The most important part of preparing for the winter is stockpiling food. Unlike Japan, there aren’t any supermarkets around here that stay open all year round. The winter weather closes down the town markets, and there aren’t very many vegetables that can really be gathered outside. So, if you don’t want to starve to death, procuring enough food in advance is indispensable.

  And, so, here I am, sitting in a beat-up second-hand wagon amidst a huge pile of boxes. I was rudely awakened this morning, in pitch-blackness, long before the dawn had even begun to break.

  “Now, then,” my father cheerfully boomed, “today we’re going to the farming village! Is everyone ready?”


  There’s no excuse for doing that.

  I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, wondering what on Earth he’s talking about. I scowled at him, but both my mother and Tory are beaming happily. What do I do? All I can do is follow along with the conversation.

  “Come to think of it, Maine,” said my mother, clapping her hands together, “you were out sick while we were talking about this earlier, so you might not have heard.”


  My father and Tory nodded in consent. Once again, I’d been left out of a family discussion. I wasn’t the slightest bit amused. I tried to glare sullenly at them, but they’d already started quickly moving around as they got ready to leave.

  “Anyhow, make sure you dress very warmly, Maine!” she said as she gathered boxes. “You got really sick last year!”


  There’s no way they were going to leave me to take care of myself all day, so I had no choice but to quietly follow along as she clattered her way downstairs.

  …Nevertheless, why are we going to a farming village, anyway?

  I had hoped to walk on my own power in order to work on building up some more strength, but my father, frustrated by how slow I was, picked me up and put me in the cart. Now, I’m riding amidst a variety of barrels, empty bottles, piles of cloth, bundles of cord, bags of salt, and all of the other things it seems like we need in order to go visit a farming village.

  …Hmm? Perhaps, since I’m in this cart, I’m the most useless piece of luggage on this trip?

  I don’t have a whole lot of space up here, so I make myself as small as I can and settle down. Up front, my father is yoked to the cart, pulling it forward while my mother and Tory push it from behind. It’s becoming really obvious that I’m just extra weight on this trip, which is a little bit depressing.

  “Hey, Mommy,” I say, “Why’re we going to a village?”


  “There’s not many places where we can go in the city to smoke our meat, you know?” she says. “So, we’re going to the nearest village and borrowing one of their smoke huts.”


  “Smoking meat? Oh yeah, we did go buy a lot of meat the other day.”


  We already salted it, brined it, and did all sorts of other things to preserve that meat, but there’s still more stuff to do? Is this process maybe a little too painful? Is the meat still okay?

  As I count off the days since we bought the meat on my fingers, I grow more and more anxious. My mother looks over at me, shocked.

  “What are you talking about? Today’s pig-slaughtering day, you know. We’re going to buy two pigs, then help everyone out to spread out the work, and then we’ll all share the results.”


  “Uh?”


  My ears instantly reject my mother’s words. In the fraction of a second it takes the sounds to reach my brain, a chill starts running down my spine.

  “P… P-p-p… pig-slaughtering day?!”


  “It’s a day where we go meet up with our neighbors, slaughter and butcher a few pigs, salt and smoke the meat, and make things like bacon, pot roasts, and sausage. Maine… oh, right, last year you stayed in the cart because you were so feverish.”


  If at all possible, I would like to get a fever this year too. If I can do that, then at the very least I might be able to shield my eyes from that grim display.

  “Mommy, didn’t we buy a ton of meat at the market the other day…?”


  “There’s no way that much meat would last the entire winter, you know? We bought that to supplement the meat we’re going to get from slaughtering pigs today, since you know that won’t be enough by itself either, right?”


  I thought we had bought a huge amount of meat, but I hadn’t even considered the possibility that what we bought was just to supplement our stocks. I have no idea whatsoever as to how much meat is truly required when preparing for the winter.

  It looks like can’t save myself from being dragged to pig-slaughtering day, so a wave of depression sweeps through my heart. In contrast, Tory is wearing her biggest smile while she pushes the cart onward.

  “This is going to be fun!” she says. “We’re going to get to help out, and then we’ll get to eat freshly-made sausage. This is your first time helping, but when you get caught up in the noise and excitement everyone’s making, it feels kinda like a mini festival! I’m excited that you’re helping out this year!”


  “‘Everyone’?” I ask, tilting my head to the side in confusion.

  My mother shoots me a look, as if asking me why I’m asking such obvious questions. “The rest of the neighbors, right? Slaughtering a pig is a big task, so it’s not really easy to do it with less than ten adults, you know?”


  Whoa, the neighbors, huh…


  There’s a lot of spots in Maine’s memories that are really fuzzy, so there’s no doubt that there will be a lot of people there who will know me even though I have no idea who they are. Far more troublesome, however, is what we’ve come to do today: slaughtering and butchering a pig. Just remembering the grisly spectacle at the market the other day sends chills down my spine.

  “…I don’t wanna go,” I say.

  “What are you saying?” asks my mother. “If we don’t go, we’re not going to have any sausage or bacon for the winter, you know?”


  It seems like I’m not allowed to complain, since we don’t have enough food for the winter otherwise. If we don’t go, we’ll starve, so no matter how much I complain, I’ll still be forced to cooperate.

  As my mood grows gloomier and gloomier, our cart reaches the southern gate of the city walls.

  “Good morning,” says a soldier, one of my father’s subordinates, standing guard at the gate. “Oh? Sir, are you running late? Everyone else already left the gates a long time ago.”


  “Yeah, I know…”


  Somehow, it seems like our neighbors have are already long gone.

  “Have a good day, sir.”


  The young-looking guard smiles and waves at me as we go past, and I make myself wave back. Being friendly is important.

  This is my first time leaving the city since becoming Maine, so when the cart rumbles out of the short tunnel the gate is set into, I let out an astonished gasp. To be honest, I hadn’t even thought that the environments inside and outside the city walls could be so different.

  “Whoa…”


  First of all, there aren’t any houses. The streets within the city are always so crowded and claustrophobic, but this road widens into a broad highway as it leaves the gates. Off in the distance, I can see a village, with about ten to fifteen buildings that just look like dots on the horizon.

  Also, the air is fantastic. As we leave, the accumulated stench of human filth dissipates into nothingness, leaving only sweet, clean air in its place. There are no walls here to trap in foul air.

  Everywhere I look is green, from the light green of the rolling fields before me to the deep green of the tall, tall trees of the forest in the distance. Everything is extraordinarily tranquil.

  “Maine, close your mouth before you bite off your tongue,” warns my father.

  “Eh?!”


  Immediately after my father gives his warning, the cart lurches hard to the side, then starts to bounce and jostle even worse than it was doing so before. We’ve left the cobblestone roads of the city behind us, and the road ahead is packed, unpaved dirt. The luggage shakes around as if it might pop out of the cart, but, luckily, the ropes tied around it keep it in place. I, however, have no such security.

