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70Training the Chefs
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72My attendants spent several days thoroughly cleaning the kitchen, making it fit to prepare food in again. At the same time, cooking utensils and the like were brought in, while the underground storage room was filled with firewood and ingredients. With that done, all we needed was for Benno to hire chefs to do work in the kitchen as part of their training.
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74The day I first found the kitchen, I started making natural yeast at home. I wanted to eat fluffy bread baked by pro chefs. With Benno’s help, I went to a glass product store and bought glass storage containers with lids. My idea was to make the yeast with rutbers, which were in season.
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76I put the glass jar in boiling water to disinfect it, washed and cut the stem off rutbers, added them to a storage container with sugar and water, then shut the lid. I shook the jar several times per day, opened the lid to aerate it a few times, then waited for yeast juice to develop. It took about five days for the rutbers to completely ferment, and after some filtering, I had my yeast juice. I added water to whole wheat flour, let it rest, stirred it a bit, and done. The yeast (also known as a leavening agent) was finished.
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78Fluffy bread was rare even in the homes of nobles. I had eaten white bread baked from wheat in the guildmaster’s home, but it wasn’t the kind of fluffy bread I wanted. If I could ferment the natural yeast properly and make fluffy bread, I would have a powerful recipe on my hands. Yeast would allow me to make bread others couldn’t copy, and with proper management, that would be a powerful boon in the market. Well, not that I know if things will go exactly according to plan.
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80I informed Benno that the yeast was done, and he immediately came to my chambers with the chefs. He was a young man around twenty
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89years old, and had brought with him a girl around ten years old, clearly his apprentice. Once they learned enough about cooking, the next chefs would come to train.
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91“Sister Myne, this the Gilberta Company’s chef, Hugo. With him is Ella, his assistant. Hugo, you will be taught the recipes of nobles here. Pay attention and learn well.” Benno introduced the chefs to me, and although I wanted to greet them, I had been told to stay silent and nod. Fran would do all the talking for me. Apparently I needed to act like a highborn noble, given my status as a blue shrine maiden.
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93“Hugo and Ella, then. Allow me to guide you to the kitchen,” said Fran. I had been told to leave all of the cooking instructions to Fran no matter what, so he would be reading instructions off boards I had prepared ahead of time. Gil couldn’t read yet, so we had no choice but to leave interacting with the chefs entirely to Fran.
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95“What you must learn first is the importance of cleanliness and sanitation. Keep your utensils and dishes clean at all times. Maintain the state the kitchen is in now. Clean your bodies before arriving here, wash your clothes without fail, and never enter the kitchen with dirty clothes or a dirty body. Understood?”
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97“U-Understood!”
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99If we beat the importance of cleanliness into them ahead of time, we wouldn’t need to repeat ourselves when they went to work at the Italian restaurant. I had no intention of letting the restaurant become one of those places that served food on hard bread and let customers drop unfinished food on the floor for dogs. Whatever the culture of this city was, I didn’t think a high-class restaurant serving noble food needed that kind of culture.
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101I wanted to make consommé first, but Benno wanted to eat the finished food for lunch, so that was postponed for tomorrow — it
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110just took too long to make. Instead, since we were using an oven for the first time, I decided to go with pizza. Or to be honest, I just wanted to eat pizza.
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112“Today, I will instruct you on how to make a dish known as ‘pizza.’ First, light a fire in the oven.” At Fran’s instructions, the two chefs collected firewood from the storage room and lit a fire in the oven. It took time for ovens to heat up, so lighting the fire was the first step. They finished quickly, since it wasn’t really that different from lighting up a hearth.
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114“Wash your hands before touching the ingredients.”
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116With Benno and me watching while sitting at a table meant for servants, they began making the pizza dough. Fran and I had prepared the ingredients and lined them up on the kitchen counter beforehand like how food television shows often did. Hugo put my yeast, salt, sugar, and warm water into a bowl, then added flour and began mixing it thoroughly, fermenting the ingredients. In the process, he looked up and gave a little sigh.
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118“This really takes a lot of arm work, just like making bread does.”
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120“It would not be wrong to compare the two. After mixing the ingredients well, they will rise on their own. During that time, you will make the sauce and chop vegetables for use in the pizza and soup.”
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122He chopped up some peeled pomes, which were basically yellow tomatoes, and cooked them over low heat while chopping up other vegetables to use as soup stock.
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124“Hugo, I’ll take care of the rigars.” Ella, effortlessly using a knife far too large for me, chopped up the white rigars, which were like white radishes with a garlicky taste. Meanwhile, Hugo chopped up bacon, onion-esque launeides, carrot-esque mehrens, and some mushrooms
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134as directed. They both chopped quickly with the kind of high speed that only professionals had, fast enough to leave me impressed.
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136“Benno, I see that you have brought me even better chefs than I expected.”
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138The moment I spoke, Hugo and Ella both jerked fearfully and looked this way. The air in the room froze like ice despite the fact that I had just complimented them. The stiff look on their faces made it clear I had misspoken somehow. I looked at Benno for help, and he gave me a gentle smile.
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140“Your praise is unexpected but greatly appreciated. Chefs, you have been complimented.” The icy atmosphere melted thanks to Benno’s backup. Hugo and Ella’s expressions loosened up with relief, and after saying “We are honored to receive your praise,” they resumed chopping vegetables with serious looks in their eyes.
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142Benno glared at me and subtly made a gesture that could be translated as “Keep your mouth shut,” a proposition to which I gave a firm nod. ...Sorry. I didn’t expect a compliment to make them freeze up like that.
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144After finishing with the vegetables, Hugo prepared the chicken meat. He cut the breast meat into thin slices, then sprinkled salt and cooking wine onto it. Ella prepared tasty herbs that would go well with the meat.
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146“You will now prepare the soup.” The recipe I wrote was for a salty vegetable soup with flavorful broth brought about by slicing and boiling sausages. I wanted this world to learn that vegetables could add flavor to soup too if cooked properly.
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148“Continue using the broth to cook the ingredients. Do not boil the vegetables and then throw away the water.”
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150“No throwing away the water at all?” Fran’s instructions left both of the chefs confused. But as they could not defy a noble, they
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158continued cooking with confused grimaces on their faces. They looked just like Mom had in the past when she watched me making soup.
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160“Ella, please remove the surface foam. Hugo, the pome sauce has finished cooking. Please mix it thoroughly with the rigars and the oil. That will complete the sauce. Oh, and it seems the dough is about ready.”
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162With instruction after instruction coming his way, Hugo deflated the swollen pizza dough, cut it in half, and started stretching it out.
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164“Spread the finished pome sauce on top of the widely stretched-out dough, then add the cut vegetables on top.”
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166As Fran instructed, Hugo spread the pome sauce on the dough, then added bacon, mehrens, and mushrooms. On the other piece of spread-out dough, he also spread out pome sauce, then added the breast meat, mehrens, and herbs on top. With that done, he covered both with plenty of cheese and then put them into the oven.
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168I noticed that Ella was watching him carefully, almost as if she was spying on the cooking process. Her eyes were filled with the same ambition and determination that Tuuli had when discussing sewing with Corinna, and that Leise had when discovering a new recipe. I cheered silently in support of her.
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170If we had the time, I would have liked to make mayonnaise and use it to make potato salad using potatoffels, but this was their first time using this kitchen, and they were under the intense pressure of cooking while a noble (as far as they knew) watched them. It was likely that things wouldn’t go according to plan. I stealthily signaled to Fran to introduce fewer recipes than planned and he gave a slight nod.
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172“The soup appears to be well-cooked, so please taste-test it and adjust the salt to taste.” At Fran’s encouragement, Hugo poured
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180some soup into a small bowl and timidly took a sip. The moment it entered his mouth, he opened his eyes wide and froze in place. It took him a long time to swallow it down, probably due to rolling it over his tongue to experience its taste in full.
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182“...Is this, real?” he whispered before pouring more and taking another mouthful. Then another. At this rate we’re going to run out of soup, I thought right before Ella slapped Hugo on the back.
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184“Hugo, you’re eating too much! Does it need more salt or not?”
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186“Woah...?! Ah, r-right.” Hugo looked between the bowl and the pot of soup, then shut his eyes tightly. He had probably never tasted anything like the soup before. It would probably be difficult to judge if it was salty enough, or if it needed anything added.
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188“Just a bit more. I need just a little more.” Hugo pinched some salt with trembling hands, stirred it into the soup, and taste-tested it once more. “Alright.”
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305“Let me taste it too.” Ella held up a bowl and asked to taste the soup like a dog waiting on a treat, which looked so funny I had to put a hand on my mouth and stifle a laugh. No doubt the air would freeze over again if I laughed here.
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307Ella took a sip of the soup given to her in one go, and immediately her face lit up. “Woah! What’s going on?! This tastes so good! This is the vegetables, right? There’s sweetness, and the taste of the sausage is soaked into the soup too... I can’t believe a little salted soup can taste this good!”
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309“Calm down, Ella.” Hugo held down Ella’s shoulders to stop her from jumping with excitement as she raved about the soup at a breathless pace. He glanced at me, then tried to warn her off with a hard look, but she was so excited by the new flavor that she didn’t pick up on it.
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311“How could I be calm?! This is a huge discovery! A revolution!” “I’m begging you, calm down. We’re in front of a noble.”
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313“...Ah...” Ella paled and looked at me. I hadn’t said anything, but the air was frozen again. I wanted to say “I appreciate the enthusiasm for your work. Keep it up,” but I wasn’t sure what a proper noble should do in this situation. Fran walked up to me, so I whispered to him “Could you tell them that I am glad to have chefs passionate about their work here, and that I look forward to the meals they will cook for me?”
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315“Understood. Sister Myne, Master Benno, the food will be ready soon. Please wait in the master bedroom, if you would,” said Fran while elegantly gesturing toward the exit.
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317Gil, who was standing by the door, quickly opened it. I slumped over sadly on the inside, having been basically forced out of the room. After getting off my chair, Benno held out a hand to escort me.
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326Fran needed to stay in the kitchen to give instructions, so it fell upon Gil to follow me to my room. He shut the door and walked in behind me. I nearly giggled after seeing his proud expression, which was basically saying “See, I can do my job!”
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328My room’s table was adorned with flowers in vases as I had instructed, along with place mats, cutlery, and juice. Gil had prepared all of this while we were in the kitchen watching the chefs.
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330“Thank you, Gil,” I said. In response, Gil got on one knee with a “heh.” That was the posture he made when he wanted to be praised, a silent understanding that had formed over the past few days.
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332“You did a good job. You worked very hard,” I said while patting his head, which made him smile with satisfaction. His hair was silky and clean, since I had used rinsham on him yesterday to prepare for the chefs’ arrival. It felt very nice to the touch.
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334I sat at the table, had a drink, and let out a sigh. Now that I was surrounded by people who knew the real me, I could visibly slump my shoulders and start complaining. “Being a noble lady is so tiring. I want to talk! Let me cook with them next time.”
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336“Give it up. To them, this is their opportunity to learn about cooking noble food in a noble kitchen with a noble watching. It’s training for them, just like it’s training for you on how to act like a noble. Don’t let your guard down in the temple, you idiot.”
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338“Ngh... I’ll do my best.” I took deep breaths and straightened my back. Right as I put myself back in a highborn mood, I heard the door to the downstairs kitchen opening. Fran arrived with the food and Gil immediately moved to the corner of the room.
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340“Fran, I would like to have rutbers for desert.”
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342I had brought the sugar in the kitchen from my own home, as Benno still hadn’t gotten his hands on sugar. I was going to need to hold off on sweets until he secured an avenue for buying it. That was fine for
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349now, since summer fruit tasted fairly sweet, but I wanted to have a stable source of sugar by the time the restaurant was established.
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351Fran placed the two different kinds of pizzas on the table with the soup. They looked like fine pizzas; at worst, they were a little burnt. The breading was brown with cooked marks, and steam wafted off the cooked cheese to fill the room with a nice smell. The bacon was still quietly popping a little, and I could see fat dripping off the chicken meat. Both of the pizzas looked delicious. Even Benno looked at them with gleaming eyes, his anticipation more than evident.
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353“O mighty King and Queen of the endless skies who doth grace us with thousands upon thousands of lives to consume, O mighty Eternal Five who rule the mortal realm, I offer thanks and prayers to thee, and do take part in the meal so graciously provided.”
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355I spoke the pre-meal prayer I had spent days memorizing, then Benno and I alone began eating. Everyone else would only be able to eat the leftovers, in the form of a divine gift. I would rather eat with everyone, and simply “gracing” them with the food as leftovers didn’t feel great to me, but such was the role of a blue shrine maiden. My status didn’t give me a choice in the matter.
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357Fran served me my food and I took a sip of the soup. It had a gentle flavor with the distinct taste of the meat and the sweetness of the vegetables, just like the soup I had at home. I preferred my soup to be a bit saltier, but that could wait for next time.
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359“...This is pretty good,” commented Benno.
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361“The vegetable flavor really comes out in the broth, doesn’t it? Leise seemed very interested in how to make soup taste like this.”
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363I had tried to indirectly convey that not even nobles made soup like this, and Benno picked up on it. “Oh? Is it that rare of a technique?” He gave his soup a hard look.
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373“This is pizza. You may consider it a kind of advanced bread.” I picked up a slice of the pizza, chopped off the hanging strands of cheese with a fork, and demonstrated how to eat it. Benno did the same with a piece of bacon pizza.
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375“How does it taste?”
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377“...So much better than I expected that I don’t even know what to say.” I had Fran give me a slice of each pizza and Benno two slices of each, then looked up at him.
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379“Fran, the rest is yours, as a divine gift. Please clear the room until dessert is ready.”
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381“As you wish.”
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383By acting fast, the chefs and my attendants could eat while the food was still warm. Fran and Gil took the leftovers downstairs and I heard them shut the kitchen door behind them. It wasn’t long before Ella’s cry of glee echoed throughout the chambers. They had begun eating almost immediately, it seemed. I could faintly hear their excited chatter. Now, while they were absorbed in discussing the food, would be the best time to have a secret chat.
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385“Mr. Benno, do you think this pizza and soup will sell well?” I asked while nomming on the food, and Benno nodded while chewing his pizza.
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387“Absolutely. This is the first time I’m tasting something like this, and it tastes great. Feels like this bread is softer than the bread I ate at a noble’s dinner before.”
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389“That’s thanks to the yeast.”
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391“The what?”
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393“It’s a secret that will keep us on top... for example, even if the chefs we taught the recipe to were to spread the information around, they won’t be able to make the bread like this without us.” I was investing
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401in the Italian restaurant myself as well. I had no intention of letting anyone steal my profits. “The soup itself is just utilizing the natural flavors of the vegetables, so it should be easy for others to copy if they set their minds to it. Once that starts happening, it will be a battle to see who can make better varieties of soups.”
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403“Oh...? We don’t have many chefs to experiment with soup varieties. How’s that gonna work?”
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405“We don’t need many chefs if we base our soup courses on whatever vegetables are seasonal,” I replied, and in response Benno groaned while scratching his head.
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407“...Gotta say, I feel like an idiot for worrying about all this on my own. Seems like you’ll be able to solve my mountain of problems in a snap.”
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409“Wait, what problems?”
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411“Nothing to talk about here. Come to my store when you can.”
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413After finishing our food, I rung the bell on the table. Fran and Gil entered the room with dessert in hand. They cleaned up our dishes and set down plates covered in desserts in their place.
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415“Fran, did the food satisfy you?” I asked, since Fran was more familiar with noble food than anyone else here. I was just making the food I wanted to eat, it had pretty much nothing to do with actual noble cooking.
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417“...It was very delicious. Although it was far from traditional noble recipes, I believe the food will do very well with nobles who enjoy eating new things.”
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419“Perfect. I can trust you, since you’re used to eating noble food.”
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421“The chefs seemed very interested in the food as well, and would strongly like to start making more right away, partly as practice. I believe they will be very fervent workers for us.”
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429Everything’s going perfectly, I thought to myself happily, but I couldn’t help but feel that I was forgetting something.
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431“Is something wrong, Sister Myne?”
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433“It feels like I’m forgetting something. Do you have any ideas as to what it might be, Fran?”
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435“Forgetting something, you say?”
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437“Yes, something about the temple, something deeply related to both of us...”
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439Fran and I fell deep into thought with Benno eating dessert beside us, when suddenly the door to the room was flung open.
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441“THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!”
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443...Oh, now I remember. I forgot about Delia.
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488Delia’s Job
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490“Because of you, the High Bishop kicked me out of his chambers! What are you going to do about this?!” yelled Delia in fury after racing up the stairs to my room. I wasn’t sure how far she had run, but her dark-red hair was a straggly mess, and she was out of breath as she stood in front of me. I had been so busy preparing the kitchen the past few days that I honestly hadn’t seen her in what felt like a long time.
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492“This is all your fault! You made the High Priest give you a room but didn’t say anything to me, so the High Bishop started calling me incompetent! Geez!”
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494I got the room through official channels, only wanted it for a place to change clothes, and couldn’t inform Delia since I didn’t know where she was. So if you asked me, her being called incompetent was no fault of mine.
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496“What do you even want from me, Delia?”
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498“Let me stay in your chambers. What else? I am your attendant, after all.”
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500“Know your place!” Before I could even understand what was happening, Benno slammed a fist onto her head. Delia blinked in stunned surprise and looked around the room with her hands on her head.
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502“Delia, you shouldn’t act like that in front of a visitor. What were you expecting?”
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504“Wh-Why should I have to listen to a commoner like you?!”
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506“Seems like you still don’t understand, huh?” Benno narrowed his eyes and raised a fist, leading Delia to clamp her mouth shut. Gil jerked in fear too, probably remembering the time Lutz had punched him.
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513Benno turned to me. “Myne, you don’t need someone who can’t even do their job right. Hiring someone with no motivation to work is a waste of money. Get rid of her,” he spat out. The fact that Lutz had said the same thing about Gil showed just how much Benno was influencing him.
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515“Fran, I don’t entirely understand what position Delia is in right now. Does being kicked out of the High Bishop’s chambers mean that he has cut ties with her?”
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517That must have been accurate, as visible tears brimmed in the corner of Delia’s eyes as she glared at me and protested with a cracked voice. “...He hasn’t cut me off yet.”
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519“I cannot say for certain that she was cut off.”
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521“Right? Who would cut off a cute girl like me?” Delia’s face lit up at Fran’s words. But Fran hit Delia with the harsh reality, his expression never changing.
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523“Delia did not know that you had been given chambers, could not serve you because she did not know where the chambers were, and ultimately could provide no information of value whatsoever to the High Bishop. It would be unsurprising for him to be highly displeased with her,” explained Fran flatly as Delia opened her eyes wide with disbelief. It seemed that he was reasonably angry at Delia for not only failing to do her job as an attendant, but attempting to cause me, her master, problems as well. His expression didn’t change, but that just made his anger feel more sincere.
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525“If Delia was assigned to you due to her age, it is likely that the High Bishop thought that she would become fast friends with you and thus a reliable source of information. That she instead acted with blatant hostility from the start and put you on your guard immediately was no doubt an incredible disappointment for the High Bishop.”
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534“N-No way...” Delia’s expression went blank. Then, the moment after she realized that she really had been completely cut off by the High Bishop, she smiled sweetly at Fran.
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536“But, but! It would be ridiculous for an apprentice shrine maiden to have no girl attendants. Isn’t that right?” In a move befitting her cunning personality, Delia’s attempt to secure a place for herself wasn’t targeted at me, her master, but instead Fran, an adult with the highest standing among my attendants.
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538Fran, who usually didn’t let his emotions show on his face, glared at Delia with his disgust completely visible. Then, he gave a cold smile. “Sister Myne commutes to the temple from home, so she does not need an attendant to dress her or the like. The past few days have proven that your absence will cause no problems whatsoever. And in any case, if necessary, she can simply select a new attendant from the orphanage.”
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540I had thought that I wouldn’t be able to get rid of Delia since the High Bishop had assigned her to me, but the situation had changed, and apparently I could get new attendants if I wanted.
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542“That’s a good suggestion,” I observed, which made Delia bite her lip with tears starting to drip down her cheeks.
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544“...You’re going to kick me out too?”
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546As I saw Delia’s far-too-pretty tears, I understood without a doubt that she really had been born just to be doted on by men. The moment she was put in an inconvenient situation, she started crying and acting sweet. She was even looking up at me at an angle with the perfect puppy dog eyes. She knew full well that girls could use their looks as a weapon even at a young age. It was honestly impressive that she was so comfortable with her own cuteness. If I had tried the same thing when I was Urano, I would have been kicked away and called gross.
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555To be honest, it was pretty annoying to see her act all sad and innocent after spending days being nothing but mean and insulting to me, but well, wouldn’t it still be pretty cruel to kick a crying little girl out onto the street? A heavy silence fell in the room, with nobody wanting to say anything. But that only lasted a few seconds.
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557“Dunno why you’re worrying about being kicked out when you don’t even live here. You’re not one of us.” With a smile on his face, Gil stomped on the sympathetic atmosphere that Delia had built up.
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559“Wh, Wh-What?!”
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561“There’s no room here for people who don’t do their job. No food, either. The saying goes, ‘he who does no work shall not eat’! Right, Sister Myne?” Gil puffed out his chest with pride, happy to have remembered what I told him.
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563I wasn’t sure if he fully understood the significance of what he just said, but I was glad he had spoken up when no one else wanted to. I would need to give him lots of praise later. And naturally, I ignored Benno when he murmured, “Is that something a girl too weak to do any work should be saying?”
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565“I gave Gil a room and plenty to eat because he’s working hard for me. I don’t have anything to give to someone who refuses to do their job.”
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567“Okay, I get it. I just have to do my job,” said Delia before sliding onto Benno’s lap and looking up at him with a smile, leaning her back against him. I blinked in confusion, not really understanding what was happening.
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569Benno grimaced hard and shook his hand. “Sorry, but I’m not interested in a kid like you. Get off.”
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571“See? Your visitor is all mad because there aren’t any gray shrine maidens here,” proclaimed Delia with a smug, victorious smile while climbing off Benno’s lap. In other words, she had just shown me the
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578“job” that the High Bishop’s shrine maiden attendants were expected to do.
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580I wanted to cradle my head in horror, and it seemed Benno felt the same way. He glared at Delia while rubbing his temples and making no attempt to hide his disgust. “I’m not interested in flowers to begin with. Don’t mistake me for one of those nobles that come here just to admire the flowers.”
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582“What? Wait, does that mean...?” Delia’s job up until now had been to take care of the High Bishop’s attendant mistresses while refining her own beauty and skills to become his mistress in the future. That, and to show sweet smiles to his visitors.
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584“I don’t need or want any of my attendants to do that.”
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586“I can clean, too. One of my jobs was to take care of the High Bishop’s clothes, and I even kept his room clean too,” said Delia as she squeezed my sleeve tightly. I could tell that, upon realizing the skills she had honed over her whole life didn’t matter to me, her self-confidence and internal sense of values had started to crumble. Her expression stiffened and she looked around the room, wearing neither a sweet smile or fake tears. But nobody offered to help cute, cute Delia.
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588It was probably true that Delia had been kicked out of the High Bishop’s chambers, and that she was in trouble. I looked up at Fran, not sure about what I should do. He sighed reluctantly.
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590“I believe an evening in the repentance chamber will suffice. It is true that she must repent for attempting to sabotage you, after all.”
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592“I’ll repent. I’ll do my job properly from now on. So please... don’t kick me out. Don’t say you don’t need me,” pleaded Delia desperately, visibly holding back real tears.
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594The intensity of her voice made me open my eyes wide. Upon looking around the room, I saw both Fran and Gil making hurt
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602expressions as well, as if they too had been told they weren’t needed in the past. Gil was a problem child who was sent to the repentance chamber regularly. Fran had suffered deeply when he thought the High Priest had abandoned him. Delia’s plight had probably unearthed those memories within them.
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604“Fran. If Delia does her job properly, then I have no issue with her serving me.”
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606“...If that is your wish, Sister Myne.” Fran let out a small sigh of relief, then looked at Delia with a stern expression. “Delia, if you wish to work here, you must first watch your language more carefully. Sister Myne does not need a disloyal attendant who does not consider her as their master.”
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608“Understood.”
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610Thanks to Delia saying she’ll do her job properly, I successfully avoided having to kick out a crying little girl. I put a hand on my chest and sighed in relief. “So, Delia, what exactly can you do?”
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612“I can keep this room clean and organized, like a blue shrine
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614maiden’s room should be. Starting here!” Delia shot a finger in the direction of what I had thought to be a closet. In reality, it was a room for using the bathroom and washing oneself. I hadn’t noticed, since there was nothing in the room that would give that impression.
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616“Why has the bathroom not been prepared despite how many days it has been? Putting aside washing yourself, how have you been relieving yourself?”
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618“Hm? There’s a bathroom on the first floor, so I was going down there and cleaning it up myself.”
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620“Come again?! Unbelievable! Geez! The first floor bathroom is for servants, and not only that, but for men as well! Have some shame!”
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632    Hmmm, is it just me, or has her attitude not really changed that much?
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634Delia started listing off everything that was missing in the room, including a mirror stand and a work desk. I had been both eating and writing on the round table in the middle of the room, but apparently that was shameful for a blue shrine maiden to be doing. Although I didn’t intend to take a bath here, she was quite insistent on preparing the bathroom anyway, just in case.
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636“Mr. Benno, can you take care of this?”
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638“Leave it to me. If you’re missing this much stuff, yeah, you definitely need an attendant that knows how shrine maidens operate. And with someone yelling at you like that, maybe you’ll learn to act a bit more like a noble girl.”
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640“Ngh...”
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642After all that was done, Delia brought a jug of water to the second floor. I would need water up here to wash my face and hands, and to clean up after relieving myself. I had thought that Delia would be more like a weak princess-type since she had been aiming to be a mistress, but she had both the arm strength and stamina necessary to carry a heavy jug of water up to the second floor of my room.
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644“I can’t believe you didn’t even have water up here, geez!”
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646After watching Delia start doing her job while complaining basically to herself, Fran returned to the kitchen, and Gil started cleaning the first floor. I took my first bite of the dessert and talked to Benno in between mouthfuls.
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648“By the way, the High Priest ordered me to prepare ceremonial blue robes. What exactly is he looking for? What makes them special?”
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650“They are quite different from your normal robes and are designed to attract the attention of those outside the temple, much like the
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659special outfit you wore at your baptism. There is green embroidery, your family crest, and...” Benno paused mid-sentence, then shot me a surprised look. “Wait, when’re you going to a ceremony? I dunno exactly how long it takes to make a pair of ceremonial robes for nobles, but no chance is it gonna be ready by tomorrow.”
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661I could tell by him breaking his polite tone of speech that he was anxious. Naturally, since clothes weren’t made in seconds by machines here, it would take some time to prepare the robes.
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663“He said that I wouldn’t go to many since I’m just an apprentice, but that’s all I know. Maybe Fran knows when the next ceremony is. Hey, Fra— Brhggh?!” I started to call for Fran, but Benno blocked my mouth with a hand and pointed with his eyes at the bell on the table. Oh, right. I use the bell when calling for people. I rung the bell and heard Fran climbing the stairs.
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665“What can I do for you, Sister Myne?”
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667“The High Priest told me to prepare ceremonial robes, but I don’t know when the next ceremony will be. Do you know, Fran?”
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669“If the Knight’s Order summons the help of the temple in the fall, that will be the soonest ceremony that you must attend.”
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671“Fall, huh? Might be rough if I’ve gotta start from scratch.”
672
673Naturally, when it came to making a special outfit for a noble, one had to start with picking the thread with which to weave the cloth. As Benno frowned, Fran pointed at the wooden box by the wall.
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675“What if you used the cloth you gifted to the temple? It is very high quality, and should be usable after being dyed to the proper color.”
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677“Good idea. That should give us enough time. Myne doesn’t have a family crest, though. Is that gonna be a problem?”
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679“Does her workshop have a crest?” “I’ll make one myself!”
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686As Fran and Benno discussed the design of the ceremonial robes, I began thinking up a design for my workshop’s crest. I wanted it to just be a book with a pen and ink nearby, but Fran and Benno shot that down for being too simple. I added the wood used to make the paper, flowers for hairpins, and organized it all into the shape of a proper crest. Fran was very satisfied with how elegant and feminine it was, which was fine by me.
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688“Sister Myne, the chefs have finished preparing dinner.”
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690“I see. In that case, would you check to see if they have finished cleaning up?”
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692On my orders, Fran checked the kitchen, talked with the chefs about tomorrow’s plans, then saw them off. The chefs leaving meant it was also time for me to leave.
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694“I will be going home for today. Please get changed, you two.” Gil and Fran quickly went to their individual rooms to get changed. Lutz would soon be leaving the city with Benno on business, so my attendants were getting used to accompanying me on my commutes.
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696I took off my blue robes to prepare for the way home. But when I started undoing my sash, Delia stepped in front of me with her head held high and her expression steaming with anger.
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698“Just what do you think you’re doing, Sister Myne?”
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700“Changing my clothes?” I let go of my sash, remembering that nobles weren’t supposed to change clothes on their own. I lifted my arms and waited for Delia to change me, only to see her eyes eyes twist with anger.
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702“Changing in front of a man?! Absolutely shameless!” yelled Delia while glancing at Benno, who was still sitting at the table. I blinked in surprise, having not expected her to get so mad when I had a full set of clothes on underneath the robes.
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711“S-Sorry? But they’re just robes, I have clothes on under them.”
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713“You should only take your clothes off in front of men when attempting to seduce them! If you let every man see you change willy-nilly, your value as a woman will drop dramatically. This is really something you should know already. Geez!”
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715    “U-Um. Okay...” Well. I don’t think we’re on the same page here. But she’s getting mad for my sake, so it’s kind of hard to point that out.
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717“Please wait in the hall, Master Benno,” said Delia. “Although she is very young, we are talking about a woman changing here. Thank you for your understanding.”
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719“Well, can’t argue with you there.” Benno stifled a laugh and went down the stairs. After making sure he was gone, Delia undid my sash and took off my robes. She worked quickly and efficiently, with her experience taking care of the gray shrine maidens making itself evident. She neatly folded up my blue robes and adjusted my hair stick back into place.
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721“Sister Myne is ready now.” Delia stuck her head out the door into the stairway and called out down the stairs. There, she froze with her eyes looking down the steps.
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723“What, are those clothes...?”
724
725“A gift from Sister Myne.” Gil’s voice alone made it clear how much he wanted to brag. No doubt he was puffing out his chest with pride.
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727“No fair! What about me?!”
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729“I got this for doing my job right. You didn’t get any since you weren’t doing your job.”
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731“What job did you even do?!”
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733“I cleaned this place up. She gave me a gift since I worked hard all on my own. Heheh, pretty nice, aren’t they?”
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741“Whatever! I’m not jealous of them or anything!” Delia, frustrated and envious beyond belief, cut the conversation short with tears brimming in her eyes. She glared sharply at me and pointed at the stairs.
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743“They’re waiting for you. Maybe you should hurry and go?”
744
745“Well, I bought some clothes for you too, but I guess you don’t want them.”
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747Delia looked at me, her eyes so wide it looked like her eyeballs were going to fall right out of her head. “I never said I didn’t want them. Not once.”
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749I took the last cloth bundle out of the closet and held it out to Delia. She reached out to touch it, then pulled her hands back with a glance in my direction.
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751“...You don’t mind?”
752
753“You’ll work hard for me from now on, won’t you?”
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755“Well, you won’t know anything without me around. I don’t have any other choice.” With her cheeks blushing red, Delia snatched the bundle out of my hands and ran off to her room on the second floor, avoiding eye contact.
756
757“Heeey, you coming down yet?”
758
759“Please wait a moment, Delia is changing.” I looked at the door to Delia’s room while replying to Gil’s impatient call. She was taking a lot of time just to change clothes. No matter how long I waited, she just wasn’t coming out.
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761“Are you done yet, Delia?” I opened the door and saw Delia dancing around in her new clothes, singing some song with a broad smile on her face. The moment we made eye contact, she froze, then gripped her skirt tightly and began trembling. She glared at me with her face red all the way to her ears.
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769“D-Don’t open the door without knocking! GEEZ!”
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842
843The Reality of the Orphanage
844
845Many days passed since Delia began doing her job. I was going to the temple every day, excluding the Earthdays that Mom, Tuuli, and everyone else in the world had off too. That was because the stuff I had ordered through Benno was arriving, I needed to write new recipes on boards for the chefs, and most importantly, I wanted as much time to read as possible.
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847Over the course of those days, my attendants had more or less found a fair split of the work between them. Delia took direct care of my person in the form of cleaning the bathroom, washing my expensive clothes, and keeping the second floor tidy in general. She had recently learned how to make tea from Fran, and was now making it for me in his place.
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849Gil mainly cleaned the first floor and the outside of the chambers, plus kept an eye on the chefs. Fran was in the process of beating proper language and manners into him. When I told him that Lutz had learned to read and do math over the winter, his competitive spirit ignited and he started saying he’d do the same thing. But he had a mountain of things he had to learn from Fran first, apparently.
850
851Meanwhile Fran was doing everything else, including double-checking the other two’s work. He went with me to the High Priest’s room in the morning to do paperwork, carried our lunch’s leftovers to the orphanage, informed the chefs of the afternoon menu, checked that we had the ingredients, and went to the book room with me. He managed my health, informed the relevant people when Benno came over, trained the other two attendants (as they were apprentices), and taught me how to live as a noble. Fran was doing it all. He was even reading the recipes to the chefs and double checking the storage room to make sure nothing was being taken, apparently.
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862I asked Fran if he had too much work, worried that he was overworking himself, but he said he had it easy since I wasn’t summoning him unexpectedly in the middle of the night. Fran was just way too good for me. My gratitude for Fran and my trust in him was shooting up, as was the salary I intended to pay him. I was so grateful to the High Priest for assigning Fran to me that I didn’t know how I could ever repay him.
863
864Today was supposed to be a day off for me, but I went to the temple anyway. What I once thought was a storage room on the second floor was being installed with a marble bathtub, which was apparently popular about nobles lately, and I needed to be there to pay. It would be a lot of work to heat up water in the kitchen and bring it all the way to the bathtub, and I was already washing myself at home with Tuuli, so I didn’t need a bathtub like that. But when I said “Won’t a tub do just fine?”, Delia got mad at me, yelling in reply “Geez! What are you even saying?! Even the High Bishop’s attendants use proper bathtubs!”
865
866Delia wanted to use the newly installed bathtub as soon as possible. I told her she could go ahead and use it, but she once again got mad. “Do you expect me to use it without my master?! Geez!” Apparently, blue shrine maidens got wood to heat up their water, but gray shrine maidens only got cold water.
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868“Would you prepare it for me, then?” It seemed to me that carrying hot water up from the kitchen would make preparing the bathtub a miserable experience, but Delia did it happily. Well, if she’s happy, who am I to stop her?
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870Delia washed my hair with rinsham, put on my clothes, combed my hair, and after blissfully touching my hair to confirm that it was silky smooth, excitedly went into the bath herself to use the rest of the warm water. I could imagine that she put a lot of effort into polishing her appearance.
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879“Sister Myne, please take care not to trust Delia too much. She still has ties to the High Bishop,” warned Fran with a displeased expression as he brought me drinks during Delia’s bath. I giggled a little at how serious he looked.
880
881“I know that. She just told me happily that she got to talk to the High Bishop’s attendants again.” She’d puffed out her chest with pride and said “I knew he would never abandon someone as cute as me.” But she would still be living in my chambers, rather than the High Bishop’s. It would be better that way, both for her job and for getting information from me.
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883The High Priest’s chambers had two adult gray priests, three adult shrine maidens, and three apprentices like Delia. In other words, the three apprentices had to take care of six people, including the High Bishop. But Delia only had to take care of me when she was here. Plus, she didn’t have to do as much for me as she would for the other blue priests. And on top of that, Fran didn’t trust Delia, so he gave her significantly less work than the High Bishop’s gray priests did.
884
885All in all, serving me afforded Delia much more time to hone her skills and appearance, which was a large boon to her since she hadn’t given up on being a mistress when she grew up. She told me that she didn’t want to serve someone as an apprentice her whole life. She wanted to be on the winning side, the side that got to use other people. That didn’t seem to be an entirely healthy mindset to me, but I appreciated how much effort she put into accomplishing her dreams.
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887“Delia might still be tied to the High Bishop, but if she takes her job seriously, that’s fine with me. I’ll be careful about what things I tell her. Though I’m not completely sure what information I should be hiding from her, to be honest.”
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900“Sister Myne, that is hardly reassuring.” Fran sighed and said not to tell her much about Lutz or my family, explaining that they were my biggest weakness.
901
902Once Delia got out of the bath, it was time for lunch. Today’s lunch was fluffy bread rolls, vegetable and bacon consommé soup, and herb roasted chicken. Gil and Delia took turns serving each meal, while the one not serving ate lunch at the same time as me. Fran was excluded from being a server as he was going to the orphanage to deliver the divine gifts, and because he had to stay with me in the book room.
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904“Sister Myne. I will be taking the divine gifts to the orphanage.” “Yes, thank you.”
905
906The wagon waiting outside of my chambers had the still-warm soup, bread, and meat leftovers stacked on it. Delia and Gil yet lacked the strength to push the heavy wagon, which meant Fran was the only one who could do it.
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908“Huh? Is Fran already gone?” After Fran left, Gil came out of the kitchen carrying a basket filled with some bread. He checked outside, saw that the wagon was gone, and looked down at his basket.
909
910“What’s wrong, Gil?”
911
912“Delia said this was way too much bread to eat, so I thought maybe I could catch Fran before he left. No point saving them for dinner, either, ’cause the chefs are saying they’re baking more bread later.”
913
914“There haven’t been many divine gifts for the orphanage lately, correct? I think it would be better to carry the bread to them than to throw it away.”
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916“Yeah, sounds good.” Gil laughed and readjusted his grip on the basket. No doubt those in the orphanage would be glad to get even just four extra rolls of bread.
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925“Actually, Gil. Would it be acceptable for me to go with you? I would like to see what the orphanage is like for myself at least once.” My chambers had a different entrance, but as it was still a part of the orphanage, I would have expected for me to see some of the children by now. And yet, I hadn’t seen a single one. I had seen apprentices like Delia and Gil cleaning the temple, washing clothes by the well, taking care of animals, and so on, but I hadn’t seen any of the pre-baptism orphans.
