Today Turi was at the workshop, teaching everyone how to bind books. I wanted to go help out too, but
"
"There is no problem."
Fran and
"If you're too busy, it would be fine for you to go to the Library with Rosina instead..."
"No, I have plans to send Rosina on an errand to
Along with Fran, who had packed a large number of items like wooden tablets and ink into her bag, I headed toward the Library. The faint remnants of summer still lingering in the sunlight cast rays into the corridor, which was filled with the cool autumn air.
Through the corridor, I could see the entrance leading to the noble district, where several carriages were lined up. Blue Priests must be heading out — the carriages were loaded with a great deal of luggage.
"...There seem to be a lot of carriages lined up. Is something going on?"
"Those are the carriages of the Blue Priests heading to the Harvest Festival, Lady Mine. At this time of year, nearly all of the
"The Harvest Festival? ...I've never heard of that festival."
Autumn is the season when forest yields increase, when goods harvested in the farming villages pour into the Market, and when everyone simultaneously makes their Winter Preparations. I knew that processing pork turned into a neighborhood celebration of sorts, but I had never heard of anything called a Harvest Festival.
"Is it a festival unique to the Temple? ...But it's not listed among the ceremonies held at the Temple, is it?"
In the education Fran and the Chief Priest had given me, I'd been taught about the ceremonies conducted at the Temple, but the Harvest Festival had not been among them.
"Oh my, do commoners not know about it?"
Startled by the unfamiliar voice that suddenly reached my ears, I turned around to find a man who appeared to be a noble, dressed for travel, looking down at me with a condescending gaze. He was a different person from the Blue Priest during the Star Festival, but since he wasn't wearing a Blue Robe, I couldn't immediately tell whether he was a Blue Priest or a noble who had come to the Temple on some Blue Priest-related business.
I immediately moved with my back against the wall, knelt, and crossed both hands in front of my chest. This was a gesture of respect, one made by someone of lower status toward someone of higher status.
I had been taught by the Chief Priest that in the Temple, those wearing Blue Robes were equals, so the gesture wasn't necessary except toward the High Priest or the Chief Priest. But I wasn't a noble. Rather than acting as an equal and getting entangled in some uncomfortable situation, it was safer to be deferential.
"Hm, you understand your position, then. It seems the Chief Priest's words were not unfounded. ...In that case, I suppose there was no need for me to go out of my way to intervene."
Seemingly satisfied that I had knelt immediately, the man walked away while muttering something a bit unsettling. I appeared to have successfully avoided trouble.
From his words about understanding my position, I realized the man was a Blue Priest. If he had been a noble rather than a priest, he would have considered it natural for me to kneel.
"Lady Mine, in that situation you are on equal footing, so kneeling was..."
"Listen, Fran. On paper, yes, but I'm not a noble, am I? Our status difference is overwhelmingly in his favor. If kneeling a bit is enough to avoid trouble, isn't that just fine?"
Fran still furrowed her brow in dissatisfaction.
"But that will make the Blue Priests look down on you, Lady Mine."
"Look down on me or not, my position is overwhelmingly weak. If I offended a Blue Priest and they turned their attention to the orphanage, that would be a real problem."
If a Blue Priest knew about the magic power outburst I'd first committed against the High Priest, they probably wouldn't come after me directly. But as long as my title was
"...If you have your own reasons, Lady Mine, that is perfectly fine. However, it is also necessary to project authority."
Fran wore a face that said she wasn't entirely convinced as she started walking toward the Library. I couldn't possibly have any authority. If Fran was looking for a master who had authority, I would try, but authority wasn't something that came easily.
"Here you are, Lady Mine."
With that, Fran opened the door to the Library. The moment I went to step inside as usual, I felt my expression freeze.
"...What is this!?"
The inside of the Library was in complete shambles. Two bookshelves had been emptied entirely, and the floor was strewn with parchment and wooden tablets to the point where there was no place to step. This was clearly no case of accidentally dropping materials while retrieving something — someone had deliberately emptied the contents of the bookshelves.
