Chapter 61
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I'll purchase divine power with money.
Chapter 61
"I really wanted to show this to you, Duke. I'm able to enjoy this beautiful scenery because of you."
"...."
"I'm truly grateful. I've been wanting to tell you this for a while now."
I smiled brightly at Lute Sheary. Warm sunlight fell across my cheeks.
As if the Sun God himself was giving his approval.
"...It's embarrassing to hear such words when I haven't given anything unilaterally. I'm the one whose life you saved."
I shook my head firmly.
"I only saved one life—yours—but you saved everyone in the Sun God's Temple."
So naturally, we should be the ones expressing gratitude.
"Thank you for coming to us. You will remain a precious person to us for the rest of our lives."
Lute Sheary, who had been staring blankly for a while, suddenly burst into laughter.
It was the kind of smile that naturally came to mind—the one I'd seen on the day he was freed from his torment.
"I've often heard that I'd be cursed for life, but this is the first time anyone's said I'd be cherished. It feels rather pleasant, doesn't it?"
"Well, you're certainly not the type to hear such words anywhere else."
"Wasn't the atmosphere just now quite pleasant?"
But what can I do when it's the truth?
"I'd like to stay here and idle away like this, but since that insufferable person came early without any sense of timing, I should be going."
"Shall I eliminate them?"
Don't answer a joke so seriously.
The way he laughed coldly, as if wondering when he'd been in a good mood, made it seem like he'd immediately stage a massacre in the Temple if given permission.
"It's fine. I'd feel more at ease handling it myself."
The person who was abused is the original owner of this body—Ordel Kiris.
They say revenge isn't something others do for you, but since I've taken over this body, only I have the right to seek vengeance.
I have no intention of entrusting this matter to anyone.
"However, there is something I'd like to ask of you separately regarding this matter."
"What is it?"
"First, let me speak with Count Kiris. So please rest. I'll give you the blessing charge after everything is settled."
After bidding farewell to the disappointed Lute Sheary, I left the room.
Victoria Lawrence was standing in front of the reception room door.
"Count Kiris and the Knight Commander of House Kiris are waiting inside. Baron Gale is not here."
Ah, so the knight who was with him was the commander? Well, it makes sense that someone would accompany the Count himself.
"The Count said only the High Priestess should enter, but if you wish, I'll accompany you."
Victoria Lawrence's stance—that the Count's words were irrelevant—was that of a true knight-protector.
But I declined.
"It's fine. Strictly speaking, I won't be alone."
I gestured toward empty air, and something dark dropped from the ceiling with a soft thud.
It was Jeremy, who had grown noticeably fluffier thanks to sleeping well in a comfortable room these past few days, eating well, and basking in plenty of sunlight.
"If anything happens, he'll handle it."
No matter how hard the Knight Commander of House Kiris struggled, Jeremy would never lose.
I gazed at Jeremy with satisfaction. But unlike me, Victoria glared at him fiercely.
"...A rival for the escort position."
Ah, so that was the look of someone eyeing a predator after her territory.
"Don't say that. No matter what, my top escort is still Kyrie, so don't worry."
As I patted her shoulder, the tension immediately drained from Victoria's eyes.
In truth, Jeremy was only a temporary escort—once Idella appeared later, I planned to assign him to her.
"Then Jeremy, I'm counting on you."
Jeremy nodded and disappeared back above the ceiling.
I immediately pushed open the reception room door and stepped inside. There was no reason for the master of the house to knock, after all.
"...Ordel."
The Count, who had been conversing with the Knight Commander, looked at me with startled eyes. Without Lute present, he no longer bothered to hide the anger burning in his gaze.
"Good day, Count Kiris. It's been quite some time. It's already been well over two months since we last met."
As memories of that first and last meeting with Count Kiris surfaced, laughter bubbled up unbidden.
He had locked me in the Attic Room, starved me, and then chased me out at the crack of dawn while I was famished.
Recalling that day of suffering from motion sickness, anger surged within me!
"You appear to be in excellent health, I'm pleased to see."
Did you sleep soundly after casting me out like that, stretching your legs without a care?
"Stop spouting nonsense. Do you think I came all this way just to exchange pleasantries with you?"
Oh, so he interpreted my words as pleasantries. The man's capacity for self-deception was truly remarkable.
"Why didn't you inform me that you'd begun selling potions?"
The question that flew at me the moment I sat on the opposite sofa nearly made me grimace.
What was this tone?
It didn't sound like he was complaining that we'd kept something good to ourselves without telling him—rather, it sounded like he was angry that I'd done something reckless.
The former would be understandable given the man's character, but the latter was difficult to comprehend.
"Isn't it natural for the Sun God's Temple to produce potions? The High Priest said as much, so I didn't think there was any need to mention it specifically."
"How dare you make that judgment on your own!"
To determine whether my suspicion was correct, I probed carefully as the Count pointed at me with his index finger as if to stab me.
"Just because you're seated in that position doesn't mean you've become some great Saint. Don't delude yourself. Know your place!"
Well, well, well.
If he had merely insulted me, I would have dismissed it as trash being trash.
He had made Ordel into a false Saint of the Sun God's Temple to bask in the glory of a house that had produced a Saint.
Indeed, ever since Ordel became the Saint, House Kiris had sprouted wings and successfully established itself among the Central Nobility.
So I thought he would be pleased as our Temple prospered, since his own status would rise accordingly....
But now it seemed as though he was wary of precisely that.
"Since Duke Sheary has come, I'll permit you to hold a dedication ceremony."
Does he think he's become some Saint of the Sun God himself? What gives him the right to grant or deny permission?
"But abandon the potion business immediately. Whether you persuade the High Priest or resort to coercion, stop it at once, no matter what!"
"What should I tell Duke Sheary then? He's invested considerable funds in this venture, so if I suddenly say we're stopping, he'll be furious. Are you prepared for us to fall out with him?"
"No."
Count Kiris spoke with a stern expression and unwavering resolve.
He'd attempted to fashion his face into something menacing, but it was about as frightening as a mouse.
"Abandon your business ventures, but maintain your connection with the Duke. Seize his ankle, beg on your knees if you must! Should you fail, I will not show you mercy."
Having threatened me, Count Kiris rose abruptly and departed the Reception Room without another word.
The Knight Commander, who had stood silently throughout, clicked his tongue openly at me before following in his wake.
A hollow laugh escaped my lips.
What kind of storm had just swept through here?
"High Priestess."
The moment I was alone, Jeremy dropped from the ceiling as if materializing from thin air.
He lowered the mask that had concealed his face and asked.
"Shall I kill him?"
I barely restrained myself from answering yes.
"No. Not yet."
"Why?"
"There are things I need to uncover while he still draws breath."
The reason I'd invited Count Kiris to the consecration ceremony was to sever our connection entirely once and for all.
I'd intended to subtly reveal to Lute Sheary how the Count had neglected and abused me, then use his influence to legally extract myself from the Kiris Family.
After all, he was a Duke—the very embodiment of nobility—and enjoyed close ties with the imperial court.
But an unforeseen development had occurred.
Count Kiris, whom I'd assumed harbored only ambitions for power, had unexpectedly welcomed the glorious restoration of the Sun God Grand Temple.
Moreover, there was something distinctly peculiar about his obsession with Lute Sheary.
It seemed that making Ordel a false High Priestess of the Sun God Grand Temple was not merely for the sake of the family.
Unlike what the original story had suggested.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org