"But don't sacred relics all have different abilities? The Duke of Sheary must want a specific power—would it be alright to give him something else?"
"I know the ability he wants. He told me when we were alone."
I made up a plausible excuse as I crouched down and wrapped the shattered necklace fragments in a handkerchief before placing them back in the jewelry box.
Since I broke it with divine power, its function was probably ruined. Still, leaving something so important lying around in this sacred place felt unsettling.
I'll take it back and incinerate it.
"Do you happen to know which sacred relic is most closely associated with healing?"
Healing.
At my question, Seth made a strange face. It seemed he hadn't expected Lute to want an ability like that, of all things.
"…Healing is a powerful divine authority, and I've heard it's difficult even for the High Priest to craft a relic containing it."
Still, hearing that Lute wanted healing instead of wealth or power clearly put him at ease.
"To my knowledge, only divine artifacts contain healing power."
Objects imbued with divine power are broadly divided into divine artifacts and sacred relics.
Divine artifacts were created by the gods themselves and bestowed upon humans, whereas sacred relics were crafted by humans who possessed divine power.
Naturally, divine artifacts hold far greater power than sacred relics—and are far rarer.
That's why no temple ever gives out divine artifacts carelessly.
"For now, please guide me."
Even within the sacred grounds, the divine artifacts were placed where the Sun God's light reached most directly.
Three divine artifacts rested atop a dazzling white marble altar, gleaming under the light.
"The one in the center is the divine artifact containing healing power, 'Aurora.'"
Aurora glowed with an indescribable rainbow hue.
The droplet-shaped gem, which captivated the eyes, radiated a completely different aura from the "Light's Relic," which had felt like it was pulling you into a murky swamp.
It felt endlessly serene and calm, like it offered true peace.
Yes—just like a real aurora.
"It's beautiful."
Drawn in as if enchanted, I walked up and picked up the divine artifact.
Its design wasn't flashy.
It was a simple necklace with a string attached to a rainbow-colored, droplet-shaped gem.
Even so, it stood out far more than the overly ornate Light's Relic.
[User has made contact with the divine artifact 'Aurora.' Skill 'Blessing' is now available.]
Good. I almost smiled at the system message I'd been hoping for.
[However, the user's current divine power is insufficient for a permanent blessing.]
What? No permanent blessing? Then how long does it last?
[The blessing's duration is one month. After one month, it can be applied again.]
So the blessing works like a rechargeable buff?
Well, that's not so bad.
I'd been trying to find a reason to get Lute to visit the temple frequently to solidify him as a true ally—now I had the perfect excuse.
"Let's give this to the Duke."
"What? But, Saintess, that's a divine artifact…!"
"It's extremely important. But it's alright. The Duke is just as important to us as a divine artifact."
Seriously, he's that important. If you knew the future, you'd be shoving this at Lute yourself, divine artifact or not.
In the original story, Seth ends up gravely wounded fighting Lute after he's been fully consumed by the villains.
The injury is so deep that he suffers from its aftereffects for the rest of his life.
That's why I'm not just saying this—getting Lute on our side is critical.
"Someday, you'll understand why I made this choice."
I gave Seth a gentle smile. He opened his mouth like he wanted to speak, but said nothing for a long time.
In the end, instead of stopping me, he chose to obey my orders faithfully.
"I'll explain it to the High Priest, so please don't say anything, Commander."
[Skill 'Blessing' activated.]
[Blessing has been bestowed upon the divine artifact 'Aurora' of the 'Sun Risen from Death.' The artifact now possesses greater power.]
As the blessing took hold, the gem of Aurora shone even more brilliantly.
Thus, a one-month limited blessing item was complete.
"I've brought what you requested."
Returning to the drawing room, I handed over the divine artifact neatly placed in the box.
Ayric and Lute's adjutant, Yuri Poulton, were apparently still busy sorting out the money, so Lute was alone in the room.
Perfect. I needed to get this done before Ayric showed up and tried to stop me.
"This is…"
Opening the box and seeing the necklace inside, Lute bit his lip.
He looked more shaken than when I asked him for 2,000 gold.
"I've also imbued it with my blessing. You know how precious a saintess's blessing is, right?"
I made it clear that this was more than worth the 2,000 gold.
Lute couldn't even bring himself to hold the divine artifact—he just stared at it blankly.
"Are you worried it won't work?"
