Duties of a Noble Apprentice

“Bertilde, please clear the dishes,” Ottilie instructed, and I began cleaning up after Lady Rozemyne’s lunch. Just then, Lieseleta and Hartmut arrived, placing medicine in front of Lady Rozemyne.

“Lady Rozemyne, please take this medicine and rest this afternoon. Your complexion has worsened.”

“But we don’t know how much time we have before Lady Georgine attacks, so I want to do as much as possible while I can…”

Having returned from the Royal Academy after going missing and experiencing rapid growth, Lady Rozemyne seemed to not yet be accustomed to her newly grown body. Despite that, she was diligently preparing various magic tools for Ehrenfest’s defense, anticipating Lady Georgine’s potential invasion.

“It would be more efficient to rest now rather than pushing yourself and being bedridden for several days. You used a considerable amount of mana this morning during the preparations, so Clarissa and I will likewise be resting.”

“I also ask this of you. Please rest, Lady Rozemyne,” I said, joining Hartmut in pleading. I had heard from my sister how often Lady Rozemyne fell ill. Despite Lady Rozemyne claiming, “I’ve become healthier after using the jureve twice,” her weary face indicated that even a healthy person should rest.

“Lady Rozemyne, I’ve heard from my sister that you often suddenly lose consciousness and collapse, do you not? Please rest this afternoon,” I insisted.

My sister had resigned from serving Lady Rozemyne after becoming engaged to the Aub. In her absence, it was my responsibility to ensure Lady Rozemyne’s well-being. I was determined to make her rest.

“Very well, I will rest. I’ll ring the bell when I wake up, so everyone should also rest until then,” Lady Rozemyne conceded reluctantly, taking the medicine. Lieseleta and Gretia, looking visibly relieved, began preparing her change of clothes.

Satisfied that Lady Rozemyne had agreed to rest, I continued with my duties, ensuring everything was in order for her well-deserved break.

I exchanged a smile with Ottilie and resumed clearing the dishes. Placing the used dishes on a cart, I headed towards the retainers room. The room, located within Lady Rozemyne’s chambers, is where those serving a Lord or Lady have their meals, do minor tasks, take breaks, and share information or discuss various matters.

“Bertilde, did Lady Rozemyne take her medicine without a fuss?” Cornelius called out to me. He had planned to accompany Lady Rozemyne for her afternoon preparations and was having lunch in the retainers room. Matthias and Leonore were also looking at me with concern.

“Yes, she took it. She’s currently preparing to rest,” I replied while placing the cart on the lift within the room. The lift would deliver the cart to the staff downstairs.

“When the dishes from Lady Rozemyne’s meal reach the kitchen, the retainers’ lunch will be sent up. I’ll get everything ready,” I said, beginning preparations for those who had not yet eaten lunch.

Lieseleta returned to the retainers room shortly after we had started eating, having watched over Lady Rozemyne by her bedside until she had fallen asleep.

“Lieseleta, how is Lady Rozemyne?”

“She fell asleep before collapsing, and the medicine is working, so she’s resting well. You don’t need to worry too much, Bertilde.”

The others were used to this and didn’t seem particularly disturbed. However, I was still new to serving Lady Rozemyne and couldn’t help but worry about her condition.

…Lady Rozemyne had been missing for most of her time at the Royal Academy.

“I trained to become Lady Rozemyne’s attendant, but I’m the one who knows her the least and has served her the least. It’s quite disheartening.”

Lady Rozemyne would soon become the king’s adopted daughter and move to the Sovereignty. I had been informed of this under contract magic that prohibited me from disclosing it until the Aub made an official announcement. Only adult retainers could move to the Sovereignty alongside their charge. Having just finished my first year at the Royal Academy, I would not be eligible and was instead assigned to serve my sister, who would become the Aub’s second wife.

“Bertilde, you are the only attendant that was specifically trained for Lady Rozemyne. She likely feels the same way.”

“Really? Only Bertilde?” Several of the others, including Lieseleta, were surprised by Ottilie’s words. “Lady Veronica prepared retainers for Lord Wilfried, and Lady Florencia prepared them for Lady Charlotte and Lord Melchior, right? Why was it different for Lady Rozemyne?”

