Intuition and Charm

“Head back, Sylvester. We’ve already faced two ambushes during this Spring Prayer. I won’t allow you to accompany us any further,” Ferdinand’s warning carried weight, echoing the events at Leisengang’s manor and the subsequent darkness barrier cast over farmers from another duchy. Fortunately, none of my subjects were lost, but Myne, exhausted from expending her mana, passed out. Karstedt’s attack left no trace of our opponents behind.

If we had been ordinary blue priests and shrine maidens, the ambush might have succeeded. But my presence as the archduke allowed me to protect Ehrenfest’s citizens, while also preventing an escalation of the situation with the neighboring duchy. We also uncovered the presence of farmers from another duchy among the attackers. Since I was disguised as a blue priest, I needed to return to the castle before their failed ambush prompted an investigation.

“If anything were to happen to you, the archduke, we would have a significant problem. You should understand that much, right?”

“I planned to return with Karstedt even without your nagging, as we have accomplished our current goal.”

Using Ferdinand’s gathered information as a basis, I had been surveying the duchy. While that was one of my objectives, the primary one was to observe Myne, who is set to become Karstedt’s adopted daughter.

It was regrettable to cut my Spring Prayer short. It was much more enjoyable than my duties at the castle, but it was unavoidable.

“Ferdinand, I’ll leave the unconscious blue shrine maiden and the rest to you…” I headed to the carriage and spoke to the gray priest who had accompanied us, “And you, prepare a change of clothes for me.” I had played the role of a blue priest for Myne, but returning to the castle in such attire was out of the question.

After changing, I handed Karstedt a sound-blocking tool for easier communication in the sky. Then, Karstedt and I summoned our highbeasts. I refrained from summoning mine during Spring Prayer to avoid it being recognized as the archduke’s highbeast. As we finished preparations, Ferdinand gave us instructions, “Sylvester, strengthen the duchy’s borders upon your return, and thoroughly investigate Bindewald and Seitzen of Ahrensbach. Revisit Gerlach, Wiltord, and Garduhn. Also, look into the nobles at the castle connected to the High Bishop. They might have a link to Veroni—”

“Wait! You can’t expect me to remember all that. Contact me after Spring Prayer, and I’ll go to the temple to discuss it there.”

Waving off Ferdinand, who seemed eager to increase my workload, he frowned at me and said, “There is no need for you to come to the temple. Didn’t you achieve your goal at this Spring Prayer?”

“I am concerned precisely because I have achieved my goal. Myne becomes a risk when she gets emotional and struggles to control her mana and she tends to refuse to listen. Do you not think the potential danger outweighs the benefits?”

Ferdinand raised an eyebrow as I spoke of Myne—of her unusually high mana capacity despite her being a commoner, as well as of her tendency to lose control of her emotions.

“She might seem dangerous if one only focuses on her mana, but as you can see, we can guide her. Direct her to rely on defense, and forsake offense. Myne only knows how to pray emotionally, and she doesn’t understand how to control or limit it. Once she learns in the Royal Academy, she won’t use mana so recklessly.”

“Defending her, are you?”

I was surprised to hear that Ferdinand had declared himself her guardian in front of the Knight’s Order. I would have never expected him to care for the child.

It must be that he is recalling the memories of my doting on him, and that’s my contribution to his character.

As I was smirking at the idea that I was rubbing off on him as his older brother, Ferdinand scoffed, raising his eyes sharply and said, “The burden of the ceremony on me will vary significantly depending on how you choose to deal with that gremlin. Assess whether she poses a threat, but it would be more prudent to deal with her after this year’s Harvest Festival. Your uncle, the High Bishop, cannot conduct the Spring Prayer in Myne’s stead.”

Although this Spring Prayer was carried out in an abnormal way, it allowed for an assesment of Myne’s mana capacity. It also benefited me if Ferdinand protected her.

“I need to check her usefulness beyond mana so I will have to see for myself what she does in the temple. Contact me after the Spring Prayer, okay?” I gave Ferdinand a triumphant smile and took to the skies on my highbeast.

Upon returning to the castle, my attendant, Rihyarda, intercepted me with evident concern and said, “Lord Sylvester! Where have you been?! You instructed me not to contact you by ordonnanz due to an investigation within the duchy. But next time, please inform us of your destination before leaving. Personal investigations are not tasks for archdukes; they should be delegated to scholars or knights.”

Rihyarda’s reprimand was stern, especially given my recent involvement in Spring Prayer with Ferdinand. However, I couldn’t disclose the specifics to my retainers for a reason, so I half-heartedly explained, “If I had revealed my destination, certain individuals might have gone into hiding or fled due to an information leak. Besides, with the Archduke Conference approaching, it wasn’t something I could assign to scholars or knights.”

“That may be true, but—”

“Ferdinand brought it up, and despite appearances, I wasn’t alone. Karstedt accompanied me. Keep that in mind.”