  On a sunny day, you’d have to clatter over hard, uneven packed clay. On a rainy day, you’d have to slog through mushy, soggy mud. These roads are the worst! Pour some asphalt!

  Unable to escape through my tightly-closed mouth, my objections bounce around in my head wildly. I cling, desperately, to the side of the cart, trying my hardest not to fall out.

  ***

  “We’re almost there,” says my father.

  Fifteen minutes after we left the city gates, we’ve arrived at the entrance to the farming village. The village is bustling, with countless people moving about.

  Butchering pigs is primarily a man’s work. Holding down a hundred-kilogram pig, trussing it up, and hoisting it all requires a good deal of strength. Meanwhile, the women handle setting up the smoking huts, getting huge amounts of water ready for boiling, making sure all of the tools and salt are ready, and doing other general prep work.

  It looks like the slaughter had actually started just before we finally arrived. Of course, if you’re not there to help, you don’t get any meat.

  “Oh no,” exclaims my father, “they’ve already started!”


  “That’s not good!” says my mother. “Tory, hurry!”


  “Yeah!”


  The three of them let go of the cart, then pull out aprons made from some sort of thick, heavy material that looks like it’s been heavily covered with wax. My mother and Tory run towards the smoking huts, where quite a few women have already gathered, putting on their aprons as they ran. My father ties his apron on securely, grabs the spear he uses for work out of the back of the wagon, then dashes towards the town square.

  That was fast!!

  In the blink of an eye, my family abandoned me before I had any time to react. I might still be able to run after my mother, but I have no idea what I’d be supposed to do in such a huge crowd, so it’s only natural that I’m apprehensive about that idea. Since this is a yearly event, it looks like everyone already knows what they need to do from common knowledge. Give me the instruction manual, please…


  Since I’d just get in the way if I tried to help, I’ll stay here and watch over the cart until someone calls for me. I sit down amongst the rest of the abandoned luggage, staring off into space, convincing myself that what I’m doing is an important task.

  However, the spot where my father chose to leave his luggage is in full view of the village square, where they’re doing the slaughtering. There’s a little bit of distance between me and the square, but I can clearly hear the agonized squeals of one of the pigs and plainly see as it frantically tries to escape.

  A rope has been tied to a wooden stake set firmly in the ground. The other end of the rope has already been tied around the pig’s right hindleg. The men chase it around and around the stake, desperately trying to catch and hold it down. I see a flash of familiar pink hair amongst the crowd; Ralph and Lutz are undoubtedly in there.

  “Here I come!” yells my father, charging onto the battlefield with spear at the ready. He sets his spear, then with a mighty shout, pierces into the pig with a single, strong thrust. The pig collapses to the ground from that one strike, convulsing in its death throes before finally falling still.

  I squeak in horror as all the blood drains from my face, but the people in the plaza start cheering for my father. My mother runs out, carrying a metal container, kind of like a bucket, on a somewhat lengthy wooden pole. Another woman follows, bringing with her some kind of large bowl.

  I have no idea what they’re about to do, so I lean forward to get a better look. In the next instant, blood suddenly flies out, and some people’s aprons are stained bright, dripping red. Preparations for catching the blood had just been finished, it seems, so my father had yanked out the spear and caused blood to start spurting from the wound. Reflexively, I clamp my hand over my mouth and fall back into the wagon.

  The pig is concealed from view behind the skirt of the woman with the bowl, but I can see how she collects the massive amounts of blood in her bowl, transferring it to the bucket whenever it gets full. This seems to be her everyday job, from the way she moves. My mother, on the other hand, has her brow deeply furrowed as she puts all of her strength behind churning the blood as it’s poured into the bucket.

  …My mother’s pretty scary.

  Then, the pig was brought over to a specially prepared tree and strung up, upside down, from a sturdy branch. All of the blood that hadn’t been completely drained from the body starts to drip down.

  Now, it’s time for the real butchering to begin. A man steps forward, wielding a thick, heavy butcher’s knife, and vertically slits the pig’s belly open.

  ***

  That’s about all I can remember. When I wake up, I’m no longer in the village, but instead in some room made of stone. Judging by what I can see of the ceiling from where I’m laying, this isn’t my house. I blink my eyes to clear them, then I suddenly recall what I was watching just before I fainted. I feel terrible, suddenly.

  It’s strange, though. I can’t shake the feeling that I’d seen something like this before.

  What would it have been? Something where something got hung up, then carved apart…


  It feels like it’s on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t quite make the connection. I don’t think this is one of Maine’s memories, I think this is one of mine. I think I saw something similar to this in Japan…


  Oh, got it! I was at a fish market near the harbor in Ibaraki, and I watched them hang up an enormous goosefish and slice it apart! I remember it clearly now.

  Now that I think about it, there are some similarities between slaughtering a pig and the live fish cleaning show. There are some things that really can only be eaten when they’re really fresh, and I can understand how everyone seemed to find it such a fun sight to see.2

  Well, I can understand it in theory, but I don’t personally find it all that fun. For one thing, a tuna fish don’t scream sorrowfully when you kill them, and the blood doesn’t drip thickly out of it. Urgh, I really don’t feel well…


  I cover my mouth and roll over on my side, which causes me to fall off of whatever I was sleeping on with a thud.

  “Oww…”


  I push myself up with my arms to get a better view of my surroundings. It seems like I had been laid down on a smallish wooden bench. There’s a fireplace nearby, with a fire crackling inside, so I don’t feel cold at all. I don’t, however, see anyone nearby, nor do I hear any voices.

  …So, where am I?

  As I try to figure out where exactly as I am, a soldier peers into the room, drawn by the thud I made when I fell down.

  “Oh! You’re awake,” he says.

  “Mister Otto?”


  I sigh in relief, seeing a familiar face. If Otto is here in this stone building, then this must be either one of the waiting rooms or the night duty room at the city gates. Now that I know where I am, my anxiety gradually starts to dissipate.

  “Ah, you remember me, then?” he says, relief showing plainly on his face. Since I look like a little girl, I’m sure he was worried that I’d start crying if I woke up and saw someone I didn’t know, and then he wouldn’t know what to do.

  “I didn’t forget!” This man, after all, is one of the precious few cultured people in this world, and the man who is going to (hopefully) teach me how to read and write.

  I give my best imitation salute, tapping my chest with my fist. Otto smiles wryly, ruffles my hair in response, and starts to explain my present situation.

  “The corporal brought you here a little while ago, looking really embarrassed. Apparently, you collapsed in your wagon. He said he’ll come by to pick you up as soon as he’s done with what he needs to do in the village.”


