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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: The Consecration Ceremony
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“Hindel is a granary region, so we have many excellent chefs. Please don’t worry and accept them!”
Monica stood before the two chefs and exclaimed joyfully.
However, something else she said bothered me more than the chefs’ skills.
“Monica, so you were from a rich family…”
The eldest daughter of a territory that owned the granary region.
I finally understood why Count and Countess Hindel had looked at me like I was a thief at first.
It made sense, considering I was keeping their precious daughter in a crumbling Grand Temple…
“Welcome. It’s a pleasure to have you.”
I shook hands with the two chefs.
One was in charge of meals, the other desserts. It was perfect.
We finally have proper chefs!
“All the workers here are experienced in temple expansion projects. You can trust them with the job.”
The Count and Countess had chosen and sent exactly the kind of people we needed. I’m so glad we’re on good terms with them.
“And here’s a letter from my parents.”
I read the letter Monica handed me.
*We, the Hindels, will bear all costs.*
*Please think of it as a donation from us and accept it without any burden.*
*We will always pray for the peace and safety of the Grand Temple of the Sun God.*
And to think, all of this was free.
The grace of the Hindels is endless!
“I should write a letter of thanks.”
“I’ll get it ready.”
Monica smiled with satisfaction, her face full of pride for her parents.
I would have been proud, too, if I were her.
But I had no intention of leaving everything to the Hindels.
“I heard that Count and Countess Hindel have already paid you.”
I stood before the workers.
And to those who nodded, I made an extraordinary offer.
“But wouldn’t it be nice to get paid more? The Grand Temple will also pay you, so please repair it properly—so perfectly that its current state becomes unrecognizable.”
The Count and Countess may have paid them generously, but that wasn’t enough.
People are more motivated by the money they stand to earn than by the money they’ve already received.
The perfect state of the Grand Temple would be the signal of our revival, so it had to be repaired flawlessly.
“I’m counting on you, everyone.”
The workers, who had been dazed, not expecting more money, soon broke into applause with bright faces.
I was sure the Sun God, who was probably watching this scene, was just as happy and applauding.
* * *
“Let’s hold a consecration ceremony.”
It was the third day since the temple repairs had begun.
I called Seth and Airic over and told them my plan.
“A consecration ceremony?”
A consecration ceremony.
In other words, it was a ritual to make offerings to a god.
Once a year, the Grand Temple held a consecration ceremony to express gratitude to the god, and the god, in turn, bestowed blessings upon the followers, forging a closer bond.
But the Grand Temple of the Sun God had no money and nothing to offer, so they hadn’t held a consecration ceremony for several years.
“We have money and resources now, so there’s no reason to postpone it. I think it’s a good time to hold one.”
The Grand Temple of the Sun God originally held its consecration ceremony on January 1st, the day the first sun of the new year rises, but who cared about the date?
The Sun God probably wouldn’t mind, either.
“It’ll be a way to announce that we’re officially back in action.”
“I’m all for it.”
Seth was the first to agree, his face flushed with excitement.
“Now… I think we can finally do it.”
Before being the Captain of the Holy Knights, he was a follower who worshipped the Sun God more than anyone.
So how heartbroken he must have been, unable to hold the annual ceremony for several years.
“You also said it was your dream to hold a consecration ceremony, High Priest.”
Airic’s feelings were no different.
Perhaps, as the High Priest, he had been even more desperate for it.
“…What will you offer?”
Just as I expected, Airic, who had been looking down for a while, looked straight at me and asked.
His clear green eyes, moist with unshed tears, were trembling.
Joy and sorrow warred violently within them.
It was an even more intense reaction than when I had announced we were starting the potion business.
“The Sun God will accept whatever we offer, so the choice is ours.”
I already had something in mind for that.
“Cash. Let’s offer cash.”
Money. We absolutely had to offer money.
This was the reason I wanted to hold a consecration ceremony in the first place.
The 30,000 gold I extorted from the Grand Temple of the Great Sea God!
The only way to offer such a large sum of money to the god without raising suspicion was through a consecration ceremony.
“I’m thinking of offering 15,000 gold, half of the 30,000 gold we extor— I mean, received from the Great Sea God’s side. We’ll use the other half for the Grand Temple’s repairs.”
I’d be grateful if my Divine Power rose by just 15%, so half was enough.
Besides, completely overhauling and redecorating the garden required a lot of manpower and materials. We needed to keep at least 15,000 gold.
“Excellent. To be honest, since it’s been so long since we held a consecration ceremony, I’d like to offer more… but we also need funds for the Grand Temple.”
Airic was more generous than I thought.
If we poured in the whole 30,000 gold, I might immediately hit the 40% cutoff…
But my ultimate goal is the revival of the Grand Temple of the Sun God, not unlocking the divine secret, so I shouldn’t get greedy.
“Do you plan on inviting anyone else to the ceremony?”
Ah, the consecration ceremony was a public ritual, so it was fine to invite people.
In fact, the Grand Temple of the Great Sea God invited a huge number of people to their ceremonies every time.
To show off how great they were to everyone. Those bastards.
“Let’s invite Duke Ciel and Count and Countess Hindel. We can also show them the Grand Temple while it’s under repair.”
Lute, in particular, was scheduled to visit the Grand Temple soon to recharge his blessing, so the timing was perfect.
“The Count and Countess have to come from the far east, so how about we hold the ceremony in about ten days? We need time to prepare, too.”
“Sounds good.”
“We’ll need to prioritize repairing the guest rooms and the altar for the ceremony. I’ll let Monica know.”
Dietrich and Monica were jointly in charge of the internal repairs of the Grand Temple.
Since Monica had received training as an heir, she knew more than Dietrich.
The workers were also more respectful to Monica, the daughter of their employer.
“The Sun God will be very pleased.”
As I said this with a smile, Seth and Airic also nodded happily.
Of course. How could he not be happy when a fortune of 15,000 gold was about to fall into his hands?
And it was money extorted from the detestable Great Sea God, so he would be even more delighted.
I thought of those idiots from the Great Sea God’s temple, who had lost both money and Jeremy, and laughed excitedly.
* * *
“Clean this up.”
A dark, underground prison.
Dominic, the Saint of the Great Sea God, emerged from the place, which reeked of a horrid, metallic stench, and held out his hand to the person beside him.
A white cloth quickly wiped the cruel hand, which was covered in a sticky, red liquid.
“Returning after losing 30,000 gold and Jeremy?”
Dominic’s lips twisted.
The person he had just killed was Sembus, the priest who had been sent to the Grand Temple of the Sun God.
He had gained nothing, so what gave him the confidence to return so brazenly?
Of course, he would have died even if he had fled.
“Where could our little lamb have gone?”
The Grand Temple of the Sun God giving up Jeremy for just 30,000 gold was within his expectations.
It was pocket change for the Grand Temple of the Great Sea God, but for those wretches, it must have been a godsend.
However, Jeremy’s disappearance was a major problem.
Thanks to the divine power of the great Great Sea God, he had no self-will. How could he act on his own?
*I need a response from the god.*
After wiping Sembus’s blood from his skin and changing into fresh clothes, Dominic headed straight for the main hall where the statue of the Great Sea God stood.
In the center of the vast space, where blue waves seemed to undulate.
The Great Sea God, clad in armor and holding a spear aloft, looked down upon him.
Dominic knelt reverently before the god and clasped his hands.
Hoping the god would grant his son an answer.
However.
“…”
Dominic soon found himself bewildered.
Jeremy’s disappearance should have been an important matter to the god as well, but no matter how much he prayed, no answer came.
