The lifting of access restrictions on the Chief Priest's workshop meant that others could now enter as well. The moment that happened, I—a short girl with no strength to speak of—was promptly shown the door. I watched
Items were being sorted and carried away: things for the Chief Priest to take to
"There's the estate to clean up as well. I want the tidying here finished today."
The Attendants' eyes went wide at the Chief Priest's words. On top of their usual duties of managing the Chief Priest's daily life, going through the cluttered workshop and removing every single item was a massive undertaking.
"Your Attendants alone can't handle this, Chief Priest. There's no way we'll have enough time. Let's call in gray priests from the orphanage as reinforcements."
"And what would we do with people who aren't Attendants?"
"We don't have to promote them to Attendants just because they helped out. We simply pay them a fair wage. Monica, go to the orphanage and bring back about ten gray priests who are good at heavy lifting."
"Understood."
Monica spun on her heel and headed toward the orphanage. I looked up at the bewildered Chief Priest and shrugged.
"The delicate work—the kind where you don't want unfamiliar hands touching certain items—could be done by Eckhart and the Attendants. The gray priests on support duty can carry the finished packages. How does that sound?"
"...You really are remarkably good at delegating work to others."
"I can't do anything on my own without relying on others, after all. I've been entrusting tasks to capable people for as long as I can remember. The Chief Priest insists on doing everything himself, but I think he ought to learn to make more allies and delegate more."
As I spoke, I thought about simple ways the Chief Priest could build allies he could rely on. He was adept at self-preservation, but his excessive wariness kept him from proactively making allies. He always tried to manage with whoever he already had. But once he went to Ahrensbach, where his only trustworthy allies beyond
"Lord
In Ehrenfest, plenty of noble women had been smitten with the Chief Priest through his harp performances, so I thought it was worth trying in Ahrensbach too.
"Oh, and I've prepared sweets. Since you've been entrusted with Letitia's education, you ought to give her sweets as a reward whenever she achieves something. Nothing but scolding will stunt her growth. Don't forget to praise her. Also, please discuss the teaching methods thoroughly with Letitia's attendants. Don't try to act on your own plans alone. And then..."
"Enough. You should focus on what you need to do."
As I rattled off every piece of advice I could think of, the Chief Priest sighed and waved his hand dismissively. But when he told me to do what I needed to do, I was at a loss.
The arrangements for all the things I wanted him to bring were already complete. All that remained was waiting for everything to come together. Meals were progressing steadily, and Justus was checking the items delivered from the Otmar Trading Company and packing them. I'd purchased the hair ornament for Letitia through
"Chief Priest, what exactly is it that I need to do? I came back to the
"Go to the Library with
"Retrieve the... books..."
They were the Chief Priest's personal books, so naturally he'd take them when he left the Temple. But seeing books disappear from the Temple Library made me very sad. I gathered my Attendants and trudged to the Library.
Without a fireplace, the Library was filled with biting cold air. I shivered slightly, then pointed at books one by one—"this one, and this one, that one, and..."—as I identified which ones the Chief Priest had brought in, instructing Fran to unlock them.
The thick chains connecting the books to the reading stands clinked as they were removed, and books were lifted off one by one. Watching Zaram and Fran carefully carry them away filled me with a sense of loss.
...Ah, that book...
This Temple Library had been the first library I'd ever entered, and the books here had been the first ones I was allowed to read freely. The very first book I read on the day I entered the Temple as a blue Shrine Maiden Apprentice had also been one of the Chief Priest's books.
"Is something the matter,
"...I was just remembering that the book Fran is holding was the first one I read here."
Fran looked down at the book, and a small smile crossed his face as though he'd recalled something too.
"I remember Rozemyne quite clearly, glaring at Gil and prioritizing reading over lunch. Skipping that meal led to you collapsing afterward, didn't it?"
When Fran said that, Zaram also chuckled softly as he looked at me.
"Ah, that was when the
"...Fran, Zaram, it would be best if you both cleanly forgot such memories."
Fran and Zaram chatted about memories involving the Chief Priest as they carefully wrapped each book in cloth and carried them away. Most of those memories involved the Chief Priest holding his head in exasperation at my behavior.
"Rozemyne, please wait here with Monica. We'll bring the books to the Chief Priest."
Fran and Zaram weren't carrying several books at once—instead, they made multiple trips, transporting each volume carefully. The Chief Priest had told me to collect the books alongside his Attendants, but every book he'd brought in was thick and heavy. None of them were ones I could carry.