I asked casually. I had deliberately kept Seth out of the room because I didn't know what might happen once Lute touched the artifact.
"…Do you have any idea how many years I've suffered with this damn pain? It's been twenty years."
I couldn't remember his exact age, but I was pretty sure Lute was in his mid-twenties.
Which meant he'd been tormented by this pain since he was a little kid just starting kindergarten?
Maybe that's why he became completely dependent on the pain-relieving effects of the Light's Relic—both his body and mind were stolen by it after years of suffering.
"No matter which temple I went to, no matter what potion I drank, the pain never went away. Isn't it only natural for me to doubt whether this could really work?"
"Well, yes, I suppose so. If even this doesn't work, then nothing in the world could possibly ease your condition."
I gave a casual shrug.
"But don't worry, that won't happen. Just hold it. Do you know how hard I worked to get this? I can't give you your 2,000 gold back."
Did he think I just handed over a divine artifact for fun?
If it were just the 1,000 gold Ayric took, maybe—but the 2,000 gold? That was already happily swallowed up by the Sun God!
There's no way to get it back, so this has to work.
"Were you some back-alley swindler before becoming a saintess or something? You've got quite the talent for extorting money."
"What?!"
He calls me a swindler when I did this for his sake? Should I just snatch the artifact back?
"Wow, switching to informal speech just because you heard something you didn't like. I bet you never get the short end of the stick in life. You'd probably survive just fine on a deserted island."
I glared at the divine artifact, and Lute, as if snapping out of his hesitation, quickly grabbed it.
"Urgh!"
At the same moment, he clutched his chest and collapsed to the floor beneath the sofa.
Sweat instantly poured down his face.
"Uh-oh."
I rushed over to his side.
His glasses, barely hanging on his face, clattered noisily to the ground.
His skin flushed red, and veins bulged at his temples and forehead.
He was clearly in excruciating pain—it looked dangerously intense. But I didn't pull the artifact from his hand.
"It's alright. Don't be afraid. Just breathe slowly. The black stains on your body… they're starting to shrink, little by little."
The golden and black blotches scattered across his body.
The black patches that had been growing relentlessly, as if devouring the gold, were now finally receding.
Just from a glance, it was clear—it's working!
"Haa… huff…"
Lute clenched his eyes shut and breathed slowly, enduring the pain.
Right now, it was crucial that he resonated with the divine artifact, so I refrained from using any healing power and simply waited in silence.
How much time had passed? His rough breathing gradually began to calm.
Because I'd used my handkerchief to gather the unsettling relic shards earlier, I had no choice but to use my sleeve to gently wipe away the sweat trickling down his face—then I stepped back.
Lute's silver-gray eyes trembled, filled with emotion.
"…The pain."
That one word was enough to tell me everything about his condition.
"Ha…"
After twenty years of unbearable agony, he finally found relief. His trembling hand covered his eyes, and the way he bit down on his lip showed just how overwhelmed he was.
"Well, now you don't have to keep searching for another way. Congratulations."
I gave his shoulder a light pat and offered a brief congratulatory remark.
With this, the future villain was eliminated.
For someone like me—whose goal was to destroy the original storyline—there was no greater joy.
"Coming here was worth it. Honestly, the 2,000 gold wasn't wasted at all."
"I always make sure I'm worth what I'm paid."
Apparently calmed down now, Lute retrieved his fallen glasses and slumped into the sofa.
The trembling that had gripped his hand as he loosened his tight necktie had completely stopped.
His breathing was steady again, and the shaking had ceased. That meant it was time to say this next part.
"Just so you know, the reason the artifact worked so well is because of my blessing."
"…Because of the saintess's blessing?"
"Yes. If you'd only had the divine artifact, it might've only dulled the pain a little."
Which, frankly, would have been the case if it were just the Light's Relic—so technically, not a lie.
"So what you're saying is, I should thank the saintess for everything."
"Well, yes, that too—but there's something even more important."
I tapped Lute's hand, still clutching the divine artifact like a lifeline.
"My blessing lasts for only one month."
"…What?"
"If you want to keep enjoying its effects, you'll have to come back and receive my blessing once a month."
Lute stared at me, stunned, his mouth slightly open in disbelief.
I conveniently left out the part about my lack of divine power being the reason for the limited duration, and then delivered the final, most important detail:
"Oh—and the blessing recharge fee is separate."
Yes, that last bit was absolutely payback for calling a former detective who used to beat up bad guys a swindler.