full of mana into a unwanted white marriage to prop up his dangerously unpopular reign. You can even say, Sylvester, that you were very afraid of the Gods’ displeasure, which is why you canceled her engagement to your son, which is the absolute truth, and then you get out of there as quickly as you can. We then allow Dunklefelger to complain for us. Werderkraft will already be foaming at the mouth in rage no doubt. If Trauerqual still persists, then he’s clearly too stupid to live even a moment longer. I can pray for Leidenschaft to loose his spear and turn Trauerqual’s palaces into smoking ruins, or maybe I’ll just ask Verdrenna instead since she’s already familiar with the area. I’m very sure either God would be delighted to help. Or perhaps I’ll let Werderkraft talk to his brother-in-law face to face. I’m know he would greatly enjoy that, and I can give Dunklefelger access to the Sovereignty using the transportation circles in the Royal Academy any time that I want. After all, I hold the country foundation.  The real one. Or maybe I’ll just travel to the Sovereignty myself and test out a larger version of my new weapon on Trauerqual’s palaces,  while he’s sleeping. Of course, I can just use Leidenschaft’s spear myself instead, but I’d really like to experiment with my new weapon. It sounds more entertaining, and I’m very interested in seeing how much destructive power it has against actual buildings. There are truly so many good options that it’s really hard to choose.” And then Ferdinand smiled with murderous joy.

The smile on his brother’s face literally gave Sylvester the chills, and the hair on his arms stood right up. But Karstedt, Karstedt was beyond delighted.

In another realm, Leidenschaft sat sharpening his spear in a sealed space. He thrived on activity and chafed at being forced to be still in a confined area. His ears perked up when he heard his name and then he listened closely, very much liking what he’d heard. When the speaker was finished talking, Leidenschaft smiled. It was strange how much his smile resembled Ferdinand’s.

Chapter Text

Ferdinand was waiting for Rozemyne to arrive for lunch while working in his office. He was writing notes to try and determine the best way to keep the Zent’s position free of being bound to a  bloodline, while still ensuring that war didn’t break out every time a new Zent ascended. Elvira had talked to him about people in Rozemyne’s old world being qualified for the positions that they held on the basis of merit. Ferdinand was attempting to draft a list of meritorious requirements that Zent candidates should have before even being eligible for consideration. In addition to the requirements for getting the Grutrissheit and the Golden Shumil’s test of moral fitness, Ferdinand believed that any prospective Zent should be required to be an Archduke candidate and have some level of duchy administration experience. Someone like Karstedt who had been forced to drop down to an archnoble would no longer be qualified. One of the greatest criticisms of Trauerqual was his lack of training to rule, and indeed, Karstedt hadn’t completed his archduke courses because of his forced demotion. But, it wasn’t enough to be trained, Ferdinand felt that a qualified Zent candidate should have already done the work of an Aub, at least in part. He knew he was being influenced by his own life, but he believed that his duchy administration experience should be required. This would also force Aubs to give their young heirs real work in the duchy and not have them go from a prolonged childhood to ruling like Sylvester. He also believed that no Zent should be younger than 25. He wanted to make the age requirement 30, but that would be hypocritical, although it was true that his life had been full of hardships and responsibilities from a very young age which had forced him to mature quickly.

Ferdinand also thought that high academic achievement was a must, first and foremost so that idiots like Sigiswald could never hold the position. Justus had told him many things about Trauerqual’s heir. Sigiswald was frightening in both the degree of his stupidity and his arrogance,  and it was worth being Zent just to keep him from the position. But, beyond that, one needed to master the ancient language to read the Book of Wisdom, and have a solid grasp on magic tool making to understand the functionality of the existing technology like gates, water mirrors, how attributes can be combined, etc. He understood that he was out of standard in this area, but basically the academic requirements for Drewanchel Archduke candidates would need to be the minimum academic standard for anyone seeking to become Zent in the future. Perhaps what was needed was a Zent curriculum that extended education in the Royal Academy for three additional years for prospective Zent candidates. You also needed a solid military education. Maybe not just the knight course though, but an equivalent military strategy course for those who did not have the physicality  needed to undergo knight training. Needless to say, there should be a religious observance requirement, but really sweeping reformations would be needed to get all nobles back into the Temple. He hoped that what Ehrenfest had already done and would do in the future would lead the way. Having the first true Zent in four hundred years and his Queen be a former High Priest and High Bishop might also demonstrate the benefits of both Temple reform and participation in religious rituals.

He hadn’t gotten to the solution of how to select winning Zent candidates, but he was heavily leaning towards creating ministry positions to help him rule and having those ministers be the group that decides on the next Zent by vote. If he continued the practice of those working for the Zent being required to give up their home duchy citizenship, that might cut down on some of the nepotism and corruption. He thought that he should rule for 30 years before holding the first vote. That would give prospective candidates time to be born and grow in a new Yurgenschmidt, be educated in the new curriculum, and obtain real duchy administration experience before becoming Zent.

He knew that duchies would want to build alliances with him through marriage. However, if the position was no longer hereditary, what was the point of marrying women who he couldn’t have children with and didn’t like or trust. Instead, he wanted to create the minister positions and give them prestige through assigning them oversight over particular areas of his governance and having them act as his primary advisors. Perhaps, as part of the prestige, they could dedicate mana to the country's essential magic tools? That was as far as he had gotten, but he felt that it was time for him to get ready.

Ferdinand rang for Lasfam to help him change and redo his hair. Either Kuntzeal or Anwachs had decided that they detested his hairstyle. He had gone to sleep three nights ago and awakened with his hair having grown past his shoulder blades in a thick, straight, glossy mane. The glossiness of his hair was well beyond rinsham's ability to the point of absurdity, and rinsham itself was considered miraculous. Anwachs had the intrinsic power to do this, but his money was still on Kuntzeal, the true author of the great medallion scheme. He thought about cutting it short in protest, but really, what was the point? It would only be regrown overnight again anyway. He had originally cut his hair upon being forced into the Temple. He decided that his long hair would symbolize his return to noble society. He was sure that Elvira could use this “miracle” for her nascent propaganda campaign, especially if Rozemyne temporarily loaned him Hartmut as Elvira’s assistant.  (Elvira would be able to keep a tight leash on Hartmut, having known him since childhood and being close friends with his mother.) The only other thing about his absurdly long and shiny hair was that Erwarmen would laugh his head off when he found out, and he would bet anything that the interfering Kuntzeal would probably tell Erwarmen herself, and if not her, Ordoschnelli would be sure to carry the tale. What he wanted to know was why the Goddess of Art was more overbearing than Angriff?! Oh no, he had forgotten about Sylvester. His brother would be rolling on the floor with laughter when he saw his hair, and possibly Karstedt too.

Fortunately, Ferdinand had some old hair clips from his pre-Temple days, so Lasfam pulled the front of his hair away from his face and  clipped it in the back of his head so that all of his hair fell loose down his back. He wore an old, but still extremely well made, outfit consisting of an Ehrenfest gold robe, tunic, and loose pants all embroidered in a rich dark blue at the hems, wrists and necklines. He supposed that he would have to update his wardrobe now also. It was fortunate that he was rich because he needed new everything. Was he wearing Rozemyne’s colors, clothing the color of her eyes, embroidered with threads the color of her hair? Yes. Yes, he was, intentionally. He had both an apology and a proposal to make,  and he was committed to utilizing all of the blessings of Anhaltung and Mestionora that Elvira had so graciously bestowed upon him. He would praise Rozemyne more often as well. He knew that she liked praise, ladies did in general, and Rozemyne was actually deserving of praise also. It just had become Ferdinand's way to hide what pleased him from others. Exposing positive emotions left an opening for others to exploit. However, he would not continue to make the same mistakes in his interactions with Rozemyne. Wearing her colors was a sign of his sincerity, although her previous life internal orientation may not allow her to see that. But, he still felt it was important to make the gesture anyway because it was meaningful to him. Just then, an ordannanz alighted on his wrist.

Rozemyne said, “Ferdinand, we will be there momentarily.” three times. She sounded quite ill. He hadn’t wanted her to push herself to come if she was unwell. Though he was truly looking forward to seeing her, he would never want to put her health in jeopardy. He would have to do a medical check when she came, and then send her right back home. Lasfam went outside to greet her party, and he stood waiting in the entry foyer when he felt something strange. And then Lasfam  reopened the door,  and the feeling slammed into him and nearly knocked him down.

A beautiful young lady with Rozemyne’s coloring and a furiously blushing face said in a surprisingly husky voice, “So, that’s what that feels like. I did wonder. Ferdinand, I am overjoyed that Dregarnuhr has woven our threads together once again.”

The strange young lady then made her noble greetings, but Ferdinand still couldn’t speak.

The beautiful stranger subsequently said, “I understand. I had quite the processing error myself when I woke up like this after just being in bed with a fever. It's also been quite the challenge trying to walk with grace, let me tell you, when your center of gravity changes overnight. And eating, oh so hard, especially while reading. Nothing is at the right height. By the way, Seheweit and Ordoschnelli came to me in a dream and gave me a message for you. They said this will preserve  your pristine reputation, but wouldn’t tell me what they meant. Then Ordoschnelli said to ask you if you liked that message and laughed. It’s strange but I couldn’t recall their faces once I woke up. Anyway, they were the ones who spoke to me, but my money is still on Kuntzeal and Anwachs for the deed itself, and honestly quite a bit more Kuntzeal than I ever would have expected. Ever. It is quite jarring actually. Looking at your new hairstyle, it’s clear those two got to you as well. It seems like the Gods are now running wild.”

And Ferdinand burst out laughing for the second time in recent history because his life was now well beyond a farce and deep into comedy. For some reason, his laugh made Geduldh’s color grace Rozemyne’s cheeks once more.

Ferdinand finally made his noble greetings, then said, “The Gods are insane, and meddlesome, and are absolutely running quite wild, but they are clearly not lacking in either vision or taste. I wonder who wins our wager since we both put money on Anwachs and Kuntzeal, although in your case it would seem that Heilschmerz and, of course, Efflorelume were also involved.”

Geduldh’s color on Rozemyne’s cheeks deepened, and she said, “Oh my, who would ever expect the Beast of Battle to turn such a phrase. Wherever did you learn to do so?”

“In the Royal Academy, of course, when I was still merely the Lord of Evil. Since my natural inclination is to be abrasive, I had to learn at least a few social graces to offset that handicap.”

Rozemyne asked teasingly, “Was that a special honors course?”

Ferdinand lightly grimaced and said, “No. It was years of the Music Teachers’ Tea Party and performing for royal and upper duchy young ladies when Ehrenfest was still very bottom ranked. The other attendees were always those ladies who I would be wise to flatter and dared not offend.”

“That sounds like a nightmare.”

“It was useful, but not enjoyable. I was finally released when Anwachs blessings turned to my voice.”

“Ferdinand, you didn’t tell the music teachers that you could still sing on purpose! Those poor old ladies are still devastated over the loss of your youthful singing voice. They said it had been ethereally divine.”

Ferdinand said, “Once Anwachs really started to bless me fully, it seemed…wiser…to keep as much distance as possible between bottom ranked me and ladies of very high standing”

“Ah, that I understand all to well. I’m dreading going back to the Royal Academy now for similar reasons. But don’t worry, I made sure to tell the music teachers that your singing voice in your autumn made grown women swoon. I wanted to console them you see. Then, I told them about your concert and the songs you played. Of course, they begged me to sing the songs you had performed and I did that too!”

“Rozemyne! You didn’t tell me this before when you reported on the annual tea parties!”

“I surely didn’t! But rest assured, I told them exactly how many women fainted, and how we had to station knights around the room in advance of the concert to carry the ladies out. I told them all about your pictures and precisely the exact number of how many we sold out. The music teachers almost wept with envy for having missed it. Then that uninvited stalker Anastasius got jealous because Eglantine was too interested in your story and I had to switch the topic.”

Ferdinand groused, “Why did you do that?!”

“Because it was totally fun, and I love that story. And I am committed to keeping your legend in the Royal Academy alive. Also, there’s a fair amount of self congratulations in the telling of the story since both the knights and the pictures were my idea.”

Ferdinand had to chuckle. She was incredibly beautiful now  and looked like she had firmly entered her autumn, but her gremlin personality was exactly the same. That made him feel easier with this different looking Rozemyne.

He asked softly, “By the way, can you still sing now that Anwachs has affected your voice also?”

“Yes, and thank you for thinking of it and asking so gently. It was very surprising to me, as a lady, that Anwachs affected my voice at all.”

“Rozemyne, why is Justus standing there shaking at the back of your entourage? Did you bring him with you because I certainly didn’t send for him today?!”

“No, but he arrived when I did, which is highly suspicious. He greeted me and then informed me that he was here to report, but I’m convinced that this report will actually be sold to other people, with my mother being the top bidder.”

“He’s now completely bent over. Justus! What is wrong with you?!”

Justus wheezed out, “My Lord, I was wondering if you were going to conduct the entirety of this visit in your entry foyer, or whether at some point you planned to serve the young lady lunch?”

Ferdinand’s ears turned completely red as he glanced at Rozemyne’s entourage who all looked back at him with amused eyes. He said quickly, “I beg your pardon, Rozemyne. Please let me escort you into lunch.”

Rozemyne allowed Ferdinand to escort her and  as she walked away she called out, “Oh Justus, please remember that I can call lightning.”

Justus answered, “Yes, Milady!”, and then burst out laughing.

Ferdinand asked Rozemyne in a whisper as he escorted her, “Did you tell him you were here for lunch?”

“Yes, when we greeted each other, but good question because someone is guilty of carrying tales for him to even be here at all.”

Ferdinand thought Lasfam was the guilty party.

He said, “Justus, since you are here uninvited, please go to my office and do some work. You are unneeded in the dining room.”

“But my lord, I thought that I would assist Lasfam with serving lunch.”

“Your presence was unrequested and your assistance is unnecessary. Kindly direct your efforts towards your scholarly duties.”

Justus, with an air of deep regret, dragged himself off. Lasfam came back into the dining room and served them consomme soup, with caprese salad and fluffy bread  and butter. Ferdinand passed Rozemyne a sound blocking tool so that they could talk more freely while they ate.

He said, “Are you experiencing any ill effects to your health from having grown so suddenly? Any weakness in your limbs or feelings of dizziness?”

“No, not at all. I feel better than I ever have, and I don’t feel tired when I exert myself.”

Ferdinand said, “I would still like to do a health check at some point. Although for obvious reasons, your mother will need to be present now. We need to determine if the hardened mana in your body has been fully dissolved, or if some remains.”

Rozemyne looked mildly disappointed at the thought that she still might not be fully healthy.

“Don’t worry. I’m just being cautious. I don’t really expect to find any blockages since the Gods are responsible for your growth. I just need to set my mind at ease, and you need to be aware if there are any limitations on your health of which you still need to be mindful, or if you no longer need to be concerned at all. Once we are clear, then your mother will need to find you a lady healer, as it is no longer appropriate for me to attend to your health now that your physical appearance has caught up with your age.” Although in Ferdinand’s opinion, her appearance had progressed rather beyond her chronological years.

Rozemyne said, “I know that you are right, but it is still uncomfortable for me to think of trusting anyone with my health other than you. You’re the only reason that I was able to survive to even reach this age.”

Ferdinand felt moved by her words and had to check the impulse to briefly rest his hand on hers in comfort. Instead, he had to tell her about other changes to their interactions that their relationship would now be forced to endure.

He said, “This also means that you will no longer be able to freely enter my hidden room.”

Rozemyne’s expression didn’t change but Ferdinand could feel that this new restriction made her sad. For the longest time, his hidden room had been the only place where she could be her true self, both as a commoner and an otherworlder. He knew it had become a sort of haven for her. Fortunately, Elvira was now aware of those aspects of her being.

Ferdinand changed the topic slightly to lift her mood. He asked, “Have you seen any of your downtown associates since your sudden changes?”

And there it was. Rozemyne’s full bloom smile that still hadn’t been trained out of her by Elvira. Up until now, the changes in her expressions had been minute and not easily read by someone who didn’t know her. However, he didn’t like other men seeing this smile. Not one bit. He checked his impulse to reprimand her by remembering what Elvira had taught him. Instead, he passed a baleful eye over her male knights. Damuel had the peaceful expression of a doting older brother. Matthias seemed unaffected. However, he did not like the  twinkle in Laurenz’s eyes at all, even if the boy had managed to keep his expression blank. Ferdinand frowned at him, and Laurenz quickly looked away.

Rozemyne said, “Yes. My clothing exclusives have seen me. To say that they were surprised is an understatement,  but they were also very happy for me. My mother called them to the mansion the day before yesterday to take measurements in order to create a whole new wardrobe. Many of my clothes are able to be adjusted because they had been created with my future growth in mind, and only need an extra length of cloth or more lace added. But, she used my growth as an excuse to order everything under the sun made new. She was so excited that I am worried that my father is now nearly bankrupt.”

Ferdinand chuckled. He said, “Your mother is one of the fashion icons of Ehrenfest. I can well imagine her joy at being able to completely outfit a young lady so graced by Efflorelume.”

It was only after Rozemyne blushed that Ferdinand realized what he had said. He had meant what he said quite literally, and had been amusing himself picturing Elvira in a state of frenzied ecstasy ordering one item after another for the now beautiful Rozemyne. He could also imagine Rozemyne’s attendants Leiseletta and Brunhilde joining her, especially Brunhilde. He could only assume that Hartmut hadn’t yet seen her. Otherwise, a leaflet from him would have been slipped under every mansion door announcing her divine growth, but he asked anyway.

He said, “I can only imagine that your father remains solvent because Brunhilde and Leiseletta didn’t join her in the ordering frenzy? And I haven’t received a flurry of ordannanzes asking what happened to you, particularly from Sylvester, so am I correct in assuming that Hartmut is still yet unaware? Although I am surprised that Sylvester has not contacted me, I can guess that means he hasn’t been informed by your father either.”

“No. They don’t know yet, although I’m actually afraid to see Hartmut. As for my father, he said that miraculous occurrences are best explained by you.”

“What?!”, exclaimed Ferdinand, “He’s your father, and the miracle occurred in his house!”

“It’s no use, Ferdinand. He has firmly dumped the announcement in your lap. It’s not like Sylvester won’t come to you for the explanation anyway.”

“I still think that’s too cowardly for a Knight Commander. As for Hartmut, it is best to rip off the bandage, as you say, and invite him to the mansion to see you privately, where your mother can help you manage what will surely be an extreme overreaction on his part.”

Rozemyne replied with a very unladylike “Ugh".

Lasfam then came in to remove their used dishes, and served the lunch main course of capellini and breaded chicken with cheese in pomme sauce. This was one of the first complete otherworldly meals that Rozemyne had ever fed him, and it remained special to him because of that. Before dishes like this, he hadn’t known that a meal could be so enjoyable. There was very little talking after that as Ferdinand was quite busy eating.

The pair then moved to his library after that where they were served an assortment of cookies and tea. Once that was done, Ferdinand cleared the room of Rozemyne’s entire entourage,  except Angelica, and had her face the wall as he employed the wider range anti-eavesdropping tool. Damuel had left quite easily enough because he trusted Ferdinand, but Matthias, Laurenz, and Gretia had looked to their Lady with concern. Only after receiving verbal reassurances from her did they finally consent to leave. Although Ferdinand commended them for their very correct behavior, he knew that this was going to be a real annoyance going forward. However, that was in the future, and right now he needed to give Rozemyne a long overdue apology.

“Rozemyne”, he began, “I don’t know if you are aware that your mother came to see me not too long ago and that we had a very lengthy discussion.”

Rozemyne looked a little ill at ease and replied, “She had informed me that she would be having a discussion with you about her not having been told about my otherworldly memories, but I didn’t know the discussion had occurred. What else, if I may ask, was discussed?”

“We discussed you, and I, and how wrong I was in my assumption that I understood the nature of your previous world's society.”

“What do you mean?”

“After I viewed your memories and saw how opulent your previous world was, particularly the library where you had just been employed to work, I assumed that you had been a noble in your previous life.”

“Why would you think that when I had told you that the printing of books had led to the rise of the commoner class?!”, Rozemyne exclaimed.

“The sight of your previous world was so overwhelming in its opulence and advancement that I couldn’t comprehend that it had been entirely created by commoners. A noble bias on my part to be sure.”

Rozemyne said, “Ferdinand, there are almost no nobles left in my previous world at all, and the few that remain don’t have any great political power.”

“Your mother corrected my misunderstanding, quite thoroughly. However, because of my misunderstanding, I assumed that the society that you came from was very similar to this one, and that the rules of social interaction that governed it, that you had been previously taught, would be similar to the noble customs here.”

“Ferdinand,  even if I had been a noble of the highest rank there, why would you assume that the culture and customs of an entire other world would be in anyway similar to those of Yurgenschmidt?!”

Ferdinand was thunderstruck! Why had he assumed that?! Now that she had pointed it out, his assumption had been completely illogical, irrational even! It made no sense! He looked at Rozemyne in confusion as she looked back at him with the same expression. However, her confused expression was quickly replaced by one of enlightenment.

“Ah", she said. “I understand why you thought that. It’s because the people of Yurgenschmidt don’t have any knowledge about cultures and countries other than their own.”

“Explain.”

“In the dream world, everyone was aware of other countries and we were forced to learn at least a little bit about other cultures in school as a part of world history education, and also economics. Over there, we had a global economy because advancements in transportation allowed you to travel easily to other countries in less than a day. Some places could easily be reached in a single bell if they were close enough. Although each country also had a separate economy that determined the standard of living for its citizens, global trade was well established. I’m not only talking about trading technology, although there was plenty of that. However, things like cuisine, fashion, and music were also exchanged, and certain things would sweep across the world and be known by everyone. We also had a type of tool that allowed us to see and hear information from other countries, and another even allowed you to hold meetings in real time with people in other parts of the world. Due to this interconnectedness, it was typical to know at least a little about other cultures, and what always stands out about other cultures are the ways in which they are different from your own.”

Ferdinand was beyond excited right now! She was describing exactly the type of magic tool that he wanted to create with Drewanchel and use to have Erwarmen communicate with the nobles of Yurgenschmidt! To think this tool was commonly used in her previous world! Astounding! Her previous world was absolutely astounding! And the transportation system she was describing was beyond his wildest imaginings! He was just about to ask her to tell him about the communication tool, when he stopped himself. If he started down this road, he would never get to his apology.

Ferdinand said, desperately trying to rein in his excitement, “I am almost speechless at what you are describing. If you would permit it, I would very much like to view your memories again and have you show me some of these things.”

“I thought that you said you would never synchronize with my mind ever again.”, Rozemyne said archly.

“I was a short sighted fool and I humbly beg your pardon.”

“Oh my. Not only an apology from The Lord Ferdinand, but a humble one. I surely have to reward you now for the apology by fulfilling your request. And I would love to share other memories with you. The music, the food, the technology, the transportation systems, and there is a type of educational and information technology that is sure to make you create a spell to transport us there immediately, one where you can find out endless amounts of information on any subject you can think of in mere moments. You would have thrived in my previous world, Ferdinand, with your genius and desire to learn. You really would have.”

“I very much look forward, then, to our next synchronization. However, please accept my apologies for how my totally inaccurate, and obviously ridiculous, assumptions about your previous world caused me to be so impatient with your difficulties in adapting to noble society,  and also for not providing you with a more thorough education about noble culture. I am deeply sorry.”

