The Genius Perfumer of the Fallen Cult – Chapter 9
“I’ll definitely succeed and make things easier for you, Sister.”
In her previous life, by the time she achieved success, this orphanage had already disappeared.
Sister Marceria died young from illness after years of hardship, and the orphanage children—left without a guardian—scattered in every direction.
Marceria smiled softly.
“Don’t say things like that. As long as you’re happy, that’s enough for me.”
Even though Prim knew the words were sincere, she stubbornly held onto what she had said.
After the meeting ended, Marceria lifted Prim into her arms and stepped out of the room.
But she soon stopped and smiled again.
Rosien was sitting in the hallway, leaning against the wall. It was late, and the boy had fallen asleep while waiting.
“Rosien.”
“…!”
At Marceria’s voice, Rosien’s eyes snapped open and he jumped to his feet.
“Are you done talking? Finished?”
When the two nodded, he stretched with a long yawn. Watching him, Marceria asked,
“Have you been waiting here the whole time?”
“Well… yeah.”
Rosien scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed.
“Were you afraid I might tell Prim to walk back by herself?”
“That’s not it. I was worried someone might bully her.”
Prim stared at Rosien in surprise. But Rosien’s face remained perfectly calm.
“She’s small and looks like a little white puppy, so someone might try to pick on her.”
“…Am I a dog?”
Prim blinked as she asked. Only then did Rosien realize how strange that sounded and he jumped in panic.
“No, no! No. No, no!”
“You said ‘no’ five times. A strong denial is a strong affir—”
“No it’s not! You’re… a white lark! A lark! A cat! A chick!”
“Where do you see a white chick?”
“It just feels like a white chick… Right, a lily of the valley! A lily of the valley!”
Watching the two children bicker, Marceria smiled warmly, but soon pressed her lips together with a hint of bitterness.
She worried what would become of the boy once the girl left, but there was nothing she could do.
It was still before sunrise, but Prim gently tugged at Rosien in the bed beside hers.
“Rosien.”
“Mm…? Prim?”
Rosien opened his eyes immediately.
Children who had spent long years on the streets slept lightly and woke easily at the smallest disturbance.
“I want to go to the temple.”
At her whispered words, Rosien woke completely and climbed out of bed.
“We’ll have to come back soon.”
Once the sun rose, it would be time for breakfast, and they needed to return beforehand to get ready.
“Yeah, but still.”
Rosien quietly turned his back toward her.
Prim wrapped her arms around him and climbed onto his back. Rosien stifled a yawn and quietly slipped out of the dormitory.
“Up we go. What are you going to do at the temple?”
“I want to pray.”
“What are you going to pray for? That you pass the perfumer exam?”
At moments like this, Prim felt her heart itch strangely.
The Rosien she remembered from her previous life was a man who never prayed to the gods.
But even he had times like this—when he thought about praying for something like passing an exam.
Prim wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and spoke softly.
“That’s not something prayer can solve. You have to do it with skill.”
“….”
Rosien fell silent for a moment.
Prim cautiously glanced at him. Had she said something strange?
“…Well, it’s still fine if you pray for me.”
“Oh, it’s fine? It’s fine if I pray for you?”
Rosien’s back shook slightly. He seemed to be holding in laughter.
Prim hurriedly corrected herself.
“No, I mean—good. It’s good.”
“What kind of answer is that! If you go as far as praying for me, shouldn’t I at least say thank you?”
“You’re right. Thank you. I’ll make all the perfume you’ll ever use. Even the ones with blessings to sprinkle on your sword.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I might really become a great lord someday, right?”
“Yeah.”
Prim answered instantly, without even smiling.
After all, that was exactly why she had returned.
Instead, Rosien became embarrassed.
“H-Hey. Don’t tell anyone else…”
“Tell them what?”
“About our future. It’s our secret.”
“Okay.”
Prim wondered why he was so shy about it, but she simply nodded obediently instead of pointing it out.
Rosien carried her into the temple, still dim before the morning sun rose. He sat her down in the front row and plopped down beside her.
A little distance away on the altar was the bouquet she had made and offered not long ago.
Prim clasped her hands and closed her eyes.
Rosien looked indifferent, but he followed her lead and closed his eyes as well.
Prim sensed the faint fragrance of the slightly fading bouquet and murmured inwardly.
“Barin.”
Soon, Barin’s sulky voice answered.
— If a whole day has passed, you could at least memorize a prayer.
“I’m in a hurry right now. I’m sorry. Barin, could you send down an oracle asking for an inquisitor to come here because Baron Corvas and his wife are heretics?”
Baron Corvas and his wife had adopted children from many places.
But their intention was never to raise them well.
They wanted to use them as materials to create a fragrance filled with dark power—using the blood and tears of pure children.
Why else would they have taken such immediate interest in her the moment they saw her and insisted on adopting her?
Because she was a child who could produce blood and tears just by standing up.
Otherwise, why would they want to take in a cursed, unsettling child?
With that perfume, they intended to deceive high nobles and prince-electors and seize power.
Every one of their attempts failed.
To begin with, bodily fluids like human tears and blood rarely function as perfume ingredients, so their perfumery failed from the start.
But until their actions were fully exposed, not only Vianna but many other children continued to suffer.
The gods never accept human sacrifices.
Therefore, murder committed under the pretense of offering something to a god was heresy.
Wasn’t that the very reason the followers of Yulberon had pursued her in her previous life?
Because people had died in the process of creating fragrances.
Barin remained silent.
Prim slightly opened one eye.
Rosien was sitting beside her with his eyes closed, seemingly praying aimlessly, while the bouquet trembled faintly.
— I… I don’t have any inquisitors…
“Ah.”
At present, Barin didn’t even have believers, let alone inquisitors.
Only Sister Marceria and Prim.
— You know you two are all I have right now!
Humiliation and panic seeped into the god’s voice.
Prim whispered again.
“Of course I know. That’s not what I meant. I was wondering if you could ask Yulberon, the god of Justice and Pride.”
— Th-that… ah…
Among the thirteen gods of Aiser—six of Noxrak, six of Aiser, and Barin who ruled the edges and outskirts—there were inquisitors under the direct command of Luminoxia Ayla who oversaw all believers.
But each god also had their own inquisitors.
Among them, the most infamous were those serving Yulberon, the god of Justice and Pride.
In her previous life, the group that chased her was led by one of his followers.
With a title like Justice and Pride attached to a god, what more needed to be said?
Also, to mobilize the inquisitors under Luminoxia Ayla required orders from the head of the divine seat and proper evidence.
But the inquisitors of individual gods could move with nothing more than a divine oracle.
Just as they had pursued her in the past following Yulberon’s oracle.
Prim knew of Baron Corvas’s crimes because she had seen the future, but she had neither the power nor the ability to gather evidence now.
This was the best plan she could think of.
— …My little lily of the valley.
“Yes, Prim is here.”
Prim answered quietly.
— It’s not that I refuse to contact Yulberon just to protect my pride. It’s just… well… ahem… the thing is… even the fact that I can deliver an oracle to you right now isn’t possible with just the fragrance of that bouquet.
Barin hurriedly explained.
— Delivering my will clearly to a believer like this requires enormous power. It’s not easy at all! Do you know what a big deal it is for a god to directly convey their intentions?!
“Then how is it possible right now?”
After all, the only thing she had offered Barin was a single bouquet.
