Ascendance of a Bookworm

“Thank you very much. May I open it?”

“Ah.”

With excitement, I gently opened the slender wooden box. Peering inside, my eyes widened in surprise.

Inside the box was a single hairpin. It wasn’t a flower hair ornament woven from threads like the ones Tulli usually makes. Instead, five small iridescent mana stones, each delicately adorned with thin metal, were connected by fine chains of slightly varying lengths at the tip of the hairpin. I had chosen the largest iridescent mana stone from my own collection, but it seemed the high priest had selected the smaller ones—all about two centimeters in size. If I walked with this in my hair, the teardrop-shaped iridescent mana stones would sway charmingly.

…but iridescent mana stones. That means…

I gently took the hairpin in my hand. When I passed a little mana through it, just as expected, the five iridescent mana stones were engraved with protective magic circles, the same kind I had inscribed.

“High priest, this iridescent mana stone is a protective charm, correct?”

“You said you wanted to make an accessory, right? Since it’d be a waste to use mana stones for mere decoration, I made them into charms.”

I had indeed said I wanted an accessory. But I vaguely recall being scolded not to use such precious materials just for decoration. I never thought the high priest, who had been complaining, would make me protective charms that could also serve as accessories. The surprise far outweighed my happiness.

“I was trying to surprise the high priest, but instead, I feel like I’ve been the one surprised.”

Just after proudly announcing, “I made protective charms from iridescent mana stones for you,” came a fivefold return of the same. How could I not be amazed? Moreover, while I had handed over the charms as bare stones, the charms the high priest gave me were neatly fashioned into accessories.

…What a crushing defeat.

“I wasn’t unamazed. I just didn’t expect you to be able to make charms of this caliber.”

The high priest smiled faintly as he looked at the iridescent mana stones I had given him. His expression didn’t look surprised at all; rather, it seemed somewhat pleased.

As for me, I felt full of defeat, but if I could surprise the high priest even a little and make him happy, that was the most important thing.

“Hmph, I’ve grown, haven’t I?”

“…Most of that credit goes to Hartmut, though.”

“Please just compliment me honestly here!”

My insistence made the close aides laugh, and the high priest snorted. Him saying unkind things is nothing new, so I just pouted slightly in dissatisfaction and returned to gazing intently at the hairpin.

The iridescent mana stones resemble opals. When gently moved, they seem to change colors complexly depending on how light hits them. Thin metal wraps protectively around the stones, decorating the edges simply but making the accessory look a little more luxurious.

“It’s simple but a cute design. The high priest really can envision accessories, doesn’t he?”

“If you think that hair ornament for Dietlinde was my design, that would be troublesome. I felt the need to prepare rebuttals just in case.”

If Dietlinde said she had received a hair ornament from her fiancé, people would normally assume it was the high priest’s handiwork. He’s really trying to avoid that, as it’s a grave matter tied to his aesthetic sense.

“Besides, you can’t wear the same flower ornament every day. I thought a simple accessory to place beside it wouldn’t stand out much. Didn’t you say once you wanted to wear two hair ornaments? Try to wear them like that every day as much as possible.”

Apparently, to make it suitable for daily use, he designed it as a simple piece you could insert beside the flower ornament. I think that’s incredibly thoughtful. Brynhildr and Liselotte nodded with admiration.

“Lady Rosemine, would you like to try putting in the hairpin you received?”

Brynhildr stood and came over to me. When I handed her the hairpin, she carefully compared it to my hairstyle and then gently inserted it next to the flower ornament.