  I don’t know how long it takes to butcher a pig, but even after it’s butchered there’s a lot of processing work that needs to be done, so I don’t think it’s the kind of thing that’s going to be over quickly.

  …Now that I think about, Tory said that there was going to be dinner made with really fresh meat, didn’t she?

  It seems like I might be waiting here for quite some time. I’d brought the materials for my fake papyrus with me in the cart, since I didn’t know if I was going to be waiting around for a while in the village. Unfortunately, I don’t have any of it with me now.

  “What’s wrong, Maine?” asks Otto, “Are you lonely because your mom and dad aren’t here?”


  “…No,” I say, shaking my head. “I’m just wondering what I should do while I wait?”


  I accidentally let slip my true motives. Otto stares at me for a little bit, then mutters something about remembering that I look a couple years younger than I really am.

  “I’ve got just the thing, Maine,” he says, retrieving something from nearby. “How about we kill some time with this?”


  “Whoa! A slate!”


  Otto hands me the slate. He must have known that I’d definitely come through the gates today, so he would have brought it with him to give to me. He’s cultured, he’s considerate, he’s kind, he’s too amazing!!

  “I have to stand guard at the gate today,” he says, writing Maine’s name at the top of the slate, “so how about you practice with this?”


  He hands me a slate pencil and a cloth, then leaves the room. I see him off with a huge wave and a brilliant smile, clutching the slate tightly to my chest. As he closes the door behind him, I look down at the slate.

  It’s probably best to describe it as a kind of mini-blackboard, about the size of an A4 sheet of paper. It’s a thin plate of dark stone, surrounded by a simple wooden frame. Both the back and the front can be written on, and on one side, thin lines have been painted to help you practice writing straight.

  The slate pencil is a tool for writing on the slate. It’s cool to the touch, hard, and seems to be made out of some kind of stone, but it looks to me like a long, slender piece of chalk. This slightly dirty cloth seems to be what I’ll use instead of an eraser.

  The letters Otto wrote at the top of the slate have gotten a little smudged, after I held the slate against my shirt a little while ago.

  “Whoa, my heart’s racing!”


  I set the slate on top of the desk, and pick up the chalk. As soon as I grip it like I would a pencil, my heart starts pounding in my ears.

  First, I try copying the completely unfamiliar letters that Otto wrote at the top for me. The mental strain of writing these new characters for the first time is almost too much, and my writing is wobbly and distorted. If this were Japan, the teacher would tut at me and have me start over. However, stopping now to erase the board would be a waste of time, and I’m far too happy right now to finally see letters again.

  I force myself to take deep, slow breaths, then use the cloth to gently wipe off the left side of the board. I carefully write out another line, and this time it’s much better than before.

  I write my name, and erase it, and write it, and erase it… When I get tired of that, I switch to writing all of the haiku and tanka poetry I can remember in Japanese, and erase it, and write it, and erase it…


  Ahhh, this is bliss. Reading and writing is such a joyous thing.

  There may have been a fire going, but a cold draft still crept its way in. As I waited for however many hours it took for my family to come pick me up, playing with the slate for the entire time, my weak constitution caused me to catch a cold embarrassingly quickly, and my fever came back.

  ***

  “Your temperature still hasn’t gone down, so stay in bed,” admonishes Tory. “Don’t get up again!”


  “…Fine.”


  My parents are rushing in and out of the house, carrying in loads of vegetables and cramming them into the winter preparation room. In the kitchen, Tory has been boiling down the fruits that she collected from the forest and making jam. For the first time since coming to this world, I’m smelling sweet things, and the way it permeates the house makes me a little bit happier.

  In the midst of stocking up on alcohol and bringing in pig meat, Tory had come in to bring me some soup for lunch. I had put my slate to the side, and taken the tray from her.

  “I’m sorry, Tory,” I say.

  “I mean it!”


  “Oh? Do you promise not to tell on me?”


  “I don’t make promises like that!”


  That is, she doesn’t make promises. What even is a promise, anyway?

  While the family clatters about, finalizing the preparations for the coming winter, I’m stuck lazing about in my bed, scribbling on the slate that Otto gave me. I practice writing my name, writing whatever sentences in Japanese that come to mind, and so on.

  I really do want a book that I can record things in permanently. If I’m this happy from just being able to write, I’ll be even happier if I’m able to read book!

  I have to get better soon, so that I can work on making my paper.

  Volume 6 11: The Completed Metal Letter Pieces

  After receiving the High Priest’s permission to allow a merchant to my chambers, I sent a request to Benno to find a shoemaker for me.

  “May you be blessed with the melting of snow. May the Goddess of Spring’s grace you with her kindness.” Benno greeted me with the blessing that celebrated the coming of spring before entering my chambers with the shoemakers.

  “May you be blessed by the Goddess of Water Flutrane and her followers,” I returned to blessing while seated in the room.

  Damuel, who was now my bodyguard, was carefully inspecting Benno, the shoemaker who was probably the same age as Benno, and his assistant took my feet measurements and asked me what design and material I wanted.

  “Hm,” Rosina muttered out loud. “It is important that we prepare shoes for the Spring Prayer first, so Sister Myne will need long horse leather boots.”


  “Then we’ll go with white leather,” Delia gave her input.

  “Delia, think about it. Sister Myne will have to walk throughout farming towns for the Spring Prayer. Using a darker colour would be better for this occasion.”


  Rosina and Delia started discussing it between themselves and I hadn’t got the chance to say my input. Fran listened to them with a frigid expression because I told him to look after them.

  Delia preferred cute and pretty things, she liked it more extravagant. She would always go crazy about shopping. If she were to make the final call, the shoes would definitely be too bling.

  Conversely, Rosina had a good fashion sense, her experience as Sister Christine’s attendant helped as she knew what I would need, but she did not have a sound judgement in handling money. If she followed Sister Christine’s way of thinking, she would just buy things according to her mood without holding back, and I would go broke. And of course, the things she was requesting for were increasing. From “These look quite nice” and “Since the shoemakers are here, we might as well order these too.”


  In the end, Fran had to step in to stop their crazy antics.

  “Delia, please do not go overboard with the decorations. Rosina, Sister Myne will grow, so it is illogical to order these many shoes. A better decision would be to order more shoes as she grows older.”


  Fran had served the High Priest, so he knew how many clothing items I needed to order according to society’s standards. However, both Fran and the High Priest were guys, so they lacked the sense to appreciate cute and pretty things like Rosina did. So he just needed to keep Delia and Rosina in rein when making important decisions, and all I had to do was make the final decision.

  “Sister Myne, are these fine?”


  “Yes, I think three pairs will do fine.”


  After all that, we decided to order a pair of thick and high horse leather boots that went up to my knees and a pair of soft ankle pig leather boots. Both of them will be used for the Spring Prayers. As for the final pair, it was a fancier cloth one for indoor use at the temple and in the Noble’s District.

