Last week started with the dedication ritual for archnobles and archduke candidates. Gentiane and Rozemyne decided the joint research would focus on revival of old religious ceremonies. During the ritual light arose from the statues of the gods. Rozemyne received permission from the Zent to use some of the gatered mana for the library. On the way to the library she notices the magic circle in the sky is now shining. After providing mana to the library’s foundation, Schwartz and Weiss urge Rozemyne to provide mana to the statue of Mestionora. While supplying mana to the statue, a magic circle appears in her mind after which she finds herself in darkness.
Upon lighting the room with her mana, Rozemyne finds herself in an illusion of her greatest desire: being surrounded by books. She meets a golden shumil who leads her to the Garden of Beginnings where she meets ‘Gramps’. Gramps mistakes her for someone else and believes her to be cursed due to her small vessel size. Anwachs—the God of Growth—assists Gramps with expanding Rozemyne’s vessel, causing her to physically mature rapidly. At Gramps’ behest Rozemyne forms her schtappe, speaks the words given to her in the shrines, and prays to receive the wisdom of Mestionora.
As Rozemyne absorbs the unorganized knowledge of Mestionora, she realizes that Gramps is Erwaermen, a former subordinate to the God of Life. She also realizes that Georgine could somehow steal Ehrenfest’s foundation, but is unable to dwell on the issue while absorbing all the information. The knowledge of Mestionora is found to contain the memories of previous Zents and aubs which are added upon their deaths. Rozemyne is disappointed to discover missing gaps in thirty to forty percent of the knowledge she received. After discussing this with Erwaermen, it is determined that Rozemyne is marked by Ewigeliebe and has very similar mana to Ferdinand due to him dyeing Rozemyne’s mana when viewing her past memories in her shrine maiden days. It is learned that Rozemyne was mistaken for Ferdinand by Erwaermen who can only see mana, that Ferdinand had received the thirty to forty percent of Mestionora’s wisdom Rozemyne is missing, and that his true name is Quinta. Rozemyne rejects Erwaermen’s suggestion that she kill Ferdinand to obtain the missing knowledge from his feystone. Rozemyne then leaves the Garden of Beginnings.
After such a pivotal part last week, the story has many different directions it could lead. Where do you predict the story will take us this week?
I wouldn’t necessarily count on Ordonnanzes to be an obvious sign. We only know that they can get into the tunnels, not whether they can also reach into the Garden of Beginnings. Not to mention that with how insistent Erwaermen was on Rozemyne doing nothing that would distract her from the transfer, I would expect him to block anything and everything from the outside that might distact her, which naturally includes Ordonnanzes.
Personally I think that the “library” with the shumil might have been in a place outside of time, but the Garden of Beginnings was the actual place and all that happened in real time. After all she has to walk out of the Farthest Hall, unlike with the Shrines, which either dumped her right at her place of origin, or were just simulated inside her mind, with her body never actually leaving the spot where she touched them from the outside.