Published: August 3, 2025
"If you are to have a baptism ceremony as a daughter of Karlstedt, you must change your name."
It was the high priest’s proposal that broke the silence in the room. I tilted my head, not quite understanding what he meant.
"A name, you say?"
"Indeed, keeping the same name would not be appropriate."
Apparently, nobles needed long, formal names. That meant that from now on, the noble acquaintances I would inevitably meet would all have long names.
I worried whether I could remember them. Well, I managed to remember the names of the gods, so maybe I could handle this too. I hoped so.
"It would be best if the name’s nickname could still be Myne. That way, even if someone from the Gilberta Trading Company mispronounces it, it could be somewhat excused... Myne, do you have any preferences?"
At Sylvester’s words, I tried to think of some suitable names based on Myne. But nothing came to mind immediately.
"...Names like Myntwo, Newmine, or Redmine came to mind, but none seem very good."
"Do they have any meaning?"
The high priest frowned. As I was using English from the Reno era, the three of them present did not understand the meanings.
"Myne Number Two, New Myne, and Red Myne, respectively."
"What’s this last one about red? Your color by birth is blue, your hair is navy or night-colored, and your eyes are gold. Where does red come from?"
Sylvester looked puzzled, but my knowledge came from a childhood friend in the Reno era, so I didn’t really know the reason either. The red underwear health method was something my mother also adopted back then, so it was probably a similar idea.
By the way, red is supposed to be good as lucky underwear. I received red underwear for exams, but was too embarrassed by my parents’ affection to wear them. Luckily, I passed the exams, and my mother praised the red underwear, but on that day, I wore light blue. Sorry for being an ungrateful daughter.
"I don’t quite understand why, but apparently red means strength and speed."
"Red is strong!? No matter how you look at it, the strong noble color should be the blue of the god of fire, Raiden Shaft!"
Sylvester’s eyes widened, and he pressed his forehead as Karlstedt’s gaze grew distant.
"Red is the noble color of the earth goddess, Gedrurihi, representing warmth and tolerance, so it’s feminine, but given how different our intentions are, I’m uneasy."
...Ah, yes. That makes sense based on your common knowledge here.
I had hoped to sound stronger and newer, partly wishing to be a bit tougher, but no one understood.
The high priest tapped his temple with a finger and glared at me sharply.
"Strength and speed don’t suit a feminine name. That’s just disappointing. This will be your name forever—you’d better think carefully, fool."
"...I’m sorry. But honestly, I have no idea what kind of names nobles have or what the proper way to name is."
In Japan, some families pass down part of the parents’ names or ask temples to assign names—there are rules in some places. I wondered if there were any rules here.
When I asked, the three of them all tilted their heads.
"Some take names after great figures from the past or receive names from ancestors, but there aren’t really any strict rules."
Hearing Sylvester’s words, I nodded thoughtfully. Then, Karlstedt, who had been deep in thought beside Sylvester, slowly raised his head and looked at me.
"If it’s part of your parents’ names... how about taking it from Rosemary and calling you Rosemine?"
"Wow, that sounds very lady-like. I think it’s good. It’s definitely cuter and more feminine than anything I could have chosen."
"Myne, it seems you need to refine your aesthetic sense."
Chuckling softly, the high priest stood up. It seemed that before the family arrived, they would handle the renaming and the preparation of the contract magic paperwork.
By the time the high priest finished the paperwork, there was a faint jingle of a bell.
"Permission granted."
At the high priest’s approval, the room’s door was opened by attendants waiting outside. Arnaud offered the usual greeting to the high priest to welcome guests, and Fran guided in my father, Tulli, holding hands; my mother carrying Kamil in a sling.