  After finalising the order and just went the shoemaker was about to leave, Benno approached me.

  “Pardon me, but I will need to discuss an important matter with Sister Myne. Fran, may I request that you escort these two to the gates?”


  “Delia can do that instead, Fran, please tell Delia to guide these men out. Rosina, please brew some tea.”


  Fran gave a nod to Benno, before instructing Delia what to do. She was beaming with excitement on the way out, she was in a good mood because of all that shopping.

  “So, what did you need to speak with me about?”


  “Sister Myne, Johann recently came by the store. He has finished the request you sent.”


  My eyes fluttered with surprise. I became Johann’s (a young smity) patron last autumn. His Ierherl apprenticeship required him to complete a task, and I made an order with him to make multiple sets of metal letter pieces.

  “Hm? Um… Benno. You meant the request to make the metal letters, right? Um… I didn’t expect him to finish them this fast.”


  The set includes both the uppercase and lowercase of the thirty five letters in the alphabet, I made a request to Johann to make fifty types of every vowel and twenty for each consonant. He hit the ball out of the park, I totally didn’t expect him to finish them over winter.

  “He has made a request for you to check them, Sister Myne.”


  After all, the task that Ieherl smiths needed to finish was still an order made by a customer. It was an unwritten rule that they present the final product to the customer for their evaluation.

  “For convenience, it would be better for you to meet them at the store, but since that’s not possible, would you prefer that I bring Johann and his foreman here?”


  “…I will need to consult the High Priest’s about it first.”


  “Ok then.”


  Damuel and the High Priest were very mindful about people entering my chambers, so I needed to receive their approval about it first.

  “Johann has been informed that you cannot visit the store as long as it snows, so please approach the matter with care and make sure the High Priest is informed about all matters.”


  So he basically meant: I swear, you better talk to the High Priest.

  With that, I immediately sent a letter to meet the High Priest. He was almost done with all the work that piled up over the winter, he was probably quite free now so he quickly arranged a date to meet.

  “Um, High Priest. Would it be fine for me to invite a smith named Johann and his foreman to my chambers?”


  “…Since you address him by his name, I assume that he is an acquaintance.”


  “That’s right. I am his patron and I will need to review my order.”


  The High Priest nodded, and tapped his finger gently on his temples. “Myne, is this smith aware that you are an apprentice blue shrine maiden?”


  “No, not yet. Since Johann had misunderstood that I was Benno’s daughter, it is likely that Benno had not told him anything about me yet.”


  “I see. If that’s so, he cannot enter the temple. Visiting Benno’s store directly would be a better choice.”


  “But the shoemaker could come, why can’t Johann?” I tilted my head and asked in confusion.

  The High Priest sighed.

  “The shoemaker was invited to the chambers of an apprentice blue shrine maiden with Gilberta Company’s referral. But Johann would be invited here by Myne under the Gilberta Company to check her order.”


  “…Ah.” I covered my mouth with my hand.

  The High Priest narrowed his eyes.

  “I tried to investigate you from various places during the winter, and Benno seems to have done a good job hiding you. The number of people who know that the child from Gilberta Company and the temple’s new apprentice blue shrine maiden is the same person as few. Needless to say, very few people know your true identity.”


  Now that he said it, I did remember Benno chastising me to stay as inconspicuous as possible in public. Since the High Priest’s investigation revealed to him that I was well-hidden, Benno must have exerted lots of effort to do so.

  “You are allowed to visit the store. I prefer that you do not announce your position as a blue shrine maiden to everyone.”


  “Ok then, I’ll go to the Gilberta Company.”


  My face was twitching to make a smile of relief at the thought of possibly being able to leave the temple, but I did my best to hold back my emotions so that I could keep my composure like a dignified noble. Unfortunately, the High Priest dismissed my efforts with a single remark:

  “That impatient grin of yours is really unpleasant and disturbing.”


  “Damuel, you will continue to protect Myne outside the temple. Myne, you will need to ride a carriage to the store. Do not idly walk outside. You may ask Benno to prepare one. Also do your best to stay out of sight when in public.”


  “Got it, I’ll be careful!”


  My head shook up and down repeatedly at the High Priest’s nagging, and I gave up trying to hide my smile.

  Hold on, my precious little letter pieces! I’ll be seeing you as fast as I can!

