Yuran's Mistake
Divine power, simply put, is the power of the gods. Unlike mana, which exists in all things, divine power manifests only in people—except in rare cases like holy relics. And the reason is just as I said: it's the power of the gods.
The gods share their power with their faithful lambs. The devout. Those who receive the gods' attention. Not everyone in these categories possesses divine power, but everyone who does falls into one of these.
Thus, wielding divine power isn't like magic, with formulas or elaborate methods. Faith. And prayer. That's all it takes. Of course, memorizing the prayers is separate.
Since divine power is a force the gods lend us, we must never arrogantly claim it as our own. We should always refine ourselves and spread the gods' will, making their grace known far and wide. There are many in the world who struggle to receive the gods' grace, so we must seek them out ourselves or...
I skipped the parts praising the gods on the paper.
Flipping through a few more pages, I finally found what I was looking for.
"Types of prayers and how to use them... This is it."
I'd thought there'd only be a few listed, but there were quite a lot.
"No wonder. The saintess said it was simple to write, but it took her ages. Most of it's just about praising the gods anyway."
I slowly examined the listed prayers and nodded.
"Mm-hmm. Got it perfectly."
This was some seriously valuable intel. These prayers...
"I can't use 'em."
Saying that, I glared at the fire orb rolling around on my desk.
"Hey."
-Kyuung?
"Even if the god's different, can't you just tweak the prayers? Like, swap out the god's name here."
-Kyuung!
The little guy bristled. Absolutely not, it seemed to say.
What kind of pride does an obscure god—whose name isn't even known on the continent—have to demand custom prayers?
Just to check, I muttered a prayer without the god's name. No change. It didn't feel like a divine power issue; it was like the prayer itself was wrong.
"Then teach me a prayer or at least the god's name."
-Kyuung, kyung.
"Sigh, what's the point of talking to you."
-Kyung!
I ignored the fire orb jumping onto my chest in outrage again and kept reading what the saintess had written.
And I found an unexpected gem.
"Oh, you can just wrap divine power around your body, huh."
Draw the dormant divine power inside you to the surface. That alone activates it, granting the user vitality and strength.
I figured this was like the body temperature control I'd felt before. Like now, when I release this fire orb, my body temp stays steady.
But...
"Beyond temp control, what's it do? Vitality? I've always had plenty."
I greet my morning wood with a cheerful hello every day.
"Strength? Mine's never been bad to begin with, and it doesn't feel boosted by divine power."
What was the difference? I stared at the fire orb, pondering.
Just because the god's different? Or...
"Is it the amount?"
I recalled the saintess's divine power during that simple health check. A tiny amount. Way less than when she used full-on healing or holy might.
Yet it was still bigger than this fire orb. So maybe my divine power was just a puny speck, too small to notice changes in vitality or strength.
"Gotta build up my divine power, huh. But..."
I knew how to increase divine power volume. Anyone did. It was written on the paper too.
Faith in the god. The stronger and more devout, the more power the god grants.
"......"
That simple thing was impossible for me. No god's name, no records of their deeds. The only proof they existed was this tiny fire orb. And what they'd given me? Reincarnation. That was my guess, anyway.
No way could I worship them like the saintess did with Pel.
Besides, past life or this one, I was never religious. It wasn't about believing gods existed. I just wasn't the type to live devoutly for a god, spreading their will.
"......"
-Kyuung?
The fire orb glanced up, sensing my gaze. Our eyes met in silence.
-Kyuung....
Weird noise. Why's it acting embarrassed?
"Useless lump."
-Kyuuuung!
It headbutted my chest the second it heard. I couldn't make out the exact words, but it felt like 'The mood was good until now!'
Was a fire orb really griping about the vibe? I doubted my interpretation until...
-Kyung! Kyung!
Still ramming my chest. Yeah, nailed it.
"Sigh."
What the hell was I supposed to do with this puny divine power? I pondered through the night.
"I'll be going now, Lord Yuran."
"Yeah, take care."
"If anything hurts... please visit the nearest cathedral."
"Will do."
Cecily's time to leave Toypus Earldom had come. As a saintess, she couldn't stay in one place forever, so departure was inevitable.
Still, something unresolved lingered in a corner of her heart. A knot. One that formed every time she traveled the continent.
