My Life From Here On

The knights were busy apprehending the High Priest and his attendant and escorting them out, which created quite the commotion. I looked around to see if there was anything I could do, and spotted Dirk, who was still slumped and dazed.

"Um, I'm worried about Dirk too, so if you'll excuse me, I'll take Deria to the orphanage and explain the situation to Wilma."

"That doesn't matter. Leave it to someone else."

Sylvester stood with his arms crossed, looking down at me, and shot me down immediately.

"The most important matter—what to do about you—hasn't been settled at all. Ferdinand, lend me a room."

"Understood. I'll have it prepared, so please wait here."

The Chief Priest spun on his heel and returned to his quarters to ready a room for the Lord.

Deria held Dirk in her arms and murmured softly, "Myne, thank you. I'll be fine on my own. I'm heading to the orphanage," before walking off toward the orphanage.

As I watched Deria's small figure recede into the distance, I heard Sylvester's voice behind me.

"Are you Myne's father?"

"Yes. My name is Gunther."

When I whipped around, Sylvester was staring down at my father, who remained kneeling, with an inscrutable, expressionless face.

"Call your family. For just the adoption paperwork, you alone would suffice, but let them say their farewells at least."

"...Thank you."

Father, his fists clenched tight, rose unsteadily to his feet. He too seemed to be suppressing the emotions swirling inside him, keeping his face expressionless in the face of a status gap that left him unable to say anything.

"Please wait. Allow me to guide you to the Gate."

Fran raised his face and stood up alongside Father. After a brief grimace of pain, Fran called over a gray priest and ordered him to escort Father. He didn't forget to make arrangements for someone to be stationed at the Gate, since Father would be returning with his family later.

"Ah, looks like preparations are ready. Let's go, Myne."

"Yes."

Seeing the Chief Priest's attendant emerge from the room to guide them, Sylvester strode off. A step behind him followed Karstedt, who had finished giving instructions to the Knights' Order.

As I moved to follow Karstedt, Fran staggered slightly and tried to step out ahead of me.

"Fran, if it's too much, you don't have to push yourself—you can go back to the room, you know..."

"No. I am your Head Attendant. I cannot let you attend such an important meeting alone."

I couldn't say anything more in the face of the fierce determination in Fran's eyes, and had no choice but to allow him along. Fran walked on, his face tight with pain.

When we moved to the Chief Priest's room, preparations for receiving guests were already in place, and I was guided toward the table. I took the seat indicated, but Sylvester and Karstedt headed over to the Chief Priest's desk and began discussing something.

"That must have been quite an ordeal, Myne."

Arno appeared, pushing a wagon with a tea set already prepared. Fran instinctively reached out to help, but let out a quiet groan of pain the moment he did.

"Fran, wouldn't it be better for you to go back to your room? You look like you're in a lot of pain, and there are other attendants around, aren't there?"

I heard Arno quietly chiding Fran in a near-whisper. I knew I shouldn't insert myself into a conversation between attendants, but I was genuinely worried about Fran's condition, and I fully agreed with Arno.

"No. I'm not going back. I was the one who asked to accompany Myne."

"...Fran, you really are impossible."

Good one, Arno. Say more, I cheered inwardly. Fran was too earnest, too stubborn, and too duty-bound for his own good—that was why I'd allowed him to come, but what I really wanted was for him to rest in the room.

"Don't give me that. You could have told me the Chief Priest wasn't away but simply confined to his room. You're the one who's inflexible, Arno."

Fran snapped back at Arno with a sour expression. He had a point—Arno had his own share of inflexibility. Perhaps the Chief Priest's attendants being so rigid had something to do with the Chief Priest himself being that way. Listening to their quietly exchanged bickering, I let out a small laugh.

"Once the tea is poured, you're dismissed. Everyone out."

Having cleared the room, the Chief Priest sent all the attendants outside. The only people remaining were the Chief Priest, Sylvester, Karstedt, and me—just the four of us. My family was supposed to come later, but for now it felt like an internal gathering, and with the attendants gone, Sylvester's Lord mask came off.

"Ah, I'm exhausted... I never want to judge my own family again."

"Let's hope things improve a bit from here on out. The real test is still ahead. Straighten your back."

Karstedt lightly tapped the slumping Sylvester on the shoulder. Sylvester pulled his mouth into a grim line and gave me a half-hearted glare.

"There's no point putting on airs in front of Myne, is there? The Dedication Ritual was more than enough of that."

"If you're going to be her adoptive father, at least look the part from the start."