  Of course, it was not like I could head over straight away. I needed to inform Lutz who was working in the orphanage to convey the message to Benno so that he can prepare a carriage.

  ~~~

  Benno met and arranged a meeting between me and the smithy. The meeting might be delayed because the carriage could not travel in the bad weather and heavy snowstorm.

  “If the letter pieces are what I need then I’ll need to arrange for blank and symbol types to be made too. Maybe I should write the orders for them now.”


  I prepared the next order before the date of the meeting, as well as the things I might need there. If there was a chance, I would like to demonstrate the printing process there.

  “Maybe I should take the ink, paper, baren, and rag too, just in case. Might as well show them how to use the letter pieces. Fran, please tell Gil get what I need from the workshop.”


  “Understood.”


  “Um, Sister Myne. May I ask, why are you bothering to visit the lower-city?” Delia looked completely shocked when she saw me chatting so happily with Fran about what I would require for the meeting.

  I just grinned back since I was completely clueless how much information Delia had given to the High Bishop. “I’ll be reviewing some goods, afterall I am someone who converses in the arts.”


  ~~

  For this trip, Damuel, Fran and Lutz, who for some reason saw Lutz as a rival, were accompanying me. Lutz was constantly jabbering how it was one of his responsibilities as the overseer of the workshop to assist with businesses with the Gilberta Company as well. Maybe I should just give a short explanation on how the letter pieces work since I am not allowed to do any work myself, after that I would let Gil take over.

  The four of us sat inside the bumpy carriage Benno arranged for and set off from the Gilberta Company. Damuel scrunched his face the moment we passed the temple gate because of the putrid smell. It appears that he had never been to the lower city.

  “What on earth is this horrible smell?”


  “It’s just the smell here in the lower city. You have no choice but to get used to it.”


  That’s the reaction of someone who has only been to the embellished Noble’s District and the neat temple. I can relate, really.

  My reaction had probably been the same the first time I stepped out to the lower city as Myne. But I didn’t take long to adjust and accept it as a part of everyday life here. Humans were adaptable creatures, it surprised me how easily we could adapt and endure almost everything

  “Sir Damuel, I’m afraid this part of the task given to you by the High Priest. You will need to continue protecting me in the lower-city.”


  “Ah, that seems so. That will be a tough job.”


  When we got to the Gilberta Company, Damuel’s face was still twisted up. Mark came out of the store’s front entrance to meet us.

  “Thank you for blessing our humble store with your grace, Lady Myne. Everyone has arrived and is waiting for you inside.”


  “Hello, Mark. I am happy to have received your welcome.”


  “Apprentice, your hand.”


  Damuel extended his hand as if it was an expected thing, but I was stumped. A rich girl would usually allow him to escort her down the carriage, but I was not experienced enough to graciously be escorted.

  The steps on the side of the carriage were narrow and the gap between them was big for me. Even with Damuel’s help, I might still fall down.

  “Sir Damuel, Sister Myne is not big enough to be escorted down.”


  Fran took the initiative to tell Damuel what was going on and carried me down while I stood transfixed with a cold perspiration stuck to my back.

  “Ah, of course. Apologies, apprentice. I am not used to tending to little ones so I am not sure how I can escort them.”


  “All is well, Sir Damuel. I am the one who should grow up faster so that I can be escorted down.”


  But becoming a proper lady is not an easy task, so much so that I don’t know if I’ll be one when I am an adult…I thought all of these to myself as we entered the store, and Mark walked us to the familiar office.

  “Master Benno, Lady Myne has arrived.”


  Inside the room, was Johann, the smith foreman, Benno, and Lutz who had been waiting.

  “I hope the wait has not been too long,” I said when I entered the office.

  Johann and his foreman both gasped when I walked in. I was not surprised that they got a shock. I was unlike my usual relaxed and typical self, instead, I was now speaking formally with three companions behind.

  “Thank you for coming, Lady Myne.” Benno greeted me, and Johann and the foreman stumbled to do the same.

  Fran had pulled back a chair for me, I took a seat in it and smiled at Johann who was across from me.

  “Good morning, Johann. I was informed that you had completed the order I assigned to you.”


  “Yes, but…” Johann glanced nervously at the three people trailing behind me.

  His foreman placed two boxes wrapped in a cloth each on the table. I heard the sound of metal hitting each other inside the box. I was getting excited from just the sound they made.

  “We couldn’t fit all of them in a box because it would be too heavy, so we had them split into two.”


  To make letter pieces, it first starts with making the letter punches. They were hard metal devices with a letter symbol protrusion, the protrusion were made from filing and chiseling. Making one alone required lots of skills, so that the piece of metal could be carved and filed to a single centimeter in width and height. All of this could only be done by Johann who was a master in precision work.

  After making the letter punch, it would be pressed into a softer metal to create a matrix, that was the name of the mold used in letterpress printing to print a letter. After the letter punch has made an imprint on the matrix, you would have to put the matrix in a mold and pour alloy in the same mold. After the alloy cools and hardens, it will form a metal letter that looks exactly like that made from the letter punch. The mold is reused to repetitively make more metal types of that same letter. This whole process is repeated to make multiple identical sets of letters.

  “I was surprised to learn that you finished making them. I didn’t expect them to be done this fast…”


  Just looking at the cloth wrapped boxes gave me an amazing rush of exhilaration in my chest. I felt the blood gush into my head, I sighed with bliss as I pressed my hand against my racing heart. I peered at the cloth, as if I could look through it and the box, it felt as though I were Juliet looking for her long-lost Romeo.

  Johann scratched his cheek and laughed a bit embarrassedly, oblivious to my haste. “…Everyone pitched in a little because they enjoyed the challenge.”


  Johann was the maker of the letter punches and matrices, but the other craftsmen who were bored because they had nothing at hand for the winter, assisted him in mass-producing the letter pieces…


  The foreman gave a mighty grin and slapped Johann’s back.

  “We competed over who poured the alloy the best and discussed ways to speed it up and we went crazy with laughter that this task was too hard for a leherl. We’d chuckle and say, ‘Of course the only patron who would patronise Johann would order something like this.’ Vulcanift, the God of Smithing, has truly blessed him!”


  The foreman had said all that to tease Johann, but it did seem that he truly believed that Vulcanift the God of Smithing had arranged my meeting with Johann. My order needed precision, and Johann was perfect for the job. It was mutual that I was immensely grateful that we had crossed paths.

  “We all worked hard to make these letter thingies. Johann, let her see them.”


  “Yes, sir.”


  Johann loosened and removed the cloth at the foreman’s order. It unraveled two small boxes , each were the size of an A4-sized paper. Inside it was lined with silver metal pieces that despite their boring appearance, they twinkled and glittered when the light reflected off their carved surfaces. It was quite overwhelming for me to see all of the letters placed before me.

  “Amazing…”


  My hands trembled with awe when I picked up one of the letter pieces. It was a thin layer of metal, sized 2.5 cm on all sides, and a letter shape was imprinted into one side. Despite its small size, the metal was quite heavy, and I lifted it up to examine it from all sides.

  I picked another one and placed them next to each other. I squinted my eyes while I checked for any height differences. Any dissimilarity in height would have a significant impact on printing. Thankfully, the pieces were all the same height, which was more than I could ever wish for. A smile had unknowingly formed on my face.

  “How is it, miss? Are they what you want?”


  I regained myself when I heard the foreman’s voice… When I turned around, I noticed Johann waiting impatiently and nervously for my reviewsl. Satisfied with this, I glanced back between Johann and the boxes, giving a firm nod while holding a letter type.

  “They’re amazing! You really are a Gutenberg!”


  “Ah?”


  “Johann, I dub thee ‘Gutenberg’!”


  “Huh?”


