My Brother and the Saint

I’m Hannelore, a student at the Royal Academy, where I’m in my third year as an archduke candidate from Dunkelfelger.

“Schwartz, Weiss, it’s been a while. You won’t believe what happened today! During the afternoon practical, I received divine protection from Dregarnuhr, the Goddess of Time! This might finally help with my poor timing…”

As soon as the lessons were over, I made my way over to the library. Having made sure that no other student was around to see me, I began to supply Schwartz and Weiss with mana, gently stroking their heads while still attempting to digest what had happened during the practical lesson.

“Hannelore, happy!”

“Hannelore, mana, so full!”

Though I only intended to give them the usual amount, it seems that I ended up sharing quite a bit more. Perhaps, receiving divine protections from the gods had caused a change in my mana. That was hardly a problem, of course—as long as I could make Schwartz and Weiss happy without straining myself, I was happy as well. I poured mana into them until they were satisfied, before leaving the library together with Cordula.

“I have lessons tomorrow as well, so I shall return to the dorms and study.”

“Indeed, with your newly acquired Dregarnuhr’s divine protection, you would do well to maintain the effort, milady.”

When it comes to written lessons, the students from Ehrenfest have shown consistent improvement year after year, with a rapid increase in the number of people passing their exams on the first day. In fact, my mother also strongly urged—or rather, forced—me to study consistently for the entirety of the past year. She insisted that, as an archduke candidate from Dunkelfelger, I could not afford to fail where even laynobles from Ehrenfest succeeded. In the end, I did quite well, passing even the theology exam, but there sure are a lot of expectations placed on archduke candidates of greater duchies.

◆

At the dinner, I shared the day’s events with my brother and was met with a flurry of surprised, yet congratulatory reactions.

“Really? You received protections of Angriff and Dregarnuhr? Angriff’s protection may not be so rare, but receiving one from Dregarnuhr is quite amazing!”

“Yes, although it’s still puzzling to me why it happened in the first place. I don’t believe I’ve done anything to deserve the gods’ attention…”

“It’s a remarkable feat nonetheless! Gaining divine protections of subordinate gods is an exceptional occurrence. The gods must truly love you.”

As proud as my brother was of me, I couldn’t help but think that the words “the gods must truly love you” would be more fitting for a different person.

”…Brother, perhaps you would be interested to know that Lord Wilfried received divine protection from twelve gods.”

“What did you say?” My brother, as well as everybody else in the room, was so shocked that he had to make sure he wasn’t hearing things.

“Lord Wilfried received divine protections from a total of twelve gods.”

“Twelve?! …What about other students from Ehrenfest?”

“I’m not sure. I left the class after I was done with my ritual.”

“Hannelore, didn’t our mother tell you to keep a close eye on Ehrenfest? You should have stayed and learned more. I especially wonder how many protections that temple-raised girl received…”

Thinking about it, Lady Rozemyne seemed wholly unperturbed when she walked out of her ritual, and she was hardly surprised at Lord Wilfried’s number of protections as well.

“She seemed unfazed when she heard that Lord Wilfried received twelve protections, so I can imagine it’s roughly the same number for her.”

”…I see. If that’s the case, maybe mother was correct after all,” my brother concluded with a serious look on his face.

After returning from this year’s Archduke Conference, my mother was thinking of ways for Dunkelfelger to acquire Lady Rozemyne. She was so impressed by Lady Rozemyne’s instructions to her retainers on the negotiations for printing and publishing the Dunkelfelger history book, which happened during the last year’s Archduke Conference, that she couldn’t help but want to have her here.

Incidentally, while printing and publishing were certainly wonderful technologies, the negotiations did not seem to have ended up the way my mother expected. Ehrenfest had already decided on their conditions beforehand and was adamant on not giving in to the other side.

