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Chapter Text

Heidmarie had just died. Ferdinand received her Last WIl, she was sitting, peacefully, drinking a glass of tea, when her throat started to swell, and she stopped being able to breathe. Sure, there was a miniscule possibility that she would be resuscitated, but it was slim, next to zero.

He expected to hear an ordonnanz from Eckhart relaying the news shortly. What he did not expect was for Eckhart to show up a mere bell later, with just an ordonnanz of warning a few minutes before, carrying a child. Presumably the child he and Heidmarie had. Ferdinand did not know that it had been born, nor did he care to know. What he did care to know was why his loyal Knight had shown up so abruptly, in the middle of his brewing, no less.

“I see you have brought a child into my quarters.” Ferdinand remarked. “Pray tell, what is the meaning of this?”

Eckhart handed Ferdinand a sound blocker, which Ferdinand grasped. “Forgive me, my lord. I failed to protect your vassal well. Heidmarie has fallen.”

“I am aware.” Ferdinand said, returning to the brew he was working on. “I received her Last Will. What is this… thing… doing in my chambers? ”

“This is Myneheart. She’s my daughter.”

“I assumed as much.” Ferdinand said.

“Heidmarie was poi-” Eckhart started, before bing interrupted.

 “Hold on, this part requires intense focus.” Ferdinand said, “I can not multi-task here, or I risk screwing up this entire brew.”

Eckhart waited as his lord commanded, once Ferdinand finished, he turned back to Eckhart. “Yet, your wife was poisoned, probably by the Veronica Faction. How does this relate to this… gremlin?”

“I want nothing more than to love and to care for her, alas, i can not do so on my own. I know the temple is skilled in raising those who can not raise themselves, thus I come to you seeking advice.”

“Fine, I will ensure her education is up to archnoble standards, But you are to retrieve her at your earliest convenience. Not like I was doing much anyways.”

“That will not be possible.” Eckhart replied. “I am to go on a suicide attack after this. I will take down Lady Veronica, at the cost of my own life.”

The little creature in Eckhart’s arms started to turn its head, as if looking at the book Ferdinand had on his desk, before cooling. Ferdinand thought of the trouble this thing would cause, and of how it would feel, abandoned. He also thought of what Lady Veronica’s death would ensue, and decided it best if Eckhart did not kill her. He reached for Eckhart’s name stone.

“Live,” he said, channeling his mana into the stone, stopping its flow into his brew. “By any means necessary. If not for your daughter, for me,” before returning to his brew.

Eckhart stood up, as if he enjoyed the binding, and talked. “Your brew, it’s ruined.”

“No it is not.” Ferdinand said. “I would not waste a brew, I threw a few time slowing magic circle in there. I keep them on hand, should something come up.”

Eckhart left the child in Ferdinand’s room, a tear falling from his cheek as he left. Foolish. Who would cry over less messes to clean up.

The creature looked towards Ferdinand, as if staring into its soul. How old was this baby again? Their starbind was last summer, and it’s the end of spring, so no more than 3 or 4 months. 

“ Bwuh?” went the baby. Unsurprising… They tend to be noisy. It will be hard to keep the chambers as they are, but putting her in my hidden room runs the risk of dyeing her in my mana, and her destroying my books. I could see her tearing pages out.

“Fran, deal with the baby.” Ferdinand rubbed his temples. “This couldn’t get any worse.”

It soon got worse Ferdinand managed to register Mynehart through the High Bishop, and get her her own room. However, Ferdinand was promoted to the High Priest position, after the recall of many Blue Priests. Making his schedule increasingly tight, thus, there was now ay he could educate her himself, and with a lack of funds to hire tutors to the temple provided by Eckhart, he took matters into his own hands.

“Rosina, Jenni” The High Priest called out in the orphanage, they were two of Sister Christine’s attendants, highly skilled in Music and Poetry respectively. “You two are the newest attendants for Myneheart. You will be maintaining her chambers, and advising her in the manner of Reading, Writing, and Music, once she’s old enough. please select two other attendants to help maintain her chambers.”

“Arno,” the High Priest asked upon returning to his chambers. “Which of my attendants do you feel is best suited to advise Myneheart in the ways of the nobility, along with math.”

“That would be Fran, sir.” Arno said. “I would recommend having him serve her now, while she is young, so she grows used to him, and will not shy away from his tutelage.”

“That is an excellent suggestion.” Ferdinand said, calling Fran over.

All went well, he would check on Myneheart once a week, and she often slept soundly, until one day in spring, when Fran informed him that she had escaped her crib, made it to the door from her room, opened it, crawled down the stairs, opened the main door, and was now banging on the door to the bookroom

“Why didn’t you catch her?” Ferdinand asked.

“She is offloading a large enough amount of mana that it hurts.”

“Ah, i’ve seen she has entered her Crushing phase. That will be rather hard for manaless attendants. I will restrain her this time and prepare mana blocking gloves for you should she escape again.”

“Yes sir.” Fran said.

Ferdinand walked briskly down the hallway, he found Myneheart in no time, she was pounding on the door to the bookroom, exactly as Fran had reported, which was in and of itself strange. And yet the strangest part was what she was saying, or rather, that she was saying.

“Please, let me in!” the one year old cried. Babies that young typically could not talk, so Ferdinand had heard that apparently Wilfried said his first word at one and a half years of age, and here Myneheart was, talking in complete sentences. “I wish to enter this paradise, please! I want to read a book!”

That was even more surprising, from what Ferdinand knew of children, most did not like studying. Wilfried and Sylvester both ran away countless times. Ferdinand looked at the child, crying, pining for these books, and wrapped her in bands of light.

“Bwuh!” the child cried. “This is Magic! this has to be Magic!”

“Of course it’s magic, you fool!”

“Dad?” the creature said. This was no baby. Babies did not talk. Babies did not wish to read.

“I am not your dad. Regardless, it seems we are able to start your education ahead of schedule. I wonder if they make Harspiels your size.” Ferdinand carried Myneheart back to her chambers, which were a quick walk away, right across from his. She would be moved to a third floor room upon her baptism, but for now, this was the best and safest option. Ferdinand had even installed a lock on it, to keep out anyone who is not registered or wearing a special brooch.

“Jenni,” Ferdinand called out. “Myneheart showed great interest in reading, why don’t you teach her her letters?”

“Oh yeah,” Myneheart blurted out in Ferdinand’s arms, as if mumbling to herself. “They probably wouldn’t use Nihongou,” and then more excitedly shouted “I’m really sorry! Please teach me my letters so I can learn how to read!”

Ferdinand did not quite understand how she had learned to talk so fast. Perhaps this is what all children are like when they learn to talk? Alas, he had a finite amount of brainpower, and decided not to mistake Griefchan and Glucklitat  preferring to devote precious brainpower to the small slivers of research time he still gets.

Chapter Text

The last thing I remember was an earthquake, where my books fell on me, and then all of a sudden, boom, baby! It was clear I was now a baby due to the fact that I was in a cradle, not to mention, the near lack of memories in this body. If there were none, I’d assume that I just didn’t get any when put into this body, but the fact that I had a few led me to believe these were all the memories I had. 

I had decent depth perception but was near-sighted, rather than the farsighted I was used to. Or, I guess babies are near-sighted for a while after birth, around 3 years. Though judging by the level of sight, I was around a year and a half, maybe upwards of two years old. That didn’t matter to me, I had the brain of an adult and a passion to read! And, of course, the vision to do so!

First, however, I had to escape the cradle I was in, or more accurately the bed, which, incidentally, was rather hard on my back. Seriously, the cradle looks so nice, could you have not sprung for springs ? Escaping was not the hard part. The hard part was not hurting myself. I decided to use my pillow to cushion the fall, which worked well enough.

The next challenge, however, was the door. The handle seemed to be about 6 inches higher than me. I tried grabbing it and pulling it, but nothing happened. I pulled, and I pulled, and soon it opened.

I started moving out of the room proper, past an ornate dining table, Just how rich was this baby? And was presented with a hallway. I guess I’m in some sort of apartment? This was like a maze, and if you follow the left hand wall, you’ll always exit a maze. So that was what I did, and after just one minute of walking, I reached a room full of books.

This is a pretty small collection. Hang on! Are those chains! Is this some sort of chained library? I immediately started trying to enter, only to be blocked as if there was a sheet of incredibly transparent glass.

I started banging at the door! “Let me in!” I felt a heat rising in my body, yet it was also quite cool in my head. “Come on! I want to get in!”

“Myneheart! There you are!” the purple-haired man who often helped look over me, named Fran said. (Information courtesy of this body's memories.) Incidentally, I had 4 female caretakers. Jenni had pink hair. Rosina chestnut. Wilma had orange, as did Nicola. I think they were siblings. Rosina and Nicola were teens, and Rosina could always be heard humming a tune. They also all wore the same gray clothing. Probably this world’s version of a maid’s outfit. Though personally i think a maid’s outfit would be cuter.

“Fran! Let me in!” I said, staring at him. “I want to read!” Fran seemed to wince in pain and left, hopefully to go get the key to let me in.

I continued banging at the door, hoping it would open. “Please let me in! I wish to enter this paradise! I want to read!”

I felt a sensation similar to an electric rope wrapping around me. “Bwuh!” This was no electric fence, looking down, these were pure light. I could see them phase through the floor even, yet I was still tied up. “This is magic! This has to be magic!”

“Of course it's magic, you fool!” came a sharp voice. I did my best to turn around and look at him, and recognized him. He didn’t check on me often, but he was the only man old enough to have given birth to me i’ve even seen, and my hair, from the bit i saw in my face, was a light blue like his, with a tinge of green to it, more of a turquoise if anything. I knew his real name was Ferdinand, but I figured “dad” was more appropriate.Unfortunately, I was wrong in my assessment. 

“I am not your dad. Regardless, it seems we are able to start your education ahead of schedule. I wonder if they make Harspiels your size.”

“Bwuh!” He picked me up, brought me to my room and started talking.

“Jenni,” Ferdinand called out. “Myneheart showed great interest in reading, why don’t you teach her her letters?”

“Oh yeah,” I mumbled. “They probably wouldn’t use (Japanese),” I needed to make sure i learnt to read before i tried to get to the books. That would’ve been really tragic. I sit down all ready to read and then I can't even do it! “I’m really sorry! Please teach me my letters so I can learn how to read!”

“I will prepare a slate.” Jenni said, rushing off. Ferdinand then turned to me, and started staring into my soul. It was not the kind of loving stare a parent gave a child. It didn’t even feel like a teacher looking at a pupil. It felt like a mad scientist looking at some sort of creature it was studying.

“You would do well to know that I was the one who donated many of those books. Prove your worth as one who will assist the next Aub Ehrenfest, and I will give you access to books not even in that room.”

“How many books do you have?” I needed access to these books, or I would die!

“Hundreds. I have 6 shelves of books. Each shelf has 6 rows, and each row holds 25 books.”

“That’d be 900 books.” I stated. 

Ferdinand looked at me shocked. Oh yeah, I'm a baby, hold up, am I going down the child Prodigy route? By age 10 i’ll be a genius, and by age 15 i’ll be pretty smart, but come 20 I’ll be a normal girl.

“Correct.” Ferdinand said, staring at me. I guess that means that this world does operate on base-10. Glad it’s not base 6, or base 12. “Loathe as I am to admit it,” Ferdinand continued, “I feel it only fair to tell you that one in every five of those books is courtesy of your mother.”

“Do you think she’ll give them to me if I ask her nicely?”

“She’s climbed the towering staircase, she is in no position to do so, and they are rightfully mine.” I assume that means she’s dead. That’s sad, I guess? 

“No fair! 180 of those books are mine!”

“Once more, you are correct. You seem to learn incredibly quickly. Perhaps you will prove yourself able to read these books soon enough, and we can reassess at that date.” Ferdinand said, implying he didn’t think I could do it. “Fran,” Ferdinand called out. “See me in my chambers, I will give you a transcribed page of a book. When Myneheart can summarize it, I will grant her one of Heidmarie’s books.

FINE! You don’t think I can do it! I definitely will.

Jenni soon returned, stone slate in hand, and wrote the alphabet on it. It seemed to be similar to the English alphabet in how it worked, though with 35 characters. These 9 additional letters thankfully weren’t new sound unlike those i’ve ever heard on earth, but represented the diphthongs, ai au,ei, ie, iu, ia  as well as the dental fricative, (whether voiced or not), and the voiced and voiceless postalveolar fricatives (sh and ch in the english script).

I had the advantage of being a polyglot already. I could read English, Mandarin, Korean, Spanish, French and Arabic, and was starting on russian come my untimely demise. This was not the first language I had to learn, I would do anything for books!

It took me about a day of constant learning to learn the alphabet, and another 5 days to achieve basic fluency to what I would call a kindergarten level.

“You really are a fast learner Sister Myneheart, I expect that you’ll be regarded as a great poet one day,” my tutor, Jenni said. Thanks, but I don't really care about poetry.

By the end of the week, I was ready to tackle the board, I looked at the words, and… 

“Bwuh!” I exclaimed. “I can’t make a guess at half of these words, and that one, it looks like the, but it’s spelt dzhu. What’s this letter even?” I pointed to a letter I didn't recognize.

“Ah,” Rosina said. “That letter has fallen out of use recently, it represents the little swallowing sound you make when pronouncing some vowels, it’s called a Glottal Stop. I’ve encountered it often in sheet music for rather old music.”

“How old is this book?” I asked.

“Judging by the use of the Glottal Stop,” Rosina said, “It predates the founding of Ehrenfest, or is at least a transcription of such a book. I can help teach you ancient language, though I must admit I don't quite understand it as much as I do how to pronounce it.”

“I also understand a fair bit of the ancient language,” Jenni stated. “I can help teach you if you wish.”

“If only there was a book written in the modern language and the ancient language I could compare.” I complained aloud to myself. That was how I learnt most of the languages I knew.

“Why not use the bible?” Jenni asked. “I could ask the High Priest to lend us two copies of it, for your education of course.”

Does that mean… I get to read a book! Yahoo!

“Please do!” I said enthusiastically, before being told that it was nearly lunch time.

Chapter Text

Lunch was, once more, an avocado-like-fruit (called meryls), hard boiled eggs, and soup. And by soup, I mean cooked vegetables and meat in salted water. After a whole week of this, I was fed up. Not with the lack of texture, i still couldn’t chew well, but with the blandness. I turned to Fran, and started talking. “Can you call the chef in here?”

“I can not call the chef in directly, Sister Myne, but I can offload a complaint to him. What is it?”

“I want (pasta) and (rice), and mashed potatofels (essentially potatoes). And, uh… tell the person to put some salt on the Meryls, and not to (parboil) the ingredients when making soup. And maybe some scrambled eggs.”

“What is Pasta and Rice?” Fran asked. Sadly, whatever auto-translate i have in my head only works on words that i’ve heard. “And what is parboiling?”

“Pasta is… you mix egg and flour to make a dough, and then cut it into like, strips, or circles, or any variety of shapes, then boil it in salt water. Rice is, well, rice is rice? It’s a grain that grows in the ground and you boil it. Parboiling is when you boil something and then remove it to use later in cooking. All the vegetables and meat should be cooked in the same water and that water: salted and served.”

“Understood…” Fran said.

After lunch, I returned to my studying, working hard on the ancient language to impress Ferdinand and gain myself access to my mother’s books, and by dinnertime, I was able to make it through the first quarter of the page. From what I could tell, It was a tale about a duchy called Eisenreich, that started a war with what’s called the Sovereignty, by the assistance of a country called Bosgeive. 

Incidentally, the way this country (called Yurgenschmit) worked was that there was a central capital, called the Sovereignty, which held power over the Duchies. I lived in the duchy of Ehrenfest, and in fact in its capital city, also called Ehrenfest..

Come dinner, I was presented with a spread of new foods, but it wasn’t quite right. I got mashed potatofels, as in baked potatofels that were mashed down. THe skin was still fully intact, and it was too hard for me to even eat. There wasn’t even any butter in it.

The pasta came out well. It seemed pasta was a well established dish within this world. It was covered in red sauce, or well, yellow sauce. It seemed tomatoes in this world were yellow. 

As for the “rice”, it seemed like they just boiled some oats, which was actually fine, they seemingly knew how to make oatmeal decently, but that wasn’t rice.

Last, but not least, came the soup, I lifted the spoon to my mouth, when the door flew open, and Ferdinand ran through. “STOP!” He yelled, binding me in the lights again, my spoon dropped out of my hand and onto the floor. “Fran, had she had any of the soup yet?”

“No, but-”

“That soup is poisoned, and quite poorly, I may add. The poison was seemingly dispersed through the water, so much so that the color of the water has changed. All of you are failures for letting that spoon get close to her mouth!” Ferdinand was outraged. The madest I have ever seen him be, it looked like his eyes were changing color, likely a trick of the light. Did he have a bad experience with poison or something? “The smallest amount of poison could kill someone this young. Think, why don’t you. Had Myneheart not been receiving meals prepared in my kitchen, she could have died. What would you have done then?”

“Sir, the soup is not poisoned.” Fran said, as if pushing himself to even be able to speak. Kinda like in that one popular american movie series, where the bad guy choked people telekinetically.. “Myneheart requested that they use the same water they cook everything in to serve it.”

“Is this true Myneheart?” Ferdinand asked, turning at me, instantly calming down. 

“Yes, I asked as much. The soup was lacking in flavor. I never intended to disrupt your meal, I didn't even know we had the same chefs.” I stated, still bound in light.

“I see, I will taste it and determine if it really is poisoned. If not, you may eat it.” Ferdinand then looked at the other food in front of me.” Hold on! Is he putting his life on the line for me? 

Ferdinand let me out of the binds, took a sip of the soup, and raised his eyes. “Quite like a potion, I assume, by mixing ingredients they impart their properties on the soup. Very good..” he mumbled to himself. 

“So, can I have it?” I asked.

“Yes.” he then looked at the other food on my plate. “Pasta, Oatmeal, what’s that third thing?”

“Mashed Potatofels, but they made them wrong. They just smashed down a potatofel. They should boil or (steam) them first, in small chunks, them mix in butter.”

“I see.” Ferdinand said. “I’d never heard of Mashed Potatofels. Did you invent them, like this soup?”

“I guess…” I said.

“Perhaps you’d have talent as a Scholar.” Ferdinand said. “Very good. Keep creating when you can, you’ll be a remarkable asset to Ehrenfest.” 

“What do Scholars do?” I asked.

“Scholars manage the control and distribution of information. Knights protect and defend the duchy, and Attendants assist and wait on those above them. There are also Archdukes and Giebes, who control land, though you will likely never have the chance to be one of those.”

“So Scholars are like (Librarians!) That sounds like my path.”

