Preparing for the Spring Prayer
It was gradually getting warmer, and about half of the snow that had blanketed the city had melted. Winter hibernation was over, and it was time for everyone to start shoveling the remaining snow in preparation for spring. Tuuli had to go back to work, which meant she could only visit me at the temple every other day.
The orphanage finished all of its winter handiwork, which we sold to Benno through Lutz. That gave me a lot more leeway when budgeting for the orphanage. The forest was still too snowy to gather anything there, but that snow would all melt before long. Then we could get back to gathering while making paper.
The time until then was dedicated to education, with gray priests that used to be attendants teaching the children proper manners. It seemed that the priests were worried that me wandering around the orphanage so much was instilling bad habits in the children; they feared that, by allowing them to continue speaking to me so casually, they might end up acting the same way around other blue priests as well. The teaching all happened in the dining hall, which left the workshop empty; it was just me, Lutz, and Damuel there.
“I want to have the printing press ready for the next round of books, even if we can only use it for the text,” I said.
“Sounds good to me,” replied Lutz. “But how’re we gonna make a printing press?”
“Mm... I was planning on just modifying one of the presses we already have.”
I took out my blueprints and showed them to Lutz. If I remembered correctly, Gutenberg’s first printing press had been made out of a grape press used for making wine. I was sure I could make a rudimentary printing press like that, but it was surprisingly hard to recreate the steps from memory alone.
“You arrange the letter types here, cover them with ink, put down the paper... and then just press it.” I made the motions of using the normal press (which was too high for me to reach and use on my own) while trying to explain what a printing press was like. Since I couldn’t leave the temple, it was down to Lutz to order what we needed and give instructions to the workshops.
“Guess we’ll have to decide on how big the thing where you lay out the types—the, uh... forme? Yeah, how big the forme will be,” said Lutz.
“We can work that out by measuring the picture books we’ve already made.”
I started using a ruler to measure all sorts of things, adding the measurements to my blueprints as I spoke to Lutz about the printing press. I wrote down all the instructions I could remember, ranging from “Make the stand for the paper slightly slanted” to “Put a box for holding ink here.”
Lutz looked at all that and shook his head. “Hey, Myne. Can’t we add all that extra stuff afterwards?”
“Extra? But everything I’ve mentioned is essential.”
Though knowing my memory, I was probably forgetting more than I was remembering—not to mention all the things I’d potentially misremembered and just hadn’t noticed yet. But my protests just earned another head shake from Lutz.
“That’s not what I’m talking about,” he said, pointing at my blueprints. “I get that we need somewhere to put the ink, but it seems to me the problem you’re having here is figuring out how to attach it to the press. Can’t we just put a box for the ink on the table for now?”
Lutz was right. As long as we could affix a forme for the letter types beneath the press, we could do the bare minimum of printing, even if there were unnecessary steps slowing the process down.
“You’re thinking too hard about this ’cause you’re already picturing the finished product in your head. Remember how we used a bunch of makeshift tools when we were first making paper? We can do the same here. Just focus on what we absolutely need for now, then we can build on that over time.”
“...Right. Now that you mention it, the bigger problem here will be getting the craftsman to make a press that can actually be operated by children.”
I finished the simple blueprints while we chatted. We settled on starting with a basic design which we would order from Ingo’s carpentry workshop through Benno.
“Now we just need to talk about the smaller stuff...” As the printing press itself was now sorted out, I tried to move the discussion on to the forme and the composing stick, but before I could say anything Gil rushed into the workshop.
“Sister Myne!”
“What’s wrong, Gil? Is it already time for me to go to the High Priest’s room?”
All of my female attendants were busy preparing for Spring Prayer today, hence me not having harspiel practice.
“Er, nah. Rosina just asked me to come get you. Thing is though, she’s really mad that you’re spending all your time working on the printing press when we’re not ready for Spring Prayer yet. She’s not really showing it, but she’s, uh... kinda furious.”
I got the feeling that she was just venting her anger in my direction since she was getting less time to play the harspiel while I got to go off and do whatever I wanted.
“I see. In that case, could you let her yell at you in my place?”
“Sure! Wait... Hold on a second. No way! I don’t wanna!” Gil, having only just realized what I said, shook his head hard. He looked so funny that Lutz and I couldn’t help but laugh, earning us a glare and a murmur that he would bring me back to my room no matter what. It seemed I had no choice but to give up and face Rosina’s wrath.
“...Oh well, there’s no point delaying the inevitable. Lutz, I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“Got it. You’ve got an important job tomorrow, right? Good luck. I know you can do it.” Lutz ruffled my hair, and I nodded without much enthusiasm before heading off back to my chambers, led by a pouty Gil.
