I slowly walked down the corridor, giving a rough explanation of what was happening, and made my way to the central hall.
An empty central hall, devoid of any presence.
The priestesses must have cleaned it early in the morning. The marble floor was so spotless that it reflected my face clearly.
“Wow… The followers of Lady Artemis sure know how to clean!”
Surprised, Maia rushed ahead of me, darted into the hall, and crouched down to lightly wipe the marble floor with her finger.
She then showed me her finger, which was perfectly clean, not a speck of dust on it.
“It seems they’ve just finished cleaning… Not a speck of moisture. Would a fly even slip if it tried to land?”
“Our goddess likes things to be tidy.”
“…But when I came to greet her in her chambers for the first time…”
“You shouldn’t say anymore.”
Considering some goddess might be eavesdropping somewhere, I put a finger to my lips.
Realizing that our goddess, who leaves a mess but likes cleanliness, doesn’t enjoy cleaning, Maia too understood she had almost made a faux pas. She nervously bit her lip.
Yes.
That’s just how we carefully live.
Otherwise,
“YAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!! Who’s the wench who put an arrow hole in my tunic!!!!”
You’ll end up attracting the ire of Artemis, who regularly makes life miserable for her priestesses.
Sure enough, after running amok in the forest hunting, it seems a branch tore her clothes, and now she’s taking her anger out on the priestesses.
“Ah… Just hearing it gives me chills.”
Sighing deeply at the echo coming from the back of the temple mountain, I leaned back languidly on a six-seater antique bar table set up on the side of the hall.
Flinching again at Artemis’ cry, as if boiling embers had been eaten, Maia anxiously glanced around, excused herself to fetch drinks, and exited the hall.
I briefly watched her retreating back and silently cheered her on inside, trusting she’d get used to it soon.
“Are you Priest Ark?”
Turning my head to the voice that was addressing me, I saw two sturdy men standing at the entrance of the hall, one carrying a crossbody bag.
They seemed unsure of whether they should step inside the temple and awaited guidance.
“Are you the architects who sent the message this morning?”
“Yes, that’s correct. We’re from Luna.”
“Oh, please come in. You can sit here.”
I gestured to the seats opposite me, and the two hesitantly entered the hall.
Even as they pulled out chairs, they double-checked with their eyes if sitting was permitted.
“Please sit. Lady Artemis trusts you and wishes you blessings, though it seems you’re uneasy about her.”
“Hehehehe. We’re probably being overly cautious since we don’t often interact with the goddess’ temple.”
“There’s no need to worry so much.”
“Hearing that from you, Priest, makes me feel much better. Phew~ It was worth bathing and cleaning up this morning!”
The man primarily conversing with me was a 40-year-old seated opposite on the left.
The 20-something next to him seemed to be his assistant much like Maia.
As I observed them by shifting my eyes, the man realized his oversight and clapped his hands.
“Ah! I apologize for not introducing myself earlier. I’m Martin, the architect. This young man beside me is Linelt, who assists me.”
“Yes. As you know, I am Priest Ark. Please take care. Now, let’s discuss the lodging.”
I quickly transitioned to the main point, mentioning we wanted to build a women’s lodging near the temple, and the assistant Linelt pulled out several papers from his bag and neatly spread them on the table.
The over ten sheets were all architectural plans.
“Finished blueprints? What’s the reason for showing them to me?”
“Ah, I apologize in advance. Before coming, I learned a bit about your preferences through acquaintances.”
“Hmm… And?”
“Apparently, you favor practicality over formalities and appreciate systematic execution.”
“Was that from Liam of the Liam Trading Group?”
“Indeed, he even remarked that you’d guess that. Hahaha.”
Martin’s suggestion was that instead of creating something new, it would be wise to adopt well-received and recognized structures from the city of Luna to design this lodging.
Certainly, it’s not a bad opinion.
Though I have modern knowledge, that doesn’t mean I have expertise in architecture.
Without knowing how deep to dig the ground when setting pillars, I inevitably have to rely on the architect’s opinions.
Martin had anticipated this, presenting completed architectural plans to help me easily visualize the finished building.
Each plan included an address memo, making it look fully prepared.
Architect Martin.
Impressive.
He’s undoubtedly skilled.
As I engraved Martin’s face and name into my memory, I meticulously examined each architectural plan one by one.
“This is… Liam’s residence?”
“Yes. Since it’s a building with visitors, the central corridor is quite wide. Reducing this part could work well, so I’ve brought it along.”
Just as the three of us were scrutinizing the plans laid out on the table,
“Here, have some snacks while you talk.”
Maia arrived pushing a two-tier cart and placed cookies and snacks on the bar table.
