43. Slowly, for a long time, perfectly
'It's because I'm not used to it.'
Diarin had never let go of someone she was attached to in her life.
Her family is all alive and well, and she is in contact with the priests she's close with at the temple.
Even if they moved to another temple, it wasn't difficult for the priests to contact and meet each other.
There is frequent interaction between temples, and when there is a big event, priests are dispatched from various places, so you can meet them often.
To send someone away.
It's just that you can't do it because you haven't tried it.
Especially since we have been living together in one space for a long time.
That's how life is.
As if an old, worn-out hairbrush had become familiar to your hand.
Diarin left the mansion, imagining the day she would have to throw away the old comb with all its teeth missing.
"Welcome, Priest Diarin. I've heard that you have served the divine will with all your heart and soul."
“I just followed God’s will.”
"Everyone follows God's will. But among them, some follow it well, while others, even when trying to, struggle."
Diarin tilted her head at the praise of the chief priest, whom she had not seen in a long time.
'Why is this happening?'
They say that if you praise someone, they always ask you to do something more.
It was suspicious. It was suspicious. It was unsettling.
“Come and have a seat. It was a long journey. Would you like a cup of tea?”
“It was as close as the house next door compared to the battlefield.”
“Thank you for taking my sudden call into consideration.”
“...”
Even though she knows it's not the right sound, it's still very natural.
The chief priest was not just anyone.
Diarin deeply reflected that she still had a long way to go.
"I have always believed that since God chose Diarin, you possess the power to do so. Still, I cannot express how proud I am that you have brought honor to God's name in this difficult situation."
The meaning was that he was very satisfied because she did a better job than he expected.
“I just did what God led me to do.”
At times like this, she thought, "I did this well, so that's why I got like this. It was a chance to give myself a little gold."
But Diarin ended up giving a vague and formal answer.
She didn't have the motivation to do that.
All she could think about was why he called her and how she wanted to quickly return to the mansion.
That thought came to her from the moment she set foot in the temple.
The chief priest raised his eyebrows at Diarin's insincere answer.
How much did you argue about the conditions before starting work?
But I said I was doing a good job and even praised you, so you said you didn't want anything?
In that case, it would be more convenient for both parties to conclude the transaction quickly.
"God must have been pleased with that heart. He has bestowed upon you many gifts, so that you may continue to spread His will."
“Did you get a lot of donations?”
“...Hmph, hmm!”
'It's because I'm not used to it.'
Diarin had never let go of someone she was attached to in her life.
Her family is all alive and well, and she is in contact with the priests she's close with at the temple.
Even if they moved to another temple, it wasn't difficult for the priests to contact and meet each other.
There is frequent interaction between temples, and when there is a big event, priests are dispatched from various places, so you can meet them often.
To send someone away.
It's just that you can't do it because you haven't tried it.
Especially since we have been living together in one space for a long time.
That's how life is.
As if an old, worn-out hairbrush had become familiar to your hand.
Diarin left the mansion, imagining the day she would have to throw away the old comb with all its teeth missing.
***
"Welcome, Priest Diarin. I've heard that you have served the divine will with all your heart and soul."
“I just followed God’s will.”
"Everyone follows God's will. But among them, some follow it well, while others, even when trying to, struggle."
Diarin tilted her head at the praise of the chief priest, whom she had not seen in a long time.
'Why is this happening?'
They say that if you praise someone, they always ask you to do something more.
It was suspicious. It was suspicious. It was unsettling.
“Come and have a seat. It was a long journey. Would you like a cup of tea?”
“It was as close as the house next door compared to the battlefield.”
“Thank you for taking my sudden call into consideration.”
“...”
Even though she knows it's not the right sound, it's still very natural.
The chief priest was not just anyone.
The essential requirement was the audacity and boldness to know the other person's true feelings yet pretend ignorance, interpreting them as one pleased.
"I have always believed that since God chose Diarin, you possess the power to do so. Still, I cannot express how proud I am that you have brought honor to God's name in this difficult situation."
The meaning was that he was very satisfied because she did a better job than he expected.
“I just did what God led me to do.”
At times like this, she thought, "I did this well, so that's why I got like this. It was a chance to give myself a little gold."
But Diarin ended up giving a vague and formal answer.
She didn't have the motivation to do that.
All she could think about was why he called her and how she wanted to quickly return to the mansion.
That thought came to her from the moment she set foot in the temple.
The chief priest raised his eyebrows at Diarin's insincere answer.
How much did you argue about the conditions before starting work?
But I said I was doing a good job and even praised you, so you said you didn't want anything?
‘Or maybe if I throw it first, then we can start bargaining from there. Is that it?’
"God must have been pleased with that heart. He has bestowed upon you many gifts, so that you may continue to spread His will."
“Did you get a lot of donations?”
“...Hmph, hmm!”
Being stuck with Ceres has made Diarin more direct in her speech.
She was nervous until she answered the greeting, but then she relaxed for a moment and immediately blurted out.
But the words had already come out, and Diarin didn't even try to collect them.
“Who is it?”
“Does it matter who it is?”
"Ah."
A warning that if you know, you will get entangled in complicated matters.
Even before Diarin took on this task, she had been hiding it in such a vague way.
