'
However, Lord Hartmut, who had newly assumed the position of Chief Priest, still occasionally visited the Temple even after the winter social season had begun, giving instructions to the blue priests and summoning Lady Rozemyne's attendants for reports. Since this would be his first Dedication Ritual, and Lady Rozemyne would not be returning for it this year, he said he wanted to compile as much Temple information as possible into letters and deliver them to her. Lord Hartmut's thoughtfulness was truly appreciated.
'Lord Hartmut, this is Wilma.' 'This is sudden, but new children will be brought here before long. How are preparations for receiving them at the orphanage?' 'The rooms themselves are ready. However, as I reported to Lady Rozemyne, we are short on food, firewood, futons, and the like. I believe
'Understood. ...These will all be children who have suddenly lost their families and are in an unstable state. Looking after them will be difficult, but I'm counting on you.' Lord Hartmut said this with a gentle smile. He was Lady Rozemyne's close aide and a high-ranking noble, yet he had not a trace of arrogance and was very kind to everyone at the orphanage.
In the early days, Lord Hartmut had visited the orphanage together with Lord Eustachius. Lord Eustachius was a noble who had managed the workshop and orphanage on behalf of the Chief Priest while Lady Rozemyne was in her long slumber. He was very easy to talk to, had far less of the arrogance typical of nobles, and was well-liked at both the orphanage and the workshop.
Still, I believe the children were fonder of Lord Hartmut. He always told them stories about Lady Rozemyne when she was at the Lord's castle or the Noble Academy. The children would pester him to repeat their favorite stories over and over again. I worried more than he seemed to whether it bothered him, but he never once made an unhappy face, recounting the same tales with a smile every time.
When we heard that Lord Hartmut would be taking office as the new Chief Priest, everyone at the orphanage was overjoyed. Normally the position was chosen from among the blue priests, so there had been a real possibility that a Chief Priest who would treat the gray priests and shrine maidens poorly could be appointed.
We were grateful to Lady Rozemyne for appointing her own aide, and to the Lord and the Chief Priest who had permitted someone who was not even a blue priest to assume the position.
'Also, Wilma. Is that item ready?' 'It's nearly finished. I had thought it would be best to complete it before taking in so many children, but this time of year is inevitably busy. I was planning to finish it now as a winter handcraft project.' I had received a commission from Lord Hartmut to paint portraits of Lady Rozemyne—two portraits, one from her days as a blue shrine maiden and one from her current time as High Priest. The portrait of Lady Rozemyne as a blue shrine maiden depicted her playing the Feischspiel, while the portrait of her as High Priest showed her holding the staff of the Water Goddess Fluträne. Lord Hartmut seemed deeply attached to these images and gave me very detailed instructions, but I was gradually bringing the paintings to a point where I was personally satisfied with them.
'...Indeed, things will only get busier once the children increase. I'll be occupied for a while myself, so I'll pick them up during the Dedication Ritual, when things should calm down somewhat. Will new paints be acceptable as payment?' 'I am honored.' Since receiving money was useless within the orphanage, I always requested items I wanted as payment for my paintings. I had received commissions for two portraits of Lady Rozemyne from Lord Hartmut, and one portrait of former Chief Priest
'The children coming in this winter are, like
'There's no need to worry. Instruments are also necessary for education. We'll have the ones from their homes brought here.' Lord Hartmut said this with a gentle smile and gestured for me to leave. I returned to the orphanage together with Lutolf, the attendant from the Chief Priest's chambers. Lord Hartmut had instructed that the blue priests should not be allowed to approach.
'You trust Lord Hartmut, don't you, Wilma?' 'Yes. He's Lady Rozemyne's close aide, and he's very kind. Everyone at the orphanage trusts him too. We're glad that such a good person has become the new Chief Priest.' The shock of having four gray priests who served as gatekeepers taken away had been enormous within the orphanage. Lady Rozemyne had fought hard to rescue them, but it would not have been unusual for them to simply be left to their fate. When you think about it that way, you can understand just how wonderful Lord Hartmut's actions were in honoring Lady Rozemyne's intent to protect the orphanage by taking precautions.
'What do you think of Lord Hartmut, Lutolf?' 'In everything, he prioritizes Lady Rozemyne. He works not for the Temple's sake, but for Lady Rozemyne's. Since Lady Rozemyne acts for the Temple's benefit, there's no problem at the moment, but his way of thinking and acting is quite different from former Chief Priest Ferdinand.' Lutolf seemed to be struggling somewhat to understand his new master's way of thinking and to take the optimal actions. It was only natural for things to change significantly when one's master changed, so the attendants of the Chief Priest's chambers must be having a very hard time right now.