The fact that Karstedt could scold Sylvester like that made me think he would have been far more reassuring as an adoptive father. As that thought crossed my mind once more, I watched the two of them go back and forth.

"Since the High Priest is my uncle and the Chief Priest—who always seemed so close—is his half-brother, does that mean you, Lord Karstedt, are also related by blood?"

The fact that he could lecture the Lord alongside the Chief Priest suggested there probably was a blood relation.

"Ah, Karstedt is my paternal cousin. He's the son of my father's older brother."

"Your father's older brother? How do they decide who the heir is?"

It didn't seem like the eldest son inherited by default. Perhaps this was a system where the youngest child succeeded? Sylvester looked at me, blinking in confusion, with a puzzled expression of his own.

"It's determined by Magic Power, obviously. The most important thing is having enough Magic Power to manage a territory. Basically, the choice falls on a child of the legal wife whose backing from the main family is solid."

"So you need Magic Power even to take on a territory."

"...You talk with us so normally that it's easy to forget, but you really are lacking in the basics, aren't you?"

When it came to common knowledge about Nobility, even adults born and raised in this city didn't know everything. It wasn't fair to demand I already know things that were simply taken for granted.

"Myne, let me have a serious word with you."

"Yes."

"The adoption is technically already in effect since you put a Blood Seal on the necklace I gave you, but we'll be making some adjustments for the future."

First, I would become Karstedt's daughter, then be adopted by Sylvester. It was practically identity laundering.

"Is there any particular meaning in first becoming Lord Karstedt's daughter?"

"Quite a lot. There's a world of difference between being an adopted daughter of a former Commoner and being an adopted daughter of a former high-ranking Noble."

"That may be true, but the Knights' Order already knows my face, so it's pointless, isn't it?"

One look and they'd instantly connect the blue Shrine Maiden Apprentice from the Commoner town to the Lord's adopted daughter. Being told she was Karstedt's daughter would just raise the question of where on earth she'd come from.

"If it's just the Knights' Order, Karstedt and Ferdinand can handle it. The story will be that you're Karstedt's beloved daughter."

"Huh? A cover story? Won't they see right through that? Isn't it a bit strange?"

There were about twenty knights I'd met face to face during the Trombe subjugation. I didn't see how pretending I was Karstedt's daughter would work at this point.

"No, rewriting people's memories is surprisingly easy. The story is that you're the daughter of Karstedt's third wife, who has since passed away."

Sylvester shook his head and stated it flatly.

"The third wife's daughter?"

"That's right. Karstedt's third wife came from a family of middle-ranking Nobility—not particularly high status—but she had abundant Magic Power. The legal wives of higher-ranking Nobles, unhappy about that, bullied her."

It was starting to sound like a daytime soap opera, but I wasn't sure how seriously I was supposed to take it.

"The third wife passed away not long after giving birth to you. Swearing that his newborn daughter would never suffer the same fate as her mother, Karstedt raised you in the Temple, hidden from public view. But he kept your identity hidden so carefully that your uncle went and spread the word that you were a Commoner all on his own. Quite a few people were deceived, and it even led to a knight being punished over that lie. Your uncle is truly a sinful man."

The High Priest's culpability just kept piling up!

I gaped at the sheer absurdity of it all, then looked at Sylvester before turning to the Chief Priest and Karstedt, who both wore expressions of exasperation.

"But during the Trombe subjugation, I greeted Lord Karstedt as if we'd never met before. What about that?"

"Separating public and private is natural, isn't it? If you're a hidden daughter, the Commander of the Knights' Order obviously wouldn't show any fatherly affection during work. You just insist it naturally looked like a first meeting."

Sylvester intended to push through with this cover story no matter what.

"Will something that hastily put together actually hold up in Noble society?"

"Myne, you may not remember, but Christine had a background like that."

The Chief Priest's calm words made me pause. Christine—the previous owner of Wilma and Rosina, and the one I most strongly associated with being an "Arts Shrine Maiden"—had been shunned by the legal wife and raised in the Temple. I had a vague memory of hearing that her father had spent money on her living arrangements and sent tutors to ensure she could one day be properly taken in as a Noble.

"Given that it actually happened in reality, it does have some convincing power. But Lord Karstedt, are you truly willing to take me on as your daughter with this cover story?"

"...I don't mind. I've sometimes wished I had a daughter with Rosemary."

Apparently, the third wife who had been bullied by the legal wife and passed away was a real person. Great—was I going to get bullied too now that I'd become a Noble?

"Ugh, if Lord Karstedt is fine with it, then I have no objection, but wouldn't it be strange for a child to suddenly appear out of nowhere? Don't people hold celebrations when a child is born?"

