I Will Buy Divine Power With Money! - Chapter 152

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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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“It’s not the Holy Relic of Light? What do you mean by that?”

To him asking with a trembling voice, I explained simply.

“Exactly what I said. The Holy Relic of Light you were looking for was destroyed by me.”

“Destroyed…? Why on earth? Besides, that relic definitely had an effect on my condition?”

“Of course it did. This is a divine artifact that can’t even be compared to something like the Holy Relic of Light.”

Rute’s eyes widened.

“A divine artifact? You gave me a divine artifact?”

“Yes. The real name of this gem is Aurora. It’s a divine artifact owned by the Sun God’s Main Temple, possessing the power of healing.”

The power of healing.

At those words, Rute let out a quiet gasp.

“So that’s why the pain disappeared.”

“I thought you wouldn’t believe me if I said it was a divine artifact, so I just lied and called it the Holy Relic of Light. I’m sorry.”

“No, I understand. Back then, I definitely would have been suspicious.”

Rute readily admitted it despite his surprise.

I really did well to hide the truth back then.

“How did you even think to give me a divine artifact? What if I had harbored ill intentions?”

“I was that desperate. Even if it meant giving away a divine artifact I had no immediate use for, I needed the massive patron that is Duke Siery.”

Thanks to that, I was actually able to restart the potion business I’d long desired.

Not only that? I was also able to mine sacred stones and gain an advantage among the three temples.

It was more than enough return for lending out one divine artifact.

“Before I explain why I destroyed the Holy Relic of Light, there’s something I want to ask.”

I asked Rute something I’d been curious about all this time.

“Rute, you said you discovered an ancient book about the Holy Relic of Light in the Imperial Library, right?”

“…That’s right.”

“Did someone perhaps recommend that ancient book to you?”

“No, there wasn’t anyone.”

Unfortunately, Rute shook his head.

“Because my illness couldn’t be known, I couldn’t rashly ask for help. So I searched through the Imperial Library thoroughly by myself. Yuri couldn’t even enter there with me.”

“So you’re saying you discovered it by chance.”

Then did someone place that ancient book where it would catch Rute’s eye?

‘The people who can access the Imperial Library are limited, so I can narrow down the suspects.’

Actually, I already have one suspicious person in mind, but I’ll think about that later.

For now, I explained to Rute first.

“Listen carefully. The Holy Relic of Light’s ability isn’t healing or anything like that. It’s actually the opposite.”

“The opposite…?”

“If you had possessed that relic, those black marks on your body wouldn’t have disappeared – they would have run even more rampant.”

At first, it would temporarily ease the pain.

So that Rute would blindly trust the Holy Relic of Light and never let it leave his side.

During that time, the ‘evil’ energy dwelling in the Holy Relic of Light would gradually invade Rute’s body.

Until it could completely dominate his flesh and use him like a slave.

“Why did I destroy it? Because it wasn’t a relic of the Sun God.”

“…”

“Rute, you were deceived by that ancient book. From the beginning, there’s a high probability that book was created to deceive you.”

Shocked, Rute couldn’t say anything.

Feeling sorry for his pale face, I patted his shoulder with divine power.

“It’s not over yet, so pull yourself together.”

“My mind is already reeling, and there’s still more?”

Rute let out a hollow laugh. The hand running down his face was trembling slightly.

“This is the first time in my life I’ve felt so blindsided.”

Rute swallowed hard and looked at me directly again.

“So, what else is there?”

“Your illness. I’ve learned a bit about what’s causing that disease.”

Rute clenched his fist tightly.

Whether from shock or anger, his fist was trembling faintly.

“You found that out…?”

“I didn’t know at first. But when I went to the Southern Region, I began to suspect somewhat.”

“The Southern Region?”

“You heard that I treated an injured person who had been poisoned by a high-level demon there, right?”

Rute held his breath. Being perceptive, he probably realized immediately.

“That injured person had exactly the same marks as you. When I purified the poison, all the marks disappeared.”

“This, the cause of my illness, is demon poison…?”

Rute shook his head as if it couldn’t be true.

“If that were the case, the doctors and priests would have known. Even the Holy Maiden of the Sea God examined my body directly.”

“That’s because it’s only similar – fundamentally different.”

I explained to Rute again step by step.

“I brought back a child from the Southern Region who was being chased by kidnappers, right? I didn’t just bring her back for no reason.”

Since I had introduced Idella to Rute before, he would remember.

