Prologue

I am Ferdinand. I serve as Chief Priest at the Temple in the city of Ehrenfest. People often mistake me for around twenty-five, or even thirty at worst, but I am twenty.

My half-brother frequently tells me I lack youthfulness and look withered, but that is simply a product of my upbringing.

I was raised in noble society until I came of age. As the child of a concubine, I possessed enough Magic Power to handle the magicale foundational tools, and—I say this myself—academics came easily to me, so I was raised in a position to assist my half-brother. My relationship with him was never poor, even if my father's first wife and I were another matter.

However, the first wife did not appreciate my role assisting her son. After my father's death, I was overtly pushed aside. The adults who gathered around power all sided with her, my own mother was unreliable, and just as I began to feel my life was in danger, my half-brother suggested I enter the Temple.

To enter the Temple, from the perspective of noble society, is tantamount to declaring one's withdrawal from the world of politics. Yet the Temple also employs Magic Power and conducts religious affairs, so it maintains close ties to the political sphere. Moreover, the upper ranks of the Temple are filled by priests and shrine maidens from noble families, forming a hierarchical society based on one's family standing.

My half-brother ordered me with a laugh to take control of the Temple. The current High Priest was connected to the first wife's family, and his attitude made him a troublesome opponent, but my brother made it sound so simple. I shrugged and entered the Temple.

The days there were peaceful. Others handled finances, managed the orphanage, or dealt with noble relations, but none of that work was assigned to me. So aside from infusing Magic Power into the sacred tools, I had little to do and spent my time idle.

With so much free time on my hands, I asked my half-brother to send me the books and wooden tablets left at my family home. Thinking that if it wasn't too much trouble, they might be useful to nobles in poor financial straits, I arranged them in the Library. However, the blue-robed priests and shrine maidens at the Temple were all people who could not return to noble society, and not a single one had any interest in academics. That the only person who showed interest—weeping at the thought of being allowed to read the books—was a young girl from the poor was truly disheartening.

Then, a political upheaval in the Central District drastically reduced the number of nobles. First, the young apprentices of an age to attend the Noble Academy were recalled from their families one after another. Next, young priests and shrine maidens of marriageable age returned to noble society. Furthermore, even those beyond prime age who possessed a certain amount of Magic Power received requests to transfer to the Central Temple.

Now, not a single shrine maiden remained at this Temple, and the priests were all either too old to return to their families or lacked the Magic Power demanded by the Central Temple.

With those who had handled the major duties all gone, I was left to take over every task, and the peaceful times vanished before my eyes. Between the volume and quality of work, my family's rank, and my half-brother's earnest request, I—new to the Temple and still young—was appointed Chief Priest.

"Chief Priest, it seems the High Priest wishes to see you."

"...He appears to have recovered, then."

Hearing the words of my attendant Fran, I rose with a sigh. If only he had stayed bedridden a while longer, I could have made more progress on my work, I thought as I left my room and headed for the High Priest's quarters. The High Priest was the sort of man who never lifted a finger but always had plenty to say, and I often wished he would simply stay asleep during work hours.

Along the way, the Library came into view. The image of the girl who had caused such a commotion just to read the books here—Mine—floated into my mind, and I pressed a fingertip firmly against my temple. She was the source of my recent headaches and, I suspected, the reason for this summons.

At the Baptism Ceremony, Mine had discovered the Library and declared she wanted to become a Shrine Maiden Apprentice. She had apparently been dressed in opulent clothing befitting a wealthy family. The High Priest, dazzled by the enormous Donation she presented as entry fees and eager to find a way to admit this wealthy girl into the Temple, had gone so far in his enthusiasm that they even discovered she possessed Magic Power.

From her reaction when I read the Holy Book to her, I knew she was quite intelligent, and her bearing and speech made it clear she had been well-educated. So when the High Priest insisted on admitting her and even offering her a Blue Robe, I did not object.

However, when her parents were summoned for discussion, it turned out Mine was not the daughter of a wealthy family but of a pauper.

As far as I was concerned, it didn't matter whose child she was—as long as she had the Donation and Magic Power, there was no problem. But for the High Priest, it was a different matter entirely. He adopted an overtly overbearing attitude and provoked Mine into anger.

Nobles possess Magical Tools to control their Magic Power. Alternatively, they regularly offer their Magic Power to the sacred tools, so even when their emotions cause their Magic Power to surge, it never runs wild. But Mine was a pauper's daughter and owned no such Magical Tools.

Naturally, her Magic Power ran wild, leaking from her body and surging straight toward the High Priest. Mine's Magic Power was far stronger than one would expect of a Self-Eating who had survived up to her Baptism Ceremony.

Hit head-on by the full force of Mine's Magic Power, the High Priest collapsed on the spot and remained unconscious for some time. Taking advantage of his insensible state, I stepped in to negotiate with Mine's family.

Even after regaining consciousness, the High Priest had remained bedridden. The fact that he had now gone out of his way to summon me could only mean he wanted to confirm what had been decided regarding Mine and to lodge his complaints. I could easily imagine the snide remarks that would pour from his mouth.

