The Water Goddess's Bath

The areas the former High Priest had been visiting really were only the parts of the domain that were close to Ehrenfest. At some point along the way, the attitudes of the town and village leaders clearly changed.

"Is this something you can't notice from a Lord's position?"

"...Because my backing's influence was too strong, he held the position of High Priest for a long time, and he personally appointed tax collectors who suited him. His influence was greater than that of a lower noble's civil official. As long as taxes were collected properly, there was no reason to investigate his relationship with the Commoners."

The Chief Priest added, "My late father was also weak when it came to Sylvester's mother... Taking me in was the biggest reason," and a bitter smile crossed his face.

"Sylvester has only been Aub Ehrenfest for a few years. He lacked the power and justification to oust his uncle, who had reigned as High Priest for decades, and by extension, his own mother. Nobility is troublesome like that. Even doing the right thing meets with resistance. You often need time to build up strength, time to lay the groundwork. If you try to fix things too hastily, other parts will likely become distorted. Even if it's somewhat unpleasant, you need to learn to leave things be and watch how they play out."

Inwardly thinking that deliberately overlooking unpleasant things would be difficult, I nodded nonetheless. The Chief Priest glared at me.

"You don't really understand, do you?"

"...As long as books and my own family aren't involved, I'll try my best to be patient and watch."

Once those things were involved, I probably wouldn't be able to afford the luxury of just watching. At my words, the Chief Priest's expression grew especially bitter, and he let out a sigh.

Other than speaking to the town and village leaders at the winter buildings to give them a few pointed reminders, the Dedication Ritual itself was the same as last year, so it was progressing without any particular problems. Of course, there were various differences compared to last year.

For example, because my blessings last year had increased the harvest, this year I was being welcomed with far more enthusiasm at every winter building I visited. Last year I had been a blue Shrine Maiden Apprentice, but this year I was conducting the Dedication Ritual as the High Priest, and I could feel the expectations placed on me surpassing last year's through the gazes and fervor directed at me.

Additionally, the schedule was more relaxed with one winter building per half day, and the accommodations were the winter buildings themselves rather than the noble quarters. Since I'd stayed at the winter buildings during the Harvest Festival, there were no particular issues with lodging, and since it wasn't a forced march like last year where I was drugged, it was much easier on me mentally.

However, because I had to share meals with the influential people of each town and village, it was tiring having to be constantly considerate. I was participating as the Lord's adopted daughter and the High Priest, after all. I had to maintain a certain level of decorum.

Arrive in the morning, conduct the Dedication Ritual, have lunch while conversing with the local leaders, head to the next winter building in the afternoon for another Dedication Ritual, and then have dinner with the local leaders. That was my routine every day.

It was a more relaxed schedule than last year, but the fatigue was no different. The only thing better than the Chief Priest was that I could use my young age as an excuse to retire to my room right after dinner.

When they tried to keep me at lunch saying, "Please, stay a little longer to talk," I would brush them off with a saintly smile, saying, "I've heard so many fascinating stories from all of you, and I'd love to stay as long as possible, but I wish to give my blessings to as many lands as I can." Since it was the same thing every day, I'd gotten used to putting on my saintly smile.

My Attendants would head to the next winter building by carriage in the morning, but I traveled by riding beast. The Attendants who moved with me on my lesser beast were Fran and Zahm. They were responsible for managing the sacred instruments, as well as serving lunch.

Lunch was prepared by our own dedicated cooks—in my case, Ella made bento for us. One ostensible reason was that we couldn't burden the winter buildings, which had limited food stores remaining after winter. There was also the reason that meals from a dedicated cook didn't require anyone to taste-test for poison.

The biggest reason, though, was that the Chief Priest refused to budge on wanting "food that suited his palate." He said, "For an occasional treat, I can stomach Commoner food, but I don't want it every single day."

I couldn't object to that opinion either. Food tasted better when it was good.

We continued on our Dedication Ritual journey, exchanging or purchasing wild vegetables harvested in spring near the farming villages—things like mountain greens and slightly hard lettuce-like raw vegetables—with the grains we had brought from the Temple.

"This is the village closest to the Water Goddess's Bath."

The Chief Priest said this when we arrived at Fonte-Delf's winter building.

After finishing the afternoon Dedication Ritual, I was invited to dinner by the village's prominent figures, as usual. While eating, I asked the village head and the other leaders about the Water Goddess's Bath.

"Oh, you'll be heading to the Water Goddess's Bath? The water there is effective for minor illnesses and injuries. There's still snow, so hardly anyone goes to collect water, but in summer, people come from quite far away seeking it."

"The spring water has healing power? Could it be a spring of Flutrane, the Water Goddess? Or perhaps Lengschmeel, the Goddess of Healing?"

