* * *
Behind the Grand Temple, there was a wide open field.
According to Irik, this used to be a training ground where the Saintess, the Saint, the priests, and the holy knights would train their divine power under the sun pouring from the sky.
“Now it’s just a barren wasteland.”
Training ground, my foot. The way dust blew with every gust of wind reminded me of a military drill field.
Supposedly, the ground had once been paved with sturdy stones that wouldn’t break no matter how much divine power was poured into them.
But after falling into poverty, they sold the stones off one by one, which led to its current state—so Seth explained with a glum face.
“It’s practically a symbol of the Grand Temple’s poverty, along with the garden.”
Once I earn more money, I should get this place restored to its former glory too.
“Sigh. Just how many things are there to spend money on.”
Even pouring water into a bottomless jar would be better than this.
Letting out a sigh, I approached the large brazier in one corner.
The fire lit by the servant was blazing hot.
I was alone here.
I had kept Victoria, Irik, and Seth all away, not knowing what might happen during the process of burning the suspicious relic.
‘You’re going to burn it?’
Irik had tried to stop me, saying it was such a waste.
‘Then can’t we at least pry the jewels off the box and sell those? There’s no need to burn even that, is there?’
That’s poverty for you. The High Priest had desperately asked if he could sell the gemstones.
Of course, I refused without hesitation.
‘There might be an ominous energy soaked into the box as well. Better to get rid of it all.’
If the Sacred Relic of Light could negatively affect people, why would the box that contained it be any better?
The best solution for creepy stuff like this was to burn it all.
“Farewell, you cursed chunk of rock.”
I dumped the broken fragments of the necklace from the box into the roaring fire, and then tossed the jewel box in after them.
And that wasn’t all.
【Activating skill ‘Blessing’.】
I poured every last bit of divine power I had into it.
As fire and divine power entwined, it burst into intense flames!
The heat was so fierce that even my divinely-enhanced body could barely withstand it.
Since the relic’s creator was an enemy of the Sun God, I figured that maybe using the blessing of the saintess could destroy it.
And the result was…
【‘Sacred Relic of Light’ can no longer maintain its form. ‘Sacred Relic of Light’ is completely destroyed by the divine power of the ‘Sun That Crawled Back from Death’!】
“Yes!”
At the message I had hoped for, I clenched both fists in triumph.
Finally, that frustrating plot device was gone—how refreshing!
At least now, I wouldn’t be blindly stumbling around getting stabbed in the back over and over like in the original story…
【Failed to destroy the divine item. The user’s current divine power is insufficient to destroy the divine item.】
“…Huh?”
Wait, failed? No, that can’t be. Upon closer look, it didn’t say the relic failed to be destroyed.
It said the divine item couldn’t be destroyed due to insufficient divine power.
Why is a divine item even here?
I hurriedly pulled back my divine power from the fire and doused the flames using the bucket of water next to the brazier.
It clearly stated that the Sacred Relic of Light was gone.
So that only left one possibility.
“…Hah.”
Amid the pile of charred logs, there was the jewel box—completely untouched, not even scorched.
Not a single part of it had melted. It was perfectly intact.
“This was the divine item?”
They used a divine item just to hold a relic? And that was never mentioned in the original novel.
Did it end up with Ruthe along with the relic in the box?
“System, whose divine item is this?”
【That question falls under heavenly secrets. To receive an answer, the user must possess over 40% divine power.】
“Heavenly secrets? Then it wasn’t made by the final boss?”
【That question falls under heavenly secrets. To receive an answer, the user must possess over 40% divine power.】
“The system’s an idiot. Doesn’t know anything.”
【This AI system is a state-of-the-art cosmic system meticulously crafted by the gods. If I am an idiot, then so are you.】
“You’re pretty eloquent for this part.”
Apparently, calling the user an idiot is fine, but it can’t tolerate being insulted itself.
“If you want to prove you’re not a stupid ‘state-of-the-art cosmic system’, then at least tell me the name or details of this divine item.”
【Only information permitted to the user will be displayed. Displaying permitted information.】
Oh? I didn’t expect an actual answer.
