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He stands a log cut to about half the length of his arm and swings his hand axe down at it.

The axe cleaves the log cleanly in half lengthwise, its blade sinking slightly into the ground beneath it.

He stands the split log upright again and swings the axe down once more.

With a satisfying “thud,” the log, which had been semicircular, transformed into a quarter-circle.

He tossed the four pieces aside in a heap, then stood another log upright and swung the hatchet down once more.

After confirming that the log had split cleanly with a satisfying “crack,” Tatsumi wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

What he was doing now was what is commonly known as chopping firewood.

Just as he had resolved yesterday, Tatsumi was working hard at his menial tasks for the shrine.

.

“…I-I’m supposed to split this…? A-all of it…?”

Facing the mountain of logs piled up before him, Tatsumi asked in a hoarse voice.

“Yep. The temple’s a big operation, you know. We go through a massive amount of firewood every day. That’s why chopping wood is such an important job, newbie.”

The burly, stern-faced middle-aged man who had led Tatsumi to the temple’s backyard laughed heartily—gahahaha—and slapped him hard on the back.

Startled by the sudden slap on his back, Tatsumi instinctively stumbled. As he did, the holy insignia hanging from his neck jingled and swayed.

“So… You said your name’s Tatsumi? Here, use this. Use this to split all the logs into four pieces lengthwise.”

Saying that, the middle-aged man handed him a well-worn hand axe.

“We’ll take a break at the fourth hour. Work hard until then.”

With that, the middle-aged man strode off with long, heavy steps.

Incidentally, the “fourth hour” corresponds roughly to noon in Japanese time.

According to Tatsumi’s wristwatch, the sun rose around six o’clock, and every two hours thereafter, each temple rang its bell to mark the hour.

The number of chimes increased every two hours—once at six a.m., twice at eight a.m., and so on—until sunset at six p.m., when the bell rang seven times.

Each hour, from the first hour to the seventh hour, is named according to the number of times the bell is rung. The bells are not rung at night, and it seems no specific names are assigned to those hours.

When he asked Calcedonia, she told him that the timing of the bell ringing is measured using a sundial. Apparently, there is a magical item with a timer-like function for use during rainy or cloudy weather, but since the item is extremely rare and expensive, it is a closely guarded treasure that no one except the Supreme Pontiff, Giuseppe, is allowed to touch; even Calcedonia apparently has never actually seen it.

The daily cycle seems to be twenty-four hours, just like on Earth, but the sun rises at 6:00 a.m. and sets at 6:00 p.m. every day.

Tatsumi wonders if, unlike on Earth, the length of day and night does not change with the seasons.

It has only been three days since he arrived in this world, so he has not yet accurately measured the changes in the length of day and night. However, perhaps this world follows the geocentric model, where it is not the Earth that moves, but the celestial bodies that move in a regular pattern.

Though Tatsumi does not yet know this, in this world it is believed that the continents and oceans float within a realm known as the Star Realm.

The prevailing worldview holds that there are massive waterfalls at the northern and eastern edges of the sea, through which vast amounts of seawater flow in from nowhere; similarly, the southern and western edges feature massive waterfalls, but here the seawater plunges into the void.

It is said that some scholars propose a theory that the seawater falling over the southern and western waterfalls passes through the Void and flows back in from the north and east, but since no one has ever seen the massive waterfalls said to exist at the edges of the sea, it is unclear whether this is true.

And beyond that Star Realm, it is believed that there lies the Divine Realm, where the gods dwell.

That aside, Tatsumi stared blankly up at the mountain of stacked logs.

But no matter how long he stared, it wouldn’t make the work any lighter. Tatsumi steeled himself, rolled up the sleeves of his priestly robes, and steeled his resolve.

What he was wearing now were not the clothes he had brought from his original world, but the priestly robes issued to him by Giuseppe.

When he went into town with Calcedonia yesterday, he had bought a few sets of casual clothes and underwear, but since he was told he was required to wear the priest’s robes when working at the temple, Tatsumi had put them on.

