“Maine, finish the ceremony while the medicine is still working.”

The Head Priest calmed the anger a little and turned the gem into the winged lion again. In response to the action of him, the knights rose to their feet and summoned their animal mounts.

“Come on.”

I made a graceful move and took the Head Priest’s hand which was stretched out to me. This time I had experience, and as soon as he lifted me onto the lion, I grabbed the reins to keep my balance. Then the Head Priest jumped upon the lion himself, and raised his hand.

“Let’s go!”

The Head Priest clenched the reins and the lion was given life. Waving its huge wings, it took to the sky and headed for the hole created by the giant Tronbay.

The Tronbay that had entangled me was the result of my blood, not the magic of the surrounding land, so there was no need for a special ceremony. But the magic had dried up where the gaint Tronbay used to be, and it was said that without the ceremony, nothing would ever grow.

“… I’m so sorry for what happened to you.”

We didn’t have to worry about being overheard in the air, so the Head Priest behind me whispered to me.

“I had no intention of injuring you, nor of exposing you to such unguarded malice. I really didn’t expect such a thing to happen, even to the point of forcing you to regain your strength by medicine for the ceremony. It was a mistake on my part not to take into account the fact that the Order would disobey my orders.”

There was regret and chagrin in the voice of the Head Priest. The guards were assigned to protect me in order to make sure everything went well, but the guards messed up, and the Head Priest seemed to feel very guilty about it. But neither the disobedient guardians, nor the malicious rumours, nor my natural infirmity, were his responsibilities.

“It’s not your responsibility.”

“No, whatever concerns you is my responsibility.”

Said the Head Priest firmly. He added that since the temple was in such a critical situation that I, as a commoner, had to be used to continue its operation, it was his duty as a superior to use my abilities properly. The Head Priest was very talented, so he must be one of those people who take care of everything himself.

Did he ever feel tired?

“Maine, does the medicine work?”

“Yes, it works.”

“That’s good. I know the ceremony is too much for your body, but now you must let the Order know that you are a blue-robed trainee priestess who is capable of doing a good job. I will protect you. You must show them that you are worthy to wear the blue robe and that you are indispensable to the temple and the Order. If the Order decides that your power is needed, it can be your guard hereafter. Let them see.”

On account of class, the Head Priest must protect me on the ground that I was not a commoner but a blue-robed trainee priestess, and I must give a result that corresponded to my status.

“But… I’m so nervous. Because it’s my first time, I’m worried about whether I can make it.”

I knew I had to do it, but I was terribly worried about whether I could really make it. The Head Priest only gave a little laugh when he heard me mutter.

“Don’t worry. I’ll prepare a foil to compel the Order to acknowledge you.”

“… Huh?”

“My rule is never to fight a war without a chance to win.”

I shuddered at the icy tone of the Head Priest. It seemed that he was still angry that his plan had been ruined.

“… Well, Head Priest, Damuel is a good man. He tried to save me, and he did speak to Skicossa, so please be kind to him.”

Where the giant Tronbay grew, there was a circular hole with bare soil that looked as if someone had placed a huge reddish-brown plate in the forest.

“It would be a good place to build a village if the plants grew after the ceremony.”

“If a village is built here, the priests and aristocrats who come to take part in blessing ceremonies and the Harvest Festival will suffer.”

“Without regular blessing ceremonies, the magic of the land will be lost over time.” The Head Priest added in a low voice. Indeed, if a village were to be built in the depths of such a dense forest, the peasants who would have to move in, and the priests and aristocrats who would have to travel long distances for the ceremonies, would probably complain a lot.

The lion landed in the very centre of the hole, and the Head Priest helped me to the ground. The knights also landed all around us, and one by one the animal mounts returned to the knights’ armour gloves.

The knights took off their helmets and knelt when they were all in formation. It was said that wearing a helmet to the ceremony was disrespectful to gods. The Head Priest also took off his helmet and laid it at his feet. The soil beneath my feet was not the moist black soil I’d seen in the forest, but the reddish-brown dry soil I’d seen in the school playground.

“Head Priest.”

The Head Priest took the staff Arnaud had handed him, which was even taller than the average adult male.