926
927“Alright, I’ll take you there. I know a shortcut. Follow me.” Gil sounded proud as he headed to the gate, like someone about to share a secret. A shortcut would be perfect for someone without stamina like me.
928
929He spun around the building, then went down the stairs in front of the chapel. The summer sun made the white marble stairs gleam brightly. I normally only walked in the morning or in the evening when it was cool out, but noon was hot as you would expect in the summer.
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931“The orphanage’s dining room is in the girls’ building. The girls’ building has pre-baptism kids, gray shrine maidens that aren’t attendants, and apprentices. Boys go to the boys’ building after being baptized. When giving divine gifts, it makes more sense for working boys to go to the girls’ building than for girls and kids to go the boys’ building, yeah?”
932
933I followed Gil down the steps while listening to his explanation, and eventually we came across a somewhat hidden entrance to the orphanage built into the side of the staircase. There was a bar lock on the outside of the door, which made it seem like it was there to keep the people inside from getting out, rather than to keep outsiders from getting in.
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935“Most people don’t know this door opens. From the inside it just looks like part of the wall, and nobody ever opens it.”
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941
942“How do you know about it, then?”
943
944“When I was little, it opened just once, in the middle of the night. Someone gestured at us, then a gray shrine maiden went running off. It closed real soon, but ever since then, I started to really want to go outside. I thought maybe somebody would be waiting for me.”
945
946Gil grinned nostalgically and set the bread basket on the ground to take off the bar. He then pulled on the door hard, using all his weight since the hinges were rusted and the door just wouldn’t move.
947
948When it finally burst open, a wave of heat and an awful smell came rushing out, making me reflexively grab my nose. Gil did the same with a grunt. It was a smell too awful to bear even for someone used to the smells of a city.
949
950With the door open and letting light in, we could clearly see the inside of the room. Atop a layer of moldy hay covered in urine and fecal matter were several naked young toddlers, sprawled on the floor with lifeless expressions on their faces. It didn’t seem to have any windows, so even with the bright summer light streaming inside, it was still dark.
951
952“...Divine gifts?” Upon noticing the smell of the gifts, some of the toddlers let out cracked voices and came crawling toward us with gleaming eyes. Black stuff was stuck to the bare skin that clung tightly to their bones. They looked like starving African refugee children that I had only ever seen in photos before, and the sight of them crawling toward me made me feel more horror than pity. I felt an indescribable sense of fear and froze in place, my teeth chattering.
953
954“...N, No...” I squeaked out fearfully, which seemed to knock Gil back to his senses. He hurriedly shut the door and put the bar back on the door. We heard the sounds of their fists hitting the door, but they
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965were weak strikes without much strength to them. Far from enough strength to break the door open.
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967As the relief of having escaped the terror mixed with the disgusted horror of what I had seen in the orphanage, and I collapsed on the floor, my head going completely blank.
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969When I came to, I was in my own room. I was resting on something hard, and a touch revealed that I wasn’t on a cotton-stuffed mattress that nobles used, or a hay-stuffed mattress that I used at home. I was resting on the plain board that had been left in the abandoned director’s chambers. I looked to my side and saw that Gil was sitting on top of a chair, hugging his knees as if trying to shrink into as small of a ball as possible.
970
971“...Gil?”
972
973“You’re awake? Thank the gods. I’m so sorry, I...” Gil looked at me with tearful eyes, but before he could finish his sentence, Delia started yelling from the other side of the bed.
974
975“What were you thinking, taking Sister Myne to the girls’ building?! And the back entrance at that!”
976
977“It’s not my fault! I didn’t know things were like that there now!”
978
979Gil’s words stirred my memories of what I had seen in the orphanage. The closed room. The hay covered in urine and fecal matter. The starved, bony toddlers without a scrap of clothing on. That was simply not a place for raising children. Given the lack of airflow, it was worse than even an unkempt farm stable.
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981The second the memories came back to me, goosebumps covered my skin and I felt the contents of my stomach lurching over. I jumped up and swallowed hard to keep from throwing up on the spot. Fran, seeing me covering my mouth to hold back the vomit, pushed his way past Gil to be by my side.
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991“Forgive me, Sister Myne. I apologize from the bottom of my heart for allowing you to see that embarrassing sight. Please forget everything you saw.” Fran calling the horrible state of the orphanage “embarrassing” and telling me to “forget” it threw me off, so I looked at Gil.
992
993“That was really the orphanage? It wasn’t anything like what you told me.”
994
995“I moved to the boy’s building after being baptized, so I had no idea what was going on in the girls’ building... That place wasn’t like that at all when I was there, Sister Myne.” Gil lowered his eyes and spoke in a weak voice.
996
997Delia glared at him and let out a “hmph,” then explained. “It’s because when the blue priests left, a lot of gray shrine maidens left the temple too. Little kids started dying all the time without people to take care of them. I just sat down there waiting for my baptism, so I could move up to the first floor. But well... I only know what it was like there a year ago. It must be a lot worse now. I don’t even want to think about it.” Delia too lowered her eyes, trembling slightly.
998
999Gil was ten years old, so he was baptized three entire years ago. Delia was eight, and apparently things were pretty awful even when she was baptized a year ago. According to her, gray shrine maidens started leaving one after another a year and a half ago, and without anyone to take care of them, the orphan children were abandoned and only brought food twice a day at best.
1000
1001“When I was brought out for my baptism, I was told by a gray shrine maiden that I was too dirty to be presented to the blue priests. She scrubbed me clean so hard my entire body hurt. But the moment all the filth was off me, she started talking about how cute I was and how I’d grow up to be beautiful. Right after my baptism, I was taken to the High Bishop. There were three kids with me. I got to be an apprentice attendant, but the other kids didn’t get picked and were
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1009sent back to the orphanage.” Upon learning why Delia was so attached to her own cuteness and why she avoided the orphanage so much, I felt my heart get even heavier.
1010
1011“Sister Myne,” interjected Gil. “Please save them. I’m begging you, please.”
1012
1013“Stop, Gil. Sister Myne, you must not get involved with these matters.” Fran rejected Gil’s pleas with a harsh look on his face. I honestly didn’t want to actively get involved with the orphanage since just remembering the orphans made me sick, but I hadn’t expected Fran to reject the idea so firmly when he himself was from the orphanage.
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1015“Why not?!” yelled Gil, as if speaking in my place, and Fran gave a firm reply.
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1017“It’s too dangerous. Sister Myne has a tendency to grow extremely protective of those close to her, of her allies. As seen when she used her mana on the High Bishop to protect her family. If she gets involved with the orphanage, and considers herself their ally, then she might stand in opposition to the blue priests in order to protect the orphans. It would be wise to minimize the chance of her subconsciously unleashing her mana.”
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1019With Gil pleading for my help and Fran opposing the idea, I reflexively turned to Delia to hear what her thoughts were.
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1021“...If they can be saved, I think you should. But I don’t want to get involved and I don’t want to remember them. I want to forget it all,” said Delia with a stiff expression before turning her head away from me.
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1023Gil scrunched his face up, hurt to learn that nobody was on his side. He grit his teeth and looked at me with wavering eyes before slowly getting on his knees and crossing his arms in front of his chest.
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1025“Sister Myne, please. Save them.”
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1033I tightened my lips at Gil’s wholehearted plea. In general, I wanted to help the suffering when I could. For example, if someone asked me to do something specific in concrete terms to help, and it was within my power to do so, I would. But if someone asked me to spend the rest of my life helping, or if someone asked me to help without explaining how, I would be at a loss.
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1035In my Urano days I had participated in charity drives sometimes, but generally only did community service when my college demanded it since I was only interested in books. Furthermore, ever since becoming Myne, I was constantly relying on the help of others due to my sickness and weakness. I could offer advice based on my life experience on Earth, but anything that required moving would have to be done by other people. Ultimately, it was hard to think that I would be much help to the orphanage myself.
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1037“Right now, I like doing my job because you praise me for it, Sister Myne, and I like working hard because I get paid more. The food’s good, I get to eat as much as I want, and I can sleep with my legs stretched out in my own room. My life’s great now. But they’re... they’re stuck down there, like... like that...”
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1039“I’m sorry, Gil. There’s almost nothing I can do for them. I’m not a true noble, and I don’t think I can ignore Fran’s advice so lightly.”
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1041Gil looked up, his expression hurt. But I was just a commoner who had narrowly earned the right to wear blue robes through leveraging my mana and money in times of trouble. I couldn’t promise to save the orphanage so easily when I knew so little, and I couldn’t bear the responsibility of looking after the orphanages from here on out.
1042
1043“But at the very least, I will ask the High Priest about this. If there’s any idle gray priests, I’ll ask if they can work in the orphanage, or maybe I’ll see if there’s a bit more room in the budget for food... I’ll see if there’s anything the High Priest can do to make the orphanage’s situation better.”
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1050“Thank you, Sister Myne.”
1051
1052The High Priest was handling the budget and inner workings of the entire temple himself. He should be able to send more money to the orphanage or search for caretakers if asked to. I sighed in relief, thinking he might just solve everything, but Fran lowered his eyes and shook his head.
1053
1054“There is no need for you to get involved, Sister Myne.”
1055
1056“I am just asking the High Priest for help, nothing more. Please arrange a meeting with him.” If the High Priest couldn’t do anything, I surely couldn’t, and he might be able to give me advice on what to do going forward. At the very least, it would be a lot better than worrying on my own without even knowing what options are available to me.
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1058I repeated my request to Fran, and he hesitantly agreed to arrange a meeting.
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1096181
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1099Discussion With the High Priest and My Resolve
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1101I was given permission to meet the High Priest at fifth bell, so I went to his room with Fran when the time came. The High Priest, who had apparently heard the details from Fran, spoke as soon as he saw my face.
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1103“I reject your proposition. There is no reason to divert more funds or manpower to the orphanage.” Not only did he reject my request without even letting me speak, he did so in a way I couldn’t understand. I hadn’t expected in the least that he would say that there was “no reason” to help the orphanage, despite knowing how horrible the situation was there.
1104
1105“What do you mean, no reason? As we speak, small children are starving to death. That is simply no environment a child should be in, and...” Maybe he just didn’t know how bad things really were. I nervously tried to explain to the High Priest what I had seen. But he raised a hand and interrupted my explanation.
1106
1107“Putting aside our working priests and apprentices, we do not have the money to spend on pre-baptism orphans. You may not know this since you were raised by your parents, but pre-baptism children are not recognized as humans by the temple. They will be treated as humans only after being baptized.”
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1109I had expected something like that to be the case, since people couldn’t enter the temple or be given jobs until they were baptized. But still, even without recognizing them as human, it wasn’t right to treat children like that.
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1111“...Are you saying that you don’t care if the children die?”
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1113“Yes, because their deaths would be a part of the gods’ plan for us. To put it in harsh terms, the temple will be better off without them.”
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1121I wanted to him to deny my question, but instead he accepted it like it was nothing. I stood there, stunned, and the High Priest began to explain the situation.
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1123“In the past, there were twice as many blue-robed nobles here. Mathematically you can deduce that there were twice as many attendants and apprentice attendants. On average, a blue robe will have five to six attendants. Can you guess how many attendants were left behind when the blue robes returned to noble society?”
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1125If ten-some nobles left, that would mean sixty to seventy attendants were left behind in the temple. Considering that the temple kept the attendants fed and such through the donations and leftovers of blue robes, it wasn’t hard to imagine that their mass departure would financially ruin the temple.
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1127“We sold about thirty gray shrine maidens and priests to the nobles as attendants, but there are still far too many priests on our hands.”
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1129“Could you not send those priests to take care of the children?”
1130
1131“Things will only get worse with more mouths to feed. Why do you think the High Bishop disposed of so many gray shrine maidens? It seems that you do not understand what I am telling you.”
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1133It was clear that as the number of blue robes increased over the coming years, the temple needed to have excess gray robes on hand to serve them. But at a time without enough divine gifts for everyone, the High Priest wanted to prevent the population of gray robes from increasing.
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1135“...Can’t you at the very least keep them clean? It’s likely that disease will break out in an environment that filthy.”
1136
1137“Hm. So you suggest killing them all now, before sickness spreads? A logical solution, but not one that would reflect well on us.”
1138
1139“No! That’s not what I meant.”
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1148I wanted to yell “What’s wrong with you?!” at him, but swallowed the urge. The High Priest and I were not only in completely different positions, we had been raised in entirely different environments. His view of the world was as alien to me as mine was to him. We spoke the same language, but understanding each other was another matter.
1149
1150“High Priest, why is the orphanage here if not to raise children without parents?”
1151
1152“You misunderstand. The orphanage exists to train abandoned children into servants for the nobility.”
1153
1154My and his understandings of what orphanages should be couldn’t be more different. The High Priest was completely unmoved by concepts such as pity or compassion. He let out a sigh that made it clear he was getting frustrated with my lack of understanding too.
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1156“If you want to help those who are about to die, do as you wish. Do you want to become the director of the orphanage, a position no other desires, and shoulder full responsibility for the orphanage?”
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1158His unexpected offer made me gasp. I wanted to help the orphans, but I didn’t have the resolve necessary to direct the entire orphanage with all the responsibility. That was too terrifying.
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1160“...I couldn’t do that.” I clenched my first and shook my head slowly.
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1162The High Priest nodded, then continued while looking me in the eye. “In that case, the present ratio of blue and gray priests provides enough divine gifts to feed roughly forty of those in the orphanage to a satisfactory level. You have more disposable income than any other blue robe in the temple. Will you pay for the food of the forty plus remaining orphans?”
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1164“I can’t. I don’t actually have control over most of the workshop income.” I had already spent too much money on refurbishing my room and paying my attendants. I was just barely staying even by
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1171selling recipes. The Italian restaurant wasn’t open yet, and I hadn’t established anything that would be bringing me stable income. Supporting the orphans wasn’t feasible with my current income.
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1173“You won’t shoulder responsibility and you won’t spend your money. If you aren’t willing to do anything, keep your silence. A half-baked sense of justice does not give you the right to speak on the matters of others. You need merely read your books quietly, without thinking about things beyond you.”
1174
1175The High Priest was so right I couldn’t even argue. I didn’t have the right to complain when I wasn’t willing to do anything myself. In many situations, it was better to do nothing than to give a half-hearted attempt at helping.
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1177“...I’m sorry for wasting your time.” I left the High Priest’s room with my head hung low. With his rejection, there was nothing more I could do. I had to just keep my silence. Or so I tried to tell myself, but the excuses just made me feel sick, like I had swallowed a brick.
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1179“Sister Myne, would you like to go to the book room? Perhaps it would brighten your mood.” Fran knelt and peered into my face. In contrast to his reluctance earlier, his tone was gentle and considerate.
1180
1181“...Did you know this would happen, Fran?”
1182
1183“My job was once to understand and serve the High Priest. I did expect that discussing this matter with him would leave you unhappy. Please, forget about the orphanage.” Fran took my hand and guided me to the book room while I sluggishly walked behind. When reading books, I could absorb myself in the written word and forget my worldly troubles.
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1187Unfortunately, sixth bell rang and Lutz arrived to get me in what felt like a matter of moments. I had to leave the book room and go to my
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1195room to get changed. Whether I wanted to or not, I could see the orphanage from the corridors on the way to my chambers. The moment I did, I remembered what I saw and the urge to vomit lurched within me.
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1197“Ngh...!” I felt the vomit rushing up my stomach and held my mouth shut with my hands. I fought back hard to stop myself from throwing up. Fran hurriedly picked me up and ran to a closet, where he produced a cleaning bucket for me. As I threw up into the bucket, I felt the urge to burst into tears.
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1199I would never forget what I had seen. Maybe I could avoid thinking about it if I kept reading, but the memories would definitely surface whenever I was doing anything else. In my Urano days, Africa was so far from Japan that none of the suffering there had anything to do with me, and I could remain calm by donating a hundred yen or so when the chance arose. I would think That’s so sad while watching TV and eating, then forget within an hour. But my chambers here were directly connected to the orphanage. It was impossible for me to live with any peace of mind knowing that there were orphans suffering like that just a wall away from me.
1200
1201“Sister Myne, how’d it go?” Gil came rushing up to me. His purple eyes, dark enough to almost be black, were shining with so much hope that I had to look at the floor.
1202
1203“I’m sorry, Gil. The High Priest refused to help.”
1204
1205“B-But why?!” Gil looked at me in a panic, almost stunned with disbelief. Not only had I failed to help save the orphans from their suffering, I hadn’t even been able to meet Gil’s expectations. I kept staring at the floor, my heart hurting, and prepared to endure whatever insults Gil would throw my way.
1206
1207“Gil, contain yourself.”
1208
1209“Geez, don’t be stupid. I told you not to expect anything, didn’t I?”
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1217Fran and Delia both warned Gil off. He looked like he wanted to say something, but tightened his lips instead and looked at the floor like I was. Delia gave a knowing shrug as she began preparing to change my clothes.
1218
1219“This whole thing is really happening because the High Bishop cuts off his shrine maidens once they have children, calling them useless since they can’t do their job. There’s nothing the High Priest can do about it.”
1220
1221“Delia.”
1222
1223“It’s true! Normally shrine maidens that just gave birth or have big bellies would take care of the orphans, but since the High Bishop doesn’t want more priests to take care of, he disposes of them first. That said, since he needs gray shrine maidens to offer flowers to visitors, and he has to replace girls with big bellies, he can’t get rid of all the gray shrine maidens. He needs some extra ones just in case.”
1224
1225The shrine maidens and apprentices left in the orphanage to clean and do laundry were all young and relatively attractive, according to Delia. Shrine maidens that gave birth were “disposed of,” unattractive ones were sold to nobles as attendants, leaving only the cute ones who could offer flowers when necessary. Such was the result of the blue priests leaving so many of their attendants behind.
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1227Men could work for a long time without any fears of pregnancy, so well-trained gray priests were sold to nobles as personal attendants for a high price. But since there were fewer nobles in general at the moment, there was less demand for them. There were currently more unsold gray priests than shrine maidens in the temple.
1228
1229“Wait, does that mean the kids in the orphanage are the children of blue priests? They have noble blood?”
1230
1231“At least half of them, uh huh. Myself included,” said Delia casually. “Bwuh? Delia, you have mana?”
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1238“Apparently it’s hard to have children with someone with way less mana than you. That means only blue priests with barely any mana could get their gray priests pregnant, and I’m pretty sure you can’t return to noble society if you have children in the temple.”
1239
1240Which meant, in turn, all those still at the temple were those with barely any mana. The temple’s self-centered modus operandi made my head hurt.
1241
1242“The High Bishop makes all the final decisions about how the temple is run, so it’ll be more effective to make him like you than to try and fight him. Now then, would the men please leave? I need to get Sister Myne changed.” Delia waved her hand to shoo Fran and Gil out of the room, then reached out to change my clothes.
1243
1244“Geez! Smile a little, Sister Myne, it’s not like you’re going to die too. Just forget about them. There’s nothing you can do for them, after all,” said Delia as she speedily changed my clothes.
1245
1246But she was wrong. I could do something. I could improve the orphanage’s situation if I used all of my funds from the Myne Workshop. But the High Priest and the High Bishop didn’t care, and the moment I ran out of money, things would go right back to how they were before. And most of all, I was scared to shoulder the responsibility of so many lives. It wasn’t that I could do nothing. It was that I was too afraid to do anything, to bet my life and money on them.
1247
1248“Lutz! Lutz!” When Lutz came to get me, I jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly. I was just relieved to be back in a world where people understood me and I understood them. Tears flowed out of my eyes as if a dam had burst.
1249
1250Lutz reflexively patted my head and looked at Fran, who was seeing me off. “What happened, Fran?”
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1261“I will explain as we walk.” Fran glanced at the gate guard, then began to walk. He explained what had happened today as we traveled along the bustling city street.
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1263“She then sought help from the High Priest. I advised that she give up after he refused, but Sister Myne’s heart continues to ache.”
1264
1265“...Yeah, seeing dying kids is pretty rough. But there’s nothing you can do, Myne. Don’t worry about it. Just forget about them.”
1266
1267I had lived a fairly peaceful life here despite my poverty, so what I had seen was far too intense for me to forget so easily. “I wish I could forget them. Ignorance is bliss. But now that I know there are kids starving to death behind the walls of my own room, I can’t pretend I don’t know anything,” I said while sniffling.
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1269Lutz stopped and peered into my eyes. “You don’t like how messed up the orphanage is right now, yeah? What do you want changed?”
1270
1271I envisioned what I had seen, thought about how I thought the orphanage should be instead, and then spoke. “...I want those kids to eat until they’re full, and then grow up healthily. I want them to sleep on at least clean sheets instead of that dirty, stinky, moldy hay that’s probably getting them sick.”
1272
1273“Huh? Eat until they’re full? That’s something only rich people get to do. You gotta be satisfied with them eating enough to move around. Not even I get to eat until I’m full at home.”
1274
1275Upon hearing my dreams, Lutz said I was hoping for too much. I thought back to my own home and suddenly realized something as I compared my old life to my faux-noble life in the temple. I had forgotten about it lately since I was eating tons of tasty food in the temple and my family’s budget had gotten more comfortable, but barely any kids in the lower city got to eat until they were full. Even Lutz had struggled with food for his whole life, constantly losing to his older brothers in fights over the dinner table.
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1282“Oh, okay. Just getting enough food at all would have to do.”
1283
1284“And anyway, where’s the sense in you trying to give them all that food yourself? They should go gathering their own food first. What’s the point in sitting around when you’re hungry? What’s gonna come from that?”
1285
1286I had been thinking about the temple’s situation in a vacuum since it was such an isolated institution, but if I shifted my goal to getting the orphans on the same level as the children of the lower city, the costs necessary would drop down immensely. They could just go to the forest and gather their own food to supplement what I bought for them.
1287
1288“Unfortunately, orphans are not allowed to leave the orphanage,” said Fran with a troubled tone. The orphans were generally kept locked in the orphanage, to prevent nobles from seeing them before they were baptized and probably to prevent them from learning more about the world on their own. I fell silent, not knowing what to say about that, but Lutz hadn’t spent much time in the temple and thus just shook his head.
1289
1290“Who made that rule up? If the kids are dead weight, what’s the problem with letting them go to the forest? You and Gil are leaving the temple, so yeah.”
1291
1292“They’re my attendants, it’s different.” They were only allowed to leave because their job now involved going in and out of the temple on business for me. The same was true for gray priests going to the Noble’s Quarter. They weren’t free to leave as they pleased.
1293
1294“Alright, then why not make all the orphans your attendants? That’ll let them go outside, yeah?”
1295
1296I looked up at Lutz, blinking in surprise at his unexpected idea.
1297
1298“Wait just a moment,” interjected Fran. “That is simply out of the question. In the first place, surely Sister Myne would not be able to
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1306afford to provide all of them with the food, shelter, and clothing that masters are expected to give.”
1307
1308“Since they’re just going to the forest, she could buy a bunch of clothes from our poor secondhand shops for cheap.”
1309
1310I tried calculating in my head how much it would cost to buy enough knives and baskets for them to go to the forest. Naturally, there were enough chores in the temple that they couldn’t all go to the forest at once, but if I assigned them groups and rotated through them daily, I wouldn’t have to buy as many tools.
1311
1312“...About fifty to sixty pairs of hand-me-downs, some knives, and some baskets should be cheaper than the fancy clothes I bought for you three, Fran.”
1313
1314My words shocked Fran and he opened his eyes wide, looking down at the clothes he was wearing. I had bought high quality clothes for my attendants. They were incomparably better than the clothes I normally wore at home.
1315
1316“Take them to the forest and let them gather everything edible to sort their own food problems out. The orphanage not having money just means they’re poor like me, y’know?” Lutz was being blunt, but he was right. When in need, you shouldn’t wait to be given stuff, you should be doing what you can to get it yourself.
1317
1318“Fran, I can send them to the forest if they’re my attendants, right? Like how I’ve sent you and Gil to the Gilberta Company before?”
1319
1320“That is the case, yes.”
1321
1322“So I could have them go gather volrin wood for me too?” I suggested, which made Lutz’s eyes shine.
1323
1324“You wanna make the orphanage a branch of the Myne Workshop?”
1325
1326“Uh huh. If I make the orphanage a branch of the Myne Workshop, I can give the orphans an avenue for making money through making
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1334products. Even if I leave the temple in the worst-case scenario, they might be able to sustain themselves independently.”
1335
1336Though getting them to the forest and gathering ingredients to cook would come first. Lutz and I began discussing efficient methods and where changes should begin, at which point Fran reluctantly interrupted us.
1337
1338“I believe this is a fine idea. However, Sister Myne, it is also entirely unlike how the temple has operated up until this point. The High Priest will once again ask if you are willing to bear the responsibility of so many lives. Will you be able to answer?”
1339
1340I felt the blood drain from my face. Fran was right. It was hard to think that the temple would look lightly on an outsider like me ignoring traditions and turning the orphanage up on its head. That would cause friction with the High Bishop, the High Priest, and even the blue robes. Not to mention that earning money through work would inevitably introduce inequality.
1341
1342“Sorry, Lutz. I’m just too scared of being responsible...”
1343
1344“Alright then, Myne. Are you more scared of responsibility than of letting the orphans die?”
1345
1346I was scared of both. If I abandoned the orphans, I knew I would feel the weight of their lives on my back for the rest of my life. But I also just wasn’t prepared to shoulder the responsibility of so many people either. As I clung my head miserably, Lutz shrugged.
1347
1348“Y’know, Myne. Why think so hard about it? Just give it a shot and stop if it doesn’t work.”
1349
1350“Lutz, it’s not that simple. There are lives on the line here.” I glared at Lutz and he gave a snort just like Benno might.
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1364“It’s just a fact of life for workshops with no customers and stores with no sales to go out of business. But with the orphanage, your workers aren’t relying on you for everything.”
1365
1366“...They’ll still have a place to stay, and there will still be the divine gifts.”
1367
1368“Yeah. Why do you have to be so responsible for people who will always have a place to stay? Not to mention, I’m part of the Myne Workshop too.”
1369
1370There would be points where I would need to bear responsibility. Benno would probably give a different perspective if I asked about my duties as forewoman. But... for some reason, Lutz being with me took all my worry away. I’d be scared to do everything by myself, but if Lutz stayed with me, I somehow thought that things would be okay no matter what.
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1372“Let’s do it together, Myne. You want to save them, don’t you?” “Yeah!” I grabbed onto Lutz’s held-out hand.
1373
1374Seeing that, Fran smiled in defeat. “I will assist you as well, Sister Myne.”
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1407Secret Talk With the High Priest
1408
1409I had decided to save the orphans, but there wasn’t much I could do on the way home. After talking things out with Lutz and Fran, I decided to do my work carefully, with the key point being “save lives.”
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1411I wasn’t sure how well the starved orphans could handle food, so I started by making light soup with chunks of bread in it, which Lutz delivered to them through the back door. Fran had said that if he delivered divine gifts to the front door while Gil stealthily delivered the soup from the back door, we could feed the small kids without anyone noticing.
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1413“Gil is the one most worried about them, so he should take this work very seriously.”
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1415“I’ll give Gil some of my clothes and tell him to use them when he’s doing dirty work,” offered Lutz.
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1417That was all I could do today, but I felt better knowing that at the very least it meant that they wouldn’t starve to death overnight. But in contrast to my relief, Fran looked at me with a stiff expression.
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1419“Sister Myne, please be careful around Delia. It is very likely that the High Bishop will be opposed to saving the orphans.”
1420
1421“...And the High Priest won’t?” I thought that the High Priest was fairly opposed to it as well, but I wasn’t sure what Fran was thinking. His eyes widened a bit in surprise at my question.
1422
1423“I will discuss this matter with the High Priest. I know that he is just as frustrated as you are with the abandonment of the orphanage and the treatment of gray priests and shrine maidens.”
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1425“What? It certainly didn’t seem that way to me.” I tilted my head in confusion and Fran lowered his eyes regretfully.
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1435“Do you remember what Delia said? The High Bishop has ultimate authority within the temple. For this reason, the High Priest hides his true feelings and intentions behind a well-composed mask so that they are not detected. It may be exceedingly hard to notice, but he is very frustrated with the High Bishop right now.”
1436
1437“...I didn’t realize that at all.” What kind of detective would it take to realize from our prior conversation that the High Priest was frustrated with the High Priest? Could Fran read the High Priest’s mind? I fell into thought, baffled, and Lutz shrugged his shoulders.
1438
1439“Sounds like you gotta tell the High Priest that Myne’s not understanding him.”
1440
1441“Indeed. Sister Myne will need to study the roundabout, euphemistic ways of the nobility.” The two of them looked at me with the kind of pity a teacher might look at a failing student with. Ouch.
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1445Over the next few days, Fran and I discussed how best to approach the High Priest while Gil continued to stealthily deliver the food. Since the Myne Workshop would be involved I even wrapped up Benno in this, who grimaced and complained about me sticking my head into trouble again. I wanted to get the High Priest’s permission as soon as possible so I could start working on improving the orphanage, but Benno yelled at me for being thoughtless again.
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1447“Don’t just charge straight to your goal like that! It might be annoying to deal with nobles properly, but preparing ahead of time and laying the groundwork before meeting them is essential! Really, you could say the outcome of a meeting is decided before it begins. Nothing good will come from you just rushing to meet him without a plan.”
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1449“Master Benno is correct. Sister Myne, you always act as soon as you make a decision, but when it comes to important discussions, it is
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1458normal to communicate your requests and what you know to them before arranging a meeting. When discussing matters with nobles, one must not be impatient. Take as much time as you can to lay the groundwork that will ensure as favorable of an outcome as possible for you.”
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1460Fran informed me that me meeting with the High Priest right after seeing the orphans and repeatedly asking for his help on an emotional basis was, in reality, enormously rude and a blatant violation of polite manners. Things would not go well for me if I didn’t give the High Priest enough information and time to prepare.
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1462“This will be a good opportunity for you, Sister Myne. Please observe and learn how to arrange a meeting with a noble and prepare for it ahead of time. This will be very important to you in the coming years.”
1463
1464As the result of several conversations on the matter, I decided to accept the position of orphanage director and use funds earned by the Myne Workshop to improve the orphanage on the basis of establishing a branch there.
1465
1466First, we would wash up the pre-baptism children and have the older kids clean every inch of the orphanage. Once that was done, they would establish the workshop in the basement of the boys’ building and bring in the tools, hearth, and so on necessary for cooking and making paper.
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1468I had three main groups in mind for splitting the work up: a paper-making slash forest-gathering group, an orphanage chores group, and a temple work group. They would rotate once monthly and get experience in all forms of work. Then, I would ask about them their individual preferences and place them accordingly. One could choose their own jobs at will.
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1480I would need to list up the clothes and tools we needed, not to mention buy them through Benno. To get the funds for everything, I had Lutz and Ralph carve wooden hangers. They were hangers I was well used to, with rounded shoulders. I explained to Benno that they damaged clothes less than the cross-shaped hangers I had seen before, and he jumped on them with gleaming eyes. Thanks for the business, as always.
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1482“What’s the ultimate goal of the Myne Workshop Orphanage Branch?” asked Benno, sizing me up. If I couldn’t give him a proper answer, he would call me an idiot again. So I told him the answer I had long settled on by now.
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1484“To earn enough funds to pay for the orphanage’s food. I would like for them to be capable of independently earning the money necessary to pay for food when just divine gifts aren’t enough.”
1485
1486“Food? That’s all?”
1487
1488“The temple gives them most everything they need, like clothes and shelter, so I’m fine as long as it earns enough profit to cover their food.”
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1490Lutz said they could just gather food in the forest if they didn’t have money, but given the size of the orphanage, it wouldn’t be sustainable to send them for food out every day. There wouldn’t be enough food in the forest to go around. Once we knew if the workshop there could earn money, I could temporarily pay for their food until the workshop was earning enough for them to cover it themselves.
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1492As I answered Benno’s questions, Lutz wrote out the price of paper and the price of food to do some math. “...Looks like it’ll be surprisingly easy to cover just the food. But if you’re gonna pay, Myne, why bother teaching them to gather?”
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1503“I want them to learn to gather while they’re making paper. That way, worst-case scenario, they’ll be able to get food for themselves before starving to death. Without the right knowledge, they’ll just pick up poison mushrooms like I used to.”
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1505“You sure did pick a lot of poison mushrooms...”
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1507Once we had a clear goal with all the relevant steps outlined, Fran stealthily discussed the matter with the High Priest, and although it wasn’t public yet, he approved of me becoming the orphanage director and establishing a branch of the Myne Workshop in the orphanage. On top of that, he permitted a meeting to make things official.
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1509It seemed that you had to write a letter several days ahead of time when formally requesting a meeting, so I wrote one after being taught the proper format. ...Dealing with nobles sure is a pain.
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1511By the time the letter of invitation arrived from the High Priest, the kids in the orphanage had already gotten a lot better thanks to Gil’s efforts. Gil said that they could eat harder foods in addition to their soup now, and they were bit by bit getting more energetic. They were healthy enough that they could survive being bathed while their waste-filled rooms were cleaned.
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1513When third bell arrived and signaled it was time for our meeting, I went to the High Priest’s room with Fran. Gil and Lutz were standing at the ready in my chambers, prepared to start work at any moment.
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1515“Thank you very much for taking the time to meet with me.” “Myne, noble women do not speak like that.”
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1517According to the High Priest, noble women would say “I thank you ever so much” instead. There was a period in history where it was popular for women to make themselves sound a bit more dramatic, and various vestiges of that era remained to this day. I had mostly learned my polite language from the Gilberta Company and guards at
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1524the gate, so I probably had more exposure to male speech patterns than female speech patterns.
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1526“It seems you will need a gray shrine maiden to instruct you on language as well. But that can wait. We have more important matters to discuss today.” The High Priest had cleared the room before I arrived, leaving only Arno. I started to walk toward his desk, but then the High Priest suddenly walked in the opposite direction, toward his bed.
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1528“High Priest?!” Arno let out a cry of surprise. Fran also looked shocked.
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1530I just followed after the High Priest, not really sure what was going on. He parted the curtains surrounding his bed, some distance away from the frame itself, and beckoned me forward. I tilted my head in confusion, then saw that there was a door built in the wall beside his bed.
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1532“We will talk in here.” The High Priest pressed his hand on the door and immediately a sparkling blue magic circle arose, making the gemstone of a ring on his finger shine bright red. The ring’s red light did a lap through the magic circle, then faded.
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1534“Not even my attendants can enter this room. Come, Myne.” The door opened with a click and the High Priest entered with neither Arno nor Fran. The dark room was scary enough that I looked back at Fran with worry. He gave a light nod, prompting me inside.
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1536“E-Excuse me.” The moment I went inside and the door shut, a window appeared in the once-dark room and allowed a bright stream of light to pour inside. It was very sudden, as shutters had been opened very quickly.
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1538“Bwuh?!” As I covered my eyes and waited for them to adjust, I could hear the High Priest moving around. I slowly opened my eyes and
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1548saw that the once pitch-black room was actually a study, resembling a college lab room to some degree.
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1550There were all manner of scrolls and parchment scattered across a desk and shelves, not to mention a stack of several books. One of the shelves had tools I had never seen before lined up next to each other, but I could tell they were related to science somehow. The corner of the room seemed to be a rest area with a cushioned bench, but there were documents covering it too. The room, unlike the one kept clean by his attendants, was entirely his own. I was in the High Priest’s private, personal study.
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1552“This room is built such that only those with mana above a certain quantity can enter. I believe that you are the only other person in the temple that is capable of entering it. There is no better place for a private talk.”
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1554“This is a really cool hidden room. It’s like, just what I’d expect from magic...”
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1556The High Priest looked at me while cleaning the documents off the bench. “...Your chambers have a room just like this.”
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1558“They do? I didn’t know that.” I had never parted my bed’s canopy, especially since the bed was just a frame without a mattress. Considering how often I collapsed, it would probably be smart to get a mattress at some point.
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1560“Though as it requires a mana registration to use, you won’t be able to get inside at the moment..”
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1562“Mana registration?”
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1564“We can discuss the process another day. Let us get straight to the point. Sit.” The High Priest cut the conversation on that subject short and pointed to the bench he had just cleaned off. He himself brought over the chair by his desk to sit on. When he looked up, he wasn’t
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1574wearing a blank expression like the one Fran often wore. His brows were furrowed and his mouth was bent into a sharp frown.
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1576...Is he going to lecture me? Over the past few days of being critiqued by Fran, I could imagine what the High Priest was going to say. He had probably taken me to this room so he could lecture me where no attendants could see. And since we were alone, I couldn’t ask for Fran’s help. I was on my own.
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1578“U-U-Um, High Priest. Why are we talking here in this room?”
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1580“Because Fran advised me that you did not understand how nobles communicate.” He glared at me.
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1582In general he had the face of a somewhat cold, expressionless person, so seeing him furrow his brows in clear displeasure was very frightening indeed. Unlike Benno dropping thunder, the High Priest’s anger was icy cold and made me feel like ice was steadily freezing me from the bottom up.
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1584“And sure enough, the day before you spoke of important, reckless things without thinking first. On that day, one of the High Bishop’s attendants was in my room on business. Did you notice?”
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1586“I didn’t notice at all.”
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1588“I suppose, then, you didn’t understand that you were criticizing and insulting the High Bishop in the presence of his attendant while I practically perished on the inside, agonizing at every word that came out of your mouth.”
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1590“...I-I’m sorry.” I had thought that I was helping the High Priest understand the horror of the situation, but in reality I was just criticizing the High Bishop’s method while the High Priest, his attendants, and basically everyone there had broken out in a cold sweat.
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1602“At the very least, you must learn the names and faces of every blue robe, in addition to the faces of their attendants. How do you intend to survive when you know nothing of your enemies? You are too careless.” The High Priest’s exasperated expression looked a lot like the one Benno made. It seemed I was fated to be lectured and berated no matter where I went.
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1740“...Mr. Benno often calls me a thoughtless idiot.”
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1742“Now that you mention it, I do recall him saying that you trust others too easily, and that you never learn despite being tricked. I fully agree with Benno’s assessment. If you are to stand with nobles as a blue shrine maiden, you will need to learn the ways of the nobility.”
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1744The High Priest’s rebukes all came from a place of worry for me and my precarious position. It was just as Fran had said. He had hidden his intentions and true feelings so deeply I hadn’t noticed them, but in truth, the High Priest had been protecting me from the High Bishop.
