The Defense of Ehrenfest (Second Half)

The Defense of Ehrenfest (Second Half)

The Defense of Ehrenfest (Second Half)

Charlotte — Supporters of the Rear Guard

“Here is what you ordered, Lady Charlotte. We will now begin work on today’s portion.”

“It is thanks to your dedication that Lord Bonifatius and the others can fight without restraint. Please continue your hard work.”

I exchanged the order form I’d received last night for the completed potions and magic tools, then left the castle’s brewing room. I needed to deliver everything to Brunhilde, who was working in the castle’s kitchen—well, the room for attendants right beside it.

“Lady Charlotte, are you taking all that to the kitchen yourself...?” my attendant Kathrein asked. “Would it not be better to entrust the task to someone else and—”

“Oh my. I intend to go there anyway as part of my patrol. And is it not obvious that I would want to express my thanks to Brunhilde, who has been managing these support lines on her own since yesterday afternoon? I fear that something might be troubling her by this point.”

“You have become exceptionally active since putting on your riding clothes...” Kathrein said with a titter.

Normal clothes were generally being worn in the northern building and other locations with protective barriers, but in the castle proper, women were wearing riding clothes as a matter of course—Kathrein included. It meant we could mobilize as soon as we needed to, so for the past three days or so, I’d also been wearing them, with feystone armor hardened underneath.

The feystone armor in question was the same kind one learned to make during one’s second year at the Royal Academy. It was light and primarily protected one’s back and chest. The professors had told us we all needed to know how to make it or else we would end up in trouble when danger came. Still, I’d never thought the day would come when I would actually need to use it.

I do appreciate being able to move better, but still...

Every morning when I put on my riding clothes and when I saw the castle’s nobles wince at the sight of such uncouthly dressed women, I was reminded of the abnormal situation Ehrenfest was currently facing. I couldn’t help but pray that our lives would return to normal soon enough.

“Lady Charlotte. I did not expect you to come to the kitchen. You can always summon me if you require my services.”

Brunhilde had stopped instructing the chefs and was staring at me in surprise. She looked just as mobile and active as I did, perhaps because she, too, was wearing her riding clothes.

“I was already headed in this direction on patrol. And with how little I can contribute, I would not dare summon you away from such important duties. I came to give you the rejuvenation potions and magic tools from the scholars. And while I am here, I wish to give a report on our latest meeting...”

Brunhilde must have realized that my report was too important to be delivered through an ordonnanz; once she had finished instructing those around her, she cleared the room and produced a sound-blocking magic tool.

“Carrying out such an important duty on your own cannot be easy...” I said. “Are you having any problems that you might be hesitant to bring up during a meeting?”

Brunhilde, who was due to become the archduke’s second wife, was here by the kitchen because she was in charge of sending supplies to the front lines. She had the important duties of directing the castle’s chefs and sending the finished provisions to the knights engaged in combat. She also passed along any magic tools and rejuvenation potions the scholars sent over. It was because Brunhilde and those working with her were maintaining the supply lines with such assiduousness that Lord Bonifatius’s group had managed to fight in Illgner and Griebel for so many days in a row. One could say she was fighting her own battle within the castle’s walls.

“I am fine,” Brunhilde replied. “Though I am tackling this position alone, my duties make up but a portion of the work I was carrying out already.”

In truth, it was Mother’s duty as the archduke’s first wife to oversee the food and other essentials being sent to the front lines. She had been in charge of them until yesterday morning, with plenty of support from Brunhilde and me. Going through the process with her had taught us the proper order of things, whom to ask for what, when to distribute supplies, and how much to send at a time, among other things.

Once Brunhilde had picked up everything she’d needed to know, she had received the role in full, thus completing the handover process. Mother was having to guard a hidden passageway in case Lady Georgine’s group tried to invade the castle, and it was important that the flow of supplies not be suddenly interrupted when that time came.

“Your managing of the city’s shipments has allowed us to focus on hosting the knights,” I said. “According to Lord Bonifatius, Lady Georgine should make her move very soon.”

Ahrensbach’s invasion force had apparently retreated every time our knights had tried to challenge them. This meant there were very few casualties on both sides, but the scope of our enemies’ invasion had steadily increased over the past few days. We believed their goal was to draw our knights away from the castle and divide them before launching their attack, but even knowing that, Lord Bonifatius couldn’t return with his troops while Ehrenfest’s mana was being stolen.

“I am more concerned about you than about myself, Lady Charlotte. The air in the castle is as sharp as a knife, and the aub has ordered you to operate with Lord Karstedt when the time comes, no?” Brunhilde asked with a respectful smile.

The previous afternoon, Father had instructed me to work with the knight commander in the event of an emergency. His order was tantamount to recognizing that I was due to become the next aub, not my brother. I would serve as Father’s representative in the archduke’s office while he stayed with the foundation.

