After Prache took possession of the Pope’s body, it became that of a young, handsome man. He had a well-nourished figure, unlike the thin man he had been just a while back.
It was all thanks to the poor people who had come to the Great Temple.
The reason the temple accepted the poor was to supply Prache with offerings.
As the Morning Glory frenzy died down, fewer people came to the capital to offer themselves as sl*ves.
In other words, Prache had less energy to help him recover.
So Prache began to take tributes differently. Instead of prioritizing the nobility and the wealthy, he pretended to accept and provide for the poor.
The poor came to him and he preyed on them.
Archbishop Liang was sick to death seeing Prache glow with luster. Instead of faith, he was filled with fear.
Yenna, on the other hand, remained nonchalant.
“Did you enjoy your meal? Shall I bring you something more?”
Archbishop Liang was not only afraid of Prache, but also of Yenna.
‘She doesn’t even bat an eye when she sees people being eaten in front of her.’
It was as if Yenna was used to killing people. How else could she have witnessed such a horrific scene and come out unscathed?
She even laughed softly at Prache.
‘Yenna even changed the way she looked at Prache after he regained his health.’
From Hart to Prache – Yenna’s tastes were consistent.
‘Extremely handsome men, it was.’
Prache smiled at her. It was a creepy smile, with the corners of his eyes and the corners of his mouth grotesquely pointed.
But Yenna seemed to like it.
“If it’s not enough, I’ll bring more offerings right now.”
“It’s alright. I think our time of feasting is almost over.”
“Are you finally satisfied?”
“Yes. I seem to have regained much of my former strength.”
The fall of Duke Eisen didn’t faze the temple or Prache. It was because Prache’s resurrection was near completion.
“It’s been a long wait,” he said.
“Because of that disobedient girl.”
Yenna was referring to Hanelope.
Prache had been badly injured in the fight with Hanelope. And he needed ample time to recover.
“Have you finally recovered?”
Yenna took Prache’s hand.
An icy cold hand brushed against hers.
“A part of me is still missing, when I regain it, I will be the same as before.”
“Then allow me, a Saint, to sit by your side….”
“Yenna, you’ll be Empress of the Berg Empire,” Prache said coldly.
Yenna’s face hardened, “I don’t want Patrick.”
“Then?”
“If not by God’s side, I’d like to have Prince Hart.”
“Do you think you can have him?”
“As long as Prache doesn’t interfere.”
“Then go ahead,” Prache said mockingly.
Yenna felt a surge of arousal. The way Prache mocked her ignited a fire in her.
“You’ll see. I’m the kind of person who gets everything I want.
I was like that in my previous life. I got what I wanted by any means necessary.
‘If it weren’t for that boulder, I would have lived happily ever after.’
Unfortunately, in this life, there were interruptions as well.
The girl who had turned the beautiful Prache into a skinny, ugly mole. The little pink-eyed girl who stuck to Hart’s side – Hanelope von Reinhardt.
‘She? The noblest woman in the empire?’
Just thinking about it made Yenna sick to his stomach. The position should have been hers.
‘Only a Saint from another world would be worthy of that title.’
If Hanelope hadn’t hurt Prache in the first place, her influence would have soared…
‘In this life, I will not let anything stand in my way, and I will never be taken for granted like I was in my previous life’
Yenna vowed.
As if reading her thoughts, Prache turned his gaze toward the trembling Archbishop Liang.
“Have you looked into what I ordered?”
“Y- Yes. I investigated the activities of the foundation run by Lady Hanelope. Besides their volunteer work, they are also collecting and preserving ancient artifacts.”
“Ancient artifacts… They must be trying to find traces of Grouser,” Prache muttered coldly.
Two gods, Todd and Natu, were by Hanelope’s side. Moreover, there were rumors around Barbetz Academy, where Hanelope used to attend, about a demonic cult abducting men and women.
‘Although as soon as Hanelope left, the stories about the demonic cult being mere rumors spread.’
Prache instinctively knew that Hanelope had also met Aite.
‘Which leaves only Grouser.’
But she wouldn’t find him. Prache was certain of that.
‘The more they try to find Grouser, the more they’ll fall into the trap I’ve set.’
A cold smile spread across his pale face.
***
Inside a luxurious, spacious carriage there were plush chairs and even a small table with tea and desserts.
