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“The talk about stripping the Saint of her title and putting Cardinal Bael on trial if she can’t use her divine power by the time she turns five isn’t just idle gossip, you know?”

There was less than a month left before the Saint’s fifth birthday. The timing of this supposed divine revelation was suspicious, to say the least. The High Priest could see the situation for what it was.

“The Master of the Mage Tower is close to Cardinal Bael, so it’s likely he coached the Saint into faking a revelation.”

‘Or maybe he’s here to snoop around using the Saint as a cover,’ the High Priest mused. Neither scenario was appealing.

The High Priest glanced nervously at the closed doors of the prayer chamber. If the Saint had come alone or with someone less formidable, he might have been able to dismiss them with a simple excuse. But the Master of the Mage Tower wasn’t someone who could be easily brushed aside.

“…I’ll have to handle this myself.”

* * *

The priest who had gone to report returned to lead Axel and me into the Great Sanctuary, the main hall where all the temple’s official ceremonies were held.

As we entered, a middle-aged priest stood waiting for us at the altar. He greeted us with a deep bow. “Master of the Mage Tower, Saint.”

“I am the High Priest of this temple. It is a great honor to have such esteemed guests visit our humble abode.”

Axel and I exchanged weary glances, hiding our exasperation from the High Priest. Unlike the nervous but seemingly sincere priest at the entrance, this High Priest had a shifty, untrustworthy appearance. The way he kept rubbing his hands together reminded me of a sycophant eager to please, someone who would grovel at the slightest opportunity.

‘At this rate, he’s going to rub his fingerprints right off.’

Still, there was no need to reject the servility of someone so eager to bend over backward.

Axel, arms crossed, looked down at the High Priest and spoke. “The priest at the entrance mentioned that the temple was closed and we couldn’t enter.”

“Yes, we have a guest who has rented the temple for a week. They requested a blessing ceremony for their sick son,” the High Priest explained.

“A blessing ceremony for a sick child? Does the temple often close its doors for private matters like this?” Axel’s voice was laced with skepticism.

“The circumstances were quite pitiable, and all the priests agreed to offer our support. We locked the doors to prevent any disturbances during the ceremony…”

The High Priest had been addressing Axel with a cautious tone, but now he turned to me with a broad smile. “But when we heard that the Saint had received a divine revelation, how could we, as humble servants of the gods, remain idle?”

The High Priest then bent down to my eye level, his face now plastered with a fake smile that didn’t reach his cold eyes. He might have been treating me with respect as a Saint for now, but it was clear he didn’t believe for a second that I had received any divine message. His eyes practically screamed, ‘Who do you think you’re fooling?’

‘He’s careful with Axel, but he thinks he can be more direct with me because I’m just a child.’

“Saint, this is the Great Sanctuary, where one can be closest to the gods. If you lie before this altar, you will surely face divine retribution,” the High Priest warned, his tone condescending.

“Yes,”

The High Priest leaned in, pressing me for an answer. “What kind of revelation did you receive from Heaven? If it’s a true revelation, surely you wouldn’t mind sharing it with us?”

He didn’t give me any time to respond, his approach clearly meant to corner me. This was a tactic best used against a slow-thinking child—press them until they crack.

“And if you’re lying—if you’ve falsely invoked the name of the gods to claim a revelation…”

With a glance, the High Priest signaled to the priest who had guarded the entrance earlier. The priest fumbled to open the grand doors of the sanctuary, and in marched a group of paladins clad in white uniforms. There were at least ten of them, their presence filling the room with an oppressive air.

“A lying saint must be punished,” the High Priest declared, his eyes narrowing with predatory intent. “We’ll drag you before the Holy Tribunal of Kydsha immediately!”

He growled like a beast, as if ready to devour me whole.

‘Oh no, how terrifying!’ he must have thought I’d react.

Well, if I were the original Reshia without memories of a past life, I might have been genuinely terrified, trembling in fear at his threats. But instead, I kept my mouth shut, pretending to be intimidated. The High Priest, mistaking my silence for fear, let a sly smile creep onto his face.

“Are you threatening the Saint?” Axel, who had been watching quietly, crossed his arms and asked menacingly. The High Priest, however, merely chuckled and bowed his head slightly, his expression slippery.

“Of course not. I’m simply being cautious, as a revelation from Heaven is of the utmost importance. If the Saint isn’t lying, there should be no problem, correct?”

He then turned his sharp gaze back to me, his tone full of false politeness but with an underlying threat. “Now, please tell us, what exactly did you receive? Remember, the gods are watching, so don’t even think about lying.”

The High Priest pointed skyward, as if invoking the very heavens to pressure me.

It wasn’t a grand revelation, but I had indeed received a message from the heavens.

“They told me to make a donation to the temple. So, I brought a lot of gold coins here,” I said, pulling out Oink, the piggy bank I had been clutching, and holding it out to the High Priest.

“Ah, a donation request,” the High Priest remarked with a dismissive tone, standing in a slouched, skeptical manner, as if ready to scoff. “A modest request for a revelation. Are you saying Heaven sent such a message? Do you have proof?”

“Proof…?”

“Yes, a sign of the revelation. The gods always leave a sign when they bestow a revelation,” he said, tilting his head arrogantly, as if he had trapped me. His eyes glinted with the certainty that he had me cornered.

I suppressed a grin and opened the message window that only I could see, the same one that had appeared after I completed the quests involving Hannah’s punishment and forgiveness.

‘I still haven’t claimed the rewards from those quests!’

Which meant, if I chose “Yes” and claimed the rewards right now…

A torrential downpour of gold coins would cascade from the air!

And all of it would rain down on the head of this smug, sneaky High Priest.

‘Here it comes!’

230,000 coins—all in gold!

“Ugh! What is this?! Ahhh!” The High Priest flailed in panic as the sudden downpour of gold coins buried him. 

‘Hehe, when I buried Noah completely, it was with 50,000 coins.’ This time, the quantity was much greater.

“Ack! Help! Stop… that’s enough… I’ve seen the evidence!” The High Priest’s voice grew faint under the relentless cascade of coins, his pleas drowned out by the jingle of gold hitting the floor.

The regular priests and paladins stood frozen, unable to comprehend the miraculous sight of gold coins raining down from the air. Even Axel, usually unflappable, looked somewhat surprised by the unprecedented spectacle.

‘There’s nothing like a good “money attack” to make a point (a physical attack, of course).’

* * *

“Ugh, my legs…” I sighed, feigning exhaustion.

“Please, take a seat here!” The priest who had greeted us at the entrance was now on high alert, moving quickly to accommodate any of my whims.

“I think I might be thirsty too…” I added, pretending to ponder.

“I’ll bring something immediately!” he responded, rushing off to fulfill my request.

After the High Priest had been thoroughly overwhelmed by the gold coins and carried off, the entrance priest was on his best behavior, attending to us with utmost diligence. Though the coins that had buried the High Priest were now gone, devoured by Oink, the sight of that golden deluge would undoubtedly remain etched in the minds of the priests and paladins who witnessed it. I had even taken care to show them the holy marks engraved on the Heaven Coins, ensuring there were plenty of witnesses to the divine event.

‘But how exactly am I supposed to make a donation of Heaven Coins?’ I wondered, glancing at Oink, now filled with gold. I had assumed that coming to the temple would provide some clue or instruction.

As soon as the thought crossed my mind, a message window appeared before me, as if responding to my unspoken question.

The timing was perfect.