Chapter 58

Eventually, I was caught by the Guild Leader and dragged in front of the Saint. I sat down begrudgingly, and the Saint looked at me with those calm eyes of hers. I didn’t avoid her gaze; I met it head-on.

“So, you’re dissatisfied with me dropping out? Huh? Saint.”

I spoke with the utmost sarcasm, treating her with a veneer of politeness as if she were a customer. The Guild Leader looked at me like I was a wayward brat, but I didn’t care. Because at this moment, I was the one placed in the most unreasonable position.

“Let’s look at the facts. This was a contract between the Temple and the Martial Regiment—a contract between organizations. There is nothing in there that can force either you or me. The discussions that took place between you and me at first were merely a part of the relay process. We were just acting as channels for the groups we each belong to.”

“I have already explained that.”

The Guild Leader leaned toward me slightly and whispered. Then, as if to say it was useless even if I explained it, he shook his head from side to side. I crumpled my face and clicked my tongue.

“Tell me that sooner. You had me wasting my breath on useless words for nothing.”

I was busy expressing my dissatisfaction through a staring contest with the Guild Leader when the Saint finally spoke.

“Felix.”

I turned my eyes back to the Saint immediately.

“Speak.”

“I don’t know about others, but you must not drop out of this request.”

“Ha?!”

I raised my voice and challenged her, asking who she thought she was to decide such things.

The Saint’s current attendant seemed to have quite a lot of patience as they stayed quiet, but their expression was far from pleasant. On the other hand, the Saint, whether I barked or not, raised one hand into the air with the same unwavering expression.

I immediately cooled my head and placed my hand on my sword. Then, I asked with a warning tone.

“What is it?”

“You wouldn’t trust me anyway. So, Guild Leader Calbern.”

The Guild Leader asked with a confused look when his name was suddenly called.

“Are you talking to me?”

“Could you please hold out your hand?”

The Guild Leader tried to hold out his hand without a hint of doubt. I quickly grabbed his wrist to stop him.

“Are you crazy? You’re just going to hold it out without knowing what she’ll do?”

“But she is the Saint.”

“So what? If the Saint told you to die, would you die?”

“She didn’t tell me to die. She just asked for my hand.”

“Are you a child? Why do you have so little suspicion?”

When I asked him what he would do if he gave his hand and it was suddenly chopped off at the wrist, the Guild Leader looked at me as if I were pathetic.

“Don’t be unreasonable. Are you the child?”

As the argument between the Guild Leader and me looked like it was going to drag on, the Saint finally offered a mediation plan.

“Then, I shall let my attendant test it first, so Guild Leader Calbern, please do the same afterward.”

“Don’t make me—Mmph!”

I tried to snap back, ‘Don’t make me laugh, what kind of conditions would make me believe you?’, but the Guild Leader quickly covered my mouth. I felt strength naturally gathering around my brows.

This man, even if I’m thinking of him! I had been caught helplessly at one point despite my own defenses, so did you think you could keep your bones intact by acting all soft like you are?

“I apologize, Saint. This guy had a difficult upbringing, so he has a severe case of distrust toward people; please understand. He means no malice.”

The sight of him trying to make excuses to the Saint on my behalf made me even angrier. What do you know! I immediately drew my dagger and swung it. Are you that desperate to die? Then don’t rush your death in such a clumsy way; just die right now!

The Guild Leader quickly withdrew his hand and stepped back. The blade sliced through the air briefly and stopped just before I could follow through with the next sword path. It was because the Guild Leader raised both hands as if surrendering. At his attitude of smoothly slipping away, my momentary anger quickly lost its destination and pooled into frustration within my heart. I gritted my teeth hard.

A short while later, I was grudgingly standing back due to the Guild Leader’s earnest persuasion. Naturally, my mood wasn’t refreshed, but since I had promised to stay quiet for now, I had no choice but to follow along. I leaned against one side of the long bench, staring at the scene in front of me with dissatisfaction.

A shining pattern appeared above the Saint’s hand. The Saint instructed her attendant to touch the pattern first. The attendant followed obediently, without a hint of doubt.

When the hand touched the pattern, it rang lightly and blocked them like a wall. Soon after, following the Saint’s nod, the Guild Leader also touched the pattern. The pattern’s reaction was the same as it had been for the attendant.

“Felix. It is your turn.”

I swallowed a sigh at the Saint’s words and straightened the body I had been leaning on crookedly. And with a bitter feeling, I lifted my index finger and tapped the pattern. My finger passed through the pattern lightly and came out.