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1746“You seem uninterested in picking up on hidden signals and intent on openly stating your feelings on everything, but that will get you killed in noble society. Consider me uninterested in dying over your ignorance. Since it is impossible for me to tell if you are understanding my signals, I have decided it is best to talk with you here when I do not wish for our conversation to be heard by others.”
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1748“I’m really, really sorry.” I would only understand the High Priest if he stated his thoughts directly, so he had taken me to the one place where he could do that. It was inconvenient, but a big help for me.
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1750“In any case. According to Fran, you have decided to become the orphanage director. Are you certain that this is what you want? You said before that you would not bear that responsibility.” The High Priest gave me a steady look, his piercing eyes leaving no room for secrecy.
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1752I straightened my back. My resolve to save the orphanage had long since been steeled. I returned his look head-on, hoping to at least convey how determined I was. “To be honest, I’m still afraid to have that much responsibility. But anything is better than leaving them like that. I want to help them if I can.”
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1759“I see. If you have the resolve necessary, I have no issue with it.” He approved my request so casually that I couldn’t help but look at him with my shock written on my face.
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1761“Really? You’re fine with it?”
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1763“Did I not reply with my approval through Fran?”
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1765“You did, but you’re being so different from the last time we talked, I just don’t know what to say...”
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1767“What do you expect? You would not understand me if I spoke indirectly.”
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1769“Awww... I’m sorry.” As I apologized yet again, the High Priest went and got several pieces of parchment. After running his eyes over them, he showed them to me.
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1771“Fran explained your plan to me in general terms, but I did not grasp it in full. It seems that Fran didn’t quite understand it either. He said that the discussion had proceeded with silent understandings and peculiar phrases unique to merchants. Please explain what exactly it is that you intend to do after becoming the orphanage director.”
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1773“I will make the orphanage part of the Myne Workshop. First, I will work to improve the diet of the children who will be my workers, have them clean the orphanage which will be their workshop, and then bring in the tools necessary for them to do their job. After that, I plan to teach them how to cook for themselves. If they become capable of cooking soup, they will be able to make divine gifts last longer in a change that will drastically improve their food situation.”
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1775“I see. What is the meaning behind you wanting to make all those in the orphanage your attendants?” asked the High Priest, glaring at me.
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1777“...I want to send them outside the temple, which means they need to be attendants.”
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1786“That is not necessary. If you did that, we would not have attendants ready when future blue robes arrive, and there would be needless friction. As director of the orphanage, you will have the authority to send apprentices outside of the temple at will.”
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1788“Understood.” If the children could go outside, I had no reason to make them all my attendants. I nodded in understanding.
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1790“What will you do once the children are well fed?”
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1792“I will have them make plant paper. In the past Lutz and I made it by ourselves, so any child should be able to do it with proper instruction.”
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1794“Plant paper, hm...” The High Priest glanced at the stacks of parchment on his desk. That reminded me that he had liked the plant paper the most out of Benno’s gifts.
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1796“The paper will be sold through proper channels, and the Myne Workshop has already signed a magic contract stating that we will sell our goods through the Gilberta Company, so you won’t be able to take the paper away even if you wanted to.”
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1798“A good decision, befitting a merchant. If the High Bishop will likewise be incapable of stealing the operation, I have no problem with it. What do you intend to accomplish by selling paper?” The High Priest advanced the conversation, his eyes narrowed slightly with disappointment.
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1802“I want them to be able to buy food for themselves when they don’t have enough. That way I won’t have to buy their food myself, and they won’t be at risk of starvation from blue priests leaving.”
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1804“What reason do you have for doing this? You wouldn’t work so hard for no personal gain, would you?” The High Priest’s gaze hardened, making it clear that was his most important question so far. I returned his gaze without faltering.
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1811“Obviously, so I can enjoy my reading without feeling guilty.” “Come again?” His eyes widened in complete disbelief.
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1813“It’s impossible for me to not worry and feel bad when there are kids starving to death so close to me. I can briefly forget while focusing on reading, but the memories resurface when I’m done and the guilt is unbearable. It just makes me feel horrible.”
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1815“So in short, you will become the orphanage director and run a branch of your workshop here simply to remove an obstacle to your reading?”
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1817“That’s right.” I gave a big nod, and the High Priest rubbed his temples.
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1819“You are... more of a fool than I thought.” “I get that a lot.”
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1821“...Enough of that. What is your time frame? How long will it take the orphanage to stabilize after you assume your position?”
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1823“Most of the preparation work is done, so given the season, it should only be a month before we’ve made and sold enough paper to buy a decent amount of food.”
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1825“Oh? I see you prepared well beforehand this time,” murmured the High Priest.
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1827I had shown my plan to Benno and Fran multiple times to make sure it would be fine both from a merchant’s perspective and from the nobility’s perspective, so it was hard to imagine it having any sizable holes. They said the most unreliable part of the plan was me, which cut deep and remained fresh on my mind.
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1829“Very well. You have my permission.”
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1831“Thank you. Fran said that you would be understanding if I communicated more properly. Mr. Benno also said that you have a
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1840good look in your eyes, and I should talk to you when I’m worried about something. High Priest... why are you different from the other priests?” I asked, knowing that it was a question that would get me yelled at if we were outside. And just as expected, the High Priest sighed and told me not to ask that kind of thing outside of this room.
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1842“I don’t intend to tell you my life story, but I was not raised within this temple, just as you were not. I was raised in noble society and entered the temple due to personal circumstances. Which is exactly why, despite my distaste for the High Bishop and his methods, it is not yet wise to stand against him. You would also do well to avoid angering him more than you already have.”
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1844“...Me running the orphanage won’t make him angry?” The orphans making money for themselves ran in exact opposition to how the High Bishop had been running things. I timidly asked for confirmation and he gave a derisive laugh.
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1846“It’s a bit late to worry about that. I do intend to claim I forced the role on you, but don’t overreach. You are so unfamiliar with the ways of our culture that I cannot even fathom what you might do unattended. Report everything you do to me first. And listen well to Fran’s advice. Understood?”
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1848After firmly emphasizing the importance of clear communication, the High Priest took me out of the room and I returned to my chambers with Fran. Gil and Lutz welcomed us with their eyes full of hope.
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1850“How’d it go, Myne?”
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1852“He got really mad at me. He told me to study noble culture more. He said I was thoughtless, reckless, and all sorts of things...”
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1854“Does that mean he won’t let you be the orphanage director?” Lutz and Gil’s faces clouded with worry. I hurriedly shook my head.
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1867“No, he gave his permission. I’m the orphanage director now. The Myne Workshop will be fine. It’s just, I feel like I’m destined to make people mad wherever I go...”
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1869“That’s just who you are, Myne.” Lutz plopped a hand on my head with a laugh.
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1871There was one more thing I had to do before I could start fixing the orphanage for real. I had to talk things out with Delia. Her job was to leak information about me to the High Bishop, and I needed to stop that from happening. It would be impossible for Delia not to notice everything going on in the orphanage, with Lutz and Benno arriving frequently, the servants running around, and so on. But I didn’t want the High Bishop interfering before the workshop stabilized.
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1873Delia said she wanted me to help the orphans if they could be helped, so she was probably personally in agreement with my plan. There was no chance that she would say they’d be better off dead now that I had all the preparations made.
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1875So, I decided to just open up to Delia and ask her directly. She had warmed up to me enough to mention she was meeting with the High Bishop’s attendants, so it would probably be better to just be upfront rather than hide my request in signals and euphemisms.
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1877“Um, Delia. I’m trying to save the pre-baptism kids. I don’t want the High Bishop getting in the way of me helping them. It would be very helpful if you didn’t tell him what we’re doing. You want to save the kids too, don’t you? Can I ask you to do this for me?”
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1879Delia fell silent for a while, then shut her eyes tightly and shook her head as if remembering something. “...I don’t want to go to the orphanage. I don’t want to remember, and I don’t want to get involved.”
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1881“Yes, I know. All you’ll need to do is stand in the kitchen and keep an eye on the chefs. Just pretend you don’t know what’s going on. Can I
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1889ask you to do that?” It was important to always have someone watching the chefs and managing the food, so at least one of my attendants had to stay in my chambers at all times. If I selected Delia to be that one attendant, she wouldn’t have to go to the orphanage.
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1891“Certainly, I’ll keep quiet. But this isn’t for your sake, Sister Myne, it’s for the kids. Don’t think you’ve won me over.” Delia, while looking away from me with a frown to hide her relief, promised to keep quiet about what we were doing.
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1893I let out a relieved sigh of my own and gave Delia a promise too. “Thank you, Delia. I will save them, no matter what.”
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1895“I-I didn’t ask you to do that or anything. But if you’re going to try, well, don’t even think about failing.”
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1897    ...Her attitude’s kind of harsh, but I guess I can interpret that as her having faith in me?
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1941Cleaning Up the Orphanage
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1943After eating lunch, we immediately went to work cleaning the orphanage. But the cleaning had to be done by the people who lived there. The temple had an excess of orphan gray priests, and although they had been doing laundry in the morning and then cleaning in the afternoon up until the past few years, in recent times they consistently ran out of work to do by noon. Thus we decided to start the cleanup in the afternoon, when there would be a lot of idle priests.
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1945On the surface we would be framing the cleanup as a way to avoid shaming me, the orphanage director and blue-robed shrine maiden, with a filthy place of work. Apparently, having a reason like that would make the people of the orphanage more willing to go out of their way and do work they usually didn’t do.
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1947My goal with cleaning the orphanage was actually twofold. Getting it clean was the obvious part of it, but I also wanted them to learn that they would get paid if they worked hard. To that end, I had a chef making soup to reward those who helped clean, and I was planning on presenting buttered potatoffels to the thirty priests who worked the hardest.
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1949The priests split into multiple groups before beginning work: those who would wash the children when it was warm outside, those who would clear the floor where the pre-baptism children were, those who would clean the rest of the girls’ building, those who would help transport the workshop tools, and those who would clean the boys’ building and other miscellaneous areas.
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1951Fran and Gil had been really surprised when Benno and I suggested it. In general, the work of temple servants involved washing clothes, cleaning, and praying. Everyone did laundry together in the morning, everyone prayed together, and so on. Everything was always done
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1959together, and they were never split into groups. I explained that splitting into groups would speed up the process of cleaning such a large area, and that a group of stronger adults was important for carrying in the tools and such.
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1961“Will they listen to me and do their work if I tell them to split into groups?”
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1963“It’ll be fine. Everyone still considers Fran to be one of the High Priest’s attendants.”
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1965To the gray priests and apprentices in the orphanages, Fran being trusted by the High Priest made him their superior. Gil explained that if he took the lead, the orphans would do their work even if they weren’t too happy about it.
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1967“Though there are some number of children who will likely disobey,” said Fran while glancing at Gil. Although Gil now took his work seriously, in the past he was apparently quite the problem child and really wore down the caretaker priests. He avoided eye contact with Fran, which made me giggle.
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1969Fran and Gil patrolled the orphanage, making sure everyone was doing their job and checking to see who was working hard while reporting the details and the overall progress of the cleanup to me. Lutz was in the boys’ building, monitoring the cleaning and getting the tools from the Myne Workshop where they needed to be. He would then make buttered potatoffels there once everything was done. Delia was cleaning my chambers while keeping an eye on the chefs.
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1971“I believe I shall patrol as wel—”
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1973“You’re staying here, Myne. Don’t want you collapsing out there somewhere.” Lutz stopped me before I could even finish my sentence and gave me an exasperated look as I fell silent with a frown.
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1981“Y’know, Sister Myne. We’re cleaning the orphanage so the apprentice blue shrine maiden who’s becoming the orphanage director can go inside. What do you think’ll happen if you go there before the cleaning’s done?”
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1983“Oh right, I didn’t think about that...” I sighed, since without Fran I couldn’t even go to the book room. Seeing that, Fran gave a smile filled with compassion and set a piece of parchment in front of me. It was filled from top to bottom with methodical handwriting that reflected Fran’s personality well.
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1985“There is much for you to learn, Sister Myne. You must first memorize this entire greeting, which you will need to recite this evening when you go to the orphanage in an official capacity for the first time. Take particular care not to mistake the names of the gods.” He had written it on paper so I could cheat by looking at it if necessary, but in general I would need to memorize these kinds of things.
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1987I sighed as I looked at the parchment. Seeing that, Fran continued to smile and presented board after board to me.
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1989“If you have the time, here is a list of the teas and varieties of milk we have at the temple. Here is your preferred kind. Here is Master Benno’s, here is Lutz’s, and here is the High Priest’s. You would do well to memorize the preferences of your guests.”
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1991I doubted the High Priest would ever come to my chambers, but I didn’t say that. I could at least understand the principle of understanding the tastes of your boss.
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1993Lutz, barely holding back a fit of laughter at the stack of boards in front of me, gave me a thumbs up (a gesture that might just be universal across all worlds). “Good for you, Myne. You’ve got lots of stuff to read now.”
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2004“I like reading, but I don’t like memorizing things.” Excluding things I was very interested in, my brain always forgot the last thing I read as soon as I started reading something new, which sucked. I slumped my shoulders sadly as I took the stack of documents that Fran had organized for me.
2005
2006After fifth bell rang, Fran returned to write names on a board. They were the names of the kids who had proactively worked hard and the names of those who had hid to avoid work.
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2008“The pre-baptism children that you were especially worried about have been cleaned head to toe, Sister Myne. The soap and towels prepared beforehand were put to use as soon as it was warm enough outside. They are now wearing the secondhand clothes you bought and stuffing fresh hay into sheets.” They were making their own mattresses out of cheap used sheets and the hay I had bought from a farmer.
2009
2010“Are any of them sick, or too weak to move?”
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2012“No, they are all quite fine, entirely thanks to Gil bringing them food so consistently. The children now revere him as a savior. And likely you as well, since he told them he acted on your orders.”
2013
2014Hearing that honestly made me kind of fuzzy on the inside. I was just happy that the kids were feeling better.
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2016“A few of the shrine maidens and apprentices who were in the kid washing group made mattresses, while the rest left to assist the other groups. That is all I have to report right now. I will be getting back to my patrol now.”
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2018“Thank you, Fran. This is all going so well thanks to you.”
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2020Fran gave a slight nod, then returned to the orphanage. A bit later, Lutz came back.
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2032“Myne, the basement of the boys’ building is all clean now, so we’re gonna start bringing in the workshop tools.”
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2034“Okay. Thanks, Lutz.”
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2036“These people are crazy, y’know. Cleaning is like breathing to them. Never seen anyone clean as fast as them.” Lutz gave his report somewhat excitedly, then speedily walked back to his post. Almost immediately after, Fran returned, wrote down the names he heard from Gil, then power-walked back outside.
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2038Everyone was so busy, but I was stuck at my work desk (that had arrived just a few days ago), staring at Fran’s handwriting. The names of the gods were long, and there were a lot of them. I honestly wanted to suggest nicknames to the High Priest to make them easier to remember and more friendly sounding. Like, what about Flue or Rane instead of Flutrane? Haha... He’d shoot me down in a second.
2039
2040The door to the kitchen was left open so Delia could glance inside while cleaning, which meant that eventually the smell of the reward soup cooking in the kitchen started wafting into my room. It seemed that the cleanup was finishing on pace while I thought about silly things.
2041
2042“Sister Myne, the boys’ building is all clean.”
2043
2044“Good work, Gil. That just leaves the girls’ building, right?”
2045
2046“Yeah. But boys can’t go into the girls’ building other than the dining hall, so yeah.”
2047
2048“Maybe you should start preparing to distribute the soup in the dining hall?”
2049
2050Gil nodded and left excitedly, right as Lutz was walking inside.
2051
2052“Hey, Myne. The workshop’s all set up and ready, so I started steaming the potatoffels. Is that alright?”
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2062“Why are you asking permission after starting...? But well, Gil just went to get the dining hall ready, so now’s as good a time as ever to start the potatoffels.” I giggled, but Lutz leaned in and lowered his voice.
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2064“These people have never even seen potatoffels. They’ve only seen eaten food that’s already cooked. They all gathered around me when I started steaming them. It was a pain in the butt.”
2065
2066“...That makes sense. They only eat divine gifts, so the orphanage doesn’t cook meals itself. I guess it’s reasonable that they’ve never seen ingredients before?”
2067
2068Speaking of which, back in my Urano days I saw an article in a magazine saying that many kids couldn’t recognize wild carrots — they only knew the cleaned ones with the leaves cut off. If that was the case in Japan with the internet and such, it wasn’t hard at all to imagine the priests here not knowing anything that they didn’t directly encounter in their day-to-day lives.
2069
2070“Alright, I gotta go teach them how to work the butter in.” Lutz left again with butter, knives, and a grin on his face. This time, Fran entered after him.
2071
2072“As expected, the basement of the girls’ building, where the pre-baptism kids were, is proving difficult to clean. Currently, everyone assigned to cleaning the girls’ building is working together to finish it. I imagine they will be done before long. In addition, unlike the boys’ building, there are not many people presently living in the girls’ building. I have decided to give the empty rooms to the pre-baptism children, with the understanding that this is consistent with your wishes. We are currently taking their clothes and hay-stuffed mattresses to the rooms.”
2073
2074Fran’s report made me sigh in relief. It was great that the kids would have decent places to sleep.
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2082“Sister Myne, have you finished memorizing the greeting?”
2083
2084“...Somewhat, but I’m not entirely confident in my memory. Could I bring this piece of paper with me?”
2085
2086“Certainly. With that done, I will call for you when everything is prepared. Delia, please get Sister Myne ready.”
2087
2088Delia took Fran’s place and started doing my hair. She sat me in front of the mirror and pulled out my hair stick. As she held a brush in her hand, she looked at me through the mirror with a sad, pained expression.
2089
2090“...Did you save them?”
2091
2092“Right now, they’re healthy enough to stuff straw into their own new mattresses.”
2093
2094“Ah.” Despite my positive report, Delia’s expression didn’t brighten. She furrowed her brow and looked away, as if she had just swallowed something bitter.
2095
2096“...Delia, you look down. What’s wrong? Isn’t this what you wanted?”
2097
2098“I’m happy, but frustrated. Why... Why couldn’t you have saved me too, when I was there?”
2099
2100“I wasn’t even at the temple back then, that’s kind of unreasonable...”
2101
2102“I know that! I know, but...” Delia yelled out, knowing her frustration was unjustified but unable to do anything about it. Tears were on the verge of dripping out of her light-blue eyes. It was clear just how much suffering she had gone through before her baptism, just how many times she had begged to be saved to no avail. It hurt my heart to see.
2103
2104“I wasn’t in time to save you, but if you’re ever in trouble again, I’ll be there. I’ll save you next time, so please... don’t cry.”
2105
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2112“I’m not crying!”
2113
2114“S-Sorr—”
2115
2116“Don’t apologize to your attendant!” Delia aggressively rubbed her eyes while rejecting my apology. She was a proud girl and probably didn’t want to admit to crying. But still... Delia sure is being unreasonable here, isn’t she? What a cutie.
2117
2118My introduction as orphanage director was something of a special occasion, so I wore the special hair stick I had made for my baptism ceremony. It alone was enough to make even a commoner look like the daughter of a rich merchant at the very least.
2119
2120“I’ve never seen a hairpin like this before.”
2121
2122“I made it for my baptism ceremony. The Gilberta Company has started selling them recently.”
2123
2124“...You made it? Yourself?”
2125
2126“I had help, but I could make it on my own if I needed to. All I need are the materials.”
2127
2128“The materials...” Delia looked at the ornament like a carnivore that had just found its prey as she brushed my hair before I put the hair stick in myself. She wasn’t used to weaving hair around a hair stick yet, so there was no helping that.
2129
2130“Sister Myne, the preparations are ready.” The fresh soup was split into several pots, which were put onto a cart. There were many gray priests I had never seen before with Fran standing behind them. “These are the priests that will help carry and distribute the soup.”
2131
2132“Thank you all. I appreciate the help.”
2133
2134“It is we who should be thanking you. They will surely be very grateful, as there have not been many divine gifts lately.”
2135
2136“Oh, but this soup is not a divine gift. It is a reward.”
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2144
2145“A reward...?” The priests blinked, not really understanding what I meant, but I just responded with a smile.
2146
2147Fran carried me through a hall and eventually we arrived in front of the orphanage. It was a surprisingly long walk since we had to loop around the building while matching the slow pace of the cart.
2148
2149Fran set me down in front of the door and checked to make sure my hair and clothes were still neat. Once that was done, a gray priest opened the door and spoke loudly so that his voice echoed to all those within.
2150
2151“With the divine protection of the mighty King and Queen of the endless skies and the mighty Eternal Five who rule the mortal realm, the shrine maiden newly appointed as the orphanage director has arrived.”
2152
2153The door opened straight into the orphanage’s dining hall. It was a bit surprising to see rows of long tables right at the entrance, but given that divine gifts had to be delivered here daily and that boys could only enter the dining hall, it was overall fairly efficient.
2154
2155Although the rows of gray robes had been sitting on the benches, they all stood up upon my arrival and faced my way. The sheer number of eyes on me and the people clearly sizing me up made me want to look at the floor, but before I could...
2156
2157“Let us welcome her with a prayer to the gods. Blessed be the gods!” It was impossible for me to look away from the sudden sight of a mass group of people making that ridiculous praying pose.
2158
2159“Sister Myne, this way.” Fran took my hand and guided me to a podium resting on a square of carpet. The older priests closer to the entrance were making sharp poses, but the smaller kids further back were struggling to maintain their balance. It would be hard to say which of us were worse at it.
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2168
2169As everyone’s eyes returned to me after finishing their prayers, Fran set me on the podium and whispered into my ear, “Please give your speech like a noble, with dignity and authority.”
2170
2171It seemed that leaving a strong first impression would be an important step toward getting the gray priests to obey me. Just like Gil said, the gray priests and shrine maidens here all knew that I was a commoner despite being an apprentice blue shrine maiden. If I showed a lack of confidence or authority here, they would look down on me in a snap. I needed to exude the confident majesty of a noble, to keep my chin up and never lower my gaze. Keep smiling and maintain my composure. I just had to keep in mind what Benno had warned me about when we were going to give the donation.
2172
2173On our way here, Fran had said with a smile that if things got bad, I could just lightly Crush them with my mana so that they would learn their place whether they liked it or not. I didn’t exactly want to rule by fear, so ideally that wouldn’t be necessary.
2174
2175I somehow managed to memorize the long greeting, but the only experience I had talking in front of large groups was when I won some award for an essay I wrote and had to give a humiliating acceptance speech. That, and presenting my graduation thesis.
2176
2177I took a deep breath, trembling in fear from all the eyes on me, and touched the swaying flowers on my hair stick. I felt more confident with this hair stick on, since I had made it with my family.
2178
2179“Greetings, everyone. I am Myne, the one whom the High Priest selected to be the orphanage director on this vibrant summer day blessed by the God of Fire Leidenschaft. From the bottom of my heart, I express my joy for your warm welcome and future service.”
2180
2181The speech began with framing them as welcoming and serving me in a positive light, then ended with a prayer. I paused and took a breath so I wouldn’t mess up the names of the gods.
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2190“O mighty King and Queen of the endless skies, O mighty Eternal Five who rule the mortal realm, O Goddess of Water Flutrane, O God of Fire Leidenschaft, O Goddess of Wind Schutzaria, O Goddess of Earth Geduldh, O God of Life Ewigeliebe! We offer you our prayers and gratitude.”
2191
2192Fran had apparently written for me the standard greeting for formal affairs in the temple. The gray priests responded immediately. “Blessed be the gods! Glory be to the gods!”
2193
2194Fran and the High Priest had forced me to practice praying at least once a day since I started coming to the temple, so naturally I had gotten more used to it. Nobody could call me a master at it, but I wasn’t losing my balance or falling over anymore. Honestly, I’m striking a pretty mean pose right now, if I do say so myself.
2195
2196Once the greeting was over, it was time to distribute the rewards. “Most of you worked together to clean the orphanage for my sake. I have brought a reward for those of you who did. Fran, please give the hard workers their reward.”
2197
2198“As you wish, Sister Myne.” Fran took out a wooden board and began listing off the names of those who didn’t work. The gray priests distributing the soup skipped over those who had their names called, giving food only to the others. This looks like lunches being handed out at school, I thought absentmindedly while watching, until suddenly a boy about the same age as Gil who hadn’t been given food stood up and glared at me with his face bright red.
2199
2200“This isn’t fair! Divine gifts are supposed to be given out equally! You’re a commoner and you don’t eve—”
2201
2202“Indeed, divine gifts are given equally.” I smiled brightly at the boy who was acting entirely like Gil had at first. “But these are not divine gifts. Did you not hear me when I said these are rewards given to those who worked hard for my sake? Rewards are not equal.
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2211Unfortunately, those who do no work will not be rewarded. There is a saying that ‘he who does not work, shall not eat.’ You would all do well to remember this saying.”
2212
2213The boy probably hadn’t expected me to argue back. He looked at me, stunned, as if he had forgotten his anger entirely. “...A-A reward?”
2214
2215“Yes, a reward. Do your work next time. Also, I have brought further rewards for those who worked especially hard. Those who have their names called, please come to the front with your plates.”
2216
2217Gray priests opened the steamers that Lutz had put the buttered potatoffels into. The scent of butter drifted through the dining hall. As Fran listed off names, priests and shrine maidens timidly came to the front while glancing at those around them. A gray priest placed one buttered potatoffel onto each plate.
2218
2219“I heard that you raced to where the children were and began cleaning before anyone else. Thank you.”
2220
2221“I was told you cleaned exceptionally fast. Lutz praised your work.” “You proactively carried the heaviest loads yourself, yes? Fine work.”
2222
2223I was just reading off the memo that Fran and Lutz had written about the hardest workers, but all of them looked at me with emotionally stricken expressions. Some of them even looked like Gil had, a sign that they had never been praised even once before in their life.
2224
2225I couldn’t help but realize just how blessed I was to have a family like mine. Visions of my family heaping praise on me for every little thing I managed to do ran through my head. I felt that from now on I would need to search for the good points in the priests and give them my praise as the orphanage director.
2226
2227“Please continue your hard work. But for now, eat.”
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2238The following day, I held a cooking class. Groups were split into those washing vegetables, those cutting vegetables, and those lighting and maintaining fires beneath the pots. Participants were being taught by Tuuli and Ella. Hugo, meanwhile, was working hard to make dinner by himself.
2239
2240Ella and Tuuli primarily taught how to cut the vegetables. Adults used large chopping knives while kids used smaller multi-purpose knives. The fresh soup would be their reward and dinner, so everyone took their learning seriously. They were full of curiosity for the raw meat and vegetables that they had never seen before, and awkwardly chopped them up with inexperienced movements.
2241
2242I observed as everyone made the first meal produced by the Myne Workshop. Fran told me that it would be fine to watch, but as a blue shrine maiden, helping at all was strictly forbidden. I felt eyes on my back and turned around to see the boy who had skipped out on work yesterday glancing my way while proactively chopping as many vegetables as he could. His intentions were so clear it was adorable, so I gave him extra reward fruit.
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2279Ideas for New Products
2280
2281Work at the orphanage was progressing at a steady rate. They cooked soup several times after the cooking class and managed to work quicker as they got used to it. The size difference between chopped vegetables was diminishing steadily. At times there were some kids who tried to put weird ingredients into the wrong soups, but it was mainly just funny to see the other kids rushing to stop them. I got the feeling that everyone looked brighter than before, maybe due to finally getting enough to eat. Soon enough, it became habit for them to do temple work in the morning and make soup in the afternoon.
2282
2283Dad and Tuuli coincidentally both had a day off on the same day, so I forced a meeting with Benno, who had just returned after being absent for a few days visiting another city, and asked permission to borrow Lutz.
2284
2285“Mr. Benno! Please lend Lutz to me all day today!”
2286
2287“Sure, but only if I get to have you all day the next day.”
2288
2289“...Is it just me, or do you have an evil look in your eyes right now?”
2290
2291“Pretty sure that’s just you.”
2292
2293It’s definitely not just me. I eyed Benno’s poker face cautiously, but in any case, with Lutz down I just had to get Tuuli and Dad on board.
2294
2295“Dad, Tuuli, please. I want you to bring the orphanage kids to the forest! With you around, Dad, you should be able to get a bunch of kids the guards don’t know through the gate, right?”
2296
2297“...I don’t mind, but won’t taking a bunch of orphans outside the city cause problems?”
2298
2299“I have the High Priest’s permission, so it’ll be fine.” Dad had looked doubtful that I had gotten permission to do this, but he agreed to
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2308help. Tuuli also agreed to help since she was going to the forest anyway.
2309
2310“I’m okay with bringing them, but what do you want to make them do out there, anyway?”
2311
2312“Lutz will be there to teach them how to make paper, but I want you to teach them how to gather in the forest while the paper’s being made. They’ve never been to the forest before.”
2313
2314Tuuli knew from teaching the orphans to cook that they lived in an entirely different world from us. She frowned a bit, likely thinking back to how she had to teach them how to hold knives in the first place.
2315
2316“Wouldn’t it be better to bring more people to teach them, since none of them will have been to the forest before?”
2317
2318“You’re right, but I’ll be exposing how to make paper here. I want to only involve people close to me, if possible.”
2319
2320“Okay. I’ll help you, Myne.”
2321
2322“Yay! Thanks, Tuuli!”
2323
2324And so, I assembled the personages necessary to take a bunch of the orphans — mainly those apprentice age or younger, but not all — to the forest. There were only a few adult priests, and most of them wanted to go, but they would need to stay at the temple this time. We had to go to the forest in the morning to have enough time to make the paper, and that would interfere with the adults’ daily work.
2325
2326Everyone brought baskets, knives, billhooks for cutting wood, pots, and steamers. Lutz would teach them to gather volrin wood, steam it, peel off the bark, and make paper just like we had done together before our baptism. As the wood steamed, Tuuli and Dad would teach them how to gather. But to help prevent information leaks, they would teach only the distinguishing features of the wood, not
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2334
2335the name, and for now we didn’t mention the ash and tororo parts of the process. That was mainly to minimize the chance of someone violating our magic contract by attempting to sell plant paper.
2336
2337“Sister Myne, I’m gonna go learn. I’m gonna pay attention.” “Yes, Gil. Go learn to gather and make paper well.”
2338
2339Gil went off to the forest with his eyes sparkling, but I was staying behind at the temple. I had to do paperwork for the High Priest with Fran, get prayer lines beaten into my head, and suffer criticism for my prayer posture down to the movements of my fingers.
2340
2341The passing days seemed calm and peaceful on the outside, but there was a constant storm going on in my head. Or well, maybe it would be more accurate to say there was a burning chariot which I rode into the sunset as my pockets emptied. I had spent an exorbitant amount of money furnishing my room, the kitchen, and the orphanage. My money was draining, and fast. Considering that I might be forced to spend some unknown amount of money on noble obligations or some such thing, I wanted to fill my pockets again as soon as possible.
2342
2343“I sold the idea for hangers earlier, and I should save cooking-related things for when the restaurant’s open, so... What should I do here? Maybe I should finally turn the things I talked to Lutz about earlier into products? Mmm...”
2344
2345“Sister Myne, you seem to have something on your mind. Might I ask what it is?”
2346
2347“I’m just thinking about money, really...”
2348
2349We headed to gate, thinking that it was about time for everyone to be getting back from the forest, and on the way we heard excited chattering from the other side of the gate. The kids came running into the temple with big smiles on their faces.
2350
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2352
2353
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2356
2357
2358“Sister Myne! We’re back!”
2359
2360“Welcome back. Did you gather a lot of things at the forest?”
2361
2362“We brought back lots of black bark.”
2363
2364“I brought the most!”
2365
2366“I see! Very impressive. Now you just have to take the bark to the workshop to dry. Lutz, if you would.”
2367
2368Lutz set up the black bark to dry in the Myne Workshop, Dad explained how to maintain a knife, and Tuuli taught them how to prepare and eat what they gathered in the forest.
2369
2370“Now then, let us express our thanks for those who have taught you so much.” I had intended for them to just say “Thank you!” and leave it at that, but I forget we were in the temple. The orphans all yelled “Praise be to our teachers!” and genuflected, their heads pressed against the floor. Dad and Tuuli were both so shocked they recoiled a bit.
2371
2372“...Um, this is how people in the temple express their thanks, so... I-It’s kind of like saying they’re as grateful to you as they are to the gods, which is, um, good...”
2373
2374“Yeah, I know. I know, but dang. It threw me off.”
2375
2376I explained to Dad and Tuuli what was going on in a quiet voice, then had the orphans — who had finished genuflecting — return to the orphanage.
2377
2378“The priests who stayed behind made soup. Remember to wash your hands before you eat. Also, be absolutely certain to clean yourselves before bed. You must have gotten very sweaty out there, given the heat.”
2379
2380After seeing the orphans off, I let out a heavy sigh. “Sorry, everyone. Could you wait here for me? I’ll go get changed.” I returned to my room with Fran and had Delia change my clothes. When I had plans
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2384
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2386
2387to stop by Benno’s store I could preemptively wear my apprentice merchant clothes and leave after just taking off my robes, but today I had worn my normal clothes just like Tuuli, which meant I had to change my entire outfit.
2388
2389“Sister Myne, please get several more pairs of blue robes. Yours are all dusty since you’ve been to the basement. I want to wash them, which isn’t easy when you don’t have any spares,” complained Delia. The temple’s blue robes were made of high-quality cloth that felt smooth as silk. Buying spares would probably cost a hefty chunk of cash. I would need to think hard about making money.
2390
2391“I’m back, sorry.” I returned to the workshop after changing my clothes and locked the door. After giving Fran the key, I began the journey home with everyone.
2392
2393“Lutz, I will now report what Myne did today.” Fran, holding a board, reported to Lutz what I had done over the day and how healthy I seemed. He had to do that pretty much every day, but it was hard to open ink jars and use pens outside, so he wasn’t able to write down everything he wanted to. Which made me suddenly remember something.
2394
2395...Maybe it’s finally time to make the notepad? I could expect for there to be enough demand to make them profitable since they weren’t common, and plant paper was still expensive enough to drive up the price. It was possible that notepads were more common than I thought, but they would still be good gifts for people like Fran and Lutz.
2396
2397I started running through the steps in my head and figuring out what materials I needed, when suddenly I realized that Dad had picked me up at some point and we were already at the central plaza.
2398
2399“Lutz, Lutz!” Still held up by Dad, I called out to Lutz, who was walking next to Tuuli. “Does Mr. Benno know any metal workshops?”
2400
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2407“Yeah, he does. What’s up? Thought of something new?”
2408
2409“Uh huh! Though I’ll want to ask Ralph or Sieg to shape up some wooden planks for me.” Not even Lutz, who was fairly dexterous with his fingers, could compare to the skills Ralph and Sieg had developed through training to be carpenters. I learned that well when they helped me make the hanger. Not to mention that since I intended to give a finished notepad to Lutz as a gift, it would be better if he wasn’t personally involved with making it.
2410
2411“What, you’re not gonna ask me, your ol’ dad?”
2412
2413“You worked hard enough already today, Dad. Don’t worry about this.”
2414
2415“I’ve still got some fight left in me today.”
2416
2417“Really? You’re not going to drink and fall asleep?” I pursed my lips and peered at my Dad. After spending all day working outside and instructing a bunch of greenhorns, it was hard to imagine him doing anything but drinking and sleeping as soon as he could.
2418
2419“...It’ll be fine.”
2420
2421“You always say that, Dad. You’re definitely going to drink and fall asleep, definitely.” Tuuli said exactly what I was thinking. Unable to argue with Tuuli, Dad gave an exaggerated frown, his eyebrows digging into the bridge of his nose.
2422
2423“If you promise you’ll do it before you drink, I’ll ask you instead, since it is a bit late to be going to Lutz’s place.”
2424
2425“Alright, alright, I promise. Sheesh, you two are starting to act more like Effa every day.”
2426
2427“...And you think that’s the cutest thing in the world, yeah? We’ve all heard this before, lots of times.” Lutz shrugged as we all laughed.
2428
2429After having Dad measure Lutz’s hand, we went home.
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2437“So, what do you want me to make?”
2438
2439Once home, Dad finished dinner while resisting the urge to drink. I started rummaging through our storage room for a suitable plank and tools.
2440
2441“So, Dad. Which would be easier, carving out a lot of space out of a plank to pour wax into, or hammering in thick blocks around a thin plank to create a square space to pour wax into?”
2442
2443“Yeah, gotta be the second one.”
2444
2445“The wax won’t flow out?”
2446
2447“Depends on how you do it, but it should be fine.”
2448
2449With Dad’s suggestion in mind, I peered into the basket packed full of planks and looked for one of a good size.
2450
2451“Okay. I want you to use a plank about this thick to make two boards the size of my hand, two the size of Lutz’s hand, and two the size of your hand.”
2452
2453“How deep?”
2454
2455“About as my deep as my finger, so the wax doesn’t flow out. Oh, and we’ll need holes to put string or rings through, so leave some space on the top end. Basically, I want something like this.” I explained while drawing a picture and Dad nodded, rubbing his chin, then got to work.
2456
2457While Dad was busy, Tuuli and I bathed. The middle of summer was approaching and even just doing paperwork was enough to get me sweaty, not to mention that Tuuli was covered in dirt from going to the forest.
2458
2459“So, Myne. What are you having Dad make?”
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2473I got into the washtub first while Tuuli washed my hair with handmade rinsham. I answered while enjoying the bliss of my scalp being massaged. “A notepad.”
2474
2475“A notepad? Isn’t that what you called that bundle of failed paper you had?”
2476
2477“I would have liked to use good paper, but yes.” I smiled and wiped my body down. Once that was done, we switched places and I started washing Tuuli’s hair. “To be more accurate, I’m actually making what’s called a (diptych), but you can just think of it as a notepad that’s harder to erase than a stone slate.”
2478
2479“Why did you ask if Benno knew any metal workshops?” “I want to order a (stylus).”
2480
2481
2482The next day, I put the modified boards Dad had made me in my tote bag, had Lutz carry it for me, and went to the Gilberta Company with him just like I usually did. Since I had sold my soul to Benno for the day in return for borrowing Lutz, the timing couldn’t have been better.
2483
2484“Mr. Benno, please tell me what store sells wax and introduce me to a metal workshop.”
2485
2486“What’re you plotting this time?”
