We all watched as the two women gracefully descended the shrine. The divine power radiating from Lady Rozemyne was even more intense than before, but Lady Eglantine weathered it with a smile.
“That she can hold Lady Rozemyne’s hand without being overwhelmed proves her might as the next Zent,” I remarked.
“It proves she has the damning resolve to take the throne,” Father added. He spoke harshly and looked especially solemn.
Once again, I sensed that circumstances beyond my understanding were at play. I deduced that Lady Eglantine could endure Lady Rozemyne’s divine power not because she was the next Zent but because she had made a great sacrifice of some kind.
The pair soon made it down to where Hartmut and the other blue priests were lined up. Hartmut approached Lady Rozemyne and held a sound-amplifying magic tool close to her mouth.
“O Zent, blessed by the gods, declare your loyalty to the Goddess of Light, ruler of contracts. Beleuchkrone.”
In the blink of an eye, the Goddess of Light’s crown appeared in Lady Rozemyne’s hands. Lady Eglantine knelt before her, further demonstrating that the Divine Avatar of Mestionora held greater authority than even the country’s ruler.
Lady Rozemyne placed the crown atop Lady Eglantine’s bowed head and took a step back. Hartmut presented the sound-amplifying tool to our soon-to-be new Zent, who accepted it and made her vows to the gods.
“I, Eglantine, hereby swear to the Goddess of Light and the twelve subordinates who serve by her side to correct the distortions that have taken root in Yurgenschmidt, to revive old rituals as the Sovereign temple’s High Bishop, and to keep my promises to Lady Rozemyne, the Divine Avatar of Mestionora.”
The crown burst with light. Lady Eglantine had made an inescapable contract with the gods.
Lady Rozemyne dispelled the divine instrument while Hartmut retrieved the sound-amplifying tool from Lady Eglantine. Once again, he held it up to the divine avatar’s mouth.
“He let Lady Eglantine hold the tool so why not Lady Rozemyne?” my brother grumbled, his face twisted in a grimace. “He is in the way.” He wished to memorize the divine beauty of the two women and so found even the slightest obstruction infuriating.
“He can’t let Lady Rozemyne touch it,” Father explained. “She can’t control goddess-dyed mana as she would normal mana and will turn most feystones to dust in an instant.”
Our jaws dropped.
“Would that not impede her day-to-day life?” I asked. It had never occurred to me that Lady Rozemyne was enduring such a great hardship.
My father did not answer. He moved a finger slightly to indicate the shrine and said, “Stay focused. She is about to give Lady Eglantine the Grutrissheit.”
Lestilaut and I turned at once. Lady Rozemyne waited for Hartmut to move the magic tool into position, then made a new declaration.
“In the Garden of Beginnings, the gods recognized Lady Eglantine as the new Zent. Now that she is oath-bound to the Goddess of Light, I shall bestow the Grutrissheit upon her.”
Hartmut lowered the tool at once. Lady Rozemyne raised her right arm up toward the ceiling, turned her schtappe into a pen, and then elegantly drew a magic circle in the air with her mana.
“What is that magic circle? I do not recognize it...”
“It looks omni-elemental. Few people could activate it so easily.”
As another stir ran through the auditorium, Lady Rozemyne started to pray. We had to strain our ears to hear her; Hartmut had elected not to hold up the magic tool and was instead simply watching her with pride.
“O mighty King and Queen of the endless skies...”
The magic circle began to shine, and darkness hemmed the light. Everyone regarded it with awe, and the whispers faded as the entire room tried to hear what Lady Rozemyne was saying.
“O mighty Eternal Five who rule the mortal realm. O Goddess of Water Flutrane, O God of Fire Leidenschaft, O Goddess of Wind Schutzaria, O Goddess of Earth Geduldh, O God of Life Ewigeliebe...”
Each time she spoke one of the gods’ names, mana flowed out of her schtappe and caused the relevant sigil on the magic circle to shine.
“Please hear my prayer and graciously lend your blessings. I offer you my power and devote to you my service and gratitude. May your divine protection be granted to the new Zent—the power of Water that washes away corruption, of Fire that cannot be extinguished, of Wind that wards against danger, of Earth that embraces all, and of Life that never relents. May she have them one and all.”
Rainbow light rained down upon Lady Eglantine as she knelt. It was my first time seeing an omni-elemental blessing, and the sight was so divine that I gasped despite myself.
Soon enough, the light of the blessing stopped. Lady Rozemyne turned to Hartmut. She must have had more to say because he once again brought the magic tool to her mouth.
“Lady Eglantine, let all see the Grutrissheit and witness that you are the Zent.”
Lady Rozemyne took a step back. The light we had just witnessed must have been for bestowing the Grutrissheit upon our new Zent. I directed my attention to Lady Eglantine, eager to see it, but her hands appeared to be empty.
I was starting to worry when Lady Eglantine rose to her feet, looking not the least bit troubled. She placed both hands on her chest and shouted out for all to hear.
“Grutrissheit!”
In an instant, a thick tome appeared in her arms. She thrust it up into the air so that everyone could see it.
“Ooh!”
“The real Grutrissheit!”
“The Divine Avatar of Mestionora gave Lady Eglantine the Grutrissheit!”
Every noble in Yurgenschmidt had anxiously awaited the return of the Grutrissheit. And now that Lady Eglantine had acquired it, the country had a true Zent once more. I gazed upon Lady Rozemyne, such a dear friend of mine, and a sudden warmth spread through my chest. Fresh tears blurred my vision.
“This is just wonderful...” I said.
I was focused not on Lady Eglantine but on the divine avatar standing a pace behind her. Lady Rozemyne wore a calm smile and looked far more beautiful than I could put into words.