The gray priests who had been in
While some parts still showed traces of awkwardness, it had reached a level where you could write it off as "well, it's the countryside, so I suppose that's unavoidable."
"You must be tired from your long journey. We'll have plenty of time to talk after dinner. For now, please rest."
After exchanging the lengthy pleasantries customary among nobility, Giebe Illgner said this.
Attendants who had arrived earlier had already prepared our rooms, so we were told to change there and relax until dinner.
"
"As you wish."
After entrusting Fran with this, I hurried to change with the help of Monica and
An indescribable sense of agitation churned in my chest. Before Fran told me that "they don't even understand what marriage itself is" and "they'd be in serious trouble if it were forced upon them," marriage had always been something you celebrated because it brought happiness. But this time, it was a marriage discussion involving gray priests who didn't even understand what marriage was.
As the orphanage director, I should have better understood the unique circumstances of gray priests. Yet I hadn't even considered the possibility that they might be being coerced by Giebe Illgner or Illgner's residents. Regarding gray priestesses, I had done my best—partly because of
"Lord
When we entered the detached building, Fran was waiting in front of the door to a room used by blue priests. He opened it with a careful motion. Inside,
"It's been a while, everyone. You've all worked very hard, I imagine? I've been hearing through Giebe Illgner and Brigitte about everyone's efforts."
"It is an honor."
I took a seat in the prepared chair and surveyed the kneeling gray priests in a slow sweep.
"I don't have much time, so let's get to the point. ...Yesterday, I received word through Giebe Illgner's duchy ordinance that a gray priest and one of Illgner's residents wish to be married. If this wish is genuine, there are ways to make it happen. Who is it that desires this?"
Everyone's gaze converged on one person. The gray priest who was the focus of attention turned deathly pale and hung his head.
"Folck, is it you who wishes to marry?"
"I am terribly sorry, Lord Myne."
"There's nothing to apologize for. However, Fran told me that you don't understand what marriage truly is, and that it would be very troublesome if marriage were forced upon you. Gray priests are in a weak position, and they've grown too accustomed to accepting things when pressured. So I need to confirm this: Has Giebe Illgner or his fiancée pressured you in any way?"
Folck looked up as if startled and shook his head, saying, "Nothing of the sort." It wasn't the worst-case scenario I had feared, and I let out a breath of relief.
"Then you yourself wish to marry? Are you prepared to spend your entire life here in Illgner? It's one thing to be a guest for a single season, but spending your whole life here will inevitably bring all manner of friction in habits and ways of thinking. It won't be a master-servant relationship but a spousal one—there will be many moments of bewilderment as you build that bond together. Even so, do you wish to remain here?"
"...I have many fears."
After a moment of silence, Folck slowly opened his mouth and murmured, as if forcing the words out.
"Like Fran, I don't know what marriage truly entails. But... even so, I found myself wanting to be with her."
"Very well. Then since you cannot marry while still a gray priest, we will proceed with a sale contract between Giebe Illgner and you, Folck. That is acceptable?"
"Please."
I had wanted to confirm which gray priest wanted to marry and whether it was truly their own will, and having done so, the tension drained from my shoulders. I told them I would hear the details about the workshop's results tomorrow and left the detached building.
"I'm glad you told me, Fran. I'm so ignorant about gray priests' circumstances... It's reassuring to learn that it isn't a relationship forced upon him by someone else."
"Hardly anyone bothers to consider gray priests' feelings apart from you, Lord Myne. If Giebe Illgner wills it, Folck would simply be sold, as is the natural course."
Fran's expression said, "You're as naive as ever, I see." And he was right—as far as nobility was concerned, gray priests being sold was simply how things worked. But that didn't stop me from wishing they could be a little happier. I couldn't help thinking that Folck's feelings ought not to be exploited by Giebe Illgner.
"Lord Myne!"
Monica came running from the summer villa.
"What is it, Monica?"
"The Chief Priest is summoning you."
She said an attendant had come with word that it was urgent, and since I wasn't in the room, they'd been sent back. I had been planning to play it cool and hide in my room after finishing my talk with the gray priests, but the blood drained from my face at the realization that the Chief Priest had found out I was absent.
"...Am I going to be scolded?"
"Most likely."
