Chapter 61: Return to the Temple

‘These are just useless customs brought by the exiled nobles who fled from the south. They say one must always look elegant in front of others! I don’t believe it. Can you really stay elegant in front of your own personal maids?’ George complained in his heart about this fashion, which had only become popular in Karada a few years ago and wasted so much time.

If you ask the traditional heirs of the Duchy of Nohan where they spent the most time before coming of age, nine out of ten would answer the training ground. Nobles who grew up in such an atmosphere are generally very strong. However, while their behavior might not be called vulgar, it is definitely far from elegant.

But since artists and craftsmen in the southern countries officially drew a line between themselves, and a wave of so-called poets appeared, the custom of always staying elegant, pushed by this effeminate trend, spread from a small group of exiled nobles to the entire group of court nobility. It became popular among all nobles in Karada eight years ago.

Now, it is considered a complete change of customs in a way. No matter what image you have outside of Karada, if you are a noble entering Karada, you must follow the rules above. This means you have to keep up those pretentious actions not only in front of others but even inside your own manor. After all, you can’t bring all your servants from your territory, and even if you hire them from there, you can’t guarantee that none of them are gossipy.

How can you say this is not a traditional Chinese deep courtyard where servants have a lot of contact with the outside world? If any rumors spread carelessly in this regard, congratulations! For the next one or two months, you will be the main topic of conversation among Karada’s noble circle, especially among the noble ladies. Just losing face is bad enough, but it could also affect your future marriage.

What George found most unbearable was that if someone like Knight Val was naturally elegant in every gesture due to their own temperament, that would be fine. But most of them were just like Dong Shi imitating Xi Shi. Of course, George himself seemed to belong to this group. The various restrictions added to behavior for the sake of so-called elegance meant that doing the same thing often took much more time than outside of Karada. If there was nothing to do, it was fine, but when time was short, it became a torture.

On top of that, for the same reason, George could not run fast on the road to the Inner City. In short, it was quite annoying. However, this was largely because George had delayed time due to his cultivation. So this time, he was just venting all the resentment he had built up over a long time on this matter at once.

“Finally made it.” George finally sighed in relief as he arrived at the door of the Temple of the Lord of Justice. He pretended to be calm, adjusted his clothes, and walked up the steps.

“Good day, sir! Is there anything you need help with?” It was almost the same sentence as last time, but this time it came from a different person.

George looked at the girl in front of him. Her round apple face and the little dimples that appeared when she smiled gave a first impression of cuteness. Her wide and tight robe completely covered her figure, so you couldn’t tell what her body looked like.

‘If Dao Quan Zi saw this girl, he would definitely say, “If someone is this cute, they must be a boy.” ‘ George suddenly thought of a certain person he knew before crossing over, who was completely without common sense.

“Sir, is there something you need at the Temple?” It seemed the girl receptionist noticed George was daydreaming, so she spoke with a slightly heavier tone for her second question.

George immediately realized that standing dumbfounded at the door of the Temple was very rude. He quickly explained, “I am sorry. I just suddenly thought of a friend I haven’t seen in a long time.”

The attendant, with her hands hanging down, asked back, “So you are missing a friend? But why do I feel like you are thinking about something very rude?”

‘What sharp intuition! If this girl didn’t become a clergy member, it would be a waste.’ While making this judgment in his heart, George was slightly surprised. However, he answered the girl’s question with a relaxed look: “I made an appointment with Priest Gavin in the Temple to meet this morning. Can you tell me his approximate location?”

George was actually not sure how well Priest Gavin had arranged the meeting between himself and the High Priest. If the High Priest suddenly had something to do and went out this morning, and George had mentioned the appointment, it would be troublesome. To be safe, George used Priest Gavin as a shield. Because regardless of success or failure, Priest Gavin, as the first initiator from the Temple side, would definitely be waiting in the Temple today.

