Chapter 56
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I'll purchase divine power with money.
Chapter 56
Though I said as much, in truth I believed the genuine Saint would convince the Sun God to stop me, even if he had to plead with the Spirit Death God, so I pressed forward with my plan.
Thus, in the Sacred Grounds where I kept the Sun God's sacred relic, I struck the jeweled box with a dagger-shaped relic embedded with a black gem.
Thunk.
'...?'
Yet as if waiting for this moment, the largest crimson jewel detached with a soft sound.
As though it were the most natural thing, without the slightest damage to anything else.
'Is this how it's supposed to work?'
'That shouldn't be possible....'
Both Airic Dert and I, who had been watching the situation with stern eyes, were greatly bewildered.
A relic that wouldn't crack even when burned with divine power, thrown, or even when I scraped it across Jeremy's head shielded with divine force—and now a single strike with a sacred relic made the jewel fall off?
Moreover, in perfect condition, as though it had merely been loosely attached from the beginning?
Of course, what was even more absurd was the information that came to mind when I grasped the jewel.
Emerging from my recollection, I gazed at the necklace Jeremy wore. Then the information that had left me dumbfounded resurfaced.
【Sacred Relic Information】
Name: Jewel Torn by the Sun
Grade: Unique
Presiding Deity: The Wanderer Who Guides Souls
Possessed Ability: Light Nullification
Special Notes: A jewel forcibly torn from the sacred relic "Box Made Out of Boredom" by the Sun God's Saint. It contains the creator's tears.
Forcibly torn, my foot.
One strike with a sacred relic and it fell off as though offered willingly, yet it earned this name?
And look at the special notes.
Seeing "creator's tears" written there, it seemed the relic's owner had written this themselves.
'Still, there was a gain.'
I looked at the name of the presiding deity.
'The Wanderer Who Guides Souls.'
With "soul" in the name, this confirmed my suspicion that it was indeed the Spirit Death God's sacred relic.
In any case, despite the absurd turn of events, because the jewel fell away in perfect condition, Jeremy could now mitigate the Sea God's curse to a considerable degree with this alone.
"Still, I'm not as free as when I was holding the jeweled box itself."
Jeremy tucked the necklace back beneath his collar, securing it carefully.
Somehow his manner resembled how Lute Sheary cherished sacred relics, and I found myself smiling slightly.
Now that I thought about it, a month was nearly upon us.
I'd extracted money from the Grand Temple of Sea God, and my divine power would increase, so this time I might even be able to grant a two-month blessing.
He must have found it inconvenient coming every month, so he'd be delighted.
"Then while you're staying here, embrace the box. Since I don't need it immediately, I'll give it to you."
"Thank you."
Jeremy bowed his head with a bright expression.
I could feel his strong resolve never to be swayed by a curse again.
"So I should just head back to the Prison now?"
But what was this supposed to mean?
"What? Why?"
"That way, the Holy Maiden will have peace of mind."
Peace of mind? Was there anyone in this world who could feel at ease locking up an innocent child in a prison cell?
"There's no need for that. I'll have a separate room prepared for you to stay in."
"Everyone will object."
"There's no madman here who would insist on throwing an innocent person into prison."
Many people might want to punch Jeremy like Monica did, but no one wanted to imprison someone who had just been freed from the Sea God's control.
This was something Airic Dert and Seth Noel had already agreed upon.
"We've already decided to treat you as an ordinary person once you return here. Of course, we'll keep watch over you."
Since the curse still remained, there was always the possibility of him being controlled again. Surveillance was absolutely necessary.
"But that doesn't mean I'll lock you in a prison. You'll be given a room with excellent sunlight. Stay there."
"...Sunlight?"
"Yes. A room blessed by our God. Stay there and protect me. Protect me from those who seek my life."
I had come to understand this after experiencing everything that happened.
I could die here at any moment. Even though my occupation had completely changed, the threat to my life remained unchanged.
As the Sun God's name grew more exalted, the threats directed at me would increase far beyond anything I faced in my previous life.
So I needed someone who could truly protect me. Someone stronger than Victoria, someone who would stay close and guard me alone.
Jeremy was the perfect person for that role.
