"
I asked Wilma if we had the capacity for ten more people, including
"We'll need more Winter Preparations than last year, but the number of rooms isn't a problem. However, we'll need someone to transport living necessities like futons and tableware; we won't have enough."
She explained that the six former Gray Priests and Shrine Maidens who had been in the orphanage originally were one thing, but the four new additions would cause a shortage.
The winter stay was for the sake of the temple's lifestyle and education, so it was only for this year. If they were going to stay at
"Right. I'm not certain exactly how many people there will be yet, but please proceed with the Winter Preparations considering an increase of ten. This year, with both money and time to spare, it should be fine. It's thanks to your good work, Wilma."
"It's a shame the Chief Priest banned it. Fufu."
With the proceeds from the Chief Priest's charity concert, my purse was warm this year. Posh-posh, as they say. It was all thanks to Wilma's illustration of the Chief Priest selling out.
Since I planned to build orphanages and workshops in other towns as well, I couldn't waste money, but spending it on the orphanage's Winter Preparations was, I thought, a perfectly acceptable use.
"Oh, and how are the illustrations for the Summer Divine Beasts coming along? Are they almost done?"
"Yes, they're mostly done. There's one more to finish, but the completed ones have already started being printed as of today."
I'd already received a report from
"...Say, Wilma. Do you think we could make picture books for the Autumn and Winter Divine Beasts before the winter social season?"
"I think that might be difficult. We have the Winter Preparations, and we won't have enough time."
"Too bad, but let's give up then."
The primary market for the picture books was the wealthy and the nobility. I'd thought the winter social season would be a good place to sell them, but if they couldn't make it in time, there was nothing to be done. It wasn't like we had to sell everything; we could just make them next year's product.
"My lady Rosemine, regarding the winter handcrafts, should it be the same as last year?"
"Yes. Anyone can do woodworking, so it'll probably be a few more years before playing cards and Reversi sell in large numbers. Let's make and sell large quantities before everyone starts copying them, then move on to something new."
Everything I designed to create was simple stuff. It would be copied immediately. The plan was to sell the new items with the expectation of being copied.
"My lady Rosemine, even as High Priest, your financial planning is quite demanding."
To clarify for my guardian's honor: unlike when I was a Blue Shrine Maiden Apprentice who had to earn her own living expenses, I now received a sufficient budget just for living. The fundraising was for the orphanage, and to expand the printing industry and create my books.
"The orphanage's operating costs must be earned by the orphanage itself. If we rely on noble investments, it'll revert to how it was once they're gone. Ensuring the orphanage can continue its current lifestyle even after I'm gone is the duty of me as High Priest."
"I am glad to hear such reliable words."
"...And so, it seems the reception at the orphanage will be fine."
"Hmm. Then, we'll move them over after the Harvest Festival."
I reported my discussion with Wilma to the Chief Priest. Incidentally, I also planned to ask him about selling the picture books in the castle.
"Chief Priest, regarding the Holy Book picture books, would it be alright to sell them in the castle?"
"...Wait. Where exactly in the castle do you intend to sell them?"
Having sold the illustrations without permission, the Chief Priest had become even more neurotic about sales, and his thin golden eyes fixed on me with a piercing stare.
"I'm only considering selling them somewhere in the castle. The people who buy picture books in the lower town are limited to merchants and the like who would be inconvenienced if they couldn't read, but nobles are numerous, aren't they? I thought that if I sold to nobles with children at the winter social season, they might sell."
My words made the Chief Priest frown deeply. After muttering, "It's better than selling strange illustrations," he promised to get permission to sell at the castle by the end of winter.
"Sell them as a souvenir when returning to your territory. During the winter, use the picture book of the Chief God and the card game you made first to capture children's interest. When you show them the new picture book on the way back, their parents won't be able to refuse. Your picture books are quite inexpensive for what they contain."
"Oh..."
I never expected to receive business advice from the Chief Priest.
"...However, it will be difficult if children are not shown to develop an interest in writing, which can aid in education. The price is high for something unnecessary."
"Do children attend the winter social season?"
