Spring Prayer in the Central District

Spring Prayer in the Central District

Spring Prayer in the Central District

Once it was the week before Spring Prayer, I was scheduled to return to the temple. Fran and the others were handling all of the necessary preparations, so I was just there to make any final checks. Selecting those who would accompany me, preparing the food, organizing carriages, preparing the guards, managing the orphanage during our absence... They were used to it all by now, and so almost everything was already complete.

Although the Plantin Company were going to be preparing our carriages, they wouldn’t be accompanying us themselves this time. They had their hands full getting the Gutenbergs ready for Haldenzel and making arrangements for the entwickeln that was going to follow. It seemed the scholars had already sent their messages, and from what Gil had told me, the lower city was in something of a panic.

I wrote letters to the Gilberta Company, the Plantin Company, and the Merchant’s Guild, describing the details of the entwickeln and the system planned for distinguishing merchants and noting that Elvira was going to be participating in the dyeing competition. It was information they had probably already received from the scholars, but I sent the correspondence anyway; Benno had told me that the more sources one had for their information, the better.

“Lady Rozemyne, the cloth and thread from the Gilberta Company has arrived,” Zahm informed me. “What shall we do with it?”

I needed to dye the cloth and thread with my mana, so I had asked for them to be delivered to the High Bishop’s chambers in the temple. I needed Ferdinand to come to my workshop before I could get started, though, since I didn’t have any ingredients of my own to use.

“Zahm, please inform the High Priest that there are materials I wish to dye and arrange a meeting. I would like to have all this done by Spring Prayer.”

Ferdinand agreed that it would be best to leave as much time for the embroidering as possible, and the dyeing was completed in no time at all. Incidentally, I tried using waschen for cleanup again, this time controlling my mana so as not to drown anyone.

“Angelica, please deliver this to Lieseleta and the others,” I said, sending the dyed materials to the castle alongside sheets of paper with the magic circles drawn on them. “Once that is done, I will grant you time off until Spring Prayer, since you will not have time to rest while guarding me throughout the journey.”

“I thank you ever so much. I will draw my own designs and prepare thread so that I can embroider my cape during the trip.”

It sure sounds girly for her to be killing time with embroidery, but don’t be fooled—she’s doing it to boost the defensive power of her armor.

After I watched Angelica happily fly away from the temple, Damuel looked down at me with a dissatisfied frown. “You’re always soft on girls, Lady Rozemyne.”

“Hm? But you’re the one who said you were fine taking your break after Spring Prayer. I took all of your opinions into account before making my decision,” I said, my brow furrowed, but Damuel just shook his head.

“I’m not talking about the time off. You immediately granted Angelica’s wish to embroider her cape, but you still haven’t found me a marriage partner. Didn’t you promise to ask Lady Elvira about it? Will my future betrothed be introduced to me at the Starbind Ceremony or something of the sort?”

“Honestly? I forgot to ask.”

“I knew it!” Damuel exclaimed. He collapsed to his knees, despair written on his face. I hadn’t realized just how eager he was to get married.

“Sorry about that. I’ll ask Mother later.”

“Are you going to forget again?” Damuel asked. Life was apparently hard for bachelors when the Starbind Ceremony approached.

Right. I actually need to remember this time!

I sent Damuel’s pleas to Elvira by ordonnanz before I forgot, and a number of days later, it was time for Spring Prayer.

“Lady Rozemyne, I am relieved to see you well,” Dad said, having come early in the morning with the platoon of guards who would be heading to Hasse. The wrinkles under his eyes conveyed that he was getting older, but the love in his gaze was as strong as ever and seeing it warmed my heart. I could also see the soldiers lined up behind Dad looking clearly glad that I was well.

“I apologize for worrying you all. I am quite fine now. I shall trust the guard to Gunther once again. Thank you for your service.”

“You may count on me!”

Gray priests and apprentices climbed into the carriages to switch places with the three gray priests we were bringing back. Hugo and Gil were already inside, as I understood it. I watched them off, praying for their safety on the road, and then went to prepare for the Spring Prayer this afternoon.

