The Saintess (3)
Once the food arrived, we settled into a quiet breakfast.
Let me be honest!
It was hard! Who would have thought eating could look elegant and refined? I had seen such manners while traveling with the young master, but back then my sister had been beside me, and the atmosphere hadn't demanded much attention to dining etiquette.
But now?
Three cardinals and a nobleman… the four of them, excluding me, ate with perfect form. I kept stealing glances at how the others handled their food and tried to copy them.
As a result, I ate painfully slowly.
There was plenty of meat, the bread was soft, the soup and salad were delicious, and the portions were generous… yet I couldn't properly enjoy any of it.
When that uncomfortable breakfast finally ended, warm tea was served, and I felt a little more at ease.
"Saintess, what are your plans for today?"
The female cardinal asked, and I hesitated for a moment.
I hadn't decided on anything in particular.
"Hmm… I thought I might look around the temple and see a bit of the city."
"In the afternoon, I would very much like to observe your alchemy."
Of course it came to that…
"That shouldn't be a problem."
It was a shame the technique was still incomplete, though…
"If there is anything you require, please let us know in advance and we shall have it prepared."
"Yes, I'll leave that to you."
The cardinals didn't seem to have gathered for any particular business; they simply filled the time with idle small talk.
"One last request, if I may."
The elderly man who looked the oldest among them spoke, his expression faintly peculiar.
"Of course. If it's something I can do for you."
The three cardinals exchanged glances, then nodded.
"Would you grant us the honor of seeing your Holy Scar? We do not ask this out of any doubt regarding your identity as the Saintess. We simply wish to behold the Goddess's mark with our own eyes."
The Holy Scar…
Apparently, one of them had seen a Saint from afar as a child.
"The Holy Scar…"
Given where mine was located, the request left me a little flustered. The nun's habit was a one-piece dress, so showing my lower back inevitably meant exposing my backside.
"I-if the gentlemen would step outside, I can show you…"
I stammered, burning with embarrassment. Even if there wasn't much to look at, baring my body in front of others was mortifying no matter how you sliced it.
The three cardinals briefly dismissed the priests, and the young master left the room as well, however reluctantly. Only a few nuns and the three cardinals remained.
They're not men — they're old men… so it's not embarrassing…!
I repeated it to myself like a mantra, trying to brainwash the shame away.
"Hah…"
Steeling myself, I turned around and lifted the hem of my skirt. As the fabric rose, my calves came into view. I kept going — thighs, then my backside — and a wave of humiliation washed over me.
What kind of Holy Scar is this, that I have to endure such indignity for it? Still, if I gritted my teeth and showed it just this once, they probably wouldn't ask again.
Gathering the hem that had already climbed past my hips, I yanked it higher and bared my lower back.
A chorus of awestruck gasps followed.
"Is that enough?"
Unable to bear the shame any longer, I let go of the fabric. The soft rustle of cloth falling back into place brought instant relief.
"We are truly sorry."
"It's fine."
My face was so hot I couldn't look at them. Ugh, that had been genuinely humiliating. Pretending nothing had happened, I walked over to the window, opened it, and cooled my burning cheeks in the morning breeze.
What followed was uneventful. The cardinals apologized for their rudeness, assured me that the Church would always stand ready to assist me, and informed me that they would deliver a token tonight that could serve as proof of my identity.
I had a Holy Scar, yes — but it was in a place I couldn't casually display, so they would provide a substitute.
"That sounds fine."
"Then we shall make the arrangements. We apologize once more for the imposition."
I doubted I'd need it often, but it would come in handy whenever I required the temple's help.
Once the cardinals, priests, and nuns withdrew, I could finally catch my breath.
"Are you all right?"
"Ah — Young Master…"
"Yes. I was just getting some air."
"What do you intend to do now?"
What should I do…
"I don't really have any plans."
"Then how about a walk through the temple? It might help with digestion as well."
Hmm… my sister would still need time to wake up and eat breakfast anyway.
A short stroll in the meantime didn't sound bad.
"All right."
He smiled brightly and held out his hand.
"Shall we, then?"
As always, he extended his hand toward me. It seemed to be the noble way of offering an escort… unfortunately, I didn't know enough about aristocratic manners to respond properly.
If I'd been a proper noble young lady, I would have answered beautifully here, wouldn't I? Sorry about that.
"Let's go."
I swept past him, and the young master followed with a wry smile.
This really was the headquarters of the faith — the temple was enormous.
"It's remarkably clean."
The corridors had been scrubbed so thoroughly that barely a speck of dirt marked the floors.
"It is, isn't it?"
Both the young master and I were dressed in priest's and nun's robes, so no one gave us strange looks. We were a little slow to return greetings at first, not knowing the proper etiquette for passing others in the halls, but after one or two encounters we managed well enough.
Unsure which areas were off-limits, we wandered for quite a while — but the paintings and stained glass lining the walls made the detour enjoyable in its own right.
