3.
“Mary.”
Marigold began having these dreams when she turned fifteen. They came often but irregularly, sometimes once a week, other times every two or three months.
“We will meet again someday…”
Fragments of memories.
His face and voice were always blurry, but whenever Marigold encountered him in her dreams, she felt as if she were being sucked into a bottomless depth.
Thump. Thump.
Her heart raced. A dull pain surged from the depths of her chest, leaving her breathless.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
“Marigold… you’re…alive…”
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
“Miss!”
“Huh?”
Marigold woke up with a start.
The sound of birds crying and sunlight filtering through her opaque eyes greeted her. Pina’s insistent prodding on Marigold’s face had roused her from sleep.
“Did you forget that today is laundry day? If you don’t go, you’ll get in trouble and the priest will scold you again!”
“Ah! The laundry!”
“The patron is coming today, too! They say he’s a knight—a rich one, a very rich one!”
“A rich knight? Well, what if he’s a strange person?”
Marigold was worried. Whenever a wealthy patron visited the Salvation Church’s temple, something strange would always seem to happen.
* * *
“This is the prayer room, where we pray every morning.”
Lancel looked around, only half listening to the priest’s words.
Graffiti and what looked like children’s scribbles covered the walls. The priest chuckled awkwardly, trying to brush it off.
“Haha, it’s a bit messy since it also serves as an orphanage. They’re probably out hanging their laundry right now, so why don’t you go and take a look?”
‘Go take a look at the children?’ The idea struck Lancel as odd, but he followed the priest without protest.
Stepping into the garden, they found long clotheslines stretched taut, draped with countless white bedsheets.
Between the pure white curtains swaying in the breeze, children darted about busily.
Lancel spotted Marigold instantly.
Lancel noticed a child with poor eyesight fumbling with the laundry. Despite their vision impairment, they seemed accustomed to the task and were managing to complete their share of the work.
“There’s a child with impaired vision here,” Lancel remarked.
“Orphanages often have children with various circumstances,” the priest replied. “We can’t make exceptions just because someone has a physical disability.”
“I heard they used to beg on the streets.”
“Oh… you knew? I thought you were new to the capital…”
The priest paused, momentarily flustered, then cleared his throat. “It seems our recent donations have been… lacking.”
“I figured as much.”
“Pardon?”
“Never mind.”
Of course. There was no way that money would ever reach Marigold’s hands. Having seen this happen in a previous life, Lancel had already suspected as much.
“It seems you’re struggling quite a bit with funding.”
“As you can see, we desperately need the support of patrons like Sir Lancel.”
Still, he couldn’t help but wonder what kind of twisted logic would lead them to abandon a blind child on the streets to beg.
For centuries, Lancel had not only refused to believe in a god but had actively mocked religion. It was hard to tell whether this Salvation Church was particularly materialistic or if this was simply the norm for such obscure, shitty small sects.
‘What a cruel fate, Marigold.’
Lancel quietly observed Marigold among the noisy children.
“Mary, guess who poked her!”
“Mary can’t see, so she’ll never get it right.”
‘Those little bastards…’
“Have you come to a decision about the church’s sponsorship?”
“How much does it cost to build a temple?”
“Huh?”
The priest stammered for a moment.
‘If we just slap together a temple and spread the religion, the karma will decrease, right?’
He wasn’t sure if it would work.
Lancel was just going to try it.
“W-well, it would cost a considerable sum, but that amount of money……”
The priest trailed off, but his unspoken question was clear: do you have the means?
Of course, Lancel didn’t.
“Don’t worry about the money. I have plenty.”
“It’s roughly this amount.”
“I’ll pay you today.”
“R-really?!”
‘Yeah, I can just borrow it.’
Lancel would borrow money from Baron Ibil Shen and pay him back. All he needed to do was write him a promissory note saying that he would pay the baron back several times the amount in exactly ten years. The baron had unwavering faith in the Dante family’s credit and would gladly lend him the money. It was practically free money.
“Uhm… then when would you like us to provide you with a token of gratitude for your patronage?”
‘A reward?’
Lancel thought for a moment and then answered.
