"Right. This gives me one more reason to go to the temple."
Pay said in a slightly deflated voice. She instinctively sensed Summer's distrust.
"The temple?"
"If what you say is true, then the only ability recognized in the work is divine power, right?"
"......"
"I thought you might feel something. I'm curious too. Isn't everyone? About the existence of gods, I mean."
Pay jumped off the desk and transformed into a cat. Her pitch-black tail swayed gently.
"I'll go. I'm curious too. What on earth is this world made of?"
"How long until the banquet?"
"A week."
"Then let's head to the temple the day before the banquet. Until then, feel free to roam. If anything happens, hold that gem and think of me. Then I can respond."
"I will."
Pay really seemed to be planning to rest freely, as she spent three days lounging around as a cat, not moving an inch.
On the other hand, Summer thought about how to return to her original world.
If Summer's soul returned on the day of the banquet, it would be best to go back to her original world then.
She wanted to escape this world as soon as possible.
Julian weighed on her mind, but he wasn't as precious as her family and her own safety.
Summer skipped meals to choose a suitable place and time to return to her original world.
"You know, if you skip meals, you could really die."
Mary brought over some soup and placed it in front of Summer as she spoke. Only then did Summer turn to look at Mary.
"Mary. Can you see me?"
"Of course."
"What do I look like?"
"......You're a beautiful blonde."
"I see."
That surprised her for no reason. Sometimes, Mary would stare at Summer as if she could see something beyond her appearance.
Just in case, Summer asked, but it seemed it was just her own delusion.
Summer took a spoonful of soup and put it in her mouth. The food in this world was incredibly delicious.
After finishing a bowl of soup, Summer called for Mary again. This time, Mary didn't seem uncomfortable like before.
"Mary. Can you find me a map?"
What Summer was looking for was a map of the palace. Of course, for security reasons, many places were not depicted.
Summer quietly examined the palace map, recalling the text she had read many times.
And she pointed to a spot that wasn't marked.
"Here."
The spire.
It was said to be the highest spire in the empire. This spire was not an ordinary one.
Even the noble drunks who usually wandered into any secluded place did not enter there.
It was rumored that ghosts appeared there.
It was a bit amusing that people who believed in gods and had a temple were so scared of ghosts, but it was fortunate for Summer.
Even during the banquet, the palace gates would be wide open, making it easy to access.
The timing was perfect. Everyone would be too busy dancing.
In the original story, there was an event where Julian Dudley and Ian Langerster enjoyed the night view together at this location.
Summer planned to use that place differently.
"What are you doing?"
"I was thinking about how to return to my original world."
As Pay approached with a lazy yawn, Summer cheerfully replied, holding out the map.
"......You've already decided."
Pay's face stiffened for a moment as she looked at the map.
Just as Pay was about to say something more, the door opened, and a maid entered to announce lunch.
"Lady Pay, don't worry, I'll be back soon!"
"Okay."
Summer said in a bright voice and then left. Pay stared at the closed door with a strange expression before shaking her body once.
"Humans are annoying. It's frustrating."
Leaving Pay behind, Summer arrived at the dining hall, ignoring Countess Lindsay and her husband, and focused on her meal.
When Summer returned to her original world, the real Summer would take her place.
And again and again, she would perform the same role with the same emotions and expressions.
"Summer. Don't worry, the dress you'll wear at the banquet will be tailored generously, so just eat comfortably."
Just like now. Summer glanced at Countess Lindsay sitting in front of her with a dry gaze before cutting her steak again.
Summer Lindsay's parents were beautiful and warm people.
But they didn't feel alive.
Their artificial tone and repetitive lines made them seem like robots that could only exude gentleness and peace.
In short, if Summer Lindsay died, Count and Countess Lindsay wouldn't have time to be sad. They would forget everything when the original story began again.
'That's none of my business.'
Summer shrugged her shoulders. Instead, the thought of returning to her original world made her hum a little tune.
Climbing to the high spire to take one last look at this world wouldn't be a bad idea. If she just looked, it would be quite beautiful.
* * *
The day before the royal banquet. As promised, Summer arrived at the temple and gaped at the grand building.
The white marble sparkled in the sunlight. The statues placed here and there looked so delicate they seemed ready to move at any moment.
It was truly a living cultural heritage.
"It's amazing."
"Some live in such a jade-like temple, while others live in garbage heaps."
Pay scoffed sharply. As Pay said, the temple was enormous and splendid, and even the stones laid on the floor looked expensive.
"You really think like a person from our world."
"The creator of this world might be a person from your world. If so, your way of thinking might have been reflected in us."
Pay's voice was light, but the content was not.
Summer tried to calm her heart, which sank, and playfully retorted.
"Do you want to go to that world with me?"
"I can't. I'm completely bound here."
"Is it impossible to go to another world?"
"We serve as intermediaries; we can't act on our own."
That meant the characters in the novel could never appear in another world, even if they died and came back to life.
However, it was possible to enter the novel from the original world, so it was clear that the two worlds were vertically unfair.
Summer opened her mouth again, taking in the appearance of the temple imagined by a Korean author.
"It's fascinating. It seems like you know everything, Pay."
"Of course. Would I be the best witch for nothing?"
Pay made a sulky face and stepped boldly into the temple.
"Have you come to pray?"
A priest approached and asked. Summer nodded with the most harmless face she could muster. Soon, the priest's eyes changed after checking Summer's identity documents.
Although the Lindsay family was an extra family that had never been seen by Summer, it was one of the wealthiest and most powerful families among the nobility, ranking among the twelve noble families in the empire.
"Please come this way."
The prayer room that the priest led her to was also vast and magnificent.
The sculptures everywhere were so delicate that it was hard to believe they were made by humans, and they were grand.
Before entering the prayer room, Summer glanced sideways. The place she was going to seemed like a prayer room only accessible to nobles.
In contrast, the prayer room where the long line of people was entering had a simple-looking door.
"Is that also a prayer room?"
"Of course. The gods look after those in low places too."
Is it right for a temple that believes in gods to give different prayer rooms based on status and wealth? Summer frowned at the unpleasant feeling rising within her.
Unaware of Summer's feelings, the priest left, saying to call if she needed anything.
"Pay. Does a god come to a place like this?"
"If it's not a merciful god, it might be possible. Just because they're omnipotent doesn't mean they're necessarily moral, right? It's strange to judge gods by human moral standards."
Vaguely, Summer thought that the god worshiped in this world might be a human like herself.
Perhaps the author who created this world would play the role of a god.
If so, as Pay said, the god of this world was likely not moral, not omnipotent, not perfect, and not gentle or considerate.
"That's a very interesting statement. If they're not moral, why worship a god? Because they're strong?"
"......You really think like a witch."
Pay shot back exactly what Summer had said in front of the temple.
Instead of answering, Summer smiled once and closed her eyes. She earnestly clasped her hands together.
'If there is a god, please respond to me.'
But she felt nothing.
Summer opened her eyes slightly and gazed at the beautiful and massive statue in front of her. It had a beauty that could rival the statue of David.
Even though this was the only romance fantasy novel she had read, she knew that generally, the protagonist and the happy-ending character were the good ones.
Then, there was no way the author's words would be heard in such a dazzling place.
Summer stopped her prayer and brushed off the hem of her dress.
"Pay, let's go somewhere else."
"The only place closest to the gods is here."
"But you said the gods look after those in low places too?"
Summer pushed open the half-open door of the prayer room and stepped outside. Then she confidently stood at the very end of the line for the prayer room next door.
It was the prayer room used only by commoners.