After a long meander through the temple interior, we stepped outside and found not a garden, but farmland.
"There's a field inside the temple grounds."
"Is it not a garden?"
"Pardon?"
His question caught me off guard for a second. There were flowers blooming, true enough — but most of them were edible ones.
Then again, would a noble young master even recognize something like this? He had probably only ever seen the flashy, ornamental kind.
"Those flowers over there are potato blossoms. The ones farther off are wheat. I'm not entirely sure about the others, but they'll probably bear fruit."
"I-is that so?"
"First time seeing them?"
Some I knew from the village; others I'd only seen in illustrated guides.
"Those are potatoes, you say?"
"Yes. You have to remove the flowers for the potatoes to grow nice and full, so people usually pick them off."
The blossoms hadn't fully matured yet, but removing them was still the better choice if you wanted a good harvest.
"So that's why one rarely sees them."
"Exactly."
"With wheat, once those flowers fade and the heads ripen, they become the grain."
"You know a great deal about this."
"Well, we grow them in the village too."
Beyond that, though, I didn't know much more…
"Ah — this one I recognize."
The flowers growing along the edge of the field were lilies of the valley.
"Those are lilies of the valley, aren't they?"
"Oh, you know them?"
"Yes, well…"
How hard had I studied those field guides? Besides, this one had such distinctive features that it was easy to remember.
"A lovely flower, isn't it?"
"A poisonous one, though."
For an adult, eating a little wouldn't kill you — just give you a stomachache — but in larger amounts, or for small children, it was dangerous.
"P-poisonous?"
"You didn't know? Lily of the valley is quite toxic. Eat it wrong and your heart can stop."
I said it with a smile, and the young master's face went slightly pale.
"Well, they do say every beautiful flower has its thorns."
I leaned in and breathed in the scent of the lilies. It really did smell wonderful… no wonder people had tried so hard to turn it into perfume. In my previous life, plenty of companies had attempted it and ultimately failed. They managed similar fragrances, but—
"Rather like you."
"Pardon?"
I thought the young master had said something, but his voice was too quiet to catch.
"It was nothing."
"Maybe I should pick a few…"
I wonder what kind of poison I could make from these.
"Did you not just say they were poisonous? That would be dangerous."
"You're right…"
A shame, but I'd have to collect some when no one was watching.
We left the field and circled the outside of the temple, and before we knew it, a considerable amount of time had slipped by.
"I'd like to head down into the city soon."
"I'm curious what we'll find there."
I'd earned a fair bit of money — might as well spend some of it, right?
"Yuli!"
While we were talking near the temple entrance, my sister appeared.
"Sister?"
"Were you waiting for me?"
Not really. How did her timing always work out so perfectly?
"No? We were just looking around the temple. Did you eat?"
"Yeah, it was good."
I spent the whole meal watching everyone else's every move!
Next time, I'll be able to eat without fretting over etiquette, right?
"Are you heading out?"
"Yeah. Thought I'd wander around town."
"Then I'm coming too."
My sister pulled a purse from her waist and held it up.
"I brought money."
"I prepared some as well."
The young master showed his own wallet. Wait — I hadn't brought mine?
"Am I the only one who didn't pack anything?"
"It's money we earned together, is it not? We can simply use this for now."
Was that how it worked…?
"Don't you want to buy anything yourself, Young Master?"
"I have nothing particular in mind, so it makes no difference."
"I'm fine too."
Rather than wandering around looking for a room whose location I barely remembered, freeloading off my sister's and the young master's wallets seemed the better option.
"If I end up spending any, I'll pay you back when we return."
"There's no need. Thanks to you, we secured lodging and a morning meal, did we not?"
That was true enough. By presenting my status, we had come to the temple and enjoyed free beds and breakfast.
But that was that, and this was this.
"No. Debts between us should be settled properly."
"Is that so?"
"We're companions, after all."
Yes — companions… or something close to friends. That was exactly why I wanted the accounts kept clean.
"Is that so……"
The young master looked faintly displeased by the answer.
"We're fine going out dressed like this, right?"
All three of us were still in Church vestments.
"Given the nature of this city, this attire will serve us better."
"True."
In a city ruled by the Church, no one would dare try to swindle the faithful. Our priest's and nun's robes would prove quite useful.
"Shall we head out, then?"
"Let's go."
My sister and the young master stepped ahead of me and held out their hands.
"All right. Let's go."
I took both their hands and started for the temple gates.
"Pardon me!"
A Holy Knight standing guard at the entrance called me to a halt.
"Is something the matter?"
"Forgive me for stopping you, Saintess."
Just tell me why — what's there to apologize for…
"This is for you."
"This is…"
What the Holy Knight held out was a pendant.
"When you return later, simply present this."
Ah — so it was for when we came back.
"I'll take it, then."
The Church's emblem was embossed on the pendant's face.
"Then I wish you a pleasant day."
I answered with a smile.
All right — now it was truly time to explore the city!