It seemed he felt the need to hear any messages from the High Priest whether I was there or not.
“Furthermore, if Arno had truly only been here to pass on a message, this would not have been a problem at all. I did not expect Delia to explode with anger like that.” Fran glanced toward the kitchen and sighed. His frustration was clear on his face, which was rare for him. That told me more than enough about how harsh Delia had been.
“What was Arno’s message, then?”
“That the High Priest did look for someone to adopt Dirk, but that the search was as difficult as expected.”
According to Fran, the High Priest had looked for someone to adopt Dirk, just like I had first asked him to. Arno came to tell us that although they hadn’t found anybody, it would be best for me to keep my spirits up and continue raising him in the orphanage.
I had pretty much given up on the adoption when the High Priest had said that baby boys were rarely if ever adopted, instead switching my focus to signing a contract with Dirk when I myself was adopted by a noble. To be honest, I had almost entirely forgotten about asking the High Priest to search for someone to adopt Dirk.
Wow, now that’s what I call integrity.
I was impressed after hearing Fran’s explanation, but Delia had just come up with the tea and hearing that had reignited her wrath. She set the cups down in front of me rather hard and then glared at Fran. “Why would the High Priest of all people be talking about someone adopting Dirk?!”
Judging from Fran’s explanation, neither he nor Arno knew that Dirk had the Devouring. As it stood, Delia’s wrath was entirely focused on the point that people had been talking about Dirk being adopted outside of her knowledge.
I lowered my eyes. The High Priest had told me to hide that Dirk had the Devouring. How could I explain to Delia that we had been searching for someone to take him in and save him from his own mana?
“The High Priest must have made a hobby of ripping families apart! First he did so with Sister Myne, and now he’s trying to do the same with me and Dirk!”
“How many times have I said that the High Priest would never take joy in this?! He must have his own reasoning.”
It seemed that in Delia’s head, the High Priest was a villain who ripped apart families whenever he got the chance. One could hardly blame Fran for getting a little angry when someone he respected was being badmouthed like that.
“Delia.” I exhaled slowly, like I was taking deep breaths, then looked at her. “There are no gray shrine maidens here equipped to raise a child. To that end, I asked the High Priest to look for someone who may wish to adopt him, as I thought he may be happier that way.”
Delia’s anger turned straight toward me. “What?! You wanted to tear us apart, Sister Myne?!”
I shook my head and corrected her. “No. You didn’t even want to look after Dirk at first, remember? I didn’t think anybody would want to.”
Delia seemed to at least remember what she had said back then. Her eyes opened wide, and she faltered a little. “W-Well... that was only when he had just arrived.”
“Yes, and it was when he had just arrived that I consulted the High Priest.”
Delia fell silent, her anger cooling down.
“There are no gray shrine maidens who have raised babies before, and none of us know how best to look after him. There are no wet nurses who would be willing to visit the temple, Fran and Rosina are barely getting any sleep due to having to watch over him at night, and ultimately, I thought someone adopting him might be the best solution to everyone’s problems.”
As it was now, Fran and Rosina were at least taking naps during the day, and Delia was watching over him more than she said she would, but for those first few desperate days, Dirk really had been an immense burden on everyone. Delia remembered that, so while she did give me an unsatisfied pout, she just grumbled without saying anything.
“I requested that the High Priest look for someone to adopt Dirk, and he diligently did so. I didn’t have much hope since he had told me from the start that he would be unlikely to find anyone, but he nevertheless looked to the best of his ability.”
“...Oh, I see. I understand now,” Delia said with a nod, her tense shoulders loosening up.
“I did not expect you to look after Dirk as eagerly as you have been; now I am glad that no one was found to adopt him. Arno did say that we should continue raising him in the orphanage, did he not?”
“He did. The High Priest said to keep our spirits high and do our best raising him,” Fran added, which made Delia blink in surprise for a minute. She then peered at me, as if wanting to remove the last trace of doubt that still remained in her mind.
“...So you won’t rip me and Dirk apart, Sister Myne?”
“Of course not. I know how much you care for Dirk, Delia, and I know all too well the pain of being separated from one’s family.”
“...Thank goodness.” Delia pressed a hand to her chest and sighed in relief. “I never want to let Dirk go. He’s the only... the only family I’ve ever had...”
Ten days later, Johann had finished making the iron. It was the first thing he had completed out of everything I had ordered—perhaps because it was the simplest to make, or maybe because it stimulated his creative mind the most. Thanks to the timing, I decided to try strengthening the stencils with wax before we started printing for
