Apprentice Shrine Maiden Volume 4
Page 16
“Fascinating. Sounds like he’s got a list of crimes to his name. Count Bindewald, you’re under arrest. Your crimes are illegally entering my city and attacking my daughter alongside her knight bodyguard,” Sylvester said in a firm tone that left no room for argument. “As for the mysterious attack on the carriages during Spring Prayer, I was there with them. It will be taken as a declaration of war from your duchy’s archduke. You are a criminal who has greatly disturbed inter-duchy politics; you will be interrogated, I will question Aub Ahrensbach on whether he does intend to declare war, and then your fate will be decided. Get him.”
Karstedt made his wand appear and brought it down in a sharp slash, which sent bands of light just like the ones wrapped around the High Bishop flying out from its tip. Bindewald, his eyes rolled back in his head and foam bubbling at his mouth, was captured without any resistance.
Karstedt then strode to the door leading to the Noble’s Gate, threw it open, and shot a beam of light up into the sky. The Noble’s Gate opened, and the Knight’s Order—having apparently been waiting behind it—marched into the temple to retrieve Bindewald and the unconscious Damuel. That was when Sylvester, who had been watching them out of the corner of his eye, shifted his gaze to the High Bishop.
“Sylvester, we do not even know what woman gave birth to Ferdinand. There is no need for you to pay any mind to the likes of him. And how were you ever fooled into adopting a despicable commoner like Myne? I cannot believe a child like her has corrupted the heart of our duchy’s archduke. Please, cancel the adoption right away,” the High Bishop said haughtily from the ground, still wrapped in bands of light. “This is my sincerest warning as your uncle and you would do well to listen.”
I could tell from Karstedt’s and Ferdinand’s exasperated expressions that this wasn’t the first time he had used that line.
“Ferdinand may have been born from a different mother, but he is still my little brother. He is skilled and his work is true. I will not have you scorn him.”
“You cannot trust a half-blood relative! My older sister—”
“Your circumstances are your own. We are different.”
...The High Priest is the archduke’s half-brother, and the son of the last archduke? Okay, that explains why the Knight’s Order would kneel to him.
His past caught me by surprise. I could imagine that the High Bishop and Sylvester’s mother were always trying to get in the way of their friendship. Maybe the High Priest had joined the temple due to something like that.
“You are my beloved nephew, Sylvester—the precious son of my older sister. I do not want you to suffer any misfortune. Please listen to my warning,” the High Bishop pleaded like a desperate old man.
Sylvester looked down at him with cold eyes. “I am Aub Ehrenfest, and I will not repeat the same mistake forever. As archduke, I will abandon my familial sympathy and have you punished in accordance with the law.”
“What?! Veronica will never accept this!”
Apparently, whenever the High Bishop broke any laws, Sylvester’s mother would get involved and smooth over the situation for her little brother. I had been wondering why he was always so arrogant and aggressive, but now I understood—he really could do whatever he wanted when he had the archduke’s mother compensating for his lack of status.
“Uncle, you went too far this time. Mother can no longer protect you. She too will be charged with forging documents and assisting in criminal acts.”
It looked like Sylvester would be charging his own mother in order to punish the High Bishop. I could guess that, in the past, his mother had only ever protected the High Bishop, never going as far as to commit crimes that could be traced back to her. But this time she had disobeyed the orders of the archduke and forged documents to allow an outsider into the city—a clear-cut crime, regardless of whether or not the archduke was her son. Sylvester no doubt intended to punish both his mother and his uncle in one fell swoop.
“Sylvester, you intend to turn your own mother into a criminal?! You will not escape from such a horrible act unharmed!”
“And that is your fault!” Sylvester barked after the High Bishop yelled in protest. “You have committed so many crimes that I can no longer even count them. Mother protected you out of love each time, and now it has come to this. You will be executed for your countless crimes, and Mother will be confined to her villa. You are not needed in my politics,” he concluded flatly.
The spark faded from the High Bishop’s eyes and he looked at Sylvester with an ashen expression, like a fire that had burnt out. But archdukes did not go back on their word.
“Take the High Bishop and his attendants away.”
“Yes, sir!”
It seemed that just like how any crimes I committed would bring punishment to my family and attendants, any crimes the High Bishop committed would bring punishment to his attendants. The knights called by Karstedt first picked up the restrained High Bishop, then went to his room to get his attendants. The shrine maidens by the door were captured as well, with one of them being Delia, who raised her head and looked desperately around for help.
Our eyes met for just a second. She lowered her gaze with a defeated smile, then held out Dirk. “Sister Myne, please take care of Dirk.”
Her furrowed brow, lowered eyes, and trembling frown felt all too familiar; she had looked the same way when she had told me she wished I had saved her as well back when I started restructuring the orphanage.
A sharp stab of pain pierced my heart. I had made her a promise back then: I had told her that I’d be there for her the next time she was in trouble, that I would save her when she needed it.
I nodded to myself, then lifted my head. “Lord Sylvester, I have a request.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“May I ask you not to execute Delia?”
“Why?” Sylvester asked, his deep-green eyes already gleaming with interest.
