News began to spread that the Emperor had declared the resumption of diplomatic relations with Reed. There was also talk that a delegation from Reed would soon visit Escliff. Naturally, the eyes of the Escliffites began to turn to the country to the north, Reed.
“I’ll go to the prayer room for a moment.”
Of course, this was of no concern to Amelia. She was not only unaware of the political connections, but also did not know that Ivan's eyes had been turned upside down by the false revelation she had delivered. She did not have the vision to discern the cause-and-effect relationship in the first place.
So, she was able to step into the prayer room so calmly, trembling with excitement and anticipation.
“Ivan?”
Amelia opened the door leading to the prayer room and called Ivan's name. But there was no answer. Amelia tilted her head and walked to the center of the prayer room. It seemed like he had revealed himself by now, but today there was no sign of him.
“Ivan, it’s me.”
Amelia whispered Ivan's name again. She looked around to see if he was hiding on purpose. However, even after the clouds that had been covering the ceiling of the prayer room had disappeared, she could not perceive his presence. The light that passed through the stained glass showed a view of the empty prayer room, with the pieces intertwined like chains.
“...A little late?”
Amelia muttered as she circled around where she was standing. She had no intention of Ivan not coming. She had promised to see him next week, so she naturally believed he would come.
“I guess I’ll have to wait.”
Amelia turned around and stared at the stage. It was the seat where she had once sat shoulder to shoulder with Ivan. She scanned the floor just in case, but fortunately, there was no trace of alcohol. Amelia let out a sigh of relief.
“When will you come...”
And she sat down in the same spot she had been sitting before. Underneath her white dress, her small, swaying feet revealed the boredom and impatience of waiting.
“I came to pay my respects to the Priestess.”
Louis arrived at Amelia's bedroom and told the guards the purpose of her visit.
“She has left her seat for a moment.”
The guards then calmly replied that Amelia was not in the bedroom.
“Where did she go?”
“She went to the annex prayer room.”
Louis frowned.
“Again? The one who followed?”
Amelia was not devout enough to go to the prayer room regularly and pray to God. Furthermore, her very existence was far from devout, as she was pretending to be God's agent. It was possible to say that she wanted to spend time alone and freely once, but it was different when it happened several times.
“No. You told me to let her do whatever she wanted for a while, but since the Priestess said she wanted to move on her own...”
The guard answered cautiously. Since they had already said so, Louis could not say that they were lazy or negligent in their duties. The guards did not know the truth about Amelia.
“Yes. I’ll go and see her.”
Louis sighed and turned around. Then she started walking towards the prayer room. As the prayer room had been neglected for a long time, the path was as deserted as the guards.
“...”
He feels like something is going on.
A faint wariness came into Louis' eyes. It was true that she pitied Amelia, who had to shoulder all the responsibilities just by being born, but Louis was a member of the Count Skipper. She had no desire to break the stability that supported them. The reason she had stayed by Amelia's side in the first place was to stop her from saying nonsense to those around her.
“Because the Priestess said she wanted to move alone...”
Louis, recalling the guard’s answer, stopped in front of the door leading to the prayer room. Her face hardened as if she had made up her mind about something, and instead of opening the door and calling Amelia, she pressed her ear to the wooden door.
“...”
Louis was so focused that she furrowed her brows without even realizing it. But no sound came from beyond the door. There was only an eerie silence.
Are you really praying? I don't think so.
Louis, thinking so, opened the door a little. Fortunately, the door opened just a little bit, but the hinges connecting the door did not make a sound.
"Hmm..."
Louis let out a small sigh. Amelia was sitting alone on the platform of the prayer room beyond the door. Her face was blank as if she was thinking about something, and her feet were tapping the floor irregularly. Her small shoulders were pale and exposed in the drooping moonlight. Everything about Amelia was pitifully fragile.
“We talked about the coming-of-age night.”
Maybe she really needed some time alone. The news Aaron had told her couldn't have been positive news to Amelia.
Let's just leave it.
Louis turned around, thinking so.
“I wonder what you’ll do with the freedom you’ve finally gained. I’m also worried that you might be thinking of useless things.”
If Aaron ever asked him again about Amelia's recent activities, he was going to tell him that she just needed some time alone because she had a lot on her mind.
“I made a list.”
Aaron nodded. There were several names written on a piece of paper neatly laid out on the table.
“I think these are the people who need permanent expulsion.”
These were names that were in danger of being permanently banned. Aaron scanned their names with a faint smile and an indifferent gaze. Martin, Jerry, Ricky, Roman. They were all unfamiliar names.
“Have you done something serious enough to warrant permanent expulsion?”
Aaron's question was answered by his confidant, the Priest. He was the one who managed the apprentice Priests.
“He did things that a priest should not do.”
His fingertips touched Martin. He said he had an inappropriate relationship with a believer. Next, Jerry and Roman were caught drinking with women at a bar and were dragged in by the knights.
“Who is Ricky?”
As soon as he heard the name Ricky, the priest shook his head.
“This guy is the most serious one.”
“What did be do?”