“I must commend Aub Ehrenfest on recognizing Lady Rozemyne’s potential so early in her childhood. Not only did he adopt her after her baptism, but he also arranged an engagement between her and his own son before any other duchy could take interest in her,” my mother commented, adding with a heavy sigh, “If only I could have her be Lestilaut’s first wife…”

Normally, a middle duchy would never be able to arrange a marriage so quickly. It would have to be discussed multiple times over at archduke conferences and interduchy conferences, the aubs would have to agree, and only towards the final year at the academy, with the Zent’s approval, could the engagement finally be pronounced official. After all, it’s not even possible to tell if the two partners’ mana would be compatible before they have matured to a certain extent.

However, Lady Rozemyne and Lord Wilfried’s engagement was approved by the Zent after their first year at the academy. By the time of the next Archduke Conference, when the other duchies were only just planning to probe the idea of an engagement, Lady Rozemyne had already been taken.

Besides just the simple fact that she was not available any longer, my brother has been taking a hostile attitude towards her, too, even calling her a fake saint. As such, no matter how badly our mother wanted to have Lady Rozemyne, there was hardly anything she could do.

”…Brother, you don’t have any desire to marry Lady Rozemyne, do you?” I asked, just to confirm.

“Even if our mother seems to wish for it, I do not. I’ve heard enough to know that she’s quite valuable, but I don’t think that we necessarily need her in Dunkelfelger.”

“In that case, I wish you were more careful about some of your actions. You inspecting her hairpin so closely might make others think you wish to replicate it.”

”…I was simply curious about it. It had five rainbow feystones attached to it with magic circles inscribed onto them, and the detailing seemed like the work of a master craftsman. What’s so wrong with me trying to take a closer look?”

My brother’s attitude to Lady Rozemyne had been largely antagonistic, so, on the surface of it, it was a good thing to see him enjoy reading the history book she had translated, praising her hairpin, and showing a positive change overall.

However, his actions could also be misinterpreted as him trying to find faults with the hairpin, which he knows is a present from Lord Wilfried, Lady Rozemyne’s fiancé. Furthermore, trying to improve the hairpin and giving her a better option could be seen as a romantic declaration of war. The fact that this wouldn’t be out of character for my brother didn’t help matters either.

Admittedly, he has always liked drawing and crafting, and if something catches his interest, he will often try to reproduce it with his own hands. However, in this instance, the chance of a misunderstanding is simply too high. When he displayed such deep interest in Lady Rozemyne’s hairpin at the fellowship gathering, I couldn’t help but be extremely concerned.

“To other people, it might seem as though you wish to make Lady Rozemyne yours,” I explained.

“Oh, that’s not a concern,” he dismissively replied, ending the conversation there.

◆

As I returned to my room after dinner, I let out a long sigh, recalling the conversation I had with Lady Rozemyne about the temple.

She told me that Aub Ehrenfest appointed her as the High Bishop at roughly the same time as her baptism and adoption. Previously, my parents had heard at the archduke conferences that the aub’s treatment of her was rather cruel, but Lady Rozemyne herself was quick to dispel those rumors.

“I do not know how the temple is viewed in other duchies, but it is a pleasant and comfortable place in Ehrenfest,” she said. “The aub visits it personally, and although Wilfried and Charlotte do not have official positions there, they assist with the rituals. Ferdinand was even reluctant to leave it when his engagement to Ahrensbach was decided.”

“The aub goes there, and Lord Ferdinand was reluctant to leave? Truly?”

In the moment, I could hardly believe what I was hearing. A pleasant and comfortable temple that the aub frequently visits with his retainers? Not only that, but the retainers were happy to visit it, too? I even had a fleeting thought that if they were all men, they could be visiting for, er, slightly less than honorable reasons. However, a laynoble girl called Philine, who was with Lady Rozemyne at the time, also spoke kindly of the temple. Maybe it really is just a regular place where even women can feel comfortable.

“There seem to be noticeable differences between the temples in our duchies,” Lady Rozemyne added. “I will speak to Clarissa about the details at a later date.”

“O-Oh. Certainly. I will inform her for you.” I managed to maintain a smile, but those words, “Lord Ferdinand was reluctant to leave,” sent a cold shiver down my spine.

Had Dunkelfelger unknowingly committed a serious blunder?

