The New Orphans and Operation Grimm
I had a meeting scheduled for this afternoon with Richt—Hasse’s mayor—so we were leaving the temple after lunch. Accompanying me were Fran, Monika, my two guard knights, and Ferdinand, who was himself accompanied by his guard knight Eckhart and the scholar Justus.
“I have very much been looking forward to riding in your highbeast, milady.”
“Unfortunately, Justus, you will not be riding with me today.”
“Guh?! Why not?!”
Justus must not have expected me to turn him down; his head spun in my direction, an absolutely flabbergasted expression on his face. But I hadn’t forgotten how annoying it had been the last time he rode with me.
“You talk nonstop, which makes it very hard to focus.”
“Milady, please excuse my impertinence, but your language is a little harsh...”
“I think it necessary, otherwise you would attempt to wriggle your way into getting what you desire, would you not? I have learned how to deal with you.”
He looked hurt by my remark, but it was his own fault for refusing to listen unless you were harsh with him.
It was at this point that Ferdinand stepped in. “She has turned you down, Justus. Give up and ride on your own highbeast.”
“Aah, but my hopes and dreams...” Justus groaned, looking wistfully at my Pandabus.
Ferdinand shook his head, muttering something about Justus being foolish before taking out his own highbeast. “Justus, you can either take out your highbeast or return to the Noble’s Quarter. Choose. In the meantime, Rozemyne, we may leave as soon as you are ready.”
The journey to Hasse was fairly short by highbeast. When we arrived, we found Richt and the chiefs of the neighboring towns kneeling by the front door. That much deserved some respect, considering they were all busy with the upcoming autumn harvest.
After exchanging our lengthy greetings, we stepped inside. Waiting for us in the parlor were incense, flowers, and freshly squeezed juice, which Fran tested for poison. I then exchanged a glance with Ferdinand, who was holding a glass himself.
Well, looks like they didn’t at all understand what that “We shall prepare offerings of sweet fruits and beautiful flowers to you” line actually means...
“Richt, how is this year’s harvest looking? Has missing Spring Prayer had a noticeable impact?”
“It has. Things will certainly be very difficult for us, as expected. I only hope we can have a proper Spring Prayer next year,” Richt said, hanging his head sadly with the town chiefs. No matter how carefully one tended to their fields, the land simply wouldn’t produce a considerable enough yield without being blessed. They could hardly expect a good harvest without the help of Spring Prayer.
“I have come to deliver news of a temple decree,” I announced. “We shall be sending two gray priests to stay in Hasse this winter, to ensure there are no lingering embers of rebellion.”
Richt’s head shot up as though he had been struck by lightning, his expression making it more than clear that he was stunned we still didn’t trust him. I could empathize with how he felt, since he and the entire city were working together now, but it wasn’t appropriate for him to show his emotions so openly when speaking to nobles.
“That insurance is of course important,” I continued, “but my true objective lies elsewhere.”
“Your true objective?” Richt asked, blinking in confusion.
I nodded as gravely as I could. “Yes. The gray priests will use this winter to teach the people of Hasse how to properly interact with and write to nobles. It seems the long reign of the previous High Bishop has resulted in you developing some quite abnormal practices.”
“Truly? What sort of practices, exactly?” he asked, visibly disturbed. It was more than apparent that he didn’t realize how odd their behavior had been. He might have remembered how the previous mayor had failed to understand the phrase “climbed the towering staircase,” subsequently digging his own grave by continuing to act all haughty.
“You do not understand the meaning behind the phrases you use to end the letters you always send me, do you?”
“The meaning...?” Richt glanced between us nervously.
Ferdinand deliberately shifted his gaze, directing Richt to the flowers in the room. “The phrasing that you used is understood by nobles to mean you will prepare wine, women, and money in return for us granting you favors,” he explained.
“What?! W-We had absolutely no idea!” Richt exclaimed, the blood immediately draining from his face. I could understand his reaction; anyone would be shocked to learn that the phrasing they had been using all this time actually meant something very crude.
