Chapter 124
But even after one, two, three seconds—what felt like over a minute—there was no change in the sanctuary. The statue didn’t suddenly move, nor did Helios flash into existence before her.
So I really have to… pray?
Alice straightened her head that had been tilted toward the statue and clasped her hands together. Then, gently closing her eyes, she cleared her throat and spoke.
“Lord Helios… I have come… to see you.” “…” “Please appear… before me.”
Alice’s awkward voice echoed through the sanctuary.
This time, however, Alice opened her eyes and shrugged her shoulders before a minute had even passed.
“Hmm, this doesn’t seem right. I’m in trouble.”
The prayer she had just offered sounded completely unnatural even to her own ears. Far from showing faith in the deity, she couldn’t even properly focus on her prayer.
In the spiritual realm, she had desperately sought the deity as she faced death at Hasis’s hands, but now that sense of urgency was gone.
To begin with, Alice had been non-religious in her past life. She knew gods existed in this world, but suddenly having to summon religious devotion was no easy task.
But I have to try. I need to meet the deity again to learn why I was brought into Alice’s body, and how much this world has diverged from the original story.
After all, Helios is the god of this world.
Just as she made up her mind, a thunderous voice suddenly boomed inside her head.
[If you know that, then hurry up and offer a prayer of faith! Stop with these useless thoughts!]
“Good heavens! Could it be… Lord Helios?”
Alice murmured in startled surprise.
[Yes! It’s me! You impious creature! I appeared in your dream and directly told you to seek me out, yet you completely forgot.]
The fuming deity continued.
[Not only that, I even sent a divine revelation to my servant explaining in detail how to summon me, yet you can’t even offer a proper prayer, forcing me to seek you out first!]
“Ah. Where are you? Why can’t I see you…?”
Hearing the deity say he had sought her out first, Alice looked around the sanctuary.
Then, with a deep sigh, the deity’s voice resonated in her head again.
[Haah. Where else would I be? In the realm of gods, you foolish thing. Didn’t my child tell you? Only your prayer filled with faith can summon my manifestation.]
Oh, right… that’s true.
Alice scratched her cheek in embarrassment.
[In my current state, I’ve shared my power with you and cannot manifest in the mortal realm without your help. Moreover, maintaining this mental connection with a human lacking faith is beyond my current strength. So focus your mind!]
The deity’s voice thundered through her head.
Wait, he seems to be getting too angry with me…
Alice felt slightly wronged by the deity’s thunderous rage filling her head.
However, sensing the deity’s serious sentiment that he couldn’t maintain this connection for long, she tried to avoid any other thoughts.
She closed her eyes again and clasped her hands together. Then she called to the deity with earnest intent.
Perhaps thanks to the deity’s thunderous anger, Alice concentrated much more deeply than before.
Soon, a brilliant light burst from her hands, enveloped the entire sanctuary, and then vanished.
“Haah…”
Alice slowly opened her eyes while catching her breath as if she had just sprinted a hundred meters.
This time, the prayer felt different.
It seems like it worked. But strangely, there was still no one in front of her. Even turning her head in all directions, she still couldn’t see the deity.
“What’s going on? I definitely felt… something different. Did I fail again?”
Just as Alice was about to stamp her foot in disappointment, a familiar voice came from somewhere.
“I’m right here.”
It was the deity’s voice. Alice perked up her ears like a rabbit and looked around.
But no matter how much she searched the sanctuary, she couldn’t see the deity.
“…I don’t see you.”
“I said I’m here, you damnable thing.”
The deity’s voice came again.
Concentrating intently on the sound, Alice was able to locate its source this time.
It was none other than the Helios statue in front of her. More precisely, on top of the statue’s foot.
There was a tiny creature there.
“…Don’t tell me this is the deity?”
Alice couldn’t help but mutter.
“Ha! ‘This’? Yes! You must find this ridiculous. But this is me! I am the great sun god Helios! And this absurd size! This is precisely the size of your faith in me!”
The tiny creature, no larger than her index finger, shouted as if finding the situation outrageous.
“Haah. I knew you lacked faith, but to think it was truly as small as a mouse’s tail.”
Despite its miniscule size, the deity’s roaring voice was no different from when it had thundered in Alice’s head.
At this, Alice’s dazed mind snapped to attention. Then her eyes met with the deity’s fierce gaze, which seemed to have been waiting for her.
And in that moment, Alice couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
Just think about it.
Though indeed a deity, the tiny, pretty creature no larger than her index finger was raising its eyebrow and glaring at her—honestly, it was more adorable than frightening.
