Chapter 47
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I'll purchase divine power with money.
Chapter 47
"I heard you coughed up blood. Are you feeling alright?"
I halted my approach toward him, caught off guard by the sudden question.
What was that? His tone seemed ordinary enough, yet the atmosphere he emanated felt different.
An expressionless face devoid of even a hint of a smile, those piercing emerald eyes gleaming with an icy sharpness, an aura radiating not warmth but ruthless coldness.
Perhaps it was because this shadowed, frigid corner was so rare within the Sun God Grand Temple—Airic Dert felt utterly unfamiliar to me.
"Are you still unwell?"
I missed my chance to respond while studying this unfamiliar version of Airic Dert. He then stepped closer, narrowing the distance between us.
Yet when I faced him at close range, Airic Dert appeared exactly as he always did.
Had I misread the situation?
"Ah, I'm fine. After a good rest, I feel completely recovered."
It wasn't a lie, yet doubt flickered unmistakably in Airic Dert's gaze as he looked at me.
"Forgive me for a moment."
Airic Dert asked permission before grasping my hand and lifting it. His divine power surged forth immediately.
"...Oh."
The radiance of the sun enveloped my entire being. Like basking in spring sunlight, a gentle sensation began to rise slowly through me.
It was so gradual, almost ticklish in its delicacy.
This was Airic Dert's healing power.
"Just confirming. I was curious whether the Holy Maiden had properly healed herself."
He spoke to me as I stood there dazed.
He was deliberately fabricating an excuse and healing me because Seth Noel didn't know I was a fake saint without healing abilities.
I didn't reject Airic Dert's power—I accepted it. I'd never intended to refuse it anyway.
How could I, when his divine power filling my entire body felt so comforting?
"Your divine power is truly warm, High Priest."
Intoxicated by that sensation, the words tumbled from my lips unbidden.
Sincere enough that I felt no regret, yet for some reason, Airic Dert's eyes widened dramatically.
The divine power flowing into me even ceased abruptly.
Was calling divine power "warm" somehow an insult?
"...Ah, your condition seems quite good. What a relief."
Airic Dert, who had been standing dazed, hastily released my hand and retreated backward. Much farther than he had approached.
The speed was like lightning.
"Did you come to see that man, Holy Maiden?"
Though I wondered at his behavior, I stepped toward his side instead of asking.
Beyond the iron bars, within the dim prison, Jeremy stood with both arms fixed to the wall, his head bowed low.
Shackles connected to the floor bound both his legs.
"Upon investigation, I discovered how that man penetrated the guards and reached your bedroom, Holy Maiden."
Airic Dert twisted his lips.
"Traces of the Sea God saturate his entire body. Remarkably so."
Ah, as expected of the High Priest—he figured it out quickly.
"Traces of the Sea God?"
Airic Dert nodded at Seth's startled question.
"Yes. It's not the simple divine power we use. It's definitely divine force."
Divine force.
If divine power was the special strength humans could use after receiving blessings from the gods, then divine force was the power the gods themselves wielded directly.
Even saints rarely received divine force, so it was infuriating that the one who came to assassinate me was cloaked in it.
"With divine force wrapped so thickly, it's only natural that the Holy Knight Commander didn't notice. There's no need for self-reproach."
Airic Dert tried to comfort him, but Seth's complexion showed no signs of improving.
"Then, does this mean the Sea God himself tried to kill our Female Protagonist?"
It was an absurd statement, but understandable confusion.
But the Sea God wouldn't even know of my existence, so there's no need to worry about that.
Airic Dert shook his head, apparently thinking the same thing.
"That's unlikely. The Sea God probably sent one of his priestess and priest—someone raised precious enough to receive divine force—to ensure the task was handled cleanly."
It was an accurate deduction. But there was one bitter aspect that prevented me from simply admiring his intelligence.
Jeremy was never someone raised precious.
The Sea God didn't grant him divine force out of recognition of his abilities.
He was merely a slave branded by the Sea God, the priestess, and the priest to make their work easier.
Even Idella realized this belatedly, so Airic Dert wouldn't know that much either.
"It seems this potion business has truly touched their nerves."
"Such barbarism...!"
Seth clenched both fists tightly.
It was natural to be angry that they tried to kill someone over such a trivial matter, but unfortunately, we cannot press this issue right now.
