Chapter 65 – The Archive Room and Backyard Herb Garden Now
Chapter 65 – The Archive Room and Backyard Herb Garden Now
The tall shelves, neatly aligned, block out the light, leaving the archive room dimly lit.
The scent of paper and mustiness still lingers in the air, just as it always has.
Amazingly enough, five underage disciples had shown up at this archive room.
To be precise, three black priestesses and two black priests had requested to be assigned here.
Incredible!
Today, with Ted joining them, we had seven people handling the archive room.
I’m just sitting here giving instructions, so that makes six doing the work.
“Ted, thank you so much as always.”
“Heh heh. I’ve always been interested in a mage’s work in the archives, you know.”
Ted is swiftly sorting through the pile of returned documents.
Even after just a few lessons, his categorization is flawless. It’s astonishing.
“Saintess, what should I do with this…?”
“That goes on the shelf in the back. Let me see… Yes… Please attach last year’s budget report and hand it over.”
The petite girl climbs the ladder, grabbing the documents with her tiny hands.
Heh heh heh.
I wonder if I looked like that back in the day.
“Um… Saintess. Where does this one go…?”
“That one’s on the shelf over there.”
I pointed to the shelf of meeting minutes that I had proudly built first.
Back then, it was the one I struggled with the most. It always fills me with nostalgia.
“Could I have last month’s repair expense receipts, please?”
“Certainly. Please write your department and name here.”
The boy briskly opens the checkout ledger and hands a pen to the plainclothes staffer.
Another one dashes off to fetch the documents.
I can leave this place to these kids without worry.
In the church—unlike the guild or the town—the Saintess is treated as something utterly sacred, so I truly can’t do a thing.
Sometimes I get antsy thinking it’d be faster if I did it myself, but patience, patience.
They’d be the ones getting scolded, and if I move, it causes a stir.
Besides, even if it takes a little longer, no one complains to the Saintess, so it’s perfect for training.
The documents are neatly organized, checkout records are attached—it’s nothing like the chaotic old days.
Once the peak hours pass, people start thinning out quickly.
With the returned documents sorted, I left the rest to them and headed out with Ted.
“Saintess, thank you for today.”
“I’ll drop by again next week.”
For now, I’m visiting once a week to guide them.
I want to do whatever I can for these kids who aspire to become white priests.
Maybe I should just check on the backyard before heading home.
“Mind if we stop by the backyard herb garden?”
“Of course. By the way, is that place really a garden?”
“Heh heh. It is a garden.”
“Heh. Still, it was busy in there. Has it always been that hectic?”
We exit the archive room through the back door, traverse the long covered corridor, and head to the backyard.
“Yes, it’s always been the same, now and then. But at age six, the documents were all boxed up—tough in a whole different way.”
Back when I didn’t know this world’s business jargon, deciphering budget reports and minutes day after day.
The content was pretty tough even for a middle schooler.
And back then, black priests had no rights at all.
“Six years old?”
“Yes. I had all the church’s info in my grasp, playing Demon King for real.”
“Heh heh heh, you must’ve been a fun Demon King.”
Haha. I remember fantasizing about going full evil and burning the archives, cackling creepily to myself.
I was a prime middle school edgelord.
But my surveys of each kingdom’s local flora for herb experiments, and accidentally slipping mass-production notes for recovery potions into the documents every time—those are top secret.
“This is the lab.”
At the end of the covered corridor, I unlock the lab door with a clatter.
In the back is a simple kitchenette. The large desk is lined with what looks like scientific equipment, and books are stacked here and there around the sofa.
“I was expecting something more elaborate.”
“Heh heh heh. Look out the window.”
Opening the window lets a refreshing breeze flow through, feeling wonderful.
Outside, lush green herbs grow thickly, like an English garden.
“The key is these herbs. Pretty spacious, right?”
“Huh? Isn’t that the stuff from the other day…?”
Ted points at the herbs in the damp, shady spot and widens his eyes.
Haha. Great reaction. This is the face I wanted to see.
“Mufufu. Come here, and guild requests are a breeze.”
Not that it’s cheating or anything.
“All of it was weeds…? I thought the backyard was just a neglected ‘garden’ in name only…”
“Heh heh heh. That’s right. Even thieves pass it by. A flowerless herb garden.”
Ted really thought they were weeds—now he’s the surprised one.
But yeah, the front garden is all neatly trimmed.
“So even those over there are valuable?”
“Of course. Those are explosion grass—even hard to grow with the Green Blessing. Bitter memories of buying seeds while getting eyed like a terrorist…”
“Impressive. Marie does all this alone?”
“No, no. I have friends who help out.”
Katriona and the gardener Dorman have supported me.
“Huh. Still impressive.”
“It’s mostly a hobby, though. Struggled plenty raising seedlings without magic.”
Oh no, oh no.
I ended up taking up time with my hobby talk.
“Next time, tell me about your interests, Ted.”
In return, I want to hear about Ted’s hobbies.
Does he like weird magical beasts? Fluffy ones would be nice.
“Sure. I’d like that.”
We step outside, do a quick cleanup, and Ted waters everything with a splash of magic.
Ooh. A rainbow!
Right, Ted can use water magic.
How convenient!
Not that I plan to use him as a watering can.
As I was packing up to head home, Katriona poked her head in.
“Marie! I knew you’d be here!”
“Katriona!”
I break into a happy grin, and Katriona comes leaping at me.
Whoa.
“We were so busy last time, we barely talked, right?”
“Thanks for the sweets and flowers. And arranging the castle waiting room—you handled everything.”
“Ufufu. I got carried away and overdid it.”
Katriona loves handling arrangements, taking charge, doing things herself.
She even insists on growing her own herbs.
“Oh, sorry, Ted. Long time no see… or not.”
“Yeah, we were working last time.”
“Huh? You two know each other?”
Ted and Katriona exchange glances and smile.
“Yeah, we’re childhood friends.” “That’s right. Childhood friends.”
Oh? Childhood friends, huh.
For me, it’d be Fernet on the edge, I guess?
We pulled pranks together all the time and got scolded by Gain.
“Katriona was always competing with Evas. I’d make them make up.”
“No way. Evas would always snag the things I liked first.”
Even at school, Katriona and Evas were just like this.
Pfft. I can totally picture those two.
Thank you for reading!
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thanks for the chapter