Chapter 114
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I Will Purchase Divine Power with Money
Chapter 114
* * *
After the banquet concluded, Count Kiris led me to his office.
I had worried that since the Count spent considerable time here, I might sense a strong presence of Evil, but to my relief, I felt nothing of the sort.
After all, if the Count had any sense, he wouldn't openly display anything related to Evil in a place where so many people came and went.
"You've grown quite close to Lute Sheary."
Count Kiris retrieved a bottle of whiskey from the liquor cabinet set against one wall and poured it into a glass.
But there was only one glass. How stingy—drinking alone.
"You told me to get close to the Duke. I put in considerable effort. Whose orders were those, after all?"
....
"Though I must admit, I didn't expect the Duke to care for me quite so much."
As I shrugged, the Count's expression twisted ever so slightly.
"Was bringing the Duke here truly your plan?"
"The Duke wanted to come first. But I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea, so I brought him along."
"Not a bad idea?"
"Yes. It's an opportunity to show you directly that I'm carrying out your orders well."
I made it abundantly clear just how much the Duke cherished me—enough that he treated the Count's household with coldness.
Of course, the real reason was that I wanted to see Lute's family be overshadowed by the Count's household.
"Wouldn't you say I've earned sufficient compensation for this?"
I had executed the orders well, so I deserved a reward.
When I deliberately displayed my greed without hiding it, the Count let out a hollow laugh.
"So you seduced the Duke for money."
"Exactly! Why else would I stick by that temperamental Duke's side? He's a stingy man with plenty of money but won't even give gifts."
That wasn't a lie. He simply gave me something better than gifts—cold, hard cash, again and again.
I felt a bit bad about calling him stingy, but honestly, that wasn't a lie either.
"If I give you a reward, will you then distance yourself from Lute Sheary?"
"Why would I? Do you still need Lute Sheary? Then I'll gladly continue the act. Of course, I'll extract every last coin for it."
"You've become unnecessarily greedy."
The Count clicked his tongue. Yet despite his tone, his expression didn't look particularly displeased.
"Still, it's better than when you were foolishly disobedient and acted on your own whims. Very well, live as you are. Then I too shall give you what you desire."
"Thank you!"
Thank you for what. Once I obtained Rubar Village, I'd have no further business in Kiris.
Let him regret being deceived by me for a long time to come.
"The money and land deed you requested, I'll provide soon. For now, you may return."
The smile I'd been wearing while rubbing my hands before the Count cracked.
Soon? Not today?
I had wanted to wrap this up quickly and leave just as fast, but this wasn't helpful at all.
"Whenever you provide it is your decision, Count, but the longer you delay, the longer I'll have to continue my potion business."
No matter what, I didn't want to stay here for more than three days.
Leaving behind Count Kiris's face contorted with displeasure at my threat, I slipped out of his office.
I wasn't frightened in the slightest by his piercing glare.
"Have you finished your conversation?"
"Oh, Commander?"
The person who greeted me as I emerged from the office was none other than Seth Noel.
I quickly approached him where he stood in the corridor.
"When did you arrive?"
"The moment I heard that you were here alone, I came immediately. Is everything alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Have you eaten, Commander?"
"Yes, I have. Are you returning to your room now?"
"Ah, before that...."
I was bothered by how Lute Sheary had reacted when I declined her invitation to take a walk together at the Dining Hall.
I was just thinking of going to find her right now.
Thud.
"Your Holiness?"
Seth looked at me with confusion as I suddenly stopped in my tracks.
But I had no answer to give.
In an instant, cold sweat drenched my body, leaving my back soaked. My hands began to tremble uncontrollably against my will.
My stomach churned so violently I wanted to vomit up everything I'd eaten.
This terrible aura, this repulsive stench.
【Warning! A powerful aura of darkness is detected!】
A malevolent presence so vile that even the system issued an alert.
I slowly turned my head.