"Hee hee hee hee hee..."
Fury bubbled up from the depths of my stomach. In a situation where books themselves were scarce and the number of written materials was limited, this was an unbelievable affront to a Library that existed only by a miracle. The fool who didn't understand the value of the materials gathered here certainly deserved the hammer of justice.
"Just who do you think you are, doing something so foolish..."
The magic power surging through my body urged me on. *Catch the culprit immediately and make them pay in blood.* "L-Lady Mine!"
Fran called out in a panicked voice and gripped my shoulder firmly from behind.
"First, we should report to the Chief Priest. Then we can ask for instructions. We may be able to find out who the last person to use the Library was."
Fran's words, delivered while she carefully avoided being directly hit by the magic power that was about to go out of control, cooled my head just slightly. I had only just been making progress in learning to control my magic power. Letting my anger run free and unleashing my magic was something I should reserve only for the culprit.
Scaring Fran, causing harm to those around me, or taking it out on the Chief Priest — that would be terrible. I forced my magic back down with all my might and broke into a bright smile.
"You're right. Let's go see the Chief Priest."
Since I hadn't made an appointment, I was told by Fran to wait in the reception room while the request for an audience was being submitted.
Sitting quietly, I could sense people moving through the corridor. They were probably the Blue Priests who had been preparing their carriages.
The instant I thought that, the words of the Blue Priest from earlier flashed back through my mind. Hadn't he said something about "no need to go out of my way to intervene"?
...That man!
I shot to my feet.
Now that I knew who the culprit was, I couldn't just sit around here. He was dressed for travel. I had to catch him before he got away.
"Whoa!?"
Just as I reached for the doorknob to dash out of the reception room, someone on the other side was opening the door at nearly the same moment. The door suddenly swung toward me, and I felt it sweep me along as I tumbled backward with considerable force.
"Lady Mine!? What are you doing here..."
I grabbed the hand of the flustered Fran and immediately pulled myself up. The moment I tried to rush out of the reception room, the panicked Fran held me back.
"What happened, Lady Mine?"
"Fran, I found out who ransacked the Library! Let's chase after them right now! We might still make it in time!"
"Please tell the Chief Priest that. He is waiting for you."
Perhaps thinking I would run off if she let go, Fran scooped me up without another word and headed straight for the Chief Priest's room.
"Um, Fran. I can walk on my own."
"With the momentum you had just now, you would have dashed straight for the entrance. I will carry you to the Chief Priest's room just like this."
"...All right."
Carried by Fran, I was escorted to the Chief Priest's room. The Chief Priest raised one eyebrow slightly, looking between me and Fran.
"What happened?"
"Lady Mine figured out who the culprit was and was about to run to the entrance, so I had no choice but to..."
"Very good. That was the right decision."
The Chief Priest praised Fran, then instructed her to set me down before pointing his chin toward the hidden room.
...At this point, it was more of a lecture room than a hidden room.
Thinking about what lay ahead, I felt a twinge of gloom as I followed the Chief Priest into the hidden room.
Once I pushed aside the materials as usual and sat down on the sofa, the Chief Priest pulled up a chair and sat as well. He pressed lightly on his temple while fixing me with a stare.
"Fran told me the Library was ransacked?"
"Yes. Two bookshelves were completely emptied. All the materials had been scattered across the floor, making it impossible even to step inside. This is a capital offense, surely!"
I pleaded emphatically, but the Chief Priest casually waved his hand and dismissed me.
"Don't be absurd. There is no death penalty. ...Now, you said you found the culprit?"
"Yes. On the way to the Library, a Blue Priest dressed for travel said he 'didn't need to go out of his way to intervene.' It was definitely him."
"When you say 'him,' five Blue Priests departed for the Harvest Festival today. Which one?"
I had expected a lot of carriages, but I hadn't considered that five Blue Priests would be leaving today.
"I don't know. But I would recognize him if I saw his face."
"The Harvest Festival won't end until about ten days from now. Do you think you can remember that long?"
