Chapter 5

The Little Mestinora

I have had a growing headache ever since a certain child squirmed her way into the temple. With glossy hair as dark as the night sky and eyes that glowed like the golden moon, she looked exactly like a young Mestinora. She behaved as an archnoble, though she was a bit clumsy in some aspects. It was to be expected for a child so young. In some other aspects, however, she must have blatantly ignored tradition despite her meticulous training. She had the audacity to give me two poor-quality feystones filled with her mana, ask for a meeting with me the very same day, and expect it to work. Normally, it would not have. But these feystones had all elements, even if a little faint. I could not deny my curiosity. Besides, she was a child. I was sure I could handle her, should the worst come to pass.

Her greeting was passable, but it was one of a commoner. She must have been a devouring child, then. And judging by her outfit, she descended from a rich merchant and was pampered enough to have her own workshop despite her freshly baptized status. I nearly rolled my eyes when she said she had mana to spare. Devouring children her age had barely any. Before I could protest, however, she revealed she had filled these feystones just minutes before and could fill even more.

It was… a questionable statement, at the very least. This amount of mana should have been all she had, but that was not what was suspicious about it. I knew of no child who could so easily move their mana at seven years old. In addition, she showed no sign of fatigue from moving this much mana into two feystones. This, combined with her archnoble training that she so clearly wanted to show off, must have meant someone was behind her pulling the strings. A noble, perhaps, or more likely a rich merchant wanting connections.

She then listed conditions for going into the temple. Of course, I don’t expect her to give mana freely, but the conditions she listed were bizarre. She asked for work, of all things. Work in the book room, work in my office, work as the orphanage director. My brother’s son was always running around, based off his complaints. Surely she should be running around too, not sitting at a desk.

She claimed it was because she was sick often and could not go out. But that was a non sequitur. This so-called illness of hers was the devouring. As soon as she began to regularly donate her mana to the temple, she would regain her strength and such. She would then go back on her word as soon as that happens; I can guarantee it. And beyond any doubt, it would become my job to wrangle her back inside. I suppressed a sigh. It would be foolish of me to take her at her word.

Failing to gain my permission to enter the temple, she threw out her last “condition,” which she must have been instructed to save as a last resort. She offered money.

With the blue priests taking part in corruption and stealing whatever they could, combined with a rising number of orphans, the temple’s coffers were beginning to reach dangerously low levels. The Sovereignty had taken many of our blue priests, and noble society had further taken more of them and all of our shrine maidens on account of the purge and subsequent mana depletion. The work she offered to “help” with and the money brought in to the temple would serve as a decent buffer, but it was not a condition for donating her mana. These were all perks she was offering to gain entry.

After questioning her some more, she finally asked to be shielded from the High Bishop. I could do this much, but it further complicated her origins. If this was Lady Veronica’s doing, then surely she would not have asked such a thing. But also, taking in a commoner in such a fashion wasn’t the typical Leisegang playbook. She had the backing of a merchant, then. Or a foreigner? This Myne was a very curious individual.

Regardless, it all meant nothing if she could not provide sufficient mana, even if she could offset the amount with paperwork. I had Fran fetch the Shield of Schutzaria and instructed her to fill as many as she was able.

It was as if Verdrenna had struck me herself. Ten whole, high-quality feystones. The two she had given me before were laughable in comparison. Pitiable, even. I had never seen this before. It was more than an archnoble child’s amount of mana. This was… No, perhaps even more than Sylvester as he is now. How had she survived?

She was rather tiny, now that I looked at her again. The devouring must have wrecked her growth. The fortitude she must have possessed to have made it this far. Was she subconsciously compressing? It was unlikely, but it was the only reasoning I could come up with. Her becoming healthy might be more difficult than I originally assumed, in that case. Decompressing a child’s mana to such a degree would be difficult. Without a jureve at least. No, what am I saying? That would be going too far for someone like her.

I immediately agreed to induct her into the temple. I could not let this much mana go, that much was certain. I can always train her up to a suitable standard in paperwork. My own work will have to be sacrificed in the meantime, unfortunately. Lady Veronica will not be happy about my slacking off and will likely send the High Bishop after me, but since Myne had asked to be shielded from him, I will just have to grin and bear the torment until I can catch back up to speed.

Speaking of, he will need to be alerted. I may be in charge of all the paperwork, but he still was in charge of the overall personnel. No one could come in or leave without his permission. I set up a meeting and was granted one a full week later. To irk me, which he succeeded at. I wouldn’t dare to show it though. Instead, I spent the rest of the meeting convincing him to take in a commoner as a blue shrine maiden.

At her suggestion, I framed her requests as piling work against her and wringing money out of her as a fee for allowing her workshop to stay. This, he took to, and we decided on her attendants. After which, he promised he would send someone to clean up the orphanage director’s office. I wanted to get ahead of any work before Myne came in, so I left it to him, much to my later regret. I didn’t have the time to personally check it, thus failing her only request to be shielded from the High Bishop. I don’t know why I was so disappointed in myself.

