Chapter 8
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I'll purchase divine power with money.
Chapter 8
I ignored the peculiar stares directed at me and surveyed the Kitchen.
"This is my first time in the Kitchen, and there are so many fascinating implements. Are all of these cooking tools?"
I tapped at the menacingly sharp chef's knife lodged in the cutting board, and casually examined various unfamiliar cooking utensils.
The head chef Kento let out a disapproving grunt, displeased by my seemingly careless handling of the Kitchen's equipment.
Though my notorious reputation prevented him from voicing his complaint outright.
"Saintess, knives are dangerous."
Dietrich, unable to bear it any longer, cautioned me.
He too must have thought I was finding fault without reason.
"Yes, Saintess. If you're curious about the Kitchen, please visit at night. At that time, I'll be able to show you around at leisure."
"Ah, I hadn't thought of that. Very well, I'll come by night as you suggest, and you must give me a proper tour then."
At Kento's brave words, I smiled and turned to leave.
Thinking I was departing, I heard everyone exhale in relief.
But my true purpose for coming to the Kitchen was only just beginning.
I activated the map system that included every Secret Passage.
My target was right beside the Storage where food supplies were kept.
Just as I'd seen in the novel, I tapped the wall in a specific rhythm.
Tap, tap-tap-tap, tap, tap, tap-tap-tap.
"What, what! Stop! Stop that!"
Kento shouted from behind me.
When I turned around, he was glaring at me with a deathly pale complexion.
How obvious—he'd completely given away that he knew about the Secret Passage.
Click!
"Gasp! What, what is that!"
"No, there's such a place in the Kitchen...?"
The wall I'd tapped swung open, revealing the hidden Secret Passage.
The Kitchen staff gasped in shock.
Though the implications soon shifted.
"But, there's something inside there?"
Several pouches lay within the opened Secret Passage.
Dietrich, looking flustered as he glanced between me and Airik, immediately entered the passage to examine the pouches.
Clink.
The moment he untied the cord, what spilled out was nothing other than money.
And in quantities that would be difficult to handle in this impoverished Temple.
"My goodness! So much money! I was simply curious and tapped the wall on a whim, but I never expected money to come pouring out."
Isn't that remarkable?
Having waited for this moment, I laughed heartily and exclaimed.
"And it looks like someone deliberately hid it. Could there have been embezzlement?"
At my words, Dietrich's face went rigid.
A perceptive person would have noticed immediately.
Money stacked in a Secret Passage that no one should have known about.
And for some reason, Kento had been trying to prevent this from being discovered.
To anyone's eyes, it was clear evidence of embezzlement.
"...Head Chef."
Airik, who had remained silent until now, called out to Kento.
Her gaze was so chilling that even I was startled—her eyes fixed on Kento with an intensity that made my skin crawl.
Well, it made sense. The head chef we'd trusted enough to oversee everyone's meals had embezzled the Temple's already meager operating funds. The betrayal must have cut deep.
"Would you care to explain this situation?"
Wow, formal speech could sound this terrifying.
"I, I don't...."
"I won't accept that you don't know. When the Saintess opened the Secret Passage, your reaction was anything but that of someone ignorant of what's happening."
That was true.
He'd turned pale as a ghost and blurted out "Stop it!" like a caught thief, so trying to deny it now was pathetic.
"I'll explain! I can explain everything!"
"Yes. You'd better explain properly."
Airik stepped forward toward the ashen-faced Kento.
He, towering over everyone else, looked down at the cowering chef with an unwavering gaze.
"If you can't properly explain why a head chef without divine power knows of the Secret Passage, then as the High Priest responsible for maintaining order in the Temple of the Sun God, I will interrogate you."
"Th, that...."
"And it won't be a pleasant process."
Airik delivered the final blow with elegant menace.
"I could also hand you over to the Holy Order Commander."
The Holy Order Commander who protected the Temple of the Sun God would naturally be far more terrifying than a High Priest.
After all, he was the strongest in terms of combat power.
The threat worked perfectly—Kento's face turned deathly pale.
"Th, that is, you see, how this happened is...."
Kento slowly approached the open passage, as if about to explain in detail.
That's when our eyes met—his vacant gaze and mine.
"You, you! If only you hadn't been here!"
