Research (10)
Once my mind had settled a little, I set about taking stock of the situation.
It was already evening. The young master was staying in the same inn, just on a different floor. And Sister Mary had been fretting over whether it was time for dinner…
“You woke up at just the right moment, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, well…”
She still hadn’t decided what to do about dinner.
“If it’s inconvenient, just have it brought up here. Decide whatever’s most comfortable for you.”
I appreciated the consideration for my first time dealing with this, but the way she kept watching my every reaction only made me more uncomfortable.
“Let’s go downstairs.”
I needed to see the young master anyway, and I hated the idea of moping around the room like some pitiful creature. Once I’d made up my mind, I pulled on an outer robe and headed down.
Maybe it was because I was wearing two pairs of panties, but my crotch felt faintly awkward.
I’ll get used to it soon enough… right?
The first floor of the inn was, of course, a tavern and dining hall combined. Guests lounged about, eating, drinking, and chattering away.
“I wonder where Maximilian is…”
Sister Mary went ahead and scanned the room. We had to consider the possibility he was still upstairs in his own chamber.
“Doesn’t look like he’s here, so let’s just claim a table.”
Finding a decent spot and tipping a staff member to fetch him might be the easier route.
We settled into a suitable place.
“If you’re hungry, feel free to order first.”
“No, we should eat together.”
I hadn’t eaten much for breakfast or lunch, yet I didn’t feel particularly hungry. The stress had been so heavy that even the thought of food felt like a chore. Still, I knew I’d sleep better with something in my stomach, so I’d come down.
After waiting a while with no sign of the young master, I asked a waiter to call for my companion. Of course it wasn’t free—I handed over a silver coin as a tip. Money worked wonders; the waiter beamed and hurried off to carry out the request.
“Are you all right?”
The moment Maximilian came downstairs, he asked after me first thing.
“Yes, I’m a bit better now.”
Honestly, a lingering heaviness and sudden, baseless irritation still flared up now and then, but it was within the range I could manage.
He didn’t press for details. He simply stayed quiet.
“Then let’s have dinner.”
Sister Mary insisted that an evening meal ought to be hearty, so the table ended up rather lavish. We had money to spare, but it still felt wasteful…
That thought vanished the moment I actually tasted the food.
Proper ingredients and a skilled cook’s touch made everything incomparably better than the rough fare I usually ate. I’d planned to take only a little because of my lack of appetite, yet I ended up eating far more than expected.
“There’s more here—please take some.”
“You sure?”
I spoke with my mouth still full.
“I’m fine. So eat slowly.”
Maximilian smiled brightly as he transferred food onto my plate. It looked like vegetables wrapped in ham and cooked, finished with a sweetish sauce—truly delicious. The portions were small, only two pieces per plate…
And he was giving his share to me.
“Are you really sure?”
I swallowed what was in my mouth and asked again.
“Yes. I was worried you weren’t eating properly earlier.”
He added that he would gladly share anything else I wanted.
“S-sorry about this…”
After a moment’s hesitation I ate what he’d given me. Right now, looking after my body mattered more than refusing out of pride.
Once I’d eaten my fill and my stomach was comfortably full, my mood lifted.
So this is how important a sense of fullness can be… My lower belly still ached and that sticky discomfort lingered, but somehow it no longer bothered me as much.
“Hah… I feel alive again.”
“That’s a relief.”
Sister Mary looked at me with an expression of finally being able to relax. I felt a little guilty…
“Then let’s decide what to do from here.”
We would rest at the inn tonight, but what about tomorrow? The day after?
We needed to settle our schedule going forward.
“Well…”
A few days of rest sounded fine to me… though in that case we would have to change lodgings.
Even with money to spare, we couldn’t afford to stay long-term at a place this expensive.
“If you’re unwell, staying a few days is perfectly fine.”
More important was figuring out exactly where we were.
“So where is this place, precisely?”
Maximilian explained at once. Some viscount’s territory or other. Nothing special in the way of local products, but it sat on the road to the capital, so plenty of travelers passed through.
“Huh…”
Did that mean there might be interesting goods around? I was feeling much better now. But later? Who could say. That made it hard to lock down a firm schedule.
“If you plan to stay several days, it would still be better to go to the temple…”
Sister Mary spoke, and I nodded.
It was a hassle, but inn fees didn’t simply appear out of thin air…
The problem was that once we went to a temple, word of me would keep spreading.
“Either way has its issues.”
Still, if I had to choose, the temple was the better option.
“For now, let’s stay a few days.”
No matter how I looked at it, I wanted a few days of rest. The events in that village had left me thoroughly stressed; I wanted to take it easy and enjoy myself, even if only for a short while.
“Then that’s what we’ll do.”
My single word settled the matter. Next came the lodging problem…
“We’ll stay here only tonight and move tomorrow.”
This place was simply too expensive.
The private bath and soft bed were nice, but twenty gold was still far too much.
“We can request funds once we reach a temple…”
Given my status, the church was supposedly ready to empty its coffers if I asked…
“No need.”
That money belonged to the people living at the temples. A little might be fine, but I had no intention of spending freely. Besides, I’d lived as a commoner until now; a life of luxury still felt unfamiliar.
