Published: August 10, 2026
"But I was told that if the mana is too thin, Jurgenschmidt will collapse. Did Lord Ferdinand tell you to complete The Book of Mestionora?"
"He told me something along the lines of, since you have more of it, hurry up and die so The Book of Mestionora can be completed."
...Aervelmine-sama, you fiend!
"Lord Ferdinand, let's leave Aervelmine-sama out of this and start by verifying whether The Book of Mestionora really needs to be completed. If we supply mana to the national border gate, we should be able to buy a little more time."
"You are always so optimistic and carefree... Weren't you the one who ruined my plan?"
Ferdinand, who had been lying face down, turned only his face toward me and glared resentfully.
It seemed Ferdinand had gone to Aervelmine in order to complete the knowledge needed to create a Gultrishite magic tool for the royal family. However, because I was inside, he was recognized as the same person and couldn't enter. Then, when he visited again in spring, I had already taken the remaining portion of The Book of Mestionora with me, so he couldn't fill in the missing pieces of knowledge.
"If you were thinking about something that important, you should have told me. I intended to become the king's adopted daughter and obtain Gultrishite in the underground archive. I didn't know anything about your plan, so I don't know what you expect me to say."
"You're the one who doesn't report important matters to me, so I don't want to hear that from you. When I first made my plan, it was when the other duchies started saying they wanted to make you the head priest of the Central Temple. At the very least, I was never informed that you would become the king's adopted daughter."
Ferdinand slowly sat up with deep furrows between his brows and leaned against the wall. At his words, I briefly lost mine.
Ferdinand hadn't told me anything, either, but I also hadn't told him the important things. I sat down beside him and tried to explain.
"...I was told by Foster Father and the royal family that I wasn't to tell anyone. I had plenty of things I wanted to consult Lord Ferdinand about, and even more complaints that could only be said in a secret room."
"I don't care about your complaints, so remove these manacles."
...They do matter! Listen to me!
He brushed me off so casually, but I knew that removing the manacles and discussing Gultrishite and the current state of Arensbach were more important than my complaints. I touched the manacles held out in front of me. There was no keyhole visible in the smooth surface.
"If this is something that can be removed, I'll take it off right away, but how do I remove it? I don't have a key. Does Lord Ferdinand know where it is?"
I asked while searching the manacles for a keyhole, and Ferdinand gave me a look of exasperation.
"You can see the keyhole?"
"I can't, so I'm searching."
"What is your Sacred Scripture for, then? If you don't know, look it up. You don't use a key; you use the magic circle for unlocking. I have several versions from different eras as well, so compare them and fill in the missing parts of the magic circle to develop it."
"...I feel like you're asking something incredibly difficult."
I hadn't been using The Book of Mestionora much because I was worried about being seen by others, so I couldn't think of it at all. Perhaps Ferdinand used it daily. While thinking that, I invoked "Gultrishite" and brought out The Book of Mestionora, then searched for how to remove the manacles.
"What is that shape? Again with the absurdity... Whether it's your Mount or your Sacred Scripture, everything of yours has such strange shapes."
Seeing my The Book of Mestionora, which looked like a tablet, Ferdinand said that in a tired voice and slowly shook his head.
"The shape may be absurd, but my The Book of Mestionora is highly capable. Even in the dark, the 'screen' glows so I can read it, and if I enter the word I want to look up here, I can search for it easily. Amazing, right?"
I proudly boasted about how excellent my The Book of Mestionora was. As I puffed out my chest, Ferdinand made a strangely puzzled face.