He'd said we could capture their interest during winter with picture books and card games, so children must be there. I'd intended to market picture books to the parents, but if children were present, the success rate seemed likely to rise.
"Those who have completed the
...Wow, that sounds like a hassle.
It seemed I couldn't just think about marketing the picture books. The winter sounded busy too, and at that moment, I recalled last winter's work.
"...Huh? Isn't the festival at the temple during winter? The social season has nothing to do with me, does it?"
"You'll attend both, of course. I do every year."
The omnipotent Chief Priest apparently shuttled between the castle and the temple every year. He couldn't ask the same of me, frail as I was and lacking stamina. Last year, with
"Chief Priest, I might die during the winter."
"Don't worry. I won't let you die so easily. I'll prepare medicine."
Even if he prepared the medicine, it wouldn't reduce the burden. I let out a small sigh.
"...Please make the medicine not too bitter."
The moment the Chief Priest, with a serious face, began considering how much to prepare, a sudden chill ran up my arm.
"...? Hyah!?"
It wasn't because it was cold. It felt like something creepy was crawling up my back, and I suddenly felt unwell. At the same time, the words "Hasse's small temple" flashed through my mind.
"Chief Priest, just now, something strange..."
As I turned towards the Chief Priest because of the anomaly I felt, he also seemed to notice something. He looked up and stood.
"...Someone is trying to break into the small temple in Hasse. I sense a slight interference with the protective barrier. You infused the protective Magical Tool with Magic Power, so you should feel it in the same way."
It seemed the Chief Priest, who created the small temple with Creation Magic, and I, who infused the protective Magic Stone with power, were now able to detect attacks on the small temple.
"Rosemine, come with me."
The Chief Priest said that and walked towards the hidden room at the far end of the bed. If the Hasse small temple was under attack, we should go immediately. As I was about to leave the room, I blinked.
"Eh? We're not going to Hasse?"
"The interference isn't significant. It's better to assess the situation first."
The Chief Priest said this and opened the door, so I hurried into the hidden room. It had been a long time since I'd entered outside of a lecture.
From amidst the clutter of what looked like experimental equipment piled on the table, the Chief Priest retrieved a basin-like object made of dark, octagonal wood and placed it on the low table. Instead of sitting on the long sofa as usual, I stood and peered inside.
It was clearly a Magical Tool, with yellow Magic Stones attached to eight corners and complex patterns carved like a magic circle.
The Chief Priest passed his hand over one of the Magic Stones and flowed Magic Power into it. Yellow light emerged from the stone and began racing across the patterns. The light divided left and right, connecting stone to stone, making the patterns float and completing the magic circle.
In the next instant, something shimmering like liquid welled up from the base of the basin, filling it.
The Chief Priest took out a glowing baton, saying "Spiegeln," and aimed it at the water's surface. An image surfaced on the water, showing Hasse's small temple. The Magical Tool, which acted like a security camera, made me frown slightly.
"...Chief Priest, can this see anywhere?"
"Not at all. Only where there are protective Magic Stones infused with my own Magic Power. It's basically a tool used by the lord's family to protect towns and territories; it can't see just anywhere."
I'd wondered if he had a peeping hobby, but it seemed not. While I was sighing in relief, he gave me a scary smile and asked, "What exactly were you thinking?"
"I wasn't thinking anything. More importantly, please show me the Hasse small temple."
In the image reflected on the water, about ten men armed with farming tools were trying to break into Hasse's small temple.
They were probably men ordered by the town mayor. The mayor himself wasn't among them; they were relatively young. Realizing they had come to reclaim Nora and the others, I felt a shiver down my spine.
"Chief Priest, we have to go help them right away..."
"There don't seem to be any nobles involved. There's no need to rush over. Watch."
The moment the men reached out to force the door open with rough movements, they pulled their hands back with surprised expressions. They reached out, then pulled back repeatedly. They looked like a cat cautiously extending a paw at a moving toy.
They didn't look like they were attacking from any angle, so I tilted my head.
"...What are those men doing?"
"The small temple is heavily fortified to repel those with malicious intent towards those inside. If they touch the door, they'll likely feel excruciating pain."
