Ferdinand (Anime)/Story

Ferdinand appears briefly at the start of the series in a flash-forward to Episode 26. He gives Myne a magic circlet to wear and a red potion to drink, which puts her to sleep. He then explores the memories of her past. He also serves as the narrator for the series.

Ferdinand is the blue priest who registers Myne for her citizenship medallion at her baptism.

When Myne returns to the cathedral to give her rejection to the High Priest, Ferdinand greets her and explains that he's been assigned to read to her out of the scriptures. To his surprise, she asks to be able to read the book herself, and he allows it provided that she doesn't touch the pages. She sits on his lap and reads along with him, and quickly learns several of the words just by listening. Impressed, he remarks that he would enjoy teaching her.

Later, she explains that she can't join the church because her Devouring makes her too frail to handle the life of a priestess. Both Ferdinand and the High Priest immediately recognize that Myne could be a valuable source of mana, and Ferdinand goes to fetch the cathedral's sacred chalice. When she makes it light up by touching it, the priests ask to meet her family.

Ferdinand watches impassively as the High Priest orders the gray priests to take Myne by force and threatens her parents' execution. However, when she unleashes the full force of her mana on the High Priest, he intervenes and urges her to calm down before she accidentally kills him. Coldly furious, she says that the High Priest's life was forfeit the moment he ordered her parents' deaths and suffocates him until he falls unconscious.

Ferdinand steps in front of her before she can kill the High Priest, and the force of her mana causes him to cough up blood. He insists that her family will suffer if she murders a noble, and she finally returns to her senses. Afterward, he apologizes for standing by while her parents were harmed, and says he envies her for having such loving parents. He concludes the original negotiation for Myne's treatment at the cathedral. It is agreed that she will join the church as an apprentice blue-robed priestess.

Before Myne officially joins the church, Ferdinand assigns his trusted aides, Justus and Eckhart, to investigate her background and businesses in the lower city. After encountering some difficulties, they report back via ordonnanz. Justus says that while Myne is universally known as a strange girl, she's also apparently very competent. In the end, Ferdinand is satisfied that letting Myne join the church won't be a problem.

In preparation for Myne joining the church, Ferdinand reports to the High Priest about her background and activities. He says that he plans to assign his own retainer to Myne, and is dismayed when the High Priest decides to do the same.

On Myne's first day as an apprentice, Ferdinand guides her through the oath-taking ceremony and gives her a set of blue robes. He then introduces her to her new retainers (Fran, Delia and Gil) and warns her that she'll need to start behaving like a noble.

As Head Priest, Ferdinand briefs Myne on the duties expected of her, including helping him with paperwork and dedicating her mana to the church's divine artifacts. He has her practice giving a dedication to the shield of Schutzaria, and is taken aback by how much mana she posesses.

Later, Benno and Mark come with Myne to deliver her donation to the temple. Ferdinand questions Benno about Myne's character and background, and also asks about the rumors that she is his "Flutrane". He also assigns Fran to manage Myne's health, saying that he is one of the best retainers in the cathedral. Just as they conclude the meeting, Myne collapses. Ferdinand scolds her for losing her composure, but is taken aback when Benno informs him this is not uncommon; Myne is just that frail.

Ferdinand is scandalized when Myne changes into her blue priestess robes in his office. When she points out that she has nowhere else to change, he reluctantly admits that they can't afford to give her living quarters in the cathedral. His retainer Arno suggests that she be given the orphanage director's chambers, to which Ferdinand agrees.

When Myne discovers the true condition of the orphanage, she rushes to meet with Ferdinand and ask him to help. Conscious that the room is full of the High Priest's supporters, Ferdinand coldly informs her that there is no need to improve the conditions, since unbaptized children are not recognized as humans by the church. He asks her if she's ready to take on responsibility for the orphans as orphanage director, to which she reluctantly refuses.

However, Myne keeps thinking of ways to help and eventually requests a second meeting with Ferdinand. He brings her to a magic hidden room where they can talk freely, and explains that because he can't trust her to understand noble subtleties, it's better to speak where they won't be overheard.

