After the funeral ended, Olovice walked slowly under a black umbrella. He had deliberately worn knee-high leather boots to prevent the muddy road from splattering onto his pants.

Whenever it rained, Olovice disliked going out. The roads in Letania were not well-maintained, especially in the countryside cemeteries. There were no funeral companies here. When someone died, the first step was to report to the police station. The officers would then verify if it was a natural death. If it was, they would record it, and the family would take the body back, hire a church priest, and everyone would chip in for the funeral expenses. The burial would take place in a government-designated cemetery, which was often in a remote area, making the journey a true dirt road.

Of course, if one wanted a better funeral, they could spend money at the Crazy Coffin Shop in town to order a complete set of funeral supplies, guaranteed to satisfy.

Olovice was already familiar with this process. Since becoming a priest, his three main duties were baptizing infants, providing care for the elderly at the end of their lives and officiating their funerals, and officiating weddings for newlyweds. Oh, the last one usually happened more often during the new moon.

Olovice quite enjoyed being a wedding officiant because he always received higher tips during those times.

Standing by the roadside, Olovice watched as a shepherd drove a large flock of sheep down the middle of the dirt road. The sheep bleated, and the mixture of mud and sheep dung squelched underfoot. Olovice helped guide a few stray lambs back to the flock.

The shepherd cracked his whip and laughed, “Thanks, Olovice. I’ll be at the church for mass this Sunday.”

Olovice smiled, “As long as your faith is sincere, any day is a holy day. May the Lord bless you.”

After the shepherd left, the rain intensified, and the wind picked up. Olovice looked up helplessly at the umbrella, which was being blown about by the strong wind, while the cold rain slapped haphazardly against his face.

Once he reached the town, he was determined to buy a better umbrella!

Thinking of this, Olovice patted his coat pocket, which contained five sulers, about two hundred dollars. After buying the umbrella, he planned to treat himself to a sausage bun from the Little Bee Bakery or order a black pepper steak with tomato soup at Am’s Restaurant. Calculating the expenses, he decided to save the restaurant visit for another time.

A black pepper steak cost eight pence, and with the tomato soup, it would easily exceed a suler. Meanwhile, the sausage bun at Little Bee Bakery was only six pence and quite filling.

As a church clergy member, Olovice should have a salary, but he hadn’t officially registered with the Radiant Church yet. So, he had to earn his living expenses the hard way.

Come September, things would be better. Olovice was optimistic about the future. Once he got the green light from Bishop Ulrich and the official stamp, he would have an official position, status, and money. The Radiant Church would deposit his salary on the tenth of every month and even issue him a gun. Oh, right, he needed to get a bank card in advance.

Olovice made a mental note of this. Once he got his salary, the first thing he would do was treat everyone to a good meal to celebrate.

Although his teacher had repeatedly offered to pay him from his own salary, Olovice refused. He preferred to work harder rather than rely on his teacher.

His teacher, as a priest at Letania Church, earned a monthly salary of six pounds, equivalent to about six thousand dollars, which was considered high in the small town. It sounded like a lot, but the teacher had to cover all the church expenses. Fortunately, the Radiant Church wasn’t stingy and provided work uniforms for all clergy, otherwise, it would have been another significant expense.

Praise the Holy Light, Olovice made the sign of the cross, sincerely grateful.

Upon reaching the town, Olovice put away the useless umbrella, smoothed his bangs, and his leather boots splashed water as he walked on the cobblestone road. His mood improved as he smelled the aroma from Little Bee Bakery, which whetted his appetite.

“Olovice, fresh rye bread, would you like some?” The shop owner, Ramon, greeted him warmly.

“Five pounds, please,” Olovice replied. “And I’d like a sausage bun as well.”

Ramon packed the rye bread and gave Olovice a large paper bag for convenience, while the sausage bun was wrapped separately in greaseproof paper.

“Thank you,” Olovice smiled.

“Careful, it’s hot,” Ramon warned. “Olovice, that’ll be one suler and three pence in total.”

Alright, after all the calculations, it wasn’t much less than he initially expected. Olovice felt a bit down but consoled himself that Sister Hiran wouldn’t need to buy rye bread for dinner, saving a bit of money.

Eating the sausage bun, Olovice spent another suler on a decent-quality black umbrella.

With his hunger sated, Olovice wondered if he had grown recently. He had just eaten Sister Hiran’s breakfast that morning.

On the way back to the church, he passed through a central square created by the town government. Due to the rain, there weren’t many people in the square, which used to be a popular spot for townsfolk to chat.

“Olovice, what a coincidence, I was just about to go to the church to find you,” a somewhat familiar voice called out ahead.

Olovice walked over, politely saying, “Miss Emile, is there anything I can help you with?”

Ahead stood the noble young lady, Emile, sheltering from the rain under the eaves of a watch repair shop. Her personal maid held a small umbrella, but it was clear they had underestimated today’s weather. With the rain pouring down, they had no choice but to take cover here.

She wore a riding outfit, with a brightly colored men’s jacket adorned with silver embroidery on the chest and a family silver crest on the shoulder—a blooming violet.

Below, she wore a modified elegant long skirt, which, although lacking a hoop skirt, still appeared large, especially when riding, necessitating a side-saddle.

It seemed her family was a conservative old noble family. To keep up with the times, noblewomen’s riding outfits had evolved into simpler, more convenient riding pants, but only the stubborn, old-fashioned nobles adhered to the old riding etiquette for ladies.

“I want to say a prayer,” Emile casually found an excuse.

“The church will never turn away a soul in doubt,” Olovice said, holding the umbrella for her as he led the way, smiling.

As Emile and Olovice walked and chatted, she expressed her disinterest in the small town. It was too backward. Although larger cities had more pollution, in recent years, nobles sought the fresh air and greenery of the countryside. But without entertainment, theater, parties, or shopping, what was the point?

Her poor health was to blame; otherwise, her parents wouldn’t have sent her to this remote village for fresh air and green therapy. Emile’s frustration and dissatisfaction were immense. Before coming, she was sure this summer would be the most boring and detestable one she’d ever had.

Before meeting Deacon Olovice, Emile was so certain.

But after meeting Deacon Olovice, Emile found the air in Letania to be truly refreshing, and the greenery so endearing.

Emile couldn’t help but glance at Deacon Olovice, feeling that the weather was wonderful today.

And Olovice, braving the storm, finally delivered the noble young lady safely and dryly to the church.

Not a drop of rain touched her.

An excellent deacon priest is indeed versatile!

Olovice was proud of himself!