Rozemyne’s eyes teared up and her nose became suspiciously red, and then a trail of tears traveled down each of her cheeks. Ferdinand passed her a handkerchief as she said in a shaking voice, “I have dreamed of hearing you say those words for so long. So long. And I had promised myself that I would yell at you for how many times your harshness hurt me when I finally heard them. And I  have been angry at your harshness too, very angry. But now, understanding how ignorant Yurgenschmidt is about other countries, I can’t even yell at you, which is so very unfulfilling. I was so looking forward to yelling. I just realized that I expected you to have an knowledge of cultural differences that absolutely no one in this country possesses. That was a bias on my part, expecting someone of another world to be more worldly.”

“Thank you very much for your graciousness. I’m embarrassed to admit that I don’t quite understand what you mean by the expressions knowledge of cultural differences or worldly"

Rozemyne laughed, and then said, “Those are dream world concepts that apply to a world view that people from different cultures will always have at least some different customs and rules governing social behaviors. Always. Sometimes the differences in customs and social behaviors can be very great indeed. Therefore, it is prudent to be tolerant and not to expect other cultures to be the same as your own. Of course, you can only have that world view if you are aware of other cultures, and no one in Yurgenschmidt seems to be aware of the cultures on the other side of the country gates at all. If the country gates ever open up again, and we start getting visitors from other places, you will most likely find that the nobles from those places behave differently from the nobles of Yurgenschmidt, even those nobles of equal rank.”

Ferdinand asked, “How is it that the commoners of your former world were able to advance civilization so far?”

“Commoner life is difficult. Therefore, the need to make it easier is always pressing. There was a saying there that “necessity is the mother of invention”. Something like creating a water pump would never occur to a noble here. Nobles have servants to get them water and would never think about how difficult it is to draw water from a well. I’m sorry to say that in the dream world, the decline of the noble class led to rapid advancement for society as a whole. Once nobles began to lose power, education gradually became more accessible for commoners over all, and there was an explosion of inventions, first in the industrial age and then in the technological age. You know, this makes me think. The Ehrenfest Country Gate has been closed for 200 years, and if we could open the gate, we might even find that the country on the other side no longer has nobles. It might even now be far more advanced than Yurgenschmidt as well. My old world went from horse drawn carriages to walking on the moon in 200 years. If the country on the other side was more advanced, we’d need to be careful. Even with us having magic, the military technology from the dream world could have laid waste to the entirety of Yurgenschmidt without a  single one of their soldiers even stepping into our territory.”

Ferdinand was certain that her words were a message directly from Anhaltung to the one person in Yurgenschmidt who now had the power to reopen the country’s gates. Not only about the potential for cultural differences and misunderstandings, but the potential dangers that reopening the gates could represent. The destructive power of the weapons from Rozemyne’s dream world was absolutely terrifying.

Ferdinand said in a tone that contained a fair amount of self deprecation, “Nothing that you are saying now ever occurred to me at all, that the people of another world would have different customs, especially the nobles.  It certainly never occurred to me that there might not be nobles at all, or that nobles would be least likely to drive social advancement. In fact, it almost sounds like nobles are a deterrent to a society advancing. I see now that my thought process was absurdly limited.  It’s almost laughable how limited my thinking was about an entirely different world. Rozemyne, I am very sorry that my limitations caused you pain, and I deeply grateful for your forbearance with those limitations. Deeply.”

Rozemyne looked back at him with an expression of shocked happiness and tears in her eyes. So, thought Ferdinand, his thinking had been so limited that she never imagined that he would even be able to understand how limited it actually was. Ferdinand didn’t take pride in most of his talents or accomplishments, but he had taken pride in his intellect. But now he wondered if he was called a genius only because he had always been compared to other nobles. Maybe his celebrated genius would not have so easily won academic honors had he been competing with commoners. Hadn’t Rozemyne taught the lowest strata of commoners, Temple orphans, reading and arithmetic over the course of a single winter? Her teaching methods were revolutionary in their effectiveness, to be sure. However, maybe the students weren’t being given enough credit. The orphans had been neglected, starved, some even abused, by the adults around them. Yet, the orphans succeeded in everything put before them. This world needed nobles with mana to survive, but its nobles were also prone to limited, ultimately destructive, thinking. Was there a way to infuse noble society with the ingenuity of commoners. Ah, Devouring commoners! What if Devouring commoners could be made a part of noble society like they had done with Rozemyne? Would that breed new life into static noble society? Also, what if Rozemyne was correct about the noble habit of marrying close relatives resulting in children with low intelligence and mental aberrations? Would infusing new blood into noble lines result in more stable and intelligent children?

Just then, Angelica opened the door and Rozemyne’s knights filed into the room. Concerned that something had happened, Ferdinand immediately disengaged the sound blocking tool.

Out of habit, he barked, “Report.”

All of the knights looked at him with harsh eyes after first looking at Rozemyne’s teary ones. Matthias replied, “Nothing to report, my Lord. We were only wondering if either of you might be in need of anything, since Dregarnuhr continues to weave.”

Ah, Ferdinand understood. They had been in here talking alone for too long, in Matthias’s opinion. Well, Ferdinand was hardly done talking to Rozemyne and they would just have to wait until he was. He was just about to give them all their marching orders, when Rozemyne addressed them. 

She said with a smile, “We are quite fine, Matthias. Thank you. However, we are not remotely done with our conversation. If you all would kindly exit the room, I would be grateful.”

Damuel and Laurenz were immediately reassured. However, Matthias didn’t like that at all. Fortunately, they all promptly left again because of Rozemyne’s order, although Matthias shot him a look over his shoulder. Angelica resumed her stance facing the wall, and Ferdinand reengaged the anti-eavesdropping tool.

He said, “Your knights have become quite vigilant.”

“That’s because my sudden growth spurt has made Cornelius go from protective to ferocious. My mother really had to struggle with him in order to prevent him from coming today, and he almost disobeyed her. The next time, it may take my father to stop him, or Eckhart simply knocking him unconscious. Just so you’re aware, my grandfather doesn’t yet know about my changes. Otherwise, he may have kidnapped me and locked me in his mansion to prevent all men from ever seeing me.”

Ferdinand chuckled, and then said with all seriousness, “Rozemyne, I have something momentous to show you.”

Chapter Text

Rozemyne said, “I have never heard you use the word momentous ever before. I can hardly wait to see what it is that you will show me. I’m hoping that since we’re in your library, that it will be a book, or at least a document referencing ancient knowledge like before, although I really don’t want any more evil Gods to be involved. It isn’t anything having to do with evil Gods again, is it? Please tell me it’s not.”

Ferdinand replied, “It’s not anything to do with evil Gods, although all your other guesses are correct.”

He then took out his schtappe and said, “Grutrissheit”, and his Book of Wisdom appeared. Rozemyne looked at him in open mouthed shock and then stood up and screamed while jumping up and down. In the process, she knocked over the chair that she had been sitting on. Fortunately, the sound blocking tool prevented both the jumping and the thump from being heard by anyone other than themselves, or Angelica would have turned around and drawn her sword. Matthias and the others would have stormed the library with their swords drawn as well. Ferdinand quickly disengaged his schtappe and picked up Rozemyne’s chair for her. She reseated herself and then looked at him with deeply ravenous eyes.

She said very rapidly in a loud voice, “Bring that back right now! I want to read it! Can I read it?! Please let me read it!! I have to read it!! Why won’t you let me read it?! Oh, no! I just realized something! Trauerqual doesn’t have a Grutrissheit! Doesn’t that mean you’re actually the Zent now?! Ferdinand! You’re actually the real Zent! Oh, $%#@! They’ll  kill us! We’re all going to @#¢&?%$ die!”

Ferdinand didn’t even understand some of the words that she said at the end. They must be words from her previous world’s language.

He said, very calmly, “Yes, I am the real Zent now. And I’m working very hard on a plan for me to take my rightful place, a plan where we don’t all die, but Rozemyne, there is a lot more that I have to tell you that you don’t know.”

And then, Ferdinand told her everything, about the false royal family and their centuries of lies, about the state the country foundation had been in and why it had been that way. He told her about the Grutrissheit tool. He told her about the requirements for Zenthood. He told her about Erwarmen. He told her about how his new status was causing the gods to run wild. He told her about how the country gates actually led to other worlds in different realms, and how those worlds were governed by gods other than their own. In response, she mentioned that what he had described corresponded to a concept from her old world called the “theory of the multiverse”, and promised to tell him more about that at another time. He told her how the Gods of Yurgenschmidt had knowingly brought her soul here from another realm. He ended up telling her about the palace of Aldagisa and his true heritage, although he hadn’t meant to tell her that at all. He told her about his upcoming trips to seek allies and her mother being his new, hidden scholar. He also asked to borrow Hartmut, who she gladly agreed to lend. He was very clear in telling her that only her mother, Lasfam, Eckhart, Justus, Sylvester, Bonifatius, and Karstedt currently knew his true status, and stressed that she must not reveal his new status to anyone ever without his prior consent, for all their sakes.

At the end of his tale, she didn’t destroy any of his property. He was thankful for that, although with her internal landscape still firmly being primarily that of an otherworlder and a commoner, it was only natural that she wouldn’t share the outrage that everyone else felt.  She did say that only idiots would not only forget that they had lied about being royals, but actually lose the country foundation and not even know it. She commented that it was “another clear example of the dangers of inbreeding”, and evidence that the fake royal family was too stupid to rule. She did express a strong desire to repeatedly punch Anastasius in the face for being a fake prince, and then Crush him nearly to death afterwards. That meant that something more had happened between them recently that she hadn’t shared. He would have to get that story, especially before she returned to the Royal Academy looking like she did now.

Rozemyne said, “I’m so very proud of you for saving us all, and for taking on a responsibility that I’m very sure that you don’t want. I feel much safer at the thought of you ruling than anybody else. I will do everything in my power to help you and to strive against your enemies. I’ve got your back.”

Everybody else had knelt to him, and he was sure Rozemyne was aware that she should, but hadn’t. He should reprimand her, but didn’t. Because instead, she was treating his new status like a change in occupation, and unwanted one at that, which was absolutely true. He had no desire to be Zent, and she had picked up on that immediately. She expressed pride in him for saving Yurgenschmidt, faith in his ability to do the job, offered him aid, and pledged to stand with him against his enemies. Ferdinand felt a warm feeling spread through his chest.

 He said, “Your words mean more to me than I can express. I trust you, and my trust is not easily given. I want you to know that because of trust, I never had a plan to have you dealt with if you became too troublesome, even if Sylvester had ordered it. Never. If I had to hide you away to keep you safe, I would have. I am very sorry that I made you feel otherwise. The danger to your life from others was always very real, and now that I am Zent, you are in even more danger just because it is well known that you are my disciple. However, I didn’t realize that I had left you with an impression that I was a danger to you also. I am sorry for that as well.”

“My mother told me so, but I didn’t really believe her.” Tears were streaming down her cheeks again.

“Do you believe me now?”, Ferdinand asked softly.

Rozemyne laughed through her tears and said, “Well, obviously after everything you disclosed, I do.  You certainly wouldn’t expose sensitive information to someone you viewed as potentially dangerous enough to require elimination. But beyond that, I realize that you didn’t even have to tell me at all.”

“I really did though.”

Rozemyne gave him a confused look and asked “Why? Why would you have to tell me?”

“Because I…”

“Yes?”

“Because I would like you to…..would you…..”

“Wait, wait! Is this a confession?!”

“I don’t know what you mean by that, but this isn’t a confession. It’s…..a request.”

“Oh, sorry! That’s a dream world thing, but whatever you need, the answer is yes.”

“But you don’t even know what I’m asking.”

“The answer is still yes.”

“Rozemyne, it is utterly foolish to agree to a request without knowing what the other person wants.”

“But you’re the person making the request, so the answer is yes.”

“What if I’m asking you to help me kill someone? Would the answer still be yes?

Rozemyne was quiet for a moment, and Ferdinand realized she was taking his rhetorical question seriously.

She said, “Considering what you just shared, if you’re requesting that I help you kill someone, I would assume that they have to die either to protect our lives or the entire world. From what you told me, Yurgenschmidt is a world, and the world was almost destroyed because of the arrogance and lust for power of a single noble family.  Everyone that I care about, you, me, we were almost extinguished.  So the answer would be yes. I would help you kill someone.  I wouldn’t like it. In fact, I would hate it. Really, really hate it. But talking to my mother so much about my old world has made me face the ways in which I have changed in this one. I would have killed Bezanwanst if you hadn’t stopped me that day. In fact, I very much wanted to kill him, and I almost ignored you when you told me to stop, and killed him anyway. The only reason I stopped is because you said that my parents would have been executed for my crime. I was only seven at the time. The old me, my previous adult self, never felt that way. I will kill in this world to protect my family from being harmed or killed by others. I will avoid it if I can, and will always try to find an alternative solution. However,  I will kill, if I must. This world is not peaceful and I have the power to protect my loved ones, so the answer is yes. I would help you.”

Ferdinand stared at her in amazement.

He said, “Thank you. I mean that most sincerely.”, he paused and then continued. “What I’m actually requesting, however, is that you bind your stars with mine. That is, will you bind your stars with mine when you come of age?”

“This is a confession!”

Ferdinand looked at her in fond exasperation, and asked, “Do these confessions have anything to do with binding your stars?”

“Well, initially they have more to do with attraction between two people who are underage, but if the relationship lasts past graduation from high school, then yes, a well received confession can lead to marriage. Wait, you obviously planned this before my growth spurt! Are you saying that you found me attractive even before I physically matured?!”

“Absolutely not! The thought of your childish body is repulsive!”

“That’s really, really mean!”

“Rozemyne, I refuse to apologize for not liking little girls!”

“That’s fair I guess.”, She said sulkily.

“Rozemyne, will you tie your threads to mine or not?!”

“Why are you raising your voice?! And what about Wilfred?”

“Do you want to marry Wilfred?!”, Ferdinand thundered.

“No! Of course, I don’t! Do I look like an idiot?! I meant what about my engagement to Wilfred?”

“Oh. I already got Sylvester to cancel your engagement to him, and before you start on how I should have asked you first, remember that he’s the Aub, and I was required to talk to him before speaking with you.”

“Oh. Okay. I guess that makes sense.”

“Once again, will you please be my Goddess of Light when you come of age?”

“Yes, I will gladly marry you, especially over Wilfred.”

“I get that Wilfred is an undesirable Dark God for you, but I'm asking if you can you accept me as your Dark God though, truly accept me?”

Rozemyne blushed furiously and then brazenly said, “Well according to the giant wave of mana sensing that nearly knocked me over when I walked into your house earlier, apparently, I can accept you quite easily.”

Ferdinand’s whole face turned deep red and he yelled, “That is the most utterly shameless acceptance of a marriage proposal that I have ever heard of in my life!”

“Oh, please.  You were speechless and your brain completely shut down. You just stood there looking at me, and when you were finally able to speak again, you couldn’t even get yourself together enough to fully invite me into your home. Though I have to say, your compliments were pretty smooth. I’ll have to thank those music teachers for all those tea parties that they made you attend.”

“I’m begging you to stop now. Truly begging.”

“Awwww. You’re no fun.”

“Unfortunately, this also has to be kept a secret from everyone except those I named earlier. Only for the moment though. Despite my true status, the irony is that I must get Trauerqual’s approval before we can be openly engaged. However, I can’t take my rightful place before I secure solid allies and have a solid outline of how I want to reshape the position, address the issue of succession, revise governance, and reform the Temples.”

“That makes sense, especially about how to handle the succession, if the Zent position was never meant to be hereditary. I may have some ideas about governance from the dream world, and establishing some rules to protect those with less power from those with more. But, do you really want former commoner me as your Queen? I’m still learning noble manners and have some pretty radical political ideas because of my previous life, well radical for Yurgenschmidt.”

“I really do.”

“Then I have to ask you why.  Why do you want to marry me?”

“Why?...........Because I trust you, and I can’t bear the thought of marrying someone that I don’t. Because your otherworldly knowledge will be of great benefit to me in the administration of  the Zent position. You’re not driven by the need for power, so the likelihood of you plotting my assassination is negligible. Your otherworldly ideas and information will help me begin to transform noble society, and it does need to change otherwise Yurgenschmidt will be headed right back towards destruction soon enough. Your capacity to develop new industries and trends will bring wealth and prestige to my reign, which will make ruling easier since nobles are easily impressed by such things. If I marry you, you can help me with the actual work. I can have you look over the Sovereignty budget,  which is sure to be a mess, and you will easily find out who has been embezzling right away. That will make it easier to identify who I need to remove from the current Zent’s staff. The engagement of the Saint of Ehrenfest to the Lord of Evil will captivate the minds of noble society and help smooth the path to my ascension, which will increase the chances of  my survival. Since you’ve been my ward, I’ve gotten used to sharing delicious meals with you, and I find that I want to do that every day for the rest of my life. The thought of you sharing meals with another man actually fills me with rage right now. I can’t accept the notion of anyone else taking care of you. I don’t trust them to look after your well being or your safety as well as I can, and your biological parents are relying on me personally to  take care of you and protect you. The thought of leaving you behind is intolerable. Since the position is not meant to be hereditary, that means I might get to retire one day and have someone take my place. Then I could spend the remainder of my life talking, researching, reading, and making music together with you, and I think that sounds splendid. But most of all, its because I have a picture in my mind of something I never even dared to dream about before. I see myself composing new music, lazily playing little snippets of melodies on the harpspiel. The room is cozy and the warmth of the fire is comforting. My two children, a boy and a girl, are playing on the carpet at my feet. They are happy and carefree, and infinitely precious. And when I look over their heads to smile at their mother who is quietly reading, that woman is you. An older version of you as you appear now. That picture in my mind fills me with a peace that I have never known and unless that dream displeases you, offends you, I refuse to allow anyone to stand in way of making that vision real. I swear to you that as your Dark God I will attend to all your needs, protect all that you cherish, and utterly destroy anyone who even thinks about harming you, or our children. Are those reasons enough?” Ferdinand’s voice held a soft desperate note at the end.

He looked at Rozemyne and he saw that she was quietly weeping. She let out a little gurgle of laughter that was bright and joyful, as she wiped her tears away with his handkerchief.

She said, ”The first reason was lovely because of its honesty. The reasons in the middle were utilitarian, mercenary even, and purely in character with your nature. But the reasons at the end were beautiful and moved me quite to tears. And your declaration at the very end was everything a girl could ever possibly wish to hear.”

Ferdinand smirked and said, “I’m very glad to hear that because your answer saved me from being Crushed by Erwarmen and punished by the Gods.”

“What are you talking about?!”

“Well, the Gods selected you to be my wife long ago. Liebeskhilfe, Bluanfah, and Sterrat entangled our threads on purpose so that we would one day bind our stars. Glucklitat was also involved for some reason, although I don’t know why, but I’m starting to get an idea from your teasing me. When Erwarmen found out that you were engaged to Wilfred, he flew into a rage and demanded the engagement be cancelled immediately. Since then, he’s been nagging me to propose.”

Rozemyne was astounded. She yelled, “Why didn’t you tell me that when you first proposed?!”

“Because I wanted you to choose me freely and not because you were commanded to by the Gods!”, Ferdinand yelled back.

“Oh. Okay. I can certainly understand that.”

“Erwarmen is quite eager to meet you and brings you up in our conversations repeatedly. He will be overjoyed that you accepted my proposal.”

“Really?! When can I meet him?!”she asked excitedly.

“Any time really. We could have even gone today. The problem isn’t  you meeting him. It’s your guard knights. Before, when they would look the other way at your entering my hidden room, it would have been easy to bring you to him. But with the way you look now, we will have to fight with them to allow you into my hidden room, and they won’t tolerate you being in there very long, although I may have a way to deal with the visit length. We can’t do it today because Matthias will surely draw his sword on me if we try, and then I’ll have to kill him, and possibly all of your knights if they rush to his aid.”

Rozemyne laughed out loud. “That last statement is so typically you, but you’re not actually wrong. We’ll have to do it another day. If need be, I will bring only the people that I did today. Matthias,  Laurenz,  and Gretia are name sworn,  and I can order them to be silent and obey. Angelica and Damuel are obedient anyway.”

“I may have just thought of a more devious way of taking you to Erwarmen though. Let me think about it some more. Additionally, I want you to come with me when I visit Dunklefelger. We asked them to give us samples of their fruits and vegetables for you to create new recipes as the excuse for the visit. That was so that I can tell the Aub in person about my new status.”

Rozemyne clapped her hands in joy! “Are you kidding me?! Who knows what they could have over there with that tropical climate?! They could even have things from my old world! And I get to see Hannelore too?! When do we leave?!”

“In a few days. I’m glad that you will be joining me. Also, I can’t give you a new betrothal necklace until our engagement is officially announced, but please accept this bracelet as a token of my commitment in the meantime.”

From out of a hidden pocket, Ferdinand produced a lovely gold bracelet and placed it on her wrist. It was made with several milky all attribute feystones, each surrounded by delicate gold filigree linking the stones together. The stones all glimmered with a sheen in all the colors of the rainbow. When she looked closely at the bracelet, she saw that the filigree was actually comprised of  flowers, and that each stone was engraved with a magic protection circle. The bracelet was exquisite and had to have taken many bells to make.

She said, “This is absolutely beautiful. Thank you, Ferdinand. I will wear it with pride.”

Right after Rozemyne finished saying her last word, they were both lightly showered in blessings of all colors. They both looked up, then they looked at each other and chuckled.

“Why did they wait until I thanked you for the bracelet to bless us though?”, Rozemyne wondered.

“I would guess because it’s a substitute for the betrothal necklace? And your last words were that you would wear it with pride, and I guess that finalized your acceptance of my proposal in their eyes? Rozemyne, I have to tell you, there is a chance that  Trauerqual will try to claim you for one of his sons as soon as Sylvester requests a change in your fiances.”

“What?! Why?!”

“Why?!  Because you are famous and filled with mana and the most sought after bride in the country right now! Also, your trends are worth their weight in gold, literally. Surely you know this?”

“I mean, I guess I do, but I also thought that there wouldn’t be an issue since I’m still an Archduke candidate marrying within Ehrenfest .”

“Trauerqual has held back because he already approved your engagement to Wilfred years ago, and going back on his word will make him look bad. However, if you are free, even if just momentarily, I think that he will try to claim you for the royals.”

“Well then, he’ll die if he tries. There is no way I’m going to be used as a mana battery for a bunch of fake royals who almost destroyed the country! And they won’t make even a single copper off of me or my ideas!”

“He will most certainly die if he tries to force you into a royal engagement. Let me do the killing though. I have the right as the true Zent, but do what you need to keep yourself safe. Always. Hopefully, it won’t come to that. That’s why I want you to come to Dunklefelger with me, and for you to stay there until the issue of your engagement to me is resolved satisfactorily.”

Rozemyne clapped her hands. She said, “I see! Clever! They’re the sword of the Zent, and you’re the true Zent, and Trauerqual would have to try and force Dunklefelger to hand me over when his false royal family lied to the country for centuries….Oooooh! The civil war! Whoa! Aub Dunklefelger is going to be pissed! Yikes! Everyone will want them dead! Oh, no! All the purges! So many people died for that family, and they weren’t even filling the country foundation!! Wow! Oh, Wow! Trauerqual is a dead man walking! Please try and save little Hildebrand though! He’s totally innocent in all this! He was born after the purges were over!”

“Hildebrand is Aub Dunklefelger’s nephew. I will turn him over to his uncle. But I see that you now grasp the scope of what needs to be managed. The whole country could explode over this and everyone will want the entire royal family executed.”

