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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Quitting the Saintess Gig
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Whenever I ask anything, it's 'divine secrets' this and 'divine secrets' that.
In the end, it’s a system that only says the one thing I hate to hear—to raise my divine power—but I managed to pester it into giving me a few key pieces of information.
1. ‘Ordel Kiris’ has inherently weak power, so I need to receive power from the Sun God to increase my divine power.
2. The problem is, the Sun God who’s supposed to give me that power is too weak and unintelligent to do so right now.
3. Therefore, I’m still a nobody with a measly 2% divine power.
4. To increase my divine power, I have to gather followers to strengthen the Sun God.
After laying it all out, I let out a satisfied smile.
“'Key pieces of information,' my foot. None of this is helpful at all.”
It claims to be an AI system that manages dimensions and communicates with gods, yet it doesn't seem much different from the AIs made back on Earth.
I mean, it’s better than nothing, but it’s not exactly useful either.
I clicked my tongue and looked at the fifth item I had added to the list.
5. The current point in time, post-possession, is roughly one year before the original story begins.
In other words, this is before the heroine, Idella, has her awakening.
Everything would have sorted itself out in a year, so why drag me into this?
The useless AI refused to tell me, calling that a 'divine secret' too.
Is there some grand reason why the Sun God couldn't wait for Idella's awakening?
That might be why I was made to possess Ordel, whom everyone—save for a select few—believes to be the real Saintess.
“If I had my way, I’d ditch this quest and everything else and just run…”
Honestly, what do I care if the Sun God vanishes?
Why should I obediently help the Sun God who forced me into a second life without my consent?
The best happy ending would be to run away, enjoy my new life as a transmigrator, and then cheer from the sidelines when the main characters save the world.
“To do that, I suppose I’ll have to go to the temple tomorrow.”
The Grand Temple of the Sun God, where Ordel is pretending to be the Saintess.
To quit this Saintess gig, I have to go there and talk to the High Priest.
Frankly, it’s a bit unsettling, since some of the people who contributed to Ordel's death are there…
But it can't be helped if I want a comfortable and smooth life as a transmigrator.
I’ll just have to endure a little discomfort.
* * *
“Ugh, I’m dying…”
But at dawn the next day.
I found myself facing a threat to my life before I even made it to the temple.
*Grrrrrrrrrrowl.*
Namely, a maddening hunger.
“Please, someone save me…”
The roar of my stomach demanding food was so loud it drowned out the sound of the carriage wheels on the road.
This is all because of those damn Kirises.
‘Drag that thing out of here at once, lock her in her room, and don’t give her a single drop of water! Then, as soon as the sun rises tomorrow, kick her out to the Grand Temple!’
Count Kiris, Ordel’s father, had not only starved me all night but had also dragged me from my bed at sunrise and shoved me into a carriage.
Without so much as a drop of water, let alone a meal!
How can anyone be so cruel!
“I know Ordel isn’t his biological daughter, but isn’t this going too far?”
That’s right. Ordel was not the count’s biological daughter.
When Ordel, who came from a distant branch of the family, awakened her divine power, the count immediately adopted her.
All to install her as the fake Saintess of the Grand Temple of the Sun God.
The Grand Temple, facing dire circumstances, had no choice but to accept Ordel as the Saintess.
But the only one who benefited from this was the count.
He abused and brainwashed Ordel to ensure she wouldn't betray the family.
To keep people from looking down on her, Ordel wreaked havoc in the Grand Temple, causing it to falter even more.
Only the count prospered, basking in the glory of having produced a Saintess.
“It’s no wonder she turned out the way she did, growing up like this.”
It was especially bad when the heroine, the real Saintess, appeared.
Upon losing her precarious position as the fake Saintess, Ordel tormented the heroine relentlessly.
Even I cursed her out while reading the novel…
But now that I’m in her body and experiencing the abuse firsthand, I feel a little sorry for her.