At the Chief Priest's dubious words, I nodded firmly.
"I could never forget the person who committed such an outrage against books."
"I'd appreciate it if you could forget, honestly..."
Even being glared at by the Chief Priest with a sigh, there was no way I could leave the fool who had committed such a deed unattended.
I decided to swiftly change the subject.
"By the way, what exactly is the Harvest Festival? I don't think it was explained in the Temple's ceremonies..."
"It's an event you won't be participating in, which is why it was deferred. The Harvest Festival is a festival held in the farming villages within the domain. Originally..."
If I were to sum up in a single sentence the Chief Priest's lengthy explanation that also involved mythology, it seemed to be an event where tax collectors and Blue Priests went and seized the harvest from the farming villages.
"So they take the harvested goods away as taxes and offerings to the gods. For the farming villages, that sounds like a miserable festival."
"Don't be so blunt. Of course, it's not just that — weddings are also held in the farming villages at the same time."
The Chief Priest coughed to clear his throat and glared at me. Apparently I needed to have been a bit more diplomatic.
"Are village weddings held in autumn?"
"More precisely, after the harvest is finished."
I see. From the time the snow melted until the harvest was complete, the farmers had no free time. Winter meant being snowed in, so they would have free time then, but the priests couldn't make the trip out to the villages.
When I thought of it as combined with the tax collection, it sounded like an unpleasant festival, but it did make logical sense.
"If you don't participate in the wedding and receive recognition and registration as a married couple, you won't be recognized as a married couple in the winter house, and from the following spring, you won't be given a new house or fields."
"What's a winter house?"
"It's the house where farmers spend the winter. Life in the city and in farming villages is quite different. In summer, each family's home is located in the center of their fields to make cultivation easier, but since there's no field work in winter, they spend that time in a large house at the center of the village. I don't know the details myself."
The farming villages apparently had a completely different way of life from the city. Just hearing a bit about it wasn't enough to fully understand, and if even the Chief Priest didn't know the details, there was probably no need for me to go out of my way to study up.
"...The Harvest Festival is not an event I'll be participating in?"
"No. At the meeting to decide who gets sent to which village, the High Priest was shouting that since she'd reduce everyone's share, Mine should not be sent."
That was a statement entirely characteristic of the High Priest, who made me her personal enemy. I let out a bitter smile. In the busyness of daily life, my impression of the High Priest had faded considerably, but for her, nothing had changed.
For the Blue Priests, this was a valuable opportunity to increase their income, so it seemed everyone had agreed with the High Priest's position.
"Also, some farming villages are quite far away, so a long journey would put a strain on the body. The Spring Prayer ceremony, which requires magic power, is one thing, but there's no need to go to the Harvest Festival."
Something in the Chief Priest's words caught my attention, and I tilted my head involuntarily.
"...Does that mean I'd be going to a farming village in spring?"
"Yes. Considering the amount of magic power involved, you and I would likely be selected."
I knew the Prayer ceremony for a bountiful harvest was held in spring, but I'd never heard it was conducted in farming villages. For me to travel — that was completely impossible no matter how I looked at it.
"A trip is absolutely impossible for me!"
"But this is important work. The reason you were brought into the Temple was because magic power was needed for ceremonies like this. Have you forgotten?"
Due to the severe shortage of magic power, I had been allowed to join the Temple as a Shrine Maiden Apprentice in exchange for a promise of magic power and money. Having been allowed to read books in the Library and make books in the Mine Workshop, I couldn't very well throw away my obligations.
"...I haven't forgotten."
"Good. I know it's hard on you, but also consider my own burden as your guardian and the person responsible for accompanying you."
...Was the Chief Priest, by chance, unlucky? Or was he just the type to have a hard lot?
I swallowed back the words that had nearly escaped my lips and kept my mouth shut. If I said something careless, it would only make things worse.
"Well, the other Blue Priests would make me more anxious, so it's probably better for me to handle it personally."
"That would be most appreciated."
I crossed both hands in front of my chest and bowed my head lightly.
