The Saint’s Manual for Redemption - Chapter 32

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 32
‘It’s there, it’s there!’
My Secret Fund, which had filled the hollow head of the Statue of the Deity, finally revealed itself.
Mercifully, the Secret Fund remained completely intact.
It was worth the effort to have filled it only with gold and gemstones, thinking of the currency’s future depreciation. I picked up a gleaming chunk of Pure Gold and bit it lightly—my teeth marks remained clearly impressed in the metal.
“My darlings, you’re all safe……!”
I held the chunks of Pure Gold tenderly and patted them.
This amount would be enough for personal funds I could circulate freely—not quite abundant, perhaps, but enough that I’d never have to grovel before the upper ranks of the Religious Order or let them push me around over money.
Suddenly my spirits lifted entirely. Indeed, comfort flows from sufficient wealth.
Moving all of this to my room at once was impossible. And given that I never knew when the Archbishop’s hounds might come barging through my door, bringing it there wasn’t a particularly good idea.
I could only move this Secret Fund to my room once I had capable hands I could truly trust.
Trustworthy hands like those of my loyal right arm, Benia.
‘That Hawelin must be insane! How could he pressure her like that while courting her? Since when do nobles dig up money from the earth?’
‘Exactly! And he’s not even some delicate nobleman—he’s a mercenary, so why is he such a stickler for propriety?’
‘That’s what I’m saying! There’s a limit to being hotheaded! Does he think he’s a hero just because he’s one? He doesn’t even realize she paid for all his territorial development support after he received his noble title!’
‘Sigh, that old saying about devotion turning to rags—there’s not a word of it that’s wrong.’
‘Hmm…… I do side with her, but honestly, she never really devoted herself to Hawelin. If anything, he devoted more to her. The problem is that bastard ended up kicking her to the curb.’
The moment Benia came to mind—she who’d cursed my ex-boyfriend most satisfyingly of anyone—the faces of those I missed flickered through my thoughts. Those who had labored alongside me, building the Holy Temple and growing the Religious Order.
We hadn’t spent so many years of our lives for this.
So I had to set the Holy Temple right. For the sake of the priests under me back then, if nothing else.
Especially for Grize, who had jumped up and objected so vehemently the moment I announced my Holy Temple development plan.
He’d argued fiercely that those in power would inevitably corrupt, that he couldn’t let Caritas bear the stigma of a corrupted Religious Order.
‘Then why not set clear guidelines? If the next generations follow them, they’ll guard against becoming corrupt clergy.’
‘Guidelines set by people always develop loopholes. Look at our own Religious Order—didn’t we exploit the gaps in the tax code to avoid taxes?’
‘Hey, who was the one leading the charge in tax evasion by mining those loopholes? Why are you like this?’
Grize had cautioned me that it would be far better in the long run to keep the Religious Order at a modest level of influence, rather than push for explosive growth.
‘I support your vision! I can’t stand watching those nobles throw their weight around with their donations anymore!’
‘Right, there was that emergency patient last time, and Baron Rayzik threatened to cut his donation if we didn’t treat his daughter’s knee wound immediately. We were lucky the Holy Maiden resolved it with a Holy Relic.’
‘I agree as well. I think relying only on donations from men like Baron Rayzik ultimately means we’ll turn away from those who need our care. We should tend to the people in front of us now before worrying about the future.’
‘Yes, please, let us finally earn our own money and hold our heads high before those nobles.’
But the others, exhausted by the imperial family’s and nobility’s tyranny and arrogance, all voted in favor, and Grize’s prescience was buried.
Of course, development takes considerable time—by the time Grize, who had grown elderly while we were drawing up the Holy Temple development plan, was on his deathbed, the Holy Temple had only just entered a phase where it could breathe free of financial strain.
‘You were right all along…… To be honest, now that the Religious Order’s finances have flourished, I’ve been happy…… We can give so much more to those in difficult circumstances, and we can make the world know of the Deity’s mercy…….’
‘Of course I was right. I told you—this is the path for everyone. I’ll make sure our Religious Order becomes the most powerful and prosperous in the entire Empire.’
I’d made such grand proclamations, never imagining it would unfold exactly as Grize had warned.
As I recalled those old memories, my eyes and the tip of my nose began to sting.
“Should I just take this much? Or should I take more? If I come too often, will they suspect? But isn’t it strange to suspect someone who’s praying?”
I went back and forth, gathering and setting down gems and gold chunks, until finally I settled on a final amount.
I tucked the Secret Fund into my robes and tapped the Statue of the Deity’s head twice; the head slid smoothly closed. Now my only task was to get it safely to my room without being discovered.
“Oh, you startled me. How long have you been here?”
Arden was waiting the moment I stepped out of the Prayer Chamber—I’d had no idea how long he’d been there.
Since this Prayer Chamber was of my own design, the soundproofing was flawless, so I knew that Arden hadn’t heard me saying things about my darlings and their gold.
But the soundproofing was so complete that I hadn’t heard his approach either.
“I was told you were here.”
With a brief report, he courteously extended his arm—an offer to escort me to my room.
I paused, looking down at his arm for a moment, then placed my hand upon it without hesitation.
I’d just been reminiscing about my right arm and my ex-boyfriend, and now facing a face that bore a striking resemblance to that ex, the mood felt oddly complicated.
“Does it displease you that I’ve returned as your Holy Knight?”
But misinterpreting my expression as disapproval, Arden asked smoothly.
“Of course not. I’m simply annoyed that I was given no choice in the matter.”
I offered a vague excuse, using Arden’s suspicion as cover. After all, I couldn’t very well tell him to his face that I’d been thinking of my ex-boyfriend and that’s why I’d looked at him that way.
“I’m relieved. I thought perhaps Your Highness wanted a different Holy Knight.”
Having heard my response, Arden finally turned his body toward the corridor and began walking. There wasn’t the slightest discord between our paces.
As we walked down the Main Temple corridor, gazes flickered past us cautiously.
Some lowered their heads; others gazed strictly at the wall as they passed. There must have been some superstition spreading that contact with me meant death. Otherwise, they wouldn’t treat me like a phantom and avoid me so thoroughly.
As if to block out all those stares, Arden walked in a manner that enfolded me protectively.
Upon reaching my door, I withdrew my hand from his arm, and he opened the door before stepping back.
After I entered first, Arden surveyed the room, confirming there were no suspicious presences, before following me in and closing the door.
The moment the door closed, I could finally breathe. I’d been so anxious about the precious Secret Fund in my robes being discovered.
There were more advantages to being in this room than I’d initially thought.
First, the soundproofing was excellent. Which made sense—back when I was the Third Holy Maiden, I’d personally installed not just sound-dampening walls but Anti-Eavesdropping Magic throughout the chamber.
Combined with the Secret Fund, it was a perfect example of my past self looking out for my present one.
Second, thanks to the legend that this room was cursed, no one lingered around it the way they might have elsewhere. It seemed the curse made them more uneasy than any obligation to monitor me.
Third, there was far more space to hide the Secret Fund than in my previous quarters. During my Candidate years, the Main Temple had given me a room with nowhere suitable to conceal anything—a real inconvenience. Here, hiding places were abundant.
I was still deliberating over exactly where to stash the funds so the hiding spot would seem genuinely concealed, when Arden cleared his throat with a deliberate cough.
I reached for one of the Blue Apples in the fruit basket on the table and turned my gaze toward him.
“I’ve heard something regarding the Coronation Ceremony.”
Arden spoke first.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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