I Will Buy Divine Power With Money! - Chapter 71

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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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“This is the first time I’ve nearly cracked my skull trying to put a lady on a horse.”

“You mean you’ve done this to other people too?”

You just grabbed and lifted people up without warning beforehand?

“…No. Now that I think about it, I don’t think I have.”

When I stared at him in bewilderment, he suddenly changed his tune.

“Shall we depart then?”

He’s even deflecting the conversation? That Lute Sieri of all people?

This just makes me want to pry more?

“W-wait a moment!”

However, Victoria suddenly interrupted, causing me to miss my chance to poke at Lute’s side.

I clicked my tongue slightly in disappointment.

“The Holy Maiden’s escort…!”

“What escort when I’m here.”

Lute snorted. Indeed, having just Lute does feel reassuring.

Even before becoming the final boss’s slave, Lute’s martial prowess was among the best in the Empire.

“Even if your Order’s leader came, they’d have trouble guaranteeing victory against me, so why would an escort be necessary?”

“Say it nicely, nicely.”

At his cocky tone, I smacked Lute’s mouth with a slap.

Then I said to Victoria.

“It’s fine, Sir. I’m the Duke’s top priority. He’d protect me even if it meant getting hurt himself, so don’t worry.”

“You’re quite confident.”

“Aren’t I right?”

I asked with a smile toward Lute. After looking at me for a moment, he soon smiled lightly and shrugged his shoulders.

“That’s right. You’re the most precious person.”

“You heard that? So there’s nothing to worry about. It won’t take long. I’ll be back soon.”

“Then we’re departing.”

Before Victoria’s response could even come back, Lute kicked the horse’s flanks with his feet.

The massive steed began striding away from the Grand Temple.

I had no time to feel any sentiment about horseback riding after so long, or the warm body heat from Lute behind me.

This was the first time I’d gone outside since entering the Grand Temple.

No, when I came from Count Kiris’s estate to the Grand Temple, I was suffering from motion sickness and couldn’t even look around outside, so this was essentially my first time since the possession.

“It’s beautiful.”

I entrusted my whole body to Lute, who was smoothly guiding the horse, and admired the peaceful mountains.

There was only the Sun God’s Main Temple here, and beyond that were only treacherous mountain ranges, so it was sparsely populated.

Perhaps because of that, the mountains retained almost their natural appearance.

Except for the single road that carriages traveled, trees and grass grew wild, filling the mountains completely.

That made it even more beautiful. Nature truly shines brightest in its original form.

“It’s nice and quiet.”

It had been so long since I enjoyed such tranquility.

“You’re talking like someone seeing it for the first time.”

Always so perceptive.

“It has been a while since I came out. Oh, we need to go to a village called Rubar. I brought a map, so with that…”

Since our destination was such a small village, a map was essential.

I was about to take out the map I’d brought, but Lute stopped me.

“We don’t need a map. I have the western region’s map memorized.”

“Really?”

You’ve memorized even small villages like Rubar?

Come to think of it, I’d temporarily forgotten because we’d been drinking and chatting every night, but this person was a Duke.

I’m seeing him in a new light.

“But there won’t be much to see in Rubar.”

Lute was right.

Rubar, located not far from the mountain where the Sun God’s Main Temple stood, was a very poor village.

When the Grand Temple was thriving, it could survive thanks to the people coming and going, but when the Grand Temple fell into ruin, it became difficult to even put food on the table.

Nevertheless, there was a clear reason why I wanted to go to that village with none other than Lute.

“I’ll explain when we arrive. Let’s go for now.”

“I’ll increase the speed a bit.”

When Lute spurred the horse, my bottom started bouncing around like crazy.

This pain is familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. This isn’t my previous life’s body with strong lower body muscles!

“Is it difficult?”

“…My bottom is on fire.”

When I spoke through gritted teeth, Lute looked pitifully at my body that was just skin and bones without any muscle.

“Well now, I can’t exactly pat it for you. Just endure until we arrive.”

I nodded and gripped the steed’s mane tightly. I could only hope we’d arrive quickly.

* * *

We managed to arrive at Rubar Village safely before my bottom split into four pieces.

Though thinking about the return trip makes me feel gloomy. Should I buy a soft cushion from the village for the way back?

“Is this really the right destination?”

While I got off the horse and patted my swollen bottom, Lute lightly surveyed the surroundings.

His bewilderment was understandable.

This place, about 2km away from Rubar Village, really had nothing except for a few low rocky hills.

“This land is currently owned by Count Kiris. But it has no resources, and the residents are poor, so there’s not a penny to be made from it.”

Not all nobles own only useful land.

There are often cases where some foolish ancestor was swindled into buying worthless land.

This land was one of those places.

“Soon, the Count will give this land to me.”

The deal I made with him.

Either pay 10,000 gold, or pay 5,000 gold plus give up one piece of land.

The Count would most likely give me this land.

In the original work, he sold off this place first among all his lands because it was the most useless.

Even if this world was different from the original, the Count’s greed was similar, so it would likely flow the same way this time.

“This useless land?”

“He’s giving it because it’s useless land. Would he really give something good to an adopted daughter who’s no help?”

“But Holy Maiden, you don’t have the face of someone about to receive useless land.”

Lute asked me as if wondering what I was thinking.

I looked at him and grinned.

“I said earlier there wasn’t a single corner that could produce money, right? That’s correct. On the surface, anyway.”

At my words, Lute’s gaze reflexively turned toward the ground.

“Don’t tell me…?”

“Yes. This land actually holds infinite resources. Because there’s nothing visible on the surface, no one has noticed.”

I turned my head to look in the direction where the Sun God’s Main Temple was located.

At a distance that could be reached with just a couple hours of light horseback riding, the mountain with the Grand Temple stood tall.

“All Grand Temples are built in places designated by the gods.”

The Sea God’s Main Temple is located in the northern region where the sea is.

The Annihilation God’s Main Temple is situated in the southern region where the desert is.

“Then why is the Sun God’s Main Temple in the western region?”

Not in the hottest south, not in the east where sunlight pours down well, but why specifically in the west.

“Because this land is sacred.”

According to mythology, the first Grand Temple ever built was none other than the Sun God’s Grand Temple.

In other words, the Sun God was the first to choose this land.

The reason was one.

“This land has sacred stones buried in it. A tremendous amount of them.”

To make a sword, you need iron.

To use magic, you need magic stones.

Then what do you need for sacred artifacts imbued with divine power?

The answer is sacred stones. That is, ore containing sacred power.

This land of Rubar had an enormous amount of those sacred stones buried within it.

“Hahahaha!”

Rute, who had been staring at me blankly, burst into loud laughter. He bent over and laughed until his throat was raw.

This was the first time I’d seen Rute laugh like this, but I wasn’t flustered.

I would have laughed too if I were him.

“Ah, ah, Holy Maiden. My goodness. You truly are impossible to predict even one step ahead.”

Rute wiped away the tears that had formed at the corners of his eyes.

“So you’re saying you’ll swindle this land away from the Count who has no idea that sacred stones are buried here?”

“Swindle? If you put it that way, it makes me sound like such a bad person. I’m just accepting what the Count is offering to give me, so how is that swindling?”

“Puhahahaha!”

At my shameless words, he burst into laughter once again.

His face showed he was truly beside himself with excitement.

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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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