Published: August 10, 2026
"Lady Hannelore, the spinning of the threads of the goddess of time, Dreffangua, seems to have gone very smoothly. This afternoon, we will move to Arensbach, and then return to Dunkelfelger as is. Please rest comfortably in your room until it is time to depart."
"...I thought I had been invited today for an order for a hair ornament?"
Hannelore turned toward me with a puzzled look. I smiled and shook my head.
After praying together and mourning the dead, Hannelore seemed to have calmed down a little. She looked relaxed, and a bit sleepy.
"If it's only taking orders for hair ornaments, that can be done anytime. Lady Hannelore's condition is more important, so please prioritize resting your body."
"I'm very grateful for your concern, so I'll go back to my room as you say for now, Lady Rosemine. But I'm very much looking forward to being able to order a hair ornament from your personal attendant."
Hannelore gave a mischievous smile, then offered her farewell: "The threads of Dreffangua will intertwine by the third bell," before returning to the guest room in the main building.
After seeing Hannelore and her attendants off, I was just about to return to my own room when Darmel suddenly took out his stave and assumed a guarded stance. Judith did the same. I strengthened my vision as well.
I could see a Mount approaching. There was also another Mount following behind it. The white lion-like Mount speeding toward us had to be Ferdinand.
"Oh my, Lord Ferdinand. Good morning. You're awfully early."
When I waved and called out, Ferdinand, on top of his Mount, made a face like he had just bitten into something bitter and looked over me and my attendants as he landed on the balcony.
"Was that an attack timed for dawn, when the night shift begins to tire? Or was it you who released an absurd amount of mana at this hour?"
"I was mourning the dead together with Lady Hannelore. The people of Ilkner, Gerlach, and those who died here in Ehrenfest will be heading toward the supreme deity and the far heights with this dawn. ...I had no intention of waking you while you were resting, Lord Ferdinand. I apologize."
If anyone needed rest the most, it was surely Ferdinand, yet he had rushed out because he thought our prayers might be an attack. Even if the guard knights had informed the knights order, there was no way they would have sent a message to Ferdinand at the library outside the castle saying, "We're about to begin a memorial prayer."
"No, the medicine had just worn off, so there's no problem. ...Do you need it too? You'll sleep like the dead without dreaming for the space of one bell. It's useful when you don't have time."
"Sleeping without dreaming is a little tempting, but if I think about being unable to wake up for two days again, I hesitate."
I also needed to recover quickly if I wanted to go around checking on the temple and downtown. But with the memory of being left behind in Arensbach still so vivid, I was a little wary of Ferdinand's medicine.
"It's something that will wake you in a short time whether you like it or not. ...By the third bell, you'll have to meet the Gilberta Trading Company at the library, won't you? Do you intend to meet the seamstresses with a face like that from lack of sleep?"
At his remark, I pressed a hand to my face. There had been fighting in Ehrenfest too, and I had heard that Father had done something reckless at the West Gate. Tulli would be worried after hearing about that, and I couldn't let Tulli or my family worry about me too.
It was a little against my wishes to do the same thing as Ferdinand, who seemed to be full of medicine, but I decided to take the sleeping pill he apparently treasured so much and sleep.
"Rosemine, is your condition unusual? ...Ah, that was not the question I should have asked."
"Lord Ferdinand, I was planning to consult with you later, but Lady Rosemine seems to associate mana stones with battle, and even summoning her Mount has become difficult for her."
Since I had momentarily fallen silent, unable to think of what to say, Darmel answered in my place. Ferdinand furrowed his brow and said, "That is worse than I expected."