"Man, this place is huge!"
"If we clean this up, we'll be able to serve tea when guests visit. Let's get a tea set ready, Mine."
"Hey, is that an oven?"
"Of course a kitchen would have an oven?"
Fran tilted her head at that. In a temple that only had a blue priest's kitchen, such equipment was a given—but to us, it was a rarity and exactly the equipment we'd been wanting.
"Lutz! We found an oven! We have to tell
"Right!"
Lutz, who had been working with Benno and
"Hey, Fran. Do you think we could clean this place up and bring in cooks?"
"Of course. It's perfectly normal for a Shrine Maiden Apprentice to bring in cooks and workers."
As I mentally laid out plans to train cooks here while providing meals to the attendants and the orphanage, Fran tilted her head.
"Mine, you didn't bring any cooks today, but what will you do for lunch?"
In the temple's system, where the cooks accompanying each blue priest prepared meals and the leftovers were distributed, I couldn't eat lunch without having brought a cook.
"Let's go eat out. Both of you, get changed."
"Changed?"
I went back to the second floor and pulled out a cloth bundle from the basket Lutz had carried up. I placed it on the table and gently pushed it in front of the two of them.
"This isn't a blessing from the gods—it's a reward I prepared for the two of you who've been working hard. It's not something to share with anyone else."
"I'm truly honored, Mine."
"Huh? Wait, is this really okay?"
Fran and Gil opened the packages with faces full of confusion, joy, and expectation. I thought they looked like children receiving a present for the first time, and the next instant, I realized they truly were. In an orphanage built on equality, presents probably weren't handed out.
When I was first allowed to go into the forest, at my
"Hey... this is clothes, right?"
"Yes. Change into these and we're going out."
"For real!? I've always wanted to go out! I'll change right away!"
Gil's face as he clutched the clothes to his chest was the brightest smile I'd ever seen from him. He bounded down the stairs to the first floor with huge, skipping strides. Gil's transparent joy made even me happy for giving the clothes, and I turned to Fran, who hadn't said a word.
Fran was quietly gazing at the clothes spread across the table, running her fingers ever so gently along the embroidered trim, as though looking at something dazzling. Watching her savor her happiness so deliberately made a ticklish laugh bubble up inside me.
"Fran, will you change and show me?"
"!?" Y-Yes, of course."
Noticing she'd been watched, Fran flushed shyly and hurried down to the first floor. It was rare to see the normally composed Fran so flustered, and Lutz and I shared a small laugh.
"I'm glad they were happy about it, Mine."
"Yeah."
Lutz glanced down toward the first floor, then lowered his voice.
"...But what was that about wanting to go outside? ...This place is weird, isn't it?"
"Yeah. But from the people here, I'm sure we're the ones who are weird."
To go outside, I also took off my Blue Robe, folded it, and put it in the closet. I wanted a hanger so it wouldn't get fold creases. I considered asking Benno to have one made as I grabbed a portion of my Donation funds for the day's expenses.
The two of them hesitated for just a moment before passing through the Gate, and I led them out of the temple.
"Fran, you really don't have to worry so much. It's fine."
This seemed to be the first time Fran had worn anything other than a gray priest's robes, and she kept fussing over her cuffs and hem. But the clothes—a calm, dark brownish color—suited Fran's demeanor wonderfully. And the fresh leaf-green was perfect for Gil, who ran around with boundless energy.
"Whoa, we're outside! Just this alone makes me think, yeah, I'm glad I became your attendant!"
"Then you should serve us with sincerity and改 that language of yours. You'll embarrass Mine."
"...Yeah, yeah, someday."
Gil craned his head around busily, darting off the moment something caught his interest. There was no way he could match my slow walking pace. Lutz held Gil back from running off on his own, and Fran picked me up to move along.
"It feels strange to walk outside the temple on my own."
"...This is more my world, you know. Fran, you should loosen your speech a bit when you're outside. You stand out when you're too formal."
"Switching between registers is surprisingly difficult."
Lutz led us to an eatery near the Central Plaza. He said it was a relatively upscale place that merchants frequented. It was an unusual shop with no large tables—instead, small groups could sit—and I could see several parties of what looked like customers conducting business.
