Chapter 128
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I'll purchase divine power with money.
Chapter 128
"I'm terribly sorry."
The moment we sat down across from each other at the table, Idella bowed her head deeply.
"Because of me, the Sun God's Temple has suffered damage that could have been avoided. I'm truly sorry."
At this rate, she'd bury her head in the table itself.
"I don't understand why those people are targeting me, but if I continue to stay here, something like this might happen again. So I've decided to leave the Temple."
"Hmm."
"Actually, I wanted to leave right after the attack, but I thought it was only proper to say goodbye to the High Priestess first, so I've waited until now. I assure you, I had no other intentions."
I hadn't harbored any such misunderstanding.
"Well, from what I can see, I don't think it's a good idea for you to leave, Idella."
"...Pardon?"
Surprised by my words, Idella slowly lifted her head.
Watching her wavering golden eyes, I explained carefully.
"You learned through this incident that Jeremy carries the divine power of the Sea God, didn't you? And you heard the voice of a god while fighting the attackers."
"Yes..."
"At that time, the Sea God referred to the enemies as 'Evil.' Gods rarely express themselves so explicitly."
[Purify them. Strike down the 'Evil' that dares to defile the name of god.]
When I heard that, I barely managed to suppress a cry of joy.
I'd been worried about how to explain 'Evil' to people, but I never expected the Sea God would solve it for me.
For the first time, I found myself grateful to the Sea God.
"Though we're said to be at odds with the Sea God, that's merely the level of ordinary competition. If these enemies are what the god calls 'Evil,' then someday we may have to face them as well."
"I... I see."
Now understanding, Idella nodded with a serious expression.
"That's why you need to stay here. Only then can we discover what they're after."
"Ah..."
"They seem to be targeting something through you, and I won't let them have their way."
When I said that staying here would actually benefit us more, Idella let out a relieved sigh, and her complexion gradually improved.
"The Sun God's Temple is protected by the divine, so the enemies won't be able to approach carelessly. So don't worry and stay here."
"But..."
"You feel sorry for those who were injured in this attack? Then you should stay even more. You should remain here with us and repay that debt of gratitude. It would be far stranger to simply apologize and run away, wouldn't it?"
My words greatly startled Idella.
"That's... that's true. I only thought that continuing to stay here shamelessly would be more of a burden..."
"No one thinks that way. Jeremy especially hasn't said anything against you."
"...You're right. In fact, when I tried to leave right after the attack, Jeremy threw a fit, saying where was I going, that I absolutely couldn't leave before the High Priestess arrived, that I had to stay at the Temple no matter what..."
That's our Jeremy for you. Such a good boy. I'll definitely give him cookies tomorrow.
"Monica and the others didn't blame me either."
Tears began to well up in Idella's golden eyes.
It seemed she'd been through quite a bit of emotional turmoil these past few days.
"You've done nothing wrong, Idella, so don't torment yourself. The problem is the wicked people trying to kidnap an innocent person, not the one suffering from threats. What fault could an innocent person possibly bear?"
"Ha ha! You're right. I haven't done anything wrong, yet those damned bastards made me a criminal."
Seeing her mouth open so freely, it seemed she'd shed all her guilt.
Yes, this is how our protagonist should be.
"Thank you, High Priestess. If you permit me, I shall become a devotee of the Sun God and dedicate my life to serving the divine and the Temple of the Sun God."
Idella, having cast off her pretenses, declared boldly.
Her appearance was so beautiful and magnificent that I smiled with satisfaction.
"Wonderful. Then let us register you as a devotee at once."
I immediately retrieved the divine registry.
I was glad I'd kept the divine registry stored in my bedroom.
【A new devotee has been registered under the Sun God.
Devotee Name: Idella
Renown: F-Rank
Wealth: F-Rank
Ability: F-Rank (Possesses SS-Rank Growth Potential)
Special Notes: Female Protagonist of the Original Work
Overall Evaluation: A-Rank】
【You have made the Female Protagonist of the original work a devotee. This individual possesses the potential to grow to SS-Rank ability. Additional merit points have been awarded.】
【Registering an A-Rank devotee further strengthens the Sun God's power. Your divine power increases.】
【Current Divine Power Held: 35.616%】
My goodness. I had thought myself fortunate if I could reach C-Rank without even awakening my divine power or becoming a High Priestess yet.
