"
The moment I saw Lutz's face, I felt the tension drain from my body with the relief of finally being back somewhere my common sense applied. I dashed down the stairs and clung tight to Lutz's arm, who had come to pick me up, pressing my head against him with a rub.
"I'm so tired, Lutz."
"Ah, you look a little pale. Good work today."
Lutz patted my head lightly, offering words of comfort.
What I'd done today was simply read books, but apparently Attendants are supposed to stay by your side at all times, so basically someone was always standing nearby, watching me.
Normally, once I got absorbed in a book, I stopped caring about my surroundings entirely. But every time I drifted back to awareness and felt someone's gaze on me, it was incredibly uncomfortable. Not painful exactly, but heavy—the constant sense of being watched wore me down and left me exhausted.
Nobles are really something. How long would it take to get used to that?
Just being able to go home and sleep made me happy. If this continued from "Good morning" all the way to "Good night," I'd probably go crazy.
"Hey, Lutz. I want to go see
"He should be. He'd just gotten back when I left. Is something wrong?"
I shook my head at Lutz's worried expression.
"I need to withdraw money from the commercial guild and bring a Donation to the Chief Priest. I figured it'd be better to go early…"
"Mm. Then let's head out."
When Lutz said that, for some reason the three Attendants tried to follow. Inside the
"You… don't really need to come, you know?"
"That is not acceptable. I am an Attendant."
"Exactly! An Attendant is absolutely essential when meeting someone."
"Mm. If you don't need to go, then I'm heading out. I'm starving."
However, the other two showed no sign of returning to the Temple. I'd compromise and allow only Fran to accompany me. Even so, it would honestly be easier without any Attendants at all. Where we were going was the
…Could I just chase them off?
"Hey, Deria. Once I've finished talking with Benno, I'll bring the Donation back. Could you pass that along to the Chief Priest? It'll be a problem if it doesn't reach him properly. Please?"
"Hmm, that would be a problem. Understood. I'll make sure to tell him."
Deria flashed an easy-to-read grin. She'd either crush me in her grip or go straight to the High Priest to report—whichever it was, she'd enjoy it either way.
With the most gleeful smile I'd seen all day, Deria turned on her heel and headed back into the Temple.
I let out a breath of relief at having successfully gotten rid of Deria, only to see Fran frowning unhappily, comparing Deria's retreating back to me.
"My Lady Mine, if the message is for the Chief Priest, I will deliver it. Please allow me to accompany Deria."
"Fran, I already asked Deria. If an Attendant absolutely has to come along, then you can just come by yourself, right?"
Fran's dissatisfaction was plain on his face as he shook his head.
"But will it actually reach the Chief Priest that way…"
"…Lutz is here with me right now, so Fran, you can go back too. The Chief Priest not getting the message really would be a problem."
With that, I took Lutz's hand and started walking.
Fran hovered around the Temple entrance for a while, but in the end, he prioritized reporting to the Chief Priest. He turned and headed inside.
"Lutz, is that okay? Didn't that guy's job include health management or something?"
Lutz turned around, tilting his head as he looked at the now-empty Temple entrance.
Come to think of it, there had been talk about having Attendants handle my health management. I let out a long breath.
"…Mm. He's one of the candidates the Temple assigned, but I think it'll be difficult. First off, he has no motivation whatsoever."
"Huh?"
"I think he wanted to serve the Chief Priest, but they told him he'd have to serve me instead. No matter what he does, this resentful atmosphere seeps out of him. If I could become a master more important than the Chief Priest, things might change, but that's pretty hopeless, isn't it?"
"Mine as a master… You really don't have any dignity or gravitas, huh."
Lutz teased me with that comment, letting out a chuckle. I laughed out loud with him, comforted by the ease between us.
"Good afternoon,
Lutz was just opening the door when Mark appeared, so I waved at him like always. The moment Mark saw me, his face changed color.
"…Mine, please come inside quickly."
"Huh?"
Looking more panicked than I'd ever seen him, Mark hurried us into the shop.
When I dropped by without an appointment, they would usually make us wait in the shop while Mark checked with Benno first, then escort us to the back room. But today, Mark threw open the door to the back while calling out to Benno, ushering us inside with almost forceful urgency.
"Sir, Mine has arrived at the shop. I'll bring her in right away."
"What is it, Mark? So what if Mine showed up, there's no need to be that flustered—"
I heard the door slam shut behind us as Benno spoke in a teasing tone, raising his face. The moment Benno's eyes locked onto me, his eyes went wide and his expression turned sharp.
"Hey! Mine! You idiot!"
"Eek!"
The sudden shout startled me so badly I clapped my hands over my ears and dropped into a seat. Lutz gasped and jumped to his feet too.
"Wh-what? Even you, Benno!?"
"You thoughtless brat! What are you wearing to come here!? Tell me you didn't walk from the Temple to here dressed like that!"
"…I did, but is there a problem?"