  Everyone gawked at me with a bamboozled face. Except for Lutz, who had gone absolutely pale and ran over to shake my shoulders

  He exclaimed, “Calm down, Myne!”


  I glared back at him while remaining seated. “How can I be calm?! We’re talking about Gutenberg here!”


  “Idiot, you’re getting too emotional!”


  Lutz was losing it a little, but there was no way I could keep my cool with a complete set of letter pieces before me. Nah-ah.

  “You’re not giving the proper reaction, Lutz. You know, this is going to change history. Doesn’t that thrill you? Enough to make your head hurt? Come on, just show your emotions! Let us relish in these bliss!”


  “Sorry, Myne, but I don’t get it.”


  Lutz didn’t seem to get why I was so happy. I looked around and noticed that everyone else was equally perplexed, as if they had no idea what was going on. Was this not a depressing scene that I was the only one in the room who was excited?

  “But, this marks the start of the printing era! You’re now witnessing a historical moment here!”


  I made a clatter as I stood up, trying my best to enthusiastically expound the magnificence of the letter pieces, but the response was just mediocre.

  “This is the rebirth of Gutenberg! The first’s given name was Johannes, and from today onwards he will go by the name Johann! What an amazing coincidence! A once-in-a-lifetime chance encounter! Praise thee gods!” I raised my arms into the praying pose, but Lutz just held his head

  “Um, miss? Who’s this ‘Gutenberg’ you keep mentioning?” asked the smithy foreman with a confused face.

  Glad that someone was finally making an effort to understand, I slapped my hands together and turned to him.

  “Gutenberg is a famous craftsman on par with a god, whose work forever reshaped history and the world of books. Johann is, without a doubt, the city’s Gutenberg!”


  Just as I was getting into explaining, I remembered that you needed other things than letter pieces when it came to printing. Paper, ink and a printing press were needed too. Maybe that was why everyone’s reaction was so underwhelming, it’s because I was giving all the credit to just Johann.

  “…Oh, I see. Lots of people contributed to this, those who make the ink, making the letter press, Benno making the paper and Lutz who sells the books. It was wrong of me to leave the others out. I see, I see. Apologies, all of you are Gutenberg. All of you are part of the Gutenberg family!”


  “You can leave me out of that family.” Benno quickly refused our camaraderie.

  “What are you saying, Benno?! That’s not respectful to the Gutenbergs, who will lead the world in printing books! This is something to be happy about, no kidding. Your heart needs to be on the verge of bursting with joy. All right?”


  Benno looked at me with frustration and defeat before looking at Lutz. Lutz waved his hand back to signal his defeat too and sighed.

  “Since the letter pieces are done, we can start working on the printing press! Let’s go ahead and place an order with the woodworking business now. Haaa, we’re finally going to start printing! Yes! Indeed yes!! Praise thee Metisonora, the Goddess of Wisdom.!”


  I went into the praying stance again, causing my excitement to peak so much that I passed out.

  Volume 6 12: The Temple Stay had been Extended (Part 2)

  Three days after Lutz gave the letter, my parents came to the waiting room by the temple gates. It was the first time I had seen my mum in a while. Her familiar smile and big belly (it was so big that she might go into labour any moment now) welled up feelings of joy in me.

  “Mum…”


  “Sister Myne, you are not in your chambers. I know how you are feeling, but please remember your current situation.”


  Fran gently held me back with a guilty expression. Mom drew her hand back, and Dad soothed her by wrapping an arm over her shoulders.

  “Please follow me.”


  Fran walked in front of us and I followed close behind. Damuel was beside me, with my parents trailing behind.

  When a hand gently caressed my hair (a hand that was gentler than Dad), I fought the urge to turn around and continued walking. I couldn’t stop grinning.

  When I tried to turn around, the hand squeezed me as if telling me to look forward. I found it hilarious that the hand kept retreating back whenever Fran looked back. The gentle hand would occasionally swap out for a larger one. This was how our silent interaction went until we reached the High Priest’s chambers.

  “Good morning, High Priest,” Mum greeted…


  “You called for us, sire?” Dad saluted the High Priest.

  The High Priest nodded back and gestured them to their seats. One side of the table was a bench, and there were two chairs across it. Noting our statuses right now, my parents would sit on the bench, me and the High Priest would take the chairs. My mum had some difficulty sitting on the bench because of her belly, so Dad offered her a hand as they sat down together.

  “The rest of you, please take your leave.”


  Once his attendant had poured us tea, the High Priest had everyone else leave the room. He also soundproofed the area around the table with a magic tool.

  Dad got a shock and looked around. “What the…?”


  “This is to soundproof our voices to the outside. Since it’s just us, Myne, you may go to your parents. I’m sure you must have tried your best to hold back the entire time.

  The High Priest gently nudged me towards my parents after explaining the purpose of the magic barrier. I had been standing the entire time because I was unsure where I should have sat…


  “Thank you so much, High Priest.” I smiled and thanked him

  I jumped into the seat between my parents, and looked at them before giving Mum a big.

  “It’s nice seeing you again, Mum. I missed you so much. Seems like the baby is going to pop out any time now!”


  “Not yet. The baby still has to get a little bigger,” Mom said while hugging me.

  I rubbed her belly and sighed in content…


  “…I see that you have been satisfied. Shall I start?”


  “Yes, please.” I sat up and looked across the table at the High Priest.

  “Very well. We’ll skip the bothersome introductions and jump straight in”


  Because of his time with me, the High Priest had that there was no point in doing the usual noble greetings with commoners, so he didn’t do all the long greetings he did with Karstedt.

  “Myne will stay in the temple until the end of Spring Prayer.”


  “Wait a second. Why? We only agreed that she would stay till winter ended” Dad tilted forward with his breath caught in his throat.

  The High Priest gave him a cold glance and kept an indifferent look. “She is in greater danger than she had ever been.”


  That short response was enough to tell Dad that things were getting beyond him. He lowered his gaze and used his other hand to grasp his fist.

  “Danger?”


  “Myne has more mana than we could have ever imagined. This mana is vital to the city because of the shortage we are facing. As such, some nobles want her, while others wish for her demise.

  He said that nobles had set their sights on me for a variety of reasons. I could feel Mom and Dad’s hands shaking on my back, and watched the colour drain from their faces.

  “The worst that could happen is Myne getting kidnapped and taken away from the city. As a result, several adjustments to the regulations nobles need to undergo when entering the city have been made. As a soldier at the gates, I’m sure you’re aware of this, Gunther.”


  Dad’s eyes widened at the current topic of the conversation, but he did his best to stay calm. “Yes… I am aware. For the nobles to enter, the Knight’s Order has implemented some rules.”


  “Yes, because if Myne were to be kidnapped, it would most certainly be by a noble. We will not know if it will be a noble from this duchy or another, so we had to get the Knights Order involved and urged the archduke to limit nobles’ access to the city.”


  Karstedt and the High Priest appeared to have been working hard behind the scenes.

  “All of these have been done for Myne?” Dad was dumbfounded.

  “Of course there are other reasons, but one of them was for Myne’s safety. I will not speak of anything else other than this. This reason should be enough for you, I hope.”


  Dad nodded as he loosened up a little.

  “When Spring Prayer comes, nobles with ruling territory will return to their lands. With fewer nobiles in the city, keeping tabs on them will be an easier task. I respectfully suggest that you live separately until then. All of this is to keep Myne safe.”


  The High Priest’s word had a calm but definitive power to it. It was reasonable to say he was a natural leader. After all, he was once the Knight’s Order’s commander.

  Dad’s soldier instincts clicked in and he saluted.

  “Thank you for all of your hard work. But why are you doing this for Myne…?”


  “Did I not emphasize how valuable her mana is? She must be protected at all costs. The High Priest sighed in irritation, “We would not have gone to such exhausting lengths if she just agreed to be adopted.”


  “Adoption?!” yelled Dad who had his eyes stretched all the way. My mother strengthened her grip on my hand.

