IFGO 17

Chapter 17

After that day, the next few days passed in tedious monotony.

I borrowed books from the temple library, took walks around the temple grounds to familiarize myself with the terrain, and even made a few plans for earning money.

In any case, no more notifications about Divine Power appeared. By the time I had almost forgotten the painful loss of those 500 francs I had donated, I decided to get some fresh air.

I headed out to the garden with Daisy.

It was the same path I always took to reach the temple library, but today I felt like exploring a different direction. The weather was nice, after all.

“I’ve been getting so much attention from the other trainees,” Daisy chattered as she followed behind me, admiring the scenery around us. “They’re all so jealous that I get to serve you, Saintess. But I didn’t tell them even the tiniest thing about you!”

“Really?”

“Even one of the senior priestesses asked me what kind of food you like! Even though she knows perfectly well that it’s against temple regulations. Of course I refused to answer. So… if any strange rumors about you spread through the temple, I want you to know they definitely didn’t come from me.”

In my opinion, Daisy was trustworthy.

She was simply far too timid.

She had a habit of worrying excessively about things that hadn’t even happened yet.

“I won’t blame you, so stop worrying about things like that.”

“I’m sorry. It’s just…”

Daisy trailed off.

“It makes me sad that people don’t realize how amazing you really are, Saintess.”

I understood how she felt.

The Saintess stood at the very summit of the temple, one of the Empire’s two greatest powers alongside the Imperial Palace. She was a sacred and authoritative figure—something akin to the supreme religious leader of a theocratic nation.

Yet Ariel rarely attended official events because of her frail health. Compared to previous Saintesses, she also lacked influence and popularity, so naturally people within the temple whispered behind her back.

Fortunately, High Priest Rayhas had always managed to suppress those rumors after installing the fake Saintess.

“If your greatness only matters when other people recognize it, then it was never true greatness to begin with.”

Daisy’s eyes trembled.

“So I don’t care what anyone says.”

I looked at her and continued.

“Which means you shouldn’t care either, Daisy.”

Tears welled up in her eyes as she nodded.

She had only become my personal attendant a week ago, yet she seemed genuinely concerned about my reputation.

“I’m sorry for saying something so foolish, Saintess.”

I gave her a faint smile before continuing down the path.

The temple garden was enormous, overflowing with flowers of every imaginable variety.

The section we were walking through was especially peaceful. Ordinary worshippers weren’t allowed into this restricted area, making it wonderfully quiet.

As I slowly walked across the rustling grass—

I suddenly heard a different sound.

My gaze dropped to the ground.

Something rustled inside the bushes.

Only then did I realize something was hidden there, so I bent down and parted the leaves.

“Ah… Saintess…”

Daisy let out a soft gasp.

A small bird with brilliant blue feathers lay inside the bush, weakly twitching.

One of its wings was bent at an unnatural angle.

Flap.

It tried to move, but the broken wing only drooped helplessly again.

“It’s a Blue Wing,” Daisy said sadly. “They’re very rare birds. What a pity…”

Seeing the tiny creature on the verge of death, I instinctively reached out with both hands, gently lifting it into my palms before standing again.

“Saintess… It might be dirty.”

I heard Daisy’s voice.

But all my attention remained fixed on the little bird.

It reminded me of Jjaerok—the blue-and-gold macaw I had raised before I died in my previous life.

I wonder if he found a good new owner…

The bird struggled to flap its wing again, but it could only twitch feebly.

Poor thing.

The moment pity welled up inside me—

A warm light suddenly enveloped my hands.

Heat spread across my palms, gentle and comforting, like sitting beside a fireplace.

My eyes widened.

A tingling sensation flowed through my skin.

And then—

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

“Saintess!”

Daisy cried out in astonishment.

The bird wrapped in the soft radiance slowly unfolded its wings.

“…!”

My eyes went wide.

The wing that had clearly been broken moments ago was now perfectly healed.

Its messy feathers gleamed with vibrant luster.

The dull, dying eyes that had been fading only moments earlier now sparkled with life.

Chirp. Chirp, chirp.

The little bird looked up at me with bright black eyes.