I summoned Justus and had him investigate Myne. She was indeed the owner of her own workshop and was the inventor of a number of inventions, such as plant paper and something called rinsham. Still, I did not believe she did her own paperwork. She must have had someone else doing it while claiming the credit. She would need to learn to do her own work from now on. At the very least she wasn’t lying about making money. Justus had found her family, but I was sure that was simply a cover even though I found no evidence of it. Myne was a complete enigma, even with Justus’ help.

Finally the day came for her to become an apprentice shrine maiden. We did the fealty ceremony as expected. And upon seeing her uncleaned chambers, Fran had told me she merely shrugged and took it as an opportunity to teach that unruly attendant of hers. At least she had some sense.

I didn’t expect Fran to come back so soon, not even a bell later, with panic written clear across his face. Myne was not responding to anyone calling her name. She had apparently told him she was so ill as to pass out if she did not eat lunch. I found it highly unbelievable. No one was that ill. But Fran didn’t want to find out, and it would be a mark against him if he had let her pass out with this knowledge. As I also had a debt to repay her regarding the state of her chambers, it came to me to get her attention. I sent everyone in the office to lunch and headed over to the book room.

I thought she simply ignored her attendants, but she did not even react to my voice. She was also actually reading the bible. I confirmed it by tracking her eye movement and her obvious facial reactions. Her noble mask had vanished when she thought no one was watching. I internally sigh at the sight. I needed to teach her that someone was always watching and to pay attention to her surroundings. I snatched the book from the table and gave it back to Fran.

Upon interrogating her further, it seemed she was actually more lacking in common sense than I expected. She truly did like books, but it seemed whoever had taught her the script to get into the temple failed to impart on her any deeper meaning of the words she was saying or how she was expected to behave at all times.

She further surprised me by telling me her plans for the orphanage. She had just arrived today. There was no way she had formulated such a plan in so short a period of time. The workings of her benefactor, surely. These were such outlandish ideas, I was beginning to think this was a Lanzenave plot. With Ahrensbach having the only gate open at the moment, they are the only foreigners familiar enough with noble culture to teach.

However, their nobles had no idea of the typical, underlying noble sensibilities in Yurgenschmidt. Someone training a child such as Myne would only have surface knowledge of our customs. Not to mention, they did not have much of an outlet for mana. My sources told me they were scrounging for any feystones they could acquire. She would have been forced to compress just to stay alive in a manaless land. This fit her ill health perfectly. But for what reason would they come to Ehrenfest? We had none of what they wanted. We may have fared better than the losing duchies, but we didn’t have much to begin with. I would need to keep a close eye on her and be ready to stop her should she snoop into things she shouldn’t.

I might need to alert Sylvester soon.

The next day came, and with it, the monetary donation. Surprisingly, her guardian had said she was generous and naïve. Did he think I was stupid? One could argue her asking for work was generous, but it was a bit of a stretch. Was he the one who put her up to this? What could he possibly gain from associating with the temple? As far as I knew, the Gilberta Company was not that high up, but even they should know temple connections would not gain them much.

Benno assured me he had no such part in this little quest Myne had gotten into, which I chose to believe for now. The man had a normal reaction to nobles. He wouldn’t test the waters to gain whatever connection he thought he could gain.

The topic shifted to detail her health. Indeed, she was as ill as Fran said. It might not completely be the devouring, thus, worse than I originally thought. If her rising emotions caused her to collapse as her guardian said, Lanzenave must have truly forced her hand. I ordered Fran to learn her health and make sure she won’t fall ill in time for autumn. I could trust him with this much, at least.

The most preposterous reaction from Myne came from my Goddess of Water question out of everything else. She used the gods to explain it away, something she had not done before. Not even noble children speak in such a way. Every instinct within me told me she didn’t belong here. She must have been trained rather strictly. To what end was a mystery. She could know a host of other things to get what she was instructed to.

But she gave up her ruse so easily, it was almost baffling how she was chosen to be here. Surely there were better spies among the children of Lanzenave. Actually, maybe this was on purpose so I could let my guard down. She would then strike when I least expected it. I would need to have Justus dig deeper before we are ruined.

I chose to continue on the conversation, of course, so as to not let her know I suspected her of treachery. Her merchant guardian and I decided on the appropriate amount to be paid each month and signed a contract.

Once they were gone, I summoned Justus immediately. “I need you to investigate Myne again. I have reason to believe she could be a threat to Ehrenfest.”

Justus frowned at that. His usual happy demeanor at being summoned vanished in an instant. “How so?”