After seeing the two of them off, I surveyed the now-sparsely stocked Library.
"...This bookshelf has
The bookshelf with a door that could only be opened with the High Priest's key had more elaborate carvings than the ones around it. I stared at it intently, surprised by details I'd never noticed before.
"I've been coming in here and looking at these bookshelves for years now, but I apparently never looked at anything other than the books. I didn't notice at all."
"That's so like you, Rozemyne. The story Fran and Zaram shared earlier was fascinating as well. I know almost nothing about the orphanage before it was saved."
Monica giggled as she spoke.
"You didn't notice the carvings on the bookshelves, Rozemyne, but actually, there are carvings like this all over the Temple."
Monica had apparently noticed the bookshelf carvings long ago. Apparently, various gods were hidden in various places throughout the Temple. This was news to me. You apparently couldn't spot them unless they were polished during purification cleaning.
"Rozemyne, sorry to keep you waiting. The Chief Priest would like a riding beast prepared so he can change and move."
Books had been carried out by Fran and Zaram, so I left the Library and returned to the High Priest's quarters to change. Once I was done,
"You'll be sending Lord Ferdinand's luggage and then returning to the castle, correct? I'll be staying at the Temple today, so please send Daumel home."
"Understood. Then Daumel may have tomorrow off. I'm sure he has preparations for the winter social season to make as well."
"I appreciate it."
Daily Temple guard duty made it impossible to prepare for the winter social season. The decision was settled: Daumel would be sent home, and Angelica would stay behind.
"By the way, Angelica, are your preparations all done?"
"I have a brilliant younger sister, so there are no gaps in my preparation."
"You shouldn't leave everything to
"Actually, I've been thinking the same thing."
Angelica smiled sheepishly, touching her cheek with her hand. It was the kind of response you give when you know what needs to be done but have no motivation to do it. When you got this particular reply, you could count on absolutely nothing changing.
"Angelica, if it stays like this, you'll be in trouble when Lieseleta gets married off."
"That means I have about two more years, right?"
"That's not what I meant."
Having long since given up on reforming Angelica, I went to the main entrance and summoned a large lesser beast. Knowing that a lot of luggage needed to be loaded, I'd brought out not merely a lesser beast but essentially a lesser truck. The moment I popped open the entrance with a "myon," gray priests began loading luggage one after another.
"Chief Priest, I've brought out the beast."
"Then go sit by the fireplace. You may be a bit healthier now, but this cold is something else. You'll make yourself sick."
Chided by the Chief Priest, I sat in the chair that had been prepared by the fireplace and watched everyone work. With so many gray priests coming and going, the luggage was being moved out smoothly. I could also see Justus directing the work and a number of people carefully transporting the Magical Tools that stopped time.
After a brief break for lunch, work resumed. The Chief Priest's workshop was completely emptied, and even the closet where clothes had been stored was cleared out—everything except the blue priest garments.
The Chief Priest closed the door of the now-empty workshop, placed his hand against it, and channeled his Magic Power. The magic stones lost their color, and the Chief Priest's workshop ceased to exist entirely.
"That removes my Magic Power from it. Let
"I appreciate it."
Hartmut expressed his gratitude, registered his own Magic Power, and created his own hidden room.
"I'm returning to the lord's estate now to handle the tidying and luggage preparation there, and then I'll depart for Ahrensbach. I won't be coming to the Temple again. Leave this priest's robe with the purification-cleaned garments that are available for lending."
"Understood."
The Chief Priest removed the blue robe and handed it to an Attendant. From now on, he would never again wear that familiar blue priest's garment. That thought struck me as deeply strange. After removing his priest's robe, the Chief Priest donned a noble's outer garment and fastened a blue cape.
"Rozemyne, stop spacing out. We need to bring luggage to my estate. We're moving."
"Y-yes!"
I followed the Chief Priest to the main entrance where the lesser beast waited. Every single one of the Chief Priest's Attendants had gathered to see him off. As the retainers filed out of the Temple and summoned their riding beasts, the Chief Priest's Attendants stood in a neat row.
"Let us offer prayers and gratitude to the divine blessings upon the Chief Priest's path. The Supreme God who reigns over the lofty, towering heavens. The five great gods who rule over the vast, sprawling earth: the Water Goddess
The Attendants bowed in unison to offer prayers to the gods. Then, kneeling, they crossed both hands before their chests and lowered their heads. The Chief Priest gazed down at his Attendants with a complicated expression, the faintest curve at the corner of his lips.
