88 - Temple of Ice

After passing through a large door, the entrance hallway was a small hall with a vaulted ceiling.

In front of the entrance is a circular staircase leading to the second floor.

A wooden corridor stretches to the left and right, and several doors can be seen lining the corridor.

There are no fancy ornaments, and the color tone is all gray, which can only be described as plain.

However, the fine openwork on the handrails of the staircase and the doors gave the place a somber atmosphere.

There was not a soul to be seen, but voices and murmurs could be heard coming from somewhere.

Ulil, who was in the lead, walked quickly to the nearest door, as if he knew the place well.

He knocks lightly and slips in without waiting for a response.

Not wanting to be left behind, Thor and Sora followed him.

Only the child, looking up the stairs with a twinkle in his eyes, was left alone.

"Hello, may I have a moment?"

"Welcome to the Temple of the Grey God. We are here to serve you.

Thor and his group entered a small room whose walls were covered with shelves of papers.

At a desk nearly covered with stacks of papers, women in light gray robes were writing.

One of them stood up and smiled at Ulrich's greeting.

I have come at your call. Could you please contact one of the women in the treetops?

At these words, the robed woman looked hesitant for a moment, and then looked again at Ulil's outfit.

She then noticed the adventurer's card around his neck and nodded her head in agreement.

"Excuse me, I thought they had sent a new instructor. Let me show you to the temple head's room.

Thor and the others were taken to a room at the end of a corridor.

After a small knock, the woman who was in charge of the receptionist let her face in through the gap in the door, announced her business, and motioned for them to step aside and go inside.

The spacious room is brightly lit from corner to corner thanks to the open windows.

Lush potted flowers and grasses line the window sill, and a fresh breeze blows through the room.

The walls were covered with intricately patterned fabrics and there was a large ebony desk in the back of the room.

A woman of unknown age with long ears was sitting at the table.

She was dressed in loose gray clothes and had a calm but impenetrable dignity.

She looked up quietly and nodded to welcome her visitor.

Thor, who had been invited, was about to enter the room when he noticed that Ulill had stopped.

His face was turned to the side and the tips of his ears were trembling slightly.

Peering over his shoulder, Thor sees another person in front of Yuril's eyes.

Crouched down on a potted plant by the window was another ash-eared woman.

She was strangely dressed, as if she were wearing several capes over one another.

Her silver hair was quite short and she had a very well-defined face.

The woman did not seem to notice Thor and the others, but was intently examining the plants.

She seemed to be upset only for a moment.

Immediately Yuril moves and walks to the desk.

He bowed gracefully and spoke without hesitation.

"How do you do, Master of the Temple? My name is Yuril. I am here at your invitation. It is a great honor to meet you.

"Hello, I'm Meera Lirila, the temple director. I'm Meera Lirila, the temple director. I've heard that you are a very talented magician. I'm glad you're here.

From the sound of his voice, the temple head seemed to be quite old.

Except for the laugh lines at the corners of his eyes and around his mouth, he looks almost as good as a young man.

"......By the way, what are you wearing?"

This was given to me by my grandmother, who used to work here.

"Oh, is that Euralille, by any chance? You look familiar.

Yes. Thank you very much for your help.

Apparently, they were dressed to push the grandmother and grandson setting.

The idea was to make the resemblance less unnatural by leading the audience to the reason for the resemblance before the resemblance is pointed out later.

A voice suddenly comes from beside Thor, who is impressed by his skill.　

"Hmmm, Euralir's granddaughter. Nice to meet you, young lady.

A woman near the window interrupted our conversation.

Her age is also unknown, but from the sound of her voice, she seems to be much older than me.

Thor did not miss the slight twitching in Ulille's ears as soon as she spoke to him.

"Hello, do you know my grandmother?"

"Oh, we've known each other for quite a long time. How are you doing?

"Yes, I see that you are back in your home country now and taking it easy."

"I see. I'd love to hear about all the things you've been up to, and you can stop by the pharmacy later if you'd like."

Thank you for the invitation. If you have time, I would be happy to visit.

At the words of the short-haired woman, Thor realizes that she is an apothecary who knows Ulil.

This could have been a bit of a messy situation.

The medicine woman smiled meaningfully and now addressed the temple master.

"I'll be back to pick them up when the sun goes down. Till then, please take care of these children, Meerira-sama.

Yes, thank you for your time.

"No, no, no, please continue.

The woman bowed lightly to the temple director, waved her ears lightly to Thor and the others, and walked out of the room.

After the door closed, the conversation resumed as if nothing had happened.

Then, could you please touch this side of me?

On the black desk was a soul-meter, a familiar instrument at the Adventurers' Bureau.

It was about one size larger than that one.

The inventors of the soul-measuring device and the adventurer's ticket were from the northern kingdom of Stora, the birthplace of the ash-eared tribe.

There is a research institute called the Tower of the Sages, where various magical stone tools are developed every day.

The head of the temple, who has seen the details of the tree of Yuril's skills, stretches his ears slightly and expresses his impressions.

"You are very skilled for such a young man. I am amazed."

"No, I'm not ready yet.

"Your excessive modesty is just like Euralir's."

With these words, the temple director stood up and took a trinket from a desk drawer.

He walked around the desk and stood beside Uriel.

Without saying a word, he dropped to one knee and fastened a silver chain around his neck.

"I give you the middle rank of the trunk," he said. From now on, you will devote your energies to upholding the precious teachings of the Lord Stragin."

I will humbly accept your offer.

"This is a small ritual object, but it is a sign of God's power. It will help you on your way.

Thank you very much. It is an honor beyond my capacity.

"And from now on, I want you to offer the tail of the pelt you have acquired as an offering."

"Yes, Meera Lilyra, Temple Master."

The conferring of the priestly ranks now seems to be complete.

The temple director returns to his seat, signs the document on his desk, and urges Euril to write his name on it as well.

"I look forward to your continued success in the future."

Bowing deeply, Yuril exits the room, quietly closes the door, and exhales loudly to Thor and the others.

The silver-haired beauty with the troubled face mutters apologetically.

"I never thought we'd run into each other here. ....... This is really a bad time..."

"What do you want me to do?　Do you want to go home and come back later?"

"It's not a good idea to ignore an invitation, ......."

The familiar sound of loud laughter echoes in the ears of Thor and his friends, who are looking at each other and worrying about their faces.

It seemed to be coming from the vaulted entrance hall.