“But isn’t everyone equally guilty and equally deceived?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, neither side of the war was right because neither prince actually had a right to the throne, so in that sense everyone was equally guilty of murder. The royal family is a fallacy so every death was actually murder. However, no one knew that, not even the royal family. Their ancestors are responsible, but the lie happened several centuries ago. The false royal family doesn’t know it’s even false anymore. Their ancestors are responsible, but they actually didn’t consciously try to deceive anyone. What they are responsible for, however, is the purges.”

“I don’t know if noble society will accept  that. But you’re saying don’t hold them responsible for the war, but hold them responsible for the purges instead, correct?

“Yes. Too many centuries have passed, and the current royals lost the Grutrissheit tool and can’t get the Book of Wisdom. They even lost the knowledge of the location of the country’s true foundation, so they knew nothing, literally. But the purges happened after the war, and they are responsible for those because the purges were about them claiming power and eliminating anyone who opposed their rule. For that, they must be held responsible.”

“And Klassenberg.”, said Ferdinand.

“What?”

“Klassenberg pushed Trauerqual for the purges, and pushed to have them aggressively applied.”, he clarified.

“Then, Klassenberg must be held accountable also. The Aub that pushed for the purges should share Trauerqual’s fate. I think that is Eglantine’s grandfather. The current Aub, her uncle I believe, should be removed from power as a collaborator and sent to the White Tower. His line should be stripped of their archducal status and another line should be given the Aub’s seat, and their rank should be dropped to make them a middle duchy. If they have any actual skills other than grandiosity and art appreciation, then they’ll claw their way back up. If not, then water seeks it’s own level. And they should pay restitutions to the purged duchies too.

Trauerqual’s oldest sons were children during the war, so technically, they weren’t collaborators. However, if the current Aub Klassenberg is sent there, then Trauerqual’s oldest son and heir should go to the White Tower also. It’s only fair. Possibly Anastasius too, at least for a while. All of the royal family’s personal assets should be seized and used to pay restitution to the purged duchies as well. Not the Sovereignty’s budget. We need that to run your government, and of course, we’ll keep anything that we really like. But their jewelry, art, coins, clothing, and furnishings that we don’t want can all be used to pay restitutions. The assets can be sold through an auction to convert them back into gold coins….”

“What is an .. auction?” Ferdinand asked.

“Ahh. Auctions became popular in a region and time period of my old world that is similar to Yurgenschmidt. When a noble family fell from grace, their assets would be seized and sold publicly to other nobles and wealthy commoners to pay for their fines or debts. You present each item for sale with a starting price, and then prospective buyers would compete with each other to purchase the item. Let’s say a hand mirror from the first queen would be offered for one small gold coin, but two people want it. One perspective buyer decides she wants it more, so she offers two. The second prospective buyer, not to be out done, offers three, and so on until it is finally sold at five small gold coins, which is five times the original asking price.”

Ferdinand smiled an evil smile and said, “That’s quite ingenious. However, I don’t know that nobles would want the possessions of criminals.”

“I bet they would though if the royals have nice stuff, and if they don’t, then auction it to wealthy commoner merchants. They will absolutely snap it up, and they have more money than most nobles anyway. Although, I’m willing to bet when the wealthy merchants resell the auctioned items, the nobles will buy the pieces then, where they can do so away from the eyes of other nobles. We will price each piece at what we estimate the actual value to be and then see if we can get a lot more.”

Ferdinand laughed out loud and said, “This! This is why you are my ideal queen!”

Rozemyne blushed and said teasingly, “So you plan to use me for my mind and memories?”

“I plan to eagerly partake of the blessings of Anhaltung and Mestionora that you so graciously bestow upon me.”

Rozemyne blushed again.

“However, I think we have to end our visit now because if we don’t, we will keep talking and then I will need to serve you dinner, not that I would mind that. Unfortunately, I  don’t  think your knights would like that, or your grandfather when he finds out.”

“Yes. I think you're right, although I don’t really want to leave. However, if my grandfather finds out that I stayed here long enough to have lunch and dinner with you looking like I do now, he’ll want to kill you.”

“And I don’t want you to go, but I truly  don’t want to have to battle Bonifatius. When I told your grandfather the truth about the royal family, he destroyed an entire abandoned town singlehandedly. He left it a smoking ruin of rubble, without using a weapon. He blows were so powerful, I had to put up a shield because huge fragments of white stone were raining from the sky. Some were the size of a grown man's upper body."

Rozemyne looked like she found that incredulous. She asked, "Truly?"

"Yes, truly. Your grandfather is a mighty ally, and a fearsome enemy. A battle between us would destroy the capital, and I don't want to harm my father's brother."

Ferdinand took down the sound blocking field, and instructed Angelica to open the library door. Rozemyne’s knights, and Gretia, all piled in and looked closely at their Lady. For some reason, Justus was at the back of the group grinning like a fool. Gretia simply looked satisfied to see her Lady well and happy. The knights, however, examined Rozemyne even more closely, and then turned to examine him as well. Surprisingly, Angelica visually examined them also. Whatever they saw made them all wear expressions of  satisfaction, happy vindication even. Ferdinand then remembered that the Knight Order had been loudly advocating for his and Rozemyne’s union. He supposed that he shouldn’t be so surprised about Angelica. She was a knight too.

Whatever her knights had seen in their faces had allowed them to divine that he’d proposed and she’d accepted. Ferdinand wondered what they had seen. Oh, maybe it was his own air of happy satisfaction. He had felt satisfied before, but this happiness was new. Come to think of it, Rozemyne seemed fairly happy and satisfied also. Her eyes were sparkling and her cheeks were still faintly red. However, Ferdinand couldn’t order them to keep silent without confirming their intuition, and Rozemyne couldn’t either. Therefore, he expected that her knights would quickly be busy sharing their impressions with the rest of the Order. Ferdinand hated the idea of his private business being shared with all and sundry, but he supposed he was no longer simply a private citizen. If he was honest, he hadn’t been one since he entered the Royal Academy and gained notability, and Rozemyne hadn’t been one since she became a commoner blue robed priestess. Ferdinand mentally shrugged. There was nothing that he could do about her knights carrying tales. Well, at least this way, Wilfred would survive.

Elsewhere, a certain fleet footed Lady shared the tale of their visit, from beginning to end, with a particular…. elderly gentleman. When she was done, she smiled in smug satisfaction. The elderly gentleman had listened intently to the tale and then threw back his head and laughed at the end. The Lady then rushed back to Ehrenfest to start rumors about miraculous blessings recently being bestowed upon both hair and form, and those blessings being a sign of the Gods’ approval of a new union.

One last item of note concerning poor Karstedt. Not only was the weight of his coin pouch greatly diminished by Elvira's clothes ordering frenzy, she dusted no less than four bags of feystones when Rozemyne shared the outcome of her visit with Elvira in her hidden room. It was quite the expense for the household. Two bags were dusted because of Rozemyne's mere announcement. The other two bags were dusted because Elvira made Rozemyne tell her every detail of the visit from the moment Rozemyne walked into Ferdinand's mansion through his proposal. And then she made Rozemyne repeat the story again. There was never any doubt that their story would be written by Elvira. However, no one anticipated that the story would be translated into the commoner vernacular and go on to be the first national best seller.

Chapter Text

The day after his proposal to Rozemyne, Ferdinand sent a magic letter to Sylvester saying that he needed to see him. It was morning, so he asked Sylvester if he was available for lunch or dinner that day, stressing that Sylvester would be happier if he was informed in advance of news that would soon spread through the duchy. His main objective was to prepare Sylvester for the onslaught of communications that he would receive regarding Rozemyne’s rapid growth. Rozemyne’s physical maturity was evidence that her mana sensing was now active. The fact that her mana so far surpassed everyone’s, but his, would make some duchies back off from trying to pressure Sylvester into a match. However, between Rozemyne’s beauty and her industries, some Aubs wouldn’t care about the fact that a union with Rozemyne wouldn’t  produce children,  and her beauty was a temptation in and of itself.

Sylvester stated that he was available for lunch at 4^th bell. Ferdinand then contacted Elvira and made her aware that he would be announcing Rozemyne’s rapid growth to Sylvester. He apologized that it was very last minute, but stated that both she and Rozemyne were welcome to attend the lunch if they chose. Elvira had responded back to Ferdinand’s lunch invitation saying that Rozemyne was free, and would be happy to attend on her own. Ferdinand was delighted that he would get to see Rozemyne so soon again.

Elvira stated that she herself was overseeing the packing of clothing for herself and Rozemyne for their trip to Dunklefelger. As to why she was overseeing the packing of Rozemyne’s clothes,  it should be obvious that The Lady Elvira wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to dress her famous daughter as beautifully as possible on her first  visit to a grand duchy. Elvira was in a fashion trance coordinating dresses with shoes, stockings, hair ornaments,  and even nightwear. No one would take this joy from her. Elvira would be acting as one of Sylvester’s scholars on the trip, but she was really there to chaperone Rozemyne after Sylvester and Ferdinand left.

Hartmut would be going along as well, much to Rozemyne’s regret.  Incidentally, he had actually cried when he had been called by Rozemyne to the Linkberg mansion to view her growth. He hadn’t sniffled. Elegant tears had not streamed down his cheeks. He had wept with pure religious joy. He also felt mightily vindicated in his belief in Rozemyne’s divine nature. However Rozemyne felt about him coming, Hartmut was a superior scholar, had ties to Dunklefelger through his engagement to Clarissa, and was an archnoble. For better or worse, Hartmut’s rank and gender would keep him safer in a grand duchy once Ferdinand and Sylvester left than Philine's.

Since the lunch was very last minute, Ferdinand simply had the chef prepare several different sandwiches for his guests on salad bread, a vegetable soup, and an actual salad with a light herb dressing. Sylvester arrived with Karstedt early,  and distressed Ferdinand's poor chef because lunch wasn’t yet ready, but in a way his early arrival was good. He could prepare Sylvester for Rozemyne’s new appearance, and most importantly, Sylvester would be through laughing at his hair by the time Rozemyne arrived. Lasfam showed Sylvester and Karstedt into the entry foyer and then essentially disappeared. He knew the Aub’s personality well by now, and predicted that the Aub would embarrass his master. Sylvester took one look at Ferdinand and burst out laughing before noble greetings could even be exchanged. Karstedt held it in a little longer, but also ended up howling until tears leaked from his eyes. Ferdinand then disregarded noble greetings entirely, gave both men a look that could freeze the blood in their veins, and snarled,

“Come with me.”

After being seated in the dining room, Sylvester said,

“What the hell happened to your hair? Is this the result of some kind of new rinsham experiment gone wrong?”

He was still chuckling as he asked this. Well, his chuckles would soon be over when he was buried under communications asking about Rozemyne, thought Ferdinand vengefully.

“This is the result of the Gods.”

Sylvester instantly stopped laughing. He asked, “The Gods did this to you? Truly?”

“Yes.”

Sylvester frowned and said, “It actually sounds very disturbing to have your appearance suddenly altered like that. I’m sorry that I laughed. Although the hairstyle suits you well, and scores of women will envy the thickness and shine of your hair.”

Karstedt mumbled to himself, “Scores of men will envy it too.”

Ferdinand said, “And I wasn’t the only one who was blessed. Isn’t that right, Karstedt?” Karstedt averted his eyes.

Sylvester asked, “What’s he talking about, Karstedt? Ferdinand, what do you mean?”

“What your courageous Knight Commander didn’t tell you was that Rozemyne was also blessed by a few Gods, the most crucial being Anwachs, and now appears to be no less than 16, possibly 17.”

“WHAT?! Karstedt, why would you keep this from your Aub?!”, yelled Sylvester.

“Because it’s beyond my ability to cope with, honestly. I haven’t told my father either yet. It just….my mind can’t make sense of it….. you’ll understand when you see her.”

Just then, an ordannanz landed on Ferdinand’s wrist which said in Rozemyne’s voice, “We’re approaching the mansion now.”

Sylvester yelled, “Who the hell was that?! Was that Rozemyne?! What happened to her voice?!”

Ferdinand  said, “Her voice now matches her appearance.”

Ferdinand left to go greet Rozemyne, and escorted her back into the dining room. Sylvester’s mouth flew open in shock. He sat there just staring as she made her noble greetings. Then he looked at Ferdinand and Rozemyne standing side by side, and he saw that Ferdinand’s longer hair and Rozemyne’s young adult appearance made them look wonderful together. With hair in two shades of blue that complimented each other well, and both with golden eyes, they definitely looked like a couple blessed by the Gods. And Sylvester could sort of understand why the Gods did what they had, although  he wouldn’t dare say that to Ferdinand. They definitely looked like a true Zent and his Queen now. Then Sylvester groaned and held his head in his hands.

“Why is he groaning, Ferdinand? It’s enough to make a lady feel offended.”, Rozemyne said.

“He’s just realizing that, as the Aub, everyone in creation will be contacting him for answers and information about your growth. And, your new appearance may solicit….. unwanted interest from those who had resigned themselves to your staying in Ehrenfest.  However, there is no greater evidence of the Gods’ love of Rozemyne than her miraculous growth. So tell them that, Sylvester.”, Ferdinand advised.

Sylvester nodded that he understood the unspoken part of the message. The Gods evident favor would be a tool to terrorize those trying to remove Rozemyne from Ehrenfest. With a response to inquiries formulated, they all then enjoyed a tasty lunch, and the guests departed. In two days,  they would go to Dunklefelger.

Two days later at 4^th bell, Sylvester, Ferdinand, Rozemyne and their entourages transported themselves to the Royal Academy. Karstedt came along as Sylvester’s primary knight. The halls were deserted, but Trauerqual had sent a quintet of very obviously young knights to escort the Ehrenfest party to the Dunklefelger dorm. Ehrenfest was not yet a threat to him, but obviously, if an Aub was traveling to another duchy, he would bring a decent  number of knights. Add to that the number of knights that would normally  be assigned  to Ferdinand, and the Sovereignty knights would obviously be outnumbered. Was Trauerqual so understaffed in terms of knights that he could only spare five novice ones? In fact, Ferdinand did not have any guard knights besides Eckhart, but Rozemyne had lent him Damuel, who had been replaced by Cornelius in her retinue. Rozemyne had five knights with her, Laurenz, Matthias, Angelica, Lenore, and Cornelius. Damuel would stay with Rozemyne when Ferdinand left to return to Ehrenfest.  The young Sovereignty knights weren’t particularly vigilant either. They were busy sneaking looks at Rozemyne, and also Angelica and Lenore. Much too lax about escorting a party that outnumbered them more than two to one.

Once they arrived at the Dunklefelger dorm, they were given brooches that allowed them to enter the area.  These knights had the proper stoic demeanor expected. Ferdinand transferred over first. He would be followed by Rozemyne, and finally Sylvester.

And as soon as he arrived, a loud voice yelled, “Ferdinand!

Heitschitze was waiting for him along with some unknown knights. Ferdinand had to smirk at his old self-proclaimed rival and friend. There was no noble greeting, but there was a loud welcome.

Heitschitze said, “Welcome to Dunklefelger, my old friend! We’ve waited a very long time for you to visit us! I see that you’ve grown your hair out to the length it was in the Royal Academy, and it’s very….. shiny. Very shiny! I'm still devastated that you won’t be playing Ditter while you’re here! Please end my sorrow and tell me that you’ve changed your mind!”

“Heitzschitze, don’t start. I’ve  just arrived this moment, and are we beyond proper noble greetings now?”

“Yes, we are! Noble greetings are trifling between those who are both Ditter brothers and rivals!”

“Well then, brother, kindly move out of the way so that I can clear the transportation pad for the rest of my party.”

“Of course, of course. Young Lady Hannelore is eagerly waiting to see little Lady Rozemyne!”

Rozemyne transported over next, and Heitschitze yelled, “By the Gods! Is that truly Lady Rozemyne?!”

Rozemyne blushed and then made her noble greetings, as her entourage continued to transfer over. Heitschitze pulled himself together and returned them. However, he was still quite perplexed.

He said, “Lady Rozemyne, is that truly you?”

“Yes, Lord Heitschitze, it’s me.”

Heitschitze said, “Lady Rozemyne, please tell me how this happened! It’s like a miracle!”

Rozemyne laughed at how right he was, but before she could answer, Ferdinand said,

“Rozemyne, please stand over here by me so that the new arrivals will have room. My rival and brother Heitschitze is doing a poor job of directing transfer traffic.”

Heitschitze just laughed and slapped Ferdinand’s back while moving the arrivals closer to the exit. Sylvester came through with two knights, and then the rest of his entourage finally transferred over.

Once they exited the transportation room, the entire group was escorted to a grand entry foyer in the castle where Aub Dunklefelger, Lady Sieglinde, Lestilaut, and Hannelore waited along with their entourages. Sylvester and his retinue entered first, and Aub Dunklefelger began his welcome to Sylvester.

He said, “Welcome to Dunklefelger, Aub Ehrenfest! We’re delighted that you’re here..”.

And then he froze. Sylvester’s entourage had moved aside to allow Ferdinand and Rozemyne to come forward and make their noble greetings. The entire Dunklefelger archducal family stared at Rozemyne and Ferdinand, but mostly at Rozemyne, in amazement. Werderkraft was quick on the uptake though, and addressed Ferdinand and Rozemyne in a voice filled with shock and not a little bit of awe.

“Your hair, and your ….growth. This is evidence of the Gods blessings upon you, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”, answered Ferdinand simply.

It made sense to Werderkraft that those who could call lightning, and use never seen before weapons of awesome power, should be marked by the Gods. Werderkraft believed in his patron God as a son of the Land of Fire. In his mind,  Leidenschaft had rewarded them for their victory in battle. Little did he know that Leidenschaft was currently still on a time out as punishment. Ferdinand would have been thoroughly annoyed at Werderkraft’s thought process if he had known.  Not only was he giving credit to the wrong God, but Ferdinand saw the Gods’ actions as meddling and unwelcome  --- definitely not as a reward.

After a moment more of gazing at the pair, Werderkraft gave a genuinely warm smile and said, “Well, the Gods certainly show their favor to those who they love in Ehrenfest.”

Noble greetings were finally exchanged, and Lestilaut kept blushing every time he looked at Rozemyne. Then, he looked forlorn as he realized that he couldn’t sense her at all. Poor Hannelore stammered her greetings, so overwhelmed was she by her friend’s changed appearance and Ferdinand’s shining male perfection. Rozemyne eventually put her at ease by giving her the same warm, happy smile that she always did. The Ehrenfest attendants were escorted to unpack the luggage in the guest rooms for the archducal trio. Ottillie was acting as Rozemyne’s attendant on this trip.  The scholars were taken to a place where the various fruits and vegetables available for sampling would be reviewed and their common uses explained by their Dunklefelger counterparts. Elvira departed with this group,  while Sylvester, Ferdinand, and Rozemyne followed Werderkraft and his family to a banquet hall. Only one elderly, neutral male scholar of Sylvester’s followed the Ehrenfest archducal trio.  Ferdinand had expected to go to a smaller dining room, and was uneasy when he realized they would be going to a hall.

His instincts were correct because upon entering his ears were assaulted by the loud greetings of Dunklefelger knights. They rushed over to surround the Ehrenfest visitors and then actually pulled Ferdinand away into the middle of their group. Rozemyne’s knights tightened the circle around their Lady, but not in fear. They knew the Dunklefelger character, and were trying to prevent the knights from grabbing her next. Sylvester’s knights had tensed immediately, but then looked at Eckhart who stood there calmly with a smile on  his face. Ferdinand was mobbed by former classmates, younger knights who’d heard of his legendary Ditters, his classmates’ older brothers and young uncles. He was pounded on the back. His shoulders were gripped in strong hands and shaken in hearty welcome. Ferdinand hated both the proximity of the knights and the touching, but reminded himself that he was here to gain allies. He would have to endure, and the knights were obviously genuinely happy to see him. It was difficult to make out what they were saying as they all talked at once, but some snatches of sentences came through.

“Lord of Evil!”

“Two Winter Lords!”

“Why didn’t you send for us?!”

“Hundreds of minions!”

“I can’t believe I missed that!”

“Beast of Battle!”

Sieglinde looked over at Sylvester and said, “I apologize, Aub Ehrenfest. They’re always boisterous, but they really have been beside themselves since they found out Lord Ferdinand was coming. However,  when they heard the tale of the battle, they all quite took leave of their senses entirely.”

Sylvester was not happy that Werderkraft had not kept his promise about keeping news of the battle quiet, and he wondered how far the tale had now traveled.

Werderkraft joined in at that point and said, “Aub Ehrenfest, Ordoschnelli ran faster than Steifebrise  around the duchy before I even finished speaking with you in the water mirror. A tale such as this will become a legend. There is little you can do to stop it. However,  every knight in Dunklefelger has pledged to aid you should you ever face Two Winter Lords again. I make this pledge as well. But maybe you don’t need us with the Beast of Battle and the little Storm Queen here, although not so little anymore, eh? Hahahahaha!”

Rozemyne’s brows quirked in confusion. She repeated softly, “Storm Queen?”

Hannelore looked at her and smiled. She said, “You have a battle name now. It’s considered a great honor in Dunklefelger, and not many women achieve one. I’m proud to call you friend.”

She blushed cutely after her declaration, and Rozemyne thought Hannelore was just adorable. She gave Hannelore a big smile and warmly said,

“I’m very glad to have a friend like you as well.” And Hannelore blushed again.

Werderkraft decided that his guests had stood around long enough and roared, “Knights!”

They all came to attention obediently like nearly grown pups who knew that they had gotten too rowdy, and Werderkraft was then able to finally seat his guests. Lunch was served, but it was a full course meal and Rozemyne was on high alert for any flavors from her old world.

Hot soup wasn’t necessarily something she was expecting in warm Dunklefelger,  but they served their Ehrenfest guests a milky broth that she thought was cream of potato soup. It turned out the soup was coconut milk and bananas! Delicious! There were so many things she could do with coconuts and bananas! There was a sauteed vegetable medley dish served at room temperature that was quite tasty. She recognized mehren, and vargel, and there was a green leafy vegetable that looked different but tasted like spinach. It all had been seasoned with a splash of a citrus-honey flavor and salt and pepper. It was tasty,  but Rozemyne wanted to get a look at the citrus fruit used. They were served a dense, moist, dark bread with a mild honey flavor that had been baked with rohres and eaten with sweet butter. The flavor was good, but Rozemyne hated the blocky bread of Yurgenschmidt. There was a type of chutney to go along with the bread for extra sweetness, and to her delight she discovered it tasted of mangos! They had something like mangos here!

There were large platters of boiled, cut potatoffels seasoned with an herb that might just be dill, and also butter, salt, and pepper. There were also several platters of tender roast beef marinated in vize, and a chopped smoked fish dish served on a bed of sautéed greens. The men drank vize and wine, although she could tell that Ferdinand would have preferred not to drink so early. Sieglinde, Rozemyne and Hannelore were given a type of juice that was pink but tasted like orange juice! This must be the citrus fruit! Oh, sweet orange juice! How she’d missed the flavor. She needed to get her hands on this fruit! Dessert was Ehrenfest pound cake sweetened, again with a honey- orange flavor, and topped with clotted cream. The lunch was very lively with energetic Knights attending, and Rozemyne found the straight forwardness of the muscle headed Dunklefelgers refreshing. Rozemyne, Ferdinand, and  Sylvester thanked the Aub and First Lady for the warm welcome and the fine meal, and meant it genuinely.  And with the meal done, Aub Dunklefelger finally brought up the topic he’d been dying to hear about.

Chapter Text

Werderkraft said, “Now that we have paid homage to Cuococalura, Lord Ferdinand, Lady Rozemyne, please tell us the tale of your recent homage to Leidenschaft in your battle against the Winter Lords! We must hear the tale first hand from you!”

