Published: September 6, 2025
I asked Hartmut, who had accompanied the high priest, what had happened, but it seemed that Hartmut was only allowed to attend the negotiations with Dunkelfelger and was not present when the high priest was summoned.
"I only saw Aub Ehrenfest shouting at Lord Ferdinand in the dormitory, and Lord Ferdinand calmly brushing it off. From the hints in their words, it seems it was an unavoidable royal decree."
Then, Hartmut reported the results of the negotiations with Dunkelfelger. The arrangements regarding royalties and translation rights had roughly fallen within the expected range.
"The lady of that territory is quite intimidating. Although she didn't seem certain, it appeared she had noticed the printing."
"Why is that?"
"She compared the books lent to Lady Hannelore and noticed the handwriting was unusually consistent for a single person. The ink around the letters was different from other manuscripts. Most importantly, the very idea of selling books in Ehrenfest suggested they might have the technology to reproduce the same works."
...The civil officials of a large domain are terrifying.
I found Drevannel, who quickly analyzed the trial Linshan, very frightening, but so were the officials of Dunkelfelger, who noticed such things just by looking at the books the daughter borrowed, even without knowing about printing. They exposed the difference with Ehrenfest vividly.
"Also, they were relatively quick to understand the costs and shares related to royalties and translation."
Introducing a concept that had never existed before was difficult. Since making books by hand was the norm, the idea of 'per book' was hard to grasp, and explaining it to the lower-ranking officials involved in printing was very challenging. The mother, who actually made and sold books, understood quickly though.
"The meeting was very tense, with pointed eyes questioning whether I was suitable as Clarissa's partner."
Clarissa’s father was apparently Aub's Guard Knight, so Hartmut was glared at the whole time. He ended the meeting with a pounding heart, worried he might be suddenly attacked.
"During the surprise attack at the award ceremony, Lady Rosemine’s Goddess of Wind’s Shield that protected the students of Ehrenfest stood out remarkably, and it was already a topic of gossip at the lords' council."
"...Hartmut didn’t say anything unnecessary, did he?"
"Only the saint legend of Lady Rosemine that has been mentioned publicly before. He has enough discretion for that."
In truth, he wanted to spread the recent saint legends like the blessing of the god of darkness during the subjugation of Tarnis Befaren and the restoration of gathering places, but he restrained himself properly.
"Please be more reserved and stop spreading exaggerated tales like the saint legend."
"There’s not much to say modestly, so I’m a bit dissatisfied, but if Lady Rosemine wishes it, there’s no helping it."
The next day’s event was the same report meeting as last year. Many from the lord family, their close aides, the knights order, and senior civil officials gathered. Wilfried, Charlotte, and I went together to the conference room and took our assigned seats.
"Uncle is unusually cheerful. I wonder if the call for the lords' council means good news?"
Wilfried, sitting to my left, said this while looking almost directly at the high priest. I shuddered at the high priest’s forced smile, which I had been trying not to look at. It was a rare kind of fake smile — that made it even more frightening. I had no idea what he was thinking or angry about behind that smile.
"Brother Wilfried, don’t be fooled. That’s a very displeased face."
"Is that so?"
"...It’s a smile I’ve never seen before."
Charlotte, sitting to my right, exclaimed in surprise, and Wilfried looked between me and the high priest doubtfully as he said that.
"Lord Ferdinand hides minor emotional fluctuations with a blank face, but when he’s very angry or troubled, he deliberately smiles to prevent others from sensing his feelings."