I went to the cathedral early to attend dinner at the Minister of Finance’s residence and waited for Miss Priestess. The cathedral was as majestic as ever, but I became less and less impressed after so many visits.
“She’s getting ready. Please give her a minute.”
The sister said this with a cheerful smile, but she did not turn her head away. On the contrary, for some reason, she kept staring at me.
I felt a shiver run down my spine, wondering if I had said something lewd.
“Is there a problem, sister?”
“N-no, it’s nothing… or rather, thank you very much!”
What was that for? But I see she’s still as incomprehensible as ever.
I wondered if my face showed what I was thinking, but the sister continued.
“Well, how can I put it… Ever since Mister Merchant came to visit her to play, the child’s expression has become more vibrant.”
I don’t come here to play, though.
“But from what I see, Miss Priestess doesn’t have much fun with me, though?”
“No, no, that’s not true. Indeed, she has always looked sullen, but that does not mean she has no other expression beyond that, does it?”
Well… yes. I can agree with that.
“You see, before Mister Merchant came, she always looked bored every day. Because she suddenly became a big shot, she wasn’t able to make any friends at her age at all.”
“……”
“That’s why, Mister Merchant, I thank you for being her friend.”
Sister, that’s a terrible assumption you’re making. It’s true that the priestess doesn’t seem to have any friends, but I don’t have a great relationship with her either. If yo u a re ab le to re a d t his mes sag e, yo u are rea din g fr om an unau thor ized ag greg ate si te. Rea d at my Wo rdPr ess at sta bb ing wit h a syr in ge. hom e. b log to su pp ort me and my tran sla tio ns.
But with that soft, carefree smile on the sister’s face, I couldn’t say anything back.
“I’ll leave you to it then.”
Watching the sister’s back as she left with these words, I thought to myself, “Yes, I’m not very good with this woman after all.”
○●
“I apologize for the wait. Let’s go.”
With these words, the priestess, now dressed in a formal priestess uniform, led us out of the cathedral.
“Are we going on foot?”
“Yes, it’s not too far from here.”
The priestess and I walked side by side down San Cezanne Street. It is a sunny holiday, and the time is just before midday. The town is bustling with people, especially young women, and families, gathered around what is called a ‘department store’, what is called a chain of shops in this almost seemingly business district.
“What is it?”
“Eh?”
“Don’t “eh” me. You’ve been staring at my face for a while now. If you have something to say, say it clearly.”
Oh crap. Because that sister said something strange, I’m becoming aware of it now.
“I’m fine. I just wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m happy to have my store rebuilt, too. Then again… it’s so nice to have friends, isn’t it?”
There she goes again with the ‘friend’ thing. Damn it, that nun. I knew this would happen.
“Well, apart from that, you don’t look so good lately.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t play dumb. It’s either about school or the female warrior, isn’t it? Do you miss her?”
“Well, I’m a traveler, so… wait. How does Miss Priestess know about this area?”
“Fufufu, there’s nothing in Andersen that I don’t know about. I was absolutely not peeping, expecting an [erotic development] from you.”
Did you just admit that you’re a natural peeping Tom?
“But while it’s good to think about others, if you keep doing that, you’ll always end up alone.”
Is she lecturing me?
I let out a small laugh, feeling kind of funny.
“What’s funny?”
“No, I’m not alone. I have my friend, Miss Priestess, by my side.”
“You’re fudging the story… well, since you’re too pathetic to have any friends, I’ll be your friend for a change.”
And so the two of us walked side by side, talking of such trivial matters.
○●
The Minister of Finance’s residence, set in a quiet residential area, was not as luxurious as I had expected. Although it was, in fact, a magnificent detached house, I had imagined a more glamorous mansion from his appearance.
It was built out of bricks, two stories high, and had a terrace on the south side of the house where one could dine on sunny days. There are four carriages parked in the courtyard, but I don’t know if they are all private. Some may be for public use.
A man in a butler’s uniform showed me in, and after waiting a while in the drawing room, the Minister of Finance appeared.
“I apologize for the wait, Miss Priestess.”
“No, I haven’t waited that long. Don’t worry about it.”
The Minister still wears his golden hair and beard as usual, and he even has an elegant smile on his face. Th is cha pt er tra nsla tion is ma de pos sib le by sta bb ing wi th a syri nge tran slat ions. Ch eck o nly up-to -d ate trans lati ons on my Wor dpres s si te.
But when he saw me, he raised his eyebrows slightly.
“May I ask who this is?”
“Oh, he’s a friend of mine.”
“Pleased to meet you. I’m a traveling merchant…”
After being introduced by the priestess, I introduced myself to the minister.
“I see, so that’s it… come on up to the terrace. Our meals have already been prepared for us.”
He continued to smile, but I didn’t miss the momentary twitch in his face when I mentioned “traveling merchant”. It clearly looked like I was a stranger who was in the way, but I guess he couldn’t be so blunt about his feelings since we were in the presence of the priestess. Well, from his point of view, it was only natural to act that way.
The terrace is sunny, and the feeling of the early winter breeze caressing my cheeks in the afternoon gives me a sense of elegance. Still, I feel uncomfortable eating outside, especially from such a high place, because it gives me the feeling that people are watching me from God knows where.
I was not pleased with Andersen’s food, but I tried my best to listen to the conversation between the Minister of Finance and the Priestess, while stuffing my mouth with the food the Minister’s wife had prepared.
“By the way, Miss Priestess. I’m sorry to be so tactless in the middle of a meal, but…”
“It’s all right. Go ahead.”
“Actually, I would like to ask for the support of the State Church for the public works project for the city walls.”
“What now? Is the Council blocking you?”
“Yes. The People’s PartyCongress outnumbered the State Agents PartyCabinet in the last election, so…”
Let me explain briefly.
The CabinetState Agents Party, the head of Andersen’s administration, is appointed by the Emperor, while the CongressPeople’s Party, the legislature, is elected by the people. So naturally the Cabinet, which runs the entire state, is often at odds with the Congress, which coordinates the interests of its parts by majority vote.
Then there are the city walls. Surrounding a city that overflows outside the walls with walls to maintain order, improving security, and spreading economic benefits is a natural step for Andersen’s Cabinet, which runs the entire state. But in the Congress, where things are decided by a majority of the people, it was not so easy. After all, there are far more citizens within the city walls than there are outside.
The people who were already surrounded by walls naturally opposed the idea of using taxpayers’ money to build new walls in places that had nothing to do with them. Needless to say, the people who opposed the wall won the elections and, inevitably, the Congress did not pass the budget for the construction of the wall.
“Well, that’s fine. Let’s formally express our support for the wall as a state church.”
But it would be a different story if the state church were to express its support for the wall.
The Messianic State Church is an important religious and ideological pillar in Andersen. If the State Church were to express its support, the majority of Andersen’s citizens would naturally follow suit. If that happens, the lawmakers who oppose it will vote in favor of the budget proposal instead, just to curry favor with the public, or else they will find it difficult to gain votes in the next election.
“But if the State Church supports it, then the ball is in your court, Miss Priestess. You must convince the people to pass the budget. After all, the prestige of the State Church is at stake.”
“Yes, I understand that very well.”