When a child is born to the archducal family, it’s customary for maternal relatives or the mother’s trusted attendants to begin training potential attendants of the same age. This isn’t guaranteed, but it significantly increases the likelihood of those children being chosen. This ensures that attendants who understand the mother’s intentions can protect the child in the northern building. However, this didn’t apply to Lady Rozemyne.

“Lady Rozemyne is an adopted daughter. She was raised in the temple and her existence wasn’t known to her relatives. There was also no groundwork done for her adoption by the Aub. Moreover, she slept for two years shortly after her baptism. There was no time to train attendants.”

I nodded along to Cornelius’s explanation, as a member of the Leisegangs I was aware that Lady Rozemyne’s existence had been unknown to our relatives. However, Lieseleta looked at me with surprise.

“Oh? I heard that Brunhilde was initially trained by Lady Elvira. Wasn’t that to serve Lady Rozemyne?”

Aspiring attendants undergo at least a year of training at another household after their baptism. Without passing this training, they cannot be recognized as apprentice attendants and cannot serve in official places like the castle or a giebe’s mansion. My sister also received her initial training from Lady Elvira. However, that was not to become Lady Rozemyne’s attendant.

“When Brunhilde was deciding on her training place, there was no talk of Rozemyne becoming the archduke’s adopted daughter,” Cornelius said with a smile. I had heard that Lady Rozemyne was secretly entrusted to Lord Ferdinand in the temple after Lord Karstedt’s third wife passed away. Until Lady Veronica’s downfall, Lady Rozemyne was in a precarious position, and even the Leisegang nobles were unaware of her existence.

“The news about her becoming the archduke’s adopted daughter came out of nowhere, it was only about a month before her Baptism Ceremony. For the Leisegang nobles, it was as if an ordonnanz had appeared from beneath their feet. It’s understandable that there was no time to prepare,” Cornelius explained, carefully omitting certain details about the circumstances.

“In fact, I heard that my sister initially sought training from Lord Bonifatius’s first wife. However, the first wife ascended to the greater heights just before my sister’s baptismal ceremony, so she had to hastily ask Lady Elvira for training. It wasn’t to become Lady Rozemyne’s attendant.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. When seeking training, one would look for a household of higher status, wouldn’t they? There are very few suitable households for the daughter of Giebe Groschel, who is descended from the archducal family. It was especially difficult for my sister before Lady Veronica’s downfall.”

I had only heard stories about Lady Veronica and had never met her, so I didn’t even know what she looked like.

“Even if one completes the initial training period, they would still need to serve as an apprentice attendant in Groschel while receiving an education as the future Giebe. I remember Brunhilde asking if she could train at our house if Lady Elvira refused,” Leonore commented. Matthias, with his hand on his chin, also seemed to recall something.

“The Giebe’s wife usually handles the training of apprentice attendants within the giebes private living quarters. Couldn’t Brunhilde have just trained in Groschel?”

“They would be suspected of nepotism if the direct daughter trains at home. It’s a standard practice for apprentice attendants to train in other households. It’s essential to learn that not everything from one’s own house applies elsewhere. However, a failed initial training impacts one’s future, so it’s common to train with relatives where the ladies have married,” Ottilie explained, and Laurenz made a sound of admiration.

“Knights can train at their house’s own giebe knight order from the start, but attendants can’t? That’s news to me. There seem to be more differences between professions than I thought,” Laurenz commented, and Matthias nodded in agreement. While I understood the nuances of being an apprentice attendant, I didn’t know much about apprentice knights or scholars.

“I heard Lady Brunhilde was positioned to receive an education as the future Giebe,” Roderick mentioned, addressing my sister with a formal title unlike Cornelius or Leonore, who were more familiar with her. This formality reminded me that my sister was no longer Lady Rozemyne’s attendant, making me feel a bit lonely.

…I don’t mind serving my sister, but I had hoped to serve Lady Rozemyne alongside her.

Training at the Royal Academy under my sister’s guidance was enjoyable. In the future, even as siblings, our relationship would shift to a master-servant dynamic. I could only behave casually until my sister married the Aub.

