Chapter 25

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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: A Feast of Hope
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Dietrich faithfully carried out the Saintess's order to buy everything fresh and of good quality, regardless of the cost.

Thanks to him, everyone residing in the Grand Temple of the Sun God was able to enjoy a grand feast for the first time in years.

“Are we really allowed to eat like this…?”

The servants and maids, who were not priests, wore awkward expressions as they looked at the mountain of food piled before them.

“Of course. We would have truly struggled without you. You are the ones who deserve all of this.”

Dietrich reassured them. His words were true, after all.

Because the Grand Temple of the Sun God was so poor, they provided the servants and maids with only room and board instead of a salary.

Although they all knew this when they came, one might expect them to do their work half-heartedly given their low compensation, but they always swept and polished the Grand Temple as if it were their own home.

If not for them, the Grand Temple would have fallen into an unbearable state by now.

“W-Well then, we will gratefully accept and enjoy the meal.”

Only after Dietrich's heartfelt words did the employees begin to eat. Some even had tears welling up in their eyes.

‘I used to think it would be good enough if the Grand Temple just managed to survive without completely collapsing.’

Dietrich gave a bitter smile as he watched them.

How many nightmares had he had of the Grand Temple collapsing during his time?

Whenever that happened, he couldn't sleep and would get up to walk in the garden. Of course, it never made him feel any better.

Because the state of the garden, spread out under the tranquil moonlight, was also dire.

But now, for the first time, there was hope.

Now that Duke Lute Ciel had intervened, perhaps things might change.

And the person who had accomplished this was…

“Oh, Miss Hindel, why aren't you eating anything?”

Dietrich, who had been reassuring the employees and was on his way back to his seat, stopped in his tracks.

Amidst the other apprentice priests who were eating greedily, Monica Hindel alone sat blankly, not eating.

He was worried, as she was the most promising among the apprentices.

“Do you perhaps not eat meat? If so, I'll have them bring you something else.”

“Ah! No, that's not it. I love meat. I was just lost in thought for a moment.”

“I see. Well then, please take your time.”

Dietrich smiled brightly at her reassurance and was about to continue on his way.

“The Saintess has arrived.”

Victoria's resonant voice echoed through the boisterous dining hall.

As if on cue, all the noisy chatter, the sounds of eating, and the clatter of cutlery ceased.

Dietrich sighed inwardly.

It was Ordel who had extorted—no, received—the money from Duke Ciel under the guise of a holy relic transfer tax and ordered the food to be bought.

His suspicions about Ordel's sudden change in attitude remained, but he had no intention of belittling her contribution. This was all thanks to her.

However, this fact was unknown to the others, which was why their reactions were still like this.

“Wow, smells good. How long has it been since I've smelled meat?”

Ordel entered the dining hall with Victoria.

As if completely unbothered by the awkward silence, she sat at the head of the table with a calm expression.

“Ah, did you all stop eating because of me? Don't mind me, please, continue. Enjoy your meal, Victoria.”

As Ordel took her seat, Victoria also bowed her head briefly before heading to her own empty seat.

The two of them were composed, but those watching were on pins and needles.

Airic and Seth, seated on either side of her, seemed to feel the same, as they kept glancing at her furtively.

‘I guess I have to step in.’

He was the only one who could lighten the mood right now.

Dietrich swallowed hard and walked forward confidently.

And so, he didn't see it. He didn't see Monica Hindel behind him, covering her mouth with both hands as she stared at Ordel.

Her blue eyes were shining with an excessive sparkle.

***

I had felt the uncomfortable silence from the moment I entered the dining hall.

But it didn't really bother me. The aroma of juicy meat enveloping me for the first time in ages was more important.

“Priest Dietrich did a wonderful job picking out the ingredients. This is delicious.”

The piece of meat I ate as soon as I sat down was absolutely exquisite.

I'm not a very sentimental person, but I feel like I could cry.

People really do need to eat meat to live.

