Chapter 18
Light novel: Episode 18
Manhwa: Chapter 9-10
The future villain is gone, and now I’ve gained a follower worth three hundred million.
Truly, a perfect day.
I should keep focusing on missionary work from now on. Though I doubt I’ll find another person on Lute’s level anytime soon.
Still, something bugs me. Airek and Seth, our temple’s devout followers of the Sun God, are both quite strong—so why didn’t they make the Sun God stronger like this?
Is it only new followers who count?
【Airek Dert and Seth Noel are, compared to Lute Sieri, significantly, severely, extremely, very lacking in both fame and wealth, and are therefore only B-rank followers.】
“……”
How many levels of emphasis was that just now?
Poor Airek and Seth… what are they supposed to do with that?
Unlike Lute, whose wealth ranks at SSS+, Airek and Seth—running a poor temple—are probably F-rank at best.
Not to mention their fame. It’s probably not even worth mentioning.
Poor guys. I’ll work hard and make sure your wallets are full someday.
…Though honestly, I’m even poorer than the two of them right now.
“Well then, dear follower. Shall we now discuss the relic transfer tax?”
This wasn’t because I was jealous of Lute’s SSS+ level wealth.
It was purely for the sake of reviving the grand temple and offering it to the Sun God.
Absolutely, that’s what it is.
“Ah, of course. I was thinking of offering about five hundred gold to start. Would that be enough?”
“……”
“……”
“……”
I… completely underestimated what SSS+ level wealth really meant.
At his generous offer, the three poor F-rank followers were struck speechless.
F-Five hundred gold. So, uh… wait, how much is one gold again? Five hundred gold would be how much in Korean won?
【1 gold equals 100,000 won. Therefore, 500 gold equals 50,000,000 won.】
Bang!
I slammed both fists on the table without thinking, overwhelmed by the absurd amount.
It was already a blessing to have a three-hundred-million-won-grade follower, and now he was throwing in 50 million more?
How on earth did a sucker—I mean, treasure—like this just fall into my lap?
“…Is it not enough? Then how about one thousand gold?”
Lute seemed to misunderstand my reaction and suddenly doubled the transfer fee.
Wow, he must really be desperate. Should I raise the price even higher?
…No, better not. I need to stay on good terms with Lute. Let’s be satisfied with this much.
“One thousand gold sounds perfect. Would you be able to pay it immediately?”
“Of course. Just give me a moment.”
As Lute stepped outside to speak with his aide, Yuri Poulton, the three paupers huddled together in a panic.
“I heard that Duke Sieri owns a mine, but I didn’t think he’d casually fork over a thousand gold like that right from the start. Honestly, I didn’t even have a number in mind when I asked—I just blurted something out.”
At my shameless comment, Airek and Seth both stared silently at me.
Still, thanks to me, we’ve got money to feed the disciples now.
I’m not offering this up as a divine donation—this is going straight into investing in the grand temple, so try to understand.
“In any case, it’s a huge help to us right now, when every penny counts. With the Duke’s support, we might finally free ourselves from Count Kiris’s influence.”
“That’s true… but I still don’t understand why someone like Duke Sieri would need the Relic of Light. Besides, that relic…”
“Now that you mention it, what is the Relic of Light? I’ve never heard of it before.”
When Airek trailed off with a strange expression, Seth turned and asked the question.
“It actually doesn’t have any special powers. I heard it was created a couple of generations ago by a priest who received a divine revelation, but since it didn’t have any particular abilities, we’ve just kept it in storage.”
So even Airek doesn’t know the truth about the relic.
Well, if he did know, he wouldn’t have just left it there untouched.
Because while it may be called a relic, it wasn’t one in the truest sense.
Which means I absolutely can’t let Lute have it.
Instead, I’ll have to prepare something else he’ll be satisfied with…
I do have an idea—but whether it’ll work or not, I’m not sure.
【Offering a portion of the power restored to the ‘Sun Crawling Out of Death,’ a transaction will now be initiated with the AI system.】
Just then, a surprising message popped up before my eyes.
What? Why waste the hard-earned divine power I just got back? What kind of deal could possibly be worth that?
【The AI system accepts the transaction with the ‘Sun Crawling Out of Death.’ The will of the ‘Sun Crawling Out of Death’ will now be conveyed to the user.】
【If you increase your divine power by exactly 2%, all your current worries will be resolved.】
Huh? Seriously?
My divine power is 8% right now. If I hit the 10% mark, will I get a new ability like I did at 5% with the Body Enhancement skill?
And one that fits perfectly for this situation?
But… what kind of ability is it?