Lutz, who had been here before, quickly ordered recommended dishes.
Boiled sausage and a cheese platter were placed in the center of the table, and thinly sliced bread arrived in a basket. And vegetable soup was set before each of us.
"Let's eat."
"Huh? That's it?"
When Lutz and I reached for the bread, Gil's voice cut in reproachfully. I froze with my hand outstretched and exchanged a glance with Lutz.
"Is there something else we're supposed to say?"
"You two didn't say the pre-meal prayer, did you? 'We give thanks and pray to the supreme deity who rules the lofty, soaring heavens, bestowing the lives of countless thousands upon us as sustenance; to the five great gods who rule the vast, boundless earth; with gratitude and prayer for the will of the gods, we partake of this meal.'"
Watching Gil cross his hands before his chest and rattle off the prayer so fluently, I could tell this was something everyone at the temple recited as a matter of course.
"...I didn't know about that. Never heard it before."
"So I need to learn that, huh?"
I had Gil and Fran teach me and attempted to repeat the pre-meal prayer. It didn't feel like something I'd memorize quickly. I'd better write it in my memo pad next time.
Regaining my composure, Lutz and I began eating, but Fran and Gil made no move to touch their food. They just sat still in front of their meals.
"Hm? You're not eating? Aren't you hungry?"
Puzzled, I called out to them, and Fran slowly shook her head.
"...We are your attendants. We cannot eat until you have finished."
"But it'll get cold if we don't eat together?"
Gil had apparently reached for his food, but upon seeing Fran sitting beside him, he seemed to hold himself back. His whole body was fidgeting, like a toy that moved in response to sound.
"Then I'm ordering you. Eat while it's still hot and delicious."
When told it was an order, they seemed unable to refuse. Fran reluctantly reached for the bread with a pained expression. The next instant, Gil eagerly began to dig in.
Fran ate with a posture so elegant it was rarely seen around here. Gil, raised in an orphanage, also had fairly neat table manners. Lutz, who had grown up eating while squabbling with his siblings, was the one wolfing his food down. Perhaps this was what an environment of equal portions—where you didn't have to fight anyone for food—produced.
"Fran and Gil, you both eat so neatly. Did someone teach you?"
"For blue priests, anything unsightly means you can't leave the orphanage, so we're taught how to eat and walk by our elders."
"Right, right. The purification before leaving the orphanage was the hardest part for me. It's fine now, but in winter it was practically death."
"That's because once you become an attendant, you get access to baths."
Being unable to show anything unsightly—that sounded like a brutal environment. But thanks to it, Gil at least looked reasonably presentable.
As I listened to the differences between the orphanage and life as an attendant while eating, I noticed Fran's eyebrows shift slightly. Even though it was leftovers, Fran was used to noble cuisine, and this place apparently didn't satisfy her. She was frowning slightly as she ate.
"Fran, it's different from your usual meals, isn't it?"
I laughed softly and tapped my own brow to point it out. Fran pressed her own brow and smiled with a troubled expression.
"It is. Quite different. ...However, I thought the soup was delicious when it's warm."
The meals handed down from one's master were always leftovers, but delicious all the same. This apparently was the first time she'd had a warm dish.
"I'm good once I'm full—don't care about the taste. The number of blue priests dropped, so the gods' blessings got way smaller, but the gray priests returning to the orphanage have gone up."
Gil seemed to have eaten his fill, but compared to Lutz, who was around the same age, his portion was considerably smaller. Perhaps his stomach hadn't developed fully from eating small amounts regularly.
"Then, should we buy dinner and souvenirs for the orphanage before we head back? I'm going home, so you'd have trouble with dinner, right?"
"For real!? Sweet! Thank the gods!"
Gil stood up with a thud, moved that he could eat his fill for the first time in ages, and struck a glorious pose right there in the middle of the restaurant.
The shop, previously bustling with diners and business meetings, fell completely silent. Every single gaze locked onto our table.
"W-Wait! No praying here!"
Lutz hurriedly dragged Gil outside, and I apologized to the manager for the commotion, added a little extra to the bill, then dashed out after them.
