Preparations for the Prayer Ceremony

The snow that had covered the town had melted about halfway, and the sunlight was gradually growing warmer. Winter hibernation was over, and everyone was getting to work on clearing away the snow and preparing for spring. Turi's work had resumed too, meaning she could only come to visit me at the Temple every other day.

All the winter handicrafts we'd been preparing at the orphanage were finished, and Lutz had sold them off to Benno. Thanks to that, the orphanage's budget was quite comfortable now. There was still a fair amount of snow in the forest, but once it cleared up a bit more, we'd head back in to gather materials and make paper again.

Until then, it would be an educational period. A former attendant—a grey priest—was assigned to teach the children etiquette and manners. The reason, apparently, was that since I tend to wander around the orphanage, if the blue Shrine Maiden Apprentice isn't taught proper conduct, she'll treat other blue priests with the same casual attitude, and that would be a problem.

The lessons should be taking place in the orphanage dining hall, so the workshop was empty. There was nobody around except me, Lutz, and my guard Damuel.

"For the next book print run, I really want to try using the printing press for at least the text portion."

"Sure, but how are we supposed to make a printing press?"

"Well, I was thinking of modifying a wine press…"

I pulled out a blueprint and showed it to Lutz.

The early printing press Gutenberg had built was apparently adapted from a grape press used for making wine. I felt like I could probably manage to build one based on the early models, but reproducing it from memory was surprisingly difficult.

"You place the movable type like this, apply the ink, set the paper on top, and then… push down, like this."

I mimed the motion of operating a press I couldn't actually reach, explaining to Lutz what a printing press looked like. Since I couldn't leave the Temple, ordering parts and explaining things to the workshop would be Lutz's job.

"Then this… typesetting? We'll have to decide on a size."

"We can figure that out right away by measuring the picture books we made before."

In the workshop, I worked alongside Lutz, talking about the printing press while taking measurements here and there with a ruler and jotting them down on the blueprint.

Mount the paper platform at a slight angle here, attach an ink container box there—I wrote down every idea I could think of on the design document. When Lutz saw it, he shrugged his shoulders.

"Hey, Mine. Can't you just add the extra stuff later?"

"Extra stuff? I've only written down what's necessary."

If anything, with my memory, I was more likely to be missing things or forgetting details.

"Okay, sure, a place for the paper and a place for the ink are necessary, but the part you're stressing over is how to attach it all to the press, right? Can't you just put a table next to it for starters?"

Lutz had a point. As long as we could fix the typeset form under the press, we could manage basic printing even if the process was a bit cumbersome.

"You've got the finished product in your head, so you're overthinking it. When we started making paper, we fumbled around with substitute materials for everything, didn't we? You just need the absolute essentials for printing at first."

"…You're right. Actually, the more important thing might be figuring out how to make the press usable by just a few kids at a time, huh?"

As we talked, the design came together. We decided to start with the simplest possible version and have Ingo's woodworking shop make it through Benno.

"We'll need some smaller parts too."

Once the main design for the printing press was settled, we moved on to discuss smaller items like typesetting frames and sticks, when Gil came rushing into the workshop in a panic.

"Miss Mine!"

"What's wrong, Gil? Is it already time for the Chief Priest's room?"

Today, the female attendants were all out in full force preparing for the Prayer Ceremony. Because of that, Fespiel practice had been called off.

"Rosina is furious."

"Huh?"

"She said something like, 'If preparations for the Prayer Ceremony aren't even finished yet, shouldn't someone go fetch Miss Mine instead of her spending all her time on the printing press?' She's quiet about it, but she's seriously pissed."

Most of her anger was probably frustration from losing practice time on the Fespiel, redirected at me for doing whatever I pleased.

"I see. Well then, Gil, would you mind going and getting scolded on my behalf?"

"Sure! …Wait. Hold on. No way! Absolutely not!"

Gil bit for a split second, then snapped back to his senses and shook his head furiously.

I couldn't help but burst out laughing at his reaction, and so did Lutz. Gil glared at us with a reproachful look, then muttered, "I'm definitely dragging you back to that room." Resigned, I figured I had no choice but to go.

"…Fine, I'll go get yelled at. Lutz, I'll leave the rest to you."

"Got it. Starting tomorrow, you've got an important duty, right? Good luck."

Lutz gave my head a light pat, and I nodded reluctantly. Then I was hauled back to my room by a thoroughly disgruntled Gil.

The state of the room knocked the breath out of me.