2487
2488“Do you really have to phrase it like that...? I want to make a gift for Lutz and Fran, but I can’t make it myself, so I want you to introduce me to workshops that can.”
2489
2490The moment I said that, Lutz’s eyes fell to my tote bag. He blinked in confusion after seeing the boards packed inside. “A gift for me and Fran...? What about Gil?”
2491
2492“I think stone slates will be better for Gil and Delia, since they don’t know how to write yet.”
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2500Lutz gave a disinterested “Hmmm,” but he was smiling a bit. In contrast, Benno’s mouth was bent into a frown.
2501
2502“Hey. Myne. You don’t have anything for me?”
2503
2504“...If you see the finished products and want one, you can order better bases from carpenters. One carved by an amateur wouldn’t suit you.”
2505
2506Benno, as the owner of a large store surrounded by expensive things at all times, would undoubtedly stick out if he was using a crudely carved diptych. They were fine as gifts, but I wouldn’t want to drag him down into the mud like that.
2507
2508“Alright, you wanted a wax store and a smithy, right? Let’s go.” He took me to a store that sold wax and I requested that they pour wax into the concave inside of the board. I watched as they lined up the six boards my Dad made and poured in the wax. It didn’t even take a minute. Waiting for the wax to harden took a lot longer.
2509
2510“This’s a simple job for us, but an odd one. What’ll you be using these for?”
2511
2512“Umm, (diptychs).” I talked to the older man behind the counter while waiting, but he couldn’t really grasp what I wanted. Naturally, someone who didn’t write much would find no need for a notepad. Which made me question whether diptychs would be a particularly successful product. Well... looks like I might need to think of some other products.
2513
2514Once the wax hardened enough, we headed to the smithy. Witnessing Benno get what I wanted so easily reminded me of the importance of personal connections and wealth. This was a big step up from when I had just become Myne and had to rely entirely on trial and error.
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2516“I’m Benno from the Gilberta Company. Is the foreman here?” We headed to a smithy in the craftsman’s alley and Benno opened the
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2524door before calling out inside. A wave of heat hotter than the summer sun came flowing out of the open door. That was natural since any smithy would be using fire, but it was still hot enough to make me jump with surprise.
2525
2526I peered inside, my heart racing with thoughts of what might be inside, but it seemed that all the work was being done behind a tightly shut door that was radiating heat. Once the apprentice tending to the store disappeared into the back, the front area of the smithy had nothing but a counter for taking orders and a simple table with chairs. As I looked around the empty storefront, a massive man with arms thicker than my waist came out from the back, his great big bushy beard contrasting with the wispy strands of hair on his head. His large, wide eyes were kind of scary.
2527
2528“Hey, Benno. What brings you here? More buttons for a noble?” “Nah, not this time. This girl has an order for you.” “This little twerp? Hah, let’s hear it!”
2529
2530“U-Um! First, I want circular rings to connect two boards, like this.” After I drew a picture of two boards being connected by rings and showed it to the foreman, he nodded.
2531
2532“I also want (styluses).”
2533
2534“You want what now?”
2535
2536I erased the diptych drawing and drew the styluses I wanted. It was like a metal pen, but with a small pointed tip so as to dig letters into the wax, with the opposite tip flat to fill the letters back in. If possible, I also wanted a clip on it so it could be attached to the rings connecting the boards.
2537
2538“I would like three of these.”
2539
2540“The heck are these? They’re pretty tiny... Hey, Johann! Give these a shot.” After staring at the stone slate for a bit, the foreman went to
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2544233
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2546
2547
2548the back and called out for someone named Johann. Before long, a younger boy who couldn’t be more than twenty, his bright orange hair tied behind his head.
2549
2550“This is Johann, my apprentice. But don’t let that fool ya, he’s good with this kinda tiny stuff. Might as well be a master himself by now.”
2551
2552“I’m Johann, nice to meet you. What are you ordering today?”
2553
2554I showed him the slate and gave him the same explanation I gave the foreman. Johann took out a board and started scratching out what looked like blueprints. His art was a lot neater than mine; just what I would expect from a professional.
2555
2556“Just how small do you want the tip to be, exactly?”
2557
2558“About as thin as a sewing needle, and please make the tip sharp and pointed. But it would be hard to hold if it was all that thin, so please make the part where you hold it to be as thick as a normal pen.”
2559
2560“Those aren’t very precise directions.” Johann set aside his pen with a sigh and went out back to retrieve several metal cylinders. He lined them up on the counter and asked me to try holding them.
2561
2562“Which thickness is easiest for you to hold?” “Umm, this one of me. What about you, Lutz?”
2563
2564“If we’re talking about pens, this one would be easiest for me to write with.”
2565
2566Lutz and I had different hand sizes, so the thickness and weight of an ideal pen differed significantly.
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2661I looked up at Benno.
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2663“I want one for Fran too, so could you pick one?”
2664
2665“...This one. And make two of these. I want one too.”
2666
2667“Wha? But a (stylus) on its own isn’t good for anything, it needs a diptych to write on. “
2668
2669“I can make one of those later. Smithing takes time, so ordering it now will save time later.”
2670
2671I nodded and asked Johann for four. He nodded back at me and asked further questions.
2672
2673“Can you describe the flat end more? What will you be using for? How wide do you want it? What about the angle here? What, exactly, is a ‘clip’? You want to attach the things to the rings? Then the rings will have to be as thick as the clip. How long do you want them?” His questions were so precise it caught me off guard, but with this level of detail I was all but guaranteed a satisfactory result. That made me happy, so I answered each of his questions in turn.
2674
2675Meanwhile, Benno and the foreman discussed Johann nearby. He was a brainy kid with an obsession for details, and his work was always perfect, but at the cost of speed. Not to mention that a lot of customers got annoyed at his deluge of questions. I appreciated his attention to detail, but apparently not many people out there shared the sentiment.
2676
2677“Johann would have an easier life if he learned to loosen up and compromise a bit. But his work’s so good ’cause he doesn’t do that. I’m hoping to find a patron that can really make use of his talents. Any leads on that, Benno?”
2678
2679Benno fell into thought, then glanced at me. But the foreman snorted, “Not the girl though, she’s too much of a twerp. Can’t be a
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2685
2686patron ’til you’re an adult and got enough money to support someone.”
2687
2688“You’re not wrong.” Benno cut the conversation short there, so I fell silent too.
2689
2690    But I mean... I am the forewoman of my own workshop, and I do have some money I can use for myself. I like Johann’s attention to detail, so if I also like the finished product, I’ll always come here when I need metal work done. Mhm.
2691
2692“Hey, Myne. Don’t doze off. If you’re done ordering, we’re going to a carpenter.” Benno picked me up and strode out of the smithy. It seemed that Benno was determined to have his own diptych made.
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2740237
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2742
2743Diptychs and Cards
2744
2745We left the smithy and went to a carpentry workshop. It was a short walk since both were in the craftsman’s alley. We passed by about three workshops before arriving at a large door with a carved design on the front, showing a chisel and a saw crossed in front of a large tree. Benno opened the door and walked in while still carrying me.
2746
2747“I’m Benno from the Gilberta Company. Is the foreman here?” “Sorry. The foreman is out right n— Wait, Myne?!” “Oh, this is the workshop you work at, Sieg?”
2748
2749There was a familiar face at the workshop. Lutz’s second oldest brother Sieg, who was just the perfect height to make eye contact with me in Benno’s arms, was standing with his jaw dropped.
2750
2751“...You know this kid?”
2752
2753“He’s Lutz’s older brother. Out of all three, he’s the second oldest.”
2754
2755Benno set me down, at which point Sieg finally managed to notice Lutz. I could hear him whisper, “Is that really you, Lutz?”
2756
2757Lutz always got changed in the room he was borrowing from the Gilberta Company. No doubt this was the first time Sieg had ever seen Lutz wearing his apprentice clothes with his hair brushed. He looked completely different wearing his work clothes than he did when wearing his normal clothes and hauling a basket to go to the forest and such.
2758
2759“Hmph. Lutz’s older brother, huh? I’m here to make an order. “
2760
2761“O-One moment, please. I’ll go get my supervisor.” Sieg hurriedly dashed into the store, and after a moment’s wait, a somewhat wider man came out.
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2763“Heya, Benno. Welcome. What can I make for ya this time?”
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2772Benno called for Lutz, who put the diptych I was making for Fran on the table. Benno then stated his order while pointing at it. “I want you to make a wood cover the same size as this. Put my store’s crest on the front, and carve my name on the back.”
2773
2774The supervisor took out a low-tech tape measure and measured the diptych all over while writing measurements onto a board. As they began discussing what kind of wood to use, the spelling of his name, details of the crest, and the kind of lettering to use, Sieg popped back out to the front of the store, probably concerned about Lutz’s presence.
2775
2776“Sieg, can I make an order too?”
2777
2778“You, Myne...? Sure, I guess.”
2779
2780“I want boards that are thin, but hard. All the same size, which should be about...” I started to estimate the size with my hands, so Sieg hurriedly went and got a tape measure. After deciding on the width and height, we determined the thickness. Then I told him, “I want seventy of these.”
2781
2782“Seventy?! What do you need that many for?”
2783
2784“Eheheh, I’m going to make (karuta) for the thirty-five letters of the alphabet.”
2785
2786Gil and Delia were apprentice attendants. But they were illiterate, and apparently attendants needed to know how to read and write so they could do paperwork, write their master’s letters, and basically do a lot of things that Fran was doing for me. I could tell clear as day that Gil would get jealous if I gave Fran a gift but not him. When I thought about what gift I could get Gil, the first thing I tried to think of was something that would help him have fun learning to read.
2787
2788Karuta were a kind of Japanese playing cards, and if I made them out of sturdy wooden boards, then all the kids in the orphanage could have fun playing with them. The orphans would have to learn to read
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2796eventually, so they might as well get a head start with something fun.
2797
2798“Karu-what? Are you making something weird again?” “Uh huh, I sure am. How long will it take?”
2799
2800“...Won’t be too long, it’s basically just cutting them to be the same size.”
2801
2802“Just cutting it won’t be enough. You need polish it so the corners and sides are smooth.”
2803
2804“Like that hair stick of yours?”
2805
2806I gave a big nod and Sieg scratched his head. Polishing each one individually would probably take a lot of time, but I wasn’t in that much of a hurry to finish the karuta boards.
2807
2808“It’ll take about ten days for the other stuff I’m ordering to finish, so just finish them before then if you can.”
2809
2810“Yeah? That’s plenty of time.”
2811
2812“How about I pay twice as much for each board as I did for the hair sticks you made for us over the winter?”
2813
2814“I’ll have to ask my supervisor about that. I’m not too good with prices,” said Sieg.
2815
2816Sieg’s supervisor seemed to have finished his discussion with Benno a moment ago, and had been listening in on our conversation. “What’d he make for you before?”
2817
2818“Sieg helped us make hair sticks for our winter handiwork. One middle copper each.”
2819
2820“So that’d be two middle coppers each this time, huh? Not a bad price for a personal request, but it’s hard to say that’s a fair price for a workshop job, yeah?” The supervisor spoke with a grin, but I hadn’t actually offered a particularly low price. I knew the price of wood
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2828from buying lumber for our paper, and I knew the wages that craftsmen were paid.
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2830Lutz must have noticed the same thing, because he looked at the supervisor with sharp eyes. “If we assume that this workshop’s handling fee is thirty percent, then given the price of wood and the pay of craftsmen, Myne’s offer was actually more than enough to cover this job. Especially since she’s not ordering just one, she’s ordering seventy. You’re looking down on Myne because she looks like a pre-baptism child, aren’t you?” finished Lutz with a smile closely resembling Mark’s, making the supervisor flinch.
2831
2832“Lutz! What’re you doing?!”
2833
2834“My job.”
2835
2836Sieg yelled like he usually did when bullying Lutz at home, and Lutz replied without taking his eyes off the supervisor. It seemed that Benno and Mark had trained him extremely well, given that he could negotiate with an adult on equal terms. He had come so far from a year ago, when he wasn’t even able to read more than a few numbers and had rejoiced over learning to write his name. His growth was inspiring.
2837
2838“Sieg, don’t interrupt, Lutz is negotiating with the supervisor right now. You just said you don’t understand prices much, didn’t you?” I threw Lutz a helping hand and Sieg looked between him and me with distress written on his face.
2839
2840“But Myne, Lutz is... He’s...”
2841
2842“He’s working really hard as an apprentice merchant. Just like you’re learning the skills necessary for your job, Lutz is leaning the wisdom and techniques necessary to be a merchant.”
2843
2844In this world where practically all information had to be earned through direct communication, it was extremely rare for kids to successfully find jobs without their family’s help. I could imagine that
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2852Lutz’s family had continued to reject his employment without ever actually seeing him do his job. I was probably witnessing the first time any of them saw Lutz at work. Sieg looked at Lutz with a conflicted expression, like he wanted to say something but wasn’t able to.
2853
2854“Sieg, why not be happy that Lutz is working hard and being successful?”
2855
2856“......”
2857
2858Lutz and the supervisor ultimately settled on the price I had first suggested. Benno, who had been fondly regarding Lutz’s personal growth, lifted me up with one arm and used the other to ruffle Lutz’s hair while walking out of the carpentry workshop. Over his shoulder, I could see Sieg frowning.
2859
2860
2861
2862Ten days later, the styluses and the boards which would become karuta were finished. Naturally, the diptych frame Benno ordered was finished too. He took the ornately carved frame to his store, looking pleased, and poured wax into it to finish the job.
2863
2864“So, Myne. How do you use this thing?” Benno held up his diptych, looking excited. Lutz was holding his own, and seemed interested too.
2865
2866“These exist to make it easier to write notes on the go. You can write letters in the wax by using the stylus stuck to the rings. The frame is small enough to hold with one hand, and unlike paper, it’s firm enough to write on without pressing it against a surface. The good thing about diptychs is that you don’t need a servant holding ink following you around.”
2867
2868Benno promptly held up the diptych with one hand and wrote on it. He carved into the wax with the pointed tip, leaving marks within. “...I get it. The marks stay in the wax.”
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2876“That’s right, and they won’t go away when you close it, unlike how easy it is to accidentally rub the markings off of slates. But since there’s limited space, you should rewrite the notes on paper or boards once you get home. Once that’s done, you can use it again by smoothing out the wax... I think.” I had never actually used a diptych before, though I had read about them in books. They said that in the past, tax collectors had jotted notes on them while sitting on the backs of horses.
2877
2878“Even if the wax inside starts breaking up, you can just dig it out and pour fresh wax inside. So... do you think these will be good products?”
2879
2880“They’ll sell exclusively to merchants and nobles, since most commoners are illiterate. With that demographic in mind, we’ll need to work with a carpentry workshop that can deliver high-quality engravings. But the convenience of just being able to write on the spot without ink makes up for it.” Benno listed his thoughts on the diptych while stroking the engraving of his crest.
2881
2882“Will they sell well?”
2883
2884“Probably with merchants, but I don’t know about nobles. They have attendants carrying pens and ink at all times, after all. Though... no reason nobles wouldn’t buy them for their attendants, now that I think about it.”
2885
2886“I actually thought of these while watching Fran work. The ones attendants use won’t need that much decoration, which should save on costs.”
2887
2888“Alright, I’ll buy the rights.”
2889
2890I promptly sold the rights to diptychs to Benno. The Myne Workshop couldn’t make them since they needed metal styluses, and in any case, I needed the money immediately.
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2900“By the way, Myne. What’re you gonna use the boards for?” Benno asked about the boards currently stuffed haphazardly into a bag. The carpentry workshop didn’t offer any particular bagging services, so you brought your own bags to carry your order home. Once the karuta were done, it would probably be smart for me to ask Dad to make me a convenient carrying case.
2901
2902“These are (karuta). They’re not finished yet; I’ll need to write on them first. Half of them will be picture cards, one for each letter of the alphabet, with the picture being something that has its name start with that letter. For example...”
2903
2904I opened my diptych, drew a picture on the left side, then wrote the letter on the right side: a picture of a stylus and the letter S. That was basically half of what fully fledged karuta would be. I then added the line “Stylus: What you use to write on a diptych” beneath the letter.
2905
2906I showed my creation to Benno proudly, but he looked at me with something closely resembling a horrified grimace. “...Are you planning on drawing all of these?”
2907
2908“Yes? I don’t want to trust this to someone who isn’t familiar with karuta. After all, I intend to give them to Gil as a gift.” But for some reason, Lutz was cradling his head.
2909
2910“Myne, let someone else take care of these. Especially the art. With skills like that nobody will even know what the drawings are supposed to be. Think about how Gil will feel getting these.”
2911
2912“Yeah. Your handwriting’s great, but your art is awful,” Benno added.
2913
2914Their merciless criticism made me gasp. I wasn’t that bad at drawing. At the very least, nobody had called me bad at art back in my Urano days.
2915
2916“...M-My art’s not bad! It might look odd since I took some artistic liberties, but that’s what it means to be a trailblazer! The world will understand my talent sooner or later, it’ll be fine.”
2917
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2922
2923
2924“Yeah, you’re not fooling anybody. Give up and face the facts. You need to let someone else draw the art for you. Got it?”
2925
2926I’m not bad...! I’m not!
2927
2928Since I didn’t know whether Benno and Lutz’s appraisal of my art was accurate, I went to my temple chambers the next day and asked my attendants.
2929
2930“...And that is what Benno told me,” I explained, showing Delia my art in the diptych. Her eyes widened.
2931
2932“Well, it looks like he was right. Have you never seen a piece of art in your life before, Sister Myne?”
2933
2934“Nah, she’s gotta have seen the art in the temple halls and stuff. She’s just bad at art, plain and simple.”
2935
2936Delia and Gil launched spears through my heart. Wounded, I turned to Fran, only to seem him averting his gaze while furrowing his brows uncomfortably.
2937
2938“...Well. In a manner of speaking, your art is very unique.”
2939
2940My attendants had been raised in a temple where the chapel, halls, and so on were filled with high-class paintings and sculptures, not to mention the decorations in the blue priests’ rooms. To them art needed to be realistic and detailed, with my kind of cutesy simple art flying in the face of what they were used to.
2941
2942“Sister Myne, might I suggest that you entrust the art to Wilma? She received art lessons from the blue shrine maiden she served in the past.”
2943
2944“Really? Art lessons? Attendants can do art too?”
2945
2946“...Different masters require different talents from their attendants.”
2947
2948Upon being baptized, orphans became apprentice gray priests and began doing laundry, cleaning the chapel, sweeping the halls, and so
2949
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2957on. During that time one might be chosen by an attendant to become an apprentice attendant thanks either to their hard work or the whims of circumstance. Once selected as an apprentice attendant, their home would move from the orphanage to the Noble’s Quarter. They would do work more or less like normal servants in the Noble’s Quarter while being taught by their elders how to become proper attendants.
2958
2959“For that reason, all attendants are taught how to welcome visitors, but the exact details of their job depends on the priest or shrine maiden that they are serving.”
2960
2961“Some apprentice shrine maidens are taught how to offer flowers,” chimed in Delia, “and some apprentice priests are taught to specialize in math.”
2962
2963I nodded at their explanation, intrigued, and turned to Gil. Naturally, his opinion was the most important since the gift was ultimately for him. “What do you think, Gil? Should I ask Wilma?”
2964
2965“Huh? Me? Why ask me?” Gil looked confused, so I explained that they would be a gift for him.
2966
2967“...You snuck food to the orphanage children every day, didn’t you? You worked the hardest for them and I want to reward that.”
2968
2969“A reward, huh? Eeeh...” Gil began to agonize over his answer the moment he learned the context. He blushed increasingly over time for some reason and ultimately cradled his head. “Guh. It’s too embarrassing, I can’t say anything...!” he mumbled to himself. He even started groaning while walking in circles.
2970
2971Maybe he had some particular feelings for Wilma. I watched on warmly, thinking that he was probably too embarrassed to go talk to her, until eventually he lifted his head with his resolve steeled.
2972
2973“The art’s fine with me either way. You should ask Wilma if you don’t have the time, but yeah. All I want is that you write the letters, Sister
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2978
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2981Myne. ’Cause, your letters are pretty, and, uh... gah, aaaaah!” Unable to bear the embarrassment, Gil dashed out of the room and down the stairs. I heard the loud slam of a door being thrown shut. He was probably holing up in his room, trembling with embarrassment.
2982
2983“...What do you think, Sister Myne?”
2984
2985“I think that Gil is not used to giving praise, and him fighting against his embarrassment to praise me was very cute. I would thus like to dedicate my all to making this karuta set..”
2986
2987“In that case, I advise asking Wilma to draw the art,” said Fran while blatantly holding back a laugh, thereby deciding my course of action. The conversation trailed off and Fran started to get back to work, so I hurriedly called out to him.
2988
2989“Wait, Fran. This is for you.”
2990
2991“...For me?”
2992
2993I took out the diptych I had made for Fran. It was larger than mine so that it would be easier for him to hold, but they were still a matching pair.
2994
2995“You have the most work out of any of us, don’t you? You’re my only adult attendant, but now you have a lot more work since I went and became the orphanage director. It must be really rough on you, and I’m grateful that you’re working so hard for me. This is my way of rewarding you.” I explained to Fran how to use the diptych, and when I told him that I had thought of making it after seeing Fran troubled at the gate, he smiled with his brown eyes crinkling.
2996
2997“To think you would make a new product for me immediately after the idea struck you... I would like to master the management of your health soon, Sister Myne, so I might honor your gratitude.”
2998
2999I noticed Delia watching Fran hold the diptych, envy clear in her eyes. She was as easy to understand as ever. “These are for you, Delia,” I
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3008said. “You didn’t go to the orphanage, but you’ve worked hard keeping the first floor clean and greeting visitors while Fran and Gil were busy.”
3009
3010“What are they?”
3011
3012“A stone slate and a slate pen. Please practice the alphabet with them. Attendants need to learn to write letters for their masters, do they not?” I wrote Delia’s name on the slate and handed it to her. She pored over the letters with her eyes locked on the slate. I had thought that she might be somewhat literate compared to Gil, but it looked like she might not have been taught any of the alphabet at all while with the High Bishop.
3013
3014“This is your name, Delia. You should start practicing by writing your name. Okay?”
3015
3016Some time passed and Gil finally calmed down and came out of his room, so I gave him his stone slate and slate pen too. He immediately began competing with Delia over who could learn to read faster, and with their enthusiasm inspiring me, I began writing out the karuta while paying close attention to each letter. I selected exclusively words related to gods and the bible so that Wilma with her temple upbringing would have an easier time drawing the art.
3017
3018When Benno saw the finished product with my letters and Wilma’s art, he immediately wanted to buy the rights to karuta, but I wanted to make karuta sets in the Myne Workshop for the kids. So even though Benno would normally buy total rights to a product so he could have full control, this time I made him incorporate that the Myne Workshop could continue making them, plus a thirty percent cut of profits for the idea. That meant that from now on I would earn some money each time a karuta set was sold.
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3032I let out a sigh of relief with the knowledge that my metaphorical wallet would soon be heavier. Entertainment products and educational tools might sell pretty well.
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3101
3102Preparing for the Star Festival
3103
3104I had plans to visit Corinna today so that I could order spare blue robes and a set of ceremonial robes. I initially ordered the ceremonial robes through Benno since they would take time to make, but apparently she needed to talk to me directly to discuss embroidery patterns, the type of sash, the payment, and so on.
3105
3106This time, Corinna said I could bring my mother or sister with me. She was pregnant and could use the help taking measurements. Benno had measured me over my clothes before, but since it seemed that we would have a long business relationship with each other, she wanted to start getting proper measurements of me sooner rather than later. To that end, I was bringing Tuuli with me while Lutz stayed at home. Mom was a little sick, and although she wanted to come with us, Dad put his foot down.
3107
3108“Ceremonial clothes use really good cloth, don’t they? I’ve never seen cloth that’s this soft and silky before!” Tuuli touched the cloth with sparkling eyes after taking off my clothes and measuring me. The workshop she worked at didn’t get orders for clothes that needed such fine cloth. In my case, I was using the high-quality cloth Benno gave the temple. It was originally white, but I had already given it to my Mom to dye blue at the dyeing workshop where she worked. It was now a deep blue resembling lapis lazuli, which matched the color of my hair well.
3109
3110“Myne, you can put your clothes back on now. Tuuli, thank you for your help. The ceremonial robes will be embroidered with the words of a prayer. When the light shines on them, the gold and silver will shine beautifully.” On top of that, the front of the neck would have a crest sewn onto it. Most nobles used their family crests, but I was using my workshop’s crest since I didn’t have a family one.
3111
3112“This is your crest, Myne?”
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3119
3120
3121“Uh huh. This is a book. This is pen with a jar of ink. There’s also wood, symbolizing paper, and the flower hairpins I made. I thought up my own crest, but Benno made me add a lot of other things.”
3122
3123“Come on, Myne. You probably made something weird that he had to fix.”
3124
3125“...Mean. He just said it was too simple, that’s all.”
3126
3127Corinna giggled at our conversation while spreading the blue cloth across the table. The lustrous piece of cloth covered the whole table, rippling like the ocean.
3128
3129“In normal cases, the creation of ceremonial clothing begins with the selection of thread and weaving techniques to bring rise to certain designs on the cloth. But this time, we are using preexisting cloth because there is not enough time to begin from scratch. I believe I would like to embroider the cloth with thread of the same color such that a design arises when the light strikes it, but what design might you like, Myne?”
3130
3131When asked what design I wanted woven directly into the cloth, I first thought of a kimono. Maybe she was talking about making a damask similar to the classical Japanese rinzu, often used in kimonos of the Edo period. Still, even considering that the outfit would be much smaller than an adult’s due to my short height, those robes needed large swaying sleeves that necessitated a large body of cloth. Embroidering it all wouldn’t take as long as weaving cloth from scratch, but it would still require a lot of work.
3132
3133“Um, Mrs. Corinna. I actually haven’t looked closely at any pieces of ceremonial clothing before, and I don’t have any ideas for designs I might want. But if you’re going to be embroidering all this cloth, the simpler the better, I think.” I probably saw ceremonial clothing at my own baptism, but my memories were dominated by the praying pose
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3143
3144and stumbling upon the book room. I remembered the bible that the High Priest had, but not the fancy clothes he’d been wearing.
3145
3146“Myne, a noble’s ceremonial clothes can’t be simple!” Tuuli insisted. “They’ll look down on you for being a commoner and stuff.”
3147
3148“But embroidering it all really will be a lot of work. Don’t you think a simple design would make it a lot easier?” As I desperately tried to calm Tuuli’s indignation, Corinna put a hand on her cheek.
3149
3150“It would be nice if I could make simple embroidery appear elegant, as you made Tuuli’s baptism outfit appear fancy through simple adjustments. Do you perchance have any ideas on how to do that, Myne?” asked Corinna, leading me to search through my memories. A more broad design would necessitate less work than an intricate design that required precise sewing.
3151
3152“...What about putting flowers on flowing water? Umm, like, the water would be curving lines like this, with flowers here and there. You can make the design look fancier while minimizing the actual embroidery done by putting more space between the water lines and scattering flower petals... Probably.” I drew wavy lines on my slate, making them thick at times and thin at others to approximate flowing water, then added flowers with five heart-shaped petals here and there before scattering a bunch of tiny hearts at random places.
3153
3154“I believe that I will design a more elegant flower, but the flow of water is quite nice. I see that you truly are my brother’s Goddess of Water,” said Corinna with an amused smile, causing me to flinch. No matter how much Benno and I denied it, nobody would believe us if even his little sister Corinna was joking about it.
3155
3156“...Um, Mrs. Corinna. How far has that rumor spread?”
3157
3158“Otto is spreading it because he finds it hilarious, so I have no idea.”
3159
3160Otto, you big idiot! Benno’s going to get so mad at you!
3161
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3169
3170As I ate the lunch that Corinna ordered for me, she and Tuuli had a rousing discussion on what flowers to adorn the water flow with. I couldn’t keep up at all, since I didn’t know the names of too many flowers.
3171
3172“Mrs. Corinna,” said Tuuli, “it looks like Mr. Benno wants to come inside...”
3173
3174“Hate to interrupt your lunch, Corinna, but I’ve got something to give to Myne. Mind if I borrow her for a second?”
3175
3176“Not at all. Myne finished eating long ago and has seemed bored ever since.”
3177
3178Benno gestured me forward, so I jumped off my chair and walked to him. “Read this when you’re alone. That’s all. If you notice any solutions to the problems, do me a favor and speak up,” he said while handing me a sheet of paper. Once I had it, he casually lifted a hand in farewell and returned to the store. Um, what?
3179
3180I looked around to make sure no one was close to me, then immediately opened up the folded piece of paper. On it was a list of problems Benno was in the process of struggling with.
3181
3182“W-Wait, seriously? First there’s a list of insults and warnings for him to throw at me, and now there’s a list of problems for me to solve? I don’t want to deal with this...”
3183
3184The list had everything from trivial things, like Otto being too happy about Corinna’s pregnancy to focus on his work, to business matters like the decoration, menu, service style, and prices of the Italian restaurant. I went through each problem one by one while thinking of answers for Benno. Then, I reached the final problem — and the blood drained from my face.
3185
3186“Myne, what did he want? What’s on that paper?” I must have been standing in place for a long time, because Tuuli came over to peer at the letter with a worried expression. I hurriedly folded the paper, but
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3189253
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3193then realized that Tuuli was illiterate and sighed in relief. The list of problems might as well have been lines of squiggles to her.
3194
3195“It’s a work secret.” I quickly put the folded paper in my bag while evading Tuuli’s curiosity. I tried thinking of a solution to the final problem, but nothing came to me immediately.
3196
3197Benno had said he would take Lutz to another city after securing a location for another workshop, and I never questioned that he would. It didn’t occur to me at all that Lutz’s dad might not give him permission to go. Lutz had faith in Benno just like I did. Every time he saw Benno coming back from another city, he asked with sparkling eyes if he had found a place for the workshop yet. Benno couldn’t just go and tell him that they could leave the day his father gave him permission. That would send irreparable ruptures through Lutz’s family life.
3198
3199After all, Lutz didn’t know how to convince his dad to change his mind. As Tuuli and Corinna agreed on putting flowers for each season in the embroidery and shifted the discussion to whether to order them vertically or horizontally, I cradled my head alone.
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3202
3203“Y’know, it’s about time for the Star Festival.” “Bwuh?! Wh-Where, what?”
3204
3205Lutz spoke to me on the way to the temple, causing me to jump in surprise and look around. He narrowed his eyes and peered at me. It was enormously difficult for me to keep secrets from Lutz, since he had been managing my health for so long. That was definitely the only reason he was suspicious.
3206
3207“What’s with you, Myne? Your head’s been in the clouds all day.” “Not true! I just, um... What did you say again?”
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3218Lutz sighed, having seen through my denial that my mind was somewhere else, and then repeated himself. “The Star Festival. It’s almost here. Want to go together this year?”
3219
3220“The Star Festival...? Oh, that summer thing? It’s about playing with water, isn’t it?”
3221
3222“Not exactly. We throw taue fruits at each other.”
3223
3224Taue fruits were those tiny red fruits I saw back in the spring. They filled up with water in the summer, so much that they got to be the size of a fist. I understood it as kind of a natural water balloon, but I had never seen a swollen one myself.
3225
3226“What kind of festival is the Star Festival, if it’s not just about playing with water?”
3227
3228Since I had missed the festival every time and knew nothing about it, Lutz explained it for me. The Star Festival wasn’t about playing with water; it was a day where marriages were held. It was basically a wedding ceremony for all couples held in the lower city once a year, and the taue were thrown at those getting married.
3229
3230“When second bell rings, everyone who isn’t in the wedding goes to the forest to pick up taues. The wedding starts on third bell and ends on fourth bell. That’s when all the new married couples start going home. Everyone else waits in the central plaza and hides with their taues.”
3231
3232I mentally envisioned a huge group of people walking down the main road with water balloons in their hands. It was surreal. Beyond me, really. But it was commonplace for cultures to have wedding ceremonies that appeared odd from the outside. Back on Earth I had read books about wedding ceremonies where the attendees all had fistfights, or barged in on the marriage being consummated. I had even read about one culture where the lord of a region got to
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3242consummate all marriages. It would be wise to just think of the Star Festival as an oddity in a long string of oddities.
3243
3244“So, once all the married couples reach the central plaza, a bell rings and the battle begins. We all start throwing our taues at the couples.
3245
3246“What?! At the married couples?!”
3247
3248“Yep. The husband protects the wife while they run away. It’s like testing his worth as a man. Most of the couples end up hit with a lot of fruit and throw some back while running around the city sopping wet.”
3249
3250The festival was more bizarre than I had expected. Japan itself had some odd marriage traditions, like exchanging strange gifts, but it all had meaning. Maybe there was some deep symbolic meaning to a city-wide water balloon fight that I just didn’t get, like the seeds of the fruit symbolizing fertility or something.
3251
3252“But y’see, the people who throw the taue fruit the hardest are the people who didn’t manage to get married that year. They hunt after the couples like crazy every time. It’s messed up, but pretty funny too.”
3253
3254Aaah, I can understand that. Feelings of empathy arose in my heart. Even back in my Urano days, there was barely any romance in my life. Dating, marriage, it was all outside of my world. I could understand very well the desire to throw fruit at newlyweds leaving a church with happy smiles on their faces.
3255
3256“...Okay, I understand the festival now, Lutz. I’m looking forward to it.”
3257
3258“Uh... You sure got real motivated real fast. Anyway, once all the couples get chased away, we all eat the celebratory food prepared at the plaza. That’s when kids go home, happy to have eaten so much. They’re not allowed to go back out, no matter what. ’Cause that’s when the beer comes out and it’s time for an adults-only festival.”
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3264
3265As one might expect from a festival with “star” in the name, the most important part of it took place at night. Once the kids were driven out of the picture, the newlyweds returned and were enthusiastically celebrated while the unmarried people sought out romantic partners. According to Lutz, that was always a source of frustration for those born in summer, as they had their adulthood ceremony taking place not long after the Star Festival.
3266
3267“Do you think the kids from the orphanage go to the festival too?”
3268
3269“Who knows? Don’t think I’ve ever seen them there. Actually... do you think you’ll be busy at the temple? I remember something about a ceremony in fall you gotta go to. You sure we can go to the Star Festival together?” asked Lutz with worry, but I didn’t have an answer for him. Given that the mass wedding was held in the temple, it was very possible I would have work to do.
3270
3271“...I’m not sure, but I’ll ask the High Priest.”
3272
3273
3274
3275When we arrived at the temple, Lutz left to go back to the store. After seeing him off, I changed in my room and started writing a request to meet the High Priest while asking Fran about the Star Festival.
3276
3277“Fran, have you ever participated in the Star Festival?”
3278
3279“Star Festival is an incorrect term. It is the Starbind Ceremony. Is it not a ceremony where marriages are blessed?”
3280
3281Fran explained that in the temple, it was called the Starbind Ceremony, and that it was deeply rooted within religious history, honoring the God of Darkness blessing the marriage between the God of Life and the Goddess of Earth. It was originally held at night, a time when it was easier to receive the God of Darkness’s divine protection, and even now it was held at night in the Noble’s Quarter. The ceremony for nobles and commoners used to be held at the
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3289same time, but when the population grew too large for that, the commoners began holding their ceremony during the day.
3290
3291“If the God of Darkness’s blessings are relevant here, shouldn’t it be held during the winter, when the nights are longer?”
3292
3293“Sister Myne, the God of Darkness permitted the marriage in the summer, and as there is the Offering Ceremony in the winter, there would be no priests to offer blessings.”
3294
3295Fran’s explanation was understandable, and honestly, the thought of a wedding in the middle of the winter gave me literal chills. I had suggested it myself, but on second thought, it would be hard to attend a wedding when buried in the snow.
3296
3297“Now that I think about it, reaching the temple in the middle of a blizzard would be unreasonable, and considering how new families will need to prepare their homes for winter, marrying before the fall is practical. It’s nice that since everyone has the same anniversary, no husbands have to worry about mixing things up and ticking off their wife.”
3298
3299And with that, I finished the letter. “Fran, could you deliver this letter to the High Priest? I want to ask him about what the orphanage does during the Starbind Ceremony and what I might need to do myself.”
3300
3301Despite the fact that I was meeting the High Priest every morning to do paperwork, even the slightest of consultations needed advance notice through letters. It was a pain, but I was gradually getting used to it. There were a lot of minor questions I had that could be resolved in a single reply to a letter. In any case, both Fran and the High Priest firmly told me not to speak recklessly when other people were around.
3302
3303I had been prepared to wait several days for the meeting, but the moment the High Priest read over the letter, he cradled his head and beckoned me into the hidden room. I meekly followed him there, not
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3311really understanding why my request for a meeting had frustrated him.
3312
3313“You don’t mind meeting me without advance notice?” I asked right after entering the hidden room, only to be met with a sharp glare. Normally he would simply offer harsh criticism with a collected expression, but in this room he would lecture me with his frosty wrath. I preferred to be in his normal room when he was mad.
3314
3315“You fool. The Starbind Ceremony is the day after tomorrow. It would be over by the time I sent a letter of invitation.”
3316
3317“Someone just said it was soon, so I thought I had more time...”
3318
3319“I had been postponing it due to the fact we were progressing steadily through my built-up paperwork, but I see that your education can wait no longer.”
3320
3321If he wasn’t certain before, the High Priest now knew for a fact that my ignorance of all temple matters remained as consistent as ever. That was bad. I felt danger crackling in the air. It was a well-known rumor between priests in the orphanage that becoming the High Priest’s attendant meant undergoing extreme blood-curdling training, and I got the feeling that I was about to learn first hand whether that was true. I looked away, and out of the corner of my eye saw the High Priest shaking his head with exasperation.
3322
3323“Good grief. To answer your question, the Starbind Ceremony is a ceremony for adults. As you are still an apprentice, you cannot participate. Stay at the orphanage, and as director, keep careful watch so that no orphans leave. Many citizens will enter and leave the temple during the ceremony. As there will be blue priests servicing the weddings in order to receive donations in return, you must absolutely ensure that not a single orphan interrupts.”
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3336He told me to stay in the orphanage, which made me panic a little. I wanted to participate in the Star Festival and throw taues, not stay stuck up in the orphanage all day.
3337
3338“Um, I want to participate in the lower city’s Star Festival instead. Is that okay?”
