Saint Marigold

1.

“Karma.”

I pondered what this Karma meant to my Noona, the creator of the game. What was her intention in adding such a messed-up thing? Why did it suddenly rob an innocent person of their sight?

‘…Did she even think? She probably just threw it in.’

I could be sure of it.

Her game directing style was to cram in everything she wanted. Whenever I asked about something that bothered me, she’d often reply with, “Was that in there?” She was the type to react as if she barely knew herself.

Of course, Lancel hadn’t really thought about the Karma stat either. Even during the tester playthrough, he’d only glanced at it. He just instinctively knew it was bad to accumulate it.

Because he hadn’t done anything to warrant it in the first place.

But Marigold had.

She’d gone and done it.

She’d accumulated a whopping ‘200’ Karma, a number others struggled to even reach a little, and as a result, she’d lost both her eyes.

“Life’s a bitch, Marigold.”

Lancel sighed deeply and sought out information. The master of the Thieves’ Guild, known throughout the Imperial Capital, came to see him.

“So, you’re saying you want us to find a blind girl? Her name is Mary?”

“She’s definitely somewhere in this Imperial Capital. I’ll pay the reward upfront.”

“You’re a generous young master, as expected. We’ll catch her within three days and deliver her to you nicely wrapped.”

“Just find out where she is.”

“Ah, yes.”

Contrary to their confidence, the Thieves’ Guild failed to find Marigold. Their excuse was that they couldn’t find her no matter how hard they searched.

Lancel felt a sense of unease, wondering, ‘Did she die a meaningless death again?’

Frustrated, he went out and wandered the streets.

“Alms, please! Alms, please… huh?”

With a clatter, something fell, and Marigold stopped moving.

After groping around on the ground for a while, she picked up a round, metallic object and bowed deeply.

“May God bless you!”

“…”

Lancel massaged his throbbing head.

He wasn’t mistaken.

It was Marigold.

Her face was hidden by the hood of the Salvation Church, as it was commonly called.

The blind beggar, fumbling with the shiny golden object, trying to gauge its worth.

Yes.

It was definitely Marigold.

“A silver coin…? No, they wouldn’t give something so valuable. But this is a pattern I’ve never seen before. What is it? Pina, is this a silver coin?”

Lancel quietly watched her. Soon, she let out a scream loud enough to echo through the entire alley.

“G, g, gold… gold…!”

“It’s a gold coin, yes. It’s a gold coin.”

“Y, yes?”

Lancel approached the flustered Marigold.

“An imperial gold coin. Have you never seen one before?”

“G, gold coin, a gold coin, such a large sum of money is something we… find it a bit difficult to accept… but if you’re giving it to us, we’re very grateful and we definitely need it…!”

We?

Lancel looked again at the emblem on Marigold’s hood.

The Salvation Church. A relatively small and insignificant religious order.

He’d thought it was just some clothes she’d picked up, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

“Consider it charity. I want to receive some of that blessing from your god, so.”

Marigold was speechless for a moment, her face blank.

“Are you perhaps acquainted with me?”

“No, I’ve never seen you before.”

Lancel lowered himself to Marigold’s eye level.

Her once bright emerald eyes had now turned into a cloudy silver.

“How long have you been blind?”

“Pardon? Why are you suddenly asking that…”

“Want the gold coin back?”

“Ten! Since I was ten years old!”

Ten years old, she said.

The starting point of the game.

It was now fifteen years since she had lost her sight.

‘They really made this game like crap.’

It was hard to suppress the bubbling anger inside.

“I was just curious. I’m leaving now.”

“Wait!”

A small hand quickly grabbed Lancel’s sleeve.

“Please tell me your name, it’s the first time I’ve received such a large sum of money, I’ll, I’ll pray for you!”

“Pray?”

“Yes!”

Marigold’s face lit up.

“I pray twice a day. Usually, I pray to be able to see again, but this time I’ll pray especially for the benefactor. How about it?”

Lancel chuckled at her eagerness to do something great.

“Lancel.”

The noise of the bustling street faded into the distance.

In the alley, a little away from the lamplit street.

Between the stone walls where a rat scurried around the foul-smelling sewer.

The blind woman of the Salvation Church and Lancel faced each other.

“Lancel Dante. That’s my name.”

“Lancel Dante… yes.”

Marigold’s expression showed that she was remembering something.

Come to think of it, Lancel remembered that she also had some remnants of previous playthroughs.

His name might have been familiar to her.

“Lancel Dante, I will pray for you. Thank you for giving me the precious gold coin. I am grateful for today’s meeting guided by God.”

In her hands, clasped together, a gold coin shone like a religious artifact.

Lancel turned away, that image being the last he saw.

‘I need to figure out how to deal with that damn Karma stat.’

He felt a surge of anger every time he saw the blind Marigold. He didn’t know why. He just didn’t like it.

2.

———

[Fallen Noble Lady Simulation]

Create a schedule for the 2nd week of June.

Mon – Begging on the street.

Tue – Cleaning and laundry at the temple.

Wed – Begging on the street.

Thu – Begging on the street.

Fri – Begging on the street.

Sat – Reciting prayers at the temple.

Sun – Recruiting regular sponsors.

