Chapter 74
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I'll purchase divine power with money.
Chapter 74
Count and Countess Hindel repaid the favor most thoroughly.
The first attack came roughly half a day after Count Kiris's carriage departed from the Temple of the Sun God.
But what form did this attack take...
"U-uweeeek! W-what is, uweeeek!"
Assassins skilled in concealment would spray filthy water over Baron Gale's head...
'Ugh, ptooey ptooey! What are these bugs in the food, ahhh!'
Or sprinkle mud crawling with insects onto his meals...
"Ahhh! It hurts! Ahhh! My leg!"
Or trap him in hidden pits and break his legs.
They unleashed an endless barrage of petty—if one could call them that—attacks.
'Wow, how inventive.'
Jeremy, concealed by divine power and observing everything up close while the assassins tormented Gale, genuinely marveled at their creativity.
When he heard the word "revenge," he naturally assumed it meant beheading or dismemberment.
But inflicting such crushing blows to one's pride proved even more effective than death itself.
It felt like opening his eyes to an entirely new world.
After such incidents repeated several times, the Count's entourage began to distance themselves from Baron Gale.
Since these misfortunes befell only the Baron, they grew suspicious that perhaps they were his own mistakes.
When one leg broken and the other cracked, he could barely move, delaying their schedule, the Count abandoned him without hesitation.
'The Baron will receive a separate carriage to return to his residence on his own.'
Already terrified by the constant calamities, the Baron was thrown into panic by the Count's command.
On his broken legs, he knelt and clutched at the Count's trousers, begging desperately to be taken along, but the Count coldly shook him off.
Thus the Baron was left behind with only one knight and three soldiers.
'I'm curious what happened after that.'
With fewer people to guard against, the Hindel Couple surely tormented him with even more varied and inventive methods.
Though intensely curious, Jeremy did not follow them.
He had a task entrusted to him by the High Priestess Ordel Kiris.
No matter how much his curiosity burned, he could not ignore her request.
'If I had my way, I'd test these newly learned revenge methods on the Count...'
Jeremy gazed quietly at the Count's Residence before him.
Count Kiris, who treated Ordel worse than a pebble in the street and continued to insult her.
His rage surged toward him second only to those Sea God cultists.
But Jeremy suppressed his anger.
For one who had long held back murderous intent toward the Sea God, controlling such emotions was not difficult.
For now, fulfilling the task Ordel had given him came first.
Venting his rage could wait until after Ordel had taken her own revenge.
Jeremy kicked away the thick branch he'd been sitting on.
The gatekeepers were present, but in that very moment he crossed the main gate without detection.
"...!"
Jeremy's entire body went rigid. He couldn't bring himself to step further into the residence, and quickly concealed himself atop a tree in the corner.
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump.
My heart pounded like it would burst from my chest. Cold sweat drenched me, and my fingertips turned pale.
Even when Ordel struck my head with divine power, I hadn't been this flustered.
'What is this?'
The moment I crossed the main gate, an alien aura enveloped my entire body.
How could I even describe this sensation?
Filthy, viscous, as though every unpleasant feeling that existed in this world had been gathered into one overwhelming presence.
Even when the Sea God forcibly controlled both my mind and body, I had never felt such a repugnant aura.
'Are they completely unaffected?'
The people passing by seemed oblivious to this aura, walking with peaceful expressions on their faces.
Yet my back was drenched with sweat, my clothes clinging to my skin.
Jeremy's expression grew even more grave.
Could it be that the Sea God's divine power still lingering halfway in my body was issuing a warning?
Was that why I alone could sense an aura that others could not?
If that were true, this was an extraordinarily serious matter.
Jeremy clenched his teeth.
I wanted to fulfill Ordel's request by any means, but venturing deeper into the residence was impossible.
I couldn't ignore this overwhelming sensation piercing through my entire body and enter without knowing what might happen.
