Chapter 22
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I'll purchase divine power with money.
Chapter 22
"Do you think I'd waste three thousand gold on something with no effect? Even if money were rotting away in abundance, I wouldn't do such a thing."
Lute Sheary, lounging deeply in a chair far more plush than any other carriage, narrowed his eyes with satisfaction.
Hearing that a single flower had finally bloomed amid despair, Yuri's eyes glistened with tears as she covered her mouth.
"The contents of the ancient text were real! Oh my... it feels like all the hardship has been washed away. I was so worried it might be another dead end... Wait? Three thousand gold? I only gave one thousand?"
"I paid two thousand more."
"When?!"
"Technically, I was extorted."
Lute burst into light laughter at his own words.
That saintess Ordel Kiris—looking me straight in the eye and demanding two thousand gold more with such brazen confidence.
And that wasn't even the end of it. I have to come to this remote place every month and keep paying money.
With separate donations and separate charging fees, no less.
When she said she'd take less for the charging fee than the donation, I nearly shed tears of gratitude.
Have I ever been extorted for thousands of gold in my life?
I swear, not once. In all the long history of the Sheary Family, no patriarch has ever been squeezed like this.
And by a saintess, of all people.
"Pfft!"
Ah, whenever I think of that moment, I can't help but laugh.
"...Our lord, who is renowned throughout the empire for having the foulest temperament, is laughing after being extorted for two thousand gold? Is there perhaps a problem with the holy relic? Are you certain you're alright? Show me. I must verify it!"
At Lute's uncontrollable laughter, Yuri was taken aback.
It wasn't the usual mocking laugh directed at others—he was laughing with genuine joy, which made it all the more shocking.
"No. I won't show it to anyone. The saintess said that if anything happens to this holy relic, then I'll truly be dead."
"What do you mean by that...?"
"She saw through it all—that I'm suffering from an illness, that I've been in constant pain."
"What?! How on earth...? Even the saintess and saint of the Sea God didn't notice..."
The Sea God, one of the three supreme deities of the continent, was currently the most influential god.
That's why Lute had once sought out the saintess and saint of the Grand Temple of Sea God to treat his illness.
But the result was deeply disappointing.
Rather than recognizing my condition, they acted as though I had finally knelt before the Sea God's might, their noses held high.
Even the saintess examined my body with divine power but detected nothing amiss whatsoever.
What did she say? That I was in perfect health and would live a long, prosperous life?
That she'd bestowed a blessing, so only good things awaited me ahead?
Nonsense.
That very day, upon returning to the Duke's Residence, I suffered excruciating pain for the first time in ages and even coughed up blood.
After that day, I never looked toward the Sea God again.
Yuri knew all of this as well.
"The saintess said that the Sun God's divine power seems to have strong healing properties."
Lute recalled the moment he first encountered Ordel Kiris at the entrance of the Temple of the Sun God.
A woman with soft pink hair, dressed in a composed saintess's habit.
Yet unlike her soft-hued hair, her golden eyes that gleamed in the sunlight seemed anything but defenseless.
She appeared barely past twenty, and yet her gaze held far greater depth than the priestess and priest of the Grand Temple of Sea God.
And he had clearly seen it.
Her golden eyes sweeping across the empty space around me.
Even when we met in the Reception Room, her gaze would often drift slightly askew, and I'd wondered why.
So there was a reason for it.
"If the sacred object had been ineffective, I would have doubted it, but the effect was too good—far too good."
A relentless pain that had begun suddenly one day.
No physician had ever identified the ailment, nor had any treatment provided even the slightest relief.
Nearly twenty years had passed, and I'd grown somewhat accustomed to the minor aches, but the occasional agony of spikes driven through my heart and skull remained unbearable.
Yet the moment I grasped the sacred object Ordel Kiris had brought, I felt a pain unlike any before.
It was as though raging flames consumed my head, my heart, my entire body in one terrible conflagration.
Had I not spent a lifetime enduring pain, I would have screamed and torn myself apart.
And when that eternal moment finally passed and the agony began to fade, I felt it.
A gentle drizzle upon parched earth, a single flower blooming in the desert, a cool breeze in the scorching heat.
Small and seemingly insignificant, yet it was the beginning of transformation.
Soon a downpour drenched my entire being, thousands of soft petals enfolded me, and a tender wind bestowed the clearest, most refreshing air in all the world.
For the first time in twenty years, a body free from pain was intoxicatingly sweet.
