SNBF 09

Chapter 09

“Hmm…! Oh dear! Your grandmother seems to be lingering nearby. Tsk, tsk…”
“Wha—?! Saint! Does that mean something’s troubling my grandmother?!”

I swung the bell with a flourish.
As if a foreign spirit had possessed my body, I did it with unrestrained energy.
Immediately, fear seeped into the eyes of the guests, overwhelmed by the shrine and my acting skills.

To heighten the atmosphere, I shook the bell once more and spoke. Jingle, jingle. The clear sound echoed throughout the shrine.
“…Our James. How have you been?”

Seeing ghosts and hearing the words of gods was true, but unlike in past lives, I wasn’t randomly possessed. It seemed to be thanks to the protection of the eight guardian deities.
Well, I could be possessed, but I had no desire to.
Still, I deliberately mimicked the ghosts’ tones and followed Agatha or other gods, pretending to be possessed.

“Gr-grandmother…! What did I do wrong? Why can’t you leave in peace?”
“I couldn’t go because of your worries. Don’t fret about me. But that girl you plan to marry… she’s a very bad person!”

At first, acting like this felt embarrassing, but I gradually got used to it.
Now, rather than embarrassment, I focused on the lack of detail and studied it further. I even recalled how my mother used to conduct divinations. A sort of personal benchmarking.

It had been two months since I started seeing guests from all over the empire.
I had become quite famous, but…
[If I want to approach the emperor, I need something truly groundbreaking.]

Apparently, my reputation hadn’t yet reached the capital.
If I went straight there to perform divinations, I’d probably be noticed by the emperor before becoming famous.
Meeting the emperor first was more important.

I thought about how Theodore handled things and sent letters to the newspapers Morning of the Empire and Empire Daily.
Making my presence known would surely provoke a reaction from Theodore.
Posing as a tipster, I wrote an intriguing article exposing the “fraudulent saint” in Dermont, including blessings from the eight gods.

Was it luck from the gods shining through?
Soon enough, two reporters arrived as guests.
After that, I flaunted the powers of the eight guardians freely, and everything progressed smoothly.

‘I didn’t expect this to make the front page.’
Apparently, there had been little news lately. According to Agatha, the social season in the capital had ended, and with no scandals to report, newspapers were desperate for stories. Perfect timing.

And today:
“Dorothy, Dorothy!”
“Never open the door while I’m doing a reading—”
“From the capital, from the imperial palace! Someone’s here!”
“Huh?”
“They want to take you, Saint!”
“…I see.”

I stood up.
“Guests, I’m sorry, but today’s readings will have to end here.”

I quickly gave the two visitors from afar advice on how to resolve their misfortune and sent them on their way.
“Phew…”

The emperor is summoning me.
Indeed, the power of the press is great.
If this is a newspaper that reaches across the empire, there’s no doubt about it.

“How many came from the imperial palace?”
“Three. They approached very discreetly, as if on a secret mission.”
“I see. Hmm. Anyway, thank you for all your help, Maria.”

This devotee often helped out at the shrine with odd jobs. Even when I said it wasn’t necessary, she kept coming. Honestly, it was hard to manage alone, so I was secretly grateful.

I ruffled Maria’s hair.
The once gloomy expression now glowed with life.
Though I started this for a purpose, seeing such faces brought me pride.

“Ah. If you go to the capital, I won’t see you again.”
Maria looked disappointed. I gave her a small smile.
“Maria, remember this last piece of advice. Any man approaching you? Filter them all out. They’ll ruin your life. Got it?”
“Yes, yes! Saint!”
“Then I’ll be off.”

I moved toward the door.
“Saint, that’s the back door.”
“Yes, the back door.”
“The people from the imperial palace are at the front entrance.”
“Exactly. That’s why I’ll leave from the back.”

Maria tilted her head in confusion.
“You’re not going to meet the people from the palace?”
“Maria.”
“Yes?”
“After I leave, go to them in about ten minutes and tell them just one thing.”
“What?”
“While the saint prays, don’t interrupt. I waited, but when I went to check, they weren’t there. Suddenly, they disappeared.”
“Saint… what on earth—”
“Well then, take care.”

I opened the back door and stepped outside.
I was running away to avoid the emperor’s summons, heading toward the city’s temple.

[You can’t… read the emperor?]