“Delia was simply tricked by Count Bindewald and the High Bishop. It is true that she made a lot of mistakes here, but she wasn’t acting maliciously. Not to mention, she was only the High Bishop’s attendant for a brief time, and given her very young age, I don’t think she was involved in his illegal activities or flower offering at all.”
“...Hm. True, but she was here and involved in the heart of this conflict, so she can’t escape punishment. As the archduke’s daughter, show me how you would judge her.” His gaze made it clear that she would be executed as normal if he wasn’t satisfied with my response, and I swallowed hard at the strictness hidden within the amusement in his eyes.
“Delia will return to the orphanage that she swore never to visit again if she could help it.”
“That’s all?”
“A-And, erm, she will not be allowed to become anyone’s attendant. As the only escape from the orphanage is being taken as someone’s attendant, this means she will remain there for the rest of her life, forced to stay in the orphanage she hated so much for however many years to come. I believe that is more than enough punishment for her.”
Sylvester glanced at Delia, saw the blood draining from her face, and gave a small nod. “Seems like that will be a good punishment for her. Sure. Consider it done.”
“I thank you. Delia, you will now live in the orphanage. Your job will be to look after the orphans that are brought to us, starting with Dirk.”
“...Understood.” Delia squeezed Dirk in a hug, and her stiff expression softened just a bit.
The New Me
The knights bustled about, tying up the High Bishop and his attendants to take them away. I asked whether there was anything I could do to help, then saw Dirk still limp in Delia’s arms.
“Um, I am worried about Dirk. If possible, I would like to go to the orphanage with Delia to inform Wilma of the circumstances.”
“That’s not important. Let someone else handle it,” Sylvester replied, his arms crossed and feet firmly planted as he looked down at me. “The most important thing here is figurin
g out what’s gonna happen with you, and we haven’t even started on that. Ferdinand, lend us your room.”
“As you wish. Please give me a moment to prepare.” The High Priest smoothly turned around and returned to his room, preparing to welcome Sylvester, the archduke.
Delia hugged Dirk. “Thank you, Sister Myne. I will be fine on my own. Goodbye,” she whispered before starting to walk to the orphanage. I watched her go.
“Are you Myne’s father?”
“Yes, sir. My name is Gunther.”
I turned around to see Dad kneeling before Sylvester, who was looking at him with an expression blank enough that I couldn’t tell what he was thinking at all.
“Call your family. You’re all we need to finish up the adoption papers, but I’ll give you all an opportunity to say your goodbyes.”
“...That is appreciated,” Dad said as he stood up, his legs wobbly and fists tightly clenched. He too wore a blank expression, his low status preventing him from showing the storm of emotions raging within.
“Gunther, one moment. I will have someone show you to the gate,” Fran said as he stood up as well. He winced in pain, then instructed a nearby gray priest to guide Dad to the gate. He didn’t forget to instruct someone to wait at the gate as well, since Dad would be coming back with the family soon.
“Alright, looks like Ferdinand’s all done. Let’s go, Myne.” Sylvester started walking as soon as he saw one of the High Priest’s attendants come out to summon us. Karstedt followed a step behind, having just finished giving instructions to the Knight’s Order. When I started going as well, Fran took a wavy step forward to accompany me.
“Fran, you can go back to my chambers and rest if you’re in too much pain...”
“No, I am your head attendant, Sister Myne. I cannot allow my mistress to face an important discussion like this alone,” he said. There was nothing I could do about the firm resolve in his eyes. I permitted him to follow, and he walked on while doing his best to stop the pain from showing on his face.
Once in the High Priest’s room, I was guided to the table, which had already been prepared for visitors. I sat down in the seat offered to me, but Sylvester and Karstedt went over to the High Priest’s desk to discuss something.
“I am glad to see you well after all that, Sister Myne,” Arno said gently as he pushed a serving cart carrying a tea set over to me. Fran moved to help as usual, but let out a grunt of pain after trying to extend his arm. “Perhaps you should return to your room, Fran? You seem to be in great pain, and she has other attendants who can be here,” Arno murmured in a rebuking tone.
I wasn’t supposed to get involved with conversations between attendants, but I was worried about Fran’s wounds too and wanted to throw my full support behind Arno’s suggestion.
“No, I must stay. I already asked Sister Myne to allow me to accompany her here.”
“You really do lack flexibility, Fran.”
That’s right, Arno! Keep giving it to him! Make Fran agree to rest!
I internally cheered Arno on. I had let Fran join me since he was always so diligent and dedicated to his work, but would really rather he had gone back to his room to rest.
“I do not want to hear that from you, Arno. You could have told us that the High Priest was in his hidden room instead of sticking to the story of him being absent. Some flexibility there would have been much appreciated,” Fran complained, his frustration clear in his voice.
He was right, really—Arno was at times more inflexible than he probably should have been. Maybe that was just because he was the High Priest’s attendant and they all ended up like that. I gave a small smile.
“The tea is all we need. Leave.” The High Priest cleared the room, sending all of our attendants outside. The only ones left were me, the High Priest, Sylvester, and Karstedt. My family would be joining us eventually, but for now it was just us key members.