“Why did Lady Brunhilde choose to become an attendant instead of a scholar? As a scholar, she could have trained in Groschel without needing to go to another house.”

Leonore sighed lightly before explaining. “She chose a path that would allow her to move to the Sovereignty if necessary. After considering which path would yield better results, Brunhilde judged that she was more suited to being an attendant. She didn’t believe she could achieve the kind of scholarly accomplishments as someone like Professor Hirschur.”

The quality of work expected from attendants is the same in both upper and lower ranked duchies. However, scholars often get recruited from Drewanchel, making it hard for those from lower ranked duchies to stand out without any notable achievements.

“Now that Lady Veronica has fallen, no Leisegang nobles choose courses with the Central District in mind. But back then, it was the norm.”

Those from the former Veronica faction looked uncomfortable. They hadn’t considered such reasoning before, understanding now how difficult it was at that time for Giebe Groschel’s family.

“The fact that children no longer have to be pessimistic about their future shows how much the times have changed. Things were difficult during my time, but after the previous Aub passed away, it became extremely challenging as fewer people could restrain Lady Veronica,” Ottilie sighed sympathetically, recalling the tough choices my sister had to make during her childhood. Ottilie herself was also a Leisegang noble.

“Were things difficult when you finished your baptismal ceremony, Ottilie?” I asked.

“Yes, when I had my baptismal ceremony, Lord Karstedt was still an archduke candidate, and Lady Veronica had become increasingly aggressive in her efforts to eliminate the Leisegang nobles for Lady Georgine.”

Ottilie mentioned how the women who married into Giebe Groschel’s family and their descendants faced particularly harsh treatment, though the entirety of the Leisegang nobles were targeted.

“Where did you receive your training, Ottilie? Was it from Lord Bonifatius’s first wife?”

“No, I trained under Lady Irmhilde and served in her household until I got married. Her residence is now Lady Rozemyne’s library.”

“Lady Irmhilde, the half-sister of the former Aub and Lord Bonifatius, right?” I remembered her name from the Aub’s family tree.

“You’ve studied well, Bertilde,” Ottilie praised me. “Lady Irmhilde was a difficult target for Lady Veronica because she was the half-sister of the Archduke. Additionally, since she lived outside of the castle, her retainers were often from the Leisegang faction. Although she couldn’t take on many new attendants, she was willing to take on Leisegang women who were leaving their roles due to marriage. Thanks to her, I was able to live relatively peacefully.”

It seemed Lady Irmhilde and Lord Bonifatius discreetly protected the Leisegang nobles from Lady Veronica. Although I had heard from my family about the harsh treatment from Lady Veronica, it was refreshing to hear about the archducal family members who had protected us.

“The former Veronica faction didn’t face such interference, correct? Where did you train, Gretia?”

“There was no interference, but as a mednoble not connected to a Giebe, there were no special benefits either. I trained under my paternal grandmother.”

“That’s unusual. Typically, direct descendants avoid training within their family to prevent nepotism and are sent to train with relatives in other houses.”

Ottilie’s remark made me tilt my head in thought, remembering how difficult it was for my sister to find a place to train.

…Could the requirement for my sister to train in another house have been a form of harassment from Lady Veronica?

”…My grandmother was a strict person and my father wouldn’t have felt at ease unless someone who knew me well was training me.”

“Gretia is quite capable, so I don’t think there’s much to worry about… Did you continue working as an apprentice under your grandmother?”

“Yes, I stayed there for a while…” Gretia’s hesitant response to my question made me curious, but Ottilie smiled and redirected the conversation to Lieseleta.

“Lieseleta, where did you receive your training?”

“My great-aunt, who had retired from working at the castle, took care of several of our relatives’ children, so I trained under her. Actually, my sister Angelica also underwent a year and a half of training as an apprentice attendant.”

“What!? Angelica trained as an apprentice attendant?” I was surprised by Leiseleta’s revelation. I couldn’t imagine Angelica, known for her prowess as a guard knight, doing attendant work.

“Our family traditionally produces attendants, so we are expected to follow that path. However, after training, it became clear that my sister was not suited for it…”

“I chose to become a knight. I found my first knight training at the castle very enjoyable.”

