On that note, everyone conceded. Lady Rozemyne had reintroduced the prayer in the first place, so nobody had reason to doubt her.
As I recall, it was helwolves that attacked us.
Helwolves were red-furred feybeasts that resembled dogs, though with small horns protruding from their foreheads. Even a layknight stood a decent chance of slaying one on its own, but the beasts moved in packs and struck in formation. They were known to target the unprepared, so a single magic tool designed to deal damage across a large area would make them dramatically easier to defeat.
“Perhaps this will aid us,” I said, taking the magic tool that Kenntrips had given me for bride-stealing ditter. The thought of using it against people had scared me too much to bring its might to bear, but against feybeasts, I would show no mercy. “Heilliese—once the gathering spot has been healed, lead everyone back to the dormitory without letting down your guard. Cordula, hold the fort until our return.”
My head attendant looked at me, her eyes narrowed, then crossed her arms over her chest and knelt. “May Angriff guide you.”
We exited the dormitory into a vast, snowy landscape. The sky hung still, much to our relief; although our armor would shield us from the cold, a blizzard would have put us at a serious disadvantage. The lack of obstructions would also make it easier to spot the helwolves’ red fur when they appeared.
I raised my right hand—a signal to my armed peers—then continued toward the gathering spot by highbeast. It was not long before a pale column of light broke the expanse of white before us. Our destination would normally have been awash with green, leafy trees and grass abounding, but the archnobles had picked it clean. Now, it appeared no more vibrant than a barren wasteland.
“My knights shall watch for feybeasts,” I explained—the first of my instructions. “Rasantark and the rest of my brother’s knights shall slay any that appear, while the rest of us will pray and supply the gathering spot.”
The apprentice knights looked at me as if about to speak, but only silence followed. I did them the kindness of pretending not to have noticed.
“Arrange yourselves in a circle around the gathering spot. To ease the burden upon you all, I am told archnobles should stay far apart, whereas laynobles should stick closer together,” I said, repeating what Father and the others had shared of the process they were taught. “Now, let us pray.”
I put my hands on the ground and gently started channeling mana into it. Green light spread through the earth, forming the contours of a magic circle. It was a divine, fantastical sight, but I could not let it distract me. A chill ran through me as mana continued to leave my body.
Once the circle was full, I chanted the prayer I had memorized.
“O Goddess of Water Flutrane, bringer of healing and change. Grant me the power to heal thy sister, the Goddess of Earth Geduldh, who has been wounded by those who serve evil. I shall offer this divine note to thee, casting ripples of the highest order. May thou fill the world with thy divine color to mine own heart’s content.”
The green magic circle rose into the air, and grass and trees began to grow.
“That will do,” I called. Under normal circumstances, we would have waited for the circle to reach the very top of the gathering spot, but for our purposes, stopping at roughly eight-tenths completion would suffice. “This should provide enough resources for everyone’s rejuvenation potions. Using too much mana here would impact tomorrow’s classes.”
Not to mention, we needed to be ready for the feybeasts that were about to attack. I downed one of my rejuvenation potions, then interrupted the students gathering ingredients and instructed them to return to the dormitory.
“But we’ve barely even started.”
“It can wait until tomorrow’s training. Mana-starved feybeasts are bound to swarm us any moment now.”
Everyone except my retainers regarded me with suspicion. There was no time to hesitate; I would need to ease their doubts posthaste.
“I was told as much by Lady Rozemyne, whose experience with this prayer is unmatched,” I explained. “Let us hurry. My knights shall guide you.”
“In that case...” Rasantark took a deep breath. “Everyone, follow Lady Hannelore to the dormitory! We knights shall protect the gathering spot!”
Weapon firmly in hand, he sharpened his focus on our surroundings. First my brother’s knights, then the apprentice archknights took up arms as well. I remembered just how exhausted they had looked upon their return and promptly shook my head.
“No! Everyone but I shall return to the dormitory!”
“Lady Hannelore, what are you saying?!” one knight sputtered.
“Forgive me, but this task is much better suited to us than to your guards,” said another. “We—”
“Unless you all withdraw, I cannot use the magic tool that Kenntrips made!” I barked, thwarting their protests and presenting the tool in question. “Depart at once!”
Rasantark gawked, then nodded, fully aware of the might of Kenntrips’s work. Kenntrips himself stared at the tool with wide eyes, his expression betraying disbelief.
“Lady Hannelore...” he managed, “why are you...?”
