Prologue

Prologue

Prologue

“Ferdinand, I think it’s about time you told me what happened over the past two years,” Rozemyne said with a firm look when the man in question arrived at the High Bishop’s chambers. She was clean and well dressed, no longer covered in the jureve. Her tone was bright and there was a liveliness in her golden eyes, but her muscles had atrophied so much over the past two years of sleep that they could no longer support her, so she was lying limp on a bench, completely immobile.

Not a single person in recorded Ehrenfest history had slept in a jureve for such a long time, so she would no doubt be a valuable research subject when it came to analyzing the effects of using one for such an extensive period.

Rozemyne noticed Ferdinand falling into thought after glancing down at her. “Well?” she asked, just barely managing to tap an impatient finger against the table. “Are we going to talk or not?”

“...There is much we cannot discuss here. May we move to the hidden room?”

Not even in the temple could one carelessly discuss what had happened in the castle. But rather than confirming the request with a nod, Rozemyne simply closed her eyes.

“I don’t mind going to the hidden room, but I can’t exactly walk.”

“A fair point. Have you felt any changes since waking up? Are you slowly regaining the ability to move certain parts of your body? Can you say how close you are to being as mobile as you used to be, preferably in the form of an estimated percentage?”

As Ferdinand started listing off every question that came to mind, Rozemyne gave a smile so bright that it was blatantly fake. “You really are a (mad scientist),” she said.

Ferdinand didn’t know what a “mad scientist” was, but he could tell it was an insult of some sort. Without a word, he flicked her on the forehead.

“Ouchie!” She cried out as she usually would, but she couldn’t reflexively rub her head. Her movements were too sluggish; it took her some time just to raise a hand.

...If she is in this state now, just how long will it take for her muscles to recover enough for her to move normally? What needs to be done? She will ideally return to her usual self soon, but it is possible the process will take too long for her to attend the Royal Academy in time.

Ferdinand silently opened the door to the hidden room, pondering what medicine and magic tools could be used to get Rozemyne out of this situation. Fran and Zahm carried her inside on the bench, then promptly exited and closed the door behind them. The moment they were gone, Rozemyne’s expression morphed into an unhappy frown.

“Just so you know, Ferdinand, I really feel like (Urashima Taro) right now!”

“Who or what is that...? I do not understand your words.”

“You were the first person I saw when I woke up, but you look exactly the same as you always do, down to the creases between your brows, so it didn’t really hit me that two years had actually passed. But Nicola and Monika are both of age now; they have their hair up, their skirts are long... And even Gil’s super tall now, so...”

Both Wilfried and Charlotte had left her behind as well. Ferdinand was well aware of this, but he chose to remain silent. Given that Rozemyne had worked almost foolishly hard to be an excellent and respectable big sister, he didn’t even want to imagine how she would react to learning that her little sister was now taller than her.

I suppose I will need to face the aftermath eventually, though...

Ferdinand let out a heavy sigh, then immediately realized Rozemyne’s mana was likely wavering. Her voice became increasingly distraught, and her worried eyes shifted in color from their familiar gold to a violently shifting rainbow.

“Everyone’s left me behind! I’m in a whole new world, and I don’t know anything! It feels so... so terrible! So scary!”

“Rozemyne, calm yourself.”

“I can’t! I mean, everyone is different now! Everyone but me...”

“That is not true—your mana flow has changed over the past two years. But you are going to lose control over it if you do not compose yourself.”

Ferdinand could already see Rozemyne’s mana stirring. Having expected this, he took out a feystone from his back hip pouch and pressed it against her forehead. It was filled with mana in the blink of an eye, as was the next he pulled out, and the next.

Rozemyne gasped and opened her eyes. She blinked several times, then inhaled deeply to catch her breath. Only once her emotions were under control did she weakly stretch out a shaking hand to grip Ferdinand’s sleeve, just as she had done upon awakening in the jureve.