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Chapter Text

The Aristocratic Academy's stadium. It is a training ground for knight apprentices, and in recent years it has also become the stage for the Ditter, a speed competition between territories, and the spectator seats are also a social gathering for the territorial competition. The elite chosen from each of the 23 territories were lined up there.

"On this fine day when the glory of the god of fire, Leidenschaft, shines, we have been able to gather here thanks to the guidance of the gods."
The opening ceremony began with a greeting from Zent Eglantine. Her clear voice reverberated throughout the stadium thanks to a magical device that amplified sound. I'm sure it was just my imagination that she sounded confused.

"The event being held today is Yurgenschmidt's first attempt. Professor Rauffen will explain why we decided to hold such an event." Eglantine nominated Rauffen, who stepped forward as if to take his place.

"Ditter is a means to win and protect what you need!"
...Shut up! You don't need magic tools for this.

Rauffen must have been waiting for this day for a long time, as he roared in a voice that was even more passionate and powerful than usual. The volume of his voice was enough to make you want to cover your ears. If he’d been using a microphone from Urano’s world, the sound would have distorted instantly.

"But there are many different types of Ditter. Why? Because the method you take differs depending on the purpose. The speed Ditter that has been held at the Noble Academy in recent years is aimed at training for the subjugation of magical beasts. On the other hand, before the purge, treasure-stealing Ditter was the norm at the Noble Academy. This was modelled after the battle over the foundations. The reason for the change from treasure-stealing Ditter to speed Ditter was that due to a lack of magical power and a sharp decline in the number of nobles, treasure-stealing Ditter was deemed too much of a burden."

The majority of the nobles knew this, so the spectators and the knights lined up looked at each other with expressions of "What a given."

"However, as a result, the students today are lacking in education. Knights have become too focused on attacking, neglecting teamwork. With no one other than apprentice knights involved in the Ditter, civil servants and attendants have come to think that fighting is the knights' job, and have lost the opportunity to learn how to develop magical tools to fight in cooperation with knights, how to do groundwork and gather information before a battle, and how to support in battle. I'm sure each territory can relate to this."

Rauffen looks around at the elites lining up in the venue as if asking for agreement, and then at the spectators sitting in the stands. Unlike before, there is an air of understanding and agreement not only among the knights lining up, but also among the Aubs and the guardian knights standing behind them in the stands.

...It seems that other territories are also plagued by the same problem.

"The most fatal thing is that the lord candidates have not learned the mindset of fighting. Some of you must have seen the lord candidates fleeing in the recent bride-stealing Ditter, not knowing that they would be leading knights."

A few laughs of remembrance spill out from the audience. "This is no laughing matter!"
The slight laughter disappeared in an instant as Rauffen continued.

"The invasion of Lanzenave is still fresh in everyone’s mind. Since the method of obtaining the Grutrissheit has reverted to the old way, lord candidates are not just heirs to their domains—they are candidates for the next Zent. If the border gate opens again, a second or even third Lanzenave could appear. What will happen then if the Zent or the Aub cannot lead knights to defend the foundation?
In fact, two hundred years ago Bosgeiz tried to incite Eisenreich to invade, so it is hardly unthinkable that it could happen again. History provides many examples of Ditter battles being central to territorial defence. And this very event is being held at the request of Lady Rozemyne, who voiced concern over the situation."

Rauffen spread his arms in an exaggerated gesture toward the Alexandria viewing area. All eyes followed—and cold sweat prickled across my back.
Stop it! Don't look at me! I never said a word about wanting to do such an event!
I protested in my mind, but most of them seemed convinced when they heard that I was the initiator of this first attempt. It was really disappointing.

"Those who have not been able to do Ditter for a long time since graduating from the Noble Academy should use their skills to the fullest. Their fighting will be an important learning experience for the young people. Young people of a generation who only know Ditter as a speed contest should watch the elders fight and realize what they are missing. Now then, I declare the opening of the first Ditter Yurgenschmidt Cup!"

...Oh! How did it come to this!?
As the knights in the arena roared their response to Rauffen’s declaration, I screamed inwardly—while keeping a noble smile plastered on my face.

Chapter Text

"Hmm."
"What's the matter, Rauffen? You don't seem like the type to sigh." A knight from the Central Knights who was having breakfast with me called out in concern.

"I was just remembering the bride-stealing Ditter from the other day."
The knight who called out to me in response to my answer frowned and said, "Yeah, that was terrible."

Bride-stealing Ditters are unique to Dunkelfelger. Originally, they were only performed by the bride's relatives and the relatives of the man trying to steal her. So it's no wonder they're unfamiliar to other territories — but that’s no excuse for me. After all, the only difference is whether the treasure at stake is a magical beast or a bride, and bride-stealing Ditters are essentially the same as treasure-stealing Ditters.

"If you can't protect the foundation, you have to be able to command the knights, and in the end, only the Aub can protect the foundation, but instead of leading his knights to fight, Lord Sigiswald panicked and fled from Dunkelfelger's attack."

"Indeed, it was a disgraceful display — hard to believe from a lord." As soon as they heard the word Ditter, the other knights joined the conversation, venting their dismay at Lord Sigiswald. A man who makes a name for himself in the bride-stealing Ditter must attack in order to take the woman he desires as a bride. However, instead of attacking boldly, Lord Sigiswald panicked at Dunkelfelger's charge and failed to command properly. He shouted at his knights to protect themselves, ran away, and even held them back from fighting.

No one tries to blame him for making such disrespectful remarks about Lord Sigiswald, a former member of the royal family and now the lord of another territory. The reason for this is not only the spirit and values of Dunkelfelger that values martial arts, but also the fact that they belong to the Central Knights. Although it is a policy to hide the sins of the royal family as much as possible, it is not possible to hide everything. It is an unspoken fact within the Central Knights that during the invasion of Lanzenave, Lord Sigiswald holed himself up in his own villa and did not appear on the battlefield.

"There’s no denying Lord Sigiswald was particularly bad. However, don’t you think all the young lord candidates, not just him, failed to give proper commands?" I asked this to those who were only criticizing Lord Sigiswald, who had indeed disgraced himself the most, because I wanted them to share the sense of crisis I felt.

"Hmm, that's true..."
"Lord Ortwin did his best, but..."

"He was a little better than Lord Sigiswald, but you can't really call him in charge by just shouting out encouraging words."
"But considering he's still a minor, isn't it inevitable that he's a little clumsy?"

"Well, even though he's a minor, he's graduating next year. He's not that different from an adult."
"All the participants are from the generation that entered the Noble Academy after the coup. They have no experience in actual combat. It's the same as saying that, so isn't it inevitable?"

"That's exactly it. In the generation after the coup, the treasure-stealing Ditter was no longer held at the Noble House because of a lack of magical power and the sharp decrease in nobles. In the past, attendants would gather information, civil servants would make magical tools, knights would fight, and lord candidates could gain experience leading their nobles and negotiating with other territories. But under the current education system, they can no longer gain such experience."

The treasure-stealing Ditter is fought at the Noble House by all territories. However, the battle actually begins before the Ditter bell actually rings. Which territories are teaming up with each other? Which territories should be attracted to each other? Or what should be done to drive a wedge between territories that are already cooperating with each other? By having attendants gather information, deciding on a policy for the dormitory, and practicing it in social situations, lord candidates learned how to deal with other territories.

Even when civil servants made magical tools, they could never prepare everything if they worked separately. Depending on the battle plan, whether to create offensive or defensive magical tools, how many healing potions to prepare, and so on, would change. By deciding battle strategy with knights and issuing orders to the civil servants, lord candidates learned how to lead preparations for war.
As expected, not many lord candidates participated directly in Ditter during the territorial competitions. But those confident in their skills, or eager to prove themselves as the next lord, did.

However, the territory competition Ditter changed to a Ditter where speed was competed, and socializing became just a place to interact with each other without much tactics. Magic tools were hardly used anymore, so civil servants were no longer involved, and the knights only experienced fighting against magical beasts whose actions they knew, so they neglected teamwork and were no longer able to develop the ability to respond flexibly. As it became a competition only for knights, there was less for the lord candidates who were in charge of managing the dorms to learn.

"I see, now that you mention it, that's true."
"I thought the new recruits recently were noticeably lacking in education, but was it due to the change in the curriculum?"

It seems that even those who have excellent grades and are able to join the Central Knights cannot deny that they are lacking in education due to the change in the curriculum. Problems such as neglecting teamwork, placing too much emphasis on attack and not understanding what escort duties are listed.

"But if you think there is a problem with the current curriculum, why don't you return it? Shouldn't you suggest it?"
"I proposed it before, but the other teachers rejected it as too heavy a burden for the small territories."

Four years ago, after the Treasure-Stealing Ditter that wagered the position of master of the library’s magical tools, I proposed to the knight course teachers that we return to it.
"But that was four years ago, right? Aren't things different now that a new Zent has been established?"

"You're right!"
The memory of being rejected before had been deeply rooted and I was feeling dissatisfied, but now that a Zent has been established who has obtained Grutrissheit, Yurgenschmidt’s magical situation has improved.

"Okay! If that's the case, I must propose it to the other teachers right away!"
"Wait, wait. You're too impatient. How do you intend to convince the knight course teachers? And even if you do manage to convince them, the Zent will probably reject it."

"Why?"
"Eglantine hates conflict. Treasure-stealing Ditter has caused injuries and deaths among knight apprentices. I think she would be reluctant to return to a Ditter where there are deaths."

As pointed out, Treasure-stealing Ditter has caused several deaths in the Noble House in one winter. One of the reasons for the change is that it would be bad to have deaths due to education when the number of nobles is already too low.
……That's certainly a possibility.

Even in the bride-stealing Ditter that wagered Lady Hannelore’s marriage, Eglantine had tried to ensure safety by restricting magical tools and personally supervising the match. If she heard about deaths in treasure-stealing Ditters, she would almost certainly oppose restoring them.

"So should we impose restrictions on the magical tools used like in the previous bride-stealing Ditter?"
"That's something you should decide on with the other teachers, not just yourself. Wouldn't it be better to think of a way to persuade the knight course teachers first?"

"The problem of a lack of magical power has been resolved. They won't object if we point out the negative effects of the changes to the curriculum."
The number of nobles has not yet returned to pre-coup levels, and the shortage of magical power is not fully resolved. But since the situation is improving, we could persuade them by showing the flaws in the present education system.

"You only ever push one side, which is why your negotiations fail. You were probably opposed in the past because the burden on the small fief was too great. If that's the case, you should get the approval of the housemasters and lords of the small fiefs before persuading the other teachers. That way, as teachers at the Noble House, they can't help but listen, and they can't reject it because of the burden on the small fiefs."

"I see, the approval of other fiefs."
Since it's a matter for the Noble House, I didn't think I would approach the housemasters, but I didn't think I would approach the lords of other fiefs. But now that it's been pointed out, it seems the most likely.

"Then shall we try to approach Ehrenfest?"
"? Why Ehrenfest? It's certainly Lady Rozemyne's family home, so they have some influence over Zent."

The knights around him are surprised when he names Ehrenfest as the first fief to approach. When it comes to small fiefs connected to Dunkelfelger, the neighbouring fiefs such as Losgrener and Quantreeb are the first to come to mind. It's strange that he chose Ehrenfest, a medium fief, over those.

"It was Lady Rozemyne who gave me the opportunity to notice this problem."
Yes, the treasure-stealing ditter four years ago, in which the position of master of the library's magical tools was at stake. By participating in the treasure-stealing ditter again after a long time, I was able to notice the problems of the students.

"Also, Lady Rozemyne saw through the educational problems of the knight apprentices when she had just enrolled in the Noble Academy, and has been retraining the knight apprentices of Ehrenfest."
"Just enrolled!? Surely that's an exaggeration?" One of the knights voiced his surprise and doubt, and many others agreed with him.

...It's not unreasonable to think so if you don't know Lady Rozemyne
When I heard about it from Leonore, who was Lady Rozemyne's guardian knight apprentice at the time, I tilted my head and asked myself, "What kind of lord candidate is this?"

"I also found it strange at the time, but they said that it was mainly Lady Rozemyne's guardian knight apprentices who were pointed out. And it's true that the cooperation between the knight apprentices at Ehrenfest has improved dramatically since Lady Rozemyne enrolled."
"It's true that the knight apprentices at Ehrenfest have improved dramatically in the past few years in their fighting in the Ditter." The knights were convinced, remembering the dramatic improvement in Ehrenfest's performance in recent years.

Of course, Leonore may have just been trying to make her master look good. It's possible that other senior students had noticed, and Lady Rozemyne had happened to listen and propose it to the Aub.

However, when I think back to the leadership skills she showed in the treasure-stealing Ditter and how she calmly pointed out the problems with her own army instead of getting carried away with the victory after the Ditter, I'm convinced that Lady Rozemyne's help was definitely behind the improvement in the quality of the knight apprentices at Ehrenfest. "But Lady Rozemyne has become Lord Alexandria and is no longer a candidate for lordship of Ehrenfest, right?"

"I know that. But don't you think that Ehrenfest, which has identified the educational issues of knight apprentices and made improvements, is more likely to agree to returning them to treasure-stealing Ditter?"
If there are people who agree, it will be easier to influence other territories. If Ehrenfest agrees, there will likely be smaller territories that follow suit. It will make the work of laying the groundwork much easier.

"I see, maybe you're right."
"No, wait. Rauffen is certainly not wrong. But Ehrenfest was a neutral medium territory and was less affected by the coup. Isn't that a good argument to refute the opposing opinion that small territories are a heavy burden?"

"Ehrenfest is indeed a medium territory, but before the coup it was competing with small territories for lower rank. It also has more nobles than small territories."

"Is that so?"

Even the knights of the Central Knights don't know the number of nobles in other territories, except for their ranks. If they have a particularly close classmate, or if the territories are close in rank, they can estimate it from the number of students in the same year at the noble academy. However, Ehrenfest was a low-ranking territory that Dunkelfelger didn't care about except for those who were in school with Ferdinand. It's no wonder they don't know.

