The Romance Fantasy Novel MC is Only Into Me

Even Merigold, who could not see ahead, knew the moment when spring came. Perhaps because she could not see, she felt the retreat of winter more vividly.
From the moment she was first taken by the man named Lancel Dante, Merigold somehow did not feel fear or unfamiliarity toward him.

Whether it was when his firm palm supported her back, or when he grabbed her shoulder to turn her away from a wrong path,
Merigold somehow felt comfort in him.
“You shouldn’t trust him too much! All noblemen in this empire are beasts, beasts!”

“Still...”
“Miss, you’re too softhearted when it comes to people. Pinna’s really worried.”
“Hmm.”

Every night, Pinna’s nagging worries clung to her ears like scabs—perhaps understandably so.
Merigold did not feel repulsed by the nobleman Lancel Dante; on the contrary, she was quite open with him.
From Pinna’s perspective, it almost seemed as if her mistress had been completely deceived by a random man.

“Morning prayer? Let’s go together or something.”
Hmm.
“Why? If you’re frustrated, just go outside a bit. Even if you can’t see, the air feels different.”

Hmm.
“Where should we go next?”
Hmmmm!

“If you’re tired, lean on me. Why have you been so stiff since a while ago?”
That night,
Merigold felt that throughout the entire spring, the only thing that came to mind was Lancel Dante’s voice, and she buried herself deep in the blanket.

“They say he’s from a knight’s family. It’s been less than a year since he came here, apparently?”
By this point, Pinna also seemed puzzled by him.
“Anyway, he seems like a strange person. Why on earth is he so good to you, Miss?”
“...Indeed.”

Merigold had nothing to do in this mansion.
Except for the twice-daily prayers she habitually performed, laundry and cleaning were all done by maids. Even meals were assisted.
It felt like returning to childhood.

“I don’t know much, but isn’t it just nice? Much more comfortable than living at the temple.”
“But I have nothing I can do for him.”
“Well, Lancel said, just relax and fool around.”

“...Receiving kindness without giving anything back feels strange.”
It wasn’t just because she had received or benefited from anything.
She simply wanted to do something for him as well.

But there was absolutely nothing the blind Merigold could do for Lancel Dante.
And if this life continued, that would remain true.
Merigold felt that enduring her uselessness would be unbearable.

“Merigold. Want to try using ‘Heal’?”
Change came when spring had passed and summer approached.
 
Come to think of it, ‘Heal’ was a really strange thing. The ability to restore people—compared to that, magic seemed quite ordinary.

In an era when even a needle prick could cause death if unlucky, having lived hundreds of years made one think strangely about its existence. It was unbalanced. No wonder in the game it was such a damn noble profession.
Actually, this game had Heal, too. It was one of the cleric skills called white magic, if memory served.
But Lancel had never seen even something like that for the past 200 years.

If such a thing existed, maybe Lancel would have become religious by now.
The ability to heal people—that was the clearest proof of divinity.
“Ugh!”

“No response at all?”
“Ugh...!”
“Don’t you feel like something’s going to come out?”

“Uuuuuu...!”
Lancel spent about an hour pestering Merigold, who was trying hard with her palm outstretched, before finally concluding,
‘As expected... there’s no such thing as divine power in this world.’

He reached that conclusion after seeing Merigold collapse onto the bed exhausted, having spent all her energy trying to squeeze out whatever healing ability she could.
The protagonist of the game had been praying several hours daily for years, yet couldn’t even handle one divine power? Game over. It was proof of non-existence.
“I’m a person who can’t do anything. I’ll even go begging right now.”

“Hmm...”
Lancel looked at the drooping Merigold alone and recalled memories of previous rounds.
Yes.

In fact, this was already the second round that Merigold had been brought from the Salvation Church to the mansion.
The first round had already passed brilliantly.
...

The story returned to the moment when Lancel first saw that system notification.
==========
—Fame Event: ‘Merigold’s Church’ was established by the faithful for the first time! Your myth truly begins at this moment.

※ Merigold’s Karma decreases by 1 point.
==========
‘One church equals one point? Then 200 churches?’

Churches aren’t like a new coffee brand aiming for a 200th branch.
‘Sounds doable.’
If money was enough, 200 churches would be difficult but not impossible. Repeating rounds made it easier. Lancel rather felt things were too easy.

That was why he immediately ordered two more churches to be built nearby.
There was no rule that churches had to be grandiose, and Lancel was already an expert at many tricks to pull in money—leaving all responsibility to himself in ten years.
“Are they all done? For sure?”

“I’ve visited several times to check, Lord Lancel. Would you distrust the Thieves’ Guild that lives on credit?”
When the first church was built, no notification came that Merigold’s Karma had decreased.
‘Wasn’t it enough to just build churches?’