'...Until now, Ferdinand had balanced the traditional methods with Lady Rozemyne's new approaches, making sure they meshed well together. But Lord Hartmut will push through Lady Rozemyne's methods exactly as she envisioned them, so I believe the Temple will undergo even greater changes than before.' In the years since Lady Rozemyne had become orphanage director and then High Priest, the Temple's way of being had changed enormously. I couldn't imagine what an even greater change would look like.
'No matter how much things change, Lady Rozemyne would never change the Temple or the orphanage for the worse. Of that much, I am certain.' '...So you trust Lady Rozemyne as well, Wilma.' 'Yes. After all, Lady Rozemyne is the Saint of Ehrenfest.' At my words, Lutolf chuckled softly. He said Lord Hartmut had said the same thing.
'Deria,
'So many noble children coming to the orphanage all at once—what on earth happened?' 'It's probably something we're better off not knowing.' Since the incident where Lord
'The gray priests and shrine maidens cannot refuse if ordered by the blue priests. Therefore, I think it's often better not to know from the start. If we don't know what happened to bring these children here, we can care for them without any prejudice.' We had taken in Konrad as a noble child before. He had been a child who was mistreated, so he blended into the orphanage smoothly. But would children who had suddenly lost their families be able to adjust to the orphanage? I was a little worried.
'Then I'll go finish Lady Rozemyne's portrait that Lord Hartmut commissioned before things get busy with the new children. Please keep an eye out to make sure none of the children come in.' 'Understood. Still, Lord Hartmut really does love Lady Rozemyne, doesn't he?' Deria said this with an exasperated air. Since Lord Hartmut spoke of nothing but Lady Rozemyne whenever he talked to anyone at the orphanage, it was only natural to think so.
...Then again, Deria loved Lady Rozemyne too.
I knew that she would later chew over Lady Rozemyne's words about whether Dirk was accumulating too much Magic Power, smiling happily to herself. When pointed out, she would say something prickly, so I simply found it endearing. But Lily was not so restrained. She covered her mouth with her hand, giggling, and gazed at Deria with a mischievous look.
'Oh my, even if you say that, wasn't it you, Deria, who kept telling Lord Hartmut the story of how Lady Rozemyne used the Wind Shield to save Dirk, over and over again?' 'T-That was, well... Geez! What's wrong with that?! When Lord Hartmut asks to hear about the moment he thought Lady Rozemyne looked most divine and beautiful, how can a mere Gray Shrine Maiden Apprentice refuse? I was told to stay at the orphanage, so I don't know what Lady Rozemyne has been up to recently, and the most beautiful I ever saw her was at that time!' Deria's face turned bright red as she started complaining to Lily.
'Fufufu... When Deria gets hit with too many truths, she gets flustered and her speech falls apart. Right, Wilma?' 'My speech is NOT falling apart!' Seeing Deria on the verge of tears, I let out a soft sigh and said 'Now, now,' giving Lily a gentle reprimand before heading to my room.
As Lady Rozemyne's attendant, I had been given my own room. My room was filled with two portraits of Lady Rozemyne and all my painting supplies. I changed into clothes that could get dirty, put on an apron, and picked up my brush.
I took a slow, deep breath and quietly faced the painting. This moment was the most important time for me in the entire process of painting.
I asked myself how to layer the colors, carefully building up the paint so that even a hint of Lady Rozemyne's beauty might come through. Considering how to render Lady Rozemyne's night-colored hair with its luster, and how to color her golden eyes—this was both deeply enjoyable and the part where I could least afford to let my attention slip. The eyes in particular looked quite different now compared to her days as a blue shrine maiden apprentice, when they used to reflect her emotions so openly, versus now when she had grown skilled at concealing her feelings. Whether I could capture that distinction was, I felt, a crucial matter.
...Was I drawing them distinctly enough?
I set my brush down gently, placed the two paintings side by side, and viewed them from a slight distance. The innocence from her days as a blue shrine maiden apprentice had quieted, and now she had far more the expression and bearing of a noble lady. To protect her own family, to protect the orphans, and now to protect Ehrenfest—Lady Rozemyne had grown so much.
As for Lady Rozemyne's physical body, since she had been in that long slumber, it didn't appear to have changed much. But according to Monica, who served her closely, some growth had been visible since the end of summer. She said that when she had helped with the dressing for the autumn Coming-of-Age Ceremony, the ceremonial garment had felt slightly short. Since children grew the most during summer, under the radiant glory of
...She would probably continue growing from here, and I looked forward to seeing how beautifully she would develop.
Lord Hartmut would probably commission more portraits, so I needed to keep a careful eye on Lady Rozemyne's changes.
A few days later, before even ten days had passed since the start of the winter social season, Lord Hartmut's attendants began bringing children to the orphanage. Lord Hartmut was said to be registering each child who had been brought by the knights.
