“What? You want me to serve as the High Priest’s aide?”
“Yes.”
Elysia immediately questioned the rather outrageous proposal, but Valentin’s expression did not change in the slightest.
“Are you injured somewhere?”
“No.”
“Then do you perhaps have some chronic condition that requires meticulous care on a regular basis…?”
“Not at all. I’m perfectly healthy.”
“Then why on earth are you trying to appoint me, someone assigned to the infirmary, as your aide?”
Valentin was the person in overall charge of the sacred relic investigation team. Being suddenly assigned to the investigation team was absurd enough, but now he wanted her to serve as his aide. It was like being struck by a bolt from the blue.
“You said you were prepared to do anything. Sister Elysia is the perfect person for the job.”
“Me?”
Did I say something like that?
Elysia’s eyes darted around as she tried to recall her own words.
“Because my goal is to get along with everyone here without any trouble. I’m prepared to do anything necessary for that.”
“…….”
“That’s exactly what you said earlier. Don’t you remember?”
He memorized all of that?
As Valentin recited her own words back to her, Elysia’s face gradually turned pale.
Soon, the other priests assigned to the sacred relic investigation team entered the prayer room as well. They were Simon Berg and the priest who had been recording everything beside him earlier, Gregory Eisen.
“Sir Eisen. Find Sister Elysia’s answer in the record of the truth verification ritual from earlier. The part where she said she was ‘prepared to do anything.’”
“Yes. I’ve confirmed it, and it was determined to be true.”
“Thank you. She doesn’t seem to remember saying it herself, so show Sister Elysia as well.”
Sir Eisen showed Elysia the record.
But I didn’t say that with Valentin in mind.
She was at a loss for words.
“That’s….”
“It was verified by the mirror and determined to be true. And since you volunteered that statement without even being asked, there’s no room for doubt. I like that.”
“…….”
“I need someone who can do anything for me. Is there a problem?”
Only then did Valentin break into a broad smile at the speechless Elysia.
“Then I’ll assume there’s no problem. I look forward to working with you, Sister Elysia.”
Before she could even properly protest, she had somehow ended up responsible for assisting Valentin.
Her head rang as though someone had struck her hard in the back of the skull.
“Sister Clara, follow Sir Eisen. You seem meticulous, so you can help him organize the materials.”
“Organize the materials?”
Sister Clara blinked slowly.
“That’s right. Organizing the materials. Sir Eisen, explain the details to her.”
“Yes, High Priest.”
Once her assignment had been decided, Sister Clara gave a short reply and fell silent.
Elysia glanced at her and noticed that Clara’s expression had stiffened slightly.
“Then you’ve all worked hard. Since this is the first day, let’s stop here for today.”
At any rate, she had been given a chance to breathe for today.
Hell would probably begin tomorrow, but at least she was safe for today. She could worry about tomorrow when it came, go back to her quarters and rest for a while, then meet Tristan at midnight.
Except—
“Sister Elysia, follow me.”
“What? Right now?”
“Yes. Right now. There’s a lot you need to know if you’re going to assist me. Sir Berg will explain it to you.”
Elysia’s work began immediately.
“Let’s go.”
Sister Clara stared at Elysia’s retreating back as she hurried after Valentin with quick little steps.
“…This is ridiculous.”
Sister Clara remained standing there in a daze, only muttering in disbelief after everyone else had left.
Her hand unconsciously tightened.
Rustle.
The edge of the documents she was holding crumpled in her grip.
Just like the wrinkled paper, Sister Clara’s brow twisted into a frown.
***
The temporary office of High Priest Valentin de Arcane.
“There isn’t much to it. Basically, your first priority is to follow the High Priest’s instructions.”
The explanation from Valentin’s aide, Simon Berg, was brief.
Elysia, who had taken out a notebook and prepared to write things down, raised her eyebrows, wondering whether she had misheard him. At the same time, she adjusted her grip on the pen she had nearly dropped.
“That’s all?”
“Yes.”
Elysia was so dumbfounded that all she could do was blink.
Just like Valentin, Sir Berg’s expression remained unchanged despite her obvious bewilderment.
“It may sound simple, but there are many different kinds of tasks. Flexibility is important. I imagine that’s why he chose you, Sister Elysia, since you said you were ‘confident you could do anything.’”
