Chapter 3
My heart skipped a beat. "I found it."
I'd planned this excuse all along.
Gareth sneered, "You 'found' a gold coin this pure, with strange markings no one in St. Laurent has ever seen?
"Who do you think you're fooling?"
He slammed the coin onto the counter, raising his voice. "Did you steal this from a noble house?"
Nearby customers turned to stare, muttering and pointing.
Their eyes were filled with contempt and suspicion.
I understood.
This gold coin was too perfect.
It didn't even seem to belong to the mortal world.
When a poor girl like me showed up with something like this, people would only assume it was stolen.
Theft in St. Laurent was a felony, punishable by losing a hand.
My face went white. I grabbed the coin and ran.
"Thief!" Gareth yelled after me.
I shoved my way through the crowd, heart pounding as I heard footsteps thundering behind me.
I ran all over the city, not stopping until I was sure no one was following.
I ducked into a filthy alley, gasping for breath.
Slowly, I slid down against the wall to the ground, feeling all my strength drain away.
I gripped the gold coin so hard my knuckles turned white.
It was no longer hope. It was a burning hot coal.
I had a fortune, but I couldn't trade it for a single loaf of black bread.
What kind of joke was this?
Was this that god's game? Give me hope, then watch it shatter?
A surge of utter helplessness and mockery welled up inside me.
"How pathetic."
The familiar voice echoed above me.
I snapped my head up.
There he was, perched quietly on the wall at the end of the alley.
His white robe fluttered in the wind, golden eyes glinting with amusement.
It felt like he'd been there all along.
He'd been up there, watching me walk into the grain shop and get chased like a thief.
He was relishing my misery.
Trembling with fury, I picked up a stone and hurled it at him.
"Asshole!" I shouted.
The stone turned to dust an inch away from him; he was completely unharmed.
His smile widened. "Mad now? A player who doesn't even know the rules has no right to be angry."
I gritted my teeth and glared. "What rules?"
He jumped down from the wall and landed lightly in front of me.
"Divine things follow divine laws," he said.
He reached out and tapped my chest. "And this place is closest to me."
His fingertip was ice-cold.
His eyes drifted toward the distance.
I followed his gaze and saw the tall spire of the Cathedral of Dawn.
I understood right away.
He was telling me to go to the cathedral.
But cathedrals were for praying, not trading.
What was I supposed to do?
He seemed to read my thoughts, a playful smirk tugging at his lips.
"Go on," he said. "Let me see if your brain is as big as your courage."
With that, he dissolved into a shower of light and vanished.
I stood frozen, staring at the cathedral spire, the coin suddenly heavy in my hand.
Divine laws and the Cathedral of Dawn... A wild idea took shape in my mind.
*****
The next day, I put on my only clean outfit and walked to the Cathedral of Dawn.
This time, I didn't take back alleys. I walked straight through the main doors, head held high.
Inside, the air was solemn.
Stained-glass ceilings scattered sunlight into bright, colorful patches on the floor.
A handful of worshippers were scattered around, kneeling before the holy statues and praying with heartfelt devotion.
I ignored them and headed straight for the donation room at the back.
A young novice priest named Cedric was in charge of the register.
Spotting me, he frowned faintly.
I knew he was annoyed by my ragged clothes.
"This is the donation room, not a begging place," he said coldly.
I felt no anger.
I drew the gold coin from my chest pocket and set it gently on the oak table before him.
"I'm here to donate."
Cedric's eyes locked onto the coin.
At first, his gaze was full of disdain, but then it shifted to surprise.
Finally, his face twisted with the same greedy, stunned look Gareth had worn the day before.
"Th-this is..." Cedric stammered, reaching for the gold coin but quickly pulling back as if burned.
The coin's glow blazed bright in the quiet donation room.
Keeping a straight face, I started, "This is a blessing bestowed upon me by the divine.
"Yesterday, while I was praying, I heard His voice.
"When I opened my eyes, this coin was in my hand.
"He told me it was a reward for my faith."
My voice was soft, but in the quiet donation room, everyone heard me loud and clear.
Cedric's expression shifted.
He looked at me with envy.
In this world, miracles were real.
Rare, but when they happened, they shook the entire diocese.
A divine gold coin was one of the most powerful signs of all.