Rihyarda sighed, relenting on her lecture. She was aware of Ferdinand’s challenges within the castle, given my mother’s influence. Rihardya was among his few allies.

“How is he doing?”

“He’s doing well, well enough to delegate troublesome work to me.”

“Troublesome work?”

“We have identified someone who could greatly benefit the duchy, but she is challenging to handle. Ferdinand asked me to undertake some preliminary work to prevent her from being taken by other nobles.”

Rihayarda’s expression softened as I updated her on Ferdinand’s status. Since Ferdinand had distanced himself from politics by moving to the temple, his movements were still restricted.

“I’ll be in the archducal brewing room for a while. Did you prepare the ingredients I requested by ordonnanz?”

“The scholar seemed reluctant when they prepared this box—they insisted that these ingredients are only to be used in the castle.”

Rihayarda placed the small box on the table, checking if I needed anything beyond the ingredients.

After confirming the box contained the required items, I assured her, “Don’t worry; the next time I leave, it’ll be after Ferdinand contacts me.”

“Lord Sylvester!”

I winced at her angry stare again, but I had promised to venture into the commoner forest. I had no intention of backing out. Taking the box containing the ingredients, I swiftly headed to the archducal brewing room.

The room was utilized for crafting magic tools exclusive to the archducal family. I arranged the brewing ingredients and began drawing the necessary magic circle—an activity Ferdinand enjoys as a hobby but holds little appeal for me.

“I think it’s best to have this ready, but how should I approach it? Commoners cannot wield mana, but can Myne? Should I prepare a magic item tailored for nobles?”

Myne did use mana during the Dedication Ritual and Spring Prayer, protecting her attendants during the ambush by invoking a prayer to the gods. Even though she possesses a mana capacity that differs her from a commoner, her unique ways of utilizing her mana didn’t align with what is taught at the Royal Academy.

“Perhaps I should create a magic tool usable by commoners, one that utilizes a blood stamp as a means to activate the contract magic. She likely won’t have her blood splattering all over the place in her everyday life.”

A tool for commoners who can’t wield mana, a way to easily activate contract magic. Once the darkness feystone absorbs blood, it signifies agreement to be adopted into the archducal family.

“Ferdinand said he has no intention of bringing Myne into the archducal family, and might consider me meddling unnecessary, but…”

Lost in thought, I gazed at the completed magic tool that resembled a necklace. Ferdinand opposed the idea, but I believed it was in Myne’s best interest to be part of the archducal family. Her unfathomable amount of mana displayed during the Spring Prayer, her unique way of thinking, etiquette and harspiel skills that couldn’t be attributed solely to her time in the temple, and her memories from another world—all pointed to the need to protect Myne by adopting her into the archducal family. Without doing so, she could fall prey to another noble, and attending the Royal Academy as an archnoble might result in her being snagged away by another duchy.

Ferdinand had expressed dissatisfaction with my plan, stating, “I have no intention of having her follow the same path as me. I can’t imagine your mother welcoming Myne either.”

While she had been a loving mother to me, she had faced harsh criticism for being unable to produce a son for an extended period. She insisted on appointing me as the next archduke immediately after my birth and harbored resentment towards Ferdinand, thinking he posed a threat to my position.

Myne and Ferdinand occupied different positions—an adopted daughter and a biological son. Their experiences would differ. Yet, Myne faces disdain from my mother’s younger brother, the High Bishop. Additionally, she is a blue shrine maiden under Ferdinand’s protection. It was likely she would receive more hostility than affection.

I understood that Ferdinand didn’t want to bring Myne into the archducal family, but…

Reflecting on the Spring Prayer ambush, I doubted they had noticed my presence. If their aim was to secretly attack the archduke, a much larger force would have been required. The attackers were notably weak, with only two individuals possessing such meager mana that they would not have been detected if not for our layknight, Damuel. Even if we had sat quietly in the carriage with the darkness barrier, it wouldn’t have been enough to harm me.

Their target was likely Myne or Ferdinand.

Furthermore, half of the commoners in the ambush were from another duchy, beyond my aub’s protection’s reach. The High Bishop is currently unaware of Myne’s worth and has distanced himself from her, but if her value were to be revealed and my mother began making moves, then the situation would grow beyond Ferdinand’s influence.

Despite my initial reservation, I had created the necklace. However, I feel hesitation in giving it to Myne. Ferdinand informed me that being part of the archducal family may not be the life she desires. As I tap the necklace with the darkness feystone at its center, I contemplate my decision.

“Even though Ferdinand opposes it, it’s something I should decide for myself when I make my assessment at the temple.”

I hoped the worst-case scenario for which I crafted this would never materialize, yet I had a feeling it was only a matter of time. As I left the archducal brewing room, I couldn’t help but furrow my brow as an unsettling premonition washed over me.