"...This is my final command to you who have served me so well. From now on, serve Hartmut as your master, and support the High Priest, Rozemyne."
"We shall obey."
With a single nod, the Chief Priest concluded his farewell to his Attendants and turned to Fran and Zaram, who had come to see him off. Both had originally been the Chief Priest's Attendants before being reassigned to me. He'd told me they'd been assigned to me precisely because of their deep loyalty and considerable competence.
"Fran, Zaram. Take care of Rozemyne."
"We understand. Please take care of yourself, Chief Priest."
"It has been my honor to serve you, Chief Priest."
"...I see."
At their words, the Chief Priest's face softened with a flash of quiet happiness. With a sweep of his blue cape, he strode out of the Temple. Mounting his riding beast, he cast one last look at the line of Attendants, then surged into the sky. I gripped the handle of my lesser beast and chased after the blue cloak ahead of me.
...So now the Chief Priest isn't the Chief Priest anymore.
Upon arriving at the Chief Priest's estate, luggage began streaming out of my lesser beast in a steady flow. Items for Ahrensbach and items to keep at the estate were being sorted and carried to their respective rooms.
Useless as always when it came to moving luggage, I was assigned Eudilit as my guard and had no choice but to sit quietly and drink tea. I'd wanted to go to the Library, but I'd been told there was luggage being brought in there too, so it would be in the way.
...It's a bit awkward, sitting here drinking tea alone while everyone else is bustling about.
Watching the Chief Priest, still in his blue cape, issuing instructions, I tilted my head in puzzlement.
"Lord Ferdinand, come to think of it, what will you do about the cape? Surely you won't be wearing the
"...I'd forgotten about that."
The Chief Priest furrowed his brow and tapped his temple lightly. He'd said the new Ehrenfest cape didn't have a protective magic circle woven in. Wearing it into Ahrensbach without that safeguard felt terribly unreliable.
"Rozemyne, go make ink in the workshop."
"Huh?"
"There's no time for embroidery. Drawing it will have to suffice."
With departure just days away, embroidering a complex magic circle would indeed be difficult. As for the special disappearing ink, since anything drawn with it would fade away, it wouldn't be obvious what kind of protection was in place—which I thought was actually a good thing.
"Why my ink specifically?"
"Using your own materials causes them to glow, doesn't it? Besides, you have nothing else to do. Daumel, you'll be assigned to Rozemyne. Have her make the ink."
Daumel and Eudilit, who could serve as teachers, swapped guard duty, and I was unceremoniously deposited in the Chief Priest's estate workshop.
"I wouldn't mind either way since I had nothing to do, but I do find it curious—would a magic circle drawn with someone else's ink really function as a protective charm?"
The embroidery on a cape was supposed to be something only family or spouses could do. Simply drawing it with ink shouldn't make it equivalent.
"The effect will be weakened, but a magic circle made with someone else's Magic Power isn't entirely without effect. Magic Power closer to your own is simply much more potent."
"Come to think of it, Lord Ferdinand's cape is made by someone else's hand too, so I suppose it's true that it wouldn't be entirely without effect."
"Also, Lord Ferdinand will only be wearing the Ehrenfest colors until the Star Binding ceremony. After that, he'll wear Ahrensbach's colors—so perhaps he concluded that even a simple one would do?"
While listening to Daumel's explanation, I gathered the materials needed to make ink. The Chief Priest set up his workshops with the same layout every time, making it extremely easy to find things. I thought it was very telling of his personality.
"Still, Lord Ferdinand is getting married. When will I ever be able to marry, I wonder?"
While I stirred the mixture, I listened to Daumel's lament. He seemed quite shaken by the revelation that the Chief Priest, whom he'd always believed would remain single, was actually getting married.
"If you could find a lower-ranking noble's daughter who's learned magic compression and has balanced Magic Power, couldn't Daumel marry too? Meeting the conditions to teach magic compression would mean there's no issue with faction, and if Magic Power and status were balanced, I'm sure my mother would introduce someone. Of course, if it's my mother doing the introductions, Daumel probably couldn't refuse—but would that be acceptable?"
"...I've already given up on finding someone on my own."
Daumel slumped his shoulders as he handed me the ingredients one after another. I wanted to help, but it was beyond my ability. The only person within my reach was probably
"Could you reserve Philine's future for yourself? She's one of my retainers, so there's no faction issue, and she's working hard on magic compression. She's a lower-ranking noble, so status wouldn't be a problem either, I think."
