Chapter 19
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I'll purchase divine power with money. Chapter 19 How should I put it. Logically, I should give it—thinking of the future and all—but when they ask so blatantly, I just don't want to. Is this what they call a contrary disposition? 【Donation Box】 Perhaps sensing my cold gaze, the letters on the donation box hurriedly shifted to something more humble and proper. Ah, fine. I'm kind enough to let it slide. I thrust an entire pouch containing two thousand gold directly into the donation box. I caught sight of Lute Sheary's eyes widening at the money pouch vanishing into thin air, but I had no time to dwell on it. Accompanied by the sound of hundreds and thousands of coins clinking and tumbling, a cascade of System Messages unfurled before my eyes. 【Two thousand gold has been deposited into the donation box of 'the Sun God Who Crawled Out of Death.'】 【At the devoted sacrifice of a faithful believer, 'the Sun God Who Crawled Out of Death' recovers a portion of divine power.】 【'The Sun God Who Crawled Out of Death' bestows a blessing upon the Saint who has devoted herself for him. Your divine power increases.】 【Current Divine Power: 10%】 Divine power increased by two percent through the god's blessing. I soon understood why the Sun God had demanded I reach ten percent. 【Your divine power has reached 10%. The exclusive Saint skill 'Blessing' is now unlocked.】 【Skill 'Blessing'】 1. You can use healing power through Blessing. 2. You can bestow new blessings upon already existing sacred artifacts. Blessing! And I can even bestow blessings upon sacred artifacts! So that was it. The Sun God had a reason for expending such precious power to teach me this. With this, I could turn Lute Sheary into a complete ally!
"Spatial magic? But priests shouldn't be able to use magic..."
When asked about the money pouch vanishing into thin air, I shook my head.
"It's not magic. Let's just say it's an ability only the Sun God's Saint can use."
After a brief explanation, I rose from my seat immediately.
"All necessary procedures are complete, so I'll retrieve the sacred artifact right away. Please wait a moment."
Lute Sheary's expression brightened noticeably. He must have worried I'd take the money and disappear.
"What about the High Priest?"
Having left the Reception Room, I asked Seth who stood before me.
"He has not yet arrived."
Good. I need to finish this quickly before he returns.
"Let's head to the Sacred Grounds. I need to retrieve the sacred artifact."
Beneath the Temple of the Sun God. In that place where not just anyone could enter lay the Sacred Grounds, where sacred artifacts and holy relics were enshrined. The artifact of light that Lute Sheary sought was also kept there.
"Wow..."
Only after descending deep underground with Seth did I finally reach the entrance to the Sacred Grounds. The moment I stepped before the entrance, admiration burst forth unbidden. The colossal marble door, inscribed with incomprehensible geometric patterns, exuded such overwhelming majesty that my heart grew heavy merely gazing upon it. Were those divine characters as written in the Temple of the Sun God, or perhaps another script beyond our mortal comprehension? What remained certain was the palpable sanctity that emanated from it.
"It's been such a long time since I've visited this place, yet it fills me with dread every time I come."
"Even you, Holy Knight Commander? I feel the same way. There's something about it that conveys such oppressive weight."
Seth nodded in agreement, placing his hand upon the door and slowly channeling divine power into it. The moment the intricate patterns carved into the door gleamed with golden light, the door began to creak open gradually. Through the widening gap, brilliant light poured forth alongside air so crystalline and pure that it enveloped my entire being.
"Heavens. How can such a space exist underground?"
Despite the absence of any artificial illumination, soft light cascaded down from the vaulted ceiling above. It resembled yet differed from the sunlight streaming down outside—this was the radiance of the Sun God. Even as the deity's power waned, the light protecting the Sacred Grounds remained steadfast. Blessed by divine grace, the underground flourished with lush vegetation and towering trees beyond measure. It stood in stark contrast to the Cathedral Garden, which I'd abandoned maintaining due to our dire poverty.
"This place maintains itself without any deliberate upkeep?"
"Yes. This is where the divine touch reaches most directly."
How fortunate. Unlike the desolate garden above, this place endures eternally. It would have been heartbreaking if such beauty had been destroyed by poverty. I must earn the funds to restore that ruined garden outside.
"But where might the Holy Relic of Light be located? Since the High Priest oversees this place, I know almost nothing about it."
