Ascendance of a Bookworm

Within the dormitory’s mixing workshop, Roderick was stirring the contents of a cauldron with his schtappe-transformed mixing stick. He was taking far too much time to make a simple restoration potion and I could feel myself getting more irritated with every passing second.

“No matter how you try to cut it, isn’t this taking way too long?”

“…Please don’t compare me to an archnoble such as yourself, Lord Hartmut.”

Roderick meekly retorted back at me with an apprehensive look on his face. He’s a second grader who has only just begun his mixing lessons and has barely learnt the recipe for making restoration potions. As a mednoble and not only that, a mednoble with a mana capacity close to that of a laynoble’s, he’s unaccustomed to mixing so perhaps this is only as to be expected. I know that I shouldn’t bear the same expectations for him as I have for Lady Rozemyne or myself. Lady Rozemyne not only passed all her classes on the very first day, but even knows how to make restoration potions that aren’t taught at the Royal Academy.

…But if you consider him as someone who’s about to become a retainer to a member of the archducal clan, there’s far too much left to be desired. Scholars who serve the archducal clan have to be able to procure the materials that their charge needs, prepare restoration potions and feystones, assist their charge in office work and collect any information that their charge requires. But let alone the laynoble Philine, even Roderick was unable to assist Lady Rozemyne with mixing. He was less knowledgeable about magic tools and magic circles than his own mistress and had too few acquaintances to be able to effectively gather information. Considering the only thing Roderick could do was write stories, even if he were to give his name to Lady Rozemyne, he was too incompetent to actually do work as one of her retainers.

…His mana capacity is far too low for him to realistically do any typical scholarly work. I’m worried about whether he’ll even be able to finish his name swearing stone in time before Lady Rozemyne returns to the Royal Academy. In the first place, if he were to actually do his research, he should be able to find the procedure for making a name swearing stone in the Royal Academy’s library. In spite of that, Roderick claimed he was unable to find anything. For someone who’s an apprentice scholar, he’s far too uneducated and hasn’t read enough books. Perhaps this is due to him always reading and writing stories but he’s even less knowledgeable about magic tools and magic circles than Philine.

…At this rate, I’m concerned about who’s going to communicate with Raimund next year after I graduate. Since Roderick is a mednoble, I did have higher hopes for him than I did for Philine but…

I lost myself in my thoughts as I watched Roderick make restoration potions at an excruciatingly slow pace. It’s impossible to leave negotiations with a mednoble from another duchy to Philine. Although Lady Rozemyne does not discriminate between people based on their social class, there are many more issues with a laynoble retainer than she thinks. An apprentice scholar of mednoble rank or higher is absolutely essential to ensure that they will be able to resolutely refuse if a mednoble from another duchy have some sort of absurd demand. This is a barrier which effort alone will not be able to overcome.

…In the first place, shouldn’t a scholar be disqualified from being Lady Rozemyne’s retainer the moment they’re unable to help her make the magic tools and magic circles she desires?

I groaned as I recalled the trials that Raimund and I had received from Lord Ferdinand. The subject matter was to create various magic tools that would help bring Lady Rozemyne’s idealised library into reality.

…This is obviously too difficult a task to expect a medscholar who’s only in his 2nd grade to accomplish, but it will be embarrassing if Ehrenfest’s students didn’t understand the research materials handed over by a student from another duchy despite being the ones who had commissioned the job in the first place. At the very least, a basic understanding of Lord Ferdinand’s task will be needed so that they can explain the contents to Raimund and accurately convey any of Raimund’s questions back to Lord Ferdinand.

The knowledge of magic tools isn’t the only thing Roderick has to learn. He also needs to learn how to deal with Professor Gundolf and any nobles from Ahrensbach who try to make contact through Raimund. It is imperative for a scholar to collect information on such individuals and then decide whether to let them meet Lady Rozemyne. In certain cases, the decision should be left to the archduke’s discretion.

…Even an archnoble such as I had my fair share of struggles.

Ehrenfest has other apprentice archscholars but they’re all serving other archduke candidates. In order to solidify Lady Rozemyne’s position within the duchy, it is imperative that information regarding Raimund or the creation of new magic tools isn’t leaked to others.