Meanwhile, the town chiefs widened their eyes in shock, unable to believe that another of Hasse’s mayors had managed to disrespect the nobility. They trembled in fear of what new punishment now awaited them, fresh off the heels of their last one.
Seeing all this, Ferdinand waved a wary hand. “It is not uncommon for words to lose their meaning as those in power are replaced, and the lack of wine and women makes it clear that you did not understand what you had written. For this reason, we have no intention of punishing you. But can you imagine how a noble would react if such a letter were their first communication with you?”
“I can. You have my sincerest apologies,” Richt said, kneeling and hanging his head low. The town chiefs quickly followed suit.
“We are hoping that you can learn from the gray priests we send to Hasse,” I said. “If you do not understand noble euphemisms, problems of this nature will only continue to occur. And I would not like for Hasse to suffer more than it already has.”
“We are deeply honored by your concern, High Bishop, and will graciously accept the teachings of your gray priests.”
Both Richt and the town chiefs were looking at me with moved eyes: they seemed to be viewing me as a deeply compassionate saint. I really wasn’t one, but I thought I would at least use this brief opportunity to make them promise to treat the gray priests well.
“The gray priests sent to Hasse shall serve as my representatives. Should you mock them as orphans or look down on them in any way, I will have them promptly return to the monastery,” I asserted, hoping that my threat would prevent any harassment. “I ask that you ensure all of your citizens know that the gray priests are there to confirm your loyalty and teach you to speak to nobles. If no problems occur over the winter, I believe we should be able to hold Spring Prayer for you without any issue. All you must do is continue working hard for a little longer.”
“We thank you,” Richt replied. The tension drained from his shoulders, and the town chiefs who were gathered also looked a little relieved.
“Now then—what business did you all have with us, Richt?”
“As requested in our letter, we would appreciate it if you could purchase several orphans from us. To speak honestly, we will already struggle to overcome the winter, and nobody else is willing to buy them while the archduke is punishing us.”
With people avoiding Hasse for the duration of its punishment, I could easily imagine them being shot down everywhere they went. I of course felt bad for the orphans being sold, but I didn’t mind purchasing them myself to help out with a problem I’d caused in the first place.
“I do not mind buying the orphans. But once they enter the temple’s orphanage, they will henceforth be treated as priests and shrine maidens. They will never return to Hasse as citizens, and so the younger they are, the better.”
After joining the temple, it wasn’t easy to leave. The main consideration here was that the children of Hasse who stayed in the city’s orphanage were given plots of land when they grew up, but that would no longer be the case for those who joined the temple; they would become gray priests and shrine maidens for life, living the remainder of their days according to the whims of nobles.
“You would not mind purchasing the younger children?” Richt asked, his eyes wide with surprise. Younger orphans were rarely picked, since they couldn’t be used for labor until they had grown big and strong enough. They just weren’t worth the money.
“I would rather not snatch away the futures of those on the verge of coming of age and receiving their own land. Younger children also adapt to new customs faster, so they will have an easier time adjusting to the monastery. I am told that Nora, one of the orphans we bought last year, is greatly struggling to adapt to temple life due to having been so close to coming of age.”
“I see...”
They brought the orphans younger than ten over to us. They were all pretty much in rags, but unlike last time, they weren’t covered in bruises. None appeared to be hurt, and they were all being kept clean. I let out a small sigh, relieved that they weren’t being abused, then looked at Richt.
“How many do you need us to buy?”
“May I ask that you purchase at least four?”
I agreed to buying four of the pre-baptism orphans. Justus the scholar wrote up the documents for us, then Ferdinand signed them as my guardian, since I was still underage. As this was being done, I smiled at the orphans, who all seemed nervous about moving to the monastery.
“Fear not. You won’t be alone in the monastery: Nora and the others are going to be there.”
And so, I took the new orphans to the monastery in Lessy. Nora and the others greeted us there, welcoming the fresh faces. We had contacted them ahead of time, so beds, clothes, and the like were all already prepared. It was a huge relief to see the children relax a little upon seeing people they recognized.
