Ascendance of a Bookworm

Chapter 112: Job of the Attendants (1)

Chapter 112: Job of the Attendants (1)

Delia dresses me and tidies my clothes roughly with a rustle.

"Miss Maine, I can't talk with one who is not able to understand the job of a priestess. Well, we are running out of time. Let's practice Fespiel."

Rosina is preparing my Fespiel with a graceful smile. Delia's anger is completely neglected by her.

"What ----! It's not the time to practice the instrument!"

"Delia, it is decided by the Head Priest that it will be the practice time until the third bell rings. Before that, think carefully about what you want to say. Rosina's job is to teach me Fespiel. Let's talk about other tasks later. "

"… Ok."

With an upset look, Delia goes to do her own work. Just before going down the stairs, she turns around and says, "I will definitely talk about it later!"

"Miss Maine, you don't have to listen to that kind of blather."

"No, when people are at odds, I have to listen to the details of everyone's explanation. The Head Priest told me this."

"… Is that so?"

Rosina puts on a gloomy face, but as soon as she starts playing Fespiel, her smile comes back. Rosina has been teaching me how to play before the third bell rings.

Then the Fespiel practice is over. I have to go to help the Head Priest on his official duties. Rosina puts the Fespiel back to the case for me. After I ring the bell on the table and call Fran, he comes up to the second floor with all the necessary tools ready.

"Well, I will go to help the Head Priest. Rosina and Delia, you two please go to fetch the water together."

"Oh, what are you talking about? Isn't that the job for gray-robed priests?"

Rosina's eyes widen, as if I say something unbelievable, but I also look at her with surprise.

My gray-robed priests are Fran and Gil. Fran is in charge of all the clerical work, and Gil takes care of the workshop. They have been working outside.

Now, only Delia is responsible for the housework, so I want Rosina to help her.

Because Rosina will soon become an adult. I want to ask her to share Fran's job, but I am not sure what kind of job Rosina can do. Thus, I think she can start with the work which is simple for any gray-robed priestess.

"The gray-robed priests have their own work. For the time being, Rosina will work with Delia. That's what Fran told Delia, right?"

Hearing my words, Delia smooths out her red hair with both hands, and smiles triumphantly.

"So, I ask you to take the water to the second floor as it's our work, right?"

"I think that rough work should be done by gentlemen."

Rosina puts her hands on her cheeks, inclining her head to one side with a confused look.

Delia said that even one becomes an attendant, she must do some rough work while she is an apprentice. I assign the work based on Delia's words. But when I see Rosina's response, I feel uneasy.

"Heavy work and chores should be priests' work. The work of priestesses should be study of accomplishment, right? Putting the orphanage days aside, I become an attendant because of a musical instrument, so I don't know the reason why I have to do the rough work. My fingers may hurt because of it."

"Will your fingers hurt? You are not a blue-robed priestess. What are you talking about?!"

Though I understand what Rosina is really thinking, her intention is unfit in my house.

"The priests here can deal with the rough work. Besides, though there is a priestess apprentice in this house, no one understands art here."

Rosina giggles, but what she says is not funny at all. Now I can understand why Delia was furious.

"Miss Maine, let's talk about it after lunch. The Head Priest is waiting for you."

When I'm thinking how to solve this problem quickly, Fran's words wake me up. This is an urgent problem that I should deal with.

"Rosina, it is the time for music practice before the third bell rings. But after that, you should work together with other attendants. I've told you that. So, go to work with Delia, please."

"Why, Miss Maine?! What are you talking about?!"

Rosina's eyes widen in surprise as if she can't believe that her advice should be rejected so rudely.

"After lunch, I will ask for the opinions of all our attendants. I don't know much about how things work in the temple. I'll make a decision according to their opinions."

If she asks for my personal opinion, I will say "what you did in the past, does not mean what you should do now". However, is this Rosina's opinion, right? How about others? I have to know that. Without asking people like Fran or the Head Priest, I cannot make a decision arbitrarily. I leave to ask the Head Priest for his advice.

"What do you think of Rosina's opinion, Fran?"

After we leave the room, heading for the Head Priest's, I ask Fran. Just now, all I considered was that Delia was furious. So I didn't ask others for their opinions. In some way, the conversation this afternoon seemed to be entirely controlled by Delia.

… Gil says Delia's complaint is endless.

"I think she is affected greatly by her previous master. Miss Christine, Wilma and Rosina's former master, is one of those rare people even among the blue-robed priestesses. She attaches great importance to art. She likes writing poems and painting, and is absorbed in music every day. Her attendants - all gray-robed priestesses, including priestess apprentices, learnt to behave like ladies of the noble families."

… She is absorbed in poetry, painting and music every day. Really?

"As Rosina says, at Miss Christine's house, those who are good at arts will be treated better than others, so Rosina almost lived a life of a gray-robed priestess."

"… Now I can understand why she looks like a well-bred lady."

Every gray-robed priestess should learn how to love and serve his/her master. I know this because Delia and Gil told me before. So, I think the gray-robed priestesses are all like that. However, Rosina was treated like a blue-robed priestess because her master liked art. She is no more than a gray-robed priestess apprentice who is good at art but does not do the rough work. I'm really surprised by such a priestess.