The staff was used in the ceremony and was a symbol of the goddess of water, Freudorene. A green magic stone, almost as big as a man’s fist, glowed in the sun on the top of it, while rows of small magic stones were embedded in the handle below. Now, almost all magic stones had changed their colour, indicating that the staff was full of magic.

“Skicossa.”

The Head Priest shouted to the knights. Hearing that he was being called upon, Skicossa came quickly toward us, his armour rattling. The Head Priest handed him the staff.

“You perform the ceremony.”

Skicossa looked blankly at the Head Priest, but the Head Priest only looked down at him with cold eyes and sighed deliberately.

“You must have so much magic power left that you dared to ignore my command. I was going to show the trainee priestess myself, but because of you, I have done so much extra work that my magic is very little left.”

… What a lie! There is more than enough power in him!

The Head Priest’s medicine was so bitter that my tongue was numb, but as he himself said, the effect gained at the expense of taste was so great that it was impossible for him who had just taken it to be devoid of magic.

“You can do it, can’t you? Come on, show Maine the difference between commoner and aristocrat.”

The Head Priest forced the staff into Skicossa’s hand. Skicossa seemed overwhelmed by the unexpected, but as soon as he caught my eye, he stared sharply at me and straightened up.

“Freudorene, the goddess of water with the power of healing and change, and thy twelve attendants.”

Skicossa began his prayers in a clear, resonant voice. At the same time, the big magic stone inlaid on the top of the staff glowed, and the dry soil, centered on the staff, slowly turned out into rich black soil, and the green shoots came out one after another.

I couldn’t help marveling at how Skicossa could change the colour of the soil just by holding the staff and saying the prayers. It was like the special effects I’d seen in educational shows when I was still Urano.

But before I had finished marveling, the soil stopped changing.

“No, that’s not enough.”

The Head Priest reprimanded Skicossa and forced him to keep the staff. As long as it was held, the staff absorbed the magic of the person who held it. As the magic continued to be absorbed by the staff, Skicossa seemed to begin to lose consciousness and fell to his knees in weakness.

“Well, that’s all you’ve got? What about that cocky look you’ve just had? The Order is seriously short of talent, I suppose.”

The Head Priest did not even give a glance to the limping Skicossa but reached out his hand to the wobbly staff and let me come forward.

“It’s your turn, Maine.”

With all my energy, I spread my feet shoulder width apart and tightened my grip on the tall staff that could easily fall over. Thanks to Skicossa’s demonstration, I was able to perform the ceremony with confidence.

… Since the Head Priest wants me to show others what I can do, I’d better pour a lot of magic into the staff, wouldn’t I?

I exerted force on the hands that held the staff, breathed deeply and slowly, and then opened the lid, which was usually tightly closed to keep the magic from escaping, allowing the magic inside me to begin to flow. The magic gushed out of the depths of my body and sought an outlet to the staff.

“Freudorene, the goddess of water with the power of healing and change, and thy twelve attendants. Hear my prayer, and grant me the holy power to heal thy sister Gaederich, the goddess of earth, who has been perished by demons.”

The big green magic stone on the staff suddenly gave out a strong light. The magic swirled around me. My hair was blowing up and the sleeves and hem of my ceremonial dress were flipping.

“Sacred music is offered to thee. Spread supreme waves, and give us the clear guard of thee. May thy colour fill the land I desire.”

The magic surged into the staff, spreading through the magic stone into the dry soil. The area of the black soil expanded instantly, and in the blink of an eye the vegetation sprouted in succession.

“… stop, that’s enough.”

At this I suppressed the still gush of magic and closed the lid. At the same time, the magic stone’s light dimmed. I looked up and saw that the dry land was covered in ankle-high grass.

“Head Priest, is this the completion of the ceremony?”

“Yes, the whole land is full of magic… it’s a bit too much, actually.”

The last few words were very low and vague, so I didn’t catch them. I looked curiously at the Head Priest, but he just shook his head slightly and turned to face the knights. I followed him to the knights, and found them all dumbfounded, as if they had seen something they couldn’t believe.

… Huh? Why is everyone wearing that face? I worked so hard with the magic because the Head Priest wanted me to show it to others. Did I… go too far?