Church

**The Church** (神殿, *shinden*) is the name of the sole religious institution in the country that Ehrenfest is a part of.

The people of the country worship a pantheon of gods, with religious ceremonies held throughout the year as a cornerstone of daily life. Each duchy has a single dedicated cathedral building located in its capital city. In the duchy of Ehrenfest, the cathedral is located in city of Ehrenfest.

# Ehrenfest Cathedral

     In Ehrenfest, the cathedral is located on the border between the Nobles' Quarter and the lower city, where commoners reside. Nobles enter and exit through the main gate in the north, which can only be opened using mana. Meanwhile, commoners enter and exit through the back gate in the south.

The vast majority of priests live on the temple grounds throughout most of the year, and only leave when they are required to handle religious ceremonies in provinces around the duchy, such as Spring Prayer or the Harvest Festival.

## Chapel Building

     All public religious ceremonies in Ehrenfest are held in the cathedral's chapel, which has an altar and a dais where the High Priest stands during ceremonies. There are no pews or seating. Attendees are expected to stand. Behind the altar, statues of the Supreme Gods and the Eternal Five are carved out of white stone.

The chapel building is also home to the repentance chamber. Because violence and corporal punishment are forbidden in the temple, priests and shrine maidens are sent to reflect on their actions in the unadorned chamber. Additionally, the orphanage is adjacent to the main chapel.

## Administrative Building

    Most of the day-to-day work of the cathedral is done in the larger administrative building, located just north of the chapel and orphanage. It has three entrances: One leading to the Noble's Gate in the north, one front entrance to the east, and one set of doors leading to the chapel in the south. There is also a stairway used by church retainers.

Blue priests and priestesses reside on the second and third floors of the administrative building. Their attendants typically use rooms on the first floor, so they can be available promptly when needed.

In addition to a variety of atria, meeting rooms, and waiting rooms, the administrative building contains:

* The High Bishop's chambers.
* The High Priest's chambers.
* The cathedral book room.
* The ceremonial hall where the Dedication Ritual is held during the winter.

## Other Functions

The cathedral has a large ice house, kept cold using magic, which it uses to store perishable food such as milk. It is typically used only by attendants and those who prepare food. Water is drawn from a well located near the chapel.

# People and Culture

The people of the church are educated to be compliant and quiet. Everyone, even the commoner grey priests and shrine maidens, are educated in the manners and etiquette of the nobility.

At the cathedral, it is tradition for everyone - from the lowest grey robe to the high bishop him or herself - to speak a short prayer to the gods before every meal:

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> “O mighty King and Queen of the endless skies who doth grace us with thousands upon thousands of lives to consume, O mighty Eternal Five who rule the mortal realm, I offer thanks and prayers to thee, and do take part in the meal so graciously provided.”
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## Alms of the Gods

**"Alms of the Gods"** (神の恵み, *kami no megumi*) refers to the church's system for distributing resources among the clergy. Blue priests are expected to provide their retainers with the "alms of the gods" of food, clothing, shelter, and other essential supplies, such as soap.

Food distribution follows a strict protocol. Blue priests eat first and cover costs related to the food (purchasing ingredients, hiring chefs). Any leftovers from their meal are then passed to their retainers, and then the leftovers from that meal are served to the gray priests in the orphanage. Finally, any remaining food is provided to the unbaptized orphans.

Due to the sudden outflux of clergy at the Ehrenfest cathedral, there was much less food prepared for blue priests. As a result, both gray priests and those in the orphanage suffered from having very little to eat.

# Finances

**Harvest Festival.** The temple receives funding from the duchy as a proportion of the taxes collected by during the Harvest Festival. A portion of the tithe goes to the priest who performs the ceremony, and the remainder goes to support the general operation of the church. Consequently, performing the Harvest Festival in prosperous provinces is a highly sought-after position.

**Donations.** Money donated to the church as a gesture of goodwill (such as the ten small golds donated by Myne as a condition of becoming an apprentice blue shrine maiden) is added to the church budget. It is first used to provide for operational expenses, and the remainder is then allocated by the High Bishop among the blue priests and shrine maidens.

Under High Priest Bezewanst, the largest share of donations went to himself, and the remainder was given primarily to blue priests and shrine maidens who earned his favor.

     **Workshop Revenue.** (Ehrenfest only) After Myne becomes an apprentice blue shrine maiden, 10% of the profits made by her workshop are donated to the church. When the orphanage workshop is established, the revenue from it is also used to provide funding to the church.

**Private Income.** Blue priests and shrine maidens generally have some financial support from their noble families. Additionally, they can secure further revenue by performing religious services (such as a baptisms) at a noble's estate. Higher-ranking priests and shrine maidens — such as the High Bishop or High Priest — are in high demand due to the added prestige. However, their services are also proportionally more expensive.

## Accounting Terminology

On the churches accounting ledgers, a variety of terms are used to refer to different forms of income and expenses:

* **Divine will**. As an expense, it indicates compensation paid to the High Bishop and blue robes. On the income sheets, it refers to the budget received from the archduke.
* **Offerings to the gods** comprise ceremonial expenses such as flowers, incense, and cloth.
* **Flowers for the gods** refers to clothing and fashion expenses for flower-offering (concubine) grey shrine maidens. This was originally factored in as the cost of preparing the cathedral for noble visitors.
* **Water for the gods** refers to hosting expenses, such as wine and feasts for visiting nobles.
* **Divine compassion** refers to the expenses of maintaining the orphanage and purchasing supplies.
* **Gift from the gods** indicates any source of revenue that doesn't come from the archduke's budget. Different sources of income are then differentiated using descriptions like "Gift from X."

# References

1. ↑ Ascendance of a Bookworm. Fanbook. Temple Tour by Miya Kazuki
2. ↑ Ascendance of a Bookworm. Part 2 Volume 2. Epilogue
3. ↑ Ascendance of a Bookworm. Part 2 Volume 2. Chapter 20: The End of Winter Preparations
4. ↑ Ascendance of a Bookworm. Fanbook 2. Q&A with Miya Kazuki.