Chapter 36
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I'll purchase divine power with money.
Chapter 36
"The sacred relic of light only had a single, brief line written about it: that it possessed healing power. Yet that one line was all the hope I had."
I searched so desperately for the relic, clinging to those few words.
At Lute's words, I swallowed hard.
The sacred relic of light—now reduced to ash and dust—belonged not to the Sun God, but to the true mastermind behind everything.
But could an ancient tome containing false information about the relic truly be considered a legitimate source?
"Where is that ancient book now?"
"It no longer exists in this world."
I'd been about to demand it from Lute, but her answer caught me off guard.
"It doesn't exist?"
"It was so old that after I confirmed its contents, the paper crumbled to dust almost entirely. It's such a shame. If the book had remained intact, I could have conducted further research."
...That's strange. No matter how ancient a book is, it shouldn't disintegrate completely like that.
Yet Lute didn't seem to be lying.
Knowing what the relic truly was, something felt decidedly off.
"Where did you discover the ancient book?"
"The Imperial Archive—a place only the royal family can access. I was able to explore it with the Emperor's special permission."
The Imperial family.
Hearing this only deepened my unease.
"...The Imperial Archive certainly contains all manner of things. Even books about our sacred relics."
But if I continued pressing, Lute would grow suspicious, so I decided to stop here for now.
The ancient book no longer existed anyway, and I couldn't visit the Imperial Archive immediately, so I'd ask again once we grew closer.
"I'm truly grateful the relic proved so helpful. Of course, my blessing worked hard as well."
"Exactly. That's why we didn't need to hire Wolfgang Schmidt, and when the Saintess said she'd create a potion combining alchemy and divine power, I was so surprised."
"It's not a bad plan, is it?"
I shook the potion Genric had given me.
"No, I'll admit it honestly."
Lute nodded readily, which was unusual.
"Even if the Sun God is unfamiliar, if people know that familiar alchemy is involved, they'll accept it much more quickly."
...No, wait. She's subtly mocking the Sun God's Temple right now.
This woman must get thorns in her mouth if she doesn't sneer at something.
"Well then, let me cast a blessing now. Give me the relic."
Irritating as she was, I couldn't abandon a suffering patient, so I extended my hand.
A flick of her chin.
"...?"
Wait, I asked for the relic—why are you lifting your hand?
"I don't particularly want this."
"I didn't give it to you so you could admire your pretty hand. I'm asking for the potion."
Lute gestured with her chin toward the potion in my other hand.
"Don't we need to verify the potion's effects? As the patient here, let me drink it and validate it for you."
Good heavens. You mean you didn't receive the blessing because of something like this?
"No matter how much divine power is infused into it, this won't be much help with the Duke's condition, will it?"
"Well, what other method is there? How else am I supposed to verify its effects?"
At Lute's question, I naturally glanced down at my left forearm.
The very spot where I'd made that cut with a knife when the first sample was produced.
It aches a bit, but this method is still the most reliable.
"You're not seriously considering inflicting wounds on your own body with such a crude method, are you?"
Sharp instincts, as always.
I know it's crude, but what can I do? There's no more accurate way.
As I fell silent and mumbled, Lute let out a hollow laugh.
"You actually thought of that?"
"Well, I can't very well wound someone else's body, can I? So doing it to myself is the best option."
"The way you said that makes it sound like you've already done it. I won't pry further—I have a feeling I'd be upset if I heard more."
Lute smiled. It was different from the constant, gentle smile of someone missing a screw.
It was somehow quite menacing.
"So hand over that potion. I'll verify its effects myself."
Before I could stop him, Lute removed the sacred vestment he'd been wearing.
At the same moment, his eyes hardened, and the hand we'd been holding trembled.
"What are you doing—!"
Startled by the enormous black stains suddenly swelling up as if they'd been waiting for this moment, I pulled the hand I was holding toward me.
And I hastily shoved the potion bottle into his mouth.
"Are you insane?"
The moment Lute swallowed the potion, I cursed without thinking.
I was too shocked for my words to come out politely.
"Do you know what side effects could occur if those black stains suddenly rampage after being blocked by divine power?"
