Published: July 26, 2025
“Geez! It’s your fault that I got kicked out of the head priest’s room! What are you going to do about this?!”
Shouting this, Delia stormed up the stairs with a furious expression. I didn’t know where she had run from, but with her deep crimson hair wild and her breath ragged, she stood right in front of me. I felt like it had been ages since I last saw her face, as I had been busy these past few days setting up the kitchen.
“It’s your fault! You took the room without telling me anything, and because of that, the head priest treated me like I was useless! Geez!”
I had only requested the room because I needed a place to change, and I had properly received it from the high priest—not snatched it without permission. Besides, since Delia always disappeared somewhere, there was no way she could contact me. Whether the head priest thought I was incompetent was none of my concern.
“What exactly do you want me to do about it, Delia?”
“Leave me here! That’s only natural since I’m an attendant, right?”
“Know your place!”
Before I could stop it, Benno’s fist came down with a thud!. Delia looked around, holding her head, clearly not understanding what had happened.
“Delia, that attitude in front of guests is unacceptable. You deserve to be scolded, don’t you think?”
“W-why do you have to say something like that to me?!”
“Still don’t get it, huh?”
Benno narrowed his eyes and showed his fist. Delia immediately clammed up. Gil flinched alongside her, likely recalling the time Lutz had punched him.
“Myne, those who can’t properly handle the tasks given are unnecessary. It’s a waste of money to employ someone with no motivation. Cut them off immediately.”
Benno spat out those words with irritation, and hearing them directed at Gil from Lutz made it clear how much Lutz was influenced by Benno.
“Um, Fran. I don’t quite understand Delia’s situation, but if she was kicked out of the room, does that mean the head priest fired her?”
My words seemed to hit a nerve, as Delia’s eyes welled up with tears, glaring at me and replying in a hoarse voice:
“…I’m not fired yet.”
“I can’t say for sure that you’re fired, but…”
“Right? There’s no way they’d fire a cute girl like me, right?”
Delia’s face lit up as if she’d found a glimmer of hope from Fran’s words. But Fran, with an unchanging expression, confronted her with reality.
“Delia was unaware that Myne had been assigned the room, so not knowing its location, she couldn’t serve Myne properly, and she failed to bring back any information necessary to the head priest. It’s no surprise that she fell out of favor.”
“…Huh?”
Delia’s expression widened in disbelief, but Fran continued calmly, unmoved by Delia’s reaction.
The serious Fran seemed quite angry not only that Delia wasn’t doing her work as an attendant but also that she was causing trouble for her mistress, me. Fran’s unchanged expression only made her anger seem deeper.
“I understand that the head priest assigned Delia to serve Myne because she hoped a girl of similar age could get along well with Myne and gather plenty of information. But Delia openly shows hostility and has made Myne wary, so she has certainly disappointed the head priest.”
“N-no way…”
Delia lost all expression.
Being kicked out of the room made it increasingly likely that the head priest had fired her. But just as I thought that, Delia suddenly put on a flattering smile towards Fran.
“But, but, I’m an attendant here, and there’s no way a shrine maiden apprentice wouldn’t have a female attendant. Right?”
Targeting Fran, the adult attendant with the most influence rather than me, her mistress, to secure her next place was sly.
Fran, who rarely showed her emotions, glared at Delia with disgust before letting out a cold smile.
“Myne doesn’t live here, so there’s hardly any need for personal care. The fact that there was no problem at all in the past few days without Delia proves this. Besides, if absolutely necessary, we can select a new attendant from the orphanage.”