After sending the Ordonnance, I'd been racking my brain for excuses to keep the Chief Priest from getting angry, when another Ordonnance flew in telling me to "head to the
Upon hearing its contents,
"...Hmm, maybe surprise and panic slightly outweigh his anger? Though it still feels like the anger is bigger. It's hard to tell. What do you think,
"Rather than trying to dodge it, wouldn't it be better to just accept being scolded by Lord
...That is not better at all!
"This time, I haven't done anything wrong. There's no reason for him to scold me."
"Then I don't see a reason to avoid Lord Ferdinand either."
Damuel shrugged helplessly at my words, and I pursed my lips.
"That's exactly why I'm trying to avoid it—getting scolded when I've done nothing wrong."
"Good luck, Lady
"Unfortunately, I'm no match for Lord Ferdinand's lectures when it comes to brains. If it were a fight alongside Steenluke, I'd give it my all even if I couldn't win, and I can certainly sit nearby and listen to a lecture. But which would you prefer, Lady Rozemyne?"
...I don't want either!
While we were having this utterly pointless conversation, the bell announcing an arrival chimed. Through the door that Fran and Saam had opened, the Chief Priest entered with Brother
"I haven't done anything wrong, you know!"
"What kind of opening is that? A greeting comes first, doesn't it?"
"I'm sorry."
...I'd been trying to avoid a lecture, yet the very first thing out of my mouth got me scolded for something completely unrelated. This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
The Chief Priest pressed his temple and sighed, then we exchanged the lengthy formal greetings expected of nobles before I offered him a seat.
"Let me say once again..."
"Enough. I was a fool to trust you and ask you to keep watch. You're simple and easy to deceive—the moment a book is dangled in front of your eyes, you completely forget everything else and throw yourself at it."
...Ow. I think I've completely lost his trust.
"So, um, it's really okay if you're angry?"
Looking at my expression of utter exasperation, the Chief Priest's face became incredibly annoyed.
"That would be a waste of time. More importantly—what is this shocking new discovery? With you, it's impossible to predict where things will lead."
"What do you mean?"
Even though I felt the Chief Priest could see right through everything about me, being told he couldn't predict my actions made me tilt my head.
"Sometimes what's a shocking new fact to you is trivial to others, and other times you stick your nose into things no one could have imagined. It's completely unpredictable. Which is it this time?"
"Even if you ask me which, there's no way I could judge that. Everything is new to me."
As the Chief Priest continued to complain, I opened the Holy Book. Not only the Chief Priest but even Justus leaned in with great interest.
"It's blank."
"Can the Chief Priest see the contents?"
"Not unless the High Priest has granted permission."
"My lady, please grant me permission as well."
After confirming that without my permission even the Chief Priest couldn't see the Holy Book, I studied his expression carefully and then granted access.
"I grant permission to view the Holy Book to the Chief Priest and Justus."
In the next instant, I caught the slightest twitch of the Chief Priest's brow. His expression barely changed, so I couldn't tell whether the magic circle was visible to him.
"Hmm, so this is the Holy Book accessible only to the High Priest. ...How is it different from the other Holy Books?"
Justus was excitedly flipping through the pages, but he didn't seem able to tell it apart from any other Holy Book. At the very least, he showed no reaction indicating he could see the magic circle or text that appeared on the pages.
"It's essentially the complete version—more detailed than any Holy Book in the Temple Library."
There were several copies of Holy Books in the Temple Library, but they varied considerably in page count. As I was explaining the differences to Justus, the Chief Priest called my name.
"Rozemyne."
His voice was devoid of all emotion, and I whipped around to look up at him. His pale golden eyes stared down at me without reflecting any expression. The Chief Priest closed his eyes tightly once, then picked up the Holy Book.
"You understand that this isn't something to discuss openly, don't you?"
...So the Chief Priest can see it.
With a stern expression, he refused to grant any of his retainers permission to enter the workshop and instead went into my hidden room workshop alone. I left the bewildered retainers—wondering "what on earth is going on"—behind and followed the Chief Priest.
I placed the Holy Book open on the large table used for mixing ingredients, and the Chief Priest promptly sat down. I dragged my chair over with a clatter and climbed into it so we were facing each other across the Holy Book.
"Rozemyne, what can you see?"
"I think probably the same things the Chief Priest can see. A magic circle and text appear on the pages."
At my words, the Chief Priest pressed his fingertips between his brows.
"This wasn't there when you opened the Holy Book before."
"I also hadn't opened it in ages—it was on Adoptive Father's orders that I looked at it again—and I was shocked to discover this magic circle for the first time today. Angelica couldn't see it, Damuel couldn't see it, Justus couldn't see it, but the Chief Priest can? I was wondering if perhaps only I, as the High Priest, could see it. What are the conditions? Since it suddenly became visible, there must be some reason..."
I pointed at the unusual magic circle as I spoke, then turned my gaze toward the Chief Priest, who sat in complete silence without even offering a word of acknowledgment.
"..."
