Published: August 3, 2025
After taking in the orphans and returning, the first thing was to have a bath. They separated into the girls' dormitory and the boys' dormitory and washed themselves using soap. Then, they had to change into the gray priests' and shrine maidens' clothes that had been prepared, or else they couldn’t have lunch.
As I returned the mini bus’s mana stone, I glanced at my attendants.
“Nichola will handle the girls' dormitory, and Gil the boys'. Please purify them. As for the soap and clothes...”
“They are the same as at the temple. They’ve already been prepared,” Fran replied.
The two attendants nodded, “Understood,” and began to move. I smiled warmly at the four children, who were frozen with anxious faces.
“Once you’re clean, we’ll have lunch. You must be hungry, right?”
At the word “lunch,” the orphans swallowed nervously, exchanging glances as if afraid to separate, but still split by gender and went to be purified.
We headed to the dining hall and took our seats. The farthest seat was reserved for nobles. Although Fran covered the wooden tables and boxes with cloth, so it didn’t look too shabby, the tables were just wooden boxes with boards on top, and the chairs were wooden boxes.
At the temple, nobles ate first, followed by attendants, and then divine blessing was passed to the orphanage. If we didn’t eat, others wouldn’t have a meal.
Served by the gray shrine maidens and Fran, we began our meal. Because we were nobles, Darmel and Brigitte also ate with us. We didn’t have the luxury to separate the meal times or places from the Guard Knights.
“...Rosemine, do you teach the gray shrine maidens how to cook this food as well?”
The high priest, who had paid for the recipes, frowned as he took a bite.
“Originally, during the winter retreat, there was only one chef staying at the temple, so we used the shrine maiden apprentices as assistants. But if they can make delicious dishes themselves, they’ll make the same food once they return to the orphanage, right? That’s how it spread. I didn’t intend to teach them deliberately.”
I added that the azure priests simply had no interest in the orphanage and therefore were unaware, causing the high priest’s cheeks to twitch.
“You teach them literacy and arithmetic, and now cooking recipes too? If the nobles find out, purchase requests will flood in.”
“Our children are expensive. They have many special skills. They’re necessary for expanding the printing industry and for future education environment improvement plans, so I won’t easily sell them even to nobles. I have that much authority now.”
If it were the former head priest, he might have sold them readily, but I am currently nurturing priests and shrine maidens for my grand plan to expand the printing industry and build bookstores and libraries. I won’t let them go.
“What is this education environment improvement plan? I haven’t heard of it.”
“If more people can read books, more people will be able to write them, right? It’s a grand plan to raise literacy within the territory. The details aren’t finalized yet.”
I had some ideas, but it would come after the printing business was somewhat established.
The high priest wiped his mouth and glared at me.
“When you return to the temple, submit a plan.”
“Huh? But, as I said earlier, the details aren’t…”
“You’re the type to charge ahead before figuring out the details. Even a rough outline or hopes are fine. Report on that plan.”
Unable to argue, I quietly replied, “Yes,” while glaring at Darmel and Fran, who nodded in full agreement.
“…Still, this looks more troublesome than expected. What do you intend to do, Rosemine?”
The high priest sighed, and I blinked.
“What do you mean?”
“That petty figure who believes she has power. She’s good at bearing grudges, persistent, and troublesome.”
Hearing the high priest’s words, I exhaled in understanding.
“…She’s similar to the former head priest, isn’t she? From selling girls for money, mistaking her backing for her own power, to acting like the top of a small world doing whatever she wants — very similar.”