“Even though she is a commoner, she speaks and acts like a noble. She even used the gods to explain away a question I had. And there are things she should have no knowledge of. I also suspect whoever instructed her in noble mannerisms likely forced her to compress. You’ve seen how tiny she is, yes?”

Justus nodded. “Would you like me to confirm her birth?”

“Yes. This is much more serious than I anticipated. Find out the truth of her birth, the origins of her inventions, her goals and instructions, how she has used her mana, everything. Use whatever means you have to, but take your time. We cannot let her know we’re suspicious of her.”

I handed him some money, for bribery and such. He nodded, and disappeared with a skip in his step. While I waited for Justus’ report, I was kept abreast of Myne’s activities with Fran’s daily reports. It seemed she at least had enough sense to recognize Delia as a spy. I would sure hope a spy could recognize another. She had used some flimsy excuse about “secret sewing techniques” to make her ceremonial robes and keep Delia away.

Then the chefs came in, and Fran mentioned how he didn’t realize soup could be so flavorful. Another of her inventions, which was, quite simply, getting ridiculous. Paper, accessories, clothing, and now food? Surely these were not her inventions, but recreations of Lanzenave culture.

That very same day she also gained a few new attendants. One of whom was to be her harspiel teacher. Fran had reported she even intended to practice daily. I had thought she wanted to read books, yet she was doing more than necessary. But if someone had told her of my exploits at the academy, then she was likely using music as a way to win me over. I will not be fooled by it.

Once Myne began to come in to help with the work in my office, it became clear enough she had not lied about her ability to do paperwork. She worked with astonishing efficiency. I would not have believed it had she not been sitting right in front of me. She barely even used the abacus and managed to actually complete more of my tasks than had come in that day. If this continued at the same rate, I could actually finish. I watched her closely, to be sure she wasn’t cheating somehow or getting the answers from Fran. But she wasn’t. It was truly all her doing.

Even more suspicious.

A few days later Fran came in to report on the workshop’s paper-making process. But he read it not from a board but from something called a “diptych.” Myne. Again. For a spy, she was doing a poor job of staying under the radar. Any normal noble would have spread them slowly, at least, with the backing of a higher noble. No one was going to adopt any of these trends if she was spreading them from the temple.

Unless… No, it’s too preposterous. I must first confirm her origins before doing anything drastic.

It seemed that the diptych was the last of the inventions. For now, at least. I was sure she had more up her sleeve. But she was making such waves with everything she was doing I had no idea how much longer I could keep the High Bishop in the dark. Anything he knew was because Myne did not have enough sense to hide it from her own spy.

After a few weeks of blissful, peacefully quiet reports, Fran reported that Myne would like to invite me to lunch. I agreed, of course. We had much to talk about, and I was a tad curious as to just how good this soup could be. I let Eckhart and Justus know of the date. I did not trust her to not poison my food. Justus could get any poison, but if she were to use some foreign poison none of us were aware of and I became disabled, Eckhart would be there to apprehend her. For now, we diligently got through the boards on my desk, slowly dwindling them down ever so slightly. It was almost time for the Star Festival, so the amount of work that needed to be done was more than usual.

Justus arrived early for the day of the lunch meeting. I wanted my report after it, so I gave him a gray priest robe to disguise himself into. Whereupon he spent the rest of the time digging around in the orphanage. Eckhart arrived right before Myne usually came in. He took his usual place behind me, all too happy to be serving again. When she walked in, she spotted him immediately and gave him a wide smile, almost nostalgic. I glanced at him, silently asking if he had met her before. To which he shook his head. I watched her carefully, but she made no other unusual moves.

When Justus showed up just before lunch, she froze mid-paperwork, her golden eyes wide in surprise. It was clear she recognized him as well, but from where? One of the investigations into her? That was impossible. Justus was not sloppy. This reaction was not nostalgic like with Eckhart but more cautious and somewhat familiar. Every day she became more and more mysterious. Hopefully his report could rectify that.

The bell rang, and it was time for the attendants to bring in lunch. I sent away everyone who was not already part of my or Myne’s retinue. I spotted her watching Justus out of the corner of her eye, but made no move to verbally react to him.

The heavenly aroma of lunch wafted into the room, pulling my eyes away. Trays and trays of food came in on servant trolleys. Much more than would normally be brought in. “What is the meaning of this?” I turned my glare to her. She had something up her sleeve. I just needed to figure out what.

Myne smiled at me, but even I could tell it was a smile made of fear. Good. If you must plot, then be better so as to not get caught. She cleared her throat and decided to avoid the question altogether as two dishes were placed in front of us. “First, this is consommé and fluffy bread.”

She took a bite of each to show it was not poisoned, and I followed suit shortly after Justus confirmed its safety. The soft bread practically melted in my mouth. To think she had such a recipe under her belt. This alone could revolutionize the food industry, but the first sip of consommé… It was quite beautiful. The clear amber broth could be seen in its entirety, yet its flavor was rich and deep. I was at a complete loss when I brought the spoon to my lips and found I had already drunk it all.

