I rubbed my eyes and looked at the system again.
Still, nothing had changed.
Even after asking one more time, the answer that came back was the same.
Not 1%, not 0.1%, but 0.01%…?
No, then how much do I have to offer to get 100% divine power…?
[Since it costs 1,000 gold to increase it by 1%, you need 95,000 more gold to reach 100%.]
I just earned 10 gold, and now I have to earn 95,000 more?
How much is 1 gold in Korean won anyway?
[1 gold is 100,000 won.]
So if I calculate it… 95,000 gold is 9.5 billion won…
To put it bluntly, it means I need 10 billion won to reach 100%.
"Ha, haha."
Ten billion. Ten billion, seriously? I have to earn that?
"Huh…"
The sheer shock of the amount surged from deep within me and struck my brain.
This feeling, this pain—I had definitely felt it back when I was working as a detective.
It was hwa-byung (a stress-induced illness common in Korea).
"This is insane…"
I flailed my limbs on the bed, lying spread out, overcome with a wave of frustration.
Unable to bear the stress, I had collapsed in the kitchen clutching the back of my neck, and was promptly carried to the bedroom by the startled Eirich and Dietrich.
Ugh, ughh! All I could do was groan. The two must've realized how bad my condition was, because they didn't press me further and simply told me to rest before leaving.
Left alone, I trembled with injustice.
"Hey, God. Ten—ten billion—ugh, ughhh! Are you kidding me?! I've never even touched that kind of money in my past life, and now I'm supposed to somehow produce it?!"
In my past life, I couldn't even save up one billion won, let alone ten!
Even if I only aim for my goal of 40%, that's still 3.5 billion won!
"One billion won just to raise it by one percent… haha… hahaha…"
Now I could only laugh like a madwoman.
The only silver lining was that money wasn't the only way.
As the number of followers increased, the power of the god would recover too.
So the more followers I had, the less money I'd need to offer. If I balanced both approaches…
Even then, I'd still need at least three billion won.
"Damn it!"
I slammed the bed in frustration.
I hoped that curse reached all the way to the sun in the sky.
After bringing Ordel to her bedroom, Eirich and Dietrich were half out of it.
So many shocking things had happened that they didn't even know what to say.
"…High Priest, what exactly just happened?"
Dietrich asked, dazed.
"She didn't just eat at the dining hall—she inspected the kitchen she never even glanced at before, exposed the chef's embezzlement, and even found the hidden funds in the secret passage… Are you sure the Saint really did all this?"
Listing it out only made it seem more unbelievable.
For two years, all she'd done in the temple was be lazy, skip ceremonies, indulge in luxuries, and cause havoc. And now she'd accomplished that?
"But why did she suddenly collapse at the end?"
That's right. The most shocking part was the Saint's sudden fainting.
If Eirich hadn't rushed to catch her, she would've hit her head on the kitchen counter and gotten seriously hurt.
Honestly, at first they suspected she might be faking it to avoid explaining herself…
But in Eirich's arms, Ordel's condition had been clearly serious.
She couldn't even speak properly, only gasping and wheezing as if she were about to pass out. It was definitely not an act.
"Hm… will she be alright?"
It felt strange and awkward to be worried about the Saint—something they'd never done before—but the concern was real.
Dietrich glanced toward her bedroom.
The tightly shut door used to be something he avoided at all costs, so how did things change this much?
Was it really because the Saint had changed?
"Her qi and blood are a little disturbed, but there's no serious issue. With a bit of rest, she should recover."
"Well, she can heal herself, after all."
Suddenly—pause.
At that moment, Eirich suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"It's okay. She has divine power."
That was something only Dietrich could say because he didn't know the truth — that Ordel was a fake saint.
Her divine power was pathetic, barely on par with that of an apprentice priest, if not worse. She had no healing abilities at all.
There was no way she could heal herself.
'Should I go back?'
He was the only one who knew this, which meant he was also the only one who could help her.
Just as he made up his mind and was about to turn around—
"High Priest."
A holy knight appeared at the end of the corridor.
"As ordered, we've imprisoned Kento. We searched his room but couldn't find any more suspicious signs."
Eirich had no choice but to stop in his tracks at the knight's report.
Ordel's condition wasn't so critical that he had to rush to her side right this moment.
Right now, as the High Priest, his priority was interrogating Kento, who had committed embezzlement.
There could still be accomplices roaming freely inside the temple.
But even knowing that… why couldn't he bring himself to move?
"High Priest?"
"…No. Let's go."
Eirich turned not toward the saint behind him, but toward the sinner waiting ahead.
And yet, all his thoughts still lingered behind him.
He would have to check on Ordel later—after the interrogation was over.
"Oh, and the Commander of the Holy Knights is expected to return tomorrow after completing his mission."
"That's a relief. Report to me as soon as he arrives."
Eirich let out a quiet sigh of relief at the knight's words.
The Commander — the head of all the Holy Knights of the Temple — had been away on a mission for half a year.
His return, especially in times as chaotic as these, was truly welcome news.
It was late at night, past midnight.
No moonlight reached inside. In the dark corner of the kitchen, someone was moving frantically.
The desperate rummaging made the figure look like a thief.
"Damn it, damn it! If it weren't for that cursed woman! I won't let this slide!"
A black silhouette cursed viciously while digging around under the counter.
The faintly revealed face was none other than Kento — the man who was supposed to be in prison.
Things were going very badly.
He hadn't expected to be exposed so suddenly and without warning.
And to think the one who reported him was none other than Ordel.
He had to get out of here and report this immediately.
Clenching his teeth, Kento pictured Ordel's face — the woman who had revealed his secret in front of the High Priest.
That wretched woman. He'd never let her go unpunished.
"Ugh!"
Pain shot through his arm, and Kento's face twisted in agony.
His whole body ached from enduring the High Priest's ruthless interrogation.
Still, compared to the threats, the actual torture wasn't too severe.
Thanks to that, he hadn't been forced to reveal the other hiding places for his embezzled funds besides the secret passage.
But who knew when the knights might search the entire kitchen?
He had to recover everything and escape — now, while that terrifying Commander still hadn't returned.
But then…
"Damn it, why won't this come out?! I can't leave it behind!"
The secret passage held the largest stash, but the three other hiding spots combined were just as valuable.
He couldn't leave any of them behind.
With the secret passage stash gone, he had to retrieve the rest.
"Shit!"
One of the hidden pouches seemed to be caught on something, refusing to come out no matter how hard he pulled.
In the end, Kento used his aching arm and grabbed it tightly.
With a grunt of effort, he yanked backward — and finally, the pouch came free.
"Got it! Damn thing, making me suffer like this!"
Kento leaned back against the cupboard opposite the counter and grinned with joy as he looked at the heavy pouch of money.
At that moment—
"Did you find the money?"
A chilling voice came from behind him.
"AAAAAAHHH! Wh-What the hell!?"
Startled to the point he forgot he was supposed to stay hidden, Kento screamed and stumbled backward.
The cupboard door creaked open, and someone stepped out.
A face emerged through long, ghost-like hair.
"Hello, Kento."
It was Ordel — former detective specialized in stakeouts, current saint of the temple.