Aaron's question was followed by a low sigh.
“Actually, Jerry and Roman were probably influenced by Ricky. Ricky was the first to go out and hit up bars, and for the past three years, he has stopped going to the temple at all.”
At first, he clearly said that his mother was sick. That's why he often allowed him to stay out overnight. However, after that, people stopped paying much attention to him, and Ricky disappeared after three years of becoming a trainee priest.
“He recently returned to the temple...”
Even that was only once a week, and even if he came in, he would leave right away. At that level, there was no way anyone here would know Ricky's face. Since Ricky didn't have any particular restraints, he thought the other guys wouldn't get caught either, so he started to act recklessly.
“Ricky’s external activities go without saying. From what I’ve heard, he’s been drinking, smoking, and gambling in bars. It’s all varied.”
“The problem is serious.”
Aaron clicked his tongue briefly. Even Aaron, who knew that the existence of Gods and Priestesses was a lie, was doing something that no one else would do, so it was understandable that he was judged harshly.
“Isn’t there a possibility of conversion? After all, they are servants who follow the same god’s name.”
“I have been trying to lead the lambs to do so, but I think that is no longer possible. I need to set an example for the rest of the priests before it becomes a bad influence.”
The priest spoke with a determined voice. He had taken responsibility for the poor boy who was starving to death and turned him into an apprentice priest, but he now felt that the problem was beyond his control.
“Yes. If you say so...”
Speaking that way, Aaron didn't really need to insist on Ricky becoming a trainee priest. The life of a young man whose face he didn't even know was of no concern to him.
“Anyway, since he's leaving the group he belongs to, he’ll need to sort things out mentally. Tell him to pack his bags and leave by next weekend.”
The priest nodded at Aaron's words.
“Get out.”
Then he folded the list of four names neatly and put it in his bosom before leaving. As soon as he left, Aaron relaxed and leaned back comfortably in his chair.
“It seems like she has a lot on her mind.”
While listening to the names on the list that he wasn't really interested in, the first thing Aaron thought of was Amelia.
“I felt it was suspicious that she was alone in the prayer room, so I secretly followed her, and she was indeed sitting alone on the platform.”
Amelia spent her time alone in the prayer room, where no one came, Louis said, but it was difficult to believe that story right away.
Usually, she would have been persuaded with candy or threatened with death and made to kneel. But Amelia, remembering her sister's death, fearing what had happened to her when she ran away, and realizing how her mother had been abandoned, did not stop standing up to her. She still stubbornly turned away from the position given to her.
Of course, even so, she doesn't dare to run away.
“...”
So can they trust Amelia?
A faint trace of worry crossed her expressionless face.
“I’ll go to the prayer room for a moment.”
Of course, this was of no concern to Amelia. She was not only unaware of the political connections, but also did not know that Ivan's eyes had been turned upside down by the false revelation she had delivered. She did not have the vision to discern the cause-and-effect relationship in the first place.
So, she was able to step into the prayer room so calmly, trembling with excitement and anticipation.
“Ivan?”
Amelia opened the door leading to the prayer room and called Ivan's name. But there was no answer. Amelia tilted her head and walked to the center of the prayer room. It seemed like he had revealed himself by now, but today there was no sign of him.
“Ivan, it’s me.”
Amelia whispered Ivan's name again. She looked around to see if he was hiding on purpose. However, even after the clouds that had been covering the ceiling of the prayer room had disappeared, she could not perceive his presence. The light that passed through the stained glass showed a view of the empty prayer room, with the pieces intertwined like chains.
“...A little late?”
Amelia muttered as she circled around where she was standing. She had no intention of Ivan not coming. She had promised to see him next week, so she naturally believed he would come.
“I guess I’ll have to wait.”
Amelia turned around and stared at the stage. It was the seat where she had once sat shoulder to shoulder with Ivan. She scanned the floor just in case, but fortunately, there was no trace of alcohol. Amelia let out a sigh of relief.
“When will you come...”
And she sat down in the same spot she had been sitting before. Underneath her white dress, her small, swaying feet revealed the boredom and impatience of waiting.
***
“I came to pay my respects to the Priestess.”
Louis arrived at Amelia's bedroom and told the guards the purpose of her visit.
“She has left her seat for a moment.”
The guards then calmly replied that Amelia was not in the bedroom.
“Where did she go?”
“She went to the annex prayer room.”
Louis frowned.
“Again? The one who followed?”
Amelia was not devout enough to go to the prayer room regularly and pray to God. Furthermore, her very existence was far from devout, as she was pretending to be God's agent. It was possible to say that she wanted to spend time alone and freely once, but it was different when it happened several times.
“No. You told me to let her do whatever she wanted for a while, but since the Priestess said she wanted to move on her own...”
The guard answered cautiously. Since they had already said so, Louis could not say that they were lazy or negligent in their duties. The guards did not know the truth about Amelia.
“Yes. I’ll go and see her.”
Louis sighed and turned around. Then she started walking towards the prayer room. As the prayer room had been neglected for a long time, the path was as deserted as the guards.