Maybe saying “prove you’re not stupid” triggered it. Should I use that line every time I ask something now?
【Divine Item Information】
Name: A Box Made Out of Boredom
Grade: Legendary
Owner God: ???
Abilities: ???
Special Properties: ???
“……”
Never mind. It only answered as a favor, not because it was useful.
Did it seriously say the divine item’s name was A Box Made Out of Boredom? With a name like that, why is it ranked so high?
Legendary is the highest rank, isn’t it?
“There’s no way the final boss made this.”
If it were the final boss, he would’ve made a proper container for the relic. No way he’d slap a name like this on it.
And it probably wasn’t made by the Sun God either.
If it were, Irik would’ve thrown himself into the fire to stop me from burning it.
Still feeling uneasy, I stared at the jewel box nestled among the ashes.
Come to think of it, unlike the Sacred Relic of Light that had suffocated me just by looking at it, this jewel box gave off no reaction at all.
So much so that I hadn’t even considered it could be a divine item.
Neither Seth nor Irik had reacted to it either.
So maybe it wasn’t as dangerous as the Sacred Relic of Light…
“It’s not ominous, but it’s definitely suspicious.”
After a long stare-down with the jewel box, I finally reached out.
If it couldn’t be burned and couldn’t be destroyed with divine power, the only choice was to hide it somewhere in my room.
If someone else saw it and went crazy trying to take it, it could be a disaster.
Feeling like I was retrieving a phone dropped in a toilet, I reluctantly picked it up and tapped it against the ground.
Not even a crack. If anything, the floor cracked instead.
I don’t want to store anything inside it, but it could work well as a blunt weapon.
If an assassin sneaks into my room someday, I’ll use it as a weapon.
* * *
“Wow!”
“Wooooow!”
As the sun began to set, Dietrich returned to the Grand Temple with piles of groceries.
He’d worried he’d gone overboard after the sudden windfall made him lose control, but seeing the shining eyes of the children swarming the cart, he felt it had been a good decision.
“Priest, priest! Is all this really for us to eat?”
“A-Are we really allowed to eat this much?”
Poverty had made even children hesitant and self-conscious.
Dietrich offered a bittersweet smile as he patted their heads.
“Yeah, it’s okay. The High Priest gave his permission.”
“O-Oh, but…”
“…Actually, the Saintess ordered it. She said we should all eat our fill.”
“Really?!”
The moment the kids heard Irik’s name, they hesitated—but at the mention of the Saintess, they cheered.
Looks like Ordell’s still the scariest of all.
“Priest Dietrich.”
“Oh, Dame Victoria.”
Victoria approached as Dietrich chatted with the children.
She glanced at the servants unloading the groceries.
“You must be tired from the trip to the village.”
“It wasn’t tiring at all. It was actually fun—being able to buy food without worrying about money for once.”
And he meant it.
He couldn’t even remember the last time he bought groceries without stressing over the budget.
Maybe it had never happened before.
That’s why this moment felt genuinely joyful.
“I’m getting excited too, just looking at all this food. Oh, I have a message from the Saintess.”
As soon as Victoria finished speaking, the children crowding around the carts froze in place.
Even the servants carrying in the food stopped moving.
Everyone turned to Victoria with nervous eyes.
“…You don’t have to worry like that. The Saintess has made a wonderful proposal.”
Victoria gave a bitter smile at their wary expressions.
It had already been over a week since Ordell apologized and expressed remorse for her past, but people still feared her and kept their distance.
If Victoria hadn’t spent the entire week by her side, she might still be looking at her the same way.
‘Considering what I did, there’s no way people will forgive me so quickly. But if I keep trying, eventually they’ll open their hearts. That’s enough for me.’
Victoria recalled what Ordell had said.
So now she had one job: to help close the remaining distance between Ordell and the others.
“The Saintess has ordered a meat party for tonight’s dinner. Everyone can eat as much meat as they want.”
“Waaaah!”
The kids were the first to scream with joy.
Seeing the stunned adults behind them, Victoria grinned brightly.