"Praying is for the temple. Nobody does it out here. Got it? Just like we didn't know the customs at the temple, Gil and Fran don't know the customs out here."
I sighed as I corrected them, and Gil's shoulders drooped visibly.
"...Sorry about that."
"Just be careful from now on."
"Not about that! ...I meant sorry for calling you ignorant."
He'd apparently been reflecting on everything that had happened at the temple. Lutz laughed and patted Gil's shoulder.
"We're all equally ignorant. If something seems off, tell Mine right away. Like the pre-meal prayer today. I'll keep an eye on you to make sure you don't do anything weird."
"Gil, over by the East Gate there are stalls set up for travelers. Let's buy dinner and souvenirs there."
The East Gate faced the main road, so there were many travelers and it was lively. However, with so many outsiders, the security wasn't great. We browsed the stalls, trying to stay closer to the Central Plaza where things were safer.
We bought several sandwiches—thinly sliced bread with ham and cheese between them—for dinner, wrapped them in the cloth I'd brought, and tucked them into the tote bag.
"Fran, how many people are at the orphanage? What should I buy as souvenirs?"
"...Around eighty to ninety, I believe? Sweets are never distributed, so perhaps fruit that's easy to cut into portions, or small fruit like those?"
Still being carried by Fran, I surveyed the stalls from my elevated vantage point. Three fruit vendors were visible. I moved from one to the next, comparing prices.
"Oh, gods' blessings."
"Huh?"
At Gil's voice, Fran and I turned around instinctively. In our field of vision was Gil, grabbing fruit from a stall's display and munching away on it without a care. Lutz, who was holding Gil's hand to prevent him from acting on impulse, was standing there with his eyes wide in disbelief.
"Gil!?"
"Hey, you! You haven't paid a single coin, and you're eating right in front of my stall like some kind of thief!?"
The old lady at the stall gave Gil a sound cuff on the ear while he'd been eating what looked like a peach called a buraal. He stared at me with a blank expression.
I immediately had Fran set me down and pulled out money.
"I'm so sorry, ma'am. This boy was raised in a box and doesn't even know money exists. I'll pay, so please don't call the soldiers."
"Sorry, ma'am. I was supposed to be watching him."
I paid up, and Lutz and I both apologized. The old lady looked at Gil with an exasperated expression and shrugged.
"I don't know what sheltered prince this is, but he'd better watch himself when he's out and about."
"I'm truly sorry. Here, Gil, apologize too."
"Huh? Uh, s-sorry."
When urged, Gil apologized with jerky movements, still looking completely lost.
"Gil, is that buraal tasty?"
"Uh, um..."
Gil looked at the half-eaten buraal and let his gaze wander uncertainly. After telling him "You've already paid for that, so go ahead and eat it," I pulled two pieces of cloth from the tote bag and, tying the corners together to make wrapping cloths, fashioned two cloth bags.
"Ma'am, could you put five buraals into each of these?"
"Sure thing."
I bought plenty of souvenirs for the orphanage from the old lady's stall by way of apology, then made our way back to the Central Plaza. The bags were carried by Gil as punishment. With both hands full, he'd be less likely to act on impulse.
"Next time I pay you, I'll teach you how to spend money. Until then, don't touch merchandise in stores."
"...Got it."
We were heading north up the main street toward the temple when Lutz looked up at me, still being carried by Fran.
"Hey, Mine. Before we go back to the temple, mind if I stop by and report to the boss?"
"Yeah. I'm planning to have Benno get the tea sets and cooking utensils, so a report would be good."
It looked like the lunch rush had just ended, and the shop was busy with preparations. Lutz darted off toward the store. I had Fran set me down and made my way there at my own pace. Gil, with both hands full of bags, trailed behind me.
"Mine, the boss is waiting for you."
"Hello, Mark."
I greeted Mark, who had come out to the front of the shop to meet us, and led the two of them to the back room. I could see Lutz standing in front of Benno's desk, delivering his report.
The moment Benno spotted me, he shot to his feet, strode over in huge steps, and scooped me up in a tight hug.