Myne called the next dish “Hamburg Steak.” A profound beef dish, filled with cheese on the inside and a pome sauce on top, which was clearly made from the consommé from before. It was quite the satisfying meal, and I found myself eating quicker than normal. The tastes were so far removed from a normal lunch I had trouble believing it was possible for food to taste as good as this did. Growing up, my food was poisoned and heavily spiced. Once I secured my own chefs, I had them make it bland so I could notice any poisons that snuck in.

It was only now I realized I had forgotten to be wary of possible poison. But my stomach didn’t ache, and my body functioned just as it normally did. Actually, no. I could feel my natural fatigue peeling away with each bite. Was there something in the food after all? Some delayed numbing agent, perhaps? I deliberately slowed down, attuning myself to my body. I needed to be ready, just in case it would strike fast.

Surprisingly, nothing happened. The only thing I felt was… satisfyingly full. I sat back and watched as Myne patted her own stomach with a stupid grin on her face, completely oblivious to the people around her once again. Once the after-meal tea was poured, small, round desserts were placed before us. They were yet another new recipe, called “cookies,” and these specifically were tea flavored. Though they looked rather simple.

I took a few bites of one of the cookies. “These are quite the unique dishes you have displayed.”

“I am glad they suit your taste.” Her noble façade returned, and she smiled. “I was a bit worried when Fran said you didn’t enjoy sweets.”

“These do not seem as sweet as the usual dessert, so they are fine,” I said, reaching for another. “For what purpose does this lunch serve? As a merchant, I do not think you would show me these new recipes for nothing.”

“You are correct. I wanted to test these recipes with a noble of more traditional tastes to be sure my style of food would actually be enjoyed among the nobility before I debuted them.”

I actually scoffed out loud. “Debut? Do you intend to become a noble?”

She blinked a few times with fake surprise and tilted her head. “My, are you not already thinking of making me a noble? But that is not what I am asking for. That will happen as Dregarnuhur decrees. I am willing to offer you these recipes at a discount, five brand-new songs I composed, three hundred sheets of plant paper, a unique book, and all of my knowledge. In exchange, I want a jureve made of the highest quality ingredients.”

I heard Eckhart and Justus gasp behind me. My own mind could not comprehend what she was offering. Surely she knew how suspicious that made her look, right? Yet she had cast her eyes down into her teacup, completely composed. “And just what does ‘all of my knowledge’ mean, exactly?”

“It means exactly what you think it means. I’m sure you have suspicions about me. I am ready to part with the recipes, songs, the book, and plant paper right now. But I will not reveal anything until after my jureve has been made. But I will tell you everything. You can even read my memory afterward, if you so like.”

I narrowed my eyes at her drinking her tea, as if she did not drop exactly what I have been wondering about this entire time. “A jureve with the highest quality ingredients would take an entire year to gather. You would tell me this now, and expect me to wait, all the while being suspicious of you?”

“Yes. I do not expect you to believe me if I were to tell you I am not a threat, so I won’t. That is why I am offering you my precious, unique items I intend to use to gain status once I am part of noble society. The food and songs you could use yourself to raise your own status, making my own attempts pathetic if I were to come after you. I am trusting you with my inventions, High Priest.”

Trust was a foolish notion. “A laughable plan. Do not think so highly of yourself that you would be turned noble when you are already known here as a commoner.” Her age was also a problem, but since she was already so small, it would be rather easy to lie about it. Truth be told, she had pinpointed my thoughts to a scary degree. I had, in fact, already thought of making her a noble already. A few times, actually. She was just so unnatural I had tossed the ideas before it came to fruition.

“That is easily fixed. Who would care to listen to priests? Especially ones that do not have their schtappes, nor are even baptized. But you… You are more special than they are. Your word holds more weight than theirs. If something you say is true, then it is.”

There were few special cases where I could use “my word,” due to Lady Veronica forcing me into the furthest corner of noble society she could. If I could rid myself of her and the High Bishop, I could move more freely. The evidence I have been gathering is slowly mounting, but it was not enough yet. And even if Myne were to become a noble, whose house would she be under? There was only one I could trust enough to keep her identity a secret, but I was not certain they would accept.

Eckhart raised his eyebrow questioningly. He had caught me glancing at him. When I turned back, Myne had also caught me and smiled. “You know something.” But she would not answer. Her conditions were clear.

I glanced at Justus now. He was the one with the report, but he did not act like one normally would toward a traitor. He was an excellent retainer, naturally able to hide any emotion from most people, but I had learned to read his tells. He seemed curious and almost… giddy toward her. I was almost beginning to regret asking for the report for after lunch. She had completely snuck up on me. Twice now I have been caught unprepared against Myne.