His statement was followed by a chorus of knight voices echoing his demand. Rozemyne and Ferdinand looked at each other, and she smiled teasingly at him.

She said, “I yield the telling of the tale to the Lord of Evil.”

The Knights yelled, “Oooooh!”, and laughed.

Ferdinand gave Rozemyne a dirty look, but she only smiled again, triumphantly. Ferdinand then retold the story as if he was giving a report, without drama or flair, and the men assembled in the dining hall actually booed his dry retelling.

“Lord Ferdinand!”, yelled Werderkraft. “Tell the story like it actually happened, not like a history professor reading a dusty tome out loud.”

“I have told it like it happened", Ferdinand deadpanned. “I was there and this is how it was.”

“I was there too!”, Eckhart yelled from behind Ferdinand.

Ferdinand and Rozemyne both turned around to look at Eckhart, with Ferdinand giving Eckhart his most deadly glare. Brave Eckhart continued in spite of it.

He said, “You know Lord Ferdinand is profoundly modest and doesn’t like to shout his glory.”

“Yes, we know.  Tell us how it all really happened!”, Werderkraft commanded.

Having center stage, Eckhart began to tell the true story of the Battle of the Beasts.

He said, “It all started when my sister arrived to give aid to us knights. She brought food and potions,  and two more things that would ultimately win the battle. Lord Ferdinand was in a quiet rage because everyone knows my sister’s health has always been delicate, and here she was in the middle of a blizzard with two huge Schnestrums and their minions roaring around us.”

The noisy knights all said “Awwwwww!", while Rozemyne turned completely red, and Seiglinde and Hannelore giggled behind their hands.

“But my sister quelled his rage by offering him the knowledge of a new weapon that he could use to turn the tide of battle.”

“What?! What weapon did you give him?!”, the noisy knights shouted at Rozemyne.

“Show us, Ferdinand! Show us the weapon!”, Heitschitze begged.

“Show us!”, roared Werderkraft.

“Show us, brother.”, Sylvester teased.

Ferdinand sighed and said, “I can show you, but it cannot be demonstrated anywhere  indoors.  You can only look. Do not touch it."

Ferdinand produced his schtappe and whispered “double barrel shot gun.” And the weapon appeared.

Werderkraft stood up and shouted, “What is that?! What is that weapon?! What does it do?!”

“I’ll tell you what it does.”, said Eckhart slyly. “It mows down the Winter Lord’s minions in droves".

Rozemyne giggled when the knights yelled “Oooooohhhhh!”, with excitement.

Eckhart then said, “We had stood on the verge of defeat. The two Winter Lords had combined their minions, and they were unending. It was the third full day of fighting and we had lost good men. More men than we had lost in decades. I truly feared that there was no way to stop these beasts. No matter how many minions we killed, the two Schnestrums just churned out more. We couldn’t make it past the minions to deliver even a single blow to the Schnestrums. We were all exhausted from lack of sleep and on the verge of mana depletion. Then my Lord took his new weapon,  gifted to him by my sister who is beloved of the Gods, and charged to the front line, roaring for all the knights to fall back. All alone he faced them bravely, at least 400 minions charging towards him. In deadly silence he stood, and he let loose his wrath. A legion of giant white arrows exploded from the weapon killing a swath of 100 minions in one blast! And their feystones fell from the sky like hail!”

“Lord of Evil!”, some knights yelled.

“Impossible!”, a few voices cried.

Quietly, Karstedt said from behind Sylvester, “It’s not impossible. I was there and saw it with my own eyes.”

Rozemyne said, “It was truly amazing!”

“Oooohhh! Tell us what happened next!” cried the Dunklefelgers.

Eckhart said dramatically, “My Lord……..... actually smiled.”

“Impossible!”, yelled a nay sayer. “The Lord of Evil never smiles!”

Sylvester lost it then, and threw back his head and laughed along with everyone else.

“THEN”, Eckhart yelled over the laughing crowd, “ Then, De-lighted, delighted I tell you, my Lord let loose another mighty blast and took out  100 more. Then he changed it to a black weapon, fired, and another 100 feybeasts just simply vanished as if they’d never been. The Schnestrums themselves were struck silent and stared directly at him! And then sent their minions charging towards my Lord in rage! It was due to this single handed feat against 300 minions that he was given a new name in Ehrenfest, The Beast of Battle!”

“Ooh! The Beast of Battle!”, the knights cheered.

“Lord of Evil!”

“Angriff’s Chosen!”

“Leidenschaft’s  Blessed!"

The knights went wild.

“Tell us about your sister!” someone yelled. And Rozemyne’s face turned red again. The knights roared with laughter at her embarrassment.

One of them yelled out, “Lady Rozemyne what did you do?!”

Eckhart said, “Then my sister gave her divine knowledge of this weapon to my father and I. We took to the front line with our new weapons, while my Lord carried my sister away on his highbeast high above the Schnestrums!”

“Lady Rozemyne, it’s just like one of your books!”, Hannelore said loudly with a dreamy sigh, and then covered her red face when everyone laughed. Eckhart continued his tale.

“Lord Ferdinand and my sister together shouted out a prayer, and thunder sounded. Then they prayed again and the thunder boomed.  I looked up to see them both in the center of a small hurricane,  lightning  crackling all about them, the sound of wind screaming. We knights rapidly retreated as the air around them continued to churn. Then they prayed a third time and lightning struck the ground. The Schnestrums roared at the sky in defiance of the Goddess herself! And in response, Verdrenna snatched my sister right out of Lord Ferdinand’s arms, and thrust her even higher into the air! My little sister stood all alone at the center of a fierce cyclone. A lump of fear for her lodged in my throat. Our mother's eyes were wide in terror. All of a sudden, she began to glow brightly while sparks of lightning lit her hair. Her eyes shone like feystones piercing through the white storm. I heard her yelling "strike, strike, strike, strike", and lightning struck both Schnestrums! I heard her yell again, "strike, strike, strike, strike"! And thunder exploded stronger than any magic tool. A wave of sound rolled out that was so powerful, it nearly knocked me from my highbeast! I looked down just in time to see four massive lightning blasts hit each Schnestrum! The lightning was so bright, I was temporarily blinded and struggled again not to fall from the sky! When my vision returned, the storm was over and the sun was shining. Not a cloud in the sky could be seen. There on the ground were two huge smoking craters! Nothing was left of the beasts at all, not even their feystones!! My sister, Rozemyne, had blown them both clean away!!!

The Dunklefelgers then went absolutely berserk! They roared. They stamped their feet. They banged on the long table and lit their schtappes. Then they began chanting at a deafening volume.

“Storm Queen! Storm Queen! Storm Queen! Storm Queen!”

“Lord of Evil!”

“Storm Queen!”

“Beast of Battle!”

“Storm Queen!

“Lord of Evil!”

It went on and on and on, until Rozemyne had to finally hide her face in her hands. Ferdinand felt like he would die of sheer embarrassment, but there was just no stopping them. In the middle of chanting, he looked over at Sylvester, who gave him a teasing, full-toothed grin.

Sylvester leaned in and said in a quiet voice that only Ferdinand could hear, “Su-per-Stars!”, and then laughed uproariously.

Werderkraft stood up and shouted, “Blessed by Leidenschaft! Blessed by Verdrenna! We need only look at you to see how much you are loved by the Gods! Come now to the Ditter field and show us your power! Demonstrate your weapons for all to see!”

Ferdinand and Rozemyne tried to refuse on the basis of them not being there for Ditter. Werderkraft corrected their misunderstanding and informed them that he had arranged targets for a demonstration. Then they worried about damage to the Ditter field, and Werderkraft laughed that off saying it was damaged every day. It was very clear to Ferdinand that Werderkraft had planned this well, probably as soon as he’d heard the tale. The battle maniac obviously refused to let them visit Dunklefelger and not show some martial prowess. Werderkraft was a muscle head, but he was crafty. Ferdinand would need to remember that.

He and Rozemyne were practically carried to the arena by the excited Dunklefelgers, their own Ehrenfest knights racing to stay within range of their charges. When Werderkraft led them onto the field, they found that every seat in the stadium was filled. Ferdinand and Rozemyne looked at each other in shared horror. Clearly this was a duchy-wide exposition event!

The crowd began cheering, as Werderkraft directed them both to the center of the field. He then raised a hand, and the crowd instantly quieted.

He shouted, “My good people, I know that I don’t have to tell you who these esteemed guests are!”

Cries “Lord of Evil” and “Storm Queen” were loudly chanted.

“Yes! Yes! I bring before you the blessed of Ehrenfest who traveled here today to show you their might!”

Roars of approval sounded from the crowd with no signs of stopping.

Werderkraft said to the pair, “Lord Ferdinand, please demonstrate your weapon for us. Lady Rozemyne, let us clear the field for safety.”

As Werderkraft quickly led Rozemyne away, she looked back at Ferdinand with an expression that screamed “What is happening?!. Ferdinand returned her look with an expression that shouted “I don’t know!”. Just then, two knights entered the arena on the far end from Ferdinand. In their arms, they held a bound zantze. The crowd went quiet as the Knights put the animal down and released its bindings. They then brought out their highbeasts and took to the air. From above the zantze, they emptied a  basket of fruit on the ground and departed. Ferdinand understood what they were doing instantly and took to the air himself.

The zantze rapidly devoured the mana saturated fruits and began to shudder and spasm. And then before Ferdinand’s eyes, it started to grow larger. The beast’s eyes began shining as it roared at its body’s too rapid changes. In far too few moments, a goltze taller than a three story building stood in the zantze's place. Were the Dunklefelgers insane?! It was the largest goltze that Ferdinand had ever seen!!  What had they even fed it to make it grow that big?!

It roared in rage as its eyes roved over the crowd in the stadium looking for a meal, until it spotted Ferdinand closer to it in the air above. It stared at him intently and then started dripping drool over Ferdinand's mana rich form. It screamed in hunger as it took a running jump towards him. He quickly brought his highbeast further up in the air. The goltze swiped at Ferdinand with its claws and missed, then landed and bellowed in anger at having failed to capture its prey. It stared at him again with an intensity that was truly disturbing. It then squatted low and pushed off from the ground in a tremendous leap, sailing swiftly through the air. Just as it neared Ferdinand, he said, “double-barrel shot gun", and his weapon appeared. As the goltze flew towards Ferdinand, claws outstretched to grip him, Ferdinand fired. A barrage of large white arrows blasted from the weapon and hit the beast dead on. There was a concussive boom, followed by a clink, as the goltze's feystone hit the arena floor. The crowd collectively inhaled, and then they all roared with battle crazed joy.

Once again the chanting started, alternating between his two battle names. Werderkraft came running back into the arena as Ferdinand landed. Rozemyne followed at a distance with her guard knights walking at a sedate, ladylike pace. Werderkraft sped to a stop in front of Ferdinand, and Ferdinand had never seen an expression so patently ridiculous. Forget noble demeanor, the Aub was smiling so widely that it looked like his cheeks would break, and Werderkraft’s eyes were positively gleaming with manic glee. Ferdinand looked for the Aub’s minder, his wife Sieglinde, in the audience. She was sitting in the archducal seats with her face averted. The Aub was so absurdly excited that she just couldn’t take it, and had to turn from the sight despite being in a public venue.

Werderkraft yelled, “Lord Ferdinand! Lord Ferdinand! That weapon! That weapon! Those arrows, the arrows were your mana! I’ve never seen anyone fire arrows that big! I’ve never seen anyone fire so many arrows at once! Not in all my life!! I am in awe! Absolutely in awe! Please, please do it again!”

“I refuse.”

“But how can you refuse to show us again?! It was amazing! Absolutely amazing!! We simply must see it again!”

Ferdinand said, “Aub, look at your wife.”

Werderkraft turned his head so reluctantly that Ferdinand could practically hear his neck bones creaking.

With his eyesight enhanced, Ferdinand could see that Sieglinde’s icy glare was so cold that it was a wonder that it wasn’t snowing. Sieglinde knew her husband well enough to divine that Werderkraft was now pestering their guest to repeat a performance the guest had been bamboozled into giving in the first place. Ferdinand didn’t know it, but Sieglinde had only agreed to allow the Aub to stage the demonstration to end  his nonstop complaining about having missed out on the Ehrenfest battle. However,  her husband had seemed to have forgotten that the Ehrenfest visit was about exploring mutual profit, not entertainment. She wanted to establish a good working relationship with her guests, not make them shy away from Dunklefelger because of her husband’s overbearing personality and unreasonable demands.  Ehrenfest could easily make their same offer to another duchy. Not one would turn them away.

Werderkraft scratched his scalp, no doubt in reaction to his hair standing on end from his wife’s freezing stare.

He said, “Ahem. Well, I see. Well, I suppose that we should proceed with Lady Rozemyne’s demonstration.”

“Precisely what does this demonstration entail? Lady Rozemyne is just that, a lady. Unlike me, she may not want to kill an animal just for a demonstration. Not to mention, she must invoke the power of a Goddess to call lightning. Verdrenna may not be pleased if her power is used frivolously, just for show.”

Werderkraft said slyly, “You are quite protective of Lady Rozemyne.”

Now Ferdinand was the one with a freezing stare. He said, “As the Aub’s brother, is there any reason that I wouldn’t be protective of the treasure of Ehrenfest?”

“Hahahaha! No! No! Not at all!” Werderkraft said merrily. Damn him, thought Ferdinand. Werderkraft had Sylvester’s penchant for teasing.

Werderkraft continued, “We set up white stone slabs at the other end of the arena for Lady Rozemyne’s demonstration. See them standing there? Hannelore already counseled me that using a live animal might be problematic. I already let Lady Rozemyne know.”

“Good then”, Ferdinand said. “Please allow me to speak briefly with Lady Rozemyne to ensure she doesn’t have any concerns about using lightning outside of a genuine life or death situation.” Rozemyne had almost reached them.

Werderkraft smiled, “Of course. Of course. If she feels that it would be counter to the Goddess’s will, then we must not proceed.”

Werderkraft gave Rozemyne a fatherly smile as she arrived and then stepped briskly away. The roar of the crowd had finally quieted down to a nonstop chatter.

Ferdinand said, “Are you comfortable with this? I know that previously you were opposed to giving a demonstration using the Goddess’s power.”

Rozemyne smiled at Ferdinand in gratitude for remembering. She said,

“I spent a few moments in silent prayer explaining why I needed to give this demonstration, and I got the sense that the Goddess doesn’t mind.”

Ferdinand was surprised. He asked, “You sense her?”

“It’s difficult to explain, but it feels like the mana inside me is eager to be used in this way. It’s like, hmm, no one usually prays to Verdrenna because her power is so awesome, so this is a rare opportunity. Does that make sense?”

“I'm not quite sure.”

“Hmm. How to explain? Verdrenna’s power is usually wild, but I think that I will be able to call her more quickly and use a lot less mana this time. I think that I will have more control over the lightning too.”

“Very well. I leave the field to you.”

Ferdinand led Rozemyne’s guard knights away, as Werderkraft jogged back over to Rozemyne. He raised a hand and the audience once again quieted.

He said, “Good people, we are truly blessed to have the Saint of Ehrenfest here with us today, but of course, we know her by another name in Dunklefelger.”

The crowd yelled out, “Storm Queen!”

“Yes!”,  Werderkraft  shouted “Storm Queen! What’s that?! .......Hahaha! The Storm Queen said she will only be giving a small demonstration today so that she doesn’t inadvertently destroy the stadium! Hahaha! She asks that you hold your praise during the demonstration so that she might pray. Lady Rozemyne, whenever you’re ready, please proceed.” Then Werderkraft jogged away.

Rozemyne raised her arms with her eyes closed, but kept both feet on the floor for balance. I her mind she murmured, O Verdrenna, hear me. Help me to aid Ferdinand in securing Dunklefelger as an ally so that he may have their protection as he ascends as the true Zent, but let’s keep the strikes small this time. I don’t want to hurt anyone.

Then she opened her eyes and shouted,

“O Verdrenna, Mighty Goddess of Storms

Of Flutrane’s Exalted Twelve

Hear my prayers!”

Thunder began to rumble, and then a loud clap sounded. The sky clouded over and tuned the day dark. Lightning started sparking in the grey, fast moving clouds and then streaking across the sky. The wind began blowing fiercely, and then churned around Rozemyne, whipping her hair to and fro. She pointed at the slabs and yelled,

“O Verdrenna, Goddess of Storms,

Please show the people of Dunklefelger your awesome power,

Smite those stones with your lightning!

Strike! Strike! Strike!”

The sound of thunder rumbled again and then exploded, causing the very air to tremble. Three narrow lightning bolts streaked down from the sky and hit the top of each slab in turn. Boom, boom, boom echoed throughout the stadium! The crowd was now quiet in silent shock. When the dust cleared,  all three white stone slabs had been completely pulverized, only pieces of rubble and fine grains of grit remained!

The audience was silent a moment longer and then absolutely lost their minds! They stood up from their seats simultaneously while giving a mighty shout. They then began waving their schtappes while cheering, “Storm Queen! Storm Queen! Storm Queen!”

The wildly grinning Werderkraft began racing towards Rozemyne, and Ferdinand began racing towards her too. He wanted to make sure she was alright, and to cut the Aub off before he asked her to do it again. In the background, the crowd continued to roar. Ferdinand and Werderkraft arrived at the same time, and Ferdinand gave Werderkraft a hard glare. The Aub quickly looked away, making it clear that Ferdinand had been right about the Aub’s intentions. To cover up his guilt, he raised his arms over Ferdinand and Rozemyne heads signaling their victory.

He shouted to the crowd, “Blessed by Leidenschaft! Blessed by Verdrenna! The Storm Queen and the Lord of Evil of Ehrenfest!”

Ferdinand and Rozemyne briefly bowed their heads in acknowledgement and then followed Werderkraft out of the arena, while the crowd continued their loud cheering. They walked for a bit and then followed him down a corridor and up some stairs. They joined the Aub in the archducal seating area to watch the Ditter game being held in their honor. The archducal family, and even their retainers, raved nonstop about their demonstrations. Heitschitze practically cried when Ferdinand refused to teach him the gun spell, no matter what he offered in compensation.  Sylvester and those Ehrenfest retainers, who were seeing both the weapon and lightning for the first time, were equally verbose in their amazement and praise. As soon as everyone was seated, they were served beverages to quench their thirst, and the Ditter game began.  

The Ditter was surprisingly a speed competition. Two teams made up of both apprentice and full fledged knights faced off against a feybeast one after the other, and the one with the quickest time was declared the winner. When Ferdinand expressed his surprise at the match not being a treasure stealing competition, Werderkraft explained that the changes in the Royal Academy curriculum had forced them to alternate their Ditter training methods to ensure success in the interduchy tournaments. The teams also faced a goltze, but both beasts were considerably smaller, barely reaching the height of a single story building. When Ferdinand saw the smaller size of both feybeasts, he had given Werderkraft a look. All of the Ehrenfest party had. Werderkraft had hurried to explain that it was because both teams also included underage knights, not because he wanted to see the awesome might of Ferdinand’s full power on display. Ferdinand had almost burst out laughing at how much Werderkraft sounded like Rozemyne, giving away his true intentions with his feeble excuse. Ferdinand decided to let it go and asked about how Dunklefelger was so easily able to adjust the size of the goltze created. It was due to  a rare, all attribute fey fruit. It was extremely mana rich and grown only on the grounds of the archducal castle. It had been used for centuries in training knights for Summer Lord subjugations, and more recently in speed Ditter training. The size of the feybeast was adjusted based on the number of fruits it was fed. The fruit was also used to create a particularly potent recovery portion that was only carried by the Aub and his heir into battle. As a sign of appreciation for the excellent demonstration, and their tolerance with her husband --- though that remained unsaid, Sieglinde offered the Ehrenfest archducal family members three of the fey fruits to take back to Ehrenfest.

The long dinner feast held in honor of the Ehrenfest guests was even noisier and more crowded than the luncheon. Ferdinand’s past Ditters were trotted out for review. Loud retellings of previous Summer Lord subjugations were also provided. A recounting of Ferdinand’s and Rozemyne’s earlier demonstrations were shared in great detail for any who had missed them, though it was very clear almost no one had. Lestilaut had gotten into the wine and decided to impose on Rozemyne to perform on the harspiel, which was highly inappropriate as she was a very esteemed guest and not a hired musician. It was also quite clear to Lestilaut’s mother that he was hoping Rozemyne would give a blessing while playing, so that he could create a new picture of her in her mature form. Ferdinand was unaware of Lestilaut’s motivation, thankfully, but outraged that Lestilaut would impose upon his fiance, in any way. Ferdinand and Sieglinde then had a competition to decide who could freeze the room over faster with icy anger.

Sieglinde won, by saying, “Dregarnuhr has woven with the most exceptional grace and speed today. In fact, I hear the call of Schlaftraum beckoning us all.”

The crowd then dispersed, and Werderkraft invited Sylvester and Ferdinand to his private office to discuss interduchy business.  He called it an office, but Rozemyne would have called it a man cave on the main floor of the castle. Sieglinde was not happy as she was quite sure their guests must be tired, but let it go because the guests seemed willing. Her guests were actually eager for reasons of their own. And Werderkraft’s reasons, well let us just say that they were less than loyal to Trauerqual.

Chapter Text

After Werderkraft’s attendants provided everyone with beverages, he asked his people to exit the room. They weren’t happy with this at all, but he didn’t care, and Sylvester quickly did the same. Werderkraft activated the wide-range anti-eavesdropping tool and got right to the point.

He said, “The Lady Rozemyne is abundantly blessed by many Gods. With her recent blessings from both Verdrenna and Efflorelume, it would be surprising if the Supreme God did not want her to dwell in the highest heavens. In fact, it is doubtful that those in the highest heavens will even care that Entrinduge's blessings would be withheld, and would seek Sterrat to bind stars together in spite of it. After all, and my apologies Aub Ehrenfest, Entriduge’s lack of blessings can easily be dismissed, when it is unlikely that the future Dark God already approved will please the Goddess either.”

Sylvester replied serenely, “Anhaltung has graced me in regard to this matter and a Dark God who will please Entrinduge has been found.”

Werderkraft looked at Ferdinand and smiled knowingly. To Sylvester he said,

“It is a pity that such a fitting Dark God wasn’t originally chosen. Now even his presence may not be enough to forestall those who lack Wisdom in pursuing a treasure, in hopes that the treasure would bring with it at least the appearance of the Gods’ favor. Yet, know that neither Leidenschaft nor his disciples find honor in a pursuit which scorns Entrinduge and only perpetuates a lack of Wisdom.”

Ferdinand asked softly, “What if Wisdom could be found?”

Werderkraft scowled and said fiercely, “Wisdom has eluded the Supreme God and will continue to do so as it has from the beginning. And Ordoschnelli has carried the tale of the worthlessness of a Book that cannot be read if found. As for any future Supreme God, it is extremely doubtful that  Wisdom will even be diligently sought, much less found.”

“And yet Verbergen is more than willing to aid those who are literate. Both Verbergen and Mestionora.” Ferdinand said.

Werderkraft had a processing error and dropped all noble euphemisms.

He asked in an urgent tone, “What are you saying?!”

Ferdinand smirked at Werderkraft and said, “I’m saying…………. Grutrissheit.”

And his Book of Wisdom appeared.

Werderkraft looked at Ferdinand in shock, and then fell to his knees in front of Ferdinand. He grabbed Ferdinand’s hand and rested his forehead upon it.

He said, “Of course, it’s you. Thank the Gods! Thank the Gods!”

