Ascendance of a Bookworm

“Still, the dedication ceremony is basically when the royal family gathers mana, and the other territories deepen their understanding of the rituals. For Ehrenfest, it’s just a way to buy time for handover and preparation. It’s not a benefit.”

“...Even though Rosemine requested it, it doesn’t lead to any benefit? Why did you ask for something that doesn’t bring profit?”

Siegiswald’s eyes showed a hint of caution as he asked. But why would anyone think that a year of preparation would be profitable? I quietly exhaled.

“Prince Siegiswald, if you were told it was urgent and had to immediately move to another territory and live there, could you just move? I don’t think royal duties are so simple that no handover is needed. Can preparation time for moving really be considered a benefit?”

“You are an adult, and you are still a minor. No matter how much you are working, there is a big difference in responsibility and workload.”

His smile was pleasant, but I realized that our understanding of the work I explained needing handover was very different. The royal family apparently sees my work as merely assisting Aub.

...Ah, that’s why they think once the royal family’s preparations are done, it can happen immediately.

“Prince Siegiswald, the reason my handover takes time is because I am the person responsible. Regarding printing and the temple, I’m not assisting my foster father or training for the future—I am currently working as the head of the business.”

“Rosemine, aren’t you a minor? Surely you have adult guardians?”

Siegiswald said gently with a strained smile. I returned a cold smile.

“Lord Ferdinand has gone to Arensbach. You took my guardian away by royal decree, and now you say that? There is no guardian for me at the temple right now. I am both temple head and orphanage director, and the high priest is my attendant. The attendant will follow me wherever I move, so I have to train the successors for temple head, orphanage director, and high priest in just one year.”

It’s not that the handover was not done to an adult. The real problem is that my moving together with them is impossible. There is no way Hartmut will stay in Ehrenfest. If I move to the center, no matter what unreasonable demands I make, he will come along after the handover. I’m certain of that.

...I don’t want to be so sure, but Clarissa will definitely be with me!

“I have to memorize all the ritual blessing incantations in one year, and also understand the preparation and progress of the rituals. These rituals directly affect the territory’s harvest, and without reading the old script, I can’t read the Sacred Scripture of the temple head. Don’t you see that a handover is not so simple?”

Perhaps because of the workload, but when I smiled at the royal family member who still couldn’t read the old language, Siegiswald blinked as if probing my true meaning and stared at me for a while, then muttered in a strained voice:

“What is Aub Ehrenfest thinking? To make such a young child the true person in charge is unthinkable.”

“My attendant, who took over the high priestship from Lord Ferdinand, is an adult, so Foster Father and Lord Ferdinand must have thought it was not a problem. They should have trained a successor during the time before I reached adulthood. It’s a problem if you think Ehrenfest is like the center, where excellent personnel come from everywhere.”

You said Ehrenfest has a shortage of talent, right? I pressed the point, and Siegiswald slightly lowered his gaze. It seemed he was only now realizing how big the difference in understanding was.

“In a normal marriage, it would take about one to two years to pack personal belongings, prepare what’s needed for the new life, and say goodbyes to those around you, right? If you move territory, isn’t it natural to be given about a year for preparation, and not something you could call a benefit?”

I implicitly criticized the royal family for not even allowing that natural time, while my thoughts drifted to future plans. Considering the printing business and negotiations with Gutenberg who won’t return from Kilnberga until autumn, I would actually like two to three years.