“Those kidnappers also had marks on their bodies. It looked obviously unusual, so I brought the child they were targeting to protect her.”

Rute, who hadn’t known the detailed circumstances, opened his mouth.

“And while I went to the Count’s Manor with you, people with the same power attacked the group heading to the Grand Temple. To kidnap that child once again.”

“What on earth is so special about that child…?”

“That child is the newly awakened Holy Maiden of the Sun God, right after I left the Grand Temple.”

Rute’s mouth fell open.

I’m seeing quite a variety of his surprised expressions today.

“Isn’t it too suspicious that they tried to kidnap exactly that child, as if they knew she would awaken as a Holy Maiden?”

“Very suspicious.”

“But that’s not the end. I told you about Jeremy before, right? The ability user I brought out from the Temple of the Sea God.”

Rute, who was the only one to notice Jeremy’s presence.

Back then, I had explained about Jeremy to him.

Except for just one thing.

“That child possesses the divine power of the Sea God. Though it wasn’t what he wanted, anyway, because of that divine power, he can hear the voice of god even though he’s not a Holy Sage.”

“Ah, divine power. No wonder his presence felt particularly faint.”

“When facing the kidnappers, the Sea God apparently said this.”

[Dare to strike down the ‘Evil’ that has defiled the name of god.]

“‘Evil’?”

At the unusual name, Rute’s face hardened slightly.

“The ‘Evil’ that defiled the name of god.”

“…”

“This being is an enemy of god who has fought against the Sun God for a very long time.”

I poked Rute’s shoulder firmly with my finger.

Like someone who had been stabbed with a sword, Rute’s body flinched and trembled.

Looking at him directly, I spoke forcefully.

“And it’s also the owner of those black marks that make your body suffer.”

Rute’s tightly clenched fist went slack.

He had been gripping so hard that his nails had dug in, leaving his palm covered in blood.

I clicked my tongue and healed his palm.

Thanks to the warm divine power, Rute’s pale complexion slowly returned to normal.

“The cause of my illness is an enemy of god…?”

“Evil has already infiltrated this world considerably. Count Kiris is also one of its subordinates.”

“The Count?”

“Yes. But you couldn’t sense anything, could you?”

Rute nodded his head in bewilderment.

“That man has power strong enough to annihilate gods. Whether Holy Maiden or Holy Sage, they’re merely human, so they can’t easily detect him.”

In fact, all three main gods nearly died after falling into that man’s schemes.

If they hadn’t barely crawled out from death and joined forces together to achieve time regression, this world would have perished along with the three main gods.

Now I understand why the system named the three main gods that way.

The Sun God literally crawled out from death, the Sea God who nearly died is filled with rage, and the Eternal God guided my dead soul here for a new future.

Now everything finally makes sense.

“There’s actually another reason why I’m telling you all this now.”

Besides the fact that the Holy Relic of Light is fake, there’s one reason I revealed such sensitive truths.

“There’s a high probability that someone deliberately injected ‘Evil’s’ energy into you.”

“Deliberately?”

“Yes. Did your illness perhaps begin when you were seven years old?”

“I never told you that, yet you know it exactly.”

Rute let out a hollow laugh.

“At this point, I can’t dismiss this as an excessive leap of logic.”

“Was there anything special around the time your illness began? Like contact with someone?”

After tapping the sofa for a moment, he slowly answered.

“I remember that time vividly. I’ve recalled those memories several times trying to find the cause.”

“…”

“But there was no gain. I attended the Harvest Festival right before my illness began, and that got in the way.”

Of all things, the Harvest Festival?

Considering that various incidents broke out at the Harvest Festival in the original story too, this feels extremely unsettling.

“Many people gather at the Harvest Festival. Among them, there were so many interested in the young heir of House Sieri that it’s difficult to identify just one person.”

“Hmm.”

“And we can’t definitively say the cause was someone I contacted in the capital. My illness began after I returned to the western region.”

No, it’s definitely the capital.

By then, ‘Evil’s’ subordinates had already infiltrated the Imperial Palace.

“Then it would be good to investigate again when we go to the capital this time.”

Though Rute remained skeptical, I spoke firmly.

“The person who elevated Count Kiris to the central nobility will be in the capital. Someone in a considerably high position at that. We must find him.”

Of course, I know who that is.

A follower of ‘Evil’ and one who seeks to destroy the world according to his will.

I can’t tell him yet since I don’t have solid evidence.

“Prepare yourself well. There will be more subordinates of ‘Evil’ in the capital than you think.”

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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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