episode_0106

The crystal orb of the goddess shimmered as if the long slumber beneath the earth was a lie.

I pondered in various ways on how to summon the goddess as narrated by the crystal orb.

Being neither an empath nor a mage, I lacked the ability to research such objects.

However, I thought that Mariel might be able to figure out how the crystal orb worked, so I visited the Belphorc Manor.

“Alert… Intruder… Identified….”

As soon as I arrived at the manor, I was greeted by a metal construct called the “Guardian” created by Mariel.

It had a different design from the ‘Guardian 1’ that had fallen and broken on its own, with a four-legged walking structure.

Thinking that my magic had been used to create it, I felt a sense of unease.

“Alert… Intruder… Identified….”

Clank, clank-

The four-legged Guardian approached me with an unpleasant sound like a spider.

Slowly, its steps faltered, and it collapsed in place.

…It doesn’t seem to have improved much.

Ignoring it, I knocked on the manor door.

“Miss Mariel! Miss Mariel! Are you inside?”

Bang! Thud! Thud!

As I knocked on the door and shouted, a loud noise came from inside the manor.

After a while, the manor door opened, revealing Mariel in a disheveled state.

“Oh… It’s you?”

“What was that noise just now?”

“It’s nothing.”

Although she said that, the inside of the manor looked like a mess, as if an elephant had rampaged through it.

Since this person often did strange things, I decided not to ask too many questions.

“Finally… Have you come to give me magic?”

“No, I have a favor to ask. Do you know how to operate magical items like this crystal orb?”

“You still don’t have magic…?”

“Have you improved the magic charger?”

“Not yet…”

“Alright, forget about that… Can you take a look at this for me?”

I showed Mariel the goddess’s crystal orb.

Her expression, which had been downcast due to not receiving magic, turned into one filled with curiosity upon seeing the crystal orb.

Indeed, a creature of curiosity, she had recognized that this crystal orb was no ordinary object.

* * *

“Hmm… Hmm…”

I watched as Mariel put down the goddess’s crystal orb and paced around lost in thought.

With her better eye for detail than mine, maybe she could find clues on how to use it.

In truth, I wasn’t hoping for her to directly find the exact way to use the crystal orb, but rather to deduce something close to it so that the narration could provide missing information.

“It seems like this item is related to divine power.”

After wandering around making grumbling noises for a while, Mariel finally spoke.

It was quite impressive for her to come to that conclusion without me saying anything.

I already knew that this was a tool to summon the goddess, but I deliberately didn’t explain it.

If necessary, I would come up with a reason to mention that this was a crystal orb for summoning the goddess, but for now, I observed.

Since this item was found based solely on information from the narration, it was to reduce discomfort.

I had made a few careless mistakes in the past, revealing what I knew too easily and causing others to question me.

Since then, I had been careful to either provide solid evidence or not mention anything when revealing facts learned through narration.

Once Mariel confirmed that the crystal orb was related to divine power, she went to her study and took out several books.

She then examined the crystal orb and the books, quickly uncovering the identity of the crystal orb.

“This seems to be a kind of prayer tool. It appears to be used for praying to the goddess… but it has a structure similar to magical items. Magical items can be activated by infusing magic… would this one work with divine power?”

I felt like applauding Mariel’s conclusion.

This eccentric magician, she’s quite talented in this aspect as well, isn’t she?

“If it’s divine power… is it much different from magic? Can the priests of the church activate this?”

“Divine power is similar to magic, but fundamentally different. Priests and bishops of the church may possess some level of divine power, but it would be insufficient. Although the power used is different, the essence is similar to what I mentioned before, like magic tools.”

『As Mariel said, the priests and bishops belonging to the seven churches currently lacked divine power.

In the past, the church was not divided into seven denominations as it is now.

The seven churches were originally one religion.

However, over time, as the denominations split, the divine power held by the church greatly weakened.』

As the narration supplemented Mariel’s words in my mind.