“Everyone, these children shall be joining you in the monastery. I hope you will help accustom them to temple life by the Harvest Festival. You are going to be spending the winter here, but they are young enough that we shall be moving them to Ehrenfest following the festival. Please remember your struggles when you first arrived here and assist them in growing as you have.”
“As you wish.”
And with that, Hasse’s monastery received more orphans.
Once the summer coming of age ceremony and autumn baptism ceremony were complete, things would get busy with everyone preparing for the Harvest Festival and subsequent winter.
In the midst of all this, I had to select which gray priests would be going to Hasse. I needed two of them to teach Richt and the others noble manners, and four to exchange places with those in the monastery for winter. But it wasn’t as though I knew every gray priest in the orphanage, their personalities and abilities included, so I decided to leave the decision to those who were more informed— Fritz, who ran the workshop, and Wilma, who ran the orphanage.
“Monika, send word. I shall go to both the workshop and orphanage after lunch.”
“As you wish.”
After seeing Monika briskly walk off, clearly excited to see Wilma, I turned to look at Brigitte. This seemed as good an opportunity as any.
“Brigitte, would you mind guarding me on these visits this afternoon?”
Up until now, I had only ever brought Damuel with me to the workshop, so as to avoid leaking any unnecessary information about our profits and such to other nobles. Now that we were establishing a paper-making workshop in Illgner and involving them in the printing industry, however, there was no need to hide anything from Brigitte.
“Now that Illgner has its own workshop, there is nothing in our workshop that I need to hide from you,” I continued. “I think it would be best for the sister of Giebe Illgner to see these things personally.”
Brigitte widened her eyes, then broke into a smile and knelt before me. “I am honored, Lady Rozemyne. I would like nothing more than to accompany you.”
And so, following lunch, Brigitte and I went to the workshop. Most nobles would hate traveling to the basement where commoners worked, but judging by how life was in Illgner, I doubted she would mind.
“Thank you for coming, Lady Rozemyne.”
I entered the workshop to find everybody kneeling in wait, and my attendant Fritz gave the customary greeting as their representative. It was one for nobles, which I accepted with a nod.
“Fritz, please have everyone resume their work. I would like Brigitte to see what we do here. Do you recall that Illgner is the province Gil and Lutz are currently visiting? Brigitte is family to Giebe Illgner.”
“Understood. Everyone, continue your work.”
As ordered, the workers all got back to what they had previously been doing. Some were swishing pulp in suketas, while others worked the printing press, which made loud smacking sounds interrupted only by the pleasant clinking of metal letter types being swapped around.
“Fritz, would you come with me to the orphanage when you have a moment?”
“I am free for as long as you are here, Lady Rozemyne. We can leave as soon as Lady Brigitte has finished looking around,” he replied, wearing a peaceful smile as he spoke. As expected, my attendants were the shining image of competence; he asked one of the younger children in the workshop to go and inform Wilma of our upcoming visit, then gave instructions to some other gray priests.
“Brigitte, this is where the paper is made. Over there is the printing press,” I explained. “It seems they have already invented a new kind of paper in Illgner, so we should soon begin printing there as well.”
As she listened, Brigitte watched the suketas being swished about with great interest. “They’ve made a new type of paper in Illgner?” she asked with a smile.
We stayed and watched the workshop operate for a short while, but I thought it best that we leave relatively soon so as to avoid interfering with the workers. “Shall we go to the orphanage, Brigitte?” I called out.
She regretfully looked around one last time as everyone paused what they were doing to kneel. I circled the workshop floor to speak to them all.
“I am glad to have had the opportunity to see you work today. Please continue your efforts.”
Fritz guided us through the girls’ building’s basement, where the apprentice gray shrine maidens stopped making soup to sidle against the walls and kneel. They didn’t look surprised to see us because of the child who had been sent ahead earlier to inform them.
“It is thanks to your efforts that everyone in the orphanage gets to eat warm soup. I imagine it is tough to make food for so many people, but please continue to do your best,” I said, offering them words of encouragement. I made sure to move on reasonably quickly, since keeping the shrine maidens from their duties for too long might cause the soup to burn.
