Chapter 125
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I'll purchase divine power with money.
Chapter 125
Then again, it was strange that even Lute Sheary, of all people, could be so oblivious.
"I won't deny it. You're not the sort of person I could deceive even if I tried."
But since this wasn't the place for such a conversation, I was about to suggest we move elsewhere.
If only Lute hadn't spoken next.
"Why do you think that? Even if the High Priestess openly lied to me and tried to deceive me, I'd be willing to believe whatever it is."
"...Pardon?"
What did Lute just say? Surely he was joking?
Yet his face, so close to mine, was utterly serious, devoid of any hint of amusement.
"If anyone else said that, I'd be furious enough to kill them..."
Lute's silvery-gray eyes fixed upon me intently.
Was it merely my imagination to sense an inexplicable warmth in eyes that should have appeared cold?
"But when it comes to the High Priestess, it's fine. Only with the High Priestess is it fine."
The sincerity in his words, too profound to ignore, made my spine stiffen.
"With just one exception."
Lute pulled my rigid hand toward him.
For a moment, I wondered if this was truly acceptable, but seeing the anguish contort Lute's face as he gazed at my blood-stained hand, I couldn't bring myself to pull away.
Lute's magic cleansed every trace of blood from my body with meticulous care.
Each time his distinctive mana brushed against my skin, my fingers trembled involuntarily.
His mana was remarkably gentle and soothing.
"Don't hide it when you're in pain—tell me. You can deceive me about everything else, but don't hide or lie about your suffering. That much is absolutely forbidden."
"..."
"Even the High Priestess needs one place to lean on comfortably, don't you think?"
Faced with his promise to become that very place, I found myself speechless.
While my lips merely trembled, Lute, having meticulously wiped away the blood, rose to his feet.
As though my answer mattered little to him.
With an attitude suggesting he'd do as he pleased regardless of what I said, I let out a hollow laugh.
Then again, Lute had always been this way.
"I'll handle the preparations for our return, so you rest in the meantime."
"Oh!"
Lute, who had been regarding me with evident displeasure, suddenly bent down and scooped me into his arms without warning.
Startled by the sudden sensation of being lifted into the air, I instinctively grasped at his collar.
"...I never expected you to be shy about being held, but to grab my collar right away..."
"At least I didn't hit you."
"That's true. Thank you."
Lute's embrace was more comfortable than I'd anticipated.
His hands, supporting my back and beneath my legs, felt reassuringly solid. My suspended body felt no anxiety whatsoever.
Perhaps it was the baseless certainty that Lute would never let me fall.
The hand that had grasped his collar now rested peacefully upon his shoulder.
"I'll have Karen Boreo sent to you, so High Priestess, please don't do anything and just rest well."
Lute Sheary lowered me onto the bed.
She gazed at me for a long while, gently squeezed my hand, and then left with the potion box she'd suspended by magic.
"I never thought I'd be discovered like this... but since it's Lute, it's not so bad."
She would never do anything I disliked, so she would keep this secret as well.
So I lay down without any worry and closed my eyes.
For some reason, the lingering warmth on my fingertips felt more vivid than the sharp, tearing pain from before.
* * *
Lute Sheary, who had forced herself to tear away from Ordel despite her reluctance, moved swiftly once outside.
She first approached Ordel's escort knight, who was waiting at a distance.
"The potion is ready, so take it with you. And the High Priestess said she would leave this place immediately and return to the Temple of the Sun God."
"Right now?"
Because Lute had completely erased all traces of blood, including the scent, Victoria noticed nothing.
Lute nodded to the bewildered woman.
"Yes. Karen Boreo will handle the High Priestess's preparations, so you inform the Holy Knight Commander and prepare to depart at once."
"Yes! Understood! Finally leaving this cursed place."
"...."
Victoria, who had spat out a vicious curse, quickly bowed to Lute and hurried away with the potion.
The Holy Knight who had always seemed composed was quite fierce with her language.
That much devotion to Ordel, then.
Satisfied, Lute nodded and returned to the room. She sent Karen to Ordel and pressed Yuri relentlessly, preparing to leave as quickly as possible.