At my suggestion, Daumel made a troubled face and shook his head. "Please don't."
"...I believe Philine likely has feelings for Lodwijk."
"Huh? Really?!"
"She once received a letter from Lodwijk, and since Lodwijk became a retainer, she's grown quite close to him. Recently, she even came to me for romantic advice about feeling invisible to the person she loves—so I suspect it's him."
...Daumel came to for romantic advice? Philine, you definitely asked the wrong person, no matter how you look at it.
"Then perhaps I should withdraw my recommendation of Daumel as your marriage partner."
As I said this, I sprinkled in the last of the powder. The surface flashed bright, and the ink was complete.
"Lord Ferdinand, it's done!"
When I brought the finished ink over, the Chief Priest had the Ehrenfest cape spread across a large table and was rapidly drawing a magic circle. He seemed to be drawing it slightly larger than necessary so that a bit of blurring wouldn't matter, and his hand moved with absolute certainty and no hesitation.
"...Hm. It's only for the short period until the Star Binding ceremony is over. This should suffice."
The Chief Priest finished the complex magic circle with a satisfied nod, set down his pen, and closed the ink pot.
After the Star Binding, he would receive a new Ahrensbach cape. Apparently, the bride was supposed to embroider it during the engagement period. I found myself worrying deeply about whether Dietlinde could produce embroidery that met the Chief Priest's standards. At the same time, I felt a small measure of relief.
...Thank goodness the Chief Priest's bride isn't me. I could maybe handle drawing with ink, but that kind of embroidery? Absolutely not.
"Lord Ferdinand, please be sure to return that cape to Heitzsch properly."
It was an important cape, the kind designated as a prize from a Dunkelfelger knight's tournament. I thought it would be better to return it if he wasn't going to use it.
"...I don't know what conditions await in Ahrensbach, so I can't take someone else's precious item there with me. On the day, either you hand it to me and I return it, or I have the Ehrenfest candidate pass it to Heitzsch through the Dunkelfelger students at the Noble Academy—one of those two is the surest approach."
"Understood. I'll bring it to the Interdomain Tournament. It would be best to return it to him in person."
"Then, I'm counting on you."
The Chief Priest had the blue cape removed by Justus. Justus applied Waschen to the blue cape, cleaning it, then folded it neatly and handed it to Philine.
"Philine, please ask Richarda to pack the blue cape in the luggage for the Noble Academy."
"Understood."
Having unloaded all the luggage and taken custody of the cape, I returned to the castle. After that, the Chief Priest spent the days before his departure in a whirlwind of activity, and we didn't manage to meet at all as several days passed.
I spent my time carefully maintaining my health for the day of departure, visiting Mother's office with
"Rozemyne, today is the day Uncle departs. Are you feeling all right?"
"I'm fine, Brother Wilfried. This is an important mission—carrying Lord Ferdinand's luggage. I'd go even if I were feeling a bit unwell."
The people seeing the Chief Priest off would be the lord and his wife, Wilfried, and me—along with the retainers and members of the Knight's Order. Charlotte and Melchior would be staying behind with Grandfather.
Two horse-drawn wagons loaded with luggage arrived from the Chief Priest's estate. Then, gifts selected by Richarda and Mother from those stored at the castle were brought out. It amounted to roughly three wagons' worth. Ahrensbach had apparently been informed of the luggage volume in advance, as three or more wagons were expected to come and meet them.
As luggage was being loaded one after another, I handed Eckhart and Justus the protective charms I'd worked so hard to make.
"Since the two of you protecting Lord Ferdinand will be in the most dangerous positions, please take these charms."
"Thank you, my lady."
"Eckhart, you absolutely must protect Lord Ferdinand."
"Yes, of course."
Even after their promises, my anxiety didn't fade. Angelica patted my shoulder reassuringly.
"It'll be fine, Rozemyne. Lord Eckhart is very strong—I'm sure he'll protect Lord Ferdinand. I believe in Lord Eckhart's strength and his loyalty to his master."
Angelica's blue eyes held unwavering trust in Eckhart. Eckhart's expression softened slightly as he looked down at her.
"I also believe your devotion to strength and your loyalty to Rozemyne are genuine. If anything were to happen to Rozemyne, Lord Ferdinand would be distressed. I need you to protect her."
"Yes!"