With my departure for the Prayer Ceremony set for tomorrow, my room was in chaos. Clothes, shoes, grooming tools, towels and sheets and other linens, dishes, travel provisions, writing implements, paper, writing boards—the attendants were packing everything into boxes as if we were moving house.

In the hallway, several wooden crates sat waiting, already packed with food. A few empty ones remained too. Once today's cooking was done, some of the kitchen equipment would be moved out as well.

When I went upstairs, the mess was even worse. Linens were packed into wooden crates, and clothes and shoes were lined up waiting their turn to be packed in. Daily necessities had colonized the tabletop. In the midst of it all, Deria, Rosina, and Wilma were bustling about.

"Miss Mine, preparations for the Prayer Ceremony are not yet complete. You must not go to the workshop."

Rosina said the preparations weren't finished, but if I tried to do them myself, I'd get scolded for that too. Preparations were the attendants' job, and I was told not to interfere. Apparently, my role was just to watch everyone working.

"I can't feel any enthusiasm from you at all! This is an important duty of Miss Mine's, you know!"

"…My attendants are quite capable, so I'm sure everything will be fine without me, won't it?"

"That is not the issue at all."

The people I'd be bringing to the Prayer Ceremony this time were Fran, who had attended the ceremony with the Chief Priest before and knew the proceedings; Rosina, since a woman needed to handle my personal care; and the cooks Hugo and Ella.

Wilma would stay behind to manage the orphanage, Gil to manage the Mine Workshop, and Deria to watch the room. Another cook and the girls who had served as Ella's assistants during winter would prepare meals in everyone's absence.

"Even so, this is quite a lot of luggage."

I looked around at my room, which had far more belongings than expected due to winter hibernation, and murmured to myself. Rosina raised an eyebrow slightly.

"This is quite modest compared to what some bring. Lady Christine would need two or three more crates packed with outfits, plus an assortment of instruments and painting supplies."

"Preparations for luggage have to start quite early, you know. Even going out to the Noble District was quite the production."

Wilma chuckled in agreement with Rosina. As I marveled at Christine's impressiveness, Rosina's eyes widened as if she'd just remembered something, and she tentatively spoke up.

"…Um, Miss Mine. Would it be permissible to bring the Fespiel along?"

"It's not mine, so I think it would be safer to leave it behind."

I glanced at the Fespiel placed decoratively in the corner of the room and shook my head lightly. It was borrowed from the Chief Priest, and I couldn't just take it on my own authority. If it got damaged, lost, or stolen, it wasn't the kind of thing I could easily compensate for.

But Rosina couldn't quite let it go, staring intently at the Fespiel.

"…Would you be willing to ask the Chief Priest?"

"If all I have to do is ask, I suppose I can."

"Thank you very much."

In the end, since I wasn't much use just sitting around the room anyway, I announced it was time to help the Chief Priest and left with Fran and Damuel.

"The Prayer Ceremony really does require a lot of preparation," Fran said. "The Knights' Order dispatch was more urgent, but there wasn't as much preparation involved, so for an attendant, it was easier."

Unlike the cleanup after the Trombe, which had involved riding out to rural villages, the Prayer Ceremony required traveling by carriage between villages, so the preparation was much more involved.

But for me, more than the preparation itself, thinking about the journey ahead was what really put me in a foul mood. Once it involved carriage travel, I just couldn't face it. Even after reaching the villages, I was sure I'd be completely useless from exhaustion.

"Is there any way at all to avoid going to the Prayer Ceremony?"

"What nonsense are you spouting, Shrine Maiden Apprentice? The Prayer Ceremony is an important rite!"

Damuel glared at me for saying something so reckless, but I wished he'd at least overlook a little grumbling.

"I understand, Lord Damuel. It's just, when I think about traveling by carriage, I have no idea how many days I'll be bedridden…"

"…Mm. It's tough even under normal circumstances, so the burden on you as a Shrine Maiden Apprentice would be considerable. Still, if Lord Ferdinand has designated you, there's no getting out of it."

I knew full well there was no escape. Still, unable to quite resign myself, I decided to try one last futile gripe when the Chief Priest's attendant work was done.

"Chief Priest, do I absolutely have to go all the way to the villages? I'm sure the carriage ride will make me ill…"

"Hmm. Sounds like we'll need a large supply of medicine."

The Chief Priest said this casually, with no particular emotion. Hearing that I'd be forced upright with medicine if I collapsed—and knowing exactly which medicine he meant—I grimaced.

"…By medicine, do you mean that one that works, but tastes so horribly bitter you feel like you're dying?"

"That's the one."

"Ugh, now I want to go even less."