The children brought in ranged from toddlers who could barely walk to children about Dirk and Konrad's age. Each one wore well-tailored clothes, but they all wore frightened expressions. Among them, some were crying, and others glared at us with undisguised wariness. About eighty percent of the children were clutching beautiful Magical Tools tightly to their chests.
'Wilma, there are seventeen in all.' Lord Hartmut came with the last registered child in tow. Lutolf,
'From today, this is everyone's home. Once you come to the orphanage, you are no longer nobles. Your life will be completely different from what you've known. Please live here with gratitude for the compassionate heart of Lady Rozemyne, who wished to save you all.' He introduced us—the ones who would look after the orphanage—then called Dirk and Konrad forward. He then bent slightly to meet their gazes. The fact that he would lower himself like this to make eye contact with orphans was another of Lord Hartmut's good qualities.
'All the children here have lost their families. Dirk and Konrad, please teach them how life works at the orphanage. Lady Rozemyne has decided to save these children, so I ask for your fullest cooperation.' At these words, Dirk and Konrad nodded firmly.
'We were saved by Lady Rozemyne too, so we want them to be saved as well.' 'You're both good children.' Lord Hartmut ruffled their hair and smiled warmly.
'They must be anxious right now, so please teach them well how compassionate and kind Lady Rozemyne is, and how we ourselves were saved.' 'Yes!' 'Everyone, Konrad was originally a noble. In that sense, he's the same as you. He'll know better than anyone the differences between life in the Noble District and life here. If there's anything you don't understand, ask him. I'll come check on things around the time of the Dedication Ritual.' After that, instructions were given to the orphanage's gray priests to help with moving luggage. The children's daily supplies were to be brought by the knights. Gil and Fritz headed out, taking with them the gray priests who were accustomed to physical labor at the workshop.
'With Lady Rozemyne's steeds, we could finish in one trip, but without them we have to use multiple wagons and it's quite an ordeal. That woman truly comes up with one amazing thing after another.' After giving a brief rundown of the magnificence of Lady Rozemyne's steeds, Lord Hartmut left the orphanage with Lutolf.
The luggage was soon carried in by Gil and the others. We had to sort through it with the gray shrine maidens and the children, opening packages while setting up the rooms. Lily and I began hugging and comforting the small children who were crying for their families.
'Come now, we're going to set up where you'll be sleeping. There's no time for crying. Let's get it done yourselves.' Deria started assigning tasks to the crying children one after another, and Dirk took the lead, demonstrating by example.
'I'll carry the futons. Someone, help me with this end.' 'It's best to line up your important Magical Tools here. If you keep clutching them, you won't be able to eat.' Konrad, who knew life as a noble, told the children to place the Magical Tools they were holding in one spot. But they just clutched their Magical Tools anxiously without moving. After Konrad made a troubled face, he let out a slow breath.
'As Lord Hartmut said, we are no longer nobles. We're living here now, so please follow the rules of this place.' Their eyes went wide at the words of Konrad, who was no longer a noble. Noticing one girl glaring at Konrad with a bitter expression, I stood up, positioned myself to shield Konrad with my back, and knelt down to meet the children's eyes.
'I know the Temple doesn't think well of nobles, and it's only natural to feel anxious about living here. However, if you're going to live at the orphanage, you have no choice but to adapt to the way things are done here. All we can do is help.' The girl, young though she was, gazed at me with a look that carried the pride of a noble. Her expression twisted as though she had found a target for her anger, and she opened her mouth.
'Help, you say? Are you telling me you'll help me get back into noble society?! Don't make promises you can't—' 'Yes, of course. That's exactly my job.' '...What?' The girl's eyes went wide as if she had been caught completely off guard.
'Oh my, you haven't heard? Reading, writing, arithmetic, deportment, the Feischpiel... Lady Rozemyne intends for you to acquire an education on par with that of a mid-ranking noble. And I have heard that those who prove themselves talented and worthy of being recognized as nobles will be able to receive their Baptism Ceremony as nobles, with the Aub serving as their guardian.' Their Baptism Ceremonies must have been approaching soon. The older children's eyes gleamed with ambition. It was better for them to have a goal than to sit around crying and fretting—even if that goal was to leave the orphanage. I smiled gently.
'The effort will have to come from you, of course. And naturally, I will report to Lady Rozemyne and Lord Hartmut about your conduct here as well.' One of the children standing behind her set his jaw with resolve, lifted his face, and quietly placed his Magical Tool in the spot Konrad had indicated.
'...I will acquire as much education as I can here and return to noble society.' Then he moved to help carry the futon Dirk was holding. When one person started moving, the others followed suit, drawn along. The only ones who stood around floundering, unsure of what to do, were the very youngest children.
'Once we're done with the futons, let's play together. We've got karuta, playing cards, and picture books here too.' Dirk called out cheerfully to the boy who was helping carry futons with him, but the boy just stared at Dirk with wary eyes and clenched his lips tight. Undaunted by this stubborn attitude, Dirk let out a soft laugh.