Ferdinand is bemused when Myne explains that she wants to save the orphans so she can focus on reading without worries. However, he gives her permission to pursue her plans and become the orphanage director. Surprised, Myne asks why he behaves so differently from the other blue priests. Ferdinand explains that, like her, he was raised outside the church: He was originally a noble who gave up his status for certain reasons.

After Myne successfully cleans up the orphanage and sets up her planned workshop, she asks Ferdinand for permission to hold a taue-throwing "Star Festival" for the orphans. He allows it on the condition that the orphanage be thoroughly cleaned up afterward and show no signs of disturbance.

Ferdinand inspects the orphanage later and finds signs of displaced pavement and soil (the result of Myne's surprising discovery that taue fruit can grow into trombe). Displeased that Myne broke her promise, he sentences her to spend one day in the temple's Repentance Chamber as soon as she returns to work, ignoring Fran's protests.

However, when he returns later that day to find that Myne collapsed with a fever in the cold room, he regrets his decision and sends her home to recover.

When Myne returns to the cathedral, she struggles to focus on her accounting work. Ferdinand asks her to explain what's bothering her, and she explains that her friend Lutz ran away from home and that Benno is thinking of adopting him.

After giving it some thought, he proposes to bring Lutz's parents to the cathedral so they can talk it over and decide whether to sign away Lutz for adoption. Before the meeting, Ferdinand gives Myne a sound-blocking magic item which will prevent her from interrupting the conversation.

Although the conversation seems to start off on the wrong foot, Ferdinand repeatedly presses Lutz's parents to clarify their feelings. Finally, they explain that they always supported his choices, even though it was against their wishes, and only want him to be safe and to grow up strong. Lutz reunites with his family while Myne cries tears of joy for everything turning out well. Ferdinand offers her his handkerchief, and she finds out his real name from the embroidery on its hem.

Myne asks Ferdinand to let her take Wilma, an artistically talented gray priestess, as her retainer to help her make illustrations for her planned picture books.

However, Ferdinand says she should instead focus on learning important noble graces like playing the stringed instrument harspiel. He explains that, because mana is typically inherited from the mother's side of the family, she will be targeted by nobles for her high mana capacity as soon as she comes of age. Learning how to behave like a noblewoman is her best defense in securing a better match and better treatment.

Fran recommends the gray priestess Rosina, a gifted musician who studied under Christine, to be her harspiel tutor. Ferdinand plays her a short song, proving himself to be a talented performer, then shows Myne how to play the first few notes on the instrument. He is surprised when she picks it up quickly.

Ten days later, he calls Myne to demonstrate a harspiel song for him. Although she has to study frantically to be ready in time, her performance is good enough that even Ferdinand is highly impressed with her progress.

Ferdinand gives Myne his approval to make children's bibles. However, when he reads through her planned manuscript, he immediately becomes suspicious of how easily she was able to synopsize the complicated language of the scriptures into accessible, kid-friendly prose. He calls her to his hidden room and asks about her education and where she got her ideas. Myne replies that she can only say she saw it in a world of dreams to which she can never return. Although Ferdinand is still suspicious, he lets her go without pressing her further.

After the library is ransacked, Fran drags an unwilling Myne to consult with Ferdinand before doing anything rash. Ferdinand cautions her not to be foolish and explains that the intention of the attack was likely to prevent her from attending this year's Harvest Festival with the other blue priests.

He is bemused when Myne suddenly cheers up and announces her plans to reorganize the library under a new classification system. Although he dismisses the project as unfeasible, he allows her to take a list of books that he donated to the cathedral library to help with the project.

Later, Ferdinand checks on her progress and finds that she not only effectively organized the books, but also identified that all the books on magic were missing from the library. He calls her to his hidden room, where he presses her for an explanation on her classification method and where she learned it. In turn, he explains that the books on magic are in his possession, since no one who has not graduated the Nobles' Academy is permitted to study magic. Although Myne pleads to be allowed to read the books, he firmly refuses.

As the winter months approach, Myne intends to work from home and create accessories for the orphanage, but Ferdinand reveals that the annual temple Dedication Ceremony occurs during winter and requires a vast amount of mana to complete. As such, he denies her request to live at home and orders her to stay at the temple.

After Myne's first children's bible is finished, she gives Ferdinand a copy. Realizing for the first time what "printing" means, and the impact it is likely to have on society, he reflects on the danger Myne could present if allowed to continue unchecked.