The Chief Priest said this calmly while watching the image. Thinking how convenient it was that the security level could be changed, I also peered at the image.
While watching, the Chief Priest explained Creation Magic bit by bit. He had made the small temple to protect the town and adjust the security level. If the lord made it, he'd have to raise the security level of the entire town along with it. That would prevent many people from entering, hindering trade.
"The small temple is designed to repel those with ill will towards those inside, but if that level of protection were applied to the entire town of Ehrenfest, it could even prevent those who argued with family and went to gather in the forest from returning."
"That would be dangerous."
It seemed the protection of Ehrenfest's town was mostly left to soldiers, and what the lord protected with Magic Power was mainly against magical attacks.
"...They're brandishing their farming tools."
Having understood they couldn't touch it themselves, the men raised their tools and swung them forcefully at the door.
In the next instant, as if a wind barrier had activated, all the men were blown away and tumbled ungracefully.
"It looks very similar to the carriage protected by your wind shield during the Consecration Festival attack, doesn't it? I've incorporated a similar effect."
"If that's the case, then it's reassuring."
The blown-away men, faces pale with shock, charged again. The result was the same. No matter how they attacked, they couldn't inflict a single wound.
Gradually, the momentum of their attacks waned, and their faces grew paler. Looking up at the small temple as if it were something eerie, the men, one by one, fled.
"The protection seems to be functioning without issue."
"Mm," he murmured, as if confirming an experiment's result, and began taking notes on a wooden tag. He then said something terrifying: "Perhaps I could weaken it a bit more?"
"Keep the protection as it is! Don't tamper with it recklessly! More importantly, let's go check on everyone's safety at the small temple."
"Not now."
In response to my words, the Chief Priest continued writing on the wooden tag and replied immediately.
"Why not?!"
"If we move carelessly, the town mayor might be eliminated, like what happened with
At the Chief Priest's quiet words, I froze, stopping my foot that had been about to leave the room.
Wolf was the former head of the Ink Guild. He was someone who died without my knowledge, someone whose face I didn't even know, a person likely to slip from memory. However, he was memorable for graphically demonstrating the value nobles placed on commoners' lives. Wolf had shady ties with the nobility, and when my father and the Chief Priest tried to expose those connections, he was killed to silence him.
Just like back then, the Chief Priest was warning that any careless move would lead to immediate execution. I thought I understood that nobles didn't care about commoners' lives, but hearing it stated so clearly made my heart tremble.
I didn't like the Hasse town mayor, but he wasn't someone I wished dead. At the least, if his death resulted from my actions, it would be a burden to carry.
"...After all, life is precious, isn't it?"
"Yes. He likely holds various testimonies we need, so I want to secure him alive."
What mattered to the Chief Priest wasn't the mayor's life, but the information he held.
His completely detached way of thinking was really suited for a ruler. Unlike me, swayed by emotions and going off on tangents, or getting reckless over my books and failing, he wouldn't do such things.
With a soft sigh, I acknowledged how fundamentally different we were. No matter how hard I tried to act noble, I couldn't fully become one. Once the gilt wore off, I was just a commoner.
"Wait until the day we agreed to go check on the situation. You've seen that an attack wouldn't be a problem, haven't you?"
"...Yes."
I waited with a restless feeling. Three more days until the promised day. I thought about going to see the small temple, passing the time busily.
I had Wilma and Monica calculate the items and quantities needed for the orphanage's Winter Preparations, and Fran calculate the amount for my room. For Gil and
I received an ordinance from Richilda saying I needed to have winter clothes tailored, so I had to return to the castle once. From
Amidst all this, Monica, who should have been at the orphanage, returned to my room carrying a cloth bundle. She'd apparently received a letter from a Gray Priest at the back gate. Since the orphanage was closest to the back gate, it was common for someone there to hold it and deliver it to the noble district. While she said "letter," what Monica actually held was a wooden tag.
"My lady Rosemine, a letter has arrived. They know you're not at the temple, but they asked to have it delivered to the former High Priest. What should we do?"
