“I shall depart with Rozemyne. Strive to ensure that her associates can move from Ehrenfest to the new duchy immediately after the Archduke Conference.”
“Yes, sir!”
Ferdinand picked me up and carried me away as though it were the most natural thing in the world. We exited the dormitory to find Ahrensbach’s knights and nobles from other duchies waiting for us. The latter group knelt at the sight of me; we wouldn’t get anywhere while they were blocking the corridor.
“O divine avatar, we ask that you grace not just Ahrensbach but also our duchies with your blessings and wisdom.”
I didn’t know how to respond. In my current state, even a perfunctory blessing would produce unwanted consequences. I clung to Ferdinand, who sternly shook his head and whispered to me.
“They are pleading for the losers of the civil war to receive more favor than Ahrensbach, the duchy that caused this mess to begin with. You can simply ignore them. They consider you a divine avatar—someone whose authority exceeds even that of the new Zent—but will turn away from you as soon as the divinity in your mana fades.”
Ferdinand then signaled Ahrensbach’s knights with a glance and addressed the crowd: “The minutiae of the civil war rests with the royal family. It is beneath a divine avatar. Now move. There are places we must be.”
At once, Ahrensbach’s knights started pushing the gathered nobles aside to make a path for me, chastising them all the while. They were desperate themselves; the future of their duchy depended on me.
Ferdinand strode past the dormitories’ teleportation doors, then placed a hand on a door beyond even those connected to the royal villas.
As I recalled, the Adalgisa villa comprised two buildings: one for women and pre-baptismal children and another for baptized branch royals. Ferdinand took me to the latter, where we would use the teleportation circle to the Lanzenave Estate. We headed toward it without the slightest pause.
“Have the knights returned to Ahrensbach?” I asked. “This place feels abandoned now.”
“Correct. They have no more business in the Royal Academy now that the prisoners have been handed over and the transference ceremony is complete. Remember also that the villa is being repurposed as a home for the new Zent. The sooner we leave, the better.”
“True. Should we get the attendants to give it one last clean?”
“There is no need. It is far more important that we seal the teleporter, ensuring that no one from Ahrensbach can intrude upon the new Zent’s estate.”
We made our way down a long corridor. My silver cloak restricted my vision, but I soon heard the clatter of armor and several doors open. Then it grew dark, which told me we had arrived in the windowless teleporter room.
“We shall go first,” Ferdinand said.
Only three people could use the teleporter at a time, so we went ahead with Eckhart. My retainers were waiting for us on the other end. Ferdinand practically dropped me into Angelica’s arms, then turned with a flourish and returned to the villa.
“I was told that Lord Ferdinand wished to perform some final checks before completely sealing the villa,” Leonore explained. “We would rather not risk anyone invading us through the villa as a result of a misunderstanding or the like.”
As I understood it, we were closing the teleporter so that Ahrensbach wouldn’t have a back door to the Royal Academy. But from Ahrensbach’s perspective, it was to prevent invasions from other duchies.
“Everything is ready for you, Lady Rozemyne,” Hartmut informed me. “We have been instructed to first return to the castle. Let us travel by highbeast. Would you like to use your own to further deplete your mana? It was brought to my attention that you made a new highbeast with your divine mana.” He wasn’t even trying to hide his excitement.
I nodded in response. Angelica set me down, allowing me to reveal my brand-new Rainbow Lessy to my retainers.
“His shape is the same, but not the color,” I said as I climbed into my one-person Pandabus. Then, unable to hide my disappointment, “He isn’t quite as cute as before...”
“Oh, no! That isn’t true at all,” everyone replied, trying to console me.
Ngh... My retainers are so sweet!
“Though it might not be cute, it certainly looks divine,” Hartmut said. “A most fitting vehicle for a divine avatar.”
“Indeed,” Leonore added. “Never have I seen a highbeast glitter with all the elements! It is a sight to behold.”
I’d assumed they were just being kind, but their compliments were genuine—they really thought my rainbow highbeast looked more divine. Lessy was far cuter when he was light yellow, in my opinion, but even grun-haters welcomed the omni-elemental sparkles.
Sorry... I just don’t understand the aesthetics of this world.
The others continued to praise my highbeast as we made our way back to the castle. Once again, my opinions deviated from the norm. Even the Ahrensbach nobles at the castle were in awe of Lessy’s omni-elemental sheen, while Letizia and her retainers welcomed me with sparkles in their eyes.
“Your highbeast looks beautiful, Lady Rozemyne.”
“I can feel the divine power of all the gods radiating from our new aub’s highbeast. How divine...!”
He looks the same as before! Is a change of color really enough to warrant all this praise?!
Hartmut put his mount away and drew me back from my thoughts. “Lady Rozemyne, dismiss your highbeast and sit over there, if you would.”
We had alighted on the castle’s largest balcony—the perfect landing spot for highbeasts. It connected to a pleasant hall where guests sometimes took their lunch and gazed out across the ocean. Though the room was mostly full of what I assumed to be my retainers’ bags, a vacant seat awaited me in the corner. The divine instruments sat atop the table beside it.
“The instruments are from Ahrensbach’s temple,” Hartmut said. “We humbly request that you fill them for us. Per a request from Lord Ferdinand, I must also ask you to check whether the chalice can be used to drain your mana.”
I started channeling my mana into the divine instruments. It would take a group of blue priests the best part of a day to fill them all, but I completed the first one—the chalice—almost immediately. The nobles around me cheered in response.
“Oh my!” one exclaimed. “The divine instruments were not always this easy to fill, were they?”
“Such an abundance of mana!” cried another.
In contrast to the nobles’ delight, I was feeling a little disappointed; though my mana had decreased, I was far from being empty.
From there, I picked up and tipped the chalice. Rainbow liquid poured out in response, mimicking the color of my mana. It was an unusual sight for someone who had performed so many Spring Prayers in the past, but I supposed it made sense; only when one prayed to the Goddess of Water did the liquid turn green.
“Lady Rozemyne, how fares your mana?” Hartmut asked. He had watched me test the chalice and now eyed me just as closely.