"Haha!"
I laughed loudly.
"What are you going on about? Why are you the one making that judgment?"
"It's nothing," Rormane conceded easily.
"As you said, I have no right to interfere in your life, Dian. That's correct. Who am I to do so?"
A smile slipped through Rormane's lips.
"But even so, couldn't I at least offer some minimal advice? There's value in having an objective third-party perspective."
I was so dumbfounded that I just stared at her silently, and Rormane continued.
"Marry Vice Principal Ismera, Dian. Someone of her caliber suits your status. A verified colleague is far better than some random person. At least she's been vetted."
"Well, that's true enough."
"She may be inexperienced with housework, but that's no problem since you have Olicia. And a capable woman like her shouldn't be confined to the home anyway."
She even knows about Olicia? Good grief.
"If Vice Principal Ismera had been an insignificant woman, I wouldn't have been able to tolerate it. But thankfully, she meets my approval as well."
"I'm relieved you approve. But honestly, I still don't understand your true intentions."
Rormane just smiled without asking anything, as if waiting for my next words.
"Is this really the end of it?"
"Of course. What else would there be?"
"It doesn't seem that way. What's your real angle here?"
"Angle? You're being too harsh. It's exactly as I just told you. I came to see with my own eyes whether Vice Principal Ismera is a suitable woman for you."
Rormane clasped her hands together dramatically.
"Dian, I've always wanted your happiness. That was true ten years ago, and it remains true now. Everything I've done until now has been solely for your happiness."
"Is that so? I'm not sure if that's the truth, and even if it is, it's rather creepy."
"Even if my methods were wrong, someday you'll have to acknowledge that my underlying feelings were sincere."
Smiling, Rormane unclasped her hands.
"Dian, it's fine if you doubt me. You can consider me a mentally unstable woman, or condemn me as a snake who spouts nothing but lies and excuses. How you see me doesn't matter at all. However."
Rormane reached out her hand.
"However, the fact that I only wish for your happiness is absolutely certain."
She gripped my hand tightly.
"If someone can make you happy, I'm fine with it not being me. Just watching you live happily will be enough to make me happy too."
"I see. Thank you."
I pried her hand off as I spoke.
"So now I don't have to worry about you suddenly pulling an axe or knife from your clothes and butchering Ismera?"
"Of course not. That was just an unfounded concern."
"And I no longer need to worry about Priest Maya continuing to investigate me?"
"That won't do."
Rormane's expression turned cold.
"Maya will continue writing patient records. Dian, won't you grant me that small concession? It won't cause any trouble in your life."
"But it was those patient records that brought you here."
"Do you consider my coming here a nuisance?"
"I'm concerned that you might not be able to control yourself and cause trouble. And if, just hypothetically, things between Ismera and me start to go wrong, is there any guarantee you'll stay out of it?"
"I see... So I am a burden to you..."
Rormane nodded with shadows falling across her face.
"I understand. I'll tell Maya to focus solely on her duties as a medical priest at the infirmary."
"Thank you."
"I should go now. Since my presence is nothing but a burden to you."
Rormane stood up and walked to the door.
"Come, Dian. You should see me out."
"Rormane."
"Enough."
With her hand on the doorknob, Rormane spoke firmly.
"That's enough. I've achieved my purpose, and you can rest easy. Let's end this on good terms."
After looking at Rormane for a moment, I nodded slightly.
"Fine. Understood."
# # # # #
When I went outside with Rormane, a carriage was waiting in front of the main building entrance.
Kirrin and Ismera, who had gone out ahead, were standing with other priests waiting for us.
"Thank you again for your hospitality."
"It was an honor to receive the Secretary General."
Kirrin bowed her head and shook hands with Rormane.
"Vice Principal Ismera."
Next, Rormane took Ismera's hand and said:
"Be happy."
"Pardon...? Oh, yes... Thank you."
"It would be quite troublesome if you weren't."
Ismera swallowed nervously as Rormane's face momentarily hardened.
"Head Professor of Combat."
Finally, Rormane shook my hand and smiled.
"When might I see you again?"
"Who knows? The position of Secretary General is such an important role, after all."
"Then perhaps I'll see you again only if I'm excommunicated and expelled from the Order."
The priests standing behind us were startled.
"That was a joke."
Rormane smiled as she stepped onto the carriage steps.
"Ah, well then."
Just before boarding the carriage, Rormane turned back to me.
"Since this is a farewell with no promise of reunion, would you give me a hug as a parting gift? Of course, that's a joke too."
The priests were shocked, and Rormane laughed again.
"I'll be going now. I wish you all the best."
As Rormane boarded the carriage, the priests hurriedly climbed into the carriage behind hers.
