Chapter 146
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I'll Purchase Divine Power with Money
Chapter 146
"I am Ordel Kiris."
"Kiris?"
The Empress tilted her head at Felix's response.
"House of Count Kiris?"
"Yes, I understand she is the Count's adopted daughter."
"Now that you mention it, I recall they said one of their daughters became a Saint. I'd forgotten about it since, despite their proud proclamations about producing a Saint, she never once graced society with her presence."
"Perhaps she's been too occupied maintaining the Sun God's Temple? The Grand Temple has been rather impoverished, after all."
"True, she must have been busy. She's even conducted business dealings with the Sheary Duchy, no less."
Lute Sheary.
The Imperial Family knew her temperament better than anyone.
Even when the Emperor himself made demands, she would reject them outright if they displeased her.
She was the very person who had shown contempt even toward the Saint and High Priestess of the Sea God Faction.
For such a woman to join hands with the Saint of the crumbling Sun God's Temple and launch a business venture was extraordinary.
And that venture was a potion business, no less.
I found myself deeply curious about the matter.
"The harvest festival approaches soon, doesn't it? This year, I should invite some new guests to the capital."
"Your Majesty?"
Felix's eyes widened in surprise at the Empress's words.
Surely she didn't mean...
"Send an invitation to the Sun God's Temple in the name of the Imperial Family. Tell them I wish for the Saint to attend the harvest festival personally."
Felix's expression grew bewildered—he had never expected such words from the Empress.
The harvest festival celebrated autumn's harvest and prayed for abundance in the coming year, so it was customary to send invitations to the Grand Temples.
However, until now, invitations had been sent only to two temples: the Sea God's and the Spirit Death God's.
Even then, the Spirit Death God's Temple always declined, so only the Sea God Faction attended.
Yet now the Empress intended to invite the Sun God's Temple as well.
"The Sea God Faction will not welcome this, Your Majesty."
Felix attempted to dissuade the Empress with a troubled expression.
After all, relations between the two Grand Temples were poor.
Having witnessed their rivalry over the potion market in the Southern Region firsthand, he could not help but worry.
"Why should we concern ourselves with their opinions?"
Yet the Empress's beautiful face twisted, clearly unimpressed by Felix's objections.
"The Grand Temples should defer to the Imperial Family, not the other way around. Why should we worry about their relationship?"
"That was not my intent, Your Majesty."
"Even if relations between them are strained, the more the Grand Temples check one another, the more firmly the Imperial Family's position solidifies. We should welcome such discord."
The Karnus Imperial Family believed in the existence of the gods, but they did not venerate any particular deity.
The Imperial Family was the Imperial Family; the Grand Temples were the Grand Temples.
It was an unwritten law that had endured for centuries since the Karnus Imperial Family founded the Empire.
The Imperial Family's ability to remain uninfluenced by any Grand Temple and maintain its power all this time was precisely because they upheld this unwritten law.
"Send an invitation to the Sun God Grand Temple. I must meet this Saint in person to see what manner of person she truly is."
The Empress spoke with such finality that she would hear no further objections.
No matter how exalted the Crown Prince's station, he could not defy the commands of the Empress, who ruled the Empire alongside the Emperor.
"I shall do as you wish, Mother."
Felix Rohan Carnus bowed his head submissively to the Empress.
Yet beneath his obedient response, his lips were drawn tight, teeth gently clenched.
* * *
Having dined in comfortable company, I found myself eating far more than I usually would.
In a place where no one harbored discomfort toward me, my heart felt at ease.
"I cannot fathom how everyone accepts such falsehoods without a shred of doubt."
Everyone in the Duke's Residence believed with absolute certainty that I had stepped down from my position as Saint and withdrawn.
Perhaps it was because it came from Duke Lute Sheary herself, but I was immeasurably grateful that my flaws remained concealed.
At first, I had been overwhelmed and burdened by the splendor and grandeur of the Estate.
Yet the kindness of those dwelling here had dispelled that burden, and my heart had swiftly found peace.
Since my possession in this world, was this perhaps the first time my mind had truly settled?
I no longer needed to rack my brains to sustain the impoverished Temple of the Sun God.
【"Sun Crawling from Death" lets out a subtle cough.】
【It proclaims loudly that it shall never forget the user's efforts.】
"Then repay me with money."