I sighed. “I cannot make any decision without hearing these so-called brand-new songs. They could be poorly disguised, obscure songs you rearranged instead. I know every song, so I will know you lied.” I made sure to smirk, to make sure she knew I had no faith in her childlike mind and tiny hands. Instead, she smiled and nodded, completely unfazed.

“Of course. Rosina?” On cue, the retainer she had chosen on her own stepped up, harspiel already in hand. We moved to the guest sofa, where she readied herself and prepared the instrument. Once ready, she glanced at me for just a moment, and I nodded for her to continue.

The song was indeed unique. A beautiful, upbeat melody came from the instrument, arranged in a way that was not usually the fashion in Ehrenfest. The lyrics sang of valor, fighting against the Lord of Winter, and winning despite low odds. It was simple and could use a bit more work, but I could make use of it. Once finished, Rosina took back the harspiel. “All five have already been written down thanks to my musically talented attendant. I do not know how to write music.”

“Impossible. How could you compose a new song without knowing how to write the notes?”

She shrugged in a most unladylike fashion. “I just sorta hummed it, and Rosina did the rest. Oh, but I also did the lyrics too, don’t worry.”

I rubbed my aching temple. Her merchant guardian had said she was a genius, but I didn’t think it would actually be troublesome to have to deal with. To think she had such knowledge but not enough to realize how she presented herself as when she dismissed skipping foundational knowledge as trivial. Instead, she was worried that I would think she didn’t write the lyrics to a completely original song.

Still… An entire year to gather jureve ingredients, all the while I could not ask how or why she knew things. It was clear she held a vast amount of knowledge, whether she was a true genius or simply recreating what was already familiar to her from her time in Lanzenave. But was that even worth it? I glanced at Justus again. His eyes sparkled at the little Mestinora. If this were a more casual lunch, I had no doubt he would already be asking for the music sheets. If Justus was this relaxed, then she must not have posed as a threat. Or she did, but it was a simple matter I could easily handle.

Reluctantly, I agreed. It would be a lot of work, but a jureve would be simple enough in comparison to the information gained. Whatever that may be. We signed a simple contract to seal the deal. Then she dropped another piece of important information she should have revealed earlier. She had the Mark of Ewigeliebe. I could no longer suppress my groan. This jureve of hers tripled in difficulty and would need higher quality than I anticipated just to dissolve the feystones inside. I would need to conduct an examination as well, just to see how severe it was. And I couldn’t even ask how she knew what the Mark of Ewigeliebe was. Truly a formidable foe.

Once the contract was signed, I reached for the plate of cookies, but my hand came away empty, and I frowned. Myne giggled and turned her attention to Eckhart. He had the most pained face he could muster while on duty. Tch. He should know better than to silently beg for scraps like some untrained wolfaniel. “Not to worry. There is a separate plate in the back for the attendants.”

I have had a growing headache ever since a certain child squirmed her way into the temple. With glossy hair as dark as the night sky, and eyes that glowed like the golden moon, she looked exactly like a young Mestinora. She behaved as an archnoble, though a bit clumsy in some aspects. It was to be expected, for a child so young. In some other aspects, however, she must have blatantly ignored tradition despite her meticulous training. She had the audacity to give me two poor quality feystones filled with her mana, asking for a meeting with me the very same day, and expected it to work. Normally, it would not have. But these feystones had all elements, even if a little faint. I could not deny my curiosity. Besides, she was a child. I was sure I could handle her, should the worst come to pass.

Her greeting was passable, but it was one of a commoner. She must have been a devouring child, then. And judging by her outfit, descended from a rich merchant, and pampered enough to have her own workshop despite her freshly baptized status. I nearly rolled my eyes when she said she had mana to spare. Devouring children her age had barely any. Before I could protest however, she revealed she had filled these feystones just minutes before, and could fill even more.

It was… a questionable statement, at the very least. This amount of mana should have been all she had, but that was not what was suspicious about it. I knew of no child who could so easily move their mana at seven years old. In addition, she showed no sign of fatigue for moving this much mana into two feystones. This, combined with her archnoble training that she so clearly wanted to show off, must have meant someone was behind her pulling the strings. A noble, perhaps, or more likely a rich merchant wanting connections.

She claimed it was because she was sick often and could not go out. But that was a non sequitur. This so called illness of hers was the devouring. As soon as she began to regularly donate her mana to the temple, she would regain her strength and such. She would then go back on her word as soon as that happens, I can guarantee it. And beyond any doubt, it would become by job to wrangle her back inside. I suppressed a sigh. It would be foolish of me to take her at her word.

Failing to gain my permission to enter the temple, she threw out her last “condition” she must have been instructed to save as a last resort. She offered money.