3339
3340“And the lower city’s Star Festival is?” The High Priest raised an eyebrow slightly.
3341
3342“It’s a festival where kids go to the forest to collect taue fruit in the morning, then throw them at each other in the afternoon.”
3343
3344“...What in the world? How does that have anything to do with the Starbind Ceremony?”
3345
3346“I don’t really know. I couldn’t go last year due to a Devouring fever, and I couldn’t go any of the years before that since I was never healthy back in those days, so I’ve never participated. I’ve really been looking forward to going for the first time this year, so...”
3347
3348The High Priest’s eyebrows furrowed deeply. It was an expression teetering between rejection and sympathy, him wanting to tell me no but sympathizing with how I had never been able to participate before now.
3349
3350“...Would it really be so bad for me to go? I think it would actually be a lot quieter here if you let all the orphanage kids go out for the festival.”
3351
3352“That would be fine during the morning, but what about the afternoon? There will be fruits flung everywhere, will there not? Sending the orphans out to the city during that time will cause unnecessary conflict. The blue priests will be going to the Noble’s Quarter in the afternoon and there needs to be someone to bear responsibility.”
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3364It seemed that once the morning ceremony ended, the blue priests and their attendants left the temple to attend the Starbind Ceremony in the Noble’s Quarter. I clapped my hands together with a sudden realization. ...If nobody’s around who would care, can’t we just play in the temple grounds?
3365
3366“High Priest, what would you say to everyone at the orphanage gathering fruit in the morning, then throwing them at each other exclusively within the orphanage? I want the kids to experience the festival as well. I was looking forward to it myself, too...”
3367
3368The High Priest lowered his eyes in thought, then slowly raised his gaze back up to me. “Clean up after yourselves thoroughly. If you don’t cause enough of a stir for the citizens to notice, you may do as you like.”
3369
3370“I thank you ever so much.”
3371
3372
3373
3374As soon as noon came, we held a briefing session in the orphanage. We could do as we liked so long as the blue priests didn’t find us, so after finishing their chapel cleaning early in the morning, they would change into their forest clothes and wait for Lutz and me. Once we were there, we would stealthily sneak out and head to the forest to gather taues.
3375
3376The orphans were overjoyed since they normally spent the day of the festival stuck in the orphanage, but the gray priests couldn’t go with them since they needed to prepare carriages for the blue priests and stand guard at the gate. They watched the excited kids with envy.
3377
3378“All of those jobs last only until the festival ends, correct? The throwing will begin when the blue priests and their attendants leave for the Noble’s Quarter, so we can start once everyone’s finished their jobs. It’ll be better if everyone has fun together. You can all
3379
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3389wait until the priests have finished their jobs, can’t you?” I asked the kids, and they all nodded hard in reply.
3390
3391“Uh huh! We’ll wait!”
3392
3393“I’ll bring lots of extra fruit for the people who couldn’t come.”
3394
3395The busy gray priests and the kids ultimately came to a compromise, where the kids agreed to wait to start the throwing and the gray priests prepared food for dinner. Unbelievably, they normally went without dinner on the day of the Starbind Ceremony, since they didn’t get food without nobles there.
3396
3397“I’ll ask my chef to make plenty of food for all.”
3398
3399After returning to my room, I told Hugo and Ella through Fran that they could leave work on fourth bell on the day of the Starbind Ceremony, but in return I wanted them to make dinner on top of lunch. It seemed that Hugo was an unwed adult and thus had a burning desire to participate in the festival. Fran told me he that he was determined to finish his work as soon as possible.
3400
3401...I missed my own opportunity to throw fruit at newlyweds, but as long as the kids in the orphanage got to have fun, that was fine by me.
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3431
3432The Star Festival
3433
3434It was the day of the Star Festival. The sun was in the sky, but it was still early enough that the summer heat hadn’t fully set in. A stir that only festivals could bring was already running through the city and crowds of people were heading for the south and east gates, despite the fact it was so early that the gates hadn’t opened yet.
3435
3436“Bye, Mom!”
3437
3438“Don’t get too excited out there, dear. As always, Lutz, please take good care of Myne for me.”
3439
3440I left home with Lutz, who had come to get me. Tuuli came with us at first, but left to enjoy the festival with her own friends. She was running toward the gate with Ralph and Fey.
3441
3442“Bye, Myne. Let’s have fun today!” “Uh huh. Bye, Tuuli.”
3443
3444After waving Tuuli, Ralph, and Fey goodbye, Lutz and I turned around and walked in opposition to the flow of people, heading toward the temple. We were wearing our normal clothing so that we could safely get wet. People popping out of side alleys were walking to the gate with excitement sparkling in their eyes. Not a single person was wearing their best clothing.
3445
3446Fighting against the waves of people, we passed the central plaza and headed further north. It was about there that the crowds thinned. One could guess that those living in the north had left long ago to reach the gates as they opened.
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3450“You’re staying at the orphanage, Myne.”
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3464“Wha? Why?!” I, having intended to go with everyone to the forest and pick up taues, looked up at Lutz with wide eyes. He grimaced uncomfortably before continuing.
3465
3466“If it were just you and me going to the festival, I was gonna get two or three taues before heading back. But we’re all gonna throw them at each other in the orphanage instead of at newlyweds, yeah? That means we’ll need more. We won’t make it back to the temple by fourth bell with you with us.”
3467
3468Lutz’s argument was rock solid and forced me to hang my head sadly.
3469
3470As always, I hated my body for making me dead weight to everyone.
3471
3472Lutz patted my head to comfort me while lowering his voice a bit.
3473
3474“Not to mention, someone might drop by the orphanage to check up on things. You’ll want to be there if that happens, right? As director?”
3475
3476“Ngh... You’re not wrong.” It was very likely that the High Priest or High Bishop would send an attendant to check on the orphanage and give warnings. If the High Bishop were to learn that the orphanage was empty, he would probably have strong words — or worse — for both me and the High Priest.
3477
3478“You’re not the only one staying behind to work, yeah? You stick with them while we get the taues. I can’t help if you don’t.”
3479
3480“...Okay. I’ll stay behind.”
3481
3482The second bell rang across the city just as we reached the temple. It was time for the gates to open. Fran and I watched as Lutz left the orphanage through the back entrance with a finger over his lips to signal that they should be quiet. The guard at the gate could barely hold back his laughter, and the same went for me. Once they got past the gate they ran off from the temple, chattering excitedly. I went to my chambers, feeling envious, and changed into my blue robes so that I could go to the orphanage.
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3489“Did you not want to go to the forest, Delia?”
3490
3491“Going to the forest won’t help me be a good mistress. I want to learn the alphabet as soon as possible.”
3492
3493Gil and Delia were competing to learn the alphabet first, but Gil was learning faster. Probably because he was bringing his karuta to the orphanage and playing with everyone.
3494
3495“Understandable. You are losing to Gil, after all.” “Geez! Just by a little bit! I’ll beat him in no time!”
3496
3497Delia had stayed behind by choice, and so I left her to watch over the chefs while Fran and I went to the orphanage. After climbing down the stairs, I saw that the door to the kitchen was thrown open and I could see Hugo and Ella cooking furiously, attempting to finish everything before fourth bell so they could join the others in the taue throwing.
3498
3499“The High Priest has requested that I spend this morning instructing you on the rituals and ceremonies of the temple. You will not be able to participate in the taue throwing until you have memorized them all.”
3500
3501“Guuuh...”
3502
3503The High Priest apparently had no mercy when it came to education and had immediately developed a curriculum for me. I had to learn a surprising amount today.
3504
3505As I slumped in despair at everything written on the board, Fran informed me that the High Priest had estimated from my math skills and degree of literacy that my academic level was high enough to justify this rapid pace. But the High Priest misunderstood. My math skills were carried over from my past life, and I had worked hard on becoming literate exclusively because it was necessary to read
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3516books. He shouldn’t expect those talents to carry over to memorizing a bunch of temple ceremony stuff. I wasn’t that good of a student.
3517
3518I turned down the hall on my way to the orphanage and there, by chance, I came face to face with a blue priest for the first time. He must have been heading to prepare for the ceremony.
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3520“Well well, if it isn’t that little upstart commoner, wearing her blue robes without an ounce of shame. Today’s ceremony is no place for kids, you know.”
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3522“Rather than participating in the ceremony, the High Priest has given me the duty of watching over the children in the orphanage.”
3523
3524“Oh, I see. Taking care of orphans is a good fit for a commoner like you. Maybe you do know your place after all.”
3525
3526“I thank you ever so much for your praise.”
3527
3528The blue priest gave a bored “hmph” and left. I resumed walking to the orphanage. Fran furrowed his brows with concern and spoke to me, sounding worried.
3529
3530“Er, Sister Myne. That was...”
3531
3532“Don’t worry about it, Fran. Words will never hurt me. They go in one ear and out the other, no harm done.”
3533
3534I entered the orphanage and saw that there were a few gray shrine maidens still there. As one would expect from shrine maidens who had been left in the temple as potential flower bearers, they were pretty with shapely faces.
3535
3536“Oh my, Sister Myne. What might bring you here?”
3537
3538They turned gracefully my way and tilted their heads. Each move they made was thoroughly refined, and they all looked much more like rich young ladies than I did.
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3549“I decided to stay here, since someone needs to be here to deal with anyone who might drop by. Do you girls have work today?”
3550
3551“No, we simply do not have much interest in the forest, so we were discussing whether we would like to make soup instead.”
3552
3553I found a familiar face among the gray shrine maidens. She was a young girl around fifteen with her blonde hair, close to a bright orange, bound up tightly behind her head. Well, given that she had her hair up, she was technically an adult. But her face was so young looking that “girl” was the only word that came to mind.
3554
3555“Wilma, thank you for drawing the art for the karuta. They were wonderful.”
3556
3557Wilma’s eyes, which were light brown and always had a tinge of mirth to them, crinkled happily. If she looked bright before, she was outright radiant now. “Truly, I should be thanking you for affording me the opportunity to draw once again. It had been so long since I held a pen that my heart jumped with joy. The children seemed very interested in the karuta, as you call them, but I do not suppose they were for the orphanage.”
3558
3559“They were a gift for my attendant. But if you would draw another set, I can order more boards for the children.” I could order the boards and write the letters myself, but my art style was so different from this place’s that everyone around me did their darndest to stop me from drawing. Wilma’s help was essential for making karuta.
3560
3561“Oh my, certainly! I would be ever so grateful if you did.” Wilma beamed a smile. She was overflowing with passion for art and love for the children. It had been Wilma who rushed to clean the children in the basement before anyone else. When I promised to make a set of karuta just for the orphanage children, the girl beside Wilma lowered her eyes sadly.
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3563“If only I could draw like Wilma, I too could be useful...”
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3570“But my, Rosina, do your talents not lie in music?”
3571
3572Rosina, the girl with the mature, pretty face who had just sighed regretfully, seemed to be skilled in playing instruments. Talk about elegant. I wanted to hear Rosina’s music, but apparently her former master had taken her instruments with her, leaving Rosina without anything to play. I wanted to buy one for her, but instruments were expensive even back in Japan, so it wasn’t hard to imagine that a good instrument would be astronomical in price here.
3573
3574“Fran. Are instruments expensive?”
3575
3576“It would be better to ask Master Benno that, but regardless, it is required for blue shrine maidens to be trained in music.”
3577
3578“If you wish to learn, Sister Myne, I believe that we could be of assistance. If you would have us, we will gratefully be your attendants.”
3579
3580Rosina had served the same blue apprentice shrine maiden that Wilma had. The apprentice was quite taken with all forms of art and kept her attendants thoroughly separated between those who did work and those who appreciated culture with her. Rosina and the others spent each day polishing their singing, music, dance, poetry, art, and so on.
3581
3582...Ngh. I spent about three years practicing piano, but I never touched another instrument outside of music class. But there were probably no recorders or melodicas here, and I doubted they would let me pass off castanets as my instrument of choice.
3583
3584Not only did I have to study paperwork and matters related to the temple, I also had to go through classical training in music and the arts. I was starting to think I had been a little too hasty with becoming an apprentice blue shrine maiden. Just a little.
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3596“In any case, Sister Myne. We will be off making the soup if you need us.” Wilma and the others went to make the soup, leaving Fran and me alone in the orphanage dining hall.
3597
3598“So, Fran. What would you think if I said I wanted to take Wilma as an attendant? Would the High Priest give his permission?”
3599
3600“Might I ask why?”
3601
3602“Wilma is good at art, isn’t she? The karuta are one thing, but there are a lot of other ideas I have that will need art to make a reality. I want to secure her for myself before any other blue priest takes her. Plus, I think a cultured adult gray shrine maiden will be important for me.”
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3604“I believe that the High Priest will in all likelihood grant his permission. But as Wilma takes care of the young children more than anyone else, I am uncertain what will happen to them if she is taken away from the orphanage.”
3605
3606“I see. I’ll ask Wilma what she thinks later and figure something out then.”
3607
3608Third bell rang as Fran lectured me on the temple’s ceremonies. It got pretty noisy outside not long after. The couples had come to the temple for the Starbind Ceremony. I wanted to go see, but naturally, I couldn’t.
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3610I worked on finishing my quota with my heart fluttering, and before I knew it fourth bell had rung. That signified the end of the Starbind Ceremony and the bustle slowly grew distant. Once it was completely silent, the children quietly returned from the back entrance. I could see them stealthily climbing the stairs while holding their mouths and stepping gently.
3611
3612“Welcome back, everyone. Did you gather lots of taues?”
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3624“Sister Myne, shhhh!” After being reminded not to speak, I hurriedly closed my mouth. Only after Lutz came inside, shut the back entrance to the basement, and lifted his hand did everyone start talking.
3625
3626“We got lots and lots!”
3627
3628“We put all our baskets by the basement. Lunch is first, right?”
3629
3630“Indeed it is. You should all wash your hands and wait for the divine gifts to be delivered. I will briefly return to my room.”
3631
3632Since Lutz was here, I went back to my chambers — not through the hall, but through the basement. I climbed down the stairs, where I saw baskets filled with the taues everyone had gathered.
3633
3634“Lutz, can I borrow four of the taues you gathered? My chefs couldn’t go to the forest, and I want to give them some.”
3635
3636“Yeah, sure.” I returned to my chambers through the back entrance with Fran carrying the taue fruit, whereupon I saw Hugo and Ella waiting outside the kitchen impatiently, having already finished preparing lunch. Through Fran, I gave the two of them two taues each.
3637
3638“I thank you both ever so much for working on the day of the festival. It isn’t much, but please accept these fruits.”
3639
3640“Wha?! Really?! Thank you!”
3641
3642I felt Hugo dash away the moment I turned my back. Just how much had he been looking forward to the Star Festival? And who did he intend to throw those taues at? I heard Ella yell out “Hugo, please!” out of consideration for me, but I had newfound social awareness and knew to climb the stairs without turning around.
3643
3644I ate lunch, which was delivered by Delia, on the second floor with Lutz. Today’s dish was faux capellini. I had them chop plain pasta as thin as possible, then for the tomato sauce and mozzarella, I selected
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3652pome sauce and a kind of cheese with a mild flavor. To emulate basil sauce, I prepared plant oil with salt and either herbs or rigars (faux garlic), hoping that one of the two would give me what I wanted.
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3654We also had a salad with seasonal vegetables and steamed chicken. In truth I was really in the mood for cold somen noodles, but as always my hands were tied by the apparent lack of Japanese-like ingredients here.
3655
3656“You sure worked hard today, Lutz. Eat as much as you want. Everyone looks so happy and excited thanks to you. I’m really grateful.”
3657
3658“Yeah, we went in hard. Some kids went so far in the forest looking for more I thought we weren’t gonna make it back in time.”
3659
3660“That sounds so fun. I wish I got to see the festival. I was stuck here studying with Fran the whole morning.” Hearing the orphans talk excitedly about how they had seen people hiding with taue fruit on their way back to the temple made me endlessly jealous.
3661
3662“Hey, Myne. Want to go check out the festival just for a second? The newlyweds are probably all gone by now, so we won’t be throwing fruit or anything. Just seeing what the city looks like right now. The kids gotta eat after we’re done with lunch, so there’s some time, yeah?”
3663
3664Divine gifts were given to attendants after the blue priests had finished, and there were some gray priests no doubt still preparing carriages, so we still had some time before everyone was ready to throw fruit.
3665
3666“Yeah! Let’s go!”
3667
3668I took off my blue robes to return to my normal outfit, then dashed out of the temple gate with Lutz. The soaked city streets glistened beneath the summer sun. The ground near the temple wasn’t wet at all, but the further south we went, the more soaked our feet got. Just
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3675how many taue fruit had people thrown to get the streets wet enough that not even the summer sun could evaporate the water?
3676
3677That train of thought was followed by the sight of kids running down the street and laughing, soaked from head to toe with water dripping from their heads. They were heading toward some loud hustle and bustle further south.
3678
3679“Let’s follow them, Lutz!”
3680
3681“Don’t get too close, alright?”
3682
3683Following Lutz’s advice, I stealthily watched them from the shadows and saw that there was a huge, chaotic battle underway in a somewhat narrow alleyway. There were no foes or allies; there were merely stalwart heroes, throwing taues while shouting meaningless battle cries. Their shouts were loud, amplified and echoing off the walls of the alley.
3684
3685Everyone was soaked to the bones. Naturally, young women wearing light summer clothing had their outfits clinging tightly to their bodies, turning transparent in the worst cases. Many of the men were running around shirtless, as if their shirts clinging to them had gotten to be more annoying than they were worth.
3686
3687    ...Oof, this is like the kind of celebration people throw when their favorite football or baseball team wins a championship.
3688
3689“Gah?!” Lutz suddenly yelled as water exploded on his head. The drops of cold water splattered on me too, and when I turned around I saw a bunch of kids behind Lutz, taues held at the ready.
3690
3691“Hey, we found some kids that aren’t wet at all!”
3692
3693The kids yelled out and immediately the huge crowd stopped their chaotic war to look our way. Their eyes shone like those of a hunter who had just found their prey, which sent a shudder down my spine. A weak cry leaked from my mouth and I felt myself shrink.
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3701“Run, Myne! Avoid as many as you can!”
3702
3703“But I can’t avoid any!” He should know better than to expect me to do anything requiring agility. All I could do was lift my arms and try to block any direct blows to my face. Lutz took my hand and ran, smacking down a taue thrown our way. The taue, which really was swollen like a water balloon, exploded after hitting the ground. It was a nice save that made me sigh in relief, but Lutz blocking it just made our hunters more eager for victory.
3704
3705“They dodged it! Cheeky little brats!” “Get’m, everyone!”
3706
3707And so taue after taue came crashing down on us. They even felt like water balloons, so they didn’t hurt even when thrown at full force, but the cold water running down my spine and the sensation of the fruit bursting against my back sent goosebumps rising up all over my body.
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3709“Gyaaah! So cold! They’re so cold!” “Myne, just move your legs!”
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3820Lutz only managed to block the first thrown taue. There was no way to avoid them once adults joined the fray. We were surrounded in no time, powerless against their greater numbers. There was no hope of escape and no way of dodging them all. We were doomed the moment we drew the attention of the high-spirited festival goers, and we were soaked in seconds.
3821
3822“Ahaha! Not a bad job for a twerp, you almost saved her!” “Can’t wait to see what a hero he grows up to be, huh?”
3823
3824Cackling, the adults praised Lutz for his efforts in protecting me before rushing off like a storm in search of their next victims.
3825
3826“...Lutz, I’m definitely going to get sick now.” I grasped at my dripping wet skirt and shook my head, making water fly off of me while Lutz nodded.
3827
3828“Effa might get super mad and say you can’t go to next year’s festival.”
3829
3830“...Well, I know what it’s like now. I know it all too well. I don’t think I really want to go to a festival that’s guaranteed to get me sick,” I said while wringing my hair to squeeze out the water.
3831
3832Lutz and I did our best to dry ourselves off as we returned to the temple. The north of the city seemed more invested in the upcoming feast than the taue throwing, and preparations were already beginning at various plazas with wells. Boards were set on boxes to form makeshift tables while others brought food from somewhere.
3833
3834“Man, I wish I were hungry enough for some of that.” “Uh huh, we just ate, didn’t we?”
3835
3836The people throwing taues and running all over the city would no doubt realize how empty their stomachs were once they started
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3843seeing food.
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3847“Geez! What in the world?! Look at you! Wait outside until the bath is ready, you’re making the room filthy!” Delia yelled at me before Mom got the opportunity to. Lutz murmured that she was scarier than Effa and I agreed with a slight nod.
3848
3849As we waited outside the door for the bath to be finished, Fran appeared wearing his used forest clothes in preparation for the upcoming water battle. Upon seeing us soaking wet, he began rubbing his temples.
3850
3851“Sister Myne, the orphans have already finished preparing. You might as well go as you are. Delia, prepare the bath to be ready for when she returns.”
3852
3853Delia was sitting out the taue throwing because it wasn’t “dignified.” Gil had already gone to the orphanage a while ago.
3854
3855“The gray priests who had been preparing the carriages for the blue priests have sent word that all the blue priests and their attendants have left for the Noble’s Quarter. The gate is now shut.”
3856
3857We headed to the orphanage through the back entrance and saw that everyone had changed from their robes to their secondhand clothes. The taues set in the basement had been taken outside. At Lutz’s suggestion we split into two teams, with Fran balancing them by age and gender and so on. We selected a location broad enough to run around in and everyone promised not to leave it.
3858
3859“Clean up after yourselves. Don’t get loud enough for those outside of the temple to notice and get curious. And finally, have fun without hurting yourself or others. Understood?”
3860
3861“Understood!”
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3873“Alright, we’re gonna hand out the taues.” Lutz glanced at the group of baskets. As the person of the highest status there, I had to move first. The taues I had seen in the forest before were about the size of a single knuckle, but the ones in the basket were as large as my fist. They were indeed swollen with water and felt just like water balloons. I hadn’t gotten a good look at them before due to closing my eyes, so this was my first time really looking at taues.
3874
3875“Wow, they really are big!”
3876
3877The second I grabbed a large taue on top of the pile, I felt mana being drained from me just like I had during the offering with the divine instrument. The taue began twisting and bulging in my hand, changing shape.
3878
3879“Gyaaah?!”
3880
3881“What’s wrong, Myne?!”
3882
3883“It’s sucking out my mana!” I could see what looked like hard seeds popping into existence and growing within the halfway transparent taue. “This is so gross! What’s happening?!”
3884
3885“Like I would know!”
3886
3887As I floundered with the taue still in hand, its previously light-red color darkened due to the seeds beginning to overwhelm the water. The squishy skin hardened and became opaque. It was at that point that I finally realized what I was looking at. This red fruit was no doubt the trombe seed I had encountered in the past.
3888
3889“Lutz, this is a trombe! Go get knives!” I yelled, still holding the taue, and Lutz stopped peering at it to immediately go rushing to the basement which we now used as a storage area. He returned with baskets filled with knives and billhooks, then started giving instructions to the orphans.
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3901“Anyone used to gathering in the forest by now, ready your knife. Valuable paper-making material is about to show up. Gather every bit of it that you can!”
3902
3903The orphans all yelled “Right!” in unison, and by the time everyone had their knives, the taue was rock hard and getting increasingly hot. At this point, I could expect a trombe to pop out if I threw it to the ground like I did before.
3904
3905“Sister Myne, we’re ready!” Gil stood by my side, wielding his billhook like a crime-fighting hero from a kid’s TV show. Lutz, with a knife in one hand, pointed at some nearby unpaved grass.
3906
3907“Myne, throw it where there’s dirt!”
3908
3909With Lutz and Gil’s voices in my ears, I took aim at the grass and threw the taue as hard as I could.
3910
3911“I choose you, growy tree thing!”
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3951278
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3953
3954After the Festival
3955
3956“Come on! You didn’t reach it!”
3957
3958Just as Lutz’s devastated yell implied, the taue fruit I had thrown didn’t reach the grass and instead hit the edge of the stone flooring, where it started crackling while exploding open. Tiny seeds shot out from the fruit the moment it broke and started sprouting. Or at least, the seeds that hit the grass with dirt did. Those that hit the stone dried up rapidly, whereas those rooting in the grass had already grown to ankle length.
3959
3960“Gah! Wh-What are those?!”
3961
3962“They’re all a trombe, and it’s growing fast. Start chopping once it gets to knee length!” Lutz gave instructions to the scared orphans and watched the trombe carefully as it grew beneath him. “Fran, grab Myne and wait in the back!”
3963
3964At Lutz’s instructions, Fran picked me up and retreated from the front lines. Without a knife, the best I could do was show my support from the back.
3965
3966“Go get’m!” Lutz brandished his blade and ran to harvest the wood furthest from the paved stone. Gil, running after him, was the first to chop off some wood. He swung down hard and a thin branch fell to the ground with a snap. The orphans, seeing that even a wild swing could easily chop off a branch, and that the chopped-off branch didn’t keep growing, all charged the trombe at once.
3967
3968“Sister Myne, what exactly is going on?”
3969
3970Just how much of this would Fran be telling the High Priest? Had I doomed myself to a lecture later? I desperately ran my brain at maximum power, trying to think if he would buy it if I said this was normal outside of the temple and not a big deal at all.
3971
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3979
3980“That wood is used to make the highest quality plant paper that I know of. With it, we’ll be able to make paper much, much better than anything else you’ve seen.” I hadn’t lied. But I also hadn’t given Fran the answer he wanted. He opened his mouth to say something, but Gil yelled out before he could.
3981
3982“Knives won’t work once they get too big. Step back! I’ll take care of’m!” I turned around to see Gil urging a girl with a knife back while chopping down branch after branch, each now long enough to reach their thighs. It was clear just how much he had grown while visiting the forest.
3983
3984“Alright! We did it!” Gil, striking a victory pose, looked at me and grinned. I understood that to mean “please praise me” and thus gave him a nod of approval.
3985
3986“...Is that all of it?” asked Lutz. The kids, picking up branches and scouring the area, nodded firmly in reply.
3987
3988“What do you think we should do, Lutz? Should we save some of the taues and grow them later?” It would be a waste to miss this opportunity to safely harvest the valuable trombe wood, but Lutz shook his head.
3989
3990“Let’s grow one or two more, then toss them around like we were planning to. Taues eventually dry up after they’re taken away from soil, and there’s more taues in the forest. We can just get more later.”
3991
3992“Sorry, everyone, but would you mind harvesting a bit more? This wood can be used to make very high quality paper, and I can send more money to the orphanage by selling it.”
3993
3994“Sister Myne, what will sending more money do?” The orphans, lacking so much knowledge that they legitimately did not understand what money was, looked at me with confused expressions. Everything they needed in life had come in the form of divine gifts. I
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4002had explained to them that everything in the world costs money, and that they were not yet earning the money being spent to make their soup, but they didn’t understand me.
4003
4004“More money means you can make more food for yourselves. We will also be able to buy more winter firewood for the orphanage.”
4005
4006“Alright, let’s do it!”
4007
4008Not much firewood was given to the orphanage. The only rooms that had fireplaces were the dining hall in the girls’ building and a large communal room in the boys’ building. To make matters worse, the stone buildings cooled nigh instantly once they ran out of firewood, and at that point they had no choice but to huddle together for warmth. Winter supplies were a critical issue with the temple as strapped for cash as it was.
4009
4010Thus, the promise of more firewood reasonably filled the kids with enthusiasm, and after that they harvested three entire trombes. We stopped once we had an entire large basket filled with them, since the sooner we got to work on the black bark the better.
4011
4012“Alright, who wants to start tossing taues?” suggested Lutz, making the kids stop their eager chopping and blink in confusion.
4013
4014“We’re not gonna turn them all into paper?”
4015
4016“Doesn’t matter what we do with these, we can always go get more. We did it today and we can do it again.”
4017
4018The kids cheered with excitement. Apparently, picking up taues in the forest had been a lot of fun for them.
4019
4020“Um,” I chimed in, “by the way. It looks like all the grass is completely gone now, but I guess there’s nothing we can do about that.” Due to growing trombe after trombe, the grass had died and the earth was all upended. I flattened out the dirt as best I could and stomped on a protruding stone to get it back in line with the rest.
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4028“Don’t sweat it, this is the summer. Grass will grow back in no time.”
4029
4030“...I’ll just try to look on the bright side. At least nobody has to weed around here for now.” The three of us concluded that there wouldn’t be any blue priests bothering to visit the backside of the orphanage, so no harm done.
4031
4032“I’ll take care of the taue throwing, so you go get changed, Myne. You look sick. Probably gonna catch a fever at this rate.”
4033
4034“Mhm, my body does kinda feel heavy. I’m shivering a little.”
4035
4036“Delia should have your bath ready and waiting. Shall we go?” said Fran while lifting me up. I saw over Fran’s shoulder the kids starting to throw the taues. The way they split into their two groups and ran around while shrieking excitedly was no different from how the kids in the lower city had spent their festival. I was struck with the desire to get more games and fun things into the orphanage.
4037
4038
4039
4040“Geez, what were you doing?! A blue shrine maiden should not be playing with orphans so much she gets sick!”
4041
4042When Fran reached my chambers with me slumped over in exhaustion, we found Delia waiting for us, her mouth bent into an angled frown. He brought me to the washtub, and after Delia chased him off, she took off my soaked clothing and forced me into the warm bath that had been waiting for me. She added fresh hot water to the somewhat lukewarm bath water, bringing it up to an ideal temperature.
4043
4044“You do love your piping hot water, don’t you?” murmured Delia. She then glared sharply at me. “Well, your body wants hot water because you let yourself freeze in wet clothing! You shouldn’t play with water when you’re weak and sickly. This is just common sense!”
4045
4046“...Delia, could you be a little more quiet? This is a nice bath and I want to enjoy it.” I sighed as the hot water warmed my body.
4047
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4053“Of course it is, I prepared it.”
4054
4055“Yes, and thanks to you, I feel fantastic right now. Thank you.” I still wasn’t strong enough to draw water from a well, which meant I couldn’t ready baths for myself.
4056
4057“I just did as I was instructed. I’m not Gil, you don’t need to thank me for doing my work.” Despite Delia’s mumbling, I knew she was just embarrassed. I let out a little giggle and sunk shoulders-deep into the water before starting to think about trombes.
4058
4059I hadn’t felt the fruit draining my mana at the time, maybe because the fruit was already on the verge of growing or maybe because I didn’t know anything about mana or the Devouring back then. But this time, I clearly felt my mana flowing into the fruit. I would estimate offhand that it took about two or three small magic stones worth of mana to sprout one water-filled taue.
4060
4061It would depend on the amount of mana an individual had, but it seemed possible that taue fruit could help decrease the number of kids dying from the Devouring. An important first task would be to make knowledge of the Devouring commonplace, and there would need to be people around to harvest the trombe born from the process. And if I’m being greedy, it sure would be nice if people gave the trombe wood to the Myne Workshop.
4062
4063But if what Lutz said was right, it would be difficult to store taues. In the spring they would run out of water and dry up half a day after being separated from the earth, and even water-filled taues in the summer would dry up after a day or two, just like how seeds dropped on paved stone walkways would dry up rapidly without sprouting. They could probably be preserved by storing them somewhere with contact to the ground, but wind or rain might wash them away, and it’d be terrifying for a trombe to sprout out of nowhere in the middle of the city.
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4073“...I guess I should report this to Benno before doing anything?” It would be good to report that we had found a way to actively harvest trombes during the summer, and while I was there I could ask him to spread information about the Devouring and how to use taue fruits to cure it.
4074
4075That was that. With my thoughts settled, I stood up and got out of the bath. At which point my head began to spin. I wasn’t sure if it was a fever or if I had just stayed in the hot water for too long. I grabbed my head and squatted on the floor.
4076
4077Delia clasped a hand on her mouth to hold back a scream and hurriedly began wiping me dry. She put on my blouse and skirt while I was still kind of wet, then ran off to get Fran.
4078
4079“Sister Myne!”
4080
4081“...Aaah, I really should have put a mattress on my bed by now. The board’s fine. Go ahead and set me on it,” I instructed, since Fran had picked me up and was anxiously looking all over the room for somewhere to lay me down. He rested me on the board as gently as he could.
4082
4083“Delia, go call for Lutz. Fran, could you get changed into outside clothes? I think the sooner I get home, the better...”
4084
4085“As you wish.”
4086
4087Lutz was naturally soaked head to toe from the taue throwing, which left only Fran to carry me. When Lutz explained to Mom that I had needed to get changed at the temple after being pelted by fruit at the festival, she naturally sighed. Fran apologized with a grave expression, calling himself a failure of an attendant, but Mom waved him off, saying that she knew that this would happen if I went to the festival, and to tell the High Priest that I would be bedridden for a few days. She then tucked me into bed.
4088
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4096
4097“It may have ended with you sopping wet and sick, but did you enjoy the festival?”
4098
4099“...There were a lot of surprises, but the kids at the orphanage were all happy. That made it all worth it.”
4100
4101Lutz and Mom were both right, and ultimately I spent three days bedridden with a fever. I had asked Lutz to tell Benno about the taues, and his reply was that he wanted to talk details when I was better again, which meant going to his store before I went back to the temple.
4102
4103
4104
4105“Good morning, Mr. Benno.”
4106
4107“Looks like you’ve stirred up some trouble again.” Benno immediately gave me a glare with his red eyes, the embodiments of frustration, causing me to flinch.
4108
4109“...T-Trouble? But now we don’t have to rely on trombes showing up randomly, we can harvest them at will. And it’ll be perfectly safe if there’s a team of people at the ready, so really, I think you should be complimenting me right now.”
4110
4111“You’re not entirely wrong. It’s good that we can harvest trombes now that you’ve discovered that taues are trombe seeds. But that’ll be more trouble than it’s worth, yeah?”
4112
4113“Really?” I hadn’t thought out what might be problematic about harvesting trombes.
4114
4115Benno murmured “Thoughtless as expected,” then looked beside me at Lutz. “Sorry, Lutz, but go tell the temple Myne’s gonna be late today. Then stick with Mark until I call for you. This lecture’s gonna take a while.”
4116
4117“Understood, Master Benno.” Lutz gave me a weary smile and wished me luck before leaving the room, having offered me none of
4118
4119
4120
4121
4122285
4123
4124
4125
4126the emotional support I needed. I now had no allies by my side and could only watch as Benno drummed his fingertips against the table.
4127
4128“Lutz told me the gist of it. Taue fruit suck up your mana, grow rapidly, then turn into trombes. All on point so far?”
4129
4130“Uh huh.”
4131
4132“You think they’ll be able to replace magic tools?” It was a little problematic that taues weren’t harvestable during the winter, but in my case, twenty of them would be enough for me to survive the winter without being overwhelmed before spring came. Though given that one’s total amount of mana grew as the body developed, I didn’t know how much I would need as an adult.
4133
4134“...I think so. Which is why I—”
4135
4136“Don’t speak a word of this to anyone. Not a single person,” said Benno with a stern expression. My eyes widened and for a second I couldn’t believe what I had heard, since my plan was to spread the information as soon as possible.
4137
4138“Mana is under the jurisdiction of nobles. If it gets out that cheap fruit you can find in any forest can be used in place of expensive magic tools, it’s possible that noble society and the temple will get flipped upside down. Handle this the wrong way and you’ll get killed.”
4139
4140“...But if people don’t learn about this, commoners with the Devouring will keep dying.” I had found a money-free way to save those with the Devouring, but it wouldn’t help anyone if nobody knew about it.
4141
4142“Yep, that’s right. But how are you gonna figure out which kids have the Devouring? I sure can’t tell. Can you, with all your experience?”
4143
4144I shook my head. The only kid with the Devouring I had met was Freida, but I couldn’t tell just from looking at her that she had mana
4145
4146
4147
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4149286
4150
4151
4152
4153or the Devouring. It would understandably be impossible for us to save those with the Devouring if we couldn’t find them.
4154
4155“We might be able to find them by having every kid that gets born hold one of those fruits. But I can guess that the second a kid’s found out to have mana, nobles will come steal them away. Who would have their kid tested if they know they’ll be taken away? I know your family wouldn’t.”
4156
4157There was nothing I could say. In the past I had looked for a way to extend my life without relying on magic tools. Why? To avoid nobles taking me away. If we identified kids with the Devouring on a large scale, nobles would know where to find them. That would defeat the purpose. But at the same time, the information would need to be spread on a large scale for it to save anyone.
4158
4159“If not targeting all kids at birth, then what? Will you have people bring any kid that gets a bad fever? If it’s the Devouring then taues can save them, but if it’s not, you’ll just turn them away? Too bad, tough, bad luck? Finding kids that way is just gonna spread disease and make parents of kids without the Devouring furious.”
4160
4161I could already imagine a parent saying “You cured that kid so easily, why not mine?” I clenched my fist, frustrated by all the problems I hadn’t considered until Benno brought them up.
4162
4163“What about the chance that kids with the Devouring growing up without nobles could cause problems of their own? Will they be able to control their mana properly without training? What will happen to the temple once it can no longer get mana from the children of noble families that couldn’t afford magic tools for everyone? Noble society has a monopoly on mana right now. What’re the chances that this information would send enormous ripples through it?”
4164
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4175
4176
4177“...I don’t know.” I couldn’t answer a single one of the questions that Benno listed out. I didn’t understand this world’s social structure or politics well enough, nor mana’s place in the world.
4178
4179“I get that you’re trying to save the lives of kids with the Devouring, but the ripples will just be too big. For now you should just keep your mouth shut about it and keep it as a lifeline if you’re ever driven out of the temple or blackmailed with magic tools on the line. The scale and impact of this is just too big. Or at the very least, it’s too big for me to handle.”
4180
4181If Benno couldn’t handle it, there was no way I could. If you asked me if I wanted to stir up more trouble right after the purging in the Sovereignty ended and noble society climbed back to its feet, my answer would be no. I didn’t want that much trouble on my back.
4182
4183“I’m thinking you can harvest some trombe wood in the forest while passing it off as coincidence, but that’s it. All this about identifying those with the Devouring should be kept secret under lock and key.”
4184
4185I didn’t feel comfortable leaving people to die despite knowing a way to save them. My discomfort must have shown on my face, as Benno gave a sympathetic shrug.
4186
4187“Don’t look like that. If you ever find someone with the Devouring, you can save them in secret. I’m just saying you shouldn’t let nobles hear about this. You want to declare war against noble society or something? Don’t forget, it’s nobles that’re gonna be buying those books you make.”