Of course, the deity’s perspective would be different.
“You laugh? You find this funny?!”
“No, it’s just… you’re so cute. I’m sorry.”
Alice quickly lowered the corners of her lips and apologized with a dejected face. But the deity was still angry, jumping up and down as he spoke.
“How dare you call me cute, you impious creature!”
The deity raised even his tiny finger at her.
Alice barely suppressed a second wave of laughter at this adorable sight and voiced her own grievance.
“You keep calling me impious… You know about my past life. I was originally non-religious. I’m already trying very hard to believe in you, Lord Helios.”
“I only confirmed the compatibility between your soul and my power, I didn’t know you were non-religious!”
The deity exclaimed as if wronged by Alice’s defense.
Just like he had been swindled by her. But I didn’t do anything.
“Hmm, I see. Still, isn’t it fortunate that we’ve managed to meet like this?”
“Fortunate? This makes it difficult for us to connect properly going forward! So start over from the beginning!”
“From the beginning?”
Alice opened her eyes wide, and the deity bellowed.
“Yes! Pray to me again and raise your faith even higher!”
But faith isn’t something that can suddenly be raised just because you want it to…
The words rose to Alice’s throat, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak them.
Despite his small size, the deity was still a deity, and as he exuded a proper aura of authority, Alice couldn’t move an inch.
“…Yes.”
In the end, Alice followed the deity’s words, clasping her hands together again and closing her eyes.
And so, Alice’s prayer toward the deity began again, and holy light started to spread throughout the sanctuary.
But unfortunately for Alice, that prayer wasn’t the last—it was just the beginning of an arduous journey toward faith.
While Alice was in the midst of cultivating her faith with the deity, Kylus was writing a report for the Emperor in the Commander-in-Chief’s office within the Imperial Palace.
It was none other than a report on yesterday’s attempted assassination of Alice and Viscountess Rosetta at the hunting grounds.
The report wasn’t lengthy. They had investigated the scene but found no evidence related to the assassin.
The victims, the Duchess of Dearrut and Viscountess Rosetta, hadn’t seen the assassin’s face at all as he wore a black mask.
Therefore, it would be difficult to track down the assassin—the report essentially indicated the case was being closed.
This was a surprisingly quick abandonment of the investigation, considering the victim was his wife.
Just yesterday at the hunting grounds, Kylus had fiercely insisted to the Emperor, claiming that since his wife had been attacked by an assassin, he would personally take charge of the investigation.
But contrary to those intense emotions then, Kylus’s expression as he wrote the report was utterly impassive.
There was no trace of dissatisfaction or anger about concluding the investigation so quickly.
In fact, this was a natural reaction. He had planned to do this from the moment he asked the Emperor for investigative authority.
Kylus knew all the details of the case. Who the assassin trying to kill Alice was, who the master of the assassin using black magic was. Everything.
But none of that was in the report. The assassination attempt was described as simply using a sword, without even mentioning the word “black magic.”
Though it wasn’t particularly pleasant to cover up the truth while knowing it, this was the best option to protect Alice.
The moment he mentioned an assassination attempt using black magic, Alice’s holy power would also come under suspicion.
Especially now, when there was no concrete evidence linking Hasis to the Empress, he couldn’t risk it.
He couldn’t stick his head into a beast’s mouth claiming he would pull out its teeth.
Kylus rolled up the completed report and tied it with a string. Then he gently rang the bell on his desk.
Soon, a servant entered the office and bowed.
“You called, Your Excellency.”
“Deliver this to His Majesty immediately.”
Kylus handed the string-tied parchment to the servant. As the servant promptly left the office, Kylus furrowed his brow at the slight irritation rising within him.
It was because he suddenly envisioned the Emperor’s face, delighted upon receiving the report.
Though the Emperor had no connection to this incident, he clearly wouldn’t want it to escalate.
An assassination attempt on the Duchess of Dearrut at the Imperial villa.
That alone was enough to cause gossip, and with Kylus in charge of the investigation, the Emperor would be anxious.
He feared that Kylus’s reputation might soar once more if he resolved the case. The Emperor had always feared Kylus’s fame and power.
So hearing that the case would be closed, the Emperor would be overjoyed.
His foolish mind wouldn’t be able to question why the case was being abandoned so quickly.
Kylus, with his furrowed brow, muttered softly.
“Since his joy won’t last long anyway… it’s not so bad to let him enjoy it while he can.”
After all, believing everything is resolved only to be blindsided later would be even more painful.
