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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: A Secret Deal
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“You’ve already taken three thousand gold, and now you’re saying the recharge fee is separate… Plus, I have to recharge the blessing once a month.”
Lute’s silver-gray eyes stared at me as if I were the strangest thing in the world.
Getting a look like that from the villain who tormented the protagonists and stood in their way until the very end… it was quite satisfying.
“You’ll understand the effectiveness of my blessing in a month, so we can discuss the recharge fee then.”
When the blessing wears off and the pain returns, you’ll come looking for me on your own.
As I added those words, which sounded like a curse but were more of a prophecy, Lute swept his hair back.
That simple gesture revealed his subtle, simmering anger.
“…Are you aware? I run a merchant guild.”
I knew. It was described in the original novel.
Though the story went that his condition worsened because of the Holy Relic of Light, he became a slave to the villain, and his guild eventually collapsed.
Restricted in every action, deprived even of the freedom to take his own life, Lute Ciel had given in to despair and transformed into a complete villain.
“Which means I’m not one to take a loss in my dealings.”
Lute, still in control of his not-yet-failed guild, let out a dry laugh.
“I never imagined I’d be extorted for so much money by the Saintess.”
“But it’s not a loss, is it? If you can alleviate your condition with money, isn’t that a gain? Besides, for Duke Ciel’s family, which owns mines, this is practically pocket change.”
In my past life, I’d never even touched 300 million despite working my fingers to the bone, yet here I was, shamelessly calling this pocket change.
Lute, too, seemed to marvel at my audacity.
“Calling it pocket change when it’s not even your money.”
“So, you’re saying it’s not?”
“…You’re right. If I can escape the pain, I’m willing to pay any amount of money. A body free of pain… Do you have any idea how sweet a sensation this is?”
Lute looked down at his hands.
Joy, wonder, happiness, and a hint of worry swirled like a tempest in his eyes.
“Rather than feel that pain again, I feel I’d sell not just my money, but my very soul if you asked for it.”
“No, I don’t particularly need your soul. I mean, what use would it be?”
Ugh, why would I want a soul? Why would I need a dead one in the first place?
I need a living body that holds SSS+-rank assets, not a useless soul that can’t even spend its vast fortune.
“I’ll just take the money.”
As I made a circle with my thumb and forefinger and shook it, Lute’s eyebrows drooped as if he were hurt.
“To be rejected so firmly… it hurts my heart. Are you saying a penniless me would be of no use to you?”
“Of course. What use is a duke with no money?”
“As eye candy.”
Lute spread his hands and cupped his chin. A flower pose.
“…”
It was absurd, truly ridiculous, but I couldn’t deny it.
He was certainly handsome enough to be a feast for the eyes.
A decadent beauty you couldn’t find in the gentle Airic or the neat Seth.
I just never expected him to say it with his own mouth.
“You can’t deny it. Fortunately, it seems my beauty is to the Saintess’s taste.”
Lute’s eyes crinkled as he smiled. He was deliberately trying to charm me.
Is this Lute’s real personality? The gap between this and the original is so vast, I can’t wrap my head around it.
“I’d hate to be told I don’t live up to my looks, so I’ll be sure to pay the recharge fee diligently. I will never arrive empty-handed.”
“Good. For your information, the donation to the Grand Temple and the recharge fee are separate. However, the recharge fee can be less than the donation.”
The money from the recharge fee would be offered to the Sun God, while the donation was planned for the Grand Temple’s operating costs.
Restoring the Sun God’s power was important, but fixing up the shabby Grand Temple came first.
A temple needs to be magnificent for people to gather in awe.
Once the number of followers increased, the Sun God’s power would naturally recover without me spending money, so the Grand Temple’s operating funds were the absolute priority.
“The money-loving Saintess is making a concession. How truly touching.”
To twist sincerity into sarcasm like that… quite a talent he has.
“I will use the holy relic with care. I never want to feel that pain again, so I won’t be reckless with it.”
“You’d better not lose or break it. If something happens to the holy relic, you will really die.”
This was both a warning and a prophecy.
Because ‘Aurora,’ not a mere holy relic but a divine one, would block the approach of the ‘Absolute Evil’ that had made him a slave in the original novel.
What if Aurora were to break?
The fiend would approach as if it had been waiting, Lute would be reduced to a villain, and I would have to kill him to survive.
“…I’ll keep that in mind.”
Sensing my sincerity, Lute dropped his playful demeanor and nodded with a serious expression.
“One last thing. You must only speak of your condition and the blessing with me. Do not mention it to the High Priest or the Captain of the Holy Knights.”
