Ascendance of a Bookworm

It wasn’t only Hildebrandt who froze in surprise at Weiss’s words. When Weiss bluntly stated that Hildebrandt, despite being royalty, lacked sufficient mana to enter, even the attendants present exchanged bewildered glances, unsure what to say.

There was no time to be down about the prohibition on removing materials—I headed over to Hildebrandt.

“Prince Hildebrandt, there should be a note stating that this library is a place for adult members of the royal family. Since you haven’t yet enrolled in the noble academy, it’s understandable that your mana isn’t enough. You haven’t learned mana compression or obtained a stave, nor have you received the gods’ blessing,” I explained.

“Rosemine…”

“Prince Hildebrandt, your growth phase is still ahead. So until you mature, why don’t you wait here with me along with everyone else? Alright?”

As I said that, I gestured toward the many chairs. Hildebrandt raised his head and looked around.

“...Will Rosemine wait here, then?”

He asked, looking at the chairs and tables before the transparent wall. This area offered a good view inside the library. It seemed a place to wait safely while the attendants prepared various things for the master reading the materials within.

“I wish I could go inside too, but I’m forbidden from entering without permission. I plan to wait here, perhaps drinking some tea, to see if we can find truly useful materials.”

“In that case, I will wait with you.”

Hildebrandt smiled and headed toward a chair. Arthur visibly relaxed his tense shoulders.

“Solange said she’s helped prepare tea before, right? Brynhildr, please find out how she does it.”

“As you command.”

Brynhildr turned and headed up the stairs. At the same time, the attendants began thinking about what they should prepare and began moving to assist their respective masters.

“I would also like to help prepare tea for the master. May I have permission?”

“Please do, Arthur.”

“Liselotte and I returned to the dorm once, but we can’t carry everything here alone.”

Brynhildr, holding part of the tea preparation, smiled sheepishly. “Since you went to the dorm, please take a little rest,” Richarda said as she went upstairs to fetch the remaining items.

“Once the tea is made, Brynhildr, you should sit down and rest for a bit.”

“No. I can’t take my eyes off Lady Rosemine. I never know when she might suddenly dash into the library.”

Brynhildr said with a giggle, and Leonore agreed. Apparently, my nervousness about the library made me seem quite untrustworthy.

But there, just beyond, was a library filled with unread materials and books. Since it required the three keys to open, and we didn’t know when it would be accessible again, I’m sure everyone agrees that enduring the wait was difficult.

“How can I increase my mana?”

“You’ll learn at the noble academy, so now isn’t the time to push yourself too hard. If you find a method that suits you well, you’ll improve significantly. I’m sure there are effective ways the royal family has researched over generations.”

The mana compression method is often a family secret or something privately kept. Surely the royal family has their own way to increase mana. To avoid Hildebrandt immediately starting compression, I gave only vague answers and watched as Hannelore and the others began reading the materials.

They seemed to be skimming through, each taking turns pulling out white tablet-like materials, reading them, then returning them. Hannelore shook her head, and the two princes looked puzzled. Then, Anastasius opened a large book propped up, calling Siegiswald over.

...I wish I could join them.

As I quietly nibbled on sweets Richarda had brought and watched the library scene, Hannelore and the two princes came out after their discussion.

“Um, Lady Rosemine, please come inside as well. There are too many old materials, making it hard to understand the contents. Since you can read Dankelfelger’s history books, you’re familiar with old scripts, right?”