Published: August 15, 2025
Taking the members of the Gilberta Trading Company with me into the secret room had become a routine by now. Brigitte sent us off with a look that said it was no surprise, and Darmel followed behind with a weary expression.
Since I had grown used to Darmel’s weary face, he should have gotten used to me clinging to Lutz by now, but apparently, he still wasn’t accustomed to it.
“Lutz, Lutz, Lutz! I hate this! It’s so annoying! My head feels like it’s going to explode!”
“What is it this time!?”
“Noble common sense is my nonsense! My common sense is everyone’s nonsense! Trying to adjust is so hard! I don’t want to think about it! Ugh!”
“Lady Rosemine, you’re turning into Delia,” Gil pointed out with a laugh. As long as I was yelling and venting, it seemed no one took things too seriously, so no one wore a grave expression.
“Really, I just want to scream at full strength. Ugh, I hate this!” I exclaimed.
“So, did yelling make you feel better?”
“Yeah. Just a little, though.”
Letting out a full-throated roar helped a bit. I couldn't very well shout all my true feelings at the top of my lungs in the castle or even in the head priest’s office. The saint legend that everyone was carefully building would collapse.
After airing my frustrations to Lutz, I let out a deep breath and looked around at the members of the Gilberta Trading Company.
“For now, please praise me because I worked incredibly hard. I got Foster Father to agree that the printing business could proceed at my own pace, had Cantona cancel the contract with Hasse, and took back the contract documents. According to the high priest, the person in charge of Hasse has changed from Cantona to someone else. Also, the high priest said I could do as I please concerning the rumors. I did well, didn’t I?”
I puffed out my chest with a smug smile, and Lutz ruffled my head enthusiastically.
“Wow, that’s amazing. You really did well.”
“Well done, Rosemine. This will make things a lot easier.”
“Yes, since paper can’t be made during winter, printing naturally slows down. Just knowing the lord won't be pressing me for results is a relief. Now I can devote myself fully to the Hasse matter.”
Despite the hassle and the unpleasant feelings, I was rewarded with praise from everyone. Recharged and ready to push a little further.
“Um, then, regarding the rumors we’re about to spread… I have no idea how fast rumors travel among merchants around here or how influential they are, so I’ll be learning from Mark’s approach this time.”
Mark looked at me with an eager smile. His smile was dark, but compared to the high priest’s, it seemed refreshing.
“Oh? If it’s for the sake of teaching Lady Rosemine, the lord’s adopted daughter, then we’ll do our best. Do you have a clear idea of how you want to corner… I mean, ultimately shape this situation?”
…What kind of response did the mayor of Hasse make to Benno and Mark, I wonder?
I wanted to know, but didn’t want to ask.
“I want to minimize the damage as much as possible. The mayor is beyond help, but Hasse is a town with the Winter Hall, so lots of people from surrounding farming villages gather here, right? I hope the damage to those farming villages—completely unrelated to the temple attack—will be less than it is now…”
“Since you say ‘less than now,’ have punishments for others besides the mayor already been decided?”
When I nodded, Mark raised his eyebrows lightly, and Benno let out a small breath.
“We’re allowed to spread rumors and use them to stir up anxiety among the townspeople. The high priest has decided that no priests will be dispatched to Hasse for next spring’s prayer ceremony.”
“That’s tough on the farmers.”
Basically, the lord protects the domain, so mana fills the land. But it’s a thin, widespread layer of mana, and to feed all the people, more mana has to be added.
Therefore, priests who possess mana but cannot act as nobles are dispatched to various parts of the domain to provide mana. That’s the spring prayer ceremony.