Chapter 102
---------------
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
---------------
I Will Purchase Divine Power with Money Chapter 102 "Can you really say that?"
"Why not? It's hardly a secret that they lack manners."
I let out a loud snort.
"We can discuss this later if the opportunity arises. For now, I'd like to hear about what happened this afternoon...."
Hmm, since this is a year before the original story begins, Idella should be eighteen now, right? Looking at her youthful, unblemished face, I could only sigh.
"If it's difficult to recall, you don't have to speak about it."
"What? But... you brought me here because of that...."
"True, but I'm not the type to pressure a struggling child for answers."
Demanding detailed accounts from traumatized victims about their experiences is a form of secondary harm. How could I commit such violence? Besides, Idella herself wouldn't know why she was nearly abducted in the first place.
"The High Priestess doesn't seem to be that much older than me...."
"Age hardly matters in situations like this."
My appearance may be twenty-one, but my inner self is well into my mid-thirties. It was only natural to worry about someone young enough to be my niece.
"...It wasn't really that shocking."
"But you were swinging around something like an awl."
"That was just because I was so startled! I have to protect myself."
"That's right. You did wonderfully."
I spoke clearly to Idella.
"You must live with that mindset going forward. In the end, the only one who can truly protect you until the very last moment is yourself."
If you fail, you die like I did. So it's better to err on the side of protecting yourself excessively.
"...Anyway, while I was surprised at seeing such a serious fight for the first time, the abduction itself wasn't shocking."
Oh, so her shock came from the combat, not the abduction itself. The Female Protagonist truly has remarkable composure.
"For a wandering orphan, it's something that could happen at any time. I've actually come close to danger several times before."
The Empire has no slavery, but that doesn't mean human traffickers don't exist. And those most exposed to danger are always orphans without homes or families. With Idella's exceptional beauty, she must have faced considerable peril. It was fortunate she'd survived this long.
"Of course, this time was the most dangerous. Those people... they felt truly sinister."
Idella's face grew slightly pale. Looking carefully, while fear was evident, there was no sense that she was being forced to recount something traumatic, as she'd said.
"The kidnappers I've seen before were rough, spewed curses, and felt greedy, but these ones had none of that. They had nothing at all."
"...."
"Usually they pick a target and follow them until there are no witnesses to attempt anything. But these people didn't care about their surroundings at all—they just tried to abduct me. As if I was their objective from the very beginning."
If this is true, there's only one possibility. Evil has discovered that Idella is the future High Priestess. If that creature knows about the Sacred Idella like the Sun God and the Spirit Death God do, it's entirely plausible. The question is how it learned this. Now that I think about it, it's strange that the Sun God knows this too. Ju Hyun-jin, what exactly did you write?
"...That's all I know. I wish I could tell you more, but there's nothing else."
Idella's face scrunched up sharply. As the one nearly kidnapped, she seemed frustrated that she knew nothing of substance. I was actually relieved she was angry rather than grieving.
"Did those creatures happen to converse with each other?"
"...They did, actually."
"Tell me whatever you remember."
After pondering for a while, Idella began speaking hesitantly.
"As soon as they grabbed me, they said they'd secured the target. That they'd return immediately.... But then one of them mentioned an unpleasant smell of fire, and right after that, the Holy Knights came rushing in."
These bastards—who were they calling unpleasant? As if they smelled any better themselves. It was ridiculous.
"Oh, now that I think about it, there was something odd. I struggled quite fiercely, but they only covered my mouth to keep me from screaming. They didn't lay a hand on me otherwise. They subdued me carefully, as if to avoid any injury."
"That's definitely strange."
"Right?"
Having reviewed all manner of violent crime records back in Korea, I knew this wasn't ordinary behavior. Usually perpetrators incapacitate their victims before committing their crimes. Kidnapping wasn't fundamentally different, yet these creatures hadn't inflicted a single wound on Idella. The fact that Evil's subordinates—all merciless and brutal malevolent spirits—had done this suggested they'd received explicit orders not to harm her. Now that I considered it, the kidnapping attempt itself was strange. If Evil truly knew Idella was the future High Priestess, wouldn't simply killing her be more effective than kidnapping? Why attempt a kidnapping at all? And while being so careful not to inflict any injuries.
"The more I hear, the deeper the mystery becomes."
As I sighed, Idella's expression darkened.
"Exactly. I'm frustrated too because I don't know anything."
"There's no help for it. There's only one solution."
"There's a solution?"
Idella's head snapped up, and I nodded seriously.
"Yes. Come with me to our Temple of the Sun God."
"...What?"
Idella stared at me blankly. With her irritation and anger gone, she looked considerably gentler.
"Staying in the Southern Region feels precarious, doesn't it? Why not come with me to the Sun God Grand Temple?"
"But I don't have divine power..."
"It doesn't matter if I don't have it."
And don't worry. Soon you'll possess more divine power than anyone else.
"The Sun God Grand Temple is nestled in the mountains, so it's quiet and peaceful. It would be far better than continuing to wander aimlessly."
"...But."
"I'll provide you with lodging and meals. Of course, it's not free. Like everyone else who stays there, you'll need to help maintain the temple."
Once you awaken as a Saint, you won't have to, but for now, that's not the case. If Idella just loafed around the temple without doing any work simply because I brought her here, people might start to notice.... Actually, they wouldn't. No one in the temple would dare contradict my words. Still, thinking ahead to when she awakens, it would be good for her to build relationships and bond with the others now by working alongside them.
"Of course, since you'll be working, you'll receive proper compensation. Think of lodging and meals as the basics."
Once the temple began generating income, the employees received fair wages. I still can't forget the faces of those people weeping with joy back then.
"So, what do you think? Not a bad offer, is it?"
"...I suppose not."
Idella nodded. Perhaps because she believed that kindness without reason doesn't exist, she seemed pleased by the fact that it wasn't free. Still seeing hesitation in her eyes, I played my final card.
"By the way, both of our temple's head chefs are from the Eastern Region. They're incredibly skilled cooks."
The food is really delicious—you're still not coming?
"...Then, if I just go and see for myself first, ah, is that not allowed?"
Finally, Idella gave an affirmative answer, her face flushed crimson. I knew this would work. Food is truly very important to people!
"Of course it is! If you don't like it after seeing it, I'll send you back, so don't worry."
Of course, I have no intention of actually sending her back. I'll hold onto her by any means necessary. I grinned as I watched Idella nod subtly. Knock, knock.
"High Priestess, are you here?"
At that moment, a knock sounded, followed by Monica's voice. She must have heard that I was at the Eternal Death God Temple.
"Yes, come in."
Monica, who entered, startled slightly upon seeing Idella. Oh, so this is the moment when the best friend who stayed with me until the ending in the original story meets for the first time? Though the timing has shifted much earlier than in the original, will these two become best friends in this world as well? I watched the two girls of the same age with keen interest.
---------------
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
---------------