Benno’s Meeting With the High Priest
I straightened up when the carriage stopped at the temple gate and the driver stepped off the front. I could just barely hear him speaking to the guards by the gate. I stood up to get out, but Benno silently held me down. Surprised, I looked up and saw him slowly shaking his head side to side. Understanding that as a signal to “sit still and stay quiet,” I scooted back in my seat to sit more upright and got an approving nod.
I shook in fear, not knowing what was happening or what was about to happen. I looked around the carriage with my fists clenched and saw that Mark was using this opportunity to write something. He must have noticed me watching him, as he looked up and gave me a reassuring smile. Aware that my face was stiff with anxiety, I smiled back. Mark barely stopped himself from bursting into laughter.
I wasn’t sure if it was okay to break the silence, so I puffed out my cheeks to show I was angry. Benno poked my left cheek. Honestly, it was starting to feel silly being the only one nervous here.
After a brief wait the carriage shook gently, a sign that the driver had gotten back on. Mark quickly put away his ink and pen, then handed the piece of paper he had been writing on to Benno. Benno looked over it and grinned. When I tried peeking at the paper to see what was on it, the carriage started moving again. Benno spoke once the carriage began making noise.
“At the gate, the driver identifies his passengers, requests an intermediary, and has them open the gate for the carriage. We’ll be leaving the carriage in the following order: Mark, me, you. Take my hand and slowly climb down the steps. Under no circumstances should you jump off or skip any steps.”
It seemed he remembered the time that Lutz and I both jumped off the carriage with a cheer, back when we had ridden one together. I glanced away awkwardly, having already predicted that I would miss a step out of nervousness.
“The intermediary should have already contacted the relevant people, which means your attendants should be waiting at the gate. We’ll head to the High Priest’s office with you, me, and his spy in front. Mark and your other attendants will follow us from behind.”
My intention had just been to hand over the donation to the High Priest and leave it at that, but it seemed in reality this was quite the significant occasion. I could hardly imagine what an enormous social gaffe it would have been to treat the donation so lightly.
“I’ll carry the box with the donation for you, so once we’ve checked its contents in the High Priest’s room, shower me with your gratitude.”
“Bwuh? What do you mean? Like, just say ‘thanks’ or ‘I owe you one’?”
“Nobles wouldn’t say it like that, but eh, that’ll do.”
Mmm... I guess a more noble-esque phrase would be “You have my gratitude”? I don’t know, that sounds really arrogant.
I fell into thought, digging through my memories for lines from medieval chivalry stories and poem collections, but they were all fiction. Having some memorized lines wouldn’t help me when the person I thanked replied to me without following a script. I considered using some business lines I saw in a book about corporate language, but that was more for merchants than for nobles, probably.
“What about... ‘I thank you for your noble assistance from the bottom of my heart’?”
“Where did you learn that line?!” Benno looked at me with surprise. I had just said something I imagined a princess saying to someone, but his reply was ambiguous enough that I didn’t know whether he approved or disapproved.
“No good...?”
“...Nah, it’s perfect. Keep talking like that until we’re back in the carriage.” I nearly let out a childish “Bwuh,” but swallowed it down and took deep breaths while fixing my posture.
“Understood.”
The carriage soon passed through the large gate and stopped after entering the temple grounds. The driver opened the carriage door, and Mark left first. Next was Benno. Which left me as the last one standing in the doorway.
Before me was an entrance to the temple that I didn’t recognize at all. It seemed to be an entry solely for nobles and the rich, judging by the elaborate garden of colorful flowerbeds growing in the area dotted with sculptures. The door was was carved with ornate designs just like the chapel’s back wall.
The front entrance I had been using up until this point was much smaller in comparison and apparently was for commoners who came to the temple by foot. It felt like a shameful back entrance now that I had seen this fancy door. Even the doors used to enter the temple clearly delineated those of different statuses, establishing a black and white world that was hard to ignore. This entrance forced me to recognize that there existed a clear class division in this world, one with depths I had barely begun to scratch. I felt my heart clench.
“Myne, your hand...” said Benno, so I held out a hand while coming back to my senses. But the second I looked down at my feet to avoid falling, I felt him tug at my hand and pick me up.
He whispered “Don’t look down” while smiling, and I nodded back with a smile of my own while a cold sweat of pure fear ran down my back. I understood that to mean “Don’t lower your eyes even if you’re not confident,” so in other words, the act of looking down itself was banned in all circumstances.
Benno lowered me down, more gently than I had maybe ever seen him do anything, and then I saw Fran walking quickly toward us.
“Sister Myne.”
“Benno, this is my attendant, Fran. Fran, has the High Priest graciously permitted us to see him now?” I said in such a regal tone that Fran opened his eyes wide in surprise before collecting himself and crossing his arms in front of his chest.
“The preparations have been made.”
“Sister Myne, who shall you have carry the master’s gifts?” I looked around, but Gil and Delia weren’t present. I wasn’t sure if I should be relieved that they weren’t here to cause trouble, or worried since there was nobody to carry the gifts. I decided not to worry about it and just leave everything to Fran.
