Shinwa Densetsu no Eiyuu no Isekaitan - Volume 1 - Chapter SS2

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The Archpriestess, the Princess, and the Boy

Within the depths of Frieden was a dining hall separate from the one open to the laity; a dining hall forbidden to all but the knight-priestesses of the temple complex. The archpriestess took her meals there while the apprentice priestesses waited on their seniors as serving staff. It was, in a sense, a training ground, and it was there that the morning found Hiro and Liz eating breakfast.

Liz, as usual, was trying to feed Hiro from her plate. “Go on, try a bite!” she said, brandishing a chunk of meat covered in a sweet sauce. “It’s delicious!”

Hiro shook his head. “I don’t need to. I’ve already got plenty.”

He had exactly as much as Liz, in fact. Their plates were identical. They had no need to share, but that didn’t seem to make her any less insistent.

“Oh, stop complaining and take it. Nobody likes a picky eater.”

“That’s not what I’m—”

Whatever Hiro was going to say was stifled by an opportunely thrust chunk of meat. With choking being the alternative, he chewed and swallowed. It was good, he had to admit. The savory juices of the meat and the sweetness of the sauce mingled delightfully in his mouth.

Liz peered into his eyes from uncomfortably close range. “See? Isn’t it tasty?”

“Sure, but I’ve still got my own.”

“That’s for you to feed me. Here!” Liz opened her mouth expectantly. Hiro’s hands started to do as they were told before his brain caught up. At that moment, a slender hand plucked his fork from his grasp and slipped the chunk of meat into Liz’s mouth. Hiro spun around to see a beautiful woman standing demurely beside them.

“Your Grace?”

The archpriestess inclined her head imperceptibly. “I feared that your food might get cold.” She wore her customary smile, but there was a tightness around her mouth that Hiro did not think was entirely his imagination.

Liz stood up, glaring stared daggers at the álven woman. “Hiro has to do it, or there’s no point. Is that a problem?”

The archpriestess seemed to glide silently across the floor as she drew closer. “You must remember, only women are permitted to serve in the sacred residence of the Spirit King. I worry that the sight of you cavorting may have an adverse influence on our priestesses.”

Hiro looked around to find a dining hall full of women staring at them, red-faced. Even the servers—apprentice priestesses, he assumed—looked scandalized.

Liz must have noticed too, because her expression quickly turned apologetic. “Of course. Sorry,” she said, scratching her cheek awkwardly. She gave in quickly, Hiro noticed. She was evidently conscious of the debt she owed the archpriestess.

Virtually all of the priestesses in Frieden had entered into service as young children and had thus led sheltered lives. Many of the apprentices didn’t even know of the existence of another sex. Their quarters were normally forbidden to men entirely, although Hiro had been invited that morning for reasons he couldn’t quite fathom. In that sense, it was unsurprising that he was attracting stares.

“Please, do not allow me to interrupt your meal,” the archpriestess said. The tall álf seated herself next to Hiro, while Liz returned to her chair on his other side. Sandwiched between the two of them, Hiro began to squirm.

The archpriestess took Hiro’s fork in her slender fingers. “This is perhaps the finest dish our kitchens serve. Would you care for a bite?”

Hiro sighed weakly. Why was the archpriestess, of all people, joining in with this nonsense?

Unsurprisingly, Liz did not take the challenge lying down. “Oh, so it’s fine for you to feed him, is it?!”

“But of course. The archpriestess of Frieden must attend to the needs of her guests.”

“Oh, really? Won’t you set a bad example for your priestesses?”

“Not at all. For some unknown stranger to feed Lord Hiro from her plate would be scandalous, but all recognize my doing so as an act of hospitality.”

For a moment, Liz frowned in confusion—unsurprisingly, as the argument made no sense—but she soon snapped back. “I am the sixth princess of the Grantzian Empire, not some vagrant!”

That was her problem? Hiro sighed. He couldn’t help but note that he had hardly eaten a proper meal since arriving in this world. Apparently, the jury was still out on whether he would ever again know what satiety felt like.

“Surely nobody would think an imperial princess was up to anything untoward,” Liz said over his head.

“Your title is of no relevance.” the archpriestess replied. “Here in the Spirit King’s sanctum, my authority supersedes that of common folk, nobility, and royalty alike.”