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Chapter 03
The reason I, a saint, wasn’t in the temple but spending my days like a flower in the palace greenhouse was all because of that damn divine power.
The day after I was summoned, I had come here.
Accompanying me were His Majesty, Captain Henkel, and Chancellor Evon. The only person waiting here was Priest Raoul.
Priest Raoul closed all the window covers, locked the entrance, and set up a barrier that prevented any sound from leaking out.
Even I, whose head had been full of flowers at the time, could feel the careful atmosphere, as if something secretive was happening.
“This is a divine power measuring device made from the mineral ‘Idmanta,’ which the god Seikan bestowed upon the human world. We refined the Idmanta using Zendal’s technology to react to divine power and measure its amount.”
Priest Raoul proudly introduced the cube on the altar.
No matter how you looked at it, it was just a square crystal—but he called it a measuring device.
It was small, and with only laser etching inside, it could have passed as a souvenir sold at a tourist spot.
As I watched the device skeptically, Raoul asked His Majesty to demonstrate it.
And the measured divine power of His Majesty was…
[Measurement Result: 100/100]
A perfect score!
For convenience, Raoul had set 100 as the maximum, but he said that if there had been no limit, the result would have been even higher.
He also praised His Majesty extravagantly, saying that in the entire continent of Oditria, only His Majesty would achieve such a score.
“But soon there will be two of you,”
Raoul said to me with a warm smile.
It was as if he meant, “Well, you’re a saint, so of course you’d have a score like this, right?”
I thought that was reasonable, and the three people around me seemed to think so as well.
Confidently, I placed my hand on the measuring device.
But moments later, the result that came out under everyone’s expectation was disastrous.
“The numbers aren’t showing? What does this mean?”
“……”
While everyone quietly glanced at me, His Majesty spoke cautiously.
“……It means there is no divine power to measure, Saint.”
I had been summoned as a saint, yet I had no divine power.
“Well, it’s just a dream, so what does it matter~”
Unlike me, who brushed it off, the four of Zendal immediately entered an emergency meeting at the scene, treating it as an unprecedented crisis.
“……But this will cause a huge ripple. By now, neighboring nations must be wary, knowing the summoning succeeded. If it becomes known that the saint has no divine power in this situation…”
“You mean Zendal itself could become a target for the entire continent. That’s what you’re saying, Evon?”
“Exactly, Henkel.”
“……Not just Zendal, the saint herself could become a target too.”
At His Majesty’s addition, the three of them, and Priest Raoul behind them, all turned their gazes toward me.
“Wow, such handsome men!”
Sparkling with admiration, I noticed they silently averted their eyes and continued the meeting.
“The fact that the entire continent of Oditria has adopted Seikan’s religion as the state religion cannot be ignored. The saint is the representative of the god Seikan. That symbolism alone is compelling enough to break the Oditria pact.”
“In the end, the saint will become the key to the continent’s hegemony. The country that hosts the saint will be at the center of the continent.”
“Then, as expected……”
An easy-to-grab treasure becomes a target for thieves.
For this reason, I hid the fact that I had no divine power and was assigned a separate palace within the royal grounds, where I lived.
To prevent anyone from finding out that I was a saint in name only, I minimized exposure to the outside world.
Even at occasional national events I attended with His Majesty, after asserting, “I am the saint summoned to Zendal,” I avoided contact with strangers as much as possible.
“But now I’ve gained some extraordinary abilities!”
Several months had already passed since I arrived in Zendal.
Now, my eyesight was sharp, my hearing excellent. My body was strong, my stamina good.
It was as if my growth plates, long closed, had opened—my body was clearly developing.
“Maybe divine power too…!”
If that were true, perhaps I could finally speak confidently as a proper saint in front of His Majesty!
I stared at the black-blinking measuring device with eyes full of anticipation.
Holding my breath, worried that a malfunction might misread the measurement.
[Measurement Completed.]
“…….”
The blinking device stopped, and white letters appeared again.
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the device at the unbelievable result.
“Wow.”
Of course, I had high expectations.
Very high expectations!
“……How can there be no progress at all?”
[Measurement Result: – ]
Zero. Nothing.
In other words, just like His Majesty had said before, I had no divine power.
The emptiness I felt was similar to when I, newly an adult, arrogantly put all my money into a lottery ticket thinking “I’ll win for sure” and didn’t even get a single cent.
All the baseless hope swelled inside me, only to be crushed by reality.
In short, I had failed.
It seemed my divine power had all been rejected.