…I do plan on asking Clarissa to help collect information on other duchies but…

Dunkelfelger’s Clarissa is an apprentice scholar who proposed to me last year. She only proposed to me as a means to achieve her true objective of serving Lady Rozemyne. For the sake of her future mistress, I’m sure she’d be willing to divulge some information. In other words, the current situation is one where even someone from another duchy such as Clarissa is more useful than Roderick.

…Well, even if he isn’t really useful for anything, Lady Rozemyne wishes to keep him around so I guess I’ve got no choice but to help him out. As I absentmindedly supervised Roderick’s mixing, I recalled that time I received the report that Lady Rozemyne had decided to accept his name. When Lady Rozemyne made the decision to accept him, Rihyarda, Philine and Judithe had been the only ones present.

Once the rest of us retainers had finished our lectures, Rihyarda called us to a conference room upon which we were informed about Lady Rozemyne’s decision. I still vividly remember just how averse Lady Rozemyne was towards the idea of accepting someone else’s name, so it came as a huge shock to me that she eventually agreed to accept Roderick.

“Are you seriously telling me that Roderick isn’t the only one who wishes for this but that Lady Rozemyne also wants Roderick as her retainer?”

“Yes. Right after she enrolled at the Royal Academy, Lady Rozemyne listed Roderick as one of the apprentice scholars she wished to recruit as a retainer.”

I had expected Lady Rozemyne to reject him and tell him to give up after listening to his circumstances. Hence, I had listened to Rihyarda’s explanation with bitter feelings in my heart. I can’t believe I made such a significant miscalculation. Supposedly, in addition to Philine who collected stories, Lady Rozemyne also desired Roderick because he wrote stories for her.

…That would’ve been back when she had only just woken up from the jureve. I can’t believe she’s remembered Roderick this entire time. 𝒇r𝙚𝙚𝓌𝙚𝑏𝗻𝑜𝘷𝗲𝘭.c૦𝑚

“As you can surely understand, even if milady wished for it, it would’ve been impossible to appoint a Veronica faction mednoble as a retainer, let alone the one who had laid the trap for Lord Wilfried in the White Tower incident. Back then, I explained the circumstances to milady and refused her request, but luckily, Lord Sylvester gave permission for her to accept Roderick if he gave her his name. Now Lady Rozemyne is finally able to have Roderick as her retainer and Roderick is able to serve his chosen mistress. All’s well that ends well.”

“So their feelings were mutual…”

“Yes. The children who left the greatest impression on Lady Rozemyne were the ones who appreciated her picture books. But a laynoble like Philine was a bit too underqualified to become a retainer to a member of the archducal clan. I tried to get Lady Rozemyne to change her mind but I would be disqualified as a retainer if I couldn’t even grant any of milady’s wishes. Hence as the condition for accepting Philine as a retainer, I recommended that she also accept an archscholar such as you, Hartmut. How nostalgic, it’s already been over a year since then.”

Apparently I had only managed to become a retainer because Rihyarda had recommended me as part of a package deal with Philine. Lady Rozemyne hadn’t actually chosen me herself. 𝐟𝓇ℯ𝒆we𝒃𝘯𝒐νe𝑙.co𝚖

…I can’t believe it! To think that Lady Rozemyne hadn’t even noticed me at all…

It was honestly a huge shock to me. Now that I knew that Lady Rozemyne is someone who doesn’t judge people by what faction they’re from but rather by her personal impression of them, it’s no wonder that she didn’t even know my name since she had never talked to me in person before. But that doesn’t change just how much pain I felt on an emotional level. I’m an archnoble who’s the son born from the marriage between one of Lady Florenzia’s retainers and one of Lady Rozemyne’s own retainers. I’m also a friend of her blood-related brother Cornelius. I had received and rejected invitations to join the retinues of both Lord Wilfried and Lady Charlotte. I had always thought I’d be the first choice when Lady Rozemyne chooses her retainers but it seems like it had been my delusions all along. My mother had always told me to cool my head whenever I started talking about Lady Rozemyne and it seems like she hadn’t recommended me either. This was the first time I’d learned of all this.

