Chapter 30
Light novel: Episode 30
Manhwa: Chapter 14
“What… did you just say…?”
Lute’s voice trembled faintly.
It was the same tone he had used when he was freed from the pain for the first time thanks to the divine relic.
“I said, I’ll try to find a way to completely cure it. After all, constantly relying on the sacred relic is dangerous, isn’t it? If you lose it or it breaks, the pain will come back.”
“……”
“And you have to receive my blessing every month. But what if something happens and you’re unable to receive it?”
It seemed Lute had thought about that possibility as well given how his hand gave a slight twitch.
“That’s why we need to cure the illness completely. To gain complete freedom from the pain.”
“Is that… even possible? Is there a way to completely cure it?”
Lute was trembling even more now than when he had first grabbed hold of his lifeline, the divine relic.
After all, it had only been a short time since he had finally found a way to barely suppress the pain.
He probably hadn’t even dared hope for a complete cure. His expression was filled with that kind of resignation, and it was pitiful to see.
“I’ve been thinking about it ever since the Duke left the temple. For one, the black marks on your body that only I, the Saintess of the Sun God, can see.
The black stains had clearly lost some of their vigor compared to the last time I saw them.
However, that didn’t mean that the number of marks had decreased significantly.
It was more like they were being suppressed.
If he were to remove the divine relic, those stains would likely surge back into activity at once.
“And then there’s the pain that vanished completely the moment you put on the divine—i mean, sacred relic imbued with my blessing.”
“…Ah.”
“Maybe, just maybe, the Sun God’s divine power, specifically, the power of a Saintess like me could completely cure your illness.”
Up to that point, I had spoken confidently. But then I quickly added a caution, in case he started relying too much on my divine power alone.
“Of course, it might fail. But based on the current circumstances, I believe it has the highest possibility.”
In fact, in the original story, there had been a monologue from Idella speculating that the illness might have been curable if only she’d used the divine power of the Sun God.
However, at that time, Lute’s body had been far too corrupted to be saved.
Now, however?
As long as he kept wearing the divine relic imbued with my blessing, the chance of him turning into a villain was significantly lower.
This world has become completely different from the world of 〈Sacred Idella〉. That’s why I believed his recovery was entirely within reach.
“It’s impossible to treat you right now. If it were possible, I would have cured you on the spot, claimed the title of your undeniable savior, and squeezed every last drop of benefit from you—”
Had that been the case, I’d have demanded 10 billion won, or in other words, 100,000 gold coins, as payment for the treatment. With that amount, everything would have been settled.
But what if I took the money in advance under the pretense of curing him?
If I failed, the consequences would be terrifying.
I wasn’t interested in gambling with that kind of risk.
“To be honest, I’m fairly lacking in ability for a Saintess. That’s also why you need to get your blessings recharged every month.”
Since it had come to this, I decided to lay all my cards on the table.
Lute couldn’t betray me anyway, not when he needed his monthly blessings so he was safe to trust.
“Even so, the reason I am the Saintess is because my divine power grows stronger over time.”
Of course, I sprinkled in a little extra seasoning. But at least it’s not a lie, right?
“It’s getting stronger?”
“Yes. Right now, I can’t even begin to compare to the Saintess and Saint of the Great Sea God, but that’s only for now. One day, I’ll definitely surpass them both.”
In fact, in the original story, Idella too became more powerful than the Saintess and Saint of the Great Sea God.
If I ever reach 100% divine power, I’ll gain strength equal to, if not greater than, theirs.
Of course, unless 10 billion miraculously falls from the sky, reaching 100% is practically impossible.
“But when that time comes, I’ll be able to cure the Duke’s illness for certain.”
And if I somehow fail, I could always ask Idella for help.
“As my power grows, so will the strength of the blessings. So eventually, I’ll be able to give you blessings that last two or three months instead of just one month. That means you won’t have to visit the temple so often anymore as you do now.”
“……”
Lute, who had been staring at me as if bewitched, suddenly frowned.
His face was full of discontent.
What now? Is it because he doesn’t trust me?
“…If you’re doubtful, then I guess there’s no helping it. I can only explain things in words. I’ve got no proof to back them up.”
If he really couldn’t trust me, then I’d just have to settle for a 70-30 split… 60-40 is out of the question.
I mumbled out the compromise. If things went south with Lute now, it’d be bad for us too, not just him.
Yeah. I couldn’t very well gut the goose that lays the golden eggs just to make a few extra bucks right now.
“…If I insisted on a 60-40 split, would you really just leave my illness untreated even if you found a way to cure it, Saintess?”