※Begging is difficult, but it helps the temple.

———

Lancel observed Marigold’s week from nearby.

“Receive grace with a copper coin. Give up a meal to receive God’s grace.”

In a place where many people passed by, Marigold always sat in the same place, at the same time, in the same clothes, continuing to beg.

“What do you think?”

“Someone could easily kidnap her without her knowing.”

Lancel glared sideways. Startled, the master of the Thieves’ Guild changed his words.

“I just meant that, scary, Sir Lancel.”

“I heard there are many criminals in the Thieves’ Guild who specialize in kidnapping.”

“Oh, please don’t equate us with such a group of thugs. In the first place, it’s difficult to get ransom if they don’t have parents…”

Lancel ignored the man’s excuses.

He had placed several guards around Marigold. He didn’t want to see her die a meaningless death again.

“Be saved with a copper coin.”

Karma. How could he possibly lower it?

During the past few months that Lancel had been watching Marigold, there had been no sign that the Karma had decreased. All he saw was Marigold constantly begging.

‘Should I give her some money?’

She was living mainly by begging anyway.

If she had enough money, there would definitely be more things she could do.

His hesitation was short-lived.

Well, let’s just try it.

“I don’t usually ask about the client’s intentions, but why on earth would you request this…”

“Just do as I say.”

“Understood!”

Soon, the Thieves’ Guild carried out the request Lancel had made.

“Receive grace with a copper coin. With a copper coin… huh?”

Marigold seemed to sense something was wrong. Suddenly, copper and silver coins began to fall around her.

“T, thank you, no, you should receive a prayer, ah, thank you again! Eh? A silver coin? This? If it’s a silver coin, you must receive a prayer!”

Marigold frantically picked up the fallen coins.

“Get out of the way, this is, this is my spot.”

“Ack!”

A beggar, who knows where he came from, pushed Marigold away. Lancel’s eyes turned cold.

“Deal with him.”

“Yes, sir.”

“W, who are you? Why are you doing this… Aaaack!”

Two men who had been loitering nearby immediately approached and chased the man far away.

Only Marigold, with a blank expression, remained in that spot, not knowing what was going on.

.

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==========

—Marigold feels that she has a talent for fundraising.

==========

‘Huh?’

Lancel felt that something was strange around this point. Marigold, who had always been sitting and begging as usual, began to show gradual changes over time.

“Ahem.”

Marigold, having composed herself, took out something heavy. It was a stringed instrument with three strings.

“The grace of salvation will come, light and grace, ah, light and grace, ah!”

Lancel covered his face. What on earth was this?

“Receive grace with a copper coin! Ah, light and grace!”

At first, it was just Marigold doing it alone.

Later, several people wearing similar clothes came and started to harmonize together.

“Ah! Light!”

“The day the light comes!”

They were people who played music that he had never heard of in his life, but it was enough to attract people’s attention.

Later, people even came from far away to see the spectacle.

‘A troupe of clowns?’

When he came to his senses, the Salvation Church in the Imperial Capital had become a fundraising genius.

Ten years passed like that.

.

.

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[Playtime 10 years 0 days]

—Marigold is now 25 years old.

—She has no marriage prospects.

—She has no achievements.

[Normal Ending 85. Marigold, a Famous Figure on the Streets]

—The ending has been added to the ‘Album of Memories’.

—Opening the album.

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.

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One coin.

One prayer.

One coin.

One song.

Today, Marigold goes out into the streets to find the person who appeared in her dreams.

[Normal Ending. Marigold, a Famous Figure on the Streets – fin]

—Would you like to restart the game?

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.

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“No, this isn’t it.”

He had decided to watch over her. But he didn’t expect it to turn out like this.

At this rate, she was just a somewhat talented beggar.

==========

—Permanent Damage: Marigold has lost her eyesight in both eyes.

※Marigold’s Karma stat has reached 200.

※Permanent damage will occur ‘every playthrough’ until the Karma stat is resolved.

==========

‘I wanted to see the Karma go down.’

How could he get rid of all the Karma and never see that damn phrase again?

Lancel found the answer quite close by.

When he visited the Salvation Church directly under the pretext of becoming a regular sponsor, a clergyman of the religious order offered to guide Lancel himself.

“The doctrine of the Salvation Church is to spread this religion as widely as possible. We build temples in all corners of the continent, collect a lot of donations, and achieve wealth and prosperity.”

“…I didn’t know the Salvation Church was such a secular religion. At that rate, aren’t you just merchants, not followers?”

“The Salvation Church does not save people with mere faith. Gold and silver. Barley and honey. Wheat and olives. Oil and milk. Only those are the blessings of God, and we truly believe that they save mankind.”

Damn it.

No wonder Marigold was so obsessed with money, which didn’t suit her. These guys were the cause.

‘I see why they’re so insignificant.’

They were certainly realistic guys. But people don’t want that kind of religion. Religion is supposed to be more sublime and great.

It didn’t seem like this was the place. Lancel decided to take Marigold out of this pseudo-heretical religion as soon as he had the chance.

“And when the temples of the Salvation Church spread to every corner of this vast land, we will finally be able to escape the Karma given by God.”

Karma.

Lancel heard that word spoken by someone else for the first time.