Kento raised both hands and came charging at me like a madman, as if he meant to strangle me.
Toward me, in other words.
"Saintess!"
Airik and Dietrich cried out loudly, reaching out their hands to protect me.
Though my divine power was far inferior to theirs, I could still subdue an ordinary person.
I had the system, after all.
【Activating the skill 'Body Enhancement'.】
I was so grateful to have obtained this.
"My, so eager to receive praise? I suppose I have no choice. Since the head chef desires it so, I'll give you praise right now."
I smiled and extended my right hand.
I channeled five percent of my divine power into a chestnut and hurled it straight at Kento's forehead.
Where else?
Crack!
The sound of a massive walnut splitting open erupted through the air.
"Ugh, uuuugh...."
The tremendous impact that had struck even his brain left Kento staggering without so much as a scream.
That wretch, whose bloodshot eyes had glared at me until the very end, finally rolled his eyes back and collapsed backward with a thud.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Silence descended.
Everyone stared blankly back and forth between the unconscious Kento, foaming at the mouth, and me.
"Eeeek!"
Soon the Kitchen staff huddled together, holding their breath as they gaped at Kento's forehead swelling up grotesquely.
Hmm. If I leave things as they are, my image might deteriorate even further.
I extended both hands toward the unconscious Kento with a reverent expression.
As if bestowing a blessing upon him.
"I express my gratitude for the Head Chef's devoted labor in preparing delicious meals all this time. However, from now on, please rest comfortably."
Moved by my heartfelt blessing, one of the Kitchen staff huddled together slowly sank to the ground.
"High Priestess, please rejoice. We've come into such a sum of money—it seems the divine has truly shown mercy upon the Temple of the Sun God!"
"...Yes."
"Now we can feed the young acolytes more generously. Isn't that wonderful?"
I smiled brightly at Airik.
In response, overwhelmingly displeased gazes poured down upon me.
* * *
While Dietrich organized the embezzled funds, Airik handed over the Kitchen staff to the Holy Knights within the Temple.
It was to investigate whether anyone had assisted Kento.
Seeing the servants depart with anxious eyes, I made one request of the Holy Knights.
"Everyone can prove their innocence, so please don't conduct the investigation too harshly. Remember that until the truth is revealed, they are all part of our family."
The servants opened their eyes wide, not having expected me to take their side.
The Holy Knights too wore expressions of surprise.
All of this was an effort to change my image.
"Saintess."
Once everyone had left and only Dietrich and I remained, Airik called out to me quietly.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
I thought she'd interrogate me first about how she knew.
Instead, she was asking about my wellbeing first.
"I think I injured my fingers slightly."
"You needn't do such things again."
But that was a joke....
Airik infused divine power into my right hand.
It was a healing ability I couldn't perform due to insufficient divine power.
Golden divine power wrapped around my fingers.
It felt pleasant—warm and gentle like Airik's temperament—but...
Since she was focusing the treatment specifically on my middle finger, only that finger shone with a golden hue.
Unable to bear looking at the brilliantly glowing middle finger any longer, I withdrew my hand, saying it was fine now.
"Could you explain the situation? How do you know all of this?"
The location of the Secret Passage, the password to the door, and even the existence of the funds Kento had embezzled.
Since I was a fake Saintess, Airik hadn't told me about the Secret Passage either, so my confusion would be even more justified.
I boldly declared the excuse I'd prepared.
"It was pure coincidence!"
I couldn't exactly say I knew because I'd read the entire novel.
Besides, Airik wouldn't press me on it anyway, so I'd brazenly dodge the question!
"...Pardon?"
"I have exceptionally good intuition. Sometimes I get these premonitions."
I could have come up with a more convincing excuse, but...
My plan wasn't finished yet.
For now, I'd leave it at this.
I turned away from the bewildered Airik and approached Dietrich.
"How much is the total?"
"Ah, 9 gold and 87 silver."
Dietrich also seemed taken aback by my statement, but he answered my question faithfully nonetheless.
Since 100 silver equaled 1 gold, that was roughly 10 gold.
If I donated 10 gold, how much would my divine power increase?
At least 1%, right?
【It will increase by 0.01%.】
"...?"
Was I in my right mind?
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org