But when it comes to sponsorship, Diarin also had a point.
“The Third Prince?”
“...Uh, huh.”
The chief priest was shaken by the unexpected intelligence displayed by Diarin.
Having information meant being close to power.
“I thought you would support me since you promised, but it seems you’ve been quite generous with your support.”
There was also money that had been personally given to Diarin and items needed for the mansion.
But it seems like the Third Prince was a more generous person than she thought.
"I am glad that the Third Prince understands and follows the divine will. Therefore, I ask that you, Priestess Diarin, continue to do your best until the divine will is perfectly fulfilled."
"Ah..."
Only then did Diarin read the thoughts of the chief priest who had just emerged.
This is how she was able to confirm the background that she didn't really want to know.
It is true that this project was started from the beginning by the Third Prince.
'So.'
Charlotte had mentioned something about the opposition from those around her.
She liked how things were going, so she paid more than Diarin expected.
The longer it takes, the more opportunities there will be for money to come in.
Since we've already taken on a task, let's do it perfectly, even if it takes a long time.
For a long time, slowly.
This was the gist of what the chief priest was saying.
"For a long, long time, slowly, until it's perfect."
She doesn't know when that will be, but it will be a long time.
The chief priest did not know what condition Ceres was in at the moment.
If it were a mad dog, as the initial rumors said, then Diarin was told to stay by the mad dog's side for as long as possible and sacrifice herself.
He demanded sacrifices very proudly.
Diarin gave up on the idea of finishing up roughly and going back quickly.
'If you do it slowly, I'll pretend not to know and just let it go.'
Now, she couldn't just let it go with promotion.
"I, too, wish to follow God's will for a long time. What could be more honorable for a priest than that?"
“I believed that it would be so, given the deep faith of Priestess Diarin.”
"But sometimes I feel regretful that my humble human body is inadequate to follow God's profound will. Why should humans eat to live?"
She's eating well and living well enough that she's slowly gaining weight in places that can't be seen.
People didn't have to fill their stomachs to live.
To live a human life, you need to fill your heart with luxury and vanity.
Thanks to the support of the Third Prince, who sent her to the mansion, her life became more comfortable, but there wasn't much for her to take out of her own pocket.
My pockets are hungry too, Chief Priest.
“...Of course, there should be no shortcomings in carrying out that will with a human body. This is the responsibility of a temple maintained by humans.”
Yes, let's go.
"Thank you."
Now, since Diarin was pretty and earning money, there was nothing he couldn't give her.
If she works even better, he's willing to take better care of her.
He doesn't know about Diarin, but failure cases were popping up one after another.
The 8th unit member who went completely crazy and had no choice but to kill, the 8th unit member who killed the priest, the 8th unit member who ran away and harmed civilians, etc.
He was constantly in trouble because he was involved with crazy dogs.
He should have rejected it from the beginning, saying there was a lack of manpower. It was a project that kept him on edge.
Even if they did well, they would only break even, but if they did poorly, it was clear that the losses would be enormous.
If only it weren't for that damned 'temple that loves and embraces everyone' excuse.
Even if it failed, it was enough to make a fuss, but when he was about to give up, Diarin did a great job and even asked for additional support.
The chief priest's heart could not help but be generous.
“Oh, and also.”
Diarin, who was standing up from her seat, suddenly stopped walking.
There was something she wanted to find out while she was at the temple.
“Can I go into the sorcerer’s office?”
“...A sorcerer?”
The priest can handle sorcery.
Witchcraft did not necessarily require divine power to be used.
If you use divine power, the effect can be much greater, but there is also the power of the sorcery itself.
But if anyone abuses that power, it appears less sacred.
So, only a very small number of priests could access the sorcerer's office.
The priests who had access to the sorcerer temple learned the magic they needed and taught it to the general priests.
For example, it is like teaching one healing spell to priests who are deployed to a combat zone.
Even if they taught the magic, it was quite difficult for the priests to sell the magic privately because the materials needed for it were managed by the temple.
Since it was a business tool that was maintained in the temple, it had to be managed with care.
"Yes, there are traces of a spell, but I don't think I can solve it myself. I'd like to try to find a solution at the shaman's office."
“Ah... um...”
The chief priest was troubled.
He couldn't trust Diarin to be an upright priest who didn't care about personal gain...because that couldn't be possible.
There is no way that a priest who is good at business with promotions and money would not care about personal gain.
It's like a threat to add witchcraft as a bonus...
"If it's inconvenient, I wouldn't mind escorting the warrior to the temple and having us all try to resolve this together..."
“Why would that be a problem? Please take a look anytime!”
The chief priest was someone who valued his own life.
"...Yes."
Diarin shrugged.
She really thought that if they could somehow perform the spell related to Ceres's memory, it would be okay for several people to stick together and work on it together.
What a good dog our puppy has become now.
Even if he lives with people, he doesn't bark or bite.
He really became a good dog.
She was annoyed that the chief priest didn't recognize that.
But since she got what she wanted, she put off bragging about our puppy.
Rather than bragging about it now, she thought it would be better to show it off all at once when he became a truly great master.
“Then, I will stop by the sorcerer’s office and then return.”
Diarin went to the sorcerer's office that way.
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