Her family and relatives were initially surprised by her decision, but they eventually agreed that she was better suited for the role of a knight. Frankly, I couldn’t imagine Angelica doing anything other than being a knight, and I was glad she found her calling.

“Angelica, how does apprentice knight training start? Do they receive training in other households like attendants?”

“I trained at the castle. I never trained elsewhere,” Angélica replied concisely, leaving me puzzled. Noticing my confusion, Damuel sighed and explained.

“Unlike attendants, apprentice knights train at the castle or a Giebe’s knight order. They don’t train in other households. However, once they reach adulthood, all knights receive common novice training at the castle’s knight dormitory.”

Our household also had a knight order in Groschel, with a training ground on the estate. However, until my Baptism Ceremony, I wasn’t allowed to leave the private living quarters of the Giebe’s family. After my baptism, I quickly went to train under Lady Elvira, so I wasn’t very familiar with the knight order in Groschel. The differences between knight and attendant training were quite interesting.

“So how do apprentice knights begin their training? Do they go to the knight order through family or relatives?”

“You go to the training ground at the castle and declare that you want to take the knight course at the Royal Academy. Then you can officially join the training. If you’re still undecided about your course, you can request to experience the training during the winter period while in the playroom.”

Now that Cornelius had mentioned it, I recalled exercising at the knight training ground during the winter period in the playroom. Some children would consult with the knights during that time.

“My sister was scouted by a knight during a snowball fight, wasn’t she?”

“Yes. They said I was quick and suited to being a knight, which was the first time I even knew about the knight profession.”

While most children in the playroom room exchanged information about which course to take at the Royal Academy, Angelica seemed entirely uninterested in the conversations around her. I was surprised that a noble child of her age could be unaware of the knight course.

“Leonore, is it the same process to become a knight in the Giebe knight order as it is at the castle?” Cornelius asked.

Leonore looked around at the other apprentice knights and nodded. The knights from the Noble’s Quarter included Cornelius, Angelica, and Damuel, while Leonore was from the Leisegang faction, Matthias from Gerlach, Laurenz from Wiltord, and Judithe from Kirnberger.

“Generally, it’s the same. You go to the Giebe’s residence, express your desire to train as an apprentice knight, and if the Giebe’s knight commander approves, you can access the training grounds.”

“I went to the Giebe’s residence with my father, who is a knight in Kirnberger. Knights are popular in Kirnberger because they get to see the Country Gate while guarding it. The Giebe often laments the lack of interest in becoming attendants. Why did you choose to be a knight, Leonore?” Judith asked with great interest.

Since my sister faced much hardship due to Lady Veronica’s harassment, I assumed Leonore, as the niece of Giebe Leisegang, had her own struggles. I listened attentively to her response.

“There are many feybeasts targeting the fields in Leisegang, so knights are needed more than scholars. Additionally, having family members as knights ensures better command and organization within the knight order. Therefore, it’s recommended that two or three family members become knights.”

“That’s the same for me. In Wiltord, the heir becomes a scholar for administrative duties, while the second or third wife’s children often become knights. Is it the same in Gerlach?”

“It is. Since both my older brothers became scholars, my father ordered me to become a knight.”

Unlike Laurenz, who spoke casually to everyone, Matthias maintained a formal tone around the Leisegang nobles. Though serious and respectable, I found Matthias a bit hard to approach compared to Laurenz, who was friendly with everyone.

…Though, after seeing Matthias earnestly asking Ottilie to escort him at the graduation ceremony, that feeling faded.

“Matthias and Leonore both seem more suited to being scholars…”

Leonore smiled wryly at Laurenz’s remark. “If Lady Veronica had fallen a few years earlier, I might have chosen to be a scholar. But as a direct descendant of Leisegang, I faced strong hostility from Lady Veronica and her faction. To protect myself from harassment, I needed to be armed. Plus, even from a young age I didn’t mind physical activity, so becoming a knight was the safest choice at the time.”

…My sister wasn’t good at physical activities, so becoming a knight wasn’t an option for her.