"Yes. So, if Ehrenfest can cooperate, I think it will be a refutation of the ideas of the teachers at the Noble Academy."
"But even if we try to talk to Ehrenfest, there is no one from Ehrenfest in the Central Knights right now, right?"
Ehrenfest never had many people transferring to the Central, but that doesn't mean there are no knights in the Central Knights. However, at the funeral of former Aub Gieselfried two years ago, the knight from Ehrenfest was executed for his suspicious behavior.

"There are still civil servants left..."
When talking about civil servants from Ehrenfest, the first person that comes to mind is Hirschur, a teacher at the Noble Academy. She fulfils the minimum duties as a teacher, but she's a weirdo who pours everything else into her research. Even if we try to get her to influence Lord Ehrenfest, I don't think she'll get through to him properly. I can vividly imagine her being left alone, thinking that it'll be fine later.

"Are there any civil servants from Ehrenfest other than Hirschur?"

"Yes, there are, but... I wonder how much influence they have in Ehrenfest."
When I turned to the civil servant next to me, he agreed, but made a difficult face, wondering if it was worth influencing him.

"What do you mean?"
"The people from Ehrenfest haven't tried to return to their territories for many years. I don't know how much influence they have in their territories, or whether they can influence Lord Ehrenfest."

After hearing the answer, everyone exclaimed in agreement, "Yes." Most of the central nobles return to their home territories in the winter. There, they maintain connections and influence by socializing with friends and relatives in their home territories. Not returning for a year or two doesn't mean that connections will immediately disappear, but if they don't return for years, their influence will gradually fade.

"Could you please pass on this matter to them?"
"That's fine, but don't get your hopes up."
Although he agreed, judging from the civil servant's attitude, it didn't seem like we could expect much.

"Then should we consider having Ehrenfest speak through the Lord?"
"In parallel with that, it would be better to have the central nobles from small territories such as Losgrener and Quantreeb approach each territory."

"Is it difficult to be a teacher at the noble academy?"
"Then we will help. Those of us who belong to the Central Knights know to some extent about the lack of coordination among new recruits and the emphasis on attack. Also, some people in the territories complain that educating young people is a hassle."

The knights volunteer to help with the groundwork.
"Thank you. I'll be counting on you."

Of course, I have to try to persuade the teachers as well.
...It will be busy, but it won't be a problem if it means returning the education curriculum to Treasure Stealing Ditter.

Chapter Text

"Cornelius, please review the training of the knights immediately." Rozemyne, who had just returned from the territory competition, told him before hearing his report from his absence.

"Did something happen?"
"The performance of the knight apprentices in the territory competition was terrible. It was like watching Ehrenfest four years ago."

"That's... I'm sorry I wasn't paying enough attention to the apprentices' situation. I will submit a revised training plan as soon as possible."
"It can't be helped. Cornelius has to serve as the knight commander in a strange city like Alexandria at this age."

When he apologized for not paying enough attention to the training of the apprentices as the knight commander, Rozemyne comforted him instead of scolding him.

The knight commander holds the military power of the territory. Therefore, except in cases where a lord's candidate becomes the knight commander, like Grandfather Bonifatius or Lord Ferdinand, the lord's top guardian knight becomes the knight commander. This was true not only in Ehrenfest, but also in Ahrensbach, the predecessor of Alexandria. Following customs was easily accepted by the nobles of Alexandria. Since there were few trustworthy nobles in Alexandria, it was not possible to entrust military forces to someone else, so I, Rozemyne's chief guardian knight, was appointed as the commander of the knights.

...It would have been best if Ferdinand had done it.
I vaguely thought that since he had served as the commander of the knights in Ehrenfest for a short time, it should be Ferdinand. However, when we discussed who should become the commander of the knights, Ferdinand flatly rejected the idea with one word: "I also assist the lord in his administrative duties. And I have no choice but to assist in administrative duties because of the king's orders, but I cannot allow someone from another territory to serve as the commander of the knights."

After seizing the foundation, Rozemyne, who had become an Aub, and her entourage officially moved to Alexandria. However, even though he is engaged in administrative duties to support the Aube by royal orders, Ferdinand, who is merely her fiancé, is still technically a member of Ehrenfest. Furthermore, when Rozemyne becomes pregnant in the future, Ferdinand will have to act as acting Aub. The burden of being both acting Aub and commander of the Knights is too great. As a result, it was decided that it would be best for me to serve as commander of the Knights under the guidance and assistance of former commander Strahl, who would become vice commander.

"Rozemyne, there is no need to spoil Cornelius. Even with Ferdinand's assistance, the underage Rozemyne is fulfilling her duties as Aub well. With Strahl's assistance, there is no way that the adult Cornelius cannot serve as commander of the Knights."
...Please don't say such selfish things without knowing my struggles!

Anger welled up inside me at my brother Eckhart's words, but I held it in. If Rozemyne said this, I would accept it. But I don't want to hear it from brother Eckhart.
The nobles of Alexandria had their foundations stolen by Rozemyne, and are now ruled by her.

However, not all of the nobles have accepted it wholeheartedly. Some have accepted Rozemyne thanks to Hartmut's education. Some accept her because they believe she saved the Ahrensbach nobles from the threat of Lanzenave and the sins that would have led to the abolition of their territory. Some have surrendered after seeing her achievements and abilities, such as the large-scale scattering of magical power at the prayer ceremony and the bestowal of Grutrissheit. Even if you add all of these up, it still doesn't make up half of the nobles of Alexandria.

At present, there are more nobles who do not like Rozemyne, especially those related to those who were punished for inviting foreign aggression. But even so, Rozemyne is the lord who stained the foundation. Since Lady Letizia, the only lord candidate with blood from the old Ahrensbach lord family, has accepted Rozemyne, they cannot openly rebel against her.
And that is why the criticism is so strong towards Rozemyne's entourage. By pointing out the flaws in her entourage, they hope to indirectly belittle Rozemyne and gain a say in the matter.

Among them, the two most targeted were Hartmut, the head civil servant and temple master, and myself, the head guard knight and commander of the Knights. We are the top civil servant and the top knight, respectively. If they could point out their flaws, it would lead to denouncing Rozemyne, who appointed him.
However, as a civil servant, Ferdinand keeps a close eye on Hartmut's work related to the politics of the territory, and Rozemyne has often reformed the temple and commerce, so the Alexandrian nobles don't have much to say.

In contrast, there have been almost no reforms in the Knights' Order, and they didn't have the luxury of doing so. One reason is that the knight's job has not changed fundamentally, but above all, the top priority is to distinguish between trustworthy and untrustworthy knights and to secure a fighting force that can be mobilized. It would be easy to criticize if they had continued to do things the way they did before. As a result, over the past year, they have been exposed to criticism and denunciations from those who were dissatisfied.

While I, his younger brother, was being pushed into such a difficult job, Brother Eckhart simply said, "I'm still a member of Ehrenfest, just like Ferdinand," and devoted himself to his duties as Ferdinand's guard, not helping out at all.
...It was a tough life in Ahrensbach for a little over a year, so I suppose it's understandable that he didn’t help out, but surely he could have helped out a little! Huh?!

As I was trying to suppress my growing irritation, I suddenly remembered Brother Eckhart's previous job. I thought this could be useful, so I immediately proposed it.
"Ferdinand-sama, could you please borrow Eckhart to review our training?"

"Hmm? Ah, that's what you mean." Ferdinand-sama seemed to see through my intentions. He looked from Eckhart-sama to me with a faint smile, then said, "Very well."
"Ferdinand-sama!"

"If the quality of our knight apprentices remains low, it will affect the future and dignity of the territory. This is to support a lord with no administrative experience."
If Ferdinand-sama orders him to help with part of his work, Eckhart has no objections. He immediately agreed, saying, "Understood."

...Now I can leave the training of the apprentices to you.

"The Lord has ordered me to review the training of the apprentices."
After successfully getting a little revenge on Eckhart-sama, I called a meeting with the Knights' executives to discuss the review of the training. Even if Eckhart is put in charge of training, the Knights' executives must be informed of Rozemyne's orders, share their understanding, and come up with a concrete training plan. He explains the current situation of the knight trainees and explains the circumstances and reasons for the orders.

"I certainly thought that the young ones these days were lacking in training..."
"I had no idea there were such circumstances..."
It seems that the Knights' higher-ups also did not connect the change in the curriculum at the Noble Academy with the decline in the quality of the knight trainees.

"Why didn't you realize that the change in the curriculum was having an effect?"
In Ehrenfest's case, the head of the Noble Academy's dormitory is Professor Hirschur, who is famous for only being interested in research. She fulfils her responsibilities as a teacher, but she is not the type of person who will give advice or criticism for Ehrenfest.

In addition, the coup d'état ended around the time that the previous lord, Adelbert, passed away and Sylvester took over as lord.
……Lord Sylvester must have had a hard time.

Honestly, there was a time when I didn't have a very good impression of Lord Sylvester. But now I understand his struggles a little. Lord Sylvester took over as lord when he was around 20 years old. Even though he was a little older than I am now, he was still a young lord. It was probably inevitable that he couldn't keep Veronica in check.
Anyway, it was at that time. Lord Sylvester must have had his hands full taking over the duties of lord and running the fief.

Then, when the generation whose education curriculum had been changed graduated and were officially assigned, the low-quality nobles who had risen from blue priesthood graduated. It's not surprising that he assumed that the quality of the new recruits had declined because they were blue priests, and didn't notice the impact of the change in education curriculum.
"The dorm head at Ehrenfest is famously only interested in research, Hirschur. She's not the type to give advice or change the curriculum. But that's not the case with Ahrensbach, is it?"

As there was no answer, he asked more in-depth questions, and the executives looked at each other as if to force the task of answering, and whispered to each other. Finally, it was Strahl who was given the job.
"The dorm head at the time of the end of the coup had just been replaced after his teacher was dismissed because he was a nobleman from a losing territory. His successor was... that Fraularm."

"Ah, that's right."
It's difficult to point out problems when someone takes up a teaching position after the coup by comparing it to the previous curriculum. Moreover, according to Strahl, even though she was a civil servant teacher in charge of collecting information, the information Fraularm reported was only subjective and not very useful.

"But didn't you worry when a generation that only knew the speed of the Ditter races was assigned to the force?"
"Around that time, Lord Wolfram had just died in an accident, and Ahrensbach was in a great uproar..."

A lordship candidate who was always protected by his guardian knights had died in an accident. Of course, the guardian knight who had caused Wolfram's death was also punished. Punishment also extended to the upper echelons of the Knights' Order. Many people, including the commander of the Order at the time, were punished, and the Ahrensbach Knights were in no position to notice any educational issues, Strahl explained.

"After that, there was a serious lack of magical power, problems with succession, the old Berkestock problem, factional strife, and a mountain of other problems. I was still young at the time and didn't have the time to pay attention to the education of new recruits."
"I understand the situation. So, what about the training of the knights who graduated from the Noble Academy in the decade or so since the curriculum changed?"

"We didn't do any special training as a knight order. We dealt with it by removing anyone who was too noticeable."
Unlike Ehrenfest, which is a medium-sized territory but has only a slightly higher number of nobles than a small territory, Ahrensbach, which was a large territory and managed half of the old Berkestock, had a large number of nobles. Therefore, those who were not useful were treated as out of the fighting force and no special retraining was given.

...Well, that's normal.
Those who can't do it or are useless are cut off. That's what normal nobles do. The exceptions are Rozemyne, who took an interest in Damuel who made a mistake and extended a helping hand to Angelica who was sure to fail.

"That may have been fine up until now, but that will no longer be the case."
The executives seemed to share this view, and nodded seriously.

Currently, Alexandria has a small number of nobles. Although it is small, it is not as small as Ehrenfest, as it was originally a large territory, but the number is still small compared to the size of the territory. Several nobles who supported Letizia were killed in the invasion of Lanzenave. Those who sided with Georgine were stripped of their Schtappes and expelled from the nobility. We cannot afford to let knights sit idle simply because they are not well-trained and difficult to use.

"Now that we have a shared understanding of the current situation, let's discuss specific training plans."
As a result of the subsequent discussion, at a meeting of the higher-ups of the Knights' Order, it was decided that not only apprentices but also young knights would be trained. The training content was based on the lessons at the Noble Academy before the curriculum was changed, with the addition of the intensive training that Bonifatius had given at Ehrenfest.

"Cornelius, how is your new training going?"
Two months had passed since the start of the new training, and with the Lords' Conference fast approaching, Rozemyne asked about the results of the training.

"The apprentices are doing well. At this rate, I'm sure they'll be able to put up a slightly better fight in next year's territory battle."
In recent years, the clan has been overtaken by Ehrenfest and other medium territories in the Ditter, which has left them feeling anxious. For this reason, they have been working hard on the new training that emphasizes cooperation, without complaining. It is unclear whether they will be able to immediately achieve results that will demonstrate the dignity of a large territory, but there is no doubt that they will be able to fight better than this year.

"So what about the young knights who have come of age?"
"...To be honest, we are having a hard time."

The young knights in question are the knights ranging from the generation slightly older than Lamprecht and Damuel after the change in the curriculum, to the generation slightly older than Angelica and me. This is the generation that began after Ehrenfest's ranking temporarily rose due to Ferdinand's enrolment, and continued until Ehrenfest's ranking rose again due to Rozemyne's enrolment.

"Once you have ingrained a way of thinking or doing things, it's hard to change."
"That may be part of it. But the biggest problem is that they don't try to properly recognize their own problems."

"? If they don't, I understand, but what do you mean by "don't try?"
"I agree. They don't try to train seriously, thinking that the methods they learned at the Noble Academy have been fine so far and that's fine."

"Instead of just pointing it out verbally, why not have experienced knights demonstrate it?"
"Of course, we did provide examples during training. But a knight's normal duties are to exterminate magical beasts and guard the castle."

The main duties of a knight are to exterminate magical beasts and guard the castle. Of these, extermination of magical beasts can be managed through training in the Ditter, where speed is a competition. As long as you complete the training that is tailored to the magical beasts that appear in the territory, you will be able to exterminate them without any problems.

The guards at the castle are basically sentinels and patrols. Unlike magical beasts, the attackers are human, so their actions are difficult to predict. There are many things to pay attention to, but at first glance they just look like they're standing there or patrolling. It's hard to recognize problems even if you point out the problem and show them an example.