"...So what are you going to do about it?"
"About what?"
"The Library situation."
At the Chief Priest's words, I broke into a bright smile and clenched my fist emphatically.
"I'm going to hold a 'Bloody Carnival,' of course."
"What is that?"
"I'm going to make the culprit pay in blood. Since I've received such a clear declaration of war by having the Library ransacked, it's absolutely essential for making an example and boosting the morale of my allies."
The unknown Blue Priest's actions had been nothing less than a declaration of war. Fran had been demanding authority befitting a master, and I thought this was the perfect opportunity.
"Stop right there! The culprit who trashed the Library to keep you from going to the Harvest Festival, and you, who's talking about a bloody sacrifice despite not having any damaged materials — you're both far too extreme!"
I thought the two extremes balanced each other out rather well, but it seemed the Chief Priest didn't agree.
"...Just to keep me from going to the Harvest Festival. That was the only reason they scattered the materials, wasn't it?"
"Yes, probably. The materials there were arranged in order of acquisition. It was surely harassment — thinking that even tidying it up would be beyond you. I don't know the full extent of the Library's materials myself, either."
The instant I heard the Chief Priest's words "even tidying it up," something clicked in my head with a snap.
This was a challenge and a declaration of war from the Blue Priests. The idea that I couldn't even clean up the Library was absolutely unacceptable.
"...I accept the challenge."
"What do you mean?"
"I will organize the Library's materials myself."
Wasn't this the perfect opportunity? This was the best chance to make the Library truly mine — by me, for me, and of me.
"However, I don't know the order of acquisition, so I will be organizing things in my own way. I'd appreciate it if you would overlook that detail."
Order of acquisition — it could go to the devil. Since the opportunity had presented itself, I would introduce a classification system to this Library. I'd organize the bibliographic information, create a catalog, and manage all the books myself. I would make this a Library that worked for me.
If things were that thoroughly trashed, no one else would want to bother organizing it, and I could do whatever I liked. At this point, I almost wanted to thank the culprit.
"If this was harassment aimed at me, surely no one else would bother cleaning it up? I'm the one who uses the Library the most."
"Your sudden good mood is a bit unsettling, but I can't imagine you'd treat books carelessly. Very well. I'll leave the cleanup to you."
The Chief Priest let out a light sigh and stood up. It seemed our conversation was over.
I stood up as well, and then it hit me — even for organizing books, I couldn't reach the shelves. Even if I had the Attendants help, neither
"Chief Priest, would it be permitted to have the Gray Priests from the orphanage assist?"
"That would make sense. It would be too much for just your Attendants. Permission granted."
"I am grateful."
When I returned to the Chief Priest's room, I met Fran's worried gaze. She had been anxious about whether I might go on another rampage related to the Library.
"...Chief Priest, is there some kind of catalog for the Library? It would help to have something to reference for what materials are available."
For thinking about the classification system, I would be happy to have a collection catalog.
"I have records of the books and materials I brought in, but I don't know about the rest. If anyone has one, it would be the High Priest."
"Would it be possible to borrow it?"
"You may."
Having heard the Chief Priest's approval,
"Much appreciated. Now, if you'll excuse us."
Stepping into the hallway, I caught Fran's puzzled gaze as she tilted her head and cautiously spoke up.
"...Lady Mine, you seem to be in remarkably good spirits?"
"Hee hee, I am in excellent spirits. I'm so grateful to the culprit that I could offer prayers and thanks to the gods."
"Might I ask the reason?"
"I get to organize the Library exactly the way I want. There's nothing more exciting than that, don't you think?"
I had already read most of the chained books, and I had been thinking it was almost time to start working through the materials filling the shelves. If I could also organize things to my own liking, it was a two-for-one deal.
...I was starting to feel like a real Librarian! Let's do this!
The task assigned to me during my stay behind is cleaning up the Library.
Since Mine is in a good mood, the bloody sacrifice was probably avoided.
Next time: cleaning up the Library. By the Attendants.