“Fran, might I ask you to summon someone you trust to carry the gifts?” Despite me unfairly leaving all the work to him, Fran nodded and immediately got to work. He didn’t look frustrated and he didn’t protest. Indeed, he was the very model of a skilled attendant that executed the orders of his master. It honestly baffled me.
What made his attitude change? The only thing different between me now and me from this morning is how I’m talking, I thought, which made me suddenly realize what was going on.
There was no doubt that talking like a noble was very important to Fran. He only had eyes for the High Priest. His attitude had annoyed me, but at the same time, the utter lack of nobility in my behavior had no doubt annoyed him in the same way. I wasn’t working hard enough as his master to deserve his servitude. Lutz was right. I would need to work hard and learn to act like a noble if I wanted to survive here.
Fran summoned several gray priests who split the gifts between them. After checking to make sure everything was accounted for, he said “Please follow me” and began walking. Unlike this morning, where he had been exuding an aura of displeasure, he was thriving like a fish being put back into the water.
Benno encouraged me forward with a look, and so I started following after Fran. Somehow, everyone had ended up in the exact places that Benno had said back in the carriage. But it was surprisingly difficult for me to keep up with Fran’s adult strides. I desperately worked my legs to keep up and Benno, seeing me falling behind, felt compelled to speak up.
“You’re walking a bit too fast, aren’t you?”
Fran turned around and blinked, as if he didn’t understand what he had just been told.
“I fully understand that you’ve just become her attendant, but if you don’t pay more attention to your walking speed, Sister Myne’s going to collapse. Look at her, she’s already out of breath. Might not be my place to say this, but could you pay a little more attention to her?”
“...I have no excuse.”
I had shamed Fran by putting him in a situation where Benno, a visitor, would feel compelled to complain. His complaint had been something that I should have said myself, as his master. I nearly apologized on the spot, but only a failure of a noble would apologize to their attendant here, as much as it pained me to admit.
“Benno, I thank you for your concern. I believe that Fran will soon learn to match my pace, given that he is a skilled priest who has the full trust of the High Priest. There is no need for you to worry about me.”
“In that case, shall we have Mark carry you the rest of the way? We would all be very troubled if you suddenly fell unconscious as you are like to do.” It was written on Benno’s face that he would be ticked off if I collapsed in the hallway. Mark gave the bundle he was carrying to Fran, then lifted me up after a polite warning.
...Gyaaah?! A bridal carry? He picked me up in an entirely different way from usual, which surprised me so much I had to swallow a yell. Be regal, be regal, I repeated to myself while forcing a regal smile on my face.
“Fran, please continue.”
“As you wish.”
Once the High Priest’s room came into view, Mark let me down, took the bundle back from Fran, and returned to the other gift carriers. Despite our destination being so close, Fran repeatedly turned around to check how fast I was going and matched his pace to mine. I nodded with a smile signifying that his pace was fine, which made his expression wash over with clear relief.
Unlike the High Bishop’s room, there were no priests standing in front of the High Priest’s room. Fran took out a small bell from his sash and, standing in front of the door, rung it. Normally I would need to call out and wait for a gray priest on the other side to open the door for me, but the bell made all that unnecessary.
I stepped forward to enter the opening door and was held back by Benno. I glanced around and saw that everyone else was waiting. It seemed I needed to stay still until the door was fully open. I put my feet back to where they were and waited for the door to open, pretending I had never tried moving at all.
There were two gray priests lined up behind the door, with Arno standing in front of the High Priest’s desk. We walked inside, and Fran stopped in front of the table meant for guests. I stopped as well, then Benno and Mark stopped. The platoon of gift-bearers lined up against the wall.
Benno took a smooth step forward, got on one knee like I had when performing the fealty ceremony, and bowed his head a little.
“May this meeting, ordained by the divine guidance of the gods, be blessed by the God of Fire Leidenschaft on this vibrant summer day. It is nice to meet you, High Priest. I am Benno of the Gilberta Company, visiting here at Sister Myne’s introduction. May the bonds formed here be strong and lasting.”
Benno casually dropped the name of a god, but I hadn’t memorized their names yet. It seemed I wouldn’t be able to properly greet nobles without memorizing the names of each season’s patron god. I paled at the thought of having to do what Benno just did. Now I understood why the High Priest said memorizing the bible would be part of my job. It seemed that learning noble culture would be pretty difficult.
“I bless this day from the bottom of my heart. May the God of Fire Leidenschaft’s guidance take the Gilberta Company to ever greater riches,” said the High Priest while pressing his left hand above his heart, angling his right hand down and extending his fingers just slightly above Benno’s hand. A faint blue light blossomed out of the High Priest’s palm and dyed Benno’s milky hair with blue. The light disappeared quickly, but anyone could tell that Benno had received a divine blessing.
I gasped, having not expected to see such a holy and impressive display of divine power. That blue light was probably mana. My own mana was nothing but a Crushing threat when I got emotional, but if I learned how to manage it properly, maybe I could bless others just like that. Or rather, I would need to learn to bless others like that, as a shrine maiden.