I chuckled softly at the differences in choices between my sister and Leonore, then turned my gaze to Cornelius and Hartmut, both Leisegang nobles who grew up in the noble district.

“Cornelius, Hartmut. Did Lady Veronica’s influence affect your course choices?”

“Of course it did. Watching my family get manipulated by Lady Veronica made me want to avoid becoming a guard knight. If not for her downfall and Mother’s orders, I wouldn’t have consciously chosen to be Rozemyne’s guard knight.” Cornelius admitted. Initially reluctant, he now protected his little sister by choice.

“I wasn’t as affected. My father served as Lady Florencia’s retainer, keeping us close to Lord Sylvester and making it hard for Lady Veronica to interfere. It’s puzzling that Lord Karstedt, the Aub’s head guard knight, couldn’t protect his own family.”

“Unlike your father, mine lacks strategic foresight.”

Despite being Leisegang nobles, their experiences varied significantly. I only heard about Lady Veronica’s downfall after it happened, so I couldn’t fully understand the impact. Sometimes, this made me feel a bit isolated from my family’s shared experiences.

“Still, if apprentice knights start their training by declaring it, wouldn’t their training start at different times? Angelica trained as an apprentice attendant, so she didn’t start knight training right after her baptism, right?”

“Yes, the start times vary,” Damuel confirmed. Some begin right after baptism, while others decide just before entering the Royal Academy.

“I intended to become a scholar but chose to be a knight to differentiate myself from my brother. Thus I started my training quite late. Cornelius, you started right after your baptism, right?”

“Our family’s tradition is that boys are trained by our grandfather. I started training at home before my baptism and was taken to the castle’s training ground immediately afterward.”

Angelica’s voice overlapped with Damuel’s, saying, “You’re so lucky.” while Damuel commented, “That’s quite unusual.”

“Maybe this is also unusual, but in our household which had a training ground for the giebe knights, Mother would rather send us there than have us charging about inside the house. Even from an early age I would mimic the knights by chasing after them waving a stick sword as they ran to build up their stamina. Isn’t that right, Matthias?”

“Not for me. Either Laurenz’s excess energy caused trouble, or Giebe Wiltold’s household is rather unique. Since normally, children aren’t allowed outside before their baptism, Laurenz’s house must be special.”

Matthias immediately countered. Judith looked nervously between Laurenz and Matthias, who had opposing views.

“In Kirnberger, many children aspire to be knights, so they often practice with sticks in the yard. Laurenz just happened to be born in a household with a knight training ground attached.”

“Except for the restricted backyard, Giebe’s children are strictly taught and monitored by attendants not to go to areas with many adults,” Leonore explained, with Matthias nodding in agreement. As the daughter of Giebe Groschel, I knew Leonore and Matthias were right. Laurenz’s household was indeed special.

“Even if you become an apprentice knight, you don’t have a highbeast or a schtappe right after your baptism, do you? What kind of training do you do? Scholars can at least work with pens and wooden boards.”

Damuel chuckled as Philine tilted her head in curiosity,

and explained the training for apprentice knights.

“The most important things are building the endurance needed for prolonged combat and learning to handle weapons. Even if you have a schtappe, you can’t fight without knowing how to use your weapons.”

“In the Gerlach Knight Order, we do basic training and go on expeditions to subdue feybeasts in villages or forests. The first job for apprentices is to learn how to dismantle the feybeasts.”

“Wiltord and Gerlach often train and subdue feybeasts together because they are neighboring districts. It’s a hassle when feybeasts appear near the border; we often argue whether Ahrensbach or Ehrenfest should handle it, but sometimes we cooperated for the subjugation.”

Because of that, Giebes bordering Ahrensbach tend to have more interactions with them.

“The priority of the Giebe Knight Order is to protect the land and the people living there. This makes their relationship with commoners different from that in the noble district.”

Damuel, recalling his own experiences, nodded. “I felt this difference when traveling for the printing industry. Like Leonore said, we don’t leave the Noble’s Quarters until adulthood. But we do train to hunt weaker feybeasts in the castles forest, and during the hunting festival, we follow adult knights and learn how to dismantle them.”