Right beside the Count's office I'd just exited.
Beyond the empty wall, a chillingly dense aura of Evil was emanating forth.
* * *
"Insolent."
After Ordel Kiris left, Count Kiris clicked his tongue sharply.
It was true that this was better than when she played the fool, but that didn't mean he was satisfied now.
The audacity of her—staring him straight in the eye and making such pathetic threats.
He doubted he would ever be pleased with that damned woman.
"Hmm."
Just then, a faint vibration sound came from somewhere.
The Count immediately rose and opened the display case from which he'd retrieved the liquor earlier.
Among a dozen or so bottles, he turned the cap of the one carved with a dahlia counterclockwise three times.
The display case then slid silently to the side, revealing an empty space.
The Count stepped directly into it.
In the dim space within, he opened a drawer to find a crystal sphere gleaming with a dark crimson light.
This color meant an important person had made contact.
He lifted the crystal sphere, and a distorted voice immediately emanated from it.
-Hello, Joseph. It's been a while.
"I greet you, Master."
Though only his voice reached through the crystal, Count Kiris responded with utmost reverence, knowing his own form remained invisible to the other party.
The sole individual capable of hearing the voice of the one he served, and the Master who led all others in their stead.
His name, face, and identity remained unknown, yet none of this mattered to Count Kiris in the slightest.
To him, the owner of that voice was nothing less than a saint.
-So our false Saint is staying at your residence, alongside Lute Sheary, I hear?
How did you know of their arrival today? Truly, Master, your wisdom is boundless.
"Indeed. The foolish girl has been causing me considerable trouble, but now she obeys my commands and keeps Lute Sheary well in hand."
Count Kiris had pushed his adopted daughter into the Sun God's Temple as a false Saint at the Master's behest, just as he now kept Lute Sheary confined there—all by the Master's command.
-And how does Lute Sheary appear to you?
"How does she appear, Master?"
-Does she show any signs of illness? A pallid complexion, complaints of pain, trembling hands? Any such symptoms?
Was Lute Sheary ill?
Count Kiris's expression clouded slightly.
He merely followed the Master's commands; he had never understood why Lute Sheary needed to be confined within the Sun God's Temple.
This question therefore caught him quite off guard.
"We even dined together this evening, yet I observed no such signs whatsoever."
-And what of her relations with our false Saint? How did they appear?
"The Duchess displayed a certain obsessive tendency toward her."
Remarkable, truly.
That Lute Sheary would show such behavior toward someone as insignificant as Ordel.
Perhaps this too was part of the Master's grand design.
The Master knew all things, after all.
"The false Saint had the audacity to demand compensation for keeping Lute Sheary in her grasp—money, lands, such things."
-What? Hahahaha!
Delighted laughter erupted through the crystal.
Though I had served him for quite some time, I had never heard him sound so genuinely amused.
-How audacious and greedy. Her recent behavior has been somewhat peculiar, which is why I've been keeping watch, but...
"There should be no need for Master to concern himself. I shall appease her with an appropriate sum of money and land."
-If such a tool can be kept useful with merely that, then so be it.
"Yes. Thus I intend to grant her land that holds little value to me, yet possesses some utility nonetheless."
For instance, the Albarun Region in the far reaches of the Western Region.
I had initially considered giving her the utterly worthless Rubar, but observing Ordel's behavior, it seemed wiser to grant her land with at least some revenue potential and make use of her in turn.
-Handle it as you see fit. Simply ensure that both the false Saint and Lute Sheary remain confined within the Sun God's Temple.
"Yes. I shall spare no effort to ensure absolute success."
Count Kiris bowed deeply toward the Master beyond the crystal he could not see.
Whether the task be difficult or simple, if it came from the Master, I was prepared to stake my very life upon its completion.
-Ah, there is one more thing I wished to ask.
"Yes. Please command me."
-Could it be that our fake Saint is harboring a young woman? Someone in her late teens?
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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