'I haven't even lost to Konrad yet. If you can't beat me, there's no way you'll make it back to noble society.' '...I was practicing with my older brother. I won't lose to the likes of you.' 'Then it's a contest. I'm Dirk. What's your name?' '
The children's goal-oriented attitudes seemed to have a positive effect on Dirk and Konrad as well. They had started practicing music, something they hadn't been very interested in before, and they now had companions to play karuta and card games with, trading wins and losses. In particular, Konrad—who had been losing to Dirk constantly—was clearly very motivated by the experience of being able to beat someone.
According to Deria, who looked after the older children as a group, some of them still occasionally stifled their sobs at night. But when Deria moved to check on them, they would pretend to be asleep, so she had stopped trying to speak to them and instead watched their behavior carefully the next day.
The older children who were close to their Baptism Ceremony age and had found their motivation were fine, but the young children cried for their families every night. I went around with Lily, hugging and soothing them, but we never had enough hands. I was a bit short on sleep.
Just as I was thinking this, Lord Hartmut came to the orphanage with six gray shrine maidens and five gray priests. The noble families of their blue priest masters had apparently been arrested for crimes.
'The blue priests themselves were not involved in the actual crimes, but without support from their families, they cannot sustain themselves as blue priests. For now, they need to be taken in for questioning. Of course, I had intended to allow any who wished to be arrested alongside their masters to accompany them to the castle, but none volunteered, so I decided to send them back to the orphanage. As for their Winter Preparations, I'll arrange for them to be able to retrieve items from the blue priests' rooms at a later date.' Lord Hartmut said this while looking at Lily and me with a wry smile.
'With this many new children, you could use all the help you can get right now, couldn't you?' ...He was right.
Lord Hartmut's kindness sank deep into my heart. After expressing my gratitude, I went to my room to fetch Lady Rozemyne's portraits.
'Lord Hartmut, here are the portraits you commissioned. How do you like them?' When I spread the two paintings across the dining hall table, Lord Hartmut leaned in to examine them closely, his amber eyes gleaming, and let out a soft 'Oh.' He seemed satisfied. Passing muster under the most critical gaze—Lord Hartmut's—I breathed a sigh of relief.
'Wonderful. You can clearly see how her divine quality has increased compared to her days as a blue shrine maiden apprentice.' 'Lord Hartmut, let me see! Is it a picture of Lady Rozemyne? Wilma paints in her room, so I haven't seen them.' When Konrad asked eagerly like this, Lord Hartmut considered for a moment, then said, 'If you look from a short distance away without touching them, that should be fine.' Since Dirk and Konrad kept praising the portraits, the other children must have become curious. They peered at the paintings from a respectful distance.
'The new children haven't met Lady Rozemyne yet, have they? This is a good opportunity. This is Lady Rozemyne, the Saint of Ehrenfest, who possesses the purity of the Water Goddess Fluträne and enjoys the favor of the Wisdom Goddess
'Lady Rozemyne's greatness lies not only in her beauty. Her compassionate heart is more precious than anything—the mark of a rare saint. However, something happened recently that made me reconsider. I came to believe that the word befitting Lady Rozemyne is not "saint," but "goddess."' Dirk and Konrad, accustomed to Lord Hartmut's speeches, chimed in with 'A Goddess of Mercy?' and 'She does help the gray priests, so that does seem right,' but the other children had been completely left behind. However, Lord Hartmut seemed to be getting into the spirit of things and continued speaking without regard for his audience.
'That was on the day Ferdinand departed for
'Lady Rozemyne's eyes shone with a mysterious rainbow light, as though containing all the gods themselves. Then, staff in hand, she began to trace a magic circle in the sky that no one had ever seen before. As the staff moved, light spilled forth and the magic circle was completed. Then, from her lovely lips, words of prayer began to flow. With each god's name she called, the circle shone in that god's noble color—it was such a beautiful and awe-inspiring sight that it felt as though all the gods had gathered there. The edges of the magic circle shimmered and swayed, glowing with light of various colors overflowing like a cascade, and then a rainbow-colored blessing burst forth. While everyone watched in stunned silence, Lady Rozemyne simply smiled serenely. How modest and humble. And yet how divine. In that moment, I wanted to offer my prayers to Lady Rozemyne.' After spending the equivalent of one bell's toll expounding on Lady Rozemyne's magnificence, Lord Hartmut let out a satisfied breath and surveyed everyone at the orphanage.
'Now, everyone. Let us offer our prayers and gratitude to the highest god who rules the vast, lofty heavens; the five great gods who rule the broad, expansive earth: the Water Goddess Fluträne, the Fire God Leidenschaft, the Wind Goddess
...I should have taught them about prayers before lessons.
I wanted to do my best to help the new children adjust to life at the Temple.