Angelica clenched her fist and bent her elbow. Eckhart mirrored the gesture, bending his own elbow and lightly bumping fists. It was the same motion soldiers used to wish each other good fortune in battle. I wanted to join the two of them, so I clenched my fist and bent my elbow too.
"Eckhart, me too! I'll do my best in Ehrenfest as well."
"Yes—sending meals to Lord Ferdinand from time to time would be of great help."
Despite my earnest gesture, a light pat on the head ended it. No—that wasn't right. I'd wanted to share in that mutual wish for each other's success.
"What are you doing?"
"Lord Ferdinand... Eckhart and Angelica were wishing each other good fortune, and I wanted to join them, but I was smoothly brushed aside."
I was complaining to the Chief Priest about how I'd wanted to do the fist-bump too, but Eckhart made a pained face.
"You want to wish each other good fortune, but you don't have a master to protect, do you?"
He told me that was an exchange between knights who staked their pride on the line—not something a lord candidate should be doing. It was apparently a gesture with a somewhat different meaning than wishing a soldier good fortune. As I pouted my lips in protest at being refused, the Chief Priest let out an exasperated sigh.
"Then make a promise with me."
"...What kind of promise?"
Could he possibly be about to make some unreasonable demand? I tensed involuntarily. The Chief Priest knelt on one knee so that our eyes were level. His pale golden eyes gazed straight into mine with unwavering seriousness. Paying no heed to my surprise at his sudden move, the Chief Priest spoke.
"I'm going to Ahrensbach to protect Ehrenfest from that land. So, Rozemyne—I want you, as Ehrenfest's Saint, to protect this place. Even if the central nobility or other domains offer sweet words of temptation, don't be swayed. Don't look elsewhere. Promise me you'll protect Ehrenfest."
I swallowed hard at his unexpectedly earnest words. The surroundings fell silent as gazes turned toward us. The stares were piercing and the air was heavy. The Chief Priest, seeming not to notice any of it, allowed the faintest curve to his lips.
"...But no matter how many promises you make with your mouth, you're fundamentally impulsive—so the moment someone dangles a book or a library in front of you, you'll come running. I can already picture you forgetting your promise to me and chasing after it."
"Ngh..."
The Chief Priest looked at me, unable to answer, and briefly lowered his eyes before exhaling softly. Then he reached into the leather pouch at his waist and withdrew a single key. It was made of metal with a yellowish magic stone attached.
"I think I'll use this to keep you tied to Ehrenfest."
"With this key?"
I stared intently at the key being held before my eyes. I had no idea what it was a key to. Could a key really restrain me from lunging after books and libraries?
The Chief Priest took my hand and gently placed the key in it. The metal key resting in my palm was heavy and solid.
"This is the key to my estate. My workshop, materials, books, documents, magical tools, the estate itself, and the people who work there... Everything I'm leaving behind in Ehrenfest, I'm giving to you."
My eyes widened in surprise at his unexpected words. The Chief Priest looked at me with earnest eyes and spoke slowly, in a deep voice that left every word lingering in my ears.
"Do you remember? Once, you said you wanted your own library in exchange for giving me Magic Power. Do you remember?"
"I do. You said you wanted to research magic trees, and..."
That was supposed to be more than ten years in the future—when Ehrenfest finally had Magic Power to spare. He'd said he wanted Magic Power for research, since my Magic Power could create new materials. And I'd answered, "In exchange for Magic Power, give me a library."
"Yes. So I'm giving you my estate as your library. In exchange, I want you to use the Magic Power that should have been given to me to protect Ehrenfest. Ehrenfest is my Geduldh. I want you to protect it."
The Chief Priest wrapped my hand around the key and chanted "Endan." Magic Power was sucked into the key with a deep, resonant hum. I could feel the ownership transfer taking place.
The moment those large hands that had been enclosing mine pulled away, a bitterly cold wind hit me. In my mind, I saw myself without the Chief Priest who'd been protecting me all this time, and the cold suddenly seemed to deepen.
"Perhaps if you're guarding your own library, you'll be a little less susceptible to sweet temptations?"
The Chief Priest stood with a pleased smile. I gave him a light glare. It was the same as ever—he still didn't trust me at all, and it was infuriating. Father and the others were here,
"I'd protect it even without receiving this, you know."
"Rozemyne, I want you to protect Ehrenfest definitively. Think of it as an advance on your payment. Or what? Are you suggesting my estate is insufficient for your library? If you don't need it, I'd have no issue with you returning it."
"That's not the case at all! I'm thrilled to have so many books!"