【"Sun Crawling from Death" promises that it shall absolutely repay you someday....】
Who trusts mere words? I won't believe it until I actually receive the payment. Hmph.
As I scoffed, the Sun God departed in tears.
Left alone, I rose from my seat.
My stomach was full, but I thought I might take a stroll through the Garden.
Though I wore a nightgown whose fabric was opaque enough, as a guest it seemed improper to wander about dressed so casually.
I retrieved the thick shawl Lute Sheary had prepared for me from the Dressing Room and draped it over my shoulders before leaving.
"Oh, how magnificent."
Following the guidance of my navigation system, I stepped outside the Estate and beheld a sprawling Garden beneath the night sky.
The newly constructed Garden of our Temple of the Sun God was lovely, but it could not compare to this place, which had been tended for so long.
The fragrant scent of autumn flowers filling the Garden, and trees arranged in perfect rows.
The sound of water from fountains scattered throughout, and garden lanterns that rendered the dark night all the more serene.
The night Garden, filled with the soft patter of my footsteps upon the earth, delighted me immensely.
Tomorrow during my walk, I must view it properly once more.
"Hmm?"
How far had I walked?
From deeper within the Garden, some distance from the Estate, came a sound of water far too loud to be merely a fountain.
Despite the late hour, the place seemed unusually bright, and I found myself slowly drawn toward it.
The moment I passed through the dense Grassland.
"Wow."
An exclamation escaped my lips unbidden.
A vast waterside expanse, nearly the size of a lake, stretched before me.
Drawn as if enchanted by the moonlight dancing across the still surface, I found myself drawn closer without thinking.
"Ordel Kiris."
At that moment, a familiar voice called out to me.
Near the lakeside, Lute Sheary waved at me from a gazebo.
"What are you doing here?"
"I was setting up drinks."
Lute Sheary gestured toward the interior of the gazebo.
Wine, glasses, accompanying cheeses, and simple pastries filled the table.
"I was planning to call you once everything was ready, but I heard you were taking a solitary stroll through the garden."
"How did you know I was taking a walk?"
I hadn't told anyone I was coming out.
"The employees of our Duke's Residence work diligently in places unseen. The gardeners, for instance."
"Do the gardeners work at night too?"
What? Overtime shifts?
Working during the day should be enough, but making them work at night too? I didn't realize that was happening. That's harsh!
"Do you pay them overtime compensation for night shifts?"
Surely you're not making them work without it?
"You certainly ask about such things."
Lute Sheary let out a hollow laugh.
Do you understand what it's like to work through the night without overtime pay?
"There are plants that need care at night, so the gardeners work in shifts. The night shifts are handled by volunteers, and they receive adequate rest time and additional compensation. So please stop looking at me like I'm garbage."
Ah, so this world has plants like that too. I didn't know that either.
"I don't think of you as garbage."
"That's not true. Your eyes clearly showed something similar."
"Not garbage exactly, just a ruffian? An unscrupulous employer?"
"...I'm glad the misunderstanding is cleared up."
I'm sorry. But I'm a modern person sensitive to these things.
"Come, sit down. In celebration of clearing your name of the accusations of ruffian and unscrupulous employer, I'll pour you a glass of wine."
At Lute Sheary's melancholic words, I laughed heartily and sat across from him.
Despite having come out for a walk with a full stomach, the rich aroma of wine and finger foods before me made my mouth water all over again.
"If there's anything else you'd like to eat, just say the word anytime."
"Have you taken a liking to fattening me up? You keep trying to feed me."
"How did you know? You're so thin that putting weight on you is my goal."
At Lute Sheary's words, I looked down at my forearms.
I've been eating well and exercising diligently, so I'm not as skeletal as when I first possessed this body, but I'm still quite slender.
Before, I cried seeing my arms without any muscle loss...
Now I felt tears welling up because I was so thin it was pitiful.
"Still, you've put on some weight at this point. Though there's still room for improvement."
"That's right. So let's make sure you eat well."
"I'm already eating quite enough without that."
I smiled and clinked my wine glass against Lute Sheary's.
The moment the rich wine touched my lips, the deep aroma of grapes flooded my mouth.
Ah, yes. This is the taste I missed. I'd truly longed for it.
"By the way, there's something I've been wanting to ask."
"What is it?"
"When did you become able to ride horses?"
I nearly spat the wine back out without thinking.
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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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