“What is a (Librarian?)”

“They manage (Libraries) collections of books that people can borrow from.”

“Ah, those are indeed scholars.” Ferdinand said, confirming my suspicions. “Regardless, it is not a decision you will make anytime soon. Though perhaps when your mana has grown, I could teach you what you’d need to know to be one.”

“Are you a Scholar?” I asked Ferdinand.

“I was both a Scholar and a Knight, and one with the knowledge to be Archduke, though now, as you know, I have resigned from politics, and exist within the temple. You will likely exit the temple upon your 7th birthday, so I will need to impart my knowledge on you before then.”

“Why did you resign from politics?” I asked

“Your food is getting cold, as is mine. We will discuss this at a later date.”

“Wait, What’s mana! How do I grow it!” This was my chance to learn from a master librarian! No wonder he had so many books. I couldn’t let it slip through my fingers

“I’ll need to gain permission from your father to teach you that.”

“What’s my father like? He’s still alive? Why did he abandon me?”

“That’s a story for a later day. Be safe to say, it was hard on him.”

“Why not discuss it over dinner?” I asked.

“That simply isn’t how it works.” Ferdinand replied.

“Alright.” I returned to my food, relenting. He would likely talk about it another day. I tried the soup, and it was, in fact, very good. It could use improvement. They could implement some aromatics, and maybe some bones, but baby steps.

I spent my dinner thinking in solitude, as I spent every meal. It would have been fine with a book, but those wouldn’t be allowed. It wasn’t proper. Though I did get to hear Rosina sing what sounded like an epic, perhaps this world’s Beowulf, of a man who single handedly slayed a Trombe, giant trees that ate the earth itself. It was slightly different than listening to an audiobook, something I frequently did while driving, but it made the meal feel less sad. I wish I could read.

To that end, I devoted some additional study time post dinner to the ancient language, and the modern language. I now felt I had a second grade level in the modern language, and a third grade level in the ancient language. Which was probably backwards from how it should be. Who cares, it’s what’s necessary for books. 

I went to sleep and had a peaceful dream, where I was a full blown scholar, lending books throughout Ehrenfest. The duchy, not the city. All who wanted could have one, and all could indulge in the joy of reading. Ah, what a peaceful dream. 

I went through this education once, I can do it again. I will become a scholar!

Chapter Text

The next day, I woke up and started working through the text. After last night, I felt I had not just a solid enough grasp on the ancient language to do so, but the drive to get it done. I asked Fran for some paper, but he only gave me a board. 

I started working on the translation. As previously mentioned, the board told the story, likely a cautionary tale, of a duchy called Eisenreich, a Duchy rich in mines. Upon allying with Bosgeive, a foreign country they bordered, the Archduke decided to stage a coup. However, the duchy stood no chance against the Sovereignty, as they had been tipped off by none other than the Archduke’s Daughter. From there, they carried out a purge, and left the daughter as not only the only standing member of her family, but left to rule the country, a role she wasn’t suited for or prepared for, and closed the border. The Archduchess eventually could not stop war from breaking out in Eisenreich, and resigned, calling on the king to redistribute the duchy elsewhere. Incidentally, the king is called a Zent in this world.

The story was told in a poetic fashion, likely passed down orally and then transcribed. I first translated it literally, but that didn’t feel quite right. So for my second translation, I decided to keep the poetic stylings of it when translating into modern text, so I relied on Jenni’s help a fair amount. 

By the time I had finished, it was lunch time. I managed to properly pass on how to make mashed potatoes, so they came out good this time. Though they could use a bit of salt.

After lunch, I asked Fran how to tell Ferdinand I had finished transcribing the documents, and I was told to send him a letter. I asked Fran to help me write it, just to get the typing across correctly in this world.

Before I could even send the letter, however, Ferdinand came into the room, along with two attendants carrying large boxes. “Ferdinand, may I know the content of the boxes.”

“They are Harpspiels, Rosina will teach you how to play. They were delivered to me just today. I put in the order to have them made when I found you outside the bookroom. You will need to learn to play at as high of a skill as you can.”

“Why?” I asked. I had three years of training on the piano, and music class in Japan. Maybe I could learn to play the castanets instead.

“Every noble must know how to play the Harpspiel. Not just for their debut, but also for when they  and you will one day be a noble. Thus, you must learn eventually.”

“I see, I will certainly do so. While you’re here, I finished the translations.” I said.

“Which translations?” Ferdinand asked.

“The one for that board you gave me. You told me to summarize it, so I translated it.”

“May I see the translation?” Ferdinand asked, rubbing his temple.

“Fran, can you hand him the translations?” I said, explaining. “The one in plaintext is mine, but I don't feel it did a good job translating it, since it lacked poetic stylings. However, I don't know enough words to translate it poetically, so I asked Jenni for help. I know that’s kinda (cheating) but it was to make a better end product. Consider the first one my test, and the second one something I did for fun.”

“You considered this fun?” Ferdinand asked, reading the board I did. “The wording is in fact rather simple. Losing all nuance and sense of flow. It does however perfectly ascertain the key parts of the story. Fine work.” He then turned to the other board. “The poetic styling of this is very good. It’s one of the better translations of this work for sure. I especially like the way you translated the beginning. The word has largely fallen out of use, but replacing it with ‘As it goes,’ is a wonderful touch. Was that you or Jenni?” Ferdinand asked.

“That was my idea. I had to ask for a lot of synonyms and such, since my vocabulary is limited.”

“Even in your lesser translation, you used a host of words that the average laynoble wouldn’t know. I wouldn’t call your vocabulary limited by any means. And of course, I doubt I even have to teach you math. Perhaps once your Harpspiel is at this level, I can teach you how to grow your mana, so that I can begin teaching you what you need to know to be a Scholar.”

“Ferdinand?” I put my finger to my cheek. “What exactly is mana?”

“Mana is what separates Nobles from Commoners. It is the energy within us that allows us to perform magic. Regardless, you will need to grow your mana capacity, and the sooner the better, as the more you grow it, the faster it grows.”

So am I going to become some sort of cool witch? And i’m a noble! Heck yeah, upper echelon of society!

“You mentioned Laynobles earlier, what are they?”

“Laynobles, Mednobles, and Archnobles are the status which nobles are ranked into, based on their mana. You and I are both Archnobles, and we are both of roughly equal status.”

“Thank you for explaining this to me.”

“A woman should say ‘I thank you ever so much’, not ‘Thank You.’” Ferdinand said, departing.

“Wait!” I called out. “What about my mother’s books!?”, but it was no use, he had already departed.

“Sister Myne,” Rosina asked, “May I start teaching you the Harpspiel?”

“Yes,” I said. “I will practice for One Bell each day.” I said. A bell was a unit of time in this world, about two hours. 

“Oh, do you not wish to show the Harpspiel the same energy you showed reading?” Rosina asked. “Both are important aspects of a noble’s education. Sister Christine spent 2 bells practicing the Harpspiel each day, and only half a bell developing her reading and math skills.”

“I am not this Sister Christine, I do not wish to show the Harpspiel that level of attention. I would say One bell is more than enough time.” I mean, after all, I want to keep reading!

“I see.” Rosina said. “Regardless, let us begin.”

The harpspiel Rosina held had a horse head, which made me want to joke about it being Morin Khuur, but I don't think that joke would’ve landed on earth, let alone in a fantasy world. Below the horse head was about 30 Bass strings, each of which played a low note, you held these with your non-dominant hand. Then, to the player’s right were 30 shorter strings, which played the high notes.The sound of a Harpspiel sounded similar to a piano, with a tinge of the lute to it.

“This note,” Rosina showed me, “Is the Harpspiel’s fundamental note.” It would likely be classified as a C on earth.

“So then.. Sa - i -ta, Sa - i - ta.” I started singing and playing a classic Japanese children's song. 

“Sister Myne, I must admit I am a bit jealous. It took me years to gain the skill to compose a new song. While yours definitely needs arrangement, and a Bass part, it’s amazing that you’ve done this much after just picking up an instrument for the first time. How splendid.”

Crap! From an outsider's perspective, i’m definitely Mozart levels of talented. Wait, isn’t this good? If I can show something Mozart Level, Ferdinand will.teach me how to be a scholar sooner!

“Oh, so it wasn’t good?” I asked, farcicaling acting sad. “Would you help me improve and write the sheet music for it?”

“I could, but is there more to it?”

“Umm, what about… Kira Kira hikaru” I started singing and playing Twinkle twinkle little star. 

“So is this song dedicated to Bluanfa, goddess of sprouts, or Sterrat the god of the stars?”

“Let’s go with Sterrat.” I said.

After a bell of composing, we reached a song that bore resemblance to the original songs, but was now a song about the God of Stars, collecting the reports from the stars and delivering them to God of Darkness. Incidentally, the chorus now went “Tell me, Tell me, Little star, What have you witnessed so far?”

Rosina was so excited about having made a song that she played it at dinner all night, and throughout the night, which, as a lullaby, was very night. Unfortunately, come the morning, it seemed she had stayed up all night playing. I told her to stop playing once it hit 6th bell from now on

Chapter Text

After around a week of furious practicing on the song I had been assigned, Ferdinand came to assess my performance. I sat down, and played the song I had been assigned I had a few minor hiccups, but i just rolled with it

“Fine work.” Ferdinand said. “You pass. Here is the next song to learn.”

“Sister Myneheart,” Rosina said, “Why not show the High Priest the song you created?”

Right! I nearly forgot! I adjusted my fingers. “This is a song I composed called Sterrat’s Report. I hope you enjoy it!” I moved my fingers, playing the song “Sterrat Sterrat, taking reports from the stars…”

Ferdinand looked at me confused. Crap! Did I do something wrong? He rubbed his temple, listening to the song. After I finished playing, he let out his review. “Very Good. I see you will have little problems with your lessons. The song itself is rather simple and sloppy, however, as expected from this age, though you are still at a higher competency level than I expected.” 

“So, about my mother’s books?” I asked, as the bell started to ring.

“If you’ll excuse me,” Ferdinand said, “I have a most pressing matter I must attend to. Here is your next song.” Ferdinand left a board with music on it, and went to depart.. Once more leaving right as I had my questions, questions I needed answers to. It had been 2 weeks since I had last read a book. The only crumb I had gotten was reading that board. If books were out of reach, it’d be a different story; But they were close, tantalizingly close, just on the other side of this stone wall, and yet I had no access to them. It was driving me mad. My body was heating up, yet my head once more felt oddly cold.

Ferdinand turned to me, as if he had sensed my anger. “This tantrum is not helping your case.” Is he psychic? I’m not even saying anything. “Your fists are trembling, your mouth is quivering, your eyes are glowing. Learn to better control your emotions.In any case, you’re still too young to be trusted with something worth at least 10 large golds.”

“What’s a large gold?” I asked. 

“It’s a value of money. Money goes as such. Lions are the base value, one small copper is ten lions, the medium copper is 100 lions, and each one keeps decoupling in value. It goes Large copper, Small Silver, Large Silver, Small Gold, Large Gold.”

“EH! That’d be 100,000,000 Lions.”

“I see your math skills have not slipped. Make sure to keep practicing.”

“Um, Ferdinand, how much is a Raffel, for scale?” Incidentally, raffels were apple-like fruits.

“Around 25 lions.” Ferdinand said. That’s about equivalent to the yen then, I guess. 

“Why are books so expensive?” I asked. As best as I could tell, this was a fantasy world. Even if they didn’t have a printing press, they had to have some sort of spell to duplicate something. “Cant you just,” I mimed waving a wand, “Duplicate them?”

“You fool, can you imagine the mana that would cost! Very few people would be able to operate such a tool?”

“Then what about a (printing press)?” I asked. 

“What’s a (printing press)?” Ferdinand asked. 

“Well, you have these (types), with reversed letters on them, you cover them in ink, and then press them down onto paper, to instantly transcribe a copy of the page.”

“I see, that would certainly accomplish as much, but paper and ink are still quite expensive. There just aren't enough beasts to make enough paper.”

Ah… this world doesn’t have Plant-based paper. I guess. I could probably invent plant paper, but that sounds like a lot of work. 

“Ah…” I said. Not letting on to the fact that I know more. “You said I needed to learn to compress my mana, how do I do as much?”

“First, you’ll have to learn to control it. I will start teaching you tomorrow. Now, I must depart.”

I let Ferdinand walk out of the room, not like I could stop him. I spent the day learning the new song, and learning more words. As I did every day. I wish I had a book.

The next day, Ferdinand came into my chambers once more. Hold up, what’s… uh, I think his name’s Elmo? What’s Elmo carrying? That’s a book! That’s gotta be a book!

“Arno, hand Fran the book.” Ferdinand said. Ah, so his name’s Arno. I’d say i’ll try to remember that, but I won't.

“A book! You shouldn’t have.” I said. 

“I know as much.” Ferdinand said. “You didn’t even express your gratitude. What has Fran been teaching you?”

“Fran was supposed to be teaching me? I’ve not seen him do as much.” I stated.

“Fran, please make sure to carve out time to teach her etiquette, even if she is preoccupied.”

“I see.” Fran said. 

“In addition, this book, don’t let her read it until she has practiced music for at least a bell, and etiquette as well. Regardless, that is not why I came in here. Myne, hand me your left arm.”

I extended my left arm to Ferdinand, and he removed the bracelet I always wore. I never took it off. It had a bright Yellow stone with black, white, and blue streaks running through it, and 3 black stones on each side of it. 

“Now,” Ferdinand said, placing a clear looking stone on my hand. Incidentally, it seemed like he was wearing leather gloves for some reason. “Imagine all the anger inside of you, all the frustration at things not going your way, and try to push it into this feystone.”

“Bwuh!” This magic system runs on rage? Or maybe that’s just like some way to express it? Like when you tell someone to imagine a baseball is someone’s face? Yeah, that’s gotta be it! No way magic is rage! 

I started funneling the anger within me into the feystone, as it was called. I had a book that was inches away from me that I couldn’t read! I was bored! The food here was mediocre! Ferdinand never answered any questions I had! 

“Do you feel the anger moving through you, into your arm? That is mana, try to recognize that sensation.” 

Now that he mentioned it, there was a heat building in me, similar to every time I got mad, except it was focused on my left arm, i tried directing that heat directly, rather than anger, and the stone started changing colors to a very very very very very very very pale yellow, Or maybe white.

“Excellent. It seems you can move your mana.” Ferdinand placed a different bracelet on me, this one looked almost like a speedometer, with my level right in the middle. “Try compressing it inwards, as if boiling down a potion.”

Uh, I've never made a potion! Whatever, it’s probably like soup or a sauce. I imagined boiling down a sauce until it reached a thick consistency, but to my mana. 

“Very good. You managed to do that, even with such an obtuse clue.” Ferdinand said. “That settles it.” he added, under his breath. Oh no, I did something really wrong. “I will continue teaching you the skills to become a scholar every Earthday. Your competency exceeds normal bounds. Mestionora herself must have blessed you. I wonder what else she blessed you with”

Earthday? Oh yeah, the calendar… There was a wooden calendar on my wall, the days were labeled W, S, F, L, Wi, Fr, E. Earthday must have been that E. Wait, there was something else at the end… Turnabout is fair play.

“Very well. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have most pressing matters to attend to.”

“Ah-ha, I see. Ewigiliebe too was trapped. I shall leave you to it.” Ferdinand said. “Fran, do not relent on the book. Should she try to crush you for it, call for me.” And with that, he departed.

Chapter Text

It had been nearly a week since Ferdinand taught Myneheart Mana compression, a week he spent reflecting on the abnormality of the child he was tasked with raising. Ferdinand was not stupid. He recognized Myneheart was abnormal for a child. Mana Compression was taught in the Royal Academy. Brewing down potions wasn’t a common technique, and yet Myneheart seemed to recognize what Ferdinand was talking about.

However, there was no need to mistake Griefchan and Glucklitat. Added competence was a boon, not a bane. That being said, Myneheart certainly had great ideas within that mind of hers. The idea of a magic tool to duplicate books was one thing. That was tossed around in every lab to no avail. Ferdinand himself had made one, and even he couldn’t activate it without saving up mana. 

Coming up with a manaless solution upon being informed of the mana cost, however, was quite remarkable. It was something Ferdinand could only describe as… remarkable, a praise higher than very good, a praise he had never given out.

Regardless, even that was too costly, though in terms of employment, paper, and ink. Yet, it was achievable. She was definitely driven, as well. He could use this girl quite easily. The lack of a Grutrissheit as a result of the recent Civil war is a problem that could threaten Ehrenfest, which must not come to any Harm. The way he saw it, there were 3 options in front of him.

1. He dispatches Veronica, somehow. Returns to the royal academy at the Archduke Conference, finishes his Book of Mestionora, and becomes Zent. He also trains Myneheart into taking his place in Ehrenfest, and protecting the duchy from within, and eventually marrying Wilfried2
2. He trains Myneheart to become Zent herself, guiding her to the book under guise of… well it being a book. He stays within the temple, helping Sylvester as he is currently.
3. He dispatches Veronica, somehow. Returns to the royal academy at the Archduke Conference, finishes his Book of Mestionora, figures out a way to transfer the Book of Mestionora, and bestows it upon the Zent, then returns to Ehrenfest. In Ehrenfest he trains Myneheart to help assist Wilfried as first wife to the next aub

The desired outcome was almost certainly option 3, but all of this depends on if he can dispatch Veronica. Of course, he also had to figure out how to control Myneheart. Books were the obvious answer, and when thinking about which of these would be the easiest, option 2 came to mind. However, he would have to find some other way to lead her down a different path. Perhaps a lust for power? 

Of course, this was all down the line, of course. Hard as it may be to remember, Myneheart was barely a year old. Perhaps not even. Yet, she acted exactly like an adult. More mature than Wilfried is at the very least, who still hadn’t grown past his dad’s habit of running away from duties. Not like Sylvester has either.

In a world where gods were certainly real, Ferdinand had met one, there was no outruling the possibility she was Mestionora herself, sent to redeliver the Grutrisheit. Her passion for books certainly fit, as did the knowledge she had, the wisdom beyond her years, and yet, there was no way Mestionora would also be as stupid as to reveal it all.

Perhaps, Ferdinand thought, it was best not to question this at all. THe thought raced through his head, for a second at the very least, was he mistaking Griefchan and Glucklitat? Indeed, it was best not to wonder the why, but instead to wonder what to do.

The first thing he had to do was identify Myneheart’s motivation. It could not be as simple as wanting books for books sake. Was she driven by the research into magic tools? No, Fran has said she was extremely interested in the history book I gave her, reading it multiple times. 

Perhaps she had a thirst for knowledge. But then why was she re-reading the history book over and over, had she not gained the knowledge she needed. On that subject, how was she reading that book? It was made for adults and full of oblique terminology. Ferdinand didn’t expect her to understand it well enough to read it over and over again.