The decision for the engagement between Lord Ferdinand and Ahrensbach’s Lady Detlinde was made during the Archduke Conference, and Dunkelfelger expressed strong support for it.

During the conference, Ahrensbach was looking for a marriage partner for their soon-to-be interim aub, Detlinde; someone who had experience with official duties and would be able to support her immediately. To that end, the commander of the Sovereign Knight’s Order suggested that Lord Ferdinand, who would otherwise be wasting his talents by staying in the temple. Dunkelfelger, full of people who would love to challenge Lord Ferdinand to ditter and fueled by desire to save him, reached out to several duchies and, together with the Sovereign Knight’s Order’s commander, arranged a talk with the King himself. Heisshitze spoke about this situation with great pride.

As my mother told me, there was a time when Dunkelfelger approached Lord Ferdinand with a marriage request, but then one-sidedly broke it off. My aunt Magdalena went on to become the current King’s third wife instead, but, judging by the great interest she showed in the translation of Dunkelfelger’s history book, she wanted to improve the relationship between the two duchies.

My mother was hoping that Ahrensbach’s support for Lord Ferdinand’s and Lady Detlinde’s marriage would make up for the past mistake and restore said good relationship, but if “Lord Ferdinand was reluctant to leave,” then it appears that he would now be forced out of the place where he wanted to be. In which case, rather than hoping for an improvement, we should be praying that Ehrenfest’s opinion of Dunkelfelger doesn’t deteriorate.

”…I wonder if my poor timing has infected the entirety of Dunkelfelger.”

“You shouldn’t blame yourself for this, my lady. Ehrenfest’s temple is unique in that regard, so nobody could have predicted this.”

“I know, Cordula, but still—”

Cordula dismissively shook her head and pointed at the desk.

“Lady Hannelore, it is only the first day of your academic year. You have to prepare for your written exams tomorrow. Please, do not get distracted by things over which you had no control,” she said firmly.

And she was right. I couldn’t embarrass myself as an archduke candidate, so I had better study hard to avoid a scolding from my mother.

◆

I passed the next day’s written exams with ease. Later, when it came time for the afternoon’s practical music lesson, I was treated to the magnificent display of a saint’s blessing. As Lady Rozemyne was playing the harspiel, she performed a large-scale blessing, and the other students were even saying that her blessing had reached all of Ehrenfest’s students, even the ones not present.

After I shared this story during dinner, my brother frowned.

“She can’t be a real saint. It was just some trick that you couldn’t see through.”

“But she really did play the harspiel, and her performance looked divine. Besides, I wasn’t the only one who saw it. Other archnobles were right there in the classroom too.”

The archnobles from the same year as me nodded in agreement, as Clarissa’s woeful “Why couldn’t I have been in the same year as Lady Hannelore?!” echoed throughout the dining hall. Whenever Lady Rozemyne did anything interesting, Clarissa always cried out about not being able to witness it with her own eyes, so she only received a few sideways glances before the conversation promptly continued.

“Lady Rozemyne’s ring was overflowing with the Blessing of Schutzaria while she played,” one person chimed in. “She sang to the goddess with her young, clear voice, and the goddess evidently responded to her song. It was a sight to behold.”

“I was in class when we suddenly saw a surge of light envelop Ehrenfest’s mednobles,” added another. “It was really surprising. We had just been creating drivable highbeasts.”

As more and more people talked about the effects of Lady Rozemyne’s performance, my brother’s expression became more and more annoyed.

“She’s only a fake saint,” he stated sharply. It was frustrating to see him stubbornly refuse to believe everyone’s words. The sound of Lady Rozemyne’s playing was as beautiful as the light of the blessing emanating from her, reaching my very core. And yet, my brother’s negativity put a blemish on her pristine performance.

“I assure you, dear brother, that if you saw Lady Rozemyne’s blessing, you would have already immortalized it in a painting.”

“You think it’s worth turning into a painting? Why, that’s curious. Perhaps I would like to see it with my own eyes.”