Over the past two months, I had learned many things from talking with Agatha.
[Yes. The seat of the ‘Emperor’ has accumulated blessings from the royal family of the Manpeline Empire since the first emperor. No one prays for their descendants like the royals do. When human wishes accumulate, it becomes a force even we guardians cannot touch. All emperors have gained health and luck through this power.]

Theodore was already terrifying despite his handsome appearance…
And the fact that I couldn’t even use a cheat key felt like a bolt from the blue.

[Moreover, the problem is that as ancestral prayers accumulate over generations, the power grows stronger. The current emperor is literally shielded by an invincible defense.]

A total cheat character.
[Why are you telling me this now!]
[Sorry. That’s why I’m telling you now.]

I felt almost like crying.
[I don’t think I can do anything, Agatha. If I meet the emperor, I’ll probably be called a fraud and worry about getting my head cut off.]
[No! Dorothy has wisdom we don’t. She’s full of astonishingly clever ideas! I trust Dorothy!]
[Yes! Dorothy! You can do this!]

Even the previously quiet gods joined to cheer me on.

If I met the emperor, I intended to use Agatha’s powers to bend him and prove the existence of gods. But in this situation, instead of bending him, I would only be treated as a fraud.

Even if I became famous, I could be executed for insulting the emperor. I didn’t want to meet him.
Yet not meeting him still meant approaching death. Natural disasters would strike anyway. I had to meet him.

[I said before, once you’re famous, public attention will shield you. Even if the emperor sees you as a fraud, your head won’t be cut off—]
[But Agatha, regardless of survival, there’s no way to convince the emperor.]

Fame as a shield was a good plan, but meeting the emperor alone had no real use.
From that day, I racked my brain.
How could I work with the emperor? How could I manipulate him to fit the gods’ goals without risking my life?
What could I use…

Then, I reached a conclusion.
If I couldn’t make him believe in gods, at least I could make him see that the saint’s existence is useful.
Theodore always acted according to what was useful.

“Shield.”

I needed a shield, and besides fame, there was one way to get it.
The only group in this world that could challenge the emperor: the temple.

Ironically, the group I had to undermine had the perfect conditions to be my shield.
And the temple would bite if it involved the emperor.
Since the imperial court sought me out, the temple would accept me. Theodore knew me, but under the temple’s protection, he couldn’t touch me.
A brilliant plan, if I do say so myself.

“I want to meet the bishop here.”
I entered the temple and said in a refined voice.
“Name?”
“Saint Dorothy.”
“Oh… the… famous fraud?”

The man at the gate chuckled.

The reason the temple hadn’t approached me despite my fame was simple.
A saint born in a gambling hall? Nothing good for their image—just a fraud. No reason to care.
My fame wasn’t even enough to reach the capital, so they didn’t intervene.

“A fraud, Arthur? Blasphemous. Ah, the blasphemy is yours, isn’t it? I won’t tell your wife about the money you lost gambling at the Aberdeen Tavern recently. That was bonus money, right? She’d be so disappointed if she knew.”

“…S-senpai.”

As I spoke fluently, the man turned pale and nudged the person next to him.
“Why?”
A curt answer came.

How many more times must I go through this? I sighed but remained patient.
I had to navigate through several guards, each calling their “senpai” before reaching higher officials, gradually exposing their weaknesses.

“Let’s move. The… bishop is on the top floor.”

Finally, I had passed the last checkpoint.
Facing the pale, shocked face, I sighed. How nice it would be if people just handled matters without digging up my leverage.

“Yes, let’s go.”

Finally, I could ascend to the top floor of the temple.
Taking a small pulley elevator, I quickly arrived.

“Bishop!”

The man held me in place and rushed ahead. From the inner room, a commotion arose.
The balding bishop overseeing this region frowned as he walked toward me.

“Needlessly… You should have dealt with that fraud at your level.”
“But… something feels very strange.”
“Hah, well. Busy and tired enough as it is.”

The bishop’s face was flushed, but he looked far from tired.

“Hello, Bishop.”
“I heard you wished to see me, but in our temple, frauds like you—”
“Bishop, it’s been 20 years since your demotion. Don’t you want to return to the capital?”

Really, my gods are cheat keys.

“How do you… know about 20 years ago—”
“Today, those sent from the imperial court came to me. I trust the temple more than the court, so I fled here.”
“From… the imperial court?”
“Yes. Quite the interesting story for the main temple in the capital, isn’t it?”

The bishop’s eyes wavered.

Good. You corrupt humans. Be my backup and repent.