Could it be as simple, nay as stupid, as her wishing to be told stories? She enjoyed music too. Loathe as he was to admit it, that was a perfectly childish reason. Ferdinand himself had enjoyed the stories his mother told him in the villa, listening in with rapt attention. Ferdinand forced a smile just thinking about it.

Perhaps, to this child, a book was simply a means to that end. That made the most sense, but what to test it with? A magic book is out of the question, she is too young to learn as much. Ferdinand would need a large sample size. Perhaps a dictionary, Yes, no one would enjoy reading that.

Or so Ferdinand thought, indeed, once presented with a dictionary, this single minded fool forsake lunch to read it, and dinner too. Apparently, she did this wherever she got a new book. How idiotic.

When Ferdinand skipped a meal, he was in the midst of a brew he could not stop, one that may take hours. You can put a book down at any time. Ferdinand also substituted nutrition with potions, Myneheart had no such thing. Perhaps he would have to give Fran some to keep on hand.

No, Myneheart had to learn when to skip a meal and when not to. He would add that to her scholar training. Ferdinand had been measuring her mana capacity, and it had grown rapidly. Children’s Mana grows most at this age, yes, but he did not expect this rapid of a result. She had more mana than most Mednoble students in the Royal Academy at this point, plenty enough to teach her to brew. He even had the tools from his time at the Royal Academy sent to him by Lasfam.

Her lessons would start today, and Ferdinand sensed an unusual feeling in him. One he only experienced rarely these days, excitement.

Chapter Text

The day I received my new book, I started reading as furiously as possible, learning new words at the same time. Just a few days later, I got a second book! A dictionary, which helped me learn many many new words. This took me to what I'd consider a 9th grade level by the end of the week, at which point, it was time for my scholar lessons.

Ferdinand arrived and placed a bunch of stuff on the table. A cauldron, a knife, a brewing stick, 

“Your first task,” Ferdinand said, “Is to push mana into this feystone, and pull it out again.” 

I obliged happily. “Alright! Also, I thank you ever so much for the dictionary, my vocabulary and diction has increased rapidly, and I am ever so grateful you decided to grace me with the wisdom enshrined within!” Ferdinand looked at me, rubbed his temples, and said nothing, as I pushed mana into and out of the feystone.

“Very good,” Ferdinand continued, “Now the fundamental work of a scholar is the acquiesce of information. That much I will teach later, however, as it is much too hard to measure your ability to do so while you reside in the temple, and are of such a young age as to be kept from society.”

Wait, so this isn’t a librarian lesson? What could we be learning then? Only one thing came to mind.

“The other work expected of a scholar,” Ferdinand continued, “Is the brewing and creation of magic tools. To that end, today we will be making rejuvenation potions. This is a special blend I made, that not only recovers mana and stamina, but also hunger. These will be useful when you decide to skip meals, as I hear you have been. You are still growing, do not forgo nutrition.”

“Yes Sir!” I said, saluting. Ferdinand just rubbed his temples once more.

“Now, first up, the pot must be washed.” Ferdinand said. “You will be able to do so on your own when you acquire your Schtappe, but for now, this is a washing magic circle.” Ferdinand presented me with what looked like a sheet of paper, with a square on it, despite being called a magic circle. “I will teach you more about circles at a later date, but they are the easiest way to transcribe properties onto items.”

I placed the circle in the pot, poured mana in, and let the pot wash itself. So convenient, beats a dishwasher for sure, these chefs sure are lucky! On earth I had to scrub each pot manually .

“Next, look at the herbs and oils in front of you.” Ferdinand explained each ingredient to me, and how they affected the blend. “Of note, by removing this herb, you will create a potion that recovers no hunger. The higher the quality of ingredients and such, you can make many different varieties.” Ferdinand explained the differences between 4 different types of potions: one that recovered minimal mana and stamina, but maximal hunger, one that recovered maximal mana and minimal stamina, one that recovered maximal stamina and minimal mana, and one that recovered maximal mana and stamina, but depleted hunger.

I tried my best to take in all the information, I really did, but I couldn't remember all of it. If only I had a notebook… Maybe I could make like a diptych if paper’s that expensive?

“Do not worry.” Ferdinand said. “I have recipes written out, I will allow you to keep them in here, along with a selection of ingredients. Practice and experiment as much as you want, Fran, tell me when she is running low.”

Ferdinand continued talking. “Now, start by cutting these herbs. This is a knife, take care not to hurt yourself.” 

“Should I (Chiffonade) them, (Dice) them, or make large chunks?”

“I don’t know what those words mean, but you want them cut as thin and small as possible.”

“Understood.” I started Chiffonading the first herb, rolling it, and then slicing perpendicularly.

“I don’t think I’ve seen that technique, is that (Dicing)?” Ferdinand asked.

“No, it’s Chiffonading.” I said. “Why, is it no good?”

“No, it’s Very Good. Seems very consistent too, and you haven’t cut yourself once.” Ferdinand said. “Seems like you also have a talent for brewing.”

Yes! I’m gonna be a good scholar! I got distracted praising myself and slipped up, cutting myself. 

“Seems I spoke too soon. Step away,” Ferdinand said, and I did. He took out a magic wand, pressed it to my finger, and healed it, which stung a bit, like Neosoporin, then cast a washing spell on the herbs. “Always wash away the blood whenever you cut yourself. It is natural and expected for a novice to cut herself, there is no need to panic.”

“I’m not a baby, I’m fine.” I returned to cutting the herbs, and finished them all without another cut. 

“You are a baby,” Ferdinand said.

“I was speaking figuratively, I'm not gonna make a big deal over it, it happens.”

“Ah, I see. Regardless, let's move on. Start by pouring the oil in.” Ferdinand said, as I followed his instructions. “Then, pour your mana in with this brewing stick.” Ferdinand said. “Continue pouring in your mana until the oil starts bubbling.” Ferdinand said. “Then, add in the herbs in this order, one at a time, adding the next one when the potion changes color,” after adding in each herb, Ferdinand gave the final instruction. “Finally, start stirring in the other direction, until the potion reaches a green color.”

I continued stirring, until the potion reached a green color I would best call emerald. “Good, now, I will assess the quality.” Ferdinand started bottling the potion, all in all there were 11 bottles made, “How is your mana,” Ferdinand asked.

“Umm, I don’t know, but I feel really hungry all of a sudden.”

“You are likely low on mana, see if eating helps, if not, drink this.” Ferdinand said, handing me a potion. Ferdinand poured one of the potions I made onto a cloth, and placed that cloth on a weird looking scale. The scale went very low. He then moved it to the other side, where it also fell, though not as much. “Very good,” he said. “You pass, your next lesson will be next earthday. You will learn to make a proposal feystone.”

“Bwuh! I’m getting married?”

“One day, yes,” Ferdinand said. “This is just a simple brew everyone must know, hence why I am teaching you.” Ferdinand said. “In fact, I think i will join you for lunch today, there is much for us to talk about.” Ferdinand washed himself, and me, as we both smelled from the brewing, and guided me to my table, where he sat across from me, and the long talk began.

Chapter Text

The High Priest stared intently at me, and had everyone leave the room. “You are no normal child, you realize that, right?” Ferdinand said. Shit shit shit shit shit . He’s on to me. “You are the daughter of two of my retainers, both of whom placed their lives in my hands. One died of poison, you understand what this means, correct?”

“I too am a target.” I said. Phew, I was wrong.

“Precisely,” Ferdinand said. “On top of that, you have high mana, and even higher intelligence. Tell me, where did that knowledge come from?” Ferdinand said, eying the bread. THe new fluffy yeast made bread I was having for the first time today. Ferdinand grabbed a roll, only to squeeze too hard, and crush it. “Take this for example,” Ferdinand said. “You somehow, without my knowledge, made bread soft. A one-year-old should not be able to do that. How did you do so?”

“Alas, look at the time,” I said, miming looking at my watch. “I really…”

“Enough games, Mestionora, tell me what you did to Eckhart’s child,” Ferdinand said, pulling a sword out of seemingly nowhere, and placing it right against my neck. “He will not be happy about this. It is one thing to invade my dreams, it is another to take form in a child and use them to pester me.”

“I’ll tell you everything, but I’m not Mestionora, my name is Urano!” I said. “I’m… I’m from another world. I know, it sounds crazy, but it’s true. I didn’t take this baby’s body, I’ve been here since she was born. Please, you have to believe me.”

"It would explain much,” Ferdinand said. “How old were you in that world?” 

“22! I had just finished my extended schooling, and had a job lined up as a librarian when I was crushed by books! Can you believe how unfair that is! All the hard work and none of the payoff!”

“Impossible, you’re saying you’re not only older than me, but you had also only barely finished schooling? Then you must know many brews unknown to me. Tell me, how would you make a magic item that can truly think, truly sentient and living, a calculator that calculates on its own?”

“Ah, a (computer), yeah, basically everything had one of those in it on Earth. I don’t know how to do it, but it ran on (Electricity), and a bunch of circuits, typically plated with gold. They also used logic gates? I think the entirety of a (computer) could be made out of (NAND) gates. I never really worked with that stuff, Shuu would know more than I do, can i (phone) a friend?”

“I see, you were focused more on the control of information. A shame, Still, to think everything could make decisions.”

“Yeah, we had basically the entirety of the world’s knowledge accessible at our fingertips, anyone could learn anything they wanted. Most people used it to look at pictures of cats though. Or get into arguments (online). Kinda a waste. Nothing beats a good old fashioned book though. Although audio books were nice too, as was an (E-reader).”

“Audio books? You mean, books which read themselves. What an interesting concept. That would be useful as entertainment when occupied, or when brewing. What is an (E-reader)”

“(E-reader) stood for (electric) reader, it was a really thin device, about as thin as this plate, but you could have thousands of books contained within.”

“A bottomless bag, only for books?”

“No, the books were stored in a form of (electricity), they weren’t actual books, the (e-reader) showed you a page at a time.”

“I see, and Electricity, that is what you called magic? Were the gods the same, did your magic work the same as ours?”

“Eh, it wasn’t really magic, we just inscribed things on metal that harnessed lighting and used that to… ok it kinda was magic. But no, it was completely different from what we did today.”

“I see, but then you should understand the acquiesce of information at the very least. Ok, Very good. This accelerates my plans. Tell me, Myneheart, no Urano, how good were you at scheming and plotting? How often could something go your way?”

“Pretty often, I’d gotten my dream job, I could get Shuu to do anything I asked him to, I think I could get most things to go my way.”

“That is a relief. Tell me, how should I get rid of the Veronica faction, and specifically, Lady Veronica. They are the biggest danger you face right now.”

“Bwuh! I never did that kind of plotting, but, uh, would they fall if their figurehead was gone?”

“Unlikely, not unless she did something heinous. I see you overvalued your abilities. Alas, that is a shame. Regardless, You are 22, I will ask you a question, there are two paths in front of you. Do you wish to rule the country as the queen, or do you wish to remain in Ehrenfest, as the wife of the Archduke of the lowest ranked Duchy, Marrying the 6-year-old son of the current aub, who abandons his studies at every opportunity, and must be dragged back to his chair by his knight, and is being raised by a woman who tried to poison you when you were still in your mother’s womb. The choice is yours, now, let's eat. 

Ferdinand rang a bell, and in came our food. First, was the soup. I had gotten them to make a real consome, with beef stock. And yet, I felt as if I could not eat. This choice was major, and I was making it now, at 1-year-old? 

Being queen sounded arduous, and yet, Ferdinand clearly was pushing for that, he made the other option sound appealing. And it was. In the end there was only one question on my mind. “Which option has more books?”

“The queen, you will have to grasp a book containing all the knowledge in the world to become queen, and have access to the Palace Library as well.”

“That sounds amazing. I’ve made up my mind,” I said. “I wish to rule!”

Chapter Text

It was noon-day when Eckhart received the ordonnanz from his Lord. “Please arrive at the temple in three days, there is much we need to discuss. Eckhart swiftly requested leave from the Knights order, and arrived at the temple to meet with Ferdinand, what he did not expect was to see his daughter, sitting in a chair across from him, looking entirely like his lord’s daughter.

His late-wife’s purple hair had combined with his green to grant Myneheart a light, nigh blue teal, and she had his wife’s golden eyes. She looked more like Ferdinand than he. And she spoke entirely unlike a one-year old. He saw no resemblance to the baby he dropped off a year ago, which saddened him, though he hid his feelings well.

“Greetings Father, it is nice to finally meet you after all this time, please, enjoy the spread of food I invented.”

Eckhart took a piece of bread, which was presented without soup, strangely. He took a bite, expecting it to be hard and tough, and yet. It’s soft. Really soft. Like a bed. His daughter invented this? How do you invent soft bread? He understood inventing magic tools, using magic circles and the like. He couldn’t do it, but the process made sense. But food? Just what had Ferdinand taught his daughter?

“As you can see, Myneheart had a superb brain for her age, one that will only continue to grow. Ehrenfest does not have the capacity to support her inventions, it is only reasonable that we ask for help from Drewanchel to spread her inventions.” His lord said it all matter of factly, logically, nay tactically, it made sense. You didn’t make a beast you couldn’t contain your treasure. And yet, emotionally, illogically, it hurt him to his core to say goodbye to his daughter.

“However, as I am sure you may know, a child can be reckless and emotional, and as a member of an archducal family, she will need guard knights, and I can think of no Knight better suited to protect her.”

Archducal Family? It made sense, Drewanchel would adopt her no doubt, but…

“The plan is not to hide her Ehrenfestian origins.” Ferdinand said. “You will be known to be her true dad,  Dreaghnur’s threads can not be so easily weaved, however. I would like for you to serve her as her head knight. If you wish not, that is fine. This is not an order.”

“I accept. I was unable to protect my wife. I barely protected Myneheart before. Should something happen to her, something I could’ve prevented. I would follow her up the towering staircase and guard her in the realm of the gods. I will not make the same mistake twice, my lord.”

I would not forgive myself, nay could not forgive myself, were something to happen to my lord.

“Then, please, let me return your name to you.” Ferdinand reached for the stone binding Eckhart to his service, the stone that bound Eckhart to stay alive by any means possible.

“Please, do not. I am still wrapped up in immense grief, especially today.” Eckhart had dreaded today, Dreagnuhr must have hated him, to decide his name would be given back today. The anniversary of Heidemarie’s death, and the anniversary of the day Heidemarie and Eckhart decided to get married. Eckhart remembered that day well. The day before the Archduke Conference, Heidmarie approached him.

“It seems like Ferdinand is fated to leave Ehrenfest, fated to escape from Veronica’s torture, fated to ascend in power and status, and rule the country. The board we found proves it. I wish from the bottom of my heart to join you in service to him, when the day comes that he leaves. There is a chance I will have to have retired by then, so please,” she forced Eckhart against the wall, “Take me as your wife, such that we can join hands as one and serve Lord Ferdinand! It is my heart’s deepest desire.”

Many would have balked at a proposal just to serve one’s lord. And yet, Eckhart could not help but to make Heidemarie’s wish come true, to help her to serve Lord Ferdinand forever, and as time went on, as they schemed and plotted to help Lord Ferdinand together, they truly did fall for eachother. Love is something rare, something to be cherished, and Eckhart let his treasure be stolen. As a knight, he was a failure, and a failure of a knight deserves to be demoted, deserves to be dispatched, deserves to climb the towering staircase.

The only reason he had not, was because Lord Ferdinand had bound him not to. He felt the words he said constrict his movements, as he even thought about climbing. The door to the Towering Heights had been locked shut, and Eckhart could not trust himself not to open it, were the lock undone.

“Very well.” Lord Ferdinand said. “There is much we must sort out. Ferdinand said. “The archduke confrence starts tomorrow, i have already informed Aub Ehrenfest to present some of Myneheart’s inventions to Aub Drewanchel in private, to secure the adoption.

“They were really your inventions.” Myneheart said.

“To secure the conditions we require, we must pass off this invention as your own, besides, you had the idea to create a pen that takes notes for you.”

“That’s just because I was fed up with having to (Cram) before this whole thing. I didn’t think this was going to be so difficult. I would have chosen the other option.”

“And it’s a simple invention at best. The mana cost is too high to really change the world.”

“Bwuh! But I activated it, is my mana that massive?”

“Yes, over the past month of Compression, your mana has reached that of an adult Archduke Candidate’s. Of course, it was rather high to begin with.”

“Ugh, why did I decide to ascend anyways? The throne isn’t worth it.”

“I told you to keep that a secret, fool!”

“I thought he was in on the plan to have me become Zent!”

“You’re gonna be Zent?” Eckhart asked his daughter.

“You are never to say a word of this to anyone not in the room.” Ferdinand said, binding the word into Eckhart’s head, searing it across his mind. 

“Understood.” Eckhart said. But weren’t you… You puppet master, I’m glad that Heidmarie’s last act went on to serve you well, My lord. She must be smiling from the Towering Heights.

Chapter Text

“A magic circle doesn't have to be a circle, but the more circular it is, the easier it is to connect stuff most of the time… Geez, this magic system is the most complicated thing ever!” I complained to Ferdinand during one of my cram lessons.

“I find the idea of logic gates and electromagnetism much harder to understand.” Ferdinand said. “I tried that… Potatoffel battery experiment you talked about, and it didn’t work, Though the idea of batteries is very exciting. Here are the schematics I… the schematics we designed for Batteries. By incorporating Verdrenna, like you suggested, alongside, Ordoschnelli, and Dauerleben, the mana of the feystone used to make the battery can last longer. You can also swap them out easily, rather than recharge a Feystone with your own mana.”

“Why am I cramming so much?” I asked. “Is a one year old expected to know all this? What kind of (hell) did I wake up in.”

“You fool. You are going to be moving to a different duchy. At one year old! They’re going to look down on you no matter what for your backwater origins. You need to build yourself a faction, and the easiest way to do so in Drewanchel is to excel academically and scientifically.”

“As a one year old though?” I asked. “Why can’t I just learn this later?’

“There won’t be an after. We need to make you. Your recipes and inventions won him over with aplomb, and you’re going to be adopted. Consomme was a brilliant idea, the soft bread, Aub Drewanchel was reportedly very impressed. But, we presented you as a prodigy, one who is an incredible scientist. What do you think would happen if you were not..”

“Then why did we present that lie as we did?” I asked. 

“Because it was imperative to get your adoption solidified this early. The longer you are a member of Drewanchel, the longer you have to accelerate the spread of printing, which will soon become a massive industry for Drewanchel, and provide you legitimate backing. This will also lead to the collection of more books for you to read.”

“More books, why didn’t you say so!” With more books, I would have more free time. By getting all my studying out of the way now, I'd be able to read as much as I want.

