The Resolute

「Sylvester, I believe Rozemyne said it was regarding the Foundation, but is it something I should know about too?」

Bonifatius asked me, and I found myself hesitating a little. He has received the archduke education, but decided to assist Father and myself rather than becoming an archduke. Considering his age, he is no longer a candidate actually taking the position anymore. Therefore, it would be very helpful if I could consult with him. I removed the aides from the archduke’s office and handed him a magical device to protect us from eavesdropping.

「It seems that both the archduke’s transfer key and the high bishop’s scripture key can lead to the Foundation Magic.」

「What’s that? The high bishop has access to the Foundation! This is absurd!」

I told him the original position of the high bishop and the meaning of the key, based on the history that Rozemyne had told me. Bonifatius, who had despised the temple, grunted, not wanting to accept it.

「Currently, Rozemyne is the high bishop and holds the scriptures and the key. However, she asked me to consider whether or not to let the young Melchior inherit it, and to what extent I should disclose the information.」

「What’s wrong with letting Melchior inherit it? I initially thought there was no need for the archducal family to assume the high bishop’s position, but it is a different story after learning this. No one but the archducal family may touch the keys to the scriptures.」

Bonifatius has always been a good advisor to me. Now that Ferdinand is gone, I am consulting him more often than in the past.

「If Melchior takes over, won’t it be difficult for Charlotte to become the transitional archduke?」

「What’s the point of having Charlotte become archduke in the first place? You are still young, and can continue as archduke until Melchior grows up. Perhaps we need a supporting archducal family member, but why a transitional archduke in particular?」

A transitional archduke tends to lead to conflict, says Bonifatius. Once the archduke is in office, they may be tempted to make the next archduke one of their own children. He’s not sure if she’ll really be able to settle into the archduke role.

「Charlotte’s hope is to protect the changes that Rozemyne has made, and to slowly adjust Ehrenfest so that it can adapt to the changes. She wants to take a husband from a middle duchy and make sure that Melchior will have no problem taking the first wife from a greater duchy.」

Ehrenfest is getting closer to the royal family through Rozemyne, and has to adopt the behavior appropriate for a greater duchy, so sudden changes will cause a backlash. The current Ehrenfest will not be able to handle the sudden arrival of brides and grooms from greater duchies in the archducal family. We must not make the same mistake as when we welcomed my grandmother, Gabriele. This is all something Charlotte can do.

「And also to protect the position of Florencia as first wife. With Rozemyne gone, we will have to think about what to do if Brunhilde has a child.」

「So Charlotte will be the transitional archduke before Brunhilde’s child is baptized, and the Leisegang nobility will be restrained. Melchior will not be even 20 years old at the time, considering it will take 10 years at the earliest. It’s too early for him to take the position.」

I know from experience that an archduke who is too young will have a hard time at the Archduke Conference. The incoming archduke must participate in the Archduke Conference many times and gain experience in negotiations, or they will be scorned and outmatched by other archdukes, placing the duchy in a disadvantageous position. As a result, it is not good for the duchy. It is often said to be best if the new archduke takes the role in their 30s or 40s.

「In that case, I think Charlotte would be too young…」

「I don’t doubt that it will be difficult, but Charlotte is more likely to get Rozemyne’s cooperation.」

Even if Rozemyne becomes the next Zent’s third wife in the future, she can still be present at the women’s socials. Charlotte can maintain her relationship with Rozemyne.

「I see. If everyone agrees that Charlotte is going to be the archduke, there is no problem with Melchior inheriting the scriptures and their keys. This means our main problems will be that the key of the high bishop is connected to the Foundation Magic, and how we will deal with Georgine.」

「The key was taken away during the scripture theft scandal. No, more accurately, it was replaced by Ahrensbach’s key.」

「What!?」

Sister is very careful, and as usual, she is a woman who lays many traps. We were happy having prevented the theft of the scriptures, but the key had been replaced just as she planned. If Rozemyne had not obtained Grutrissheit, Sister’s plan would have succeeded. We would not have even known that the entrance in the temple was being targeted.

「With the key, they can come and take the Foundation Magic anytime they want!」

「But they’ll prefer to do this in secret, if possible. I suspect they will do it when the temple is unoccupied, and before Ferdinand finishes the starbinding.」

「Sylvester, order Ferdinand to assassinate Georgine immediately.」

I knew Bonifatius would say that. He said the same thing during the winter purge last year. Back then I dismissed him using any excuse I could think of, such as “What can Sister do now that we have eliminated her spies?” and “Ferdinand has only just arrived. He doesn’t have enough information on Ahrensbach yet”. The order to assassinate her would be tantamount to throwing away Ferdinand’s life.

