I Will Buy Divine Power With Money! - Chapter 13
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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7 AM. Early morning when the people of the temple were just beginning to open their eyes.
Between the gloomy garden that wasn’t organized at all, something like a long tied pink thread was fluttering in the wind.
“Huff, huff…!”
The rough breathing that came with it made the already eerie garden even more spine-chilling.
“This, damn, weak body!”
At the series of fierce curses that followed, Airic and Seth, who had come out to the garden, glanced at each other.
After a brief moment of contemplation, they soon pushed through the overgrown bushes that had grown wild and headed toward where the rough breathing could be heard.
“Saint…?”
A bench in the corner of the garden. There was Ordel, half-unconscious and drenched in sweat.
The Saint, who had secretly left her bedroom clean and empty without anyone knowing, was surprisingly exercising since early dawn.
* * *
For me, who had been a detective, exercise was as natural as breathing.
To beat down rough criminals, I had to know martial arts beyond just self-defense.
But what is this body I’ve possessed?
Unlike my previous life’s body that was lean with elastic muscles, this body doesn’t even have muscles to lose!
But I didn’t know then. That the truly shocking thing was something else entirely.
“Huff, gasp, this, pathetic body…”
The moment I got up at 6 AM to build basic stamina first and came outside to start exercising, I wanted to collapse right there.
Good heavens, I got dizzy just from walking a little, let alone running.
I should have realized when all sorts of bones in my entire body started making cracking sounds the moment I began stretching.
How on earth did the original Ordel manage to cause all sorts of trouble with such a body?
“Are you alright…?”
Unable to overcome the dizziness and eventually lying down on the bench, Airic handed me cold water.
“Thank you… If it weren’t for you two, I would have almost died while exercising.”
To think I’d die from being out of breath just from walking.
Even though this is a forced second round of life, I don’t want to die so ridiculously.
“What kind of exercise were you doing exactly…”
Don’t ask. I can’t possibly say that I became like a critical patient just from walking a bit, even if my mouth were torn.
“Ahem. I didn’t expect you to come this quickly. I’m sorry for making you come all the way here.”
“Not at all. Wherever the Saint is, it’s right for us to come.”
Seth, who had been looking at me with worried eyes, immediately denied my words.
Regardless of the Saint’s personality, it was an answer befitting a faithful Holy Knight who unconditionally obeyed her simply because she was the Saint.
Because he’s this kind of person, Airic couldn’t tell even him that I was a fake Saint.
So later when the female protagonist appeared and Ordel’s true identity was revealed, Seth was furious with Airic.
It was also Seth who tried to protect the original Ordel until the very end.
When Ordel finally abandoned God, he eventually turned his back on her and ended up stabbing Ordel with a sword.
The scene where the man who had humanly sympathized with Ordel finally raised his sword in despair at her abandoning God was truly the best scene.
…But of all things, I had to possess the body of Ordel who would receive that sword.
I really need to work hard to destroy the original story.
“From now on, before breakfast, I plan to exercise from 6 to 7 AM, so please keep that in mind.”
“Yes, understood. Then we’ll arrange guards for that time…”
“What guards for just light exercise? Besides, our Grand Temple doesn’t even have visitors. What danger could there be?”
I said it without much thought, but Airic’s face became gloomy.
I feel a bit sorry for the High Priest who’s particularly sensitive about the Grand Temple’s weak influence, but it’s not wrong.
Not only have visitors stopped coming, but the Sun God’s existence is gradually fading from people’s memories.
But don’t worry. I’ll soon make this temple very bustling.
“There are no dangerous people other than spies, so focus on that first rather than my guard. How is the work going?”
“We’ve currently detained and begun investigating everyone in the temple. The Vice-Captain is handling the Holy Knights side, and Priest Dietrich is handling the priests’ side.”
Ah, those two are the people Seth and Airic trust most in this temple, respectively.
I can trust them too.
“From interrogating Kento, we were able to find out several names, but we can’t be certain, so we plan to proceed with cross-verification.”
No wonder I’ve been smelling blood since earlier – Airic, the official best interrogator in the story, personally conducted the interrogation.
Chef Kento, who had dismissed whether the High Priest could even properly hold a sword, must have felt Airic’s great torture with his whole body.
Ah, even I’m getting chills.
“We’ll thoroughly investigate and root out the spies, so the Saint doesn’t need to worry.”