Oh no. Now I caught his interest. I didn’t even mean to. I just couldn’t stand him badmouthing Lady Rozemyne…

Making my brother interested in her was perhaps far from a good idea. However, it was impossible to deny the beauty of her performance. And so, in order to prove my point, I ended up with the mission of finding out more about that blessing. As a member of the library committee, I was perfect for the task, as I would be able to speak to Lady Rozemyne directly.

“Lady Rozemyne is quite easy to find on Earthdays, as she’s always in the library, isn’t she?”

“Yes, after all, now that she has lessons, she can only provide Schwartz and Weiss with mana on her rest days.”

To avoid being a nuisance, I headed to the library with only Cordula and a few of my retainers. As we approached it, Schwartz and Weiss came out to greet us.

“Schwartz, Weiss, is Lady Rozemyne inside?” I asked.

The shumils’ ears dropped, and they shook their heads “no”. Their faces may have been as expressionless as ever, but their bodies gave away how dejected they were.

“Today, not here.”

“Tomorrow, neither.”

“Oh my, that’s really quite unfortunate…” I sighed before placing my hands on the shumils’ feystones, recharging them with mana, and leaving without stepping foot into the library.

Who could have imagined that Lady Rozemyne wouldn’t be here? I’m starting to doubt if I really received Dregarnuhr’s blessing. It seems to have done nothing to improve my poor timing.

Demoralized by the lack of improvement, I made my way to the dorms, only to discover that Professor Hirschur had been looking for me. She summoned me to the tea party room to discuss divine protections, or rather, a possible connection between divine protections and prayers. Reportedly, it was a theory Lady Rozemyne had come up with.

“Lady Hannelore, do you regularly pray to Goddess Dregarnuhr?” she asked. My hand instinctively moved to my wrist, where I was wearing the charm Cordula made for me.

“Yes, I do,” I replied. “I do not, however, remember praying to Angriff…”

“But you have taken part in post-ditter rituals, correct?” interjected Professor Rauffen, who was also present. “It appears that those also qualify as prayers.”

His words made sense. Similar to how Lady Rozemyne’s music turned into a blessing, donating mana to Angriff in a ritual where we thank him and report to him our victory could be connected to his divine protection.

“I understand now how Lord Lestilaut, who never had much interest in ditter, was also able to receive Angriff’s protection,” he added.

Everyone in Dunkelfelger’s archducal family was forced to take part in those rituals, after all.

Professor Rauffen seemed excited by the revelation that he had unknowingly been making the apprentice knights pray, as he proclaimed, “From now on, I’ll continue teaching the academy’s apprentice knights to sing and dance before each battle!” To me, however, the image of all the knights of Yurgenschmidt singing and dancing together did not seem like a pleasant one…

◆

Soon, a new week began. On Waterday morning, we had our first class of the archduke candidate course. My brother asked me to report on Lady Rozemyne’s behavior in class, and I began by telling him about the conversation we had before the class had started.

“It appears that Lady Rozemyne, who prays on a daily basis as a High Bishop, has received so many protections that she is unwilling to disclose the exact number. The reason why some other Ehrenfest students received many protections similarly appears to be due to them praying in the temple and participating in other divine rituals,” I explained.

“I suppose, if we assume that prayers do lead to additional protections, temple-raised people would indeed have a head start,” my brother remarked.

I then talked about how Lady Rozemyne was not only immediately able to dye her foundation, but performed her next step with ease as well.

“She was given feystones to turn into golden dust, and it seemed to take her hardly any effort to process each one. I myself do not find the task particularly difficult, but I have never seen someone be able to turn so many feystones into dust as quickly as she did. Moreover, she did not drink a single rejuvenation potion.”

“What?!” My brother was rightfully surprised, as he had already completed the same course in the past and must have understood how much mana the process required.

“In jest, I said to Lady Rozemyne that if she were to give a blessing like she did in music class, she would end up dyeing everyone’s gardens with her mana. She, however, maintained a serious expression and replied that she was taking care to ensure that would not happen and that, in fact, she became Schwartz and Weiss’s owner through a blessing.”