When Camil was born, there was an immediate neighborhood gathering to show off the new baby. My parents had said we needed to let as many people know and remember as possible—was Noble society different?

It was Karstedt who answered my question. He rested a hand on his chin and narrowed his eyes, recalling various circumstances.

"For a child of the legal wife, a celebration is held at birth. But for children of the second or third wife, it's not uncommon to forego announcing the birth altogether. A child is publicly introduced to Noble society at the Baptism Ceremony. Until then, unless you're a very close friend of the family, few people would even know how many children there are."

"Oh, I see."

As I nodded in understanding, the Chief Priest smiled faintly and added: "If a child doesn't have Magic Power befitting the family, they might be sent off as an adopted child to a lower-ranking family before the Baptism Ceremony, or left in the Temple. The higher a Noble's rank, the less likely they are to make an unplanned birth known."

Terrifying! Noble society was seriously terrifying!

Unlike the Commoner town, everything here was premised on having Magic Power, so my common sense was completely useless. I'd already felt quite a gap when I first entered the Temple, but Noble life was clearly going to be even harder.

"Thus, if we're raising you as a Noble, the Baptism Ceremony is an unavoidable public introduction. Karstedt has decided to use the Baptism Ceremony as the occasion to formally introduce his daughter—born with high Magic Power like her mother—and arrange for her to be adopted by the Lord. This way, by separating her from the legal wives and granting her a secure status, he can protect his beloved daughter... That's the storyline. Understood?"

As I mentally traced through the general flow of the story, I nodded.

"It has a real 'Noble soap opera' feel to it. Could I maybe turn it into a book?"

"If it becomes your autobiography, you may write it down."

"...I respectfully decline from the bottom of my heart."

I was just an exceedingly frail girl who merely liked reading books. There was no reason to write an autobiography. When I immediately refused, Sylvester—the one who'd come up with the whole thing—raised the corner of his lips smugly.

"Therefore, your Baptism Ceremony will be held this summer. It will take place at Karstedt's mansion, and at the same time, we'll announce your adoption by me. Karstedt, when should we schedule it?"

"Wouldn't just before the Star-Binding Ceremony work? We'll need time to arrange everything."

Karstedt listed off the preparations needed—outfits, food, invitations—and the Chief Priest furrowed his brow slightly.

"I think it should be a bit earlier than that. Given Myne's frailty, she could collapse at any time. We need enough leeway to keep an eye on her."

"Then make it around that time and gather the guests in force. We'll also be announcing the adoption. The more people who know, the better."

"It would be wise to assign teachers for etiquette and proper greetings before the Baptism Ceremony. She can manage basic movements through her attendant's instruction, but she's never had proper training from a tutor."

The three of them paid me no mind as I stood there dumbfounded, going right on making plans without me.

"Um, I... I already had my Baptism Ceremony a year ago, you know. Are you really going to falsify my age at this point?"

The Baptism Ceremony was held at age seven. Doing it all over again—retaking age seven—felt like being held back a grade, and I didn't like it one bit. When I pouted my lips in displeasure, Sylvester fixed me with a sharp glare from his dark green eyes.

"Don't make a fuss over a one-year difference. It's so you'll be accepted smoothly into Noble society. Looking only at your appearance, fudging it by one more year would just make you look slightly large for your age—hardly a problem."

"One more year is terrible... Even though I've actually grown quite a bit."

Acceptable as it was if it meant being accepted into Noble society, it was now decided: I would be redoing age seven.

"As for your life after the Baptism Ceremony, you'll participate in Noble events as the Lord's adopted daughter, and when there are no events, you'll spend your time at the Temple. Same as Ferdinand."

"Huh?!"

It sounded like it was going to be a busy life, and I couldn't help but wince.

"From a Magic Power standpoint, completely removing you from the Temple would place too much burden on Ferdinand. And there's the Workshop issue. I intend to make book production a territory-wide enterprise going forward, but the actual work will be done by people from the Commoner town. Maintaining the same connections as before will make things easier for me."

Sylvester grinned with the air of someone who had everything figured out, mentioning he'd already made arrangements with the Gilberta Company.

When did all this happen!? I thought, but then I remembered that when Sylvester had come to tour the Workshop, I'd brought Benno along. Recalling how Benno had looked like an utterly exhausted salaryman, I cheered him on silently in my mind: Hang in there.

"So, in other words, you're asking me to juggle three roles at once—the Lord's adopted daughter, blue Shrine Maiden Apprentice, and Workshop Head?"