When I mentioned the names of the goddesses who govern healing, one of the leaders told me the legends of the spring with the face of a kindly grandfather sharing stories with his eager grandchildren: "No one has ever actually seen the goddess's form, but it is said to be a place where the Goddesses of Spring gather."

"I'm really looking forward to Flutrane's Night now."

"Huh? Wait—do you need to arrive at the spring by Flutrane's Night? I don't think we'll make it in time. Even though it's considered close, it's quite a distance from here..."

The village head looked between me and the Chief Priest in a fluster.

The spring known as the Water Goddess's Bath was apparently deep within a forested hill far from any settlement. It would take several days to reach even on horseback, the village head said. No matter how much we hurried from here, we probably wouldn't make it in time.

However, the Chief Priest slowly shook his head.

"Don't worry. We'll be traveling by riding beast, so it won't take that many days."

"Ah... oh, right. Of course. If you have riding beasts that can fly through the sky, there's no problem."

Several others let out sighs of relief just like the village head, who clutched his chest in relief. One of them furrowed his brow with worry.

"The Taruchrosch at the spring must have grown quite powerful by now. You may think there's no need for concern since you have knights with you, but please do be very careful."

"Thank you for your concern."

He warned me that the Taruchrosch were left alone because they never left the spring and thus posed no harm to the village. As a result, they had likely grown quite large, so anyone with business at the spring should be cautious.

"We won't need much time to reach the spring, but I'd like to deal with the Taruchrosch while it's still light out. Let's head there with plenty of time to spare."

Following the Chief Priest's words, it was decided that we would camp in the forest. In addition to hunting the Taruchrosch, they would also take out the magical beasts in the area.

"From now on, we would have had to start by driving out pest animals before we could plow our fields, so having the magical beasts in the forest cleared out will be a tremendous help."

The village head said this with a warm smile, the wrinkles around his eyes deepening. Apparently, small magical beasts that currently dwelled in the forest—which was rich with food—would venture toward the farming villages when it came time to start working the fields. The villagers could handle the small magical beasts that weren't serious enough to warrant calling the Knights' Order, but doing so while also working the farms was apparently backbreaking labor.

"Just think of the magical beast extermination as payment for the information."

"Then, here's one more piece of information."

One old man clapped his hands together.

"If you're heading to the Water Goddess's Bath, you should bring something sweet."

"Something sweet?"

When I tilted my head, the old man explained how to use the sweets, saying, "I suppose it might not be necessary if you're coming by riding beast through the sky."

"It seems the goddess at that spring enjoys sweet things like honey, milk, and nuts. If you make an offering at the goddess statue at the entrance to the forest, you'll be able to reach the spring without losing your way."

"Is that so? Then I'll prepare something sweet. Thank you for the helpful information."

In this world, prayers infused with Magic Power become magic. If an offering could make the journey easier, I should prepare plenty and make a proper offering.

"I'll leave the sweet preparations to Rozemyne. Get your departure preparations in order by tomorrow."

"Yes."

We would leave the majority of our Attendants behind at Fonte-Delf's winter building and head to the Water Goddess's Bath with only a small, select group.

The knights could take care of themselves, so they wouldn't bring Attendants. My riding beast could carry multiple people, so my Attendants would ride along with me to take care of me.

The people I would bring were Fran, Monica, Nicola, Ella, and Rosina. In addition to those who took care of my daily needs, the Chief Priest had said that "bringing the cook along means we'll be able to eat decent meals."

Rosina could have stayed behind, but she said she couldn't be the only one left out, so I decided to bring her along. Since Nicola and Monica would also be helping with the cooking, I planned to have them do their Attendant duties only to the extent that it wouldn't strain their fingers.

After returning to my room with Fran, who had been serving, I called out to Nicola and Monica, who were preparing for bed.

"Nicola, Monica. I'd like you to prepare so that we can spend several days in the forest. Please let Ella and Rosina know as well."

"Water, food, changes of clothes, medicine—that sort of preparation for heading to the Water Goddess's Bath?"

Monica acknowledged this, and Fran gave a slight nod as well.

"Please leave it to us, Rozemyne-sama. We've already received instructions from the Chief Priest on what's needed."

"Then, all the luggage will be loaded onto my riding beast, so please prepare enough food to account for the escort knights as well."

I said this while looking over my Attendants' faces, and my gaze stopped on Nicola.

"Also, Nicola. Please tell Ella to prepare something sweet, like honey or jam."

"Something sweet?"

Nicola was always the first to latch onto anything related to food. She cheerfully served as Ella's assistant, which was why she was closest with her.

"Yes, it's an offering for the goddess. Apparently, if you offer something sweet, you can reach the spring without losing your way."

When I told Nicola what the village old man had said, her face lit up with excitement.

"Rozemyne-sama, if the goddess likes sweet things, why don't we offer not just honey but also sweets? If it's a sweet she's never tasted before, the goddess might be even more pleased."

