Chapter 117
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I Will Purchase Divine Power with Money
Chapter 117
"High Priestess, what on earth is this place...?"
Victoria's expression grew pale as she took in the deplorable state of the room.
Even I, who had already spent a night here before, found myself taken aback upon seeing it again—Victoria, seeing it for the first time, must have been even more shocked.
"A bed and a desk.... It looks like someone lived here, but why does such a place exist in the Count Kiris Mansion?"
Victoria glanced around the room with a bewildered expression.
Even when the Sun God Grand Temple was at its poorest, there was never a room like this.
"The Count Kiris Mansion isn't all glamour. Especially this household—it's notorious for its darkness."
And this room was the very embodiment of that darkness.
The Count's family had confined Ordel Kiris to this filthy place to prevent any thoughts of resistance, subjecting her to repeated abuse.
Ordel Kiris, terrified of losing even her false position as High Priestess if she incurred the Count's displeasure, had crawled along submissively.
For some reason, I found myself deeply concerned about Ordel Kiris.
Why should I care about something that didn't happen to me? Was it because I used to hunt down villains?
Or was it because, regardless of my intentions, I had forcibly taken Ordel Kiris's body?
I didn't know the reason.
But what did it matter?
Just as I was apologizing to those harmed by Ordel Kiris and compensating them in her stead, it was only natural that I exact revenge on those who tormented her.
I had come to this room today to reaffirm that resolve.
And to give the Count a warning while I was at it.
Creak, creak.
As I stepped into the room, the wooden floorboards groaned harshly beneath my feet.
Before, when Ordel Kiris still visited the Count Kiris Mansion frequently, it hadn't been quite this bad....
In the months since I possessed her body, the room had fallen into a truly deplorable state.
They hadn't even bothered to clean it—everyone employed here was cut from the same cloth.
I was clicking my tongue at the sight of the bedsheet gnawed by rats when I felt it.
"Hm?"
The moment I approached the bed, I sensed something peculiar.
An aura completely different from the repugnant, oppressive presence that permeated the entire Count Kiris Mansion....
Rather, it was a comforting energy that instantly soothed my troubled mind.
As if this place alone were purifying the aura of Evil.
"Lady Victoria, don't you sense something here?"
"Now that you mention it...."
Victoria's eyes widened in surprise as well.
No one, not even Seth, had noticed the aura of Evil that permeated the mansion, yet Victoria was sensing it now....
"Push the bed aside."
"Yes!"
Victoria answered vigorously and lifted the bed effortlessly.
She could have simply pushed it to the side, yet she lifted it with such ease....
"High Priestess, this is the aura of the Sun God."
Victoria tossed the bed aside like a toy and cried out urgently.
Just as she said, this familiar divine presence belonged to none other than the Sun God.
Beneath the bed.
As I swept away the accumulated dust, a shallow groove and a rusted handle came into view.
When I pulled with force, a musty smell of aged paper wafted up with a metallic creak.
"Is this... a diary?"
"It appears to be."
As I lifted the single book, Victoria nodded in confirmation.
"This diary seems to be the source of the Sun God's divine power."
Yes, because of the sacred energy dwelling in this diary, the aura of Evil spreading throughout the mansion could not penetrate this vicinity.
Given the circumstances, this must be Ordel Kiris's diary.
The original work never mentioned that Ordel Kiris kept a diary, but since the narrative centered on Idella, it wouldn't be strange for Ordel Kiris to have had a secret journal.
Though there was one thing that bothered me slightly.
For something that had only been here for a few months, the diary's condition was quite poor—no, very poor.
It looked as though it had been neglected for at least several years, not merely months.
"I should take it and examine it."
"But we don't even know whose it is. Is it really alright to take it?"
If I said it was mine, she'd realize this room was originally where I stayed, wouldn't she?
That would be troublesome, so I'd need to deflect appropriately.
"The High Priestess of the Sun God is taking something imbued with the Sun God's divine power for investigation—who would dare object?"
"I... I suppose that's true?"
"Besides, judging by its condition, it's been here for years. The owner probably abandoned it long ago."
