Silvia and Floria parted ways with Kokoro at the Lily Shrine and headed towards the temple on the Fifth Floor.
This was because Kokoro mentioned that Rin had been staying there overnight quite often recently.
The temple on the Fifth Floor generally does not have resident clergy.
However, traveling clergy sometimes stay there in exchange for maintaining the temple.
Originally, they would pay money to the resident clergy of the temple as an offering, but since that was not the case, a custom had seemingly developed over time.
Lately, Silvia had also been visiting the temple less frequently, so she had not noticed this at all.
Rin could have been given a room within the castle since she often helps Kokoro and Ririka, but she politely refused and chose to stay at the temple instead.
It would be a bit of an exaggeration to call it a permanent residence, but she wasn’t exerting any significant influence there, so it seemed people were overlooking it.
However, the fact that things were going smoothly in this situation was also greatly influenced by Rin’s personality.
Putting that aside, Silvia (and Floria), who were heading to the temple on the Fifth Floor, noticed an acquaintance there and called out to them.
“Hello. I heard there’s a priest named Rin here, is she around?”
“Oh my, it’s been a while! Rin is probably upstairs, isn’t she?”
A somewhat stout woman replied to Silvia’s question with a smile.
This woman had been cleaning the temple for a long time and was an acquaintance of Silvia’s.
Although she was very friendly, Silvia had no intention of scolding her.
After all, many years had passed since their first meeting, so it was only natural.
However, Silvia would probably act similarly with anyone she met.
Thanking the woman, Silvia and Floria ascended the temple stairs together.
That said, the temple itself was quite large, and they didn’t know which room on the second floor Rin was in.
Having no choice, Silvia and Floria decided to knock on every door and call out to see if anyone was there.
As they were doing this, Rin, perhaps noticing the noise, peeked out from one of the doors.
“Did you call for me? Oh, Lady Silvia, Lady Floria. What brings you here?”
Rin was familiar with the people in administrative positions since she lived with Jin.
Although it had been a while since they last met directly, she had not mistaken them.
“Ah, so you were here. Rin, I have something I need to talk to you about.”
“Talk? I don’t mind, but shall we talk here?”
As she said this, Rin indicated the room where she was staying.
“Indeed. If possible, that would be best,” Floria immediately agreed and nodded.
♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦
Once inside Rin’s room, Silvia and Floria immediately discussed the facility.
“–I see. So you want me to manage this facility.”
“Yes. We believe you are well-suited for the role, and furthermore, we don’t think it’s a bad proposition for you either.”
Silvia’s firm assertion made Rin’s expression shift to one of slight probing.
“What do you mean?”
“We intend for Jin to serve as the representative for the facility. – You haven’t seen him in quite some time, have you?”
When Silvia said this, Rin’s expression became one of surprise.
Seeing Rin’s expression, Floria looked a little puzzled.
“What’s with that look?”
“Well, since I returned here, I haven’t heard the name of my master even once, so I assumed…”
Silvia and Floria exchanged glances and chuckled slightly at Rin’s slightly embarrassed expression.
“You thought he had passed away?”
“Well, Jin is getting on in years, so it’s understandable that you’d think that.”
Silvia and Floria were well aware that Jin was old enough that anything could happen to him at any time.
Therefore, they did not say anything to scold Rin.
Instead, Silvia, who spoke with Rin frequently, continued with a smile.
“Rin, we are servants of God, aren’t we? We wouldn’t hide the death of a person, especially your master, would we?”
“Indeed, you are right. …Sigh. I suppose I still have much to learn.”
In this instance, her overthinking had led to her not asking the crucial question.
As Rin sighed, Floria continued with a laugh.
“I met him about a week ago, and he was still quite lively? I wouldn’t be surprised if he lived to be a hundred.”
“…That might be very fitting for my master.”
Rin’s expression became somewhat complex at Floria’s unreserved comment.
She couldn’t help but feel a strange mix of emotions as she pictured her master, well over ninety years old, energetically moving about.
The conversation had veered slightly off-topic, so Silvia redirected it back to the original matter.
“So, what do you say about the facility?”
“It’s quite sudden, so I can’t give you an immediate answer. May I have some time to consider it?”
“Yes, of course.” Silvia nodded with a matter-of-fact expression at Rin’s reply.
Although Rin was staying at the temple, she was also carrying out her duties as a priest in the castle.
She couldn’t simply move to a new location immediately if asked.
Besides, the facility itself wasn’t even built yet, so there was ample time.
However, Silvia and Floria were well aware that since Kousuke was in charge of constructing the building, it wouldn’t take months.
“Speaking of which, do you have any other promising candidates in mind?”
What Kousuke intended to teach the orphans was not just ordinary education, but the training of individuals capable of clearing the dungeon levels of the tower.
For that, they needed someone to teach the children combat techniques.
If they were simply teaching weapon handling, they could hire any suitable adventurer, but that wouldn’t be the case for the facility they were planning to build.
After all, Kousuke himself would be directly involved, so it had to be someone trustworthy.
Rin answered Silvia’s question: “Unfortunately, I don’t have anyone in mind. However, Ririka might have acquaintances in that field, don’t you think?”
Silvia and Floria’s expressions showed understanding at Rin’s words.
While Ririka now held a crucial role as a shrine maiden within the castle, she was originally an adventurer.
Naturally, she would have companions from that time.
Perhaps they could find suitable individuals through those connections.
Silvia and Floria decided to accompany Rin, who was heading to the castle as they were.
Since they were going to the same place anyway, Floria suggested they go together.
Rin readily agreed, and the three of them set off for the castle.
Rin has postponed her answer, but in her heart, she has almost decided.
She just wants to ensure that it doesn’t interfere with her current duties.
Next, they headed to Ririka’s location.
(Kousuke is currently in the process of building the facility!)