Not only are the temples in different weight classes, but the Sun God is far weaker than the Sea God.
The only fortunate thing is that we're holding the weapon the Sea God side created by pouring everything into it.
Creating a weapon like Jeremy wouldn't be easy, so they'd desperately want it back.
If we took him hostage and got an apology, compensation for damages, and a hefty sum, that would be ideal...
'The problem is, I don't want to send Jeremy back.'
I gazed at Jeremy, who showed no movement whatsoever, though I didn't know why.
If he returned to the Grand Temple of Sea God, he would undergo terrible training again, receive assassination orders, and once more be drenched in blood.
He would live like a machine without will, merely executing orders, earning the stigma of being a murderer.
Until he met Idella and was saved by her.
I couldn't bear to see that fate.
Idella's salvation is an important event in the original story, but... well, what's it to me?
Should I abandon a tortured child for the sake of romance?
I can't do that.
After all, neither the Sun God nor even the AI has ever stopped me, no matter how enthusiastically I've destroyed the original plot. So this time too, I'll do as I please.
"High Priest, is the criminal conscious? He's been unusually still."
"Yes, his eyes are open. But he shows an abnormal lack of movement. Even when we use divine power, there's no response."
It is strange indeed. He should have the instinct to return to the Grand Temple of Sea God and try to escape somehow.
Is it because he hasn't succeeded in the assassination yet?
"Would you open the door for me? I need to go inside."
"That's absolutely not possible!"
"We cannot permit it under any circumstances."
Seth Noel and Airic Dert immediately objected to my words.
In the dim prison, Seth's blue eyes and Airic's green ones gleamed so menacingly that I abandoned the idea at once out of sheer fear.
I could do it here anyway.
I extended my hand and sent divine power toward Jeremy.
Because Airic was beside me, I drew out only the smallest amount, and nothing but a shimmering haze of smoke emerged.
The moment I wondered if it was too weak.
"Grraaah!"
Jeremy, who had been lying limp as a corpse just moments before, suddenly began thrashing about wildly.
Clang, clang! The chains rattled as he convulsed madly.
His unfocused pink eyes were fixed upon me.
"...Like a zombie."
I meant it sincerely.
"He showed no reaction whatsoever to my divine power, so why does he respond to the Holy Maiden's strength...?"
"Perhaps because I'm his target? He might be raging because he wants to kill me. He acted up yesterday too when I used my divine power."
Even now, Jeremy's gaze was fixed solely on me. Airic and Seth might as well have been invisible.
Faced with this evidence, Airic could only nod in agreement.
"The blood he coughed up last night must have been from the Sea God's divine power. The forces must have collided."
"Stop using your power."
Seth Noel, who had been fidgeting at Airic's accurate deduction, gently grasped my hand and pulled me back.
Hmm, but I can't just leave Jeremy like this if I want to save him. What should I do...?
Ah! That's right, I remember now!
"The jewelry box! I need the jewelry box right now. The one I kept the sacred relic of light in!"
At my sudden outburst, Airic's eyes widened in surprise.
"But surely you destroyed that...?"
"Actually, I didn't! I hid it under my pillow, and I need it right now!"
"I shall retrieve it."
Without even asking why, Seth Noel departed immediately. I couldn't be more grateful that he was such a loyal Holy Knight.
"Holy Maiden, what on earth is that for...?"
Seeing Airic's bewildered expression, I withheld my explanation.
"I'll explain the details later. Just watch for now."
Fortunately, Airic didn't press me further.
No matter how fast he must have run—the distance from here to my bedroom was considerable—Seth Noel returned remarkably quickly.
"Here it is."
Even as he handed me the jewelry box, his breathing remained perfectly calm and undisturbed.
Is a Sword Master truly a monster? I envy that stamina.
"What do you intend to do with that...?"
"Just watch."
I gripped the jewel box tightly and fixed my gaze upon Jeremy.
Jeremy, who had been glaring at me with unfocused eyes, flinched violently the moment I seized the box.
That's right—you're familiar with this, aren't you? What comes next will feel even more familiar.
I flashed a wicked smile at Jeremy before hurling the jewel box toward him.
Where, you ask? Straight at that head of his that I'd already pulverized last night.
Crack!
The satisfying sound echoed crisply through the Prison, a noise my ears had grown quite fond of.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org