"Honestly, even in places like this, I was reminded of the value of the Treasure Stealing Ditter."
Protecting treasure from enemies, that is, how to be vigilant and how to cooperate when doing so, also teaches you how to respond in an emergency, since you don't know what methods the enemy will use to attack you when you're up against a human. I can really see how important the Treasure Stealing Ditter was.

"So why not just do a Treasure Stealing Ditter?"
"We tried that too. We thought that if we pitted a generation that knew about Treasure Stealing Ditter against a generation that didn't, we might be able to recognize what we were lacking. But we thought, 'Their opponents are the generation that did Treasure Stealing Ditter, so it's only natural that we, who haven't done it, would lose.'"

If they were willing to face the problem, they would be able to recognize what they were lacking from fighting a generation that knew about Treasure Stealing Ditter. But the undereducated generation is not willing to face the problem. If we do it repeatedly, they will no longer have any excuses and may become aware of it. However, with the number of nobles decreasing, we cannot afford to repeat the Ditter.

"The only way to make them face reality is to show them the difference by having them fight someone of the same generation who can cooperate with them and has experience fighting humans."
I imply that Leonore realized the importance of strategy and cooperation during the Ditter with Dunkelfelger, and Rozemyne looks next to me with a troubled look, as if to ask what we should do.

"Rejected." Ferdinand, who had been listening to the conversation while doing paperwork, smiles like an aristocrat and cuts it off.

"Why not? Just once..."
"If we fight Dunkelfelger once, they will definitely ask for a second or third rematch. We only need to educate the problematic generation, so there is no need to choose such trouble that will continue endlessly in the future."

...Indeed, even at the Noble Academy, Professor Rauffen was persistent in asking for a rematch and inviting Rozemyne to take the knight course.
Rozemyne must have remembered the same thing. She nodded slightly, as if to say, "Indeed."

"So, Lord Ferdinand, do you have any ideas?"
"The apprentices who will be fighting in the Noble Academy's territory competition need to be educated quickly because it affects Alexandria's reputation. However, there is no need for that for those who are already adults. As the younger ones grow up, they will naturally realize their shortcomings, and those who don't can just be left alone."

The undereducated generation has problems with security and cooperation, but they are still useful for defeating monsters. It seems that Lord Ferdinand thinks that they should be mainly assigned to those duties, and that security should be cantered on the older generation and the younger generation who will be properly trained in the future.

"But if that's the case, in the worst case scenario, that means cutting off most of the current twenty-somethings, right?" Rozemyne asks thoughtfully.
"That's the case in the worst case scenario. But even if we cut them off, we'll just use them for the mission of exterminating magical beasts. If they're not completely unable to do their job, I don't think there's any need to increase their burden now."

"But isn't it possible that something like Shikza's failure to work together could become a big problem?"
"Hmm, I agree with what the Aub says... but we don't have the time or energy to retrain a generation that is currently under-educated."

Ferdinand cannot deny the possibility that this could be a problem in response to Rozemyne's rebuttal. Still, he tells her that it can't be helped since it's not realistic. Still reluctant to cut them off, Rozemyne mutters to herself as she searches for a solution and ponders it.

"What about letting them watch a territorial battle like Dunkelfelger did?"
"Then they would only be criticizing the apprentices' performance, not their own."

They are people who refuse to face the problem head on. If the apprentices perform poorly, they will ridicule or criticize them, but if they perform well, they will take it for granted and will not reflect on themselves.
"In that case, we have no choice but to let them experience it for themselves. But we don't have the time to do dittering within our territories... It would be nice if we had the opportunity to do dittering with other territories even after we become adults, like the Olympics or the World Cup..."

...Olympics? World Cup? What's that?
I had a bad feeling when Rozemyne came up with a sudden idea.

"Lady Rozemyne, what are Olympics and World Cup?"
It seems I wasn't the only one who was puzzled by the unfamiliar words. Clarissa asked with great interest.

"They are both foreign athletic competitions. Many countries send representatives to compete for the championship, putting their national prestige on the line. The Olympics is a festival where multiple events are held simultaneously, while the World Cup is a single-sport competition."
"So, the World Cup is an adult version of the Aristocracy's Territory Competition?"

"Yes, that's right. That's the easiest way to think of it."
Clarissa's voice was getting more heated. Rozemyne also seemed to sense the danger, and her voice started to hesitate as she answered.

"There's nothing we can do about something that doesn't exist now."
"If it doesn't exist now, why not start now?"

Ferdinand tried to cut him off, but Clarissa grabbed his hand and declared forcefully.
"For what purpose?"
"Of course, it's to resolve the problem of a generation that only knows how to compete in speed ditters."

"Phew. Zent is busy with various changes. She can't afford to hold a ditter tournament involving the entire territory just to re-educate an undereducated generation. I've heard that some territories even declined to participate in a ditter with Dunkelfelger in a joint study with the Noble Academy. Things have probably improved somewhat since the official Zent ascended to the throne, but small and medium-sized territories can't afford to hold unnecessary ditters either."

Tapping his temple, Ferdinand tells him that there is no benefit to holding a ditter tournament. "But... above all, the root of the problem is that the lectures at the Noble Academy are based on a competition of speed. If the Noble Academy's curriculum is not changed back to Treasure Stealing Ditter as soon as possible, it will be a constant effort to educate the young. If we are going to lobby, we should do that."

Saying this, Lord Ferdinand diverted Clarissa's attention by giving her a job to think about the groundwork and justification for changing the curriculum back to Treasure Stealing Ditter.

...It looks like we can avoid trouble somehow.

He sighed in relief that he had been able to avoid trouble by giving her a job in a field that interested and distracted her.

Chapter Text

"What's the point of training like this now?"
Regular training is essential to protect the lord. The same goes for me, who will soon retire due to marriage. Today, as I was training at the Knights' training grounds, I heard a rebellious voice.

"There is a problem with your teamwork. This training is to re-train and improve teamwork."
Eckhart, who was ordered to mentor the anti-Rozemyne senior knights who were rebellious and pretended to question the meaning of the training, explained the meaning of the training.

The anti-Rozemyne faction is a general term for those Alexandria nobles who are rebellious against Rozemyne, such as those with close ties to Georgine and the old Berkestock nobles, and those connected to the lord's family from the Ahrensbach era. Ehrenfest has been a lower-ranking territory for many years, and since Gabriele's marriage there has been a long period of time when the territory has been at Ahrensbach's mercy, so there are still some Alexandrian nobles who are unwilling to be subordinate to Rozemyne, who hails from Ehrenfest.

"But there have been no problems with the training so far."
"You're talking about defeating magical beasts, right? Can you adapt and fight against enemies other than magical beasts?"

"Thank you for your kind words, but the border gates are closed and no foreign powers will attack us anymore."
"We have built friendly relations with Dunkelfelger, Ehrenfest, and Frenbeltag, and Blumefeld was also our territory until recently. There's no way they would attack Alexandria, where we have many allies and relatives. Where are the enemies other than magical beasts?"

When one person voices a refutation of the significance of the training, several senior knights follow suit, politely rudely, not even trying to hide their mockery.
...We have to be careful of him.
In my mind, I designate the knight who spoke of Blumefeld as a peer as a person to watch out for.

I agree that Blumefeld will not attack, but the reason is completely different. That territory simply does not have the capacity to invade other territories yet. Currently, the resentment of the former Berkestock nobles is being directed towards the lord Traokvar, so it's okay, but according to information received from the Noble House, there are people who are holding a grudge against Lady Rozemyne for not receiving the blessings of the goddess, even though they are from Ahrensbach. Anyone who makes statements that are in line with such people should be aware of the risk of information leaks and collusion.

"Even if you have built a friendly relationship, a knight should train and be prepared for war at any time."
Lord Eckhart speaks the truth, but the rebellious knights' attitude does not change.

...If they just abandon their training, I could punish them...
However, even though they are fools, they are high-ranking nobles of a large territory. The other party can see through this. After a period of questioning and answering, they reluctantly resumed training. However, their training attitude is not serious. They were wasting their training time with a half-hearted and careless attitude.

...For Lady Rozemyne and Cornelius' sake, they need to be disciplined stricter.

"Hey, Cornelius."
Most noble wives call their husbands by their titles. However, we are both close aides who serve Lady Rozemyne. We usually call each other without titles, and we don't use titles at home either.

"What is it?"
"Regarding the re-education that Eckhart is in charge of, I think it would be best to give them a strict education once more."

"I completely agree with that, but do you have any good ideas?"
"Yes, we should have them play treasure-stealing games with the younger generation."

"With the younger generation?"
"Yes, when Rozemyne popularized karuta and playing cards in the children's room at Ehrenfest, the older siblings put their reputations on the line to try not to lose to their younger siblings, right? If they were to lose to knights of our generation or apprentices, don't you think they would have to admit their own lack of ability?"

"I see..."
After hearing my proposal, Cornelius shows signs of understanding.

The undereducated generation refers to the generation slightly younger than Eckhart to around Angelica's generation, who were heavily influenced by the changes in educational content after the coup. They only know about speed-based games, so they are poor at teaming up and don't know how to devise tactics.

On the other hand, the generation below Cornelius has lost to some medium territories due to Ehrenfest's progress and the announcement of Blessing's research, so at least the knight apprentices are taking their training seriously. As things stand, they are more effective than the rebellious and undereducated generation. Even if they fight honestly, the chances of losing are very low.

...Of course, I don't intend to make the fool of just fighting them head-on, but we need an overwhelming victory to make it clear to the marrow of our bones the difference between the Ditters, who compete in speed to hunt monsters, which are powerful but are still our "prey," and the Treasure Stealing Ditters, who compete in speed to hunt monsters, which are our "prey," and who use information warfare and magical tools and tactics in advance to fight against our "enemies."

"Since Leonore is proposing it, I'm sure we have a chance of winning, but can you tell me your strategy?"
"Yes, of course."

Even though they are treasure stealing Ditters, they will be fighting in teams within the territory, so there will be no information warfare to form alliances with other places. It's the same as the treasure stealing ditter that took place at the Noble Academy, where they competed for the position of the owner of the magical tools in the library, and the bride stealing ditter that competed for Lady Rozemyne's bride. Therefore, the strategy is ultimately narrowed down to two points: how to protect the treasure and how to attack the opponent's treasure.

"First, we'll strengthen the defense of the treasure with a magical tool that creates a barrier instead of Lady Rozemyne's Schutzaria shield. Once the defense of the treasure is strengthened..."
Defense is important above all else. After that, we will consider several tactics that the enemy might use and propose a plan to outwit them.

"The plan itself is good. However, I'm worried that there will be casualties if we do that much."
After hearing the plan, Cornelius's face becomes a little difficult.

When the treasure stealing ditter was taking place at the Noble Academy, it seems that one or two people a year would die in accidents during the ditter. The plan I devised is planned to be a thorough attack in order to change the perception of the undereducated generation, so I understand the concern that there will be casualties. Alexandria lost many nobles in the battle with Lanzenave and the subsequent punishment, so it would be undesirable to lose another noble in training, even if he was a rebellious person.

There is also the risk that the bad reputation of killing a rebellious noble under the guise of training will be spread. In order to rule the territory, it may be necessary to take ruthless measures against hostile forces. However, this should only be a last resort, and for this reason we should avoid unnecessary deaths that would raise suspicion. Above all, it would also tarnish Lady Rozemyne's honour.

More than anything, Lady Rozemyne hates death. She would be upset if we were to plan training that would result in a large number of deaths.
"Of course, we don't intend for training to result in casualties."

"But for this plan..."
"We'll use that magic circle. If we use that magic circle as an offensive magical tool, we can avoid any fatalities."

Ferdinand analysed the magic circles in the library's magical tools and created this magic circle for Rozemyne, who hates death, to immobilize attackers while preventing them from dying.
"Is that so... In that case, we'll need Hartmut's cooperation." Cornelius frowns in disgust.

It's a very complicated magic circle, and if we were to prepare an offensive magical tool using it, we knights wouldn't be able to compound it. The only people who can make it are Ferdinand, who developed the magic circle, his aide Justus, and Rozemyne's top civil servant Hartmut, who has been told the details.

However, getting Hartmut's cooperation is very troublesome. It's not that it's difficult because he's busy as the lord's chief civil servant and high priest, but that it's troublesome. Like a civil servant, he doesn't easily give you a commitment, and will ask for two or three things in return for one piece of cooperation. It's especially troublesome when it comes to Cornelius, perhaps because he’s his mischievous childhood friend.

"I'll secure Hartmut's cooperation, so Cornelius, please get permission to carry out the treasure stealing ditter and make things look good."
"That would be much appreciated."

The next day, when they're together in the aides' room, I bring it up to Hartmut. "Hartmut, don't you think the attitude of the anti-Rozemyne faction is too much?"
"Well, now is the time to say it. I have always found the foolishness of those who rebel against Lady Rozemyne, the incarnation of the goddess, intolerable. I would like to eliminate them all at once if I could, but now is not possible. I am truly frustrated by my own immaturity."

Hartmut was referring to the fact that in the confusion of the Lanzenave battle, the collateral lord families of the former Ahrensbach and nobles who seemed to have close ties with Lady Georgine were eliminated without anyone realizing it. Among them was the father of Aurelia, whose daughter Martina served as an aide to Lady Dietlinde. There is no way they could have fallen into the hands of Lanzenave.

If they had survived, they would have become the leaders of the anti-Rozemyne faction, making it difficult for Lady Rozemyne to rule. They were eliminated in the confusion of the battle, when anything could have happened and it would have been difficult to investigate. Ferdinand must have been the one who eliminated the obstacles while we were busy dealing with the situation in front of us, with an eye on the future after Lady Rozemyne became Lord. Hartmut believes that if we had thought that far, we could have eliminated more obstacles.

"It may be impossible to eliminate them now, but I think we can thoroughly instil fear in them and make them tremble in fear."
"I see. What method do you have?"

Hartmut takes the bait, so I tell him about the treasure thief Ditter.
"I see, so you want me to prepare an offensive magic tool that uses an immortal magic circle to re-educate the rebellious knights without any deaths."