Seeing kids rummaging through trash for hunger in slums.
Watching warriors die on battlefields.
People entering dangerous mines for their livelihood.
Knots always tied themselves. Cecily never tried to untie them. When she first became saintess, she wanted to—free them from suffering.
But time taught her the opposite. Where there's light, there's shadow. Nothing's perfect. That was her revelation.
Yet she hadn't given up. Her mission: let light touch the darkness, spread the gods' grace.
She'd known brutal poverty, struggled for a single meal. Lost precious ones, but was saved by the gods.
She wished the same for others.
But Toypus Earldom tied an especially stubborn knot.
Lord Yuran La Toypus...
They'd met a few times. Never pleasantly.
About two years ago, at a restaurant reserved by the Pontiff. Cecily hated fancy places but went for his sake.
Plenty of seats, enough for her holy knights too. But they deemed sitting with the saintess blasphemous, so she sought another spot.
Fine alone—she was used to it. The seat ahead was empty... occupied by a man in academy cadet uniform like the Hero's.
Dull yellow short hair. Tanned skin. Sharp features. Despite his looks, his face was dark—even mid-meal at this pricey, delicious spot.
Worried about something, Cecily guessed. Might as well sit and listen. Classic Cecily thought.
She approached gently. "May I sit here?"
His reply...
"Get lost before I grope those tits."
Vulgar. Unheard of, even before saintess days.
"Y-Yes...?"
Her holy knights exploded. "You bastard! How dare you speak to Her Holiness like that!"
"P-Please calm down. It was my fault. He might've wanted to be alone..."
"But Saintess, what he said..."
"I'm fine."
"Understood..."
Her mediation prevented disaster. Cecily sighed in relief and moved seats, mulling his words.
Tits. Grope. Her face flushed just thinking it, but that wasn't what bothered her.
A wounded cat...
That's how he seemed. Her special eyes—part of her saintess powers—saw what others couldn't. Desires hidden. Things that shouldn't be seen or felt.
His lust was real. But more than that, pain made him bare his claws. Like a kitten from her childhood. It tugged at her.
Still... that wasn't right.
Later, she learned his name: Yuran La Toypus. Sole heir to the Toypus count of the desert. Soon to inherit, after his father's sudden death.
After that, Cecily sought him out in the capital. Always rude words.
"Here to get groped?"
"A saintess who loves being defiled. Empire's doomed. Tsk tsk."
"Flaunting those huge tits and hips? Lewd saintess who loves men's stares."
Vulgar, unfit for a saintess. But each meeting, his darkness faded a bit.
Time? Or venting stress on her? Either way, she admired his grit.
So in Toypus this time, she steeled herself for more blush-inducing filth.
But... He'd changed since returning to his territory.
No lewd remarks. Yuran's slip-up, really. Without past-life memories, he'd have treated her like in the capital.
'Coming without escorts? You're not a saintess, you're a whore begging to be fucked.'
Absolutely not what she'd expected. He held back on words, but lust lingered, along with worries. Still, he wasn't breaking or veering wrong. Thank goodness.
Leaving the manor, touring the territory's people shocked her.
No hard bread crumbs. Not even proper water. She'd never seen a place struggling with water itself.
And poisoned food eaten as normal. She tried once—couldn't stomach it. Bitter beyond the toxin.
She thought Yuran, as count, ate better. In the capital, he'd splurged on fine food and clothes.
But no. He was just like them.
"Haa..."
Sighing over Yuran and the earldom days later, she exited the desert. Headed to a nearby stable for her horse.
But first, she spotted familiar crests on armor. Her direct holy knights.
I told them not to follow...
They'd come anyway. Or been there all along.
"You've been watching?"
"...We are knights sworn to protect you, Saintess."
"I know. I know..."
Their armor, weapons, stature intimidated civilians. That's why she traveled without them—to spread grace without scaring people off. She knew from experience.
"So... what is it?"
Whether hidden or not, showing themselves meant reason.
"Many casualties in the North."
"...Got it. To the North, now."
No more scolding. She mounted up, ignoring pleas for the saintess carriage, and galloped north.
To the frozen North, warring with monsters.
Stay healthy until we meet again.
Unaware of her thoughts...
"Hey! No setting fires! -Kyuung!!"
...Yuran was just bickering with his divine power.