“As soon as the temple is built.”
“Understood!”
Two seasons later, news of the temple’s construction arrived.
————————————
[Fallen Noblewoman Simulation]
-The second week of January has passed for 16-year-old Marigold!-
Charm: 42 -> 43 up!
Morality: 57 -> 59 up!
Dignity: 31 -> 32 up!
Emotions: 58
Allure: 23
Magic: 1
Strength: 13 -> 14 up!
Stamina: 9 -> 11 up!
Faith: 231 -> 229 down.
Condition: 41 -> 32 down.
Karma: 200
-You worked diligently decorating the new temple! Faith, Stamina, and Strength have gone UP!
-You tripped while walking and slightly injured your ankle. Condition and Faith have gone DOWN!
-You learned about proper conduct from the nuns. Charm, Morality, and Dignity have gone UP!
————————————
“Hmm.”
Lancel quietly observed the simulation, then mused, “It’s not going down.”
Karma: 200
The number remained fixed, unmoving.
4.
“Ah, you’re here, Sir Lancel.”
Lancel greeted the Salvation Church priest with an even more indifferent expression than before. Now that he knew the doctrines the man preached were nothing but empty nonsense, he no longer felt any need to feign interest.
“Thanks to you, we’ve completed the temple and begun accepting offerings today. It’s all thanks to Sir Lancel.”
“Yes, well, yes.” Lancel replied, filing his nails.
‘I don’t know what you’re giving me, but just give me the reward quickly.’
Lancel had already concluded that this playthrough was a bust. He had decided that, just like last time, he’d kill time and aim for the next round.
“So, about that… let her in.”
“Yes, High Priest.”
Lancel, who had been standing indifferently, suddenly widened his eyes. Marigold was entering, holding the hand of a nun.
Her pristine white outfit, revealing one shoulder and her side, her braided hair adorned with red and yellow flowers, her light makeup, and the subtle hint of fragrant oil—anyone could see she was excessively dressed up.
“You seemed interested last time, so I prepared it.”
“That… what are you talking about…”
“You made such a generous donation, so you should adopt a child.”
“Adopt?”
“Yes, adopt.”
Marigold’s face, hidden behind her veil, was frozen with tension. Adoption. A 19-year-old knight adopting a 16-year-old girl.
“Wouldn’t god be angered by this?”
“He would rejoice. If god knew we were rescuing poor children that were abandoned on the streets, raising them in purity, and sending them to good homes, He would surely bless us. He would also be pleased with the newly built temple.”
It seemed Lancel was putting on airs.
“What are you doing, Mary? Greet him properly.”
Mary greeted him stiffly and bowed. Her expression was frozen. She still didn’t know who stood before her; they hadn’t even exchanged a proper conversation in this iteration.
“Meet your sponsor.”
‘Indeed.’
The commodification of purity.
Was this one of the Salvation Church’s business tactics?
“To be honest, with such striking beauty and yet being blind, no one paid her any attention. But now that such a kind benefactor has come forward, how fortunate…”
Lancel abruptly stood and kicked the priest in the chest.
“Ugh!”
“Whoa!”
The priest and nun’s screams mingled as they fell to the floor. A display cabinet toppled, sending vases crashing to the floor. Startled, Marigold groped around, retreating toward the wall.
“Even the Thieves’ Guild considers selling people to be the work of scoundrels… yet you, a self-proclaimed High Priest, pick up children and sell them off? Even the most incompetent god would send a bastard like you straight to hell, you son of a bitch.”
“W-why are you doing this, S-Sir Lancel…!”
“Close the temple by tomorrow. Since it was built with my own money, you won’t object if I take it back, right?”
That’s right. This temple was built with the hard-earned money of Baron Ibil Shen—in other words, Lancel’s money. It wasn’t money that should be wasted on a pseudo-heretical cult like this.
“B-but… how can you just take back money that’s already been invested? And it’s not just a few coins!”
“It’s not just a few coins. It’s not your money, it’s mine.”
“Damn it all to hell!”
The priest straightened his posture and spat out a curse.
“You knew what you were getting into! If not, why didn’t you go to the Martyr’s Church instead of coming to this shithole?”