Father had asked me the status of my resolve, then told me the location of our duchy’s foundation and the nature of the High Bishop’s key. I personally believed that Melchior would grow up to be a much better aub than I—he had been raised to appreciate religious ceremonies, and schtappes were now being obtained much later—but it wouldn’t have made sense to give him my current duties. He hadn’t even obtained his schtappe yet.

“How is Lord Wilfried?” Brunhilde asked at length.

“My brother was informed about his engagement’s cancellation a full year before the news was made public. He has firmly refused to become the next aub, so my assignment to the role in an emergency should not bother him. His retainers, on the other hand, must be finding it hard to accept that he is being kept out of the loop.”

The retainers in question had kicked up quite a fuss when I, not my brother, was attached to the knight commander. That much was to be expected; they had yet to learn that my sister was being adopted into the royal family, that her engagement to my brother had been canceled, and that their charge was no longer the next aub.

“However,” I continued, “with Kirnberger’s knights spreading rumors as they are, most nobles have no choice but to accept the truth of our situation.”

In the aftermath of our archducal meeting—when Rozemyne had revealed so many secrets during an emotional outburst—Mother had sworn everyone in attendance to silence. But that magic contract was no longer enough; Kirnberger’s knights who had come as reinforcements, largely thanks to my brother’s connections, spoke openly of what Father had said and done during his visit to their province. The news was quickly spreading that my sister had the Grutrissheit, that the first prince had given her a courtship necklace, and that Kirnberger’s country gate had activated for the first time in two hundred years. Such rumors made the cancellation of my brother’s engagement obvious and stressed why I was chosen to act alongside the knight commander.

“I did not think Father would return without first silencing Kirnberger’s knights...” I mused. “Mother must have the headache of a lifetime. I was hoping the battle would end before circumstances required me to work with Lord Karstedt, for fear of destabilizing the nobility even further... But at this point, I think it might be inevitable.”

“Personally... I am glad that people now know the seat of aub would go to you if something happened before Lord Melchior came of age,” Brunhilde said. “I understand your concerns, since your first duty involves the very fate of our duchy’s foundation, but the Leisegangs must understand the archducal family’s stance on these matters.” Her voice then lowered to a whisper as she added, “Well, assuming Lord Wilfried stays on board...”

The archducal family couldn’t risk being divided at a time like this; it would only create an opening for the Leisegangs to exploit. I wanted to respectfully bow my head to Brunhilde, who was keeping her promise to control the Leisegangs even in these dire and busy times.

“I shall strive to reward your dedication,” I said. “In any case, I see no reason to believe Lady Georgine will stop short. Perhaps I should consider it inevitable that our nobles will discover the truth.”

“Indeed. Lady Georgine must believe she has a good chance of achieving her aim, else she would never have launched such an indiscreet assault. Lord Bonifatius concurs, and the aub will stay with the foundation for as long as he needs to. Though I will pray this battle does not last much longer.”

Even now that my sister had taken Ahrensbach’s foundation and rescued Uncle, the forces invading us weren’t deterred in the slightest. She had enough influence to stop the knights belonging to Ahrensbach, but a letter had informed us she was currently asleep. Given the circumstances, Uncle planned to bring Dunkelfelger’s volunteers into Ehrenfest to support us further.

“Last night,” I said, “Gerlach was attacked in the same manner as Illgner. The invaders retreated at the first sign of a fight, so Gerlach’s knights are fine for now, but the time will come when they will need reinforcements. It makes me wonder—will my uncle join the fray before Lord Bonifatius and his troops are stretched too thin?”

We might not have known how long this battle would endure, but tensions in the castle would clearly only continue to rise.

Brunhilde pondered the question. “As I understand it, the journey from Ahrensbach’s castle to the border gate it shares with Ehrenfest takes two days by highbeast. I cannot say whether Lord Ferdinand would make it in time, but several giebes sent reinforcements in response to the aub’s and Lord Bonifatius’s calls for aid. Are they expected to make it in time?”

“Most certainly. Troops from Haldenzel arrived soon after those from Kirnberger. In fact, I came here specifically to announce their arrival. I suspect this gives us enough knights to defend the Noble’s Quarter.”

Brunhilde clapped her hands together, a joyous smile spread across her face. “Goodness! That is most welcome news. The hole left by Lord Bonifatius’s knights has almost entirely been filled, then.”

“Precisely. But with so many more mouths to feed, the castle’s food stocks must be under a lot of pressure. It is said that war cannot be waged on an empty stomach...”

The arrival of reinforcements was reassuring enough, but it also meant we needed more food, rejuvenation potions, magic tools, and so on. We currently had these supplies in excess, since we had been preparing for this battle for over a month, but not only were we unsure how long the war would continue, we also hadn’t expected to host so many extra knights.

“Furthermore—though I must apologize for asking at all—could you send Leisegang a request to aid us?”

“You may rest assured—I have nudged them several times since it was decided that Kirnberger’s reinforcements would come and that Haldenzel would participate. The teleportation circle in the giebe’s estate will be linked this afternoon.”