Chapter 72
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I'll purchase divine power with money.
Chapter 72
Hehehehe, hehehehe.
Lute Sheary bent at the waist, laughing so hard that she eventually collapsed against her horse entirely, her whole body shaking with mirth.
The handsome stallion, who bore a striking resemblance to his master, regarded Lute Sheary with an expression of utter disdain—which somehow made the scene even more amusing.
"Have you finished laughing now?"
"Truthfully, I could laugh longer, but I do have some dignity to maintain, so I'll restrain myself."
Dignity? As if she possessed any to begin with.
"I understand now why you framed it as a business matter. The Sun God Grand Temple lacks the manpower and resources necessary to excavate the buried holy stones."
"Exactly. That's why I need your assistance, Duke."
The Hindel Couple dwelt far in the Eastern Region, making their aid difficult to procure.
But Lute Sheary was different.
She was a duke who commanded all the lands of the Western Region, and simultaneously—
"You are the proprietor of the mines, Duke."
The master of the Western mines.
While the Eastern Region flourished as a granary, the Western Region overflowed with mines.
Then whose property would most of these mines be?
Naturally, they belonged to Duke Sheary—Lute Sheary—who commanded the vastest territories in the Western Region.
Lute Sheary possessed more expertise in mining than anyone, and consequently owned numerous laborers and tools related to the trade.
Lending a portion to the Sun God Grand Temple would be trivial.
"Holy stones aren't used solely for crafting sacred artifacts. They're needed for Holy Knights' weapons, temple construction, and even the carving of divine statues. Both the Sun God and the Sea God Faction will desire them."
This was profitable work.
As a merchant lord, Lute Sheary could not possibly refuse.
"Very well. Let's undertake this together."
As expected, Lute Sheary nodded in agreement.
"Working alongside the Saint, I've encountered so many unexpected situations."
"So you're never bored?"
"How could I be? Each day brings such joy that laughter never ceases."
Lute Sheary surveyed the expansive land around her.
At first, it must have seemed worthless, but now her perception had transformed entirely.
"But I'm curious—no one knew holy stones were buried here. How did you discover it, Saint?"
Naturally, I'd read about it in the original story.
After Ordel Kiris's deception as the fake Saint was exposed, Count Kiris disposed of several worthless parcels of land.
The first he put on the market was Rubar Land, and not long after, an enormous quantity of holy stones was discovered there.
Then who purchased this land?
Of course—Idella, the protagonist of this world.
「Ah. The moment Idella arrived to aid Rubar Village, she trembled with revelation.
No one else perceived it, yet she alone could sense it.
The sacred power saturating this land, the divine essence enveloping her entire being.
This was no ordinary place.」
Yes, the original story contains exactly this content.
Perhaps because Idella possessed such formidable power, she sensed the aura of holy stones buried beneath the earth.
When news arrived that Count Kiris had put the land up for sale, she purchased it immediately and began excavation.
Thus, the holy stones that had lain entombed for countless ages finally emerged into the world, becoming the catalyst that allowed the Sun God Grand Temple to truly spread its wings.
'But I haven't the faintest idea.'
I tilted my head as I gazed upon the ground.
After all, I'm a genuine Saint now, so I wondered if perhaps I might sense something....
But I feel absolutely nothing.
Without the original story's knowledge, I would have simply walked past this as barren wasteland, divine aura or otherwise.
Could it be because even with my divine power raised to 25%, I still fall far short of Idella's level?
...Or could this be yet another deviation from the original story?
There will be holy stones if I dig, won't there?
"Your Holiness?"
As I stared at the ground with a serious expression, Lute called out to me.
I quickly produced the excuse I'd prepared.
"Actually, I received a divine revelation."
"Pardon?"
"I was already sensing a sacred aura from this land and wondering about it when a revelation descended upon me."
"You received a revelation?"
"Yes. The divine voice told me that sacred power lies buried here and that I should take it."
After spouting such nonsense with a serious face so many times, I've become quite adept at it.
"So Saints and the Saint can truly hear the voice of the divine. How remarkable."
Fortunately, Lute accepted it without suspicion.
"However, there's no benefit in this becoming known. Only the Duke should be aware. For what it's worth, I haven't told the High Priest or the Holy Knight Commander either."
"We do seem to share many secrets."
I thought she might ask why I was hiding the revelation....
But perhaps that's more important to her?
She was even smiling with satisfaction, her determination to tell no one practically overflowing.
"A revelation makes it all the more trustworthy. However, we can begin serious discussions only after Your Holiness has truly acquired this land."
"Of course."
If this too deviates from the original and the holy stones don't actually exist, then I'm truly ruined.
But until I dig, there's no way to know, so I'll obtain this land by any means necessary.
"The Count was delighted to have handed over useless land, but imagine his face when he discovers it was actually a vein of treasure."
"That's honestly what I most want to see. And the Sea God Faction will surely come begging us for favors too."
Holy stones are far rarer than iron or mana stones. It means their resources are beginning to run dry as well.
A deposit of holy stones discovered on land owned by the Saint of the Sun God Grand Temple?
They'll definitely try to obtain the stones by pleading with us no matter what.
Just imagining it makes me want to burst out laughing!
"You absolutely must show me the faces of those Sea God Faction wretches as they contort in despair."
"My, of course. I'm not the type to enjoy a good show all by myself."
"Exactly. That's why I'm so fond of you, High Priestess."
We beamed at each other and clasped hands.
With a common enemy, our understanding couldn't have been better.
I truly couldn't wait to see what would happen after we tore this land apart.
* * *
On the way back to the Temple of the Sun God, I was determined to buy a cushion in Rubar Village to prevent my rear from splitting into four pieces.
I'd planned to pay extra for a thick, high-quality cushion, but that became unnecessary.
"Sit on this. It should be better than any ordinary cushion."
It was thanks to Lute Sheary folding an expensive robe neatly and offering it as a cushion.
"Even if I sold all my clothes, I don't think I could afford this single robe, and you want me to use it as a cushion?"
Were you serious?
It was a plain robe without any patterns, but just touching it revealed its quality. Use this as a cushion now?
My heart wouldn't survive instead of my rear?
"Don't worry—I won't ask you to pay for the robe. Now, up you go."
After asking for my understanding, Lute Sheary lifted me up and placed me on the horse. It seemed she was still bothered by the earlier times she'd hoisted me up without warning and nearly got her head struck.
The moment my rear made contact with the beautifully folded robe, I immediately changed my mind.
"Thank you. I'll use it well."
The robe was far too plush to refuse.
My rear, which had suffered on the way here, let out a cheer and refused to let go, so I simply decided to accept it comfortably.
With my rear at ease, I could observe my surroundings with far greater leisure.
Because Lute Sheary had removed her robe, revealing her beauty in all directions, we had to circle around the village outskirts, but I actually preferred it that way.
With no one around and a clear view ahead, my heart felt completely refreshed.
"Thank you for coming with me. It's been so long since I've been out—I'm in a good mood."
"Are you confined to the Temple of the Sun God?"
"If I say I am, will you help me escape?"
"Of course."
Lute Sheary, who had been behind me, leaned her upper body close to mine.
Warm body heat enveloped me entirely. Her lips whispered near my ear.
"What do you think? Would you like to come with me? I have plenty of empty rooms in my estate, so I could easily give you one."
"...."
"Of course, the room next to mine is also available."
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org