From the priest’s perspective, he had a point.
Even Lancel, who had little interest in religion, knew the common knowledge that “everything else is second-rate compared to the Martyr’s Church.” After all, it was the very religion supported by the Imperial Family.
The rest of the religious groups were merely groups living off the Martyr’s Church’s scraps.
These were the places that survived by actively bowing their heads and saying, “Please don’t kill us, we are your adorable little brothers.”
The Salvation Church was one of them.
“If you just went to the church next door, the nuns would do everything for you if you made a donation. But we’re just… the fucking… the quiet ones… here.”
‘Do everything?’
As his senses returned, the priest’s words grew fainter. Of course, Lancel had no intention of showing mercy.
“I’m having the temple demolished. Consider yourself informed.”
“W-wait, Sir Lancell! You must be joking, right? We’ve only just started our… our missionary work here. If you destroy this place…”
“Shall I give you more proof that I’m not joking?”
“Hic–…!”
Lancel grabbed Marigold’s hand and swiftly led her away.
“P-Patron?”
“Come with me. You shouldn’t be here.”
“A-ah, my arm hurts…!”
“Then I’ll carry you.”
“Huh? Eek!”
Lancel quickly hoisted the flustered Marigold onto his back.
‘If I hadn’t intervened, would she really have been sold off?’
There had been no such signs with Marigold in the previous timeline.
The Salvation Church was a true bottom-of-the-barrel organization, so insignificant that even its former patrons had lost interest. With Marigold unintentionally becoming a prodigy at begging and churning out silver coins like a printing press, the threat of her being sold off had naturally vanished.
But what if things had been different?
What if he had simply left her to her fate?
It wouldn’t have been surprising if she had been sold off somewhere.
Lancel was determined to ensure that at least that wouldn’t happen to Marigold.
“Stay here for now. Hesti, I’m entrusting her to you. She has trouble with her eyes.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
Lancel handed the dumbfounded Marigold over to Hesti. He planned to have her stay at Baron Ibil Shen’s mansion.
‘Right. Since this playthrough is already ruined, you might as well enjoy the maids’ care. Spend the remaining nine years living a carefree life.’
* * *
Some time later, Lancel summoned the master of the Thieves’ Guild again. His purpose was to return the Salvation Church’s temple to nature. Building it had taken a long time, but demolishing it would be swift.
The problem was…
“Sir Lancel, even if the Salvation Church is as insignificant as a flea, a temple is still a temple. If we recklessly tear it down, what will others think?”
The master of the Thieves’ Guild, who usually did anything for the right price, rarely voiced such concerns.
“Then what if we demolish it and rebuild something new from scratch?”
“If you have sufficient funds, that would provide the best justification. Do you have a specific denomination in mind?”
“No.”
“Then under whose name would you build it?”
“Good question.”
Lancel pondered for a moment.
‘What should I build there?
The Martyr’s Church? No, I don’t want to do the Imperial Family any favors. Should I look for another small- or medium-sized denomination?
But there’s no guarantee the same thing won’t happen again.’
Every minor religious order, regardless of its size, inevitably harbored some petty or unsavory element.
The Salvation Church priest’s claim about other churches arranging prostitution was likely true. In the medieval world, such behavior was commonplace.
Lancel didn’t want to waste any more money on such places. Baron Ibil Shen’s pockets weren’t bottomless.
“Hmm.”
After careful consideration, Lancel reached a simple conclusion.
“Let’s build it first and figure it out later.”
“Sounds good to me.”
.
.
.
==========
—Fame Event: The Church of Marigold has been established for the first time by believers! Your myth truly begins from this moment forward.
※Marigold’s Karma has decreased by 1 point.
==========
“Hey, you little shit.”
“Y-yes?”
Marigold startled at Lancel’s rough mutter and stammered a response.
The system window had appeared amidst their peaceful picnic in the garden.
Literally her own church. I wonder what the doctrine is. She doesn’t seem to remember Lancel as much as some of the past lives, otherwise it would probably be “Pray to Lancel three times a day”
1 point per church lmfao this shit is taking 2 life time at best