Then he looked up at Ferdinand with a smile and tears in his eyes and, “Command me, my Zent. The children of Leidenschaft are your sword.”

Ferdinand rested his other hand very briefly on the older man’s shoulder and said, “Thank you, Werderkraft. Please be seated.”

Werderkraft sat back down happily and looked at Ferdinand with an expectant expression. Ferdinand felt badly because Werderkraft wouldn’t be happy for long.

Ferdinand said, “I have to tell you some unpleasant truths now. Truths that have been kept from the whole of Yurgenschmidt, for centuries.  These truths will enrage you, so prepare yourself.”

And then Ferdinand told him everything starting from the beginning with the corruption of the Zent process centuries ago through the desecration of the Temple and ending with the loss of the Grutrissheit magic tool.

When Ferdinand finished, Werderkraft’s was shaking and his eyes were shining in all seven colors, and with tears of rage over how Dunklefelger had been used to win a war for a corrupt bloodline. His mana was leaking from him in a rainbow aura and he was breathing as if he’d run a race. He got up, went to a wall in his office and punched  through the white stone up to his elbow. He then punched another hole and another and another and another. His knights, who had been standing guard outside the door, burst into the room with their swords drawn.

Werderkraft roared, “Get Out!!!”, in a mana enhanced voice filled with fury, and they all fled in unhappy confusion.

He then bellowed in rage, and then, still leaking mana, he bellowed again. With a thread of control regained, Werderkraft then reentered the sound proofed area and said desperately, “Please, my Zent, let us go now and slaughter Trauerqual and his sons. I only ask that you spare Hildebrand and give him to me to raise correctly. My sister, I leave to your judgement.”

Ferdinand said softly, “Werderkraft, your rage is entirely justifiable. When I read the truth in my Book, I also wanted to kill them immediately. In all honesty,  I still do, every day. However,  planning is vital. I know you have more reason than most to want them dead, and yet, it is the duty of the Zent to manage the transition of power in such a way that society is not disrupted, unless there’s no other option. We cannot afford another war, or even an uprising against the Sovereignty. We must secure allies. We must be mindful of the issue of mana deprivation that already plagues the entire country, particularly in the duchies sanctioned or destroyed by the Civil war and its aftermath. The noble populace as a whole has been severely depleted. It will take at least three generations to regain our pre-civil war numbers. And most importantly, the Temple must be cleansed and restored to its proper place as an institution vital to the fertility of the land and nurturing of Zent candidates. The Gods have given me this mission to fulfill, and failure to complete it will result in the destruction of Yurgenschmidt, when I’ve just pulled us back from the brink.”

Werderkraft made a very unhappy face, and said, “May I ask some questions? There are things that I don’t understand, about the country foundation.”

“Of course.”

“I understand the Grutrissheit tool was created as a substitute because an heir in that criminal family was not qualified to get a real Book. But if they had the Grutrissheit tool up until the civil war, why was the country foundation almost empty?”

“By the time that the Zent who created the tool reigned, it had become standard practice not to disclose the location of the country’s foundation because of family infighting. That Zent died before sharing the secret with her heir, and that was at least 400 years ago.”

“Then what has that accursed family been filling?”

“The false royal family has been filling the Sovereignty foundation, which is actually a duchy. There is a mana supply line to the true foundation from the Sovereignty. However, as with  any foundation, it will first nourish the land it’s attached to before anything else. Add to that all of the ancient magic tools draining mana for their own needs, and there simply wasn’t enough actually reaching the true foundation. It was being starved of mana. It was only 10% full when I found it.”

Werderkraft was so incredulous over the royal family losing the location of the true foundation that he was beyond rage now. He said calmly, as if speaking fact, “My Zent, they are clearly too stupid and useless to live. At least, let me kill them to stop the further spread of idiocy.”

Ferdinand had to laugh.

Werderkraft hesitantly asked, “Forgive me for asking, but are we out of danger now?”

“If you’re asking about the true foundation, it’s about a quarter filled now. Erwarmen is happy, but that only buys us roughly 25 years of safety. However, I should have it filled in about eight or nine months working diligently at a healthy pace.”

Sylvester and Werderkraft both gaped at him, and then said simultaneously,  “By yourself?!”

Ferdinand looked at them in confusion. He said, “Well, yes. My future Queen is still underage and not yet even officially engaged to me. If she and I worked together, we could fill it in half that time, maybe less.”

Sylvester said, “What your describing is beyond human capability.” Werderkraft mutely nodded.

Ferdinand scoffed. “Not at all. The ancient Zents were far more powerful than me. Otherwise, they couldn’t have kept the location of the country foundation a secret from their families. They probably could have filled the foundation in two or three months by themselves. This is the power that we lost when we stepped away from the Temple. Werderkraft, in ancient times, Aubs were as powerful as Zents. In fact, before the corruption of the process, all Zents were Aubs prior to their ascension.”

Werderkraft yelled, “Ahh! That’s why there’s a Dunklefelger Zent in our histories!”

“Exactly.”

“Zent Ferdinand, did you say Erwarmen is happy?! I thought he only bestowed the Wisdom upon the true Zent. That’s what the religious tales said. Do you mean to say that he is a thinking entity?”

Sylvester quipped, “According to your Zent, he's a thinking, talking, nagging entity that will eat all your food.”

Werderkraft actually looked alarmed and yelled, “What?!”

Ferdinand gave Sylvester a look and said, “Most of the time his mind is submerged in Yurgenschmidt. He is one with the land. However, he is a former God and he is able to rouse himself and interact. He is quite lively when he does. He does have an over fondness for tasty human food and an appetite to match his nature. He only needs mana, however. He interacted with the ancient Zents quite frequently. Both the Book and Erwarmen have confirmed this.”

Werderkraft just stared at Ferdinand.

Sylvester added mischievously, because he couldn't resist, “I actually think he likes Erwarmen, but the Zent of Evil would never admit that.”

Ferdinand rolled his eyes at his brother and groused, “I don’t dislike him.”

“Your Zent seems to enjoy chatting with Erwarmen and using him to relay messages to the Gods. Well, except when he talks to the Gods directly in prayer and they make his whole body glow with blessings in acknowledgement.” Sylvester added.

Ferdinand gave Sylvester another look that said “Be quiet!”. However, Werderkraft looked at Ferdinand in wonder, and then horror as he realized something. He quickly knelt before Ferdinand again and said in a rush, “I’m so sorry that I forced you into giving that demonstration, my Zent! Please forgive me!”

Ferdinand had actually found the demonstration very useful in securing the adoration of the Dunklefelger citizens for himself and his future Queen, quicker and more effective than a lengthy propaganda campaign. Yes, it had been very useful indeed. However, he couldn’t say that to Werderkraft.

Instead he said, “I forgive you. However, you must refrain from praying to Leidenschaft that I join you in Ditter, ever again, you and Heitschitze both.”

Werderkraft still kneeling, whispered in both fear and embarrassment, “How is it that you know of this?

“Erwarmen told me about it. Leidenschaft heard you and decided to make two Winter Lords rise in Ehrenfest so that Sylvester would  be forced to call you for aid. He truly does favor you and Heitschitze, and me, and he wanted to see all of his children…….play together.”

Werderkraft looked absolutely stricken as he reseated himself, but it wasn’t really his fault, or Heitschitze’s. They had no way of knowing that the God of Fire would even hear them, much less do something so dangerously impulsive, and Leidenschaft only did it because Ferdinand was involved.

Ferdinand pushed on saying, “I want to leave Rozemyne here under your protection, for a short while. Sylvester will return to Ehrenfest tomorrow and immediately contact Trauerqual to secure my official engagement. I will stay here a little longer while she looks through the fruit and vegetables that you are offering. As Trauerqual is lacking in Wisdom, he will more than likely try to force an engagement as you expect. When he does, you may verbally correct his thinking in any way that you choose, short of disclosing my true status or outright declaring war. You may, however, torment him, as long as you don’t actually implicate Dunklefelger or Ehrenfest in an open rebellion.”

Werderkraft said, “I will assist you in any way needed, and terrifying Trauerqual sounds enjoyable. In truth, he's already disturbed by me. Dunklefelger knights make up the largest portion of his Sovereign Knight Order, but in far fewer numbers than under previous Zents. Trauerqual has been trying to get us to send additional knights since his ascension, but no other knights are willing, and I refuse to force them. Too many families hold a grudge towards both Trauerqual and Magdelena due to those injured or killed in the war. But, may I share your status with my father and Sieglinde? Them knowing will make it easier for me to move as needed.”

“Yes. It is advisable for them both to know. I’d wondered where your father was, but didn’t ask in case he was unwell.”

“He actually took a trip when your original visit date was pushed back. He's retired, but still travels throughout the duchy connecting with the people. He planned to arrive home by late this evening so that he might breakfast with you tomorrow. He should have already returned. In fact, may I summon them both now and have you tell them?”

“Yes, you may.”

Werderkraft stepped out of the sound blocking field and opened the door. There was now a large crowd of knights outside who were even more confused because Werderkraft was totally calm. He sent some knights to gather his father and wife. He also ordered more refreshments to be brought.

While they were waiting, he said to Ferdinand, softly, “You will be pursued relentlessly for marriages now, not only for your power, but for your person.”

Ferdinand had expected this subject and was ready.

He said, “It will be a futile pursuit, not only because the position is no longer hereditary, but also because any marriage after my first is doomed to be a white one.”

Werderkraft now understood that being Zent was never supposed to be hereditary. However, he was personally more comfortable, felt that Yurgenschmidt was safer, with a brilliant Zent like Ferdinand and any of his descendants ruling, than with some unknown future Zent who might be easily used or become corrupt like the false royal family. And he definitely wanted Dunklefelger to have a bond with the new Zent.

Werderkraft pressed diplomatically. “It’s highly likely that any child of yours would be more than able to obtain their own Wisdom, and be beyond educated to rule.”

Ferdinand said, “But that would still be a child from my first marriage, no? My children will only follow in my footsteps if they choose. Taking other wives might be useful while I ruled, but they would be left with nothing when I retired from the position, not even children or grandchildren. Instead, I plan to appoint special ministers to oversee certain areas of government. In fact, the first ministry that I would like to create, in cooperation with Dunklefelger, is a military one. Werderkraft, the countries on the other sides of the Gates are located on other worlds.”

Werderkraft could barely understand what he had just heard. He said,“……My Zent,………..…..I fear that your revelations will make my brain explode. Is this information….how do you know…..never mind. I won’t think about how you know something so mind shattering. Please tell me what role you see a military ministry playing in light of this revelation.”

“My future bride shared a disturbing musing with me recently.  What if we reopened the Ehrenfest Gate, which has been closed for 200 years, and we found that the society on the other side had progressed well beyond ours, even with our magic? That made me think. What if in the time that the other Gates have been closed, our former trading partners had developed more advanced weapons of war? What if they found a way to negate our magic? What if they themselves have been taken over by a hostile force from elsewhere on their world, which then invaded ours? How would we even mount a military response in time to be effective, with each duchy acting almost like a separate nation? I want to create an extra military force, answering to the Zent, that is trained and commanded by a military advisor. I want this force to be skilled in both magical and non-magical combat. This force would be present at any Gate reopenings and remain in the respective duchy until the Gate is closed again.”

“Zent Ferdinand, both you and your future bride have minds that work in terrifying ways, and if our trading partners truly inhabit other worlds, then we cannot dismiss the possibility of such extraordinary dangers. Yet, I have to ask because the notion of other worlds is so far beyond my imaginings, and please forgive me for asking, but how confident are you about this information?”

“One-hundred percent.”

Both Werderkraft and Sylvester were distressed, Sylvester more so than Werderkraft because he knew from experience with Rozemyne’s inventions that other worlds could be very advanced indeed.

Sylvester asked, “Can we leave the Gates closed?”

“The Gods would prefer that we open the Gates so that our society progresses through commerce and interaction with other lands.”

Sylvester asked in a fearful voice, “Why does that sound like a quote?”

“Because it basically is.” Ferdinand continued, “Werderkraft, do you think your father would want to be a military advisor? Or would you like to? You could return the duchy to your father instead? Your children would remain the heirs.”

Werderkraft smiled, “I think my father would be delighted to be a military advisor, especially your military advisor, and I would like to be considered for the position after I retire.” He paused and then continued thoughtfully, “I must say, Trauerqual makes being Zent seem easy, but the burdens of a true Zent are unfathomable, conversing with Erwarmen, Gods altering your appearance and arbitrarily testing your mettle against nearly unassailable opponents, considering the threats posed by other worlds. I am in awe of all that you are managing and you haven’t even yet sat on the throne.”

Werderkraft considered what he had learned and decided that even if he was offered all the gold in Yurgenschmidt, nothing would make him want to be Zent.

He then took down the barrier and their refreshments arrived soon after, followed by his father and Sieglinde. Sylvester retired for the night. His presence wasn’t needed at the moment, and he needed to return to Ehrenfest in the morning and contact Trauerqual.

Werderkraft’s wife and father were beyond delighted that Ferdinand was the true Zent, and instantly swore their allegiance. Then, he revealed the hidden truth of the “royal family”. Sieglinde, who was not prone to fits of violence, agreed with her husband’s idea of wholesale slaughter. While she was willing to shelter innocent Hildebrand, she honestly thought her sister-in-law should share the fate of her husband. Sieglinde had lost family who fought in a civil war in which no one in Dunklefelger had truly believed. Now she discovered that the Zent who they’d fought for was nothing but a archduke from a corrupt bloodline who had stolen absolute power for themselves through a centuries long deception. Finding out that the coveted Grutrissheit had only been a magic tool, and that the whole of Yurgenschmidt had been facing destruction due to an empty foundation, had just tipped her over the edge into bloodthirsty rage.

Aub Emeritus Eberhard had been more pragmatic about the fallacy of the royal family. While physically Eberhard was much like Bonifatius, strong and solid as an ancient tree, in temperament he was far more analytical, more strategic. That’s not to say he couldn’t be as boisterous as any Dunklefelger man, it’s just that there were real brains underneath the brawn. After all, he watched Aub Emeritus Drewanchel Leopold offer young Ferdinand adoption and fail. He analyzed Ferdinand’s loyalty to his father and then offered young Ferdinand marriage into Dunklefelger. What Eberhard had offered Ferdinand was a way to bring honor to Ehrenfest, gain praise from his father, and ultimately escape from his stepmother forever all in one package. Eberhard had succeeded where Leopold failed. Leopold had offered Ferdinand what he deserved: to be an archducal candidate of Drewanchel. Eberhard had offered Ferdinand what he needed: a way to escape from Ehrenfest that didn’t feel disloyal to his father.

So after the revelation about the royal family, Eberhard only said, “I have always suspected that there was a conspiracy ever since coming across the mention of a Dunklefelger Zent in our histories. Dunklefelger has existed since the dawn of Yurgenschmidt. Naturally, it follows that the existence of a Dunklefelger Zent indicates that the royal family hasn’t always existed itself, unless the Dunklefelger archducal line was itself descended from the royal family, which we are not. There has been intermarriage, both ways, but we are a separate bloodline. Therefore, the Dunklefelger Zent had to have ruled prior to the establishment of the royal family.”

Given their unbroken history, Dunklefelgers strongly believed that the Grutrissheit was a divine instrument bestowed by the Gods, which it actually was, and not merely a symbol of political power. Eberhard in particular believed in the Book and not the suspect bloodline. The Sword of the Zent was sworn to protect the rule of any Zent that held the Divine Book. However, Dunklefelger was under no obligation to fight for any prince who didn’t. As long as they stayed neutral, they would have been fine. However, Magdelena proposing to Trauerqual meant that if his insane brother had won the war, the entire Dunklefelger archducal family would have been targeted for collective punishment, much like the losing duchies had been at the end of the war. Magdalena of Dunklefelger having sided with Trauerqual through an engagement would be seen as treason against the newly ascended Zent. And the mad prince had been known to be violently vindictive. So, Dunklefelger had fought for Trauerqual to ensure that the sadistic fourth prince did not win lest Dunklefelger become Frenbeltag, or worse yet, Werkenstock. Eberhard had despaired to see his duchy forced to fight in a war born of greed, despaired at seeing his strong daughter marry a false Zent without a Grutrissheit, despaired over the fate of the country being ruled without the sacred Book that the Gods had made clear was necessary to rule the country. He had raged, despaired, and ultimately retired.

He had never forgiven his daughter for forcing them to fight, never, nor for spurning Ferdinand for Trauerqual. His grudge against her was compounded now because he could have been the father-in-law of the true Zent, and it had nothing to do with how he could have boasted to Leopold, although that would have been delicious. Eberhard had secretly hoped that the last royal brothers would just kill each other off. Had fervently wished for it, in fact. Then, he could reveal the hidden prince, one who had the blood the country would follow, and more importantly, who had the innate qualities to be Zent. Ferdinand had been a mysterious seven-colored illegitimate child of Aub Ehrenfest with no known mother, and possessing a prodigious amount of mana. A child who, both as a boy and a man, looked very much like his biological father. That palace had been no secret among grand duchy Aubs after all, nor had Waldifried’s obsession with Seradina. But, it was Ferdinand's illegitimacy that saved him. Had he been legitimized by Waldifried, he would have been slaughtered with his father long ago. Ferdinand's early life had been a crucible of fire, but the boy had excelled in everything he did in spite of it. And what a man he had become! To Eberhard, the greatness Ferdinand had evidenced at such an early age made it clear that the Gods’ hands were upon him. Eberhard had never believed that Trauerqual would find the Grutrissheit, never. He was mediocre in every respect, and having been raised to support Waldifried, not even educated in the ancient language needed to read the Book! How did that fool Trauerqual expect to use a Book he couldn’t even read?! The sheer stupidity of it had always made Eberhard simmer in rage! But Ferdinand, with his genius, had learned the ancient language! Eberhard had always believed that Ferdinand could find what his royals uncles never would. Always. And he had been right!! He was bitterly, bitterly angry that the royal family had possessed Dunklefelger’s loyalty for centuries after they became unworthy to obtain a true Wisdom, and it added to his anger at his daughter. However, he was extremely wary of condemning the entire false royal bloodline, lest it become known that Zent Ferdinand also shared their blood, and the knowledge be used as a weapon against him.

Eberhard asked Ferdinand, “How will you deal with Trauerqual and his sons, my Zent?”

In fact, Ferdinand was very aware himself that he needed to be careful not to condemn the false royal family based on blood alone because they were actually his uncle and cousins. Therefore, he needed another excuse to sentence them. It was time to test out his future Queen’s reasoning, Ferdinand thought.

He replied, “As much as I’d like to execute them for the deception, or utter ignorance alone, the fact is that they are deceived themselves. They are unaware that their royal status is a ruse crafted by a power hungry ancestor, unaware that the Grutrissheit was a mere magic tool, and unaware that they have been endlessly dedicating mana to the wrong foundation.”

Werderkraft and Sieglinde were silent and expressionless, but they were radiating unhappiness with Ferdinand's words. Eberhard, however, was very interested in the direction in which Ferdinand was heading.

Ferdinand continued, “Additionally, I think it unwise to set a precedent for collective punishment being applied to living descendants because of the crimes of their long dead ancestors. The geography and ruling lineages of Yurgenschmidt have changed much over the centuries, and it seems like retroactive collective punishment could open the door for long resolved feuds to reignite. However, the post war purges were wholly Trauerqual’s responsibility and were conducted with a thoroughness that can only be called vicious. He further decimated a noble population already reduced by war and created large pockets of essentially unfertile land, due to not being able to turn over the foundations of crushed duchies to the territories assigned to manage them. To compound this, he then robbed the entirety of Yurgenschmidt of their needed nobles and blue robes to staff the Sovereignty creating hardship and widespread mana scarcity for the entire nation. For this, he will be punished most severely, along with everyone who had a hand in orchestrating the purges.”

Sieglinde and Werderkraft were only somewhat satisfied. They understood Ferdinand’s logic, but his solution did not satisfy their bloodlust.

Eberhard only nodded. He asked, “Zent Ferdinand, when you say everyone who orchestrated the purges, does that apply to individuals outside the royal family?”

“Yes. It is well known that almost everyone kept silent on the aggressive purges for fear of reprisal, which is entirely understandable. However, Dunklefelger and Drewanchel, bravely, spoke out against them, while one duchy was relentless in pursuing the most aggressive application of collective punishment possible. What happened to Trostwerk, Scharfer, and Werkenstock never should have happened. They should have all been treated like Frenbeltag. The people in those territories are starving to death, and there is no way that Aubs from other duchies can nourish the land without access to those territories’ foundations. It was cruel, negligent idiocy to kill off  entire archducal families, while knowing you don’t have access to the foundational magics only located within the Book of Wisdom. How many people in those territories have died since the purges because of an utterly stupid decision fueled by thoughtless  vengeance and fear due to an illegitimate reign? Those deaths are a crime as well.”

Eberhard said, “I agree that retroactive collective punishment would set a dangerous precedent that could be used in the future in ways that we cannot now foresee.  You are a true Zent possessing a real Book of Wisdom. Trauerqual is a false Zent who couldn't even find the fraudulent Grutrissheit tool. He can be held responsible for the deaths he caused after the war easily enough, and that should mollify the people, when you share your excellent logic. People may clamor for retroactive collective punishment, until they realize that the lands they rule might have been stolen from someone else’s family by an ancestor. It is the way of noble families to keep their own histories. Some may have records of crimes committed against their lineages centuries ago.”

Sieglinde and Werderkraft looked away. They had not considered that the concept of retroactive collective punishment might be used for anything beyond killing Trauerqual.

Werderkraft then asked, “What of Trauerqual’s eldest son’s?”

“Trauerqual’s sons were children during the war and immediate purges, and could not have stopped their father even if they had desired to do so. However, they are both the heirs of a false Zent, and my intelligence indicates that they both abuse their royal privileges habitually. Sigiswald is particularly problematic, as it is known that both his stupidity and his arrogance are truly epic. He will no doubt resist the truth and utter treason in response. Even if he doesn't, what is known of his personality indicates that he is useless and ripe for rebellion. Therefore, he will go to the White Tower with his schtappe sealed. Anastasius shall go as well, but since he renounced his right to throne for his wife, I may release him after a while, depending on his disposition.”

Werderkraft and Sieglinde looked appeased by Ferdinand’s words.

Ferdinand didn’t mention it, but he also had plans to place Trauerqual’s first wife in the White Tower alongside her beloved sons, and place Eglantine under house arrest, where he could could watch her closely. She was another of his cousins and seven colored like himself. He would have to seal her schtappe, lest she be used as a pawn to gain the Book in the future. Trauerqual’s second wife and Sigiswald's wives would be returned to their home duchies. All of the duchies whose ranks had risen solely due to marriage with the royal family would have their ranks reduced, except Drewanchel.

Eberhard interrupted Ferdinand’s planning by asking, “And my daughter and grandson?”

“Your grandson will be turned over to Dunklefelger, unharmed. His mother will have her schtappe sealed. Her true crime is being a lovesick fool, and I realize that my presence always made her very uncomfortable. I am not petty enough to punish her for fleeing from me to the man she already loved. However, her decision cost Dunklefelger it’s rightful neutrality and more people their lives. Truly, no duchy should have participated in a war as it was a family feud was caused by infighting due to greed and vengeance, and none of the princes, other than the second, ever even had the Grutrissheit tool. Therefore, none had a right to be Zent. Neutrality was the only correct response. I will return Magdelena to Dunklefelger, if you wish it. Otherwise, she will go to the White Tower with Sigiswald.”