Furthermore, Tatsumi has been officially ordained as a priest by Giuseppe. Admittedly, he is only a low-ranking priest at the very bottom of the hierarchy, but this means his status here has been formally established.

Since the temple is an organization independent of the state, simply belonging to it grants one a certain level of status—clergy are considered part of the intellectual class, on par with scholars.

Of course, not just anyone can join the Temple; normally, one must pass a certain screening process before being permitted to enter. The fact that Tatsumi was able to bypass these requirements and obtain the status of a priest—albeit at the lowest rank—is undoubtedly because the Supreme Pontiff exercised his authority on his behalf.

.

“Well then,” Tatsumi said, facing the pile of logs once more, and let his gaze fall upon the white priestly robes he was wearing.

He found himself wondering whether it was really all right to get these white robes dirty, even if it was just part of his job.

The robes he wore were those of a lower-ranking priest; though white in color, they were regarded as “work clothes” within the temple. Therefore, no matter how dirty they got, he wouldn’t be reprimanded. Of course, if he did get them dirty, he would have to wash them himself.

The robes and sacred insignia worn by priests vary in design depending on their rank.
Incidentally, the person who had just guided Tatsumi to the backyard was a high-ranking priest in charge of supervising the lower-ranking priests who performed menial tasks; his name was Bogard.

Deciding there was no point in worrying about it forever, Tatsumi took the hand axe Bogard handed him and swung it a few times. After getting a feel for it, he stood a nearby log upright on the ground.

Then, with a light swing of the hand axe, the blade sank into the log, and the log split cleanly in two with a loud crack.

“Huh…? I didn’t put that much force into it…”

Tatsumi tilted his head, staring at the log that had split far more easily than he’d expected.

“Well, whatever. It’s better if it splits easily.”

And so, Tatsumi continued splitting logs one after another.

Normally, when splitting firewood, you strike the log against a stone or wooden block to split it. This is because it’s difficult to split it properly by striking it against the ground, especially on soft soil.

Naturally, Tatsumi, who had never split firewood before, was unaware of this and continued to split the logs by striking them against the ground. He didn’t realize that this was a bit unusual.

At one point, the temple bell rang twice, then three times, but Tatsumi, focused on splitting wood, didn’t notice.

A short while after the bell rang four times to signal noon, Bogard slowly reappeared in the backyard.

“Hey, newbie. How much have you—Whoa!?”

Bogard let out a cry of surprise at the sight of the mountain of firewood piled up before him.

The massive pile of logs prepared for today had all been neatly split into quarters and transformed into firewood. It would be impossible not to be surprised.

“Oh, Bogard-san. Just as you asked, I split all the logs.”

Tatsumi, who had been sitting on the ground in front of the stacked firewood, stood up and casually addressed Bogard, who was too stunned to speak.

“W-wait, you split them all…? You split them all in just half a day…? That much…?”

Bogard kept glancing back and forth between Tatsumi and the mountain of firewood.

A boy who had suddenly appeared before him early this morning. The boy, with rare black hair and black eyes—a sight almost unseen in the Kingdom of Largovere—claimed to be a new junior priest who would be working as a menial laborer at the temple starting today.

Apparently, someone of higher rank than Bogard had told the boy to follow the his instructions and get the work done, so he had come to Bogard.

Bogard crossed his muscular arms and stared bluntly at the black-haired junior priest.

He wasn’t very tall. Compared to the massive Bogard, there was a difference of at least a head’s height.

His build was slender as well; his arms were only about half as thick as Bogard’s. Observing Tatsumi while thinking to himself, “Those arms look just like a woman’s,” Bogard decided he wouldn’t be up to heavy labor and assigned him the task of splitting firewood.

Chopping wood requires considerable strength, but he figured it was better than the heavy labor of carrying water drawn from the well or hauling the food supplies brought in for the priests almost every day.

For all he looked like, Bogard was actually a man who cared about his subordinates. His massive frame and stern face might make him seem intimidating at first glance, but he was the kind of person who rewarded those who worked hard.

Assigning suitable tasks to suitable people—that, too, is part of Bogard’s job.

