Chapter 1 - Three Young Women
I have finally reached my fifteenth birthday.
At fifteen, one is considered an adult, and work is upgraded from an apprenticeship to regular labor.
Wages increase as well.
Since I aspired to be a priest, I was formally appointed after finishing the morning prayers.
The appointer was the Headmistress, who is a Bishop. The witnesses were three female priests. They are all involved in the management of the orphanage and are my teachers.
The statue of the Goddess, who watched over my appointment, was backlit by the morning sun rising from the east, creating a halo. Many candles were lit before her. Refreshing morning light poured in from the skylight in the high ceiling, and the light chirping of birds could be heard from outside.
Normally, appointments take place at a church, but when I asked, I was told that the orphanage's prayer room also has an altar, so it would be fine. Since I had the chance, I decided to receive my appointment before the Goddess who has watched over me ever since I was born.
"Congratulations, Jeanne. With this, you are now a full-fledged priest."
The Headmistress, dressed in red vestments, smiled gently alongside the three female priests also in vestments. I couldn't help but tear up. I was scolded often by my teachers, but even that has become a fond memory now. I recall the days I spent running around as an acolyte...
"By the way, are you really going to be okay from now on?"
Suddenly, the large Headmistress's hands grabbed my shoulders in a firm grip.
Her face, with a sword scar on the right cheek, loomed close.
I, who had been lost in reminiscence, was pulled back to reality in an instant.
"It's not too late. Stop this 'Stray Priest' nonsense and join the Church. It's much safer. I'll write you as many letters of recommendation as you need. If necessary, I'll negotiate directly with the Archbishop in the Royal Capital so you can stay here."
I wonder if a Bishop should be calling unaffiliated priests 'strays.'
Because she was shaking my body just like that, my head was going clunk, clunk...
Goodness, she has incredible strength for her age.
"Headmistress, you should stop there, or Jeanne's head might fall off."
Jennifer-sensei, who has a round face, offered a lifeline in her gentle tone. This person is kind and always helps me.
"Ah, I'm sorry. Jeanne. Are you alright?"
I thought I was going to faint.
"You call them Stray Priests, but if I recall, weren't you originally a stray as well, Headmistress?"
Priest Katherine, a beauty with a large bust that makes her seem wasted as a priest, also came to my aid.
It seems the men in town lament that she holds a priestly office that prevents them from casually inviting her out, but I wonder if she herself is aware of that?
"It's because I was a Stray Priest that I understand. It's truly difficult. There were times when I didn't have enough money to eat properly. I even slept outdoors. If you belong to the Church, you'll be confined to it, but you won't have to worry about food, clothing, or shelter. Come to think of it, when I slept outside alone, there were several times I was surrounded by strange men and had to fight them off."
You fought them all off, didn't you? That's amazing, Headmistress.
That's right, the Headmistress once defeated the Demon Lord.
She is a powerhouse among powerhouses, one of the six companions led by the previous King of Sertoria, known as the Seven Heroes. The scar on her right cheek is apparently a badge of honor from her battle with the Demon Lord.
"It's true that we don't have experience as strays. But this is what Jeanne decided for herself. We must respect that."
"Didn't you say, Headmistress, that a priest is a priest no matter where they are, and that their feelings of faith don't change?"
Nice follow-up, you two. Please, give me more.
"Even so, for a child of such a young age to be a stray... At the very least, it would be better after she's grown up a bit more..."
While I'm grateful that she's half-tearing up for me...
Headmistress, I became an adult as of today. I am already grown up.
Besides, you were the one who appointed me as a priest, weren't you?
"Um, everyone. It might be better to refrain from calling unaffiliated priests 'strays.'"
Emily-sensei, the youngest, who had been watching the situation, spoke up hesitantly with the most common-sense remark.
In the end, I was made to promise—for the umpteenth time this year—that if I couldn't find a way to make a living as what the Headmistress calls a Stray Priest by the time I leave the orphanage in six months, I would seriously consider joining the Church again.
But I wonder if there's even a way to make a living as a stray. Someone, please tell me.
After all that, having finished the priest appointment ceremony—apparently called an Ordination—I returned to my room in the orphanage and changed from the vestments worn during rituals into my everyday white priest clothes.
I went straight to town and entered one of the taverns. Slipping past the town's middle-aged men relaxing and drinking beer at the counter, I saw two girls occupying a table in the back. One of them stood up and called out to me.
"You're here, Jeanne. Happy birthday! Come on, over here, over here!"
A girl with long black hair, wearing a red robe over black innerwear, waved her hands excitedly.
It was Beatrix.
She's a fellow orphan of the same age who works at the town's magic tool shop.
She was born in April and became an adult two months before me. She's a smart girl and is apparently highly valued at the magic tool shop. Her dream is to have her own magic tool shop in the Royal Capital, and she's currently learning the know-how of management firsthand as a clerk.
Sitting next to her was Beowulf, a large girl with short blonde hair who could be mistaken for a man, belonging to the town guard. She must have come during her break, as she was wearing leather armor.
"We've been waiting, Jeanne. Happy birthday."
Beowulf, who has a gentle voice and a calm smile more suited to her real name than her nickname, also celebrated my birthday.
The reason her tone is masculine despite her voice is probably because she's a guard.
Her name sounds like a man's too, but this is a nickname the Headmistress gave her.
She has been large and strong since she was a child, but despite her body, she has a gentle and shy personality; when she first came to the orphanage, she was a quiet child who spoke very little. Since both her parents were dead and she didn't tell anyone her own name, the Headmistress named her so that she would grow up strong and sturdy. Later, after we became friends, she secretly told me her real name was Francis, but for some reason, she also prefers to be called Beowulf, so I continue to call her that as always.
Since her birthday is in May, she's only been in the guard for a month. However, she has been volunteering as an apprentice since she was thirteen, so including that, her guard service exceeds two years.
By the way, her dream is to become strong and be selected for the Kingdom's Central Army. Soldiers for the Kingdom's Army are selected by recommendation from those who have at least three years of experience in a town guard. Among them, the Royal Guard is the elite of the elite.
On the table was a round cake about the size of an open hand. It was a soft cookie dusted with sugar, using plenty of cream and topped with candied berries. Five small candles were arranged in a circle, with one slightly larger candle standing in the center. It was the birthday cake the two of them had prepared for me.
"I thought about getting a bigger one, but you wouldn't eat it anyway, right? So I thought the three of us could share a small one."
Beatrix said to me while pressing her hands together as if to say 'sorry.'
"It's the perfect size. Thank you, both of you."
Since they said they would treat me, I ordered a cider to go with the sweet cake.
While we were enjoying the cake for a while and talking about what happened today, as expected, Beatrix latched onto the fact that the Headmistress was terribly worried about my future.
"That's right. Are you really going to be okay?"
Even Beatrix was worried about me.
Even though she should have known about my choice for a long time.
"About that. Beatrix, did that thing we talked about go well?"
I came here today to talk about this.
I certainly didn't come just to eat cake, which is rarely seen at the orphanage.
"Yeah. It worked out somehow. At least, I don't think we'll starve to death for lack of money."
I let out a sigh of relief. After all, my livelihood is at stake.
Most children who graduate from the orphanage find employment at the places where they worked as apprentices until graduation.
However, we wanted to become something more than that.
Just finding a job isn't enough. We should have a dream. We'll earn money for that purpose.
And, after much discussion, the conclusion we reached was monster exterminators.