Chapter 49
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I'll purchase divine power with money.
Chapter 49
There was only one difference.
Yesterday, I merely struck his head with divine essence, but today I've maintained continuous contact with Jeremy while infusing divine power into him.
So if I continue pouring more divine power, more blessings into him like this, it will surely work.
"Cough, hack!"
Blood kept trickling from my mouth, but it was a cheap price to pay for saving one life. Bleeding doesn't mean I'll die.
【Warning!】
【The curse of the 'Raging Sea' and divine power are colliding excessively! Continued attempts may reduce the user's lifespan! Immediate cessation is recommended!】
"...."
So I could actually die.
To break a god's curse, I have to offer my lifespan too, don't I?
Did you think I'd give up?
I'm someone who never loses to anyone when it comes to stubbornness!
"Sun God. If I die like this, wouldn't you be in trouble too? So if you want to live, grab the Sea God by the collar and tell him to let the kid go!"
I gritted my teeth and poured out even more divine power. Now blood was flowing not just from my mouth but from my nose as well, but I didn't care.
If I don't save him, he'll spend his entire life as a slave and eventually die anyway—how could I turn away from that?
"So snap out of it already!"
Instead of using my hands, I pressed the jeweled box with my knees, and with both hands now free, I cradled Jeremy's cheeks.
And I dragged every last drop of divine power—barely over 10%—from the depths and poured it all out.
'Hurry, hurry! Please!'
In that moment when I'd expended the very last drop.
Pop!
"Ah."
Something burst, and fluid streamed from my eyes and nose.
No, not just my eyes and nose—my entire face was drenched.
Everything around me had turned crimson.
Beep, beep, beep.
As a ringing sound filled my ears, strength began draining from my hands.
This can't be right, I still have more to do....
"...Huh?"
Just as I was staggering and about to collapse, I saw it clearly.
"...."
Eyes with sharp focus, staring intently at me—such clear, vivid, and impossibly beautiful pink irises.
【The Sea God's curse has been partially broken!】
At the System Message that followed, I laughed.
I'd won after all.
Thud.
Perhaps because I felt it was finally over, I couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed to the side.
Clang!
The sharp clang of metal striking metal echoed from right beside me, yet I lacked even the strength to twitch a finger.
This was the first time since my previous life—since the moment I died—that my body refused to obey my will.
But this time, I made no effort to resist. Unlike then, I knew I wouldn't perish.
【User's physical body has reached its limit. Forcibly terminating user consciousness for safety.】
As I read the final System Message, I closed my eyes.
"Holy Maiden!"
A familiar voice reached me, distant and muffled.
* * *
"Hey, are you seriously falling asleep while talking to me?"
A sharp snap jolted my vision back into focus.
"...Huh?"
Disoriented by the sudden shift, I blinked and looked around.
I was in a Cafe with soft music drifting through the air. An iced Americano filled with ice sat before me.
I watched water droplets trickle down the cup's surface, then lifted my gaze.
My eyes met those of a beautiful woman with long black hair sitting across from me.
Sharp, elongated eyes, full lips curved pleasantly, and an alluring beauty mark that somehow made her look fiercer—she was unmistakably my childhood friend, Ju Hyun-jin.
She was beautiful enough to be a celebrity, yet here she was, my childhood companion.
"Huh?"
"What do you mean 'huh'? Were you really just sleeping?"
Ju Hyun-jin's face twisted into a scowl.
I always thought it was remarkable how she could make such an ugly expression with such a pretty face.
"Yeah, I guess I dozed off without realizing it."
Suddenly, a sharp, stinging pain pierced my eyes. I quickly pressed my palms against them, wincing at the needle-like sensation.
"Why do my eyes suddenly hurt so much?"
"...Is it bad?"
Ju Hyun-jin's tone softened as if she'd never been angry at all.
"I can see fine, so it's probably just fatigue."
"This is what happens when you insist on becoming a detective!"
Ju Hyun-jin slammed the table. I quickly grabbed my drink to keep it from spilling.
Right, this was why we'd met. Now I remembered.
"Are you really going to become a detective?"
Ever since I'd mentioned becoming a detective, Ju Hyun-jin had vehemently opposed it. When I said I'd apply to the Police Academy, she'd spent hours cursing me out.
