Chapter 55
Chapter 55
“Give me more divine power! I said I want more!”
I gripped my strong coffee, trembling as I whined to my distant god.
Of course, the god remained impassive.
[No can do.]
“Why not? Can’t you see how much your poor servant is suffering?”
[Hey now… don’t try to soften me up.]
[What’s not possible is not possible…]
Why does Sian Terezia get it and I don’t?
If you gave me even a fraction of Sian’s divine power, I’d work so hard to pay off the debt and save the world.
No matter how much I whined, the system regretfully but firmly refused.
[We can’t make you like Sian, you know.]
[Let’s just overlook it this once, okay? Just this once.]
What’s so special about being like Sian Terezia anyway?
This had been my biggest worry lately – the overwhelming responsibility of being the only one who could create ice cream with divine powers.
No matter how much I tried to expand the “ice cream business,” there was a limit to growth if I couldn’t secure a supply that exceeded demand.
[Irina, skills and systems ultimately run on divine power, right?]
[So why don’t you try to find a way, our Irina?]
How on earth am I supposed to do that!
How is an insignificant human like me supposed to manage that!
[Irina’s lost it. What should we do?]
[Irina needs to pull herself together. No, no. You can’t lose it here.]
[Right, the New Year’s party is just around the corner. You need to hang in there until then.]
Whatever the system was saying, I felt my spirit weakening along with my physical strength.
As I kept muttering “not enough divine power,” Isiel asked:
“Why do you need divine power?”
“It’d be nice to have. I could make a lot more ice cream too.”
“Is that so? I only get divine power treatment when I’m tired, so I didn’t know much about it.”
He’s rich and even gets divine power treatments.
In reality, I don’t need that much divine power.
They said the system window itself was designed to operate on minimal divine power.
In other words, the fact that I, a mere commoner, can maintain the “system window” and use skills freely means that whatever I do with the system window requires almost no divine power.
However, this problem arose because I had been using skills excessively beyond my expectations.
“I don’t need a lot, just a little bit would be fine.”
Even the divine power that ordinary people passively leak in daily life would be enough to make thousands more ice creams.
Isiel sighed heavily after chatting with Cassis about various things.
“I should visit the temple soon too.”
“To see your sister?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
Just then, a quest arrived.
[SYSTEM | The ‘Visit the Temple’ quest has arrived.]
The quest that arrived was related to the temple.
I wasn’t sure if this quest came to me as an extension of what the system had said earlier about “learning about the system and the power of the gods,” or if it was related to “Isiel’s sister.”
“Is your sister still not doing well?”
“Her expectations were high, so it can’t be helped.”
Isiel shrugged and let out another deep sigh.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen the usually cheerful and glib young nobleman react like this before.
‘So Isiel has his own worries and concerns too.’
Did Isiel have a sister?
Noticing my expression of doubt, he briefly explained.
“I have a younger sister who’s currently affiliated with the temple.”
If she’s Isiel’s sister, she must be a princess of the Lemiere family.
I thought she must have incredible faith to give up that status and enter the temple.
[Irina, let’s try to recall the original work~]
Is this person from the original story?
If the original had been a novel, it might have been easier to remember, but since it was game-based, I couldn’t recall the supporting characters well.
“There was a position she had been preparing for a long time, but she failed, so she hasn’t been doing well lately.”
Isiel sighed again, seeming quite worried.
As I racked my brain for a moment, I suddenly let out an “Ah” that was close to a gasp.
I couldn’t remember the name…
But I did recall that there was a villainess who was the youngest daughter of the empire’s most prestigious family.
She had entered the Great Temple as a candidate for sainthood, but ultimately lost to a commoner candidate and failed to become a saint.
I vaguely remembered that she later became twisted and turned into a villainess.
‘Wow! Who made such a vague story?’
[Haha, let’s give them a break.]
She doesn’t seem to have been a very impactful villainess.
The fact that I can’t remember her this well suggests as much.
But this villainess is Isiel’s sister?
“Honestly, from my perspective, it’s better if she doesn’t become a saint. If she becomes a saint, she’ll belong completely to the temple.”
Isiel got up, saying that since things had turned out this way, he should go see his sister today.
Cassis and I waved our hands lazily, telling him to go safely.
[SYSTEM | The ‘Visit the Temple’ quest has arrived.]
[SYSTEM | The ‘Visit the Temple’ quest has arrived.]
[SYSTEM | The ‘Visit the Temple’ quest has arrived.]
Ack, my eyes.
The system must have wanted me to go to the temple right away, as it displayed notifications in succession.
Having my ears and eyes attacked simultaneously, I had no choice but to get up.
I hadn’t even checked the quest details yet, but it looked like I was heading straight to the temple.