“Even after sneaking in……”
The measuring device buzzed blackly, taunting me.
I couldn’t even hit it for fear of breaking it.
“Ugh, let’s just go sleep.”
Early morning.
Feeling refreshed, Huperson opened the door of the chapel and noticed something strange while cleaning.
“Why is this?”
The Idmanta measuring device was glowing black.
He had confirmed it was transparent before leaving work yesterday.
Sensing something wrong, Huperson called out to Raoul, who was changing into his priest’s robe.
“Priest Raoul! Please come and take a look at this!”
“Huperson, haven’t I repeatedly told you to speak gently in the morning since my head hurts?”
Raoul pressed his temples and walked toward Huperson.
“The device is on. Did you activate it?”
“No.”
“Is that so? Then it should turn off if left alone.”
“But, Priest Raoul, if the device is on, doesn’t that mean someone entered? The lock was engaged, but it seems there was an intruder. Should we inform the guards…?”
Raoul frowned at Huperson’s chattering that pierced his eardrums.
Even at his age, mornings with low blood pressure were still miserable.
“Then maybe His Majesty came and went.”
“His Majesty?”
“Yes. He also has a key. Even when His Majesty used the device last time, it didn’t turn off for a while. It seems His Majesty has been here.”
Raoul quickly concluded, clasped his bald head with both hands, and stepped away from Huperson.
“Strange……”
Left alone, Huperson couldn’t remove the suspicion from his gaze.
If the emperor had used the device, everything fit perfectly.
When those with strong divine power used the device, it sometimes stayed on for a while instead of turning off immediately.
But…
“Would His Majesty enter at night just to measure divine power?”
In the eight years Huperson had been assigned to the royal chapel, this had never happened even once.
In other words…
The current emperor had reigned for six years. If we assume it was Emperor Leodius, this was extremely unusual.
“Did he have doubts about the measurements from a few months ago? Now that I think about it, Raoul’s expression wasn’t great either when he helped with the measurement. That must have been when the saint was summoned……”
“Huperson, have you seen the quill I left here?”
“Yes, I know about that.”
Something in Huperson’s mind seemed like it might connect to a clue, but Raoul’s voice scattered his thoughts.
Huperson glanced at the device and moved to retrieve Raoul’s quill.
“Well, it’s probably nothing.”
“Saint, you really won’t eat?”
“Mm… I’m not worth eating something so delicious.”
The food Siana brought filled the dining table in my room, but I couldn’t bring myself to rise from the sofa.
To think that the saint I was supposed to be was actually just a machine that eats and poops.
Normally I don’t dig, but today I feel like digging a little.
If it’s just a potato or two, that would be enough…
“Saint, what do you mean you have no worth?”
Siana’s tone was intimidating.
Her reddish-brown updo matched her elegant face perfectly.
“Who would say such a thing in front of the saint?”
Siana Pradan.
She was the daughter of the Pradan Marquis, who had volunteered to be my personal maid at her own request.
Why a high-ranking lady volunteered as a personal maid to me, a non-royal, was puzzling.
When I asked her the first day we met:
“Zendal is relatively free regarding social status. Divine power matters more than bloodline. It’s a great honor to serve a noble saint like you.”
Ugh. Siana, I’m a fraud.
I’m just an ordinary high school girl with no divine power.
“Siana, I…”
I wanted to confess and tell her not to treat me so well.
But on the day my divine power was first measured, His Majesty had issued a strict order.
Do not reveal that the saint has no divine power to anyone.
If I have no ability, I better at least obey.
“Or did you get into some trouble? I’ll hear the whole story later, but first, please take even one bite. There’s also a turkey leg roasted over the firewood. You like that, right?”
“……”
I knew without seeing.
Humans have senses beyond sight, after all.
Turkey leg roasted by the legendary royal chef, Helly.
Crispy skin, juicy tender meat blending perfectly in the mouth—a taste of pure delight.
Ah, my mouth waters endlessly.
Why is it that humans feel appetite even in the face of despair?
I kept turning my head toward the table, but
“Have some conscience! I’m trash that shouldn’t even eat.”
I forced my gaze back to the sofa with unwavering will.
“The leg, Sia, you should eat it.”
“Oh, you don’t have to use honorifics with me. And how could I dare eat the saint’s food?”
No one else is here, so it would be fine.
Siana likes this dish too.
Her maids had all been sent away, so now it was just Siana and me in the room.
“Saint.”
I heard Siana walking toward me.