After lunch, I changed into my ceremonial robes, then moved by highbeast with Fran and Monika like always. Once Damuel and Angelica were ready, it was time to go.

“There are fewer places to visit this time, which should place less strain on your body,” Ferdinand said as he saw me off.

And with that, I soared up into the air in Lessy. Angelica was sitting in the passenger seat this time, a smile touching her lips as we flew over Ehrenfest. “This is my first time doing guard duty outside Ehrenfest,” she said. “Are we going to be fighting strong feybeasts?”

“We will be visiting the mansions where commoners live over the winter. I have no plans to visit anywhere strong feybeasts might appear.”

“What...? But how will we gather ingredients, then?”

Unfortunately for Angelica, who had evidently wanted to gather ingredients, deviating from the plan to do something dangerous would have comically severe consequences for me. It wasn’t going to happen.

“Why did you think we would be gathering ingredients?” I asked.

“The feystone that Damuel was going to give Brigitte wasn’t from the castle’s forest, so I thought he had gathered it while on guard duty for a ceremony. I thought for sure that the ceremony was an ingredient-collecting adventure filled with feybeast hunting...”

The first half was surprisingly accurate, but the second was completely wrong. The ceremony certainly wasn’t “an ingredient-collecting adventure,” as she had put it.

“This ceremony is about refilling the land with mana,” I explained.

“Oh...”

Fran and Monika let out chuckles from the back seat as Angelica visibly deflated. They must be surprised to hear that someone thought ceremonies and ingredient collecting were the same thing. I can understand why their bafflement would turn to nervous laughter.

“Angelica, that is the city of Hasse. The ivory building there is the monastery, where we will be staying tonight.”

It didn’t take long at all for us to reach Hasse. Even from high up in the air, we could see the enormous crowd gathered in the plaza before the winter mansion. The people began making an opening so that we could land.

“It’s Lady Rozemyne!”

“The High Bishop!”

Hasse welcomed us enthusiastically. I climbed out of Lessy and was immediately approached by Richt, the city’s mayor, and the local town chiefs. They all looked a little different than I remembered; in fact, one of the town chiefs was a new person entirely.

“We have been eagerly awaiting your return ever since those in the monastery informed us that you had awoken, High Bishop,” Richt said. I nodded at his greeting and then had Fran carry me to the stage; my robes would have gotten dirty otherwise, since the ground was muddy. It also would have been unthinkably shameful for me to step on my hem and fall over.

Fran set me down on the stage and prepared the chalice. Meanwhile, I expressed my thanks to the people of Hasse, who were gathered in front of the stage.

“I am told you have all taken good care of those in the monastery during my two years of sleep. Thank you. I shall express my gratitude to Hasse.”

An enthusiastic cheer ran through the crowd. I waved to them, after which Fran picked me up and set me down on the table. I confirmed that the five town chiefs had climbed up onto the stage with lidded buckets about ten liters in size, then reached out to the chalice.

“O Goddess of Water Flutrane, bringer of healing and change. O twelve goddesses who serve by her side. The Goddess of Earth Geduldh has been freed from the God of Life Ewigeliebe. I pray that you grant your younger sister the power to birth new life. I offer to you our joy and songs of glee. I offer to you our prayers and gratitude, so that we may be blessed with your purifying protection. I ask that you fill the thousand lives upon the wide mortal realm with your divine color.”

I poured mana into the chalice as I prayed, causing a glowing green liquid to flow out from within. Fran tilted the chalice, pouring the liquid into the lined-up town chiefs’ buckets.

After the ritual was over, I spoke with Richt about what had happened over the past two years, and when my little sister Charlotte came up, I made sure to brag about her. A lot had apparently piled up, and I stood up after hearing the gist of it all.

“I am relieved to know that Hasse has gotten back on its own two feet,” I said. “Now, I must visit the monastery as well, considering that it has been two years since I was last there. If you’ll excuse me.”