“...”
He feels like something is going on.
A faint wariness came into Louis' eyes. It was true that she pitied Amelia, who had to shoulder all the responsibilities just by being born, but Louis was a member of the Count Skipper. She had no desire to break the stability that supported them. The reason she had stayed by Amelia's side in the first place was to stop her from saying nonsense to those around her.
“Because the Priestess said she wanted to move alone...”
Louis, recalling the guard’s answer, stopped in front of the door leading to the prayer room. Her face hardened as if she had made up her mind about something, and instead of opening the door and calling Amelia, she pressed her ear to the wooden door.
“...”
Louis was so focused that she furrowed her brows without even realizing it. But no sound came from beyond the door. There was only an eerie silence.
Are you really praying? I don't think so.
Louis, thinking so, opened the door a little. Fortunately, the door opened just a little bit, but the hinges connecting the door did not make a sound.
"Hmm..."
Louis let out a small sigh. Amelia was sitting alone on the platform of the prayer room beyond the door. Her face was blank as if she was thinking about something, and her feet were tapping the floor irregularly. Her small shoulders were pale and exposed in the drooping moonlight. Everything about Amelia was pitifully fragile.
“We talked about the coming-of-age night.”
Maybe she really needed some time alone. The news Aaron had told her couldn't have been positive news to Amelia.
Let's just leave it.
Louis turned around, thinking so.
“I wonder what you’ll do with the freedom you’ve finally gained. I’m also worried that you might be thinking of useless things.”
If Aaron ever asked him again about Amelia's recent activities, he was going to tell him that she just needed some time alone because she had a lot on her mind.
***
“I made a list.”
Aaron nodded. There were several names written on a piece of paper neatly laid out on the table.
“I think these are the people who need permanent expulsion.”
These were names that were in danger of being permanently banned. Aaron scanned their names with a faint smile and an indifferent gaze. Martin, Jerry, Ricky, Roman. They were all unfamiliar names.
“Have you done something serious enough to warrant permanent expulsion?”
Aaron's question was answered by his confidant, the Priest. He was the one who managed the apprentice Priests.
“He did things that a priest should not do.”
His fingertips touched Martin. He said he had an inappropriate relationship with a believer. Next, Jerry and Roman were caught drinking with women at a bar and were dragged in by the knights.
“Who is Ricky?”
As soon as he heard the name Ricky, the priest shook his head.
“This guy is the most serious one.”
“What did be do?”
Aaron's question was followed by a low sigh.
“Actually, Jerry and Roman were probably influenced by Ricky. Ricky was the first to go out and hit up bars, and for the past three years, he has stopped going to the temple at all.”
At first, he clearly said that his mother was sick. That's why he often allowed him to stay out overnight. However, after that, people stopped paying much attention to him, and Ricky disappeared after three years of becoming a trainee priest.
“He recently returned to the temple...”
Even that was only once a week, and even if he came in, he would leave right away. At that level, there was no way anyone here would know Ricky's face. Since Ricky didn't have any particular restraints, he thought the other guys wouldn't get caught either, so he started to act recklessly.
“Ricky’s external activities go without saying. From what I’ve heard, he’s been drinking, smoking, and gambling in bars. It’s all varied.”
“The problem is serious.”
Aaron clicked his tongue briefly. Even Aaron, who knew that the existence of Gods and Priestesses was a lie, was doing something that no one else would do, so it was understandable that he was judged harshly.
“Isn’t there a possibility of conversion? After all, they are servants who follow the same god’s name.”
“I have been trying to lead the lambs to do so, but I think that is no longer possible. I need to set an example for the rest of the priests before it becomes a bad influence.”
The priest spoke with a determined voice. He had taken responsibility for the poor boy who was starving to death and turned him into an apprentice priest, but he now felt that the problem was beyond his control.
“Yes. If you say so...”
Speaking that way, Aaron didn't really need to insist on Ricky becoming a trainee priest. The life of a young man whose face he didn't even know was of no concern to him.
“Anyway, since he's leaving the group he belongs to, he’ll need to sort things out mentally. Tell him to pack his bags and leave by next weekend.”
The priest nodded at Aaron's words.
“Get out.”
Then he folded the list of four names neatly and put it in his bosom before leaving. As soon as he left, Aaron relaxed and leaned back comfortably in his chair.
“It seems like she has a lot on her mind.”
While listening to the names on the list that he wasn't really interested in, the first thing Aaron thought of was Amelia.
“I felt it was suspicious that she was alone in the prayer room, so I secretly followed her, and she was indeed sitting alone on the platform.”
Amelia spent her time alone in the prayer room, where no one came, Louis said, but it was difficult to believe that story right away.
Usually, she would have been persuaded with candy or threatened with death and made to kneel. But Amelia, remembering her sister's death, fearing what had happened to her when she ran away, and realizing how her mother had been abandoned, did not stop standing up to her. She still stubbornly turned away from the position given to her.
Of course, even so, she doesn't dare to run away.
“...”
So can they trust Amelia?
A faint trace of worry crossed her expressionless face.
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