I had Fran carry me, and we hurried to the Chief Priest's room. As expected, the moment I entered, he glared at me with a sharp gaze.
"Where have you been wandering off to, Myne?"
"I had an urgent matter and went to the detached building. There was something I needed to ask the gray priests."
"...Hmph. This is urgent as well. Before the sale contract with Giebe Illgner, fill this out."
The paper the Chief Priest handed me was a revised version of the contract I had drafted after Fran's instructions. Additional items listing what Folck could do had been appended, and I was told to write down his workshop-related skills.
"Has knowledge of papermaking and the ability to teach it. Has knowledge of printing and experience in printing. ...Also."
I wrote down everything I could think of that Folck was capable of. When the Chief Priest reviewed the finished document, he furrowed his brow deeply.
"Myne, have you discussed the price with Giebe Illgner?"
"No, the ordinance conversation didn't go into that much detail. I planned to discuss it today..."
Just a few days ago, residents had come to me saying they desperately didn't want to be separated, and it had apparently caught Giebe Illgner off guard as well. As for me, I hadn't even known which gray priest was being desired until I went to the detached building.
According to the ordinance, they said the money was supposedly prepared, and since I had no experience with gray priest sales, I didn't know the going rate, so I had let it slide.
The Chief Priest counted through the listed items while reviewing the document.
"The average price for a gray priest is about five small gold coins, but it varies greatly depending on the individual's abilities. This table converts a person's skills into a monetary value, but... this will be quite expensive."
"Of course it will. Folck is a former attendant who received an education. He's been deeply involved in both papermaking and printing, and he's one of the select few who can be sent out to other domains and produce results. Naturally he'd be expensive."
Our gray priests, who could do everything, certainly weren't going to come cheap. The real problem would be if we underpriced them and they got snapped up by other nobles one after another.
"Good. See that you don't cave in and offer discounts out of sentiment. ...Also, you may be merely decorative, but you are the High Priest and my superior. Matters concerning the sale contracts of priests fall under the Chief Priest's jurisdiction, so this time, you are to simply approve it and, in principle, keep your hands off."
"Hm? The previous High Priest seemed to handle orphan contracts however he pleased..."
The Chief Priest grimaced at the memory of
"The High Priest is the Chief Priest's superior, so it's not that a contract is impossible. However, it is fundamentally the Chief Priest's work. The previous High Priest did, at least, show me the contracts after the fact. If you have anything to say about this contract for Folck, say it now."
"I've already confirmed Folck's own feelings, so I have no objections."
After that discussion with the Chief Priest, I attended dinner with Giebe Illgner.
It wasn't a barbecue shared with all the residents, but a proper meal served at the nobles' estate. The soup alone was apparently made by
The Chief Priest seemed satisfied as well, and Giebe Illgner's expression relaxed as if a weight had been lifted.
"Today's soup is exceptional. As expected of Lord Myne's personal chef."
"I'm delighted by your praise. I'll pass your kind words on to the chef."
After the meal, we moved to Giebe Illgner's room for the sale contract discussion.
Folck, the person in question, was summoned to the room, and a young woman sat close beside him. Folck's fiancée appeared to be a sincere-looking woman. Giebe Illgner watched the two of them with softly narrowed eyes that held a color similar to Brigitte's.
I quietly sighed in relief at the fact that his feelings of blessing toward the two were so plainly evident. The worry that Folck was being exploited by Giebe Illgner melted away in an instant, regardless of what Folck's own feelings might be.
"High Priest, regarding Folck..."
"Yes, the sale contract matter. Chief Priest, please proceed."
I gave a slight nod to Giebe Illgner, who had initiated the conversation, and turned my gaze to the Chief Priest. Receiving my look, the Chief Priest produced the contract and held it out before Giebe Illgner.
"This is the sale contract for Folck."
Giebe Illgner took it and scanned through it, then his eyes bulged and his face went blank with shock. He compared the contract to me and the Chief Priest several times, stared at Folck and the woman, and then shut his eyes tightly.
"...It's this expensive? The gray priest my father purchased during his lifetime was not at this price. I believe it was one small gold coin..."
"That would have been a gray priest apprentice who could only do menial work, yes? The price of a gray priest is determined by their skills. Folck is a former attendant to a blue priest, educated in service to nobility. Furthermore, he has experience in the papermaking and printing operations run under Myne's direction. Among the gray priests at the orphanage, he's one of the select few who can be sent elsewhere without any embarrassment. Naturally he would be expensive."