I see, so the church that was originally divided into seven denominations was one.

If divine power is assumed to be a power derived from religious faith and the protection of the goddess, then as time passed and the denominations split, the church became further away from the gods.

Just as water stagnates and rots, places where people gather are bound to deteriorate over time.

Thinking back to the time when Tina, who was now known as Saint Sistina, was in the church, I recalled the priests of the Freya Church.

When I, a former giant, ended up working as a janitor in the church, the other priests besides Tina would harass and torment me every day.

The bishop who was the representative of the church seemed to be a demon.

Seeing that, it was easy to understand why the church’s divine power had weakened so much.

Just thinking about it makes me angry even now, those priests of the Freya Church.

May they receive the goddess’s punishment.

While I was reminiscing about the past, Mariel spoke.

“Well, if you have enough divine power to use this properly… there’s only the Saint, right?”

“The Saint…”

So, to activate the goddess’s crystal, do you need the power of the Saint?

When I heard the term divine power, I had some expectations.

Wait, if the Saint was exiled from the kingdom for accusing the ‘fake hero’.

The news of a new Saint being appointed has not yet been heard.

The position of the Saint in the kingdom was officially vacant.

Should I wait until a new Saint appears?

Or does the ‘former Saint’ have the divine power to activate the crystal?

I need to find out.

“Thank you, Mariel. Your help has been greatly appreciated.”

The need for the Saint’s power is fascinating… but even if a new Saint were to take the vacant position, it would be difficult to go to the central church and have the Saint activate the crystal.

I was planning to go back and think about what to do, but Mariel blocked my path.

“Wait! Are you really just going to leave like that?”

“Yes?”

“About magic. Wouldn’t it be nice to give a little magic before you go!”

“Again with that? I said I wouldn’t do it until the magic charger is improved.”

“I will definitely improve it later. Can’t you just share a bit of your magic with my body for now?”

Mariel made a strange request to me.

“To Mariel?”

“I can create a space in my body that can accept magic. I can only store magic there, but if you fill it with magic, I will charge the magic charger myself. It may be less than if you charge it yourself… but can’t I do that! Your magic is too precious right now!”

『Mariel was frustrated because she wanted to gain even a little more of Unoah’s magic.

She wanted to empty her own magic and fill it with Unoah’s magic, even if it meant charging the magic charger.

It was a way for Mariel’s body itself to become a storage for transferring magic.』

So… in simple terms, Mariel volunteered to act as a backup battery to fill up the large battery herself.

Is that even possible…?

“Can I use the magic even if I receive it from you?”

I suddenly became curious as I was interested in the application of magic.

“I can’t use it directly. But I can transfer the magic you receive to the magic charger.”

“Is that… really okay? It’s not dangerous, right?”

“Well, as long as you lie down for about a week, it should be fine.”

To want my magic that badly.

Well, considering she helped me this time and if I’m not directly charging that darn magic charger myself, I guess I can allow this much.

Putting my magic into a person’s body is something I’ve never done before, so I’m curious.

“How do I do it?”

I asked Mariel.

Mariel came closer and held my hands.

“I’ll make space in my body now, so feel the space in my body like injecting magic into an object. When you feel an empty space, inject the magic there.”

“Let me see….”

I closed my eyes and did as Mariel instructed.

I really felt an artificial space in Mariel’s body that seemed empty of magic.

Concentrating, I slowly poured my magic into the empty space in Mariel’s body.

“Hahaha…! I feel it! I feel it!”

“Can you please be quiet? I can’t concentrate.”

“Oh… okay! Your magic…! Fill me up with it… just like that… into my body!”

“No… wait a bit…”

It’s a bit weird when she says that…

Strange… this person is strange…

Anyway, I safely shared my magic with Mariel.

Leaving Mariel trying to transfer my magic to the magic charger without spilling a drop of my magic, I left the mansion.