Chapter 19……………………………..
A few days later, I was smoothly promoted to a fully ordained priest. Since I ranked first, I was proudly assigned to the Holy See.
I was packing my things to move into the new room I’d been assigned.
The shared dormitory where the apprentice priests lived was noisy and buzzing.
“Did you hear about Priest Leia getting expelled? Apparently she bribed someone to alter her exam scores.”
“I knew it. Just from the way she acted every day, she didn’t seem suitable to be a priest.”
“Right? How can someone who even skips morning prayers become a priest? Honestly, it was suspicious.”
“I heard that Priest Robert, who took a bribe from Leia—no, from Leia, not Priest Leia anymore—got expelled from the Holy State too.”
I had already heard the general situation from Cassius when we met during morning prayers.
It was Schwarz who gathered all the evidence of Leia’s wrongdoing.
He helped me…
After becoming part of the Holy See, I had intended to investigate Leia and Robert myself. It would have taken quite some time to uncover their misconduct on my own.
Thanks to Schwarz stepping in, the matter was resolved quickly.
After finishing my packing, I made sure to take the paper bag Schwarz had given me.
There were still two or so cookies left, the ones I shared with Elli.
There were many kinds of cookies inside. It looked like he didn’t know what to choose, so he just grabbed one of everything in the shop.
No way… did he buy these himself?
Imagining that big man stepping into a dessert shop to pick out cookies was unexpectedly cute.
I’d only ever thought of avoiding him because he was scary, but seeing things like this made him seem like a good person.
Next time we meet, I should definitely thank him.
I finished packing and stepped outside.
The priests who had been noisily chatting in the dorm lobby suddenly rushed over toward me.
“Priest Sonia! You’ll be working in the Holy See from now on, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“A few days ago, when you guided the young marquess, I happened to be with His Grace the Grand Duke of Lyndmere. Just standing still next to him was terrifying!”
The priest shuddered as if remembering the Grand Duke.
“Even in front of such a scary person, you didn’t tremble at all—amazing. I think Priest Sonia is perfect for guiding nobles. I’m rooting for you!”
I also thought the job suited me well, but His Holiness hadn’t given permission…
“Thank you.”
I thanked them for their support and headed to the Holy See.
After becoming a fully ordained priest, I received custom-tailored robes and a new room.
Since full priests lived alone without roommates, the room was somewhat smaller.
But after living with Elli for years, it still felt spacious to me.
I changed into my new priest’s robe and stood before the mirror. It was the official robe for fully ordained priests—embroidered and laced in parts, and exclusive to those belonging to the Holy See.
I really became a priest of the Holy See.
It felt new. I straightened my posture and headed toward the Holy See building.
“Hello, Priest Sonia.”
“Hello.”
There weren’t many people working directly under the Holy See. So I was walking through the corridors, carefully memorizing each person’s face.
From far away, a towering stack of documents was wobbling its way toward me.
I couldn’t see the person’s face due to all the papers, but they looked like they were in danger, so I wanted to help.
I approached quietly so I wouldn’t startle them and whispered softly.
“Would you like some help?”
“…Who is that?”
Oh, a familiar voice.
“It’s Sonia—the newly promoted priest.”
“Ah! Priest Sonia. Perfect timing.”
No wonder the voice was familiar—it was Isaac.
He set the pile of documents down on the floor with a thud.
Someone of his rank—a cardinal—could easily call an assistant to handle this, yet he was doing it himself.
Are these important documents?
My eyes were naturally drawn to the stack.
Isaac cleared his throat loudly, as if telling me not to look.
“These are classified. The contents are terrifying enough to make you regret reading them.”
Then I definitely shouldn’t look.
I quickly shifted my gaze back to Isaac.
“Wise choice. If you read them, you’d have to pull all-nighters with me for a month. Anyway, since we’ve met, I’d like to assign you a task.”
Since I technically had no duties until Cassius officially granted permission, I had plenty of free time. I nodded.
“What task?”
“His Holiness has ordered preparations for his bath. As you can see, I’m buried in documents, so please take my place.”
I tensed up at the word “bath.”
Ugh… maybe because I’d seen his body once, I couldn’t help but imagine it again despite trying not to.
Seeing that I looked slightly tense, Isaac continued.