I clutched the key tightly to my chest so it wouldn't be taken back. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to cry and beg him not to go. If only I could shout, "The royal order doesn't matter!"
But that wasn't the image of the lord's adopted daughter that the Chief Priest wanted to see. I forcefully held back the tears welling up inside me.
And yet, the emotions surging within me couldn't be stopped so easily. Rage at the unreasonable orders, frustration at still not being trusted, happiness that he'd remembered such a small promise, loneliness at the thought of the Chief Priest being gone, and the delightful sound of "your own library"—all of it swirled through my body together with magic power threatening to overflow.
...If crying in front of others was unacceptable, then it would just have to be that the tears welling up became magic power instead.
"Rozemyne!?"
"Her eyes are turning rainbow-colored!"
The panicked voices of my retainers rang out, and the Chief Priest reached toward me, saying, "Rozemyne, suppress it."
"I won't."
I gripped the Staff that had appeared in my right hand and chanted "Stil." Moving the pen-shaped Staff, the overflowing magic power streamed forth as light, drawing a magic circle in the air.
"Rozemyne, what are you planning to do?"
"This is a thank-you for the library. A blessing for Lord Ferdinand as he departs Ehrenfest."
It was different from that blessing I'd given before, when I poured all my feelings for my family into it.
Now I had become the High Priest. I knew the proper way to bestow a blessing.
I'd gone to the Noble Academy and obtained a Staff for handling my own magic power.
I'd been taught knowledge of magic circles.
I wanted to repay my master, who had given me everything, with the finest blessing I could offer.
"All-attribute magic circle? What is this magic circle?" the Chief Priest asked.
I let a smile curve my lips.
"It's the magic circle from the last page of the Holy Book—one that only the High Priest knows about."
It wasn't the bizarre, complex magic circle they learned at the Noble Academy to fulfill one's wishes. It wasn't the magic circle from the beginning of the Holy Book, aimed at becoming the king. It was a magic circle for nothing more than offering sincere prayers to all the gods, to be used only by one who had become High Priest. It couldn't be used for oneself—it existed solely to pray to the gods for another's sake.
I moved my hand as I remembered and traced the magic circle.
"The Supreme God who reigns over the lofty, towering heavens is a divine couple of darkness and light."
As the words of prayer left my lips, the magic circle blazed brilliant gold, and a darkness like black void began to encircle the edges of the light. The murmurs of the people around me reached my ears, but I paid them no mind as I continued weaving my prayer.
"The five great gods who rule over the vast, sprawling earth: the Water Goddess Flutrane, the Fire God Leidenschaft, the Wind Goddess Schutzaria, the Earth Goddess Geduldh, the Life God Ewigeliebe."
With each divine name I uttered, magic power flowed from the Staff, and the symbols representing each god began to glow in their respective colors.
"Hear my prayers and bestow your blessings. What I offer is my power. I offer prayers and gratitude, that I might receive holy divine blessings: the power of water that purifies all impurity, the power of fire that cannot be cut by any blade, the power of wind that repels all misfortune, the power of earth that accepts everything, and the power of life that never gives up—for those who depart."
The magic circle drifted gently, and a shower of blessing light descended upon the Chief Priest, Eckhart, and Justus. It was a rainbow-colored blessing in which all the noble colors blended together.
I looked up at the stunned Chief Priest gazing at the magic circle as the blessing rained down upon him, and I gave my best effort to puff out my chest and smile.
"I've grown too, you know. I'm not the same as I always was."
I hoped this might be a small repayment for all he'd done.
I hoped he might acknowledge that I'd grown, even a little.
I hoped he might head to Ahrensbach with a bit more peace of mind.
As I gazed up at him, the Chief Priest looked down at me and let out a soft laugh.
"I'm leaving Ehrenfest to you. Protect it in my stead."
"Yes."
And then we moved to the Boundary Gate. The reception party from Ahrensbach had already arrived, and luggage was being transferred. We exchanged our farewells.
The Chief Priest exchanged parting words with Father, turned his Ehrenfest cape, and departed through the Boundary Gate.
The day the Chief Priest told me he was "leaving Ehrenfest to me" was a bitterly cold day with scattered snow.
After seeing the Chief Priest off with my brightest smile, I congratulated myself for having managed to hold back my tears until I reached the hidden room.
With this, Part 4 comes to a close.
Further details about upcoming plans will be shared in a progress report.
Next: Part 5, Avatar of the Goddess.