Sylvester’s archduke persona dropped as soon as the attendants were gone. He slumped over in exhaustion and hung his head. “Sheesh, I’m beat. I never want to put any of my family on trial again.”
“Things will get a lot easier for us after this. For now, just remember it’s not over yet. Keep your back straight,” Karstedt said, giving the slumped Sylvester a slap on the back.
Sylvester bent his lips into a frown and sent a glare in my direction. “Karstedt, think about it—what’s the point in acting big in front of Myne at this point? She understands me already.”
“If you’re going to be her adoptive father, you’ve got to at least stay sharp at the beginning,” Karstedt chastised. He honestly seemed like he would be a much more reliable adoptive father than Sylvester—so I thought for the thousandth time while watching their back-and-forth.
“If the High Bishop is your uncle, and the High Priest you’ve been so friendly with is your half-brother from another mother, is it safe to say you are related to Lord Karstedt by blood too?” I asked. Karstedt was close enough to Sylvester to hit him—the archduke—on the head alongside the High Priest. It was more likely than not that he was a blood relative too.
“Yeah, Karstedt’s my cousin—the son of my dad’s older brother.”
“Older brother? Wait, then how is succession determined here?” Apparently it wasn’t determined by age. Maybe the youngest son took over?
As I blinked in surprise, Sylvester looked at me with a baffled expression. “What else would it be determined by if not mana? The most important thing for someone ruling a duchy is having enough mana to keep it afloat, so successors are generally chosen from the first wife’s kids, especially since she’ll have a lot of political influence through her side of the family.”
“I see... Even ruling duchies requires mana.”
“...I forgot since you talk to us like it’s nothing, but you really don’t know anything about this place, huh?”
What was common sense for nobles wasn’t even known by adults born and raised in the lower city, so it would be pretty unreasonable to expect me to know these things. I pouted, and Sylvester hardened his expression while still slumped over.
“Myne, let’s be a little serious for a second.”
“Okay.”
“The adoption was more or less completed when you stamped your blood against the contract necklace I gave you, but we’re going to need to pull some tricks to make sure this actually works.”
Apparently, they were first going to pass me off as Karstedt’s daughter and then have Sylvester adopt me. It was like money laundering, but for identity.
“Is there any significance to me becoming Karstedt’s daughter?”
“Absolutely. Can’t you tell there’s a big difference between a commoner being adopted by the archduke and the daughter of an archnoble descended from a former archduke being adopted by the archduke?”
“That’s true, but what’s the point when so many from the Knight’s Order already know I’m a commoner?” They would be able to draw a connection between the blue-robed commoner shrine maiden and the archduke’s adoptive daughter the second they saw me. Surely they would question where all this business about me being Karstedt’s daughter came from.
“That’s just the Knight’s Order. Karstedt and Ferdinand can take care of that. The story’s gonna be that you’re Karstedt’s beloved daughter.”
“Um, ‘the story’? I don’t see any way this isn’t going to be seen through right away. Am I the crazy one here?” There had been about twenty knights who had seen me during the trombe extermination; it was far too late to start saying that I was Karstedt’s daughter if you asked me.
“Nah, it’s surprisingly easy to mess with people’s memories. Karstedt doted on his now-dead third wife, and you’re her daughter,” Sylvester said flatly with a shake of his head.
“The daughter of his third wife?”
“Right. Karstedt’s third wife was of humble mednoble origin, but she had a wealth of mana. That led to his first two archnoble wives picking on her relentlessly.”
“She died not long after giving birth to you, and in order to save you from the same fate as your mother, Karstedt had you raised out of sight in the temple. He hid your origin for safety’s sake, and my uncle misunderstood that to mean you’re a commoner. He tricked countless people with his complaining, and due to his lies an innocent knight even ended up executed. My uncle’s crimes know no bounds.”
...The High Bishop’s list of crimes keeps getting longer with things he didn’t do! My jaw dropped at Sylvester’s bare-faced audacity, and after a second of blinking in surprise, I looked at Karstedt and the High Priest. They both looked exasperated.
“But Lord Karstedt and I made it clear that it was our first meeting back during the trombe extermination.”
“Of course the commander of the Knight’s Order is gonna keep his private and public life separate—no commander would get all friendly with his secret daughter during a mission. We just have to say he was doing his job properly.” Sylvester seemed intent on sticking to that story, but it seemed hard to believe that anyone would buy something like that. It just didn’t add up, and since I couldn’t believe Sylvester, I turned to the High Priest for reassurance.
“Would a half-baked story like that hold water in noble society?”
“Myne, you may not remember this, but Christine was in the temple for fairly similar reasons.”
The High Priest’s cold words brought the memories flooding back. My main impression of Christine was that she was an artistic shrine maiden and the former mistress of Wilma and Rosina, but I did seem to remember something about her being a noble’s daughter who was raised in the temple because her father’s first wife disliked her. He had sent her money and tutors so that she could be welcomed back into noble society when it was safer for her.
“Well, a living example does make the story seem more believable. But would you really want a daughter with that kind of background, Lord Karstedt?”