But when the second one was built:
==========
—Fame Event: The second church has been established!

※ Merigold’s Karma decreases by 1 point.
==========
“Done!”

“Ah! You scared me!”
Lancel’s voice startled Merigold, who was walking with him.
‘One counts, one doesn’t. What the hell is the difference?’

Only after visiting personally did Lancel realize the difference between the two churches.
“Bless us.”
“Please let us earn well, Saintess.”

“Please make women flock to me!”
It was the presence or absence of actual worshippers praying. A church with no visitors was just an empty shell.
So they built a third church.

“Why doesn’t this one work either?”
It was maddening.
They spent more money to secure a decent priest. Actual visitors numbered more than a dozen a day. Still no notification of Karma decrease.

This time, Lancel easily found the difference.
‘A saint statue.’
The presence or absence of a statue modeled after a saint in the myth.

It was also the difference between other temples making ‘goddess statues’ and Lancel’s churches.
He avoided making saint statues, fearing mistaken affiliation with a specific sect, yet it turned out to be the key.
Lancel quickly made one and placed it inside the church.

==========
—Fame Event: The third church has been established!
※ Merigold’s Karma decreases by 1 point.

==========
Later he learned that even a ‘building’ was not necessary.
Only two things were needed.

A saint statue.
Worshippers praying in front of it.
‘Easy, huh?’

He decided to build just dozens per round.
If he repeated life four or five times, Karma would quickly return from 200 to 0.
...Or so he thought.

Ten years passed.
...
[Playtime 10 years 0 days]

—Merigold has turned 25.
—No marriage partner.
—No achievements.

[Normal Ending 36. Noble House Parasite Merigold]
—Ending has been added to the ‘Memory Album.’
—Opening the album.

‘A useless life of a parasite.’
Receiving kindness only was embarrassing, but once accustomed, it was quite bearable.
‘Sorry, Lord Lancel, I really can’t live without you. Since it’s come to this, just marry me and make it official! Let’s have children together! Not more, not less—three daughters and four sons, seven children in total! Right now!’

This can’t go on, Merigold!
[Normal Ending. Noble House Parasite Merigold – fin]
—Would you like to restart the game?

...
===========
—Permanent Damage: Merigold has lost sight in both eyes.

※ Merigold’s Karma resets from 163 to 200.
===========
Karma returned to its original state.

‘Stop cheating and build all 200 churches within ten years.’
The system was saying just that.
“Haha.”

She simply laughed.
 
“I’m a person who can’t do anything. I’ll even go begging right now.”
“Hmm...”

After finishing the flashback, before Lancel’s eyes lay Merigold, utterly exhausted from trying so hard to produce Heal.
If only.
If only she had manifested the ability called Heal.

Two hundred churches? That would have been nothing. Everyone witnessing a miracle healing the wounded would worship Merigold. She might found a huge religion spreading across the continent. Yeah, within ten years.
But that was impossible.
‘Wishing for illusions is foolish.’

Lancel had already built seven ‘Saint Churches’ this round, with the empire’s permission.
But building 200 churches within ten years was out of the question. Something much more revolutionary was needed.
“Master.”

“Come in.”
Hestia entered with a knock.
“There’s a visitor outside.”

“Who?”
“A person from the Holy Knight Order of the Martyrs’ Church.”
Holy Knight Order?

“They came to recommend you join the pilgrimage. They seem to know you’ve been building churches.”
Lancel’s eyes lit up.
‘Pilgrimage.’

It was a procession of clerics who wielded swords, hunting monsters, thieves, rebels, and demons.
Of course, Lancel had no intention of joining them.
“Tell them I’m not here.”

“Understood.”
Monsters, thieves, rebels, demons—all just pretexts. In reality, they stirred up conflicts everywhere, turning the empire into a wasteland, a procession of fanatics.
Lancel had met those pilgrimage people several times while living in the provinces. They were no less than thugs. Thugs who didn’t even speak a common language.

Naturally, fear of religion soared at this time, and faith plummeted as a backlash.
Fighting them was something even Lancel did not want to do. The pilgrimage was imperial-sanctioned; who could stop them?
They were real natural disasters backed by both god and imperial authority. Unless planning to fight the entire empire, best to avoid them.

Every area the pilgrimage passed through turned to hell.
Then—
‘Wait.’

Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck Lancel’s head.
“Merigold.”
Lancel lifted Merigold’s upper body from where she lay and looked into her opaque silver eyes.

“I need your help.”
“Me... a parasite, you say?”
“Precisely because it has to be you.”

Merigold’s expression blanked. Lancel spoke with more seriousness than ever.
“From now on, stand in the heavens, Merigold.”