Werderkraft and his father looked at each other. They didn't necessarily want Magdelena back. Ferdinand was conscious of this.

He said, “You have until I publicly ascend to decide. However, all that I have outlined are only my plans. Trauerqual may make moves that force me to kill him and his sons before I can sentence them publicly as Zent.”

Werderkraft smiled hopefully at this last sentence.

Eberhard asked, “What can this old man do personally for his Zent?”

Ferdinand asked, “I would be interested in having you serve as the Minister of the Zent’s Military.”

Ferdinand then explained about the Country Gate and other worlds.

Eberhard said in awe, “I have never in my life even considered the possibility of other worlds. Were the other true Zents aware of this?”

“The first few Zents, most likely. The later Zents thought the Gates led only to other countries.”

Eberhard replied, “Fascinating. I would very much like to know how you discovered such ancient hidden knowledge, especially so quickly, but I sense it is wiser for me to never ask. I would be highly honored to serve as your military minister. I agree absolutely that the risks of opening a Gate to another world are exponentially greater than the risks of opening a Gate to another country on our own world. We must proceed with extreme caution. We must also consider that our former trading partners may not be receptive to us themselves after our many years of silence.”

“Other trading partners can be found.”

Everyone looked at Ferdinand in shock. Eberhard said, “Truly?”

“Yes, but it would involve exploring the unknown and present greater risks, although possibly greater rewards.”

Werderkraft asked, “What else may we assist you with?”

“My brother requires a new first wife. If you have a mature candidate that was trained to lead as a first lady, who might be interested in marrying into Ehrenfest, we would consider her.”

Werderkraft said, “I actually have a half-sister from my father’s second wife who might do. What do you think, Father? Would Wilhelmina be a good candidate?”

“She might. She was educated as a first lady to be married out, not an archduke candidate. However, the education of a grand duchy first lady is quite comprehensive. Unfortunately, she fell in love with a boy from one of our branch families and married down to an archnoble. I despair of my daughters’ choices of husbands. Her  husband ascended the Towering Staircase long ago. Her daughter is of age and married, so she might be interested. If not, we will look for other candidates.” He paused and continued. “My Zent, what of your own marriage? Please tell me that you won’t let the treasure of Ehrenfest, the little Storm Queen, go to your brother’s son.”

Werderkraft laughed and said, “She’s not little anymore, Father!”

“What?”

“The Gods grew her, Father! She looks older than Hannelore now.”

“What?!”

“The Gods grew her! She and Zent Ferdinand are unofficially engaged now. They grew his hair out too, made him look pretty for his young fiance. When we spoke in the water mirror some weeks ago, his hair was well above his shoulders.”

Eberhard looked at Ferdinand and asked in extreme bewilderment, “The Gods grow people now?”

“And hair!”, Werderkraft answered loudly for Ferdinand.

Ferdinand rolled his eyes and Sieglinde laughed.

“Werderkraft?”, Eberhard called.

“Yes, Father?”

“I’ve exceeded my daily limit for unimaginable information. Pass me the vize.”

Ferdinand just laughed. It seemed his life had surpassed comedy and was now unimaginable.

Chapter Text

The day after Ferdinand’s revelation to Aub Dunklefelger, and the Aub’s wife and father, he and Rozemyne were busy meeting with the scholars of both duchies reviewing the produce samples. Rozemyne was in paradise having found four fruits that she recognized so far from her previous life, and one that looked different, but tasted exactly like a fruit she knew. She had been muttering things under her breath to Ferdinand. Things like “coconut cream pie”, “banana bread”, “pineapple upside down cake”, “mango ice cream”, and “orange jam”, although none of the fruits had truly been orange. Ferdinand knew about jam, though he never ate it. It was considered luxury treat as it used quantities of honey or sugar and fresh fruit. Unappealing to Ferdinand who disliked sweet things, but he could recognize its marketability to others using an unusual flavor.

Rozemyne told him that he would like banana bread, which wasn’t too sweet, and enjoy eating it with tea. He was very curious as to why the pineapple cake would be upside down, but decided to ask when they returned to Ehrenfest. She then muttered “spinach and cheese quiche” after being shown a vegetable that they had eaten yesterday at lunch. Well, at least that dish sounded savory, thought Ferdinand.

Then a surprisingly timid Dunklefelger scholar showed them some strange little roasted seeds. The scholar apologized for the low quality sample, but explained that Aub Ehrenfest had asked for things that were virtually worthless to be offered as well. The roasted seeds, which were from a very common fruit bearing plant, were boiled to make a brew. The brew was only used during lengthy subjugations, when knights had reached their limits for rejuvenation potions, but still needed to remain battle ready. He explained that the brew made from the seeds was deceptive. It smelled enticing while boiling, but was extremely bitter and strong tasting. Ferdinand didn’t precisely agree about such a brew being worthless.  He could see the value in it for himself during research, and the taste wouldn’t bother him at all. He looked over at Rozemyne to get her thoughts, only to see that she had real tears in her eyes.

Surpressing her emotions, she said to the scholar, “Please give us the largest sample of these seeds that you can spare so that we can experiment with it.”

The scholar looked quite befuddled at her reaction, but readily agreed. When he had walked away, Rozemyne handed Ferdinand a sound blocking tool.

Covering her mouth, she said, “Ferdinand, that brew that he mentioned is liquid gold. It was called “coffee" in the dream world, and I used to drink it every day. It is a much more potent stimulant than tea, and I know how to prepare it so that it tastes really good. The roasted beans can be ground and used to flavor cakes and even a frozen treat. There is also a brewing process that uses the ground beans themselves, and it refines the taste.  It uses something called a percolator, and we had a very simple one in my house when I was growing up. I’m fairly sure that my Guttenbergs could easily replicate it, and a coffee bean grinder too. The coffee industry was world wide, and had annual earnings in the hundred billions.”

Ferdinand was now having a hard time containing himself. This must be the dream world’s obscene wealth that Elvira had mentioned. As soon as they got home, he wanted to try the good tasting version of this boiled brew right away, and then attempt to build a magic tool version of this grinder and percolator. If the brew was as potent as she said, and she could even make it taste good, it was liquid gold indeed. He was once again very grateful that Rozemyne was his future queen.

He said to her, “We will need to ensure that you not only get royalties on the manufacturing of these devices, but that your name is also included on any recipe contracts with Dunklefelger, rather than first selling the recipes outright to Sylvester. In fact, you'll want to have your name alongside the duchy’s on any contracts involving you going forward. Otherwise, we'll have to purchase the rights to use your own creations from Sylvester when you leave Ehrenfest. We'll have to give Dunklefelger reduced prices on any recipes made with their produce, and these coffee devices. Off the top of my head, it seems like Dunklefelger would be responsible for supplying the roasted seeds to other duchies, and Ehrenfest would be responsible for the devices used to brew and grind them, and the instructions on how to prepare the brew. We’ll have to talk to Sylvester further when we get home, after you’ve made a sample of the good tasting version. However, if the brew is tasty, I expect that both he and Aub Dunklefelger will  be beyond delighted.”

"Do you have your name alongside the duchy’s when you sell magic tools outside of Ehrenfest?" Rozemyne asked curiously.

"The reason why we had you sell your ideas to Sylvester first was to hide your crucial role in Ehrenfest’s recent success. We didn't want you to be stolen from us. When your purchased ideas were sold to other duchies by Sylvester, it helped Ehrenfest recover from decades of Veronican embezzlement. In my case, I established myself as a magic tool maker while still a student. There was no sense in hiding what was well known. However, I typically make tools that require a lot of mana to use, and I only make a single version of each item. I allow the purchasing duchy to modify the tool as needed. Therefore, I sell my tools independently of Ehrenfest. Going forward, you deserve to claim the prestige associated with all your creations."

"They are hardly mine though, Ferdinand. I am merely recreating simple versions of things I knew before, and those things were created by other people."

"Rozemyne, you give yourself too little credit. You were a librarian in your previous life, not an inventor. Yet, you are recreating things from another world based on your memories, things which are entirely foreign to this reality. You have said that some of these things you only read about, but never even used yourself. I can't even describe the level of genius needed to do that."

Rozemyne blushed at Ferdinand’s honest praise.

Ferdinand had another thought.

“Can this percolator be used outdoors during subjugations?”

“Oh, absolutely! It can be used over a fire, or a magic tool heat source. With a magic tool heat source, it could even be used during tea parties. However, this type of percolator is really simple to duplicate. We would probably need to sell the blue prints outside of the duchy for a high price, and put a clause in the contract forbidding the sale, distribution, manufacturing, or even gifting of the device outside of the purchasing duchy. Although……since Dunklefelger will be selling the beans to us at a reduced price also, perhaps more money could be made within the duchy than outside of it. The sale of coffee, and coffee related devices, could be directly controlled by the Aub. Market it first as a luxury treat at a high price. Then if it catches on, we could import it in large enough volumes to market it to commoners, and get everyone drinking it. Also, there’s the basic cup of coffee, but there are also variations made with steamed milk and even flavored coffee.”

Ahh, thought, Ferdinand. His Merchant Queen was such a treasure. Apparently, both Ehrenfest and Dunklefelger would soon be buried in gold coins from this, and the plethora of recipes that Rozemyne would create with Dunklefelger's produce.

Shortly afterwards, Ferdinand left Rozemyne to go meet with Sylvester before he returned home. Aub Dunklefelger was kind enough to give Ferdinand a private room to meet. Under a sound blocking tool, Ferdinand told Sylvester that many of the samples looked extremely promising. Sylvester’s eyes lit up at the thought of gold coins, and new tasty foods to eat. Ferdinand also informed his brother about the Aub Emeritus accepting his offer to be the Minister of the Zent’s military, and he told Sylvester about Aub Dunkelberg’s half sister as a potential new first wife. Sylvester, being himself, wanted to know what she looked like, which Ferdinand didn’t know. Sylvester then complained because Ferdinand hadn’t even gotten the woman’s exact age. He was very frustrated with Ferdinand’s responses to his questions.

The hidden Zent finally groused, “Does it matter? You need to marry someone who can help you with managing the duchy as a proper first lady. Save your devotions to Brennwarme for Florencia.”

*********************************************

On that unpleasant last note, Sylvester was ready to return to Ehrenfest. He was sent off from Dunklefelger with a hearty farewell, and surprisingly, an offer to visit again when Werderkraft walked him to the transportation circle room. Sylvester didn’t have the courage to question Werderkraft about his sister, fearing he might offend the man with his lack of enthusiasm if the Aub’s answers were unpalatable.

Instead he listened closely as Werderkraft said, “When things settle down a little, I hope that you’ll return to visit and tour our capital. I think there are many things there that will interest you. Your Uncle Bonifatius was famous for his strength in the Royal Academy, and I’ve heard that age hasn’t slowed him down at all. Both my father and I would love to meet him. Bring the whole family if you’d like. You are all welcome here.”

Sylvester knew that Dunklefelger was happy to establish ties of marriage with the new Zent’s brother, especially since the Zent himself was refusing to marry anyone other than Rozemyne. He realized that Entrinduge was highly unlikely to bless another woman’s union with Ferdinand. However, wasn’t Ferdinand still following in his brother’s and father’s footsteps by having only one wife? Sylvester thanked the rowdy Aub genuinely, with a promise to return, and then was engulfed in black and gold lights as he returned to the Royal Academy.

Sylvester had notified Florencia that he was returning before he left. A quick walk through the Royal Academy halls to the Ehrenfest dorm transportation circle, and Sylvester was home with his wife waiting to meet him. After greetings were exchanged with her and receiving assurances that all was well, he checked in with his uncle in a private meeting to bring him up to date, along with Karstedt. Once they were in Sylvester’s private office with the anti-eavesdropping tool engaged, Bonifatius became very serious.

He said, “Well, I can see from your uplifted mood that Ferdinand must have secured Dunklefelger’s loyalty.”

“Yes, Uncle. It went very well. Not only did the Aub swear his fealty to Ferdinand, but Dunklefelger will also be providing me with a new first wife, more than likely a half sister to the Aub himself. Additionally, the Aub Emeritus accepted a position as Minister of the Zent’s military.”

“That is excellent news, Sylvester! And a Dunklefelger first wife is very prestigious for Ehrenfest, especially if she turns out to be the Aub’s half sister! Dunklefelger is also the perfect duchy to offer asylum to small Ehrenfest as the Zent’s home duchy. What would the Minister of the Zent’s military even do, though? Isn’t that same position as the Sovereignty Knight Commander?”, Bonifatius said.

Sylvester grimaced and said, “Ferdinand shared yet another mind shattering revelation last night. The Country Gates don’t lead to other nations. They lead to other worlds.”

“What?!” Bonifatius and Karstedt both shouted.

“Yes. Ferdinand is one hundred percent positive about this. He is worried about potential dangers of opening Gates to other worlds, but the Gods want the Gates reopened.”

Bonifatius and Karstedt were both staring at Sylvester in fear.

“Why did the Gods want us to do something as dangerous as interacting with other worlds in the first place?!” Karstedt asked shouted.

Karstedt was picturing a whole world full of people armed with Rozemyne’s water and double barrel shot guns. He was clear that those two guns were based on weapons from her previous world. The guns were both too detailed to be Rozemyne’s random imaginings, and too alien. He didn’t know what the guns had shot out in her old magic-less world, but Karstedt knew that they must have still been deadly. Did the Gods want to doom their children?!

Sylvester said, “The Gods want us to interact with other societies. And previously, the countries across the Gates were so similar to ours that we never even suspected that they were elsewhere. However,  the Ehrenfest Gate has been closed for centuries. We don’t know what has happened in Bosgeiz in that time. The country could have greatly advanced, or even have been destroyed.  Ferdinand said that even though the other Gates haven't been closed that long, we still don’t know what’s been going on with our trading partners, or their worlds. The Minister of Zent’s military will command a national force. The soldiers will also be trained in non-magic combat and stationed in any duchy with an open Gate.”

Bonifatius and Karstedt both nodded their agreement with the idea, though they were still deeply unsettled by what Sylvester had shared about the Gates themselves.

Bonifatius said, “Ferdinand is very wise to think to create such a military force. Much wiser than his predecessors who should have done the same, even if the Gates only led to other countries. Perhaps he should only open the Ehrenfest Gate wide enough to send a military scouting party through, to get the lay of the land. Depending on what is found, we may yet be forced to keep it shut. Also, I would like to teach these new soldiers advanced mana enhancement, unless my skills are unneeded by the Aub Emeritus. Even if our magic weapons are useless, mana enhanced strength and speed are internal to the body. A contingent of enhanced knights,  who are all as fast as Angelica and as strong as Eckhart, could cut down twice their number in the blink of an eye, even using a commoner’s sword.”

“Those are excellent points, Uncle, and ones you should bring to Ferdinand’s attention. By the way, tales of your phenomenal strength have traveled far and wide. You are so famous that Aub Dunklefelger and his father are eager to meet you.”

Sylvester wouldn’t have thought it possible, but his Uncle actually blushed.

Bonifatius cleared his throat and said, “I would be honored to meet them both. But, where are Ferdinand and Rozemyne right now? Did they go straight to the Temple?”

“About that, Uncle. What your son hasn’t told you, and should have, is that Rozemyne has gone through some changes recently that necessitated Ferdinand staying a little longer there with her in Dunklefelger.”

“What changes?! Is she not well?! If she’s ill, you should have brought her home immediately, and him with her! Surely, he can treat her better here, where he has access to all his potions and materials!” Bonifatius exclaimed.

Karstedt gave Sylvester a dirty look, then said, “Not those kinds of changes, Father. Changes brought on by the Gods. The Gods healed her body and then grew her to the rightful size for her age. And well, she then matured as a young lady because of that.”

Bonifatius yelled, “What are you saying?! She’s still only 12!”

Actually thought Sylvester, she’s 13. However, when she was made a noble, it seemed wiser to age her down to give her extra time to learn about noble society in preparation for the Royal Academy. It also allowed Wilfred to retain his status as Sylvester’s oldest child. Of course, Sylvester admitted to his shame, he and Florencia had then subsequently failed to educate her at all. In reality, Myne would be 14 this summer, and of age when Leidenschaft raised his spear again the following year. Sylvester guessed that she was an early bloomer, as Myne now looked like she was already 16. A  girl going on 14 looking like she was 16 is rather surprising, but not entirely unknown. The problem was that publicly Rozemyne wasn’t even 13. But then, her real mother was a lovely woman, heavily blessed by both Efflorelume and Geduldh, despite being a poor commoner. Her biological father was a hale and hearty man, extremely blessed by Angriff. It should be no surprise that Myne, as her parents’ daughter, would blossom and bloom robustly now that her body was healed from the damage done to it by the Devouring.

To Bonifatius, he only said, “She'll be 13 this summer, and I suppose, she’s an early bloomer. Now that she’s healed, her blessings from Efflorelume are quite evident. So evident, it seems as if Kuntzeal lent a hand as well. She is a vision of loveliness.”

With tears in his eyes, Bonifatius said, “Truly?”

Sylvester just nodded.

Bonifatius then shot Karstedt a scathing look that promised dire retribution later.

Sylvester said, “Yes, but Uncle, there is more to tell you. Erwarmen told Ferdinand that the Gods have decreed that he and Rozemyne should bind their stars together when Rozemyne comes of age. I will be announcing their official engagement soon."

“What?! No! I won’t allow it!” Bonifatius yelled.

“Uncle, the Gods have decreed it!”

Bonifatius shouted, “I don’t care! He’s too old for her!”

“Ferdinand is much older than her, but he is actually still a young man himself. Besides, there’s a bigger age difference between Georgine and her husband, Aub Ahrensbach.” Sylvester said.

“And I was opposed to that as well! It was cruel for Georgine to go from being the next Aub to being the third wife of a man older than her father! But your mother insisted, and your father only listened to her! Well, I will not accept this match! Ferdinand is too ruthless and uncaring for my kind granddaughter!”

“Father, Ferdinand cares for her.  You see how carefully he has tended to her well being over the years. He is very protective of her, and Elvira has already spoken to him about tending to her emotions as well.” Karstedt reasoned.

“What?!”, Bonifatius shouted again. “Do you mean to tell me Elvira isn’t opposed to this marriage?”

“Father, haven’t you been paying attention all these years?! Elvira is Ferdinand’s biggest admirer! She’s been walking on clouds over this, and Rozemyne’s walking right beside her. Besides, he's already proposed and Rozemyne accepted, gladly I might add.”

Bonifatius slammed the coffee table in front of him, cracking it down the middle badly. He then stood up and turned on Sylvester.

He yelled, “How could you allow this, Sylvester?! I thought you wanted Rozemyne to marry Wilfred?”

“Oh, give it up, Uncle! You never supported Wilfred as her husband! Don’t pretend to be in favor of their marriage now!”

“Of course, I am not! Your son is a fool! But if she married him, at least Rozemyne would stay in Ehrenfest!”

“I  am Aub Ehrenfest, and Ferdinand is Zent, and this is what the Gods have decreed! When Erwarmen found out that she was engaged to Wilfred, he was very angry! I won’t defy the Gods because of your desire to keep her in the duchy! No one else in Yurgenschmidt is a good match for either of them, and Erwarmen has been pressuring Ferdinand to propose every time he sees him. Besides, they care for each other and have trust between them. Many noble marriages cannot claim the same. You should be happy, Uncle!  You will be grandfather to a Queen!”

Bonifatius sat down with an air of deep sadness.

He whispered, “But that’s just it. She’ll be in constant danger as Queen, and far from my protection. How can I keep her safe so far from home?”

Sylvester sighed deeply and finally said, “Uncle, I can’t spare you permanently. Due to my poor education as an Aub, I will need you more than ever after Ferdinand ascends. However, as long as Ferdinand approves, I have no objection to your staying with them for a few months when Rozemyne leaves to join his court. He will need people that he can trust to watch over Rozemyne and set up her knight detail, although I’m very sure that Aub Dunklefelger will send along only his finest.  Truly, that duchy worships them both.”

Bonifatius was now calmer.

He said, “Well, if I can go with her when she leaves and stay awhile,  then I suppose I can allow Ferdinand to marry her. And of course Dunklefelger loves her! You should have seen how she wielded that lightning during the battle, Sylvester! She was amazing!”

“Well", Sylvester said, “all of Dunklefelger has seen her wield lightning now. The Aub had her and Ferdinand give a demonstration of their prowess in a stadium. That whole duchy now calls her “Storm Queen”.

Bonifatius laughed in delight

He said, “A battle name at only 12, and from Dunklefelger no less! Who else can make that claim, well, other than Ferdinand? As expected of my granddaughter! Storm Queen! It sounds like a name that will go down in history!”

“And her being amazing is part of the problem, Uncle. Ferdinand and I, and also Aub Dunklefelger, we all expect that Trauerqual will try to take her for the royal family when I ask for an official change of her fiancés.”

Crash! The poor coffee table was now shattered into splinters.

Bonifatius growled, “I will crush that false Zent’s skull with my bare hands, and tear his entire family apart limb from limb! They will never take my granddaughter!”

Karstedt yelled out, “Damn right!”

Sylvester said, “If it comes to an armed conflict over this, you will have powerful company in both Ferdinand himself and Aub Dunklefelger. However, Ferdinand wants to try a nonviolent  resolution first. Aub Dunklefelger will back us and oppose Trauerqual’s decision, if he tries to force an engagement. Ferdinand said that since he is a true Zent with a Book of Wisdom, an armed confrontation against Trauerqual  will lead to a riot in the Sovereignty at best, and another war at worst.”

Bonifatius grimaced and got himself under control.

He said, “He’s not wrong. In order for him to take his rightful place as Zent, he has to tell the world the truth about the lie of the royal family and the Grutrissheit tool, and also about the country foundation. That’s the best way to make noble society gladly welcome a motherless archduke candidate from a middle duchy as Zent, one who is also a High Priest. And people deserve the truth. We’ve all been deceived by that family for centuries. Nobles may agree to a peaceful transition of power if they are calmly informed of the truth, well, after much raging over the lies and needless deaths due to the war and purges. But, if Trauerqual refuses to relent and it escalates into an armed confrontation over Rozemyne, and then people find out the truth, they are very likely to tear the Sovereignty apart. Trauerqual would be a usurper from a line of criminals fighting the true Zent, and trying to steal the Saint of Ehrenfest against her will!”

Sylvester said, “Well, I have to write to Trauerqual  now and ask for  the change in fiancés, so we’ll know shortly. Uncle, I want you to read what I write before I send it.”

“Of course.” Bonifatius replied.

Chapter Text

In short order, Sylvester’s letter was crafted, reviewed by Bonifatius, and sent to Trauerqual. Following Bonifatius suggestion, Sylvester said that his oldest son was no longer his heir, and that Rozemyne was much better suited as the next Aub, based on all of her achievements for her duchy at such young age. However, she would need a highly competent Dark God able to rule in her place when she was blessed by Entrinduge. There was no one in Yurgenschmidt better suited than Ferdinand. Ferdinand had practical experience in duchy management in Ehrenfest, in addition to his many achievements. Both the future Aub and her prospective husband had personal ties with grand duchies, and both were nationally famous for their excellence. He also referenced Rozemyne’s appeal across faction lines within her generation as a contributing factor. Everyone was aware that his mother had been the great Chaoscipher of Ehrenfest, so Sylvester deciding on an heir who could connect across faction lines within  the duchy was entirely believable.