I looked down at my outfit and tilted my head. Lutz tilted his head along with me.
Seeing that we still didn't understand the root of the problem, Benno scratched his head roughly while Mark pressed a hand to his temple.
"Mine, what you're wearing is a blue Shrine Maiden's robe, correct?"
"Yes."
"Normally, blue Shrine Maidens and Priests are nobles."
"That's right."
"Nobles use horse-drawn carriages to get around. They would never wander through town on foot. Do you know why?"
I tilted my head at Benno's question. I recalled the few times I'd ridden in a carriage—bumpy and uncomfortable. But Commoners rarely got to ride in one, so it was something people looked at with envy, and it was a quick way to display your status.
Back when I had the Reina lifestyle and took carriages as a matter of course, I only used them when shopping with lots of luggage, traveling long distances, or when the weather was bad and walking was a hassle.
"Umm… because it's too much trouble to walk when you're trying to show off?"
"No! If nobles wander around outside, they'll get kidnapped for profit! If you don't want to get kidnapped yourself, don't wear that outside the Temple!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
I started taking off the blue Shrine Maiden's robe right then and there. I was wearing the apprentice outfit underneath, so I just untied the sash, peeled off the Blue Robe with a flick, and done.
I'd grown up as a poor child my entire life. I'd never even considered the possibility of being kidnapped for profit.
I see. I'd thought of this blue outfit as something like a uniform, but to everyone else, it was like walking around with a sign around my neck that said "I'm a noble. I have money."
Benno gazed at the neatly folded blue bundle in my arms with a complicated expression, then let out a deep, weary sigh.
"So… what exactly did you come here for, Mine? You didn't just come to give us a heart attack, did you?"
"I came to ask you a favor. Benno, could you come with me to the commercial guild, and then to the Temple?"
"What for?"
Benno tilted his head as if to say he had no idea what I was talking about.
"I need to withdraw five small gold coins as a Donation, and I'd like you to come along to help transport them. I've already gotten the Chief Priest's permission."
"Why me?"
"Up until now, all the big transactions have been handled with a card, but the Chief Priest doesn't have a guild card, and I'm scared of carrying around that kind of money. When I told the Chief Priest that, he said something shocking like 'Leave it to your Attendants.'"
At my complaint, Benno's brow furrowed.
"What's so shocking about that? That's exactly what Attendants are for."
"…I absolutely, completely, utterly cannot entrust that much money to Attendants whom I don't trust even a little bit."
When I said that, Benno's reddish-brown eyes went wide, and he blinked several times.
"Let me get this straight. You—the one who's basically thoughtless about everything, who lets things slide no matter what, who keeps going to the Guild Master even after being tricked—don't trust them? What kind of people are we talking about here?"
Going to the Guild Master was beneficial for me. We traded sugar and recipes, and while I had been deceived, there was no doubt he'd saved my life. That said, I wasn't trusting enough to deposit personal funds with the Guild Master or Frieda. With a trading partner, I was at the "well, sure, whatever" level.
The Attendants had flat-out declared they'd "make things difficult" for me, so there was no way I could trust them.
"One of the Attendants the Temple assigned is a spy for the High Priest, another is a spy for the Chief Priest, and the third seems to be a troublemaker assigned just to harass me. Having them hovering around inside the Temple is one thing, but trusting them with money? No way."
"I figured as much… but you really are disliked."
Benno's precise assessment drew a small groan from me.
"Ugh… Before, I only had about half a year to live anyway, so I figured as long as I could read my books, it didn't really matter if people disliked me. But if this goes on forever, it's going to be a pain."
"Things have changed since then, so you need to adapt. For the spies, you have no choice but to improve the relationship at least on the surface. You don't have to fully trust them—just find the areas where you can rely on them. …As for the troublemaker, handle it the same way you'd train an animal."
The image of a scrawny baby monkey clapping its hands and chattering in the treetops popped into my mind.
"Animals and people are different!"
"Not really. If they won't listen, beat them with a whip. If they do listen, give them food. Figure out who's in charge and pound that into them."
It wasn't about trust or anything like that—it was about enforcing obedience.
"…I'd rather spend that time reading books, honestly."
"Don't be lazy about it! From here on, not being able to use Attendants in noble society will be far more troublesome!"
"Ugh… I'll think about it positively."
Benno let out a heavy sigh and shook his head lightly, as if resetting his thoughts.
"Anyway, we got sidetracked. When are you planning to bring the Donation?"
"I was going to decide based on your schedule. If it's convenient for you, I'll have the Attendant tell the Chief Priest that I'll be bringing the money back…"
As I spoke, Benno's expression changed in an instant.
"…That's practically saying you're bringing it immediately! Mark, prepare at once! We're heading to the Temple!"
"Understood!"
Mark, now pale as a sheet, darted out of the room.
"Uh, so, we should head to the commercial guild first…"
"That's a waste of time. No need to go out of our way. Give me your card."