After a long silence, Lute asked.
Wha—Is he really asking that so directly?
I glanced at Lute, then at the ceiling, then at the floor. My eyes darted around for a while.
Eventually, I clenched my fists tight and spat the words out.
“…No. I won’t.”
If Lute were a full-blown villain right now, someone beyond saving, I probably wouldn’t have cared if he lived or died. I would’ve squeezed him dry for everything he had.
There’s something I learned as a detective. It was that there was no need to give a second chance to those who deliberately committed the worst crimes.
Give them one, and they’ll just take it as permission to commit crimes again.
But the Lute now—he’s different.
Thanks to the help he gave us, everyone at the grand temple was able to eat their fill for the first time in a long time.
We got to eat proper food and feel real joy again.
When you think about it, he’s not just someone I can save. He’s also someone who saved us. So how could I possibly turn my back on him?
God, yeah. Trying to leverage his life to boost the profit split… That really was going too far.
“It was wrong of me to use your illness as a bargaining chip. I’m sorry.”
Since it seemed like we were going to be long-term business partners anyway, there was no point in souring the mood and hurting each other’s feelings over this. So I decided to back down.
“…Even though you hold a powerful weapon in your hand, Saintess, you show no intention of wielding it.”
Lute muttered as he stared at me for a while with an unreadable gaze.
Why are you making such strange comments again?
“Well, it depends on the weapon, doesn’t it? Some things simply aren’t meant to be used as weapons—so I don’t.”
Wielding treatment that could save someone’s life as a weapon? What kind of lunatic would do that?
When I looked at him in disbelief, Lute let out a dry chuckle.
He looked a little dumbfounded, a little angry, and maybe even a little amused.
I couldn’t make sense of his expression at all.
It really drove home the fact that he was no longer just a character in a novel. But a real person, standing and moving right before me.
“…Alright. Then let’s settle for a 70-30 split. And this, this is a small down payment I’ve prepared.”
Lute pulled out a pouch from inside his coat.
“My goodness. Duke, you really are the perfect business partner.”
A down payment? That hadn’t even crossed my mind.
There was no reason to refuse, so I quickly accepted the pouch.
How much was inside?
【3,000 gold.】
“……”
I was hoping he’d be generous enough to give me around 100 million won, but what fell into my lap was none other than a whopping 300 million won or 3,000 gold.
And to think I tried to use this generous man’s life as a bargaining chip.
Hah, I should reflect on myself.
“…Even if I gain a weapon like that again, I’ll quietly keep it sheathed. Thank you, Duke. I love you, Duke.”
“Feel free to love me all you want. I am as generous as I am handsome.”
Of course, how could I possibly disagree? Whatever you say is right.
Grinning from ear to ear, I rubbed my face against the pouch filled with 3,000 gold, and Lute let out a soft laugh.
Oddly enough, it was the happiest expression I’d ever seen on his face.
* * *
A few days later, the two alchemists that Lute and Monica had each scouted finally arrived at the grand temple.
How oddly amusing.
Facing the two of them in the reception room, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.
One was a man with curly brown hair and mischievous orange eyes.
The other had sleek black hair and stubborn green eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses.
The first was found by Monica, and the second was found by Lute. Strangely enough, their vibes were so completely opposite that it was almost as if it had been coordinated.
“Let’s start with your names, shall we?”
No sooner had I asked than the brown-haired man jumped in, as if he’d been waiting all along.
“I’m Zenrick Luang. A twenty-nine year-old alchemy genius recognized by all. When it comes to creativity, the core of alchemy, I’m your guy!”
…He certainly looked confident. Whether he was an actual genius or just a self-proclaimed one, we’d see soon enough.
“Creativity?”
“Yep! Whether it’s condensing common formulas or coming up with brand-new alchemy techniques that have never existed before—that’s my specialty!”
So basically, he’s good at applying what he knows.
If it’s true, then Monica made a good pick. After all, our goal was to develop a new potion that combined divine power and alchemy.
Next up was the black-haired man’s introduction.
“Wolfgang Schmidt. My specialty lies in constructing and devising formulaic sequences for alchemical synthesis. I heard you were trying to combine divine power and alchemy to create a new potion, and that piqued my interest.”
Oh? So Wolfgang is good at designing the formulas, while Zenrick excels at applying and innovating with them.
How did they manage to find two people with such perfectly complementary skill sets as opposite as their appearances?
If this goes well, the synergy between them might be incredible. Just the thought of it made my heart race.
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!