More than anything, spirits loved freedom. Tonari thought the very idea of “spirit worship” was outrageous, and some spirits felt the same. That was why he was here at the Central Shrine. To deepen connections with spirits and prevent them from becoming estranged…he was making the sacrifice just for one year.
This old man would make a good hostage, if you ask me…
Some people said spiritologists had partly severed their ties to the human world, but the fact that their profession was licensed by the king meant they were tethered to the secular world. Since he had received an official request from the kingdom, he was not permitted to turn it down without a legitimate reason. The salary was correspondingly generous, but during the several months he’d been at the shrine, he hadn’t had what he would call an enjoyable time. Still, he had to admit he’d been fortunate to witness the column of light at close range, since he otherwise would have been away on fieldwork.
I’ve gotta say, this post isn’t the greatest fit…
He much preferred wandering the forests and marshes, encountering wild spirits.
“Anyhow,” he said, scratching his itchy head, “can we summon this Brigitte to the shrine?”
The Meidell residence had come up earlier in the conversation. It matched the site where the column of light had emerged, so there was a good chance the girl was contracted with this unknown spirit.
“I’ll look into her myself,” he offered, thinking this would be the simplest option, but to his surprise, the clergy protested vociferously.
“She’s an earl’s daughter. It’s not so easy to summon her.”
“And is it safe to assume she’s the one, without conclusive evidence?”
“In the end, a no-name is a no-name. I can’t imagine it being connected to the column of light.”
Tonari was getting fed up. The conversation was going nowhere.
“Excuse me…!” Just then, a staff pounded the marble floor. All eyes turned to the archbishop. His mouth moved, although it was hidden beneath his beard. “Which priest oversaw her contracting ceremony?”
“What?”
One of the clergy members reacted with obvious alarm.
So it’s the chief priest!
The chief priest held the greatest real power at the Central Shrine. His face had turned pale, and his eyes were darting around.
“I-it was I—but I only spoke what the crystal revealed.”
The crystal he was referring to was said to have come from the spirit world. Legend had it that long ago, magical waves had formed it. The spirits were rumored to have used it to peer into the human world from their own…and now that it was in the human world, it revealed spirits in their world. It was used in contracting ceremonies, and regional shrines had similar smaller crystals of their own.
As a rule, young, talented priests conducted the contracting ceremonies with five-year-old children at the shrine, so the current chief priest must have advanced quite impressively through his career.
“I’m certain it was a no-name. I’ve seen them thousands of times. There is no question in my mind,” he said.
“Are you sure? Couldn’t you have made a mistake?” the archbishop asked.
“Absolutely! I would never make a mistake!” The red-faced chief priest pounded the table with his fist. “I know that g-girl’s own father burned her hand because she had contracted with a no-name!”
He slapped his hand over his mouth, but it was too late. The room fell completely silent. Several people were very pale. Despite the chatter of a moment before, none dared speak.
Now I see.
The tawdry truth was coming into view. So this was why they didn’t want to introduce Brigitte to a spiritologist.
The contracting ceremony was absolute.
It was absolute law, and it had to be absolutely correct.
But if Brigitte Meidell really had contracted with an undiscovered spirit…even if the spirit had disguised itself as a weak tiny spirit…it would mean the shrine had mistaken the identity of the contracting spirit.
I suppose they can’t just come out and admit their mistake.
How would they explain themselves to the Fire Clan, an earldom? Tonari was sure that right now the priests must be desperately trying to figure out how to whitewash their mistake and regain their respectability.
What rubbish…
The girl’s own father had burned her hand. If he had to say, not one person gathered here cared an iota about her suffering and despair.
“I think it’s a tad early to summon Brigitte to the shrine.”
A voice broke into Tonari’s disgusted thoughts. It was the Third Prince, Joseph, who had been silent until then. He had been granted a seat next to the chief priest.
The royal family had been closely connected to the shrine since ancient times. On National Founding Day each fall, the Central Shrine held a parade at which the four great noble families skilled in fire, wind, water, and earth magic used their spirits’ greatest powers to perform a ceremony that lit up the sky. This did not mean that the royals exercised unilateral power over the shrine, but to Tonari, it seemed that certain priests and this prince had a mistaken understanding of this point. The way the prince showed up at the shrine on a daily basis suggested he considered it his private castle.
Of course, that’s none of my business…
Taking no notice of Tonari and his skeptical glances, Joseph turned to the archbishop with an amiable smile.
“She’s an exceedingly sensitive person, you see…and I think an impromptu summons to the shrine could be too much of a shock. She might even faint.”
The priests seemed to find this perplexing. The bishop seated next to the archbishop cocked his head very slightly to the right.
“Pardon me, Your Highness, but am I mistaken in thinking you ended your engagement to Miss Meidell…?”
“Oh, yes, that did happen,” Joseph said, smiling faintly. “We had a minor mix-up. Brigitte understands.”
“Ah, I see…”
“The school that Brigitte and I attend, Otoleanna Academy, is currently on summer holiday. Perhaps it would be better to ask her about her spirit during the school inspection afterward?”
The school inspection was a traditional event during which the priests visited schools to ensure that students were building successful relationships with their spirits. The Central Shrine was charged with inspecting three schools nearby, including Otoleanna Academy. The spiritologist typically joined the Central Shrine priests on these inspections.
Several of the clergy signaled their agreement with Joseph’s suggestion. It must have been like a dream come true for them. This time line struck Tonari as rather lacking in urgency, but if he pushed back at this point, he would invite even more of their ire. Although he was disgusted with them, he decided to simply listen passively to the rest of the meeting.
After it ended, several of the clergy stayed to chat, while others immediately left. Joseph was among those who remained, and Tonari took the chance to saunter up to him while he was staring at a mural.
“Prince Joseph. I get the feeling you don’t want me to meet Brigitte.”
“…” Joseph said nothing and walked out of the room.
Tonari wasn’t sure if he’d heard the whispered comment or not. He watched him go, wondering how it would all turn out.
I don’t know what the prince is up to, but as far as Brigitte goes…I hope she makes it to the inspection in one piece.
He licked his lips unconsciously. What spiritologist wouldn’t be exhilarated by the prospect of meeting an undiscovered spirit? He gazed at the magnificent mural covering the wall for a moment, then followed Joseph out of the room.