Hartmut understood our request without me having to explain it to everyone.
"Will you cooperate?"
"It's annoying to be used by Leonore, but this is for Lady Rozemyne's sake."

Hartmut is a Lady Rozemyne supremacist. The irritation he felt towards the anti-Rozemyne faction and the needlessly rebellious undereducated generation was far greater than mine or Cornelius'. He said it was annoying but a sadistic smile formed on his lips.
"Well then, I look forward to working with you."

With Hartmut's help, Treasure Stealing Ditter succeeded in striking fear into the hearts of the undereducated generation and rebellious nobles just as I had intended. Since the Treasure Stealing Ditter, at least the knights have shown a marked improvement in their dedication to training, and their rebellious attitudes have lessened considerably.

A little while later, Lady Rozemyne said she wanted to see for herself how much the knights had changed under the influence of Treasure Stealer Ditter, so I accompanied her to the knight training grounds as her bodyguard.
"Hey, Leonore."

"What is it, Lady Rozemyne?"
"It seems like the knights are frightened when they see me...?" Lady Rozemyne asked suspiciously when the knights we passed on the way and the knights who noticed us in the training grounds flinched.

"They were probably just surprised that the lord himself had come to inspect us." I answered, feeling pathetic that I couldn't even hide my emotions at the time.

It wasn't until this point that I learned that the knights had nicknamed me the "Witch of Alexandria" after a careless civil servant had let slip that I was the one who had planned the treasure ditter.

Chapter Text

"I'll be out for a bit then."
"Understood. Have a nice day."

As the nobles move in little by little for the Lords' Conference, the dormitory of the Nobles' Academy becomes bustling. I inform my attendant that I will be away, leave my room, and head to my destination.
The Lords' Conference is held every spring to decide matters such as trade between territories and marriages between the lords. However, no matter how long the Lords' Conference lasts, not everything is decided by the lords themselves.

In the first place, it is important to lay the groundwork beforehand when interacting with nobles. When it comes to territories, this becomes even more important. They need to share information about what they intend to discuss, finalize discussions between the civil servants in charge of the practical aspects, and create public opinion that involves multiple territories so that the other party cannot refuse.

The place I am heading to is one of those gatherings of civil servants to lay the groundwork.
The gathering, held in the conference room of the civil servants' building, was attended by civil servants and dormitory supervisors from Dunkelfelger, Ehrenfest, Frenbeltag, Quantreeb, Neuehausen, and Losrenger. The gathering was mainly made up of small and medium-sized territories where Alexandria and Dunkelfelger have a strong influence.

"Thank you all for coming. At this lords' conference, Alexandria has decided to propose to the Zent a change in the educational content of the Noble Academy. Specifically, we believe that we should change back from the current speed-based Ditter to the traditional treasure-stealing Ditter. We have gathered here to ask for your cooperation in this matter."

"As expected of Lady Rozemyne and Lord Ferdinand. In fact, I have been laying the groundwork for the idea of quickly changing back to the treasure-stealing Ditter as well."
When I explained the purpose of the gathering, Professor Rauffen excitedly agreed. Coincidentally, Professor Rauffen had also begun to lobby on his own.

"I'm sorry to interrupt everyone's excitement, but there's a reason why the Treasure Stealing Ditter was changed to a Speed Ditter. I'm sure Dunkelfelger and Alexandria know that."
The civil servant from Neuehausen confirms with a difficult expression. Although it's just a confirmation, it's clear that they have no intention of cooperating with a proposal from a large territory if it's a simple change.

...Neuehausen is a former loser territory, so they may not be happy about the burden of changing back to the Treasure Stealing Ditter.
"Of course I know. The purge caused a sharp decline in the number of nobles, and the whole of Yurgenschmidt fell into a shortage of magical power, right?"

"That's right. Although things have recovered since Zent, who has Grutrissheit, ascended to the throne, it's still far from the situation before the coup. Do you understand that changing back to the Treasure Stealing Ditter is still a heavy burden for small and medium-sized territories?"
"Yes. Both Aub Alexandria and her fiancé Ferdinand were originally lord candidates from Ehrenfest, a medium-sized territory with few lords, so they understand the situation of small and medium-sized territories suffering from a lack of magical power. On top of that, they decided that it was necessary, and that's why they proposed it."

After making this assertion, he explains the problems that have arisen from changing from treasure-stealing Ditters to Ditters competing in speed, and explains that Rozemyne, who noticed this, revised the education system in Ehrenfest, which has improved cooperation between the knight apprentices.
"I thought the quality of new recruits was declining, but I never thought it was because they changed from treasure-stealing Ditters to speed-competing Ditters."

"I thought it was because there were fewer fights after the coup and because the people were former priests, but now that you mention it, it makes sense."
"I didn't think one Ditter could have such a big impact..."

All the territories had noticed the decline in the quality of new recruits and considered it a problem, but they didn't seem to realize that the cause was the change from treasure-stealing Ditters to speed-competing Ditters.
"If I may add to what Alexandria pointed out, the decline in the quality of knights, civil servants, and attendants is also a problem, but I think the biggest problem is the decline in the quality of lord candidates."

"Professor Rauffen, what do you mean?"
The civil servant of Quantreeb responded to Professor Rauffen's remark.
All the professors in the House of Lords seemed to understand what Professor Rauffen was referring to, but the civil servants were divided into those who understood what Professor Rauffen was referring to and those who didn't. I was one of those who didn't understand.

"The Treasure Stealing Ditter was originally based on the battle to protect the foundations. Even before the coup, it was rare for lord candidates to actually participate in the Treasure Stealing Ditter, but by preparing for the Treasure Stealing Ditter together as a group, they were able to develop the mentality to fight and protect the foundations. However, with the change to a Ditter that was a competition of speed, the opportunity to learn such mentality was lost. Even though lord candidates are not knights, it would be troublesome if they were unable to command knights and fled, went crazy, and held the knights back. Moreover, from now on, we will return to the old way of doing things, and all lord candidates will be candidates to become the next Aub as well as the next Zent."

Everyone who didn't understand gasped.
...Come to think of it, even Lord Lestilaut was not able to command properly during the Ditter to decide the owner of the library's magical tools.

When I was trying to persuade the teachers at the Noble Academy and other territories, I thought I had thoroughly considered the problems with the current education system and the advantages of returning to the treasure-stealing Ditter, but I overlooked the decline in the quality of the lord candidates.

This is an excuse, but I saw underage female lord candidates Rozemyne and Hannelore in the real Ditter leading their knights in battle. Although I didn't see it for myself, I heard that Lady Charlotte also commanded well at Ehrenfest. Even Lord Melchior, who had not yet entered the Noble Academy, commanded his own guardian knights to guard the temple. Many of the lord candidates I knew fought well, so I didn't realize that the change to a Ditter that competes for speed would also cause a decline in the quality of the lord candidates.

"This is certainly a big problem."
"We should return it to Treasure Stealing Ditter as soon as possible."
It has only been a year since the invasion of Lanzenave. Everyone understands the danger of Yurgenschmidt's foundations being targeted. Everyone in the room was positive about returning it to Treasure Stealing Ditter.

"We understand the need to return it to Treasure Stealing Ditter. However, as the Neuehausen spoke earlier, returning it to Treasure Stealing Ditter is still a heavy burden for small and medium-sized territories like ours. Therefore, as a condition for agreeing to this, we would like you to consider reducing the burden on small and medium-sized territories."

The civil servants of Frenbeltag were not swept up in the atmosphere of support for returning it to Treasure Stealing Ditter, and presented conditions for their support. When one territory makes a move, other small and medium-sized territories will jump on the bandwagon and request a change in the burden ratio.
……I had expected it to be in return for cooperation, but to make a demand so soon is something that Frenbeltag's civil servants do.

I turned to the Ehrenfest civil servant wondering what to do about one of their plans going awry, but he showed no particular reaction, as his role had been taken away from him. In my time in Dunkelfelger, I would not have been able to read his expression and understand his intentions, but I have lived in Ehrenfest, albeit for a short time, and I know the internal affairs and the quality of its civil servants, so I understand. He is relieved that he did not have to speak out against a large territory.

……Please pull yourself together! We even had a meeting beforehand so that he could gain experience in speaking out and negotiating with higher-ranking territories without hesitation.

Ehrenfest has been a lower-ranking territory for many years, and has only followed the will of the higher-ranking territories and is not prepared to negotiate. For this reason, I entrusted the Ehrenfest civil servant with the role of speaking out as a representative of the smaller territories so that he could gain such experience. "Hmm, that makes sense. Realistically speaking, would it be about changing the burden of the running costs of the Noble House?"

While I was feeling annoyed at the unreliability of the Ehrenfest civil servants, Wingert, a civil servant from Dunkelfelger, proposed a concrete compromise. I shook off my distracting thoughts and returned my attention to the discussion.
"That's right. I think that would be realistic for Alexandria as well."

In Dunkelfelger, Professor Rauffen's proposal had already led to a similar idea. They concluded that it would be realistic for Alexandria to change the burden ratio in order to reduce the burden on small and medium-sized territories as well.
"I would like to ask for magical support if possible. If we are to return it to a treasure-stealing Ditter, we will need healing potions, offensive magic tools, and defensive amulets, but we cannot meet our needs with the collection site, which has become dilapidated and barren in recent years."

"The magical situation at the Noble Academy has improved since Lady Eglantine ascended to the throne, and Lady Rozemyne has taught us how to heal the collection site, right?"
"It has certainly improved, but it is not yet complete. Also, in large territories with many students, a ritual to restore the collection site can be performed, but in small and medium-sized territories with few students, this is not possible." The civil servant of Quantreeb protests against Professor Rauffen's point.

...It cannot be understood from the perspective of a large territory.
In Alexandria, we were able to notice it thanks to Ferdinand's point, but that is because we know the situation in small and medium-sized territories. Large territories have a large number of people, and because they have married people with abundant magical power and possess secret magic compression techniques, they have a large amount of magical power in each individual, so they can heal the collection site. However, in small and medium-sized territories, the burden on each individual is greater because there are fewer people. And yet the amount of magical power each individual has is less than in large territories, so it is not surprising that they cannot afford to heal the collection sites, especially considering lectures.

"However, from Alexandria, we propose holding a dedication ceremony at the Noble Academy. If we collect magical power at the dedication ceremony and distribute it more to small and medium-sized territories, it will be of help to the small and medium-sized territories."
"I see, so at the same time as giving the students the experience of a religious ceremony, large territories can also help small and medium-sized territories with magical power."

Even though large territories have a greater burden, Professor Rauffen's tone is favourable, and Wingert seems to agree.
……Dunkelfelger may also be aware of the hidden intention. They are very different from the nobles of Alexandria.

I sighed in my heart at the difference between the nobles of my hometown and those of Alexandria. Perhaps because the ruling family of the old Ahrensbach era took it for granted that they would exploit other territories, some of the Alexandrian nobles only saw the surface of the problem and believed that there was no need to increase the burden on their own territory and distribute benefits to smaller territories.

Incidentally, even though the offering ceremony involves offering magical power, the small and medium-sized territories are happy to hear that they will receive back more magical power than they offered through distribution.

"One more thing. Eglantine-sama avoids conflicts. You all know that during the previous bride-stealing Ditter, safety restrictions were placed on the magical tools used to prevent deaths. Although the treasure-stealing Ditter was not as bad as the bride-stealing Ditter, several people died every year. For the safety of the students and to get Eglantine-sama's approval, I think we should take the previous bride-stealing Ditter into consideration and impose restrictions on magical tools. What do you think?"

"A similar opinion was expressed at Dunkelfelger."
"As a teacher at the Noble Academy, I have no objections. However, if we make it too lukewarm, it could lead to a lack of a sense of crisis among the knights, so I would like to add that we need to be careful."
"Even so, the number of nobles is decreasing, so it would be a shame to have deaths during lectures, so it would be helpful for small and medium-sized territories to take safety measures."

With the approval of the participating territories and the teachers from the noble academy, we have moved on to the stage of working out the details. We have discussed the specific percentages of financial burden and details of safety measures, and have come to a rough agreement. Now it's up to each civil servant to bring back the results and see if the lord agrees, but Dunkelfelger has been impressed, and the contents are not bad for a small or medium-sized territory. I think they will basically agree.

...This matter looks like it will go ahead without any problems.
The agreement of the seven territories gathered here is only the first step. However, if Dunkelfelger and Alexandria work together, Zent and the other small and medium-sized territories will not be too opposed.

"Is Alexandria's only proposal to review the educational content?"
Just as I was relaxing, thinking that I had fulfilled my role well, Professor Rauffen asked me a question.

"Yes, that is why we have gathered here today."
"Hmm, I see."
After groaning somewhat dissatisfied, Professor Rauffen turned his gaze to Wingert. In response, Wingert raised a new issue.

"Then let me also raise a problem from Dunkelfelger. Following Alexandria's proposal, we can expect to improve the quality of future students by reviewing the content of education. In addition to this, don't you think it is necessary to re-educate the generation that has already graduated?"
"You say the generation that has already graduated, but wouldn't it be fine for each territory to re-educate them?"

"It would be a lot of work, but there would be no problem if we provided education on-site..." When the civil servant of Frenbeltag said that each territory could re-educate those who had already graduated, the other territories followed suit.
Professor Rauffen shook his head in denial.

"We had the same opinion in Dunkelfelger. In fact, there have been no major problems in Dunkelfelger because we train knights, civil servants, and attendants on the job. However, Ehrenfest's knight apprentices, who saw through the problems in the current education and retrained their apprentices, have been improving their rankings every year, and are now ranked alongside large territories in Ditter. Re-education to a degree that doesn't cause problems can be done on the job, but don't you think there is a difference in the results when you recognize the true nature of the problem and provide proper education?"

"Hmm."
"Indeed..."

Apprentice knights participate in training in the Knights' Order and receive instruction from their predecessors and instructors. However, the training they receive is basically based on practical matters. In peacetime, knights' duties include defeating monsters within the territory, guarding important people, and guarding the castle. The former is hardly an opportunity to learn teamwork, as can be seen from the fact that teamwork is neglected in Ditter, where speed is the main focus. Especially in territories with powerful monsters such as the Winter Lord and Summer Lord, where it is not clear which monster will become the lord, it is possible to manage as long as you remember how to deal with the limited number of monsters.