4188
4189That first bit made me smile a little, and my mood brightened. If I found someone suffering with the Devouring, I could save them. I didn’t have to worry about those I couldn’t see. I could just keep on living like I had been.
4190
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4200
4201
4202“At the very least, I can’t start a war before I’ve risen literacy rates enough that commoners can read books too. Not that I would want to deal with that in the first place.”
4203
4204After I replied to Benno’s joke with some humor of my own, he let out a laugh. “Yeah, can’t say I’d want to deal with teaching commoners to read either.”
4205
4206“I was talking about the war there. I want to spread books throughout the world, so of course I have a plan to raise literacy rates.”
4207
4208The temple was a valuable place to be. At some point I intended to use the orphanage to hold a Sunday School class, except not on Sunday. To start, I would raise the gray priests into teachers through the process of instructing the orphans. Then, I would develop technology for printing as best I could, which I would first use to make educational material based on the bible. The High Priest shouldn’t have any complaints if I used printing to spread the bible.
4209
4210“So? Perfect, isn’t it?” I puffed out my chest with pride, but for some reason Benno was cradling his head.
4211
4212“Every plan you’ve ever made has been full of holes, and I don’t think this will be an exception. But y’know, Myne. Is it physically impossible for you to use your head on anything but books?”
4213
4214“Yes. Probably.” I added on that I had never really tried to put much effort into things outside of books, so I wasn’t sure.
4215
4216“What a waste,” said Benno with a heavy sigh.
4217
4218“Rude!”
4219
4220“It’s the truth,” he continued, before his grin hardened into a stern expression. When Benno’s expression hardened and he lowered his voice a bit, he always had something serious to say. “We’re on the
4221
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4223
4224
4225
4226
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4228
4229
4230
4231same page about keeping quiet about the taues so we can monopolize the trombes, yeah?”
4232
4233“Yes.”
4234
4235“Alright. With that out of the way, I want to hear your thoughts on the final problem on that list I gave you.”
4236
4237...Oh, so that’s why he sent Lutz out. I swallowed hard and looked at Benno, finally understanding that Benno saying he was going to lecture me had been a bluff to get Lutz out of the room.
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4291290
4292
4293
4294Lutz’s Path Through Life
4295
4296“Lutz is still a minor. I need his parent’s permission to take him out of the city to work for days at a time. If we leave without their permission, it’ll be treated as a kidnapping.”
4297
4298Benno sighed as he explained the circumstances. I was glad to hear the details, since his list of problems had only mentioned the “struggling to get permission” part.
4299
4300“I sent Mark to get their permission, but they wouldn’t budge. Not sure if there’s just some gap between craftsmen and merchants I’m not getting or if his dad’s just real stubborn. Any ideas?”
4301
4302“I mean...” At the end of the day, Benno’s problem was getting permission from Lutz’s parents. That was something he needed to talk about with them and Lutz. I might have been Lutz’s childhood friend, but I was a complete third party. Those involved were: Benno, who wanted to take Lutz outside of the city on work, Lutz, who really wanted to leave the city, and Lutz’s parents, whose lack of permission was causing friction. It wasn’t really my place to say anything. But when I explained that to Benno, he scratched his head and glared at me.
4303
4304“That’s why I’m asking what you think. Every scrap of information matters here. If Lutz knows more about you than anyone, surely you know more about Lutz than anyone, yeah?”
4305
4306Benno always prepared ahead thoroughly, so naturally he wanted to gather information on Lutz’s parents before moving forward. I didn’t know too much about his work life, but it was true that after spending so much time with Lutz, I knew more about him than pretty much anyone else.
4307
4308“Why won’t they give you their permission? Isn’t it for his job?”
4309
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4311
4312
4313
4314
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4316
4317
4318
4319“That’s what I want to know. According to Mark, they just said no and left it at that. Lutz mentioned that his home situation wasn’t great when he asked for the attic room, but just how bad is it?”
4320
4321Lutz had stopped talking much about his home life after he announced that he was becoming an apprentice merchant and strained his relationship with his family. I could imagine that he definitely didn’t want to feel like he was showing weakness to his bosses, Mark and Benno.
4322
4323“Lutz’s family is against him becoming a merchant at all.”
4324
4325“Say what? They weren’t just against him becoming a traveling merchant, they were against him becoming a city merchant too?” Benno opened his wide with surprise, and I nodded slowly.
4326
4327“Lutz’s dad works in construction, and all his older brothers are apprentices in construction and carpentry-related jobs. His dad wanted him to do the same. According to him, getting stable work as a craftsman is better than riding the highs and lows of being a merchant.”
4328
4329“Pretty sure not all craftsmen get stable work.”
4330
4331There were workshops out there that went bankrupt after failing to get any jobs, so not even craftsmen were absolutely guaranteed stable work. But a skilled worker would have no problem getting hired in a workshop of the same trade, and they didn’t have to shoulder debt to keep running a store or anything like that.
4332
4333“Lutz once told me that his dad told him he would never accept him being a merchant, ever.” He had harsh words for merchants, saying that they lived off the work of others without ever making anything themselves, that one had to be a heartless monster to make it as one, and so on. He was so hostile to merchants that it made me wonder what kind of scam artist had screwed him over in the past.
4334
4335“...I’m impressed Lutz pulled through all that.”
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4340
4341
4342
4343Considering how most kids in the city got their jobs through the help of their parents and family, Lutz was quite the exception. But he was so lively and passionate about his work that I would never say he had made the wrong choice.
4344
4345“Lutz was planning to become a live-in apprentice if his parents kicked him out over his decision. Though that ended up not happening since his mom accepted how serious he was.”
4346
4347“A live-in apprentice? His family situation’s so bad he would actually consider becoming one of those?” Benno blinked in surprise. Normally, there weren’t any kids crazy enough to willingly throw themselves into the hell that was being a live-in apprentice. Most of them would realize that their home situation, no matter how bad it might be, was better than the alternative.
4348
4349“I’m not entirely sure how things are for him right now, since he doesn’t talk about his home life that much. But I am worried that his brothers might not like him very much right now.”
4350
4351“What do you mean?”
4352
4353“From his family’s perspective, Lutz might look like he’s spitting on his dad’s help to play around instead of working. They might not be able to see how much Lutz is growing and how hard he’s working since they’re not in the same line of work. I’m not sure, since I’ve never talked to Lutz’s brothers about him.”
4354
4355But I still knew them better than I knew his dad, whom I had barely even seen before. I knew he looked the most like his eldest son Zasha and that he took pride in his construction work, but that was it. I often saw mothers chatting by the well, but I never really saw the fathers.
4356
4357“I think Lutz will run away from home if he learns that his parents are directly stopping his dreams from coming true. He’s stubborn and won’t back down now that he’s made his decision. But being a live-in
4358
4359
4360
4361293
4362
4363
4364
4365apprentice is a last resort. It would be too hard for him to live alone as a minor, and I think that even with all this fighting, families should stick together and help each other.”
4366
4367Hearing that, Benno briefly looked up at the nearby stairs and gave a wry smile. Benno had worked tirelessly to support his family ever since his parents’ untimely deaths. They were precious to him, and he was such a deeply sentimental person that he would choose to live life as a bachelor after his one true love died. I doubted he would want to damage Lutz’s relationship with his family.
4368
4369“I think the only tidy solution to this will be to explain the situation to Lutz and have him agree to wait until he’s an adult. By that point he won’t need his parents’ permission and there shouldn’t be problems with him leaving the city. Waiting is the safest choice here.”
4370
4371Things would be different if he couldn’t leave the city for his entire life without parental permission, but as it stood, it seemed like it would be best for him to just be patient. There wasn’t any need to force things and shatter his relationship with his family. But Benno shook his head with a grim expression at my idea.
4372
4373“That’ll be too slow. He won’t make it in time.”
4374
4375Are we in a hurry for some reason? I tilted my head in confusion, and after tight frown, Benno let out a heavy sigh.
4376
4377“It’s got something to do with work. I can’t talk about it right now.” As I wasn’t an employee of Benno’s store, it wasn’t my place to dig deeper. I just nodded and moved on.
4378
4379“In that case, it would probably be safe to assume that this is going to split apart Lutz’s family no matter what. Lutz will definitely pick his life as a merchant over his family. You wanting to take him to other cities must mean you have high hopes for him, but just how far are you willing to go to take care of an apprentice?”
4380
4381
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4383
4384
4385294
4386
4387
4388
4389Since Lutz was a lehange, Benno wasn’t responsible for keeping him fed or anything like that. If he started taking care of Lutz beyond what the contract stated, he would be isolating him even further from the other lehanges. And if Benno wasn’t even prepared to do that in the first place, becoming a live-in apprentice would make Lutz miserable. It would be better to just maintain the status quo over that. I gave Benno a firm look, prepared to call him out on any half-hearted non-answers, and he raised his hands in defeat.
4390
4391“Y’know, personally, I was thinking about adopting him.”
4392
4393His answer floored me. I never saw it coming. If Benno was willing to go that far for Lutz, I wouldn’t need to worry even if he did run away from home. With Benno’s silver spoon backing him up, Lutz wouldn’t have to worry about his home life or work life after separating from his family to go outside the city as a merchant.
4394
4395“I didn’t think that you cared so much about Lutz, Mr. Benno. If that’s how dedicated you are, you should just talk to Lutz about this and then have a meeting with his parents! It’ll be fine!”
4396
4397“Talk to Lutz, huh?” Benno groaned a bit, his hesitation clear on his face.
4398
4399“No matter what happens, involving Lutz is important. Up until now he’s making decisions all on his own and we shouldn’t exclude him now.”
4400
4401Benno adopting Lutz meant that one day he would inherit Benno’s store. Or to be more specific, since Corinna’s child would be inheriting the Gilberta Company, Lutz would probably inherit the Italian restaurant, the plant paper, and basically everything to do with the Myne Workshop. Which was likely why he wanted Lutz with him when making a new plant paper workshop in another city. Lutz’s hard work had earned Benno’s approval, and realizing that made me feel as happy as I would if I were in his shoes.
4402
4403
4404
4405
4406295
4407
4408
4409“You’d like for Lutz to be my adopted kid?”
4410
4411“It’s not the adoption I’m happy about, it’s that you appreciate his hard work.”
4412
4413Benno let out a laugh and rang his bell to summon Mark. It seemed our secret chat was over.
4414
4415“Yes, Master Benno?”
4416
4417“Call Lutz over.”
4418
4419Mark left the room with graceful, fluid movements and returned with Lutz. They were both walking in the same way. It was kind of funny to see how Lutz was mimicking Mark.
4420
4421“Lutz, I need to talk to your parents about something. Could you set something up for me? Sooner rather than later.” Benno’s request was so out of the blue that Lutz froze in place and blinked for a second before replying.
4422
4423“...My parents? Er, certainly, Master Benno.” Lutz gave his half-hearted acknowledgment, to which Benno nodded before continuing on to give him his work for the day. He wanted Lutz to stay at the temple after taking me there and help the Myne Workshop with the trombe paper currently being mass produced.
4424
4425Lutz gave a soft smile just like Mark’s and nodded. “Understood. Let’s go, Myne.”
4426
4427Lutz and I began our walk to the temple together. Everything was going so well for Lutz that I couldn’t help but start humming.
4428
4429“You’re sure in a good mood, Myne.”
4430
4431“I’m happy, so what?”
4432
4433“I dunno, I’m just glad Benno’s lecture didn’t get you down.”
4434
4435“Ngh... Don’t even remind me.”
4436
4437
4438
4439
4440
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4442
4443
4444
4445According to what Lutz told me on our walk, Benno had been sending him to the temple while I was sick so that he could begin the mass production of trombe paper. Lutz had been sending the orphans to the forest, getting the black bark, and even taking potatoffels there to make buttered potatoffels just like we used to.
4446
4447“Y’know, I think I’m acting a lot more like the workshop’s foreman than you are,” said Lutz.
4448
4449I shrugged. We blue shrine maidens weren’t allowed to do manual labor, and there was nothing I could do about that. Everyone was having so much fun that I wanted to join in, but I was literally not allowed to.
4450
4451“I’m only the forewoman so I can get income while working as an apprentice shrine maiden. You’re working hard enough that I’ll hire you as assistant foreman with a nice paycheck to boot, Lutz, so keep it up.”
4452
4453“Assistant foreman sounds cool and all, but I’m just helping you out, yeah? This is what I’ve always done.”
4454
4455“And you’ll probably keep doing it forever, since you’ll help sell the new products I think up.”
4456
4457Benno was probably making Lutz teach the orphans at the Myne Workshop to make paper as part of his training, a necessary step for spreading paper across the country.
4458
4459
4460
4461“...Oh? There’s nobody here?”
4462
4463We arrived at the temple, but none of my attendants were at the gate. It was the first time since becoming a shrine maiden that nobody was waiting at the gate for me. I started to look around for them, but Lutz just took my hand and walked inside the temple.
4464
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4474
4475“I contacted Fran and told him I didn’t know when you’d get here since Master Benno was lecturing you. Might as well just go straight to your chambers, yeah?”
4476
4477“You’re right, it wouldn’t be nice to make them wait outside for so long. Thanks, Lutz.”
4478
4479“I’m gonna head over to the workshop. I’ll see you on my way out.”
4480
4481Lutz and I split up at the staircase to the chapel. After climbing it myself, I went around the orphanage and headed to my chambers. The door was shut, and since my attendants usually opened it, that gave me pause. I didn’t carry around a bell to summon my attendants, and I would probably get scolded for being improper if I just yelled for them, so what was I supposed to do?
4482
4483For a brief while I just stood in front of the door, pondering what a noble would do in my situation. But no amount of pondering would change the fact that I didn’t know enough about the nobility to say anything for sure. It felt so silly to be worrying so much about entering my own chambers that I decided to just open the door with a knock.
4484
4485...It’s not like anybody will be there to get mad at me. I can just ask Fran what I should have done later. I knocked on the door and called out “I’m coming in” before opening it. Inside, I saw Fran hurriedly descending the stairs.
4486
4487“Good morning, Fran. Sorry to worry you. My fever has gone down and I am feeling quite better.”
4488
4489Fran glanced at the stairs with an exceedingly troubled look, then lowered his voice. “Sister Myne, I must tell you th—”
4490
4491“Do you not know how improper it is for a young lady to walk on her own without an attendant?”
4492
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4500
4501
4502
4503“Bwuh?! The High Priest?!” I hadn’t predicted at all that the High Priest would be in my room. My mouth hung open in shock as I looked up the stairs and saw him staring back down at me.
4504
4505“Close your mouth. It is unseemly. But more importantly, putting aside the lower city, walking on your own in the temple is exceedingly improper. Take care not to do it again.”
4506
4507At Fran’s encouragement I walked up to the second floor, where I meekly listened as the High Priest scolded me while elegantly drinking tea. According to him, the noble course of action would have been to send word ahead and have an attendant wait at the gate no matter what. Alternatively, I could have informed the gate guard of my arrival and waited in a nearby waiting room for an attendant to come get me.
4508
4509...That’s a bit too advanced for me. And really, I can’t believe he’s this serious about something as simple as opening a door. When is this lecture going to end? I started to get bored of listening to the lecture, at which point I realized I didn’t know why the High Priest was in my room and used that to change the subject.
4510
4511“High Priest, I have learned how to open a door.”
4512
4513“This was not about opening a door. Were you even listening? I am telling you how to act like a proper lady.”
4514
4515Ohhh. He wasn’t scolding me about the door in particular. I didn’t realize. It looked like the lecture was about to heat up big time, so I interrupted it with a question. “Might I ask the reason for your visit today? It must be something important for you to come all the way to my chambers. Are you not in a hurry?”
4516
4517Normally I would already be heading to his room to do paperwork. He had mentioned having more spare time thanks to my assistance, but I wouldn’t want that time spent on lecturing me. My question
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4527reminded the High Priest of why he was here, and after a cough, he looked at me.
4528
4529“Has your fever gone entirely down?”
4530
4531“Oh? Yes, I’m fully recovered. Sorry to have worried you.”
4532
4533“That is good to hear,” he said while forming an ice-cold smile. I straightened my back with a jerk, realizing I was about to get the kind of lecture he gave in his secret room.
4534
4535“I believe I told you to not cause a stir. Did I not?”
4536
4537“Bwuh? Wha?” I had been bedridden with a fever for so many days that, coming right off a talk with Benno, I had no idea what the High Priest was talking about. What stir was he talking about?
4538
4539“I went to check if you had cleaned up after yourself and found all the dirt in a wide area completely upended, with some of the stone pavement slightly out of place.”
4540
4541I had thought that no blue priests would bother going there, but apparently the High Priest had gone out of his way to check up after us. It seemed he was the kind of hard worker who felt compelled to confirm things himself despite being so busy. His light golden eyes narrowed, affording me no escape.
4542
4543“What in the world did you do to cause all that?”
4544
4545“Well... Um... Just as I informed you ahead of time, we...” I looked at Fran. What exactly had he told the High Priest? I had no idea what to say to settle this situation.
4546
4547“Both Fran and the orphans stated that they harvested wood to turn into paper. That they threw taues amongst themselves. And finally, that you fell sick with a fever. Nothing more.”
4548
4549“...And that’s all that happened.” I nodded repeatedly after he finished. That probably meant that nobody had leaked how the wood they’d harvested was from trombes sprouted from taues that
4550
4551
4552300
4553
4554
4555
4556had drained my mana. Since I didn’t know exactly what the High Priest knew, I kept my mouth shut so as to not say anything unnecessary. I could ask Fran what he had said later.
4557
4558“For everyone to answer the same, they must be telling the truth. But you cannot deny causing a stir after doing enough of something to push the stone pavement itself out of place,” said the High Priest. I steeled myself for a barrage of questions, only for him to glare at me. “Myne, I sentence you to one day in the repentance chamber.”
4559
4560Wait... He’s not questioning me? Benno would definitely question me until he got the answers he wanted. Are you sure about this? Perhaps due to having asked the orphans about the situation while I was bedridden, the High Priest pursued the subject no further and simply punished me instead.
4561
4562“The repentance chamber?”
4563
4564“Yes. You will pray to the gods while reflecting on what you have done.”
4565
4566I was honestly a little disappointed, but in contrast to my general apathy toward chilling in detention for a day, Fran’s face paled and Delia shouted “Unbelievable!” out loud.
4567
4568“I have never heard of a blue shrine maiden being sent to the repentance chamber! It would be disgraceful!”
4569
4570“High Priest, I beg you to reconsider!”
4571
4572It seemed that I was the first apprentice blue shrine maiden in history to be sent to the repentance chamber. But to be honest, as mentioned, I would pick chilling in detention over the High Priest digging into what happened at the Star Festival with his frosty rage freezing me over.
4573
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4586“Attendants, I have earned this punishment by breaking my promise with the High Priest. It is only natural that I take responsibility for my actions. I am happy as long as the orphans are not punished.”
4587
4588I would gladly take any punishment that didn’t lead to the orphans getting penalized in association. They had so much fun that day and I didn’t want their happy memories of the festival tarnished by lectures and time in the repentance chamber.
4589
4590“High Priest, where is the repentance room, and what should I do within it? Er, I mean, I understand that I need to repent, but is there anything in particular I need to do?”
4591
4592Visions of punishments I had suffered back in my Urano days ran through my head: Being forced to clean, having to write “I won’t do it again” a hundred times, and so on. But the High Priest just raised an eyebrow in disbelief. I had apparently just asked a question with an answer exceedingly obvious to anyone in the temple.
4593
4594“What else but offering prayers to the gods?”
4595
4596Wait... He wants me to do that silly praying pose for the whole day? The sheer intensity of the punishment left me at a loss for words, at which point Gil tried comforting me by saying he was used to it and would go in with me. But that was naturally against the rules, so I went to the chambers on my own.
4597
4598“Reflect on what you have done.” The High Priest brought me to the repentance room right next to the chapel and directed me inside. It was a small room made of the same white stone as the chapel, and I could see thin slits at the top for letting in air. It also let in light, which made the white room brighter than most. The room was chilly despite it being summer since even the floor was made of stone. It would probably be miserable in the winter, but it wasn’t so bad in the summer.
4599
4600“Sister Myne, will you be okay?”
4601
4602
4603
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4605
4606
4607“Yes, I’ll be fine.”
4608
4609Fran and Gil’s worried faces vanished from view after the wooden door closed. Without anyone watching there was nobody to check if I was actually praying, so I immediately sat in a corner. The chilly floor was very calming. In order to kill time, I decided to take out Benno’s list of problems (which I had stealthily hidden in my skirt pocket) and think about them. I could do all that repenting stuff when the High Priest came to check on me.
4610
4611
4612
4613“Mmm, I think an introduction-only system would work well for this problem. But what about this problem? I feel like it’d be kinda awkward to ask the High Priest if I can eat lunch and dinner with him just to learn more about noble food. Yeah... fwaaaah.”
4614
4615A big yawn swelled up out of me as I stared at the list of problems. Maybe I still wasn’t feeling too well. I was getting really sleepy out of nowhere. Judging by how hungry I was, it was probably past noon.
4616
4617I folded up the list of problems, stuck it in my pocket, and lay down on the floor. I closed my eyes and let the pleasant fog take me over so I could recover a bit through an afternoon nap.
4618
4619
4620
4621“Myne, why are you sleeping when you should be... Fran!” “Ah! Sister Myne?!”
4622
4623My body had chilled to the bone while I napped on the cold stone floor. By the time the High Priest came to get me, I was feverishly stuck to the floor, unable to move at all. I could hear Fran cradling his head and saying that he would apologize to my mom for letting me get sick again the day after I went back to the temple.
4624
4625“Had she not recovered?!”
4626
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4634
4635
4636
4637“If I may, High Priest. I believe you underestimated the extent of Sister Myne’s poor health. I did request that you reconsider sending her to the repentance chamber.”
4638
4639“I see. You spoke not for her honor, but for her health...”
4640
4641By ignoring Fran’s warning, he had gotten me sick right after I recovered from my last fever. The High Priest considered that his full responsibility, and in the end, he ended up being the one repenting.
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4699
4700
4701Lutz Running Away from Home
4702
4703Three days had passed since I ended up bedridden when Tuuli came rushing into the bedroom.
4704
4705“Oh no, Myne! Lutz ran away from home and he’s not coming back!”
4706
4707I shot up so fast I fell over forward. “What do you mean, Tuuli? What happened? Is he okay?” I rapidly asked a barrage of questions with my face planted firmly against my bed.
4708
4709Tuuli winced a little, probably regretting her decision to tell me. She stroked my hair with a worried frown. “Sorry, Myne. I should have waited to tell you until your fever went down. Don’t push yourself, your fever will flare back up.”
4710
4711“Tell me, Tuuli.” I clasped Tuuli’s hand and repeatedly begged her to tell me, until eventually she let out a defeated sigh.
4712
4713“...Lay back down, Myne. I’ll go get Ralph. Okay?”
4714
4715I nodded and Tuuli left the room with a turn. Then I heard her footsteps fade away as she went outside and locked the front door behind her. I strained my ears, waiting for her to come back with my face still planted against the bed.
4716
4717After a lengthy period of anxiously waiting for Tuuli’s return, I heard returning footsteps, and then the front door being unlocked and opened.
4718
4719“...Ralph, what happened to Lutz?”
4720
4721When Ralph came inside with Tuuli and saw me bedridden with a fever, he sighed. “I thought for sure he was camping out here...”
4722
4723“Didn’t I just tell you? Myne’s been in bed for three days already. No way could she know that Lutz ran away from home yesterday,” said Tuuli with an angry pout.
4724
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4729305
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4731
4732
4733Ralph apologized for doubting her and turned back to me. “Yesterday, Lutz started yelling at Dad the second he got home. He was all like, ‘Why are you getting in my way?!’ and ‘I’ve put up with you for this long, but not anymore! I’m out of here!’ Then he dashed out, looking crazy mad.”
4734
4735Ralph’s explanation was all it took for me to realize what happened. Benno had definitely told him why he couldn’t bring him to the other city. That was a relief. I could guess, then, that Benno was looking after Lutz. He wouldn’t be able to adopt him immediately, but he probably would treat him more or less like a son nonetheless.
4736
4737“Mom’s losing it, but Dad said not to bother since he’ll probably come back soon. I thought he’d be back when he got hungry, but he didn’t come back for breakfast or lunch. I’m getting worried. Do you know where he is, Myne?” asked Ralph, which made me feel uneasy. If Benno was looking over him, then he should be at work. How could they not know where he was?
4738
4739“You don’t know where he is...? Did he not go to work?”
4740
4741“Well, uh... We dunno where he works, so...” Ralph avoided looking at me as he spoke.
4742
4743For a second, I couldn’t comprehend what I had heard. About two and a half months had passed since our baptism, but Lutz had been going to the Gilberta Company since long before becoming an apprentice — almost a full year by now.
4744
4745“How do you not know? It’s the Gilberta Company, remember?”
4746
4747“...We know the name ’cause he went to Sieg’s workshop a while ago. But not even Sieg knows where that store is.”
4748
4749“Are you saying you wouldn’t even know that if Lutz and I hadn’t gone to Sieg’s workshop?” I asked hesitantly, but Ralph just awkwardly looked away without answering. That ticked Tuuli off.
4750
4751
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4757
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4759“I can’t believe you! Ralph, you don’t even know where your little brother works?! Don’t you talk about work at home?”
4760
4761Brothers probably didn’t talk as much as sisters did, but still, not talking to Lutz about work at all was just kinda mean. I wasn’t sure if they just didn’t care or if they were stubbornly avoiding the subject in protest, but still, knowing so little they couldn’t even find him after he ran away from home was really a problem.
4762
4763I reached out and tightly squeezed Ralph’s shirt. “...Ralph. It might not be my place to say this, but please talk to Lutz more.”
4764
4765“Lutz is the one who won’t talk. And really, I’m the victim here. Lutz got the job he wanted even though everyone else was against it, and now he just does whatever he wants on his days off without even going to the forest. What’s his problem? He’s got it easy!” Ralph swatted my hand off with his eyes wide with anger.
4766
4767“Hey! Ralph! Don’t be rough with Myne! She’s still sick!” “S-Sorry...”
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4881Shouting doesn’t really help me either, I thought while preparing to back up Lutz. I was aware of how much time I was taking from him, after all.
4882
4883“But Lutz is working on his days off too. Don’t you know that when Benno calls for him or I march him around, he gets paid? He’s not playing around or anything.”
4884
4885Ralph’s eyes widened, then he slowly shook his head. “...I didn’t know about that.”
4886
4887There were some misunderstandings since they barely talked, but ultimately, Ralph was worried about Lutz. There was no mistaking that. And it really wasn’t my place to get involved here. Ralph needed to talk to Lutz, not me.
4888
4889I looked up at Tuuli. Through visiting Corinna and going clothes shopping with me, she had met Benno and several other employees of the Gilberta Company before. It would probably be better if Ralph went there with her rather than barging in by himself.
4890
4891“Tuuli, would you take Ralph to the Gilberta Company for me? You don’t have to drag Lutz home if he’s doing okay, but please check and make sure that he’s safe.”
4892
4893“Definitely, I’m worried about Lutz too. Let’s go, Ralph.” Tuuli took Ralph’s hand and started to leave the room. When he glanced back at me with a worried look in his eyes, all I could do was give a weak smile.
4894
4895Ralph had always been a caring brother deep inside, and despite thinking Lutz was just playing around, he was still worried for him. Deep down, neither he nor Lutz were in the wrong here, but their relationship was in tatters. I shut my eyes, thinking that it would be nice if when Ralph found Lutz they would have a decent conversation
4896
4897
4898
4899
4900309
4901
4902
4903for the first time in a while.
4904
4905
4906
4907The sun was setting by the time I woke up. Or to be more precise, I was awoken by the light streaming from the window hitting my eyes. Tuuli had gotten home already, judging by the sounds of someone preparing dinner in the kitchen. I drank some water from the nearby wooden cup to wet my throat, making just enough noise for Tuuli to notice I was awake and stick her head through the doorway.
4908
4909“You’re awake, Myne? Think you’ll be able to eat?” I sat up with a nod and Tuuli brought me a bowl of bread soup. While I ate, she told me what had happened at the store.
4910
4911“Lutz was at the store and doing his job like normal. He seemed fine.”
4912
4913“Okay. That’s a relief.” I felt immensely glad that we knew where he was and the worst-case scenario of him getting lost and wrapped up in something had been avoided.
4914
4915“Ralph tried to drag Lutz home after seeing him, but Lutz told him not to get in the way of his job. That made Ralph really mad, and after a shouting match he just stormed off, yelling at Lutz that he could do whatever he wanted to. And then... His dad is saying not to bother with him since he’s at his job.”
4916
4917It felt as if Tuuli had just explained to me the exact moment that Lutz’s family had been damaged permanently beyond repair. I felt my heart clench.
4918
4919“I know you’re worried about him, but don’t go check on him until you’re feeling better, okay?”
4920
4921“...Okay.”
4922
4923The next day, Gil came to get me instead of Lutz. Apparently Lutz had asked him to walk me to the temple instead of him for a while,
4924
4925
4926
4927
4928310
4929
4930
4931
4932though I couldn’t go with him anyway since I was still too sick to go to the temple. Gil peered at me with worry as I remained in bed.
4933
4934“Sister Myne, your fever still hasn’t gone down?”
4935
4936“Mhm. I’ll need to be careful for a day even if it goes down, so could you come again three days from now?” Gil knelt by the back of the bed, took my hand, and brought his face close to it as if preparing to kiss it. But instead he pressed his forehead against it and fluently chanted a prayer.
4937
4938“May Sister Myne have the divine protection of Heilschmerz, the Goddess of Healing.”
4939
4940“Thank you. May you too be blessed by the gods.”
4941
4942Gil left reluctantly, and returned three days later as he’d promised. My fever was gone and my parents said I could go, so I went to the temple with him. It felt weird leaving without Lutz and I couldn’t shake an uneasy feeling. After climbing down the stairs and leaving the building, I saw Lutz’s mom Karla doing laundry by the well. I rushed over to her.
4943
4944“Mrs. Karla, is Lutz back yet?”
4945
4946She shook her head silently. There was no trace of her normal energy or friendly overbearing attitude. She just looked tired to the bone.
4947
4948“Myne, do you know how Lutz is doing?”
4949
4950“I heard a little from Ralph and Tuuli, but that’s it since I’ve been sick with a fever for days. I was thinking about going to the store today and checking up on him.”
4951
4952“Okay. Could you tell me if he’s doing okay?”
4953
4954I agreed, despite thinking she should just go see him herself, and left the plaza with Gil.
4955
4956“Gil, we’re going to stop at the store, okay? I want to see Lutz.”
4957
4958
4959
4960
4961311
4962
4963
4964
4965“If that’s what you want, Sister Myne, sure. But I dunno why that lady’s so worried, kids don’t need parents to survive. Nobody at the orphanage has parents, so yeah.”
4966
4967“...True.” Some of those kids were dying the first time I saw them, but I didn’t mention that. If the orphans didn’t have the mindset that kids don’t need parents to survive, they would probably fall apart.
4968
4969Mark welcomed us with a smile when we arrived at the Gilberta Company. Lutz was behind him, writing something on his diptych.
4970
4971“Good morning, Myne. Feeling better?”
4972
4973“Good morning, Mr. Mark. My fever’s finally gone down. But that’s not important right now. I want to talk about Lu—”
4974
4975“Please save that conversation for the office. The employees are a bit on edge, due to Lutz’s relatives causing stirs these past few days.” Mark interrupted me with a gentle smile.
4976
4977It seemed that Ralph wasn’t the only one who had come to the store and tried dragging Lutz home. Disheveled poor people coming to a fancy store for nobles and causing a commotion each day was hardly good for its image. At this rate, Lutz’s position in the store would get worse by the day. I shut my mouth and nodded.
4978
4979“Master Benno, Myne wishes to talk, so I have brought her here.” “...I don’t remember making my office a counseling room.”
4980
4981“I am aware.” Mark was smiling, but exuding an aura that made it clear that he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Benno caved in with a nod and a sigh.
4982
4983“I’m sorry, Mr. Benno. We can talk outside if you want.”
4984
4985“Nah, here is fine. Last night Lutz’s mom came all the way to my place on the second floor to demand I give Lutz back, shouting about me being a kidnapper and all that. Mark flipped out and sent her packing.”
4986
4987
4988312
4989
4990
4991“My apologies, Master Benno.”
4992
4993I shuddered at the thought of Karla shouting with all her size and energy. Then, I trembled in genuine fear at the description of Mark having “flipped out.” What had he said to send Karla packing? Maybe she had looked exhausted and dead inside due to Mark’s anger. I got the feeling it would be for the best if I never knew what he had said, and so I turned to Lutz.
4994
4995“How are things for you right now, Lutz? Are you living with Mr. Benno?”
4996
4997“Whaddaya mean? I’m living in that attic room where all my stuff is. I didn’t even know Mom came until this morning.”
4998
4999Mark had apparently sent her off before she even got to see Lutz.
5000
5001That was why she had asked me to tell her how he was doing.
5002
5003Honestly, that made me feel kinda bad.
5004
5005“...Wait, wait. The attic room?”
5006
5007“Yeah, it’s all I got. Where else would I go?”
5008
5009Lutz said he was living in the attic room, which put him on the same level as a live-in apprentice. In other words, despite having said he would adopt Lutz, Benno wasn’t helping him at all.
5010
5011“What’s the meaning of this, Mr. Benno?! Weren’t you going to adopt Lutz?!”
5012
5013“...Master Benno, adopting me? Huh? Where’s that coming from?”
5014
5015Judging by how Lutz’s confusion, Benno hadn’t told him anything. I glared up at Benno, and he too glared back down at me with angry eyes.
5016
5017“You idiot!” he thundered. “You think I could just up and adopt him without his parents’ permission?! No! This is the path Lutz chose and he’s walking it. And how many times have I told you to think before
5018
5019
5020
5021
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5023
5024
5025
5026you speak?! Now you’ve told him about the adoption at a time when his parents won’t give their permission!”
5027
5028Oh no! I put a hand over my mouth, but it was too late. Lutz’s eyes were brimming with darkness. He had likely been living a harsh, lonely life ever since running away from home. His eyes were normally full of optimistic positivity, but now that he had found a target to unleash his frustration upon, he looked grim.
5029
5030“Myne, did you know all about this?”
5031
5032“I told her. I needed information on your home life and family situation.”
5033
5034“Master Benno...”
5035
5036Benno’s revelation made Lutz’s eyes waver. He looked at me like a lost kid trying to find his place in the world. “But, but... If you knew, why didn’t you tell me?”
5037
5038“Because I knew you would run away from home. I knew you would turn your back on your family. I care a lot about my family, and I didn’t want to do something that would destroy yours.”
5039
5040I didn’t want to harm his relationship with his family. But even so, if Benno would give him a home where he was welcome, if he would adopt him, then I thought Lutz should do what he thought was best. With Benno’s help, he wouldn’t have to suffer the hell of being a live-in apprentice until reaching adulthood and gaining freedom from his parents’ interference.
5041
5042But in reality, Lutz ran away from home, couldn’t get adopted due to the need for parental permission, and was ultimately living in the attic like a normal live-in apprentice. Only five days had passed, and yet the darkness in Lutz’s eyes showed just how hard it was for a kid to live alone.
5043
5044
5045
5046
5047
5048
5049
5050314
5051
5052
5053
5054“Are you saying I was wrong, Myne? I was wrong to run away from home...?”
5055
5056According to Tuuli, Ralph had said: “Quit being selfish and come home,” “Stop thinking about yourself all the time,” “You’re the one causing problems for the store,” “Aren’t you satisfied already?” and so on. If Lutz apologized and went home, he’d be going right back to the same situation he was in before. His family would say that they were right, that he couldn’t survive as a live-in slave. They would say he was selfish after all. He would probably end up living life while bottling up all the frustrations he had, thinking that was his only choice. But I didn’t want to see Lutz like that, so I rejected the idea immediately.
5057
5058“I don’t think you’re in the wrong, Lutz. How could I, when I know just how hard you’ve been working? When I know how much frustration you’ve been bottling up inside?”
5059
5060“Whew...” Lutz let out a relieved sigh. I peered into his jade-green eyes and took his hand.
5061
5062“No matter what happens, Lutz, I’m on your side. I’m still here right now because you said you accepted me as I was back then.”
5063
5064In the past I had also felt that I was alone with no allies, to the point of retreating into my shell. I felt uneasy every day, feeling I had no place in the world, and was ultimately saved by Lutz saying he was fine with me being his Myne. I wanted Lutz to feel even a fraction of the relief I felt that day.
5065
5066“I’ll say the same thing you said to me. Lutz, you’re fine the way you are. I’ll support you through everything. Just like you saved me, I’ll do everything I can to save you, so know that you can always rely on me when things get bad.”
5067
5068With tears forming in his eyes, Lutz hugged me with a trembling smile. “Haha...! I don’t think there’s anyone less reliable than you,
5069
5070
5071
5072315
5073
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5075
5076Myne. You’d probably crumble the second I tried leaning on you,” said Lutz tearfully while indeed nearly crushing me with his hug.
5077
5078I pouted with embarrassment a bit and patted his back. “I’ll be able to help a little. Like, how about I give you lunch at the temple...? You can’t cook food in the attic since you don’t have a kitchen, right?”
5079
5080“...That’s just eating together, you’re not making it.” I heard Lutz sniff beside me while rubbing his nose. But still, his voice sounded a lot brighter than it was a second ago. I smiled.
5081
5082“Shouldn’t you be saying ‘I owe you my greatest thanks, Sister Myne’ right now?”
5083
5084Lutz cackled and lifted his up head, now wearing a smile. His normal, optimistic smile. Maybe I had helped him a little after all.
5085
5086“...Hey, you two done yet?” Benno called out to us with an incredibly exasperated, annoyed expression, his head resting against his chin in a classic bored posture.
5087
5088I tilted my head while still patting Lutz’s back. “...I mean, we can be. Why?”
5089
5090“Get back to work already. You’re distracting me.” Benno shooed us away and Lutz hurriedly separated from me before leaving the room. I figured I would leave too after a quick goodbye, but Benno eyed the door Lutz just left through and continued to speak.