Ferdinand said that he had lost access to information after being given a room in the west wing of the building. Forcing the assassination of Sister under such circumstances would probably put Ferdinand himself in a dangerous position.

Perhaps Ferdinand prepared himself for death before going to Ahrensbach, but I don’t want to be the one giving him the final push.

「The archduke shouldn’t be worrying about such trifles when the Foundation Magic is in danger! This is the reason Ferdinand went to Ahrensbach in the first place. As I always say, you are too naive for an archduke.」

Even when Ferdinand himself tells me to give the order, or when I am called naive, this is not something I wanted to do. I had asked Rozemyne if she could give the order, and Rozemyne shook her head repeatedly in refusal. I was relieved to see Rozemyne agreeing with me.

「I promised Rozemyne to find a way other than assassination. If I have to break that promise, I will tell her honestly that you, Bonifatius, are to blame. I hope you enjoy being hated by your lovely granddaughter.」

「Gngh!」

「We know what means she will use to take Foundation Magic away from us. Now we just have to find a way to deal with it.」

Without being able to order Ferdinand to assassinate her, I had to set up as many defenses as possible to protect the Foundation Magic. I ordered the knights to make healing potions and offensive magic tools, to arm themselves with weapons other than schtappes as a countermeasure against the silver cloth, and to guard the temple securely.


The day of the discussion regarding the defense of the Foundation with the rest of the archducal family, I came to regret not giving the assassination order.

「We have put some counterattack spells on Ferdinand-sama’s amulets, so it is very strong in terms of defense. As for the mana, we’re trying to save as much as possible… What?」

Rozemyne’s words were suddenly cut short as she was explaining the superiority of the shumil magical tools for the temple’s defense.

She looked around while holding her head. The people in the conference stared at her while saying “What’s wrong?” and “What happened?”.

Immediately, Rozemyne’s body is enveloped in a rainbow-colored light and she stops moving. Her eyes look slightly upward, and she remains motionless with her hand raised, extended into the air.

「Rozemyne-sama!」

The strange phenomenon has her entourage all on alert at once. Rozemyne does not respond to Hartmut’s call, Cornelius’ grab, or Lieseleta looking into her face. Rozemyne does not even blink, and remains enveloped in a rainbow of light.

「What is happening!? Is it the same as when she disappeared before!?」

It has only been about a month since Rozemyne disappeared from the Royal Academy library. It is natural to be on the lookout for the same thing to happen again. Hartmut and Cornelius shook their heads at my question.

「No. It was really sudden at that time. She never glowed or became unresponsive like this.」

「The cause back then was obvious because we were in the middle of a mana supply to the library’s magic tools. We don’t know what’s causing this currently in the middle of a meeting.」

Lieseleta, who was looking at Rozemyne alongside them, looks as if she is about to say something and then realizes her surroundings and shuts her mouth. Only the archducal family and selected members of the inner circle are present. In other words, they are all archnobles and she is the only mednoble. It would be hard for her to speak here, because she is both young and of lesser status.

……However, Lieseleta, who is on her way to the Sovereignty as the head attendant, would have a problem if she remains too timid to speak her mind.

「Lieseleta, you are in the service of Rozemyne. Tell us what you’ve noticed.」

「It sounded as if Rozemyne-sama called out Ferdinand-sama’s name when she got surrounded by light. Is that related?」

……That’s……? Could it be……?

I have a bad premonition. I gulped as I stared at Rozemyne, still in the light. Not many people here seemed to realize the possibility, aside from Florencia, Bonifatius, and their entourages.

「It seems to me that this is similar to receiving a will from someone whose life is in danger.」

The “will” Bonifatius is referring to is when a person in mortal danger gives off mana to tell his/her situation. It is said that the image of the person who sent the mana can be seen by the person receiving it. Also, the person who receives the mana is the person with whom the sender had the strongest connection. This mostly happens unintentionally and unconsciously, and often in the middle of a battle or just before an execution. They are considered as final wills via mana, since they are almost never rescued even if successfully received in such situations.

If Bonifatius is correct and Rozemyne received the will, then Ferdinand is most likely in danger. But I cannot believe that something is happening to Ferdinand, who has always been so cautious and vigilant.

「……We can’t say for sure anything relating to Rozemyne. Don’t assume anything.」

Everyone present was waiting impatiently for the change. There was no way the meeting could proceed under such circumstances. We surrounded Rozemyne, bracing themselves for anything to happen.

「Oh, the light…」

The light surrounding Rozemyne began to fade rapidly, and her eyelids fluttered. Rozemyne screamed as her hand came up and clasped tightly around her chest.

