Published: August 25, 2025
After the coming-of-age ceremony ended, the roughly one week until the spring baptism ceremony was a laid-back temple life. To be honest, there was actually more work to do at the temple, but since there was no atmosphere of intrigue or tense feelings surrounding me, it was comfortable.
Today, I planned to spend the afternoon reading. While helping the high priest, I was eagerly waiting for the fourth bell when the high priest called out to me.
“Rosemine, do you have plans this afternoon?”
“Yes. I’ll be reading.”
“Hmm. If you have nothing special, that’s just as well.”
…No, no, no! Wait a moment. I clearly said I had plans, didn’t I!?
“I do have plans! Reading plans. Please listen properly.”
“That doesn’t count as plans. Prioritizing a discussion about the clothing for the library’s magic tools is more important.”
Don’t just decide the priorities on your own! I wanted to shout that, but since I was the one who asked the high priest about the costumes for Schwarz and the others, if I insisted on prioritizing reading and got ignored, it wouldn’t be anyone else but me who’d be in trouble.
Immersed in a sense of defeat, I hung my head low. The high priest seemed to interpret my gesture as agreement and muttered softly, “Very well.”
“The place will be your workshop. I will bring in materials and reference books, so leave the door open.”
“…Yes.”
The fourth bell rang, and after returning to my room and finishing lunch, I opened the secret room’s door as instructed, leaving it accessible at all times.
I looked longingly at the bookshelf containing the books I had prepared to read and sighed.
“Sigh, I really wanted to read.”
“Hopefully you’ll get to do so tomorrow. The day after tomorrow, we have a meeting with the Gilberta Trading Company.”
Fran comforted me with a wry smile, and I nodded quietly. I had already sent a letter to the Gilberta Trading Company asking them to bring Tulli to order new hair ornaments the day after tomorrow. There were other things I intended to order besides just hair ornaments.
“You said not only hair ornaments. What else are you ordering?”
Monica asked with a puzzled expression, “You’ll decide the costumes after consulting the castle attendants, right?” I straightened my chest and answered proudly.
“The hair ornaments are a wedding gift for Ella, and also armbands for the library committee.”
“...What exactly are these armbands?”
“These.”
I quickly spread out the full-size paper pattern for the armband, which I had drawn for Tulli to see, showing it to Monica. By the way, the “Library Committee” part was written in kanji, lettered in Ming-style font. Those around probably wouldn’t have any idea what was written, but I was happy because it let me immerse myself in the feeling of being a library committee member.
I planned to order four armbands in different colors for Tulli: one each for Schwarz, Weiss, myself, and a new friend, Hannelore.
I definitely wanted Hannelore to join the library committee alongside us as a fellow book lover. If she refused, I’d give up, but I thought it would be wonderful if she wore the matching armband and participated in library committee activities with Schwarz and the others.
“When I become a second-year student, I’ll be doing library committee activities at the noble academy with my friends. Hehe, I’m looking forward to it… Huh?”
A white bird silently slipped through the wall and entered the room. It circled around and fluttered down onto the desk.
“Lady Rosemine, this is Elvira. I’m delivering the answers to the recent questions compiled by Lady Charlotte.”
Ordnance repeated those words three times in my mother's voice. Immediately after, another white bird flew in, landing on the desk with a letter. It was less from Charlotte herself and more from her close clerks offering answers about the dramatic before-and-after transformations. I glanced over the letter.
It seems that about eighty years ago, Drevannel presented the effective use of sticky substances by creating and utilizing sewage systems during the territory competition. The lord of Drevannel incorporated this into his territory’s city, eliminating the stench of waste and simplifying waste disposal, which he reported at the lords’ council and petitioned the king to allow the noble academy dormitories to adopt.