Chapter 43
Light novel: Episode 43
Manhwa: Chapter 18
Thanks to Monica telling me why they were so angry, I understood the whole situation.
“I heard that you helped my daughter when she was being hit. Thank you very much.”
“…I was rude without knowing that. I sincerely apologize.”
Lady Hindel and the Count bowed their heads with solemn expressions.
And I… was flustered.
That apprentice priestess back then… was Monica?
Because she had been covering her cheek and her hair was a mess, I hadn’t gotten a clear look at her face.
No wonder… From the moment she came asking to become my aide, she seemed strangely fond of me. So this was the reason.
“…No. Since it was someone from my own house who caused the problem, I should be the one apologizing. I’m truly sorry for causing harm to your precious daughter.”
Instead of explaining everything, I chose to offer an apology.
I’ll have to apologize to Monica separately later, too.
“Not at all. But according to Monica, she said you and the Kiris family aren’t on good terms…”
It wasn’t something worth hiding, so I nodded in agreement.
“That’s right. Because of the donations, we haven’t been able to sever ties just yet.”
“We’ll resolve that for you!”
“…Pardon?”
“We’ll give you twice the amount the Kiris family donates. So please, don’t worry and use this opportunity to sever ties with them completely!”
My goodness. A literal gold nugget had come rolling into this shabby grand temple.
Honestly, part of me wanted to grab both their hands on the spot and laugh joyfully, saying, “We’re counting on you!”
If it weren’t for one problem.
“I appreciate your generous offer, but unfortunately, it will be difficult for me to do so at the moment.”
“Why is that?”
“Because I’m legally Count Kiris’s adopted daughter. Until that status is removed, I can’t cut ties completely.”
Even if the grand temple is an extraterritorial area, you can’t just erase a name off the Imperial Nobility Registry at will.
If I want to sever ties entirely, that issue had to be resolved first.
“I see… That makes sense.”
Count Hindel looked visibly disheartened. The hostile glare he had given me at first, as if I were some kidnapper, was completely gone now.
“Don’t worry. I’ll…”
Wait, how old is Ordell right now? If this is one year before the start of the original story, then…
【Current age of ‘Ordell Kiris’: 21 years old.】
“……”
I knew I was young, but… I’ve basically gone back by over ten years.
At least I’m legally an adult, that’s a relief.
“…Since I’m no longer at an age where a legal guardian is required, I should be able to break away without much trouble.”
I’m not even his biological daughter, just an adopted one, and I also have the official status of a Saintess of the grand temple so it shouldn’t be difficult.
If things get tricky, I’ll just ask Lute for help or something.
“We’ll be praying for your swift escape, Saintess. And regardless of that, we’d still like to make a donation. It’s the temple where my daughter lives, and I want to express my gratitude for your help.”
“If you’re willing, I won’t refuse your donation. This is not a situation where I can be picky. The donation will be used entirely for the repair of the grand temple.”
I earnestly emphasized that the funds wouldn’t be wasted that they would go entirely toward renovating this gloomy, crumbling place.
I’ll show you a transformed grand temple.
The couple looked pleased.
“On that note… would you be interested in becoming followers of the Sun God yourselves, perhaps along with your daughter?”
Now that we’d cleared up their misunderstandings about the grand temple of the Sun God, and since they approved of Monica staying here and were even offering a donation, I seized the opportunity and made the pitch.
I feel like some kind of solicitor, but I’ll ignore that.
“Oh yes! Since you’re here, you should register as believers before you go!”
Monica, my reliable supporter, also welcomed the idea enthusiastically.
“The Sun God is such a wonderful and kind deity. He loves his children dearly and cares for them warmly. I hope Mother and Father get to feel that warmth too!”
“……”
The Sun God I know seems very different from the Sun God Monica knows.
Not only did he kidnap my soul that was already on its way to heaven and shoved it into a villain’s body, but he also makes me work and even extorts money from me… How is that a warm and loving god? Cherishes his children?
How about cherishing the Saintess you forced into this role, not just the priests?
“Believers, huh…”
The couple glanced at each other. It seemed the idea of joining a temple as formal followers felt a little burdensome.
Especially since the Great Sea God holds such influence right now.
So I decided to put on a bit of a performance.
“As you know, since I’m legally still affiliated with the Kiris family as their adopted daughter… even if you donate a large amount, it’s hard to immediately shake off their influence.”
I deliberately put on a bitter expression. Monica must not have realized it was an act as she looked at me with such pity that I felt a little guilty.