5091
5092“Myne, I sympathize with wanting to improve Lutz’s situation as soon as possible, but given how his mom was acting yesterday, the adoption talk will have to wait until things have cooled down.” Benno’s calm assessment of the situation made me feel like I was swallowing a bitter pill. “It looks like he’s gonna be living like this for a while, and things might be fine for now, but a bad living situation hurts the spirit. I can’t do anything right now since it’ll impact the store’s reputation if his family keeps shouting about kidnapping and being tricked. If you’re on Lutz’s side, do what you can to help.”
5093
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5097
5098
5099“...Right.” I thought that even if Lutz ran away, Benno would adopt him and he could focus on work. I thought that he would be able to go to other cities to help make plant paper workshops and finally achieve his dream. I never thought he would become a live-in apprentice and suffer more than he already was...
5100
5101Just as Benno said, Lutz’s spirit would be worn down if he kept up this harsh lifestyle. He would beat himself up, wondering if he had done the wrong thing, and ultimately he might end up hating his family. Surely there was something I could do for him, just like how he had supported me. But nothing came to mind, and I let out a heavy sigh.
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5150317
5151
5152
5153The High Priest’s Letter of Invitation
5154
5155...What could I do about Lutz? It seemed like the best thing would be for Lutz and his family to sit down, face each other head on, and say what they had to say until everyone could forgive each other. Lutz and his family had ended up so distant from each other because they had kept their feelings inside for so long.
5156
5157“...Hm. Myne. Are you listening to me?”
5158
5159I came back to my senses from my shoulders being shaken, and I
5160
5161looked up at the High Priest in confusion. He looked down at me
5162
5163while rubbing his temples and pointing a finger at my stone slate.
5164
5165“You’re not making any progress.”
5166
5167“Oh, I’m sorry.” I apologized and got back to doing math. Once I finished a chunk of calculations, I let out another sigh. Maybe I was only so invested in fixing this because I was blessed with a good family. Who could say if it would be better for Lutz to stay separated from his family if they were making him so unhappy? It was hard to say. What path would lead to Lutz’s happiness?
5168
5169“Myne, you’ve stopped again.”
5170
5171“Huh? Oh, I finished this part.”
5172
5173“Then begin work on this.”
5174
5175The most immediate solution was Benno adopting Lutz. That would give him a strong ally and let him focus on work, and it would provide him with a good living situation. But Benno couldn’t adopt Lutz without parental permission, and he had already said that his hands were tied here.
5176
5177I considered inviting Benno, Lutz, and Lutz’s parents to one big meeting, but I doubted they would all get together to talk. And if the conversation heated up so much that Benno or Lutz’s dad lost
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5179
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5182318
5183
5184
5185
5186control of the situation, who knew what would happen. I just couldn’t see it ending well.
5187
5188“...I really am useless, aren’t I...”
5189
5190“You certainly are. For once, you are entirely correct.”
5191
5192I looked up, surprised that my murmurs had been responded to, and saw that the High Priest was looking down at me with a scary look in his eyes. He jutted his chin toward the bed.
5193
5194“Follow me.”
5195
5196“Um, High Priest. What about your work?”
5197
5198“Fixing the calculator comes first.”
5199
5200It’s not very nice to call people calculators, I complained silently while following the High Priest into the lecture room.
5201
5202It was as messy as ever, so I moved some stuff off of the bench to secure a place to sit. The High Priest brought his chair over again and sat down heavily, glaring at me with frustration. He always got a bit more emotional in here, as evidenced by how his glare was twice as sharp as before.
5203
5204“What in the world are you thinking about? You have been letting out depressing sighs the entire morning.”
5205
5206“I’m sorry. It’s not related to you or our work or anything. I’ll try to focus on work more.” If I told him I was too worried about Lutz to focus, the lecture would last even longer. I therefore tried to end the lecture as soon as possible while showing that I was sorry, but the High Priest just rested his head on his fist and eyed me with annoyance.
5207
5208“As it is interfering with our work, it is not irrelevant.”
5209
5210...Can’t argue with that. I averted my gaze from his narrowed golden eyes. If speaking meant being called a thoughtless idiot, it was better
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5215319
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5219not to say anything at all. I kept my silence and eventually the High Priest stood up with a sigh, walked up to me, and pinched my cheek.
5220
5221“How do you expect me to do my work while there is a depressed child beside me?”
5222
5223I hadn’t noticed since he treated me like a walking calculator, but apparently he was, in fact, worried about me. I looked up at the High Priest, who was as aloof and hard to understand as ever, when suddenly it struck me. He had been raised as a noble. I knew that due to a political purge the number of nobles had decreased drastically, leading to those in the temple being adopted and married away. That probably meant the High Priest knew a lot about adoptions.
5224
5225“High Priest, do you know if there’s a way for someone to get adopted without parental permission?” I asked, causing the High Priest to raise an eyebrow in surprise.
5226
5227“What? You’ve chosen to leave the family you care so much about?”
5228
5229“Sheesh! I’m not talking about me, duh!” His unexpected misinterpretation surprised me so much that I dropped my noble dialect entirely. I slapped a hand over my mouth, but the High Priest just murmured “Naturally” without a word about it. He adjusted his place in his seat, put his arms on each armrest, and linked his fingers in front of his stomach.
5230
5231“...Then who? There are some methods for that, depending on the situation.”
5232
5233“There are?!” I stood up in surprise, and the High Priest nodded while gesturing at me to sit back down.
5234
5235“My position here gives me a degree of authority, which can be used to bend the rules. Though I will not do so for just anyone.”
5236
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5245320
5246
5247
5248
5249“It’s about Benno adopting Lutz.” There was now a glimmer of hope for improving Lutz’s living situation. I sat up straight and looked at the High Priest with hopeful eyes.
5250
5251“Those are both very important people to you, I believe. Tell me more.”
5252
5253I gave the High Priest a summary of events, answering question after detailed question until he was satisfied. He closed his eyes to organize his thoughts, then slowly opened them.
5254
5255“Hm. Lutz’s family opposed his employment as an apprentice merchant and refused to allow him to leave the city, which ultimately led to him running away from home. Benno hopes to adopt Lutz given his bright future, but his parents refuse even that. Your hope is to improve his living situation, with your ideal solution including a resolution to the conflict with his family. You believe the fastest solution will be to have Benno adopt him. Everything correct so far?”
5256
5257“Yes.” The fact that he remembered all that without taking notes showed just how good his memory was. My awe for his memory distracted me, but the High Priest kept going.
5258
5259“Lutz’s father said to ‘not bother’ with Lutz since he was going to work, yes? He didn’t say that Lutz couldn’t come back?”
5260
5261“...I don’t think he did, at least. But this is all hearsay from Tuuli, I can’t say anything for sure.” The most unfortunate part about explaining the situation to the High Priest was that I only had secondhand exposure to the thoughts of his parents. I had talked to Lutz and heard Benno’s thoughts. But I only knew his parents’ opinion from Lutz, Ralph, and Tuuli; I hadn’t spoken to them myself.
5262
5263“...It would be somewhat tenuous, but if Lutz is taken into the orphanage as an abandoned child, the director of the orphanage
5264
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5269321
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5273could give permission in the place of his parents, enabling Benno to adopt him if he applied to the orphanage.”
5274
5275“What?! And I’m the director of the orphanage! Let’s go ahead and send Lutz to the orphanage!” Wow, I’m amazing! I’m glad I decided to be the orphanage director! I stood up with pure excitement, but once again the High Priest gestured at me to sit down.
5276
5277“Contain yourself. Myne, you need to learn to listen until the other party is finished. Perhaps you fail so often because you jump to conclusions and do not let others finish speaking.”
5278
5279His extremely accurate and reasonable assertion forced me to sit down without any room for argument. You know. Somehow, I feel like the High Priest is starting to understand me better than I do.
5280
5281“Although you have been given the position of orphanage director, you are still a minor. Your signature alone would not be sufficient to approve an adoption.”
5282
5283“In that case, what happens if someone actually does come to adopt an orphan?” I’m the orphanage director, but not even my signature is useful... I slumped my shoulders sadly, but in the corner of my mind I knew it would be unreasonable for a kid reliant on their parents to bear that much responsibility.
5284
5285“As your signature will not suffice, the duty will fall on me, your superior.”
5286
5287“High Priest, please. Sign the papers for Lutz’s adoption.”
5288
5289The High Priest let out a deliberate sigh. “I do not mind providing the signature. But you spoke entirely from the perspective of Lutz, a child. I will not decide that a child has been abandoned from his word alone. In order to bring him to the orphanage as an abandoned child, I will need to talk to his parents.”
5290
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5300
5301“Wha? But how?” He made it sound so simple, but I wasn’t sure how he intended to talk to Lutz’s parents. I tilted my head in confusion and he looked at me with utter disbelief.
5302
5303“What do you mean, how? If you wish to talk to someone, you need merely summon them. What is there to be confused about?”
5304
5305“...I forgot just how powerful authority is.” If you wanted to talk to someone, just summon them to you. That was common sense in the temple. I slumped my shoulders, remembering how my parents had been summoned to the temple themselves. Why had I even bothered worrying about securing a place to talk?
5306
5307“I will grasp the situation in full, and if I find your position agreeable, I will assist in Lutz’s adoption.”
5308
5309“I thank you ever so much.” I looked up, feeling enormously relieved. The High Priest was giving a rare smile. Yet it wasn’t a chivalrous smile, but instead the grin of someone who had thought up something devious.
5310
5311“To that end, you will need to do paperwork in the afternoon as well. No book room for you today.”
5312
5313“...Bwuh?” As I froze in shock, the High Priest curved his lips into an even more amused grin.
5314
5315“I heard from Fran. This will be more effective than the repentance chamber.”
5316
5317“NOOOOOO!” Fran, you big meanie!
5318
5319After I tearfully worked through the afternoon, the High Priest gave me the letters of summons as promised. One for Benno, one for Lutz, and one for his parents.
5320
5321“Please deliver these.”
5322
5323I took the wooden boards with a broad smile, knowing that they would help Lutz’s living situation, even if only a little bit.
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5329
5330Since Lutz couldn’t come get me anymore, I left the temple with Fran. If I handed the letters of invitation over with Gil, it would look like we were children playing around instead of an actual summons. Lutz’s parents would probably take it seriously with an adult like Fran by my side.
5331
5332“I suggest we deliver the letters to Master Benno and Lutz first.”
5333
5334At Fran’s suggestion, we stopped by the Gilberta Company on the way back. Mark guided us to Benno’s office and called Lutz for us.
5335
5336“Mr. Bennoooo. Who’s the best? I’m the best. Cause... Check it out!” I ran up to Benno with a spring in my step and took out his letter of invitation with a flourish. Benno suspiciously took the board, ran his eyes over it, then immediately thundered at me with a furious expression.
5337
5338“A letter of invitation from the High Priest?! What did you screw up this time?!”
5339
5340“I talked to him about Lutz running away to see if he could arrange an adoption, and here we are. Why are you so mad?” My thoughts were that I had done something extremely helpful, so Benno’s sudden thundering just left me confused and blinking rapidly.
5341
5342“What have you done?!”
5343
5344“Bwuh? Wha? Did I do something wrong?”
5345
5346“Don’t involve nobles in problems like this! You could get us all killed, or worse!”
5347
5348Benno was furious, but I really didn’t understand why. The High Priest was certainly a noble, but he was a reasonable person, and despite his aloofness making it hard to understand, he did all this out of worry for me.
5349
5350
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5360
5361“But I mean, the High Priest said he needed to do this to repair his calculator... Not to mention that I wanted to help Lutz out however I could.”
5362
5363“I appreciate the thought, Myne, but come on. Getting a letter of invitation like this is just scary.” Lutz hung his head as he looked at the letter of invitation I handed to him. Benno, likewise, was cradling his head with his letter of invitation still in hand.
5364
5365“You try to help Lutz, and the next thing we know the High Priest is sending out letters of invitation... haaah.”
5366
5367“Don’t blame me. You said you couldn’t help, Mr. Benno, so I just asked another adult for advice.” I pouted my lips unhappily and Benno glared at me, his dark-red eyes gleaming with a monstrous light.
5368
5369“Alright, alright. If I had used all my power to threaten Lutz’s family and blackmail them into approving the adoption, this wouldn’t have happened. My mistake.”
5370
5371“Wh-What are you talking about?! That’s terrifying!”
5372
5373“...Myne, if Master Benno wanted to, that wouldn’t be a problem for him at all. My family’s been damaging his store’s reputation, and you shouldn’t even need to think about whether he’s stronger than my parents or not.”
5374
5375Lutz’s words snapped me back to reality. By this point I was just casually visiting the Gilberta Company, but Tuuli felt nervous about going to the north at all. There was a distinct difference in power and authority between the north and south. Karla coming here directly for Lutz had been a real act of immense courage, and Lutz’s family not being punished for the problems they had been causing was simply because Benno had mercifully forgiven then.
5376
5377“I was trying to resolve this peacefully for Lutz’s sake, and yet here you go...”
5378
5379
5380
5381325
5382
5383
5384
5385“The High Priest will be peaceful too! He’s even thought of a way to make the adoption work out!”
5386
5387“Say what?!” Benno and Lutz both looked at me simultaneously.
5388
5389I explained to them what the High Priest had told me. “If Lutz seeks refuge in the orphanage under the claim that his parents have abandoned him, then we’ll only need your signature and the orphanage’s approval for you to adopt him, Mr. Benno.”
5390
5391“And that’s where you come in, as the orphanage director.” Benno looked at me with a grin. I hated to disappoint him, but my signature was meaningless.
5392
5393“I’m still a child, so it will be the High Priest providing his signature. But first he wants to talk to you and Lutz’s parents to understand the situation in full. Hence the letters.”
5394
5395Benno looked at the letter in his hand while stroking his chin, looking conflicted. “Y’know, seems like the High Priest has really taken a liking to you, huh? Most nobles wouldn’t bother to deal with us commoners.”
5396
5397“I’m apparently a very valuable calculator. His work efficiency changes dramatically based on how well I’m functioning.”
5398
5399“Now that you mention it, Otto said something like that too. I might need to thank you for this, but I don’t really want to. Why do I feel so exhausted...?” Benno let out a tired sigh and scratched his head.
5400
5401“You should go give Lutz’s parents theirs.” “Sorry, Myne.”
5402
5403“It’s okay. I was going to tell Karla about this anyway. But remember, since this is all based on you being abandoned and coming to the orphanage, be sure to come to the temple tomorrow.”
5404
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5414
5415
5416I waved Lutz goodbye and left the store, beginning my walk home with Fran. I planned to go straight to Lutz’s place, but found Karla walking around aimlessly by the well.
5417
5418“Mrs. Karla!” I called out and Karla’s head shot up. She came running this way immediately. Her once round face had thinned with exhaustion and I could see dark circles beneath her eyes.
5419
5420“Took you a while, Myne. Did you see Lutz? How was he?” “He was doing his job. He seemed fine.”
5421
5422“That’s good.” Karla’s heavy sigh of relief made me painfully aware of just how concerned she was for Lutz. It made sense that she wouldn’t approve of the adoption so easily.
5423
5424“Um, this is a letter of invitation from the temple’s High Priest.” I held out the letter to Karla. She looked at it with eyes wide in disbelief, her face visibly paling.
5425
5426“...Why the temple?”
5427
5428“Lutz asked to go to the orphanage. Since he was abandoned.”
5429
5430“He’s the one who ran away from home!” yelled Karla, but yelling wouldn’t make the letter go away. A letter of invitation from a noble couldn’t be refused.
5431
5432“After that happened, the High Priest said he wanted to talk to Lutz’s parents before accepting him into the orphanage, so... Please come with your husband. Since you might need to take a day off work, it’s scheduled for three days from now. He wants you to come to the temple at third bell.”
5433
5434I explained the contents of the letter to Karla, since she couldn’t read. She squeezed the wooden board in her hand while looking between it and me.
5435
5436“...Third bell three days from now?”
5437
5438
5439
5440
5441327
5442
5443
5444
5445“Uh huh. If you show this letter to the guard, he should take you where you need to go.”
5446
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5516
5517Family Meeting at the Temple
5518
5519The date of the meeting arrived after three days of anxious waiting. I hurriedly went to the temple, changed into my blue robes, and headed to the High Priest’s room. Lutz, who had been staying in one of my attendant rooms, was wearing his apprentice clothes. He stayed with me instead of in the orphanage at the High Priest’s instructions, in order to prevent the real orphans from developing pointless hope.
5520
5521“Man, I’m nervous.”
5522
5523“...This has gotten way too big for a simple family discussion.”
5524
5525By the time Lutz and I arrived at the High Priest’s room, word of Benno and Mark arriving had already been delivered and a gray priest was guiding the two of them there.
5526
5527Lutz’s parents arrived just as Benno was finishing the long, verbose greeting made necessary by the presence of a noble. Just as I had heard, Lutz’s father had the muscular build of one working in construction, though he wasn’t particularly large. His skin was deeply tanned and he had the look of someone who worked themselves sweaty outside. He had deeply furrowed brows and sharp jade eyes that reflected his obstinate personality well, while his almost white blonde hair made him look a little old.
5528
5529Lutz’s father glanced at him, gave a snort, and then briefly introduced himself to the High Priest. Karla followed him to the seats offered to them, and jerked in fear upon seeing Mark and Benno sitting on the opposite side.
5530
5531    ...Seriously, Mark, what’d you do? What’d you say? Have you already blackmailed her?
5532
5533When everyone was gathered in the High Priest’s room, the loud sound of third bell rang above us. The High Priest was standing
5534
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5538329
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5541
5542beside me. As he stated his greeting, I looked at the small magic tool in my hand. It was a sound-blocking magic tool made to prevent eavesdropping. When holding it only a specific person could hear you, and the High Priest was using it today such that only he could hear me if I tried to speak. In short, he was telling me to shut up and not interfere. When I protested (so that I could help Lutz), he had this to say:
5543
5544“What I need to make clear here are the thoughts and feelings of the parties involved. A third party such as yourself will only complicate the situation by getting involved. Especially since you are biased in Lutz’s favor and thus not neutral. You’ll get in the way.”
5545
5546He was so blunt that I wanted to crack a joke about where all his euphemisms and aloofness had gone. The condition for me joining the meeting was carrying the magic tool, so all I could do was sit in my chair like a doll. Frustratingly enough, both Benno and Mark had agreed with the High Priest.
5547
5548The table was in the center of the room and our chairs were placed on either side of it. The High Priest and I sat on the side furthest into the room, Lutz sat opposite to us, his parents sat on the left, and Benno and Mark sat on the right. After finishing simple greetings and introductions, the High Priest explained Lutz’s position and his request. He had talked directly to Lutz and thus spoke of things that even I hadn’t heard about.
5549
5550“...And such is Lutz’s position. Is that right, Lutz?” The High Priest looked at Lutz, who nodded while looking self-conscious about his parents’ presence. I internally shouted my support for him. He clenched a trembling fist and opened his mouth.
5551
5552“No matter how hard I work, they don’t accept me. Dad fights against every one of my dreams, and—”
5553
5554
5555
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5563
5564“DON’T BE A BABY!” Lutz’s father, Deid, clenched his fist and shouted at Lutz. His shout was so loud I actually jumped in my chair. He was probably used to shouting instructions to his coworkers. His bellowing voice felt loud enough to echo throughout the entire Noble’s Quarter, to say nothing of the High Priest’s solitary room. I felt my heart tighten with fear.
5565
5566He’s so scary! Oh my god! My heart can’t take this!
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5698332
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5702
5703And it seemed I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Everyone tensed up and looked at Deid. Benno often thundered at me, but his volume and weight couldn’t compare to the voice of a worker shouting outside all the time.
5704
5705“You work hard? We don’t accept you? How about you stop being a baby.” He worked his shoulders and leaned forward toward Lutz, glaring at him so hard I could feel the pressure from here. His voice was loud and deep even when he wasn’t shouting, so much so that it was scary to hear even on the sidelines.
5706
5707Lutz paled after being shouted at in front of everyone, and since I was sitting in front of him I could tell he was gritting his teeth hard to hold back tears. I bit my lip with frustration, unable to speak to him no matter how much I wanted to, and the High Priest stood up from his seat beside me. He spoke in a calm voice that carried throughout the room despite its low volume, contrasting with Deid’s bellowing voice.
5708
5709“Deid, what exactly do you mean by ‘don’t be a baby’? Please explain.”
5710
5711“Huh? What don’t ya get? Lutz is being a baby, ain’t he?” Deid crossed his arms and shook his head, failing to understand the High Priest’s question. His grimace implied that he had expected his statement to end then and there without anyone questioning it.
5712
5713“Lutz feels frustrated that his hard work isn’t being recognized, and you consider that being a baby. But I do not understand how exactly that is being a baby, as I have little relation with craftsmen and the ways of the lower city. Please explain so that I can understand.”
5714
5715“Ah, yeah, you wouldn’t get it. Eh... Kinda hard to explain.”
5716
5717He could have blown Lutz off by saying that he should understand what he meant already, but that wouldn’t work with the High Priest.
5718
5719333
5720
5721
5722
5723Deid stroked his chin and searched for an answer, probably not used to saying more than a few words at his line of work.
5724
5725“He got a job we told him not to get. Of course he’s gonna work hard. Not even a season’s passed since his baptism, what’s there to accept? My stupid son’s the one who picked a job he wouldn’t get any help with. He knew what he was getting into. He knew he’d have to work so hard he’d spit blood and maybe never even make it to full time work. So I’m saying, why’s he complaining about it now? Does that make sense?”
5726
5727“Yes, that is much more clear. From that perspective, he certainly is being immature. Lutz, do you understand as well?”
5728
5729Lutz gritted his teeth with frustration and lowered his eyes. On the other hand, Deid looked a little relieved that his position had been understood. This meeting had been forced to happen entirely thanks to the High Priest’s status as a noble, but now that people were talking, I knew that Deid had — arguably — a reasonable position of his own. That wasn’t something I could have learned just by talking to Lutz.
5730
5731“Lutz, do you have a rebuttal? Or will you accept Deid’s position as justified?” The High Priest quietly urged Lutz on. He slowly lifted his head to look at his parents.
5732
5733“I’m not saying you have to appreciate how hard I’m working. But at the least... But at the very least, can’t you accept that I’m gonna be a merchant?!”
5734
5735“...Pretty sure I already told you to do whatever you want.” Deid furrowed his brows as if he didn’t understand what Lutz was saying. He scratched his head, then jutted his chin up and looked at Lutz. It didn’t really look like he was still opposed to Lutz being a merchant.
5736
5737“Do what I want... Huh? Wait, does that mean...?” Lutz shook his head in confusion and Karla explained what he meant with a sigh.
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5745“Your dad’s saying he does accept your work, in his own way.” “Wait, Mom?! If you know, tell me!”
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5747“How would I know? This is the first time I’m hearing him say that,” said Karla with a shrug. It seemed that his family had communication issues not only between brothers, but between husband and wife as well.
5748
5749“How am I supposed to know that if you don’t say it...?” said Lutz, hanging his head weakly. I agreed with him. But thinking about it, Lutz didn’t really say much about his position at home either, so maybe they really were just a family of people who kept their thoughts to themselves.
5750
5751“Deid, may I take that as you not being opposed to Lutz working as a merchant?” asked the High Priest. Deid nodded, looking like he wished he didn’t have to explain every little thing he said.
5752
5753“I think merchants are scum and I dunno why he wants to be one willingly, but he’s a man and he chose this line of work on his own. He can use his guts to follow his dream whatever it takes, even if it means being a live-in apprentice. But whining and running off to the orphanage? It’s pathetic,” he said with a scoff, then crossed his arms and leaned back to signal that he had said all he had to say.
5754
5755On instinct I shouted “No, that’s wrong! This all happened because of me! Lutz isn’t trying to run away!”, but nobody heard me. Nobody even looked in my direction. I turned to look at the High Priest, since he at least should have heard me, only to discover that he wasn’t even touching the magic tool hanging from his wrist on a chain. From the very beginning he hadn’t intended to hear a word I said. Mean.
5756
5757“Dad, no, all this about the orphanage was just My...” Lutz began to say the same thing I intended to, then hurriedly shut his mouth. He squeezed his lips together, then shot his head up and glared at Deid. “Then why won’t you let me go to other cities for work?!”
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5765Lutz finally brought up the core reason why he had run away from home: his parents not permitting him to leave the city. That was unbearable for Lutz since he had become a merchant specifically to leave the city, but even so, he was once again shot down with a single sentence.
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5767“You would know if you thought about it for a second!” shouted Deid, but Lutz had ran away from home precisely because he didn’t understand.
5768
5769The High Priest shook his head with a sigh and spoke once again. “But he doesn’t understand, so please explain yourself.”
5770
5771“...Again?” Deid, looking worn out, slapped his forehead. Then, after mumbling that he was bad at these kinds of things, spoke while furrowing his brows. “You becoming a merchant and you leaving the city are two different things. It’s dangerous outside those walls. There’s bandits and ferocious beasts. It’s no place to be taking kids.”
5772
5773“That’s right! It’s way too dangerous out there.”
5774
5775Deid and Karla’s explanation floored me. I had only gone to the forest close to the town, so I never really knew this, but it was apparently very dangerous outside of the city. It was normal here for kids to go outside the walls to gather at the forest; we went so casually that it might as well have been part of the city, so I never thought that the outside was so dangerous that parents wouldn’t want their kids leaving the city.
5776
5777Not to mention, traveling minstrels and merchants were so common that even Lutz could meet them on a regular basis. The inns in the east were filled with travelers going to and fro. That led to me associating the difficulties of travel purely with the walking distance or the inconvenience of horses and carriages. It didn’t help that I had frequently seen Benno, the adult closest to me that wasn’t my
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5788parent, leaving for other cities to set up workshops and handle other business. I never really felt like the outside was that dangerous.
5789
5790...I still don’t really understand this world too well. About two years had passed since I first came here, but I was still as ignorant as could be. As I sighed heavily, the High Priest blinked once in confusion.
5791
5792“I won’t say there is no danger at all, but Benno would be going to a city only a half day carriage ride away from the east gate. Walking would be one thing, but I do not see the need to worry about such a short carriage ride.”
5793
5794“He doesn’t need to go,” stated Deid flatly.
5795
5796Lutz flushed with anger and glared at him. “I’m telling you, it’s part of my job!”
5797
5798“Calm down, Lutz. Deid, what do you mean by that?” The High Priest stopped Lutz with a gesture and asked Deid for an explanation. By this point Deid naturally expected that, and looked at Benno and Mark without pausing.
5799
5800“This guy said he wants to bring Lutz so he can help make a workshop.”
5801
5802“And?”
5803
5804“Why’s he wanting a lehange, and an apprentice at that, to learn that kinda stuff? It’s not necessary.”
5805
5806A lehange apprentice was the practical equivalent of a three-year internship back in Japan. The focus would be on teaching them the fundamentals, the simple manual labor and the like. One might send a lehange to another city to work at a newly opened store, but they wouldn’t be involved in establishing a new store or setting up a workshop.
5807
5808I knew that Lutz’s dream was to go to other cities, so I had just been glad he was accomplishing that, but from a normal perspective it
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5815
5816really just wasn’t a lehange’s job to do that kind of thing. It was the job of a leherl, or a successor. Not something Lutz needed to do himself. Deid’s position that it wasn’t necessary for him to risk himself going outside the city to do work not in his contract made perfect sense.
5817
5818The High Priest and I both looked at Benno simultaneously. He sighed and looked at Deid. “As I told you the other day, after thinking about Lutz’s abilities and my future plans for opening stores, I conclude that I would like to raise Lutz into my successor. Showing him the creation of workshops in another city is one part of that, and it is also why I would like to adopt him.”
5819
5820“Hmph, don’t even think about it.” Deid shot down Benno’s suggestion on the spot. He then looked around at everyone and murmured “That needs an explanation too?”
5821
5822The High Priest confirmed that it did indeed need one, backed up by a nod from Benno, who said, “I would like to hear your reasoning. If you’ll forgive my rudeness, you will be of no help to Lutz’s career due to your lack of involvement in business. Me adopting Lutz will be good not only for my business, but for his future as well.”
5823
5824Benno’s words made Deid lower his eyes briefly. He then shot a glare straight at Benno. “You don’t have any kids, yeah?”
5825
5826“...Yes, which is why I am considering Lutz as a potential successor.” Benno furrowed his brow, not understanding what him not having kids had to do with anything. He would have no reason to adopt Lutz if he already had kids.
5827
5828“That’s not what I meant,” Deid said, giving a heavy sigh. “You’re right that I can’t help Lutz, and I’m grateful that you think highly of him.” His eyes wavered as he searched for words, until finally he looked back and forth between Lutz and Benno. “You’re good at running a business and I’d bet you’re a skilled merchant. You’ve even
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5837got the heart to forgive all the trouble Lutz’s given you. But you wouldn’t be a good father.”
5838
5839He wasn’t insulting Benno or slandering his name. But still, he was rejecting him. For some reason he thought he wouldn’t be a good father.
5840
5841“Please explain why you think he wouldn’t be a good father. Does Benno have a bad reputation or something of the sort?” asked the High Priest, to which Deid nodded.
5842
5843“This would be easier if he did,” he said, then looked Benno head on. “No matter how good at your job you are, you’re trying to adopt a kid not for his sake, but for your business. Nobody like that would be a good father. Parents can’t think about everything as pluses and minuses. Am I wrong?”
5844
5845Benno opened his eyes wide in surprise, then gave a bitter smile. “I see. You are correct. I am certainly prioritizing the profits of business above all else.”
5846
5847Benno was considering adopting Lutz because it would be the most beneficial thing for him and his business. Naturally Lutz’s personality and other qualities helped, but when it came to a successor for his business, future profits mattered above all else. That was normal for a merchant, but it would be hard for Benno to protest a parent finding fault in it.
5848
5849“I understand why you rejected the adoption. However, I am utterly serious about Lutz’s future potential. Would you find a leherl contract more agreeable than an adoption?”
5850
5851If lehanges were like part timers, then leherls were like managers that could eventually be trusted with the operation of a business. The security, payment, and work offered by the employer changed drastically.
5852
5853“I’m thinking it’s too early for that.”
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5860
5861“Too early?” This time, Deid didn’t even try to hide his annoyance at the High Priest’s question. He shrugged with a frown and explained. “Normally, leherls are signed after you watch’m work as a lehange for a few years. Hasn’t even been a single season since Lutz’s baptism,” he said, earning him a raised eyebrow from Benno.
5862
5863“It hasn’t been long since his baptism, but I have been doing business with Lutz for an entire year now.”
5864
5865“That a fact?”
5866
5867“Yes. I imagine you are aware of the financial burden an employer shoulders by hiring an apprentice. When I first met Lutz, I had no intention of hiring him. With that in mind, as a test to assess his skills, I gave him a task to complete that most would find impossible. However, he succeeded with flying colors, far beyond what I had expected.”
5868
5869“Oh...?” Deid was listening as if he had never heard any of this. If I remembered correctly, at the time Deid had told Lutz to just become a paper-making craftsman instead of a merchant. Maybe he didn’t ask Lutz why he was making paper. Maybe Lutz just didn’t tell him.
5870
5871“Lutz has shown himself to have the determination and endurance necessary to overcome the disadvantages that his lack of a merchant upbringing has given him. I want to secure his employment before another store does, and the sooner I begin raising him to potentially be my successor, the better. I value his work ethic, but he has a long way to go.”
5872
5873“Alright then.” Deid nodded and then, after glancing at the High Priest who was starting to stand up, explained what he meant. “No matter how much I want to help him, I don’t know nothing about being a merchant. If you’re thinking you want to trust a whole business to him, that contract will do him a lot of good.”
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5884“In that case,” said Mark with a smile, “I suggest that we immediately fill out the paperwork at the Merchant’s Guild.”
5885
5886Deid grimaced, looking thoroughly displeased. “You merchants and your...”
5887
5888“...Dad.” A whisper leaked out of Lutz’s mouth. His dad cutting himself off mid-insult was the cherry on top of the cake that had shown Lutz just how much he loved him. Tears dripped out of his jade-green eyes that looked just like Deid’s.
5889
5890Karla was quietly sobbing too, and Deid looked extremely uncomfortable stuck between them. He averted his eyes from them and scratched his head. His expression made it clear that he was finally feeling the embarrassment of saying everything he usually left unsaid.
5891
5892“Lutz! Apologize!” shouted Deid out of nowhere. It was hard to tell from his tanned skin, but his cheeks look a little red.
5893
5894“...Deid, you must explain if you want him to understand,” pointed out the High Priest with a sigh.
5895
5896Deid grimaced, faltered for a second, then yelled at Lutz. “You going crazy with your misunderstandings got this many people wrapped up in this mess. Apologize with all you’ve got!”
5897
5898Deid’s words stabbed a spear into my chest. Lutz hadn’t gotten this many people involved — I had.
5899
5900“I-I’m sorry!” Lutz and I apologized together, though nobody could hear my apology. Lutz’s parents were looking at Lutz, but the High Priest, Benno, and Mark were all staring directly at me.
5901
5902“C’mon. We’re going home, you brat.”
5903
5904Lutz rushed up to Deid, who gave him a solid chop on the head. Despite wiping his tears away with a grunt of pain, Lutz looked really happy as he stood beside his father.
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5912“Guess I should say something too. Er... Guess I wasn’t being clear enough. You helped us out. Thanks.” Looking somewhat embarrassed, Deid thanked the High Priest before turning around and leaving the room. Karla took Lutz’s hand and they walked off together.
5913
5914“Master Benno, let us go to the Merchant’s Guild.”
5915
5916“High Priest, I truly thank you with utmost sincerity for today. It seems that everything has been resolved peacefully.” After giving a long-winded thank you, Benno left the room. He was probably chasing after Lutz and his parents so they could get the leherl contract sorted out at the Merchant’s Guild.
5917
5918The moment Benno and Mark left the room, leaving only the High Priest and me behind, some gray priests came inside to clean up the chairs and such.
5919
5920“Take care to hear all sides of a story before making a decision. The truth will always be distorted if you listen only to what one person has to say.”
5921
5922“Understood,” I said in an inaudible voice with a nod, after which the High Priest gripped the magic tool chained to his wrist.
5923
5924“Thankfully, it seems their family will be doing just fine.”
5925
5926I blinked in surprise at his sudden words and looked up at the High Priest. Upon seeing my confusion, his emotionless, expressionless face twisted in a slight grimace.
5927
5928“Did you not say so yourself? Your ideal resolution would be resolving the problem and returning Lutz home to his family,” he said, reminding me of Lutz’s happy, tearful expression. The thought of Lutz, who had been frustrated with his family problems for almost a year, crying happy tears while going home with Deid and Karla made my eyes tear up too.
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5938“Mhm, it’s perfect. It really is...” Things had gotten twisted because none of them really talked to each other, but they still had love for each other. I was really glad Lutz got to fix things with his family.
5939
5940“Myne, stop crying. People might misunderstand and think I am the one making you cry.” The High Priest, having noticed the gray priests glancing our way, made a much more clear grimace this time.
5941
5942“It’s fine, these are happy tears.”
5943
5944“Good grief, Myne.”
5945
5946I tried to wipe my tears with my blue robe, but the High Priest grabbed me and told me not to wipe my face with my clothes. But I didn’t have a handkerchief, and Fran, who probably did, seemed busy.
5947
5948Upon seeing me following Fran with my eyes, the High Priest lent me his own handkerchief with a very unhappy expression. His name was embroidered on it, and for the first time I learned that the High Priest’s name was Ferdinand.
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5983343
5984
5985
5986Epilogue
5987
5988After leaving the temple, Deid headed south to the Merchant’s Guild while watching Lutz and Karla walk together, holding hands. They were on their way to sign Lutz’s leherl contract.
5989
5990It was a result Deid hadn’t even considered when he was summoned to the temple. To be honest, he was uneasy about what would happen at the time, but in the end everything got wrapped up just about as well as it possibly could have.
5991
5992...All thanks to that High Priest. Deid himself knew that he wasn’t communicating with his son properly, but he didn’t know how to fix that either. It was precisely because a noble who knew nothing of the lower city’s way of life got involved that he had managed to speak his mind in full despite not generally doing so.
5993
5994...But still, why was Gunther’s daughter in the temple? And wearing the same blue robes as a noble at that. The girl quietly sitting next to the High Priest in the same blue robes as him had unmistakably been Myne, one of Gunther’s daughters. She didn’t go outside much, but Deid remembered her clearly since she went to the same baptism ceremony as Lutz. He had heard about the two of them making stuff together, but not about her joining the temple.
5995
5996Deid was certain he often heard Lutz saying he was off to go get Myne in the morning. They shouldn’t have anything to do with nobles. He didn’t understand why Myne was in the temple. But he did know that the High Priest had uncharacteristically gotten involved with matters of the lower city and gathered everyone for a discussion at Myne’s behest.
5997
5998“Dad, this is the Merchant’s Guild,” said Lutz while pointing at a large building located at one side of the central plaza. Deid pushed Myne into the corner of his mind and looked up at the guild. As a carpenter who worked in construction by trade, Deid had never set foot in the
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6005
6006Merchant’s Guild before. Normally only those who dealt directly with money worked with the Guild.
6007
6008For a second Deid hesitated at stepping into a world unfamiliar to him, but after seeing Lutz walk in like it was nothing, he snorted and followed in after him. They climbed a narrow staircase and found themselves in a hallway filled with people forming lines who were all dressed like them. Deid had gotten uncharacteristically nervous for what awaited within the building, but in the end it was still a place for guys like him.
6009
6010Or so he thought, until the Gilberta Company trio passed through the lines and went further inside. At the end of the hallway was a metal gate with a guard. Lutz, Benno, and Mark took out golden card things and the gate did something with them. Immediately after, a streak of white ran through the gate and it disappeared as if melting into thin air.
6011
6012The sight of Lutz dealing naturally with a magic tool made by nobles hit Deid with a strange feeling. He felt as if his son had already gone somewhere forever out of reach. He looked down at Lutz with his mouth bent into a frown just as his son turned around and held out his hands.
6013
6014“Dad, Mom. Hold my hands. It’s the only way for people without guild cards to go upstairs.”
6015
6016It had been so long since he had held hands with his son that they were much bigger than he remembered, which threw him off as they climbed the dimly lit staircase. At the top awaited the world for the rich, overflowing with wealth like he had never seen before. The floorboards weren’t bare, they were covered with a thick carpet, and the chairs in the waiting room were beautiful with fancy designs. Everything was clean. It was impossible not to feel how out of place he was. But Lutz, wearing his well-made apprentice clothes and
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6026talking to the young apprentice girl behind the counter, seemed completely in his element.