…I really want to go back in time and punch myself for being so overconfident that I’d be selected as one of Lady Rozemyne’s retainers!

“By giving his name and offering Lady Rozemyne control over his life, Roderick has proven that he holds stronger loyalty than any other retainer. He will surely become her closest and most trusted aide. The White Tower incident in which he ensnared Lord Wilfried will not serve as a justifiable reason to treat him coldly.”

Rihyarda glared at me sternly to warn me against any mistreatment of Roderick. I have no intention of treating him coldly for such a petty reason. After all, I myself have concocted similar plans before to drag Lord Wilfried down from the position of heir and prop up Lady Rozemyne as the next archduke. Although my mother found out and stopped me before I had an opportunity to enact those plans…

I’ve never held any negative feelings for Roderick and instead I welcomed the White Tower incident with open arms since Wilfried’s reputation got dragged through the mud without me having to even lift a finger.

…I did feel sorry for Roderick when he was betrayed by his family and friends and was made to bear sole responsibility for the incident. But that was only the kind of generic pity that anyone would feel for him in those circumstances.

However, any feelings of goodwill I had for him were now dead. After all, he expressed his desire to serve Lady Rozemyne and was accepted, even giving his name to her to demonstrate the depth of his loyalty. There’s no way I wouldn’t be jealous.

“If I treat him coldly, it’s obvious that Lady Rozemyne would resent me for it. There’s no way I’d do anything that could earn her ire. But us Leisegang nobles fully intend on showing him the depth of our bonds with Lady Rozemyne to dispel any foolish notions that he could turn into her closest aide just by giving his name to her.”

If one were to disrespect the commoners known as Guttenbergs, it’d invoke Lady Rozemyne’s wrath. Hence, even if I’m dissatisfied with this, as long as Lady Rozemyne herself wants Roderick as a retainer, I will refrain from making a move against him.

…To be completely honest, I’m extremely irritated about Roderick’s very existence but I will respect Lady Rozemyne’s wishes. I’m at least capable of that much restraint.

“I-I did it!”

“You’ve only made the restoration potion. Stop spacing out and drink it already.”

I glared at Roderick as he jubilantly watched the cauldron which had shone brightly for an instant to indicate that the potion was complete. Who even gets excited just from successfully making a restoration potion?

“Y-Yes!”

Urged on by my impatient tone, Roderick hurriedly drank the restoration potion. Both the formation of the potion and the dyeing of the feystone were taking him far longer than I had expected. As his supervisor, I’m honestly worried that he might not be able to make his name swearing stone in time. And yet, the moment he gathered all his materials, Roderick had already begun celebrating as if his name had already been accepted. Even now, he was doing nothing after drinking the restoration potion and was simply waiting for his mana to recover.

…I’d only just warned him to stop spacing out. Is he an idiot?

“How many times do you need me to tell you that we’re running out of time? If you have nothing to do while waiting for your mana to recover, write your story! You’d be sorely mistaken if you think I’d welcome you into our ranks without putting in some effort!”

“O-Okay!”

Roderick hurriedly grabbed a few pages of blank plant paper and ink. There was already a stack of used plant paper and wooden boards beside him. He was planning to use this opportunity to dedicate a new story to Lady Rozemyne together with his name.

…This is unacceptable! If you want to devote something to Lady Rozemyne it should be of the highest quality possible. I picked up some of the wooden boards and crossed out certain lines while making various edits. The story which Roderick had written had numerous spelling errors and often used immature vocabulary. Furthermore, the mix of plant paper and wooden boards made it very hard to follow. But despite that, I know Lady Rozemyne will be delighted just by having a new story to read. Last year, when Clarissa proposed to me, I had tasked her with making something that would please Lady Rozemyne. As a result, this year, she brought two manuscripts with her to the Royal Academy. Back then, Lady Rozemyne had been waiting in front of the dorm entrance with a displeased expression on her face, but as soon as I showed her Clarissa’s manuscripts she instantly had a change of heart. Her anger melted into a smile and her golden eyes sparkled as she peered at the bundles of paper. The appearance of her body swaying from side to side to follow the movements of my hand was so adorable that I immediately decided to marry Clarissa for being able to show me such a wonderful side of Lady Rozemyne.