“It’s the Saintess’s blessing. Why must it be hidden from those two?”
Because it would be troublesome if Airic found out that I, a fake saintess, could place a blessing on a divine relic.
“The Saintess’s blessing contains the power of healing. So, what if the Duke possesses a holy relic imbued with such a blessing? It wouldn’t take long for those two to figure out about your illness, would it?”
But I couldn’t say that, so I gave a plausible excuse.
Actually, Seth has a slight inkling, but he’s not the type to go around talking carelessly, so it’s fine.
“If you don’t mind them knowing, you can tell them.”
“No. It’s better they don’t know. We’ll keep this a secret between the two of us.”
I knew it. I smiled in satisfaction.
I plan to bolt from the Grand Temple once everything is over, so it would be a problem if it became known that I’d become a real saintess.
So, I will take this secret to the grave, no matter what.
Having reached a dramatic compromise, we shook hands, solidifying our trust.
“Excuse me. I apologize for the long wait.”
Just then, with perfect timing, Airic returned.
I glanced at the divine relic, perfectly hidden within Lute’s collar, before asking him.
“Is the payment confirmed?”
“Yes. It has all been paid, and Priest Dietrich and a few holy knights have gone down to a nearby village to purchase provisions.”
Dietrich really does a lot. He must be the jack-of-all-trades of the Grand Temple.
“Then, since all procedures are complete, I will go and bring the holy relic immediately.”
“Ah, that’s alright. You seemed busy, High Priest, so I brought the holy relic with the Captain. The Duke has already confirmed its effects, so there’s nothing more for you to do!”
“…Excuse me? What… what do you mean by that…?”
Airic blinked.
The question of how I, who shouldn’t even know where the Holy Relic of Light was or what it looked like, could have possibly known and brought it to him was written all over his face.
While he stammered, unable to ask outright with Lute present, I quickly wrapped up the situation.
“Duke. Is there anything else you need?”
If you’ve gotten what you came for, get lost.
Lute, who had been looking back and forth between Airic and me, seemed to understand my meaning and immediately rose from his seat.
“No. I was just about to get up. I suddenly feel pressured to go earn a lot of money. I must go and work hard.”
“Oh my, but please think of your health while you work.”
Lute burst out laughing at my loaded reply to his loaded words.
“Thank you for agreeing to a good deal, Saintess.”
“I was the one who was happy to be of help to you, Duke. The Grand Temple looks forward to maintaining a smooth and close relationship with you in the future.”
You’d better bring money diligently every month.
“Now that I am also a follower of the Sun God, it is I who should be asking for your favor. As a follower, I will always pray for the well-being of the Grand Temple.”
That’s his way of saying he’ll bring the money he works hard to earn.
Bowing his head lightly to the still-confused Airic, Lute departed with a light step.
Somehow, seeing how markedly different his steps were from when he’d first arrived gave me a strange feeling.
Because the probability of him meeting a tragic future had dropped significantly.
And because I was the one who had achieved it.
Some of the information from the original novel might become useless because of this, but what does that matter?
If anything, gaining a huge hidden card like Lute Ciel is a much bigger advantage.
Of course, the money coming in is the best part.
“Saintess. What in the world is going on? How did you know about the holy relic…?”
The moment Lute and his aide were out of sight, Airic pressed me for an answer.
I answered as if it were no big deal.
“Ah, actually, what I gave the Duke wasn’t the Holy Relic of Light.”
“…Excuse me? But the Duke clearly said it was a satisfactory deal…”
“Yes! There was something else the Duke truly needed, not the Holy Relic of Light, so I gave him that!”
“What on earth did you…”
“Aurora.”
“…What did you say you gave him?”
“The Sun God’s divine relic, Aurora. I gave that to the Duke instead of the Holy Relic of Light.”
I beamed at Airic.
And three seconds later.
“Saintess!”
Airic’s massive scream shook the Grand Temple.
Ouch, my ears.
* * *
“My lord. Is the holy relic truly effective?”
The moment the carriage departed, Lute’s aide, Yuri Polton, asked.
He was one of the very few people who knew of Lute’s condition and had searched through all manner of records for a way to alleviate his master’s pain, even if just a little.
Then, in an ancient tome he had acquired by chance, he came across a passage about the ‘Holy Relic of Light.’
There were no detailed descriptions, only a single, short line: ‘A rare holy relic that contains the power of healing.’
But at the time, Lute and Yuri, who were both half-resigned to their fate, had no choice but to cling to that single line.
They had wandered for years searching for it, its location unknown, so he was incredibly curious to know if the holy relic was truly effective.