“…I see.”
“Yes. Speaking from personal experience, the most important thing is having the tenacity to do whatever you’re told, no matter what it is.”
Doesn’t that just mean there’s no proper system for the work?
Elysia’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.
Why did I have to say something like that?
She had thoroughly trapped herself with her own words.
Regretting it now wouldn’t let her take back something she had already said.
“I’ll explain any tasks that require more detailed instructions when they come up. For now, simply do as the High Priest tells you. I have something else I need to take care of, so I’ll be going.”
After giving her that brief handover, Sir Berg disappeared somewhere, saying he had to take care of a task Valentin had assigned him.
Naturally, only Valentin and Elysia were left in the office.
An empty silence settled over the room.
Eventually, unable to bear the awkwardness, Elysia spoke first.
“Um… what should I start with?”
“Wait. Sir Berg will bring it soon.”
Naturally, she assumed Sir Berg would return with work for her.
Instead, what he brought was dinner for two.
Elysia checked the grandfather clock.
It was already past six in the evening.
Six o’clock was dinnertime. The nuns would already be gathered in the dining hall for their meal.
Guests from the central headquarters did not eat together with the convent’s nuns. The Holy Knights ate separately in the annex, while the priests ate wherever they were staying.
So this was probably dinner for Valentin and Sir Berg.
“Ah, it’s dinnertime already. Enjoy your meal. I’ll go out and grab something simple to eat too.”
“Then enjoy your meal.”
Sir Berg set down the tray, bowed, and shot out of the office like an arrow.
What is going on?
Elysia’s eyes widened in surprise.
Valentin jerked his chin toward her.
“Sit down. It’ll get cold.”
“…M-Me?”
“Yeah. Is there anyone else in this room besides you?”
…No.
That was exactly why this was so strange.
“Isn’t Sir Berg going to eat?”
“He’ll take care of himself.”
So one of these meals really was for her.
Elysia cautiously lifted the dome covering the tray.
For a moment, she doubted her own eyes.
Duck breast steak with potato purée and roasted apples was revealed beneath it.
At the convent, their meals were usually nothing more than soup and bread. On days when the bread was a little softer than usual or the soup had pieces of meat in it, they would happily call it a special meal.
Compared to what she normally ate, this was practically a feast.
“Let’s eat. I’m hungry.”
Valentin urged her on, but Elysia didn’t dare pick up her fork and merely watched him cautiously.
“This is part of your job too, Eli.”
And so a rather uncomfortable meal began.
He said he was hungry.
Yet Valentin didn’t touch his food at all.
He merely rested his chin on one hand and stared intently at her as she ate.
Once the meal was over, the real work began.
Valentin placed a stack of documents in front of Elysia.
“Here. These are materials we brought from the central headquarters. I’d like you to check them for spelling errors.”
“All of this? Right now?”
“Yeah. It’s not much.”
With a dubious expression, Elysia flipped to the final page.
The page number printed at the bottom caught her eye.
[235]
Two hundred and thirty-five pages was ‘not much’?
“Get started right away.”
“…….”
Elysia checked the clock.
It was currently seven in the evening.
“You only need to review it.”
Right. She didn’t have to copy it out, only review it. If she concentrated, it would be difficult, but the amount probably wasn’t impossible.
‘Instead of wasting time hesitating, I should just start.’
Elysia immediately began reviewing the documents.
After checking them until her eyes felt ready to fall out, she finally managed to finish around eleven.
“I’m done.”
“Good work.”
Finally.
Now she could go back to her quarters, gather what she needed for Tristan’s treatment, and meet him at midnight.
Just then, Valentin placed another stack of documents in front of her.
“Review these the same way.”
This stack was even thicker than the first.
[528]
That was an insane amount.
Elysia’s face went pale.
It was currently eleven-thirty at night.
Even if she only had to review them, there was no way she could finish before midnight.
“Um, I think this might be… a little too much to do right now.”
“Why? You said you could do anything.”
Valentin asked with perfect composure.
“Or do you have somewhere you need to be?”
[System]
Wash and treat Strategy Target ‘Tristan Loch’.
[Time Remaining Until Appointment - 00:29:53]
Oh my God.
There were less than thirty minutes left until midnight, when she was supposed to meet Tristan.