Ban obediently went outside the room as Orma said and looked down from the second floor of the inn, observing the people. In truth, there wasn’t much to see, but it was quite helpful for planning tomorrow’s schedule.
Since there were many priests, even if they woke up early at dawn, it wouldn’t feel deserted…… but he was a bit worried about possibly meeting someone who knew him. After all, he had lived for a time as something of a celebrity at Serka’s Temple, and as the hope of the priests.
Should they perhaps leave at a slightly later time? It would be a long journey, so they’d need to buy horses too…… Those would be expensive, right? He wasn’t sure if they’d have enough money. How much could a Holy Knight affiliated with a temple even receive? Ban had saved it all since he didn’t particularly need money when living frugally at the temple, but at this rate, even that wouldn’t last long before his funds would be revealed.
“……Hiiik!”
“Mm?”
So he had been feeling a strange gaze from earlier. Was it an inn employee? A man who had been conspicuously glancing this way disappeared in a hurry the moment their eyes met. A Holy Knight covered in blood would be suspicious, after all. That kind of reaction was…….
While Ban was thinking so carefree, Orma, having shed his beggar’s appearance, emerged looking quite splendid. He’d only washed up a bit and changed clothes, but his originally handsome bearing immediately caught the eye.
“……Ban.”
“Do the clothes fit well? I was worried the pants might be too short…… Mm, but it seems fine at this level. You’re not uncomfortable, are you? Was the bathwater temperature appropriate?”
Orma looked with slightly fed-up eyes at Ban, who fussed and approached him, checking his clothes and even his slightly wet hair. Who did he think he was treating like a child…… He didn’t dislike being checked and looked after from one to ten, but it was a bit annoying too.
Ban read his god’s eyes and said with an awkward face and a slight smile.
“You seem fine…… Then I’ll go wash up too. Ah, if you’re hungry, you can eat first.”
“It’s fine. It’s a bit much to wander around alone.”
“Ah, then I’ll wash up quickly and come back!”
At the words that he’d wait, Ban promptly went inside. It wasn’t that he regarded him as a child like Orma thought, but it wasn’t entirely wrong either. Rather, he thought of him more like a dangerous predator that humans could get caught up with in an instant if he took his eyes off him for a moment. A pitiful predator that could communicate and had a history of being abused…… Yes, like a black panther with jet-black glossy fur that gave an eerie feeling every time their golden eyes and gazes met.
Of course, since a predator is a predator, thinking he might cause trouble while I briefly look away, I should wash up quickly and come out, Ban hurriedly threw off his blood-soaked clothes and immersed himself in bathwater of an appropriate temperature. Even though outside had been so hot and sweltering, the moment he touched the warm water, his whole body felt languid.
‘That aside…… I should check the system message again.’
Since he’d decided to believe in Orma, things like the Faith Gauge and Level should now be visible in more detail. Ban began to carefully read the newly unlocked faith section while stroking down his body, which had regenerated perfectly as if he’d never been pierced by a spear.
[Current Status: Apostle of ‘Orma’ / Faith: 3 (Your god’s influence is minimal.)
Faith Level: 1
Faith Gauge: 3/10
▷ Death by divine punishment +1
▷ Death by divine punishment +1
▷ Faith decision +1]
He didn’t know how to raise faith, but for now, it seemed to be an extremely low number. Moreover, considering the content next to it saying the god’s influence was minimal, it appeared that faith increased according to Faith Level or Gauge, and Orma’s authority would grow accordingly.
Then if I believed in Orma like a fanatic, would Orma’s power also become stronger? For instance…… being able to stop disasters just by breathing. But how can belief be quantified into numbers?
Moreover, isn’t it unbalanced for a god’s influence to grow according to just one human’s faith? If the balance was set so that individual faith has a determined total amount…… Mm, would he need to find other believers to make Orma their god?
In many ways, it was a system with unfriendly explanations, but <MOX NOX> had been that kind of game from the beginning. Should he say you learn through adventure? Ban blinked slowly and checked the content below, falling into thought.
Looking at the Faith Level and Gauge, it seemed the numbers increased each time he did activities related to Orma. Since it said Faith Level rises when the Faith Gauge fills up…… it must be a kind of experience point container.
‘Isn’t this a bit too much?’
Only giving 1 point for death by divine punishment? Without even needing to interpret, since he died twice by Orma, it must be referring to that, but 2 points—how petty. And deciding faith is only 1 point too. Even though I can keep reviving, to disregard life to this extent…….
Just as Ban sighed and was about to close the information window, a clear notification sound came along with sparkling letters as if telling him not to forget.
[Congratulations on achieving Faith Level 1!
<Reward> Random Skill Ticket x1
Would you like to check now?]
So they give something even for Level 1 as if it’s something to be proud of. Ban selected ‘yes’ with a face that wasn’t particularly excited. Even if it’s random, are there even any good skills?
Ban, whose luck wasn’t particularly good, always got things close to ‘duds’ whenever he received random skill tickets as minor quest rewards. The fact that the most useful one he’d been using recently was ‘UV Protection (E-rank)’ among them said it all.