With the blue priests taking part in corruption and stealing whatever they could, combined with a rising number of orphans, the temple’s coffers were beginning to reach dangerously low levels. The Sovereignty had taken many of our blue priests, and noble society had further taken more of them and all of our shrine maidens on account of the purge and subsequent mana depletion. The work she offered to “help” with, and the money brought in to the temple would serve as a decent buffer, but it was not a condition for donating her mana. These were all perks she was offering to gain entry.

Regardless, it all meant nothing if she could not provide sufficient mana, even if she could offset the amount with paperwork. I had Fran fetch the Shield of Schutzaria, and instructed her to to fill as many as she was able.

It was as if Verdrenna had struck me herself. Ten whole, high quality feystones. The two she had given me before were laughable in comparison. Pitiable, even. I had never seen this before. It was more than an archnoble child’s amount of mana. This was… No, perhaps even more than Sylvester as he is now. How had she survived?

She was rather tiny, now that I looked at her again. The devouring must have wrecked her growth. The fortitude she must have possessed to have made it this far. Was she subconsciously compressing? It was unlikely but it was the only reasoning I could come up with. Her becoming healthy might be more difficult than I originally assumed, in that case. Decompressing a child’s mana to such a degree would be difficult. Without a jureve at least. No, what am I saying? That would be going too far for someone like her.

I immediately agreed to induct her into the temple. I could not let this much mana go, that much was certain. I can always train her up to a suitable standard in paperwork. My own work will have to be sacrificed in the meantime, unfortunately. Lady Veronica will not be happy about my slacking off, and will likely send the High Bishop after me, but since Myne had asked to be shielded from him, I will just have to grin and bear the torment until I can catch back up to speed.

Speaking of, he will need to be alerted. I may be in charge of all the paperwork, but he still was in charge of the overall personnel. No one could come in or leave without his permission. I set up a meeting, and was granted one a full week later. To irk me, which he succeeded at. I wouldn’t dare to show it though. Instead, I spent the rest of the meeting convincing him to take in a commoner as a blue shrine maiden.

At her suggestion, I framed her requests as piling work against her, and wringing money out of her as a fee for allowing her workshop to stay. This, he took to, and we decided on her attendants. After which, he promised he would send someone to clean up the orphanage director’s office. I wanted to get ahead of any work before Myne came in, so I left it to him, much to my later regret. I didn’t have the time to personally check it, thus failing her only request to be shielded from the High Bishop. I don’t know why I was so disappointed in myself.

I summoned Justus, and has him investigate Myne. She was indeed the owner of her own workshop, and was the inventor of a number of inventions such as plant paper and something called rinsham. Still, I did not believe she did her own paperwork. She must have had someone else doing it, and claiming the credit. She would need to learn to do her own work from now on. At the very least she wasn’t lying about making money. Justus had found her family, but I was sure that was simply a cover even though I found no evidence of it. Myne was a complete enigma, even with Justus’ help.

I thought she simply ignored her attendants, but she did not even react to my voice. She was also actually reading the bible. I confirmed it by tracking her eye movement, and her obvious facial reactions. Her noble mask had vanished when she thought no one was watching. I internally sigh at the sight. I needed to teach her that someone was always watching and to pay attention to her surroundings. I snatched the book from the table, and gave it back to Fran.

Upon interrogating her further, it seemed she was actually more lacking in common sense than I expected. She truly did like books, but it seemed whoever had taught her the script to get into the temple failed to impart on her any deeper meaning on the words she was saying or how she was expected to behave at all times.

However, their nobles had no idea of the typical, underlying noble sensibilities in Yurgenschmidt. Someone training a child such as Myne would only have surface knowledge of our customs. Not to mention, they did not have much of an outlet for mana. My sources told me they were scrounging for any feystones they could acquire. She would have been forced to compress just to stay alive in a manaless land. This fit her ill health perfectly. But for what reason would they come to Ehrenfest? We had none of what they wanted. We may have fared better than the losing duchies but we didn’t have much to begin with. I would need to keep a close eye on her, and be ready to stop her should she snoop into things she shouldn’t.

I might need to alert Sylvester soon.

The next day came, and with it, the monetary donation. Surprisingly, her guardian had said she was generous and naïve. Did he think I was stupid? One could argue her asking for work was generous, but it was a bit of a stretch. Was he the one who put her up to this? What could he possibly gain with associating with the temple? As far as I knew, the Gilberta company was not that high up, but even they should know temple connections would not gain them much.

The topic shifted to detail her health. Indeed, she was as ill as Fran said. It might not completely be the devouring, thus, worse than I originally thought. If her rising emotions caused her to collapse as her guardian said, Lanzenave must have truly forced her hand. I ordered Fran to learn her health, and make sure she won’t fall ill in time for autumn. I could trust him with this much, at least.