6027
6028“What brings you here today?”
6029
6030“Please prepare a leherl contract. I have my parents and the master of the Gilberta Company here with me.”
6031
6032“Understood. And... Congratulations, Lutz.” “Yeah. Thanks, Freida.”
6033
6034Lutz acted and spoke entirely differently from how he did at home. Not even a full season had passed since his baptism ceremony. Deid had thought that wasn’t enough time for anything, but Lutz’s enormous growth was impossible to ignore. He was already making connections and paving a road for himself as an apprentice merchant.
6035
6036“This is the contract for making Lutz a leherl apprentice.” Neither Deid nor Karla could read the words written on the parchment spread out in front of them. They couldn’t help but tense up, on guard against merchants exploiting their lack of comprehension to trick them.
6037
6038“Lutz, read the contract for your parents.”
6039
6040It was commonplace for commoners to screw themselves by signing contracts they couldn’t read. It made sense, then, that it was important for illiterates to have someone they could trust to read things aloud for them. Lutz nodded at Benno’s request and began to read.
6041
6042Deid had heard from Karla that Lutz was studying letters on a stone slate over the winter, but he didn’t know Lutz had learned enough to read contracts. Benno saying that Lutz was using his determination to overcome his disadvantages hadn’t been a lie or exaggeration at all.
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6051...Guess he wasn’t being a baby after all. Deid was a bit impressed with Lutz as he fluently read aloud the contract and explained all the unique turns of phrase that merchants used. At the same time, it would feel kinda weird to praise his son for something he had been ignoring up until now, so he snorted dismissively.
6052
6053The contract described how Lutz would be treated going forward. He would be treated as a leherl, but continue living with his parents for the time being. Most leherls signed at the age of ten, so once he reached that age he would live at the Gilberta Company like the others. He would be given a room to put his stuff and change clothes, and the company would provide his lunch. They would also provide dinner if he needed it. When work called for going outside the city, he would go with them at times. His pay would be increased by a small amount. The contract ended after describing a bit more about his work conditions and pay.
6054
6055“And now you’re a leherl at our company, Lutz. I expect you to work twice as hard as you have been.”
6056
6057“Yes, Master Benno. And... Dad, Mom. I’m really glad you accept me. Thank you. I won’t ever complain or whine. I’m gonna be a crazy good merchant and make you both proud,” said Lutz with a beaming smile.
6058
6059Deid replied by saying “You better not whine. You’ve made your decision, don’t even think about complaining,” but that just made his son’s eyes sparkle with a defiant light. ...Tch. Look at you, being a man.
6060
6061“Deid, Karla. I’m gonna ask that you don’t tell anyone about what happened at the temple today,” said Benno while handing the signed contract to Mark.
6062
6063“You’re talking about Gunther’s daughter, yeah? Why was she there, and why was she wearing the clothes of a noble?” The only people
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6072who joined the temple were orphans who didn’t have any family or job they could rely on. Becoming a priest meant signing your life away to live as a slave of the nobility. It was hard to imagine Gunther letting his daughter do that, when he was the kind of father who loved his kids so much he’d even raise a sick child like Myne instead of letting her die to have less mouths to feed.
6073
6074“There’s a lot of things in the world you’re better off not knowing.”
6075
6076Deid saw Benno’s expression harden as he looked at him and Karla head on with his dark-red eyes. Deid swallowed hard. Benno’s look had the pressure only one who was prepared to lose everything could have.
6077
6078“Myne’s stuck living life with nobles now. People who can’t protect themselves from nobles would be better off not getting involved with her.”
6079
6080“I know that,” said Deid before looking at Lutz. ...So you don’t get too close with Myne either, boy. Deid swallowed what he wanted to say. Lutz hadn’t even told his family that Myne had entered the temple with blue robes. He never mentioned going to the temple when he left in the morning. It was clear that Lutz was sticking with Myne knowing full well the risks of doing so.
6081
6082Deid sighed slowly, thinking of Myne wearing her blue robes and sitting next to the High Priest — sitting on the nobles’ side. He then jabbed the back of Lutz’s head.
6083
6084“Ow! Why’d you do that, Dad?”
6085
6086“Stay strong, Lutz. Don’t lose sight of the road you’re walking down.”
6087
6088“Huh? Er, right.” Lutz nodded with an expression that made his utter lack of comprehension clear. But nonetheless, it seemed to Deid that his son’s eyes were locked right on the path he had chosen for himself.
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6100
6101A Place Still Far From Here
6102
6103“Tuuli, do you have a second? I want you to take care of a customer for me.”
6104
6105“I’ll be right there.”
6106
6107When the forewoman’s aide came calling for me, I made sure the stitches I just did were neat, then set aside my needles and took off my apron in a hurry. I quickly checked to see if my hair or clothes had any stray thread or dirt on them.
6108
6109...Okay, perfect. Just as Myne had said, my bosses began letting me handle customers once I started keeping myself clean. Not only that, but ever since Mrs. Corinna struck that deal with Myne, she had started borrowing me from our workshop more so that she could ask me more about how to make hairpins. Our forewoman desperately wanted connections to the Gilberta Company, and thanks to my help on that front, she started letting me do more work all at once.
6110
6111In the spring I had been one of the lowest lehanges in the workshop, but by summer everything had changed. I was happy about that, but now people in the workshop gossiped about how I was the only one who got to deal with customers. Rita and Laura even complained to my face that the forewoman had started playing favorites with me all of a sudden. They ended up complaining at lunch, too, leaving me pouting while feeling kind of uncomfortable.
6112
6113“Don’t complain to me, I’m just doing what Myne told me to.” When I told Rita and Laura what Myne had told me about being polite and staying clean like a representative of the workshop should be, their eyes widened with surprise.
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6115
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6124“Why does Myne know all that? She’s too weak to even go to the forest.” Laura was our neighbor and knew just how weak Myne was. But she was a year older than me and had barely met her, since she was an apprentice by the time Myne managed to get strong enough to go to the forest. She had only really met her when she pulled out Myne’s hair stick at the baptism ceremony and got anxious about it.
6125
6126“Myne’s too weak to walk around much, but she uses her head instead and helps Dad work at the gate. She reads letters and does math stuff. Apparently she learned how to talk to nobles and rich store owners while she was there.”
6127
6128In truth, Myne had started going to the temple as a blue shrine maiden, but Mom and Dad had told me not to tell anyone about that. Everyone else thought she was going to help Dad at the gate or visiting the Gilberta Company to discuss hairpins. She did go to the Gilberta Company with Lutz sometimes, so it wasn’t completely untrue.
6129
6130“Wow, she can read? That’s really cool.” Rita opened her eyes wide with surprise. She lived on the opposite side of the city (with the craftsman’s alley between us), so she had never seen Myne before. Rita being impressed despite that made me happy.
6131
6132“Uh huh, Myne’s amazing. She got to know someone from the Gilberta Company while working at the gate, which is how Mrs. Corinna noticed the hairpins Myne made. And then she even bought the rights to the hairpins. Normally Myne would be going to teach her how to make them, but I go instead since she’s too weak to go that far.”
6133
6134I decided not to mention that Myne was worse than me at making the hairpins. If everyone learned she was bad at sewing on top of being sickly, Myne would never be able to get married. As her big sister, it was my job to stop that from happening.
6135
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6143
6144“Hmm. You’re so lucky, Tuuli. You got to go to Mrs. Corinna’s house thanks to her, right? I wish I had a little sister like Myne too, maybe the forewoman would play favorites with me instead,” said Laura with an envious sigh.
6145
6146...But a few weeks ago you were saying it must be a huge pain to look after a sick little sister. I felt a little peeved at Laura’s opinion changing on a dime, at which point I realized something and clapped my hands together. If everyone followed Myne’s advice, I wouldn’t be the only one asked to deal with customers.
6147
6148“When I went to Mrs. Corinna’s house, like, she was making a super beautiful dress. I asked how to make wonderful designs for nobles, and Myne told me what I needed to do.”
6149
6150“What? What’d Myne say?” The two of them, now knowing that Myne’s advice was amazing, leaned forward and looked at me with anticipation sparkling in their eyes.
6151
6152“She said I should go to the north of the city on my days off and look at what people were wearing, so I could note down what designs were popular with rich people. She said I won’t know what’s good if I don’t look at good things. So, I was thinking of going to the north on my day off tomorrow. Want to come with me?”
6153
6154“Yeah!”
6155
6156“Me too!”
6157
6158Rita and Laura both jumped on my invitation immediately. I sighed in relief. I had invited them for one simple reason. Unlike Myne and Lutz, who went north frequently to visit the Gilberta Company, I was still so nervous that I never had the courage to go further north than the central plaza. I thought that maybe having two friends by my side would make it easier.
6159
6160When the next day came, I finished breakfast quickly and grabbed the clothes I had washed and set out to dry last night. They were the
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6162
6163
6164351
6165
6166
6167
6168summer clothes I had worn to Corinna’s house. Just having worn them to the north once before gave me a bit of courage.
6169
6170“Bye, Myne. I’m going to the north.”
6171
6172“I hope you learn a lot there. Good luck, Tuuli.” Myne waved me goodbye. I honestly would have liked for her to come with me, but she didn’t want to since Rita and Laura would be there. She said they wouldn’t walk at her pace and she’d just be dead weight, falling behind and passing out.
6173
6174I left home and raced down the steps to the plaza, where I found Laura walking around the well.
6175
6176“Morning, Tuuli. Let’s go! Rita’s probably waiting for us already.”
6177
6178Laura and I weaved through the narrow alleyways on our way to the craftsman’s alley. We found Rita in no time.
6179
6180“Laura, Tuuli. Morning.”
6181
6182“Morning, Rita! I was so excited I couldn’t even sleep last night!” said Laura, jumping toward Rita with excitement. We started walking north and almost immediately passed by some kids we knew heading to the forest.
6183
6184“Oh? It’s Tuuli and Laura. Going out somewhere for fun? Maybe the market?”
6185
6186“Nuh uh. We’re studying. You’re all going to the forest, right? Good luck.”
6187
6188We waved each other goodbye and then followed the people heading from the craftsman’s alley to their places of work. Along the way we talked exclusively about sewing and fashion.
6189
6190“Hey, Tuuli. Talk about the time you went to Mrs. Corinna’s house.”
6191
6192They wanted to hear about the clothes and stuff Corinna had shown me, so I thought back to that day and tried to describe what I had
6193
6194
6195
6196
6197352
6198
6199
6200
6201been told. But Corinna had used so many words I didn’t know that it was naturally impossible for me to remember all the details. That reminded me of how Myne would always write stuff down on her notepad thing and look at it when she forgot something. ...I might need to learn to read too.
6202
6203There were many carts rattling up and down the street of the craftsman’s alley, but there weren’t any carriages. Most people here wore the same kind of clothes we were used to. They were all patched up clothes bought from used stores. But as we approached the central plaza, the stitching got better, the clothing got more colorful, and the amount of cloth used increased. By the time we started to see people wearing accessories, the plaza was right in front of us.
6204
6205We entered the plaza while talking excitedly amongst ourselves. There were a ton of people heading from the plaza to the port in the western part of town, so the fashion was indescribably varied. Not only were the clothes fancier, but there were carriages on the street as well instead of just wagons.
6206
6207Rita, whose house was on the far southwest of town, opened her eyes wide after entering the central plaza. “I don’t usually come to the plaza since I can just take the alleys to the market. I didn’t realize so many different people were here. And now that I look... There’s a lot of blue clothes. Maybe because it’s the divine color of summer?” she said, prompting me to focus my attention on the clothes in the central plaza. As she said, it did feel like there were a lot of blue clothes. I looked over the crowd while thinking back to what Corinna had taught me, when suddenly my eyes fell on a woman’s skirt.
6208
6209“Wow! That skirt looks amazing. Just a couple of pleats make it look so fancy.”
6210
6211“Myne’s baptism outfit was amazing too, wasn’t it?”
6212
6213
6214
6215
6216
6217353
6218
6219
6220
6221“Myne just pinched up the extra cloth since she’s shorter than me. But they’re the same thing, uh huh. I guess what matters for looking fancy is using extra cloth.” I couldn’t help but smile at Laura’s point. It was true that Myne’s baptism clothes had been super cute and fancy thanks to how Mom and I had altered them. But thanks to that, we got wrapped up in a lot of trouble. On that day I learned an important lesson: Fancy doesn’t always mean better.
6222
6223There was the Merchant’s Guild and other minor guilds near the central plaza, so there were a lot of people moving around from a lot of different social classes. But if I paid attention, I could tell which social class someone was from by the clothes they were wearing. When I went to the second-hand store to pick out Myne’s clothes, I learned to match clothes with skin tone and hair color, plus how one could show their social class by how they dressed. Lutz and I had picked dresses that would look good on Myne, but she had picked other clothes entirely. I thought back to that and pointed at a woman walking by with a blouse, skirt, and corset.
6224
6225“Look, look. That girl’s not wearing just a dress. If you have extra money you can buy three separate pieces of clothes, right? A blouse, a skirt, and a corset. You can change the feel of an outfit completely by swapping out one part, or like, switching the hem of a blouse, or changing lace on a sleeve.”
6226
6227“That’s true! Tuuli, you’re smart.”
6228
6229Well... It’s not me who’s smart.
6230
6231“Just a bit further and we’ll be in the north of town.”
6232
6233We made it to the north end of the plaza without any issue, but everything past there was the land of rich people. Taking the first step inside was scary. We gathered together at the north exit and I looked over my clothes. Laura and Rita noticed that and suddenly fell
6234
6235
6236
6237
6238
6239
6240354
6241
6242
6243
6244silent, their expressions clouding as they looked nervously over their own clothes.
6245
6246“H-Hey, Tuuli. Are we really going to the north?”
6247
6248“You’ve been to Mrs. Corinna’s workshop before, so you’re fine there, right?” Laura pushed me forward, but I just planted my feet on the ground without taking a step. Corinna’s workshop wasn’t too far from the plaza, and she always sent someone to guide me.
6249
6250“Is it okay for us to go to the north?” asked Rita nervously, grabbing my hand.
6251
6252“U-Ummm... Well, what if we just keep looking at the clothes in the plaza? I haven’t taken a good look yet.”
6253
6254“Agreed. There’s still a lot we have to learn here.”
6255
6256The three of us walked around the plaza’s fountain, holding hands and paying attention to everyone’s clothes. We circled around it about five times while observing the passersby. But we had come all this way to go to the north, and it wasn’t so easy to stop thinking about it. In the middle of one rotation, we all subconsciously slowed down as we neared the north exit.
6257
6258“Tuuli, why’ve you been walking around the fountain like that?” “Lutz?! Wait, why are you here?”
6259
6260“I’m running an errand at the Merchant’s Guild. You were here when I came and here when I finished, so I got curious,” said Lutz while pointing at the Merchant’s Guild and looking at us oddly. Now that he mentioned it, we really had been looking suspicious. Someone we knew had seen us walking in circles around the central plaza without leaving to the north.
6261
6262...Oh no. This is super embarrassing. How should I explain this to Lutz? I cradled my head and trembled in embarrassment, but Laura just laughed at slapped Lutz on the shoulder.
6263
6264
6265
6266355
6267
6268
6269
6270“The truth is, Tuuli asked us to go to the north of the city with her to look at rich people clothes, but she got too nervous to leave the plaza. And... Wait. Lutz, you’re wearing really nice clothes. Where’d they come from?” It looked like Laura still didn’t know that Lutz had been hired by the Gilberta Company. She looked over his apprentice uniform from head to toe, tilting her head in confusion.
6271
6272“...This is the apprentice uniform for the Gilberta Company. I’ve gotta get back to work, but you can come with me to the store if you want.”
6273
6274“Wha? Really?!” We had found an unexpected guide, and I was overjoyed. With Lutz taking the lead we finally managed to leave the plaza and head north. Since only rich people lived here, there were way more carriages than wagons and everything looked different from the south of the city where we lived. There were a lot of thin, tall buildings in the south, but here every building was bigger and once you reached the wooden third floors they started getting painted with pretty colors.
6275
6276“Tuuli, haven’t you been here a few times?”
6277
6278“I have, but coming here still makes me nervous. I’m not ready to go on my own yet.”
6279
6280Lutz shook his head with exasperation, but still took us all the way to the front of the Gilberta Company. He then dashed inside, saying he had to get back to work.
6281
6282“...Lutz really is a full-grown apprentice here, huh.” Laura looked up at the Gilberta Company with her mouth hanging open. Myne and Lutz always went inside like it was nothing, but to us it was like an impregnable fortress. Even if we wanted to go inside, the guard by the door would probably turn us away.
6283
6284For some time we stood in front of the Gilberta Company, observing the people passing by. There were more people wearing frilly
6285
6286
6287
6288356
6289
6290
6291
6292clothing than before, and at the very least, we didn’t see anyone wearing patched up clothes. Compared to what we had seen in the plaza, the designs were a lot more consistent and regular. That probably reflected the “trends” that Myne and Corinna had been talking about.
6293
6294“I can tell the clothes rich people wear are amazing, but I don’t think I can make them myself. I don’t have the cloth to practice with, and I don’t even know how I’d start with making them,” said Rita with a shrug.
6295
6296Laura nodded in agreement. “These aren’t the clothes our customers want, for sure. It feels like they’re out of our reach, really far away from what we can do. Maybe for studying we should just stick to the plaza.”
6297
6298I had worked side by side with Rita and Laura for a long time now, so their opinions being entirely different from mine shocked me. I wanted to stay here and look at more rich people clothing. I wanted to practice making them myself like I had with Myne’s baptism outfit, even if it meant making tiny clothes for dolls. I wanted to get better with everyone and move to a better workshop when our next lehange renewal came. But both of them gave up immediately, thinking it was too much for them. I realized that, at some point, our goals and ways of thinking had changed. We didn’t share the same dreams anymore and that left me at a loss.
6299
6300“Want to go home for today?” I asked, since they looked really uncomfortable. They nodded and we began our journey back to the plaza. But my legs and heart felt heavy. I walked while staring at my feet, complaining on the inside.
6301
6302    ...Why are we going home already? We came all the way here! I haven’t seen enough yet. The two of them think these clothes are too much for us, but I don’t think so. I don’t want to think that.
6303    
6304
6305
6306
6307
6308357
6309
6310
6311
6312After a bit of walking, I stopped and turned around. I could see customers entering the Gilberta Company. They were probably there for Corinna, since their clothes looked a lot like the examples I had seen in her room. ...So pretty. I want to look at them more.
6313
6314Thoughts of the dresses for nobles I had seen in Corinna’s house passed through my mind. It was exactly because it was out of my reach that I wanted to study and practice more. I wanted to become good enough to join Corinna’s workshop. Lutz and Myne had managed to get accepted by the Gilberta Company, so maybe if I worked hard I could get accepted too.
6315
6316...I guess I’m thinking like this because of Myne. Myne always worked desperately hard to get what she wanted, and she always succeeded. Especially since she had Lutz, who walked down his own road in life even after his parents rejected him. I didn’t want to settle for anything less. I didn’t want to think something was impossible for me, or out of my reach. I wanted to charge forward on my own path.
6317
6318“What’s wrong, Tuuli?” The two of them stopped walking ahead and turned around. I looked up and waved at them with a smile.
6319
6320“Sorry. You can go home without me. Now that I’m here, I want to learn until I’m satisfied.”
6321
6322The Gilberta Company was still a distant dream for me, but I wouldn’t give up. At the very least, I needed to work hard until I could pick out better clothes than Myne. I would be ashamed of myself as a seamstress if I couldn’t even beat her when it came to clothes.
6323
6324I turned around and headed back to the Gilberta Company, then stood and observed the clothes of people passing by.
6325
6326...I won’t lose to Myne. Because, come on. I’m her older sister!
6327
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6330
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6332
6333
6334
6335358
6336
6337
6338An Attendant’s Self-Awareness
6339
6340“Gil, you know what to do!”
6341
6342“Yeah!”
6343
6344Right after breakfast, we started preparing the workshop. Today we were going to the forest with Lutz, Gunther, and Tuuli taking the lead. Apparently the forest was totally different from the lower city. We’d learn how to make paper there, then make it in the workshop.
6345
6346I was fine doing it just ’cause Sister Myne asked me to, but the other kids weren’t too happy about having extra work. Kai, a kid I used to mess around with in the orphanage before becoming Sister Myne’s attendant, looked down at his clothes and grimaced. They were second-hand and all patched up, looking even worse than the gray robes he normally wore.
6347
6348“Hey, Gil. What’s the point in making paper?” That was a question I didn’t really have an answer to. I looked at Lutz, since he usually understood Sister Myne’s plans the best. He noticed my look and started to think. Life in the temple was so different from life in the city that explaining things could be hard sometimes.
6349
6350“You guys wouldn’t understand if I said we’re selling the paper to the Gilberta Company, huh. Let’s see... It’ll get Myne more money, so.. Ah, that won’t work either. Money’s not a thing here. Alright. Basically, you’ll get more food to eat.”
6351
6352“Really?!” Kai’s eyes shone with glee. The food situation at the orphanage had improved a bit thanks to Sister Myne, but it still wasn’t enough. More food would make anyone here happy.
6353
6354“Alright, let’s go. Let’s get this paper made.”
6355
6356“It’s crazy, huh? All we had to do was follow Sister Myne’s instructions and now we can make our own soup. We didn’t have to sit around waiting for more divine gifts at all.”
6357
6358
6359359
6360
6361
6362
6363Kai and the others talking reminded me of how the orphanage was not so long ago. With more and more blue priests and shrine maidens leaving the temple, more and more former attendants returned to the orphanage. There were more gray priests, but less food. Everyone got less divine gifts and everyone was hungry all the time. No new blue priests came to the temple at all until Sister Myne, so nobody got taken as an attendant and nobody got more food.
6364
6365“At first I thought a commoner blue shrine maiden would suck, but only Sister Myne would do all this, huh? Only she would tell us if we want to eat, we should just make our own food.”
6366
6367Sister Myne had taught everyone in the orphanage how to make soup and bought us ingredients to use. It was a revolution that upended the tradition of the orphanage of just waiting for prepared food to trickle down.
6368
6369“You know, she’s not just sending you guys to the forest to teach you to make paper. She’s thinking that if you learn even a little bit about the food that grows in the forest, you’ll be able to save yourselves from starvation if it comes down to that,” explained Lutz.
6370
6371Kai’s eyes widened, then he smiled a little. “I’m glad Sister Myne became the orphanage director. No other blue robe would try and make things better for us.”
6372
6373“Then you better work hard and make some good paper for her.” “Yeah.”
6374
6375We distributed knives, baskets, and so on to the eager children, then got the pots and steamers necessary to make paper ready. It was time to go to the forest.
6376
6377“Sister Myne, I’m gonna go learn. I’m gonna pay attention.”
6378
6379“Yes, Gil. Go learn to gather and make paper well,” said Myne. I nodded hard and then saw that Lutz was waving his hand high, giving
6380
6381
6382
6383
6384360
6385
6386
6387
6388instructions to everyone since he was the most used to the orphanage.
6389
6390“Be sure to stick close to Mr. Gunther. They won’t let you out of the gate if you’re on your own.” Gunther was Sister Myne’s father, and Tuuli was her elder sister. Or so I heard, but I didn’t really know what those words meant. Sister Myne explained that they were her family, people she lived with, but it just didn’t click for me. They were probably like her attendants that stayed with her when she was in the lower city. Or maybe they were like the other orphans were to me, since we used to live together.
6391
6392...I didn’t understand what families were, but I hoped one day she could rely on me as much as she relied on them.
6393
6394When we left the gate, the scenery changed instantly. Unlike the pure white temple, the lower city was brown and absolutely stunk. I was happy just to leave the pent-up temple, but some of the others were scrunching their faces up. Gunther noticed that and shrugged.
6395
6396“This place isn’t like your nice and clean temple, huh?”
6397
6398“...It’s dirty, smelly, loud, and there’s tons of people. Also, it feels weird that the buildings aren’t white.” One of the orphans spoke up and the others nodded while looking around. The orphanage felt cramped from all the gray priests being sent back, but there were so many people in the city that there wasn’t much more space. It was so loud here that it was hard to believe how silent they were told to be in the temple. The first time I left the temple, I got so excited at all the people and stuff to see that I actually felt a little sick afterwards.
6399
6400“What’s that? I’ve never seen any of these things before.”
6401
6402“Everyone’s wearing all sorts of different clothing. Is that a blue shrine maiden over there?” An orphan pointed at a woman wearing blue clothing, and immediately they all stepped to the side of the road and knelt down.
6403
6404
6405
6406361
6407
6408
6409
6410“No, no! There’s no blue shrine maidens or priests in the city! You don’t need to kneel!”
6411
6412“R-Really?” Half-kneeling, they froze in place and nervously watched the woman, afraid that they were going to be yelled at.
6413
6414It made me want to cradle my head. Sister Myne and Lutz had definitely felt the same way when Fran and I had visited the city for the first time. Those who had been sheltered in the temple stuck out like a sore thumb in the city. They clearly weren’t used to anything and spent all their time looking around, which was extremely suspicious. I tried to teach them what I could from my trips to the lower city.
6415
6416“Only buildings for nobles are pure white. In other words, commoner buildings have lots of colors. Unlike the temple, there are no rules for how everything has to look. There’s lots of colors. People who are uh, rich? Like, people with a lot of money live here, so everything’s pretty, but the further south we go, the dirtier it’ll get. The people down there will be wearing clothes like ours.”
6417
6418“How come you know all this, Gil?” asked a kid while blinking in confusion. I puffed out my chest with pride.
6419
6420“I go outside the temple all the time to accompany Sister Myne on her commute.” In the past I had mainly just been sent to the repentance chamber by the caretaker priests. I never got attention for any good reasons.
6421
6422But despite my pride, Lutz patted my shoulder and reminded me that I had messed up in the lower city plenty of times myself. “Don’t touch anything you see until I say so. The first time Gil went to the city he stole some fruit thinking it was a divine gift and got yelled at. Unlike the temple, there’s physical punishment down here. Don’t do anything that’ll get people mad at you. They’ll shout out of nowhere and punch you in the face. It hurts and it’s scary.”
6423
6424
6425
6426
6427362
6428
6429
6430
6431Lutz revealing my past mistakes made the kids laugh. They chatted among themselves, saying “Don’t touch anything in the city! They’ll get mad!”
6432
6433...Tch. I was finally earning some respect, but Lutz ruined it.
6434
6435The scenery changed a bit again at the central plaza. The wood parts of buildings that used to be colored turned brown, and the buildings themselves got narrower. The clothes people wore lost their color and turned into the same raggedy patched clothes we were wearing. Even the attitude of people changed.
6436
6437“How many times do I gotta teach you this lesson?!” A shout unlike anything you would hear in the temple shot through the air and an older man dropped a fist on a young adult repairing some building.
6438
6439“Aaah! Physical punishment!”
6440
6441“Aah, aaah! Tuuli! Is it truly okay to be violent like that?” A gray shrine maiden squeezed Tuuli’s sleeve, trembling.
6442
6443Tuuli gave an uncomfortable smile. “Sometimes people won’t learn unless they get yelled at. And you don’t need to be scared. It won’t happen to you if you don’t do anything to make people mad.”
6444
6445The further south we went, the louder the voices got. Shouts echoed through the air and gave the city a scary atmosphere completely unlike the temple’s quiet ambiance.
6446
6447“There’s even scarier people in the alleys, so don’t go off on your own. Keep walking straight to the gate up ahead,” said Tuuli while pointing to a large gate at the other end of the street.
6448
6449The orphans weren’t just listening to Tuuli because they were scared of the city. She was their teacher, the one who taught them how to make soup. Lutz and Tuuli were basically the same age as me, but they knew lots of things, could do lots of things, and were a big help to Sister Myne. The only things I could do without help were clean
6450
6451
6452
6453
6454363
6455
6456
6457
6458and accompany her on her commute. Everything else I was in the middle of learning from Fran, so it was hard to call me very useful.
6459
6460Maybe due to how much scarier the south of the city was, everyone subconsciously sped up until we reached the gate. It resembled the temple gate, but was even larger. Apparently there wasn’t any more city beyond the gate. Before going through, Gunther held up a hand and told everyone to stop.
6461
6462“I’m gonna go make sure they know about us. Hey, Otto!” Gunther disappeared into the gate and we were stuck at the front of it. Curious eyes fell on us from the other people waiting at the gate. To those who had never left the temple, they were in an entirely unknown world. I had been told my whole life that I must never leave the temple, so being outside made a sense of guilt spread through my chest. The other kids seemed to feel the same way, judging by how they were looking increasingly uneasy.
6463
6464“You don’t need to worry, everyone. Dad’s with us,” said Tuuli, smiling gently. Guards needed to keep watch every day to stop people they didn’t know from going in and out of the city, apparently, so it was their job to look us over.
6465
6466“They know the faces of city kids, but they don’t know any of you guys since you’ve never left the city. Dad’s a guard here, so once he tells them who you are, they’ll let us though.”
6467
6468“Looks like bringing Gunther was the right call. I never coulda got them to let all these orphans out,” said Lutz while watching Gunther talk to a guard. I blinked in surprise.
6469
6470“There’s some things you can’t do, Lutz?”
6471
6472“Yeah, of course. There’s more I can’t do than stuff I can.”
6473
6474It always looked like Sister Myne was asking Lutz to do everything, but even he had some things he couldn’t do. That was a big relief to me, somehow.
6475
6476
6477
6478364
6479
6480
6481
6482“Huh. I guess if I work hard, I’ll be useful to Sister Myne too someday.”
6483
6484“You better. I can’t keep my eyes on Myne when she’s in the temple, so yeah.” Lutz grinned.
6485
6486Kai, who had apparently been listening in on our conversation, blinked in surprise and peered at me. “You’ve changed. Not long ago you were hating hard on having to serve her. Pretty sure you called her a commoner brat.”
6487
6488“...Yeah, I guess I did.” My life and the orphanage had both changed so much that it felt like a lot of time had passed, but in reality it hadn’t even been a season since Sister Myne joined the temple.
6489
6490“I sure was shocked when Arno said you were gonna be the new blue shrine maiden’s attendant, man. You’re always stuck in the repentance chambers and I thought I woulda been a way better attendant than you.”
6491
6492Everyone nodded with Kai. Each and every one of them had wanted to become the new blue shrine maiden’s attendant. Naturally, since becoming an attendant meant leaving the orphanage. But Arno had shot them all down and stated that the High Priest had decided on Gil. At the time I was super pumped to leave the orphanage and get a higher status than the caretaker priests always putting me in the repentance room. But my happiness was shattered in an instant.
6493
6494“Hey, I remember how you all laughed at me when Arno said the new shrine maiden was a commoner, and that I wouldn’t get to leave the orphanage since she wasn’t even being given any chambers.”
6495
6496“Yeah, I remember that. I was all like, what’s the point in serving someone who won’t even give food or a room? I even said a commoner blue shrine maiden was a perfect fit for you, and that I was glad I didn’t get picked. Good times.”
6497
6498
6499
6500
6501
6502365
6503
6504
6505
6506They laughed at me, saying they were giving her the most useless person in the orphanage since she was a commoner, and that frustration stuck with me when I first met Sister Myne. She was shorter than me, didn’t act or talk at all like the other blue shrine maidens, and I just snapped. I couldn’t believe she was supposed to be my master.
6507
6508“You kept complaining about her not being a normal blue shrine maiden, and now look at you.”
6509
6510“Yeah, now I’m glad she isn’t a normal blue shrine maiden. If I work hard, she recognizes that and compliments me.” It was because Sister Myne was a commoner where being rewarded for work was normal that she patted my head and complimented me just for cleaning her chambers. Thinking about her praising me made me happy. She would pat my head with her little hand while saying “Thanks, Gil. You worked hard” or something similar. It always made a warmth spread through my chest that made me smile without realizing it.
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6512Nobody had patted my head like that after I was baptized and left the orphanage basement. Not only that, but I was apparently a kid who came to the orphanage instead of being born there, so the women in the basement didn’t hold me or rub my head much at all compared to the other kids.
6513
6514“I’m gonna learn lots of things and be useful to Sister Myne just like Lutz is.”
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6516“Mmm. But y’know, I think I’m a faster learner than you. And Sister Myne’s gonna be getting more attendants ’cause she has so few right now, yeah?” said Kai, and the kids around him nodded. But that caught me completely off guard.
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6518“Yeah, yeah. Sister Myne appreciates hard work. We just gotta work hard so she’ll appreciate us too, not just Gil. If we work harder than
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6527Gil she might even replace him with us. Not like you’re doing much work at all right now, Gil.”
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6529It was only then that I realized. Sister Myne was a new blue priest that had just joined the temple, so she only had the attendants given to her by the High Priest. She hadn’t picked any of her own yet. It was possible that she would start picking new attendants and replacing old ones soon. That horrible realization made my heart start beating fast.
6530
6531Sister Myne has a heart filled with compassion, enough to care about all the kids in the orphanage. She would never be cruel to her attendants. And since everyone in the orphanage knows that, it wouldn’t be odd at all for everyone to start fighting to be her attendant.
6532
6533...Crap. There’s a ton of people in the orphanage better than me. I felt a cold sweat run down my back. There were plenty of gray priests with experience being attendants and plenty of gray shrine maidens who could help her with the girl things I never could. Fran used to be the High Priest’s attendant, so he could do everything. He was already doing most all of the work himself. Delia’s a girl, and every blue shrine maiden needed a girl attendant to take care of her. Not to mention that since the High Bishop ordered Delia to be Sister Myne’s attendant, she wouldn’t be able to replace her now that she was doing her job seriously.
6534
6535...If I didn’t learn to do lots of things, I’d be the most useless attendant she had. But how? An indescribable sense of unease spread through my chest. I knew more than anyone else that I had been a real brat and that I was barely capable of helping her at all.
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6537“We can pass through!” Gunther called out and gestured us forward, so the clump of orphans started passing through the gate.
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6549I followed while holding down my throat. It was prickling so hard it felt like I couldn’t breathe. I had skipped lessons for so long that everyone else could do more than me. I didn’t know how hard I’d have to work to make up for that.
6550
6551“Gil, you look awful. Are you feeling sick or something?”
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6553“Lutz. I dunno if I’ll ever be able to help Myne out, no matter how hard I work. She might switch me out for someone else...” I confessed my worries to Lutz, who blinked in surprise.
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6555“Don’t be stupid,” he said, shaking his head and going through the gate.
6556
6557I didn’t understand. ...What’d he mean by that? Am I being stupid? The dark tunnel of the wide gate felt symbolic of my mood. The kids were saying “This reminds me of the basement.” “Yeah, it’s scary.” “So dark!” and their voices echoed surprisingly loudly. I walked among them, feeling helplessly uneasy.
6558
6559    ...How hard should I work? Is it too late for me to catch up to the others?
6560
6561After passing through the complete shade of the gate’s tunnel and reaching the other end, we were outside. It was so bright that just opening my eyes hurt. When the pain faded, I saw scenery unlike anything I had ever seen before spreading out in front of me. I only knew the sky surrounded by walls, so seeing the vast sky expanding endlessly surprised me more than I could say. The kids around me must have felt the same way, as they all started shouting in awe.
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6563“Wooow! Amazing! Look! The sky’s so wide! It’s not a square!” “It’s very bright, and the sun feels more dazzling than usual.”
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6565“The sky makes me think of Sister Myne. This feels as bright as the first time I left that basement.”
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6576Their comments made me remember that day when Sister Myne cleaned the orphanage and everyone got to eat food with smiles on their faces. That was the day I was really glad that Sister Myne was my master. I felt proud to be her attendant.
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6578“Lutz. I don’t wanna quit being Sister Myne’s attendant. I’m gonna be useful to her.”
6579
6580“You really don’t get it, do you?” Lutz looked at me with his jade eyes filled with surprise and exasperation. “Listen. You’re the one who brought soup to the kids every day after Myne first learned about all this, right? You’re the one who led the cleaning, right? You’re already being useful to Myne. If you’re still anxious about it, just try and learn to do more. Myne won’t cut you off so easily if you’re working hard to improve. You can start by learning how to make paper here.”
6581
6582Apparently, she would soon be in dire need of attendants to manage the workshop in her place as it got busier. Lutz, grinning, said I’d probably get more confident if I started managing the workshop that was so important to both Myne and the orphanage. The second he said that and gave me a clear goal, my worry vanished.
6583
6584“Managing the workshop, huh...?”
6585
6586“The Myne Workshop’s paper-making is definitely gonna be vital for buying the orphanage’s food, and it’ll be Myne’s most important source of income. Do a good job, Gil. You’re her attendant.” Lutz slapped me on the back and I looked up at the sky. It felt much brighter and bluer than before.
6587
6588“Gil, Lutz, hurry! You’re getting left behind!” Tuuli’s yell brought me back to reality and I saw the kids running toward the forest with cheers and smiles, filled with the excitement of finally being free.
6589
6590“We’re gonna find stuff for Sister Myne in the forest!”
6591
6592“Hey! Wait! I’m going in first. I’m Sister Myne’s attendant!” I chased after them, and the kids ran away squealing.
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6600“You’re all getting too excited. Gotta save your energy for the way back,” warned Gunther with a grin.
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6602Tuuli looked up at him and smiled happily. “These kids really do love Myne.”
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6744And you can read the latest chapters (like Part 2 Vol. 2 of this series!) by becoming a J-Novel Club Member:
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6795Copyright
6796
6797Ascendance of a Bookworm: Part 2 Apprentice Shrine Maiden Volume 1
6798
6799by Miya Kazuki
6800
6801Translated by quof
6802
6803Edited by Aimee Zink
6804
6805This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
6806
6807Copyright © 2015 Miya Kazuki
6808
6809Illustrations by You Shiina
6810
6811Cover illustration by You Shiina
6812
6813Map illustration by Yoh Fujishiro
6814
6815All rights reserved.
6816
6817Original Japanese edition published in 2015 by TO Books, Tokyo.
6818
6819This English edition is published by arrangement with TO Books, Tokyo
6820
6821English translation © 2019 J-Novel Club LLC
6822
6823All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property.
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6825J-Novel Club LLC
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6827j-novel.club
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6834376
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6838The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
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6840Ebook edition 1.0: November 2019
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