“Though I’m glad to have passed, I’ve still got mana to spare. What next?”
I’d redrawn the country’s borders, dyed the entire foundation, and even filled every magic tool on my way from the statue to the library’s exit. Yet my mana was still a quarter full, and the divine power I’d received from the gods remained. It was definitely unnatural; I doubted anything would be able to drain me completely.
“For now, fill any tools you might need when you take over as Aub Ahrensbach,” Ferdinand replied.
We parted ways with Eglantine and Anastasius, who needed to fetch Gervasio from the gate where he was imprisoned, and started toward Ahrensbach’s gathering spot. A teleportation door in the central building took us to the Adalgisa villa, whereupon Ferdinand urged me onto his highbeast.
“It really is a shame I can’t use Lessy...” I griped. Because of the gods, my mana no longer matched what was registered to his stone. “Flying around would drain a little more of my mana.”
“It would not have been wise while your memories are still fragmented,” Ferdinand shot back. I didn’t understand the reason for his concern, but it must have been important. “You have done so much, and your health is in such a sorry state that I would normally advise you to drink a rejuvenation potion before bed... but that will not be an option if we cannot drain your mana. We must act fast, or your stamina will run out first. There is a potion that uses mana to heal wounds and restore strength, but we should save it for the worst-case scenario; it is not suitable for you.”
“In what sense?” I asked. Did it taste even worse than the ultra-nasty version?
“To expend what remains of your mana, we would need to wound you. Gravely. We might be forced to cover your limbs in cuts or even shoot through them with—”
“Waaah! Stop! No way! I don’t want to go that far! No bleeding! No pain!”
I shook my head so frantically that it must have been a blur. Ferdinand wore the solemn expression of a mad scientist observing his newest guinea pig. I would rather he not contemplate the gravest injury he could give me without putting my life in danger.
“The potion heals the wound all at once,” Ferdinand explained. “It may be quick, but the process is too unbearably agonizing to describe. That is why we must leave it as a last resort.”
“Have you ever used one?”
“Of course. You would not be the first person to whom I gave such a potion; though I cannot say whether anyone else has actually consumed one.”
He must have been referring to when he’d first developed the potion, which made his calm tone all the more unnerving. I wasn’t sure who had ended up as his test subject, but it couldn’t have been a welcome experience.
“But alas,” Ferdinand continued, “you have an aversion to pain. We have no choice but to rely on trial and error until we find the best way to rid you of your remaining mana. A few experiments should tell us if mana contributions not tied to a blessing are enough or if you can safely wield a divine instrument.”
I could only hope that praying was unnecessary—we would save ourselves a lot of time if so. That was why we had come straight to Ahrensbach’s gathering spot. Some of the nobles from the villa had accompanied us.
My eyes widened as I took in our surroundings. “This is even worse than Ehrenfest’s gathering spot used to be.” It must have been completely abandoned, as only the poorest ingredients dotted the grass. How would Ahrensbach’s students gather the materials they needed for their classes—or brew anything half decent, for that matter?
“I thought most duchies regenerated their gathering spots after being taught the prayer...” I muttered.
“The lesser and middle duchies on the losing side of the civil war lacked the mana and manpower to perform the ritual properly. Ahrensbach, on the other hand, had no excuse. Its gathering spot only looks so tragic because of Detlinde’s negligence and the hostility she feels toward you and the royal family.”
Ferdinand told the Ahrensbach knights and scholars not serving as his retainers to stay in the air, then descended to the gathering spot. So barren was the space before us that not even feybeasts cared to frequent it. There were a few gathered, at most. Ehrenfest’s spot hadn’t been anywhere near as desolate, yet it had still drained me the first time I’d regenerated it. Our plan was sure to work.
“Rozemyne,” Ferdinand said, “begin.”
“Right.”
At my request, Clarissa and Gretia removed my silver cloak. I got on my knees, then pressed my hands against the ground and channeled mana into the magic circle carved into it. The circle’s outer edge shone green.
“Is your divine power going down?” Ferdinand asked.
“Not as far as I can tell. But all I’m doing is making the circle glow. If we want to heal the land, someone needs to chant the prayer.”
“I shall do it. Continue to focus on your mana.”
The magic circle activated as soon as Ferdinand started praying to Flutrane. It continued to shine as it rose above the ground. My mana steadily enriched the land, causing bushes to grow and young buds to blossom. Those of us from Ehrenfest were well acquainted with the sight, but for the Ahrensbach nobles who hadn’t healed their gathering spot before, it was like watching a genuine miracle.
“Ooh! Spectacular! Mestionora’s avatar is wielding her divine power!”
“To think the gathering spot could thrive in mere moments... I cannot believe my eyes.”
As our spectators cried out in excitement, I felt the divine power of the gods swell within me.
“Well, Rozemyne?”
“It might not be as prominent as when I used the Goddess of Light’s divine instrument, but there’s a response. Replenishing this gathering spot required too much mana for the power to grow larger than it was before.”
“I see. Then you can pour your mana into the barren land across Ahrensbach.” Ferdinand gave the slightest smile, subtle enough that nobody else would notice. He must have been relieved that we had other options for draining my mana.
“Rather than going to all the trouble of performing Spring Prayer, do you think I could simply form a chalice with my schtappe and use that to distribute my mana?” I asked.
“That depends. How did your mana respond when you formed the Goddess of Light’s crown?”
I thought back to the ceremony. Eglantine’s vow had caused the instrument to flash and the divine power within me to swell. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea after all.
“Your expression tells me all that I need to know,” Ferdinand said.
“In that case, maybe I could channel mana into the temple’s divine instruments. They were made by a Zent of the past, so they shouldn’t break that easily. We could soar over Ahrensbach with Geduldh’s chalice, showering the land with mana.”
“Hmm...” Ferdinand placed a hand on his chin and cast his eyes down, mulling over my suggestion. “I cannot envision it going well, but it would make Spring Prayer simpler to complete. Your mana could also be used to brew with. I just acquired new materials.”
“Maybe, but most feystones and magic tools would turn to gold dust the moment I touched them,” I said, thinking back to the chain I’d received from Sigiswald. Overwhelming a feystone wasn’t too much of an issue, but I was afraid of what my mana might do to a magic tool.
“You need not stress,” Ferdinand assured me. “Any dust you inadvertently create can be put toward your library city. Given the urgency of performing the entwickeln, I plan to make as much dust as we require from the materials we gather here.” We needed to repair the damage done by the Lanzenavians and destroy the Lanzenave Estate, severing its connection to the villa Eglantine planned to move in to.