The most preposterous reaction from Myne came from my Goddess of Water question out of everything else. She used the gods to explain it away, something she had not done before. Not even noble children speak in such a way. Every instinct within me told me she didn’t belong here. She must have been trained rather strictly. To what end, was a mystery. She could know a host of other things to get what she was instructed to.

Once they were gone, I summoned Justus immediately. “I need you to investigate Myne again. I have reason to believe she could be a threat to Ehrenfest.”

Justus frowned at that. His usual happy demeanor at being summoned vanished in an instant. “How so?”

Justus nodded. “Would you like me to confirm her birth?”

Then the chefs came in, and Fran mentioned how he didn’t realize soup could be so flavorful. Another of her inventions, which was, quite simply, getting ridiculous. Paper, accessories, clothing, now food? Surely these were not her inventions, but recreations of Lanzenave culture.

That very same day she also gained a few new attendants. One of which was to be her harspiel teacher. Fran had reported she even intended to practice daily. I had thought she wanted to read books, yet she was doing more than necessary. But if someone had told her of my exploits at the academy, then she was likely using music as a way to win me over. I will not be fooled by it.

Once Myne began to come in to help with the work in my office, it became clear enough she had not lied about her ability to do paperwork. She worked with astonishing efficiency. I would not have believed it had she not been sitting right in front of me. She barely even used the abacus, and managed to actually complete more of my tasks than had came in that day. If this continue at the same rate, I could actually finish. I watched her closely, to be sure she wasn’t cheating somehow or getting the answers from Fran. But she wasn’t. It was truly all her doing.

Even more suspicious.

A few days later Fran came in to report on the workshop’s paper making process. But he read it not from a board but from something called a “diptych.” Myne. Again. For a spy she was doing a poor job of staying under the radar. Any normal noble would have spread them slowly, at least, with the backing of a higher noble. No one was going to adopt any of these trends if she’s spreading them from the temple.

Unless… No, it’s too preposterous. I must first confirm her origins before doing anything drastic.

It seemed that diptych was the last of the inventions. For now, at least. I was sure she had more up her sleeve. But she was making such waves with everything she was doing I had no idea how much longer I could keep the High Bishop in the dark. Anything he knew was because Myne did not have enough sense to hide it from her own spy.

After a few weeks of blissful, peacefully quiet reports, Fran reported that Myne would like to invite me to lunch. I agreed of course. We had much to talk about, and I was a tad curious as to just how good this soup could be. I let Eckhart and Justus know of the date. I did not trust her to not poison my food. Justus could get any poison, but if she were to use some foreign poison none of us were aware of and I became disabled, Eckhart would be there to apprehend her. For now, we diligently got through the boards on my desk, slowly dwindling them down ever so slightly. It was almost time for the Star Festival so the amount of work that needed to be done was more than usual.

Justus arrived early for the day of the lunch meeting. I wanted my report after it, so I gave him a gray priest robe to disguise himself into. Whereupon he spent the rest of the time digging around in the orphanage. Eckhart arrived right before Myne usually came in. He took his usual place behind me, all too happy to be serving again. When she walked in, she spotted him immediately, and gave him a wide smile, almost nostalgic. I glanced at him, silently asking if he had met her before. To which he shook his head. I watched her carefully, but she made no other unusual moves.

When Justus showed up just before lunch, she froze mid paperwork, her golden eyes wide in surprise. It was clear she recognized him as well, but from where? One of the investigations into her? That was impossible. Justus was not sloppy. This reaction was not nostalgic like with Eckhart, but more cautious and somewhat familiar. Every day she became more and more mysterious. Hopefully his report could rectify that.

Myne smiled at me, but even I could tell it was a smile made of fear. Good. If you must plot, then be better so as to not get caught. She cleared her throat, and decided to avoid the question all together as two dishes were placed in front of us. “First, this is consommé and fluffy bread.”

Myne called the next dish “Hamburg Steak.” A profound beef dish, filled with cheese on the inside and a pome sauce on top, which was clearly made from the consommé from before. It was quite the satisfying meal, and I found myself eating quicker than normal. The tastes were so far removed from a normal lunch I had trouble believing it was possible for food to taste as good as this did. Growing up, my food was poisoned and heavily spiced. Once I secured my own chefs I had them make it bland so I could notice any poisons that snuck in.

It was only now I realized I had forgotten to be wary of possible poison. But my stomach didn’t ache and my body functioned just as it normally did. Actually, no. I could feel my natural fatigue peeling away with eat bite. Was there something in the food after all? Some delayed numbing agent perhaps? I deliberately slowed down, attuning myself to my body. I needed to be ready, just in case it would strike fast.

Surprisingly, nothing happened. The only thing I felt was… satisfyingly full. I sat back, and watched as Myne pat her own stomach with a stupid grin on her face, completely oblivious to the people around her once again. Once the after meal tea was poured, small, round desserts were placed before us. They were yet another new recipe, called “cookies,” and these specifically were tea flavored. Though they looked rather simple.

