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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: A Familiar Sound
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“I heard you coughed up blood. Are you alright?”
I was about to approach him when the sudden question stopped me in my tracks.
What was this? His tone was the same as usual, but the aura he exuded was different.
An expressionless face without a hint of a smile, sharp green eyes gleaming, and an air of coldness rather than warmth.
Perhaps it was because we were in a place so uncharacteristically dark and cool for the Sun God's Grand Temple. Airic felt like a complete stranger.
“Are you still unwell?”
I missed the chance to reply, too busy observing this unfamiliar Airic. He then strode forward, closing the distance between us.
But up close, Airic seemed no different than usual.
Did I imagine it?
“Ah, I'm fine. A good night's sleep was all I needed.”
It wasn't a lie, but Airic's eyes were tinged with disbelief as he looked at me.
“Pardon me for a moment.”
After asking for my permission, Airic took my hand and lifted it. Soon, his divine power flowed into me.
“...Ah.”
The fullness of the sun enveloped my entire body. A gentle sensation, like basking in the spring sunlight, slowly began to fill me.
It was so slow, the sensation was almost ticklish.
This was Airic's healing power.
“Just checking. I was curious if you had healed yourself properly, Saintess.”
he said to me as I stood there blankly.
Since Seth didn't know I was a fake Saintess with no healing abilities, Airic was deliberately using a lie as a pretext to heal me.
I didn't resist Airic's power and accepted it. I had no intention of refusing in the first place.
Besides, the divine power filling my body was just too comforting.
“Your divine power is so warm, High Priest.”
Was I drunk on the sensation? The words slipped out before I knew it.
I meant it sincerely enough not to regret it, but for some reason, Airic's eyes widened.
Even the flow of divine power was cut off.
Is calling someone's divine power 'warm' an insult or something?
“...Ah, you seem to be fine. That's a relief.”
Airic, who had been standing there dazedly, hastily let go of my hand and scrambled back. Even farther than he was before.
He moved with the speed of lightning.
“Did you come to see that man, Saintess?”
I wondered why he was acting that way, but instead of asking, I moved to stand beside him.
Beyond the iron bars, inside the dark prison cell, Jeremy was hanging his head low, his arms fixed to the wall.
Shackles connected to the floor were also bound to his legs.
“After some investigation, I've figured out how he managed to get past the guards and reach your bedroom, Saintess.”
Airic twisted his lips.
“He's covered in traces of the Great Sea God. It's truly astonishing.”
Oh, he figured it out quickly, just as expected of the High Priest.
“Traces of the Great Sea God?”
Airic nodded at Seth's surprised question.
“Yes. This isn't the simple divine power we use. It's undoubtedly godly power.”
Godly power.
If divine power was the special energy humans were blessed with to use, then godly power was the very power the gods themselves wielded.
Not even a Saintess or a Saint could easily receive such godly power, so it must be astounding that the man who came to assassinate me, of all people, was cloaked in it.
“Being so thickly veiled in godly power, it's only natural that you didn't notice, Captain. There's no need to blame yourself.”
Airic tried to console him, but the color didn't return to Seth's face.
“Then does this mean the Great Sea God himself tried to kill our Saintess?”
It was an absurd notion, but an understandable misunderstanding.
But the Great Sea God probably doesn't even know I exist, so there's no need to worry about that, right?
Airic seemed to share my thoughts, as he shook his head.
“I doubt that's the case. It's more likely the Great Sea God's Saintess and Saint sent someone they valued so highly that they even bestowed godly power upon them to ensure the job was done.”
It was an accurate deduction. But I couldn't simply admire his intelligence; there was a bitter part to it.
Jeremy was by no means someone who was raised with care.
Nor did the Great Sea God grant him godly power in recognition of his abilities.
He was merely a slave, branded by the Great Sea God, the Saintess, and the Saint to get a job done easily.
Even Idella, the heroine, only realized this later on, so Airic wouldn't know the full extent of it either.
“It seems our new potion business has really gotten on their nerves.”
“Such depravity...!”
Seth clenched his fists.