According to Bogard’s assessment, Tatsumi’s slender arms—by Bogard’s standards, at least—would be sufficient to finish a quarter of the work by the fourth hour. But in reality, he didn’t just finish a quarter—he finished the whole lot. Even for Bogard, splitting that many logs into quarters in just half a day would be impossible.

At first, Bogard had just stared blankly at Tatsumi and the pile of firewood, but then a manly grin spread across his rugged face.

“Hahahahahaha! You’re actually pretty good, aren’t you, newbie… no, Tatsumi! I’ve got a whole new respect for you!”

Bogard slapped Tatsumi’s shoulder a couple of times and motioned for him to sit back down.

“You’ve done all this work. You must be pretty hungry, right? Let’s grab a bite to eat together.”

Bogard opened the cloth bundle he’d brought with him and pulled out something that looked like a sandwich.

As he took a hearty bite and looked over at Tatsumi, he found the boy standing there, staring blankly for some reason.

“What’s wrong? Hurry up and sit down and eat. Our break isn’t that long, you know?”
“Ah, no, well… actually, I didn’t…”

Saying this, Tatsumi scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. Until that very moment, he had completely forgotten about eating during his lunch break.

Apparently, in the Kingdom of Largovere as well, it was customary to eat three meals a day. One meal between the first hour (around 6:00 AM) and the second hour (around 8:00 AM), one around the fourth hour (around noon), and one after the seventh hour (around 6:00 PM)—three times in total.

Apparently, they also sometimes have a light snack between the fifth hour (around 2:00 PM) and the sixth hour (around 4:00 PM).

Tatsumi had heard all of this from Calcedonia yesterday, but he had completely forgotten about it. Naturally, Tatsumi hadn’t prepared any lunch.

As Tatsumi stood there at a loss, Bogard looked up at him with an exasperated expression.

“What’s the matter? You didn’t prepare your lunch? …In that case, I guess you’ll have to go to the dining hall.”

In one corner of the temple, there is a dining hall that serves meals to the priests. That said, Tatsumi had never used that dining hall before. Ever since he came to this world, Calcedonia had always prepared his meals for him.

In that dining hall, junior priests take turns cooking as part of their training, but the hall is a bit of a distance from the backyard where Tatsumi and the others were.

“Well, you’ve finished all the work I had planned for you to do, so it doesn’t matter if your lunch takes a little longer… If you’re okay with it, I could share some of mine with you? Though, since my wife made it, I can’t guarantee the taste.”

Laughing heartily, Bogard urged Tatsumi to sit down again.

“No, I can’t possibly accept something your wife made especially for you, Bogard-san. I’ll just head over to the dining hall as is.”
“Is that so? No need to rush—take your time and eat.”

After assuring Bogard he understood, Tatsumi started walking toward the dining hall.

Or rather, he tried to.

Just as Tatsumi turned toward the door connecting the temple interior to the backyard, the door—a short distance away from him—swung open on its own. Of course, a door couldn’t possibly open by itself. That meant someone inside the temple had opened it.

The person who opened the door poked her head out and looked around nervously. In sync with that, a strand of ahoge hair that had popped out from above her head bobbed up and down.

And the moment she spotted Tatsumi, a smile as bright as a blooming flower spread across her face.

“Master! I’ve brought you your meal!”
“Chiiko.You went out all the way here to bring me lunch?”
“Yes. I didn’t know where you were working, Master, so I ended up searching all over and got a little late. I’m sorry.”

Calcedonia fluttered over to Tatsumi, gave a little bow, and handed him the package she had brought.

“Thank you, Chiiko. By the way, have you eaten yet?”
“No, well… if it’s okay with you, Master, I was thinking maybe we could eat together…”

Calcedonia said this with a faint blush, looking bashful. Of course, Tatsumi had no reason to refuse her suggestion.

“Sure, let’s eat together. Oh, right.”

It was only then that Tatsumi remembered Bogard. Intending to ask him if Calcedonia could join them, he turned toward Bogard.

“Bogard-san… Huh?”