We climbed up the stairs and entered the dining hall, where we found Wilma kneeling in wait. “Monika told me you have something to discuss,” she said.
I sat in the chair offered to me, looking up at both Fritz and Wilma. “Please select two gray priests to be sent to Hasse’s winter mansion, and four to switch places with those in the monastery. The two sent to the winter mansion will be teaching noble euphemisms and the like to those who write letters and documents, so they will ideally be experienced attendants, skilled at teaching others, and friendly enough with one another to work together well.”
Whoever they chose would be stuck in an unfamiliar place with an unfamiliar culture for the entirety of winter. That was a challenge in itself, and things would only be more arduous if the two selected didn’t even get along together.
“Please pick two men and two women for the monastery. That can include apprentices. I would appreciate them already being on good terms with Nora and the others as well.”
“As you wish.”
With my business there done, I returned to my High Bishop’s chambers, sipping the tea that had been poured for me by Nicola as I spoke to Brigitte. “So, what did you think about the workshop?”
“I had no idea one could make paper like that. It was quite the surprise.”
“Is that all...? Do you not have any thoughts on the gray priests there?”
Brigitte placed a contemplative hand on her cheek, her expression thoughtful. “I did think they were surprisingly hard workers; I don’t recall seeing anyone engaged in any idle chatter.”
“That’s true. They’re all very dedicated. But that’s not all I wanted you to see,” I said, giving her a more serious look. “You know that I will be visiting Illgner during the Harvest Festival to retrieve the members of the Plantin Company, yes? Well, Ferdinand will also be accompanying me. He is my guardian, and he wishes to see the status and results of the first printing workshop built in a noble’s province.”
“That will be quite the honor,” Brigitte said with a smile.
As the archduke’s adopted daughter, I would be providing my support to Illgner, establishing the paper-making industry there before doing so in any other province. On top of that, the archduke’s half-brother Ferdinand would be visiting as well. Any noble would consider that an honor.
“With that in mind, you will need to instruct Giebe Illgner to educate his people in preparation for our visit.”
“Educate his people, you say...?” Brigitte asked in confusion.
“Yes. The people of Illgner are quite close to the giebe and his family, are they not? While I personally like their free-spiritedness, I can’t imagine Ferdinand will share my view.”
“Illgner truly is a country province, one rarely visited by other nobles. They may act a little overly familiar with the nobility, but they mean no ill.”
“But do you not agree that their intention is irrelevant? Entire cities can be destroyed simply for not knowing how to behave around nobles. Surely you have not forgotten the situation with Hasse.”
Brigitte paled in an instant, having seen the entire Hasse incident from start to finish as my guard knight. Up until now, I could assume she had only sympathized with the commoners who lived close to the Noble’s Quarter, but Illgner would end up in the same situation if nobles started to visit. Ignorance would not be a strong enough excuse for them.
“Illgner has done well up to this point due to the lack of visiting nobles, but that will soon change. I imagine many other giebes will develop an interest in your province once it becomes known that you are making paper sooner than anywhere else. I can predict them wanting to see how the workshops function, how much profit they earn, and so on. What will happen if commoners approach them and act without the proper respect?”
“But educating them all...? Is that truly reasonable?”
Changing one’s behavior so suddenly was not an easy thing to do, and it would certainly be hard to educate so many commoners before the Harvest Festival. But Brigitte had no other option if she wanted to keep them safe.
“Illgner embraced the printing industry to earn my protection; there is no backing out now. Its people must learn to act in a way that will not earn the wrath of visiting nobles. There is no other way to protect them.”
Brigitte stood up, the blood having completely drained from her face. I gently took her hand in mine.
“As you saw, those in my workshop know how to behave around nobles. I simply ask that you tell the giebe what happened in Hasse, and at the very least have those working in his estate and the workshop learn proper manners. I don’t want to see a repeat of what Hasse went through,” I said, thinking back on how peaceful of a province Illgner was.
Brigitte nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. “I thank you ever so much for your valuable advice, Lady Rozemyne. I will discuss this matter with my brother at once,” she said, her serious work expression morphing to one of grave desperation.