“The people of the monastery are no doubt just as eager to see you,” Richt replied. “Please, bring peace to their hearts.”

With the people of Hasse seeing me off, I flew to the monastery by highbeast. Upon our arrival, Fran and Monika opened the monastery door, allowing the gray priests and shrine maidens to come out to welcome me.

“Lady Rozemyne!”

“Greetings, everyone.”

Nora and the other former orphans of Hasse had all grown a lot since the last time I saw them. They were fully used to the orphanage now and didn’t seem shrouded with any regret whatsoever.

“Nora, you took the initiative in helping with Lily’s child, correct?” I asked. “None in the orphanage know much about births, and I am told that your guidance was essential.”

“I did not have much experience myself,” she replied. “Rather, it was the women of Hasse who truly helped. I was filled with relief when the child was born safely.”

“Is the child doing well...? Is he growing bigger?” Marthe asked timidly. I nodded with a smile; he had been quite energetic in the dining hall when I visited the orphanage.

“We need eyes on him at all times now that he has started to crawl. He tried crawling all the way over to me, so Lily had to hurriedly stop him. Has anything happened in the monastery?” I asked.

“Yes. We have started a field.”

The field itself was only as big as a home garden, but they had apparently started growing vegetables. Thore and Rick were heading the operation, and since the area surrounding the monastery was rich with mana, it gave excellent yields.

“It is good that you have found more to do,” I said. “However, take care not to focus so much on farming that you grow distant from printing and paper-making.”

“Of course.”

After supplying mana to the feystone in the chapel, I made my way to my room, changed, and then went to eat dinner. Nobles, gray priests, and soldiers all ate together here, albeit at separate tables.

“You may find the manners of the soldiers to be unpleasant, Angelica, but please overlook them for tonight.”

“Understood.”

After eating the food that Fran and Monika had served me, I moved to the table where the soldiers were beginning to lounge after finishing their own meals. There was something I needed to speak to them about. Dad noticed me first and straightened his back, while Fran prepared a chair for me at once so that I could sit down.

“Lady Rozemyne,” the soldiers said, hurriedly moving to kneel. I instructed them to sit back down before sitting in the chair now provided for me.

“I have news, as well as a request for you and all the other soldiers,” I said.

“What might that be?” they asked, leaning forward. I prefaced my answer by saying that I was sure the knights had informed them already and then explained that entwickeln was soon going to be performed.

“In short, there will be contracts signed during the Archduke Conference at the end of spring. Merchants from other duchies are going to be coming to Ehrenfest, and the lower city will be remodeled for cleanliness before then.”

“I felt it was fairly sudden, but now I understand why it is happening,” Dad said, nodding at my explanation and speaking politely as soldiers were trained to do. The soldiers had apparently been told about the upcoming entwickeln and instructed to provide assistance for adjusting the populace to the new rules, but they hadn’t been told why it was happening or what modifications were due to take place.

“If this remodeling does not beautify the lower city to the standards of other duchies,” I answered, “we will need to perform large-scale remodeling that will flip the entire lower city on its head.”

“The... entire lower city?” the soldiers asked, exchanging confused glances.

I looked at Dad head-on. “The entire city would be remodeled with a large-scale spell, in which case, only the ivory stone buildings made with the archduke’s mana would remain. The wooden parts where most live would all vanish.”

“What?!” The soldiers all inhaled sharply, their eyes wide. It came as no surprise that they were so taken aback; they themselves lived in the wooden parts of the lower city’s buildings.

“It is actually much simpler to design blueprints for changing the entire lower city rather than just the streets. These plans were only changed to minimize the impact on homes because I personally requested it.”

It was impossible for commoners to overturn the decisions of nobles; things often ended up being finished before they even knew they were happening. My dad swallowed, knowing well how tyrannical nobles were.

“Instead, we will be remodeling the streets and the ground beneath them,” I explained. “When we are done, we will need the help of citizens to make the changes stick and prevent the need for more drastic measures. I would like to ask for all of your assistance in teaching those of the lower city the dangers involved here.”