The Genius Perfumer of the Fallen Cult - Chapter 8
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Genius Perfumer of the Fallen Religious Order Episode 8
Only after seeing that expression did Bianna flee outside like she was running away, leaving Prim fallen on the floor.
Prim froze for a moment, then sighed and used her arms to barely climb back onto the chair. The empty box had fallen to the floor, but she didn’t have the strength left to pick it up. Her arms that had exerted force trembled.
* * *
The children came back with armfuls of wild berries. The children who ate the still unripe sour ones made all sorts of faces and flailed their arms, while those who ate the sweet ones smiled brightly.
“Prim? Did you drop this?”
“Huh? Yeah. I did it by mistake.”
Rozien, who had brought wild berries in a wooden bowl, picked up the violet candy box that had fallen on the floor and looked around.
“What happened to your hand?”
The part that had been pricked by the splinter was red.
“Oh, I’m not sure. I must have scratched it somehow.”
Rozien’s expression disappeared for a moment before returning to normal. He smiled brightly and said.
“Here are the wild berries. We picked so many that we’ll be able to eat them until tomorrow too.”
The freshly picked wild berries sparkled transparently like they were made of red ruby beads. Prim thought. It would be nice if we could make jam to preserve them.
However, in such a poor place, sugar was a precious commodity, so there probably wasn’t the means to make things like jam right now.
As they sat side by side on the bed, popping the sweet and sour wild berries into their mouths, Rozien spoke as if something had just occurred to him.
“When we went to pick wild berries, only Bianna didn’t come.”
“…Oh, really?”
“Where did Bianna go?”
Prim felt awkward for no reason and stuffed wild berries into her mouth, mumbling something like she didn’t know. Rozien just swung his legs and enjoyed the wild berries with Prim without asking any more questions.
* * *
“This place is so remote every time I come here. Priest, if you don’t have the ability, shouldn’t you not run an orphanage? I’m saying this for your sake, Priest. The children suffer, you suffer too, oh my.”
After greeting the orphans and returning to the office, as soon as the door closed, the Baron’s wife spoke in a sympathetic tone.
“I’m trying to do my best with what strength I have.”
“And I only found out there was still a temple of Varin here after I came to see it. I was like, who was Varin again~”
The Baron’s wife said with a sympathetic expression, covering her mouth with a fan.
The Marseria Priest could only force a smile. Without the money from selling the perfumer qualification exam recommendation letter and the donation the Baron couple readily offered, it would have been difficult to get through winter.
‘Varin, please forgive my silence…’
While the Marseria Priest briefly murmured to himself, the Baron, who had been quietly watching the children huddled together outside the window, finally spoke.
“So, about that. We would like to adopt now, Priest.”
The Marseria Priest’s face lit up. It had been several years since they started visiting.
“Oh, Varin. Really? Varin will surely praise your charity as well. Then Bian…”
The Baron smiled slowly and cut off the Marseria Priest’s words.
“We would like Prim.”
“Pardon?”
The Marseria Priest asked back in confusion. The Baron tilted his head as if the surprised priest was even more incomprehensible.
“Why are you like that, Priest?”
“Oh, no… well… what about Bianna… I thought you two were fond of Bianna.”
The Marseria Priest knew well how much Bianna had been waiting for the Baron couple’s visits.
Hadn’t the two of them subtly indicated their intention to take Bianna as their daughter?
Of course, since Prim came to the orphanage, he knew the couple had only paid attention to Prim, but still…
“That child wasn’t bad either. But she’s too cunning, should I say? Oh my, every time I see her trying so hard to look good, it gives me chills.”
Instantly, Marseria’s heart was deeply wounded.
Why do you think that child wanted to look good, it’s all…
“Priest, just because we go around doing good deeds doesn’t mean we’re fools. Children’s schemes are obvious to see.”
The Baron instructed as if teaching, and the Baron’s wife raised one eyebrow and asked in a somewhat incredulous tone.