The autumn hunting festival, held by the castle knights, aims to secure winter food supplies and weaken the Lord of Winter. I witnessed this while training under Lady Elvira.

However, I didn’t know that the giebes knight order also hunted feybeasts during the autumn to distribute meat to the winter mansions. Nobles move to the Noble’s Quarter in winter, so the Giebe’s residence doesn’t need many provisions.

“Listening to Leonore and the others, I realize how little I know about life in Groschel.”

“That’s just due to the difference in roles. Don’t worry about it. You were forbidden from going outside until your baptism and started training under Lady Elvira immediately afterward. It’s natural that you wouldn’t know much about Groschel. If you want to learn, you can just start now.”

His light-hearted reassurance lifted my spirits. Laurenz’s casual demeanor always made me feel like my worries weren’t as serious as I thought.

“The work varies significantly between knights in the castle or Giebe knights and guard knights. For attendants, only the lord changes, so the core duties remain the same, focusing on personal care.”

“There must be some differences in the work between castle attendants and those serving the archducal family, right? The difference is significant for knights who always stay by their lord’s side compared to other knights.”

I wasn’t familiar with the castle attendants’ duties to answer Laurenz’s question, so I looked around for someone with that experience. My eyes met Lieseleta’s.

“Castle attendants don’t have a specific lord or lady, but they take care of guests, maintain the castle’s appearance, and prepare large tea parties and banquets. The scale is different, but the nature of the work isn’t vastly different. Supervising the winter playroom is similar to watching over children in each household, so even if you haven’t done it, you can guess what the work entails.”

Ottilie nodded in agreement. “There isn’t as much of a difference as there is for scholars or knights.”

“Philine, how about scholars? Is the work different between the castle and as a retainer?”

”…I don’t know much about castle scholar work because I was appointed as a retainer in my first year at the Royal Academy.”

I remembered hearing that Philine was appointed as Rozemyne’s retainer in her first year. She looked for help, and Hartmut, meeting her gaze, nodded.

“Scholars don’t have long-term training at the castle. Castle scholars handle tasks for the entire duchy and often get saddled with troublesome local matters. Specialized knowledge is essential. However, in a Giebe’s estate, a broad knowledge base to handle various tasks is more critical. Since each land values different industries and requires different responses, a standardized education at the Royal Academy is deemed sufficient.”

It seemed there wasn’t a training period for scholars. I tilted my head in confusion.

“Then, how do apprentice scholars spend their time before entering the Royal Academy? Do they declare their intention somewhere, like knights?”

“They just submit a written application before the gifting ceremony. There are opportunities to observe the work at the castle, but no long-term training.”

“Apprentice scholars start their actual work after finishing their first year at the Royal Academy and confirming basic literacy skills. Until then, they are educated at home. If they have relatives who are scholars, they often learn from them, which is somewhat similar to attendants,” Philine and Roderick answered.

Learning that scholar apprentices don’t start their real apprenticeship until after their first year at the Royal Academy shocked me. The disparity was striking.

“Philine, what kind of education did you receive at home?”

“I only practiced basic reading, writing, and arithmetic. My father said laynobles aren’t well-suited for handling magic tools and are often assigned clerical work. So, I focused on writing neatly and practicing calculations. I didn’t receive an extensive education; Lady Rozemyne, Hartmut, and Lord Ferdinand trained me as a scholar.”

…Training from Hartmut and Lord Ferdinand? That sounds like quite a rigorous education.

Even as an apprentice layscholar, Philine’s high evaluations were likely due to her diligence in following their teachings.

“Philine’s success is due to her taking her father’s advice seriously and working hard.”

“Hartmut exaggerates. I couldn’t handle large calculations at first and was often scolded by Lord Ferdinand.”

“No apprentice can easily meet his high standards. Yet you were skilled enough to draft responses to letters.”

“My penmanship model was Lady Rozemyne.”

Philine explained that she practiced reading and writing using the texts Lady Rozemyne had written in the playroom. While her father advised her, it was Lady Rozemyne who served as her role model and educator before she entered the Royal Academy.

“Hartmut, do you think Philine grasped things quicker than Roderick? Roderick didn’t practice much before starting his apprenticeship, right?” Hartmut glared at Roderich, who visibly flinched.