I’m sure she will show me that same blessed smile again when she reads Roderick’s story. It’s only because I know just how much Lady Rozemyne will treasure every single story, I can’t forgive Roderick for trying to show her such shoddy writing.

“Rewrite all the parts which I underlined. The parts which I circled have spelling errors. I won’t allow you to dedicate anything with flaws to Lady Rozemyne. Don’t you agree it would be far too disrespectful to dedicate anything to your mistress other than something made to the very best of your abilities?”

He’s the one pleading for Lady Rozemyne to accept his name so this is the minimum amount of effort to be expected of him. As I spoke to him in an intimidating tone that indicated my refusal for any compromise, Roderick tearfully gulped down his saliva and fervently nodded before picking up his pen again. I carefully perused over his writing and pointed out all the mistakes. Once his mana had recovered, I ordered him to go back to dyeing the feystone and once his mana was spent, I had him drink a recovery potion again. We repeated this cycle so many times that I lost count. In the meantime, I lectured him on all the knowledge he’d need with regards to magic tools and magic circles so that he’d be able to discuss them with Raimund. And then finally…

“Lady Rozemyne! I’ve finished at last!”

Roderick handed a bundle of plant paper over to Lady Rozemyne. Her cheeks instantly relaxed and she gave him a warm smile. I’d already known in advance, but this once again proved that receiving a new story would bring her more joy than anything else.

“Well done, Roderick.”

“Lady Rozemyne, I deserve some praise as well.”

I sullenly pouted at Lady Rozemyne, but who can blame me? Rather than Roderick who has a bad memory and a low mana capacity, I should be the one getting commended for teaching him how to do most of the work. Even if you were to disregard his family’s faction, Roderick doesn’t have the qualifications required to serve the archducal clan. The only thing he can do is write stories to please Lady Rozemyne. He’s unable to perform any of a traditional scholar’s duties.

“It is thanks to your efforts, Hartmut, that Roderick was able to make his name-swearing stone and is going to be capable enough to begin his scholarly work as soon as he becomes my retainer. Well done and thank you.”

I desperately held back tears of joy as I listened to Lady Rozemyne’s praise. Everyone around me always praised me for being an excellent scholar but I can’t count the number of times I’ve been frustrated with my lack of talent for writing stories. But on the other hand, scholars like Roderick who could only write stories were not very useful. It would only cause trouble for Lady Rozemyne if every scholar was like that. I’ve realised that I just need to be helpful in my own fields of strength.

“Now then, as much as I want to say we should get right to it, I don’t know much about name-swearing. How is it done?”

“You will need at least one or two observers present for a name-swearing ceremony.”

As Lady Rozemyne asked her question and tilted her head in wonder, Rihyarda explained the procedure necessary for a name swearing ceremony.

Although the method for preparing a name swearing stone was well known, the ceremonies themselves were held in private so there weren’t many details provided in written documents. As I wondered why RIhyarda would know such a thing, I recalled that her son Justus had undergone one of these ceremonies himself.

“Still, this is problematic. Who should I choose to observe? Would you be the safest pick, Rihyarda?”

“Please do select me, Lady Rozemyne.”

I raised my hand and enthusiastically volunteered myself. I will never forgive any attempts at deceiving Lady Rozemyne with a fake name offering. And more importantly than anything, I wish to burn the visage of Lady Rozemyne’s first time into my own eyes.

“Rihyarda, can I please ask you to be the observer?”

I tried to show my sincerity through my actions, but for some reason I was promptly ignored. How vexing. It seems like I still haven’t done enough to earn her trust. I wonder what I need to do to receive permission to attend.

“I suppose I cannot help being refused. If participating as an observer is no longer an option, I suppose I will need to give my name as well to see the ceremony.”

I’ll use this as an excuse and push for her to receive my name. It was something I’d only thought up on the spot, but it might actually be a pretty good idea. Just as I started scheming for ways to convince her to accept my name, Lady Rozemyne hurriedly gave me permission to attend.