"Ah, what is all this sudden commotion about?"
Yuri, who had been processing the documents Lute thrust upon him with a gloomy face, was bewildered by the sudden orders, but his body faithfully prepared for departure.
Lute entrusted Yuri with notifying Count Kiris of their departure, then set off to complete the last task she had to do here.
Where to?
To the High Room in the corner of the Count's Residence.
A place with no windows and no cleaning—so filthy that even the servants rarely ventured there.
Slipping past people's eyes to reach that place was not difficult for Lute at all.
She opened the door that Karen had shown her and stepped inside.
"...."
And she was seized by fury as intense as when Ordel had coughed up blood.
"Ha."
The one person she had acknowledged as worthy of deceiving her had been living in a place like this.
With her fists clenched, she remained standing before that door until the preparations for departure were complete.
* * *
Lute had pressed so hard that the departure preparations finished remarkably quickly.
Yoanna tried to hold us back, asking why we were leaving so soon, but Lute paid her no attention and shut the carriage door with a bang the moment we boarded.
And so we left the Count's Residence.
"Phew."
Leaning against the carriage sofa, which was more comfortable than the bed, I finally felt my tension ease.
Surely I won't suffer like this every time I use my power in a place where Evil's influence reaches—coughing blood and my entire body torn apart by agony?
That would be troublesome.
【Sun Crawling from Death says that as your divine power grows stronger, such side effects will disappear.】
How many percentage points do I need to reach to be completely unaffected?
【Sun Crawling from Death boldly declares that even at 50%, you'll cough up far less blood.】
So you're telling me to offer another billion to myself right now?
And it's not even that I'll be completely fine—just that I'll cough up less blood?
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Absolutely not.
Once Idella awakens, I won't be exposed to such situations anyway, so there's no need to strain myself raising divine power.
'...Now that I think about it.'
A sudden thought crossed my mind, and I glanced at the figure across from me.
For whatever reason, Lute Sheary appeared to be in quite a good mood, humming a light tune while gazing out the window.
'I'm willing to be deceived even if the High Priestess lies outright and tries to trick me, no matter what it is.'
His words had been so earnestly sincere it was almost bewildering.
But would he truly be fine once he learned I was a false High Priestess?
If he felt disappointed... I'd feel terribly sorry.
"You're staring holes through me. Why, do I look even more handsome in the evening light?"
Lute Sheary turned to face me, sensing my gaze. His smiling face was indeed exceptionally handsome, just as he'd said.
"You certainly do."
"...What's this? Why are you admitting it so readily? High Priestess, did you do something wrong to me? Or do you need money?"
I give him a genuine compliment, and this is how he repays me.
"Do I really seem like such a stingy person who only offers praise when I need money?"
"A little?"
"..."
Is he being serious? I'm not that miserly with compliments.
"Don't worry, High Priestess. Whenever you praise me, I'm more than willing to pay any amount. After all, I'm your precious treasury."
Lute Sheary, blooming like a flower, smiled with such deliberate beauty that it was breathtaking.
Yet unfortunately, I had no leisure to admire that beauty with joy.
BOOM!
Behind the radiant Lute Sheary, a tremendous explosion erupted with a deafening roar, and a brilliant crimson light surged upward violently.
"..."
It seemed a terrifying explosion had occurred somewhere, but with Lute Sheary smiling brightly before my eyes, it didn't feel real.
Outside, startled people were rushing about and shouting urgently, but the interior of the carriage remained serene, as if utterly unaffected.
Brilliant scarlet sparks fluttered and scattered, painting the dark night sky, matching Lute Sheary so perfectly that I was left speechless.
"...Duke."
"Yes, High Priestess."
"Is this explosion somehow connected to you? Your reaction right now is far too composed for you to claim ignorance."
Instead of answering, Lute Sheary smiled even more broadly.
So this bastard was the culprit after all! What on earth did he do, and where?
Surely this fellow didn't do the same thing I did?
I regarded Lute Sheary with suspicion as she grinned and giggled incessantly, utterly unlike her usual demeanor.
Of course, I couldn't glean anything from her in the end.
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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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