The Lord Just Wants to Have Fun

Whoooosh—!

A luminous crystal, glowing with a soft light, rose from within the sacred spring.

This divine relic, which no one had ever been able to lift, began to melt like ice and was absorbed into Liberta’s body.

A radiant light erupted from her form, soaring into the sky.

‘0.6%, 0.7%… 2%.’

Though still far from her full power as a goddess, she had regained enough Divine Energy to discipline the corrupt priests.

‘At least I won’t collapse from exhaustion anymore.’

As the pillar of light gradually faded, Liberta stepped out of the sanctum.

“Who… Who are you?!”

Outside, dozens of priests and Holy Knights had gathered, their faces filled with shock.

Among them, High Priest Paolo, his expression twisted in disbelief, shouted at the girl emerging from the sacred chamber.

“I asked you, who are you?! How dare you enter this holy place—”

Liberta let out a bitter chuckle.

“Foolish priests. Even the blessed waters of the goddess cannot open your eyes or cleanse your hearts, which are stained with greed.”

A sacred aura radiated from her, enveloping the surroundings.

The overwhelming energy made Paolo’s face turn pale.

‘No… No way! A Saintess?! This is impossible! There hasn’t been a Saintess for the past 300 years!’

The Saints—those who wielded the direct power of the gods—were even greater than Apostles.

Among the twelve major sects of the Laterran Orthodox Church, the Water and Healing Order, which worshiped Arkina, had a notably low occurrence of Saints or Apostles.

While they had appeared sporadically throughout history, the last Saint had emerged 300 years ago, and there had been none since.

Some claimed it was because the Goddess was stingy, but the temple’s priests insisted that since they had the Fountain of Light, such beings were unnecessary.

Using this as justification, the high-ranking priests formed an exclusive cartel, securing political ties to solidify their authority.

But now—a Saintess had suddenly appeared?

For High Priest Paolo, this was nothing short of a nightmare.

‘I refuse to acknowledge this! How can a Saintess appear without divine revelation?!’

Even setting that aside, his own authority would be threatened.

He had spent years consolidating power within the church, and he wasn’t about to lose it all to some unknown girl.

“Seize that blasphemous girl at once! Check if the sacred relic is unharmed!”

Realizing that this was a life-threatening crisis, Paolo roared.

Even if this girl was a true Saintess, he had no intention of recognizing her.

If she threatened his power, he would eliminate her before she could even establish herself.

But he had gravely underestimated Liberta.

“Blinded by greed, you fail to recognize me. Are you truly the servants of the Water Goddess?”

“Ignore her nonsense! She’s nothing more than a thief here to steal the relic! Seize her!”

At Paolo’s command, the priests and Holy Knights rushed toward Liberta.

For them, Paolo was more terrifying than the goddess herself.

But as Liberta watched them, her gaze turned as cold as the blades they wielded.

“Fools. Very well—I shall teach you a lesson you won’t forget.”

Just as she raised her hand to unleash her Divine Power—

Thud! Thud!

Suddenly, Paolo, the priests, and the Holy Knights all collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

A heavy silence filled the air.

Liberta slowly lowered her hand and turned her gaze toward the only person still standing—a young priest.

“Ariel?”

The boy priest clicked his tongue and sighed.

His words were spoken in the language of the Celestial Realm.

Liberta—no, Arkina—narrowed her eyes at the young priest, whose soul had been overtaken by Ariel.

Ariel, one of the Great Archangels, was responsible for upholding the laws of the Celestial Realm.

“So?”

Her voice was sharp and cold.

“Are you here to take me back?”

Ariel shook his head.

Zenon—the Celestial Executor, the enforcer of divine law.

Though Zenon, the Executor of Order and Law, was a name feared by all gods, Arkina remained utterly unfazed.

Instead, she furrowed her brows and raised her voice.

“The priests of water are my servants. How is it wrong to reprimand them for their transgressions?”

Though Arkina was now inhabiting a human body, her divine soul still allowed her to use a portion of Divine Energy.

The Celestial Realm had permitted her this ability for safety and convenience.

However, using overwhelming Divine Power—like raising a tidal wave or reclaiming a divine relic—defeated the very purpose of her exile.

Even the Supreme Gods had boundaries they could not cross.

Arkina’s sharp gaze lingered on Ariel for a moment before she spoke.

“…So you are telling me to change my methods?”

After staring at Ariel in silence, Arkina let out a sigh.

“Very well. I will keep that in mind.”

At Ariel’s snap of the fingers, a soft glow emanated from the unconscious priests and knights before fading.

A moment later, Ariel’s spirit also departed, and the young priest collapsed where he stood.

“Tsk. I wanted to teach them a proper lesson.”

To Arkina, the current Celestial Realm’s policies were too lenient.

These so-called servants of the goddess had deceived both gods and believers for their own greed, yet she could not even punish them?

At this rate, how could they hope to stop Demon God Azra, who constantly sought to disrupt the mortal world?

As she clicked her tongue in frustration—

Appearing at the entrance of the sanctum was none other than Philip de Brandel, the Apostle of Eldir, accompanied by his ever-casual rude angel.

“She really was a Saintess!”