Getting sick from the carriage ride, having my body forced back in working order with the Chief Priest's special medicine, writhing at the bitterness, forcing myself through the ceremony, then collapsing again from the next stretch of travel—would that cycle repeat endlessly until we finished touring all the villages? Just thinking about it was depressing.

"Chief Priest, at least do something about the taste of the medicine. Or better yet, prepare a sleeping potion so I can just sleep through the journey, or forget the carriage and use one of those stone statues the knights animate with Magic Power to travel… Can't you do something?"

I blurted out every idea that came to mind, practically in tears, and the Chief Priest nodded, looking somewhat taken aback.

"…You seem rather desperate. I'll give it some thought."

"I would be most grateful. Also, my attendant has expressed a desire to bring the Fespiel along. Surely that's not allowed?"

As someone who was terrified of transporting something so expensive, I'd have preferred a firm refusal, but the Chief Priest readily gave his permission.

"No, actually, if Rosina is accompanying you, she could play it for us. It would be a fine comfort during the long nights."

"Huh? Is that really alright? I've heard it's dangerous outside the city with bandits and beasts—surely it's unwise to travel with something as expensive as a musical instrument?"

I blinked in disbelief, and the Chief Priest furrowed his brow in puzzlement.

"What fool of a bandit would attack a carriage heading to the Prayer Ceremony, carrying priests and nobles?"

"…Is that so?"

I would've thought nobles carrying money and valuables were exactly the type bandits would target, but was I wrong?

"Mine, most bandits are just farmers from the surrounding area."

"Huh? Aren't bandits groups that make a living stealing from people?"

"Don't be ridiculous. When bandits appear, merchants avoid that route. Naturally, those who do pass through have more guards, making them harder targets, and if the damage gets too severe, the Knights' Order sends out an extermination squad. You can't sustain a group by stealing the same things over and over."

I'd always assumed merchants traveled back and forth pretty freely, but maybe not. Still not quite grasping the full picture, I drew a quiet sigh from the Chief Priest.

"Farmers often turn to banditry to extort goods or money from merchants passing through their area. But if they attacked nobles, the Holy Cup wouldn't be brought to their region anymore. No farmer would be foolish enough to attack nobles or priests heading to the Prayer Ceremony. Besides, even if they tried, they'd only be repelled. Nobles all possess Magic Power, without exception."

I see. Since it directly affected their livelihood, and nobles were universally magic-wielders, they were left alone.

"So our journey will be safe?"

"…Well, more or less."

The Chief Priest's answer was a little vague, which concerned me slightly, but it seemed the trip would be safer than I'd feared. That was a relief.

The morning of our departure for the Prayer Ceremony began in a whirlwind of activity. I was cleansed, dressed in ceremonial garments, and fitted with a ceremonial hairpin. Since we were heading to the countryside, my shoes were a pair of knee-high boots that had been newly made. Fran had said the villages would be muddy, though I wondered if I was the only one who thought the lower-town streets were worse.

The tools I'd used for getting ready were packed one by one into crates and tied down tightly with rope. When the last of the luggage was secured, Fran and Gil carried the boxes to the carriage one at a time. Rosina cradled the carefully packed Fespiel case and headed out to the carriage as well.

The room, now cleared of everything, was empty. I went around saying goodbye to each of the attendants who would be staying behind.

"Wilma, I'm counting on you to look after the orphanage."

"Yes, Miss Mine. I'm certain the children will be wonderfully well-mannered by the time you return."

She asked me to praise the children for their growth, and I nodded. Then, noticing Gil kneeling on the spot with "Come on, praise me" practically written all over his face, I reached out.

"Gil, the Workshop is yours. …You'll be fine, right?"

"Leave it to me!"

"Deria, I'm counting on you to watch the place."

"Understood. …Honestly! What's with that worried face? You're the one going off to work, Miss Mine—make sure you do your duty properly!"

Deria pushed her crimson hair back with a flick and glared at me. The one who was worried wasn't Deria staying behind—it was me, heading out.

"Ngh… the carriage, will it be okay?"

"Oh, honestly! Stop saying things that make *me* worry!"

"I-I'll do my best."

When I said that, Deria looked incredibly worried.

Fran gently called out once he saw I'd finished my goodbyes.

"Miss Mine, it's nearly time to head to the carriage."

"Yes. Well then, I'll be off."

"Have a safe journey. We look forward to your swift return."

See off by the attendants, I left the room with Fran in the lead, followed by Rosina and Damuel. The carriage was waiting at the main entrance of the Noble District, so we headed that way.