The gray priests to be moved to Hasse were chosen, and I sent word to the Plantin Company asking them to handle various preparations. The days sped past at an alarming speed, with discussions of the upcoming Harvest Festival and ruelle gathering coming up again and again.
Soon enough, it was almost time for the Harvest Festival. Fritz informed me that the selected gray priests were preparing to leave, and so I went to the orphanage to give them words of encouragement. Fran and Zahm were carrying large boxes, while Monika held one that wasn’t quite so sizable.
The gray priests leaving for Hasse were all assembled in the orphanage’s dining hall. Wilma introduced them one at a time, then concluded the noble greetings.
I first spoke with the two priests and two apprentice shrine maidens leaving for Hasse’s monastery. “I have received word from Ingo that the monastery now has a printing press of its own. There are presently few residents there, and none of them know how to print. I am looking forward to your efforts this winter.”
We needed more people in Hasse to get involved in the printing industry, and I was genuinely eager for them to do their best there.
“Understood,” came their crisp replies.
I nodded at them and then looked to Fran, who opened the box he was holding and distributed its contents to the four. Just like last time, they each received a diptych as a gift.
“This is my gift to all of you who shall be working hard in Hasse. I imagine you all know from my attendants how to use them. Each diptych belongs to you individually and is not something you need to share with others. Take care not to forget to write your names on them.”
“We are honored,” they all replied. The gray priests spoke with gentle smiles, while the apprentice shrine maidens broke into broad grins.
With that done, I turned to the two gray priests leaving for Hasse’s winter mansion. “Achim, Egon—I entrust you both with diptychs as well. I imagine the two of you will struggle more than anyone, having to spend the winter in an entirely different world than the one you are used to, but I trust you to both succeed.”
“Lady Rozemyne...”
“You have two jobs, the first of which is to teach all this to the mayor and his associates,” I said, gesturing toward the box Zahm had brought. Inside were stacks of boards detailing everything I wanted Hasse to learn about, including euphemisms and letter formats that any noble would know as a matter of course.
Incidentally, these were the very same boards that Fran had so kindly prepared for me when I was a commoner. I planned to organize the lessons and put together an educational textbook once book prices were low enough for commoners to buy them.
“I am certain no problems will arise in the winter mansion, but they may look down on you as orphans. Even with all your compassion, if at any point you find their treatment of you unbearable, leave for the monastery at once. I will not begrudge you, and Hasse’s mayor has already been informed.”
I then looked toward Monika. Inside her box were playing cards, karuta, and picture books for entertainment.
“It is my understanding that there is little to do for fun in winter mansions, but I hope you can form bridges by reading these picture books to children, playing cards with the adults, and so on,” I continued. “I must emphasize that the books are very expensive, however, so let no one else handle them. Should anything happen to them, Hasse will need to cover the costs.”
“Understood.”
Those raised in the orphanage had been thoroughly trained to handle things with care, so none of them had ever broken anything thus far. But whether this would also be the case in Hasse, I couldn’t say. These books were expensive enough that even some nobles hesitated to buy them, and I didn’t want them treated roughly. The karuta and playing cards would be fine, since they were made of wood, but the books could end up getting ripped to shreds in no time, which would easily make me madder than the former mayor’s rudeness had. There was no doubt about that.
I next signaled for Monika to take out the ink and notepads from her box, the latter of which were made from dud paper. She handed both to Achim and Egon.
“And now for your second job,” I continued. “You are to gather and write down stories from the people of Hasse.”
“Stories?”
“Yes. Just as nobles have tales about knights and the temple has stories of the gods, commoners have tales that only they know. Hasse might have ones from traveling merchants, or local stories that have circulated through farming towns for generations. They will all one day become material for my books, so I ask you to use this opportunity to write them down. In truth, this job is more important than anything else.”
This was my true objective, one I revealed to neither Ferdinand nor the townsfolk who worshiped me as a deeply compassionate saint. What I truly wanted from this was a collection of stories known only to commoners. And the name of my plan? Operation Grimm. I would collect stories from all over the country—tales that had been passed down through oral tradition.