  “What do you say to this, Gunther, will you approve of Myne’s adoption?”


  Dad’s teeth were grinding together and Mum gripped on tighter that my hand started to hurt, it felt as though she was saying she will never let me go again. They said nothing, but their answer was clear as day.

  “Like parents like daughter…” The High Priest tapped his head with his finger and spoke to himself “To hope that her parents would give in… ” before looking back up at us.

  Myne shared the same sentiments too, no matter what she refused to leave her family. We agreed that we could wait till she turns ten. She has way more mana than what was expected from a commoner with Devouring. Hence a noble will adopt her when she turns ten. This is absolute. “


  “What…?!”


  My parents froze, as though they had been shot. They had no say, they were basically told that no matter what they said, the adoption would still go through. They seemed unsure how they should react to the High Priest’s actions, he was obviously trying to protect me, but at the same time he was breaking us apart.

  “A person who cannot control their mana will only pose a threat to themselves and everyone else. If they are seen as a threat to the city’s peace and well-being, execution is imminent.”


  “Execution?!”


  “The protectors of the city must eliminate those who pose a danger to others. As a soldier, I think you would know that better.”


  Dad struggled to imagine that his daughter was that dangerous, he looked dazed and Mum just gripped my hand tighter that it started to hurt. The High Priest continued to look at them with an indifferent expression, making his emotions untellable, he resumed his vague explanation of the situation.

  “The only way to avoid her execution is for her to gain control of her own mana. Thereby the adoption is needed. She may continue to live with you until she is ten, but by then she will have to leave for the Royal Academy. There will be no negotiations then. Adoption or execution. The decision lies in your hands

  “Ten years old…” Dad muttered the deadline with despair, we would only have two years tops left together.

  A soft sigh escaped from the High Priest’s mouth. “A respectable noble will adopt Myne, he is someone who I have placed my utmost faith and confidence in. He will not mistreat her. I assure you.”


  My mother’s head sprang up as soon as he said that. She nodded while giving a firm look into the High Priest in the eyes.

  “Understood. Please look after Myne for us.”


  “Effa?!” Dad exclaimed in shock. But Mom ignored him and kept her stare onto the High Priest.

  “When I came to know of Myne’s stay in the temple for the winter, I was worried that her poort health would have made it difficult for her. Yet Tuuli has informed me that Myne was fine due to everyone’s care and guidance. I strongly believe that that was thanks to your hardwork, High Priest.”


  She was aware that I made it through the winter without being sick in bed the entire time because everyone had properly cared for me the entire time.

  “Effa, you… It’s not like I don’t understand the circumstances, but adoption is—”


  Dad wanted to make another point, but he quickly shut up when Mum raised her hand towards him. I saw her look downwards before shaking her head slowly…


  “Enough, Gunther. Please reconsider this. Remember that many children will move out from home when they reach ten years of age to become an Ieherl? There is no way I will let Myne get executed for being dangerous. If a noble who doesn’t know her well kidnaps her, I can’t imagine the danger she would be in. The High Priest has treated Myne well. If we had to give her up, at least be someone I can trust.”


  Mum turned back to the High Priest and hugged herself.

  “High Priest, look after Myne for us, please.”


  Dad stopped resisting with Mum’s words. His back dropped in despair, after a while he straightened up to salute by tapping his right hand against his left chest twice. My parents had given their approval for my adoption when I turned ten.

  “I don’t want to be ten…”


  I knew that whatever had just unfolded was for my sake, but I still felt an unbearable amount of despair stab into my heart. I hugged Mum as long as possible, wishing that the warmth would wipe off the depressing feelings that overwhelmed me.

  Volume 6 12: The Temple Stay has been Extended (Part 1)

  When I woke up, I had a long schedule of lectures awaiting me. First came Lutz and Benno, then Fran and Gil, and then Damuel and the High Priest. Why are there more people in my life scolding me now?

  … But like seriously, can they stop using the excuse of “visiting the sick” to scold me in bed. I want to sleep.

  Damuel gave the longest and most passionate speech this time. After my sudden collapse, he was apparently scared that the High Priest would also deem him a useless knight like his previous superior did.

  “I was dead sure I was going to be killed this time! I felt like I was already dead when we carried you back,” he exclaimed fiercely, holding back his tears.

  “I’m sorry. Really. But just to give you a heads up, when we start officially printing, I might pass out from excitement quite frequently.”


  “You’re not sorry at all!”


  “I apologise that I’m not strong enough to stop my fainting spells.”


  “Not that! You don’t need to be sorry for that!”


  With everyone scolding me 24/7, everyday, it was difficult to stay enthusiastic for the letter pieces, and thus my fever subsided quickly. Even after my recovery, the lectures persisted. They kept nagging about the same times repeatedly that it was getting rather dull. I only wanted to get home, the snow had melted enough for carriages to pass through, so it wasn’t that far off.

  “Just let me go home…”


  But before that, I needed to write a letter to seek an audience with the High Priest. But I instead got one from the High Priest who requested to meet me. But it was not so much of ‘wanting to meet me’ but more of a ‘when are you free’ letter because I was the one going over, not him coming over.

  “Fran, the High Priest rarely writes me a letter, something important must be going on. I would like to see him as soon as possible— no wait, I would like to head over today, but I don’t know what I should say to him.”


  “It would be inconvenient for his attendants if you visited so suddenly. I would suggest that you visit tomorrow,” Fran gave a slight smile.

  And so I wrote a reply that I would be available tomorrow.

  “Should I get him a present or something? After all, he did come to see me when I was sick.”


  The High Priest gave me lots of food as get-well gifts, but I wasn’t in need of it because the snow was thawing, meaning I would be returning home shortly. As of now, I planned to relocate half of it to the girls’ building’s basement storage.

  “You can try some of the sweets you have made here. In fact, your cookies were well-received by the High Priest.”


  “How about the caramel custard I tried making recently?”


  When Tuuli visited, I tried making both caramel custard and ice cream. But it ended up with a warm warning that ice cream is best enjoyed for warm weather. Of course, ice cream was nice in heated homes from modern times, but having it in front of the fireplace just made one feel cold and the taste dull, your body would just go cold.

  “Hmm… Sure, the caramel custard is nice, but you can only enjoy it after you have gotten used to its texture. First-timers might find it somewhat weird… The custard might not be a good idea for first-timers.”


  Steaming was not a known cooking method here, I made this assumption based on Lutz’s reaction to the steamed potatoffels. Ella was taken aback with making the caramel custard, and those who tried it raved about the texture and was concerned how it crumbled apart before it entered their mouth. Regardless, it was still well-received because it was sweet and tasty…


  “If that’s so, we can ask Ella if she can make the cookies the High Priest likes.”


  I decided on the cookies. The flavours chosen were my preferred, the plain and tea ones.

  After that was taken care of, I began working on the plans for the printing press. If my memory serves me correctly, the first printing presses on Earth were modified grape presses, so I doubt they were that hard to make. It was just that I struggled to recall its measurements, let alone how it looked like.

  “Huh… I think it needs some tool to apply the ink? Maybe it was a handle like this, the leather pulls out like this… with something to hold it down with the paper… Did the letter pieces get lined up here?”


  I combed through my memories furiously, but to no avail as the blueprints were barely piecing up. I was unable to give a precise blueprint, but it was possible for me to give a rough idea upfront. These notes and ideas will have to be noted out so that I could experiment with them with letter press.

  Maybe I could ask the High Priest to use the memory searching tool on me again. I mumbled to myself as I worked on the blueprint, my attendants worked around me to complete their tasks to their best.