Though Ferdinand holds firm on requiring Myne to stay at the temple over the winter, he offers the concession that her family can come visit to check on her. Shortly after Ferdinand returns from the Harvest Festival, he suddenly receives a message that the Knight Order requires immediate assistance handling a trombe raid. He orders Myne to get dressed in her ceremonial robes and prepare for departure.

When Myne meets with a Ferdinand at the temple's north gate, he has also changed his clothes: Since he'll be fighting alongside the Knight's Order, he is wearing knight's armor. Ferdinand gives Myne a magic ring and warns her not to draw attention to herself, and together they pass through the main gate of the cathedral to the to the Noble’s Quarter.

There, they meet Karstedt, the Knight Commander, who kneels to Ferdinand and greets Myne. The knights summon their highbeasts and fly to the extermination site to take on a massive rampaging trombe. Myne is given two guards, Damuel and Shikikoza, and Ferdinand strictly orders them to allow no harm to come to her.

When Myne accidentally gives a blessing, Ferdinand, exasperated, instructs her to do nothing whatsoever until the battle is over.

The Knight Order begin their assault on the trombe, using mana-infused weapons to inflict heavy damage, the knight Damuel explains to Myne how the weapons work, and admires Ferdinand's skill in combat. He says that he wishes Ferdinand could rejoin the Knight Order, but then apologizes for saying so and asks Myne to keep it to herself.

As the battle turns in the knights' favor, Myne's guard Shikikoza begins to harass her and threatens to gouge her eyes out with a knife. Seeing Ferdinand in the sky behind Shikikoza, Myne calls out for help, causing him to accidentally cut her with his blade. When her blood hits the ground, a second trombe appears and wraps itself around her.

Ferdinand rushes to help, but his weapons have no effect on the trombe because her blood is feeding the plant's growth. He dismisses his weapon, heals her wound, and has the rest of the knights chop down the plant without harming Myne. He then gives her a recovery potion to regain her lost mana.

An open interrogation occurs to figure out what happened. Shikikoza refuses to defend himself, saying there is no need for a noble to justify his treatment of a commoner. Damuel hesitates to give his testimony, since Shikikoza outranks him. However, Myne asks Ferdinand and Karstedt if they can guarantee her safety if she provides honest testimony. Damuel apologizes for failing to help her.

As the highest-ranking knight present, Ferdinand issues his verdict. He says that everyone must remember their place in society, and that by failing to protect Myne as ordered, the knights defied the will of the lord of Ehrenfest himself. As the Knight Commander, Karstedt is also held responsible for their failure. As they fly to the center of the crater, Ferdinand asks Myne to put her full power into the ritual and says he has a plan to set her up for success.

As punishment for Shikikoza's failure, Ferdinand orders him to lead the healing ritual and restore the land. When he fails to do so, Myne is the next to attempt the ritual. She succeeds far beyond anyone's expectations — even Ferdinand's. As the Knight's Order regards her in shock, he warns them that she is under his custody and protection. As they return to the city of Ehrenfest, Ferdinand apologizes for allowing her to come to harm under his supervision.

Myne spends several days bedridden after her strenous adventure and returns to the temple at the end of fall. Ferdinand calls her to his hidden room. He gives her a red potion to drink, which she finds sweet, and then places a circlet on her head. As she falls into a deep sleep, he uses the magic tool to explore her memories.

When she realizes what's happening, she enthusiastically takes him on a tour of her memories — showing him her past as Urano Motosu, her fond memories of books in the other world, and her life with her family in Japan. As Myne relives her troubled relationship with her mother in her past life, and feels regret for failing to appreciate her family, her emotions become overwhelming.

Because Ferdinand is synchronized with her emotions, he is forced to break off the connnection and return to the present. When Myne wakes up, she sees him looking distressed. She hugs him tightly and thanks him for allowing her to connect with the memories she was starting to forget.

Later, Ferdinand meets with Karstedt and discusses the memories he saw through the magic tool. He comments that Myne has immeasurable value to Ehrenfest, and asks Karstedt to adopt her to protect her from any potential threats.

<Ferdinand (Anime)