I was in the middle of a meeting with my foundation staff here, making the best use of time.
“Have you figured out a way to find Grouser?”
“Yes. We just discovered the ‘method’ now, but not Grouser himself, all thanks to those two slackers.”
A charming woman with golden hair that shimmered like it was woven from threads of gold, and even more radiant golden eyes, spoke. She was so dazzling that it gave the illusion her skin also had a glow like gold.
“Slackers? I gave them their freedom ages ago.”
“I’ve been working hard, unlike this guy. I’ve scoured the entire Berg to gather ancient books.”
The two men who accompanied her protested.
One had red eyes and red hair, while the other had green hair and green eyes. The red-haired man had a more rugged appearance, while the green-haired one had a softer look.
The only thing they had in common was that they were both handsome.
Including the golden-haired woman, these three people were, on the surface, high-ranking employees of my foundation.
But in reality—
‘Aite, Todd, Natu – They were the sealed gods disguised as humans.’
With the seals weakening and Prache who once sealed them losing his power, they were now able to create physical bodies and act as humans.
Although there were still various restrictions on them.
“So, what’s the method of finding Grouser?”
“You have to go to Grouser’s temple and pray,” Aite said, her golden eyes gleaming.
“We gods can hear the prayers of worshippers at our temples,” Todd added. Natu then spoke as well, “By now, Grouser’s seal should have weakened just like ours. If you pray at his temple, it should be enough for him to sense it.”
I narrowed my eyes while listening carefully to the three gods.
“But weren’t all three of your temples destroyed by Prache?”
“That’s right.”
“Unfortunately that happened.”
“I was really heartbroken.”
Aite, Natu, and Todd each responded in turn.
I rolled my eyes in confusion.
“Then wouldn’t Grouser’s temple have been destroyed too?”
“There’s one place that’s still left.”
Aite said, but her tone wasn’t exactly reassuring.
“Where is that?”
“At the temple of Prache.”
“What?”
I couldn’t believe my ears.
Todd shrugged his shoulders and added, “Grouser’s temple was in an excellent location. So Prache wiped it out and built his own temple there.”
“So, technically, it’s not that Grouser’s temple remains, but the site of the temple does, right?”
“But we don’t even have a site left.”
Natu said sadly. For him, who longed for his worshippers, it was a bitter truth.
“Can Gods hear prayers even if just the temple site remains?”
“We can’t say for sure. But it’s the only method we’ve figured out so far,” Aite sighed as she spoke.
‘To find out Grouser’s whereabouts, we have to enter the lion’s den.’
Grouser was the only key to breaking the Gods’ seals. Before being sealed, he had left an avatar in the world.
‘If I can harness that power, maybe I can break the seal.’
I had to break the seal before Prache regained his full strength. Only then could I stand a chance against him.
Suddenly, a question occurred to me.
“If Grouser’s seal has also weakened, couldn’t he have found us first without us needing to find the temple site?”
“Uh, well…”
“Good point…”
“Could it be that he doesn’t want to see us anymore…?”
The three Gods’ faces darkened at my observation. Todd, seemingly parched, grabbed the tea from the table and gulped it down.
“Ah!”
I looked at him in shock. Todd, after taking a sip, also realized his mistake. Soon, his body crumbled into the dirt.
“This idiot is at it again.”
“Hurry up and gather him.”
Aite and Natu, as if accustomed to this, swept the dirt into a pouch they carried.
The material the gods used to create their human bodies was earth.
‘But since they can’t use their full power, the bodies they create are incomplete.’
For example, in this case, if they drink water, their bodies turn back into dirt.
“We need to head back to restore this fool,” Aite grumbled.
Creating a single body required the cooperation of all three gods. Just as we reached our destination, we disembarked the carriage together.
“It’s a shame we’re parting so soon after meeting.”
Natu looked reluctant to leave and suddenly pressed a soft kiss to the back of my hand.
“!”
I widened my eyes in surprise, and he smiled sweetly at my reaction.
“In the human world, they greet each other like this, I heard.”
“Well, not always like this, but…”
“So did I do it wrong?” Natu asked, looking sad like a dejected puppy.
‘Right, Natu’s been studying human etiquette lately! I couldn’t let him be discouraged’