Folck and the woman stiffened, fixing Giebe Illgner with desperate gazes. Receiving their looks, Giebe Illgner stared at the contract, then bowed his head with a deeply troubled expression.
"The price is beyond what I anticipated. I'm afraid... I cannot possibly afford to purchase him."
If he had estimated Folck's price based on the one his father had bought, expecting only a few small gold coins, then he would indeed find it out of reach. Folck's price was two large gold coins and two small gold coins.
At Giebe Illgner's words, the woman let out a faint whisper: "No..."
"How much were you expecting to pay?"
"...He's capable, so I knew it would be expensive, but I estimated perhaps five to six small gold coins."
"If he weren't involved in printing, that would indeed be the going rate. But in Folck's case, that added value is what matters."
The Chief Priest slowly exhaled. He was right. If Folck was purchased by Illgner, knowledge of the printing and papermaking industries would flow into the duchy. Considering that added value, a discount was simply not possible.
"...Lord Myne."
Perhaps thinking I would be more approachable than the Chief Priest, Giebe Illgner looked at me. Unfortunately, when it came to price negotiations, I was the tougher one, having been drilled by
If I showed weakness here, the likelihood of other nobles attempting to negotiate discounts would increase. They might accuse me of favoritism toward Illgner, or sham marriages could become a problem. I could not offer a discount.
Of course, I did want to help Folck find his happiness. He had carried so many anxieties and still wished to be with her—I wanted to support him.
But as Benno had taught me, when negotiating a discount, make sure you know how far you can afford to lose before you concede. All I could do was shake my head.
"This negotiation is a failure, then. Six small gold coins simply isn't possible."
When I shook my head, Giebe Illgner turned a look of despair toward the pair huddled together.
"But Lord Myne, those two love each other, and so..."
"Giebe Illgner, I don't know what you're misunderstanding, but gray priests are not permitted to marry. Since you cannot afford to purchase him, it is not your place to meddle. This discussion is over."
"...I am truly sorry."
With a face like he'd swallowed something bitter, Giebe Illgner knelt before the Chief Priest.
At the same time, a stifled sob escaped the woman's lips.
"Isn't there anything that can be done, Chief Priest?"
When I called out to the Chief Priest, Giebe Illgner's head snapped up, hope flickering in his eyes.
In contrast, the Chief Priest wore a deeply pained expression before letting out a snort.
"It shouldn't be me who has to do anything about it, should it? ...If there's something you want but you lack the funds, what would you do?"
"I'd earn the money."
I answered immediately, then slapped my hands together. Of course you earn money for what you want. So what if we gave Giebe Illgner priority rights to Folck, marking him as reserved pending sale?
"...Giebe Illgner, I'll grant you priority rights to Folck. How about earning the money within a year?"
When I made this suggestion, Giebe Illgner slumped in despair, saying, "The amount needed isn't something that can be earned in a year."
"All you need to do is prepare the necessary sum. Let's go, Myne."
The Chief Priest stood up with a clatter and left the room, and I followed suit. Glancing back, I saw Giebe Illgner with his head in his hands and the woman weeping. Folck's face was twisted as if he, too, were on the verge of tears.
...I think the amount is something you could manage if you worked desperately hard for a year.
Unlike before, Illgner had just invented a new type of paper. If they found uses suited to that paper's properties and marketed them aggressively, the amount wasn't impossibly difficult.
In fact,
"Perhaps Giebe Illgner is simply bad at business?"
"He does seem rather weak when it comes to negotiations."
"...Isn't that fatal for a noble?"
Behind-the-scenes maneuvering and negotiation were the essence of nobility. The Chief Priest, who had drilled this into me, nodded, saying, "Indeed." Then, wearing a rather complicated expression, he looked down at me while rubbing his temples.
"Advice on how to earn money should be acceptable, shouldn't it? You were raised the same way by Benno, after all."
...The Chief Priest being so generous is rare.
I looked up at him, clearly startled, and he glared at me, saying, "It's all written on your face," before flicking me sharply on the forehead. Ouch!
The next day was the Harvest Festival.