Why would I want to do something so dangerous?
"If you're so desperate to do dangerous work, why not just join the military instead!"
I wasn't sure what the difference was between police and military work, but that was her argument.
"Yes, I'm going to do it."
"You stubborn brat, you never listen to anyone."
At my firm response, Ju Hyun-jin gulped down her coffee.
That's a hot Americano—isn't her throat okay? Does her rough personality protect her somehow?
"Everyone calls me harsh, but honestly, you're worse than me."
Rather than deny it, I simply shrugged my shoulders.
Ju Hyun-jin had been fierce in temperament ever since childhood, just as she was in appearance. That's why I was her only friend.
In contrast, I wasn't particular by nature, so I got along well not only with the ill-tempered Ju Hyun-jin but with others too.
However, once I set my mind to something, even Ju Hyun-jin would grow intensely irritated and give up—I had a stubborn streak that ran deep.
"But thanks to that, we became such close friends, didn't we?"
It was precisely because of my obstinacy that I became Ju Hyun-jin's only friend—the one person she didn't push away despite rejecting everyone else.
....
Ju Hyun-jin didn't answer my words. She glared at me as if angry, then suddenly sprang to her feet.
"Where are you going?"
"...To buy cake!"
Ahahaha!
With those words, she dashed toward the counter, and I burst out laughing.
Since she didn't like sweets, that meant she was going to buy cake for me to eat.
Others ask why I'm friends with someone so temperamental, but if they saw her like this, they wouldn't say such things.
Even with a bad personality, if someone treats me well, they're a good friend.
I watched Ju Hyun-jin standing at the counter, aggressively ordering cake, and laughed with genuine joy.
* * *
The Saint had collapsed.
And she was bleeding profusely from the Prison.
Victoria, who had gone to the Prison where the assassin was held and witnessed the Saint Ordel Kiris collapse, still felt her chest tighten.
"How is the Saint's condition?"
Victoria, who immediately carried her to the Bedroom, called for Airic Dert first.
He was the only hope—the one with the strongest healing power in the Temple of the Sun God.
"...Her body has sustained considerable damage, but it's nothing to be gravely concerned about. It should suffice if she rests and preserves her strength for the time being."
Airic Dert, who had been holding Ordel Kiris's hand and checking her condition, spoke with a hardened expression.
At his words that there was no danger, Victoria let out a relieved breath.
"I'm truly grateful. I should have arrived sooner.... If I had been late...."
....
Airic Dert neither comforted nor blamed Victoria for her self-recrimination.
She had done nothing wrong.
Whether Victoria was there or not, Ordel Kiris would have done exactly what she wanted anyway.
You could tell just from the fact that when they wouldn't give her the key, she broke the lock and went inside.
'How foolish.'
Airic Dert gazed at the sleeping Ordel Kiris.
When he saw Ordel Kiris lying on the bed, his heart had sunk.
Ordel Kiris bleeding profusely from her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
He understood her will to save the assassin, but he never expected her to be so reckless.
Had he known it would come to this, he would have insisted on killing her by any means.
'...No, even then she would have gotten what she wanted somehow.'
Though Ordel Kiris had reformed and changed in countless ways, that stubborn nature of hers remained exactly the same. If anything, it seemed to have grown even worse.
And within this Temple of the Sun God, there was no one who could overcome her stubbornness.
"For now, she is simply resting. Please do not worry. Once she regains her strength, she will open her eyes."
Airic Dert patted Victoria Lawrence's shoulder and rose from his seat.
All necessary treatment had been completed, and now it was time to step aside so the Saint could rest comfortably.
"By the way, what was that man like? The assassin locked in the Prison?"
As Airic Dert was leaving, he suddenly asked Victoria Lawrence about something that had come to mind.
The assassin that Ordel Kiris had desperately tried to save, even as she coughed blood and collapsed.
Had she truly succeeded in saving him? Or had she failed?
'If she failed....'
Airic Dert narrowed his eyes as he recalled the assassin who had sparked all these events.
"Ah, that man."
....
"It was somewhat surprising—an unexpected reaction."
And at Victoria Lawrence's response that followed, his eyes widened.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org