Published: August 15, 2025
After the awarding ceremony, lunch was served, and once the meal was finished, the nobles would begin their socializing. However, the high priest instructed me to return to my room. Apparently, I had already exerted myself too much today.
"But afterward, I was told that my Father’s second wife and her child, Nicolaus, would be coming to greet me..."
"More important than those greetings is your health, isn’t it? Don’t forget that you’re only able to move because of your magic tools. If you collapse now, it will interfere with tomorrow’s schedule. There isn’t much time before you depart for the noble academy. Surely, you understand this without having to be told?"
The high priest began to lecture me at length about the consequences if I were to become ill. I lowered my head slightly in response. The more he kept talking, the less moved I felt by his concern.
…If he had stopped after his first words, he would have seemed like such a kind person, high priest.
At present, no one knows my condition better than the high priest. To stop his lengthy speech, I decided to obediently return to my room.
"Understood. As Lord Ferdinand said, I will return to my room today. However, tomorrow is the first day, so I plan to visit the children’s quarters in the morning. There will be greetings from the children who have completed their baptism ceremony, and I want to assess the current situation. From the afternoon, I will come to Lord Ferdinand’s study, so please gather the informants listed in the materials I gave you the other day."
Just from this, the high priest seemed to understand what I intended to do. He murmured "Hmm," slightly furrowing his brows.
"Isn’t the information fee supposed to be paid at the noble academy?"
"The people listed in the materials I gave Lord Ferdinand graduated during the two years I was asleep. The fees for those currently enrolled at the academy will be paid there."
The materials Darmel compiled from the intelligence gathered at the noble academy were also read by the leadership of Ehrenfest. Just as the value of information differs between the high priest and me, I thought some people might appreciate information that I personally found unnecessary.
Sure enough, the information considered important varied, and there were pieces that warranted follow-up. I selected those who brought such critical information and took the information fees properly from the budgets of the departments that benefited.
The civil officials, unfamiliar with me, looked stunned when asked for the information fees, but seeing the lord and lady and the knights order commander pay generously with a wry smile, they had no choice but to pay willingly.
Thus, I prepared the money as initially planned.
"Speaking of which, I was selling information to various places. Understood. I will arrange for the informants to gather by the afternoon."
"That helps a lot."
"Will you only be in the children’s quarters tomorrow, Lady?"
As the high priest and I wrapped up our discussion about tomorrow’s schedule, Charlotte lowered her brow sadly and looked at me. Remembering how she said she felt lonely because we only spent time together during dedication dances and dinner, I found myself at a loss for words.
"…That may be the case. I intend only to greet and meet the children after their baptism ceremony, but to catch up on two years of delay, I really have no time."
Watching Wilfried, Charlotte, and my peers grow during the awarding ceremony made me painfully aware of my own lack of growth and evoked a sense of urgency. It’s certain I would be underestimated because I haven’t grown at all physically. Moreover, if at ten years old I can’t accomplish what is expected, I would be disqualified as a lord candidate. That’s why at the very least, I want to be capable of studying hard enough to keep up with those around me.
Besides, if I want to raise the overall grades of Ehrenfest, I must first improve my own. Otherwise, no one will follow me. After understanding the current situation in the children’s quarters, I want to devote time to my studies.