Bogard, however, was staring at Tatsumi and Calcedonia without moving a muscle, his mouth hanging open as if he’d been turned to stone.

A piece of half-eaten bread fell from his hand. As if that were a signal, Bogard finally began to move.

“L-L-L-L-L-Lady Calcedonia!? Wh-why is the esteemed Holy Maiden bringing you food, Tatsumi…!?”

Bogard’s eyes widened in shock as he looked back and forth between Tatsumi and Calcedonia.

Meanwhile, Calcedonia, who was being stared at, tilted her head slightly in puzzlement and asked Tatsumi.

“Master? Who is this gentleman…?”

Even Calcedonia didn’t know the faces and names of everyone associated with the temple. In fact, her acquaintances were limited to those in high positions within the temple, so Bogard, who held no such status, fell outside her circle of friends.

“Ah, this is Bogard-san. He helped me with today’s work.”
“Oh, is that so? Mr. Bogard, my master is indebted to you.”
“M-master…!?”

Calcedonia bowed to Bogard, while Bogard let out a startled cry. It seemed Bogard had interpreted Calcedonia’s use of the word “master” to mean “husband.”

Caledonia had meant “master”—or, more precisely, “owner”—but in this context, anyone would have made the same misunderstanding as Bogard.

“D-does that mean, Tatsumi is… I mean, Lord Tatsumi is your…”

As Caledonia and Tatsumi sat down next to Bogard, who had corrected himself due to the misunderstanding, Tatsumi waved his hands frantically.

“Come on, Bogard-san. Don’t suddenly start calling me ‘-sama’ out of the blue.” ¹ “N-no, but you see…”
“It’s fine. I’m just a new lowly worker. Me and Chiiko… I mean, Calcedonia are two different people.”
“W-well, if you say so… I-is that all right with you too, Lady Calcedonia?”
“Yes. If my master says so. I simply respect my master’s wishes.”
“Huh… Still, to make the esteemed Holy Maiden say something like that…”

Bogard rubbed his thick jaw with his thumb as he looked at Tatsumi and Calcedonia once more.

It was as if her usual dignified demeanor were a lie; Calcedonia embodied a girl in love, while Tatsumi, though being fussed over by her, accepted it all with a calm composure.

The way they looked right now was just like a married couple who’d been together for years. At least, that’s how it appeared to Bogard.

.

After that, the three of them enjoyed a pleasant meal together.

At first, Bogard was a bit nervous with the Holy Maiden sitting at the table, but perhaps because of his easygoing nature, he soon became friendly with Calcedonia as well.

That said, since she was the granddaughter of the Supreme Pontiff and the famed Holy Maiden, he was considerably more polite than he usually was with those around him.

Eventually, the pleasant meal came to an end, and the three of them finished cleaning up and stood up.

“Well then, Tatsumi. To tell you the truth, all the work I had planned for you today is already done. What do you want to do now?”
“If there’s anything else I can help with, I’d be happy to.”
“Is that so? Well, then, I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to take about a quarter of the firewood you chopped to the kitchen. The rest goes to the wood storage area—I’ll show you where it is right now. Once that’s done, you’re all set for the day.”

Tatsumi and Bogard stood up and began discussing their plans for the afternoon’s work.

Meanwhile, Calcedonia watched with a smile as Tatsumi chatted amiably with Bogard.

“Alright! Let’s give it my all this afternoon, too!”
“Yes, please do your…?”

Tatsumi slapped his cheeks with both hands to psych himself up. Just as Calcedonia was about to offer words of encouragement, she suddenly stopped mid-sentence for some reason.

“What’s wrong, Chiiko?”
“Oh, n-no, it’s nothing…”

Seeing Calcedonia’s hesitant demeanor, Tatsumi tilted his head in confusion inwardly, but he didn’t press the matter further. Instead, he followed Bogard to find out where the firewood was stored.

Watching Tatsumi’s back as he walked away, Calcedonia muttered to herself, as if to no one in particular.

“Just now, for a moment… just a split second, I thought I sensed mana coming from you, Master… or was I imagining things?”