“Your tool is much too powerful to be used against people. But against feybeasts, I need not exercise restraint.”
“I see... So that was how you saw it.” The frown souring his features gave way to a resigned sigh.
“Kenntrips, escort everyone back to the dormitory at once,” I said. “I shall protect them. Such is my duty as an archduke candidate.”
“Although I do not doubt your conviction, we cannot say for certain whether feybeasts are truly coming. We shall entrust Heilliese’s party with escorting the students while you take up the rear guard, Lady Hannelore. There, we shall protect you.”
Despite his suspicion, Kenntrips had wasted no time in focusing on the matter at hand.
“Even if we do encounter feybeasts, as Lady Rozemyne cautioned, we still do not know their species or strength,” he continued. “Should any survive the magic tool, acting alone would put you in grave danger. Rasantark and the others shall wait outside its reach. I know better than anyone how far its devastation will extend.”
Kenntrips began instructing Rasantark and the others, using his knowledge of the magic tool to his advantage. He was still hard at work when an ordonnanz arrived.
“Lady Hannelore, this is Heilliese!” the little bird announced. “A massive pack of helwolves is approaching fast! They’re racing straight toward you!”
A sudden seriousness gripped everyone still present.
“They’re actually coming?!”
“Take your distance! Lady Hannelore needs space to use the tool!”
“We shall signal with a gelb once everyone is out of range!”
The red light of a rott warned of danger and requested aid, whereas the yellow light of a gelb announced that the preparations for battle were complete. I rode toward the helwolves as Kenntrips led the others to safety. If not for my drivable highbeast, which protected me from attacks unable to rival my mana, I would not have been able to enact this plan in the first place.
I used the might of my mana to accelerate to blinding speeds, boring a path straight through the helwolves as I went. Countless blue eyes burned with anger as their kin leapt at me, having branded me a foe. They snarled and chomped at my highbeast, but there was nothing they could do to breach its defenses. I gazed upon their bared fangs as I started supplying my magic tool with mana, ready to throw it at a moment’s notice.
A burst of yellow struck one of the helwolves in front of me—a signal from Kenntrips. As the beast pawed cautiously at the light, I threw the mana-charged tool out the window of my highbeast.
“Detonas!” I shouted.
Two magic circles spread out from the tool: a yellow one designed to protect its user, and a blue one meant to deal damage. Barely a moment later, a bone-rattling explosion rang out. The helwolves erupted in high-pitched shrieks, then fell silent as their feystones dropped to the ground. Those that were outside the range of the blast immediately turned tail and ran.
“Lady Hannelore!”
Kenntrips and Rasantark rushed over on their highbeasts, along with the other knights who had been waiting outside the blast zone. Rasantark was the first to reach me.
“Are you hurt?” he asked.
“Oh my... Did you not believe in Kenntrips’s magic tool, Rasantark?” Even through his full plate armor, I could tell that he was nervous. His concern struck me as both amusing and endearing.
“Seeing that massive pack of helwolves gnawing at your highbeast would make anyone anxious!”
A chuckle escaped me. “I am sorry to have worried you. However, thanks to my drivable highbeast, I am entirely unharmed.”
Hearing the tremor in Rasantark’s voice told me how the spectacle must have looked. Any knight duty bound to protect an archduke candidate would have watched with their heart in their throat.
“My sympathies to you all, but I am glad that Heilliese and the others were not here to witness what happened,” I said. “I fear they would have charged within range of the magic tool.”
“Rasantark tried,” Kenntrips noted, shooting him a glare. “Stopping him was a nightmare.”
The other knights nodded, thankful to have succeeded.
“Kenntrips, it was thanks to your magic tool that we managed to slay the helwolves without sustaining any injuries,” I said. “Excellent work.”
He met my words with a look of uncertainty—hardly the reaction I had expected from a man who had just been praised. As he kept his gaze on me, his gray eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“Are you truly Lady Hannelore?”
“E-Excuse me?” I sputtered on instinct.
“What are you implying, Kenntrips?” Rasantark asked. “Who else could she be?”
“She appears to be Lady Hannelore, and some aspects of her demeanor speak to the person I remember, but... she seems fundamentally changed. It’s as if—yes, as if she’s older and more mature.”
Before I could even consider my response, my body lurched as if someone had suddenly snatched me. My head spun, and the world around me faded to white. The next thing I knew, I was lying on the floor, and the goddesses were gazing down at me with tense expressions.