In front of the acolytes helping with the work of the temple, there was only a bowl of soup, almost indistinguishable from water, and a hard piece of rye bread.
What a poor diet for these growing sprouts.
Staring dumbfounded at the children’s bowls, I glanced at the meals of the priests sitting next to me.
Good heavens. It wasn’t just the kids who were starving.
Whether they were apprentice priests or official ones, were they all just eating a bowl of soup?
And is it just the kids who get an extra piece of rye bread?
“Do– the children eat like this every day?”
I asked Airek in disbelief, and he answered, his cheeks flushing,
“Well, due to the lack of funds—”
It was clear that he, too, was ashamed of the fact that he had no choice but to provide these children with such a meager meal.
I slapped my forehead.
It’s not Airek’s fault. It’s because of Ordell’s extravagance that the temple is short on funds.
Grown men slurping watery soup? That’s none of my concern.
If they’re really hungry, adults can work and earn their living.
But not the children!
They’re still growing up, and yet they’re eating meals without meat!
“Did you hear from Priest Dietrich? I told him I’m planning to sell some of the things I own.”
“Yes. We plan to proceed as the Lady Saint’s wishes.”
“Please do it as quickly as possible, and if possible, use the money to improve the quality of the meals first, especially for the children.”
The food I ate here was far too different from what everyone else was eating.
Thick soup filled with meat, soft and chewy wheat bread, fresh salads with different toppings every time, and delicious juice made from freshly squeezed fruits.
I finally realized.
I was living in luxury, all on everyone else’s sacrifice.
Had I not come to the dining hall, I would have remained unaware of this fact to the end.
“From now on, please make my meals the same as the other priests’. If you can afford to spare more effort for me, please direct it towards providing more for the children.”
I looked at the children with a heavy heart.
I felt sorry for them, all of them so skinny from living on nothing but watery porridge.
And all this was because of Ordell, the master of this body.
It’s maddening.
* * *
Leaving behind Airek, who asked several times if it was really okay, I exited the dining hall.
There was something I had to check out before I went back to my bedroom.
As I strode confidently through the temple, those who encountered me either panicked and fled or threw themselves to the ground.
I felt a bit sorry for them, but I had no time to pay attention to that now.
“This is crazy, really.”
After taking a tour around the temple, I headed to the place marked as ‘garden’ on the map system.
And then, I burst into a hollow laugh.
“Damn system. How is this a garden?”
The place did not even have a single flower in sight, there were only weeds.
Even the soil and gravel were not properly organized, it was extremely messy.
This disorganized state vividly represented the current reality of the Sun God’s temple.
And the problem wasn’t just the garden.
The pillars that were supposed to uphold the majesty of the god were broken in many places, and instead of being clean, corners were filled with dust and cobwebs.
Ordell’s room was so splendid, but the temple that housed it was rotting away.
The stark contrast seemed so bizarre.
I sat down on the ground, holding my head.
The temple of the Sun God is poor.
I already knew this fact.
But even though I knew, I didn’t show any interest.
After all, everything would be resolved when the main heroine Idella appeared.
—Until then, it hadn’t occurred to me that the people of the temple would continue to suffer in poverty.
“How stupid.”
Maybe I deliberately chose not to think about it.
Perhaps I was angry at the Sun God who started my second life without my consent.
But now that I’ve seen this…
How can I turn a blind eye?
Sitting down with my face buried in my knees, I suddenly lifted my head.
A quest window appeared in front of me as if by acting according to my will.
【〈Quest〉 Please Save the ‘Sun Crawling Out of Death!’
The ‘Sun Crawling Out of Death’ is currently at risk of extinction due to a lack of followers.
Become the saintess who inherits the power of the ‘The Sun Crawling Out of Death’, increase the number of followers, and grow your divine power to save the poor god and the world from extinction!
Reward for success: Wealth, honor, and power as a saintess.
Penalty for failure: Eternal extinction of ‘The Sun Crawling Out of Death’ and the destruction of this dimension.】
The failure penalty I had been deliberately avoiding until now.