"That's a good idea. Then, Nicola, please ask Ella."

Nicola swung her orange-red braids wide and replied with a loud "Yes!" before casting a quick glance at me.

"...Rozemyne-sama, what should we do with any leftovers?"

"Shall we bring them to the spring and have them as snacks for everyone?"

"Yes!"

For easy-to-grab sweets, I had them bake cookies. Since there was no oven and the only cooking tool Ella had brought was a frying pan, the taste was that of cookies, but they looked like bite-sized hotcakes. That was the finished product.

I tried one, and there was nothing wrong with the taste.

Having finished our preparations in the morning, after eating lunch, we left the Chief Priest and the escort knights' Attendants behind at Fonte-Delf and headed for the Water Goddess's Bath by riding beast.

We flew through the sky toward the forest, following the thin path that wound between the fields below.

Since we'd been told it was several days by horse, it took some time, but well before the fifth bell, we arrived over the area where the forested hill said to house the Water Goddess's Bath spread out below us.

We landed once at the entrance to the forest, and the Chief Priest flipped up the visor covering his helmet's face.

"Eckhart, Damuel—search for the spring from the air. Brigitte and Rozemyne, hold position here."

To search for the spring known as the Water Goddess's Bath, the three mounted their riding beasts and took to the sky once more.

Told to hold at the forest entrance, we dismounted from our riding beasts to stretch our legs. Riding beasts were more comfortable than carriages, but riding one for extended periods was tiring.

Like me, my Attendants also got out to breathe the still-cold air and stretch. While we were doing so, Monica pointed toward the forest.

"Ah! Rozemyne-sama, isn't that a goddess statue for making offerings?"

Just inside the forest from the path continuing from Fonte-Delf, we could see a goddess statue tangled in dead plants and dirty from being neglected over the winter. It must have been there for a long time. The face and fine details of the decorations were worn away, making it difficult to discern. Even squinting, I couldn't immediately tell which goddess it depicted.

"Rozemyne-sama, may we clean it?"

"It's so unsettling to see the goddess in such a dirty state."

My Temple-raised Attendants all furrowed their brows in unison. For them, who were constantly tending to the gods' statues, a dirty goddess statue was something they simply couldn't ignore.

"You can sweep away the dead grass and clean it up a bit, but we don't have much time before the Chief Priest and the others return, so be quick about it."

"Yes!"

They all sprang into action at once. Fran, Monica, and Nicola quickly began cleaning the goddess statue. They swept away the dead leaves and grass and wiped the offering spot with a dry cloth, but it already looked much tidier.

"Ella, please prepare the offerings."

When the honey, milk, dried fruits, and cookies that Ella carefully took from the wooden box she'd been cradling were handed to Nicola, Nicola brought them over to me.

Along with the offerings Nicola had brought me, I presented several white Renfle flowers—harbingers of spring—that were blooming nearby.

"May we reach the Water Goddess's Bath safely."

Clapping my hands together with a loud clap-clap when making a wish was a deeply ingrained habit. Catching the indescribable looks from those around me, I snapped back to reality and hastily performed the proper prayer.

"Prayers to the gods!"

"Prayers to the gods!"

Following my lead, everyone offered their prayers.

After offering our prayers crisply, we mounted our riding beasts and ate the extra dried fruits we'd brought while waiting for the Chief Priest and the others to return.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

Three riding beasts descended with the Chief Priest in the lead.

I hurriedly wiped my hands, dismounted, and went to greet them.

"Welcome back, everyone. Did you find the Water Goddess's Bath?"

"No. We couldn't spot it from the air. There was no unnaturally clear water flow or gap in the trees. It seemed to be concealed by Magic Power, so it's probably inaccessible from above."

Apparently, Justus, who had visited during summer, had said he reached the spring easily from the air. So perhaps this time of year, when Magic Power was at its fullest, was indeed special.

"...Looks like our only option is to enter the forest from here."

The Chief Priest furrowed his brow warily and turned his gaze toward the entrance with the goddess statue.

I likewise looked toward the goddess statue, confirmed that the offerings were lined up, and gave a single nod.

"The offerings have already been made, and the prayers have been offered, so I believe we should be able to reach the spring safely."

"You're an optimist. ...Well, fine. I'll take the lead, followed by Brigitte, Rozemyne, Damuel, and Eckhart at the rear. Stay close."

The Chief Priest guided his riding beast into the forest. The riding beast's wings, normally spread wide, were folded as it glided just slightly above the ground.

Brigitte followed the Chief Priest on her riding beast, and I gave chase after Brigitte's cape on my lesser beast.

We couldn't find any snow near the forest entrance, but venturing a little deeper, there was still plenty of it. Tall trees stood in rows, and perhaps because sunlight couldn't easily reach through, the forest was dim.

