Published: August 10, 2026
It is possible to go directly from the altar to the Garden of Beginnings during the ritual for receiving blessings, but if Prince Hildebrandt had done that, the people around him should have reacted very differently. So the door Prince Hildebrandt opened must have been the one on the side of the altar. It was the same entrance I used at the noble academy when I actually obtained my stave, so there was no mistake.
"Zent apparently gave permission for Prince Hildebrandt to obtain a stave if he wished to."
"That can't be."
I shook my head unconsciously at Alstede's words, denying them. If one increases mana through mana compression and becomes able to receive many of the gods' blessings through prayers, then handling one's mana later becomes troublesome, so it is better to avoid obtaining a stave at a young age. I had told the royal family that, and had them move the acquisition of the stave back from first year to third year.
"I explained to the royal family the disadvantages of obtaining a stave when young. There is no way Zent would have granted permission when it would cause Prince Hildebrandt trouble later."
Prince Hildebrandt had been making efforts such as mana compression and studying ancient language so that he could enter the underground archive and be of help to the royal family. His mana would continue to increase as he grew. Even knowing that, I did not think his father, Zent, would grant permission.
"Calm down, Rozemyne. From Alstede's story alone, we cannot know whether Zent truly gave permission. Alstede herself was not present; this is only hearsay. What we do know is only that Raobroot incited the prince and had him open the door."
"Isn't that an outrageously vile betrayal?"
At Ferdinand's words, my anger toward Raobroot only grew. Raobroot is the knights order commander. If we think in terms of Ehrenfest, he is in the same position as Father, Karlstedt. It is just like if the knights order commander Father told Melchior before some object that Foster Father had rejected, "At last, Aub's permission has been granted."
Among my guard knights too, if Father said, "Thanks to my recommendation, Aub's permission has been granted. There is no problem," how many would doubt him? I doubt there are many attendants who would say, "I cannot trust Karlstedt-sama's words at all. Let us confirm directly with Aub." That is how much the knights order commander, who is also a Guard Knight, is trusted.
"I certainly think it is a vile betrayal, but if he was incited, then the prince must have wanted a stave to begin with. There is no point in inciting someone to do something they never wanted in the first place."
Ferdinand said it bluntly, that Hildebrandt Prince had been taken advantage of precisely because he wanted to obtain a stave, though I do not know for what reason he desired it.
"Getting a stave at such a young age is an idiotic act, but if he still wanted it despite knowing that, then it simply means his wish was fulfilled. Including the fact that even the people from Lanzenave were given staves, let them suffer all the trouble later. It is not something you need to worry yourself about."
Ferdinand cut off the discussion about Prince Hildebrandt, as if saying, "Do not try to carry everything yourself, fool," and looked down at Alstede with a snort.
"He is clearly just deceiving the royal family. In this state, it can hardly be called cooperation from the royal family. Do not tell such sloppy lies."
Alstede shook her violet-tinged blue hair, then closed her mouth and lowered her gaze once.
"The royal family cooperating with us is not Prince Hildebrandt. It is Lord Gervasio."
"I see. So royalty, yes, but not the royalty of Jurgenschmidt—the royalty of Lanzenave..."
"...Lord Gervasio is already a member of the royal family of Jurgenschmidt."
At Alstede's unexpected words, the atmosphere in the room changed in an instant. The guard knights raised their voices with, "What do you mean?" and tension rippled through the air. Ferdinand's expression turned severe. A deep crease formed between his brows. Then he began tapping his temple with his fingertips.