“There’s not much to do. His Holiness hates showing his body, so he does almost everything by himself.”
Something about that made my heart feel heavy.
He must dislike showing others his body because of the curse.
And yet Cassius had willingly shown his body to me.
He didn’t know anything at the time, but still… I felt guilty for staring at him so intently.
“All you need to do is take towels and a robe from the cupboard outside the bath and set them aside. I’d show you myself, but I’m too backed up with work. Will you be alright on your own?”
Normally, assisting with a bath meant drying the person afterward and helping them into a robe.
But Cassius was different. Because of the curse, he probably dried himself.
Taking out towels and a robe was easy enough.
“I can do it.”
“I like your confidence. Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“Take care.”
He handed me the key and directions to the bath, then picked up the documents again and slowly walked away.
Okay, let’s get started!
It was my first assignment as a priest of the Holy See.
I steeled myself and headed to the bath.
The bath was not far from Cassius’s bedroom. A massive flame was painted on the door.
This must be a place with strong fire-attribute holy power.
Wow… it’s huge.
Judging from the size of the door alone, it could rival the Grand Hall of the royal palace.
I had assumed a “bathroom” meant a room with a tub, but at this scale it was practically a public bathhouse.
The door was firmly locked—likely to prevent any mishaps.
Using Isaac’s key, I unlocked the door, stepped inside, and locked it behind me.
Warmth and humidity enveloped me the moment I entered.
This must be the preparation room.
It looked like a place for changing clothes and storing items.
As Isaac instructed, I found the cupboard and took out neatly dried towels and a robe.
Then I moved toward the bath entrance.
Warm steam was flowing out from behind long curtains.
Judging from the surroundings, there must be something like a hot spring inside.
At the entrance stood a small marble table. I placed the folded towel and robe on top.
Task complete.
There was no reason for me to stay longer.
I should go out and try to learn the faces of the priests working here.
“Isaac? You’re late.”
At that moment, Cassius’s voice came from inside the bath.
“It’s Sonia, Your Holiness. Lord Isaac was busy, so I came in his stead.”
SPLASH! A loud water sound came from inside.
Bathrooms are full of accidents.
Many people slip here due to the wet floors. If you’re unlucky, you can twist your back or even get a concussion.
Worried he might have been hurt, I asked quickly:
“Is something wrong?”
“N–No. Nothing.”
It seemed nothing serious happened.
“In that case, I’ll take my leave.”
“…Do you have many tasks today?”
“Embarrassingly… I don’t have anything to do today.”
What if he thinks I’m slacking?
I recalled Isaac saying he’d be pulling all-nighters for a month. Afraid I’d be dragged into that, I answered quickly.
“If I don’t have work, I should look for some. The Holy See is understaffed, so I’m sure there’s something I can do.”
“If you don’t mind, keep me company.”
“Keep you company?”
“It’s boring being alone.”
Attending to the pontiff was part of my duties.
Providing conversation for the one you serve is one of the most basic roles.
“I’m lacking, but please take care of me.”
“…Don’t think too much of it as work. I just want to talk.”
Ah, he noticed my reply was too formal.
Feeling awkward, I scratched my cheek.
“Sonia, how long do you intend to work?”
How long…?
Hmm. Come to think of it, I’d only ever focused on becoming a priest. I hadn’t thought about what came afterward. Now that I was on the verge of becoming a high priest…
“…I’ve never really thought about it.”
“Do you have no intention of returning to secular life?”
Returning to secular life meant taking off the priest’s robes and going back to society.
For someone like me, a child of a noble house, it was common to become a priest first and return later.
Being a priest meant you’d studied deeply, learned proper etiquette, and built connections with the Holy State.
You become incredibly popular as a marriage partner. So unless you’re the heir, noble families love sending their children to the Holy State.
But the training was very harsh, so few made it to full priesthood.
Having endured everything, I was probably the top bride candidate in noble society right now.
“Well… I don’t plan to return.”
“Then you intend to remain a priest.”
“Yes.”
I became a priest for reasons different from other noble-born children. So I wouldn’t quit easily.
If I ever returned to secular life, it would only be when I was completely safe from all the obsessive maniac types.
More precisely, when Lancelot—who worked as a perfumer—successfully developed the pheromone perfume.
The pheromone perfume wasn’t imaginary. It had definitely existed in my previous life.