Very few letters were addressed to me, the new High Priest. Letters requesting Baptism Ceremonies seemed to arrive from the Noble District, but anything from there was usually scrutinized by the Chief Priest, so most were dealt with before reaching me.
Letters to the High Priest, often invitations requesting favors, did arrive occasionally. They usually came with market days in Ehrenfest, so receiving a letter around this time, just after the market ended, was rare.
Letters addressed to the High Priest were to be reviewed by me, the High Priest, and then forwarded to the Chief Priest for handling.
"This is the first time one has been explicitly addressed to the 'former High Priest.'"
"They probably didn't know of any other destination."
I had received letters addressed to the "High Priest" many times before, but this was the first time I'd received one marked for the "former High Priest." Perhaps it meant knowledge of the High Priest's changeover was starting to spread beyond this town.
They likely knew the High Priest had changed, but didn't know the former High Priest had died, so they sent the letter. While people in the Noble District might know, elsewhere, almost no one would know the High Priest had been deposed and was already deceased.
"The gatekeeper was unsure what to do with a letter addressed to a deceased person, so he brought it here. Should it be sent to the former High Priest's family in the Noble District?"
To Monica's question, I slowly shook my head.
Normally, perhaps it could be sent to the High Priest's family, but the High Priest no longer had one. His sister, the Lord's mother, was completely cut off from outside contact and imprisoned. He had half-siblings who inherited the family home, but the succession had occurred, and they had reportedly been on bad terms to begin with. The Lord's mother aside, the High Priest, who hadn't even undergone the Baptism Ceremony, was explicitly stated by the head of the family to not be counted among the clan. That's what the Chief Priest had said.
"There's no choice but to process the letter to the former High Priest here. Handle it as usual, and please have the messenger come pick up the reply tomorrow."
"Understood."
As I watched Monica leave, I took the wooden tag wrapped in cloth.
Unwrapping the cloth and reading the wooden tag, the poorly written, shaky characters indicated it was sent by none other than the Hasse town mayor.
"Um, well..."
As the Chief Priest had speculated, the mayor didn't seem to know the High Priest had been deposed and was already deceased, writing things like: "Please do something about the small temple," "Your subordinates are acting outrageously," and "The orphan who was supposed to be sold to the civil official, Lord Kantona, was stolen."
I'd known he was petty, but he was so disappointing it left me speechless. Only a sigh escaped my lips.
"Fran, let's go to the Chief Priest."
Taking the wooden tag, a significant clue showing noble connections, I visited the Chief Priest with Fran.
"Chief Priest, something like this arrived. How should we reply?"
When I handed over the wooden tag, the Chief Priest narrowed his eyes to decipher the writing and let out a sigh of exhaustion similar to mine.
"...Just reply that the 'former High Priest' is deceased. We'll judge how to proceed based on his subsequent actions. If he doesn't become hostile, we can leave him alone for a while. It shouldn't have much impact on our side."
The Chief Priest said our response at the Consecration Festival would depend on the town mayor's future attitude and actions.
"The Consecration Festival? Not the Harvest Festival?"
"In a town centered on agriculture, if they cannot receive a priest's blessing, there will be a clear difference in the harvest. They might manage for a few years, but the land will become increasingly barren. Does Hasse want a High Priest who protects them, no matter who it is, or a noble who can make a little money through petty crimes... The one to choose is that town mayor."
The Chief Priest said that and gave a slight wave of his hand.
"If he makes the wrong choice, the townspeople and villagers, unable to obtain their daily bread, will naturally oust the Hasse town mayor. More importantly, since he's specifically named Kantona, let's prioritize investigating him."
"I appreciate it."
Leaving the wooden tag with the Chief Priest, I returned to my room and wrote a reply to the Hasse town mayor.
The High Priest is now deceased, so you no longer have a backer. What will you do from here? I tried to phrase this in a roundabout, noble-like manner. Would the mayor be able to decipher it?
Too bad, Mayor. The former High Priest doesn't even have a family.
And the mayor's situation is now fully known to the Chief Priest. With such pathetic pettiness, he's been sentenced to being ignored.
Next time: Winter Preparations arrangements.