"...To the point where I could believe anything she said. No—to the point where I would believe her unconditionally."
Ordel Kiris had delivered exactly what she promised. She was a woman of her word, quite reliable indeed.
Yet separate from that, my suspicion of her remained.
I had seen more than once in my life those who showed good faith only to turn on you without warning.
She too might one day use this as leverage to make excessive demands of me.
Lute clenched his fists tightly to avoid losing his judgment to the intoxication of painlessness.
"You said the priestess of Sun God's Temple is the daughter of House of Kiris?"
"We'll need to investigate to be certain. I know the faces of Count Kiris's legitimate children, but this priestess is an adopted daughter who hasn't officially appeared in society, so there's nothing known about her—not even her name."
"That's strange. They boast about their daughter being a priestess, yet they don't present her to society? Is the Temple of the Sun God in financial straits?"
Even the ordinary temples under the Sun God's Temple seemed in quite poor condition, let alone the Grand Temple that served the deity most directly.
Perhaps it was a matter of concealment rather than obscurity.
"Well, we'll find out once we look into it."
"So you're telling me to investigate all of that?"
"Who else would do it? My condition has improved, so stop worrying about that and dig deep. Find out everything about the priestess."
"Yes, understood."
Since his illness had improved as Lute said, there was less to worry about, so Yuri answered readily.
That sacred object really is miraculous. Thanks to it, my workload has decreased—maybe I should register as a believer myself out of gratitude?
"Ah, but to properly investigate the priestess, shouldn't we also look into the Temple of the Sun God?"
"Never mind that."
"Why?"
"You're being awfully persistent today. Haven't I been generous enough?"
Lute looked directly at Yuri and smiled softly.
It was a smile that only curved her lips while her eyes remained cold—the most terrifying smile Yuri had ever seen in this world.
"Ahem! I shall ensure the House of Kiris digs diligently!"
At Yuri's booming response, Lute turned her gaze toward the window.
The roof of the Temple of the Sun God, now distant and small, peeked through the dense foliage of trees.
There was one reason she had not entrusted the investigation of the Temple of the Sun God to Yuri.
'Because I want to find out for myself.'
If the High Priest and Holy Knight Commander were the most trustworthy people in the Temple of the Sun God to the Holy Maiden, then why were they keeping their dealings with her a secret? What kind of relationship could it be?
Ah, I was already looking forward to a month from now.
* * *
"Count Kiris. It is William Gale."
William Gale, who had knocked on the massive door before him, took a slow, deep breath.
Upon seeing the delicate pair of dahlia flowers carved into the door, his heart already felt tightly constricted.
They were flowers of pristine beauty, beloved by countless people, yet each time he beheld them, he felt only dread.
"Come in."
At the cold voice that came from within, William Gale swallowed hard and opened the door to enter.
Seated before a sturdy wooden desk was his master and the owner of those beautiful dahlias—Count Joseph Kiris.
His sharp green eyes and stubborn countenance only made the already fearful heart grow heavier.
Unable to bear that weight, William Gale bent at the waist and bowed his head.
"Upon investigating the Temple of the Sun God, it appears that all eight spies, including Kento, have been imprisoned."
The Count's hand, which had been signing documents, came to an abrupt halt.
Even without raising his head, William Gale could sense it—the Count's gaze fixed upon his crown.
"...And?"
"Ah, it seems rather difficult to release them all, I'm afraid."
"I did not send you all that distance merely to hear such talk."
At the unexpectedly harsh remark, William Gale swallowed again.
"However, there is good news!"
"Good news?"
"Yes! It was none other than Ordel Kiris who exposed the spies. She did so to gain the High Priest's trust and become your spy herself, or so she claims."
"She said such a thing?"
The Count's voice in response was filled with mockery.
It was clear he did not believe Ordel Kiris's claim in the slightest.
Of course, under normal circumstances, William Gale would have mocked Ordel Kiris to her face and, on behalf of the Count, subjected her to thorough re-education.
Yet that Ordel Kiris was somehow different. For some reason, he could not bring himself to strike her as he usually would.
There was a power in her words that compelled belief.
"That fool could never accomplish anything properly, no matter how hard she racked her brain. And you brought me her words without question?"
"I shall recount everything that transpired at the Temple of the Sun God. Please hear it and make your judgment."
William Gale spoke urgently.
After a long silence, the Count clicked his tongue and granted permission.
Relieved, William Gale began to explain in detail everything that had occurred there from the beginning.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org