“Now, let’s begin.”

With Rihyarda’s words as the signal to start, I stood in a location that would let me stop Roderick if he were to try and harm Lady Rozemyne. I can’t wait to see what kind of expression Lady Rozemyne will have when she accepts a name for the first time. Is she really not pushing herself out of a sense of duty despite being reluctant to bear responsibility for another’s life? I focused my eyes on her so that I‘d be able to spot even the slightest change in her expression.

“I, Roderick, hereby swear to create stories as Lady Rozemyne’s loyal vassal for the rest of my life. As proof of this, I offer my name alongside a story written by my own hand. May my name be with you always. May my life be yours forever.”

Lady Rozemyne picked up the name-sworn stone from the box which Roderick reverently held out to her and checked it before putting it back. It was a stone which could easily rob Roderick of his life but there was no hesitation in her movements. She carefully wrapped her hand around the box containing Roderick’s name-swearing stone and poured her mana into the white feystone on the lid. At the same time, Roderick’s face warped and he lurched over in pain. Neither I nor Lady Rozemyne knew what was happening so we both froze in surprise but Rihyarda calmly gave us an explanation.

“His name is being bound by another’s mana. He’s going to experience a great deal of pain, but only until the sealing is complete. Continue supplying mana and finish this quickly, for his sake.”

“Understood.”

Lady Rozemyne had a determined expression on her face as she tightly gripped the white box in her hands. Right as I felt the flow of a tremendous quantity of mana, Roderick was bound in a white light as if he had been caught in a net. Even though the feystone was the only thing Lady Rozemyne was holding, it had a clear and definite effect on Roderick.

…Is this Lady Rozemyne’s mana? The phenomenon I was witnessing was something I could never have imagined. I had thought that becoming name-sworn was only an act used to swear fealty, but since one had to be engulfed in their charge’s mana, it also meant that they could be granted mana using this method.

…In other words, I could use this method to envelop myself in Lady Rozemyne’s mana!?

While I was still in shock at the realisation I had made, the name swearing ceremony finished successfully. Roderick stated “I’m fine now”, while wiping the sweat on his brow. The painful expression he had earlier had completely vanished and he picked up the bundle of papers he had dropped on the ground before holding it out to Lady Rozemyne.

“Please accept this.”

Lady Rozemyne received the bundle and started flipping through its pages. Just as I expected, her golden eyes blessed by the Goddess of Light glimmered with joy whilst her cheeks blushed as if she had been visited by the Goddess of Sprouts. She hugged the manuscript tightly with a look of pure bliss. As she let out a deeply satisfied sigh, I glanced with complicated feelings at Roderick who had easily brought her such happiness.

“Roderick, I have accepted your name and your story. I swear that I’ll strive to be a good lady to you.”

As Roderick kneeled on the ground, Lady Rozemyne brought out her schtappe and lightly tapped it against his shoulder. It was clear that they were now in a much deeper master-servant relationship than the one that I had with her. I recalled Rihyarda’s words that by giving his name, Roderick ‘will surely become her closest and most trusted aide’.

…Why wasn’t I the one to give my name to Lady Rozemyne!? I also want to be bound by her mana!

The word ‘jealousy’ would be nowhere near enough to describe the turbulent feelings I held towards Roderick who was now able to feel Lady Rozemyne’s mana at all times. Just by imagining the act of giving my name to Lady Rozemyne and letting her bind me with her mana, excitement and anticipation welled up in my chest.

…Since she accepted Roderick’s name, wouldn’t it be fine for her to accept my name as well? As long as Lady Rozemyne didn’t have any objections, I wished to give her my name. My reluctance towards the act of giving my name had significantly diminished. Besides, considering Lady Rozemyne’s personality, if I were to ask her “You already accepted one person’s name so why do you refuse to accept a second!?” it would be hard for her to reject me.

…I will need to show her just how useful I can be and become an existence that would be hard for her to throw away. I’m sure I will encounter many difficulties but I believe I stand a chance. On this day, I swore to myself that I would do everything in my power so that one day she would accept my name.