Leaving the bewildered Victoria behind, I surveyed the room once more.
I felt no divine presence anywhere else in this space.
"My... my goodness!"
A shrill voice cut through the air sharply.
A middle-aged woman stood pale as death in the doorway.
Seeing the Maid I'd encountered earlier standing beside her, it seemed she had summoned her.
"What... what exactly are you doing here?"
Her face was twisted with fear. Was she so terrified that Lute Sheary would learn of this room's existence?
"I was simply wandering and noticed the door, so I came in. Why? Is there some reason I shouldn't be here?"
"That is..."
Unable to continue, she clenched her teeth, and I let out a scoff.
"...Still, this is not a place befitting the High Priestess. Please leave. I shall escort you to your quarters."
"Honestly. I can't even move freely about my own home."
Grumbling, I rose to my feet.
Then, concealing myself behind Victoria's back, I slipped the diary into my inventory.
Since it contained divine power, it entered my inventory without resistance.
"Actually, calling this my home is quite the misnomer. A home should be comfortable, yet this place has never been comfortable at all."
The middle-aged woman flinched at my pointed remark.
Standing before her, I gazed down at the woman whose frame was considerably smaller than mine.
"By the way, who are you again?"
"...."
My question seemed to wound her pride—her face flushed crimson.
I had genuinely forgotten who she was.
Though I'll admit, there was a touch of intent to embarrass her as well.
"Who?"
"...I am Linda, the head maid."
Of course. Given her age and bearing,
if a maid had summoned someone with such urgency, it could only be the head maid.
"Right, Linda. You'll naturally report my presence here to the Count, won't you?"
"...."
"Is that such a strange question? Everyone in this mansion is essentially a spy, monitoring and reporting my every move."
Linda had fallen completely silent.
I gave her stiffened shoulders a light pat and brushed past her.
"I don't need a guide. It's rather amusing—you've never done it before, yet now you offer."
I glanced at Linda and the pale-faced maid, then left the room with Victoria.
Word must have spread—several maids stood in the corridor. Some wore expressions of bewilderment, while others glared at me with undisguised irritation.
Among them were maids I had seen yesterday in the corridor outside Yoanna's chamber.
With so many eyes watching, news would certainly reach the Count's ears.
Good. Let them go report.
That way, the panicked fool will give me what I want all the faster.
I flashed the maids a brilliant smile and departed with cheerful steps.
* * *
"Good, good heavens! Is she truly mad?"
After Ordel Kiris had gone,
the maids who had rushed to Linda's side spewed curses without pause. What Ordel Kiris had just done and said was utterly unbelievable.
"We must report this to the Count and Countess at once! That insolent creature dares to forget her place!"
"Don't worry, Head Maid. The Countess holds you in such high regard—she will never let this pass!"
Ordel Kiris had always occupied the lowest position in this household.
Even lower than the maids themselves.
Crushing her—the Count's adopted daughter and the High Priestess—had been their collective pleasure.
Despite her foul temperament, they had endured her torment in silence, fearing she might fall from the Count's favor. Yet she had never uttered a word of complaint.
But now that she had secured the Duke's backing, she dared to carry herself with such arrogance!
Had it not been for the Count's warning, they would have beaten her as they had before.
Refusing to acknowledge that they had been cowed by the unfamiliar composure radiating from Ordel Kiris, the maids continued to hurl insults at her.
"...Will reporting to those two actually change anything?"
But Linda, the head maid, had said something unexpected.
"Yes, yes...?"
"Head Maid, what do you mean...."
"...it is done. While Duke Sheary remains here, do not act rashly. Conduct yourselves with caution. I shall report everything to both of them."
Linda pulled her skirt taut and disappeared down the corridor with hurried steps.
The maids, their faces flustered and uncertain, scattered to their respective posts without protest.
In an instant, everyone had departed, and silence settled before the closed door.
Karen appeared without a sound, her expression utterly blank.
After surveying her surroundings, she quietly opened the door and stepped inside the hidden room.
"...."
She examined the room carefully, then left with a faint grimace crossing her face.
The corridor soon returned to its customary silence.
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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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