Seth spoke with embarrassment, his shoulders tensing awkwardly. I assured him it was fine and patted his shoulder reassuringly. Now then, work for me, AI System. Show me where the Holy Relic of Light is located. 【The AI System initiates a search for the 'Holy Relic of Light' in accordance with the user's request.】 A map of the Sacred Grounds materialized before my eyes. I moved slowly, following the crimson dots that appeared one by one. Ordinarily, sacred relics imbued with the Sun God's power are placed where light touches. Yet the map guided me deeper into shadowed corners where light scarcely penetrated. Soon we arrived at a spot so overgrown with trees that not a single ray of light illuminated the underground. In this desolate corner—far too ominous to be called part of the Sacred Grounds—sat a single ornate jeweled box.
"The divine voice has informed me that this is indeed the Holy Relic of Light."
"Truly, you are remarkable, Holy Maiden."
My shameless lie earned such genuine admiration that my conscience pricked slightly.... I cleared my throat and opened the box's lid. A golden necklace adorned with a luminous crimson jewel lay gracefully upon silk cloth. The ornate necklace, befitting an empress of the realm, possessed an allure captivating enough to entrance anyone.... Yet, calling this a sacred relic felt profoundly incongruous. Rather than sanctity, its excessive opulence inspired unease and revulsion. I'd known this from the original narrative, but seeing it in person only deepened my aversion.
"This is... the Holy Relic of Light...?"
Seth too displayed discomfort, his reaction distinctly lukewarm.
"How should I put it... rather than light..."
"Like a sacred artifact of darkness?"
Since he couldn't finish his thought, I completed it for him. I laughed at his startled expression.
"Isn't it strange? Despite being so ornate and beautiful, it appears dark and dreary."
"Your Holiness..."
"Is it really right to give something that repels me so much to Duke Lute Sheary?"
Seth Noel didn't answer. His response wasn't necessary anyway. 【Skill 'Body Enhancement' activated.】 Crack! With divine power filling both my hands, I crushed the necklace I'd been holding completely. I'd wanted to throw it away since the first time I saw it, so it felt good to finally do this.
"W-Your Holiness! Why would you destroy a sacred artifact...!"
Seth Noel's face went pale at my sudden action. I made my reasons perfectly clear to him.
"This isn't a sacred artifact imbued with the Sun God's power."
"...What?"
"I can sense it as a Saint. The sinister aura saturating this necklace."
As I opened my clenched fist, the completely shattered fragments fell to the ground with soft thuds. The 'Sacred Artifact of Light'—a key item in the novel 'The Holy Idella.' This, which everyone mistakenly believed was the only cure for Lute Sheary's illness, was never actually a sacred artifact of the Sun God. Rather, it was an axis of evil that absolutely had to be destroyed. 【The 'Sacred Artifact of Light' has been destroyed by the divine power of 'The Sun Rising from Death.'】 Instead of reading the System Message, I stared down at the necklace fragments scattered on the floor. This thing didn't cure Lute Sheary's illness—it was the primary culprit making it worse. At first, it relieved his pain considerably, so Lute never realized the truth and carried the artifact like a sacred treasure. He had no idea that the vile aura within the artifact was worsening his condition, slowly consuming him from within. The moment the artifact's aura completely dominated Lute, he would lose his freedom and become a slave to whoever created it. That was precisely why Lute became the villain in the original story. Because the creator of the Sacred Artifact of Light was none other than the Sun God's ancient enemy and the final boss the protagonists would face.
"A sinister aura, you say? But this was definitely created directly by a High Priest from two generations ago...!"
I revealed the truth to the shocked Seth Noel.
"Either he was a traitor, or he was never truly a priest who believed in the Sun God to begin with."
To be precise, it was both. Though he possessed the Sun God's divine power by birth, he became a traitor and came to worship the Sun God's enemy. In exchange for his worship, he received power from that being, and with that power, he created the 'Sacred Artifact of Light.' Truly, there could be no greater mockery of the Sun God's name.
"How... how could such a thing happen...? How could someone commit such treason...? And to bring a sacred artifact made with a different power to the Sacred Grounds, pretending it was genuine..." Seth Noel, who was more devout than anyone else in the Temple of the Sun God, couldn't possibly comprehend such treachery.
"If you had brought this artifact to Duke Lute Sheary without knowing the truth, who knows what would have happened. It's all thanks to you, Your Holiness. We're incredibly fortunate that you verified it first."
"But I can't very well tell the Duke the truth about this. I've already accepted his gifts, after all."
"Oh! Then what should we do?"
"The Duke likely has no idea what sacred relics actually look like. So there's only one solution."
"What is it...."
What else could it be?
"We'll swap them out."
I'll simply give him the genuine article—the real relic brimming with the Sun God's divine power, infused with my blessing! A true relic so abundantly blessed that even evil itself would recoil from approaching it.
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