Published: August 25, 2025
“Today, I heard that Justox will be accompanying the princess, but no matter that it’s by the orders of Sylvester-sama and young master Ferdinand, is the princess truly alright with this?”
The moment I woke up, Richarda asked me this question with a very stern expression. Knowing her son is dressing as a woman to serve as an attendant must be giving Richarda, his mother, quite a headache.
“I do have some worries, but the information from Wilfried Brother and me seems insufficient, so there’s no helping it. Since Justox comes highly recommended by Lord Ferdinand, I believe he won’t fail.”
…Though I feel bad for Richarda, who is clearly very concerned, I have to admit, I’m a bit curious—and maybe even eager—to see Justox dressed as a woman.
This morning, I plan to go to the library to provide mana replenishment to Schwarz and Weiss, and in the afternoon, I’m scheduled to meet with Anastasius. Justox will be dressed as a woman and accompany me as my attendant.
For today, we are swapping attendants, so Richarda will be working as Traugott’s attendant.
“Justox tends to prioritize work he likes, so I think Traugott’s care will likely be delayed. I must keep a close eye on how much work Justox actually does as an attendant.”
She was giving me a meticulous inspection, as if scrutinizing every little detail, her dark eyes sharp.
After breakfast and before the library opens, there’s a meeting about the territory competition in the multipurpose hall.
The territory competition is akin to a cultural and sports festival in Reno’s time. The royal family from the center, aub citizens from other territories, and student guardians come to watch. Students devise ways to showcase their strengths.
Some try to impress their lover’s parents to get permission for marriage but fail. Others, even though it’s a student event, turn it into a venue for their research presentations. Apparently, various mishaps happen every year.
First, for knight apprentices, it’s a Ditters Battle. They compete to defeat magical beasts conjured by teachers using magic as quickly as possible. It’s easy to tell who wins, and it’s flashy, so it’s the highlight of the competition.
Large territories can select their best players, while small territories must have everyone participate, so their abilities differ greatly, but that too reflects the territory’s strength.
Ehrenfest is a medium territory leaning toward small, with wide land but a small population, so it must compensate for the lack of numbers with ability.
Judging by the knight apprentices so far, that strength is still subtle… rather, there’s plenty of room to grow. By compressing mana, studying magical beasts, and training formations and teamwork, they should be able to improve their rankings.
“This year, under Leonore’s guidance studying beast weaknesses and past records, Angelica and I will lead the attack. It’s embarrassing, but our teamwork is still lacking.”
At Brother Cornelius’s words, Angelica nodded. They learned the importance of teamwork from fighting Dunkelfelger but only just started practicing. Grandfather said he will train them from spring, so it should improve considerably next year.
“I plan to grant the blessing of the god of valor to the knight apprentices before the Ditters. Would that be considered unfair?”
“… Lady Rosemine’s blessing is a valuable tactic Ehrenfest can use. If you pray for Ditters victory at the dorm before departure, nothing could be more reassuring.”
From Leonore’s words, it seems it’s a sneaky trick in a gray area, provided other territories don’t notice.
For civil official apprentices, the competition is a chance to present research results like improvements or inventions of magic tools and medicines. They bring their creations and summaries to sell their skills to the center.
The high priest apparently made a fortune presenting his own magic tools here, and since graduating, Hirschl has made this event an annual research presentation venue.