“Now,” Ferdinand said. “Your final task is to make the (audiobook) you mentioned from scratch. I will not assist you with this, you need to be able to troubleshoot on your own. You will be testing this on a book you have yet to read.”

Alright! I need to do this, for the education of course, not to read that new book! The first thing I'd need to do is connect the battery as a power source. That was simple enough, I’d memorized the schematics after reading through them multiple times last night, which, incidentally, worried Fran. That required routing through Verdrenna, so all mana was running with a water bias. To get sound, Ordoschnelli was a must, granting a Wind bias. I should probably also incorporate Grammaratur and Mestionora for anything to do with books, granting even more of a wind bias. The best thing to do in this case would be to bind with Geduldh, but that’s hard as she lacks subordinates.

I’d want to add speed control, control requires Gebordnung, and speed Dregarnuhr and Steifebrise. Geez, Schutzaria is just overtaking this project, is it gonna fly? Oh, yeah, isn’t thunder one of those weird invocations that easily converts to another, since thunder is also of the sky, Schutzaria’s domain, but also of storms, under Flutrane’s domain, you can convert its affinity if you route through Jugereise. 

The magic circle was simple, though I did route to Gebordnung through Sterrat, with added Darkness affinity to this. Incidentally, the more elements you use, the harder it becomes for the average person to use (which, according to Ferdinand, I was above). All in all, this used 4 elements, Light, Darkness and Wind, as Water had been converted out. I wanted to remove one of Light or Darkness at the very least, but I couldn't see how to route from Gebordung unless I routed directly through Geduldh, which was even less desirable, as invoking an Eternal god was very mana inefficient.

Common subordinate bridges were Sterrat to Gebordnung, as Sterrat kept the stars orderly; Jugereise to Beischmacht, which Ferdinand refused to explain; Forsernte to Cuococalura, as the harvest is cooked; Ventuchte to Dregarnuhr, which was heavily useless as it converted from Wind to Wind, but worked due to the threading ties; Liebeskhilfe to a former god under Life named Ewaermen, due to having the same affinity; Elberge to Verdrenna, as the mountains bring storms (sic); Lastly, Verdrenna, Steifebrise, and Sterrat, due to the sky connection could shuffle in any order. Safe to say, there was really no more efficient path from Dregarnuhr to Gebordnung.

Once I had the magic circle, I made the schematic design. It looked kinda like a UFO, it would scan the pages, move, and… I forgot movement.

I went back to the magic circle phase, routed, umm. Anything that moves requires Ewigeliebe to be in there somewhere… What if I used an earth design to cut that out. Yeah, If I use Ventuhithe to move threads, I could make the overall structure bigger, but it would be a… that thing you see in 3D printers, I think it’s called a gimbal. Then I don't have to route through Life, though I should include the Goddess of Travelers… What was her name? Oh well, I remember her symbol, the wheel. 

I should probably also add a way to deal with art. I’ll just throw in Kunstzeal and see what she does. And then I'll add in Kerstreide to deal with the bounty of text. And, uh… it’s weird to only have one missing Wind subordinate… So let’s add Forsernte.

With the new magic circle and design completed, I started work. I brewed in the circle, and added the schematics. It was rather large, and then I had to put it together like Ikea furniture. Ah, my Billy Bookcase, how I miss thee. 

“That is rather large…” Ferdinand said. “Though that’s an interesting design, I will admit. I assume this let Ventuhithe drive the movement, rather than Ewigeliebe. A useful design, no doubt. 

“I think I ended up using every single one of Schutzaria’s subordinates, so don’t praise me yet.”

“Even Forsernte?”

“I used her to allow me to (pause) the reading and tell me what a word means, sort of harvesting the information. I don’t know, I hope it works. I incorporated spell names, I can’t test them as I don’t have a schtappe. Ferdinand, can you?”

“How do I start it?” Ferdinand asked.

“Geschzeit”

My first prototype did not work. It moved faster than it could read. It also ignored page boundaries, and read all the way across first. Incidentally, this world used a western system of left to right, top to bottom.

The second prototype fixed those problems. It read well enough. 

“Now try, Defernte,”  I said.

“The meaning of…” went the device; that part worked.

“That is useful.” Ferdinand said.

“I wouldn’t have added it if it wasn’t.”

“Fair point. I meant to say that it was more useful than I expected.”

“Hey, could I combine this with that self-writing pen to automatically transcribe books?” I asked.

“Perhaps.”

“Try Beschleunigen and Verlangsamen.” I said, and the reader sped up and slowed down. However, when it reached the end of the page… “I forgot to make it turn the page.”

I went back to the drawing board. What if I use suction to pick up the page, using Steifebrise. That ultimately worked after a few more prototypes. “Behold, the (Audiobook!)”, I said.

“Standard naming conventions would call this the Geschzeit. Sorry to inform you.” Ferdinand said. “Very good. Sit here and listen to the book, make sure it doesn’t reach an edgefault.”

“Where does that term come from? We use the same term on earth, but that came from flight,” I asked.

“Well, numerous inventions fail at the edge of their mana capacity.”

“Makes sense.” I said, and so, I sat in my bed, listening to a book on the history of Drewanchel, a very relaxing experience

Chapter Text

“Grandfather,” Eckhart stated, having come to me late one night. I’d prepared a gazebo for us to talk in, knowing what was likely to happen.. He looked at his cape, the cape his late wife had embroidered for him. “As you know, Heidemarie died a year ago.”

“And?” I asked. “You’re not still sitting around moping about your failure, are you? Regretting that your raffel rotted? Dreaghnur’s threads don’t come unwoven, but we can weave our own threads!”

“Precisely.” Eckhart said. “Heidemarie and I had a daughter. I was in no position to protect her at the time. I’m a knight, often called out on missions, and I couldn’t place the burden on you, my family. In addition, she would surely be a target, daughter of Heidemarie she was.”

“A fair assessment.” I nodded. “Who did you have look after her?”

“My lord, the one I swore my name to.”

“Tsk.” I scoffed. “ You sent my great granddaughter to the temple!” I leaped from my seat, enhanced my arm, and tried to slap the idiot then and there. The fine knight he was, however, he grabbed my arm in time, enhancing his arm, and twisting mine. 

Still holding my arm as he was, he continued. “It was the safest place to put my treasure. A fortified wall of status, dignity, and stone protected her, and Lord Ferdinand is a fine knight and scholar. He would let no harm come to my daughter, quite the opposite.”

Eckhart let go of my wrist, and I relented. “I see. I assume you’re looking to pull her out now that the danger seems to have subsided.”

“Not exactly. Mother and Father know this, but… Myneheart, that’s my daughter’s name, is a prodigy. She reportedly learned the material for all 6 years of the scholar course under Lord Ferdinand. Look at this tool she’s made.”

He pulled something out, and set it up. “Horekriben” he put mana into it with my Schtappe. “The transcribing is a little wonky, but it accurately transcribes an entire page worth of conversation.”

“And?”

“Perhaps this is more interesting, a more recent invention of hers.” he took out something new, a rectangle, with a circle on it, and a feystone on top.

“What sort of weapon is that?” 

“It’s not a weapon. Here, strike a pose, valiant and bold.” Eckhart said.  I obliged, taking a sword and holding it heroically. I was blinded, and then, the camera spit out a feystone.

“Now, if you put this feystone in this.” Eckhart pulled out another device that looked like the card used to buy items. He placed the feystone in it, and then, I was standing there, or a version of me, standing heroically. It only captured one angle of it, but I was on the card.

“An instant painting.” I stated. “No longer must I stand still for hours. How amazing. I must meet her immediately.”

“If you come to the temple, you may. But right now, she is preparing for her move.”

“What move?” I asked.

“She’s so extraordinary, Lord Ferdinand recognized that she needed to be in an environment that would better suit her genius. She’s moving to Drewanchel, adopted by Aub Drewanchel himself.”

“SHE’S WHAT! SHE’S AT MOST A YEAR OLD! YOU EXPECT HER TO SURVIVE ON HER OWN! YOU BETTER BE HEADED WITH HER!”

“I am.” Eckhart said. “However,” He paused. Looking at his cloak. “I don’t know if this is best for her.”

“Do you think Ehrenfest can contain her? Do you think Ehrenfest will pay attention to a Liesegang? Let her work her genius? You don’t pick a feybeast you can’t contain, and what happens if you can’t. It rampages. It escapes, and wrecks havoc on your duchy. What happens to the feybeast then? Death.”

“I know as much, but…”

“I’m retired, you have the day off. Want a drink?” I asked, and one of my attendants went to get some beer.

Eckhart grabbed one, and sat on the floor of the gazebo. I grabbed on, and ripped the cap off. He did the same.

“Remember when you were 14, and Heidemarie proposed to you? You were so pressed as to what to do, I took you out here, and let you have your first drink.”

“I do.” Eckhart said. 

“You said you thought Ferdinand would be moving out of the Duchy, and you were conflicted. What did I tell you then?”

“That I had to follow my gut.”

“There you go boy! What’s your gut telling you right now?”

“It’s tearing me in two. I don’t think she should go this young, but I don't think Ehrenfest is the best place for her.”

“Do you really think anyone’s gonna adopt a one year old at that age? They’ll settle it, sure, but she’s not leaving anytime soon.”

“What do you mean?”

“The last Aub, he adopted Ferdinand when he was 3. Said he got some divine message, He didn’t end up coming to Ehrenfest ‘til he was 7.” Eckhart took a swig of his drink, and I followed. “Really, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Now, how about you let me meet Myneheart.”

“The thing is, Myneheart is even more of an anomaly than Lord Ferdinand is. You wanna hear something funny?”

“Hit me.”

“She already has more mana than Cornelius.”

“This is making my head hurt.” I said. “So she’s got a lot of mana. So did Ferdinand.”

“Lord Ferdinand wasn’t brewing while he was still in Diapers.”

“What a funny girl.” I said. “She takes after Heidemarie, doesn’t she.”

“Apparently she loves books just as much. As soon as she learned to walk, she ran to the book room and started Crushing anyone who wouldn’t let her inside.”

“That sounds like something Heidemarie would do. Maybe she was reincarnated.”

“Maybe, it’d explain her genius. She’sas good at brewing as Heidemarie was, apparently. I was always jealous, she’d help Lord Ferdinand on his brews, and even sometimes solve problems he couldn’t. I was never that helpful.”

“You sound like someone competing for Ferdinand’s Raffel.”

“Still, are they not going to want to take her as soon as possible.”

“Who knows? She won’t be able to do much in the playroom though. A greater duchy is not going to buck the rules of society. I’m sure you’ve got until she turns seven.”

“Until she turns seven.” He reassured himself. “Six years. That feels too long.”

“Well, if she’s got the mana, let me teach her how to protect herself. It doesn’t matter how many knights she’s got as an Archduke Candidate. A strong opponent will attack when she’s most vulnerable.”

“That sounds great, gramps.”

“Now, it’s getting late. Are You good to fly?”

“I should probably leave before it really starts kicking in.”

“Fly safe.” I said. It was my way of saying all that needed to be said.

“I will. You take care.”

Chapter Text

“Aub Drewanchel, I’m glad you deigned to make time for me. I have a proposition you won’t want to refuse.” I said. Our rank had recently gone up due to the civil war, placing us in a massive advantage right now, that I needed to capitalize on for my brother. He did everything for me, I needed to pay him back

“I see the reports of the food was not exaggerated.” Aub Drewanchel stated. “The fluffy bread is revolutionary. This one-year old, Myneheart… She truly invented them?”

“I swear on the Supreme Five.” I said. “Along with these other meals, this is (Fettuccine Alfredo), a type of pasta with a new sauce. And this is Consomme, a soup.”

“You say it is a soup, but there is nothing in it.” Aub Drewanchel took a spoonful, and his eyes lit up. “This is truly soup?”

“Indeed.” I said. “Similar to how a potion absorbs the properties of the items brewed alongside it, so too does soup.”

“Incredible. Yet, that is not enough to procure an adoption.”

“Perhaps, then, this (Camera) will intrigue you. Strike a pose, as if you were being painted.”

“Ah, an automatic painter. We’ve seen those before, though the mana is prohibitive. Don’t tell me.”

“Yes, Myneheart brewed this and activated it. Her capacity is currently around ten small stones worth. On top of that, she seems to be omni elemental, her parents were seemingly a good match.”

“I see, her mana is certainly high, and the mana requirement for this tool seemingly low. but she will have a hard time marrying, do you expect any Archduke Candidates to reach her mana level?”

“I don’t. But I don't expect anyone in Ehrenfest to either, except for Ferdinand of course, but he has been raising her, so I would struggle to force them to marry.”

“She was raised by Ferdinand? Intriguing. He was a rather dear rival; this is his Disciple? It would explain the abnormalities. Would I be able to pass her as older than she is?”

“Her parents weren’t together nearly long enough.”

“I see. A shame that her parents were not.” Aub Drewanchel said. Putting emphasis on the word her. A plan seemed to be brewing in his head. “I will need to consult with others, but safe to say. This adoption is likely to go through. Inform her.”

I had assumed that was the end of it, but no. Three days later, Aub Dunklfelger showed up at our tea party room. “I heard about this baby. The disciple of the Lord of Evil. Me, Him, Duel Ditter. Winner decides where the baby goes.”

“I assure you, Aub Dunklfelger, this child takes after Ferdinand’s potency for brewing, not his knightly abilities.”

“I know as much.” Aub Dunklfelger stated. “We’ve many a good knight, but are sorely lacking in good commanders, people who understand the scholarly aspect of Knighthood. It is a shame, and I suspect Mestionora met Verbergen upon the change to Speed Ditter. That is not something I have the power to change. Verbergen could not be stopped, thus I would deeply like to see the Lord of Evil’s disciple under our power, to unite the knights under a common goal, and to give new life to Mestionora’s Knights

“I see. And Should I say no?”

“This matter will become a lot more public, something I presume Ferdinand wishes not for.”

A few days later, the ditter match was set. Ferdinand was loaded with many tools I did not recognize, and as the 3rd bell rang out, the game began.

They ultimately had settled on a duel to first blood, rather than ditter, as getting the field would have brought too much attention, and they did not have treasures ready.

Ferdinand leaped into the air on his highbeast and took out his bow. He unleashed a massive flood of arrows, and yet, Aub Dunklfelger managed to dodge each and every one on foot. “NIce try!” He shouted, “But you’re going to have to be faster than that!”

“Not Faster!” Ferdinand shouted. “Smarter!” The arrows managed to stick in the ground, and that was when I realized: he was using real arrows. Which meant…

The arrows started letting off copious amounts of black smoke. And then, nothing happened.

“Were those supposed to explode?” Aub Dunklfelger asked, but it was no use, Ferdinand had moved, his highbeast gone.

“Spark Arrows, courtesy of Myneheart.” Ferdinand said, behind Aub Dunklfelger. “Made to distract and nothing more. Schwert” Ferdinand took out a longsword and swung it towards Aub Dunklfelger’s chest.

“You’ll have to be faster than that.” Aub Dunklfelger countered with a parry from his Schtappe Sword, but it was no use, he had fallen into Ferdinand’s ploy.

“Messer” Ferdinand shouted, turning his Schtappe into a dagger. “Mana Blades can be so deceiving.” A thrust with his off-hand messer seemed to overpower Aub Dunklfelger’s Armor, but only barely. It could not get through all the way.

“Mana Armor can be so deceiving.” Aub Dunklfelger stated. “Especially one that has been passed down through generations. “Schweilt” His sword stayed the same, but a shield appeared in his off hand. It was not a big shield, the type used for formations, but a small circular one. “Like it? I based it off a family Heirloom. Even lighter and faster to move than normal.”

Aub Dunklfelger batted into Ferdinand's face with the Shield, and seemingly some enhancement magic. Ferdinand was pushed back and down. Aub Dunklfelger leapt into the sky, and shouted. “LANZE” before throwing the spear right at Ferdinand. Aub Dunklfelger started falling, and stumbled. He tried to roll, but messed it up, and lost time trying to get up.

Meanwhile, Ferdinand shouted “Geteilt” and summoned a large dome protecting him from the Lanze. He stood towards the front of the shield, and saw an opening. He took his messer, pointed it at himself, and went flying.

“Schwert” Ferdinand transformed his schtappe into a greatsword, and started swinging in a rapid circle. There was seemingly no getting past him, and yet.

“Zweihander, huh? That’s a rare one. Axt” Aub Dunklfelger stood patiently, his axe, perfect for hooking a blade, in his hand. He closed his eyes, and hooked his opponent’s blade, before coming in with a kick to force Ferdinand back.

Ferdinand took out a bunch of Light domain stones, threw them at Aub Dunklfelger, and they all shot out bright pillars of light.

“What the…” Aub Dunklfelger was dazed, he clearly couldn’t see. 

“Even more potent than expected. Thank you Myneheart.” Ferdinand got low down on the floor, aiming his schtappe, once more a Messer, at the seam in Aub Dunklfelger’s armor. A viscous red fluid started flowing, and Ferdinand announced as much. 

Aub Dunklfelger soon regained his sight, “I see. It seems like she will be moving to Drewanchel. A shame, those weapons seemed very intriguing.”

“No, I think she will be moving to Dunklfelger.” Ferdinand said. 

“Then why did you win?” Aub Dunklfelger asked.

“Because I only fight fights I can win.”

Chapter Text

One day, when I was studying for my move to Drewanchel, Ferdinand delivered shocking news. “There has been a change of plan. Dunklfelger has taken an interest in you. They will be better able to help you rise to the throne.”

“I see.” I stated. “The plan stays the same, I presume. Use my apparent youth to draw the compassion of those around me, while taking note of each and every weakness they have. Thus gaining allies I can extort shall the need arise. All the while accelerating the technological level of Dunklfelger, and taking as much credit as possible, in order to garner a name for myself.”

“Yes. Precisely.” Ferdinand replied. “However, your move has been accelerated, and circumstances changed. Aub Dunklfelger wishes for you to be baptized as his kid, and start the education of ‘A true Dunklfelgerian’”

“I see, what does that entail?”

“Simply things you would need to know, like how to protect yourself.”

“I see.”

“There is one problem.” Ferdinand stated. “This means I will not be able to contact you through Eckhart.”

“I see. What about (Invisible) ink or a (Cipher)”

“What are those?” Ferdinand asked.

“Ways to disguise text. Perhaps I could brew (invisible) ink. Is there a way to brew ink?”

“Verbergen’s Ink is the term I think you are looking for, and it’s rather useless. It exists, but it is well known and checked for.”

“What if there were a new form?” I asked. “Can you ask for an Apfelgise from the kitchen.”

“Intriguing.” Ferdinand said. “This is knowledge from Oarth, right?”