The latter requires constant vigilance and keeping an eye on various places, but at first glance it looks like they are just standing there, so it is difficult to know whether they have mastered it properly until a problem actually occurs.
"It is true even for knights alone. It will be difficult to re-educate them, especially when considering cooperation with civil servants and attendants. When a generation that does not know how to cooperate with each other occupies the upper echelons of a territory in ten or fifteen years, can you say that there will not be problems? When a lord candidate who has no experience in treasure stealing ditter becomes a lord, will he be able to unite the territory to protect the foundation?"

Not only Frenbeltag, but also the civil servants of Neuehausen, Quantreeb, and Rosslengel look serious when Wingel points out.
...Sigiswald made a disgrace of himself in the previous bride-stealing ditter.

No one wants to think that their own lord candidate is that bad. However, there is no evidence that they can fight well. In addition, small and medium-sized territories, which complained that even the revision of the education system at the Noble Academy would be too much of a burden on their territories, would not have the means to conduct re-education within their territories.

"I understand what you are saying, but how would you go about re-educating them? Even if the Noble Academy were to educate them, the number of people would be enormous." The civil servant of Frenbeltag, who belongs to the generation in question, including Rudiger, who is likely to be the next lord, asks about a concrete plan.

It has been more than ten years since the content of the Noble Academy's education was changed to a speed-based Ditter. By simple calculation, the number of students would be nearly double the number of students currently enrolled at the Noble Academy. In addition, those of that generation are now adults and working in their territories. It is not realistic for them to come to the Noble Academy for a long period of time.

"We at Dunkelfelger have no good ideas, so we have adopted the form of raising the issue."
In other words, by sharing the problem, we would like to borrow the wisdom of other territories.

"It seems Dunkelfelger has come to a similar conclusion."
"You mean Alexandria too?"

"Yes. In fact, in Alexandria, the generation that graduated from the Noble Academy in the past decade or so was called an undereducated generation, and discussions were held on how to re-educate them, which is what led to the current review of the Noble Academy's educational content."
"So, even Lady Rozemyne and Lord Ferdinand couldn't come up with a good idea?"

"Unfortunately. Lady Rozemyne was inspired by a foreign athletics festival called the World Cup to decide on the territory competition. It was suggested that we hold a Ditter tournament, an adult version of the tournament, where adults can participate..."
"Oh! Are there athletic festivals like that in foreign countries!?"

"I had the strong impression that the Noble Academy was a place for students, so I forgot about it, but if there was a tournament like that, the knights would certainly be more enthusiastic about their training, and they would also be able to learn to work together with the civil servants and attendants. It seems like a good idea, so why didn't you suggest it?"

Hearing about the Ditter tournament, Professor Rauffen and Wingelt jumped at the chance. Basically, while maintaining the current situation of re-education in the territory, giving them the goal of the Ditter tournament would create an opportunity to check the results of their training and see the difference with other territories. Hosting a World Cup is a very logical idea.

"There are a lot of changes right now, and Zent is busy. Small and medium-sized territories would not have the time to hold a Ditter, which would put their prestige at risk. The only generation that would be affected is the one that graduated from the Noble Academy in the past decade, so unfortunately we decided to postpone it and settle on reviewing the educational content of the Noble Academy."

"I see. However, this is much more realistic than re-educating the entire generation in question at the Noble Academy. And above all, it would be an opportunity to demonstrate our results both domestically and internationally."
While expressing his understanding of the reasons for giving up on the realization of Alexandria, Wingert began to think about the Ditter Tournament.

...I understand. I understand your feelings very well.
I also think it's a very regrettable idea, so I understand Wingert's feelings very well.

However, no matter how good an idea is, there is nothing that can be done if it cannot be realized. In fact, small and medium-sized territories are breathing a sigh of relief that the Ditter Tournament will not be realized.

Thus, with the agreement to review the educational content and the understanding that the Ditter Tournament is a good idea, the meeting for the day was dissolved.

Chapter Text

"So what was Alexandria's business?" Werdekraf asked Vingert, who had just returned from a preliminary meeting between the civil officials.
"Alexandria's proposal, like Professor Rauffen's, was to revise the curriculum of the Noble Academy." Vingert succinctly answered the contents of the meeting, then handed Werdekraf's civil official a report summarizing the details.

Hmm? What's it written in it?
The civil official's eyes changed as he checked the contents. His emotions weren't so great that his eyes changed color, and his magical power wasn't overflowing. It was merely a metaphor for the way he appeared to shine, but his reaction, which was like that of when he had read the Tale of the Ditter, was intriguing.

Werdekraf received the report from the civil official and skimmed through it.
...This is quite...should he say that he is as expected, or should he call it wickedness? ...What!? An adult Ditter tournament like a territory competition!!

Reading further into the report, apart from the main topic, it was written that Rozemyne had proposed holding an adult Ditter tournament inspired by foreign athletic festivals. However, it was written that Alexandria had scrapped the idea, considering the burden on the Zent and small and medium-sized territories.

...But as Wingert pointed out, there are benefits for other territories that Alexandria does not have.
Wingert also pointed out in the report that holding an adult Ditter tournament would be an advantage that Dunkelfelger and other territories could gain.

"What was the proposal from Alexandria?" Sieglinde asked Werdekraf, who was frozen as he read the report.
...If Sieglinde found out, she would probably stop it.

They had known each other since childhood, and she was a reliable wife who could be trusted to provide rear support during the aristocratic academy and when they held Ditter within the territory, but she always tried to stop them when it came to Ditter involving other territories.
"Lord Werdekraf?"

"Yes, the proposal from Alexandria is to increase the burden of the Aristocrats' operating expenses in large territories in exchange for returning the treasure thief to Ditter. A dedication ceremony will be held at the Aristocrats' House, and the collected magical power will be distributed to small and medium territories. It has been agreed that the power of magical tools will be limited to reduce the danger."

If he shows the report to Sieglinde, she will be sure to stop Werdekraf from taking action to realize the Ditter tournament. Therefore, he will only convey the report on the revision of the Aristocrats' curriculum, which was verbally agreed upon.
"Lestilaut, what do you think about this proposal?"

He asks Lestilaut for his opinion without giving Sieglinde a chance to express her thoughts or opinions. His aim is to distract Sieglinde's attention by pretending to train Lestilaut as the next lord. The strategy works, and Sieglinde's attention shifts from Werdekraf and the report to Lestilaut.
"I think the burden on the large territories is too great. Even now, the Aristocratic Academy's contributions are high for large territories, and they are increasing this and even distributing magical power. The benefits of reviewing the educational curriculum are for all territories, so I don't think there is any need for the large territories to make such concessions."

"In that case, there is no way that Wingert would agree."
Lestilaut replies that this is not in Dunkelfelger's interest. In response, he provokes Dunkelfelger, implying that he doesn't understand what his aide civil servants already understand, and Lestilaut frowns in disgust.

...This may also be because only the treasure-competing Ditters know this.
In the days of the treasure-stealing Ditters, the skill of probing and reading each other's intentions was naturally honed. However, in a Ditter that competes for speed, such bargaining is not acquired.
"I understand that proposing to reduce the burden on small and medium-sized territories would be a way to show your influence and strengthen your influence. But am I wrong in thinking that the burden is too great for that alone?"

"Yes, you're wrong. The aim of this proposal isn't just to increase influence over small and medium-sized territories. It also aims to show our influence to the Zent and to reduce the influence of Klassenberg. Considering that, a small increase in the burden on the House of Lords is a small price to pay."

"Show our influence to the Zent?"
Even when Werdekraf told him the correct answer, Lestilaut didn't seem to get it and frowned suspiciously.

"During Traokvar's rule, there was no consideration given to small and medium-sized territories. To be precise, it should be said that there was no room for consideration, but that doesn't matter to small and medium-sized territories that were forced to bear only burdens and were treated poorly. What do you think would happen if we made a proposal from the perspective of small and medium-sized territories and Eglantine adopted it?"

"I see. It would impress upon small and medium-sized territories that the rule of Eglantine and that of Traokvar are different."
"That's right."

Under Eglantine's rule, the distinction between winners and losers from the previous coup has disappeared on the surface. However, regardless of appearances, what has actually changed is nothing. Last year, she suddenly ascended to the throne just before the Lords' Conference, and she was busy with the aftermath of the Lanzenave War and the central reorganization, so she didn't have the time to pay attention to how to treat small and medium-sized territories that did not contribute.

However, Eglantine needs to show that there has been a change from Traokvar's system. In that respect, it is an easy change to implement policies that take small and medium-sized territories into consideration.
It is a well-known fact that Klassenburg was the most influential figure during the Traokvar era. This will also indirectly reduce Klassenburg's influence.

"If you can't read things like this quickly, you won't be able to deal with the cunning lords of other territories."
"I will work hard."
Werdekraf advises Lestilaut, who replies with a frustrated look on his face.

"What are you going to do about the groundwork with other territories?" Sieglinde asks once Lestilaut's education is complete.
The small and medium-sized territories under Dunkelfelger and Alexandria have already agreed, but they are being asked what their policy is: should they groundwork with the other large territories, or should they try to get them to oppose it, or should they leave the groundwork to themselves and not groundwork?

"There is an agreement with Drevanchel, so I will let them know. There is no need to do any groundwork with Klassenburg. If they agree, that's fine, and if they oppose, we can just make them the villain and reduce their influence even more. The problem is Blumefeld."
"That's right. Blumefeld's current state is such that they cannot agree. That said, if Klassenburg agrees and Blumefeld is the only one who opposes, they will incur the hostility of all the small and medium-sized territories..."

Blumefeld, where Traokvar has become the lord, is a large territory, but the old Berkestock, which Ahrensbach managed, was in a terrible state magically. Moreover, most of the lords and the lord's knights were punished for aiding Georgine, so there are few nobles, and the remaining nobles also have a grudge against Traokvar. The territory is divided and there are few nobles, so it is difficult to manage the territory. They will not agree to a proposal that will increase their burden.

However, Traokvar is a target of resentment from the former loser small and medium-sized territories. If Traokvar were to be the only one to oppose the proposal to reduce the burden on small and medium-sized territories, he would incur even more resentment.
"Why not encourage them to agree to the proposal and then increase the aid, so that it would appear that further support has been obtained from Dunkelfelger, the proposer, rather than from the Zent?"

"That would be best for Blumefeld, but it would put too much of a burden on Dunkelfelger."
Einliebe's proposal is rejected. For Traokvar, it is a clever idea that allows him to maintain his dignity among the nobles within his territory while avoiding further resentment from other territories. However, Dunkelfelger would gain nothing from increasing his aid even more when he is already providing support.

...And perhaps Lord Ferdinand also means that he should take responsibility for what he has done.
In the first place, it was Traokvar and Klassenburg who carried out the purge on such a scale that the treasure-stealing Ditter could no longer continue. And it is Traokvar and Klassenburg who will lose out from this proposal. It would be reasonable to think that this also includes the intention of making the two main perpetrators of the purge pay for their actions.

Werdekraf understands that Traokvar had his own reasons. However, in the end, it cannot be denied that he went too far.
"Would it be reasonable to inform them of the proposal and advise them not to oppose it?"

"And how about acting as an intermediary between them and Alexandria?"
When Werdekraf asks for her opinion, Sieglinde makes an additional suggestion. Sieglinde also realizes that Ferdinand is making a harsh proposal to Traokvar. That's why she suggests that he act as an intermediary between Blumefeld and Alexandria to help improve their relationship.

……I don't think Ferdinand will listen to him so easily, but it's also true that only Dunkelfelger can do that.
Currently, the only territories in Yurgenschmidt that are ranked higher than Alexandria and have connections with Rozemyne and Ferdinand are Dunkelfelger and Drevanchel.

Drevanchel may not be so forceful if he sees that he owes a debt to Ferdinand for marrying into his family and for intervening in Adolphine's divorce. Furthermore, he damaged his daughter's career with an unreasonable marriage proposal to Traokvar. Drevanchel is unlikely to act on Traokvar's behalf.
On the other hand, Dunkelfelger cooperated with him in the battle at the center. There is also the aspect of atonement for the marriage, but Alexandria has owed him a debt that he cannot ignore.

"That's right. Let's go in that direction."
With the policy decided, the discussion on the curriculum review project concludes. ……Thanks to the serious discussion, we were able to fool Sieglinde.

After discussing various other issues, when Sieglinde, Lestilaut, and Einliebe had left the room, Werdekraf gave work to those who were likely to inform Sieglinde and kicked them out, and gathered those who were likely to agree to the realization of the Ditter Tournament.

"Some of you may have heard about the proposal from Alexandria earlier regarding a review of the educational curriculum. In fact, before this proposal, Aub Alexandria had proposed holding an adult Ditter Tournament like a territory competition to re-educate the undereducated generation. However, it seems that the idea was scrapped due to the burden on the Zent and small and medium-sized territories."

"What! An adult Ditter Tournament!?"
"What a waste of such a wonderful proposal!"

"Aube, let's make Dunkelfelger's proposal to become the incarnation of the goddess a reality!"
Thanks to the efforts of gathering those who were likely to agree, everyone is beyond positive and looks as if they're about to start dancing.

"Well, I thought you would say that. It seems that Alexandria could not find any way, but Dunkelfelger and other territories have their advantages. Let's all work together to make the Ditter Tournament a reality!"

"Oh!"

Chapter Text

"You look happy, Heisshitze."
"Yeah, I never dreamed a rematch with Ferdinand would come so soon." I replied to my colleague's words without hiding my joy.

Last spring, Eglantine obtained Grutrissheit and became a true Zent, which resulted in the redrawing of the territory borders, which had not been redrawn for a long time. Thanks to this, the tacit understanding of refraining from travel between territories after the purge was lifted.

Naturally, I intended to go to Alexandria immediately and apply to Ferdinand for a Ditter. I had prepared the materials to lure Ferdinand to a Ditter, and was about to prepare to leave when my wife stopped me. "Ferdinand is busy governing Alexandria, which has just been remodelled into a new territory, so there is no way he has time to deal with you."