“I have to cut ties with the Kiris family, no matter what.”
They’re a cancer. Sticking with them will only hurt me.
As soon as I get to the Grand Temple, I’ll beg for forgiveness for everything I’ve done and tell them I’m leaving because I don't think I'm qualified.
And then, a happy ending for all…
*Grrrrrrrrrrowl!*
Just then, my stomach let out a thunderous roar, as if asking if I had forgotten about it. I clutched my belly, my face pale.
“…First, I’ll ask for a meal.”
Right, everything I'm doing is for the sake of survival. I’ll eat as soon as I arrive…
But it was another full day before I arrived at the temple.
Having starved for nearly two days, I glared at the knights escorting the carriage from outside.
Those damn knights from the count’s household. How could they not give me a single meal or even a sip of water?
This is basically torture, isn't it? At this rate, my second life is going to end in vain.
“Ugh…”
The moment the carriage arrived at the Grand Temple, I threw open the door and jumped out.
I was feeling so carsick that I just wanted to lie down, I didn't care if it was on the hard ground…
But instead of hard ground, something soft and warm enveloped me.
It even had a pleasant scent that gradually soothed my nausea.
Ah, with this, I think I can survive.
My survival instincts kicked in, and I hugged the thing that was holding me tight.
“…Your Holiness?”
Just then, a very sweet voice came from above my head.
I see. It’s a person! It doesn't feel like hard armor, so it can't be one of those knights who starved me!
“I-I’m hungry…”
Relieved, I clung to the warm presence and slid to the ground.
*Grrrrrrrrrrowl.*
Along with a massive roar from my stomach.
* * *
Fortunately, the person didn’t just toss me aside.
On the contrary, he thankfully helped me to what I assumed was my bedroom and even had a meal brought in right away.
There was soup with meat, a fresh fruit salad, soft and savory wheat bread, and even delicious juice.
Hah, what a magnificent feast.
“Please eat slowly, Your Holiness. I’m worried you’ll get indigestion.”
I was hastily spooning soup into my mouth when the voice from in front of me made me flinch.
I took a deep breath and slowly raised my head.
…So dazzling.
The person I had clung to after jumping out of the carriage. The owner of that sweet voice and inexplicable warmth.
Golden hair that seemed to be spun from sunlight itself, green eyes that held the verdant hues of fluttering leaves, and a gentle demeanor like a mild day—all of it was staring right at me.
I knew who he was just from his appearance.
The High Priest who was barely keeping this ridiculously poor Grand Temple of the Sun God afloat, and the true power behind it.
And one of the male leads who would later fall in love with the heroine and kill me.
It was Airic Derte.
“Ahem.”
Perhaps because he was the man who would one day kill me, I felt uncomfortable and subtly averted my gaze.
That’s when I noticed that the upper part of Airic’s clothes was completely wrinkled.
Why were the High Priest’s robes, a symbol of purity, in such a state? It was as if he’d been grabbed and clawed at…
Wait, could that be…
“Um, my apologies. I wasn’t in my right mind earlier…”
To have dared to touch the High Priest’s body of all people! Even the tyrannical Ordel had never done such a thing.
“Ah.”
Airic looked down at his robes, which were so wrinkled they could have been torn, then looked back at me with a strange expression.
“…It’s alright. You seemed very tired. You don’t need to apologize for something like this.”
He looked suspicious, and rightly so.
Airic Derte was one of the primary victims of Ordel’s tyranny.
The problem was, he knew Ordel was a fake Saintess.
He was the one who had made the deal with the Kiris family regarding the fake Saintess.
So he had no choice but to silently endure Ordel's tyranny. For someone like her to suddenly offer a sincere apology must have been suspicious.
“High Priest, there’s something I need to tell you.”
There was no reason to delay. If I had to say it, it was better to do it as soon as possible.
“I… am thinking of stepping down as the Saintess.”
Airic’s face hardened.