“She must have an extraordinary amount of mana…”

“She tried to brush it off by saying that she was also speaking in jest, but I could tell that it wasn’t true.”

Lady Rozemyne had already set numerous new trends, invented printing and publishing, could afford to spend eighteen large golds on her hobbies, and was a masterful negotiator. And now, possessing an extraordinary amount of mana was added to that list. I could certainly see why our mother wanted to have her in Dunkelfelger.

“In spite of Lady Rozemyne’s excellence,” I continued, “there are rumors that she is treated cruelly in the Ehrenfest temple because she was adopted. In reality, however, both Lord Wilfried and Lady Charlotte seem to help her with rituals around the temple, and the aub seems to personally visit the temple as well. In addition, she has now received divine protection from many gods. Still, I fear that there could be uninformed people who would think it their duty to rescue Lady Rozemyne from her position. I would like you to report these matters in full to our mother.”

“I shall do so after the dedication whirl this afternoon,” my brother replied.

◆

Having finished our lunches, my brother and I went to attend whirling practice. When we entered the hall, I saw Lady Rozemyne talking to Lady Charlotte and Lady Luzinde. In addition to her usual rainbow-colored hairpin, she was also wearing a necklace made out of large feystones, the same one she wore during the tea party.

Won’t the necklace interfere with the whirling? I wondered to myself, waving my hand at Lady Rozemyne to catch her attention.

That action, however, also made my brother notice her presence. He began making movements with his fingers, as if thinking of a design. I suppose he really was quite curious about Lady Rozemyne’s hairpin.

“She’s wearing that hairpin today too, huh?”

“She always does. It is, after all, a present from Lord Wilfred, her fiancé.”

If only I had a fiancé who would give me presents as beautiful as that hairpin.

“Hannelore, when is the date of our tea party with Ehrenfest?”

“It’s not clear when my lectures will end, so it hasn’t been decided yet.”

“Well, why don’t we go and discuss it now? I’m curious about the hairpin I ordered from Ehrenfest as well.”

My brother’s escort, who would be the one to receive that hairpin, was an apprentice archscholar from Dunkelfelger chosen by our mother. In Dunkelfelger, it is a requirement for the next aub to have at least one wife from our duchy to ensure that Dunkelfelger traditions can be passed on as closely as possible. Even if my brother were to take a woman from another duchy as his first wife, his current escort would become his second wife, and she would then have the role of teaching Dunkelfelger’s traditions to the first wife.

Without delay, my brother headed in Lady Rozemyne’s direction, and I made sure to follow after him. Although he may only be interested in the hairpin, he does have a sharp tongue, and I would not want to risk Lady Rozemyne being offended.

And indeed, my worries almost became a reality. Thankfully, when I voiced my brother’s real intentions to Lady Rozemyne, she only chuckled and said, “Lord Lestilaut, I am glad that you are looking forward to seeing the hairpin.” This kindness of hers really does make her seem like a saint.

After all, she is the same person who, despite being dragged into a ditter match at the interduchy tournament against her will, was kind enough to persuade Lord Ferdinand to join, and even healed Heisshitze after the fight.

I really appreciate my friendship with Lady Rozemyne, who is always ready to help, even when she is not necessarily comfortable with Dunkelfelger’s antics.

“As I also plan to complete the scholar course this year,” she continued, “I will require some time to focus on that first. Hm… Perhaps we could review our schedules ten days from now? We may be in a better position to make plans then.”

“T-Ten days…? Very well,” my brother replied. A slight shock could be heard in his voice, but it would be hard not to be shocked. After all, Lady Rozemyne just implied she was going to finish the archduke candidate course and the scholar course in a mere ten days. It was simply abnormal.

My brother’s and my own archduke candidate courses alone are likely to take longer than that.

While Lady Rozemyne and I were making promises, my brother was making use of his height as he attempted to steal glances at her hairpin from above. Someone, please stop this man!

Reluctant to cause a scene, all I could do was smile at Lady Rozemyne and lightly tug at my brother’s cape. At that moment, we were interrupted by another voice.

