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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: A Blessed Swap
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How should I put this…
Considering the future, I knew I should give it to him, but he was so blatant about it that I was starting to feel reluctant.
Is this what it feels like to be contrarian?
【Offering Box】
As if it sensed me glaring, the text on the offering box hastily became more subdued.
Fine, I’ll be the bigger person and let it slide.
I placed the entire pouch, filled with two thousand gold, into the offering box.
I saw Lute’s eyes widen as the pouch of gold vanished into thin air, but I had no time to dwell on his reaction.
With a sound like hundreds, or even thousands, of coins clinking, a cascade of system messages filled my vision.
【2,000 gold has been deposited into the offering box of the ‘Sun That Crawled Out of Death’.】
【Through the devotion of a faithful follower, the ‘Sun That Crawled Out of Death’ recovers a portion of its power.】
【The ‘Sun That Crawled Out of Death’ bestows a blessing upon the Saintess who has devoted herself to him. The user’s Divine Power increases.】
【Current Divine Power: 10%】
My divine power had increased by two percent thanks to the god’s blessing.
I soon realized why the Sun God had demanded I reach ten percent.
【The user’s Divine Power has reached 10%. The Saintess-exclusive skill ‘Blessing’ is now unlocked.】
【Skill: ‘Blessing’】
1. You can now use healing powers through blessing.
2. You can bestow new blessings upon existing holy objects.
A blessing! And I can even bestow it on holy objects!
So this was why. There was a reason the Sun God had consumed his precious power to tell me this.
With this, I can make Lute Ciel a steadfast ally!
“Subspace magic? But I thought priests couldn’t use magic…”
I shook my head at his question about the disappearing pouch.
“It isn’t magic. Let’s just say it’s an ability only the Saintess of the Sun God can use.”
After that brief explanation, I rose from my seat.
“All the necessary arrangements have been made. I will go and retrieve the holy relic now. Please wait here for a moment.”
Lute’s expression brightened noticeably. He must have been worried I’d take the money and feign ignorance.
“And the High Priest?”
As I stepped out of the reception room, I asked Seth, who was waiting outside.
“He hasn’t returned yet.”
Good. I need to get this done before he returns.
“Let’s go to the sanctuary. I must retrieve the holy relic.”
The catacombs of the Grand Temple.
There, in a place forbidden to most, lay the sanctuary where holy objects and relics were enshrined.
The Holy Relic of Light that Lute sought was also there.
“Wow…”
After a long descent into the depths with Seth, we finally reached the entrance to the sanctuary.
The moment I stood before the entrance, a gasp of admiration escaped my lips.
The massive marble door, engraved with indecipherable geometric patterns, was so overwhelming that my chest tightened just from looking at it.
Was this the divine language written in the holy scriptures, or some other script beyond our comprehension?
What was certain was that, like the scriptures, it radiated a sense of the sacred.
“It has been a long time since I last came here, but it always feels daunting.”
“You too, Captain of the Holy Knights? I feel it as well. There’s a certain pressure to it.”
Seth nodded, then placed his hand on the door and slowly channeled his divine power into it.
The moment the intricate patterns on the door glowed gold, it began to swing open with a heavy groan.
A brilliant light and incredibly pure, clean air poured through the opening, washing over me.
“Good heavens. How can a place like this exist underground?”
Though there were no lamps, a soft light streamed down from the enclosed ceiling.
It was similar to the sunlight from outside, yet different. This was the light of the Sun God.
Even with his power weakened, he still maintained the light that protected his sanctuary.
Thanks to the god’s blessing, perhaps, lush grass and trees grew in abundance, thriving in a way that seemed impossible for an underground space.
It was a stark contrast to the temple garden, which we had been forced to abandon due to our poverty.
“Does this place stay like this without any upkeep?”
“Yes. It is the place most directly touched by the god’s hand.”
What a relief. Unlike the desolate garden outside, this place is eternal.
It would have been tragic if a place this beautiful had been ruined by poverty.
I’ll make sure to earn enough money to restore the garden outside, too.
“But where might the Holy Relic of Light be? The High Priest is the one who oversees this place, so I know very little about it.”
Seth said awkwardly, looking embarrassed.
I patted his shoulder reassuringly.
Alright, AI system, get to work. Show me where the Holy Relic of Light is.
