Published: September 6, 2025
“After this, the awards ceremony will take place, so when the fifth bell rings, the students should proceed down to the arena.”
Rufen used a magic tool to amplify his voice so it would reach the excited and noisy audience seats stirred by the Dunkelfelger ceremony, issuing instructions for what was to come.
“We have to start cleaning up.”
Just like last year, there was only a short time to do a quick cleanup before the fifth bell rang. The civil official apprentices began putting away the important magic tools they had displayed for their research presentations, while the attendant apprentices cleared the tea sets and sweets served to the guests one after another. While everyone busied themselves moving around, I sat down on a chair to rest for a while. I had been standing the entire time watching Ditter, and my legs were already aching.
…But it’s not because I’m feeling unwell; I really have become quite sturdy.
When the fifth bell rang with a clear clang, everyone stopped cleaning and began to descend to the arena for the awards ceremony. The sight of mantles in various colors fluttering as the students descended one after another mounted on their mounts was quite a spectacle.
“Brother Wilfried, Charlotte, please guide everyone.”
Since all the students from every territory descended to the arena at once, there were sometimes minor scuffles or small quarrels caused by the confusion. I asked Wilfried to kindly guide everyone just like last year, and he gladly agreed.
“Understood. You should sit there with Father. Uncle is waiting to give his lecture. You’ll need to rest.”
“Please say that as a compliment! …I expect praise before any lectures, you know.”
I was firmly determined, but the memory of being pinched on the cheek upon our reunion was still fresh. If Wilfried was already certain that a lecture was inevitable, I might need to prepare some countermeasures.
…Like shoving consomme soup into Lord Ferdinand’s mouth the moment he opens to start his lecture, or starting a lecture counterattack alongside little scolding Schumil—how about that?
As I pondered this, my foster father lightly poked my cheek. When I looked up at him, he wore a somewhat nostalgic expression, as if recalling something.
“There’s no need to look so troubled, Rosemine.”
“Foster Father?”
“Just going up on stage and receiving praise from the king is more than enough. If you’re proud of that, no one can reprimand you. This is the first time the awards are held for you due to our circumstances, despite your three consecutive top performances.”
His words reminded me of the story of Ferdinand, who used to aim for top honors just to get praise from his father. Winning first place was apparently a rare and precious opportunity to be praised by one's parent.
“You’ve made many mistakes, but you’ve still worked hard. You deserve to be praised by Ferdinand today. He hasn’t read the report, so he doesn’t know all the details of your blunders.”
My foster father said that any lectures could wait until we returned to Ehrenfest, but his kindness still stung a little.
“Um, Foster Father. I wrote a lot in my letters; will it be okay?”
“It’s probably only what can pass censorship, right? As long as you don’t say unnecessary things yourself, there won’t be a problem.”
I didn’t tell him that I’d written many unnecessary things on the back with glowing ink, but my silence must have signaled something to him.
“I see. Then it’s your responsibility. Be sure to get scolded properly.”
“Ahh…”
“More importantly, you should go now. Just respond to the king’s words with gratitude and be very careful not to say anything extra. Understood?”
He reminded me several times as he sent me off. Surrounded by my close aides, I descended to the arena on my mount. From above, it was easy to tell where to go just by the color of the mantles, which I was glad about.
Upon reaching the arena, we lined up with the Ehrenfest contingent. While talking with Wilfried and Charlotte, who had arrived earlier, about hoping many excellent students would come from Ehrenfest again this year, the students all gathered and then the royal family entered.