Positioning Rozemyne as the next heir publicly until Ferdinand ascended would be a blow to both Wilfred and Florencia politically. However, it would give Sylvester a legitimate reason to refuse Trauerqual. Even though it was temporary, naming Rozemyne heir would also repair some of the damage Florencia had done to relations with the Leisegangs by snubbing Rozemyne, and Elvira quitting Florencia’s faction in response. Sylvester felt bad about Wilfred’s loss of political power. However, he would now be out of danger, which was more important. Both the Knight Order and the Leisegangs would see Wilfred's removal as heir as Rozemyne and Ferdinand getting what they were due. In truth, Bonifatius would be privately instructing Rozemyne, Charlotte, and Melchior on the duties of an Aub, and Rozemyne would be given more duchy administration work. She would soon be helping Ferdinand run the country and needed to learn quickly. After Rozemyne was revealed as the future Queen,  the Leisegangs and the Knight Order would be too ecstatic to mind the deception. Additionally, they would never dare oppose Charlotte as the future Aub instead, since she was cherished by Rozemyne. Sylvester would need to speak with Florencia and Wilfred very soon so that they would be prepared for the upheaval.

Sylvester sent a letter to Ferdinand in Dunklefelger, informing him of the contents of the missive sent to the false Zent. The strategy behind the contents would be implicitly understood. Ferdinand sent a return letter with only two words.

He wrote, “Very Fine.”

******************************************

Awhile back, Trauerqual had assigned a scholar, Robart from Gilessenmeyer, to properly reimburse Ehrenfest for the recipes the Aub had been forced to sell by Prince Anastasius. The scholar had not attended to the matter right away and had, unfortunately, let the issue slip his mind entirely. The Zent’s scholars were all overworked. The Sovereignty suffered from a lack of human resources, as did most of the country. Much of it was due to the depletion of the noble population from the civil war’s subsequent purges.

When Robart saw a letter from Ehrenfest, he remembered that he had not actually sent the extra payment as instructed. Robart hurriedly sent Aub Ehrenfest the additional monies, lest the matter slip his mind again. Out of guilt, Robart then read Aub Ehrenfest’s letter to the Zent right away, and was quite taken aback by its contents. In all honesty, Robart had been afraid that the Aub had written to the Zent to complain about the underpayment by the prince, and he didn’t want to get in trouble for having just sent the additional monies. Robart had figured that he could simply discard the Aub’s letter after reading it, to cover up his prior mistake. He had not at all expected to read something so monumental, though Aub Ehrenfest’s actions made sense to him. He silently commended Aub Ehrenfest for naming Lady Rozemyne his heir, and choosing such an exceptional Dark God for his talented adopted daughter. Robart was a contemporary of Lord Ferdinand’s, though not so excellent that the man would know him. Lord Ferdinand’s persecution by his stepmother had been an open scandal during his years at the Royal Academy. It had also elicited much silent sympathy, that such an outstanding student was treated so cruelly. This, and Lord Ferdinand being sent to the Temple,  had resulted in the current Aub Ehrenfest being viewed with hidden scorn even now. This move would do much to repair the Aub’s reputation. He brought the matter to the Zent’s attention immediately, satisfied that he would approve the engagement quickly.

When Trauerqual read the letter, he felt as he had reached a pivotal point in his life’s course. Despite Magdelena’s counsel,  he still wanted to take young Rozemyne for one of his sons, and he now was being presented with somewhat of an opportunity. She was technically free. She was considered available without the Zent’s approval of her new engagement. However, the matter was even more complicated now because Aub Ehrenfest had declared her his heir. It was a wise decision on the Aub’s part, and one Trauerqual would have made himself in the same situation. Trauerqual knew he couldn’t easily rob a duchy of its chosen heir, at least not without Ehrenfest’s seeming cooperation.  Aub Ehrenfest wanted to engage Lady Rozemyne to his half brother Lord Ferdinand, a man Magdelena described as excellent in every way, but inhumanly cold. He knew that Magdelena would oppose any young woman marrying Ferdinand of Ehrenfest. However, she would be equally opposed to Trauerqual denying Rozemyne the opportunity to be Aub in her own right. Being declared the next Aub was the dream of most archduke candidate daughters, a dream very, very few realized. Most were married out as first ladies of other duchies, if they were lucky. Some were married out as third wives instead, with the second wife position usually being given to native born women in their new duchies. The third and worst option was to be married down within their duchies as first wives to politically valuable archnobles. All were frustrating propositions for intelligent and skilled young women trained to rule.

Under normal  circumstances, Trauerqual would just pressure Aub Ehrenfest to give Lord Ferdinand to the Sovereignty, in order to keep young Rozemyne as his heir. Lord Ferdinand was a genius, and was generally thought to be the co-ruler of Ehrenfest. Trauerqual would be glad enough to obtain the brilliant Lord Ferdinand as a minister, and let the Aub keep his daughter. Lord Ferdinand couldn’t combat the slander of the fundamentalists with his mere presence, like the Saint of Ehrenfest could if she became a princess. However, a genius like him was bound to come up with an effective strategy to defeat them. He also had prodigious mana and was unparalleled in magic tool making.  If he could make tools that the Sovereignty could sell, it might even be better than young Rozemyne’s trends. Of course, Lord Ferdinand would have been included on the contracts so that he would turn a profit. Trauerqual would have obtained only the best materials for him to use. Unfortunately, Magdelena would be positively enraged if he brought the man to work here. She had made that quite clear, which brought Trauerqual back to Lady Rozemyne. If he couldn’t have the genius lord, then he definitely wanted the girl’s ability to create new trends to increase the Sovereignty’s prestige and income. More importantly, he would use her saint status to bolster the royal family’s reputation and oppose the fundamentalists. It would be hard for their slanderous propaganda to be effective if the Saint of Ehrenfest married into the royal family. Clearly having her become his daughter by marriage would make it seem as if the Gods were on his side. Obtaining Lady Rozemyne would not be easy, and there were real risks in trying to manipulating an Aub out of his heir. He heard an inner voice whispering to him to leave it alone, but he just couldn’t. Instead, he called the Aub to the Sovereignty in hopes that he could intimidate and bribe him into giving the girl up.

When Sylvester received the letter from Trauerqual summoning him to the Sovereignty in three days, his stomach immediately dropped. He had known it was coming, but had still prayed that Trauerqual would be wiser. Bonifatius and Karstedt had raged to him privately, and wanted to just revolt. Instead of listening to their battle hungry counsel, he’d contacted Werderkraft in the water mirror and informed him of both his own letter and the subsequent summons. 

Werderkraft had said, “The Zent anticipated this foolish move, as you well know. Do not be concerned. I will dissuade that weakling  Trauerqual, and if not, then Dunklefelger will oppose him with all our might!”

He had raised a clenched fist in the air while speaking excitedly. Obviously, Werderkraft was dearly hoping that Trauerqual would be unreasonable. He reminded Sylvester very much of Bonifatius in that moment. Sylvester had to wonder if perhaps it was wiser for his uncle and Aub Dunklefelger to never meet. There would be way too much of Angriff’s blessings in one room. They might band together and then immediately go storm the Sovereignty!

******************************************

Three days later, the meeting between Trauerqual and Sylvester took place in the throne room.  Trauerqual had decided to have the meeting with the Aub kept standing, and did not permit him to have an escort, much like Anastasius often did with Rozemyne in their meetings. However, unlike his son, Trauerqual had done this to unsettle the Aub intentionally.

Once noble greetings had been exchanged, Trauerqual said, “I was very surprised to receive your letter, Aub Ehrenfest.”

“It was a hard letter to write, your majesty, yet one that is necessary for my duchy.”

Trauerqual then passed an eavesdropping tool to his scholar to pass to Sylvester. The Aub looked surprised to be handed the tool so early in their conversation, but took it without any apparent concern about speaking privately with the Zent, or poison for that matter. That surprised Trauerqual. It was reported that the Aub was a timid man when facing those of higher rank. In fact, the man seemed too calm overall. Where had this new fearlessness come from?

Trauerqual said, “It must be hard, to cast off one’s children as Ewigeliebe cast off the children of his treasured Geduldh.”

“Rather than casting off my children, I have recognized Mestionora as the child who will rule most wisely. Having been raised by the Supreme God, it is fitting that she should don his cloak. This is for the future of Geduldh and my responsibility as Aub.”

Trauerqual parried by saying, “While the proposed Dark God is said to be blessed by Angriff and Mestionora, and by Kuntzeal herself in his appearance, it is also rumored that he is equally blessed by Schneeahst. Is not a Dark God devoid of warmth a poor match for a tender maiden?”

The Aub laughed out loud in response.

He said cheerfully, “My Mestionora has never feared Schneeahst’s cold. She laughs at it and has since before her baptism. She is also blessed by Angriff and even debates him without fear,  and she will one day be his Aub. Now, she has reached the age where she delights in spring, and surprised us all when Bluanfah danced for her with my brother.  Yet, I would trust no one else as her future Dark God. He has attended to her health all these years and has been her trusted Erwachlehren. Truly, my duchy’s future is secure in their hands.”

Trauerqual frowned minutely. This wasn’t going the way he had foreseen at all. Aub Ehrenfest was not over awed by his majesty as Zent. He was not intimidated by being forced to meet standing up in the throne room, alone without a retinue. The Aub hadn’t even been insulted by the accusation that the he had thrown away his own blood children. Now, the man had laughed in his face, and said that Lord Ferdinand was actually young Rozemyne’s choice. Trauerqual decided to switch to the direct approach.

He said, “Aub Ehrenfest, your daughter has honestly earned my admiration with all of her achievements at such a young age. I would like Lady Rozemyne to reside in the Sovereignty upon graduation, where her talents can truly flourish and grow. In fact, I believe one as highly gifted as she is should join the royal family,  and my eldest my sons are both closer to her in age after all.”

“I’m very honored by your thoughts,  Sire. However, being an Aub in her own right is also an honorable and prestigious achievement, and she is necessary to the future of Ehrenfest. Her creativity actually seems to flourish from her being surrounded by what she loves. As for my brother, he has been my most valued minister. He is the perfect Dark God for her, already being familiar with my duchy’s administration. Although I count his maturity as an asset, in truth, he is not that far apart in age from your eldest son.”

Trauerqual said, “Wouldn’t it be more fitting to  choose one of your own blood children to follow you as Aub, and bring prestige to Ehrenfest through your adopted daughter’s marriage to a prince? You have both another son and another daughter by blood, no? Making one of them your heir would honor your bloodline, while young Rozemyne wedding one of my royal sons would bring honor to Ehrenfest. That seems ideal to me.”

“Rozemyne’s father is my own cousin, the nephew of my father, Sire. We are both from the archducal bloodline of Ehrenfest. Regrettably,  none of my other children are as talented as she is, or as skilled in eradicating factional divides. I wish that they were, but they aren’t.  It is well known that Chaoscipher ruled in Ehrenfest for longer than I’ve been alive. It’s only through strenuous effort on my part, with the aid of my brother and my adopted daughter, that my Geduldh has started to truly heal. My daughter and my brother already have the love of the people for all the good work that they have done. This is why I named her my heir and chose him as her future Dark God. It is an ideal pairing.”

Trauerqual was getting really frustrated now. Why was this middle duchy Aub so immovable?!

He said, “Marriage to one of my sons is not without benefits. Ehrenfest’s rank would rise as a result, even become a grand duchy.”

“Again, thank you for your generous offer, but Ehrenfest already is struggling with its meteoric rise. We are not prepared to be a grand duchy at this time. Also, my daughter would be absolutely inconsolable if she was parted from my brother and Ehrenfest. Though she would be a princess, such things are no consolation to a young lady torn from the one she loves, her home, and the promise of Entrinduge’s future blessings.”

Trauerqual frowned ferociously now. Did this Aub mean to imply that his royal sons couldn’t match a middle duchy archduke candidate at all?! Trauerqual would not let that pass!

He demanded, “Do you mean to imply that Entrinduge might withhold her blessings from a royal star binding, Aub Ehrenfest?! To my knowledge, your daughter’s health has prevented her normal maturation, and she has not even developed mana sensing. Therefore, on what basis, do you make such an outrageous claim?!”

The Aub then looked directly into his eyes without fear.

He said, “It was the most incredible thing, your majesty. I had finally accepted that my son could never be Aub. He doesn’t have the mindset, or any real interest in duchy management. It was only my desire to have him follow after me that led me to choose him to be the next Aub, when he is so clearly not suited to the position. I came to see that continuing to force him down the path of an Aub would only end in tragedy for my duchy. However, Rozemyne is beyond gifted in areas in which he is lacking.  She is already invested in duchy industries, the Temple, and was able to bring all of the children of the different factions under her banner at the Royal Academy. Everyone wants to know the secret of Ehrenfest’s rapid improvement in grades. This is it. Eliminate factional politics among the children and they will help each other improve. Rozemyne did this. She is a natural born leader. She doesn’t deserve to languish in the shadow of my son, when he is, unfortunately, not even her equal. I named her heir, and then proposed my brother as her Dark God. She was delighted. Apparently, she had longed to end her engagement to my son. After I matched her to my brother, the Gods grew her overnight!”

Trauerqual was struck silent. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, and Aub Ehrenfest’s tale about his son being not suited to rule had made him intensely uncomfortable.

He asked Sylvester impatiently, “What do you mean the Gods grew her?!”

“Exactly that, your majesty. She went to bed one night, too small and frail for her years, and rose the next morning fully matured for her age. The Gods healed her as soon as I gave up insisting that my son be the next Aub and decided to engage her to Ferdinand. As a consequence of her maturation, her mana sensing developed, and well, he’s the only man in the entire duchy that she can sense, and vice versa. Truly, the Gods have already blessed their union with this miracle.”

Trauerqual was half contemptuous of such a ridiculous tale, but also half afraid. Could this tale of her being grown by the Gods really be true? If so, Trauerqual was very interested in seeing this transformation. Additionally, although the Aub had rejected his offer, he wondered if the girl herself might favor a royal marriage. While offering her Anastasius may not work, Sigiswald was handsome and the next Zent. The girl’s stellar academic achievements spoke to her ambitious nature, and being a future Queen was a position several ranks above a middle duchy Aub.

He said to Sylvester, “If this is true, I must see her for myself.”

“Your majesty, why would I tell such a outrageous lie that is so easily disproved? If you want to see her immediately, you need only call Aub Dunklefelger on the water mirror now. I’m sure he will be glad to show you Rozemyne at your request. I will even wait if you wish.”

Trauerqual raised his voice then, “Why is your daughter in Dunklefelger?!”

“His majesty knows that my brother and I traveled to Dunklefelger to receive fruit and vegetable samples. I will confess to you that it is to develop new recipes. When Rozemyne found out that we were going, she pleaded most desperately to accompany us. Young Lady Hannelore is her dear friend, and they were very happy to see each other. I left her there under the care of my brother as my scholars go through the produce samples. Of course, the Dunklefelgers are loathe to let him return home so soon. He is quite idolized there due to his past victories in Ditter.”

The Aub’s explanation made sense, so Trauerqual didn’t think the man was lying. However, in order to not tip Aub Ehrenfest off about his unease, he would now have to contact Werderkraft. He really had hoped to settle the matter without the other duchies finding out. Why couldn’t this Aub just be happy about his daughter marrying into the royal family, like any normal archduke of middle rank? Trauerqual would then be publicly blameless for young Rozemyne leaving Ehrenfest. Who turned down a royal proposal for their daughter anyway?! Even more disturbing was that Aub Ehrenfest seemed very confident that neither of his sons would receive Entrinduge’s blessings with the girl. However, the Aub could also be bluffing. Trauerqual had a very hard time believing that Ferdinand of Ehrenfest, who Magdelena said had an enormous reservoir of mana, could be matched by a girl that young. Surely his mana was much greater than hers, and well beyond the range of her sensing. Was this Aub secretly planning a white marriage? He then realized that Aub Ehrenfest was still waiting for his response.

Trauerqual said, scrambling to maintain his dignity as Zent, “I realize that it would make no sense to tell such a preposterous lie. However, what you have said is still beyond belief. I must see her with my own eyes.”

Sylvester of Ehrenfest laughed again, which Trauerqual found grating.

The Aub said in a voice filled with mirth, “I understand, your majesty. It is something better seen than explained, but I warn you, the seeing is also a shock in itself.”

Trauerqual ended his meeting with the Aub feeling very unsettled.

Chapter Text

Trauerqual had the stubborn Aub Ehrenfest brought to an extravagant parlor where he was reunited with his entourage, and given tea and sweets while he waited. Trauerqual headed directly to the water mirror room to contact Dunklefelger. He had knots in his stomach. He somehow felt like he was heading towards a cliff, but was too far down the path to turn back. He shook off the fanciful notion. He had every right as Zent to seek the best brides for his royal sons. The Saint of Ehrenfest’s mantle could cover his whole family. 

There was a short wait after Dunklefelger was contacted before Werderkraft appeared in the water mirror. However, Trauerqual found the man’s mood to be strange. His voice was calm, but his eyes seemed ferocious, and Werderkraft took control of the conversation from the start. He gave his noble greetings and then jumped directly into to asking the reason for the call with none of the customary small talk.

He simply said, “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I heard the most incredulous tale from Ehrenfest.”

Werderkraft only said, “Oh?”

Trauerqual waited for Werderkraft to continue, but nothing else was said. The man seemed to be in a positively bizarre mood.

Finally forced to speak again himself, Trauerqual said, “I’ve heard that young Lady Rozemyne was grown by the Gods overnight. I must see this wonder for myself. Aub Ehrenfest told me that she was visiting with your daughter.”

The look in Werderkraft’s eyes was now making the hairs on the back of Trauerqual’s neck stand up, but Werderkraft’s voice was quiet, soft even.

He said, “It’s entirely true. It is a miraculous blessing bestowed by the Gods upon one whom they truly love. If her Aub gives his permission and  meets her there, I would be happy to send a Dunklefelger escort to bring her to you in the Sovereignty.”

For some reason, Werderkraft’s words terrified him, even though Trauerqual couldn’t understand why he felt that way. Anyway, he didn’t really want to meet with Aub Ehrenfest again. This water mirror meeting would give Trauerqual the opportunity to speak with Lady Rozemyne without her father being present. She deserved to know that she had other options for her future.

Trauerqual said, “No, that’s not necessary, but thank you for the offer. If you would though, could you allow the young lady to use the water mirror, so that I can see her with my own eyes?”

Werderkraft just stared at him for a long moment, in which Trauerqual became increasingly more uncomfortable.

Finally Werderkraft said, “I will bring her, but I will remain in the room.”

“That’s very gracious, but unnecessary.” Trauerqual demurred.

“It’s entirely necessary. Any conversation with you should only take place in the presence of her Aub. She is underage and her Aub is not present. I will stand in for him. She is visiting as a guest of my daughter, and therefore, currently under my protection as the Aub of Dunklefelger. I could no more allow you to meet alone with her than I would allow you to meet alone with my own daughter.”

And then Werderkraft simply walked out of the room without a further word. Damn it, thought Trauerqual. Of course, Werderkraft was entirely correct, but he had not anticipated that the man would be willing to stand in for Aub Ehrenfest. Any other Aub would have ignored protocol in order to accommodate the Zent, and then sought to gain undue favor for his duchy in repayment. It was unfortunate, but he could hardly object to Werderkraft’s presence after the man’s little speech. However, the Aub’s presence was only undesirable, not insurmountable.

Just as he was wondering how long Werderkraft would make him wait, the burly Aub reentered the room. At first Trauerqual thought that the Aub was alone, but then he moved to the side showing Lady Rozemyne behind him. Trauerqual was speechless. This beautiful vision of a young lady was little Rozemyne?! How could this be?! Had Ehrenfest lied about her being 12?!  Was she really already of age? No. He was being absurd. Magdelena had said she looked six when she entered the Royal Academy. Those golden moon eyes were definitely hers, but her voice had changed as well. She spoke her noble greetings in a husky voice that was quite melodic. Her night sky hair seemed even more lustrous than usual, and twinkled with a new type of  hair pin. It appeared to be a flat metallic flower, with the center and each petal bearing an inlaid white feystone  that shimmered iridescently in all colors. It was very beautiful. Actually,  it was a work of art and might start a new trend, if it could be replicated.  He wasn't so sure it could. The sinking feeling in his stomach intuitively told him it was a courtship gift from Lord Ferdinand.  He spied a truly exquisite bracelet on her wrist as well when she crossed her arms and bowed to him. Did Lord Ferdinand intend to cover her in his ice before even getting the Zent’s official approval on his engagement?! But truly, the girl’s appearance was really shocking! Little Rozemyne had always had a pretty face, but her stunted growth had been saddening. How could this ethereal young beauty be the same overly small girl?!

Her rich contralto voice asked, “You requested to see me?”

Her voice now seemed too mature for her years, even as her old voice had been too young sounding for her age. He had a inkling that his sons might fight over this girl. Magdelena had said even little Hildebrand had a crush on her. Somehow, he didn’t think her new mature form would dissuade his youngest. Sigiswald should get her as the future Zent, yet Anastasius needed other wives too. The royal family was too small.

Trauerqual said, “Yes. Your adopted father told me of your growth and I had to see it with my own eyes.”

She laughed, and said, “Yes, it’s quite startling, to say the least.”

“I hope that you are well and that there are no lingering effects from such rapid growth. There has never been another case such as this.”

“I am very well. Thank you.” Her smile was genuine.

Trauerqual looked at Werderkraft who was watching him impassively. He decided to broach the subject.  Ultimately, it wasn’t any of Werderkraft’s business anyway, and there wouldn’t be another chance to speak to the young lady without her Aub being present. Surely she didn’t want to marry the man Magdelena fled from, despite what her father said. The Aub had most probably lied. And what noble girl in her right mind would decline the opportunity to be a princess upon graduation from the Royal Academy? Trauerqual wanted to at least plant the seed in her mind. Such a smart young lady should be able to persuade her recalcitrant adopted father into agreeing to a royal match. And the Zent wouldn’t be accused of robbing Ehrenfest for simply agreeing to the young lady’s wishes. She still had a few years before she graduated. Long enough to allow the seed of ambition to take root, grow, and bloom.

Trauerqual said, “Your adopted father met with me to discuss the change in your fiance’.”

“Oh, I see.” And she continued smiling.

Trauerqual smiled back genially and said in a pleasant voice, “He said that you are slated to don the cloak of darkness for Ehrenfest.  Congratulations. That is only fitting for one with your achievements.”

“Thank you very much.”

Trauerqual continued, “Yes, it's a wonderful opportunity, and there are many opportunities for one so gifted. Your future is almost limitless. An incredibly talented young lady such as yourself could be raised even higher upon coming of age, be granted a far more exalted station which would bring glory to Ehrenfest.”

Lady Rozemyne’s open expression slammed shut. She stopped smiling immediately. The soft look on her delicate face turned hard, and her eyes took on a distinctive martial glint. Trauerqual was very taken aback by such an extreme change in her demeanor.

She said, almost curtly, “Thank you for the offer, but I must decline. I have no desire to be separated from my Geduldh or future Dark God. Even the prestige of a more exalted station would not move me to be parted from that which I hold dear. Did you wish to discuss anything else with me?”

Trauerqual had never been so dismissively refused before in his life. She didn’t even reference the honor of receiving  a royal marriage offer, however vague the offer might have been. Before he could even respond to her offense, Werderkraft spoke.

He said gently to Lady Rozemyne, “You may leave us now.” She crossed her arms over her chest, bowed again to Trauerqual, and abruptly left.

Werderkraft then faced Trauerqual, and it was only now that Trauerqual realized his brother-in-law was very angry. And he had been from the start.

Werderkraft said quietly, “I’m omni-elemental and have 18 blessings.”