“Uh… yes. I was focused on offering stories to Lady Rozemyne to hopefully be taken as a retainer. I wasn’t good at calculations or penmanship, so my main job at the castle was delivering documents.”

Being Lady Rozemyne’s retainer requires more than writing stories. There are tasks in the temple and collaborative research at the Royal Academy. Roderick struggled with handwriting, making tasks like invitations and responses challenging, often drawing Hartmut’s ire.

Feeling sympathy for Roderick, I quickly changed the subject. “Hartmut, what kind of work did you do at the castle before becoming Lady Rozemyne’s retainer in your fifth year?”

“I handled taxation and accounting. I calculated tax revenues from the Harvest Festival, distributed taxed produce to the blue priests, managed expenses for starbinding ceremonies and the winter socializing season when nobles gather at the castle, as well as reviewing expenses from the knight order.”

Managing finances allowed Hartmut to understand the power dynamics and the character of those involved in the duchy, an important lesson taught to him by his uncle.

“After coming-of-age, I was studying to become a tax collector. Tax collectors accompany priests to the Harvest Festival, handle commoners’ registration medals, and manage related duties. This experience has been somewhat beneficial for my role as High Priest. You never know what will be useful.”

Hartmut noted, attributing it to divine guidance. I knew from Ottilie that Hartmut aimed to become a tax collector to accompany Lady Rozemyne after witnessing her blessing at her baptism ceremony.

“It’s quite different between Ehrenfest and Dunkelfelger.”

“Clarissa, how is it in Dunkelfelger?” I asked eagerly, leaning in to listen to her story.

“In Dunkelfelger, there is so much competition to become an apprentice knight that children undergo a selection process after their baptism. Only those who pass can become knights.”

“What? A Selection process? Did you go through it too?”

“Of course. But I didn’t pass. That’s why I became an apprentice scholar”

“Clarissa, who can fight almost as well as a guard knight, didn’t pass?”

Judith exclaimed in astonishment, but Clarissa merely nodded.

“I was small so my physique was deemed unsuitable for a knight. In Dunkelfelger, those who don’t pass often continue rigorous training and become what we call scholars of the sword and attendants of the sword. I am a scholar of the sword.”

She proudly mentioned that being a scholar of the sword allowed her to be recognized by Lord Ferdinand and become one of Rozemyne’s retainers.

“In Ehrenfest, we were told to train so that attendants and scholars could also act during emergencies. Is it similar to that?”

“Not at all. The level of training in Ehrenfest is insufficient for true emergency action.”

Clarissa replied immediately and with a grimace. To divert her from starting a lengthy discourse on the required training, I asked if she ever considered becoming a retainer to Dunkelfelger’s archducal family, given her high noble status.

“I was deemed too warrior-like even for Dunkelfelger. I didn’t fit with Lord Lestilaut or Lady Hannelore, so I was considered unsuitable as a retainer. When my name came up as a potential fiancée for Lord Lestilaut, I was told I wasn’t suitable for managing the enthusiastic knights. The most enjoyable task during my time as an apprentice scholar at the castle was studying the distribution of feybeasts.”

”…That’s typically the work of Giebe knights,” Matthias muttered.

“In Dunkelfelger, it’s considered a scholar’s task!”

“The least popular scholar job is managing the treasury for ditter. Scholars don’t get to participate but are responsible for cleaning up after the knights.”

“Do you mean there is a special budget and accountants for ditter?”

“Yes, ditter has its own budget.”

As the attendants were left speechless by the differences between Dunkelfelger and Ehrenfest, Ottilie clapped her hands lightly to break the discussion.

“It’s about the time that Lady Rozemyne wakes up. Everyone, prepare yourselves. Gretia and Lieseleta, get her clothes ready. Bertilde, please clean up here. Hartmut, Clarissa, have you recovered your mana?”

“We were just using it as an excuse to let Lady Rozemyne rest. We’re fully recovered.”

Everyone started moving simultaneously but quietly to avoid disturbing Lady Rozemyne. I gathered the dishes and utensils from the table, placed them on the cart, and sent it down the lift before leaving the retainer’s room.