“Are you leaving right now?”
“That’s the plan. Why, do you want to come too?”
“Is that okay?”
Isiel nodded, saying it was actually perfect.
“Of course. It’s actually perfect. By the way, could you make some ice cream for our Seiren when we get there?”
“Of course.”
And so, I was able to enter the Great Temple with a free pass, riding in the carriage of none other than the noble Lemiere ducal family.
[Visiting the Temple
The divine prestige is no longer what it used to be.
That’s natural.
A thousand years ago, the power of the gods dwelled directly in humans, resulting in tremendous power for humanity.
But that’s no longer the case.
The divine power, or ‘divine force,’ that remains in the world today is merely the power bestowed by the ancient gods that has been passed down from person to person.
So even the gods must accept their diminished prestige.
Nevertheless, because the gods still exist and still watch over the world, there are those who believe in, follow, and serve them.
The headquarters of the religious organization that believes in the Arschen-Idelbach god is the ‘Regina Great Temple’ in the capital.
Currently, Lady Irina Seike is closer to the gods than anyone else in this world and seeks to understand their power.
Visit the temple to build connections, explore divine power, and thereby approach the secrets of the world.
May salvation be at the end of that journey.
(Completed) Visit the Temple.
(Completed) Meet ‘Seiren Lemiere’.
(3) Investigate mythology.
(4) Investigate the connection between skills and divine power.
Reward 1: Minion 3
Reward 2: Philosopher’s Stone (D+)]
[SYSTEM | ‘Visit the Temple.’ (1/4)]
[SYSTEM | ‘Visit the Temple.’ (2/4)]
Items (1) and (2) were already completed when I opened the quest.
‘(4) Investigate the connection between skills and divine power’ seems to be related to the ‘cooking skill’ I was whining about earlier.
But I didn’t quite understand the context of ‘(3) Investigate mythology’ suddenly appearing.
[You know. Your ultimate goal.]
‘Selling ice cream to pay off debt?’
[…No.]
[Irina, you’re going to save the world by paying off the debt, right?]
My ultimate goal was to save the world.
I had forgotten for a moment.
It seems that ‘saving the world’ and ‘mythology’ are quite related.
I felt like the scale of saving the world was getting bigger and bigger than I expected.
‘It feels like I’ve been somewhat scammed.’
When the system first tempted me to start the quest, the scale wasn’t this big.
I barely stopped myself from wanting to sigh at the ‘Minion 3’ and low-quality ‘Philosopher’s Stone’ written at the bottom of the quest rewards.
I have no idea who this ‘Minion 3’ is.
As I sat there blankly, chatting with the system and waiting, I heard a loud crash from behind.
When I turned my head, there was an angelic-looking young lady throwing a tantrum, and Isiel standing in front of her with a resigned expression.
“Oh my.”
It seems our Isiel, who has everything, also got quite a troublesome family along with it.
“It’s all because you didn’t help me, brother! The saint position was supposed to be mine! It was mine!”
“Yes, I’m sorry.”
“Give it back. I said give it back!”
Seiren Lemiere collapsed on the floor, shedding tears beautifully and pitifully, as if she had been abandoned by the gods and fallen into despair.
Even the faint sound of her sobbing was enough to stimulate one’s protective instincts.
I could feel divine power flowing with her every move.
As expected of a saint candidate.
Not as much as Sian, but still tempting!
“…”
Of course, I found this situation quite uncomfortable.
Why did you bring me in here, Isiel?
It took quite some time for Seiren to finally calm down.
By then, the room was a mess, and Isiel, having been grabbed by the collar several times, was in a disheveled state.
After alternating between shouting and crying, when she finally seemed exhausted and her complexion turned pale, I quickly served a dessert with ice cream generously topped with chocolate.
“What is this?”
Her voice was slightly hoarse, but still sharp as she asked fiercely.
I smiled as I placed a small spoon in her right hand.
“It’s an ice cream dessert.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s something that’s famous in social circles these days. Famous, but no one can get it, so there are only rumors.”
Seiren nodded and took a few weak bites.
She seemed to like the taste, as she didn’t give up eating and quietly finished it all.
Breathing a sigh of relief at her reaction, I gently pulled Isiel, who was sitting next to me.
“Are you okay?”
“…I have to be. Thanks anyway.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Isiel spoke to Seiren again, who now looked pitiful.
This time, his tone wasn’t as gentle or affectionate as before.
“Anyway, Seiren, what are you going to do now? Are you going to remain in the temple as a priestess?”
“…”
“You failed to become a saint. It’s all over now. It can’t be undone.”
“No! I’m the saint! I am…”
Seiren began to cry bitterly again.