"You don't understand Ferdinand. Ferdinand will spare no effort for the sake of valuable materials."
Ferdinand will definitely undergo the Ditter for the valuable materials I have prepared. However, upon hearing my words, my wife sighed deeply.

"Ferdinand is now in a position to support Aub Alexandria. What would happen if something were to happen to Ferdinand, who is supporting the underage female lord Rozemyne in the administrative department? If you think about it for a moment, you will understand that Ferdinand would not expose himself to unnecessary danger."

"Ugh..."
I was at a loss for words when my wife pointed this out.

Unlike monsters, whose movements can be predicted to a certain extent and the procedure for defeating them is clear, when it comes to a fight between humans, there is no telling what dangers may lurk. During the time of the treasure-stealing Ditter, a small number of people lost their lives even during lectures at the Noble Academy.

There are only three members of the ruling family in Alexandria: Lady Rozemyne, Lady Ferdinand, and Lady Letizia. Lady Ferdinand is the only adult with administrative experience. If something were to happen, it would cause problems in the management of the territory. Considering this, he would likely not accept the Ditter, even if he wanted the valuable materials.

In order to have a rematch, Alexandria must be stable, and Lady Rozemyne must have gained enough administrative experience to be able to run the territory alone if something were to happen to Lady Ferdinand. That would be at least five years away. But if we want Alexandria to be even more stable, it may be closer to ten years until the couple has a child and it is fully grown.

It would be great to know that the situation would change just a year after that disappointment, and that a rematch could become a reality.
"But isn't it too early to think that a rematch has been arranged?"

"It's fine. Lord Ferdinand will definitely take command of the Ditter Tournament himself!"
"You guys, shut up already. It's about time for Aub Alexandria and her husband to arrive."
As I confidently answered another colleague's question, the Commander of the Knights scolded me to shut up. Soon after, I heard the herald that "Aube Alexandria and her fiancee, Lord Ferdinand, have arrived."

Rozemyne and Lord Ferdinand were in the tea party room at Dunkelfelger. As Ferdinand entered the room, our eyes met for just a moment. Ferdinand frowned slightly, so slightly that you would miss it if you weren't paying close attention. At first glance, it might seem like he doesn't like me. But when Ferdinand really doesn't like someone, he puts on a fake smile like an example of an aristocrat. The fact that he shows even the slightest bit of emotion is proof that he trusts me.

"It's been a long time, Aub Dunkelfelger. First of all, congratulations on Lady Hannelore's engagement."
"Thank you. I'm sure Hannelore would be happy you congratulated her, Lady Rozemyne."

Lady Rozemyne gave the first greeting and congratulated Lady Hannelore on the establishment of her engagement. Dunkelfelger was victorious in the bride-stealing Ditter, and Lady Hannelore chose Kentrips. With Lady Eglantine's approval at this lords' meeting, the engagement between the two was officially established.
Since Alexandria and Dunkelfelger have a friendly relationship, the meeting began in a calm atmosphere.

"I've also heard from Hannelore that you want to cultivate the plant that is the raw material for sugar in Dunkelfelger?"
"Yes, it is possible to cultivate it in the hot areas of Alexandria, but it is not enough to meet the demand of the entire territory. In that case, I thought I would like to give back to Dunkelfelger for their help in the battles in the real Ditter and the centre."

"Are you sure?" Werdekraf asked Ferdinand, who was sitting next to him, instead of Rozemyne.

Once you provide the raw plant, you will gain permanent profits from then on. It is important to repay the favour as an Aub, but it is also important to protect and develop the industry of your own territory. With the trade with foreign countries that had supported the territory for many years gone, Alexandria was worried about whether it was okay to provide something that could become an industry, such as sugar production, which is in high demand in other territories, and at the same time, it gave rise to suspicions that there was something ulterior motive.

"That's fine. However, we would like to purchase all the harvested crops in Alexandria."
"Hmm, that's difficult. Dunkelfelger would like to maintain friendly relations with Alexandria, but we also have relationships with other territories."

This year, no territories opened their border gates, and sugar was unavailable, so there was a high demand for honey from Klassenburg and Gillessenmeyer as an alternative sweetener. However, an alternative is only an alternative. If sugar can be produced, many territories would want to trade with it.
...It would be difficult to turn down a request from Blumefeld, where Magdalena is, even if it's not from other territories.

"If there is a territory that really wants to buy the raw materials, we can sell them to them. However, there is no point in buying them from a territory that does not know how to process them into sugar."
"I see."

After hearing Ferdinand's answer, Werdekraf nodded in understanding. It seems that a complicated process is required to process sugar from the raw plant material into sugar. If you don't know how to process them, the magic stones are just rocks.
"Would you be willing to sell me the method for processing them?"

"Not right away."
When Werdekraf asked as if he would just ask, Ferdinand hinted in a suggestive tone that he might consider it in the future.
In this way, Ferdinand handled the practical aspects of the negotiations, and the discussions progressed smoothly.

"By the way, I heard that Dunkelfelger is laying the groundwork for Zent and other territories to host an adult Ditter tournament."
After they had agreed on the sugar, Rozemyne tilted her head and asked for an explanation of the situation regarding the Ditter tournament. In order to hold this unprecedented tournament, I had used Rozemyne's name to propose it as the incarnation of the goddess. She was asking why we used my name without her permission.

"Yes, when we were asked about the review of the educational content of the Noble Academy, we heard that Rozemyne proposed holding an adult Ditter Tournament based on foreign athletic competitions, and Dunkelfelger took action to realize the proposal of the incarnation of the goddess."

"Indeed, such a proposal was made within the territory. However, it was scrapped in Alexandria because of the heavy burden on the Zent and small and medium-sized territories. What does Dunkelfelger think about the burden on the Zent and small and medium-sized territories?"
Ferdinand asked, shifting his gaze from Werdekraf to Sieglinde. It sounds like he is just listening to Dunkelfelger's thoughts, but he is being roundaboutly criticized for aiming the dissatisfaction of small and medium-sized territories at Alexandria under the pretext of the hope of the incarnation of the goddess just because he wants to hold the Ditter Tournament.

"Don't worry. It seems that Alexandria, which is an emerging territory, did not consider it, but there are benefits that will be appreciated by both the Zent and small and medium-sized territories."
In response, Lady Sieglinde not only replies that she will not cause any trouble, but also launches a counterattack, saying that there is an advantage to be gained from this, and that Ferdinand just did not notice.

...Lady Sieglinde, I can't believe she was lecturing Werdekraf, who had acted so independently.
"You say there is an advantage?"

"First of all, it will be an opportunity to find talent that can be employed by the Central Knights from all territories, including the former loser and small territories."
With Lady Eglantine's accession to the throne, the distinction between winners and losers has disappeared, but since she was ascended to the throne just before the Lords' Conference, the current Central Knights were basically reappointed from the central nobles from the time of Lady Traokvar. Naturally, there are very few people from loser territories.

However, the loser territories also want to regain their influence. To do this, they need not only to increase the amount of harvest, but also to send talent to the center, so that they can obtain information from the center and make it easier to convey their opinions.
"Did Eglantine promise that those who perform well in the Ditter Tournament will be summoned to the central nobility?"

"I'm not saying that they will definitely be recruited. However, I understand that it will be an opportunity to discover talented people."
"I see."
Currently, only new adults can move to the center, but it would be great if there was an opportunity to produce people who have gained experience in their territories after coming of age.

"In addition, it will be an opportunity to wipe out the unfairly low evaluation of the undereducated generation."
"Unfair...? Ah, you mean the fact that the evaluation of the undereducated generation has dropped significantly in many territories due to the disgrace of Aub Corinthdaum?"

The bride-stealing Ditter, which decides where Hannelore will marry, was held the day after the graduation ceremony, so many territories that did not participate were watching. In front of all of them, Sigiswald, far from commanding his knights, exposed the disgrace of being afraid of attacks, yelling to protect himself, and running away, holding back the knights.

It was only natural that Sigiswald's personal evaluation would drop as a result. However, the impact of the disgrace of Sigiswald, who was being raised as the next king, is not limited to him. Combined with the decline in the quality of new adults due to issues with the quality of the schtappes and changes in the educational content, concerns are spreading that the lord candidates of the degraded schtappe generation may not be capable of being lords.

"That's right. It's probably nothing to do with Aub Alexandria, who won a real Ditter and stole the Foundation Magic to become Aub, but it's a real nuisance for territories that have chosen the degraded schtappe generation as their next lord or are thinking in that direction, and many territories hope to have the opportunity to dispel doubts and show that they have sufficient ability to be lords, and they agreed."

"I see, Lestilaut is of that generation too. So it's not just a matter of concern to Dunkelfelger either."
Sieglinde explained it as if it was someone else's problem, but Ferdinand could see through the fact that Dunkelfelger was also being inconvenienced.

"As you can see."
"What do you mean? I remember that Lord Lestilaut led his knights in battle." However, Rozemyne didn't seem to understand and tilted her head.

"There are strong doubts about Lestilaut's ability, as he was defeated in the Ditter by Ehrenfest twice, in his fourth and sixth years."
In Dunkelfelger, a territory of warriors, the lord is not only expected to protect the foundations of his territory. He is also expected to fight as the sword of Zent in times of emergency. In fact, there may be more doubts about Lestilaut, who is from the degraded Schtappe generation, becoming the next lord than in any other territory.

"Now that I've explained this much, I'll be frank with you. Dunkelfelger wants Lestilaut to silence the opposition within the territory at the Ditter tournament. We hope that you will achieve results that will be sufficient to make us a better player. Therefore, Dunkelfelger will propose to Alexandria that we cooperate in the upcoming Ditter Tournament."
Because of this problem, Werdekraf did not persuade Sieglinde and then do some groundwork, but instead did some groundwork to make the tournament a no-brainer so that Sieglinde could not oppose it.

The interests of the Zent and other territories are as I said earlier. However, the interests of Dunkelfelger depend on whether Lestilaut can achieve excellent results in the tournament. At first glance, you might think that the other territories are the same, but the standards required are different between Dunkelfelger, a military territory, and small and medium-sized territories.

It is natural that small and medium-sized territories cannot beat large territories, so it would be good if you could show that you can properly command knights and fight while protecting your foundation. However, if you want to call yourself the next lord of Dunkelfelger, you need to place in the top ranks, even if you don't win, otherwise you will not restore your honour, and you will only increase your flaws.

Alexandria is seen as an obstacle to Lestilaut's advancement. Ferdinand defeated Dunkelfelger every year during his time as the treasure thief Ditter, and Rozemyne has defeated Lestilaut twice. If they can work together with Alexandria, the threat will be greatly reduced.
"Working together? What do you think?"

When Rozemyne turned her gaze to Ferdinand, Ferdinand placed his fingers on his temples. It was a habit of Ferdinand's when he was thinking.
"Aub, I believe it would be okay to accept this offer."

"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I owe Dunkelfelger a favour."

Since Rozemyne still has little experience in work, she probably relies on Ferdinand's opinion on such sudden topics. Ferdinand's words were the deciding factor, and it was decided that Dunkelfelger and Alexandria would work together. From there, we worked out the conditions for our alliance. Ferdinand would take command of Alexandria. We would maintain a united front until we defeated the other large territories. During this united front, Ferdinand would support Lestilaut as much as possible.

...All right! I cheered in my heart.
Ferdinand's clever tactics often involve thwarting the large territories' ambitions in the early stages, tempting the small and medium territories to betray, and aiming for Fairbelcken's success. On the other hand, if Dunkelfelger and Alexandria could maintain a united front until they were close to a direct confrontation, Dunkelfelger would have the advantage due to the difference in the strength of their knights.

...I'll beat Ferdinand this time!

Savouring the joy of the rematch, I resolved to win.

Chapter Text

...I never thought that Lord Ferdinand would agree so readily.
I can't help but look off into the distance as I recall my meeting with Dunkelfelger at the Lords' Conference, which was the root cause of the Ditter Yurgenschmidt Cup being held.

Well, I made a lot of requests in a fit of desperation, since it was going to be held anyway.
Even though in my previous life I was only interested in books, I still remember the excitement of the Olympics and the World Cup, which take place every four years. I'm feeling a bit nostalgic now, so since it's going to be held anyway, I presented information about the World Cup and made my request.

As I was thinking about this, Rauffen began explaining the details of the first Ditter Yurgenschmidt Cup, including my request.
"This tournament will be of treasure-stealing ditter. As a result of the application, there will be 50 people from each territory. However, as mentioned before, in order for the lord candidates to learn to fight while protecting their foundations, the representative of each territory will be a lord candidate."

This was announced when the tournament was announced, so it was no surprise to any of the territories.

"However, we cannot allow anything to happen to the lord's family. Therefore, just like the previous bride-stealing ditter over Lady Hannelore's future husband, we will impose a power limit on the offensive magic tools. If any magic tools other than those that have been applied for and approved by the organizers in advance are found to be used, the territory will be disqualified."

This was also announced in advance, so there was little reaction.
...There's no point in winning by going to such lengths anyway.
The purpose of this tournament is to create an educational opportunity for a generation that is under-educated. There is no point in winning by using magic tools that violate the rules in front of the eyes of the entire country, and by tarnishing the name of the territory.

"Furthermore, to reduce the possibility of deaths as much as possible, medical teams have been set up with people who can use healing magic."
Rauffen points to a group that appears to have been selected from the civil servants and attendants affiliated with the central government.

This was one of the conditions I requested. Perhaps because there are healing potions that can heal even serious injuries, medical teams were not set up even during the territory competition. However, when a knight trainee from Dunkelfelger fell during the bride-stealing Ditter in my third year, I was able to heal him immediately and he was saved, so even those who are unable to take healing potions on their own can be saved if a medical team is prepared.

"In addition to the restrictions on magical tools, it's reassuring to know that medical teams are also prepared." Letizia, who is watching next to me, smiles at her aide Fairseele. Fairseele's father, Strahl, is also participating as a representative, so she was probably worried about what might happen.

"However, if someone who was treated by a medical team from the central government were to return to the front line, it would be unfair. Therefore, anyone who was treated by a medical team will be considered killed in battle and removed from the battlefield. However, this only applies if the medical team was from the central government. If the person was healed by a comrade from their own territory, there is no problem with them returning to the front line."