Quite a demanding lineup. I counted off my titles on my fingers, but Sylvester shook his head in denial.

"Not quite. Not Shrine Maiden Apprentice—High Priest."

"Huh?"

I tilted my head at a right angle and stared at Sylvester. I must have misheard. I definitely misheard. There was no way I hadn't misheard. As I blinked and tried to escape from reality, Sylvester let out a soft sigh.

"Nobody wants to sit in the seat of a High Priest who was executed for rampant corruption. Every word and action will be scrutinized, no corruption will be tolerated, and it becomes a position with absolutely zero benefits. On top of that, the people serving under you would be the Lord's half-brother and adopted daughter. Knowing full well it would grind away your nerves—who would want that?"

"Huh? But... doesn't the Chief Priest become the High Priest in that case?"

I tried directing my gaze toward the Chief Priest as if to say "There's someone better suited," but Sylvester only shrugged.

"Externally, the Lord's adopted daughter and the Lord's half-brother aren't all that different, but when you consider the practical work that comes with the position, they're worlds apart. Ferdinand is better off doing the actual work and leading the Priests as Chief Priest. You couldn't handle it."

The Chief Priest's work was indeed wide-ranging. If the Chief Priest became the High Priest and I—in terms of status—took over as Chief Priest, could I do the job? Absolutely not. But the High Priest was the highest authority in the Temple. There was no way I could fill that role.

"I can't be the High Priest either. I'm just a child who finished her Baptism Ceremony."

"That uncle managed it. No problem. It's a position where you just sit there grandly and do nothing. In fact, since you'd be doing nothing at all, you'd already be a far more competent High Priest than your uncle, who spent all his time doing things he shouldn't have."

Sylvester made it sound like having an incompetent predecessor made things easy, but I didn't think that was the point at all.

"Admittedly, it does sound like things will be much easier to manage. Myne just needs to be there as the High Priest. I'll basically handle any troublesome matters myself. Rather than someone who does their work reluctantly and then disappears, I'd much rather work with someone like Myne, who's upfront about helping."

"Chief Priest, thank you."

I was touched by the Chief Priest's kindness, but Sylvester huffed through his nose and muttered, "Keep getting used by Ferdinand just like before."

"As a reward for accepting the role of High Priest, you can keep using your current room, and I'll turn a blind eye to your meetings with the people from the Commoner town there."

"Sylvester, I love you!"

My eyes lit up and I pressed my fingers together tightly in front of my chest. Karstedt lightly tapped Sylvester on the head.

"The reasoning may sound nice and neat, but he's planning to use the Temple as his base for roaming around the Commoner town. Don't be fooled."

"Huh?!"

"Karstedt, don't say such misleading things. I'm taking in my cousin's beloved daughter as an adopted child. It's only natural to go check on how she's doing."

His expression was dead serious, but his face practically screamed "I want to go play." He was fully intending to have fun in the Commoner town.

"Sylvester, are you really going to let Myne interact with people from the Commoner town? You've gone through all the trouble of making her Karstedt's daughter—wouldn't that be far too dangerous?"

When the Chief Priest narrowed his eyes, hinting at the danger, Sylvester casually shrugged and said something terrifying.

"The shopkeeper there takes things in stride. And he knows how to keep secrets. The number of people who know Myne's true identity is astonishingly small. Almost all of them are connected to the Gilberta Company. The rest either think she's Benno's daughter or the daughter of some wealthy merchant somewhere. If you simply insist she was actually a Noble all along, there won't be a problem."

Even with the Lord leading the charge to make books an industry, the actual work of producing them would fall to the Gutenberg team centered around me. Rather than summoning every Commoner craftsman to the Noble District, it was apparently more convenient to keep a place where people from the Commoner town could come and go.

"You may meet with the people from the Commoner town in your current room. However, meeting with your current family as family is forbidden. You're going from being Karstedt's daughter to the Lord's adopted daughter. You will build a new relationship with your current family. If you can't do that, I won't allow them entry at all."

My spirits soared at being told I could see them in my own room, only to cool instantly. Would it be better just to see their faces, or would seeing them actually make things harder? Right now, I couldn't tell.

"If it's for work—like having my Soldier father serve as escort when moving through the Commoner town, or having my sister participate in Papermaking—that's fine. But I want both parties to swear by Contract Magic that they will never call each other family."

Gazing into Sylvester's stern eyes, I could hear my own heart making a horrible sound.

For what lay ahead, all sorts of adjustments were necessary.

I was going to be adopted by Sylvester as Karstedt's daughter.

Next time: the farewell.