“Earth, but yes. We also need a candle.”

Upon grabbing the materials, I showed the process to Ferdinand. By squeezing lemon juice  I knew this worked on normal paper, but I wasn't sure about parchment. Luckily it did.

“Interesting… “ Ferdinand said. “Verbergen’s ink isn’t checked like that, either. Make sure to fully dispose of any writing.”

“What about (Ciphers) though, that might be simpler. It’s disguising text in a different form. For example,” I started writing using a caesar cipher.

“That is clearly disguised text. Why would anyone let it move forwards? But now i see what you mean. I have a method I know with Aub Ehrenfest, let me show you.”

Ferdinand started making small cuts in the edge of the paper with scissors. “A small tear, large tear, and no tear are the three types of tear. We can represent every letter and several words with 4 tears.

“Ahh, it’s like a (pigpen) cipher.” I said. “Or, maybe more like (morse code).”

“The key is to make it look as if it is simple frays from weathering” Ferdinand stated, “And make the main text innocuous.”

“I see. Let me try.” I looked at the guide, and sent the message “Ferdinand, did you get this?” which all in all was 52 tears, 36 of which were in Ferdinand’s name”

“Very good.” Ferdinand said. “You picked that up quickly.”

“What if we combine them?” I asked. “We have a word that means ‘Check invisible ink for the next word’, and then we read the first word of invisible ink?”

“That would cut down on tears. And allow for more dense messages. Good idea.”

“We could also come up with shorthand for long words, like Ferdinand could be FD,”

Ferdinand and I ended up skipping lunch, finalizing the system. We could ultimately send pretty much anything on a single page of paper, though decoding was a lengthy process.

After that, I had to get fitted for new clothes appropriate for my new status, and soon the time for the carriage to Dunklfelger came. Ferdinand gave me one last gift, however, several boxes of books. “These were your mother’s, read them well, and learn what they contain.”

“Very well.” I said. “You did very good raising me while you did. I will take the throne, I swear it.”

“Very good.” He replied. “You would do well to be cautious.”

“I will.”

We then stood in silence, having said our goodbyes, as the carriage was loaded, and I was ready to embark to my new home

Chapter Text

Father, Aub Dunklfelger that is, announced something shocking when I came to see him at dinner one night shortly after he returned from the Archduke Conference. “Hannelore, how would you like to have a new baby sister?”

“Is mother blessed by Entrindute once more?” I asked.

“It’s Entrinduge, but I am pleased to see you are learning your gods. No,  I’m adopting a child from Ehrenfest.”

“Ehrenfest, they’re…24th, correct?”

“They rose to 18th this past tournament, due to being Neutral, but that is a digression. She is not being adopted due to her duchy’s ranking. She is a prodigy, she’s already created 10 magic tools and operated them, at the age of 2. She will be a proud asset to Dunklfelger. So much so that I will be raising her as your sister.”

“She’s what? That’s crazy… I’ll never be as good as her!” I pouted a bit more than usual. But, how could I not, she’d be my little sister.. I couldn’t just let her be better than me!

“Chin up! Don’t whine!” Father stated, sharply, a reminder that I had shown weakness. A noble should not do that. An archduke candidate should not do that. A Dunklfelgerian should not do that!

“I’m sorry.” I stated. “I am positively excited.”

I went back to my room, where my Shumil awaited me. “Lady Suzie, Father is quite annoying. Adopting this child and making her a full blown archducal family member. It is quite annoying.”

“Now now, Lady Hannelore” Hannelore stated, as if she was Suzie. “There is no need to whine. You will surely be better than her.”

“But how, Lady Suzie” Hannelore asked. “She is already brewing. I thought you need a schtappe to do that. I could never be more competent than her.”

“Why be more competent?” ‘Suzie’ Asked. “You need only make her look up to you. Be a good big sister.”

When the feast celebrating spring ended, the child, Myneheart was transported over. “Greetings, Lady Hannelore, I am pleased to make your acquaintance.” was the first thing she said to me.

This was a one year old? That would be the same age as Raufreg, no? She looks just like Suzie, though she’s bigger.

“My my,” Hannelore stated, infatuated with the idea of having a little sister now.. “There is no need to call me Lady Hannelore, we are equals now, are we not? Both sisters.”

“That we are.” Myneheart said. She looked at me with golden eyes, the color of the moon, and her hair the color of the sky itself. Upon closer look, she really did resemble Suzie.

“Come, sister, let me show you our room.”

I lead Myneheart down the corridor into our room. “This is the main area, here I tend to study and learn information to prepare for my debut next winter.”

“Study… like what?”

“I’ve been learning my letters and addition. I shall start subtraction come winter, when I will also start practicing Harpspiel.”

“Ah, It seems I've been practicing at a higher level than expected.” The attendants started unpacking Myneheart’s items, where I saw several large books. No, not several, at least 20. Along with that were a Harpspiel, and a thick stack of sheet music.

“Why do you have to be so much better than me!” I cried out. 

“Because… I worked hard?” Myneheart stated.

“So… so do I!”

“Do you want me to help teach you?” Myneheart asked. I saw a glint of a calculating expression behind her golden eyes, but it soon faded, likely a trick of the candle, as she was staring at me with an expression I recognized from mother, trying to calm me down.

I should be the big sister here, not you! And yet, loathe as I am to admit it, I could use the help. “What do you suggest?”

Myneheart went to grab 5 sheets of parchment, likely a brewing material she had, a pen, and scissors. She folded the parchment 4 times, and before me were 80 small sheets of paper. She started writing letters, and then drawing pictures.

Her art… is rather bad. “Myneheart, that art is very…. Unique.”

“Are you better at art?”

“No…” I said. Art was not my passion. “but my brother is very good at art.”

“Fetch him then.” Myneheart said. 

“I can’t just do that. I’d need to send an invitation.”

“Then don’t complain.” Myneheart started drawing many items, before she presented them in front of me. “This is Karuta, can you fetch an attendant?”

“Yes Lady Myneheart?” One appeared. 

“Read the letters out loud.” Myneheart said, spreading the sheets of paper with items on them everywhere. “When a letter is said, grab the (Card) with the item that starts with that letter. For example, R would be Raffel. And L would be Lanze.”

“I see.” I said.

“S” the attendant said. I looked, and there it was, Shumil! I grabbed the card.

“BZZT” Myneheart said. “That’s Shumil, which starts with SH,” Myne held up the (Card) that she had, A sword

“I’ll…. I’ll win next time.”

“B” the attendant called out. I started looking and… a brewing stick, I grabbed it.

“Good job!” Myneheart said. 

“W” the attendant cried.

What starts with W?

I looked at Myneheart, when I realized she was waiting. 

“4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.” She grabbed the Wolfainiel card.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get it.” Myneheart said. 

The next time, I located the card, but waited 10 seconds to grab it, and managed to obtain it before her.

I see, I’ll never beat her in a test of strategy or skill, but I’m stronger than her, I’m older. Perhaps that is how I can rise above her. She may be smart, but I can be stronger.

Chapter Text

It was less than a week since Ferdinand returned to the temple when he received a letter from Myneheart. The innocuous text read simply “I am adjusting well. Mestionora speaks of you often, I wonder about the veracity of them. Did you really lead them to slay a Ternisbefallen? I wonder if I should also take the Knight track, in order to match your level. But that is years away, is it not? My new sister Lady Hannelore is very adorable, and we have become fast friends. She seems to admire my wisdom. Their history books are very long with many fascinating stories, I can’t wait to delve deeper into them.”

Even these innocuous words were full of seeming sarcasm, and let Ferdinand read into the nuances. Hannelore admiring her wisdom seemed to say that Hannelore could not achieve all she could, an obvious fact, so addressing it pointed to the less obvious aspect of it, she seemingly could not do the basics Myneheart could, like reading, writing, and arithmetic.

It seems she had still managed to make Hannelore her ally despite, or perhaps because of this. She did mention a background in education on Earth, a requirement to be a librarian. Perhaps she was an effective teacher.

The mention of the legends, and if she should take the same path as Ferdinand seemed to suggest her asking if she should establish a name for herself, but that was part of the plan regardless. It seems perhaps the question was as simple as if she should take the Knight course. In which case, it seemed like a good idea for her to pursue it, that’s what Aub Dunklfelger wished, after all.

The mention of history books seems to allude to the story of the Zent from Dunklfelger, and tells of her learning information that will help her become Zent, I should include some in the encoded message.

I then checked the secret messages. “My Sister is such a crybaby. She’ll be easy to make an ally, though I worry about what reach she will have. Aub Dunklfelger is ready to start implementing my technologies at a moment's notice?”

I responded simply, “The knight course sounds excellent. I'm sure you will enjoy those books. Give Lady Hannelore my regards. I hope your studies haven’t fallen behind. Be sure to uplift those around you. 

I added a simple secret message. “Be sure to practice praying, you will need to pray at several temples at the royal academy.”

The reports carried on over the years. Ferdinand made sure to relay the whole process to gain the book, and let her know where to find a map.

Wilfried was announced a failure, and sent to the temple, becoming a thorn in Ferdinand’s side. Wilfried would take my role in the temple upon coming of age, it was decided. A welcome reprieve. I could focus on helping Sylvester once that happened.

Dunklfelger rose in the ranks shortly after, taking first rank from Klassenberg when the Lady Eglantine failed to show up for her graduation, where Prince Sigiswald was due to escort her. No one has seen her since, the only sign of her a letter stating she “wished not to be a cause of war.”

Dunklfelger’s increasing technological advancements in printing and papermaking brought them much power, and the technology was already distributed to Drewanchel by now.

Arensbach turned cold to Ehrenfest upon Georgine taking the reins as first wife; the prince HIldebrand was engaged to the young Letizia, adopted from Drewanchel, to ease the situation in the duchy, with limited heirs. But aub Arensbach was very old, and no one knew when he would climb the towering heights. There were no eligible candidates after him to take the seat of aub, none but Deitlinde, at least, and only as an interim.

And yet, the thing Ferdinand was most worried about was the country lasting. Politics were abruptly changing, the Princes were in competition for the seat, and Hildebrand was due to enter the royal academy. Above all, so was Myneheart. He was scared of what that gremlin had become in dunklfelger, and what would come of the world under her. Books were pumped out so fast, now, that Ferdinand couldn’t keep up, not helped by being in another duchy and a priest. Would she still wish for the throne?

Ferdinand, for the first time in his life, did not know enough.

A bird flew into his window, dropping off a message.

“I’m ready to enter the royal academy.” Myneheart said in her letter. “I can’t wait to obtain the knowledge I need to accomplish my goals. Thank you, Ferdinand, for guiding me down this path.”

There was no secret message. Ferdinand knew all she meant. She was going for the book, and Ferdinand sighed in relief

Chapter Text

It was the day of my baptism ceremony, and my entire family promised to come. The Zent, and my Mother, of course. But also my extended family in Dunklfelger. The Aub, his wife, and his 3 kids. Lestilaut, Hannelore, and Myneheart. Myneheart was apparently my age, though a little older, born in Spring. 

Today was the last day I would wake up in the same house as my Mother. Starting tonight, I would embrace Schlafraum within a new villa, I ate breakfast slowly, savoring the moment with my family. My father was even there today. He took the ring he had let me practice with back, and the yellow ring slowly grew.

I walked to the hall, and readied myself for the ceremony.

“Prince Hildebrand”, the HIgh Bishop called, interrupting my thoughts. I stepped out, and looked into the crowd, where I saw my extended family. The purple hair of their Mom, Dad, and youngest sibling stood out, three different shades, one nearly blue. The whole family shared red eyes, like me, except for the youngest girl, Myneheart, who had stunning yellow eyes, like the moon.

“Prince Hildebrand,” The High Bishop said once more, and I turned my head to him. I was caught in thought, but I put my hand on the magic tool, and it shone Black, Gold, Yellow, Blue, Green, and Red. 

My father then came up to the stage, and granted me a ring, my ring. The High Bishop started saying a lot of big words I didn’t understand, and then blessed me. I returned in kind. “May the gods bless you too,” and let out a blessing like I had practiced.

Soon, the guests started coming up, and first was the family I had seen.

“Greetings, Hannelore, Lestilaut, Myneheart, Werdekraf, Sieglinde. It is wonderful to meet my extended family.” I said.

“Nice to meet you too.” Myneheart replied. “I am positively delighted to attend the royal academy with you in 3 years. I hope to form a strong relationship with you.”

The kind smile she gave me warmed my heart. I truly wished, from the bottom of my heart, to form a strong relationship with her. This pounding in my heart, I wish I had a name to put to it.

“This is a gift for you.” Myneheart said, presenting a book to me, or at least, it seemed like a book, it was rather small. “This is a picture book detailing the gods. It should help you in your studies. We made this version just for you, with art from Lestilaut.”

“You… made this?”

“Well, commoners made it, but I came up with the idea, as I did with most PrinCo products, like Karuta, and Playing Cards.”

This woman, standing in front of me, made many toys I had enjoyed growing up, and she was the same age as me. With her helping me, I could take the throne, could I not? Not to mention, she was fairly pretty, and very kind.

I put on my best smile, and spoke to Myneheart. “Thank you very much for the gift. I wish to make you as happy as you have made me. Please, would you wish to rule with me?”

“I am flattered.” Myneheart said. “but, there are appropriate channels for this. I am expected to stay in Dunklfelger, this must be discussed properly. And besides, you have only just been baptised.”

She was right, I was a fool. I said goodbye to my guests and greeted the next. I solemnly went to my new villa after, and fell asleep on my own, reading my new book.

Ultimately, my pleas were not heard. Not only was I denied the lady I wished to marry, but I was engaged to another and unable to take the throne. I thought I could be content with this, but then, in my first year at the royal academy, I saw her once more.

My raffel, that was the term for someone you wished to court, and she was my raffel. If only i could become king, If I could obtain the Grutrisheit, I could overturn my marriage to Letizia. I could marry Myneheart, like I wished. Perhaps, Perhaps I could do it.

She was the first to greet me at the fellowship ceremony, where i say her graceful walking, coupled, yet, with an energetic personality. She looked stronger than before, more resolute, and yet was still about 4 inches shorter than me. Looking younger than me, but not by much.

“I am pleased to see you well.” I said to Hannelore, and especially Myneheart. “It was a pleasure meeting you at my baptism, Myneheart, I never got to thank you for the book. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and all the others that have come my way.”

“Thank you.” She said, staring at me, no doubt assessing me the same way I was assessing her. She seemed to take an interest in me. 

“Would you, perhaps, like to play Gewinnen, after our classes are done?”

“That sounds ever so delightful.” Myneheart said. “I hope to see you there.”

I could not help but wait to meet her there, to best her in Gewinnen, and tell her my plan.

The raffel may have fallen from the tree, but it is still very ripe for the picking.

Letizia was the only other person with a greeting of note. “I am very glad to have your engagement, Prince Hildebrand. I hope you will help me bring Arensbach up in the rankings.”

I wanted to scoff. I could care less for this girl. No, I couldn’t care less. Not when Myneheart was there. And yet, I could not let that show. The first rule Raublut taught me, when it comes to getting what you want, is to never let others know your plan.

“I will do my best,” I said.

Chapter Text

The first step at the Royal Academy was to register at the library and pass my classes. As the first ranked duchy, we got to register as soon as the Fellowship Gathering was over, 

First however, I reaffirmed the young prince’s seeming crush on me. A useful tool, exploiting actual royalty will make my ascent easier, as will having him by my side, as to not shake the status quo to it’s core.

He also seems to lack a proper education, blowing off his fiance when she came to talk. It might not have been noticeable to others, but I had a good eye for reading, including people, and he couldn't care less about her.

Afterwards, I stepped into the wonderful library for the first time, after paying my deposit of course. The sight was so beautiful, it nearly brought me to tears, the carrels, the large amount of books, after the tour I was so happy I couldn’t hold my joy inside.

“Praise be to Mestionora, goddess of wisdom, for granting me access to this wonder!” I let out a blessing that might have been an accident. Ultimately, it wasn’t, though I may have made it too big. Ferdinand had directed me to bless people liberally, to show my gratitude. It wouldn’t affect me due to my large mana capacity

What I didn’t expect was two Shumils to start walking and talking up to me.

“Milady”

“Help check out”

The librarian, an old lady, Solange, I think her name was, soon walked up. “To think, your blessing brought back Schwartz and Weiss. How can I ever repay you.”

“Simply helping the Library is reward enough. Mestionora is an Idol to me, more important than any of the supreme gods. I’ve been making my own books, and yet I can’t wait to read every one of the books in these hallowed halls.”

“My, my. If there is anything I can do to assist you, please, ask.” Another follower in the bucket.

“Ask Milady”

“We Help.”

Hannelore soon walked over. “My, these are rather cute, are they not? I have only seen them on the shelf, but I admire them every time I visit the library. To think, my little sister was able to restore them when I couldn’t.”

“I do have one request.” I stated “I plan to build a bigger library than anyone else in Yurgundschmidt. If you would let me learn about the magic tools powering the library, I plan to incorporate it into my final thesis for the Scholar course, and would prefer to start sooner, perhaps present some research at this Archduchy tournament.”

“If you get a sponsor, perhaps I could let you.” Solange said. “I do think Gundolf would be very interested.”

“Thank you, but I plan to call upon Hischur. Her disciples have been quite legendary, have they not?”

“Ah yes, Lord Ferdinand was quite the talent. Though her lab is dreadfully underfunded”

“Money is no object to me,” I stated, “I have earned much on my own, plus my Father will no doubt pay.”.

My half-brother Raufreg spoke up. “This place is boring, let’s leave.”

“Leave if you wish, I am having a fascinating discussion.”

“I do wish!” 

“I am sorry about that, Solange,” I apologized. “Raufreg is… Not one to admire Mestionora. He doesn’t see how knowledge helps in a fight. Despite his loss in the welcome ditter to my team, as we knew the strengths of our feybeast, and it’s weaknesses.” as we had both learned to make a highbeast, we could both participate in it.

“Is that to say you’re to take the knight course as well?” Solange asked,

“Indeed. Now, do you have any books on magic tools, I’m interested to know what I’v been doing wrong when trying to make some. I intended to make a sort of weapon that could morph like a schtappe. It’s quite too hard to switch elegantly without practice, and the ability to form two swords, rather than just a sword and shield would be useful.”

“Do you mean to tell me you don’t only intend to take the scholar course, but are already brewing?”

“Yes,” I said, “I’ve been brewing as long as I can remember, it’s a rather fun hobby, and putting on an Audiobook makes it quite enjoyable. Have you bought a PrinCo Audiobook? I made them.”

“That was you, I see. They are very handy. I actually own two, so that I don’t have to move them.”