I gasped when I saw the disaster zone that was my chambers. On top of all sorts of clothes, shoes, and various grooming implements being brought out and stuffed into boxes, there were towels, linen products, dishes, writing utensils, paper, and diptychs being thrown into the mix by my attendants. It was like I was moving out entirely. There were several wooden boxes within the hall already stuffed with food, and there were several still-empty ones that would be packed with cooking utensils from the kitchen once my meal for the day had been prepared.
I climbed to the second floor and saw that my own room was even more of a mess. There were three boxes lined up—one for linen, one for clothes, and one for shoes—and the top of my table had been dominated by various daily necessities. Among all the chaos was Delia, Rosina, and Wilma.
“Sister Myne, you mustn’t go to the workshop while we are still preparing for Spring Prayer.” That was what Rosina said, but I knew I’d just get scolded if I tried helping them; I had been told quite firmly that preparing was work for attendants and thus something I mustn’t involve myself in. It seemed that my job was to spend all day watching everyone else work.
“Geez! You’re hardly motivated at all! This is an important job for you, Sister Myne!”
“...I mean, I trust that you are all skilled enough to handle this without me watching over your every move.”
“That’s not the problem here.”
Those accompanying me for the Spring Prayer would be Fran, since he had accompanied the High Priest on one before; Rosina, since there needed to be a girl to take care of me; and Hugo and Ella, who would cook for me.
Delia, Wilma, and Gil were staying behind to manage my chambers, the orphanage, and the Myne Workshop respectively, while Todd, the other chef, would make food in my absence alongside Nicola and Monika, both of whom had helped Ella over the winter.
“Still, this is a lot of stuff,” I murmured subconsciously after looking around my room and seeing just how much stuff I had bought to last me the winter here. Rosina raised a bemused eyebrow.
“You are on the lighter side when it comes to luggage, Sister Myne. Sister Christine would have had two more boxes of clothing, not to mention several more for painting tools and various musical instruments.”
“We had to begin packing Sister Christine’s luggage much earlier than this,” Wilma giggled in agreement. “It was always such a struggle whenever she departed to visit the Noble’s Quarter.”
While I digested just how incredible Sister Christine had been, Rosina’s eyes widened briefly in realization. “...Um, Sister Myne. May I bring a harspiel as well?” she asked hesitantly.
I shook my head, glancing at the harspiels leaning against the wall in the corner of my room. “I think it would be safer to leave them here, especially seeing as they don’t belong to me.” I was borrowing them from the High Priest, so it wouldn’t be wise to take them elsewhere without permission; it wouldn’t be easy to pay for them if they were broken, lost, or stolen.
But Rosina would not give up so easily. Her eyes locked on the harspiels, she continued. “Would you kindly ask the High Priest on my behalf?”
“I can do that much, certainly.”
“I thank you ever so much.”
In the end, I really was of no help sitting around in my chambers, so eventually I claimed it was time for me to help the High Priest and left with Fran and Damuel in tow.
“Preparing for Spring Prayer is quite the task. A call for aid from the Knight’s Order requires urgency, but as an attendant it is an easy job since there are not many preparations to be made.” Fran explained that the preparation required for Spring Prayer was so much worse since we would be traveling to farming towns on carriages rather than highbeasts like we had before.
Personally, I was more depressed about the journey itself than the preparation for it—all my enthusiasm died the second I found out we would be riding in a carriage. I had the feeling that by the time we reached the first farming town, I would be too exhausted to do literally anything.
“Is there perhaps a way for me to not go to the Spring Prayer at all?” I sighed.
“What are you talking about, apprentice? The Spring Prayer is an important ritual,” Damuel said, glaring at me with disapproval.
In reality, I already knew how important it was. I do wish he’d let me complain a little though, just to blow off some steam.
“I understand its importance, Sir Damuel. It’s just that I can hardly imagine how many days I will spend bedridden after having to endure the journey by carriage.”
“...Hm. Considering how daily life is already a struggle for you, I can imagine the journey will be especially hard. But I don’t think Lord Ferdinand will let you skip the ritual because of that.”
I already knew very well that he wouldn’t let me wriggle out of it. But still, as my final desperate struggle, I waited until helping time was over and then launched my complaint at the High Priest.
“High Priest, must I really go all the way to the farming towns? I am certain I will fall desperately ill from riding in the carriages.”
“Indeed. I will need to bring quite a lot of potions for you,” the High Priest replied casually.
My face scrunched up as I thought of the potion he had forced me to drink when I collapsed and he needed me back on my feet.
