I Became the Substitute for the Runaway Heroine - Chapter 66

So, without paying the mandatory 10 gold coins per person, one couldn’t take even a single step into Demuna?

It was no different from saying that commoners without money were barred from entry.

For a commoner, even 1 gold was a significant sum.

What’s worse, they disguised it as a prayer service fee, not an entrance fee, making it impossible to even haggle.

Anyone could see it was a scam, but no one protested.

Everyone was desperate to get into Demuna as soon as possible.

“Hey, either pay up or get out of the way! Why are you blocking the road?”

“Damn it! Should we drag them out or what?”

People leaning out from the carriage behind them began shouting.

The guard furrowed his brow and urged them to decide quickly.

“Either pay the fee for the prayer service, or take the detour and tour the outer area of the city. That’s 1 gold per person.”

Charging even for that?

As soon as Odette thought how unjust all of this was, her fingertips began tingling again.

Visions flashed in her mind—her divine power activating, blasting the city gates apart and sending that scammer of a guard flying.

‘No, don’t!’

Odette clenched her fist tightly, tucking it into her cloak, then gestured at Emma across from her.

“Give him the entrance fee.”

“…Yes, I will.”

Emma handed a pouch of gold coins to the guard.

After confirming the amount, the guard waved to the coachman.

“Once you pass the gate, turn right and stop. You’ll need to undergo secondary inspection.”

Every carriage that passed through the gate was forced to stop again at an inspection point located on the right side of the city.

There, they had to surrender all weapons and submit to body searches.

Jacques, eyes sharp with suspicion, muttered,

“Lady Odette, something’s not right. They’re making all outsiders store their weapons, but the guards themselves are armed to the teeth—with swords, daggers, and even bows strapped to their backs.”

Just as Jacques noted, the guards were heavily armed, layered with weapons as if ready to suppress a riot or guard war prisoners. Their expressions were tense and cold.

‘This doesn’t feel like a holy land at all.’

Odette could feel no trace of sanctity—only a chilling, eerie atmosphere.

What in the world is going on inside?

As Odette and her party stepped down from the carriage, the guards thoroughly searched the interior.

Meanwhile, a priestess in a white robe approached and whispered in a voice only Odette could hear.

“If you have a sick family member and are hoping for healing through prayer, abandon that thought. I haven’t seen a single person healed yet.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I felt compelled to help you…”

“Priestess Jayna.”

Suddenly, someone interrupted, calling out to the priestess.

“Yes?”

“Hurry up.”

Another priestess, who had just finished Emma’s body search, scowled in irritation.

Jayna, startled, exhaled sharply, her body visibly trembling.

“For a moment, I thought I’d been caught giving you that advice.”

She swayed unsteadily, as though the fear of being a whistleblower—of speaking the truth and risking her life—was overtaking her.

Trembling, Jayna stammered,

“In all my life, I’ve never felt such pure divine power… I desperately want to help, but I’m powerless… What should I do? I’m so sorry.”

Pretending to search Odette, Jayna babble incoherently, even shedding tears.

Her ability to sense divine power must have been exceptionally keen.

She seemed deeply moved by the awe-inspiring holy power Odette possessed, overwhelmed by reverence.

Could she become an ally?

Of course, Odette couldn’t trust someone she’d just met—no matter how sincere they seemed. It was better to make sure they were equally vulnerable.

After moistening her lips, Odette whispered softly,

“Let’s share a secret. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear anything from you. In return, you pretend you didn’t sense anything from me.”

It was a warning and an offer: If you expose me, I’ll expose you too.

At the same time, Odette firmly grasped Jayna’s hand, signaling her willingness to cooperate.

“How can I find you again, Priestess?”

“I guide the visitors to the Spring Temple. Today’s prayer service is held there.”

“So if I visit the Spring Temple, I can see you again?”

“Of course. Today I’m stationed at the gates to greet visitors, but starting tomorrow, I’ll be at the Spring Temple. Just ask for Jayna Lawrence.”

“I’ll come find you tomorrow.”

Jayna gave a slight nod and stepped back.

In the meantime, Jacques, having finished the body search, opened the carriage door with a face barely concealing his displeasure.

“My lady.”

So, the sword has been confiscated.

She valued it dearly—it was a gift from Caesar. That must sting.

Odette exchanged a parting glance with Jayna, signaling that they would meet again, and then boarded the carriage.

Jacques followed her in, then glanced out the window and spoke.

“Will you be seeing that Saintess again?”

“She seemed to sense my divine power in a strange way. She cried profusely and insisted that no one has ever been cured after leaving Demuna.”

“…No one? Are you saying this is a false holy site?”

“She didn’t seem to be lying. I couldn’t sense any ill intent at all.”

Odette gazed out the window with an uneasy expression.

They had only just arrived in Demuna, yet she was already beginning to regret coming here.

Jacques seemed to share her thoughts, as his voice dropped low with frustration.

“They took our weapons, and I doubt they intend to return them. They didn’t even bother noting who each sword belonged to.”

“So we’ve been robbed in broad daylight.”

“It appears so. I’ve never felt so helpless in my life.”

Jacques seethed with barely suppressed rage. For a knight like him, a sword was as precious as life itself. To have it taken without being able to resist—it was only natural for him to be furious.

Now I feel bad…

“I’ll buy you a better sword.”

Moved by guilt, Odette made a bold promise.

“…No, there’s no need. I’ll simply retrieve mine.”

Jacques pointed out the window.

“Some of the swords carried by knights serving nobles are worth a fortune. Yet look—they’re loading them onto that wagon like common goods.”

“Oh my, there are so many…”

Odette’s eyes widened in shock as she glanced at the supply wagon passing by.

It was piled high with weapons confiscated from visitors. Just selling the gemstones embedded in those swords would yield a fortune.

Even if they melted down the metal and sold it by weight, it would bring in a significant sum.

“They’ll store the weapons for a while and then sell them on the black market.”

“Why are they so desperate to squeeze every coin out of people?”

They demanded an entry fee, conducted invasive body searches, and seized valuable weapons—all without any intention of returning them.

Now they were loading those stolen goods onto wagons and carting them away.

The temple certainly looks grand.

The city visible through the inner walls was nothing like the rural villages they had passed before.

At its center stood a grand central temple built from marble, surrounded by four seasonal temples arranged in concentric circles.

Between them, spires reached skyward, and the further a building was from the temple, the lower and shabbier it appeared.

Guards holding banners directed the carriages toward the outskirts of the city.

That area was filled with inns and shops for Demuna’s visitors, though even those were scarce.

Naturally, lodging was exorbitantly priced.

Unless one was quite wealthy, staying at an inn for long seemed impossible.

To make matters worse, most visitors were ill, and the inns resembled field hospitals more than places of rest.

So many sick people, yet no physicians?

Even if the illness was incurable, at least a physician could prescribe painkillers.

Saintesses with healing divine power were exceedingly rare, and even then, their abilities only extended to treating minor wounds or burns.

They could not ease the suffering of those with serious illnesses.

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