In the morning, all of Illgner's residents gathered to make preparations, and the festival began in the afternoon. By the time I usually arrived, the Harvest Festival preparations were already complete, so I never got to feel the bustling energy of that stage. The excitement was palpable from across the crowd, lending the whole affair an air of festivity that made my heart race.
Brigitte had been given the day off today. She should enjoy the Harvest Festival of her hometown for once in a long while. But only in moderation, with the Chief Priest around.
In the midst of all that commotion, I was heading to the detached building with Fran and
Because Illgner's Harvest Festival employed tax officials brought by the Chief Priest, the
When I entered a room prepared in the detached building, Gil, Lutz, and Damien were waiting there, each holding wooden tablets or writing boards with their reports.
"Lord Myne, it's been a while."
"Gil, I'm glad to see you looking well. Lutz, thank you for your hard work. And Damien, thank you as well for your extended service. Now then, please tell me what kinds of paper were created."
I asked the three of them about their results in Illgner, and Gil was the first to step forward. He reported with eyes shining with excitement.
"To get straight to the point, three new types of paper were made. They were created from Rindeifei, the magic wood Nanseib, and Aiphon. Since Sussila doesn't work well with the Degruva adhesive available here, I'd like to bring the white bark back to Ehrenfest and test it with Srlam worms and Edil."
"Three types? That's wonderful!"
When I praised him, Gil beamed.
"Just as Trombe Paper has the property of being fire-resistant, Nanceib Paper and Aiphon Paper may have unique properties as well, but we haven't discovered them yet."
"We'll have to find those properties through actual use. Thank you, Gil."
After Gil finished his report, Lutz reported on the Traoperlle seeds he had discovered during an autumn mountain walk.
"Traoperlle are these white seeds. They grow abundantly in Illgner's forests, but they're far too bitter to be eaten, apparently. Crushing Traoperlle yields a sticky substance that can be used to make the hard paper I sent to you. I'd like to purchase some Traoperlle, bring them back to Ehrenfest, and test their compatibility with Forin as well."
Using Traoperlle as an adhesive would apparently produce a fundamentally hard, smooth paper.
"Traoperlle might just become an Illgner specialty."
With Damien, I discussed pricing. Since Giebe Illgner seemed weak in negotiations, I carefully set the price with consideration for both the Plantant Company's margins and how it balanced against other paper prices.
"I'll go prepare the contract based on this, then."
"Yes, thank you, Damien."
Damien left to create the contract with Giebe Illgner based on the agreed price. With Gil and Lutz remaining, and Fran and Damuel standing by, I glanced around the room and gave a small shrug.
"Fran, would you mind keeping watch outside the door?"
"...Please try to keep your voice down."
Fran let out a resigned sigh and left. Once the door closed, I tackled Lutz. I made up for our time apart with a full embrace, then ruffled Gil's head while telling him, "Amazing, you worked so hard!"
"...So, how about you?"
"Hehehe. I got all the ingredients for the medicine!"
I puffed out my chest and said, "I worked hard too, didn't I?" but from behind me, Damuel murmured, "It was the guards who did the real work," and Lutz and Gil burst out laughing. I puffed up in indignation, saying, "I worked hard too!" but since everyone was laughing, I ended up laughing along.
"Lutz, Lutz. With this, I can finally be a normal girl!"
I wouldn't collapse from running or faint from excitement anymore—I'd be able to function normally. At my cry of joy, Lutz wore a skeptical expression, furrowing his brow and crossing his arms with a low "Hmm."
"...Once the medicine's ready, you'll get your energy back for sure, but no matter how you look at it, 'normal girl' seems like a stretch, doesn't it?"
"Lutz, what's that supposed to mean?"
"It means once you get your energy back, no one will be able to stop you, and all your weirdness will stand out even more."
"How mean!"
But it turned out I was the only one who thought it was mean—Gil and Damuel both murmured, "That's true," and sided with Lutz.
After exchanging such idle banter and catching our breath, Lutz looked at me.
"Hey, Folck was really down. Did things not work out?"
"...No. Negotiations broke down. Giebe Illgner couldn't put together the money to buy Folck. Folck is expensive because he can do so many things, but when you think long-term, we can't exactly underprice him, can we?"
Lutz, who in the field of commerce had long since surpassed me as a businessman, narrowed his jade-green eyes and began tapping out calculations in his head.
