Published: September 6, 2025
After finishing the sample creation, I returned to life at the temple. With the spring coming-of-age ceremony set for tomorrow, a debate was taking place in the head priest’s office between me and my attendants. I had requested that Melchior and the other blue shrine maiden apprentices be allowed to participate in the spring coming-of-age ceremony, but the request was rejected.
“Why is it not allowed? Even if for the other blue apprentices it’s questionable, I firmly believe Melchior, who will inherit the head priest position, should definitely participate in the coming-of-age ceremony.”
When I voiced my opinion to Fran with a determined “Hmph,” Fran and Zaam exchanged glances, and then Zaam shook his head sternly.
“Lady Rosemine, starting with Lord Melchior, the blue apprentices are minors. They cannot take part in the ceremony.”
From my perspective, I wanted Melchior to participate to inherit the head priest role, and also, if the blue apprentices were to be sent around during the autumn harvest festival, I wanted them to observe the ceremony. But the attendants insisted that by longstanding custom, minors cannot participate, and there is no need to change that custom.
“I am a minor, but I have performed the ceremony as head priest.”
“That’s because you are the head priest, Lady Rosemine. Blue... no, before becoming head priest, you couldn’t participate, right? Participation in the ceremony for Lord Melchior is only after his appointment as head priest.”
Fran, who almost said “blue shrine maiden apprentice,” corrected herself, wary of the noble aides around. Since I had erased my past record and even falsified my age, I could not casually talk about the old days.
“Indeed, I couldn’t attend the baptism or coming-of-age ceremonies. But by the order of former high priest Lord Ferdinand, I did perform the healing ritual after the defeat of the trombe. It shouldn’t be an absolute no.”
When I cited the order from Ferdinand during my blue shrine maiden apprentice days as precedent, Fran and Zaam, who had been his attendants, were a bit at a loss for words.
“That was because the temple was short on blue priests with sufficient mana, and there was no other option, wasn’t it?”
“You must realize that now there are even fewer blue priests than then, making the situation even more desperate. If there were adults, I wouldn’t send minors to divine rituals.”
No matter how much opposition I met, I wanted this accepted. Currently, the temple only has seven adult blue priests. Minor lord candidates are rushing around the territory trying to manage divine rituals.
If Wilfried, who suffered harassment from the Reizegang-affiliated nobles during the spring prayer ceremony, or Charlotte, who is busier around her foster mother’s childbirth, do not want to attend the harvest festival, the divine rituals would be disrupted. Though I expect both of them to help because of the blessings that ceremonies provide, it is undesirable to assign too wide an area considering everyone's burden. In the worst case, I think it’s problematic if the temple can’t conduct the rituals by itself.
“We don’t have enough hands unless the blue apprentices also go to the harvest festival. More importantly, going to the harvest festival is necessary for them themselves. The blue apprentices accepted this spring don’t have parental support like ordinary blue priests. They must prepare for winter using subsidies from the territory and income earned at the harvest festival.”
Although there is money seized from the parents of the old Veronica faction, we do not know for how long or how much the Foster Father will allocate to the orphanage or temple. Basically, it is considered a budget for educational expenses at the orphanage and noble academy. Therefore, they must travel around villages and Gibe’s lands, earn money themselves by participating in the harvest festival to prepare for winter.
“When they go to rural villages in the autumn harvest festival, they’ll have to perform baptism, starbinding, and coming-of-age ceremonies all at once, right? It’s tough to suddenly perform rituals without ever seeing them. From my own experience, I want them to observe the ceremonies first so they won’t panic.”