Chapter 83
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I'll purchase divine power with money.
Chapter 83
【You have made contact with a body contaminated by the aura of 'Evil'. Current contamination level: 23%. Purification is possible with the skill 'Blessing'. Will you purify now?】
Monsters are abhorrent creatures spawned by 'Evil'.
Therefore, the poison they carry is nothing less than that of 'Evil' itself.
There is no reason to leave such filth in this world.
【Skill 'Blessing' is activated. Purifying the aura of 'Evil'.】
Golden light burst from my fingertips, enveloping the Knight Commander's body.
【Current contamination level: 20%】
【Current contamination level: 15%】
【Current contamination level: 11%】
How dizzying.
Each time the numbers decreased, vertigo began to set in.
Still, this is nothing compared to when I stripped the Sea God's divine power from Jeremy.
【Current contamination level: 5%】
【Purification will end shortly.】
"Purification is nearly complete. Prepare yourselves."
"Yes!"
"Understood!"
The two priests beside me responded vigorously.
【Current contamination level: 0%】
【Purification is complete!】
"Now!"
The moment I withdrew my hand, the two priests began pouring their divine power into the wounds on the shoulder and flank.
People squeezed their eyes shut against the radiant golden light pouring forth.
Yet I kept my eyes wide open, observing the injured man's condition.
The wounds, so severe that bone and muscle were exposed, slowly began to knit together.
The torn muscle reattached, new flesh filled in, and even the scars vanished cleanly.
When only a faint reddish mark remained, the two priests exhaled and withdrew their divine power.
The face of the man who seemed moments from death had visibly eased.
"We have completed treatment of the shoulder and flank wounds."
"The other injuries are sufficient to treat with potions, so you may recover them gradually."
At the priests' words, everyone who had been holding their breath burst into exclamations.
The most fervent reaction came from Ricassa.
"Thank you, thank you, all of you.... High Priestess, I am truly grateful.... I shall repay this debt without fail."
I patted Ricassa's shoulder as he continued to bow deeply.
The crowd that had been tightly gathered dispersed to finish treating the other injured.
As the surroundings grew quiet, I finally rose from my seat.
And I swayed slightly.
"High Priestess."
Seth Noel, who had been standing guard over me, quickly caught both my arms and steadied me.
"Thank you, Commander."
"High Priestess, your complexion doesn't look well...."
At Seth Noel's worried words, I rubbed my cheeks. Even without looking in a mirror, I could feel my face had gone deathly pale.
"I'm fine. My body is healthy."
Indeed, thanks to my divine power rising to 25%, aside from a brief moment of dizziness, I felt perfectly well.
My pallor stemmed from an entirely different reason.
"Victoria Lawrence, please escort the High Priestess to her bedroom."
However, Seth Noel didn't seem to trust my assurance and promptly handed me over to Victoria Lawrence.
"Yes, understood."
These Holy Knights certainly worked like a well-oiled machine.
Rather than resist, I sighed and followed where Victoria Lawrence led.
Besides, I'd completed all my tasks, and I desperately needed a quiet place to gather my thoughts.
The reason I'd gone rigid when I first saw the Flu Family Knight Commander.
It wasn't from old wounds. I'd endured far too much to be shaken by mere scars at this point.
The reason my heart had pounded so violently was precisely because....
The wounded Knight Commander's entire body was covered in black stains—stains so hauntingly familiar that they made my blood run cold.
Those marks, which had vanished through my purification, bore an uncanny resemblance to the black stains that had covered Lute Sheary's entire body.
"What is this?"
Back in my bedroom, I sent out both Monica and Victoria Lawrence, then sat alone at the table, cradling my head in my hands.
The golden radiance Lute Sheary possessed and the pitch-black mold-like stains that had been consuming it.
I never imagined I'd witness those marks—which only Lute Sheary had carried—on the Knight Commander as well.
There was no strange golden radiance, but the mere presence of those familiar black stains was shocking enough.
Moreover, according to the system, those marks were unmistakably the aura of 'evil'.
Yet when I'd made contact with Lute Sheary, no message had appeared. Could this be something different?
But the appearance and the relentless spread were far too identical for that to be the case.
"...What if Lute Sheary's illness is actually connected to this?"
Lute Sheary, who suffered from inexplicable heart-wrenching pain without knowing its cause.
The origin of that illness was never revealed in the original work.
Since the original only mentioned that the illness had reduced Lute Sheary to a slave of 'evil', I hadn't particularly cared to know more.
It had merely seemed like a plot device.
But what if it wasn't?
What if the illness itself harbored secrets I absolutely needed to understand?
And what if it was connected to 'evil'?
...Had 'evil' been scheming from the beginning to claim Lute Sheary? Then what should I do?
"This is making my head spin."
A sigh escaped me unbidden at this unforeseen situation.
* * *
"Sigh...."
Yuri Polton, who entered Lute Sheary's office, couldn't help but lament.
I've been working myself to the bone, and here's my superior sprawled across the sofa like a piece of furniture.
Worse, he's using official documents as an eye mask.
"My lord! Wake up!"
I strode over and swept the documents away from Lute Sheary's face in one decisive motion.
His hair, grown long enough to cascade past his shoulders, tumbled into disarray.
"Who gave you permission to barge in here without so much as a knock?"
Lute Sheary scowled and rolled back onto the sofa.
The expansive sofa easily accommodated his imposing frame with room to spare.
Though he called it an office, the space was clearly optimized for leisure rather than work.
"You asked me to select surplus mine workers. Don't you need them?"
The moment I waved the documents, Lute Sheary bolted upright.
"Oh, you brought them?"
I'd never seen Yuri's eyes sparkle quite like that before.
"I selected the most skilled workers available, but won't you tell me why you need these miners?"
I'd followed orders, yet ignorance left me frustrated.
Surely I deserved to know, didn't I?
"Not yet. I told you already. It's a secret."
But watching Lute Sheary hum cheerfully, utterly indifferent to my burning curiosity, only deepened my exasperation.
"Fine, then just tell me this: when will the work begin?"
"I don't know."
"...Pardon?"
"I said I don't know."
"You demanded I secure a roster of workers immediately, yet you don't know when the work starts...?"
"That's right!"
Don't answer so cheerfully about something so absurd!
"Then why did you rush me to—!"
At my cry of protest, Lute Sheary cut me off decisively.
"If you're already waiting in the wings and appear the moment you're needed, people think you're competent."
"That's... that makes no sense whatsoever."
Complete nonsense.
I barely swallowed the irreverent curse threatening to escape my lips.
But it truly was nonsense.
"Don't worry. Keep that list close. The moment I give the word, you'll summon them immediately."
Lute Sheary commanded with a radiant smile.
That uncharacteristically bright expression almost certainly had something to do with the High Priestess Ordel Kiris...
'What could the Sun God's Temple possibly need mine workers for?'
I wasn't exactly dim-witted myself, yet whenever Ordel Kiris and Lute Sheary conspired together, their schemes left me utterly bewildered.
"Ah, I miss the High Priestess," Lute Sheary murmured, stretching back across the sofa.
Watching him, I swallowed a sigh.
Yuri Polton swallowed a sigh at the sight.
What choice do I have? Either way, everything Ordel Kiris has done has only benefited Lute Sheary, never harmed her. I can only trust that this time will be no different.
For now, I should prepare everything to coincide with when the High Priestess returns from the Southern Region.
If only for the sake of my own arduous efforts, I earnestly pray the High Priestess returns safely.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org