"Maya, would you escort me back to the Order?"
From the carriage, Rormane looked down at Maya and asked.
Maya turned to look at Kirrin.
"Go ahead! Hurry!"
Kirrin pushed Maya's back.
"Goodbye, everyone."
With Rormane's farewell, the door closed and the carriage departed.
"Whew, finally gone..."
Only after all the carriages had passed through the academy gates did Kirrin wipe the sweat from her forehead with a deep sigh.
"I thought priests were supposed to be kind and warm-hearted, but she was terrifying and intense. I could barely breathe."
"Indeed..."
Even Ismera, who had boldly confronted Rormane indirectly, seemed intimidated, with beads of sweat forming on the bridge of her nose.
"Good job, both of you. Today would have been really difficult without you two."
Kirrin patted Ismera's and my shoulders with a broad smile.
Instead of responding, I gazed thoughtfully at the departing carriages.
Rormane... what are you really thinking?
# # # # #
Inside the carriage heading to the Order.
Rormane rested her chin on her hand, looking out the window and thinking about that time.
The day she first met Dian.
That meeting had turned her miserable life upside down.
That day was bitterly cold.
Even someone who believes winter should naturally be cold would completely change their mind if they came here.
This was Gauni Village, a small settlement located at the edge of the northern mountain range of the Empire.
Situated in a valley, cold air constantly flowed in but couldn't escape due to the terrain.
The cold was so fierce that there was a legend about villagers driving away monsters by beating them with frozen laundry used as clubs.
In a shabby shrine located in such a village.
The door opened, and a young girl walked out with hurried steps.
The girl's hair was reddish-brown.
It was a distinctive color that contrasted with both the snow-covered village, which was entirely white, and the dark purple priest's robe she wore.
In her hand was a chamber pot that the presiding priest had used during the night.
Emptying it and washing it clean with snow was the beginning of the young acolyte priest's daily routine.
Just as the young priest had emptied the pot's contents behind a snow-covered bush and turned around, she discovered someone standing right in front of her.
"Are you the acolyte priest Rormane?"
A tall man with brown shaggy hair and a fur cloak was looking down at her.
Behind him was a man with blond hair and blue eyes.
Rormane looked up at the man in surprise, unable to say anything.
Gauni Village was a valley within valleys, and visitors from outside were rare.
Moreover, on a winter day with biting winds like today, even fellow villagers rarely encountered each other outside.
"Acolyte Priest Rormane. Is that you?"
When Rormane didn't answer, the brown-haired man asked again.
Suddenly, Rormane realized she was holding a dirty chamber pot in her hands.
Hiding it behind her back, she asked in a timid voice:
"Y-yes, I am Rormane... But who are you...?"
"I'm Dian. This is Linus. We're from the Imperial Castle."
"From the Imperial Castle...?"
"It's a long story. Let's go to the shrine first. It's freezing out here."
"Ah, yes... This way..."
As the man called Dian said, it was so cold outside that ice would form on your eyelashes if you stood still for just a moment.
And above all, Rormane was so curious about these men who claimed to be from the Imperial Castle that she hurriedly guided them to the shrine.
"Whew, that's better."
Dian and Linus entered the building, removed their fur cloaks, and sat down in front of the fireplace as Rormane suggested.
"I nearly froze to death out there."
"That's why I suggested we wait until the blizzard stopped."
As Dian grumbled, Linus smiled gently and replied.
"I was too impatient to just sit around waiting."
Dian retorted, then looked at Rormane.
"Sit down. We have something to discuss with you."
"Ah, um... I'm just an acolyte priest... I should bring the presiding priest..."
"We don't need the presiding priest. Our business is with you."
"Me...? You came from the Imperial Castle for me...?"
Rormane was so surprised that she fidgeted, not knowing what to do.
"But the presiding priest is here..."
"Not necessary. He's probably just some old man filling in for the previous priest, right?"
Rormane hesitated, neither confirming nor denying Dian's words.
Dian was right—the current presiding priest was an old priest who had come to fill the vacancy after the previous one was transferred to the Order's headquarters.
He was a listless old man with no interest in advancement and tired of preaching the teachings of the goddess.
Not all priests in the Order were the same.
The closer one was to the capital where the Order's headquarters was located, the faster one could advance, and the farther away, the more distant one became from the path to success.
The previous presiding priest had moved to the Order's headquarters with heaven's help, but that was truly a case of divine intervention.
Priests without money, connections, ability, or noble birth had to spend their entire lives as low-ranking priests in remote places like Gauni Village.
The current presiding priest was like that, and so was Rormane.
"So sit down. Your future is yours to decide. Don't worry about anyone else."
At Dian's words, Rormane hesitantly sat down in the chair.