Chapter 64
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I'll purchase divine power with money.
Chapter 64
"When you first arrived at the Temple of the Sun God, you were chasing after the High Priestess, but at some point, you started hovering above Count Kiris's head."
If there's a presence stalking me from the ceiling, it can only be Jeremy.
And right now, he's under surveillance at my request—watching Count Kiris.
...But Lute detected his presence? And with such precision?
"He's my personal bodyguard. I brought him in just a few days ago.... Can you really sense his presence?"
"He was the faintest of anyone I've ever met. But it wasn't so subtle that I couldn't notice."
"...."
"If he were far away, I wouldn't know. But when he's close, I can definitely sense him."
Is that even possible?
Jeremy's presence is nearly imperceptible because of the Sea God's divine power clinging to him like a curse.
Even now, with the curse only half-remaining, Airic Dert and Seth Noel can't detect him if he's out of sight.
So how does Lute know?
"Duke, you're a Sword Master, aren't you?"
"To be precise, I'm a Mystic Swordmaster."
When Lute was controlled by the dark force, she was a calamity itself—someone even all the protagonists combined would struggle to defeat.
I thought that was purely because of the dark force's power controlling her body, but could she have possessed that level of ability even before? Is that how she can sense him?
No, that doesn't make sense either.
"Is it really so surprising that I detected his presence?"
"It's extremely surprising. That child is an ability user I stole from the Sea God Temple."
Since there was no chance of Lute betraying me and siding with the Sea God, I told her the truth.
I just left out the part about the divine power clinging to Jeremy like a curse.
"The Sea God's faction invested so much effort in cultivating him because of his exceptional ability that it's normally difficult to detect his presence...."
"If the High Priestess vouches for it, he must be quite special. Come to think of it, his presence was so faint it seemed like he could vanish into dust at any moment."
Lute, who had been staring at me, released the hand she was holding.
Only then did I realize we were still pressed against each other, and I stepped back.
His muscular body was so firm and soft at once—I hadn't even noticed the discomfort.
"Hmm, could it be that my ability is so superior that only I sensed him?"
"That's impossible."
No matter how exceptional Lute's ability is, how could an ordinary human grasp the power of a god? That makes no sense.
"...Aren't you being awfully confident without even seeing my ability yet?"
Lute pouted her lips. At this rate, she'd get upset again.
Was he always this quick to sulk?
"Because he's that special of a child. ...Ah."
That's right. Now that I think about it, there was one thing different about Lute from others.
Even in the dead of night with only moonlight and starlight pouring down, Lute was shining with a soft glow.
It wasn't because he was so handsome that he was self-luminous.
It was the mysterious golden light that only I could see, hovering around him.
The aura of that golden light—the black stains of which had faded slightly over the past two months.
Since possessing this body and observing countless individuals, Lute Sheary was the only one who carried something so inexplicably luminous.
Perhaps this was precisely why only she could sense Jeremy.
I made a mental note to investigate this phenomenon further.
Now that I thought about it, the original narrative only mentioned that Lute Sheary suffered from an illness of unknown origin—there wasn't a single line describing her carrying around these mottled, flickering lights.
How many more mysteries did I need to unravel?
Would things improve once I unlocked the Heavenly Secrets?
"But how did you come to capture an ability user from the Sea God's faction?"
At Lute's question, I paused briefly before deciding to tell her the truth.
"The Sea God's people sent a spy, so I grabbed him and smashed his head in with a divine artifact to subdue him."
"...With a divine artifact? His head?"
"But once I had him, I realized he was being controlled, so I freed him and recruited him to our side. He harbors tremendous hatred for the Sea God."
I still remembered Jeremy hurling curses at the Sea God—calling him a tyrant, a ruffian, spewing every insult imaginable.
The accumulated resentment he carried was truly profound.
"To fully regain his freedom, he needs my healing power as the Sun God's High Priestess, so he's staying here as both a guard and a resident."
"That's almost exactly my situation."
Now that I mentioned it, wasn't it?
"Do you enjoy saving people?"