“Excuse me,” Hannelore said, “I am going to depart. Are you able to reach the Common Room by yourself?”

“Yes, don’t worry Big Sister.”

“Are you… Are you really planning to make your own Schwartz and Weiss.”

“Yes, i’ll even let you visit them as much as you want.”

“Truly,” Hannelore said. “You are quite exceptional. I can never measure up to you it seems.”

“Don’t worry!” I said, faking my best smile. “I’m sure you’ll be the greatest one day!”

“I see.” Hannelore said. 

Two boys started squabbling over who would escort Hannelore back to the dorm, but I paid them no mind.

“You should prepare to leave too.” Solange said. “Schwartz, show Lady Myneheart a book on Manablades and Magic Weapons”

“I was under the impression the library was open until 6th bell.”

“There is no need to cram during your lunch yet, dear.” Solange said. 

“I could hardly leave this bliss so soon,” I said.

The lights started flashing in the library, as a bell rang. Solange slowly started locking up shop. 

“If you’ll excuse me, it is my lunch break, Dreaghnur wove particularly fast today.”

“Milady, lend?”

“Got book!” 

Schwartz came walking up with a book for me, I checked out, and left.

When I returned after lunch, which was now delicious, I talked to Solange once more. “I am truly sorry. I seemed to forget the fact that you would need to take lunch in my lust for books. Please accept my apology.”

“You are forgiven.” Solange said. 

I headed off towards the carrels to read, when I noticed a gray-haired red-eyed boy browsing books. None other than Prince Hildebrand, the first step to acquiring THE book. The first step to ruling was to win him over, which I surely have done already.

I walked up to him, “Greetings Prince Hildebrand. I can hardly believe Dreaghnur wove us together once more today.”

“Myneheart, I am pleased to see you well.” He said, “It is quite a surprise to see you here, I thought you made books, why would you wish for ones you do not own.”

“There is truly nothing more wonderful than a library. A place where all can access books. I quite love the atmosphere of being surrounded by Mestionora’s Wisdom. Though this must pale in comparison to the Palace Library. I’ve heard tales of that wondrous place, how I would love to visit one day. No, how I wish I had a library like that.”

“Truly…” Hildebrand asked. I could tell he had gotten the underlying meaning. I wished to live in the Royal Palace. Hopefully, he took that in the most favorable way to him, that I liked him.

“Truly.” I said smiling, “I can not wait for that game of Genwinnen you promised me. I understand it’s a more masculine hobby elsewhere, but it’s beloved in Dunklfelger by all. I am quite the strategist. I’ve also several other games, all by Princo. There’s even a version of Genwinnen that uses no mana at all. Though it is called Chess.”

“How intriguing.” The Prince smiled at me, I could tell he was starstruck. A unique experience for me, having never had a relationship back on earth. 

“Well, I was going to spend the time until the Library closes reading in the carrels, as I said, the atmosphere here is quite unique, you can’t get it anywhere else.”

“Would you mind if I joined you?” Prince Hildebrand asked. “I’d like to take the opportunity to form a friendship with one I will be attending classes with for my whole school career. Especially one as blessed by the gods as you.”

“I would not mind one bit,” I said. “Though I am studying hard to produce a new invention.”

“Truly, what is it?”

“A way to have two Schtappes, or at least a Schtappe-like tool. Knights could gain a lot by being able to switch between two weapons.”

“I see. I’ve heard tales of knights, imagining the fights is quite enjoyable.”

“Perhaps you’d like to see a ditter match of Dunklfelger’s. Perhaps this Earthday, you could come visit the training grounds. Raufreg requested a rematch, and I obliged.”

“I would enjoy that. But truly, you can fight, without a Schtappe.”

“I have a manablade. All archduke candidates of Dunklfelger grow one from the age of 7. It’s on my body right now, should anything happen. It’s where my Idea for a shifting Manablade came from.”

“Truly?” Hildebrand stared at me. “I find it hard to believe you could best me in a spar.”

“Is that a challenge?” I asked. “I’d assume training weapons? I’ll gladly show you that I can.”

“I’d quite enjoy a friendly spat.” Hildebrand said. “Raublut said my skills would grow if I sparred with more people.”

“Then it is set. Once we finish our classes.” I said.

“It is set.” He replied.

Chapter Text

The next day marked the start of classes. First up, Math, which I passed with flying colors, as it was all single digit addition and subtraction. I was not the only Dunklfelgerian, or in fact student, to pass on the first day, or even with perfect marks. Prince Hildebrand, Lady Letizia, and even Raufrerg passed perfectly. 

None from Dunklfelger failed. Not since my latest reform, suggested to my Father, that to qualify for the Knight Course, you have to pass your core written classes “As Swift as Steifebrise.” Motivation is so easy when you know what people want.

Afterwards was Magecraft. What colors are what element, and other basic questions, which I passed with aplomb. Then History, my hardest subject, which I managed to pass, but not perfectly. I got one question wrong about some duchy named Einsreich.

Then came lunch, before we went back to classes.

Next up was Mana Flow control, where I had to pour mana into, and take mana out of a feystone. This was childs work for me, and I ended up advancing to the next stage, High beast Creation, where I made my signature Highbeast, Taka-chan. He was driveable, a new invention, which the professor Fraularm congratulated me on. Ultimately, he looked like an Airplane mixed with a Hawk, the signature animal of Dunklfelger. Well, it’s a feybeast that looks like a hawk

I took Taka-chan on a loop and we rode

Then was Mana compression. A fool might have tried to compress harder, but I decompressed beforehand, and recompressed shortly afterwards. Which did sadly break the scale the teacher was using. Sorry Hischur.

Then came the next day.

In the morning was Geography, Theology, and then a free period for most students. BUt for archduke candidates, B schedule days came with Dedication Whirl Practice. Which happened to be in my written section. I watched these inelegant whirlers tumble through the dance, except for my sister, who was clearly excellent. And I eventually showed a whirl that was better than all the other whirls combined. Save maybe Hildebrands.

Afterwards, Hildebrand said simply. “I hope when we graduate, you will be selected as the goddess of light, and I the god of darkness. You whirl elegantly.”

“My, how you flatter me. Save some praise for your fiance, did she not whirl Admirably too?”

With that I did indeed pass whirling, and went onto my practicals. 

Then came music, where I debuted an original song (As intended) and passed with aplomb. Thank you Anpanman for your march! I did get invited to a tea party with the music professors. Another chance to gain more allies. 

Afterwards was Court Etiquette, where I elegantly managed to make it through the new bulky clothes worn only at the royal academy. The climate in dunklfelger is wildly hot. Though, cooling has been made more efficient with my Fans. How no one thought of them I don’t know. I was one of the only people in the higher ranked duchies to pass. Not even Raufrerg passed, having never had to show respect to anyone, and being worse at faking it than I am.

Prince Hildebrand especially had trouble passing, after failing he came to me for advice. 

“What do I do better, Myneheart? She said I acted too haughty.”

“You need to learn how to treat those above you in status. After all, when you marry into Arensbach, you'll cease to be a prince. Act how you’d expect someone below you to act in status.”

“I see. Thank you for bringing Anhaltung’s blessings upon me.”

“Why would I not help you? We are friends, are we not?” I asked, tugging the threads on his heart even harder. He’s so easy to read. Love’s the only thing on his mind.

“That we are.” Hildebrand said, looking at my eyes. “I noticed your eyes are yellow, while most of your family’s are red. Do you know where you get them from?”

“No, I do not, It’s an abnormality that betrays me.”

“And your hair, it’s a different shade of purple, is it not? More blue. You look almost like a Shumil, No, you look like Mestionora.”

“I do?” I asked.

“Yes, there’s a statue of her in the library, her hair is the color of the night sky, and her eyes the gold of the sun. It’s apt, you seem to be blessed with her wisdom.”

“Save it for Lady Letizia, you must learn not to compliment another girl’s beauty while your fiance is in the room.” I tried my best to signal a deeper meaning. That he should keep this a secret.

The last lesson today was Schtappe Aquisition, where we had to walk through a dreadfully long hallway. Hildebrand seemed to turn back, finding his Schtappe before me, but i had to press onwards, just a little bit more, where I found a towering staircase.

Oh no, Am I dying? And I was in the middle of a book!

Luckily, I climbed the staircase no problem, where I found a tree and my divine will. The second I touched it, it seemed to fully absorb within me.

“Schtappe” I imagined a simple wand, and produced it. “Schwert” I tried next, making a sword. “Seems in order.” I headed back to the dorm, when I was told to rest, until I produced my schtappe, which surprised them, but, seeing as it was absorbed, there was no reason to not let me eat Dinner normally. 

I sent an Ordonnanz to Hildebrand, asking simply, “Can you make it to ditter tomorrow?”

HIs attendant replied simply, “The prince should absorb his Schtappe by the morning, He should be fine.”

Chapter Text

Game day was sacred in Dunklfelger. If there was a match, you didn’t interfere. We were going to be playing Speed Ditter today, though there is also Treasure stealing and Bride-taking Ditter. I would have challenged Raufereg to treasure stealing Ditter, but he argued that Speed ditter was a more adept test of our skills, which is wrong.

The main difference today is that we have our Schtappes now. Neither of us are quite used to them yet, Meaning I simply had to train with it. I knew all the commands, they were simple enough. The hard part was forming the pictures in my eye, specifically the different types of swords. A zweihander had a different use than a long sword, which had a different use from a short sword. I also brought with me a set of magic tools, two flashbangs and three bomb arrows, spark arrows would be useless against a mindless beast. I had offered all of these to Raufereg, which he refused.

Each of us had a team of 5, each from a different year. My Sixth year was my head attendant, named Polibeth. She had a high amount of mana, and knew the words to the prayers to grant strength and other buffs. She would be crucial if the fight was to be quick. For my fifth year, I had picked Kentripps, a scholar with great inventions and knowledge, and archduke candidate blood as my cousin. 

My fourth year was Auflen, a knight who listened well and could cover any role necessary, but mainly just attacking. My third year was Parielle, a Female knight who was adept at dodging blows and covering others. My Second year was Bogensbert, a student who excelled at long range combat, and gave him many tactically useful magic items. He failed the Knight course exam, but he showed enough worth at the welcome ditter to be granted a spot. 

Raufereg picked the strongest knight from each year, several of which butt heads with each other. Their coordination was abysmal. Incidentally, my team is so balanced because my friend from earth, Shuu, would never shut up about optimal team competition in his video games.

We had also agreed to let eachother pick the enemy they would face. I almost decided to pit them against a Gumka tree. But they’re tricky even for experienced knights, and I expected they would get a DNF. I instead noticed their absolute lack of anyone lithe and fast, and pitted them up against an opponent that would seem easy, so easy a commoner can hunt them. A Shumill

Hildebrand was waiting at the pitch when we got there. “Good Day Myneheart, “

“I am grateful Dreaghnur has woven our threads once more, Prince HIldebrand.” I said, before offering him an Anti-Eavesdropping magic tool. “I figured we could use my Half-Brother’s game to have a discussion, if you don’t mind.”

“I never mind discussing things with you,” Hildebrand said, grabbing the magic tool. “What was it you wished to say?”

“I sense that a raffel has fallen from you tree, am I mistaken?” I asked.

“You would not be.” He said. “How wonderful, do you feel the same way?” 

“It matters not how I feel, Prince Hildebrand, for you are already engaged by Royal Decree, and only a Zent can over turn a royal decree. Or so I should say.”

“Are you suggesting…”

“There is another way for a royal decree to be overturned, of course, if the long lost Grutrisheit is found. You wouldn’t have any idea where it could be found, would you?”

“Alas, I do not.” Hildebrand said. “I’ve no idea.”

“Then perhaps, we could search for it? I’ve heard tales you see, Shrines that suck people into them, A forbidden archive, pillars of light, these mysteries may pave the path to what was long lost.”

“Indeed.”

“I am curious, Say I found the Grutrisheit, Would your Raffel rot if I were to be Zent?”

“Would you even desire that?” Hildebrand asked. “I thought your dream was to own a library.”

“And as Zent, I would, would I not?”

“As long as I was not to leave the only home I know, I would be fine.” Hildebrand said,

“Regardless, this should be kept a secret. And stop publicly showing affection for me. Rumors will spread I’d rather not be the star of.”

“I understand.” Hildebrand said. “Verbergen will dance upon Liebeskhilfe’s threads.”

Soon after, Raufereg finished his slaying, and it was my time to take the pitch.

Spawning out of the pitch was a Talfrosch, a feybeast that split into many many others upon being killed.

Polibeth started praying to buff us, as I shouted off commands “Kenntrips, Bogensbert, Bomb Arrows, Now.” Together, the three of us launched nine bomb arrows total, lowering the Talfrosch to it’s smallest size, and destroying many in the process.

“Auflen, Parielle, Riesesichel, Large. Start sowing!”  The two knights formed Sickles in their hand, as did I. We used enhancement magic to dash forwards faster than wind, and started sowing the remaining talfrosch one at a time. This weapon is highly inefficient most of the time, but for talfrosch, they excel.

“Polibeth, Kentrips, Bogensbert, Bind any you see. Use bombs if you must, do not injure yourselves or others.”

In a matter of seconds, we managed to sweep up the remaining Talfrosch, Ultimately, it took about 2 minutes, i’d say. We were declared the victors, once more.

When I returned to the stands, Raufereg looked at me mad. “You fight dirty, with no honor. Where is the honor in a bow, where is the honor in using magic tools.”

Prince Hildebrand shot up from his seat. “Where is your honor?” He asked. “There is no honor in a real fight, only in how the outcome is settled. Or so Raublut said. Trickery is a part of the game, and Myneheart did none of that. The point stands, you took more time to slay a single Shumill than she a whole Talfrosch.”

“Only because it was too fast.”

“No!” I stated. “Because you were too slow. You could have slain it any time with a bow, think hard, strategy and honor is not all that matters in a fight. You would do well to remember this.”

“She’s right,” Raufen, the dorm supervisor and head teacher of the Knight Course, said. “Many of my students fail to know as much, she’s wiser than many Sixth years. It’s a lesson most don’t learn until they’re actually fighting for their life, or the lives of others. If you were facing a Bindostritch, a creature that could actually hurt someone, you wouldn’t have time to worry about honor. You’d need to actually protect your charges. Don’t worry, Dunklfelger as a whole struggles with this, they have a lack of fast knights and sharpeyes, especially when compared to other duchies. Strength is not all that makes a knight. It’s the most demanding course when it comes to brain power. You have to be able to do all the calculations a scholar would, in a moment. If you wish to abandon strategy, you would do well not to take the Knight course.”

“I am sure,.” Raufereg said, storming off.

“I apologize for his behavior, Prince Hildebrand,” I said

“Nonsense, his actions are not yours.”

“Thank you, Prince Hildebrand.”

Chapter Text

Later that day, as I spent my time in the library reading, my mind started to wander. I needed to secure a footing. Convincing the Zent to relinquish the throne to me would be nigh impossible. Who would willingly abandon that power

Thus, I would need to be strong enough such that none could oppose me. In every sense of the the word. My battle prowess will stand the test. That much I know. I also have more mana than many adults. Now that I understand more about mana compression, Ferdinand really pushed me. 

It’s my social standing that needs the most work. My lack of friends was no issue on Earth, but now that I’m in a world where your political power is based on your relationships… I need to learn how to make friends.

So… how do you make friends? I’d need to meet them somewhere. There’s a common framework called the three space model. You have your primary space, your home, where you reside; Your secondary space, work or school, A place you must go where other people are; and your Tertiary spaces, events or places you attend willingly, where you may meet or hang out with other people.

So what’s my Tertiary space? What tertiary spaces exist at the Royal Academy. There’s the gazebos, the library, tea parties. Perhaps blasting through my classes was a bad idea. I could always attend more whirling classes. That would be the best place to meet other students.

It was as I was caught up in this thought, that I heard Schwarz and Weiss activate. It’s a high pitched frequency that most wouldn’t hear, but I’d been enhancing my senses in order to read better, enhancing the senses also enhances the speed at which you can process the information, so by enhancing my eyesight, I can read at twice the speed.

“Lady Gentiane”

“Welcome.”

“I see, these are the new Shumills. First-years, please register at the desk.” The girl with the striking violet hair turned and moved over towards Solange. “I am glad to see you well.  I know I’m supposed to watch over my juniors, but may I quickly browse for a book?”

“With how much you have helped me last year, you are more than welcome.”

How much she’s helped? Is she a part of the Library Committee? My Senior, I must befriend her. 

I tracked her movement steadily, and she headed towards the section with fictional stories and transcriptions of the bible. It was a rather small section, so I had decided to start with it. That, and I needed material for Princo books. I read, not write.

“Oh,” Lady Gentiane let out a small gasp. “It seems that Dreaghnur wove our threads together unexpectedly, may t pray for this serendipitous meeting, ordained by the harsh judgment of Ewigellibe”

“You may.” I thought back to the fellowship meeting, where I surely saw this woman before. “Lady… Gentiane, is it?”

“Indeed it is. I am surprised, both to see another in the library so soon, and in the section of the library I love the most.”

“I take it you are an avid reader. Perhaps you’ve heard of my company, Princo.”

“Forgive me, you are truly the head of Princo? I feel as if Dreaghnur is playing a trick on me. Blessed be this meeting.”

“I couldn’t help but overhear, you assist Solange with the library?”

“Oh, that is putting it so highly. I would often simply watch the doors for her when she needed to step out, as I am in here so often, and am an Archduke candidate of a highly ranked duchy, thus I could stop anyone from leaving with a book they hadn’t checked out. Now that Schwartz and Weiss are here, I doubt that I will be assisting anymore, which is a shame.”

“I agree I wish we could form some sort of Library Committee, to assist Solange with any work she needs help with. Did you know historically there were at least 3 archnoble librarians at a time, and now a single Mednoble must run the whole library.”

“Indeed, Solange would oft begrudge the fact that she has very little help. Perhaps offering our assistance would be best.”

“Indeed, perhaps we could discuss a plan to assist her over tea. I am free whenever, as I have passed all my classes already.”

“It would need to be in the morning. Loathe as I am to admit it, I’ve yet to pass my practicals.”

“Would 3rd bell on Leafday be acceptable?”

“That sounds superb, I am excited to see you then. Now if you’ll excuse me, last year I only made it halfway through The Jossenburg tales, and would quite like to check it out and read the tales I’ve yet to get to.t.”

“I am so sorry to tell you, Lady Gentiane, but I am currently reading that book. Status dictates that I continue to have it. However, I am more than fine with letting you check it out as a sign of good faith and friendship, If you give me a moment to finish this tale. It is so dreadful to stop in the midst of a story, is it not?”

“I could not agree more. Which tale are you on?”

“The Third Wife's Tale.”

