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I insisted over and over that it wasn’t necessary—but since this had been made into an officially requested mission, four days later I found myself forcibly loaded into an ornate white royal carriage. If I had gone by Vier, it would’ve taken five minutes. Even using a regular beast-drawn street carriage, thirty at most. Walking briskly, maybe an hour. Yet for some reason, it took us hours to get there.
Worse, the carriage was surrounded front and back by a flamboyantly dressed escort: warrior-priests of the Eunice Theocracy clad in vivid scarlet uniforms, and knights in glittering armor and helmets. With cheering crowds and fanfare announcing our every move, we made our grand entrance at the site.

As for the entourage: Luke rode with me in the same carriage. Cestlavie accompanied the Church officials in a separate one. Princess Lieselotte attended as a “witness” (or spectator, more accurately). Viola and Marquis Daniel came as guests. My maids, Monika and Eren, were with me as attendants.

Pryui, Lana, and the others wanted to come as well, but discrimination against demihumans remains strong in the Central Kingdom—and since we were heading to the bombed-out hideout of the Demihuman Liberation Front, bringing actual demi-humans there would’ve been in terribly poor taste. So I had them stay home this time.

As for Coppelia—bringing her anywhere near government officials would’ve been like setting off fireworks in an oil field. So I asked Chaton to make sure she stayed home, locked up… I mean,, under supervision.

Not that Coppelia seemed the least bit troubled by it.
“Well, if you tell me to stay quiet, I’ll stay quiet,” she had said, face perfectly calm. “But if some insolent little worm like that rude brat from the other day insults Lady Clara, I’ll execute them on the spot.”

She said it as naturally as breathing. So I made doubly sure by keeping Jessie and the others on standby as well.

At any rate, when we arrived before the Grand Cathedral of the Central Capital—the designated assembly point—I was stunned speechless by the rows of waiting carriages, attendants, and guards that formed a full-blown procession of nobility.

“Um… this level of spectacle—no, this excessive level of security—really wasn’t necessary,” I muttered to the head shrine maiden, a woman of about forty dispatched from the Holy City.

Unfazed, she replied,
“Oh, but this is a discreet visit. We’ve kept the personnel to a minimum, and as you can see, even the guards are wearing their plainest third-class ceremonial uniforms.”

She said this with a straight face. Eren and I exchanged a look.

If this was “minimal” and “plain,” then what would my official outings look like from now on?!
Absolute madness! What a monumental waste of tax money!

As I fell silent in disbelief, the shrine maiden apparently mistook my expression for nervousness. With the tone of an experienced adult reassuring a naive child, she began to gently explain—

“Listen well, Your Holiness Clärchen. You are, after all, the Shrine Maiden Princess of Eunice Thocracy, the princess of the Graviol Empire, and furthermore, the future empress.”

Hmm, I’m not so sure about that last part. Glancing sideways at Luke, I saw him grinning shyly, a little embarrassed.
Sometimes he really does turn into a bit of a fool, doesn’t he…

“Please remember your station. Ordinarily, to avoid the taint of the secular world, you would spend your life in purity within the Sant’Angelo Sanctorum, or else, in the near future, you would become His Majesty the Emperor’s favored consort and take charge of the harem. That is how important your position is.”

…Either way, I’m just a bird in a cage, aren’t I?
At this point, I could truly understand how Eliza must have felt when she married my father and left the clergy behind.
I suppose that in temples and royal palaces, there’s always an increase in those types of people—those who believe their own sense of worth to be absolute and look down on others from above. How unpleasant.

As I sighed—

“The harem?! Never! I’ll have only one wife in my entire life, please believe me!”
“And since when has Jill been the type to quietly let herself be locked away?!”

For some reason, Luke and Cestlavie were yelling irresponsibly from the sidelines.

“Wait—could it be that Lady Jill is actually rather a tomboy?” Daniel asked.

“Well… tomboy isn’t quite the word.”
“You gotta say it plainly. She’s got heavenly beauty and grace outside—but a feral child inside.”
“…Ah. Yeah.”

For some reason, Luke and Cestlavie nodded in agreement with each other. Luke, that’s not something to agree on!

♢

When we arrived at the explosion site, the entire area had already been cordoned off by guards, preventing curious onlookers or looters from getting anywhere near it. The surveillance was so strict that not even the tiniest gap was left unattended.

“Oh, how dreadful, how dreadful! This stench—it’s like sewage. To bring the Shrine Maiden Princess to such a filthy, defiled place is an unspeakable disgrace! This is nothing short of an insult to Her Holiness the Shrine Maiden Princess, to His Holiness the Pope, and even to the entire Saintess Church! As a representative of the Order, I must lodge a most severe protest with the royal family!”

The corpses had at least been cleared away, and the site was surprisingly tidy for one that hadn’t even been a full ten days since the incident. Still, with just one glance, the High Shrine Maiden covered her mouth and nose with a silk handkerchief handed to her by an attendant and spat her words out as if the very air were offensive.
Ehhh—? I actually think they worked pretty hard to keep this place clean! Since I said I’d perform the purification myself, everyone must have hurried to prepare the place for me. I should be thanking them for their effort, not making a show of disgust!

Honestly, if she hates it that much, she could’ve just stayed home. And besides, aren’t you all shrine maidens? Shouldn’t you be doing your jobs as shrine maidens?

Thinking that, I crossed myself over my chest and said,

“Head Shrine Maiden, there’s no need to worry about me. To guide lost souls to salvation is also an important duty of a shrine maiden. To be entrusted with that duty is something to be proud of, not to loathe.”

I made sure to say it gently, almost like explaining to a child, and smiled sweetly.

Instantly, the young attendants and shrine maidens who had come with the High Shrine Maiden all went—

““““Hiuuuuu…””””

—and collapsed to the ground, fainting with blissful expressions.

Alright! I’d heard the story of how Eliza could make men and women alike weak in the knees with just her smile, so I decided to give it a try—and it seems quite effective! Though, since the High Shrine Maiden merely blushed a little and managed to stay conscious, it’s not quite a perfect success.
Maybe it’s because I still can’t get rid of my own embarrassment, or perhaps Lady Eliza was just that amazing. Or maybe the High Shrine Maiden’s age has made her immune. Hmm. Hard to say.

In any case, I must continue to train myself!

As I quietly pumped myself up, the High Shrine Maiden—perhaps chastened by the fainting maidens or by her own earlier behavior—bowed hastily and called to her attendants, “I—I apologize!” Then she instructed them to help carry the fainted shrine maidens back to the carriage.

“No, it was I who lacked consideration. Those girls are inexperienced; such a grim, violent place is simply too much for them. From here on, my guards and I will proceed. High Shrine Maiden, would you mind looking after them?” I asked.

(Loose translation: “You’d be in the way, so please stand back.”)

For a moment the High Shrine Maiden looked relieved, as if this request were a godsend, but then she recovered her composure.

“N-no. That will not do. I have the duty of protecting Your Holiness,” she said firmly, as if reminding herself.

Of course, she means “monitoring” rather than “protecting,” but still—she too has lines she won’t yield on because of her own obligations.

—This is troublesome.

Frankly, bringing inexperienced women into a disaster zone filled with rubble is nothing but a hindrance. Even Lieselotte, the princess of this kingdom, has restrained herself and is only watching from the very entrance, but the Head Shrine Maiden is driven by a sense of religious duty—she’s not about to be moved.