“Oh my,” it was Lady Detlinde. “You ordered a hairpin from Ehrenfest as well, Lord Lestilaut? My fiancé is from Ehrenfest, so I have ordered from them as well.”

With a typical noble’s laugh, she approached us, and I couldn’t be more thankful for her appearance. She did stop my brother before he could get too carried away. In response, he grimaced and replied, “I wish only to confirm the best that a backwater duchy such as Ehrenfest can manage.” It doesn’t take much to provoke him.

“Ah, is that so? But you still intend to gift yours to whomever you escort, no? In the same way that I shall receive my own.”

Speaking of which, at last year’s tea party, Lady Detlinde did mention wanting a hairpin. It appears that, now that she and Lord Ferdinand are engaged, she will finally be receiving one from him. I’m happy her wish can come true.

Though, at the moment, I’m far more concerned with my brother’s actions than Lady Detlinde’s wishes.

Meanwhile, my brother still refused to take his eyes off Lady Rozemyne’s hairpin. His interest in it clearly hadn’t waned. However, he did continue the conversation with Lady Detlinde about her hairpin. It seemed he was also curious to know what sort of design she was going to receive from her fiancé.

“I struggle to believe Lord Ferdinand’s aesthetic sense is that poor,” he muttered under his nose. “What exactly did you have him order for you?”

“Lady Detlinde is due to be gifted five hairpins styled after schentis flowers,” Lady Rozemyne answered instead. “They are all on the smaller side, but if you imagine Lady Adolphine’s hairpin, then that should give you a good idea of their appearance. Most notable is how they form a gentle gradient from red to white.”

Did she say five hairpins?

I was dumbfounded to hear that detail. For one thing, I couldn’t even imagine how she would wear five hairpins at once. And for another, it didn’t seem like a good idea to have a more striking accessory than even Lady Eglantine or Lady Adolphine, both of whom were engaged to princes.

It seemed my brother was thinking the same thing, as his face was also that of exasperation. However, Lady Rozemyne simply smiled and proceeded to elaborate.

“The number may come as a surprise, but none will go to waste. Each is its own unique color, and the wearer can select which and how many to use when the time comes, to perfectly suit whatever atmosphere or dress is needed.”

“I see,” my brother murmured. “Mixing and matching to create untold variety is rather clever.”

I hadn’t expected that to be part of the consideration either. However, it was quite sensible. That way, Lady Detlinde would not overshadow royalty, and the ability to choose the right hairpin for the dress meant they could continue to be used for a long time.

“Indeed, and it was I who suggested this system, I shall have you know,” Lady Detlinde chuckled. Until now, she had claimed to have left all decisions to her fiancé, Lord Ferdinand, so she seemed particularly proud of this fact. To that, Lady Rozemyne smiled and praised her designs, whereas I exchanged glances with my brother.

“I must say, I am looking forward to seeing these hairpins at our graduation,” he said.

“Indeed,” Detlinde replied. “I am sure you will find yourself stunned silent. Ohohoho.”

I have a frightening feeling about their graduation ceremony, but I’m sure it’s just my imagination.

◆

Shortly after, Lady Eglantine arrived to demonstrate whirling. It was a breathtaking sight, one that truly lived up to her reputation. My parents see the dedication whirl every year, and when Lady Eglantine performed, they called her dance the best in over a decade by a long margin. I know that my brother made a painting of it in secret, too.

I turned to look at him, standing next to me. And indeed, it was clear he was trying to absorb every detail of Lady Eglantine’s whirling.

Sometimes, I even wonder if Lady Eglantine is my brother’s first love. Outside of our family, she is the one he has drawn the most. Of course, seeing as two princes had already expressed interest in her, my brother could not publicly display his feelings even if he had them.

Once the performance was over, it was time for us to practice ourselves. Starting this year, we had an audience of underclassmen, so I was somewhat nervous. Additionally, as the highest-ranked archduke candidate in the grade, I had the task of starting the prayer.

“I am one who offers prayer and gratitude to the gods who have created the world.”