The list of things I needed to do was growing constantly in my head. Lutz’s advice that I had things I needed to do before reading books was so true it hurt.
“Sister Myne. Please, come this way.” Fran’s words snapped me back into attention and I realized the High Priest was already sitting at the guest table. Considering the status of everyone here, there was no doubt that nobody else could move until I did. I stood in front of a chair with Fran’s guidance, and that was when the problem arose. I was as tall as a short five-year-old at best. When sitting in adult chairs, I generally needed to climb up them. That wasn’t a problem normally, but naturally it wasn’t an option here if I wanted to keep looking regal.
...Who could have seen this coming?! There’s no way to regally sit in a chair that’s too tall! What would a noble child do in a situation like this?! Will a generic “Dear me, I seem to be in trouble” pose be understood in this world?! I didn’t know if it would, but having no other options, I put my right hand on my cheek, hugged my bent right elbow with my left arm, and looked up at Fran with my head slightly tilted. I then waited for three seconds.
“...Excuse me, Sister Myne.” Fran stuck his hands under my arms and lifted me onto the chair.
Ooooh! He understood! I smiled at Fran as he adjusted the seat, and he gave a somewhat forced smile in return. By the time I returned my gaze to the table, Benno was already sitting next to me, Arno was standing behind the High Priest, and Mark was standing behind Benno. There was no doubt that Fran was standing behind me. The priests with the gifts were still lined up against the wall.
“Now then, Sister Myne. This is indeed the money you have entrusted me with, yes?” Benno opened the carved chest-shaped box he had been holding and showed its contents to me. Within were five small golds. It was the first time I had ever seen small golds in person. I spent a few seconds enraptured by their shininess, then said the line I had practiced earlier.
“I thank you for your noble assistance from the bottom of my heart.”
“Your gratitude is truly appreciated.” Benno placed the still-open box on the table close to the High Priest. “High Priest, this is Sister Myne’s donation money. Please accept it.”
“...Indeed I shall. Myne, and Benno. I thank you.” The High Priest briefly checked the contents of the box, then closed it and handed it to Arno, who took it off somewhere. Probably a secure storage room.
“In addition, I have brought gifts of thanks and greetings,” said Benno, leading the platoon of gray priests at the wall to step forward and line up by the side of the table. Mark lined up each gift one after another on the table. The High Priest raised an eyebrow as he looked at them.
“I understand the greetings, but why the thanks? I don’t recall having done anything that would earn your gratitude.”
“I am thoroughly grateful that due to your efforts, the Myne Workshop will be allowed to continue operating.” Benno crossed his arms in front of his chest and bowed his head slightly. The High Priest nodded with an “I see.” With that done, Benno began explaining the gifts to the High Priest.
“This is the highest quality cloth that is regularly used within my store. This is a product known as rinsham. Although my company currently has full rights to it, rinsham was originally invented and created by the Myne Workshop. Last but not least, this is the plant paper that has recently entered the market, also invented by the Myne Workshop.”
The High Priest seemed to be most interested in the plant paper. He picked it up and touched it to see how it felt.
“I give these gifts in thanks to you, High Priest, to the High Bishop, who is unfortunately absent, and finally, to Sister Myne, who enabled this meeting to occur.”
Wait, me?! I opened my eyes wide in surprise, but managed to keep quiet. Benno and the High Priest continued their discussion without noticing my surprise.
“I see. These are quite the splendid products. Thank you. Priests, line the gifts on that shelf.”
“I am overjoyed that the gifts are to your liking.”
The gray priests began to move. Mark handed the gifts to them, wrapped the paper back in the cloth, and so on.
...Haaah, it’s finally over. With the donation and gifts given, my work was over for the day. I let out a sigh of relief and Benno immediately smacked me beneath the table. I looked at him with my head tilted in confusion. In response, he gestured down with his eyes while deftly managing to maintain his manufactured smile despite his visible exasperation. I looked down as well, keeping my head held up, and saw that Benno had a small piece of paper between his fingers.
Feeling nostalgic for all the notes I had passed around in school, I reached out and took the paper. I had passed notes with girls, but never boys. Benno was a bit too old to be called a “boy,” but still, it was my first time passing notes with the opposite sex. With my heart beating a little fast despite it being from Benno, I opened the note. Inside contained the words: Don’t let your guard down, idiot.
...Give back my excitement! The High Priest looked toward me, as if sensing that my regal act was slipping. I hurriedly put a smile back on my face, but he hadn’t missed it. His eyes narrowed slightly.
I gasped a little and readjusted my posture as the High Priest waved a hand. In response, the gray priests crossed their arms over their chests, lowered their waists to make a gesture of respect to the High Priest, then left the room one after another.
“There are several things I would like to take this opportunity to ask, Benno.” The High Priest now wore a rigid expression and looked at Benno with sharp eyes that would let no lies or deception past. Benno seemed to be a lot tenser than before as well. It was clear that the true meeting had only just now begun. I straightened my back and squeezed the Don’t let your guard down, idiot note in my hand.
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