After spending 11 gold coins at [Bleuet Bakery] on Arthur's needs and wants, Seraphina left the bakery feeling quite dejected.
She had not been able to buy anything for herself and was disappointed she could not try out Bleuet's special Macaron.
However, Seraphina could not keep dwelling on it as she did not have that much time to waste.
'It is fine dummy. You are not a kid anymore. ' she told herself, trying to convince herself that it was not a big deal.
She was 13 now, a soon to be adult, she could not allow herself to cry over some spilled milk—spilled sweets here.
Since she had already claimed the rewards from her quest as well as unsuccessfully celebrated her birthday, Seraphina truly had nothing in particular to attend to except from the usual church work.
Looking into the distance, Seraphina could see Arthur's back retreating further and further, growing smaller and smaller by the second.
When he finally was no longer visible, Seraphina took her first step forward, following Arthur's trail at a leisurely pace.
Soon enough, she too, had disappeared from the scene, blending into a sea of people, children and Daoists.
...
The church in Alequessa stood at the center of the city, it was a large and pure white building.
It was built from wood and white Limestone. Within the wall stood, tall and immaculate stained glass windows. Each window shimmered with hues of blue and gold radiating a gentle and holy aura.
The church was a very old building yet, it remained clean and in an almost perfect condition.
This was certainly not a coincidence!
Every member of the clergy at the rank of High Priest or High Priestess had the opportunity to get their very own church and it was their responsibility to look after it—this included cleaning it, preserving its dignity and ensuring the church was in a state where it could be passed onto the next generation without a hitch.
—
The main requirement for the rank of [High Priest / Priestess] was being at the level of a 3 Star, but it was not the only condition. You would also need to have made sufficient contribution to the Church and gotten a recommendation from another [High Priest / Priestess] or from someone higher up the ladder.
Seraphina had only just reached her fourth Star and so, she had yet to receive her promotion—it would require her to go to the Grand Cathedral in the capital, which was far away and difficult for the little girl who could not live without seeing Coralie at least five days per week.
That was why her identification pendant had carried 3 Stars and not 4 Stars!
—
It clearly was not thanks to coincidences that the church had remained so pure over the years! Seraphina, just like her predecessor, Gabriel, had to care for the church and every single one of its supplicants—at least as long as it was hers.
It meant that Seraphina, the current High Priestess, was the highest ranking member of the Church in Alequessa.
When Seraphina was finally about to set foot into the church, ready to do some scrubbing and making her late Father proud for making the church shine from cleanliness, she was stopped by a tall black haired woman in white priestess robe.
"Seraphina!!! HOW MANY TIMES MUST I REPEAT MYSELF!!! WHERE IS YOUR ROBE!!?" the black haired woman harshly berated her. "Sigh... Can't you respect the rules for even once!?"
Seraphina flinched, stopping dead in her track. She had lent her priestess robe to Arthur, so she could not possibly be wearing it.
"I'm sor—
"And where were you last night!? They have not stopped asking us about you since yesterday!" the black haired woman interrupted her.
Seraphina had fallen asleep shortly after defeating the [Poisonous Venomtree] so she had not been able to come back in time.
"I'm sorry! Please forgive me, ma—madam Beatrice! I was tired and I accidentally fell asleep." said Seraphina with a cracking voice, she forced herself to raise her voice a little higher or the woman before her would have probably not even heard her.
—
Beatrice was a light-skinned black-haired woman with a well-endowed figure, she stood at about 5 feet and 8 inches (173 centimeters) and appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties. She wore a white priestess robe however, hers had blue markings and seemed of much lesser quality than Seraphina's.
Beatrice was an objectively beautiful woman, though she could not hold a candle to the sub—objectively most beautiful woman in the world, her big sister Coralie.
Towards this elder, Seraphina did not feel any of the warmth she had shown for her sister, who too was her senior in the Church.
On the contrary, what she felt for Beatrice was entirely different from Coralie. Seraphina had known Beatrice for almost all her life, and when she was small—smaller than now, Beatrice had treated her very harshly and left a deep impression on her.
This impression had turned into a profound fear very quickly, it got to a point where she would nearly wet her pants whenever she saw Beatrice if Coralie was not here to hold her hand.
Even now, she still had a lingering fear for this holy woman who should have been under her.
—
Seraphina's eyes grew heavier and a strange warmth welled up behind them and her nose all at once.
"You were tired so you let us handle everything!? You are a High Priestess! Get your things together!" Beatrice chastised her for not being present yesterday.
Seraphina flinched, she instinctively pressed her heavy eyelids together, closing her eyes entirely. However, pressing her eyelids together made two warm and crystal-clear droplets of liquid escape from her eyes—one for each eye.
"Sigh... This is why I was against putting a kid in charge, sigh..." Beatrice sighed again, like she was a venting pipe releasing her hot dragon's breath all over Seraphina.
It had not even been a minute and Beatrice could not have possibly been madder than she was right now, she was akin to a furious dragon!
"Go do something useful for once!" Beatrice ordered her, even though she was of lower ranking. "They have been waiting for you for a long time now, do your duties and attend to them." she said, pointing her finger at the outside of the church.
However, Seraphina stayed in the same place like she had not heard what Beatrice had just said.
Before Beatrice could add something more, Seraphina started moving—moving towards the church.
"What are you doing! Get back here!" bellowed Beatrice.
"I'm wetting my spawe wobe... sniff..." mumbled Seraphina, feeling wronged to the point of crying.