  ~~~

  “Good morning, High Priest,” I greeted and presented him with my gift.

  “This wasn’t necessary,” he said, his face devoid of any reaction as he received them. It was impossible for me to tell if he was happy about it or not.

  “Arno.”


  Arno went over at the High Priest’s instructions and placed a dish on the table. Fran took the cookies out of the bag and piled them up. He took out the cup he brought from my chamber and handed it to Arno who filled it up with tea along with the High Priest’s…


  “Feel free to do so, Sister Myne.”


  Arno placed the cookie platter in front of me. I stared at the High Priest, unsure what I was supposed to do.

  “When giving food as a gift, it is customary for the gifter to eat it first to ensure that it is not poisoned. I take it that you did not know of this, so I figured I might as well teach it to you now.”


  Poison testing…? Um, that’s scary.

  I had no qualms about eating the cookies since they were mine, having to hear about food being poisoned made me anxious about consuming anything outside my chambers.

  “Likewise, the host will also drink the tea first.”


  I took a bit of my cookies and the High Priest drank his tea that was brewed from the same pot as mine did. We each continued at our leisure after the testing was done.

  Fran had got it right when he mentioned that the High Priest enjoyed the cookies. His face remained expressionless, but the cookies vanished the quickest out of anything else on the table.

  We talked about random topics from the weather to the orphanage’s situation. After we finished our tea, the discussion turned to the main topic.

  I think I can pass off as a noble now. I hope so. I would like to think so.

  “Um, High Priest. Since I’m returning home soon, so I was hoping—”


  “No.”


  My words were cut off by the High Priest who clanked his teacup back on its plate.

  “Bwuh?”


  I tilted my head to the side, perplexed why the High Priest refused to let me return when the snow was beginning to thaw. He pushed his chair back as he got up. He gave a quick scan of his room and proceeded to the hidden room next to his bed.

  “Follow me.”


  He did not want his attendants hearing the reason why. So I moved accordingly as well - I placed my cup down, stood up and walked to the opened door to the hidden room.

  When I was in, I saw on the familiar bench and he sat in the usual chair.

  “So it’s about something you’re attendants can’t hear?”


  “…Yes. It would be preferable for less to know about this.” The High Priest took in a deep breath and continued. “I just received news that Wolf has died unexpectedly. It occurred shortly after I made a request to Karstedt to investigate him”


  I swallowed when he said ‘died’. But my head was still cocked to the side, because I was confused about an important detail.

  Um… Who’s Wolf?

  “You look befuddled.”


  “Um, High Priest. I know this sounds ridiculous, but who is Wolf? The name sounds familiar, but I can’t quite put my finger on it…”


  The fact that I couldn’t put a face to his name indicated that he wasn’t someone I knew. I knew he was significant because the High Priest talked about him as if he were someone I knew, but I still couldn’t recall who he was.

  The eyes of the High Priest widened in shock before he let out a long sigh. “Wolf is the Ink Guild’s guildmaster.”


  “Oh, that shady man?”


  I’d been imprisoned at the temple all winter because the leader of the Ink Guild approached Lutz and tried uncovering information on me.

  “Wait… He’s dead?! When, what, how?!”


  “Your reaction is too delayed!”


  Apparently, Wolf was under investigation by Karstedt and the High Priest, to see if the rumour circulating him was fact or fiction, and to figure out who had ordered him to look into me. However, before they could pinpoint a suspect, Wolf died.

  “Wolf had heard from somewhere that a shrine maiden who was a commoner, was also acting as a forewoman.”


  Since he emphasized the word “somewhere”, I remembered that very few nobles knew my true identity. Not many nobles here could have had such knowledge about me.

  “Wolf was looking into who was the forewoman and if she had any ties to Benno. However, just when he was about to start the investigation, you fled inside the temple, and your health has minimised your interaction with others outside. Needless to say, his investigation was not fruitful.”


  What the High Priest said gave me a fright. Nobles had ordered Wolf to look into me, but the investigation did not cover much and he was under the scrutiny of Karstedt and the High Priest. He ended up dead after all that, so it didn’t take long for me to piece it together.

  “…Was Wolf killed by the noble?”


  The High Priest nodded with certainty. “Most definitely.”


  “…Are the nobles targeting me?”


  Commoners meant nothing to the nobles, nobles ruthlessly killed anyone who stood in their way. Even though that was a fact I knew, having it happen so abruptly and close to me made me frightened. I crossed my arms and rubbed my arms covered with goosebumps.

  “Is the noble after me?”


  “There is no question that a number of nobles are after you, but we have no idea who they are or what they are after. And I think few would know too,” he replied with a solemn voice that made me shudder.

  “When the Spring Prayer begins, the nobles in charge of the rural towns will leave together. Our biggest concern is you being kidnapped out from the city, therefore you must remain in the temple until their numbers have dwindled. With less of them, it will be much easier to determine their allegiance and motives.”


  Well, the only good thing is that he didn’t say I couldn’t return home.

  I had no choice but to sadly agree to extend my stay in the temple. I did my best to comfort myself. The High Priest was relieved that I had agreed easily and took out a small palm-sized item.

  “I will need to talk to your family about the extension and adoption. Give them this.”


  “…Yes.”


  This would be a serious topic, of me getting adopted by a noble, so there was no way I could casually bring it up whenever Tuuli or Dad visited. I had intended to bring it up when I got home, but High Priest plans to tell it to them while I was still here. I faced down as I studied the letter of invitation the High Priest gave me.

  “You probably know this, but you are not to tell anyone about Wolf or your adoption. Your attendants are no exception,” he instructed and Delia popped into my mind, so I did not argue back.

  ~~~

  I had Fran summon Lutz immediately when I returned to my chambers so I could hand him the letter. He agreed to pass it over, but he seemed perplexed as to what bad things I had done that the High Priest had to summon them over. The only thing I could tell him was that I was staying until the end of the Spring Prayer. It was ok to tell this much information. Or at least, I had to tell that to everyone around me, including my attendants, if I didn’t want to cause any confusion

  “How about our food?” Delia asked when she heard my conversation with Lutz.

  I just smiled back and said, “It won’t be long till the market opens, plus we still have food leftover from the High Priest.”


  So that was why the High Priest gave us food, it was so that we could last in the temple even after winter ended.