The Chief Priest stared at me with an expression utterly devoid of emotion, having completely suppressed every trace of feeling. I instinctively closed my mouth. The cold, unwavering gaze directed straight at me was the most frightening thing I'd ever seen, and a chill ran through my entire body, raising goosebumps.
"...Um, Chief Priest?"
"Do you... who wish to be king... do you wish to become king?"
A voice so cold it felt like frigid air was seeping up from beneath my feet. I swallowed hard. Though he asked quietly, I had no idea what would happen to me depending on my answer. It felt like I was standing on the very edge of a cliff.
"I have no such wish. All I want is to read books."
"Then forget it. You saw nothing. There is no magic circle or text in this Holy Book. Act as though none of it exists. Understood?"
Hearing my answer, the taut atmosphere surrounding the Chief Priest eased slightly, but he cut the conversation short with those words. He stood abruptly and moved to close the Holy Book, and in his eyes, it seemed the magic circle was no longer visible.
"I don't mind forgetting, but..."
"What is it?"
I found it strange that the Chief Priest showed no interest whatsoever in the complex magic circle that seemed ripe for research, and I tilted my head. I'd reported the magic circle to deflect his anger, but it wasn't proving very useful for that purpose.
"Aren't you going to research this magic circle, Chief Priest? It's an incredibly complex circle containing all attributes—I think it would be well worth studying."
"Rozemyne, there are many things in this world that are better left unknown. If you don't want to die, stop sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."
"...Die?"
Seeing that I couldn't connect magic circle research with death, the Chief Priest slowly let out a breath and sat back down.
"You don't seem to understand, so let me explain. The current king does not meet the conditions for becoming king."
"Huh?"
"He does not meet the conditions written in the Holy Book."
As stated in the Holy Book, the throne is granted to one who copies the
"Originally, the current king had been raised to be a subordinate. He never received an education fit for a king, and there's a high probability he doesn't know the oral traditions. Even Lords have matters passed down through oral tradition. The king surely would as well."
The current king had ascended the throne through his victory in the civil war, but the central Temple's Holy Book fundamentalists had once refused to recognize his coronation on the grounds that he lacked the Grutrissheit.
"With both the royal family and the Nobility drastically reduced, and nearly half of the important Magical Tools no longer functioning, the country couldn't survive—which is why the central Temple reluctantly recognized the throne. Now, if you were to voice the conditions for a legitimate king and proclaim they were written in the Holy Book—can you even begin to imagine what would happen?"
If I stirred up the central Temple's Holy Book fundamentalists, the king would surely want to eliminate me as a source of instability. This alarming prediction made me tremble.
"Chief Priest, if these words appear in the Holy Book, does that mean I meet the conditions for becoming king?"
That must be why he was being so cautious, I asked—and the Chief Priest immediately shook his head.
"No, that's not it. You have all attributes and considerable Magic Power. As the Holy Book indicates, you pray diligently, so you may well have the aptitude for kingship. But the crucial condition remains unfulfilled."
"The crucial condition?"
Wondering what it could be, I turned my gaze to the Holy Book. The Chief Priest said it was simple.
"You were originally a Commoner and do not bear the blood of kings. Therefore, you cannot become king."
"The blood of kings? I don't think the Holy Book mentioned anything about bearing the blood of kings..."
At my question, the Chief Priest tapped his temple thoughtfully with his fingertip and slowly exhaled.
"The Grutrissheit is located in a library accessible only to the royal family—more precisely, only to those who carry the blood of the first king. As described in old documents, the entry conditions were set to require the blood of kings, just like this hidden room. Therefore, you, who cannot enter the library and cannot copy the Grutrissheit, cannot become king no matter how much aptitude you possess."
"Wait—!? Does that mean it's a locked library that only royals can enter!? I was planning to befriend Prince
This was completely unexpected. I'd been planning to find it during my time at the
"Didn't you just say you don't wish to be king?"
"I don't wish to be king, but I wish to read books! Isn't it natural to want to read the Grutrissheit?! Why on earth don't I carry the blood of the first king!?"
"Because you were originally a Commoner. And frankly, I'm truly grateful from the bottom of my heart that you don't bear royal blood. The Grutrissheit in the library is just a copy of the first king's version anyway—it wouldn't be much different from this Holy Book. Give it up."
He said this while shaking his head as if to say how absurd the whole thing was. His words felt far too dismissive given the despair of a library existing that I couldn't enter.
"That's a terrible thing to say to someone who's grieving over not being able to read books!"
"The terrible thing is what's inside your head."
...That's even worse!
Any further expressions of sorrow would only invite more insults. I shut my mouth and glared at the Chief Priest. He glared back as if to ask whether I had any complaints, and I quietly averted my gaze—and changed the subject along with it.
"Still, why did these words and magic circles appear in the Holy Book?"
"You must have met some condition or other, but why they appeared, I don't know. I've never been High Priest and have never owned a Holy Book. ...However, I think I've come to understand the purpose of this Holy Book's existence."
The Chief Priest touched the Holy Book and let out a soft breath.