「Please don’t give up there!」

Rozemyne looks around in shock. She too seems to be confused about her situation, but I need to know what’s going on.

「Rozemyne, what’s wrong? You glowed in all colors of the rainbow and then just stopped moving.」

「Ferdinand-sama has been poisoned in Ahrensbach. Georgine-sama manipulated him, he was poisoned, and Dietlinde-sama hit him with a stick of powder and he collapsed…」

Rozemyne says what she saw in her confusion. It seems that my worst nightmare was correct. Sister sent her own daughter to get rid of Ferdinand, who would be an obstacle to Sister’s objectives. While I was busy fortifying my defenses in Ehrenfest, she made the first move. Biting my lip, I held Rozemyne as she tried to move to Ferdinand’s rescue.

「Calm down! That explanation doesn’t make any sense to me. What happened to Ferdinand? Do you have any idea how we can help him?」

According to Rozemyne, Dietlinde threw poison powder at Ferdinand in the Supply Room. But that was not enough to kill him, so she put on the schtappe sealing handcuffs, activated the mana-supply magic circle, and left him there.

……How vicious. Is this how she treats her fiance who has supported the greater duchy for a year and a half?

It reminds me of Dietlinde’s disrespect for Ehrenfest and the way she kept the Lanzenave man next to her as if he were her lover. She is not to be trusted either.

……Do you think the Zent will forgive you for messing with your fiance by royal decree?

How could she not know that it was against the king’s order? If they still decided to pull it off, maybe the royal family is cooperating with Sister’s plan. The fact that Ferdinand’s marriage was ordered without the permission of me as archduke, that the Starbind Ceremony was delayed, and that a knight from Ehrenfest was used in the plot at the summer funeral, all these dots seem to be connected. My distrust and suspicion of the royal family only grew.

「Supply Room? Even though they haven’t even finished the Starbind Ceremony yet?」

「Bonifatius-sama, the archnobles of Ahrensbach who greeted me at the Royal Academy’s social gathering told me that Uncle offered to supply as a gesture of goodwill in return for being given a hidden room.」

「Goodwill, was it? If they wanted to harm Ferdinand-sama, they would need a place where they could separate him from his guard knight. It’s probably just the first step to trapping him in the Supply Room in an immobilized state.」

「I’m rather surprised that Dietlinde-sama was able to poison Uncle just by separating him from his guard knight.」

How did this happen? Was it because I delayed my decision? Should I have made the first move, and ordered her assassination? Was it my hesitation that left Ferdinand helpless and as good as dead?

A sour feeling rose in the pit of my stomach. As I was swallowing it with bitter regret, Bonifatius spoke again.

「We cannot help Ferdinand when he is dying from poison in another territory’s Supply Room. Give up, Rozemyne. Our priority is to protect the foundation of Ehrenfest. Make no mistake.」

Only registered archducal family members are allowed in the Supply Room. No matter how talented Eckhart and Justus are, they cannot rescue Ferdinand. There is nothing we can do to save him.

Bonifatius was speaking to Rozemyne, but I felt as if his words were directed at me. I remember being told to consider Sister as a complete enemy once I found out that she was involved in the winter purge. “There is no longer any merit to be gained by the marriage. Give the order to assassinate her immediately”, he said.

My throat tightened as I was confronted with the outcome of my repeated hesitation. The words of Bonifatius, “Don’t make the same mistake again, give it up,” hit me hard.

……My priority is to protect the foundation.

We now know that Sister is on the move. I highly doubt she knows her plan was communicated to us in this unusual manner. I will absolutely fight back with everything I have to ensure that Ferdinand’s sacrifice was not in vain. That is my responsibility.

……Forgive me, Ferdinand.

I grit my teeth so hard I could hear the sound. Meanwhile, Rozemyne spoke up with her hands on her chest and her whole body brimming with mana.

「In other words, I can go help him if I can make it in time?」

「What!」

「If I can make it in time, I don’t have to give up, right?」

Despite the slight crushing, Rozemyne said, “If I can’t save Ferdinand-sama, there is no point in becoming the king’s adopted daughter”. It seems she forgot that this fact was a secret from the entourages of the other archducal family members. She is completely blind to her surroundings. The members of those entourages are rendered speechless. I calmly think about the need to keep them quiet in the corner of my mind, as I suppress the burning desire that is welling up in the back of my chest.

……Don’t take the bait. Stay calm. I am the Aub.

I want to help Ferdinand if at all possible. But I don’t even know how. Ahrensbach’s actions are invisible to the rest of the world as long as they take place in the Supply Room. If we act to save Ferdinand, it will be seen as an invasion from our side.