“Ah, that is quite a good one. I will grant you all the time you need.”

I quickly finished the chapter, and handed it to Lady Gentiane, my new friend.

Chapter Text

Prince Hildebrand and I were engaged in a dreadful bout of Gewinnen one Waterday. He managed to keep me on my toes, by being completely unpredictable. That was not any praise for his skills, they were dreadful. I’d played better games against Hannelore.

“So, you think you have an Idea of where the Grutrisheit may lie?” Prince Hildebrand asked through the sound blockers.

“It’s only a suspicion, but I’ve heard tales of an archive that requires 3 keys from the librarians, something that can’t be opened anymore, due to the lack of librarians”

“A book lying in the library. That makes sense if nothing else.”

“I doubt the book is actually in the library, but the archive is limited to those registered with a Duchy’s foundation as mana donators. It tracks that information related to the Grutrisheit would be stored in that location, rather than anywhere else.”

“Would it not be stored in the palace library?”

“That is my other suspicion.” I said, moving my Bow to a position that could snipe Prince Hildebrands treasure. While binding it with my scholar. I released the tool for a second. “Gewinnen.”  I enhanced the bow sniping the Prince’s treasure with a Support, then ended my turn, and the bow struck twice, both hitting. Prince Hildebrand’s treasure collapsed..  “Do you not remember just yesterday what Professor Raufen said?”

“This is not ditter, this is Gewinnen.” Hildebrand said.

“Think back to my team, what did I have yesterday? Polibeth, a support, Kentripps, a Scholar, Auflen, a spear, Parriel, a sword, Bogensbert, a bow, and I, a mix of many.”

“I see.” Hildebrand said.

“And what did Raufreg have? 5 spears. 6, counting himself. You lose when you set up the board, you don’t have a single Support or Scholar. You’re playing with only one stone piece. This is a two stone game, you need to diversify your loadout. You got the Support piece, which means you got to see my pieces, where I placed them, and then placed yours. That grants you the advantage.”

“I see.”

“Regardless, I have a plan to gain access to the archive, but I require your assistance, please, be Gluckitat upon me.”

“Of course”

“Then I can trust you to attend a tea party with me upon Leafday”

“I shall be there”

Come Leafday, Lady Gentiane was surprised, to say the least, to see Prince Hildebrand at our tea party. “Prince Hildebrand, I was not aware that you were to be a guest. may I pray for this serendipitous meeting, ordained by the harsh judgment of Ewigellibe?”

“You may,” Prince Hildebrand said.

“I recall our threads crossing in the library a few times over last year. Can I assume that you are planning to join this ‘Library Committee’ that Myneheart suggested.”

“Indeed.” I commented, “And with that, the first meeting of the Library Committee has come to order, please, enjoy the tea and snacks.” I took a bite of the cookies I had made, and had a sip of tea, to show they were not poisoned.

“I feel the name Library Committee is a tad abnormal.” Lady Gentiane said. “Should the name not play upon Mestionora, perhaps Mestionora’s Disciples?”

“That sounds much nicer.” Prince Hildebrand said, and thus the Library Committee ceased to be, and Mestionora’s Disciples were born.

“Point taken. Regardless, we need to present our worth to get appointed officially, and ease Solange of the burden placed upon her. Thus, I present you with a plan, we suggest offering mana to the magic tools in the library. Schwarz and Weiss being reactivated greatly eased the burden on her already, there must be many more magic tools she needs to run the library. To this end, I call upon you, Lady Gentiane, to request a Tea Party with her, in return, I grant you the latest Princo book, hot off the presses. Please enjoy the first volume of ‘Kriegliebe’s quest’, it’s a new type of story I hope everyone will love, the story of a girl taking her romance into her own hands, by requesting challenges from the one she loves. I know this is a common tradition in Dunklfelger, but I've heard it’s not so elsewhere.”

“Ah, yes, I've heard of this tradition. It’s how Mother proposed to Father.” Prince Hildebrand said. “Do you think there will come a time where you ever request challenges from someone?”

“Perhaps, should the day come where I fall for someone.” I said, hinting to Prince Hildebrand to shut up.

“What of you, Prince Hildebrand,” Lady Gentiane asked. “You are engaged, are you not, for nearly three years. How happy Lady Letizia must make you.”

“Truth be told, our threads have rarely crossed. I’ve yet to truly become friends with her, let alone trust her with my cape.” Trusting someone with your cape was a common euphemism in Dunklfelger. Your cape is your defense, your home, to trust someone with it, specifically a girl, means to love them to the point you trust them wholeheartedly. 

“I see. Perhaps it was rude of me to assume. Not that you would be the first of your family to be unlucky in love, my deepest apologies, for Lady Eglantine’s actions.”

“Those actions did not affect me,” The prince said. “Nor are they yours, there is no need to apologize for the actions of family not even connected to us by a mother.”

“Indeed, what I am most apologetic for is the fact her actions dropped you to Fourth rank, below Gilessenmeyer. It is not fair for one lady to act that uncouth.”

“Indeed.” 

The topic soon shifted to a discussion of our favorite Princo books. It was… nice, as if I was talking with Shuu about a book we had to read for Literature, or one of those book clubs my Mom made me attend with her. I was truly glad to have them as allies, it seemed.

Chapter Text

Despite being the head proponent of Mestionora’s Disciples, I was not the one dealing with Solange, we did not have a bond yet, and it’d be easier to gain her trust with one who does. In addition, I had training I had to attend. As a Knight, I had to participate in 4 training sessions a week. Training sessions are hosted every day at 2nd and 4th bell, and last a bell. They are performed starting after first years get their Schtappes, as most people will have passed their written exams by then.

In a sense, they are a form of extra curricular class. Different students come up with curriculums based on tactics or other such techniques. Anyone could teach a class with approval from Professor Raufen, though typically only 6th and 5th year taught sessions

I was not typical, and so, while waiting for Lady Gentiane to return with the success of our operation, I taught a class on effective use of schtappes. A common problem was that people would default to swords, and if they didn’t use swords, it was commonly either spears, and bows.

“Raufreg, would you mind helping me demonstrate?” I asked. Why he had signed up for my class was beyond my understanding, considering how much he seemed to have a one-sided rivalry with me. “Come attack me with a sword.”

“Gladly,” Raufreg charged at me with a sword, and immediately went for a thrust, which I parried with my sword. He then brought back his sword and went to slash.

“Axt” I shouted, and then hooked his sword with my new axe. “Don’t be afraid to switch weapons during a spout. A key point of fighting is to not let your enemy know what you’re going to do next. There is as much of your brain used as your mana and your brawn.”

“Excuse me, Lady Myneheart.”

“As I’ve said, when teaching, I am Professor Myneheart.”

“Alright, what’s the point of hooking his blade, Professor Myneheart? Sure, you’ve trapped him, how do you attack from here?”

“Well, Rasantark, you are a member of an archducal branch family, you’ve visited my house when I was young, you should know the ways in which I excel beyond the battlefield. How, may I ask, did I defend myself when I was young? You should know, you succumbed to it.”

Rasantark knew me well. He would visit Hannelore often, and one time, he pulled a book out of my hands, and told me “Let’s do something fun.” He should know very well how I react to being attacked.

“One valuable attack is Crushing.” I stated, putting the force of my crushing towards Raufreg as demonstration. “However, it’s mana inefficient. No, I recommend using a dagger or manablade. This is one I've been training for years. I’m sure you recognize it.”

I pulled out my mana blade. “Raufreg, is it Ok if I stab you, I should not, but just in case, I will heal you shortly after.”

“If you can.” Raufreg tried to pull his sword out, but that was impossible. 

“Notice, a key point of this Axt, a serrated edge. This axt is specifically designed for hooking. I have different designs for when I want to attack. The serrated edge means the mana flows through my opponent’s blade, making it impossible to dismiss. In addition, it provides friction, preventing him from removing it without overpowering my mana.”

I tapped Raufreg with my Manablade. “As you can see, even a simple dagger could do the trick. Of course, this isn’t perfectly effective. One thing you might wish to try is blade splitting.”

“Isn’t blade splitting impossible?” another student asked.

“The traditional way, indeed. But if you look at this manablade, it’s different from others. You can add a property to a mana blade with brewing. I call this process inscription. By speaking a command word, you can cause it to transform. Watch.” I took my manablade and spoke, “Feudern,” and my manablade became a manaaxe. 

“By the gods!” Professor Raufen shouted.

“There are some limitations. You can only provide it with a number of runes equal to the brewer’s elements. It is no end all be all, however, I think there is plenty of use for these, especially with training younger knights”

“Still, this is revolutionary.” Professor Raufen exclaimed.

“Which is why I would not like you to reveal this. I am presenting it as research at the interduchy tournament. I also plan to sell schematics in a future PrinCo book, Manablades and You. However, I will be granting all Knights a discount on the book, depending on how well we place at ditter. First place is 50% off.”

“Mednobles, Laynobles, listen up. Pick the 5 weapons you know best, and start gathering stones. You’re going to want to prepare for release.” Raufen stated. 

“He’s right, these are useful tools.” Kentrips stated. Despite being a scholar, he still willingly attended lessons. “I think everyone will want one though.”

“There are more limitations I’ve yet to discover. I’ve not tested every transformation, but it seems like it will adopt the first design you use, so be careful. Regardless, they are not useless. Now, let me show you the uses of different swords. This is a new style I've invented, called (Katana).”

“Cutting up?” Raufreg asked. “Isn’t that what all swords do?”

“This is specifically designed for slashing. THe serrated edge inflicts your mana into your opponent and provides more powerful slashes, without loss of mana. At the cost of worse thrusts. It’s useful in endurance battles, like against the lord of summer. 

“This is the montante, it is used for crowd control. You’ll use this to mark an area and stand your ground. A great use for this is treasure stealing ditter, where you’ll be protecting an area.

“Do you see the difference? We use different items for different things. I’m going to ask you a question. Would you wear your brewing clothes out in public?”

“Of course not!” Rasantark stated. “That’s improper.”

“Why then, would you only have one sword in your closet?. You’ll want to know several different types of swords. Several types of every weapon. My next weapon is something called a bomb. You can brew these easily. The cost is in the ingredients. We melt low quality darkness feystones, and combine them with even worse quality life feystones. When mana is added to them, it has a tendency to get… explosive. Stand back.”

I added mana into the bomb until it started bubbling, and threw it at a practice dummy. In seconds, it went up in flames. “You can also attach these to physical arrows, and notch them on a Schtappe made bow, which is the best way to use them. Use a mana conductive material for the arrow, I recommend Trombe Wood from Ehrenfest, and launch.”

“Amazing!” Vestaert said. “You are revolutionizing warfare.”

“There's one last weapon. The (crossbow)” I soon had a Crossbow in my hands “This is a (Trigger) it holds back the string and releases arrows like so. This is great for those with weaker physiques who can hold the tension of a bow to aim. In addition, with this (pump) at the front, you can quickly notch arrows. Simply point and shoot for better ranged attacks.”

“Myneheart.” Raufen said. “You really have to let me vet your lesson plans. That weapon seems really mana-intensive. Let me try.” Raufen looked at the weapon and made one. “Claws bow. No… that’s not right. Crossbow!” He soon had a crossbow in his hands. He pumped back the string, and then. “Ready, volley!” He shot an arrow. “Not as bad as I thought, actually.” He grabbed one of my bomb arrows. “Ready, volley!” he launched an arrow, and destroyed a tree in the process. “By Angrif’s…” Raufen looked around, and realized decorum was necessary, “blessing that’s strong. I’m getting the scholars on these for the tournament. Students! Gather up, learn to make a crossbow.”

“I have a physical version if you would like to learn. But no matter what, do not debut these until the Interduchy Tournament. We will be taking everyone by surprise.

“Crossbow! There is also this variant, which uses multiple strings chained together,” I demonstrated. “Watch and observe.” I loaded 3 bomb arrows, and adjusted the spread. “Ready! Volley!” The bomb arrows launched out, and destroyed a whole segment of the training grounds. “That takes no more mana than the initial one. Note, there is a purely mechanical version you can use if the transformation is too hard, but they’re pricey.”

“Myneheart.” Professor Raufen said. “I want to test something. Everyone, learn this, report back tomorrow for an impromptu test session. Myneheart, make as many of those arrows as possible. We’re gonna slay a Risefalke!“

Chapter Text

A Risefalke was the heraldic animal of Dunklfelger, the strongest beast in the duchy, with rays that can scorch you. They draw their power from ambient heat, meaning that despite existing in other duchies, they are extremely dangerous in Dunklfelger.

Defeating a Riseflake was a requirement almost every year, as they were the most common lord of summer hunt. Every Knight in the duchy worked together, soaring through the air trying to impale the flying beast and bring an end to the harsh summers.

They were picked as the heraldic animal back in the day where you had to hunt the heads of your heraldic animals at the founding of the country. To this day, hunting Risefalke is a common tradition in the hotter areas of the country, a test of strength. Several knight stories, including the PrinCo tale “The Most Dangerous Ditter” feature risefalke as an equivalent to Dragons

The hard part of hunting a risefalke is that they have a special ability, where, unless turned into a feystone, they will soon return to full strength upon defeat. While Ehrenfest with the lord of Winter typically hunt materials for it, Risefalkes are too dangerous to do so.

All of this is to say, Professor Raufen is crazy. 

Alas, i could not protest, I was a tad curious how my invention would change this, but preparing all these bomb arrows was ludicrous. Not that I didn’thave the ability, It was costly was all, We sell bomb arrows for a small gold a pop, due to the rare ingredients used. Very few feybeasts have single quality fire and life feystones. It’s also very volatile to brew, you have to be very careful, i’ve had quite a few accidents brewing them, even as experienced as I am. You need to brew very slowly.

I reached into my stash of feystones regardless, sucked all the other elements out of some stones with weak fire and life, and stored those in other feystones. I added a time slowing magic circle, and started melting the fire feystones. Soon a viscous blue liquid formed. I added in equal parts of life feystones and waited for it to swirl. The second it did, I turned off the heat, which this recipe required, and started bottling with leather gloves. I made 30 bomb arrows from this batch, after attaching them to some heads I had. The limiting factor was the arrows, They have to be made by commoners. I had 10 small bombs, and 5 big bombs left over as well.

The next day, what seemed like all of dunklfelger was lined up with crossbows. Raufen, what did you do? I hate when people go on rampages. “Alright, remember, these have drop, they don’t fly in a straight line like mana arrows. I’ve put stabilizers on the back to improve stability by rotating the arrows more, but there’s only so much I can do.”

“We don’t practice with physical arrows often, but we use them starting in 4th year knight classes” Raufen said. “They should have no problems, right students?”

“Right!” The crowd said.

“Alright, 29 of you, come up. The best shots.” 29 knights soon came up and made a crossbow. “They have leather on the back, the crossbow will get into the gap during launch, you’ll be fine.”

Raufen summoned the risefalke, “READY, SET, DITTER!” He screamed, and we set off.

“Ready, Volley.” We launched the bombs into the air. Several of them missed the risefalke, but the 25 or so that hit managed to knock it out of the sky.

“TIME” Raufen screamed. “How fast was that? Raufen asked, looking at the feybeast summoning panel. “2 moments.” A moment was how speed ditter was measured, it’s an abstract amount of time to most, but to me, it represents about 5 seconds. “I’ve never seen a speed ditter that fast. Even when Ferdinand was here, he could only get it to about 4 moments. With a Risefalke as an opponent, even. There’s no doubt that we rank first.”

“That is what I expected, quite honestly. They’re strong. The problem is they use a lot of mana and skilled brewery. There is no reason to abandon the current knowledge. Keep fighting like normal. We will save this for speed ditter and the Lord of Summer. That is all.”

“Who put you in charge?” A pipsqueak from the first year shouted. Specifically, Raufreg.

“My father, Weredekraf, also known to others as Aub Dunklfelger. He said, point blank, I will be the knight commander when I come of age, and I am the Commander of the Royal Academy Knights. Insubordination is a serious act.”

“Yes ma’am.” Raufreg said, in a dismissive tone of voice.

“I am sick and tired of your complaining!” I stated. The knight batt;e grounds were a place where status and decorum disappeared. And I was ready to humiliate this pipsqueak. “You look down on me.”

“Because you’re not better than me! You would’ve failed the selection exam if it wasn’t for using enhancement magic. You’re short, that makes you a failure of a knight, and you know it. You’ll muck up shield formations, you’ll ruin all the coordination. And if that's not bad enough, you’re cheating and letting your friends in.”

“That’s IT!” I shot a ball of mana from my ring at him. “I have more mana in my pinky than you have in your whole body. Despite being an archduke candidate, you have quite low mana! You are a failure of a knight! I challenge you to a bout of ditter, Treasure stealing Variety! You declare I am a failure of a knight, we will see who can protect a charge better. THAT is a knight’s job, not to hunt.”

“Why would I do that when you have those freakishly strong Bomb Arrows? You’re a weirdo knight. You’re no Scholar of the Sword! You're a Knight of the Pen”

“Schwert” I lunged at Raufreg, enhancing my legs, until I had my blade against his throat. “Feel the mana in my blade, it’s more than you will ever have.”

“What is this?” Raufreg asked. “A proposal? Are you seeking a task to complete to win my heart? Here’s one. Slash my head off, I dare you. Do it, or are you too weak to actually kill someone? You’re a Shumil.”

“Myneheart! Raufreg! Cease this at once!” Raufen shouted.

“Thanks for the compliment, I’ve been told I resemble a Shumil many times. Did you know a Shumil has the ability to crush people.” I asked, crushing the failure in front of me. “Another way that I resemble one is that you can’t touch either of them. Or did you forget what happened last earthday?”

“That’s a foul trick and you…” Raufreg Coughed. “Y… You know it!” I saw blood starting to come out of his nose.

“What are you knights doing? Your job is to protect your charge, and they’re in danger, are they not! Break them up!” Raufen shouted.

“Admit it!” Raufreg said. “You’re a f… you’re a freak!”

I started crushing harder. Blood started pooling out of his mouth.

“No real knight would crush someone to death!” Raufreg said. People tried to close in on us, break us up, but my crushing was too powerful for them to get close.

“BEG!” I said. “BEG to not be killed here and now. And I will let you live.”

“NEVER!” Raufreg said. “I’ll never beg to a freak.”

“Then DIE!” I said. I let the loser pass out, and he fell to the floor. I stopped my crushing. “He’s fine, he’s just passed out. I’m not a monster. But I’m removing him from the knight course. He’s uncooperative.”

“A fair assessment.” Raufen said. “If he can’t think of theory as useful, he is not set to be a knight. I will write Aub Dunklfelger with my opinion too.”