【The AI system will now search for the ‘Holy Relic of Light’ at the user’s request.】
A map of the sanctuary soon appeared before my eyes. I slowly made my way forward, following the red dot that pulsed on it.
Normally, holy objects imbued with the Sun God’s power are kept where the light can reach them.
But the map guided me deeper and deeper into a corner where no light could reach.
Soon, we arrived at a place so overgrown with trees that not a single ray of the sanctuary’s light could penetrate the gloom.
In a corner far too gloomy for a sanctuary, a single ornate jewelry box rested.
“The god tells me this is the Holy Relic of Light.”
“As expected of the Saintess.”
His pure admiration for my blatant lie made me feel a slight pang of guilt…
I cleared my throat and opened the box.
A golden necklace, set with a brilliant red gemstone, lay nestled on a bed of silk.
The lavish necklace looked fit for an empress and was bewitchingly beautiful, but…
It felt… incredibly out of place for a holy relic. Far from sacred, its excessive opulence gave off a sinister vibe.
I knew this from the original novel, but seeing it in person made it feel even more repulsive.
“This… is the Holy Relic of Light…?”
Seth, too, looked hesitant, clearly feeling that something was off.
“It feels less like light and more like…”
“A holy relic of darkness, wouldn't you say?”
He couldn’t bring himself to finish the thought, so I finished it for him.
I smiled at his startled expression.
“Strange, isn’t it? How something so ornate and beautiful can seem so dark and grim.”
“Saintess…”
“Would it be right to give something this repulsive to Duke Ciel?”
Seth didn’t answer. Not that I needed him to.
【Activating Skill: ‘Body Enhancement’.】
*Crack!*
I gathered divine power in my hands and crushed the necklace I was holding.
I’d wanted to destroy it the moment I saw it. That felt good.
“S-Saintess! The holy relic! Why…!”
Seth’s face turned pale at my sudden action.
I told him the reason for my actions in no uncertain terms.
“This isn’t a holy relic imbued with the Sun God’s power.”
“…What?”
“As the Saintess, I can feel it. This necklace is filled with a malevolent energy.”
As I unclenched my fist, the shattered fragments clattered to the floor.
The ‘Holy Relic of Light’ was a key item in the novel, *The Saintly Idella*.
The very thing Lute Ciel mistakenly believed was the only cure for his illness was, in fact, not a holy relic of the Sun God at all.
On the contrary, it was a nexus of evil that had to be destroyed.
【The ‘Holy Relic of Light’ has been destroyed by the divine power of the ‘Sun That Crawled Out of Death’.】
Ignoring the system message, I stared down at the fragments of the necklace on the floor.
Far from curing Lute Ciel’s illness, this was the very thing that made it worse.
At first, it would significantly alleviate his pain, so Lute would never realize the truth, carrying the relic with him like a sacred charm.
He would be oblivious as the relic’s vile energy worsened his illness, slowly corrupting him from within.
The moment the relic’s energy completely consumed him, Lute would lose his free will and become a slave to its creator.
That was precisely why Lute became a villain in the original story.
The creator of the Holy Relic of Light was the Sun God’s ancient enemy—the final boss the protagonists were fated to fight.
“M-Malevolent energy? But this was clearly a holy relic crafted by the High Priest from two generations ago…!”
I revealed the truth to the horrified Seth.
“He was either a traitor, or he was never a true priest of the Sun God to begin with.”
To be precise, he was both.
He was born with the Sun God’s divine power, but he betrayed his faith and began to worship the Sun God’s enemy.
In exchange for his worship, he received power from that entity, and with that power, he created the ‘Holy Relic of Light.’
Truly a blasphemous name for something meant to mock the Sun God.
“That… that can’t be. How… how could he betray his faith…? To bring a relic made with another power into the sanctuary and pass it off as one of ours…”
As the most faithful man in the Grand Temple, Seth couldn’t possibly comprehend such an act.
“If we had given this to Duke Ciel without knowing the truth… It’s all thanks to you, Saintess. I’m so relieved you were here to confirm its nature.”
“But we can’t tell the Duke the truth outright. Not after we’ve already taken his money.”
“Ah! Then what do we do?”
“The Duke probably doesn’t know what the relic looks like anyway. So, there’s only one option.”
“Which is…”
What else could it be?
“We’ll swap it.”
We’ll give him a real one—one filled with my blessing and the Sun God’s divine power!
A genuine relic, so full of my ‘Blessing’ that no evil would dare approach it.
