Ascendance of a Bookworm

After I recovered, the prayer ceremony proceeded by visiting the remaining noble residences, and it basically ended without any problems, allowing us to return safely to the temple.

“Welcome back, Myne-sama.”

“I’m glad to hear you completed your duties safely.”

“Thank you for holding down the fort. Is everyone alright?”

When I returned to my room, Delia and Wilma greeted me. Somehow, being back in my own place made me feel relieved, and an unconscious sigh escaped my lips.

Fran had started unloading the luggage piled onto the carriage with Gil, and with Delia’s help, I changed out of my noble travel clothes into my usual shrine maiden outfit.

“As soon as the water boils, I’ll prepare the bath right away.”

“Thank you, Delia.”

Delia, Wilma, and Rosina were all working hard unpacking and tidying the incessantly arriving luggage. However, the delivery was faster than the tidying, and just like before we left, the room was beginning to fill up with lots of stuff again.

“Myne-sama, I’m terribly sorry, but the high priest has summoned you on an urgent matter... It concerns your return home.”

As soon as Fran finished unloading the luggage on the first floor, she quickly hurried upstairs and said this with a somewhat troubled expression.

I was worried about when I could finally go home after the prayer ceremony ended, so just hearing it was about my return made me happy, and I bounced off my chair.

“I’ll be there immediately.”

“Rosina, please accompany Myne-sama. I’ll finish carrying the luggage.”

During the trip, Fran seemed to have become friends with Hugo, as I saw them carrying luggage together. Ella was probably strong because she was a chef holding heavy pots, and she could easily carry heavy loads. Gil’s meal portions had increased, and working in the workshop and forest doing physical labor seemed to have made him stronger than his size suggested.

“I’ll head to the high priest’s room. Please continue tidying up.”

Outside the main entrance of the Noble District, carriages were still lined up, and luggage was being unloaded one after another. It seemed the gray priests from the orphanage had also been mobilized, as I saw familiar faces from the workshop carrying large boxes.

“We’ve just returned. Is everyone at the orphanage alright?”

When I called out, the gray priests widened their eyes in surprise before softly narrowing them.

“Welcome back, Myne-sama. The little ones have grown so much. Please visit the orphanage again sometime.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

The gray priests carrying luggage moved aside to clear the way. I gave a slight nod in thanks and quickened my pace slightly.

“Excuse me, High Priest... Sylvester-sama?”

“In you are, Myne.”

In the high priest’s room, Sylvester was lounging with an attitude bigger than the master’s, sprawled on a long chair while eating fruit from a table prepared for guests.

The high priest seemed to completely ignore Sylvester’s presence while giving instructions to the gray priests carrying in luggage.

“Um, High Priest. I came because you summoned me.”

The high priest turned around at my voice, sighed tiredly, and gestured for me to sit.

As the high priest and I approached the table, Sylvester leaned toward me.

“It’s not Ferdinand. Since it’s convenient to look around in various places, I decided to make you my guide and called you here.”

“...What exactly does being a guide involve?”

I looked up at the high priest. But before he could speak, Sylvester answered with an exasperated voice.

“A guide’s job is to guide, obviously. First the orphanage, then the workshop. We must also check the forest the orphans go to.”

“Huh?”

Up to now, no azure priest had shown any interest in the orphanage or workshop, so I instinctively tensed. The high priest only listened to reports and never visited. I had no idea what Sylvester, who suddenly appeared during the prayer ceremony, was thinking. I instinctively grabbed the high priest’s robe.