Given their appearance and aroma, it seemed she had freshly handmade these cookies in the brief time.
Certainly, she is capable.
I worried it seemed she, claiming relation to the goddess, might make everyone slightly uncomfortable.
As Maia turned to leave with the empty cart, I stopped her and had her sit beside me.
Since it was her future residence, it wouldn’t hurt for her to personally contribute to the decision.
Catching my deeper intent, she didn’t refuse and sat beside me to look at the plans one by one.
“What about this one?”
Pointing out a particular blueprint in the center for us, Maia caused Martin’s eyes to widen in admiration as he applauded.
“Wow~ You have a keen eye. This is the blueprint for a martial arts dojo. Since rough people gather there, both the floor and walls are twice as thick. It’s definitely sturdy.”
Upon receiving this compliment, she shyly raised her teacup to sip some tea, trying to hide her face.
“Several martial arts masters broke walls in anger and ended up in the hospital. Perhaps even Lord Heracles wouldn’t demolish it easily. Hahaha!”
PUHUUUUUUUUUKKKK!!!!!!!
Martin was in the middle of sharing an anecdote about the building when,
Suddenly, Maia spewed out the tea in her mouth with great force.
And unluckily, it landed right on my face…
“COUGH! COUGH! COUGH! I’m s, so sorry…”
Maia, overcome with coughing, immediately noticed my drenched face and panic-stricken, rushed out of the hall.
Within a minute, she returned, this time with a cloth in hand,
Approaching me with a remorseful expression, she quickly started wiping the tea off my face and hair with the cloth.
As the beautiful goddess knelt before me, wiping my face, the situation was making my heart race,
Until the foul odor intruding on my senses forced me to wrinkle my nose.
“What is this smell…”
“Isn’t that a mop rather than a towel?”
“Mother! Look at my mind!”
The quick-witted Martin pointed out the true identity of the cloth Maia was using to clean my face.
Again startled, Maia hastily fled the hall once more.
“Haha, your aide, Priest Ark, is quite adorable.”
“…”
“…”
It’s futile to try and change the atmosphere with words like that now.
Had I not known this, it might have been better…
Reverend Won Hyo, I finally understand your feelings.
Forgive my earlier pretense of understanding solely through books.
Thus, the decision regarding the lodging building was briefly paused until Maia returned with a real dry towel.
As I dried my face, I repeatedly questioned her about why she had acted that way,
But she only repeated that she didn’t know why she did it herself.
“Shall we continue?”
“Yes. Let’s.”
In a starkly contrasted, subdued atmosphere, our group of four carefully examined the designs.
Ultimately, we decided on a three-story building design with four large rooms per floor.
Martin’s warning about potentially more female priestesses joining in the future resonated deeply with me.
“Let’s go with this building structure. How much will it cost?”
“Yes, Priest Ark. That’s a splendid decision. Exactly 300 gold.”
“W-WHAT?? 300 GOLD??”
300 gold equals 300 million won in modern prices.
Moreover, the timber building style I chose would cost roughly the equivalent of 150 million won for a standalone house.
And that price even includes modern interior and exterior finishing costs like electricity and plumbing.
In a world without electricity, it feels outrageous to pay three billion won for a three-story building.
“Architect Martin. Maybe I misjudged you. 300 gold is an exaggeration.”
I intentionally spoke down to him and hinted at hostility.
How dare he make such a disrespectful offer, treating me as an easy mark?
I will not forgive this, no matter what.
“Oi Oi~ Not at all! Not at all! A deception like that would get me struck by lightning, offending the representative of the goddess!”
Fussing dramatically, Martin wildly waved his arms in denial.
Pulling out various documents from his bag, he handed me a sheet and continued explaining.
“The prices of construction wood and stone are soaring to unprecedented levels.”
“Even so, 300 gold?”
“Please hear me out. The biggest factor is the terrain. Located halfway up the mountain, transporting construction materials here alone costs a fortune, even without flattening the land.”
“…”
That’s right.
The Temple of Artemis is located on a mountain.
Since no trees can be cut down here on this sacred mountain, timber needs to be transported from elsewhere.
Hmm… I had forgotten about that.
As my speech slowed, Martin met my gaze and continued his explanation.
“Constructing a building dedicated to the goddess is a great honor for me. The rate already barely includes any profit margin for me.”
“Hmm…”
“Cutting 300 gold further would result in my loss, I believe.”
With a firm but respectful tone, Martin passionately defended his position.
Convinced by his logical explanation, I nodded.
At that moment,
PUHUUUUUUUUUKKKK!!!!!!!
Again, Maia violently sprayed tea all over my face, this time adding crumbled cookie bits for good measure.
Isn’t this deliberate?
What is making her do this?