“But if you were to become followers of the Sun God, that would officially link you to the grand temple, and you will be able to exert your influence much more easily then.”
Their eyes started to waver. With how the atmosphere suggested they were close to giving in, I brought out my trump card.
“For your information, Duke Lute Sieri is one of our followers as well.”
“What? That person is?”
As expected, invoking Lute Sieri had a tremendous effect. The couple immediately showed great interest.
“Our current business partnership with him began thanks to the connection we formed after he became a follower.”
“I thought he recognized the special and unique healing properties of the Sun God’s divine power and decided to do business with the temple. I see now that it wasn’t just that.”
The couple looked at each other. After exchanging glances for a moment, they both nodded without hesitation.
“Our daughter said she plans to live her entire life as a priestess of the Sun God, so we have no reason to refuse. And if we’re lucky, we might even build ties with Duke Sieri.”
There were some rather worldly reasons involved, but considering the weight of Sieri’s name, it was hard to blame them.
I didn’t use his name as my trump card for no reason.
Gaining Lute was, without question, truly the best decision of my life.
I’ll have to treat him well from now on. Lute is the grand temple’s number one VIP follower.
“Then let’s proceed with registering you as followers right away.”
Strike while the iron is hot, as they say. Without delay, I added the two of them to the registry.
【Two B-rank followers have been registered under the Sun God.】
【The user’s divine power has increased by 0.1%.】
And with the new followers came a precious bit of divine power.
I pulled Monica into a tight embrace for the excellent work she had done.
* * *
Since the poor grand temple didn’t even have a proper guest room for the Hindels to stay in, they decided to spend the night in a nearby village.
I gladly gave Monica a special leave so she could spend time with them.
She should at least spend one night with the parents she hadn’t seen in half a year.
Seeing Count Hindel grinning from ear to ear, I knew I’d made the right choice.
“The Count and his wife seem to really love their daughter. They looked like a wonderful family.”
“Yes, they are.”
Late at night, Victoria nodded as she stood by my side in place of Monica, who had stepped away.
“I was surprised because the atmosphere was very different from my family.”
“What about your family?”
“If it had been my parents, they would’ve chased me down with swords the moment I ran away.”
“…Swords?”
“Yes. Then they would’ve used it as an excuse to ‘train’ with me and drag me back home after knocking me unconscious.”
…What the hell, that’s terrifying.
Victoria seems normal, but what’s wrong with her parents?
“Are your parents knights too?”
“They’re mercenaries. They run a mercenary corps together.”
“……”
Not just mercenaries, but a married couple who are the leaders of a mercenary group.
Well, that explains it. So Victoria’s enviable muscular build and prominent frame were inherited.
“That’s why they weren’t happy with me awakening my divine power and becoming a holy knight. They wanted me to take over the mercenary group.”
…Wait, mercenary corps get passed down like family heirlooms now?
“Huh. That, I don’t really understand.”
“Pardon?”
“You’re better suited to being a knight than a mercenary. Especially a holy knight, that’s clearly your calling.”
I’m not just saying that because I’m close to Victoria.
Even if you grabbed any random passerby and asked, they’d probably roll over backward in awe and say, “Yeah, she’s definitely a holy knight.”
“I don’t really know your parents, but I bet they feel the same way. I mean, people with such strong personalities ended up respecting your choice, didn’t they?”
The grand temple of the Sun God does not force people to become followers just because they have awakened divine power.
Only the insolent brats from the Great Sea God’s side would do such a thing. Here, we respect the wishes and will of the individual.
Victoria also had the right to refuse but she became a holy knight and chose to stand by the Saintess’s side.
If her supposedly hot-tempered parents really opposed it, they would’ve broken her legs to stop her, but they didn’t. Doesn’t that mean they acknowledged her decision?
“…Thank you for saying that.”
Victoria blinked, slightly surprised, but she soon smiled.
It was a bashful yet joyful smile.
When it was time to go to bed, Victoria turned off the lights, said good night, and left the bedroom.
The sound of her heavy footsteps gradually faded away.
Today was another eventful day.
Life now was more relaxed than during my days as a detective, yet strangely more pressuring. I reflected on the day as I closed my eyes.
And then immediately opened them again.
Beeeep!
A loud warning signal sounded in my ears, or rather, in my head.
【Warning!】
【Warning!】
【Automatic alert system has been activated.】
【The AI system is notifying the user: a follower of another god has infiltrated the grand temple.】
【They are approaching the user. Exercise caution.】
…What bastard is this now?
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!