Yet they acknowledged her status as the Female Protagonist of the original work and her imminent awakening as a High Priestess!
Thanks to this, fifty million won filled instantly!
Moved by this, I immediately grasped both of Idella's hands.
"You are truly welcome, Idella. Let us get along well from now on!"
"Yes! I look forward to it as well! I shall serve you with utmost sincerity, High Priestess!"
No, you'll become a High Priestess soon anyway, so what's the point.
Just get along peacefully with the people of the Temple of the Sun God.
Now, the remaining amount until forty percent divine power is approximately 440 million won.
It's a bit unsettling that such inauspicious numbers keep appearing in succession, but at least I can catch my breath now.
All that remains is to mine sacred stones and forge my personal weapon—no, my exclusive weapon.
* * *
"The High Priestess who abandoned me and left so coldly has appeared."
After sending Idella off and finishing my preparations, I ventured onto the balcony on a whim.
Sure enough, Lute Sheary was drinking wine alone.
Seeing that an entire bottle was already empty, it seemed she'd been at it for quite some time.
"Why are you drinking alone? You could have waited and drunk with me."
"You only seek me out when drinking. So that's all I am—merely a safe and a wine storage."
Lute smiled bitterly and subtly tilted her head to the angle that made her look most beautiful.
She truly uses her charm as naturally as breathing.
"Wine storage, don't drink alone. Pour me a glass as well."
I swirled the empty wine glass in my hand.
Since my charm offensive wasn't working, Lute Sheary grew irritable.
"So I'm really just a wine storage unit to you?"
"You should keep your promises. You said you'd give me good liquor once my body recovered, didn't you? Thanks to the High Priest's healing power, I'm fully healed now, so give it to me already."
"...I should have succeeded in developing healing magic."
"Healing magic? Is that even possible?"
In this world, magical healing was supposed to be impossible.
If it were possible, no one would be so obsessed with potions.
Healing was the domain of divine power, and the only thing that could replace it was alchemical potions—magic was out of the question.
Yet she'd actually attempted it?
"Because my body is in this state. Since neither alchemical potions nor divine power work on me, I thought I might as well try developing magic myself."
But surely she'd failed. Even for Lute Sheary, turning the impossible into the possible would be too much.
"And now, of all times, I find myself wanting to retry something I'd already failed at. I thought once something didn't work, it would never work."
Lute Sheary gazed at me intently.
There were moments when she looked at me with eyes like these.
Eyes filled with a burning desire whose meaning I couldn't quite grasp.
"If I could just learn to use healing magic...."
....
I waited for her to continue, but instead Lute Sheary poured wine into my glass. A deep purple liquid with a rich fragrance filled the cup.
From the empty bottom, past the halfway mark, until it was completely full.
Ignoring the rule that wine should be poured in moderation.
"Go on, drink."
Lute Sheary, who had filled the glass to the brim until the wine nearly spilled over, gestured for me to drink.
I let out a hollow laugh and took a sip of the wine.
It was the most fragrant wine I'd ever tasted, with notes of grape and flower mingling together. The flavor was exquisite—tart yet sweet.
"I can begin the sacred stone mining starting tomorrow. The workers are scheduled to arrive by tomorrow afternoon."
I thought she'd continue with what we were discussing, but Lute Sheary didn't.
Seeing she had no intention of returning to our original topic, I nodded.
"I'll speak with the High Priest about the sacred stones tomorrow morning. Once that's done, we'll head straight to Rubar."
"Excellent. I'm already looking forward to seeing how much is buried there."
Lute Sheary smiled and downed her entire glass of wine in one gulp.
All the while continuing to gaze at me.
For some reason, that gaze felt similar to the wine I was currently drinking.
For the first time, I averted my eyes from Lute Sheary's.
Though I shouldn't have been intoxicated yet, my throat felt strangely warm.
* * *
"Carmen."
Dominic, who had been searching for Jeremy, received urgent news and returned to the Grand Temple of Sea God.
The Sacred Grounds located in the basement of the Grand Temple of Sea God.
Entering the most sacred space, permitted only to the Saint and the High Priestess, he first searched for his sister.
Carmen knelt upon the undulating waters that rippled across the floor.
Before her stood the divine statue of the god they served, towering in solemn majesty.
"Is it true that you sensed Jeremy's presence?"
The urgency of his return stemmed from this very news.
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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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