Hasse was only the beginning. Assuming things worked out there, I would send gray priests to winter mansions all over, under the guise of teaching commoners how to properly speak to nobles. I would then gather stories from the noble-ruled provinces while spreading printing workshops. The workers would no doubt jump to collect them for me if a set sum was offered for each one. Then, once Ehrenfest was conquered, I would move on to collecting stories from other duchies as well. My ambitions were endless.
I hope it goes well. Operation Grimm... Eheheh.
My plan was to raise the literacy rate among commoners in the meantime, but books being too expensive for them to buy had really thrown a wrench in the works. There was also the likelihood that more than a few people would discover the joy of reading, only to go insane from not having access to any new books. That was a feeling I knew all too well—one that was much too sad to put others through. From the bottom of my heart, I hoped to make them available enough that even commoners could soon fund book rooms for their winter mansions.
The day came for the Plantin Company’s carriage to leave for Hasse ahead of the Harvest Festival. Those heading to the monastery were loading luggage into the carriages, with other members of the orphanage helping them. Meanwhile, those going to the winter mansion were getting ready to travel separately with me, since I was leaving for the festival itself.
“The carriage will have the same number of people on the return trip. But do take care—the orphans in Hasse include pre-baptism children.”
“Understood. Ah... It seems the soldiers have arrived.”
While the gray priests were loading the Plantin Company’s carriages, the soldiers who would be guarding them arrived. Dad was marching enthusiastically at the front. I hadn’t seen him in such a long time. I gave him a smile, and upon meeting my gaze, he returned a grin and knelt in front of me.
“Thank you for coming, Gunther. We are enlisting your aid once again.”
“Honorable High Bishop, you can always count on us to help when you are in need,” Dad said in a polite tone. The other soldiers promptly followed up with lively responses of their own.
“I’ll rush over here way faster than, er... I shall arrive swifter than the commander himself.”
“I will too. Just say the word.”
“Shut it, you two. You’re being disrespectful,” Dad said, silencing them with a glare.
“I see you are once again accompanied by a hearty group of soldiers,” I said with a giggle. “It is thanks to all of you that I can rest easy, knowing my gray priests will remain safe outside the city walls.”
“They will indeed. I await the chance to see you again at the monastery.”
And so, after the briefest of exchanges, I sent the carriages off to Hasse. With the Plantin Company gone, it was time for me to prepare for my own departure. I planned to bring several books with me to the Harvest Festival this year; I wouldn’t be able to survive the heated fervor for long without some good stories to relax with.
“Milady, it is a pleasure to work with you again this year.”
“Oh, the pleasure is all mine, Justus.”
Justus was coming along as a tax official, while Eckhart and Brigitte were serving as my guard knights. Ferdinand had instructed that Eckhart and Damuel swap places for this mission, since Damuel and Brigitte alone wouldn’t have been able to stop Justus’s rampages.
“Eckhart, I entrust them all to you. May we meet again in Dorvan,” Ferdinand said.
“Yes, sir!” Eckhart replied, then turning to look at Damuel. “Until then, I trust you to guard Lord Ferdinand in my stead.”
“Understood.”
After enduring an endless list of warnings from Ferdinand for what felt like an eternity, I climbed into my already-prepared Pandabus. Achim and Egon were inside, as well as Fran, Monika, Nicola, Hugo, and Rosina—the latter two coming with me as my personal chef and musician, respectively.
Ella was staying home for this one—our journey was set to be a long one, and Hugo simply had more stamina. Instead, she would be making food for the orphans and my other attendants while I was gone. Fritz and Zahm were staying behind as well, the latter of whom was being entrusted with running the entire temple while Ferdinand was gone.
Who had it harder between us? It was impossible to say.
“Well, Ferdinand, I’m off. May we meet again in Dorvan.”
“Do try not to cause any problems.”
“We’ll see.”
“That is not an answer,” he sighed, rubbing his temples. But I simply avoided making eye contact and gripped Lessy’s steering wheel. I poured mana into him, stepped on the gas pedal, and up into the air we went.
So began my long journey for the Harvest Festival.
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