Of course, when the time came to enjoy something, I would…
Once the discussion roughly wrapped up, we returned to the room. I went into the bathroom and changed the silk cloth.
I’d only moved around long enough to eat, yet that damned blood kept coming so heavily…
“What should we do about the bed?”
The special suite was large and the bed itself was big… but there was only one of them.
“We’ll all share.”
I have to sleep between the women?! I felt as though I was losing more of my masculinity with every passing moment.
Especially my sister—she knew I used to be a man, so why did she say something like that so casually…
In my current condition I couldn’t win against the two of them. I did try a bit of rebellion, saying I’d sleep on the sofa over there…
“Then we’ll sleep on the floor.”
Sister Mary said it, and my sister echoed her.
“N-no…”
“Yuli, you’re not well.”
“Saintess…”
I couldn’t properly meet the worried eyes of my sister or Sister Mary’s pitiful way of calling me Saintess. I surrendered.
My final bit of resistance was insisting on sleeping on the outer side. If I lay in the middle I would definitely end up sandwiched between them.
When morning came and I opened my eyes, I headed straight for the bathroom. Damn period…
I washed my body first thing, rinsed out the underwear, and put on a fresh pair. Once the blood dried and stiffened, the sticky itch became almost unbearable.
“You’re up early.”
When I stepped out after washing, Sister Mary was already rising.
“I slept a lot yesterday.”
I sat blankly in a chair for a while, then we ate breakfast, packed our things, and left the inn.
“Goodbye, soft bed…”
“If you’re that attached, we can stay longer.”
“We have to save money.”
As I’d said yesterday, you had to save when you could.
We stepped outside at an hour when people were already bustling about, so there was plenty to look at. Merchants hawking wares, laborers hard at work building houses…
“This place actually smells like people live here.”
That other village… ugh, never mind. Better not talk about it.
My condition was clearly better than yesterday. The cramps still hurt, but whether because I now understood the cause or because I was simply getting used to it, I could keep my emotions under control.
“There are fresh fruits.”
“Shall we buy some to eat?”
They looked as if they’d just been picked; the quality was excellent. Fruits were full of vitamins, weren’t they? Good for the body, surely.
Maximilian bought some at once, and I took a bite. Being in season, they were perfectly sweet and tart.
We wandered the city while eating the fruit.
“It really is different when nobles live in a place.”
The complete contrast with that other village put my heart at ease.
“Haha…”
Because I kept bringing up that village, everyone else stayed quiet. Even I didn’t fully understand why I was doing it—I just felt irritated and ended up bad-mouthing the place.
After pondering where to go next, I decided on the temple.
“Really?”
Sister Mary’s face lit up.
“I don’t plan on revealing who I am.”
I simply felt like offering a short prayer. We asked people on the street for directions, found the temple, and headed there.
And when we arrived…
“It’s small.”
“It is small.”
“Tiny.”
Sister Mary looked faintly flustered by the shabby appearance of the temple.
“It seems smaller than the one in the barony.”
The barony had temples for several denominations, yet this town apparently had only this single one.
The size and development of the city looked similar, so why the difference? Perhaps because the main cathedral was relatively close?
How small was the building? About the size of a modest house. The grounds were tiny as well…
We carefully stepped inside. At least it was still a proper temple; the chapel was intact, if humble.
“Welcome.”
An elderly nun greeted us the moment we entered the chapel.
“Good day to you.”
We exchanged simple greetings as fellow believers of the same goddess, then asked the questions on our minds.
“Heh heh… this place used to be larger and grander once.”
Her explanation was rather pitiful. The main cathedral lay only a few days’ travel away, and beyond that stood a major city. Ordained priests and nuns simply had no reason to choose this place as their post.
“It can’t be helped.”
Everyone wanted an important role in a grand temple. A middling town like this offered no scholarly exchange, making personal research difficult as well…
So priests and nuns avoided it. Fewer clergy were assigned, the existing ones transferred elsewhere, and the temple’s scale gradually shrank…
“That’s a shame.”
“It’s all right. This old woman will simply see it through to the end.”
Sister Mary and I looked at her with sympathy. Since that was what she herself wished, there was nothing we could do for her even if we wanted to.
After the conversation ended, I quietly offered a prayer.
“This is modest, but please accept it as an offering.”
I took ten gold from my purse and held it out to the elderly nun.
“Oh, no need. There’s only me here anyway—such a large sum is unnecessary.”
She firmly refused, so I drew out my token to persuade her. The old nun stared at the pendant for a long moment; when she saw the Saintess’s emblem inside, she started in shock.
“S-Saintess…?”
“Yes.”
She must never have heard the news; she knew nothing of the oracle.
“This money came from the temple to begin with, so please don’t feel burdened. Just accept it.”
“But… isn’t this money meant for the Saintess?”
“Exactly. So I get to spend it where I want.”
When I said it with a smile, the nun accepted the coins with a look of resignation.
Having successfully pressed the money into her hands, we left the chapel.
“Please stay healthy.”
“May the Goddess’s blessing walk with you on your path, Saintess.”
Hoping the elderly nun would remain well, I left the temple.
Mm… doing a good deed really does lift the spirits!