It was natural to be angry that they'd try to kill someone over something like this, but unfortunately, we couldn't confront them about it.
Not only was our temple outmatched, but even the Sun God was far weaker than the Great Sea God.
The one silver lining was that we had captured a weapon they had poured everything into creating.
Creating a weapon like Jeremy couldn't have been easy, so they'd want him back one way or another.
So, if we used him as a hostage, we could forget the apology and just extort a hefty sum in damages, which would be nice...
‘The problem is, I don't want to send Jeremy back.’
I looked at the motionless Jeremy, though I didn't know why he was so still.
If he returned to the Great Sea God's temple, he would be subjected to more horrific training, receive another assassination order, and be drenched in blood all over again.
He would live like a machine with no will of its own, only carrying out orders, and eventually be branded a murderer.
Until he met the heroine, Idella, and was saved.
I can't stand to see that happen.
His salvation by Idella is a major event in the original story, but... what do I care?
Am I supposed to leave a kid to be tortured for the sake of some romance?
I can't do something like that.
Besides, neither the Sun God nor even the AI has ever stopped me from gleefully destroying the original plot. So this time, too, I'll do as I please.
“High Priest, is he conscious? He's too quiet.”
“Yes, his eyes are open. But he's strangely still. He doesn't even react to divine power.”
That is strange. He's supposed to have a homing instinct that makes him try to return to the Great Sea God's temple no matter what.
Is it because he hasn't succeeded in the assassination yet?
“Could you open the door? I need to go in.”
“That is not an option!”
“Absolutely not.”
Seth and Airic immediately objected.
In the dim prison, Seth's blue eyes and Airic's green ones glinted so menacingly that I gave up at once out of fear.
I can do it from here anyway.
I reached out my hand and sent a stream of divine power toward Jeremy.
With Airic next to me, I drew out the smallest amount possible, and only a wisp of haze-like smoke drifted out.
The moment I thought it might be too weak.
“Gah!”
Jeremy, who had been hanging limply as if dead just moments before, began to thrash about.
*Clang, clang!* The chains rattled as he struggled wildly.
His unfocused pink eyes were glaring at me.
“...He looks like a zombie.”
I meant it.
“He didn't react to my divine power at all, so why is he reacting to yours, Saintess...?”
“Perhaps it's because I'm his target? He might be going wild trying to kill me. He thrashed about yesterday, too, when I used my divine power.”
Even now, Jeremy was staring only at me, as if Airic and Seth weren't even there.
Seeing that, Airic had no choice but to agree.
“Then you must have coughed up blood last night because of the Great Sea God's power. Your powers must have clashed.”
“Please stop using your power.”
Fidgeting at Airic's accurate guess, Seth gently took my hand and pulled it down.
Hmm, but I can't just leave him like this if I want to save him. What should I do...
Ah! That's right, I have that!
“The jewel box! I need the jewel box right now. The one that held the Holy Relic of Light!”
Airic's eyes went wide at my sudden outburst.
“But I thought you said you destroyed it, Saintess...”
“Actually, I couldn't! I hid it under the pillow on my bed, and I need it right now!”
“I will retrieve it.”
As soon as I spoke urgently, Seth left without even asking why. I was so glad he was such a loyal holy knight.
“Saintess, why on earth do you need that...?”
Seeing Airic's baffled expression, I held off on answering.
“I'll explain the details later. For now, just watch.”
Thankfully, Airic didn't press the matter.
I don't know how fast he ran, but despite the considerable distance from here to my bedroom, Seth returned in no time.
“Here it is.”
Even as he handed me the jewel box, his breathing was perfectly calm and steady.
Are swordmasters even human? I'm so jealous of that stamina.
“What are you going to do with this...?”
“Watch closely.”
I clutched the jewel box and looked at Jeremy.
Jeremy, who was still glaring at me with unfocused eyes, flinched when I gripped the box.
Right, this feels familiar, doesn't it? What's about to happen will be even more familiar.
I gave Jeremy a grin and threw the jewel box.
Where? Right at his head, the same one I'd smashed last night.
*Thwack!*
A satisfyingly familiar sound echoed cheerfully through the prison.