The figure of the High Priest's attendant standing before his chamber came into my sight.

It was troublesome, but since the High Priest nominally held the highest rank within this Temple, it was best to keep him in his position. I took a slow breath and exhaled my reluctance along with a sigh.

"High Priest, the Chief Priest has arrived."

The attendant stationed before the door opened it to match my walking pace. The hint of tension on his face was probably because he was new.

Entering the room, I found the High Priest seated in his office chair, his back resting against the backrest. His protruding stomach was emphasized by the posture.

If one considered only family standing, mine was higher. But I was an illegitimate son, while the High Priest was a legitimate heir. He was also connected to my half-brother's mother's family, so his own family standing was by no means low. As a result, the High Priest seemed desperate to assert his superiority, and whenever he summoned me, he always seated himself behind the desk while I stood, watching me with a smug grin.

But today, he apparently lacked the composure to grin. His face was contorted with a menacing expression, deep wrinkles etched along his nose, and he was irritably tapping the desk with his fingertips. The moment he spotted me, he burst out with force.

"Chief Priest, what happened with that child?"

After walking slowly to stand before the High Priest, I made a point of emphasizing a noble's elegance as I tilted my head.

"That child would be?"

"Obviously that utterly insolent child!"

The High Priest bellowed, sitting up and slamming the desk like a child throwing a tantrum. Since I had anticipated this, I smoothly raised the wooden tablet prepared as my report, pretending to read it while shielding myself from the spittle flying my way.

"Ah, yes... the name was Mine, if I recall."

"That's the one. You sent her away, didn't you?"

I gave a slight shake of my head at the High Priest's glaring eyes.

"I understand your displeasure, High Priest, but the Temple's shortage of Magic Power is severe. The High Priest himself should know this better than anyone, since it was you who tried to admit her in the first place. This is a matter of endurance until more nobles return to this city."

"Are you telling me to be patient? I will not—"

Before his usual lengthy family pedigree boasting could begin, I lined up the reality of the Temple's situation and stood my ground.

"Without that child, the dedication ceremony will certainly become problematic. Furthermore, autumn is approaching. And what will you do if the Knight's Order makes another request? Will you tell them you cannot comply because you lack Magic Power? Or will you spend the entire time until nobles return begging other Temples for assistance?"

I knew full well that a man whose family rank was high and whose self-esteem was proportionally greater would never, under any circumstances, bow his head to others.

As I said, imagining himself bowing to another Temple and begging for help was apparently too much, for the High Priest flushed crimson to his forehead and seethed in frustration.

"Kgh, if it weren't for the shortage of Magic Power, I would have that insolent child executed immediately..."

"Confronting her directly is dangerous. If you took the full brunt of that Magic Power again, your heart might not survive."

He must have forgotten that his own overbearing attitude was what had caused Mine to overwhelm him with Magic Power to the point of collapse. That was the trouble with old people.

After lightly restraining the High Priest, who was grinding his back teeth, I reported what had been decided in the discussion with Mine and her parents.

"As discussed beforehand, we will prepare a Blue Robe for Mine specifically. Her duties will be the maintenance of Magical Tools and work in the Library, which she desperately desires—all as previously agreed upon."

I emphasized the phrase "previously agreed upon" multiple times. Due to his age, the High Priest had a habit lately of conveniently forgetting what he himself had said. Sure enough, he seemed to have forgotten, and unable to refute me even if he wanted, he glared at me with an expression of supreme dissatisfaction, groaning.

"Ughhhh..."

"Oh, and since Mine is not an orphan, she will commute from home. In practice, even nobles with homes often commute, so I judged this to be perfectly acceptable and granted permission."

"What did you say!?"

At my words, the High Priest's eyes bulged, and he lunged at me verbally. This too was exactly as expected.

"...Since she is being given a Blue Robe, I thought commuting would be preferable to being assigned a room in the noble district?"

"Hmph! Well, I suppose so."

Commuting was apparently more acceptable to the High Priest than granting her a room in the noble district, and he nodded with an unpleasant smile. He seemed to have completely forgotten that he himself had suggested tossing her into the orphanage, but I had already secured his word, so Mine's arrangement to commute was settled.

"Furthermore, Mine is in poor health and will be unable to attend daily, but the work expected of a blue-robed Shrine Maiden Apprentice is not particularly demanding, so resting when she feels unwell should pose no problem."

"I can feel no motivation from her whatsoever."

He apparently could not rest easy without finding fault in everything. I had already known this, so I simply shrugged it off.

"I judged it preferable to having illness brought into the Temple. ...Additionally, I have arranged for her to have an Attendant for health management purposes."

"That's unnecessary!"

The High Priest's words were so perfectly predictable that I let out a slight sigh before delivering my prepared response.

"Having someone who wears a Blue Robe without a single Attendant is not a good look externally. I believe this concerns the High Priest's honor as well. ...Besides, given that there are currently surplus gray priests and shrine maidens, would it not be wise to have Mine take some of them in?"

