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Axel, having shifted his gaze away from me, glanced at the gold coins scattered on the floor. With a light snap of his fingers, a massive surge of magical energy began to emanate from within him, swirling and taking on a familiar shape. The elaborate preparation was typical of Axel’s style of magic—just as I remembered.

‘Sigh. He always has to make such a big show of using magic,’ I thought.

White mages often had a flair for the dramatic when casting spells. 

‘Wouldn’t it be simpler to just snap your fingers and have the desired result appear instantly?’

As a former black mage, who prioritized practicality, I watched with a bit of disdain as Axel’s magic elegantly weaved through the air, eventually forming a small, pink, winged piglet.

It was a real, living piglet.

“Oink!”

The adorable piglet opened its mouth wide, and in a blink, the gold coins scattered on the floor were sucked up into its mouth. After devouring all the coins, the piglet gracefully flew over to me, nestling into my arms before transforming into a piggy bank.

Despite having swallowed such a huge amount of coins, it was surprisingly small and light, even for a child like me.

“Since these coins are marked with a holy symbol, the central church in Kydsha might have the answers. I’ll send a letter there,” Axel said.

Kydsha, a small city in the southern part of the continent, is considered holy ground, free from the Empire’s laws. It’s also the hometown of the charlatan priest Bael. Although I’d heard many stories about it, I’d never actually visited the place. Now, even though I’m staying with the Elpinard ducal family, I’ll likely end up in Kydsha when I come of age, since I’ve been recognized as a saint.

“Ugh…”

As I was recalling the familiar name of the city and the faces of my old comrades, Noah, who had been knocked out by the gold coins, groaned and began to stir. It seemed he was regaining consciousness.

The moment he opened his eyes and saw me, he staggered to his feet, about to shout at me, but—

“Hey… wha…?”

—he froze in place the moment he noticed Axel standing there with his arms crossed.

“Uh, uh… uh…?”

“Noah Elpinard,” Axel said.

“Y-yes, sir!”

Gone was the bratty child who had just been bossing me around; now Noah stood at attention, answering Axel with a sharp, obedient tone. I was so surprised by the change that my eyes widened. Axel had always been kind to children, so seeing him command such authority over Noah caught me off guard.

Axel’s gaze remained fixed on the now-rigid Noah.

“Of course, you came here to pay your respects to your aunt, right?”

“P-pay my respects to Auntie?”

Noah stammered as if he had just been asked something completely out of the blue. Axel’s eyes narrowed.

“Naturally. Otherwise, why would you be in Reshia’s room?”

“Well, I-I wasn’t here to… I mean, she… my eye… there were coins falling…”

Axel raised a hand, cutting off Noah’s rambling explanation with a simple gesture.

“If there’s another reason, then speak clearly and confidently like an Elpinard. Surely it’s not something you can’t say proudly in front of me, right?” Axel’s expressionless face and sharp gaze bore into Noah, daring him to give a straight answer. 

Noah’s face turned pale as he stammered, “N-no! I came to pay my respects! I came to pay my respects to my aunt!”

“As expected,” Axel replied, finally smiling slightly as he got the answer he wanted.

“Then do it.”

“What?”

“Go on, pay your respects,” Axel said, nodding towards me with his chin.

Caught between the two of us, Noah hesitated, but the pressure from Axel was too much. He awkwardly stepped forward, his movements stiff, and lowered his head.

“I-I pay my respects, Aunt…”

Noah’s head hung low like a malfunctioning toy soldier. In Reshia’s memories, Noah was always an arrogant and domineering boy, but here he was, trembling in front of Axel, unable to defy him. 

As I blinked in surprise at this unfamiliar sight, Axel waved his hand dismissively at Noah.

“If you’re done, you can go now.”

“Y-yes, sir!”

With that, Noah lifted his head, and without looking back, he bolted from the room. 

I was caught between disbelief at how stern Axel had been with the boy and at how completely Noah, who had bullied me earlier, was now utterly cowed. 

I lightly kicked Axel’s leg. “You’re not usually like that with kids.”

“Even children need to learn basic manners and respect. Especially if they’re Elpinards,” Axel responded firmly.

‘Manners and respect.’ I couldn’t think of words that suited Axel more. He was always the embodiment of those principles, though he hadn’t always treated Greslin with either—something I knew I deserved.

“Still, it’s not right for an adult to interfere in a kids’ fight. I can handle it myself. I don’t want to win by unfair means.”

Though Noah had been forced to bow his head this time, coercion like this only leads to more resistance in the future.

‘If I’m going to make him submit, I need to do it myself.’

Hugging the piggy bank close, I took a deep breath, while Axel let out a faint scoff.

“It’s better for me to step in. Who knows what might happen if you confront him directly?”

“Huh? What do you mean? Reshia doesn’t know anything. She’s just a little girl, Axel,” I said, purposely speaking in a childish, lisping tone while tilting my head innocently. Axel’s face flushed red, as if he had seen something he wished he hadn’t.

‘Hmm. As expected, that flustered expression suits Axel best.’

* * *

Fine clothes, luxurious food, and the attentive care of the maids—I spent an exceedingly comfortable day thanks to Axel. By the time the sun began to set, I was so relaxed that it became difficult to resist the drowsiness that crept over me. It was the first time, both in my previous life and since being reborn as Reshia, that I had experienced such a peaceful day.

I lay on the bed, lazily closing my eyes. Who would have thought that just a few words from Axel could set up such a perfect day?

‘The life of a noble, it’s the best…’

I could finally understand why people were so obsessed with power.

‘No, snap out of it!’

I almost drifted off into sleep, but I quickly forced my eyes open and sat up. I shook the piggy bank that Axel had conjured up, and the coins inside jingled softly.

‘I got them, but…’

I still had no idea what exactly these “Heaven Coins” were supposed to be used for. I tried to recall the flashy message from before.

┏With Coins, you can pay subscription fees, make wishes, and receive quest assistance┛

‘So…’

This meant that I could use the coins to pay for my “reincarnation” subscription, make wishes, and even get help with quests. But the most pressing concern was paying the subscription fee for my “reincarnation.”

After all, I had less than four months of life left.

I had earned 50,000 coins from completing the quest. Since the monthly subscription fee was 10,000 coins, that meant I had secured five more months of life… or so I thought, when suddenly a bright light flashed before my eyes.

‘Whoa!’

[A Message from Heaven]

(Notification) Congratulations on earning your first coins! Here’s a summary of your current coin balance and available uses:

Coins Owned: 50,000
Coin Uses:

〈Donation〉

Donate 10,000 coins to the church to receive a 1-month 〈Reincarnation〉 subscription!

As a special benefit for saints, there is no church fee (50%).

‘What? The church fee is 50%?!’

While I was fortunate enough to be exempt from the fee thanks to my special status, it was shocking to learn that normally, the church would take a hefty 50% fee from donations.