Rauffen adds that the medical team will not allow the central government to favour a specific territory. He also explains that the referees will be the nobles of the central government. To ensure fairness, the referees will not be involved in the adjudication of the territories of origin, just like in the territory competition.

"Finally, I will explain the rewards."
Until then, there was a bored atmosphere as we were just going over the rules of the treasure stealing ditter that we all knew about and the contents that had already been announced, but the atmosphere in the entire hall changed as soon as the topic of rewards came up.

"First of all, we have prepared a prize for all participating territories."
I also requested this. This was common in my previous life, but in Yurgenschmidt, the only event where all territories compete is the Territory Tournament, so the idea of providing a participation prize in addition to the benefits of hosting the event had never occurred to them. However, without participation prizes or tournament preparation funds, it would be too much of a burden for small and medium-sized territories, which even the treasure thief Ditter of the Noble Academy considers to be too much of a burden.

The participation prize is money. The magical burden is difficult to do anything about, but if it is a monetary burden, there are ways to recover it, such as collecting event fees from higher-ranking territories.

...Sales seem to be going well.
I turn my gaze towards the entrance to the stadium. There, Alexandria's attendants are selling pamphlets, the Ditter story, a story about the Lanzenave battle, and even a Yurgenschmidt Cup exclusive Ditter story written by Professor Shubolt that can only be obtained here.

I heard later that the pamphlets were purchased equally by each territory, but the story books were mostly purchased by men from lower-ranking territories that did not have trading relationships with Alexandria or Ehrenfest, with the exception of Dunkelfelger.
If we were to use a portion of the sales as participation prizes, it would have been best to sell tickets for viewing rights, but the primary justification for this tournament was to educate an undereducated generation. We gave up on this idea because it would have been counterproductive if people were to scrimp on the ticket price and not come to watch.

As a result, I was surprised that all the books were priced at such a high festival price, with an extra contribution added to the regular price, but the Lieseleta in charge of sales said, "If we miss this opportunity, we don't know when we'll be able to get one again."
While I was worrying about sales, Rauffen explained the prize money.

The lower-ranking prize money was only enough to cover some of the expenses that would have been incurred in the Ditter. It increased in stages from there. If you pour a huge amount of money into seriously trying to win, you might end up in the red even if you're in the top ranks. On the other hand, if you keep costs to a minimum and piggyback off of a large territory to achieve good results, you could make a profit even if you're in the middle ranks. This is also something that will be tested in how you fight.

"The final winning territory will be presented with our championship trophy!" As Rauffen spoke, the cloth was removed, revealing a magnificent trophy.
Huh!? What's that? I didn't hear about that!? Her smile almost twisted at the unexpected surprise.

The revealed trophy was similar to the Statue of Liberty, to put it simply. The statue was shaped like a woman, holding a book in one hand and holding a spherical magic stone aloft in the other. Unlike the Statue of Liberty, the magic stone part was quite large compared to the goddess, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was that no matter how you look at it, the model for the statue was me.

I finally understand how Ferdinand felt at that time. I feel so embarrassed.
Just thinking that a statue that seems to be a representation of me is attracting attention as a prize makes me feel incredibly embarrassed. It's only natural that Ferdinand was angry when I sold off his image without his permission.

"Um... I don't remember giving permission for that kind of design for the trophy..." I somehow managed to put on a smile and asked my aides around me.

In my meeting with Dunkelfelger, I mentioned that we would present a trophy to the winning team at the World Cup. I also remember suggesting that we should follow the example of the World Cup and present a trophy for the Yurgenschmidt Cup as well. But I don't remember suggesting something as pathetic as presenting a trophy in the shape of me.

"I understand how you feel, but... I was wondering if you would need Rozemyne's permission to use the statue of Mestionora." Leonore told me the truth with a pitiful look on her face.

...That's right! Mestionora and I are spitting images.
I'd forgotten about this, since the only place to find a statue of Mestionora is in the Noble Academy library, but I resemble her so much that I'd say the gods themselves have endorsed me.

Even the statues of the gods in the temples have different clothing and decorations depending on the maker and the era they were made in. The woman on the trophy has characteristics that make it clear at a glance that she is Rozemyne, such as a flower ornament in her hair and her untied hair, but there's no evidence to prove that she is me. In fact, it's possible that the statue is really a representation of Mestionora.

...I'm just being self-conscious? No, but if that statue was brought out at a tournament that I explained was being held because of my request, you'd think it was me, right?

While I was agonizing inside, Rauffen explained that the championship trophy would be left in the care of the winning territory until the next tournament, and that if a territory wins three consecutive tournaments, it would be presented to that territory.

And with the explanation about the championship trophy over, the time for the bell to ring to start the Ditter was fast approaching.

"Now, let the Ditter begin!"

The bell rang, and the representatives of the twenty-two territories lined up in the arena all formed their mounts and took off.

Chapter Text

As he flew out of the arena, Bonifatius intentionally passed by the viewing area in Alexandria instead of Ehrenfest.

...Rozemyne!
Spotting Rozemyne watching the battle protected by a familiar aide, he circled once in the sky to show his presence to his granddaughter before leaving the arena.

"Squads three and four, go hunt for the treasure. Squad five, go ahead and return to camp and prepare your defenses. Squads one and two, join me in attacking the enemy!"
"Ha!"

Under Bonifatius' command, each squad began to take action.
Bonifatius rode his beast with an eerie aura that went beyond fighting spirit and was almost murderous.
◆

"At this lords' conference, it was decided that a Ditter tournament will be held in which all territories will participate, in order to re-educate the generation after the changes to the educational content after the political upheaval."

At the lords' conference report, Sylvester announced the holding of the Ditter Yurgenschmidt Cup, along with other announcements. The nobles were excited about the holding of this unprecedented tournament, but Bonifatius was not particularly interested. He thought that it was irrelevant to him, who had already retired, given the purpose of the tournament.

...However, it might be a good idea to let Lamprecht gain experience, even if it means forcing him to represent the country.
While Bonifatius was thinking that this might be a good opportunity to retrain Lamprecht, regardless of his own feelings, Sylvester gave him additional information.

"In addition, in order to learn how to protect the foundations of this tournament, it is mandatory for the lord candidates to represent the territories."
"So I'll be the representative then."

Charlotte muttered, looking a little tense. Charlotte had taken command of the defense last year, but in the last meeting she was not prepared to lead the knights in battle, and she had no experience of actually standing on a battlefield where attacks were flying, so it was no wonder she was scared.
... Despite being a female lord candidate, Rozemyne is far too talented to lead the knights and boldly attack other territories.

As Bonifatius was secretly boasting about his granddaughter's excellence, Sylvester shook his head and denied Charlotte's opinion.
"No, the condition for participating in this tournament is to be of age."

"Hmm? So I'll be the representative." With those words, Bonifatius' thoughts returned to the meeting.

At the moment, the only lord candidates in Ehrenfest who are adults are the lord and his wife, and Bonifatius. If anything were to happen to Lord Sylvester, Ehrenfest would be in great trouble. There was no need to think which of the two, Florence, a woman, and Bonifatius, who had experience as a knight commander, was more suitable to represent the family.

"...Ah, I'd like to ask my uncle." Sylvester asked, sounding a little reluctant.

...What? Has Sylvester started to feel guilty about forcing menial tasks on me, who is retired?
But this time, it might be worth it to take it on, since I might get to see Rozemyne after a long time.

Although Sylvester's attitude was a bit worrying, Bonifatius thought positively, thinking that he might get to see Rozemyne. Bonifatius, who is in charge of the territory during the territory competition and lords' conference when Sylvester is away from the territory, hasn't had a chance to see Rozemyne since seeing her off last year. However, if he is to represent the territory, he can go to the noble house with confidence.

"Will Aub Alexandria be watching the tournament?"
"Of course she will. After all, this tournament was decided to be held at Aub Alexandria's request."

"Why didn't you tell me that already!" I checked just to be sure and found out that the Ditter tournament was actually Rozemyne's suggestion. So I had no choice but to accept it.
...If it's being held at Rozemyne's request, I have no choice but to participate. Wait for me, Rozemyne!

"Then I'll leave it to Bonifatius to represent us. Bonifatius, please come to my office later."
After the presentation, Bonifatius went to the lord's office, and Sylvester dismissed everyone.

"Do we need to dismiss people to talk about the Ditter tournament?"
"I don't want to talk about something that requires dismissing people either."

In stark contrast to the lord-like attitude he maintained at the presentation, Sylvester handed over a letter with a look on his face as if he was enduring a headache. It seems he is being told to read it. Boniface accepts it and reads it. The letter describes how the royal family had planned to treat Rozemyne if they adopted her a year ago.
...They planned to lock Rozemyne away in Adalgisa's villa?!

Before the coup, Adalgisa's villa was a horrible villa where the Princess of Lanzenave was kept and forced to perform acts that were practically flower offerings. Upon hearing that the royal family had planned to lock Rozemyne away in such a place, Bonifatius became so angry that he crushed the letter and slammed it on his desk.

"Sylvester, is it true that the royal family was planning to confine Rozemyne in Adalgisa's villa?"
"Yes, during the battle last year, we needed to use Adalgisa's villa, and when we asked for permission to use it, they said that it was a villa that they were planning to give to Rozemyne, so we could use it however we wanted."

Since they actually used the villa to travel between Ahrensbach and the Noble Academy, to hold captured criminals, and for Ahrensbach's knights to stay there, there is no doubt that they had permission. If it is true that they had permission, there is no point in lying about the reason.

"Did you know that Rozemyne would be treated like this?"
"I didn't know either. There is no way that the royal family would let us know in advance what villas they were preparing. In fact, I didn't even know that such a horrible villa existed."

"Hmm."
I was so angry that I questioned Sylvester, but now that he said it, it was true. Before the coup, the lords and royal families of each territory were invited to the ceremony when Adalgisa's princess gave birth to a child, but Sylvester came of age during the coup. Since there was no king to send an invitation, there was no way he would be invited to Adalgisa's villa. Considering the scale of the purges after the coup, it is highly likely that the princesses of Adalgisa's villa were also killed.

"But from the way you talk, it seems like you know now."
"Yes, I heard it from Ferdinand. Apparently Ferdinand found out what Adalgisa's villa was like in order to deal with Lanzenave in Ahrensbach."

...It seems Ferdinand doesn't want Sylvester to know the secret of his birth.
Since Lanzenave's princess came via Ahrensbach, it's probably not a complete lie. But it's not the whole truth. Even though it was before his baptism, Ferdinand should have memories of Adalgisa's villa.

However, Ferdinand's origins are not important now. The main issue is that Traokvar and Sigiswald were planning to lock Rozemyne in such a horrible villa.
As I clenched my fists in anger, Sylvester continued to speculate.

"I think that from the way they discussed things with the royal family last year, Lord Traokvar, Lord Sigiswald, and Lord Anastasius knew what Adalgisa's villa was like. It's likely that the royal family realized that Rozemyne was not someone they could get their way with after being outmanoeuvred by her in the negotiations for her adoption, and so they chose Adalgisa's villa to avoid losing their power and to get revenge."

According to Sylvester, when the royal family found out that Rozemyne could obtain Grutrissheit, they didn't even prepare a villa for her, and immediately urged her to become the king's adopted daughter. However, Rozemyne did not simply comply, but instead negotiated well and made a number of demands, including a proper villa being prepared for her.

This made the royal family realize that Rozemyne would not do as they wanted. Regardless of ancient times, in modern times the Grutrissheit was recognized as a symbol of kingship. Sylvester speculates that the royal family, reluctant to have the lords of each territory elevate Rozemyne to kingship or for her to claim to be king and take real power, tried to force her to only do the practical work of the kingship and confine her to the Adalgisa villa, the existence of which was only known to a select few, in order to prevent her from handing over real power.

...That seems likely.
The letter also mentioned that the royal family had repeatedly behaved in ways that were hard to believe were appropriate for a lord candidate, such as trying to get Rozemyne to enter the Central Temple, and giving her a magical tool of courtship as a license without any words of love, even though their magical powers were not equal.

And at the end of the letter, the Demon King wrote in aristocratic language, "These circumstances cannot be condemned, let alone made public, as it would expose the crimes of the royal family. However, we can use the opportunity of the Ditter Tournament to openly retaliate. Would you cooperate with Alexandria?"

... It's annoying that I’m going along with Ferdinand's plan, but it's more important that Traokvar and Sigiswald, who treated Rozemyne poorly, pay their dues.
Although I have some feelings for Ferdinand, who took Rozemyne away, I cannot miss this precious opportunity to retaliate against Traokvar and Sigiswald, who treated her with contempt.

"Leave it to me, Rozemyne. I will make sure that those who treated you poorly pay their dues!"

◆

With this determination in his heart, Bonifatius rides his mount straight for Blumefeld's camp.
...Looks like they haven't caught the treasure yet.
When Bonifatius's enhanced eyesight caught sight of the enemy camp, the magical beasts that were to become the treasure had not yet arrived at the camp.

"Judith will stay here with the attendants and use magic tools to attack from a distance! The rest of you, follow me!"
The knights of Ehrenfest, led by Bonifatius, charged towards the knights of Blumefeld. The Blumefeld side also noticed the knights of Ehrenfest and prepared to intercept them.
...As expected of former central knights and knights of the great territory. It won't be easy.

They charged, but Ehrenfest's attack team consisted of twenty people. Meanwhile, Blumefeld's side had even more knights on the defensive. Not only were they outnumbered, but the knights of Blumefeld seemed to be mainly composed of those who had been transferred from the central knight order and the former knights of Berkestock, and each had a large amount of magical power and was highly trained. The advantage of a surprise attack was negligible, and the situation quickly turned against Ehrenfest.

"Grandpa, we can't do this alone. Let's withdraw for now."
"You idiot, there's no need for that!"

Almost at the same time that Lamprecht was scolded for his half-hearted words, the others arrived.
"We will assist Ehrenfest." A man who looked very similar to Wilfried, wearing a light blue cloak, made a clear declaration and led his knights to attack Blumefeld's flank.

