Published: August 15, 2025
After finishing the business in Hasse, when I returned to the temple, Fritz was waiting for me with a somewhat serious expression. It was unusual for Fritz, who always smiled quietly with unwavering calmness.
“Welcome back, Lady Rosemine. I have urgent news regarding Dirk that I must share with you immediately.”
Hearing the urgency in Fritz’s words, I was startled. Come to think of it, it had been about a year since I last addressed Dirk’s mana situation.
Last year, I had secretly siphoned some of Dirk’s mana with the Tau Fruit, but this was bound to happen repeatedly going forward. I needed to discuss how to handle Dirk with the high priest as well.
“High Priest, if possible, I would like you to listen to this matter together. May we come to your office?”
Since Dirk’s case involved Count Bindebald, it couldn’t be discussed openly, and if I acted alone, I was sure to get scolded again.
“Ah, understood. I’ll prepare.”
I returned to my room at a slightly brisk pace with Fritz.
With the help of Nicola and Monica, I changed from my outing clothes into everyday wear, then took a quick look around the room. I had to sort out in my mind who would come with me and who would stay behind, and assign their tasks.
“Brigitte, could you take a little rest? Nicola, please make some tea for Brigitte. Monica, create a list of the orphans taken in at Hasse today and report it to Wilma. Zaam, please check Monica’s documents carefully for any mistakes.”
“Understood.”
After giving instructions to everyone, I took Fran, Fritz, and Darmel with me and headed to the high priest’s office.
“Ah, you’re here.”
“High Priest, may I ask you to send others out? Could you have Guard Knights Darmel and Eckhardt, and attendants Fran and Fritz stay, and ask the rest to leave?”
“...Very well.”
The high priest looked around at the members I named, murmured, “Troubles again, huh,” and waved lightly.
Seeing that, the attendants began moving at once. The one preparing tea handed it off to Fran, while the one tidying documents stopped and quietly left the room.
Fritz confirmed everyone else had left and then carefully closed the door.
“Now then, Rosemine. What happened?”
After taking a sip of tea, the high priest spoke. I turned my gaze to Fritz. He nodded once, then began to speak.
“Wilma just informed me that Dirk’s mana has suddenly increased recently. She asked that we take action.”
“Dirk?”
Frowning, the high priest muttered, prompting me to immediately provide more details.
“He is an infant self-eater who entered a subjugation contract with Count Bindebald…”
“Ah. It must be the time when mana accumulates.”
Even if he didn’t remember Dirk, hearing ‘infant self-eater’ was enough for him to understand the matter. I gave a big nod.
“Yes. What shall we do? Shall we have him offer the mana? Excess mana can be life-threatening, so I want to handle it quickly.”
“Hmm, it’s better to have some mana now anyway.”
The high priest stood up smoothly, put on leather gloves that do not conduct mana, and took a black mana stone from a cabinet. He put it in a leather pouch and handed it to me.
“You can’t remove a child before the baptism ceremony from the orphanage. Use this mana stone to absorb his mana. When you touch it yourself, it will absorb your mana, so be careful not to touch it. You can have Fran, Wilma, or an attendant use it. If it touches the infant’s skin, it should absorb the mana.”
“Thank you. Fran, here.”
I took the leather pouch with the mana stone from the high priest and immediately handed it to Fran. It would be safer if she managed it.
“...Now, the main issue for me comes after this. What about canceling Dirk’s subjugation contract?”
After handing the pouch to Fran, I asked the high priest about Dirk’s handling. It had been almost a year and a half since Count Bindebald was captured. Surely, it was no longer too busy to deal with this.
The high priest made a small sound and then wore a troubled expression. Tapping his temple lightly with his finger, he drifted into thought.