Lessing

Lessing Maeyer is an auditing student at Leithanien's Ludwigs-Universität who came to Rhodes Island with Ebenholz. He has signed a memorandum of cooperation with us, taking on the code name Lessing and assisting Rhodes Island with operations within Leithanien.

Imaging tests reveal clear, normal outlines of internal organs, and no abnormal shadows have been detected. Originium granules have not been detected in the circulatory system and there is no sign of infection. At this time, this operator is believed to be uninfected.

[Cell-Originium Assimilation] 0%
Operator Lessing shows no signs of Originium infection.

[Blood Originium-Crystal Density] 0.13u/L
Operator Lessing rarely comes into contact with Originium.

Lessing became a frequent visitor of the training grounds while Rhodes Island was docked at Leithanien.
He does not object to observers, whether he is practicing on his own or sparring with others, claiming that there is 'nothing out of the ordinary' about his fighting style, after all. Looking at the way he swings his tape-wrapped claymore though, one cannot help but wonder if he is truly Leithanian. After all, all things Leithanian are supposed to be elegant and beautiful, from music to art to Arts to swordplay. But Lessing's fighting style is plain and unembellished, the ultimate expression of efficiency. The one-swing, one-kill approach not only requires heightened concentration, perception, and reaction speed, it also requires a motion that holds nothing back, putting great strain on the body. In other words, Lessing's swordplay places unbelievable stress on both mind and body, but he seems entirely unconcerned. When I advised him to be more careful, he looked as though he'd been told to stop eating his food so quickly.
I know many are curious about the tape he wraps around his sword... There are rumors that he studied with an ill-tempered Arts master, and that the tape is the key to unlocking terrifying Arts. The latest version of the rumors even claim that the sword transforms into a massive monster—larger than Rhodes Island itself—if the tape is removed, devouring any living thing that it touches without a single trace.
The truth was finally revealed when some of the bolder operators invited him to spar 'holding nothing back.' While Lessing does have considerable skill in Arts, he uses them sparingly, and is a far cry from the legendary caster the rumors speak of. As for the tape, it does not seem to serve any special purpose other than wrapping around the sword's blade.
'Someone like him really only has two reasons to wrap up his sword.
'One, to make it less conspicuous.
'Two, to avoid hurting others.'

'Can you practice drums for an hour straight?'
'Piece of cake.'
'Can you stay focused and solve one of Hypatia's questions in an hour?'
'Probably.'
'But can you answer that problem after practicing drums for an hour in a small room without noise-cancelling headphones?'
'What are you talking about? I only asked you to go see what Lessing is doing in that room he booked.'
'And that's what I saw!'
'......'
'You're confused too, aren't you? He shows up at the training grounds at the same time every day, completes a full training program and then some, pushing himself to the limit. He lets the pain push him forward, day after day, for half a month. Then today, he suddenly books an empty room with Logistics... No surprise there, everyone needs to let some steam off, after all, no matter how disciplined. So I cracked open the door, and almost went deaf. He was just banging away at the drums. No headphones, his hair soaked with sweat, but his expression the same as always. Which is to say, no expression at all.'
'And? So what if he needed to let off some steam?'
'I didn't dare go in, so I waited for him to come out, which took quite a while. I asked him how he was feeling, and told him he could come talk to us if he ever feels stressed at Rhodes Island, because we're all friends here. And you know what he said? He said that was how he thinks, relaxes, gets rid of extraneous thoughts... Basically, he's meditating in the midst of deafening drums.
'Wow.'
'......'
'Well, never mind that. At least we learned two comforting facts.'
'Yeah?'
'One, Lessing's psychological state is perfectly fine. Two, it's true that every Leithanian can play an instrument.'
—Conversation between Hibiscus and an anonymous Logistics Department operator

[Urtica Investigation Report Excerpts]
Lessing's upbringing was much simpler than expected. He was born to serve the Graf Urtica, as every child in his family has for generations. This tradition was abolished by the Witch King when he ascended to the position of Graf Urtica, but the Maeyer family took up the responsibility of protecting the Grafschaft of their own accord, working tirelessly to maintain the territory's order and prosperity.
The aftermath of the Witch King's fall hit the family especially hard. Though no member of the family was officially denounced as an associate of the Witch King, they were put under surveillance for years, and the family went into decline. A few years later, the spire of Urtica welcomed a new Graf. Perhaps as part of the surveillance, or perhaps to curry favor with the new lord, a noble came to the Maeyer farm and requested they send their youngest child into the spire.
That child did indeed come to the spire, his fate once again aligned with that of his family's, but a contradictory edict came the day he was expecting to meet the Graf who would be his master.