「If you are that determined and have a plan to save Ferdinand, why shouldn’t you go?」

Wilfried’s words made everyone look at him in shock.

……Please, stop speaking without thinking!

It’s not that simple. The result of Wilfried and Rozemyne’s lack of thought at the Royal Academy was the bride-stealing ditter with Dunkelfelger. The result of the battle was avoided because of the intervention of the Central Order, but we should have avoided the battle itself. It is the same now. This is not the time to be acting based on only emotions.

However, Wilfried’s words often captured the truth, even if he wasn’t considering things very deeply.

「Is it not more dangerous to keep the one who is about to let her mana run wild at any moment within Ehrenfest?」

……That’s certainly true.

Wilfried’s words, which clearly proved that he had been at the Royal Academy to clean up Rozemyne’s messes, made me relax. Wilfried responds to Bonifatius’s interdiction.

「We simply take them down before they take us down.」

That is exactly what Bonifatius himself had said to me: “Make Ferdinand assassinate Georgine before she makes her move.”

From the viewpoint of other territories, having Ferdinand assassinate Sister or Rozemyne invade are the same in terms of challenging Ahrensbach.

I am incredibly tempted to leave it to Rozemyne, but I can’t give her permission yet. We need to have a pretense to convince the other territories and a force that can protect Rozemyne as she moves into Ahrensbach.

「We will need a noble pretense to make things happen. Besides, the adopted daughter of the king is the one who must be protected the most.」

Rozemyne already has Grutrissheit. She didn’t say it outright, but there is no doubt about it. Having Grutrissheit already makes her a candidate for the next Zent, although she has said she will be “adopted by the king”. For the future of Yurgenschmidt, she is more important than Zent Trauerqual at the moment. We must avoid losing Rozemyne. No matter who else is lost, Rozemyne must at least come back safely.

……I don’t think Rozemyne is aware of this fact as she plunges headfirst into everything.

「Father, please contact Aub Dunkelfelger. Then we will invite Dunkelfelger to Ditter.」

With a nonchalant look on her face, Rozemyne declares that she will get the other territories involved. If we can get Dunkelfelger, a greater duchy specializing in military skills, on our side, we will have a much better chance of winning the war. Rozemyne seems to already see success when she says that she will get cooperation by confronting Dunkelfelger with everything they’ve done so far. My intuition told me to follow this flow.

「……Very well, follow me.」

I ask Florencia and Bonifatius to clean up the mess, including keeping the aides quiet, and head for the archduke’s office.


The negotiations with Dunkelfelger proceeded in Rozemyne’s favor from start to finish. How could she spin out so many lines to invite the Aub? Taking advantage of this, I also asked them to deal with the matter of the Sovereignty. If Dunkelfelger backs the claim that Ehrenfest is the victim of Ahrensbach, the impression from other territories would be completely different.

……Besides, we don’t want to get involved in the hassle of a struggle in the Sovereignty.

I have to fight against Sister who succeeded in trapping Ferdinand. I have my hands full defending my lands. The greater duchy can help the royal family. Ehrenfest does not need any more credit or burdens.

While I was thinking about this, Rozemyne and Aub Dunkelfelger were still discussing.

「Where should we send the volunteers when they are ready?」

「I will meet you at the Country Gate in Dunkelfelger around the change of date. Please open the Border Gate and wait for me.」

……Rozemyne! Are you even trying to hide Grutrissheit at all!?

Only those who have the Grutrissheit can use the Country Gate, and how could Aub Dunkelfelger not know that? Aub Dunkelfelger understood what she meant and burst out laughing. The odds of winning the game have improved in his mind at once. And he must be amused at Rozemyne’s readiness to use the Grutrissheit as a means of transportation, even though she didn’t mention it at all during the negotiation.

……Yes, Rozemyne was always like that.

Rozemyne, who said that she would make enemies of anyone, would not choose her means. I should have known that already.

At death’s door, Ferdinand made an unconscious appeal to Rozemyne instead of me. When I considered the meaning of this, I felt sad and disappointed in myself as his brother. At the same time, I felt a sense of relief that it reached Rozemyne. She would do whatever it takes, while I had to hesitate, if even for a moment.

If Rozemyne is doing her best to save Ferdinand, I shall do my best to support her. I have to give permission to Eckhart and Justus to come to the dormitory to ask for help, to get permission from the royal family, to gather information about the Sovereignty, to prepare transportation from the castle to the country gate, to protect Ehrenfest’s Foundation Magic from Sister who is already on the move, and so on. There are many things that can only be done by Aub Ehrenfest.

……It’s your turn, Rozemyne. Trample Sister’s plan with all your might and protect what you hold dear!

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