It wasn't so much that I enjoyed it—it was more like an occupational habit.
My work had always been crushing the villains who tormented the innocent.
I'd even died doing exactly that.
I'd managed to capture him and hand him over to my colleagues, or else I wouldn't have been able to close my eyes in peace.
"Well, it's not a bad thing, is it? And thanks to saving people, I've gotten to taste this precious wine."
I gently swirled the wine bottle Lute had given me.
There was still quite a bit left. I casually poured the remainder into my glass.
True to his generous nature, Lute didn't stop me; instead, he posed a single question.
"Would that wine count as this month's payment instead?"
"Not a chance."
Where did he think he could pull that sleight of hand?
I stopped mid-sip and turned serious.
Lute produced a dimensional pouch filled with coins from his pocket, his expression melancholic, and handed it to me.
Ah, fine wine in one hand, gold coins in the other.
This was the true flower of both hands.
"Does this satisfy you?"
"Absolutely."
I beamed with genuine delight and drained the remaining wine in one gulp.
When Lute produced yet another fresh bottle from what was clearly a portable wine storage pouch, I nearly split my face grinning.
The frustration that had accumulated from the Count Kiris affair had long since evaporated without a trace.
* * *
Fortunately, Ordel Kiris's tolerance for alcohol wasn't particularly weak either; despite my consuming three bottles of wine throughout the night, I felt perfectly clear-headed rather than dizzy.
Even when I woke this morning, there wasn't a trace of a hangover.
Considering that wine has quite a strong hangover effect, Ordel Kiris's alcohol tolerance must be considerable.
Fortunately, it seems I can drink freely without worry from now on.
After that night, Lute Sheary and I made an unspoken pact to meet on the balcony at ten o'clock every evening and share drinks together.
Thanks to this, I was able to relieve the stress from my hectic days—managing Count Kiris's chaos and preparing the consecration ceremony—through nightly wine.
Fresh bottles seemed to emerge endlessly from Lute's secret wine storage pouch.
And only expensive, delicious ones at that.
It was my first time coveting a wine pouch more than a money pouch.
So, thanks to Lute, I spent my days without much stress.
Four days before the consecration ceremony, the final invited guests—the Hindel couple—finally arrived at the Temple of the Sun God.
"Welcome, Count Hindel, Countess Hindel."
And facing them, I couldn't help but feel tense.
"I'm truly delighted to meet you again so soon, High Priestess."
Lady Hindel smiled warmly at me.
It was an elegant smile, just as I'd seen before, but I wasn't fooled.
"So, that damned bastard who brutally and savagely struck our precious daughter's face is here right now?"
I could clearly see the blade hidden beneath her elegance.
The way she naturally spewed curses suggested this was Lady Hindel's true nature.
Indeed, being the real power behind a household wasn't something just anyone could do.
"What audacity. After committing such barbaric acts against our precious daughter, he has the nerve to show his face again."
Monica, who was present, nodded vigorously at Lady Hindel's words.
Monica, who had been in the Nearby Village a few hours earlier to greet her parents quickly, had told them everything on the way here.
Of course, I had instructed her to do so. It seemed better to know beforehand than to find out upon arrival.
"I'm the one who summoned Count Kiris, but I never even mentioned William Gale's name. He just forced his way in."
At least I made this point abundantly clear.
I absolutely couldn't lose our precious devotee.
"Of course I don't suspect you, High Priestess. I'm simply wondering how to deal with that bastard now that we've met sooner than expected... Such thoughts do cross my mind."
Terrifying. Truly terrifying. She's the scariest person I've met since arriving here.
"Ah, don't worry. I have no intention of disrupting the consecration ceremony announcing the revival of the Sun God Grand Temple."
Perhaps interpreting my tense expression differently, Lady Hindel reassured me.
"But the journey back will have nothing to do with the Sun God Grand Temple, will it?"
I quietly observed the revenge-burning Hindel couple and spoke just one phrase.
"I heard nothing."
Silence was tacit approval.
The couple smiled with satisfaction.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org