[Scattered Records From Ludwigs-Universität]
Oh, pay no heed to the child, Lessing Maeyer. He's no threat.
So what if he grew up by the seat of my teacher? I know him. We're of the same kind. A trapped beast extending his tongue, trying to taste the sweetness of fate outside the cage, but his vision is so narrow that he can only see the dust-filled corners, not the spectacular scene above his head.
What I shame... I thought he would be a comrade. When he fought back against the Gendarmerie who were dispersing the crowd and was beaten within an inch of his life, I didn't think he'd get back up, scratching and clawing, snatching the Gendarmerie's badge, biting until his mouth was bloodied. He yelled at the Gendarmerie, 'What difference is there between you and the people you're beating?' Even the professor glanced at him that day...
I was the one who brought him back, gave him a chance to live. But he didn't learn a thing from the professor. Still just as useless, but with more shackles.
...Maybe I was wrong, maybe the professor never looked at him at all.

[Conversation Log]
'If not for the professor's insistence, the Liches would have left Leithanien following the death of Herkunftshorn. The Twin Spires of the empresses are imposing, but hardly reassuring. Just because the sunset no longer tasted of blood didn't mean it was perfect. There are cracks in even the most beautiful of clouds. A new change was brewing... it's a story we've seen many times. The Liches that remained in Zwillingstürme took more care to hide their tracks, bringing their research projects to a close and were ready to fly at a moment's notice. But then one day, the professor brought a Caprinae back to Ludwigs-Universität. He said he picked him up from the Gendarmerie. We were confused and alarmed. You understand, right? Who would take in a new pet while preparing to move? Well, that's what I complained to the professor about, at any rate.'
'The Liches eventually got used to this outsider in their lives. You know how he is. He's like a piece of wood. You can't get a reaction out of him. Weird, yeah, but that weirdness comes in handy sometimes. When the professor is angry, the students dare not go into his office, and even the other Liches keep their threads stowed, lest he drag them inside and gives them a verbal smackdown. Lessing's the only one with the nerve to push through the crowd, open the door, head into the office, and pick up the books and equipment scattered on the ground, all without the slightest sliver of an expression on his face. It's like he's completely deaf, as the professor put it. Anyway, we learned to tell when it was safe to go in by the change in volume after Lessing went in. He doesn't talk much, but he's pretty reliable. Anything that's inconvenient for the Liches to do or buy on their own, they ask him to do, so he goes into town every month with a long shopping list, and comes back hanging a bunch of bags on his sword...
'Say, do you think you can give him the occasional vacation, you know, to visit Kazdel from time to time? I-I'm not saying we need him around to deal with the professor. Just tell him that, er, his sister and the rest of his family, er, miss him. Right, miss him.'

[Letter Excerpt 1]
...I visited more than a dozen spires in Heidenschwiel. I failed to even get an audience with some of their masters, while others politely saw me out after learning of my purpose. Fortunately, the rest were willing to stay in contact with us.
I am not surprised that you did not leave Leithanien with Professor Fremont. You have seen Grimmacht and conveyed his messages to her. I remember you saying that you would support her, even without her relationship with the Liches. You believe in the path she took... Perhaps the day will come when the people of Leithanien get used to a single empress representing eternal grace, but Grimmacht's vision should not be neglected...
I am visiting my hometown of Lupukarn next month.
Maybe you don't need my advice, but I would ask you to be careful nonetheless, for Urtica is too close to the sunset.
......

[Letter Excerpt 2]
......
Road repairs in the territory: Complete
Procurement of Originium equipment in Zwillingstürme: In progress
Helping with Jif's harvest: Pending return to Urtica
......
Accompanying the Graf on his survey to remap Urtica: Complete
Notifying the nobles to visit the spire: Complete
Repair of Graf Urtica's spire: In progress
......
There is nothing to fear about fate.

The spruce that had barely grown to the height of his shoulders was nearly fallen, its trunk partially broken.
It rained yesterday, and the earth and rocks were loose. There were tire tracks nearby. A farmer must have accidentally hit it while driving by.
Lessing carefully straightened the spruce. He had no shovel on him, so he used his sword to dig at the soil, pile it around the tree's roots, and hardened it by stomping his foot.
Then he sat down and gazed at the forest before him, not caring about the dirt. Spruces grew all over the wilderness of Leithanien, with no pattern or order. It was an utterly unremarkable sight. Therefore, when back at the Graf's tower Ebenholz asked him where he went, he said it was just out for a walk. In fact, he liked this place, visiting it almost daily before he left for Zwillingstürme, sometimes training, sometimes daydreaming. Rain and storms were frequent, often toppling trees. Other times, craftsmen and farmers took wood from the forest for materials and firewood, but the forest nonetheless grew year after year. Now, it was twice as big as he remembered, so big he could not see where it ended, its canopies blocking out the sun's rays like a mountain range. The spruce, a tree that grew all over the wilderness of Leithanien, so unremarkable that no one thinks to plant them near the spires. But they grow straight and tall, sometimes even taller than the spires. And they will still be here, after all the spires of Leithanien are gone.