I took a few bites of one of the cookies. “These are quite the unique dishes you have displayed.”

“I am glad they suit your taste.” Her noble façade returned and she smiled. “I was a bit worried when Fran said you didn’t enjoy sweets.”

“You are correct. I wanted to test these recipes with a noble of more traditional tastes to be sure my style of food would actually be enjoyed among the nobility before I debuted them.”

I actually scoffed out loud. “Debut? Do you intend to become a noble?”

She blinked a few times with fake surprise and tilted her head. “My, are you not already thinking of making me a noble? But that is not what I am asking for. That will happen as Dregarnuhur decrees. I am willing to offer you these recipes at a discount, five brand new songs I composed, three hundred sheets of plant paper, a unique book, and all of my knowledge. In exchange, I want a jureve made of the highest quality ingredients.”

“Yes. I do not expect you to believe me if were I tell you I am not a threat, so I won’t. That is why I am offering you my precious, unique items I intend to use to gain status once I am part of noble society. The food and songs you could use yourself to raise your own status, making my own attempts pathetic if I were to come after you. I am trusting you with my inventions, High Priest.”

Trust was a foolish notion. “A laughable plan. Do not think so highly of yourself that you would be turned noble when you are already known here as a commoner.” Her age was also a problem, but since she was so already so small, it would be rather easy to lie about it. Truth be told, she had pinpointed my thoughts to a scary degree. I had, in fact, already thought of making her a noble already. A few times, actually. She was just so unnatural I had tossed the ideas before it came to fruition.

There were few special cases where I could use “my word,” due to Lady Veronica forcing me into the furthest corner of noble society she could. If I could rid myself of her and the High Bishop, I could move more freely. The evidence I have been gathering is slowly mounting, but it was not enough yet. And even if Myne were to become a noble, who’s house would she be under? There was only one I could trust enough to keep her identity a secret, but I was not certain they would accept.

Eckhart rose his eyebrow questioningly. He had caught me glancing at him. When I turned back, Myne had also caught me, and smiled. “You know something.” But she would not answer. Her conditions were clear.

I sighed. “I cannot make any decision without hearing these so called brand new songs. They could be poorly disguised, obscure songs you rearranged instead. I know every song, so I will know you lied.” I made sure to smirk, to make sure she knew I had no faith in her child-like mind and tiny hands. Instead she smiled and nodded, completely unfazed.

The song was indeed unique. A beautiful, upbeat melody came from the instrument, arranged in a way that was not usually the fashion in Ehrenfest. The lyrics sang of valor, fighting against the Lord of Winter, and winning despite low odds. It was simple, and could use a bit more work, but I could make use of it. Once finished, Rosina took back the harspiel. “All five have been already written down thanks to my musically talented attendant. I do not know how to write music.”

“Impossible. How could you compose a new song without knowing how to write the notes?”

She shrugged in a most unladylike fashion. “I just sorta hummed it and Rosina did the rest. Oh, but I also did the lyrics too, don’t worry.”

I rubbed my aching temple. Her merchant guardian had said she was a genius, but I didn’t think it would actually be troublesome to have to deal with. To think she had such knowledge, but not enough to realize how she presented herself as when she dismissed skipping foundational knowledge as trivial. Instead, she was worried that I would think she didn’t write the lyrics to a completely original song.

Still… An entire year to gather jureve ingredients, all the while I could not ask how or why she knew things. It was clear she held a vast amount of knowledge, whether she was a true genius or simply recreating was was already familiar to her from her time in Lanzenave. But was that even worth it? I glanced at Justus again. His eyes sparkled at the little Mestinora. If this were a more casual lunch, I had no doubt he would already be asking for the music sheets. If Justus was this relaxed, then she must not have posed as a threat. Or she did, but it was a simple matter I could easily handle.

Reluctantly, I agreed. It would be a lot of work, but a jureve would be simple enough in comparison to the information gained. Whatever that may be. We signed a simple contract to seal the deal. Then she dropped another piece of important information she should have revealed earlier. She had the Mark of Ewigeliebe. I could no longer suppress my groan. This jureve of hers tripled in difficulty, and would need higher quality than I anticipated just to dissolve the feystones inside. I would need to conduct an examination as well, just to see how severe it was. And I couldn’t even ask how she knew what the Mark of Ewigeliebe was. Truly a formidable foe.

Once the contract was signed, I reached for the plate of cookies but my hand came away empty and I frowned. Myne giggled, and turned her attention to Eckhart. He had the most pained face he could muster while on duty. Tch. He should know better than to silently beg for scraps like some untrained wolfaniel. “Not to worry. There is a separate plate in the back for the attendants.”

Chapter 4 / Chapter 6