The other archduke candidates repeated those words after me, and the whirl began. I danced very carefully, hoping to appear at least somewhat graceful. Lady Rozemyne passed her whirling lessons on her very first attempt, so I knew her performance would be excellent. As an archduke candidate of a greater duchy, I did not want to embarrass myself next to her.

…Hm?

I thought I saw something sparkle in the corner of my eye, but it would be unthinkable of me to stop to take a look. I could, however, see people’s stunned gazes directed behind me, where Lady Rozemyne was dancing.

As I took a slow, long whirl, I could not help my surprise either. Everyone around me had stopped dancing and was fixated on one spot. From my point of view, all I could see was that something was rapidly drawing circles of light in the air. As curious as I was, however, I did finish the whirl properly.

Stopping my movement, I took a deep breath. It was then that I heard a soft thud behind me break the silence in the room. With a face of concern, Lady Charlotte rushed over to Lady Rozemyne.

“Sister, just how much mana did you try to put into that blessing?!” she exclaimed “At this rate, you will fall unconscious again!”

As I turned around to see what was happening, I saw Lady Rozemyne on the floor, taking shallow, strained breaths.

“I… I didn’t give a blessing though, right?” she asked.

Maybe not, but her rainbow-colored hairpin and her feystone necklace are shining so brightly! What in the world did she do?!

Reassured by the professor that she passed, Lady Rozemyne, who was still struggling to stand, made her exit with the help of Lady Charlotte and Lord Wilfried. It seems that her attendant had been waiting just outside the door, as both Lady Charlotte and Lord Wilfried returned right away, and the practice resumed.

However, no one seemed to be able to concentrate on whirling anymore, not even the professor. They did their best to appear calm, but you could see in their eyes how excited they all were. I, however, still didn’t understand what was going on.

I’m the only one who didn’t see what Lady Rozemyne just did, aren’t I?

As soon as the practice was over, Lady Charlotte and Lord Wilfried hastily left in order to check on Lady Rozemyne. The other students were leaving as well. I looked around, but could not see my brother anywhere.

“Cordula, have you seen my brother?” I inquired as I stepped outside the hall.

“He left for the dormitory in a great hurry. I imagine it must have been something quite urgent for him to leave you behind.”

“It appears I was the only one to miss the spectacle after all.”

Even with Dregarnuhr’s divine protection, my timing is still as poor as it was! How is this possible? Could my timing be so poor that even a goddess is unable to fix it?

Disgruntled, I made my way back to the dormitory. My brother rushed down the stairs to me with his retainers, who were carrying pens and ink, and asked me if I had any spare paper.

“I know it’s not to your liking, but I do have Ehrenfest paper,” I replied. The merchants brought with them a significant amount of paper from Ehrenfest, and, since it was much cheaper than parchment, I could afford to have a lot here.

“It doesn’t matter. Bring it to me.” With those words, my brother went to the common room. Somewhat puzzled, I returned to my room, had Cordula carry the paper, and followed him to the hall.

There, my brother had already made several drawings, each one of them of Rozemyne. They were all slightly different from one another, and if you flipped through them quickly, it almost seemed like she was really dancing.

“What is all this…?” I murmured.

“Sketches of Lady Rozemyne’s dedication whirl!” exclaimed Clarissa. “I’m sure you saw it too, did you not, Lady Hannelore? Ah, I’m so jealous! I wish I could be close to Lady Rozemyne and witness all these miracles myself!”

“Silence, Clarissa. You’re destroying the image of the saint in my head.” With a glare, my brother quickly shut her down. He then took the paper I brought and continued drawing more and more sketches of Lady Rozemyne. I had little doubt that, once he had a sketch that resonated with him the most, he would turn it into a painting.

Did I hear that right? Did my brother really call Lady Rozemyne a saint?! Her whirling really must have been exceptional if it made my brother forget about his stubbornness! I only wish I had seen it too…

Please, Goddess of Time Dregarnuhr, grant me more of your divine protection! I don’t want to be left out of the loop!