“Oh! You must be Lord Bolerum who has an appointment today. I was rude just now. Priest Gavin has been waiting for you in the room where you talked yesterday since early morning. You just need to go there directly.” It seemed Priest Gavin had told the girl in charge of welcoming guests something earlier, so she gave the answer George needed without even thinking.

‘From this girl’s performance, I can see that Priest Gavin is really very serious about this matter. So even if I can’t meet the High Priest today, I won’t get nothing out of it.’ George made his own inference from the girl’s performance and answered with a smile, “Thank you. I hope you become a formal attendant of the Lord of Justice soon.”

Although it was just a very ordinary polite blessing, George could see that the girl suddenly became a bit excited. It seemed he must have touched some of her inner thoughts. The girl spoke with a slight stutter, “Th-thank you for your en-en-encouragement. I will wo-work ha-harder.”

For the speaker, it was just an unintentional casual remark, but for the other person, it could be words that change their whole life. Sometimes, it is not a bad idea to build good connections, especially when it costs nothing. To leave a deeper impression, George said as he passed her, “Work hard! Don’t give up. You have talent in this area.”

Since George had just been here yesterday, he could find the room where they talked before quite easily this time. More importantly, the door to that room was not even closed. Outside the door, George saw Priest Gavin drinking a beverage alone inside. From the many tiny movements of his body, far more than a normal person, it was clear that this adult was still a bit nervous.

‘It seems the Temple of the Lord of Justice has high expectations for this cooperation. Maybe this time we can even get some agreements beneficial to our territory? But the one who makes the final decision is not the person in front of me. How it turns out depends on me.’ After drawing this conclusion, George took a deep breath outside the door, and then, out of courtesy, stepped forward and knocked on the already open door.

“Knock! Knock! Knock!” The sound woke Priest Gavin, who should have been thinking about something. He looked up, saw George standing at the door, stood up, and said, “Welcome! Lord Bolerum.”

‘It seems I came a bit late,’ George said as he walked into the room.

Priest Gavin smiled and said, “No, it is not late at all. You are already early. I just came here early to drink tea because I had nothing to do.”

‘You need to find an excuse that people will believe! You, an assistant priest of the Temple, would come here early to drink tea just because you are bored? It would be better to use this time to study the Dogma or pray. Besides, the girl at the door has already sold you out completely.’ George, who seemed to have taken the initiative, asked, “How is the appointment arrangement with the High Priest, Priest Gavin?”

“This matter has been arranged. When someone comes to notify us in a moment, we can go.” After sitting down, Priest Gavin quickly gave a positive answer and poured a cup of beverage for George using the kettle.

George sat down, touched his chin, and thought for a moment, “So, is the High Priest currently receiving guests?”

“This is a sudden situation. Originally, the High Priest had arranged to free up the entire morning for you. However, an important guest suddenly came to see the High Priest an hour ago to discuss something. It really couldn’t be pushed off, so we had to ask you to wait for a while. If you have something else and can’t wait, we can schedule another time, how about that?” Priest Gavin seemed a bit afraid that this sudden event would affect the future cooperation. He offered an alternative solution to give George an easy way out. After all, in his eyes, George was a young man full of blood and fire. If he got stimulated and lost his temper, it would be bad for the cooperation.

However, George was not some pure-blooded young man. He was more like a politician, thinking about what benefits he could get from this situation. After taking a sip of milk tea from the cup in front of him, he asked, “No need. I still have time to wait. But I am very curious about what matter the High Priest thinks is more important than our cooperation.”

“I don’t know about that, but the person coming is Viscount Brent from the south. It is probably something like legal consultation or finding the base of an evil organization in his territory. After all, he is a formal Lord, and the Temple cannot be negligent in this regard.” Priest Gavin lowered his voice and said helplessly.

‘Is it just a matter of status? I, who do not have a formal title of inheritance, cannot compare to a real Lord.’ After understanding the beginning and end of the matter, George would not be angry about this at all. After all, cooperation is the most important thing right now.