This is a story from Catherine’s perspective. It takes place around the same time Kent and Hanako returned home.
“I can’t take this anymore. I feel like I’ll never finish,” Catherine exclaimed, her voice loud within the Holy Maiden’s office in the temple. Piles of documents sat high on her desk. If the content only required a quick confirmation and signature, it would be fine, but she was currently working on the previous day’s training report, which held a higher priority. While she could have delegated a usual report to someone else, this one contained confidential matters, making it impossible to pass off. Catherine herself had to create the document.
“I wish I had included some people who are good at administrative work when selecting the Holy Knights. I kind of regret it now.”
There were currently 20 Holy Knight slots, and not a single one was filled by someone skilled in administrative tasks. Even Captain Otsupain was not good at that type of work, and though she had asked for his help once, she never asked him again.
“Catherine, why don’t you take a break for a while? You’ve been at your desk for so long.”
“Ah, it’s already this late. Based on my current progress, I’ll definitely have to work overtime today.”
Yuria, Catherine’s personal maid, entered the office at this moment. Since Yuria was only one year younger than Catherine, they spoke like friends when not in formal settings.
“Ah, you’ve prepared tea. Thank you. Well then, I might as well take advantage of your kindness and take a short break. Ughh…”
Catherine stopped writing her report and stretched her back as much as she could. Then, she moved to the area furnished with an応接用 sofa.
“Catherine, please have some tea.”
“Thank you, Yuria. You can take a break with me.”
“I figured you’d say that.”
Yuria seemed to have predicted Catherine’s words, as she had already prepared tea sets for two. With practiced ease, she quickly set them up.
“I wish I could help you with that, but I’m useless. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay, Yuria. You can’t write, so it can’t be helped. Besides, what I’m working on now involves confidential matters, so I have to do it myself.”
The literacy rate in this country was high compared to surrounding nations, but that was due to learning letters in school. For those not yet attending school, the literacy rate dropped significantly. Catherine herself couldn’t write or calculate until last summer when she began her Holy Maiden education. Yuria, being pre-school age, couldn’t read or write like most people her age.
“Speaking of which, I don’t see the person from the bakery next door who usually helps with administrative work?”
“Emily? Yes. She helped me a lot yesterday, so I’m letting her rest today.”
“I see. Her administrative skills are amazing. I think she could work in a much better place, so I always wonder why she works there.”
When Emily made a contract with Kent, she gained skills equivalent to his administrative capabilities. She wasn’t originally such an intelligent fairy, but due to those circumstances, she had evolved into a very capable fairy.
“What do you mean ‘a place like that’? The bakery next door is my family’s home?”
“Ah, that’s right. I see you at the temple more often, so I forgot.”
When Catherine said this, as if sulking, Yuria replied in a way that made it unclear whether she was serious or joking.
“If I had known, I might have asked her to help today too. But this report is confidential, so I can’t help it. Still, the number of civil officials working at the temple seems to be insufficient. Relying on Emily and Al right now isn’t ideal, I think.”
“Yes. The number of visitors to the temple has increased dramatically recently, so the amount of work to be processed has also increased significantly.”
“And we’re also short on priests. Currently, there’s only Cindy in this temple, so we need to secure more quickly. However, there are suitability requirements, so it’s difficult to find good candidates.”
Recently, due to an increase in visitors to the temple, personnel were needed for maintenance and management, leading to a staffing shortage. The shortfall was being managed with the help of Kent’s contract fairies, such as Emily, Al, and Hanako. Because of this, Catherine felt an urgent need to hire more staff.
“By the way, is Cindy still trying to recruit you?”
“Yes, she comes almost every day.”
“That must be tough.”
“You say that so casually.”
Cindy repeatedly visited Marie’s Bakery, desperately trying to persuade Catherine to become a priest. Since everyone found it amusing that the Holy Maiden and the baker’s daughter were the same person and didn’t reveal the truth, this situation had continued for so long.
“Well, I’d like to keep resting, but I won’t finish if I don’t get back to work. I should probably start again.”
“Take your time. I’ll clear away the tea set. Good luck with the rest of your work.”
Catherine finished her break and returned to her work. As she left her seat, Yuria began to tidy up the tea set on the table.
*DODODODODOO*
Just then, heavy footsteps approached the Holy Maiden’s office.
“Catherine, something’s coming.”
Saying this, Yuria stopped tidying, stood up, and positioned herself in front of the door as if to protect Catherine. While her combat ability was nil, if it came down to it, she would use her body as a shield to buy time for her Master. This was one of her roles as a personal maid.
*BANG!*
The footsteps stopped in front of the Holy Maiden’s office, and the door burst open with a loud noise.
“H-Holy Maiden! God is here! God is here!”
“Calm down. What’s wrong, Cindy? And why is your lower half soaking wet?”
“It’s happy urination! I’m that excited!”
“Lady Cindy, I believe it is very rude to enter the Holy Maiden’s office in that state. Please change your clothes and return.”
“Tch, I want to talk right now, but I guess I have no choice. I’ll come back later.”
*SLAM*
Admonished by both Catherine and Yuria, Cindy left as swiftly as a storm.
“Oh dear, the floor is all wet. And it smells strange. I guess I’ll have to clean it up.”
Where Cindy had passed, the floor was drenched. Both of them had a good idea of what the liquid was. Yuria prepared cleaning supplies and began to wipe up the wet spots.
“Fuu, I caused quite a commotion. Please listen, Holy Maiden. A little while ago, I met God.”
Cindy, who had been in casual clothes earlier, returned to the Holy Maiden’s office after changing into her priest attire.
“God, you mean a child about this tall with black hair?”
“No, their height is about this much compared to me. A blonde woman with a perfectly balanced face that could be described as artistic. Let’s see. Her chest is also like this…”
Catherine indicated a height similar to Hanako’s and asked Cindy, but she described someone of completely different appearance.
(Ah, it’s that kind of person.)
Catherine listened to the physical characteristics Cindy described and roughly understood what was happening.
“Um, so why do you say that person is God?”
“Yes! I felt an immense magical power from her, unlike anything I’d ever felt before. And when I tried to touch her to confirm, she used Teleportation Magic to move me to another location. That was undoubtedly God.”
“Teleportation Magic, huh? I see.”
Hearing about the Teleportation Magic, Catherine understood that Cindy had stumbled upon the right person this time.
“And with that God was Kent.”
“Now that you mention it, they left together this morning.”
Catherine recalled Kent and Hanako leaving together and muttered softly.
“I believe Kent and God have some kind of relationship. I will investigate that matter and report it to you, Holy Maiden.”
“Please try not to cause too much trouble for Kent.”
“Of course. Knowing that God still exists has really motivated me. Also, with God appearing, there will be many things to do. In that case, one priest will not be enough. Please secure more personnel quickly.”
“I’ve also been feeling the shortage of staff, so I will consider increasing our numbers positively. However, there are suitability requirements, so it may not be possible to replace them immediately. Please keep that in mind.”
Although their thought processes were slightly different, they shared the same understanding of the staff shortage. Catherine decided to request an increase in priests from her superiors.