"The magic circle and text in this Holy Book show the path to becoming king. It was probably meant to help select the rightful king."
"I don't quite understand. What do you mean?"
When I asked, the Chief Priest prefaced his explanation with "this is merely a hypothesis."
"The first king was also a devout High Priest who served the gods. You learned that in history, didn't you?"
"Yes. After the first king, it was the king's children who performed religious rites at the Temple, wasn't it? That's why even in other territories, the High Priest was appointed from among the Lord's children."
"If the king's children served as High Priest, then even if civil wars or conflicts occurred and the oral traditions of the royal family were lost, opening the Holy Book should have revealed the path to the Grutrissheit. The first king could not have anticipated a situation where the Temple would lose its power and stand opposed to the king. ...Nor could he have imagined that a Commoner-born person would become High Priest, or that such a person would possess the aptitude for kingship."
The Chief Priest added this last part. Hearing it put that way, I sounded almost like some kind of anomaly. Well, perhaps I was. Just a little.
"And the early Lords had marital ties to the royal family. Which means that most of their descendants would carry the blood of kings. ...Thinking about it that way, perhaps the first king distributed Holy Books to the Temples in each territory so that he could select the strongest king from among his own bloodline."
Distributing Holy Books to the lords of each territory would also make sense from the perspective of information preservation. The first king may have been quite a wise person.
"Now that you mention it—it's ancient history, but a king did arise from
"Oh, the Dunkelfelger history books. ...Come to think of it, you had your scribe copy them, didn't you? Could you lend them to me sometime?"
Seeing the Chief Priest's eyes light up with interest, I immediately nodded. "Sure. Let's trade them for a new book." The Chief Priest's cheek twitched.
"I've already lent you numerous books, haven't I?"
"I'm greedy for new books. I don't miss even the smallest opportunity."
"I know."
He gave a small, sharp laugh, and after we agreed to exchange the new book for the Dunkelfelger history records, the Chief Priest's expression shifted abruptly. Drawn by his sudden seriousness, I straightened my back and fell silent.
"What was discussed here—what appeared in the Holy Book—is strictly confidential. You must never reveal it to anyone. I will forget it as well. You should forget too."
He told me to act as though I'd never known. The Chief Priest, too, would pretend he'd never seen it.
I glanced at the inkwell sitting on the workshop shelf, its use forbidden. How many secrets like these did the Chief Priest carry—secrets he had to forget or pretend he'd never known?
"If you get involved in this matter, things won't end well. In the worst case, a purge like the one after the civil war could sweep through Ehrenfest."
"Huh?"
Hearing these ominous words, I turned my gaze back to the Chief Priest. He stared at me with a serious, solemn expression and a stern gaze.
"A Lord candidate who holds information about the true king chosen by the gods, and a renowned High Priest called a saint—to those around you, you'd look like nothing but usurpers. You'd only become seeds of conflict. With the First Prince already designated as the next king, do you want to become a new seed of war?"
"No."
I had absolutely no desire for such a thing. "As long as I have books, that's enough," I answered clearly.
The Chief Priest said "Good, as long as you understand" and stood up, walking toward me. I looked up, wondering what he was about to do, and after a moment's hesitation, he gently patted my head.
"...Rozemyne, read some new books and forget about this Holy Book. It's for your own good."
Sensing the Chief Priest's clumsy concern born of fear that I'd be dragged into conflict, I smiled to ease the mood and accepted.
"That's my specialty! Please leave it to me! Actually, I called you here in an emergency because I was afraid of being scolded, but honestly, I'd planned to immerse myself in reading first and report afterward."
"Forgetting is easy, you know," I said—and in the next instant, the hand resting on my head tightened its grip. Wha—? Looking up, I saw the Chief Priest wearing a terrifying smile. His blank expression was frightening, but his smile was even worse.
"Oh ho. So you're confessing that of your own accord—you really did want to be scolded, didn't you?"
"N-no. It was a little joke, you know? I wanted to ease the tense atmosphere, that's all..."
The fingers on my head tightened further, squeezing painfully. It hurt. It hurt so much. Still looking up at the Chief Priest, tears welled up in my eyes. Looking down at me half-crying, the Chief Priest curled the corners of his lips upward.
"If being scolded is what you wish for, I should do my best to oblige. Stand over there."
"A-ah. I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
...I really messed up.
After a thorough lecture, the Chief Priest headed back to the castle, saying he'd also scold Adoptive Father—but in the end, the only one who got scolded was me.
Adoptive Father, who had vanished for a long time and was thought to have shirked his duties by both me and the Chief Priest, had actually been searching for ceremony-related materials in the Lord-only library, excluding me—his supervisor—because "if she were there, she'd absolutely want to come in and it would be a hassle."
...Ugh, if I'd known, I would've gone back to the Temple and stuck to Adoptive Father instead!
I've decided not to look at dangerous things. I'll just curl up in the workshop, poof.
The Chief Priest, who has to rush around everywhere, has it rough.
Lord
Next up: a meeting with the