Trauerqual’s eyes widened in surprise at the Aub’s revelation. Magdelena hadn’t told him that Werderkraft was this powerful!

The Aub continued, “Yet, Lady Rozemyne’s mana is like the hazy memory of a barely heard whisper, one so faint that the words spoken could not even be discerned. Her mana greatly surpasses my own. There is no world in which your sons can match her.  If you think that Dunklefelger will silently stand by and watch you coerce an invaluable heir to an up and coming duchy into  a white marriage to prop up the reign of yet another Wisdomless Zent, you are very much mistaken.”

Trauerqual went white in shock, and then deep red in rage.

He roared, “I am your Zent!”

“In fact, you are not. Not truly, because you never found the Grutrissheit. What you  actually are is the last of the princes who destroyed the country by losing the sacred Wisdom needed to rule it. Dunklefelger won the war for you because my sister forced our hand by choosing you as a husband, and the only way out was to either fight for you, or slaughter you and Magdelena both and gift your feystones to your mad brother. Yes, you are a better alternative than him. However, you promised that you would find the Grutrissheit, and you didn't. Instead, you are now looking to steal yet another bride from Ferdinand of Ehrenfest thinking to what, legitimize Sigiswald’s reign? No one will follow him. They barely follow you. You were simply the last prince standing. But just as you are no Waldifried, Sigiswald is not you. He is a lazy, unintelligent, poor excuse for a future Zent whose one talent seems to be offending everyone who meets him with his insufferable arrogance. He is widely detested. As for that Ewigeliebe incarnate, Anastasius, his pursuit of Eglantine was unhinged. He followed her from place to place, interrogating her associates about her romantic interests, forcing his way into private parties, and using his royal privilege to coerce compliance with his demands. If we wanted a mad prince to rule us, we could have kept your brother. Your sons are unfit to rule, especially without a Grutrissheit, and trying to pressure Ehrenfest to part with Lady Rozemyne and make her wed one of them and lift him up is both dishonorable and weak.”

Trauerqual was filled with incandescent rage! He gaped at Werderkraft, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water. He couldn’t believe what the man had said! He couldn’t understand why he was saying it! Werderkraft had said he wasn’t Zent!

“Are you a fundamentalist now?!”, Trauerqual shouted in fury at Werderkraft, his eyes glowing with mana.

“Why would I align myself those low-manaed, power hungry, dissident fools?”

Trauerqual  bellowed, “Then how dare you speak to me so?!”

“How dare I speak the truth, you mean? I’ll speak some more. The path that you are choosing, the one where you think you can pacify the people by using Lady Rozemyne’s blessings to distract them from the fact that you don’t have a Grutrissheit, that path will end in your failure and doom.”

Trauerqual stared at him in disbelief. Where was all this contempt coming from?! He couldn’t understand what was happening right now! What is happening?!

He asked Werderkraft in all seriousness, “Is all this about Hildebrand not being named heir?”

Werderkraft sighed audibly in exasperation.

“Trauerqual, this is about you and your Wisdomless state. A state which you seemed determined to pass on to your sons, and which you seem to expect us all to simply accept. Dunklefelger won’t support another generation of Wisdomless Zents, not even one with Dunklefelger blood. Most of the country won’t either. Not now. The Ahrensbach Gate is closing. You can’t open the others. You can’t even redraw the territory boundaries to allow the winning duchies to claim the lands that you awarded to them after the war. People are dying in those territories because farm land is becoming arid due to mana starvation. Even in other places, there is widespread  mana scarcity, and nobles have become more scarce themselves. The country is in infinitely worse condition than before your greedy oldest brother killed Waldifried. You have failed to find the Grutrissheit and the country is suffering. It will not stand.”

Trauerqual just continued staring at him.

Werderkraft said, “Approve the engagement, Trauerqual. Having  the Saint of Ehrenfest as a future daughter-in-law won’t save you when the Ahrensbach Gate slams shut. In fact, she will only reveal your desperation for all to see because no one will mistake her blessings from the Gods for yours.”

Angry as he was, Trauerqual still grasped at a chance to win Werderkraft  to his side regarding Rozemyne,  and show the Aub that he did want to find the Gruttrisheit.

He said, “I heard that Lady Rozemyne translated one of your histories written in the old language into the modern vernacular. Maybe if Lady Rozemyne wed into the royal family, she could help us find the Grutrissheit by deciphering some ancient text or clue yet hidden in the royal library.”

In response, Werderkraft dared to openly sneer at Trauerqual in disgust.

He said, “If Lady Rozemyne found the sacred Wisdom, then she would be Zent. And the Sword of the Zent would be duty bound to protect her, and we would protect her most zealously. I suggest that you study up on the ancient language, and approve her engagement in Ehrenfest.”

Then Werderkraft disconnected the communication and left Trauerqual staring at a pool of still liquid.

Trauerqual went through a series of emotions very rapidly: red rage, burning resentment, a hot desire for vengeance  against Werderkraft for his utter disrespect, a sense of deep shame, intense humiliation, and finally a feeling of deep foreboding that made his blood run cold. Unless the Grutrissheit was found, Werderkraft had basically promised to withdraw Dunklefelger’s support if Sigiswald or Anastasius became Zent, but he wouldn’t back Hildebrand as his uncle either. He also said that he would defend Rozemyne’s claim to the throne if she found the Grutrissheit. Not only her, but he implied he would back anyone who found it as the Sword of the Zent. Werderkraft words also seemed to imply that his days as Zent were numbered, contingent upon if and when the Ahrensbach Gate fully closed. His scholars’ reports had indicated that his favorability had plummeted as of late. However, he hadn’t been told it was as bad as this, not at all. Of course, he primarily relied on his trusted Klassenberg and Gilessenmeyer scholars for information on public opinion. Was Werderkraft speaking only for himself? Or were his favored scholars withholding the full truth, softening the blow to him? Or perhaps they themselves had not gathered the full facts? Trauerqual was desperate to answer these questions. He must, for his own sake and the sake of his sons.

When his mana was back under control, he opened the door to the water mirror room and saw Helmar working in the outer office. Helmar was an archnoble scholar from Drewanchel who was extremely smart, but honest to a degree that most nobles found distasteful. Helmar seemed to find many of Trauerqual’s other scholars wanting, and had little tolerance for most of his non-Drewanchel colleagues. His work was superb, but his personality was off-putting because of his bluntness. His lack of willingness to ingratiate himself to move ahead hadn’t won him many friends either. Trauerqual thought Aub Drewanchel had sent him to the Sovereignty to be an annoyance on purpose. He beckoned Helmar into the water mirror room. This was one scholar who would tell him the unvarnished truth, and whose rigid honor would make him trustworthy.

Helmar bowed and made his greetings. He then looked around the room with open curiosity, barely restraining himself from asking to examine the water mirror.

Instead he asked, “How may I serve you, my Zent? A malfunction in the` water mirror?”

Such a Drewanchel, thought Trauerqual. They so loved magic tools. Helmar even looked hopeful at the thought of a malfunction that he might be able to try and fix.

He said, “Helmar, I  want to verify some information I received recently using a new resource. Tell me, honestly, what is the public’s opinion regarding my sons, each of them, as future Zent?”

Helmar widened his eyes. Oh, this is bad, Trauerqual thought. Even Helmar was hesitating.

Helmar said, “You asked for honesty, and as my Zent, I will give it to you. Prince Sigiswald is highly unfavored. Without the Grutrissheit to shield him, I would predict that his reign would not last longer than two years, possibly less, before he was …………….removed. Prince Anastasius is less disliked than his brother, but still unfavored. He would perhaps finish out four years, possibly. Both princes are viewed as not having the correct combination of skills and, ahh, temperament to rule effectively. Prince Hildebrand is still young, and people are more optimistic about him. He would probably last ten years, perhaps longer. There is also the fear of Dunklefelger’s retaliation,........if he was removed.”

Trauerqual was deeply shaken to his core. He could barely remain standing. This was so much worse than his other scholars had ever even hinted. His sons! His sons were in danger!

He asked hesitantly, “And my favorability if the Ahrensbach Gate closes?”

Helmar looked down, but then looked up and faced Trauerqual bravely.

“My Zent, your safety would become extremely uncertain. Extremely. Without a doubt, none of your sons would ever be permitted by the noble populace to ascend as Zent without the Grutrissheit. The absence of it would be too monumental for them to any longer overlook.”

Trauerqual was barely holding himself together at this point. He wanted to scream. Everything Helmar was saying aligned with what Werderkraft had just said so defiantly, and revealed much more of a threat to his immediate survival than he could have ever possibly imagined. How could his hand picked scholars have not uncovered something so incredibly dangerous to him and his family?!

He asked, “Helmar, why is your information so much more dire than what other scholars have shared with me?”

“My Zent, you usually rely on Klassenberg and Gilessenmeyer scholars for information gathering, and scholars from Drewanchel and other duchies to do work only. But, if I may,  Klassenberg is connected to the royal family by centuries of intermarriage, and the mother of the future Zent is from Gilessenmeyer. These duchies’ fates are intimately tied to yours. Few would tell individuals from either duchy this particular full truth, not when it directly impacts the listeners themselves. Those of lower standing are fearful of sharing unwelcome news with high ranking individuals who may have..... an intense reaction to hearing unpleasant information. And forgive me, but individuals from those two duchies are rather high handed in their dealings with others because of their preferential treatment by, well, you. Such behavior is not conducive to encouraging the free flow of information. Intelligence gathering requires one to be dispassionate, and to respect your sources,  both high and low. I am your scholar. You asked me for the full truth, so I told you the full truth based on my information. You cannot protect yourself as Zent without accurate intelligence. At the very least, one needs to know when to flee.”

Well, that was definitely blunt, thought Trauerqual, especially the last part. Dispassionate indeed. He then wondered what Helmar’s perspective would be on taking young Rozemyne into the royal family. Would he agree with Werderkraft that her saint’s mantle wouldn’t cover them, or would Helmar have a different view?

Trauerqual asked, “In your opinion, would one of my sons taking a highly coveted bride increase the safety of the royal family? Improve its public image among nobles?”

Helmar blinked in confusion at the enigmatic subject change. Then, he closed his eyes and began thinking out loud.

“Highly coveted bride? Eglantine of Klassenberg has already been secured by the royal family, as has Adolphine of Drewanchel. Dietlinde of Ahrensbach has the pedigree, but low intelligence, and her personality is such that she is viewed as being actually unbalanced. She is coveted by none. That leaves Hannelore of Dunklefelger. Her marrying into the royal family would be helpful as a further show of military support for your reign. Very helpful indeed regarding the safety of the royal family. Hmm. But, it is doubtful that the Dunklefelger would want to give another princess to the royal family without the Grutrissheit being found. Therefore, the bride discussed could only be......... Rozemyne of Ehrenfest!  Rozemyne of Ehrenfest is highly coveted as a bride.”

He opened his eyes and looked at Trauerqual, and said,  “In the current political climate, you would very likely be seen as a villain if you took Lady Rozemyne from Ehrenfest, since she is engaged already, with your approval. However, if Ehrenfest and the lady herself, were willing,  truly willing,  her joining the royal family might bring some benefit since she is lauded as a saint. Unfortunately, her marriage to one of your older sons would not significantly sway public opinion in either of the princes’ favor.  Public opinion regarding the elder princes is  based on, ahh, interactions others have had with the princes themselves.  However, having her join the royal family could very well mitigate some of the damage done to your reputation by the fundamentalists, in a small way. However, Ehrenfest can’t afford to easily give her up. You would have to compensate them tremendously to tempt them to part with her, and when I say compensate, I mean in gold coins.”

Trauerqual stared at Helmar in shock. Her ability to turn the tables on the fundamentalist was exactly why Trauerqual wanted her in the royal family. And her now rumored overwhelming mana would be extremely helpful. The royal family desperately needed mana suppliers.  But instead of her bringing money into the royal family, Helmar was suggesting that they should pay for her?! Like a common born servant?!

He said sharply, “Helmar,  are you suggesting that I buy a noble lady as if she were a commoner?!”

Helmar said calmly, “I’m suggesting that you compensate Ehrenfest for the loss that the duchy would suffer when her trends and personal prestige are diverted from Ehrenfest to the Sovereignty through all the years of her marriage to a royal.”

“And how would you valuate her worth? What amount would you deem fair?”, Trauerqual demanded.

“A lifetime of Lady Rozemyne’s trends and saintly prestige? I would say 70 large gold coins.”

Trauerqual yelled, “That figure is insane! Where are you getting that number?!”

“Sire, Drewanchel believes that Lady Rozemyne is the source of all of Ehrenfest’s recent success, in every area.  Ehrenfest tries to hide it, but intelligence from the Royal Academy indicates that she speaks very fluently and knowledgeably on every trend that she is asked about. Very knowledgeably. Far more so than her close in age adopted siblings. Also, Ehrenfest’s rise as a duchy coincides with Lady Rozemyne’s entrance into the Royal Academy. I personally believe Ehrenfest’s stellar success would stop if she left. The duchy might improve on her existing trends and hold onto their rank, but its rise would cease. However, creativity has no age limit. Lady Rozemyne could still be creating new trends when she’s much, much older, perhaps even in the late winter of her life. Her carriage highbeast idea appealed to ladies across the age spectrum, and it absolutely allows elderly individuals to travel more comfortably, particularly in inclement weather.”

Trauerqual countered by saying, “Their grades began to rise a little before she entered the Royal Academy.”

“Not like this. During her first exam, all of the Ehrenfest students in class with her finished their tests in record time for that Duchy and they all passed. It’s her. It’s all her, and Ehrenfest will lose that if she leaves the duchy. She’s an outlier like her mentor, Lord Ferdinand, a misfit. Unlike him, she seems to be able to drag others up to new heights with her. In fact, she’s pulling up the whole duchy. 70 large gold coins may be too little.”

Trauerqual said, “You seem to be very well informed on Ehrenfest.”

“Sire, what scholar isn’t? Their recent trends and achievements are at the forefront of the national stage, and Lady Rozemyne is leading their vanguard.”

Unfortunately, the answer to his question was that Trauerqual’s favored scholars seemed not to be as informed, about Ehrenfest and other crucial matters.

Trauerqual said, “At any rate, the Sovereignty can’t afford to hand over 70 large gold coins at once to Ehrenfest or any one duchy, and definitely not more.”

Helmar said, “That’s entirely understandable. In fact, Aub Ehrenfest might not want to part with her for any amount,  and he’s only part of the equation.”

“What do you mean? What is the other part if the Aub is willing?”

“Well, Lady Rozemyne herself.”, answered Helmar.

“As a noble daughter, shouldn’t she comply with the edicts of her father and Aub? While her eagerness for a royal marriage would be very helpful in swaying the Aub, in the end, her personal agreement isn’t necessary if he gives the order.”

“My Zent, there is a vast difference between compliance and willingness. One can do little and still be in compliance, whereas the willing are eager to help, to serve. For one so frail, Lady Rozemyne seems unusually blessed by Angriff. Having rejected the Dunklefelger heir, she appears unmoved by either power or prestige, and is well able to earn her own riches. If married against her wishes, she could dedicate her life to covert resistance all within the confines of compliance with the royal family’s will. It would be very challenging to deal with her, if she obeys all of your commands but not their objectives. For example, you order her to come up with new trends, and she does. However, all of the trends that she develops under orders are very  small, and are never as popular as hair pins, or pound cake, or carriage high beasts ever again. Never underestimate the value of willing cooperation over coercion. Or, Lady Rozemyne, being a misfit, might simply challenge whichever prince you choose to a Bride Stealing Ditter,  and then fight on her own behalf. She might also possibly win. I’m sure she knows how to make absolutely deadly magic tools having learned at the knee of Ferdinand of Ehrenfest. People might even die. However, the royal prince challenged would suffer a tremendous loss of manly honor if he declined to fight, particularly in the eyes of Dunklefelger. It would make him appear afraid to face a small girl.”

Trauerqual blinked at Helmar’s surprising assessment of the  character of the young lady that he had just spoken with in the water mirror. She had said she wasn’t moved by prestige herself. And Aub Ehrenfest had also said young Rozemyne was blessed by Angriff. Trauerqual  had really thought that as Zent he could tempt Lady Rozemyne directly,  that she would blush and sigh over the idea of becoming a princess like any normal young maiden. She had refused him most clearly. Still, the decision of who to marry wasn’t made by young girls. As for this scholar, Trauerqual was finding Helmar uncomfortable to speak with because his insight was uncanny. His pronouncements were also blunt and heavy like blows from a blacksmith’s hammer,  but his mind was razor sharp.

He asked Helmar, “Do you really think she would dare challenge a royal prince to a Bride Stealing Ditter?”

“Probably not, but one never knows with misfits.”

Trauerqual confided, “She has been declared Aub Ehrenfest’s heir.”

Helmar looked shocked. He asked, “What reason do you have to take the appointed heir of a duchy, my Zent?”

“What reason would I need to give?” Trauerqual was curious about what options this very knowledgeable scholar might provide.

Helmar cautioned, “My Zent, this goes beyond public backlash for you taking an engaged lady for the royal family. If she is the acknowledged heir, the Book of Laws requires even you to show some proof of why it is necessary to destabilize an entire duchy by interfering with the succession of the Aub’s seat.”

“Surely there must be exceptions? Circumstances that would allow it?”, Trauerqual asked.

Helmar said in a resigned voice, “Well, if she was the best mana match for one of your sons, and he could match no one else, then you could take her because royal heirs of the blood are required for the stability of the country. The Aubs would certainly excuse you for that reason. However, this pertains to individuals with unusually high mana who are difficult to match. That is not the case with any of your sons.”

“What else?”, asked Trauerqual.

“The Book of Laws allows for a marriage arrangement to be challenged, if it is suspected that it will be a white one. If Lady Rozemyne is being forced into a white marriage to keep her in the duchy as heir, you could take her if one of your sons is a match. However, this particular codification is to prevent unwilling individuals of lesser rank from being forced into unions that Entrinduge will not bless. While a white marriage cannot be forced, it can be agreed to if both parties consent. The Aubs will not forgive you for interfering in the succession of a fellow Aub’s seat due to a white marriage. There are instances where duchy heirs simply cannot find their matches among those who are both available and politically suitable. The Aubs would become fearful that you would interfere in the succession in their duchies by challenging the political white marriages that they may also be arranging. That would be very politically dangerous at this time.”

“Is there any way to persuade the Aubs to my side?”

Helmar closed his eyes briefly in thought and then suddenly opened them.

He said, “If you changed the narrative to work against Aub Ehrenfest, then there would be a remote possibility. Very remote. Currently, he is viewed as forcing Lady Rozemyne to slave for his duchy’s success, while treating his blood children better. The Aub’s son by blood, who is not outstanding, having been the chosen heir was too reminiscent of the Aub himself being chosen as heir over his far more talented brother, Lord Ferdinand. Also,  it’s said in the Royal Academy that the entourages of Lady Rozemyne’s adopted siblings are notably larger than hers, which is absurd given her importance to the duchy. In fairness, it must be noted that Lady Rozemyne’s entourage is said to be vastly superior to that of her siblings, and vastly more devoted too. Again, if the Aub is planning to bind her in a white marriage, then you could discredit him. Lady Rozemyne not having blood heirs only benefits Aub Ehrenfest. He could have made her his heir simply because he is facing intense political pressure from within his duchy. However, if she has no children, then his grandchildren from his blood children would inherit after her, but that would not be to her advantage. You could say she was being unfairly used for the benefit of Aub Ehrenfest’s future descendants. Of course, my intelligence indicates that she has yet to go through mana sensing due to her age and stunted growth. Therefore, this plan could not be enacted, at least not yet. It also falls apart if she is not being bound in a white marriage.”

Trauerqual shared, “The Gods, apparently, recently grew her, and she now appears very mature for her 12 years. She also looks very healthy. She is quite lovely, the very picture of feminine grace. I saw her with my own eyes.”

He asked, “The Gods grew her?! Truly?! When did this happen?!” Calm Helmar was now very excited.

“Ah, recently, according to Aub Ehrenfest. Apparently it happened over the course of a single night’s sleep. Helmar, does that change anything?”

“A single night?!......Well, I suppose you could hold a mana matching then, if one of your sons was a good match for her, and  Ehrenfest has not yet secured a better one. However, even if a white marriage is being proposed, she may not in fact feel used at all if her siblings’ children inherit. Being an Aub, ruling in her own right, might still be worth it to her, especially as a female. Also, in order to benefit from Lady Rozemyne’s saint status, she must appear to willingly align herself with the royal family. It cannot appear to be a forced marriage. That is the only way to both avoid the anger of the Aubs and benefit from her reputation.”

Trauerqual said, “What if Aub Ehrenfest presented a  potential Dark God for her from within Ehrenfest, one he believes would likely match her?”

Helmar closed his eyes and thought out loud again.

“A match from within Ehrenfest? Hmm. Lady Rozemyne would also need Dark God who can rule when she can’t due to Entriduge’s blessings and being Wiegemilch, which means an archduke candidate. The adopted brother is out, which leaves….”

Helmar opened his eyes in shock, and said to Trauerqual, “Oh, Gods! Do you mean Ferdinand of Ehrenfest himself?!”

“Yes.”, Trauerqual answered quietly.

Helmar shook his head firmly.

He said, “My Zent,  after all that you have disclosed to me, it is quite clear that you made Aub Ehrenfest an offer, and he declined. I advise you to let go of this immediately. I beg you to please put it from your mind forever. Lord Ferdinand is a truly outstanding Dark God for her. He is outstanding period. Far from making Lady Rozemyne slave for him, Aub Ehrenfest is joining one coveted prize to another. Obviously, Lady Rozemyne’s mana sensing must have manifested along with her growth. That is how Aub Ehrenfest knows that she will match his brother. I’m sorry, but your sons will not match her at all. Very few people could.  You cannot force a white marriage, however royal, on an Aub’s heir when a match that Entrinduge blesses has been found within the duchy. In fact, the other Aubs may very well revolt if you try. Aub Ehrenfest has chosen to marry his heir to one of the finest Dark Gods in all of Yurgenschmidt. The Aub’s reputation will soar through the roof. The only reason Lord Ferdinand never married is because his huge mana capacity is nearly impossible to match! It’s why he was named the Lord of Evil!”

Trauerqual was confused by this last statement, as it did not align with what Magdelena had told him. He was also confused as to why dispassionate Helmar had suddenly become so excited over Lord Ferdinand.

He said, “Helmar, I understood that he was called the Lord of Evil due to the vicious traps and magic tools that he used in Ditter.”

Helmar said, “That is why Dunklefelger called him Evil. The reason why they called him Lord was because they equated his mana level to be that of a seasonal feybeast lord, such as the Lords of Summer and Winter. He is very powerful, and was still very young at the time he received that moniker. You must also understand that the moniker is a sign of the deepest respect.”

“That is not exactly what my Queen told me.”

“Forgive me, Sire, but Queen Magdelena is probably the only Dunklefelger in the whole world who does not admire Lord Ferdinand. I mean that quite literally.”

“Why, as my scholar, are you so exuberant over this match?”

Helmar looked sheepish as he said, “Apologies, Sire. I just can’t wait to see what those two misfits create together in Ehrenfest. It is bound to be something truly remarkable.  And their children! I wonder if their children will inherit all their gifts and mana?! Will the Gods love Lady Rozemyne’s children like they love her?!”

Trauerqual suddenly understood. Helmar saw the two as prime research subjects now paired together,  and apparently their nonexistent children were worthy of researching as well.

“Why do Lord Ferdinand and Lady Rozemyne have so much mana anyway? Lady Rozemyne isn’t even of age!” Trauerqual groused.