And later, when Idella appeared, I'd have to assign her to him. In the original story, Jeremy and she didn't end up together, but here they might, right?
Or they could just become friends.
"I can do that well. I can protect the Holy Maiden."
Jeremy nodded vigorously, his face bright with the joy of having found purpose.
"If the Sea God's side sends someone again, I'll make sure to kill them properly."
...I wondered if he really needed to say such things with such a cheerful expression, but given everything he'd been through, I decided to let it slide.
Knock, knock.
"Holy Maiden. The Potion Production Team has come to see you."
Monica announced the visitors at that moment.
When I told them to enter, three members of the Potion Production Team came in with her, carrying refreshments.
"We've brought this batch for sale, Holy Maiden! Including the three hundred bottles from pre-orders, we have a total of one thousand bottles!"
Genric shouted enthusiastically.
Because the quantity had doubled from last time, all three of them were pulling a trolley each.
"The faster we sell, the faster we earn money, so we pushed ourselves!"
Dark circles still hung heavy under Genric's eyes as he gave a thumbs up, yet his expression was incredibly bright.
"The taste of that bonus pay was quite satisfying, wasn't it, Genric?"
After the first prototype sold out completely, I immediately paid the three of them a bonus.
Genric was the one who was most delighted. It seemed he'd pulled an all-nighter again to experience that joy once more.
"Still, it's meaningless if you die from exhaustion. Take it easy."
"It's a matter concerning the prestige of the Sun God Grand Temple."
Wolfgang, whose face was indistinguishable from Genric's, spoke. Anyone watching would think both of them were born and bred followers of the Sun God.
"But who is this person?"
At that moment, Genric tilted his head while looking at Jeremy, who sat across from me.
Monica, who had been setting dessert on the table, answered in his stead.
"Who else? A kidnapper who recklessly attacked the Saint, got his head smashed in, and is now bound in loyalty."
"...."
"...."
Her blunt words cast a heavy silence over the room.
Jeremy gingerly touched his head with a dejected expression, as if the blow I'd dealt him still ached.
The blessing that lifted curses should have healed the wound long ago, yet it seemed phantom pain still plagued him occasionally.
"A, a kidnapper...?"
Lana, who had been standing timidly in the corner since greeting me, reacted for the first time.
Genric and Wolfgang flinched like Pavlov's dogs and quickly retreated to the side.
And then Jeremy and Lana faced each other.
"You're, you're the one who hurt the Saint...?"
Monica hastily fled to stand beside Genric and Wolfgang.
Wait, the fact that they all scattered like that....
"How dare you, how dare you hurt the Saint, you...."
Just as I was wondering whether I should intervene, Lana pulled something from her pocket.
Genric jumped at the sight of a bottle containing a distinctly ominous deep purple liquid.
"Lana! That's an alchemical deadly poison! No matter how angry you are, you can't use that! What if the Saint gets hit!"
A deadly poison, no less. Gentle, timid Lana was about to throw a deadly poison at someone!
Faced with such a terrifying prospect, I too quickly put distance between myself and her.
If Lana lost control, she really might throw it!
"Lana!"
Seeing my panicked reaction, Genric cried out once more.
Fortunately, his voice seemed to reach her, and instead of throwing the poison, Lana grabbed Jeremy's arm and began pulling.
"Come, come outside! I'll make sure you hurt too!"
However, no matter how much superhuman strength Lana possessed, Jeremy was the one chosen by the Sea God as the next Holy Knight Commander.
Unfortunately, he didn't budge an inch.
"I won't die even if I take that. There's a use for it later, so don't waste it and just leave it."
It seemed like he was trying to give sound advice in his own way....
But did he really have to say it while munching on cookies like that...? It sounded sarcastic!
"This, this insolence.... After hurting the Saint and acting so shamelessly...!"
As expected, Lana's face flushed red with anger.
But surprisingly, those words struck Jeremy as well.
"...I apologize."
Jeremy set down the cookie he'd been eating and offered a dejected apology.
The way he glanced at the glass bottle suggested he was actually considering whether he should let her hit him with it.
Even Monica, Genric, and Wolfgang, who had retreated to a distance, were subtly nodding and egging him on.
It was absolute chaos.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org