"Just having knowledge of printing-related work alone makes someone quite expensive... And it's knowledge of an industry that's going to expand from here, so it's not the kind of thing that can be lowered... I guess there's nothing to be done."
"I told him I'd grant priority rights and give him a year. With three new types of paper like this, if they make paper and sell it, couldn't they earn roughly two large gold coins, don't you think?"
At my words, Lutz said, "A year should be enough to manage it. ...He'd need to be active in Illgner, though," and shrugged.
"Lord Myne, could I go teach Folck? You know, how to earn money, that the amount isn't impossible, things like that..."
Gil murmured that it was painful to watch Folck, who had been so overjoyed just yesterday thinking he could get married, now looking utterly dejected by this morning.
I nodded firmly.
"Of course. I almost never get the chance to speak to him directly, so I've been wondering what to do. If Folck and Gil talk to Giebe Illgner, and we arrange it so that Giebe Illgner formally requests to borrow Folck, that would be ideal, wouldn't it?"
"I'll bring it up."
And then the Harvest Festival began.
Even Gil, who was normally left behind to watch the workshop, and Hassé, who had come along this time, as well as Lutz, who stayed at the small temple, and the gray priests and Damien, who rarely left Ehrenfest, were seeing another domain's Harvest Festival for the first time. They watched the festivities with shining eyes.
"Having all the ceremonies performed together like this is fascinating."
"In Ehrenfest, there are too many people for that, so it's impossible."
Today, I was seated not on the stage but in the guest area alongside the Plantant Company and the gray priests.
Watching the Chief Priest deliver blessings with his commanding voice and dignified bearing from the stage, I wondered if this was how I appeared to others.
...I'd like to think there's a stage for me too, so I'm not completely invisible.
After the ceremonies concluded, the Batraf tournament began. Lutz and Damien, seeing it for the first time, were greatly excited, but the gray priests were taken aback by the seemingly rule-free violence.
Smiling wryly at that gap in reactions, I noticed Folck standing apart with a forlorn expression.
I glanced around to make sure everyone was focused on the Batraf and absorbed in the noise, then beckoned Folck over.
"Folck, I think it's a shame that the negotiation fell through, but this is something I cannot compromise on. When considering our contracts with other gray priests, I cannot carelessly lower the price."
"...Yes."
Folck nodded slowly. Then he seemed to grit his back teeth for a moment before looking at me.
"Lord Myne, I heard from Gil. ...Do you truly believe that the money can be saved within one year?"
"I think it will require hard work, certainly, but I don't believe it's so difficult for an Illgner that can now produce three types of new paper. In fact, when Lutz and I first started making Plant Paper, we earned that amount in roughly six months."
Folck's head snapped up. He had worked in the orphanage's workshop following instructions, so I doubted he knew the exact profit margins of Plant Paper or the picture books.
"Listen, Folck. With the wages you've earned so far, it's possible to lend you to Giebe Illgner. They say the river doesn't freeze here even in winter. Why not spend the year working hard here?"
"Lord Myne..."
"To be honest, I'm still worried about gray priests getting married. Even among people of the same class living in the same town, aligning values and building a life together is difficult. The gray priests of Illgner and Ehrenfest—their common sense, living habits, values, everything about the way they think must be different."
It must have hit home, because Folck lowered his gaze slightly. Then, slowly, he turned his eyes toward a corner of the crowd. Presumably, at the end of that gaze was the woman I couldn't pick out from the masses.
"Please spend the year working together on the new papermaking while saving money and adjusting to life in Illgner. Discover what it means to live as something other than a gray priest here, observe the many different kinds of families and marriages, and make the effort to understand each other with your partner. I hope that rather than only Folck making concessions or placing the entire burden on the woman, you can build a relationship where you share joys and hardships and treasure each other."
"...You have my deepest thanks."
After the Harvest Festival, the contract between Giebe Illgner and the Plantant Company was finalized. Based on that contract, I offered a bit of business advice and discussed the one-year loan of Folck.
And when all the discussions were complete, I boarded the Less bus with the Plantant Company and the three gray priests and returned to Ehrenfest.
Folck and his fiancée stood close together, quietly kneeling with their heads bowed until the very end.
That concludes this year's Harvest Festival.
Next time, it will be my little sister.