After combining the funds on our cards, Benno said, "You're going to the Temple, so put that blue robe back on," and dashed up through the back door.
I picked up the Blue Robe I'd just taken off and put it back on. I tied the sash and let my head hang low.
I never imagined something like this would happen. All I'd wanted was to chase off my Attendants, and instead I'd dragged everyone into a massive mess.
"…What should I do, Lutz?"
The way promises were made, the nuance of even small words—all of it changed completely depending on the organization you belonged to. I knew it was that simple, but I still hadn't really understood it.
Lutz patted my head gently to console me.
"None of us really understand how nobles work, y'know."
"…Yeah."
"Messing up this time can't be helped, but you've got to fix your bad habits too."
"Bad habits?"
When I tilted my head, Lutz looked at me with a slightly stern expression and nodded firmly.
"I know you love books more than anything and want to read forever and ever, Mine. But before that, you need to ask the people around you questions and learn how to survive in that world as quickly as possible."
"Survive?"
"…I don't know much about the merchant world either. Things that seem obvious to everyone else are completely foreign to me. So I ask about everything, even the small stuff. And when I do, the other apprentices and Mark are happy to explain. You've got to ask too without being stubborn about it, or you'll never learn."
Lutz's words resonated deep in my chest.
I knew that Lutz, the son of a craftsman, had thrown himself into the merchant world of his own free will and was giving it everything he had to fit in. Yet here I was, someone who had thrown myself into the Temple's world just as deliberately—at least in order to read books—but hadn't made any effort at all to adapt to the Temple's ways.
"I'm working hard because I want to live as a merchant. If you want to read books in the Temple, Mine, then learn the Temple's ways first. It'll be fine. You can do it. You're smart, after all."
"I'm not smart. I'm thoughtless. You're the one who's amazing, Lutz."
There was no way I was smart. Just like Benno said, I was thoughtless. Ever since I was little, people had told me I had knowledge but couldn't connect it to anything beyond that.
"Being thoughtless or not, you've always charged straight toward your goal, Mine. So for something as important as being able to read your books in peace, you can do anything, right? Work hard so you can read in peace."
"Ugh… Lutz, you understand me too well."
Just as my mood had lifted a little, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. The door to the back room creaked open, and Mark emerged wearing a long-sleeved outfit made of a cool-feeling fabric.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Unlike his usual work clothes, Mark wore a white outer garment with long, flowing sleeves so voluminous they could have been called furisode. Blue embroidery lined the edges, and the garment fell to about knee length.
Beneath it were relatively fitted, slim white trousers. It looked like a more lavish version of what one wore to a
"Made you wait."
Following behind Mark, Benno emerged wearing a white outer garment even larger than Mark's, with longer sleeves that reached down to his ankles. The embroidery was far more elaborate than Mark's, and over it he wore a thin cloak. The cloak was fastened at the shoulder with a gold-work brooch set with a blue gemstone, and in his hand he held something shaped like a flower.
His slightly wavy, milk-tea-colored hair had been fixed in place with pomade, making him look like an entirely different person.
Just seeing how much preparation was required for interacting with nobles made me swallow hard. I was terrified realizing I'd plunged headfirst into a world I knew nothing about. I shouldn't have made comments that carelessly dragged others into this.
"Benno, I'm sorry. Because of my ignorance, I've gotten you all involved…"
"Don't worry about it."
As I rushed over, Benno took the flower ornament he was holding, saying, "It's a new piece," and tucked it beside a hairpin, his usual fearless smirk spreading across his face.
"Finding opportunity in adversity—that's my creed. If we can handle the noble customs and successfully deliver the Donation, we'll leave an impression of the Gilberta Company's swift, quality service. Let's go."
There was no bluff in Benno's confident declaration.
I had no idea how the command structure inside the shop worked, but by the time Benno and Mark emerged ready for the shop floor, they had prepared two sets of everything: a gem-box-like wooden chest just small enough to hold in both hands and stuffed with small gold coins as Donation, a length of cloth wound into a roll, a small jar, and three cloth-wrapped bundles.
And outside the shop, a large carriage big enough for four adults was waiting with a properly dressed driver.
When did all this happen!?
While I stood there gaping, Benno—unlike his usual self—lifted me up with a courteous bearing and carried me to the carriage.
Settled inside the obviously expensive carriage, I looked up at Benno uneasily. He flicked me lightly on the forehead.
"Right now, you're a noble. I'll handle everything since I'm used to this. If anything happens, don't panic—just smile. Stand tall. Absolutely do not look down. Got it?"
"…I'll do my best."
Through the carriage window, I could see Lutz. His mouth was moving, saying "You can do it," and I nodded emphatically so he could see.
Once Mark climbed in and the door closed, the carriage began to move slowly forward.
It rattled and swayed, just as unsteady as my heart, carrying me toward the noble world I'd never seen before.