Since the Chief Priest's and escort knights' riding beasts were running in a slightly hovering state, my lesser beast did the same, gliding just above the ground as we raced through the forest.

"Damuel—Zanze incoming!"

"Yes, sir!"

At Eckhart's shout, Damuel spurred his riding beast and hunted down a cat-like magical beast. He returned quickly, but received corrections from Eckhart: "Take it out in one blow" and "Your aim was sloppy."

"Damuel—it's an Eifint. Go!"

"Yes, sir!"

This time it was a squirrel-shaped magical beast, about the size of a cat. Two small horns could be seen protruding short and stubby.

It was an extremely agile beast that nimbly leaped from branch to branch as it fled, with Damuel in hot pursuit.

We waited in position until Damuel retrieved the magic stone and returned.

"Damuel's still too slow."

"With so little Magic Power, hasn't his habit of trying not to use any in combat become completely ingrained?"

Eckhart and the Chief Priest discussed future training methods while watching Damuel's movements. It seemed the period of pushing Damuel to grow through harsh training in the Knights' Order was still ongoing.

The magical beasts that appeared before us were small and few in number, so the hunting was over in no time.

While Damuel struggled on ahead by himself, we passed through a slightly cleared area that appeared to be used as a campsite. We didn't stop, pressing onward toward the spring deeper in the forest.

We defeated magical beasts as we passed through several campsite clearings and pushed further in, but the path wasn't cut off—or rather, it had been obscured by snow.

"Which way should we go?"

The Chief Priest flipped up the visor of his helmet and narrowed his eyes as he scanned the surroundings. I imitated the Chief Priest and looked around as well.

Everything looked the same—surrounded by trees—except for one spot where light seemed to be filtering through.

"Chief Priest, isn't it over there? I can see a faint light."

"Where?"

"Here."

When I guided my lesser beast forward, the trees rustled and parted to create a path. Blinking in surprise at the trees' unexpected movement, I looked at the Chief Priest.

"Is—is this the effect of the offering?"

"...It could be. Or it could be something more than just that."

The Chief Priest murmured this with a bitter expression as he guided his riding beast onto the newly opened path. Brigitte followed, and then I entered the new path as well.

As we navigated what could only be described as sharp turns, the path gradually grew brighter, and suddenly our view opened up.

The scenery before us transformed from the dark, tree-enclosed impression of the forest into a wide, sunlit clearing.

"...This is the Water Goddess's Bath?"

"How beautiful..."

To our amazement, that spot alone was fully in spring.

So bright and dazzling was the sunlight pouring down—so different from the snow-covered roads we'd been riding through—that it was hard to believe. A spring of crystal-clear water bubbled up from the ground. Surrounding the spring, white Renfle flowers—heralds of spring—bloomed in profusion instead of snow, and the songs of birds filled the air.

The water's surface shimmered in the gentle breeze, sparkling as it reflected the light. The rising spring water flowed outward, forming a clear stream that wound deeper into the area.

At the center of the spring—which was a color somewhere between blue and green—a pale pink flower bloomed. At first glance, it looked like nothing more than a water lily.

"That is said to be the Leirene—the flower beloved by the goddess."

"Are we collecting nectar from that?"

"Yes. But don't go any further. I sense magical beasts—probably Taruchrosch. There are too many non-combatants right now. We're pulling back to the campsite for now."

At the Chief Priest's words, we returned to the nearest campsite in reverse order from how we'd come. After seeing the beautiful spring scenery, returning to the snow-covered campsite felt unbearably dark and gloomy.

"Rozemyne, fall back a bit."

When I retreated with Brigitte toward the tree line, the Chief Priest and Eckhart flicked something with their fingers toward the wide, open campsite.

The next moment, the snow in that area melted away before our eyes.

"The snow..."

As I stared blankly at the disappearance before me, the Chief Priest brought his riding beast alongside me.

"Rozemyne, place this Magical Tool inside your riding beast. It will prevent the beast from disappearing even when you're not on it."

"Understood."

Following the Chief Priest's instructions, I placed the Magical Tool in my lesser beast to keep it from disappearing without me, then stepped outside.

Perhaps because of the surrounding snow, or perhaps because the tall trees blocked the sunlight, the air was bitterly cold.

"Rozemyne's attendants are to prepare food. We're heading out to subjugate the Taruchrosch. Rozemyne, prepare your collection equipment and ride with Brigitte. After the subjugation, I'll teach you how to collect the Leirene nectar."

The Chief Priest ordered my Attendants to prepare the meal and assigned roles to the others.

I checked the collection set borrowed from the Chief Priest for anything I might have forgotten, then had Brigitte take me onto her riding beast.

"Then, everyone. I'll leave the meal preparations to you."

"Take care. We'll be waiting for your safe and swift return."