I didn't want to disregard Ordel's warnings—to avoid danger, to avoid injury, to return safely.
"...What on earth is this person doing?"
Jeremy, who had been glaring at the Count's Residence, turned without hesitation and fled the estate.
Still, it wasn't entirely fruitless. Simply discovering that the Count's Residence was suspicious was enough.
Jeremy began running swiftly toward the Temple of the Sun God, where Ordel was waiting.
* * *
"This is...."
The woman who descended from the carriage gazed ahead.
The weathered, peeling main gate and the gatekeepers standing before it came into view first.
But soon her gaze was captivated by the structure beyond.
A pristine white Temple of the Sun God, bathed in the brilliant sunlight streaming from the heavens.
It was completely different from the Sea God Temple with its blue-tinged aura and the Death God's Temple shrouded in black light.
Simply gazing upon it made her eyes dazzle, and holiness emanated palpably.
Thanks to this, her heart, which had been racing with tension, settled slightly.
Though she wasn't certain if she had found the right place, the appearance alone was not something she would regret.
"Who are you?"
As the woman stared blankly at the temple, a Holy Knight guarding the main gate questioned her.
Startled, the woman quickly regained her composure.
"I am Rosetta Flu, from the Southern Region. I have come seeking the healing power of the Sun God Grand Temple."
Rosetta spoke with earnest desperation.
For that single healing power, Rosetta had journeyed all the way from the distant Southern Region to this place.
"Please, come inside."
Fortunately, the gatekeeper promptly ushered her in, and Rosetta Flu followed with relief.
Up close, the Sun God Grand Temple was far more magnificent than it appeared from outside.
The flowers filling the garden radiated vitality, and the marble, catching the sunlight, gleamed beautifully.
The people passing through all bore bright expressions brimming with composure.
At this sight, Rosetta was inwardly astonished.
'They said it was ruined, but it's far more splendid than I expected?'
Rosetta had learned of the Sun God Grand Temple through the potions sold by the Lumen Merchant Guild.
Had it not been for that, she would have lived her entire life unaware of the Sun God's existence.
Given what she'd heard about it being on the brink of collapse, she'd worried the entire journey here....
Yet upon arrival, contrary to her expectations, everything was remarkably clean, and the smiles on people's faces put her mind at ease.
She'd truly made the right decision trusting the Lumen Merchant Guild and coming here.
"Ah, Priest Dietrich."
Not long after entering the temple, the Holy Knight who had been guiding Rosetta greeted Dietrich as he passed by.
The deeply respectful manner made Rosetta instinctively sense that the priest before her was no ordinary person.
"And this person is...."
"Ah, hello!"
Seeing his confusion, Rosetta stepped forward promptly and bowed her head.
"I am Rosetta Flu, come from the distant Southern Region. I have sought out the Sun God Grand Temple because we require its healing power!"
Rosetta cried out desperately.
For the sake of the Flu Family and the Southern Region, she had to secure the temple's aid by any means necessary.
She waited for Dietrich's response with an anxious expression.
And Dietrich was....
"Healing power?"
Astonished in an entirely different way.
What did I just hear?
Healing power? Healing...power? Healing power?
She didn't come to extort money from this temple, nor to commit fraud, nor to perform a curse for its ruin....
She came because she actually needed healing power?!
"Um, Priest?"
Dietrich, who had been standing dazed for some time, snapped back to attention at the sound of Rosetta's cautious voice calling to him.
"Y-yes, this way! This way! I shall guide you to the High Priest!"
"Yes, yes!"
Dietrich immediately turned and headed toward Airic's office.
Yet his mind was entirely fixed on Rosetta, who hurried after him in quick steps.
He had been on his way to find Monica regarding the ongoing restoration work, but such matters were utterly insignificant now!
After all, it had been far too long since a visitor had come seeking healing power!
Dietrich's heart raced with anticipation and joy as he made his way to meet Airic.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org