“Surely, Priest, you’re not just favoring Bianna and thinking that Prim, who hasn’t been here long, well, it’s fine if she gets adopted later, right?”
“What? No, no, what are you saying! Of course not.”
“Are you angry at us right now?”
“It’s not that…”
The Marseria Priest swallowed and hurriedly continued his explanation.
“Of course I care for that child too. That such a good opportunity has come to Prim, I’m very… very happy. But Prim is like siblings with Rozien…”
“Oh my, Priest! Don’t even mention such wicked words. I’m only tolerating that unlucky red-haired one because I respect your face, but isn’t he a demon hybrid? No matter how clean he looks, it’s just more creepy. That’s all to bewitch humans, isn’t it.”
“That’s a public misunderstanding. Red hair has absolutely nothing to do with demons…”
“Enough, just give us Prim.”
Watching the couple who spoke of ‘giving’ them a child, the Marseria Priest struggled to maintain his smile.
* * *
Even after the Baron couple left, the orphanage remained somewhat unsettled until the next day.
The Marseria Priest paced around for a full day more, and only when the sun set and night came did he sit Prim down and bring up the topic.
“This time those two people… said they want to adopt you.”
Prim recalled the Baron couple looking only at her until the very end before leaving, and Bianna who had been secretly watching and finally shed tears.
What was bound to come had come.
“Priest.”
“Yes, Prim. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
If she said she didn’t want to, Marseria would not send her away.
He would do so even while refusing the sponsorship money that those adopting orphans offered. Just as she had done in her past life.
“I actually have a dream now.”
“A dream? What dream?”
Though it was an odd thing to bring up while discussing adoption, the Marseria Priest listened intently to Prim’s words.
Prim spoke carefully, word by word.
“I want to become a perfumer. I want to become a perfumer and offer fragrances to Varin.”
“My goodness! Varin would be truly delighted! That’s right, Prim, you have talent. You’ve always been able to identify every fragrance.”
“So, Priest, I want to take the upcoming perfumer qualification exam.”
Marseria, who had been excited about his foster child’s future aspirations, became embarrassed after hearing Prim’s still calm plan and slowly lowered his arms to cover his cheeks.
“Uh, that perfumer exam is…”
While there wasn’t an age limit, wasn’t Prim too young to participate in such an exam?
Even if she took the exam to be held next year, Prim would only be eleven years old.
However, before that concern could take shape, Prim spoke first.
“Baron Corvus’s villa has an amazing perfume laboratory. He said if I wanted, he could let me use it. So how about I practice there and take the perfumer exam next year?”
Prim was a little nervous as she spoke. She knew herself that it was somewhat absurd.
The only talent-like thing Prim had shown while being here was when picking out spoiled ingredients. Apart from her current enthusiasm, she had proven nothing.
However, the Marseria Priest smiled broadly.
“Yes, that would work! Then when you go to take the exam, I’ll come to get you.”
The perfumer exam is administered by Luminoxia Aila, and requires a recommendation letter from each parish along with the recommending priest.
Even poor and humble parishes have the authority to write recommendation letters because they are places with temples of the gods. That’s why Marseria had been secretly selling those recommendation letters until now.
Once a year, after selling a recommendation letter, he didn’t have to worry about bread for the orphans’ mouths for a while.
Even though the planned income would suddenly disappear, the Marseria Priest still had a smiling face.
“I’m very happy to think that an excellent perfumer will emerge from our parish.”
Prim smiled faintly.
Prim’s mention of becoming a perfumer wasn’t solely to sincerely confide her dreams to the Marseria Priest.
Now the Marseria Priest would speak to the Corvus couple. That Prim was planning to take the perfumer exam, and that he would soon come to take Prim for that exam.
If so, at least until right before the perfumer exam, Baron Corvus and his wife wouldn’t dare pull any foolish stunts.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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