Was it my imagination?

It almost sounded as if it were thanking me.

I stared blankly at it before raising my hand a little higher.

The bird flapped its wings twice—

Then soared into the sky.

It circled around me several times before disappearing into the bushes.

For quite a while, I simply stared after it.

Then I looked down at my empty hands.

I could still vividly feel the weight of the little bird resting in my palms.

Could it be… that light really healed it?

At that moment, a familiar window appeared before me.

[Would you like to receive the reward for the achievement: First Use of Divine Power?]

(Yes / No)

Since I already knew I didn’t have to choose immediately, I simply dimmed the window.

Then I turned toward the commotion behind me.

“My goodness, Saintess!”

Daisy’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“That was Holy Power, wasn’t it? O Hetus! Oh, my goodness!”

I calmly nodded.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t Holy Power.

It was Divine Power.

But there was no need to split hairs over the distinction.

“I… I can’t believe I just witnessed the Saintess using her holy power with my own eyes! What an incredible honor!”

She looked so overwhelmed that tears were beginning to form again.

“It was only a single bird.”

Although I answered calmly, my own thoughts were almost as chaotic as Daisy’s.

So it really was Divine Power.

The ability possessed only by the First Saintess…

…had awakened in me, someone inhabiting the body of a fake Saintess.

And the immense vitality I had felt flowing through my hands…

It was astonishing.

I had saved a bird that had been beyond all hope.

The feeling was indescribable.

“So many priests dedicate themselves to healing the sick,” Daisy said excitedly. “Even after reciting prayers as long as an entire page, they often can’t completely cure someone. As expected, the Saintess’s holy power is truly different!”

That matched what I had read in the books.

One of a priest’s primary duties was healing the wounded.

Unlike the Saintess, who received blessings from many gods, each priest served only a single deity.

The strength of their divine power depended both on the god they served and on their own personal aptitude.

Even an exceptionally talented priest needed over five minutes of prayer to heal a broken leg.

To save someone on the brink of death, several priests would have to pray together for half a day.

“But Saintess… you didn’t even pray!”

That was true.

Even Holy Power, though stronger and broader in scope than ordinary divine power, still required prayer.

Only by praying and obtaining the gods’ permission could it be used.

“Daisy.”

“That bird was practically dying! And now it’s flying around like nothing ever happened! A Blue Wing!”

I gently placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

At least now I had a rough understanding of just how extraordinary Divine Power truly was.

Unlike holy or divine power that required prayer—

This power responded the instant I merely willed it.

If people ever discovered I possessed such an ability…

The entire world would be thrown into chaos.

After all, Divine Power had only ever manifested in the First Saintess.

“You must never tell anyone what you saw today.”

“…Keep it a secret?”

The Daisy who had looked ready to burst into flight like the bird herself suddenly stared at me with wide eyes.

“Yes.”

I met her gaze steadily.

“Absolutely no one.”

My thoughts were still in turmoil.

But one thing was certain.

I wasn’t the protagonist of this novel.

If anyone learned that I could use Divine Power, the entire original story would collapse.

The reason I had remained relatively calm after transmigrating into the fake Saintess—the villainess—was because I knew how the novel unfolded.

But if the plot changed because of this…

Then I would have to carve out my own fate in a world where I no longer knew what would happen.

Sure, receiving the gods’ affection and obtaining an absurdly overpowered ability wasn’t exactly a bad thing.

But that didn’t mean I intended to become the true Saintess.

My goal had always remained the same:

Hand this position over to the real heroine…

Then live an ordinary, peaceful, and happy life.

“I understand, Saintess.”

Though her eyes still shook with emotion, Daisy lowered her head respectfully.

“If it is your command, I will never reveal what I witnessed.”

She might be somewhat childish and excitable, but she was still someone talented and determined enough to have entered the Temple of Elium.

She didn’t presumptuously ask why.

A little while later, I resumed walking as though nothing had happened.

“Daisy, shall we take a stroll through the rose garden?”

She smiled and nodded.

“Yes. I heard they recently planted several new varieties of roses.”

And just like that—

We continued on as if nothing at all had happened.