I tried touching it once more. This time, a bit longer. Then, a small sound of crackling— rang out, and a stinging pain flared up. I was enduring this, so what is this again? I glanced at the Saint, glaring.

“I didn’t think it would resonate with you if I just spoke about it. I thought it would be faster to see and experience even a simple version.”

“What is this?”

The Guild Leader asked.

“It is a part of the construction formation that will be put into the dimensional barrier. This was a reduced and weakened version. Its role is to filter for blessings. The dimensional barrier will be structured in several layers, and the blessing filter can be called the final protective shield.”

Saying that it wouldn’t last long because there were no pillars supporting the formation right now, the Saint made the pattern disappear.

“And as you have seen, Felix, you were excluded from this filter. Furthermore, looking at it now, it seems you have conversely become a target for attack.”

She closed her eyes slowly and opened them, saying she hadn’t expected the latter.

“Why only Felix?”

“Well. I have no way of knowing. Only that it seems you have done something quite bad.”

“Bad deeds? Look… if I say this, it might sound like I’m taking his side, but there are far more scumbags in this world than Felix. Are you saying all of them are also excluded?”

“The criterion is, ‘Has there been an act of blasphemy or hostility toward the Main God?’ Therefore, it would differ depending on the person.”

At those words, the attendant narrowed their eyes at me. They seemed to suspect me of being a pagan. I just scoffed at them.

“So? Does that mean when the barrier is established, I will just burn to death?”

If that was the case, I would just have to make sure the barrier couldn’t be established. I knew the locations of all the pillars set up so far. Moreover, the work on the pillars wasn’t even finished yet. Since it didn’t look like they had a countermeasure for what to do with Nervas yet, I had enough leeway to respond.

If a war between gods or whatever occurred and the world was swept up in it, that would surely be a catastrophe. However, if one was lucky, one might survive.

Conversely, while the world might become relatively safe if the barrier was established, if I alone were singled out as a target for concentrated attack, I would certainly be a dead man. For me, I had no choice but to choose the former, where there remained at least a possibility of living.

Moreover, no matter how I looked at it, this ‘blessing filter’ itself was suspicious. In my view, protecting the masses was secondary; the primary purpose seemed to be for that Main God guy to find and wipe out hostile gods’ subordinates or remaining survivors. Therefore, there was a high possibility Iel would also get caught up in this.

Just as I was secretly concluding to block the barrier, the Guild Leader said.

“What if you take refuge in a foreign country?”

“For now, the countries that share the same state religion have shared information regarding the dimensional barrier. Therefore, they are likely already moving in their own ways. To avoid it, you would have to go to a country with a different state religion.”

Saying it was fortunate that there wasn’t a complete lack of options, the Guild Leader patted my shoulder. At that moment, the Saint spoke.

“However, before you consider a foreign country, I would like you to hear my opinion first. Felix, do you recall what I said in the past? That service is, in itself, an act that can erase karmic burdens.”

I stared at the Saint without answering.

“The subject of the service I speak of here is, of course, the Main God. Barrier work belongs to the category of excellent service toward the Main God. That is also the reason why you, of all people, must not drop out of that task.”

I crossed my arms and replied skeptically.

“What if my karmic burdens aren’t cleared even after it’s all over? Who knows if it will end in me burning to death after doing all that service?”

“You can check intermittently in the way I just showed you. If the construction formation shows aggression toward you until the work is finished, then we can look for a separate protection method using items. Or, we could also consider the method of going to a foreign country, as the Guild Leader suggested.”

“…….”

Wouldn’t it be easiest to just remove the blessing filter formation? You said you were setting up several layers of protective shields, anyway? Or devise a different method. There was no guarantee that there wouldn’t be another case like mine, and her will to stubbornly include me only increased the suspicion in my heart. She’s suspicious, indeed.

In the midst of that, the Guild Leader, who had been completely swayed by the Saint’s words, showed his will to put me back into the barrier work. Even though I hadn’t given an answer yet, they were already reaching a conclusion among themselves.

“Since it’s turned out that way, Felix. Go back to taking charge of the barrier work.”

What do you mean ‘since it turned out that way,’ you easily-swayed fool. It was truly absurd. The Saint went one step further.

“Not only the barrier work, but from now on, I would like you to participate in all requests entrusted by the Temple, Felix.”

“What?”

“That is also a good idea. From now on, I will turn all Temple requests to Felix.”

“What did you say?”

“When there are no separate requests, Felix, you should visit the Temple yourself. At that time, I will personally give you a request that can serve as service.”

No, why go that far? At this point, I wondered if this was madness.