“Everyone has arrived,” Ferdinand announced as he entered the waiting room. He instructed us on what to do and then held out a hand to me, acting as my escort. “Take your places by the door.”
“If you will excuse me...” Hartmut said. He had agreed to perform the ceremony as the High Priest, so he entered the auditorium ahead of us, taking the door for professors that led directly to the stage. The rest of us would use the main entrance.
Hartmut’s departure left us with Eglantine and Anastasius, who would also enter ahead of us. Two of their guard knights stood in front of the doors, ready to open them whenever they received the signal. Ferdinand and I moved aside so that we wouldn’t be seen when our new Zent made her grand appearance.
“Now behold the Zent chosen by the Divine Avatar of Mestionora: Lady Eglantine.”
As the doors opened, Eglantine and Anastasius glanced over at me. I nodded at them in response. We had agreed that I would recreate the blessing from their graduation ceremony to make it seem like the gods were smiling down on them. Ferdinand grimaced at the reminder; he had said the Grutrissheit alone would suffice but ultimately conceded the point. Our exchange was fresh in my memory.
“We need the country’s nobles to fully accept Lady Eglantine as the new Zent. Otherwise, I won’t be able to focus on my library city.”
“That is your priority?”
“What else would it be?”
“Nothing, I suppose... If you would rather not get even more involved with the royal family, a single blessing will serve your purpose.”
It wasn’t the most impressive victory, but I’d secured permission nonetheless. I channeled mana into my ring as soon as the door to the auditorium closed.
Lady Eglantine, Prince Anastasius... The road ahead won’t be easy, but I wish you the best of luck! You have my support!
I made sure not to put much feeling into the blessing. It was merely a gesture, like greeting an acquaintance. I nodded when I was done, satisfied with my work, only for Ferdinand to pinch his forehead and deeply furrow his brow.
“That was the worst-case scenario,” he said.
“Wait, what?”
“Are you truly that oblivious? The divine power swirling around you is intensifying.”
“Umm...”
I couldn’t see why Ferdinand was so troubled; a quick glance down at my hands revealed nothing out of the ordinary. Still, the situation must have been bad—he crossed his arms while looking from me to the auditorium to the ceiling. The crease in his brow deepened, and he started tapping his temples.
“What should we do?” I asked.
“The royal couple has already entered the auditorium, and the ceremony is underway. There is nothing we can do but proceed as normal.”
“Are you sure...? I mean, look.” I wasn’t aware of my extra divine power, but the feystones decorating my arms had started to shine—a clear indication that things were dire.
“We expected something strange to occur during the ceremony, but before...?” Ferdinand mused. “You really are impossible to predict.” He clucked, then searched through the rejuvenation potions and magic tools he had on hand. I noticed a number of rather violent-seeming implements hidden among them.
“You seem better equipped for a battle than a ceremony...” I observed.
“Anytime you are involved, I seldom know what to prepare for.”
“I can understand the rejuvenation potions—I’ve needed them for ceremonies in the past—but explosives?” I pursed my lips at him.
“It is better to be prepared than not,” Ferdinand scoffed. “Now, should you not be acting more like the avatar of a goddess? You are about to be summoned.”
I was partway through being lectured on the best ways to exude divinity when the doors to the auditorium opened again. Hartmut made his declaration from within.
“Now behold Lady Rozemyne, Divine Avatar of Mestionora the Goddess of Wisdom.”
Well, here’s hoping I look the part.
Ferdinand and Hartmut were exceptionally thorough, so there was nothing to worry about—assuming we didn’t make any major mistakes. I took a slow breath to steady my nerves, then placed my hand over Ferdinand’s.
Oh, wow. I’m sparkling.
My divine power must have been swelling throughout his entire lecture. The feystones and charms covering my arms were making their presence known, shining so bright that they made my eyes sting. I raised my chin in an attempt to keep them out of sight, trying to avoid making eye contact with Ferdinand at the same time. He was looking straight ahead, but his polite smile chastised me for having unleashed an extraneous blessing in the first place.
I gave the blessing, sure, but this isn’t my fault. It’s all on the goddess.
According to Ferdinand, channeling mana into the foundation had reduced my divine power. Devoting a ton of mana while dedication whirling would most likely cause my shining to fade.
Stay strong, Rozemyne. Hold out just a little while longer.
“We shall provide more information during the upcoming Archduke Conference,” Hartmut informed the auditorium. “On this momentous occasion, the long-absent Grutrissheit shall return.”
I ascended the whirling stage with Ferdinand—and at once, the selection circle materialized underneath me.
Oh, come on! What now?!
Under normal circumstances, one had to whirl to make the circle appear. If the severity of my mana leak hadn’t been obvious to me before, it certainly was now. No wonder Ferdinand grimaced and tapped a frustrated digit against his temple; this was so extreme that even I was taken aback.
On the bright side, I guess Ferdinand can leave out the part of his speech explaining that the magic circle will arise once we start whirling...
I waited patiently while Ferdinand gave his lecture on religious ceremonies and the magic circle. We had originally agreed that I would give the explanation, but now I was being made to keep silent so as not to lessen the divinity of my image. It was the right decision, but a mean one nonetheless.
His speech complete, Ferdinand spoke in a low voice that reached my ears and mine alone: “Unleash as much divine power as you can while you whirl.” Then he descended the stage. The musicians beneath me strummed their instruments, which told me it was time to start.
I knelt atop the stage. Ferdinand was now among the musicians, where he would play for the gods before using Verbergen’s charms to ascend the altar with me. His decision to perform had seemed out of character for him, especially when I thought back to his insolence in the Garden of Beginnings, but he had quickly set me right. It was one thing to oppose Erwaermen, who no longer had the power of a god, but he couldn’t risk disrespecting the actual gods responsible for his divine protections.
Oh, is the sound check over?
The musicians had stopped playing. They must have been ready. I took a slow breath, then began.
“I am one who offers prayer and gratitude to the gods who have created the world...”
To stop the audience from doubting my status as a divine avatar, I needed to put my all into my whirl. Eglantine would perform the same ceremony right after me.
If nothing else, my pillar of light needs to be bigger than hers!
I doubted my whirling was better than Eglantine’s, but that was fine; I could compensate in other ways. I drew as much attention as I could to my status as a divine avatar, adding my natural mana to the goddess-dyed mana flowing through me. The pillar of light slowly grew as a result.
Perfect. Perfect! Just like that!
✦ ✦ ✦
