Ascendance of a Bookworm

Amidst the intense gazes from everyone in the venue, Dietlinde, dressed as the goddess of light, quietly approached Restiraut, who was clad in the attire of the god of darkness. Restiraut was to escort Dietlinde onto the stage for the dedication dance, but she looked extremely displeased as she glanced at Dietlinde’s head.

“Are you really able to dance so adorned?”

Restiraut’s blunt question, representing everyone’s worry and unease, earned a silent round of applause in my heart. To ask that so straightforwardly in this setting—surely Restiraut must be brave.

However, it seemed the brave question didn’t quite reach Dietlinde.

“Yes, of course I can dance. I practiced a lot,” Dietlinde said, looking down not at her heavy headpiece, but at her hands.

…Restiraut must have been talking about the hair ornament. Where is she looking? Is there something on her arms? Ah, maybe a mana stone?

It seemed Dietlinde had not only prepared the flashy headpiece but also mana stones to make herself shine. I couldn’t hide my surprise at how well-prepared she was. How on earth had she managed to escape from Ferdinand?

While I was pondering that, the lord candidates, fluttering their long sleeves, ascended to the stage. Though it was the god of darkness escorting the goddess of light, Restiraut seemed to be deliberately avoiding looking at Dietlinde, her face turned slightly sideways rather than straight on.

…She’s making the same face as Lord Ferdinand did earlier, but hang in there, Restiraut!

The lord candidates lined up in their places facing the altar, knelt down, and touched the stage. Dietlinde’s headpiece swayed heavily with each movement. I was more nervous about whether it would topple than about anything else.

“I am one who offers prayers and gratitude to the gods who created the world.”

At the moment the lord candidates voiced this, a magic circle appeared on the pure white stage of the dedication dance. Since no one else seemed to see it, I stayed silent and stared at the stage.

As the music began, the dancers slowly stood up. Their hands rose with gentle movements, and their fluttering sleeves swayed. The dedication dance had begun.

…Oh, she really intended to shine.

Soon after the dance started, the mana stones Dietlinde was wearing glimmered faintly. Tiny lights twinkled at her wrists, in her hair, scattered across her body. Being the only one glowing, she certainly drew attention. But her dancing itself wasn’t that skilled. Perhaps because her head was heavy, her axis wobbled noticeably every time she turned.

“Oh, the goddess of light is shining. Was it like this during Rosemine’s practice?”

Foster Father whispered quietly, and Charlotte shook her head with a faint smile.

“My older sister’s mana stones were of a different quality. Along with many amulets, her iridescent mana stone hair ornament shone vividly—not just small flickers like this. But rather than being beautiful, we were more anxious about if and when blessings might leak.”

Charlotte’s words made me break out in a cold sweat. At that time, I was desperately trying to prevent blessings from leaking and had no idea how I appeared. Could it be that I stood out even more than Dietlinde now?

“…Um, did I really stand out more than Dietlinde just now?”

“Yes, even while dancing together, your light was distracting enough to draw attention. You were definitely more noticeable.”

…Nooo! To be more noticeable than Dietlinde—how much did people think I craved attention?!

However, the glowing only lasted a few seconds at a time. The light suddenly vanished. Dietlinde, apparently noticing the disappearance, furrowed her brows slightly before the light flickered again a few seconds later. This cycle repeated.

The blinking lights naturally drew my gaze. At first, I thought she was blinking the light to stand out, but on closer observation, every time the mana stones dimmed, Dietlinde frowned slightly and lit them up again. It didn’t seem intentional.