"Rosina and I need to do a final check of the luggage and go over travel arrangements with Arno, so Miss Mine, please wait in the reception room with Lord Damuel. The Chief Priest should be there as well."

As I made my way to the reception room with Damuel, I spotted the Chief Priest approaching at a brisk pace with an attendant in tow.

"Good morning, Chief Priest."

"Good morning. Mine, go to my room. There's an urgent matter. I need to give instructions to Arno and the others, so head there ahead of me. Damuel, you too."

"Yes, sir!"

"Yes."

The Chief Priest said his piece and strode off toward the carriages again. He looked elegant enough at a glance, but he was incredibly fast. After a brief exchange of glances with Damuel, I headed to the Chief Priest's room.

Since there was an attendant on watch in the Chief Priest's room, I was shown right in without trouble. I was offered a seat, and after waiting for a short while, the Chief Priest returned.

"Sorry to keep you both waiting."

"Chief Priest, what was the urgent matter?"

While I tilted my head and asked, the Chief Priest closed one filing cabinet after another and locked them.

"We'll be riding on magical beasts made from magic stones—magical beasts. I've already dispatched the carriage and instructed it to head to the village where we're lodging tonight."

"…Did something happen?"

"I hope not."

As he said this, the Chief Priest took a bundle of keys and disappeared into the hidden room, returning almost immediately. In his hands were a ring set with a pale yellow magical stone and a bracelet embedded with seven-colored stones.

"Mine, wear these."

"Lord Ferdinand, these are…"

"Just a precaution."

He held the Magical Tools out toward me, and I could see an identical bracelet on his wrist. He also wore a similar ring on his middle finger.

Come to think of it, he'd lent me a ring during the Knights' Order dispatch too. That had come in handy, so I supposed he wanted me to carry it again this time. I gratefully accepted, slipped the ring onto my left middle finger just as he had, and fastened the bracelet.

"Now, there's something rather difficult to tell you…"

"Yes?"

"A companion… an additional blue priest will be joining us."

"Huh?"

My eyes went wide at almost the same instant the door opened and a blue priest stepped in alongside Karstedt.

"I'm Sylvester. I'll be accompanying you this time. So you're the Commoner Shrine Maiden Apprentice?"

Piercingly sharp brows that spoke of a strong will, deep green eyes looking down at me, and purple hair with a strong blue tint swaying at mid-back length. His hair was pulled back into a single tail and secured with a silver-worked clasp that caught the eye.

He was a bit shorter than the Chief Priest but built solidly. If anyone looked like a knight, it was him rather than the Chief Priest—who was actually supposed to be one. He appeared to be around the same age as Benno and the Chief Priest, at least to my eyes. Then again, Benno and the Chief Priest looked the same age to me too, so my estimation wasn't worth much.

"…Small. And you've already finished your Baptism Ceremony? You're not faking your age, are you?"

After looking me up and down with his deep green eyes in a frankly rude manner, Sylvester snorted. I barely managed to swallow back "I'm not!" This was a blue priest. One did not argue back in the heat of the moment.

"You—go on, squeal."

I thought he was still squinting down at me, but in the next instant, Sylvester jabbed his index finger straight into my cheek.

It hit with a forceful, grinding pressure. "Ow!" escaped my lips before I could stop it, and Sylvester furrowed his brow and shook his head.

"That's not it. Squeal—like a pig."

He'd eased up a little compared to before, but as he kept prodding my cheek, I looked to the Chief Priest for help.

The Chief Priest lowered his gaze, let out a sigh of resignation, and looked away.

"Mine, that man has a terrible personality. But he's not rotten at heart. Just give up and humor him. And Sylvester, Mine is frail. Push her too hard and she'll die. Now then, Karstedt—about this matter here…"

"Yes, sir!"

The Chief Priest turned to a spread-out map, and Karstedt went to join him. That left me and a pale-faced Damuel alone in front of Sylvester. There was no rescue coming.

"Come on now, squeal."

As Sylvester poked my cheek again and again, his deep green eyes grew increasingly stern. I couldn't afford to make a noble angry right before departure.

"P-pig…"

Reluctantly, I obliged, and Sylvester nodded with satisfaction—then resumed poking.

"Good. Squeal more."

"Pig pig, piggy…"

The realization that I would have to head to the Prayer Ceremony alongside this incomprehensible blue priest filled me with anxiety before we'd even left.

A named blue priest makes his first appearance.

Now we set out for the Prayer Ceremony.

Next time: The Prayer Ceremony.