“...Are you perhaps referring to the potion that’s incredibly effective but tastes so bad one would rather die than drink it?”
“Yes.”
“Ngh... Now I want to go even less.”
I could already picture it: I would collapse on our way to a farming town, have one of the High Priest’s nasty potions poured down my throat, be forced to perform the ritual during the boost of energy, then collapse again as we headed toward the next farming town. This endless loop of pain and misery would continue until we had visited every single farming town. The thought alone was enough to make me feel sick.
“High Priest, you have to do something about how bad the potions taste. Either that or prepare a sleeping potion so that I can sleep on the way there, or maybe let me travel on one of those moving magic statues that the knights have. Can you at least do something? Please?” I tearfully listed every option that came to mind as I pleaded to the High Priest.
He nodded, looking a bit put off. “...You seem fairly distressed. I will consider those options.”
“I would be very grateful. Also, one of my attendants would like to bring a harspiel with her, but I imagine that won’t be acceptable.”
I was so scared of traveling with such an expensive instrument that I would have preferred for him to refuse, but the High Priest granted his permission without a second thought.
“Rather, I encourage it. Rosina can play for us during the journey. Her music will certainly be a source of great comfort during the long nights.”
“Wait, really?” I blinked in surprise. “I heard that it was really dangerous outside of town with bandits and beasts all over the place. Is it safe to be bringing such an expensive instrument out there?”
The High Priest looked at me in confusion. “There are no bandits foolish enough to attack the carriages of priests and nobles heading to Spring Prayer.”
“...Really? None?” I would have thought that the bandits would be more likely to attack wealthy nobles for all their riches, but it seemed I was missing something.
“Myne, most bandits are local farmers.”
“Wha? Aren’t bandits, like, bands of thieves that survive by stealing from other people?”
“Fool. If such a group appeared, merchants would begin avoiding roads in that area. Those who braved the danger would have guards, making them a risky target, and after enough incidents the bandits would be targeted by the Knight’s Order. It would be ridiculous to think that an entire organization could survive solely by stealing from others.”
I had thought that merchants would be traveling back and forth a lot, but it seemed that wasn’t accurate. Naturally, I knew so little about the world that the High Priest got exasperated with me.
“It is common for farmers to temporarily turn criminal to threaten passing merchants for money and goods, but if they attacked nobles then no more chalices would be brought to their land. For that reason, there are no farmers foolish enough to lay a hand on nobles or priests heading to the Spring Prayer. Not to mention that even if they did attack nobles, they would be easily defeated.”
Bandits avoided targeting nobles not only because their actions directly supported farmers, but also because they all had dangerous amounts of mana.
“So we should be completely safe on the road?”
“...Yes, we should be.”
I was curious as to why the High Priest hesitated in his response, but either way, it seemed our journey would be a lot safer than I had thought. That was a relief, and maybe the only relieving thing about this journey.
The morning before we departed for the Spring Prayer was the busiest yet. I was cleaned, dressed in my ceremonial robes, and given my ceremonial hair stick to wear. Since we were heading to farming towns, I wore the pigskin boots that had just recently been finished for me. Fran was talking about how muddy it was in farming towns, but I found it hard to believe anything could be worse than the alleys in the lower city. Although maybe it was wrong of me to think that.
Everything I used to prepare in the morning was stored away in boxes, which were then tightly bound by cords. That was the last of my luggage; now that everything was prepared, Fran and Gil began carrying the boxes to the carriage one by one while Rosina brought the box containing the harspiel to the carriage herself, cradling it all the while. With not much else to do in my now-empty room, I decided to say goodbye to each of my attendants who were staying behind.
“Wilma, I am leaving the orphanage in your care.”
“Yes, Sister Myne. I can assure you that the children will be polite little angels by the time you return. I hope you will praise them for their efforts.”
As I nodded in response, Gil knelt on the spot with “C’mon, praise me” written all over his face, so I reached out a hand.
“I entrust the workshop to you, Gil. I imagine you will be able to handle everything?”
“Yeah, you can count on me!”
“Delia, please take care of my chambers while I’m gone.”
“As you wish... Geez! Why do you look so nervous?! Sister Myne, I’m more worried about you doing your job properly.” Delia glared at me, her crimson hair a little frayed.
Her being in charge of my chambers wasn’t what had me worried—me going to farming towns in a carriage was.
“Ngh... I’m not so sure about the carriage.”
“Geeeez! Don’t make me worry even more!”
“I-I shall do my best,” I said with a stammer, probably making Delia lose the last teensy bit of faith in me that she didn’t even realize she still had.