"...I see."

The blue-robed priests had departed, but the gray priests, with the exception of a select few favored ones, had mostly remained. With donations from the blue-robed priests' families also reduced, having nothing but masterless gray priests and shrine maidens around was simply an expense with no benefit—a situation in need of a solution.

"In addition, upon investigating Mine's background, I found that she is registered with the commercial guild as a Workshop Head. It would be easy to dismiss this by saying that those who serve the gods have no need of money-making ventures, but allowing her to continue the Workshop and having the Temple receive regular profit from it seems like a beneficial arrangement. What would you like to do?"

"Squeeze as much out of her as you can."

"As you wish."

With fewer priests and shrine maidens, the High Priest's own income had decreased as well. He chose practical profit over the Temple's principles. I quietly exhaled in relief that all of Mine's conditions had been approved.

"For now, to avoid troubling the High Priest, I will personally oversee Mine's affairs. Since she will be visiting the commercial guild, she can presumably handle some clerical work. I will also ensure she is generally not permitted to enter the High Priest's room. As for the rest... yes, I will assign one of the gray priest Attendants as her own personal Attendant and have them provide detailed reports."

By making a show of keeping an eye on Mine, I caught the High Priest's attention. He looked at me with interest, stroking his white beard several times and wearing that loathsome smile he always wore when plotting something underhanded.

"Oh my? ...In that case, I should assign one of my own as well. If it's a girl of similar age, that child will likely trust her. Deria would serve our purposes well. As for the other Attendant, assign one of the more troublesome orphans. Make her miserable. Squeeze the Donation to the absolute limit. After all, that's all that child is worth."

"As you wish."

This was becoming problematic. I had intended to assign a helper to Mine, who was unfamiliar with both noble society and the Temple's inner workings, but having the High Priest's personal Attendant there would mean all of my words and actions would be exposed.

Grinding my teeth inwardly, I lightly clasped my fingertips together in a gesture of respect, then left the High Priest's room and returned to my own.

"Truly..."

What an exasperating High Priest.

Most of the blue-robed priests and shrine maidens entrusted to the Temple were illegitimate noble children, but the High Priest was a legitimate heir from a high-ranking family and took tremendous pride in that fact. In truth, he had been placed in the Temple precisely because his Magic Power was far too low for his pedigree, and his inferiority complex toward those with abundant Magic Power was immense.

I would have to keep a close watch on how he treated Mine, lest Mine's Magic Power run wild once more. She was of lower status than I, but aside from Magic Power and money, she apparently also possessed clerical ability according to the reports. In my eyes, Mine was far more valuable than the High Priest.

I perused the business-related section of the report files on Mine.

After Gilberta Company handled her temporary registration as an apprentice, Mine had exchanged rights for a number of products: rinsham, Plant Paper, woven hair ornaments, quatre-quarts—a wide and varied range. It appeared to be neither exaggeration nor falsehood that Mine personally possessed the financial means to make a Donation of a single large gold coin.

Due to her physical limitations, she had given up on becoming a merchant apprentice, and she planned to continue inventing and selling products through Mine Workshop, which Gilberta Company had prepared.

"To have contracted for this many products within roughly a year... She certainly thinks up new products one after another."

The profits from items produced at Mine Workshop seemed likely to be quite substantial. To ensure she wasn't shortchanged by greedy merchants, I would need to assign an Attendant to Mine who would provide detailed reports.

Thinking this, I surveyed the Attendants in my room. Now then, who should I assign to Mine?

Ideally, someone with strong loyalty to me, accurate reporting, and plenty of patience. They would need to handle the troublesome Attendant assigned by the High Priest without letting anything slip.

"...Fran."

"Yes, what is it?"

Fran, upon hearing his name, stepped forward smoothly.

"I would like you to serve as Mine's Attendant. I want detailed reports. Also, please try to keep the High Priest and Mine from getting too close."

"I—!? ...Understood."

For just an instant, Fran furrowed his brows in displeasure, but then slowly nodded. He had been present when Mine's Magic Power ran wild, so perhaps he was also picturing the High Priest collapsing.

"As for the other Attendant... let me think. Was there anyone particularly difficult to handle, someone who would be hard to assign to a noble? Officially, I need to factor in the High Priest's opinion as well."

Fran looked around uncertainly, then lowered his eyes. Arno, who accompanied me even when visiting the High Priest's room, spoke up as if offering a lifeline.

"What about Gil? He's frequently placed in the reflection room and shows absolutely no improvement. The supervising priest has his hands full."

"...Hmm. Then we'll assign Gil, Deria, and Fran as Mine's Attendants."

The Attendants for Mine were decided.

The Blue Robe would arrive in three days, and Mine would come as a Shrine Maiden Apprentice in five.

The preparations to receive Mine were complete, but now—what exactly would unfold?

I could predict that commotion was on the horizon, but I had no way of gauging just how large it would be.