"Mine, you did it! If the kitchen was one a noble actually used, just seeing it will give us ideas for the Italian restaurant!"
Benno ruffled my head with enough force to shake me, his excitement so high that Fran—who knew Benno from the temple—took a step back.
I pushed Benno's hand away, had him set me down, and took my usual seat at the table.
"The kitchen in the Director's room looks like it's okay for me to bring in cooks, so I came to discuss whether I could have them start practicing right away. The dishes they practice would become meals for my attendants, and any leftovers would go to the orphanage, so I don't think any ingredients would go to waste."
"I see."
Benno nodded while jotting notes on wooden tablets one after another.
"It's food for my attendants, so if I cover the ingredient costs, it won't hurt your wallet either. Don't you think that's a good deal?"
If sending food to the orphanage was a blue priest's duty, I had to provide as much as I could. And since the orphanage was, in my mind, a gathering of children like Gil who skipped meals, I wanted to do as much as I personally could.
However, after thinking it over for a moment, Benno slowly shook his head.
"No, hold on. I'll cover the ingredient costs—it's an investment in training the cooks. If I leave everything to you, you could poach my cooks without me having any grounds to complain."
Leave it to a merchant to say something like that. I gave a small shrug. If he was willing to cover the ingredient costs, I should probably leave it to him. After all, the Mine Workshop was currently shut down with no income coming in.
"...Then how about I cover the costs for kitchen equipment and cooking utensils, and you cover the practice ingredient costs?"
"Yeah, I'd rather keep it in the position of borrowing a practice space. Alright, let's go take a look."
Unable to wait to see the oven, Benno cut the conversation short and stood up. His expression was just like Gil's upon learning he could go outside, and I felt like clutching my head.
"Benno, the kitchen hasn't even been cleaned yet, so you really can't go!"
"Mine is quite right. We cannot invite a guest to a place where we can't even serve a proper cup of tea."
Fran and Gil nodded vigorously in agreement with me.
But Benno—with his profit motive of gathering intel on noble kitchens for the Italian restaurant, his curiosity, and his naked interest all on full display—wasn't about to listen to a word we said. He threw a jacket over his clothes, the kind that would be perfectly appropriate for visiting the temple, and grinned.
"I'm not a guest. I'm a merchant. I'm here to take an order from a Shrine Maiden Apprentice who just got a room, for the things she needs to furnish it. Of course it's not ready yet. Actually, I'd love to see the room before you mess with it."
"So you're offering to help clean?"
"Hm? I can clean too, you know. An apprentice's first job is cleaning the shop."
It was no use. Nothing I said would stop him.
Benno, who was desperate to learn about nobility, would never let this golden opportunity slip.
"...Fran, let's give up. The tea set won't be ready even after cleaning is done, so let's just accept it and have Benno help with the cleaning."
"Mine!?"
I was getting tired of trying to find a way to stop Benno. While we wasted time on this pointless argument, my precious afternoon reading time was ticking away.
"Fran, you might not know this, but there's a saying that means the person standing is your parent or your master. If he's saying he wants to go and he can clean, we should just put him to work. I want to read my book."
At my appeal, Fran's eyes went wide. Then she pressed her hand to her mouth to stave off a laugh.
"...I am terribly sorry, but you cannot enter the Library without me present, Mine. Even if Benno were here, I don't believe you'd be able to read once you return to the temple."
"Ngh!?!"
In the end, no matter what I said, Benno wouldn't listen. I was swept up and carried off, and I ended up returning to a temple where I couldn't read a single book.
True to his word, Benno surveyed the Director's room, quickly shed his jacket, and began cleaning while barking orders at Gil and Lutz. Led by Benno, everyone started moving.
Benno and Fran were in charge of the high places and tasks requiring strength, while Gil and Lutz handled the low and detailed areas.
With no strength and no stamina, I was treated as a nuisance by everyone. I ended up curled up on the second-floor table, tearfully longing for my book, while writing out order forms based on the list of needed items Lutz brought me.
Gil and Fran, on their first outing.
And thanks to Benno's rampage, the kitchen gets set up.
Next time: cooking training!