Chapter 121
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I'll purchase divine power with money. Chapter 121 * * * "Hehehehe, hehehehe."
Back in my bedroom, I gazed at the Rubar Land deed with a grin so wide my face threatened to split. I'd obtained it so easily! Even if I were cradling a lump of gold the size of a man's head, I doubt I'd be happier than this. After all, holy stones were more valuable than gold by weight. With this alone, I could quickly accumulate the remaining 500 million without borrowing from Lute. I'd already received the other 500 million from Count Kiris along with the Rubar Land deed. I clutched the deed in one hand and the pouch containing 500 million in the other, laughing with unbridled delight.
"Foolish Kiris."
When Count Kiris handed over the deed, I'd worked hard to conceal my joy. And I'd deliberately asked only foolish questions.
"How large is the land? If it's small, I absolutely won't stop the potion business."
"Well, that seems acceptable. Really? Most of it is plains?"
"If it's plains, couldn't I plant crops abundantly? I'd earn a lot of money selling grain, wouldn't I?"
"Now that this land is mine, I don't have to share the profits with you even if I earn a fortune, right? It's all mine?"
The Count's face as he struggled to suppress his derision at my carefully crafted questions was priceless. I was already curious about how his expression would change when the truth about the holy stone deposits became known. Knock, knock.
"High Priestess. It's me."
That's when Lute arrived. I immediately opened the door, still clutching the deed and pouch to my chest.
"I was just waiting for you. Come in quickly."
I grabbed Lute's hand and pulled her inside, then shut the door with a bang. I settled her onto the only decent sofa in this room.
"High Priestess, you're quite forceful. You didn't need to be—I'd obey you regardless."
Startled by my boldness, Lute lowered her eyes shyly and cupped one cheek with her hand. She was almost absurdly innocent. In all my years, I'd never expected to find such purity in a man of such stature.
"Never mind that."
Right now, innocence was irrelevant. I waved the deed frantically before her eyes.
"I finally obtained it. The land that will illuminate our future with gold!"
What do you think? Isn't it wonderful? I never expected to acquire it so quickly! This proves my negotiating prowess!
"I forgot. Our High Priestess loves money more than beauty. Here I was boasting about my looks in front of a land deed."
Lute withdrew her hand from her cheek, sighed, and shook her head slowly.
"But with holy stones, you can create anything you desire!"
"I understand, so please calm down for now. If you keep shouting like that, others will hear you."
Oh no, that won't do. This mustn't be revealed yet. I settled my thundering heart and sat back down. But it was only natural to be excited.
"I'm going to craft a custom sacred relic tailored specifically for the Duke."
Lute Sheary's eyes widened.
"...Pardon?"
"A dedicated sacred relic that suits the Duke better than the light relic he's currently using, one that can more reliably alleviate his suffering."
"Is that... possible?"
"Of course. Until now, the Sun God's Temple simply had no sacred stones left, so I couldn't create one. Who do you think I am?"
As I asked with a smile, Lute murmured as if reciting.
"...The daughter of the Sun God, the High Priestess."
"Exactly. So wait a little longer. I'll present you with a sacred relic you can use with peace of mind until I find a way to completely cure the Duke."
"..."
Lute Sheary couldn't say anything. Hope and joy flooded into her silver-gray eyes.
"High Priestess, I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Why are you being so kind to me?"
Huh? What is she talking about?
"At first, I thought it was simply to earn money or to benefit from Sheary. But it's hard to attribute it to just that—you've given me far too much."
"..."
"In fact, from what I know, it seems like I'm the only one the High Priestess treats this generously toward."
I can't deny that. I certainly did pay more attention to Lute Sheary than others. I didn't even look after Jeremy as much as I did her.
"What's the reason?"
The reason. There's only one, isn't there?
"Simply... I didn't want the Duke to suffer."
The novel "The Sacred Idella."
Lute Sheary appears as a villain in this story, yet ironically suffers the most. Her precious trading company crumbles, her proud family is stripped away, and she is ruthlessly exploited by Evil. He, whose very life was not his own, blocks the protagonists' path with dead eyes countless times before ultimately perishing. Not even leaving behind a corpse. At first, I helped Lute Sheary for my own sake. My sole intention was to recruit him as an ally unconditionally—if he fell to Evil, it would make things harder for me too. But the more I came to know him, the more I pitied him. Such a confident person—how much must he have suffered when he lost everything and became a slave in the original story? That's why I wanted to protect him. I wanted to keep helping him so he would never experience such things. When I suspected that the black stain embedded in his body might be the work of Evil itself, my concern only deepened. As long as that stain didn't completely disappear, Lute's future would remain unstable. I thought I had saved Lute, but I hadn't truly saved him completely yet.
"I hope you won't suffer or feel pain. I wish for you to continue living joyfully and happily."
"...."
"Is it wrong to help the Duke for this reason?"
Lute fell silent for a long while. Watching his lips tremble slightly, I shrugged my shoulders.
"Well, to put it simply, I'm just doing what I want to do. Does that burden you?"
"It couldn't."
Lute shook his head firmly. For some reason, the light in his eyes as he gazed at me seemed softer than before.
"Rather, I'm bewildered. To summarize, you're saying the High Priestess treasures me so much that you want to give generously, right?"
At Lute's bright smile, I felt quite flustered.
"That seems a bit different somehow."
"No, that's exactly right. Because I'm your person, you cherish me that way."
"Though the Duke being my person is...."
"You are the Sun God's daughter, and I am the Sun God's first devoted follower, so ultimately I am also your person. Isn't that natural?"
Huh? Does it work that way?
"So you must continue to cherish me going forward. It's not burdensome at all, so you can give to me as much as you wish."
Usually people tell you to receive, but this one tells me to give as much as I want.
"Of course, I will give you just as much in return. I am your person, recognized by you."
His tone was somewhat subtle, but in any case, the conclusion was that we would exchange with each other, so I nodded. We were already doing that anyway.
"In that sense, once we return to the Temple of the Sun God, I will introduce you to workers who can excavate the buried sacred stones."
"Already? I thought it would take several days even for you, Duke."
"If it takes several days just to find workers, the reputation of being a mine owner would be tarnished."
My goodness. A halo seemed to shine behind Lute's back. Truth be told, my concern for him was just an excuse—the way he immediately and readily provided what I wanted meant I was giving him quite a lot too, wasn't I? Lute is the best.
"Then since we've finished our business, shall we leave right away?"
I pressed my lips together, suppressing a grin that threatened to spread across my face, and shook my head.
"Not today."
"Why?"
Lute's expression immediately turned stern. Do you think I don't want to leave even faster than you? But today, of all days, I had to be here.
"I have something I need to do, and I need your help, Duke. Will you help me?"
"Hmm, I understand. It's unfortunate, but since I also have something to do at night, let's leave early tomorrow morning instead."
"Here? What on earth...?"
Lute answered only with a radiant smile. That expression screams hidden intentions no matter how I look at it... In times like this, ignorance is the best policy. I pretended I hadn't heard anything. * * * Late night had fallen. Having successfully secured Lute's cooperation, I headed toward my destination with her. Where to?
"Is the Count inside?"
To Count Kiris's Office, of course. Now that I had the Rubar Land documents in hand, it was time to achieve my second objective for coming to Count Kiris's House.
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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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