Philip could feel the divine energy radiating from Liberta’s body and was genuinely astonished.

He had suspected it, but he hadn’t been 100% sure until now.

‘But what exactly happened here?’

At a glance, high-ranking priests and Holy Knights lay unconscious all around them.

Had Liberta done this?

If she truly was the Saintess of the Water and Healing Order, why had she subdued her own people?

Could it be related to the pillar of light from earlier?

As Philip pondered, Liberta glared at him with displeasure.

“Did you follow me?”

“Yes.”

“Why? Did your god command it?”

She even knew he was an Apostle of Eldir!

Philip briefly considered how to respond but decided to change the topic instead.

“Why are they unconscious? Did you kill them?”

“They’re only asleep.”

“Then what was that pillar of light?”

Philip was about to continue questioning her when—

“Where is the High Priest?!”

From the temple’s outer halls, a voice rang out.

“He went ahead to the sanctum with the other priests and Holy Knights to investigate the anomaly. He instructed us to remain here and not act recklessly.”

“What?! Do you really think this is a time to stay put? Everyone, follow me!”

A large group of priests and knights was approaching.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Terry urgently whispered to Philip.

“My lord, we need to leave immediately! If we’re caught here, they’ll think we’re the ones who knocked everyone out!”

Philip and Terry had snuck into the temple, meaning they were already trespassing.

Even if they denied wrongdoing, who would believe them?

“But how do we—hey, where are you going?”

Just as Philip was weighing his options, Liberta turned and walked away.

She glanced back and spoke.

“I know a secret passage. If you don’t want to get caught, follow me.”

Without hesitation, she approached a statue beside the sanctum.

Then, she twisted its hand at an angle—

Creak—!

With the sound of stone grinding against stone, a hidden passage revealed itself beneath the statue.

As Liberta stepped into the hidden passage, Terry shot Philip a doubtful look.

“My lord, can we trust her?”

“What choice do we have? We don’t know the temple’s layout.”

Even Mau, who had guided them this far, confirmed its authenticity.

Seeing that the entrance was beginning to close, Philip hurriedly followed Liberta inside.

Terry, reluctant but with no better option, stepped in after him.

As soon as they were inside, the passage sealed shut.

******

Just as the hidden entrance vanished, the priests and Holy Knights arrived at the sanctum.

But instead of intruders, all they found were the collapsed High Priest Paolo and his entourage.

However, they barely had time to process this shocking sight before someone shouted—

“T-The sacred relic is gone!”

“High Priest! Wake up! What happened here?!”

Amidst the priests’ panic and confusion, Philip’s group quietly made their escape through the dark passage.

Inside a marble chamber, where King Lothar III’s coffin lay in rest, a young boy knelt before it.

Clad in a loose monk’s robe, the boy’s sharp, intelligent eyes gleamed even in the dim candlelight.

He was none other than Prince Karl, the rumored prodigy of Arteria.

From a young age, Karl had been groomed as the next king, yet now—despite his talents—he was trapped in a near-impossible battle.

Duke Volzard and Princess Amelia’s factions fiercely opposed him, using their immense noble influence to block his path.

‘At this rate, the kingdom will fall into chaos, and at worst—a civil war will erupt.’

Some of Karl’s supporters argued that they should be ready for war.

But even if they won, it would be a pyrrhic victory.

The kingdom would be devastated, and its weakened state would invite invasions from neighboring countries.

As someone who genuinely loved his kingdom, Karl could not allow that.

‘Yet, I can’t simply yield the throne either…’

If he backed down, both Duke Volzard and Princess Amelia would never allow him to live.

He had to fight—there was no other choice.

The problem was…

With the Central Army declaring neutrality, Karl’s noble supporters were severely lacking in military leadership.

Meanwhile, Duke Volzard had the fearsome warriors of the East, led by Count Hessen, and Princess Amelia had secured the backing of Vesvallen’s generals.

“If only I were just 5 years older…”

Had he been older, he could have earned the respect to claim the throne without resistance.

But reality did not wait for him to mature.

If he wanted to survive, he had to make his move now.

“I need to win over the Western and Southern nobles!”

The Western nobles were especially powerful, as their territories bordered the Prill Mountain Range, making them battle-hardened from constant monster subjugations.

More importantly—

One of the most famous figures in the West was Philip de Brandel, the Apostle of Eldir.

“The man who creates brilliant inventions… and even wields weapons comparable to a dwarf’s Dragon Breath.”

Karl had already considered recruiting Philip, but Amelia and Volzard had both approached him first.

Rumors said both factions had made offers that were difficult to refuse.

‘What kind of proposal would convince him?’

Though Karl lacked experience in politics, he knew one thing—

He couldn’t rush into this.

If he succeeded, he’d gain a powerful ally.

But if he failed, it would damage his prestige—and his already fragile faction couldn’t afford that.

His military was already the weakest of the three factions.

If his reputation suffered as well, even his own supporters might waver.

“I have to offer him something that neither the Duke nor my aunt can give him.”

As Karl pondered this—

Creeeak—!

Suddenly, a portion of the chamber’s stone wall slid open, revealing a hidden entrance.

And from the darkness—

someone stepped inside.