"What!?"
"Not only Ehrenfest, but Frenbeltag too!?"
The knights of Blumefeld were shocked that two territories were attacking in succession so soon after the start of the battle. With their numbers increasing, the battle became even again. And then more reinforcements arrived.

"Follow Ehrenfest and Frenbeltag!"
"Let's crush in one fell swoop the territories ruled by cowardly lords who hide in the shadow of their ladies and don't even have the guts to lead their knights in battle!"

The territories that have come are Neuehausen, Quantreeb, Losrenger, Berschmann, and Oswald, all small and medium territories under the umbrella of the Dunkelfelger-Alexandria Alliance. Just like Frenbeltag, they are joining the battle with a clear declaration of their intentions.
...Lord Traokvar seems to be deeply hated.

Everyone knows that the territories they are attacking are Dunkelfelger-Alexandria.
They also have something in common with the territories under the Alliance. They are all either losers or neutral territories in the recent coup. Not to mention the losers who lost their comrades in the purges after the coup and fell into difficult situations, neutral territories like Ehrenfest and Losrenger have been treated by the winners in no different to the losers.

Ferdinand is likely stirring up discontent among these territories. The participating territories are fighting with years of resentment and hatred that makes it seem more than just Ditter.
On the one hand, there are those who are competing in this tournament against ordinary Ditters. On the other hand, there are those who are doing their best to clear up years of resentment and hatred.

The difference in enthusiasm between the two is as great as heaven and earth. On top of that, one territory is under attack from seven territories. Even though Blumefeld's knights are mainly from the central and large territories and are of high quality, there is no way they can overcome the disadvantage in numbers, and the formation quickly shifts in favour of the small and medium territories.

"Hold on! We are now requesting reinforcements from Ordonnanz..."
Just as Magdalena, who is leading Blumefeld, is about to give a speech to keep up the morale of the knights and loudly announce that there is hope, an explosion occurs in Blumefeld's camp.

"What's going on!?"
"Magical items and healing potions!"

Boxes that were likely containing healing potions and magical items in Blumefeld's camp had exploded. It's safe to say that all healing potions and magical items were wiped out.
...Ferdinand?

Ferdinand had given instructions in advance to attack Blumefeld from the air. He had adopted one of the basic military tactics of luring the enemy's defensive forces into the sky and having a separate unit attack from just above the ground.
"The enemy has run out of healing potions! Don't miss this opportunity!" With Blumefeld in a state of panic, now is the chance. He orders his allies to intensify the offensive, and Bonifatius charges in at the front.

Where are the Alexandrian surprise attackers?
While fighting, he searches for the Alexandrian knights to avoid the risk of an accidental attack, but they are nowhere to be seen, even though they were supposed to have launched the surprise attack. Mounts other than rideable ones cannot gallop without enough space to spread their wings, so it is unlikely that they will be completely invisible, even if they are blocked by trees. This is not the case if they use physical strengthening to move on the ground, but their movement speed is slower than that of mounted beasts.

The surprise attack is puzzling even to Bonifatius, who is able to guess what has happened, and it arouses suspicion in Blumefeld, who is on the receiving end of the surprise attack. Blumefeld, which had originally had animosity between the nobles of the loser abandoned territories such as the former Berkestock and the former Schafer and the nobles who had moved with Traokvar, also had a falling out in terms of cooperation.

Outnumbered and outgunned, there was nothing they could do. In no time, some were tied up with ribbons of light, some were shot down under attack, and many surrendered.

"Don't give up! Fight!"
Commander Magdalena urged her allies not to surrender, despite them having lost the will to fight, and tried to continue resisting to the end, but outnumbered and outnumbered, willpower alone was not enough. Despite being in tatters, they continued to resist, but all the knights remaining in defense were unable to continue fighting, and she also surrendered.

Afterwards, the hunting party that had returned from hunting the treasure-worthy magical beasts was also defeated by a simultaneous attack from the small and medium-sized territories under the umbrella of the Dunkelfelger-Alexandria Alliance, and Blumefeld became the first territory to lose in the Ditter Yurgenschmidt Cup.

...Rozemyne, we have made Traokvar pay for his actions!

Chapter Text

...To hold a tournament that would put the lord's life in danger...
While protected by the knights in the Corinthdaum camp, Sigiswald looked south, inwardly dissatisfied. From Sigiswald's perspective, it was hard to understand what Aub Alexandria, who proposed the idea, Dunkelfelger, who agreed with it and pushed for the tournament to be held, and Eglantine, who ultimately gave permission, were thinking.

Sigiswald believes that his own safety as a former member of royalty should be protected as a top priority. Therefore, no matter how much the safety measures are strengthened, he cannot understand the significance of putting such a noble person in danger.
"Aub, the installation of the barrier magic tool is complete. It can be activated as soon as the treasure arrives."

"Very well. Then, please keep your guard up around the area."
After receiving the report, Sigiswald was giving further instructions when Ordonnanz came flying in. "This is Magdalena. Blumefeld is currently under attack from a small to medium-sized territory. Please send reinforcements immediately."

"A request for reinforcements so soon after the start?"
"Probably from a small to medium-sized territory under the Dunkelfelger-Alexandria Alliance."

"I expected that, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon."
As Sigiswald muttered in disgust, watching Ordonnanz repeat the same words three times and turn back into a yellow magic stone, the Knight Commander stated his guess, causing the surrounding knights to express surprise.

"What would you like to do?"
"We won't be sending reinforcements."

"A-Are you sure?"
As Sigiswald made the decision to abandon Blumefeld without hesitation, the Knight Commander confirmed it again with a hint of criticism.

"It was expected that Blumefeld would be targeted from the start. On top of that, Blumefeld and Corinthdaum were supposed to be on the defensive, weren't they?"
Just like the treasure-stealing Ditter that was once held at the Noble House, in this tournament a large territory will take the lead and lead small and medium-sized territories, which will then split into four factions and compete for the championship.

First up is the alliance between Dunkelfelger and Alexandria. Dunkelfelger, the largest territory and territory of warriors, and Alexandria, ruled by the incarnation of the goddess. The fact that two large territories have formed an alliance is significant, and they are seen as the most powerful force in this tournament. For that reason, seven territories have joined their ranks: Ehrenfest, Frenbeltag, Neuehausen, Quantreeb, Losrenger, Berschmann, and Ossvault.

Next is Klassenburg. Klassenburg has adopted a safe strategy of bringing neighbouring small and medium-sized territories under its control. Jossbrenner, Gaussbuttel, and Lortzing belong to this faction.
Third is Drevanchel. Drevanchel has also formed a cooperative relationship with Lehmbruck, Lindenthal, and Kirschnereit to build a powerful force.

And fourth is the faction led by Blumefeld. This faction is strongly influenced by blood ties and includes Corinthdaum, Hauchletze, Gillessenmeyer, and even Immerding.
While the other factions have managed to gather a certain amount of allies by bringing neighbouring territories under their control, Blumefeld's faction is the only one that has been split in two by Drevachel's faction. What's more, Blumefeld and Corinthdaum are surrounded by enemy forces on all sides and are isolated.

To top it off, the majority of the small and medium-sized territories under the Dunkelfelger-Alexandria Alliance are former losers and hold a grudge against Traokvar. Considering that Blumefeld had asked Dunkelfelger to join forces but was turned down, it was easy to imagine that Blumefeld would be the first to be attacked.
"Blumefeld should have been prepared. As per our initial plan, we will cooperate with Gillessenmeyer, Hauchletze, and Immerding and remain on the defensive until we have an opportunity to pincer the Drevanchel forces."

"Understood." Sigiswald was relieved that the knight commander was convinced by his explanation.
...This way I won't have to lose any knights protecting me.

Sigiswald, a former member of the royal family, had no intention of putting himself in danger just for the sake of a mere Ditter tournament. He had no choice but to enter the tournament, as the lord family of Corinthdaum still only had three members: Sigiswald, Naelache, and their young son, who had not yet been baptized.

However, Sigiswald's relief was short-lived. "Enemy attack!"
The knights who were on guard raised a signal to indicate that they had spotted the enemy.

"You stay here and protect Aub. The rest of you will join me in intercepting them."
Leaving a few knights beside Sigiswald, the Knight Commander led the rest to intercept them.

"It appears that the enemy is from Drevanchel's forces."
One of the knights who remained as guards announced. It seems that Drevanchel and its small and medium-sized territories have attacked.

"Do you think we can repel them?"
"...Everyone is fighting with all their might."

The enemy's fighting strength seems to be somewhat superior, and the defense line is slowly weakening. Finally, the front line has retreated to the point where stray bullets are flying towards Sigiswald.
"Aub, please stand back!"

The knights use a spell to transform their stabs into shields and move in front of Sigiswald and his men. Magical arrows are deflected with a clanging sound. At first, the attacks that reached Sigiswald were rare, like stray bullets, but the frequency of these attacks gradually increased.

"Hii!"
Magical items that fell among the arrows exploded, disrupting the line of knights who had lined up their shields to protect them, and arrows rained down from the gaps that were pried open, grazing Sigiswald very close.

"Activate the barrier quickly! Now!"
"Aub, please wait! You can't activate the barrier now..."

In order to keep the approaching danger at bay, Sigiswald sent out Ordonnanz to give orders directly to the knights waiting by the magical item that formed the barrier. The knights tried to get in the way, but his priority right now was his own safety as a former member of royalty.

"Support the retreat of our allies!"
"Don't let anyone get inside the barrier!"

The knight who heard the order immediately activated his magic tool, and soon a semi-transparent yellow membrane created a hemispherical barrier that blocked attacks from outside.
"Phew."

"Aub, why did you give the order to activate the barrier without my permission!?"
"What's wrong with me, the Aub, giving orders?" As Sigiswald breathed a sigh of relief at having averted the crisis, the knight commander, who had safely retreated inside the barrier, protested. However, in terms of the chain of command, Sigiswald, the Aub, was at the top of Corinthdaum, so there was no reason for him to protest.

"If they are locked out of the camp they should return to while fighting the enemy, it will affect the morale of the knights. Also, by activating the barrier now, the enemy knows where the barrier originates. It will definitely be destroyed when we deactivate it to receive the treasure. Without the barrier, it will be difficult to focus on defense."
As if to back up the words of the Knight Commander, the activation of the barrier temporarily halted the attacks of Drevanchel's forces. Rather than forcing their way through the barrier, they likely plan to attack when the knights return from hunting the treasure.

"Then protect the magical implements so they don't do that."
"You want me to protect the treasure and the six magical implements at the same time?"

The magical implement used by Corinthdaum to create the barrier does not deploy a barrier around the magical implement to ensure durability and range, but instead, like the range-designated anti-eavesdropping magical implement, the barrier covers the area surrounded by the range-designated magical implement, so there are six magical implements that serve as the starting point. If any one of them is destroyed, the barrier cannot be created.

"That is your role."
When Sigiswald said this, the knight commander finally stopped protesting, and after a brief silence he ordered the knights to recover and be ready to receive the treasure.

"We see our allies!"
As the knights recovered and finished allocating forces to defend the magical items, a knight on patrol at the edge of the barrier announced the return of his comrades who had been out hunting.

"We will hold back the Drevanchel forces so we can receive the treasure! We expect Drevanchel will try to destroy the magical items in the barrier, but we will protect both the treasure and the magical items!"
"Oh!"

The knights let out a battle cry at the encouragement of the captain of the knights, and took off on their mounts.
As soon as the barrier was lifted, Drevanchel split into two groups, one large and one small, and the larger group intercepted the defense forces of Corinthdaum, while the smaller group turned toward the edge of the barrier and flew off.

"What are you doing? Go after them and protect the magical barrier!"
"Please stay calm, Aub. We've already allocated our forces to defend the magical barrier."
"Aren't there only two of them? There were ten enemies."

Since he didn't know which magical barrier Drevanchel would target, Corinthdaum had no choice but to allocate his forces equally to all six magical barriers. There were only two knights guarding each magical barrier. In contrast, Drevanchel had allocated ten people to destroy the magical barrier.

Sure enough, soon afterwards, an explosion of flames rose from the direction where the magical barrier was supposed to be located.
"What are you going to do?! If the magic tools are destroyed, the barrier won't work!"

"...The barrier was originally meant to buy time. Just think of it as something that has been brought forward a little."
This time, the barrier needed to be removed in order to receive the treasure, so the Drevanchel forces were looking for an opportunity to do so, but if Corinthdaum had set up the barrier after the treasure was placed there as originally planned, the Drevanchel forces would have tried to destroy it.

There is no way they could withstand attacks from dozens of people forever. But if Drevanchel's attackers had trouble with the barrier, it would make it easier for Gillessenmeyer, Hauchletze, and Immerding to attack the Drevanchel main camp behind them, and the knights exhausted from destroying the barrier would make it easier for Corinthdaum to repel them.

Blumefeld, who he should have relied on, was attacked early on, and his initial plan to defend Korinzdaum with a barrier completely collapsed, leaving Sigiswald with no room to relax.
Still, the knights fought hard, not backing down from Drevanchel's offensive, and the stalemate continued for a while.

"Are Gillessenmeyer and Hauchletze here yet?"
"They're attacking Drevanchel as well, but they're a large territory. It won't be that easy."

If Gillessenmeyer and his men could steal Drevanchel's treasure, the knights attacking Korinzdaum should back off, but Sigiswald was growing increasingly anxious and irritated that there was no sign of this happening.
"Enemy attack!"

One of the knights guarding the treasure with Sigiswald spotted an enemy approaching from another direction. Immediately afterwards, an attack that seemed to be some kind of magic tool landed near Sigiswald, and red smoke covered the surroundings, causing him to cry and sneeze uncontrollably.

"Cough cough... What is this?"
"Don't worry about the cough cough. Wash it with a Waschen!"

The knights tried to wash away the irritant contained in the red smoke with a Waschen, but the irritant in the smoke damaged their throats and they were unable to recite spells correctly. Sigiswald could not help but leave the treasure behind and escape to the sky on his mount.

"Aub Corinthdaum, prepare yourself!"

A large knight charged at him with a roar. With teary eyes, it was impossible to tell who it was, but from the fluttering ochre cloak, he realized it was Ehrenfest, and that was Sigiswald's last memory of the tournament.