| Author: Ryuusen Hirotsugu | Original Source: Syosetu | Word Count: 3437 characters |
| Translator: Nomad | English Source: Re:Library | Word Count: 1451 words |
| Editor(s): Fire | ||
A ray of sunlight, that phrase was the signal. Mira slowly stood up and walked up to the archbishop as instructed. When she stood there, the archbishop continued talking.
「Mira, the adventurer known widely as the Spirit Queen, has taken pity on the orphanages and has reached out a helping hand.」
At the same time, music began being played. Feeling like they really were going all out with the ceremony, Mira held out the Silver Sky Euros and then handed it over to the archbishop.
A light breeze passed by them, and the archbishop’s eyes opened wide.
But he quickly composed himself again, firmly grasping the Silver Sky Euros. Then the music became louder and a choir joined in. At the same time, the ritualistic items held by the nuns amongst the audience began to glow, illuminating the place of worship.
Then the archbishop began talking about the Silver Sky Euros, explaining what type of item it was, and its value.
「I vow that the Three Gods’ Church will use this gracious gift from Mira to improve the lives of children.」
Hearing that, everyone else in the audience, even the nobles, joined the celebration.
The archbishop’s vow was a pledge to the Gods, making it absolute. It was exceedingly rare for one like that to be sworn, which was the reason behind everyone’s shock and celebration.
On top of that, he was also a common contributor to the orphanages, so he was delighted about Mira’s decision. A vow like that showed how much he appreciated it.
With loud applause from the audience, who had witnessed that rare vow being sworn, the ceremony came to an end.
After that, Mira returned to the guest room, and the archbishop joined her shortly after to explain exactly how the Silver Sky Euros would be used.
First, he explained that the instant he held the pendant, he knew the rumors about it were true. In other words, it was not just an expensive piece of jewelry, but was truly blessed by a God, and would protect a merchant carrying it.
It was almost like a divine artifact, and with that verified, it could be sold for tens of billions.
「That’s a fortune…」
Mira was baffled by that. She had already been shocked by the initial valuation of three billion, so seeing that number increase more than three times over was quite a shock. Then, she recalled how people had theorized its price could inflate greatly with everything that had happened.
「But I’ve decided that it’s best if we don’t auction this item, and instead I’ll sell it for an affordable price to a merchant I trust.」
Until now, the Silver Sky Euros’ protective power for merchants had been simply a legend or some superstition. But now that the archbishop had verified its holy nature, its value and worth had skyrocketed, especially for merchants.
And yet, the archbishop did not feel at ease auctioning it off, even for a fortune like that. He did not want to see the pendant fall in the hands of the wrong person. Instead, he explained what his new plan for it would be, hoping that Mira would be in agreement.
The merchant he mentioned earlier was none other but the president of the Dinowal Store. They had met many times in the past, and the archbishop believed he was trustworthy.
On top of that, while it would be sold for an affordable price, there were other conditions that would come with the sale. Namely, all items from Dinowal Stores would be forever heavily discounted for orphanages.
The Dinowal Store had grown its brand by selling devices that were incredibly useful for adventurers, who usually worked in harsh environments, and making their lives easier on all fronts, from clothing to procuring food to shelter. There were branches of the store across the entire continent as well, so plenty of orphanages would be able to make use of those discounts.
「Hmm, I see.」
An auction price of ten billion would easily take care of all the food and housing costs of the orphans, at least for the time being. Eventually the money would dry up, and things would go back to how they used to be.
But obtaining the support of the Dinowal Store would slowly but surely improve those living conditions of everyone, permanently.
On top of that, the Dinowal Store would receive the pendant’s blessing, making its business more secure and ensuring they would continue to exist to help the orphanages.
The archbishop’s plan was far more future proof than money would ever be, and Mira was also well acquainted with the Dinowal Store.
「Hmm, I see. I believe that plan would be for the best, yes.」
Hearing that Mira was on board with the plan, the archbishop smiled with relief and thanked her.
「Also, please take this, as a token of gratitude from me and the Three Gods’ Church.」
Now that they had decided how the Silver Sky Euros would be used, the archbishop said that while presenting a small and short wooden box.
「Hm? What’s this?」
Mira had donated the pendant because she wanted to, and was not expecting to get anything in return. But she also had the mentality of never refusing anything that was given to her.
The wooden box was small enough to fit on her palm, with an engraving of the Three Gods’ Church emblem on top, which symbolized justice, courage, and love intertwined with the world.
(Why does this small box have this emblem…)
She started getting excited seeing that. Usually, items given by a church would only be marked by the symbol of one of the three Gods, but the box given by the archbishop had all three.
The full emblem carried a lot of weight, and so was only used in very rare occasions.
Mira had interacted with the Three Gods’ Church in the past, so she knew that much. Though that was thirty years in the past, so there was a chance it was more commonly used now. Regardless, she slowly opened the box, full of expectations.
「Ohh…」
Inside, she found a small silver medal, smaller than her palm. It was also marked with the emblem of the Three Gods. so she knew it conveyed something special.
She only did not know what that was, maybe it was just to commemorate her donation. So she asked the archbishop about it, and soon discovered that it was far more than that.
「That represents how valuable your contribution was for the Three Gods’ Church as a whole, so please make sure to take care of it.」
He spoke with a bright smile. He continued to explain that the medal was a sort of VIP card, and if Mira ever needed anything, she could just visit a church with it, and they would do everything in their power to help her.
In other words, as long as she had it, the Three Gods’ Church would watch her back.
The Three Gods’ Church was present in the entire continent, becoming a great help to her no matter where she would be.
「Are you sure I can have something like this..?」
Mira was a bit hesitant now that she knew what that medal signified. She could only imagine how that kind of support could be misused if it fell in the wrong hands, so carrying it would place a large responsibility on her shoulders, and the archbishop’s, as he had given it to her.
「Yes, I have faith that you’ll know to be careful with it. Not to mention that I would never have a clean conscience if I didn’t do everything in my power to help you after your wonderful donation.」
He laughed for a bit, and then lowered his voice to a whisper, adding, 「Keep this a secret, but actually…」 and then revealed something. That was also something the Three Gods’ Church was doing to befriend Mira, as she had a strong connection with the Spirit King.
「With all of that said, please don’t have any qualms about taking it. I promise we won’t cause you any trouble.」
It was hard to say whether he was just trying to convince Mira or actually meant it, but at the very least it applied to him.
「In that case, I’ll gladly take it.」
The Spirit King was known as a good friend of the Three Gods, so it was an entity deeply valued by the Three Gods’ Church as well. So after all of that, Mira nodded and accepted their gift.