“Forgive me,” I said. “I got heated there. I just hate foolish layabouts. That he made it past his debut is surprise enough. I swear, if I have to marry this fool, I will soon be a widow.”

Ranstark spoke up. “You should’ve just finished the job.”

“I should’ve, shouldn’t I” I laughed. “”Would’ve saved me the trouble of revoking his knight course ability.”

Chapter Text

“Lady Myneheart, Prince Hildebrand, this is Lady Gentiane, I have received confirmation of our Book-lover tea party to be held this Fruitday at 3rd bell. I know it is rather abrupt, but this is the timing that works best for Solange.” I received these words soon after dealing with the obstinate meathead known as Raufreg.

“It is fine by me,” I said in ordonnanz to Prince Hildebrand and Lady Gentiane.

Come Fruitday, I woke up early in preparation, though my attendants soon chastised me. I couldn’t care less, however. This was not only me joining a library committee, exciting in it’s own right, but me getting closer to the forbidden archive that would direct me to the shrines.

I knew the main story, there were 6 shrines, one for every god, except the two winter gods, which shared one. I had to obtain their blessing here, then activate the magic circle in the sky and dive in in my high beast.

The locations of the shrines, however, were harder to locate. They were approximately equidistant around the circle that is the academy bounds. Two maps were known, one Ferdinand made, and he assumed Profesor Hischur had long gotten rid of, and one in the forbidden archive. 

I call it the forbidden archive, as access is typically forbidden, but it won’t be for me. I had enough mana that the Dunklfelger archduke family relied on me to donate mana, a requirement to enter the archive. Point being, I needed to get down there to find the information to be zent, unless I planned on roaming aimlessly.

Come the tea party, I brought some delicious sweets. Roher shortcake, Mille crepes, and even cookies. It was a lavish spread, and I made sure to get the first bite, seeing as I had to test for poison myself.

“Forgive me for cutting down Grammatur, but I hear you three wish to assist the library, as Disciples of Mestionora, was it? I’d be ever so delighted to have your help, I admit, but I could never place that burden on you, with your classes and all.”

“That would not be a problem for me.” I stated. “The library is a great source of peace for me. There is more comfort in books than on the battlefield. As the Zent’s Sword, I must protect the peace I enjoy so much, and if I can do so by assisting you in the library, and supplying Schwartz and Weiss with mana, I would much rather do that than wait at the door to slay anyone trying to take a book without paying their deposit.”

“I see.” Solange said. “And you, Prince Hildebrand, what is your reasoning?”

“Is it not my duty as a royal to donate my mana for the sake of the duchy, as my father and my brothers do?”

“I see.” Solange added. “Lady Gentiane, this was your idea, was it not?”

“I must admit my reasons are a tad more selfish, but I was hoping that by proving my loyalty to the duchy, I could regain some of Klassenberg’s former honor. I also truly wish to assist you, you seem to never have time for yourself. Even this tea party had to be scheduled around Earthday. I never bothered to think that some people must work on that day, but Attendants, Knights, even Librarians must always work. It seems there are matters I don’t understand, and that puzzles me.”

“I admit, it would be acceptable for you to donate your mana, but helping reshelf books, I could never place that burden of manual labor on two Archduke Candidates and a Prince.”

“Need I remind you I do manual labor all the time. I am a knight and a scholar as well as an archduke candidate. If I turned my nose at manual labor, I could not be either.”

“I understand, but…”

“Need I remind you I run PrinCo, the book company in Yurgundschmidt. Do you think I do not organize my own books to my liking? I trust you, I can place books on the shelf.”

“It is not a matter of competence,” Solange stated, “But rather how it would look to an outsider, they would not see that you asked to do so, only that you are, and that would be dreadful. At most, I can let you assist with lending books. Though that is a lot easier with Schwartz and Weiss here.”

“Oh,” Lady Gentiane asked, “Are they able to write in the log sheets?”

“Even better.” Solange replied. “They keep their own.”

“Ah, I have a magic tool that does as much In the Castle Bookroom. It’s for sale at PrinCo, but they’re made to order. You put a (Sticker) on each book, and it uses Feystone Cards to determine who checked what out and when. If you like, we could compare notes on Schwartz and Weiss. I plan to make some for the castle bookroom. The ability to guide one to each book is useful, and I’ve yet to figure out a way to do so.”

“Feystone cards, like the ones we store money on?”

“One and the same, I can gift you one, If you would like?”

“I could never place that burden on you.”

“It would not be a burden. In truth, I had prepared one before the meeting, my attendant can give it to you now. I did not know Schwartz and Weiss had this functionality, and assumed it would be something new and useful for you.”

“I see, it seems you truly do love books and the library. A shame you are an archduke candidate, or you could’ve worked in the palace library.”

That’s what you think, but as Zent, I can work there no sweat.

“A shame indeed. Now, may I interest you in a demonstration?”

“Please.”

Chapter Text

One day, when i was using my free time to read in the library -different from the time spent reading in the library studying feybeasts and their tactics, and different from time spent reading studies on magic tools to develop new ones; each of those had their own meticulous time blocks that I made sure to keep organized such that i had maximum reading time, while still giving the appearance of being hard at work- Prince Hildebrand approached me.

“What are you reading, Lady Myneheart.”

“A tale of the formation of Klassenberg, quite interesting. Did you know they live entirely underground. It’s quite [hobbit]-like, eh… disregard that last part.”

“I see, you’ve mentioned in my last Gewinnen game that ditter tactics would help me improve. I was wondering if I could watch a game of the ditter gewinnen is based off of.”

“Treasure stealing ditter, Let’s see. We have a treasure stealing Ditter match held on Earthdays in the week of Life each month in the Royal Academy. That’s this week, it seems Dreaghnur smiles upon you.”

“I see, I expected you to hold them much more often, I thought Dunklfelger looked at ditter as Ewigiliebe does Gedhuld.”

“We do, but most people prefer Speed Ditter. Every earthday there’s a Speed Ditter Tournament, teams of 5, one of each year. But on the week of Life, it’s a long battle. See, treasure stealing ditter gets a lot more complex than gewinnen. In it’s heyday, it was held at the interduchy tournament, every duchy competed at once.”

“All at once, that would be maddening.”

“Not so, you can play 4 player Gewinnen, they make boards for it, but it’s much rarer. There's even a full square board, where 8 players can play at once, though I think those must be custom made.”

“That…”

“Is truly no harder than normal gewinnen. Remember, not only are you going after each opponent, but they are going after each other. The defense is barely harder, and offense is easier, as you can strategize with other players. OF course, you can then betray them. Point being, the full duchy will be competing, so It might be hard to spectate without your highbeast, and you may be mistaken for a knight.”

“Would I be able to compete? I am of dunklfelger blood.”

“We could not risk harming the Prince of the Duchy. Forgive me. Even viewing it is a… Of course. If you offer up mana, you should be able to do so. I made them to review footage of games, but I could modify them to [livestream]  You owe me for making me give up my reading time. Don’t forget it.”

“I would never,” Hildebrand said. “How could I, thank you.”

After brewing it up, and reducing the mana requirement, I taught Hildebrand how to use the “Ordoronze” . It was a breeze for me to use, and it seemed Hildebrand could use it too. It replaced your view with that of a flying ordonanz, that you controlled by flowing mana into a connected feystone. In the end, it was nothing like the video recorders I made.

As Earthday approached, My team worked hard on a strategy, The ultimate plan, Longevity. Polibeth, my head attendant, has since learned how to make a drivable highbeast, and has agreed to risk herself with the feybeast. We went with a small feybeast, and practiced shoving it into her trunk. Her mana was heavily abundant, and she knew how to make the global shield, it was unlikely anything would attack her.

She would buff us all, and the rest of us would head out, individualy hunting feybeasts on their return from the forest.

I stayed up late brewing a special blend of potions. These were no ordinary mana recovery elixirs. no, they did something much more extraordinary, I had invented these when the need for an entwinklen had arisen in dunklfelger, specifically from giebe dietrich. The stubborn old giebe ascended the towering staircase, and without him to say “Sewer Slimes are unnatural. Mark my words, they are dangerous and not worth the convenience,” his successor asked us to install them.

Unfortunately, mana was tight, and even my contributions wouldn't be enough to grant the aub the power necessary to perform the ritual. However, i remembered the properties of a feyplant from the province of Heinrich. The Schwermen, a vicious plant with sharp leaves that left cuts that started to blot the mana in the blood, compressing it to such an effect that the surrounding area could crystalize. It wasn't dangerous enough to last long however, it could be fixed with time.

This property, compressing mana, was intriguing. One leaf, in a batch of one of my usual potions, compressed your mana and refilled it, causing your mana capacity to increase threefold temporarily . There was a side effect however, it would leave you bedridden for days afterwards if you drank any rejuvenation potions after, and the uncompression, when the potion ran out after a bell, could do the same if you didn't expend the mana quick enough

For most uses, standard rejuvenation potions were simply better, but for warfare, drinking and replenishing potions was much, much harder to effectively calculate when to do, rather than having 3 potions shoved into you at the start. Even if you could usually drink 4.

But that was not the purpose of these potions, indeed, every one of my knights knew when to drink potions effectively. No, Treasure ditter is a flawed representation of warfare. Real foundations do not run the risk of attacking their holder. This was for phase two of the operation: Project Blenrus

Blenrus fruits are rare, grown in two places to my knowledge, Haldenzel, a province in Ehrenfest, and Sickigen, a province in Dunklfelger, I had bartered for several of these, and since crystallized them. By soaking them in this mixture, they will have maximal regenerative properties, while being alluring to feybeasts. The plan is to deliver these to feybeasts with aerial attacks, hopefully either causing them to die outright of mana shock, or, at the least, evolve past the team’s capabilities, escaping their circle, upon which the team is disqualified, or being weakened enough that someone delivers the final blow. either them in an attempt to weaken us, or us by swooping in

And so, when we entered the arena, and heard the start bell ring, we were certiant we would win. We grabbed the Schumil, and raced to the center of our area, but A team, led by Raufereg, cut us off. 

“You’re going to lose, Myneheart.”

“That’s Knight Commander In-Training Myneheart, to you. And I find that…” I stopped talking, an arrow had been sent towards Polibeth. “Getlilt.” I summoned a shield of wind in front of Polibeth. “Sneaky, the old, get ‘em Monolouging trick. Nice work kiddo, if only I couldn’t -Getlilt- -Schwert- Fight and talk.” I used a rainbow blade on these fools. Calibrated, of course, I didn’t want to waste so much mana so early. They eventually went running, and we headed back to our center.

Polibeth flew above the circle, and seemingly the whole Knight Course stepped out of thin air. “Verbergen charms, very clever.” I said. “An ambush, hoping that by defeating us, you can claim an impressive victory. Crossbow. “Aufen, Pariell, Bogensbert, I assume they left their feybeasts unattended, or at the very least, severely short staffed. There are 8 teams, and I see about 25 people here. We’re one team, and raufregs was another, and we dealt with them already. 6 times 5 is 30, I bet they each left one person at their base.”

“What should I do, Lady Myneheart?” Kentrips asked.

“What a scholar should do, activate the traps we set up around the area.”

“Heard!” Kentrips took out his schtape. “Streibolken! O’ Blaunfau, O’ Anwachs, hear my prayers! I offer my mana, so grow the planted seeds!” In an instant, Vines started shooting up from the ground. 

“Shit! Versamen!” One Scholar shouted, Erfindelle to be precise, a scholar who’s trickery seemed to match mine and Kentrip’s. “It’s got my legs.”

“Don’t you know, the best opening in gewinnen is for a scholar to lay traps around the treasure. Did you think I didn't think ahead? Lichden!” I bound the knights, one by one, in bands of light, and started putting Schtappe sealing tools on them. Or well, the equivalent for ditter, these only worked inside the arena, and would slide off easily once out of the game bounds. “Schlaftruams blessings upon you, I expected this game to last longer, I must admit. I had so many tricks up my sleeve, Ruelles, bombs,  and of course, our defenses, a shame I never got to use them. There’s always next month, I guess. I assumed we’d be rushed by some people, but by everyone?”

By the time my Knights returned, not even a bell had passed. 

“Why are you back, why hasn’t the gong of defeat run?” I asked.

“I scoped out the targets, the bases are still defended.”

“Then these are.”

“Illusions.” one voice shouted out from the crowd, a 4th year, the same one who had shouted about Versamen. “Hi, big fan of your work, one critique, you’re too confident, you always think things are going your way. Coming up Lady Myneheart. And then, when others act the same way, you berate them.”

“I know you, aren’t you…”

“Lord Raufreg’s Scholar. Indeed,”

“But I saw his team.”

“You thought you saw his team.”

“More illusions. I’m gonna need to look into how you did these. I assume, chaosiphile.”

“Yep, and routed through Kuntszeal and Elwigible, they’re… why am I telling you this. You’ve played your hand, and now…” the bell rang out, one bell had passed since the start of your game, “Everyone knows what your tactics are. How will you fair without the element of Surprise, I wonder. All your traps triggered?”

“HAHAHAHHAHHAHAH” I started laughing. “This is looking a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be. Thank you, let’s Ditter!”

Chapter Text

Our advantage, seemingly destroyed, we had to reform a plan.  “Kentrips? Any tricks yet to spring?”

“Nope, that was the only trap around here, I’ll need to reset some more.”

“Ok, then, we just have to do this without surprise. Boggensbert, here’s the plan…”

We soared over on our highbeasts to the center of the map. “Bogensbert, slingshot time.”

“Roger.” Bogensbert used his height advantage to enhance his sight. He slung the ruelles into the open mouths of two feybeasts. One died of mana shock, the other escaped the circles. 

“They’re up there!” One knight spotted, and soon arrows were launched at us, and a highbeast came flying up.

“5 teams to go.” I said. “Aufen, Parriele, take Raufreg’s beast down now. I got this. Bogensbert, keep shooting.” I leapt off my highbeast, currently not in driveable mode, and shifted it’s mode once more. “I hope this works.” Soon, the eagle shrank, becoming a hoverboard, “Much more maneuverable.” I spead around the knight, looking for weaknesses. His Highbeast was a standard horse, and he had a Lance out right now. “Crossbow.”

I flew away, and let out a volley of 6 arrows. “Bogensbert,” I turned to bogensbert. “Shoot this stone at the highbeast.”

“A darkness feystone?” He asked. “Myneheart, that could seriously injure him, this fall could lead to death.”

“Argh. You’re right. I can’t kill people. If only I could... Oh Myneheart you’re a genius. Getilt.”  Alright, invert it. Just make it upside down. Negate the circle and.

“What is this?” The knight said.

“A shield of wind, if you have any thoughts of malice, it will send you right down to the ground.”

In an instant, the knight fell to the ground, attempting to throw his lance. “Gelilt!” I shouted once more, creating a bigger shield. “Ordonanz, Aufen, any update?”

“Raufreg’s team is tied up. Their feybeast is down. Also, team 4 took down team 6s beast while team 6 was destroying team 8’s.” 

“Myneheart, I need help! Team 4 is on their way.” polibeth sent in an ordonnanz.

Teams 2 and 3 were down due to us. Team 6 and 8 due to others, team 7, raufen’s team was also down.

“How many are there?” I asked Polibeth.

“3” she replied.

“Aufen, Bogensbert, Parielle, take down team 4’s stronghold.” “Kentrips, are those traps done.”

“Almost!” Kentrips replied.”

I rushed over to our stronghold. “Polibeth, give me a second. Getlilt.”

“Two shields. Good, even harder to break through.” Polibeth replied. “Lady myneheart, you need a rejuvenation potion, you’ve used way too much mana, those shields have taken a lot.”

“Getlilt is much less mana efficient than the prayer. But it’s a price I must pay.” I drank a rejuvenation potion. “What’s the plan?”

“Team 4 has been using crossbows and bomb arrows, according to Parielle.”

“Kentripps!” I sent an ordonnanz. “Operation Waschen.”

There was no response.

I waited… Had he been taken hostage. 

I waited… Are they lining up their shots now?

I waited… 

I waited…

“WASCHEN!” A big stream of water came down, flooding the arena. The bombs were fired, they were on their way.

They broke through one of our shields.

“Lichden!” I heard one of the other knights shout. Kentripps had been captured.

Another set of bombs came. They broke through our second shield.

GONG GONG GONG! The bells of victory sounded out. 

‘They got us. And we were so close.” One knight shouted

“No we weren’t. Think for a second. Did Lady Myneheart use any of the tools she had invented? If she were playing seriously, we would have been gone.” Vestarte said.

“You misunderstand.” I said, descending from on high.

“That’s a unique highbeast,” Vestarte said.

“More shapes are more versatile.” I stated. “As my lesson stated. But no, i was not going easy, other than by not attempting to maim any students. Think, Vestarte, what if you had taken the next shot. What would have happened to Polibeth?”

“I see, you had been looking out to not injure your fellow knights.”

“To not maim my fellow knights.” I corrected him “We injured plenty. Still, second is a great honor.”

“Indeed.” Vestarte said.

“Incredible.” Hildebrand said, flying over to me. “I can’t believe it. Those strategies. That was amazing! You’re like the knights in princo tales, yet real, standing before my eyes, and with the composure of the fair maidens they save to boot.”

“I see.” Vestarte said. “Greetings Prince Hildebrand, I am ever pleased Draghnur has woven our threads together once more.”

“Do I know you?” Hildebrand asked.

“I am Lestilaut’s Knight. I was there at your baptism, ah, but I assume you would not remember me. Yes, Lady Myneheart is quite the fighter. Which is why Aub Dunklfelger has declared she will be the next Knight Commander.”

“Myneheart, is this true?”

“Indeed it is, Prince Hildebrand, That is what my father has said.” I did my best to imply that wasn’t my plan.

“I see, I’ll admit, I’ve never heard of a female knight commander.”

“That’s a surprise,” Vestarte said. “Your mom, Lady Magdalena was once in position to become the knight commander and support Aub Dunklfelger, but she secured the man she loved instead. The Knight Commander seat in Dunklfelger is often filled by a member of the Aub’s family, and many times a woman, though typically they do have a back up, for times of pregnancy.”

“I see. I wish to become stronger. Myneheart, would you help me achieve this goal? I wish to be as strong as you are. Both in mental and physical capabilities. Please, train me!”

“I see.” Verstate said. “I thought you were engaged to Lady Letizia, Perhaps Chaosiphile has taken control of you, dear prince.”

“I am sure that Prince Hildebrand merely said two unconnected thoughts.” I stated. “Please do not tease him. He is a dear friend of mine. And of course, Prince Hildebrand, I shal train you. We start at 1st bell tomorrow. Do not let Dreaghnuhr play tricks on you, I expect to see you as the bell rings.”

“On second thought, perhaps I need not be as strong as you, perhaps just stronger will do.”

“I see.”