Seth, standing beside him, also chimed in with a resolute voice.
His bright blue eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
That look of wanting to eliminate them all is truly reliable. How satisfying.
“I only trust the Order Commander. Please take care of it. High Priest, could you talk with me for a moment?”
Seth, whose business was finished, left after telling me not to exercise too intensely.
Intense exercise, he says. For me, who only did stretching and walking, it’s too embarrassing to hear such concern.
“The Order Commander doesn’t know I’m a fake Saint yet, does he?”
When Seth’s figure was completely out of sight, I asked Airic.
Somehow Airic frowned.
“That is…”
“He might learn the truth someday, but I hope that’s not now, at least.”
“Pardon?”
I looked straight at Airic.
And I told him clearly.
“I told you before that I would leave the Grand Temple. I want to cancel that. I’m truly sorry for suddenly changing my words.”
Worried that Airic might say no, that I could just leave, I quickly added.
“Instead, from now on, I want to faithfully perform the Saint’s duties that I’ve been refusing. I’ll maintain dignity as a Saint and won’t run away from my obligations.”
I lowered my eyes sadly.
“Because I thought I was abandoned by my clan and came here, I couldn’t attach myself to this place. Because of that, I did things I shouldn’t have done and tried to run away without taking responsibility. I sincerely apologize.”
“…”
“From now on, I’ll work hard to serve and brighten the future of the Grand Temple as a Saint. Although I lack divine power since I’m fake… I’ll still try my best.”
I did become a real Saint by receiving the Sun God’s Quest, but I have no intention of revealing that.
Would Airic believe me if I said I had to offer blood-like money to God to gain Saint-level divine power?
It would be fortunate if he didn’t issue a death sentence in the High Priest’s name, thinking the crazy fake Saint was now even selling out God!
“The Kiris Household is no longer important either. After learning about Count Kiris’s dirty true nature, whom I so admired, I can’t understand why I wanted his affection so much.”
Yes, honestly, this is really incomprehensible.
Why did the original Ordel so desperately crave the affection of Count Kiris and his family, who treated her like a tool?
If she had attached her heart to the temple instead, she could have been happy enough even as a fake Saint.
“Given what I’ve done, it would be difficult for you to trust me right away. So please give me a chance. A chance for me to serve the temple and apologize to everyone who suffered because of me.”
“…”
“I’ll make sure no one in this temple goes hungry anymore.”
I still can’t forget.
The children’s meals that consisted only of thin soup with barely any ingredients and one hard piece of bread.
And the one who caused it – me.
Even though I didn’t do it directly, just being in this body made me feel guilty.
So even if I don’t know about other things, I wanted to definitely solve this one.
“Ah! Of course, if the real Saint appears later, I won’t be greedy and will immediately step down, so don’t worry.”
I’m taking this position out of necessity now, but I have not even the slightest greed. Don’t worry.
“…Saint.”
Airic, who had been silent for a long time, opened his mouth.
I anxiously watched Airic’s mouth as he gripped his sword hilt.
“The Saint holds the highest position in this Grand Temple. You don’t need my permission. Do whatever you want to do.”
But to think such kind words would come out.
“From the moment you set foot in this Grand Temple as the ‘Saint,’ you were the Saint. So don’t attach the word ‘fake’ to yourself.”
“…”
“I will take full responsibility for bringing you here, so please do whatever you wish.”
Airik placed his hand on his left chest and slowly bowed his waist.
At this display of respect and submission, I couldn’t say anything.
How could he say such things when Ordel had been so ignored, despised, and humiliated all this time?
I was about to feel ashamed of my assumption that he naturally wouldn’t trust me.
“…I will truly work hard.”
Though I had always been full of complaints about this forced second life, perhaps this wouldn’t be so bad after all.
I felt like I could grow somewhat attached to it.
* * *
Afterwards, Seth and Airik truly turned the Temple upside down.
The way they thoroughly interrogated the spies that Chef Kento confessed to after being unable to withstand torture was like a threshing machine.
In the end, a total of 7 spies were revealed this way.
Including Chef Kento, 8 spies were discovered.
What’s more, among them was even a Holy Knight, and it was revealed that he was the very mastermind who helped Chef Kento escape.
“I am truly sorry. I will gladly accept this punishment.”
Therefore, Seth, who knelt down as soon as we met in the reception room, had a deeply distressed face.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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