The crucial reason the Sun God summoned me, unable to wait for the main heroine who would appear a year later.
Add to that system’s warning that if I fail, not only will the Sun God perish, but this dimension will also cease to exist.
Putting it all together, I can only conclude one thing.
“This world isn’t exactly the same as the one I read about in the novel〈Sacred Idella〉, is it?”
If it were exactly the same world, there would be no reason for the Sun God to summon me, especially using his limited power.
【The following question can only be answered with ‘Yes/No’ according to the will of ‘The Sun Crawling Out of Death’.】
【The answer to the question is ‘Yes’.】
【If you want a detailed explanation, reach 40% of the amount of divine power you possess.】
Even though I can’t hear the detailed explanation right away, it still means that my guess is correct.
“Haahhh, this is driving me crazy.”
If I run away, the Sun God will perish, the temple will be ruined, and for some reason I don’t understand, even this dimension will be destroyed.
I’m not strong-hearted enough to think of all this as nothing.
Above all, if the dimension is destroyed, wouldn’t I, living in this world, also die?
No matter how I was forced to possess and live in this body, I didn’t want to die young this time either.
I want to live until I’m old!
So, what choice do I have? I have to live my second life diligently as well.
Above all, I can’t just leave the young children starving like that.
“Hey, system. Is there any way to add a reward for successful quest completion?”
I’m not particularly interested in a successful life as a saintess.
My original task was just to take good care of the Sun God for a year before the main character appeared.
The wealth and glory of being a saintess can all go to the main character. What I want is one thing.
“If I die in this life, send me to a heaven where I can rest comfortably without doing anything.”
I absolutely don’t want a third life.
Please, just let me live an idyllic life in heaven.
【The AI system has received your wish. It will convey your wish to ‘The Sun Crawling Out of Death’.】
After a few minutes of waiting, the system returned with the answer.
【’The Sun Crawling Out of Death’ has accepted your wish. The quest reward will be changed.】
【〈Quest〉 Please Save the ‘Sun Crawling Out of Death!’
Reward for success: Wealth, honor, power as a saintess, and the user’s choice of afterlife.】
I smiled in satisfaction at the changed reward.
“Alright, I accept the quest. I’ll diligently nurture this damned temple.”
【You have accepted the quest. From now on, you are the saintess of ‘The Sun Crawling Out of Death’.】
【’The Sun Crawling Out of Death’ has provided a reward for accepting the quest. Would you like to check it now?】
Oh, a reward for accepting the quest?
So, the Sun God does have a conscience after all.
“But not now.”
No matter what the reward is, I can’t receive it in such an open and exposed place like this.
Someone has been watching me ever since a while ago.
Probably someone who does not dare to come out to the garden because of me, so they decided to just watch from a corner.
This is serious. If I’m going to stay and live here now, I’m going to have to rebuild my relationships with people, but I wonder if such a thing is even possible.
Sighing, I quietly made my way back to my bedroom, trying to avoid attention as much as possible.
* * *
At the spot Ordell left behind.
Two men appeared there.
“What was she doing here?”
Dietrich looked down at the ground with a puzzled expression.
The saintess’s footprints were imprinted on the disordered dirt garden.
She must have been here for quite a while, judging by the depth of the footprints.
“To be honest, I thought she was crying at first.”
It seemed unbelievable.
After Ordell ran out of the dining hall, Airek and Dietrich secretly followed her, concerned.
They were surprised to find her here.
Ordell, who never showed weakness.
The same Ordell who would throw objects in anger whenever she felt even slightly disrespected.
Was sitting on the dirty ground with her face buried in her knees.
Dietrich was so surprised that he unknowingly grabbed Airek’s clothes.
But Airek looked even more shocked than him.
Dietrich glanced at Airek standing beside him.
Airek’s face as he stared down at the saintess’s footprints, was frighteningly rigid.
SoundlessWind21’s Notes:
If there are any errors, whether it be grammatical, spelling, translation, or website-related issues, feel free to let me know. (´◡`) Anyway, thank you for reading!
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