In front of the temple pages helping with work at the Central Temple, there was nothing but a bowl of soup so watery it was barely different from water, and a piece of hard rye bread.
What a miserable meal for growing children.
As I stared blankly at the children's bowls, I looked over at the meals of the priests sitting beside them.
My god. It's not just the kids who are starving.
Whether they were apprentice priests or full priests, every one of them was just eating a bowl of soup?
And the kids were lucky to get an extra piece of rye bread?
"…Have the children always eaten like this?"
I asked Eirich in disbelief, and he answered with a flushed face.
"We're short on funds…"
His expression clearly showed how ashamed he felt for having no choice but to provide the children with such meals.
I smacked my forehead.
It's not Eirich's fault. The reason for the lack of funds is Ordell's extravagance.
Adults slurping down thin soup? That's not my concern.
If they're hungry, they're adults — they can work and feed themselves.
But the kids? No way.
They're still growing, and yet they're eating meals without even a scrap of meat?
"Did Priest Dietrich tell you? I said I'd sell some of my belongings."
"Yes. We plan to proceed according to your wishes, Saintess."
"Please do it as soon as possible. And if you can, use the funds to improve the quality of the meals. Start with the children's meals, especially."
The food I'd been eating here was nothing like what everyone else had.
Thick soup brimming with meat, soft and fluffy wheat bread, fresh salads with different toppings every day, and even delicious juice made from freshly squeezed fruits.
Only now did I realize it.
I had been living in luxury, built on everyone else's sacrifice.
If I hadn't come to the dining hall, I might never have known.
"From now on, serve me the same meals as the other priests. If you have the resources to prepare something special for me, use that to feed the children instead."
I looked at the children with a heavy heart.
They were so skinny, it was obvious they hadn't been eating properly. It was heartbreaking.
And to think all of this was because of this body's previous owner — Ordell.
It's enough to drive anyone mad.
Leaving behind Eirich, who kept asking if I was really okay with this, I walked out of the dining hall.
There was something I absolutely had to check before returning to my bedroom.
As I strode through the temple, those who saw me either screamed and ran away or threw themselves to the ground.
I felt a little bad, but I had no time to care about that now.
"This is ridiculous."
After circling the Central Temple, I finally headed to the place marked "garden" on the map system.
And I let out a hollow laugh.
"Stupid system. How is this supposed to be a garden?"
There wasn't a single flower — just sparse weeds here and there. This was supposed to be a garden?
Even the soil and gravel weren't properly arranged; it was a complete mess.
This unkempt state was a blatant reflection of the current reality of the Central Temple of the Sun God.
And unfortunately, the problem didn't end with the garden.
The pillars that were supposed to uphold the majesty of the gods were cracked in several places, and far from being clean, the corners were filled with dust and cobwebs.
Ordell's room had been so extravagant, yet the very Central Temple housing that room was rotting from the inside out.
The stark contrast looked almost grotesque.
I clutched my head and sank to the floor.
The Temple of the Sun God is poor.
I already knew that.
But even knowing it, I didn't pay it any attention.
After all, everything would be resolved once the heroine, Idella, made her appearance.
…I never once considered that until then, the people of the temple would have to keep suffering in poverty.
"I was so stupid."
Maybe I deliberately avoided thinking about it.
Because I was angry at the Sun God for forcing me into a second life without even asking for my consent.
But now that I've seen all this…
How can I look away?
Still sitting on the floor with my face buried in my knees, I finally lifted my head.
At my will, a quest window appeared in front of me.
[
Currently, the 'Sun Crawling Back from Death' is on the verge of extinction due to a lack of believers.
As the Saintess who has inherited its power, increase the number of believers and grow your divine power to save the pitiful god and the world from obliteration!
Reward for success: Wealth, honor, and power as a SaintessPenalty for failure: Eternal extinction of the 'Sun Crawling Back from Death' and dimensional collapse
This was the failure penalty I had intentionally ignored until now.
The critical reason the Sun God summoned me—unable to wait for the heroine Idella to appear a year later.
The system's warning that if I failed, not only would the Sun God disappear, but this entire dimension would be destroyed.
Putting all of this together led me to one conclusion:
"So this world isn't flowing exactly like the novel The Sacred Idella, is it?"
If it were exactly the same, the Sun God wouldn't have needed to summon me at the cost of its remaining power.
[This question can only be answered with 'Yes' or 'No' as per the will of the 'Sun Crawling Back from Death'.]
[The answer to your question is: Yes.]
[If you would like a detailed explanation, please raise your Divine Power to at least 40%.]
I couldn't get a full explanation just yet, but at least it confirmed that my suspicion was correct.
"Haah… I'm going crazy."
If I ran away, the Sun God would vanish, the Central Temple would collapse, and—for some reason—the entire dimension would be destroyed.
I didn't have the nerves of steel needed to shrug off all of that like it was nothing.
Above all, if the dimension disappeared, wouldn't that mean I'd die too?
Sure, I was forced into this possession, but that doesn't mean I want to die young again.
I want to live a long life, too!
So I had no choice. I had to live this second life earnestly.
And more importantly, I couldn't just let those children keep starving.
"Hey, system. Is there any way to add a reward to the quest?"
I didn't care much about succeeding as a Saintess.
From the start, my only job was to keep the Sun God from collapsing over the next year until the heroine showed up.
I didn't need the wealth or glory that came with being a Saintess—she could have it all. I just wanted one thing.
"If I die in this life, send me to a peaceful heaven where I don't have to do anything ever again."
No third life. Ever.
Just let me relax in heaven for once.
[The AI system has received your request. It will forward your wish to the 'Sun Crawling Back from Death'.]
How many minutes had passed?
Finally, the system returned with a response.
[The 'Sun Crawling Back from Death' has accepted your wish. The quest reward has been modified.]
[
Satisfied with the updated quest reward, I smiled in contentment.
"All right. I accept the quest. I'll raise this damn temple up with everything I've got."
[You have accepted the quest. You are now the Saintess of the 'Sun Crawling Back from Death'.]
[The 'Sun Crawling Back from Death' has granted your quest acceptance reward. Would you like to view it now?]
Oh, a quest acceptance reward?
Looks like the Sun God has a bit of conscience after all.
"But not right now."
Whatever the reward was, this wasn't the place to receive it.
Especially since I'd been feeling someone watching me for a while now.
Probably someone who didn't dare come out into the garden because of me, just lurking quietly in a corner.
Great. Now that I was staying here for good, I'd have to mend my relationships with the people. But… I wasn't sure I could pull it off.
With a sigh, I quietly returned to my bedroom, trying my best not to draw attention.
* * *
The spot Ordell had just vacated—
Two men appeared there.
"What was she even doing here?"
Dietrich looked puzzled as he gazed down at the ground.
There, on the unkempt dirt garden, were the footprints of the Saintess.
They were deep—she must have been standing there for quite some time.
"To be honest… I thought she was crying at first."
Hard to believe, but still.
Ever since Ordell stormed out of the dining hall, Eirich and Dietrich had found themselves unable to ignore their curiosity and secretly followed her.
What they saw here had shocked them.
Ordell—the Ordell who never showed weakness.
The same Ordell who would throw objects in a rage if she felt even slightly disrespected.
She had been crouched on the filthy dirt, her face buried in her knees.
Dietrich had been so stunned that he unconsciously grabbed Eirich's sleeve.
But Eirich looked even more shocked.
Dietrich glanced up at him.
Eirich stood silently, staring at the Saintess's footprints, his face frozen with a frightening intensity.