The next morning.
I was on my way to work at the office when yesterday's memories suddenly came rushing back. I hurriedly came to my senses and stopped in my tracks. Once I did, I saw the luggage I'd packed yesterday sitting in front of me.
I looked over the bag, then straightened my clothes and finished getting ready. Even as I adjusted my outfit, thoughts of going to his office for work came back to me, leaving me troubled. Because of that unsettled feeling, I couldn't even dress up properly. Fortunately, since I would now be focusing solely on research at the Archive, there was no need to make much of an effort. I had been staring into the mirror for quite some time when someone knocked on my door. I asked who it was and opened it.
Standing outside was a priestess I'd never seen before, with silver eyes and extremely long black hair. She possessed a captivating, dreamlike beauty. As I stood there gazing at her for a moment, drawn in by the inexplicable dreamlike air around her, she spoke to me.
"You're Priestess Cordelia, correct? I heard you would be joining the Archive as its Head Researcher starting today, so I came to escort you." I nodded, picked up my luggage, and replied, "Yes, I'm Cordelia Cervantes. I intend to begin conducting research today."
The priestess smiled and told me we'd talk as we walked. Carrying my luggage, I followed her toward my new quarters.
As we walked, the priestess said to me, "I'm sorry for introducing myself so late, but I'm Iroha Ameld. I'll be conducting research alongside you, Priestess Cordelia. Oh, and His Holiness the Pope said he would register you as the Head Researcher. Once you arrive, you should be able to begin your duties immediately."
I was momentarily dumbfounded, then nodded. By the time I finished talking with her, we had already arrived at my new quarters. I barely had time to look around before setting my luggage down and heading straight for the Archive. When I arrived, I found many people besides Iroha and me, each busy with their own work. Among them, I spotted a familiar face, and I couldn't help but feel a little flustered.
The person I knew was surrounded by stacks of books, reading while concocting various medicines. It was Sir Siroel. I approached him and spoke in a gentle tone. "...Priest Siroel. It's nice to see you here. I didn't know you worked here."
He looked up at me and smiled, seeming both delighted and surprised. "His Holiness the Pope changed my duty station to the Archive a little while ago. So here I am. I heard today that you were joining the Archive as Head Researcher, Priestess Cordelia, but I never imagined it would really happen."
I smiled, told him we'd do our best, and immediately took a seat at the Head Researcher's desk to look through the books. Before long, several priests began submitting countless research reports, budget requests, and all kinds of other documents to me.
Reviewing the paperwork kept me so busy that I forgot all about what had happened the day before.
I worked hard, processing one new duty after another. Before I knew it, night had fallen.
As night drew on, the priests returned to their quarters one by one. Soon, I was the only one left in the Archive, and the place became incredibly quiet. It was so silent I felt as though I could hear an ant crawling.
The quiet was nice, but it also gave rise to all the thoughts I could only entertain when I was alone, leaving my mind somewhat tangled.
Those thoughts had only just surfaced when I sighed and began quietly tidying the empty Archive. I replenished the supplies and equipment needed for research, returned things to their proper places, and neatly restacked the messy books.
That was when someone spoke to me from behind. "It's dangerous to stay this late. I'm worried you might collapse from overwork."
I was startled for a moment, but thankfully, it was Priest Siroel. He was carrying several books. Looking at him, I said, "You haven't left yet. I only need to finish putting these things away, so please don't worry too much. You can go on ahead."
He firmly shook his head at my words. With no other choice, I hastily finished tidying up, picked up my bag, and prepared to leave. Only then did he smile and say, "It's dangerous after dark, so I'll walk you to your quarters. I was worried about you..."
He awkwardly rubbed the back of his head for a moment, then continued looking at me. I found him a little cute like that, so I nodded and thanked him. We headed toward my quarters together, talking as we went.
Walking beside him, I hesitated before asking, "Has the auxiliary bishop returned? There are a few things I'd like to ask him, but he was away for a while..."
Siroel smiled as though there were something amusing about it and replied, "He said he had returned, but I don't know what happened after that. There was also a rumor that he might change departments. I don't think he'll come to the Archive, but then again, you never know."
I nodded and said I understood for now. I hadn't known he might change his duty station.
If he did decide to change his duty station, it would probably be either the Archive or somewhere connected to His Holiness the Pope... Since he wouldn't know where I worked, that was at least a relief. Still, I thought I could make a rough guess. If it was him, it was certainly possible.
Rather than continue fretting like this, perhaps it would be better to enter some remote chapel. Still, I had only just begun working at the Archive, so I should probably complete my term before leaving.
After walking with him for quite some time, I arrived at my quarters before I knew it. He stopped in front of my door and looked at me. I smiled and said, "We've arrived before I knew it. It's late, so thank you for walking me here. Get back safely, and I'll see you tomorrow."
He scratched his head shyly, then told me to go inside before turning away and slowly walking into the darkness. I watched him disappear into the night, then entered my quarters to rest.
Nearly a month had passed since I began working at the new place.
By then, the Archive was practically synonymous with my name, and I had become recognized as someone with considerable expertise in research and scholarship—so much so that people even mentioned my name whenever they discussed research. But I was worried that if my reputation spread too far, he might find out. Even so, I had yet to hear anything, whether because he truly didn't know or was pretending not to, so I had been able to relax.
That day, too, I went to work at the Archive and spent a busy day handling one matter after another. Then Iroha came running to my desk, hurriedly catching her breath as she rambled, "Hah... hah... Head Researcher...! They say the priest who was in charge of the research project embezzled a huge amount of research funding...!"
I had no choice but to open my eyes wide. I had been the one to approve that research project, and I had secured the maximum amount of funding available to me. Now that the news had reached me, I would inevitably have to face him—and Duke Lucian—again. If it had reached my ears, it meant the higher-ups had already been thoroughly informed.
I hastily gathered my thoughts and asked, trying to remain calm as she continued gasping for breath, "...First, has it already been reported to the higher-ups?"
She slowly nodded, looking utterly devastated. A sudden migraine seized me. I pressed a hand to my head, let out a deep sigh, and said, "...Then bring in as many people as we can and investigate everything within our power. Don't let a single thing slip through the cracks. I'll contact the higher-ups or look for another solution, such as covering the missing funds."
At my words, she opened her eyes wide and shook her head. Then, with a trembling voice thick with tears, she said, "But... doesn't that mean you're going to take full responsibility, Head Researcher?! It's too dangerous! The risk is far too great, and this is absolutely not something you can handle alone! You know this is a serious matter—you could end up spending half your life in prison if things go wrong...!"
Faced with her tearful, desperate plea, I lowered my head in confusion. Soon, I steadied my emotions, looked at her again, and spoke calmly.
"This, too, is a trial I must face. I came here prepared to take responsibility for things like this. Priestess Iroha, take command of every priest in the Archive and investigate everything as thoroughly as possible. That is the full extent of the responsibility we can bear on our side right now. I will do everything I can to resolve this incident, so I hope you will understand my intentions. If I withdraw from this incident just to save myself, everyone will be put in danger. For now, this is the only way to save everyone."
At my stubborn answer, she made a tearful face and laboriously nodded. I forced a smile, comforted her, and sent her off to get to work. With my face buried in both hands, I could do nothing but humbly accept the situation. There was no other solution, and we had far too little time to find the person who had embezzled the money. The only thing I could do was shoulder the situation and keep it from growing worse. I fidgeted with the emerald rosary His Holiness the Pope had made himself and tried to keep my mind at peace.
Then someone approached me and said, "I suppose you'll have to submit to interrogation, Head Researcher Cordelia Cervantes."