【I cannot answer that question as that question is not part of the transaction with the ‘Sun Crawling Out of Death.’】
Whatever it is, the Sun God is currently in such a dire state that even a sliver of power is precious—yet he’s offering it up just to tell me this. I’ll trust it.
“High Priest, once the Duke hands over the 1,000 gold, please use it to buy food supplies. We haven’t had meat in a long time.”
Now that I’d made up my mind, the first thing I did was send Airek away so he wouldn’t get in the way.
Thankfully, he had been worried about the quality of meals in the grand temple for a while now, so he nodded without much suspicion.
“You’ve been waiting, haven’t you? I’ll pay the 1,000 gold right away.”
Just then, Lute returned with his aide.
“High Priest, please verify the payment. In the meantime, Duke, may I have a word with you?”
With Airek gone, only one obstacle remained: Seth.
“Captain, would you mind stepping outside for a moment?”
But with Seth, I didn’t need to play games.
The loyal Captain of the Holy Order sent me one worried glance, then obediently exited the room.
Now for the most important part.
Once I confirmed the door was shut tight, I turned toward Lute with purpose.
“Duke. I have a proposal.”
“What in the world is the Saintess about to say that she’s coming at me with such a scary look?”
“Give me more money.”
I cut straight to the point and bewilderment flashed across Lute’s face.
“Did I hear that right? What did you say?”
“Money. I don’t need a lot. Just 2,000 gold more.”
Asking for another 2,000 gold out of nowhere—after already taking 1,000—of course he’d be dumbfounded.
But this is all to save you, you know. That 2,000 gold is the price of your life!
“Of course, don’t tell the High Priest or the Captain of the Holy Order. I’m not doing this out of greed, so please don’t look at me like that.”
“……”
“You need the relic because of your illness, don’t you?”
At that, Lute’s eyes turned cold.
The lazy catlike demeanor vanished instantly, and the atmosphere shifted.
He didn’t even have to move much, just sitting upright created a heavy, oppressive air.
But that wouldn’t work on me.
My mental fortitude is strong enough now to endure even a swordmaster’s killing intent.
“…Very few people know about that.”
“I figured. Neither the High Priest nor the Captain seemed to notice. But I can see it clearly. The strange black stains spread all over your body.”
“…stains?”
“Yes. No matter how I look at them, they’re clearly unnatural. I can see those black marks eating away at you.”
At first, I wondered why he was walking around with something that looked like mold on him.
But once I realized who Lute really was, I understood.
Those stains were linked to the illness plaguing him.
Even now, the black spots were slowly growing larger.
Every time the pitch-black mass swelled, the gold around it diminished and whenever that happened, Lute’s hand trembled slightly. I’d been watching since earlier, so I was sure.
He was enduring the pain of his illness even now.
“I’ve met countless priests in my life, but none of them ever said they could see such a thing.”
Judging by how neither Airek nor Seth reacted, it must really be something only I can see.
I don’t know why.
“Maybe it’s because I’m the Saintess of the Sun God, who specializes in healing. But let me make one thing clear—your illness can’t be completely cured by the Relic of Light alone. However, if you have my help as the Saintess, that changes things.”
“……”
“Just 2,000 gold. Give me that, and I’ll help you for real.”
Indeed, even in the original story, it was mentioned that only the divine power of the Sun God could soothe his suffering, so I spoke confidently.
“…2,000 gold. That’s all it takes?”
After a long silence, Lute finally spoke and I clenched my fists in victory.
“If possible, right now. While no one else is around.”
“…Why does this feel like I’m getting extorted by some thug?”
Though he would give it, since he was grasping at straws, Lute muttered just loudly enough for me to hear.
I mean, I’m doing this to help you, and he calls me a thug? That’s just rude!
“Exactly 2,000 gold. It’s sealed with subspace magic.”
Grumbling all the while, he pulled out a pouch about the size of a fist and set it down.
“Honestly, if the deal couldn’t be closed with 1,000 gold, I came prepared to offer 3,000 instead. So I was a little surprised when you said you need exactly 2,000 gold. Do you have any kind of mind-reading skills or something?”
Not right now, but honestly, that would be pretty handy. I wonder if I’ll get that kind of ability someday?
【No such skill exists】.
…Right, thanks for letting me know.
With a disappointed look on my face, I grabbed the pouch containing the 2,000 gold. And just like it had been waiting for this moment, a system message popped up.
【♥ ♥ ♥ Donation Box ♥ ♥ ♥】
More precisely, a donation box radiating pure joy at the thought of receiving money.
“……”
I was at a total loss for words.
SoundlessWind21’s Notes:
If there are any errors, whether it be grammatical, spelling, translation, or website-related issues, feel free to let me know. (´◡`) Anyway, thank you for reading!