Chapter 12

It was a spring festival day.

There was a banquet at the castle in the evening.

Naturally, I, the priest of the Carving territory, was invited as a guest of honor.

It was painful.

The dining room for the grand banquet was adjacent to the grand hall.

This time, I made sure to check my attire and wore a dress.

I splurged.

Thanks to Mr. Lettimon's special price.

After all, priests don't have much money.

Hehe.

Yes, I'll work like a horse for the next request.

Despite the new dress I bought and the luxurious banquet I hadn't experienced in a long time, my heart didn't leap at all.

Sigh.

It would have been nice if it were just Sir Joshua and me.

Why do I have to be criticized by people who have nothing to do with it?

The reason was that there was no music at the banquet.

At the banquet where the nobles and influential people of the Carving territory were gathered, the Marquess and Marchioness of Orsain, who had been governing here in place of Sir Joshua until recently, started to complain to me in a sticky manner.

They said that not having an orchestra at the festival banquet was not what a disciple of music would do.

No, the temple is not the manager of the court orchestra!

There are people like this sometimes.

Sure, through the same field of music, there is a lot of interaction. We send instructors, and priests join orchestras.

But they are completely different organizations!

Even if I scolded them, saying that Prince Oscar, the younger brother of the king, is the head of the court orchestra and not a priest, it didn't get through at all.

Even though Sir Joshua was smiling wryly.

Sir Joshua was gently dealing with them, thinking they were misunderstanding.

What they really meant was that they didn't like that I taught the people of the territory a march.

To them, that's not music.

Noble music is the only true music.

In other words, music that is not recognized in the court is not considered music.

Choral music and chamber music are the only true music, and monotonous drums and loud shouts are not considered music. It's unthinkable that the temple would teach such low-class things.

I know there are such views, even if they differ from my interpretation.

And I know that many of the noble class, who are the rulers, share this feeling.

Finally, I understood.

The reason music disappeared from the Carving territory.

It's definitely because of these people's wrong policies.

If you don't like it, feel free to appeal to the central temple. Since it concerns doctrine, we should seek the judgment of the High Priest and the central authorities.

I was taught as a songstress that the music that encourages people is the will of the goddess, and there are differences in methods and fields compared to the common sense of the general public.

I tried to say it softly, but they still insisted that it was a waste to have an orchestra in the castle and that it was unnecessary to have music when inviting guests, so Sir Joshua ended up playing the violin.

He was embarrassed.

Are these people stupid?

The castle is the lord's property, and the lord was being stingy with the hospitality! That's why Sir Joshua had to play, right?

I'm the guest of honor! Which guest of honor brings their own orchestra?

Oh, if it's the temple, they bring a songstress. Were they expecting that? Only a shrine maiden can do that!

I'm sorry! I'm not a shrine maiden.

I don't understand why they, who were responsible for this castle until recently, can't understand that there is no orchestra here.

If they wanted an orchestra, they should have trained and hired one while they were acting as agents.

So, after the banquet, Sir Joshua played the violin for us.

It was quite good.

As expected of someone raised in the capital, he has considerable skill.

The guests seemed satisfied.

"Sir Joshua, please let me accompany you!"

The one who asked, blushing, was Sir Joshua's cousin.

The daughter of the Marquess and Marchioness of Orsain, Lady Camilla.

She is 18 years old.

I heard from rumors that if Sir Joshua hadn't fallen in love with Lady Alicia, she would have been his fiancée.

Eh? Didn't they want a songstress?

I don't get it.

A local noble lady has no chance against the famous shrine maiden, so she finally gave up and recently got engaged.

But in front of the person, she can't give up. No, wanting to be close to a handsome young man is instinct.

An ensemble on the grand hall's piano? That out-of-tune piano?

Did they tune it?

Yes, we need sheet music. I'll go get it from my room.

It's a minuet.

I'll also bring the waltz sheet music and a violin.

Everyone wants to dance, right?

If you say so, I'll be the musician.

After being criticized so much, I'm still being used.

Yes. I'm aware that I'm a pushover. I'm just a fool.