Once he saw that I had finished saying my goodbyes, Fran approached me. “Sister Myne, it is time for us to go to the carriage.”
“Certainly. Let us depart.”
“Farewell. We await your safe return.”
As my other attendants saw us off, I followed Fran out of the room, Rosina and Damuel following close behind. We headed to the nobles’ section of the temple, since the main entrance there was where the carriages were.
“Rosina and I must perform one final check on the luggage, as well as discuss the upcoming journey with Arno, so please go to the waiting room with Sir Damuel. The High Priest should be there already.”
And so I headed to the waiting room with Damuel. Along the way I saw the High Priest power walking toward me, his attendants in tow.
“Good morning, High Priest.”
“Good morning. Myne, go to my room; I have an urgent matter to discuss with you. I will be there once I have finished instructing Arno and the others. Do you understand as well, Damuel?”
“Yes, sir!”
The High Priest ended the conversation there and continued his brisk walk over to the carriages. He was moving incredibly fast, but still managed to look graceful while doing so. Damuel and I glanced at each other, then started making our way to the High Priest’s room.
We had no problems getting inside since the High Priest had also left some attendants behind. They offered us seats, and before long the High Priest returned.
“Thank you both for waiting.”
“High Priest, what is the urgent matter you spoke of?” I tilted my head in confusion as the High Priest shut paperwork-filled cabinet after cabinet, locking each one in turn.
“We will be riding feystone highbeasts. I have just sent the carriages to the farming town we will be staying in tonight.”
“...Did something happen?”
“I should hope nothing happens,” he said, entering his hidden room with a bundle of keys. He came right back, now holding a ring with an embedded light yellow feystone and a bracelet boasting stones of seven different colors.
“Myne, put these on.”
“Lord Ferdinand, those are—”
“It is just to be safe, Damuel.”
I could see a similar bracelet on the High Priest’s wrist. He was also wearing a similar-looking ring on his middle finger, which reminded me that he had lent me a ring on the Knight’s Order mission as well. It had been useful then, so I imagined it would probably be useful this time too. I gratefully accepted both and put them on, wearing the ring on the middle finger of my left hand just like the High Priest.
“Furthermore, and it pains me greatly to say this...”
“Yes?”
“We will be accompanied by... another blue priest,” the High Priest said with a grimace.
I opened my eyes wide in surprise just as the door opened and Karstedt came into the room with a blue priest.
“That’s me. The name’s Sylvester. So you’re the commoner apprentice shrine maiden, huh?”
He looked down at me with strong-looking brows and deep green eyes, his blue-tinged purple hair tied behind his back. My eyes were drawn to the silver cord that tied his hair back. He was a bit shorter than the High Priest, but had a more muscular build, making him seem much more like a former knight than the High Priest did. Age-wise, he seemed about as old as Benno and the High Priest, though that observation didn’t mean much since Benno and the High Priest were definitely not the same age despite the fact they looked that way to me.
“...You’re tiny. You sure you’ve been baptized? My guess is you’re lying about your age,” Sylvester snorted, giving me a crude stare with his deep green eyes. I almost shouted that I wasn’t, but swallowed it down instead. After all, Sylvester was a blue priest. He wasn’t someone I could so carelessly argue with.
“Hey. Try chirping ‘pooey.’”
After staring down at me for an uncomfortably long time, Sylvester suddenly thrust out a pointer finger. It poked straight into my cheek, digging pretty far in all things considered. I let out a reflexive “Owie!”, which made him look down and shake his head.
“Almost, but no. Chirp ‘pooey.’”
It wasn’t as hard as last time, but he poked my cheek again while wiggling his finger like a drill. I looked to the High Priest for help. He lowered his eyes, then let out a sigh of defeat and looked away.
“Myne, this man has a terrible personality. But he has something of a good heart beneath his rotten everything else. The best one can do is give up and play along with him. Also, Sylvester, Myne is shockingly weak. Tease her too much and there is a very real risk that she could die. But more importantly—Karstedt, take a look at this.” As he spoke, the High Priest began spreading out a map.
“Sir!” Karstedt headed over to him, leaving me alone with Sylvester and an ill-looking Damuel. There was no one left who could help me.
“C’mon. Chirp.” Sylvester’s green eyes were hardening as he continued to poke my cheek. It wouldn’t be smart for me to make a noble angry right before a long trip.
“P-Pooey.”
I gave up and... chirped... like he wanted. Sylvester gave a satisfied nod, then poked me again.
“Perfect. Chirp some more.”
“Pooey, pooey, pooey...”
The fact I would be spending Spring Prayer traveling with a blue priest like this made me even more terrified of what the trip had in store for me.
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