Published: August 15, 2025
“Mana isn’t moving,” Lady Rosemine said, and she hurriedly immersed herself in the pool. Now, Lady Rosemine lay quietly in the pale blue liquid, her hair still gently swaying.
The head priest stood up, wiping his hands on a dirty towel before handing it to me and opening the door. Since I couldn’t enter or leave this workshop alone, I quickly followed the head priest out.
After glancing once at the box where Lady Rosemine slept, the head priest carefully closed the door.
“Now, no one but me can enter there. Rosemine is safe.”
“Yes.”
“Fran, if there are any notes or letters from Rosemine, please bring them out. I want to know what she planned to do during this winter.”
“Understood.”
I immediately retrieved letters addressed to various people and notes about upcoming plans from Lady Rosemine’s office desk. To avoid forgetting, Lady Rosemine always copied her scheduled plans from the writing board onto paper, so it was easy to see what she intended to do next.
At first, I was surprised by her luxurious use of expensive paper for notes, even for failed sheets, but I’ve grown used to it. Lady Rosemine preferred writing on paper rather than wooden tags—it just felt more natural to her.
While I sorted Lady Rosemine’s letters into groups for nobles, the temple, and the downtown area, Ordnance rushed in. He reported that the culprit had been caught and then returned to the yellow mana stone. The head priest replied, “I am returning to the castle now,” and let Ordnance go.
Immediately, the head priest took the letters and notes I handed him for the noble-related contacts and began walking toward the door.
“Because I have matters to handle elsewhere, I won’t return before the dedication ceremony. I’ll entrust the temple’s affairs to my attendants and you all. Use the Azure Priests well and finish preparing for the dedication ceremony.”
“Understood.”
The head priest left the room quickly, and soon the other attendants arrived. They were clearly worried about Lady Rosemine’s sudden entry into the workshop.
“Fran, what did the head priest say? Is Lady Rosemine safe?”
Monica looked up anxiously. Nicola and Gil waited silently for my words.
“She will probably be asleep for over a year. The poison she received burdened her more than expected.”
“That can’t be…”
Everyone’s faces turned as if they would cry, but Lady Rosemine’s awakening was far in the future.
“I will explain more tomorrow. It’s late now, so please rest.”
I sent the apprentices, who still seemed reluctant to accept the situation, back to their rooms.
I, who was to stay up all night for the watch, tidied my room and wrote a letter to Lutz, who was in a position to explain things to Lady Rosemine’s family in the downtown area and the Plantin Trading Company.
The next day was filled with explanations. Perhaps because they were worried and couldn’t sleep, the apprentices came early in the morning to receive letters explaining the situation. I took a rest once.
When the fourth bell rang and I sat down for lunch, everyone simultaneously pressed me for explanations. Honestly, since the head priest had rushed off, I wasn’t very well informed.
“As Lady Rosemine initially said, she went to the castle and won’t be at the temple. It’s just that the absence has been extended. We have no choice but to live as if nothing changed. Please maintain your daily routines to avoid troubling Lady Rosemine, who was awake before.”
After lunch, Zaam and I began compiling Lady Rosemine’s work materials to transfer to the head priest’s room. The head priest would handle her duties during her absence.
“Isn’t the workload going to overwhelm even the head priest?”
Seeing the volume of documents to be moved, I expressed concern. Zaam thought for a moment and said it would be alright.
“She educated the other Azure Priests based on Lady Rosemine’s opinions, so things should be manageable. If she hadn’t, who knows what would have happened. Just for that, I have to praise Lady Rosemine. Pray to the gods!”