[Opening random skill…….]
Don’t expect anything, don’t expect anything…….
[Congratulations! Acquired Human Sleep Therapy (B-rank)!
▷ Human Sleep Therapy (B-rank): A wonderful human sleep therapy that allows even those who have suffered from insomnia for a long time to enjoy comfortable sleep.]
“Ah.”
It’s a dud. Even though he’d resolved not to expect anything…… he was thinking why something like this had such a needlessly high rank when it happened.
Bang—along with a roar of something colliding, a scream-like sound came from outside.
“……Keh, khek!”
Only then did Ban, his mind snapping alert, lightly dry himself off, hastily put on clothes, and flung open the door. Sure enough, his sacred black panther couldn’t hold back in that short time and was causing a huge incident.
Orma was holding the poor inn employee by the throat with one hand, lifting his entire body. Unlike the legs dangling lightly, his face was flushed red from being unable to breathe, gasping. Already his eyes had no focus, filled only with the whites, and foam had risen to his mouth—a terrible sight where he’d suffocate to death if left alone just a bit longer.
“Orma-nim!”
Not knowing what on earth had happened, Ban first prostrated himself flat. Orma didn’t hide his displeased mood. The shadow creeping out from beneath his feet rippled ominously, watching for an opportunity to swallow the pitiful employee in one bite.
Seeing how quiet it was despite this chaos, it seemed he’d deployed his authority to block the space so sounds wouldn’t leak out. Ban felt cold sweat running down his back even though he’d just washed, and carefully looked up at Orma. Though he hadn’t said a word, Orma, as if he had some grievance, crumpled his handsome face and opened his mouth.
“He approached me suddenly and asked if I was the Father of the End.”
“Ah……”
“When I answered that I didn’t know such things, he outright spoke my name. Even so, saying if it wasn’t true, I was suspicious so he’d report me. What do you think, Ban?”
What do I think? I think you’re insane…… Ban firmly held back from saying what came to mind and sneakily glanced at the inn employee. He’d thought the man had been curiously hanging around him, but it wasn’t that—he must have somehow seen Orma’s golden eyes.
As disaster covered the world, people like that inn employee who praised and glorified the end began to increase one by one. And they strongly believed that Orma, trapped in Hell, would lead that apocalypse and gladly bestow death upon everyone.
In short, it was like saying, “I’m ruined and life is hard, so let’s all die together.”
In a sense, it was the same way of thinking as Orma’s “I wish the whole world would perish, everyone would just die……”
Even so, to be certain that the being before his eyes was Orma and then threaten to report him—his guts have come out of his belly. As stories were passed down about Orma being trapped in Hell by humans, there must have been those who looked down on him.
Game users were like that too. Even after seeing that magnificent and cool Orma in the trailer, most regarded him with indifference, thinking “Is that all?” Half the gamers declared surrender before even reaching the final chapter, and the other half arrived at the final chapter and realized “That’s all there is……” as their heads were smashed by Orma.
“Tell me. What reason is there for me not to kill this human? Killing this guy has nothing to do with destruction.”
Ban looked at Orma again with an indifferent face. He had nothing to say because it wasn’t wrong. As Orma said, it had nothing to do with destruction, and to say “He’s pitiful so let’s spare him?” the inn employee had already touched Orma’s pride quite a bit.
In fact, he wasn’t particularly pitiful either…… If this were Hell, he would have been killed before that employee could even open his mouth, so the thought came first that Orma was already being quite lenient.
That said, he couldn’t speak his true feelings like “N-not particularly pitiful……! But if we kill him, we might get kicked out of this inn! We already paid all the money!” He himself had already been stabbed by a spear and died twice upon encountering Orma, so such things wouldn’t work.
Ban, who had been pondering, thought “whatever” and put his hands together, praying to Orma in his heart as if offering a prayer. They’d already paid 3 Gold for meals and bathwater, and including today’s room fee, they’d paid 8 Gold. 8 Gold! ……Thinking that all they’d done among this was just bathe, tears naturally welled up in his eyes and he became earnest.
“O Orma, please bestow mercy……”
“……Mercy?”
What did I do to be asked for mercy…… At the unexpected reaction, Orma’s expression became absurd.
However, when the sky-blue eyes that persistently followed him sparkled pitifully, Orma unconsciously hesitated. Having just finished bathing, with moisture on his mysterious and pure face, and water droplets glistening on the tips of those long eyelashes, he felt a strange sensation.
A feeling like he was doing something very terrible…….
The strength in the hand choking the inn employee’s throat gradually loosened, and not long after, Orma finally put down the inn employee, unable to hide his uncomfortable feelings. His mind was full of questions and bewildered emotions.
“Ha…… I’m at a loss for words.”
“Thank you, Orma-nim!”
“Don’t open your eyes like that.”
“Pardon?”
“Annoyingly……”
Really absurd. What is this? What did I do? You’re my god, so why are you making me out to be such a shameless person…….
The god who had experienced something called a honey trap for the first time in his life from his apostle muttered his complex feelings haphazardly, expressing his grievances.