Indeed, the moment the barrier disappeared, the black stains seemed to rejoice and surge with renewed vigor.
It was terrifying enough to make my chest tighten.
Lute could have died from shock.
"You're just as crude as I am."
I set down the half-emptied potion and sighed.
Wounding my own body would have been better. At least I wouldn't die from something like that.
"We're both equally foolish, so let's not blame each other."
The way he smiled while wiping the potion from his lips was so infuriating.
If he weren't ill, I would have hit him.
"Still, we did obtain meaningful results."
A finger stained with orange liquid tapped the potion bottle.
"Because it contains divine power, the pain did decrease slightly. Though not to the degree it would with a blessed sacred object."
"...."
"If I had to quantify it, perhaps less than one-tenth of the relief. It's not a dramatic improvement, but considering the unique nature of my condition, this potion is quite effective."
"You still have the presence of mind to analyze while all this is happening?"
Still, I'm grateful I got something out of this.
Yet something about this situation left me deeply unsettled, unable to celebrate freely.
"So you were really that worried about me?"
Was that even worth calling concern?
Lute Sheary might not realize it, but he's someone whose future I twisted with my own hands.
He was the first to deviate from the original story's trajectory, so naturally I wanted him to live a long and healthy life going forward.
"It's just that your recklessness is so absurd, it's exasperating."
But I couldn't very well spell all that out, so I let it go.
Instead of smacking that infuriating smirk off Lute Sheary's face, I clicked my tongue and seized the potion.
This was an unexpected turn of events, but since things had come to this, I might as well use everything at my disposal.
【Activating the skill 'Blessing'.】
My golden divine power melted smoothly into the potion.
Just as before, the orange liquid gradually took on a crimson tint.
But this potion was darker than the last one, and as the red hue spread, it blazed with the color of roaring flames.
Radiant, beautiful, and powerful.
It was a color that captivated the eye the moment you beheld it.
"The color is...."
"It's a potion infused with my blessing."
I handed the half-full potion back to Lute Sheary.
"Drink it."
Lute Sheary, who had been gazing in wonder at the potion—reminiscent of a sunset or dancing flames—accepted it without hesitation and drank.
Then his eyes widened in surprise.
"The effect is excellent. I feel much better."
"How does it compare to when you were wearing the sacred relic?"
"It's not quite as effective as the sacred relic was before its blessing faded."
Of course not. What Lute Sheary was wearing was a divine artifact specifically specialized in healing power.
"But compared to the potion before the blessing was applied, it seems to have about three to four times the effect."
"That's excellent."
At that rate, these would sell remarkably well. Infusing the potions with blessings had definitely been the right choice.
Now that the experiment was complete, I placed a blessing on the sacred relic Lute Sheary had discarded.
"I've infused this with a fresh blessing. Come back in a month to receive another one."
This time, Lute Sheary obediently hung the sacred relic around his neck.
The moment he drank the potion, the black blemishes that had been lingering weakly suddenly drooped like a machine losing power.
I confirmed that his complexion had visibly improved compared to before and spoke.
"From now on, stop doing reckless things and come regularly before a month passes to receive your blessing."
"Yes."
"If something urgent comes up that prevents you from coming, you can drink a potion like you did today. However, I'll prepare your potions separately, Count Kiris, so don't pilfer the ones sold on the market."
Lute Sheary's eyes drooped immediately.
"What do you take me for? Do I really seem like the type to do something so petty?"
"It's not that—it's just that we've become rather sensitive about embezzlement. We caught several embezzlers just a month ago."
Kento and the other embezzlers remain locked away in the Underground Prison.
Crimes committed within the Temple of the Sun God fall under the Temple's own code of conduct rather than Imperial law, so they can be punished accordingly.
Count Kiris doesn't seem eager to stir up unnecessary trouble either, so he hasn't demanded their release.
"The Underground Prison has become quite the residence for embezzlers."
Cause trouble, and I'll have a room prepared for you as well.
"...Don't worry. If I ever find myself in urgent need, I'll purchase what I require at fair market price."
Lute Sheary raised her hand and swore an oath, clearly understanding my meaning.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org