In front of the temple pages who assisted with duties in the Grand Temple, there was nothing more than a bowl of soup barely distinguishable from water and a piece of hard rye bread.
What kind of miserable meal is this for growing children?
As I stared blankly at the children’s bowls, I glanced at the meals of the priests sitting nearby.
Oh my god. It’s not just the kids who are starving.
Regardless of whether they were apprentice priests or fully ordained, every single one of them was eating just soup?
Did they at least give the kids an extra slice of bread?
“…Have the children always eaten like this?”
I asked Airik in disbelief. His cheeks flushed red as he replied.
“There’s a lack of funds…”
He clearly felt ashamed about being forced to provide the children with such poor meals.
I slapped my forehead hard.
It’s not Airik’s fault. The lack of funds was all due to Ordell’s extravagance.
Adults slurping watery soup? That’s none of my concern.
If they’re hungry, they can get off their butts and work for a living.
But kids? Absolutely not.
They’re still growing. How can they eat meals without any meat?
“Did Priest Dietrich mention this to you? That I offered to sell my belongings?”
“Yes. We plan to proceed according to the Saintess’s wishes.”
“Please make it happen as soon as possible. And if possible, use the funds to improve the meals first. Especially for the children.”
The meals I’d been eating here were nothing like what everyone else was eating.
Thick, hearty soup filled with meat. Soft, fluffy wheat bread. Fresh salads with new toppings every day. Delicious juices made from hand-squeezed fruit.
It finally hit me.
I’d been living in luxury at the expense of everyone else’s sacrifices.
If I hadn’t come to the dining hall, I would’ve remained ignorant of this fact until the end.
“From now on, please serve me the same meals as the other priests. If there’s even a little to spare, give it to the children instead of me.”
I looked at the children with a heavy heart.
They were all painfully thin, as if they hadn’t eaten a proper meal in ages. It hurt to see.
And the fact that all of this was because of the body’s original owner—Ordell—made it even more frustrating.
I was about to lose it.
Leaving behind Airik, who asked multiple times if I was really okay with this, I exited the dining hall.
Before returning to my chambers, there was something I needed to confirm.
Striding confidently through the temple halls, everyone who crossed my path either fled in panic or threw themselves flat on the ground.
I felt a little bad, but I didn’t have the time to care right now.
“This is driving me nuts.”
After circling the Grand Temple once, I finally headed toward the place marked as ‘Garden’ on the map system.
And then I burst out laughing.
“Damn system. In what world is this a garden?”
There wasn’t a single flower—just patches of weeds scattered around.
Even the dirt and gravel weren’t properly arranged, making the area a complete mess.
This chaotic state showed the dire reality of the Grand Temple of the Sun God.
And it wasn’t just the garden.
The grand pillars meant to symbolize divine authority were cracked, and the corners of the building were filled with dust and cobwebs rather than kept clean.
Ordell’s room had been so extravagantly decorated, and yet the Grand Temple that housed it was rotting from the inside out.
The contrast was grotesque.
I clutched my head and sank to the ground.
The Grand Temple of the Sun God is poor.
That much I already knew.
But I had turned a blind eye.
Because once the female protagonist, Idella, appeared, everything would be resolved anyway.
…I hadn’t considered for a moment that until then, the people here would continue suffering in poverty.
“I was so stupid.”
Maybe I didn’t want to think about it on purpose.
Out of resentment toward the Sun God, who threw me into a second life without even asking for my consent.
But now that I’ve seen all this…
How can I turn away?
I lifted my head from my knees where I had buried my face.
A quest window appeared in front of me at my will.
[ Save the ‘Sun That Crawled Out of Death’!]
The ‘Sun That Crawled Out of Death’ is on the verge of disappearing due to a lack of followers.
Become the Saintess who inherits the power of the ‘Sun That Crawled Out of Death’, increase the number of believers, and grow your divine power to save the poor god and this world from destruction!
Reward upon success: Wealth, fame, and power as the Saintess
Penalty upon failure: Eternal erasure of the ‘Sun That Crawled Out of Death’ and dimensional annihilation
The failure penalty I had been deliberately ignoring until now.
The serious reason the Sun God couldn’t wait a year for the heroine and summoned me instead, using what little power he had.
The system’s warning that if I failed, not only the Sun God but this entire dimension would vanish.
Putting all this together led to one conclusion.
“So this world isn’t flowing exactly like the novel Sacred Idella, is it?”
If it were exactly the same, the Sun God wouldn’t have needed to summon me at all.
[This question can only be answered with ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ per the will of the ‘Sun That Crawled Out of Death’.]
[Answer: Yes.]
[For further explanation, increase divine power to 40%.]
I couldn’t get a full explanation yet, but at least my guess was correct.
“God, this is insane.”
If I run away, the Sun God disappears, the Grand Temple collapses, and for some unknown reason, this dimension ends too.
I wasn’t strong enough to treat all that like nothing.
And more importantly—if the dimension is destroyed, I’ll die too, right?
Even if I was forced into this life, I don’t want to die young again.
I want to live until I’m old!
So what choice do I have? I’ll just have to do my best in this second life too.
Besides, I can’t just let those kids go hungry.
“Hey, system. Can I add to the quest reward?”
I have no interest in a successful life as a saintess.
All I need to do is keep the Sun God alive for a year until the heroine shows up.
She can have the wealth and glory of being the saintess. I want just one thing:
“When I die in this life, send me to a peaceful heaven where I can rest and do nothing.”
No third life. No reincarnations. I’m done.
Let me live leisurely in paradise, please.
[The AI system has received your request. The wish will be conveyed to the ‘Sun That Crawled Out of Death’.]
How long had I been waiting?
The system returned with a reply.
[The ‘Sun That Crawled Out of Death’ has accepted your wish. Quest rewards have been updated.]
[ Save the ‘Sun That Crawled Out of Death’!]
Success rewards: Wealth, fame, and power as the Saintess + user’s right to choose afterlife]
I smiled with satisfaction at the updated reward.
“Alright. I accept the quest. I’ll raise this damn temple with everything I’ve got.”
[The user has accepted the quest. From now on, you are the Saintess of the ‘Sun That Crawled Out of Death’.]
[The ‘Sun That Crawled Out of Death’ has granted you a quest acceptance reward. Would you like to view it now?]
Oh, a quest acceptance reward?
Guess the Sun God still has some conscience.
“But not now.”
Whatever it was, I couldn’t receive it out in the open.
Especially since someone had been watching me for a while now.
Probably someone too nervous to step into the garden because of me.
This is bad. Since I’ve decided to live here now, I’ll need to rebuild my relationships.
But I’m not sure if that’s even possible.
Sighing, I quietly slipped back into my room, careful not to be seen.
Meanwhile…
Two men appeared in the spot where Ordell had just been.
“What on earth was she doing out here?”
Dietrich looked puzzled as he stared down at the ground.
On the unkempt dirt of the garden, the footprints of the saintess were clearly imprinted.
They must’ve been there a while—the indentations were deep.
“To be honest… at first, I thought she was crying.”
Even if that was hard to believe.
Ever since Ordell stormed out of the dining hall, Airik and Dietrich had secretly followed her, unable to ignore their growing concerns.
They were stunned by what they saw.
Ordell—the Ordell, who never showed weakness.
The same Ordell who would scream and throw things if she felt even slightly disrespected.
She had been crouched on the filthy ground, her face buried in her knees.
Dietrich had been so shocked, he unconsciously grabbed Airik’s sleeve.
But even he was less stunned than Airik was.
Dietrich glanced up at him.
Airik’s face, as he looked down at the footprints, was frozen in a grim, almost frightening expression.