“I'm glad you find it to your liking. I was thinking of changing our food supplier anyway, so I'll go with this one.”

I nodded at Dietrich's response.

“And we'll need to hire a new head chef and sous-chef. Preferably someone who knows how to create nutritionally balanced meals.”

Kento, the previous head chef, was decent at making food taste good, as befitting his title, but he didn't know a thing about nutrition.

It was obvious just from how he only took care of the ill-tempered Ordel's meals while serving everyone else soup with barely any substance.

He even embezzled money from the food budget and offered it all to Count Kiris.

“It's not that I haven't thought about it… but most of them are highly skilled professionals, so it's not easy.”

In other words, we don't have the money to pay their salaries.

I really needed to find a way to solve this fundamental problem as soon as possible.

After gesturing for Dietrich to continue his meal, I gazed steadily at Airic, who was sitting to my left.

Unlike the others, who were dazzled by the splendid meal and eating greedily, he was dining with his usual refined demeanor.

“…Is there something you wish to say to me?”

Something to say? I have plenty.

“Why are you picking at your food like that? Someone as tall and well-built as you needs to eat well. What will you do if you eat so little? Eat this, and that too. Gosh, a frail person like you needs to eat well to get strong.”

*Cough.*

My words of concern were met with coughs erupting from all over.

Seth was also covering his mouth with his hand. His face was beet red, as if he had choked on his food.

What's with them? Is my concern that strange?

“…I am eating quite enough. And I am not frail.”

“You fainted over something trivial just this afternoon. That's all because you lack protein. So eat up. Meat is best eaten before it gets cold.”

I called a servant and told them to grill more meat for the High Priest.

“Saintess, I'm fine—”

“—not fine, so eat up. Captain, why have you stopped eating?”

I whipped my head around to Seth on the other side.

“You're much bigger and more muscular than the High Priest, so you need to eat twice as much. Meat is very important for a knight, you know.”

“More meat over here, too.”

As I shouted boisterously, I saw a few servants rush into the kitchen.

I felt bad for interrupting their meal, but Airic and Seth did the most work in the Grand Temple, so it couldn't be helped.

“S-Saintess, I am eating enough…”

“What do you mean, enough? I'll work hard to earn the money, so you two just eat without a care in the world. You've worked so hard you're skin and bones; it breaks my heart to see.”

“But you just said I was big…”

“Your frame and your flesh are two different things. Now hurry up and eat.”

I patted Airic's and Seth's shoulders in turn.

I heard someone from over there mutter something about me being like a grandmother feeding her grandkids, but I paid it no mind.

I'm not old enough to be their grandmother, but my mental age is certainly higher than the twenty-something Airic and Seth.

Besides, my future depends on the two of them being healthy, so I have to feed them well.

“S-Saintess. More meat has arrived.”

“Put it here. Hmm, but this still looks a little lacking…”

“It's enough!”

“This is fine!”

When I commented with dissatisfaction at the mountain of meat, Airic and Seth shouted simultaneously from either side of me.

Of course, as a Korean—a member of a nation that takes feeding people with hellish intensity—I paid them no heed and yelled for more meat.

Now *that's* more like it.

***

“Ah, I'm so full. Did you enjoy your meal, Victoria?”

After the exciting meat party ended, I returned to my room and patted my full stomach.

“Of course. I don't know when I last ate so much. All the holy knights were overjoyed.”

“I'm glad. Ah, it's a shame I couldn't eat more.”

Ordel, with her trash-tier stamina, also had a seriously small appetite.

To have meat shimmering before my eyes but be unable to eat because my stomach felt like it would burst. How utterly frustrating.

No wonder my stamina is in this state when I eat like this.

This won't do. Just like with exercise, my eating habits need some drastic measures.

I can't live my whole life eating like a bird.

*Knock, knock.*

Just then, someone came to visit. The visitor Victoria announced was a very surprising person.

“Apprentice Priestess Monica Hindel wishes to see you, Saintess.”

Monica Hindel.

She was definitely one of the important supporting characters from the original story.