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Chapter 16

“...?” Ian’s eyebrows quickly raised in surprise. Beyond the light, he faintly sensed something transcendent, surpassing divinity.

"So, please state your business. I will gladly assist," the priest added politely, as the light around the holy statue intensified as if to show off.

"Regrettably," Ian, detaching his gaze from the statue, blurted out, "I am a mercenary, not an apostle."

"You\'re not...an apostle?" the priest asked in confusion.

"That\'s right. I am not even a believer," Ian replied.

Under normal circumstances, he would have exploited such a misunderstanding. But Ian had corrected it because it seemed as if the Goddess of Light was truly watching him through the statue.

Why is she watching? It’s not like she\'s a voyeur.

Even Ian couldn\'t pretend to be an apostle in front of God who was watching him. There was no telling what kind of divine punishment might befall him.

"If that is truly the case..."

The priest, who had been gazing blankly, turned back to the statue and added, "Would you consider starting serving the radiant Goddess now?"

Suddenly, the priest attempted to evangelize Ian.

Suppressing a hollow laugh, Ian asked, "Are you serious?"

"If the Goddess didn\'t hold you in special regard, she wouldn\'t watch over you with such immense divinity." The priest said this earnestly, looking directly at Ian.

"If you serve Lu Solar, you will surely be chosen as an apostle. There is no greater honor and glory for a mortal."

Ian remained silent as the light from the statue grew more brilliant as if urging him to respond. But his smile stiffened for a different reason.

It was really an apostle quest.

The option to accept a quest appeared before him.

[Lu Solar\'s apostle.]

Of course, in the game, certain jobs could receive a God\'s apostle quest after reaching a specific level. However, as far as Ian knew, mages were not included in this. Mages had quests for enlightenment or glimpsing fundamental truths. Ian hadn\'t even leveled up enough for those yet.

Maybe such restrictions no longer apply anymore, thought Ian, as he declined the quest and regained his composure.

"It seems this is not a matter to be decided hastily. I\'ll consider it over time,” said Ian.

In fact, his words were not directed at the priest, but at Lu Solar, who Ian presumed was watching. Of course, he had no intention of serving her, not even a speck of dust in his eyes. But for now, he was just leaving the option open since he needed to use her power. If he outright refused and she decided to retract her divinity, it would be a disaster beyond disasters.

Believing in Ian’s word, the priest’s eye flickered,"I hope you make the right decision. The radiant Goddess bestows boundless mercy on her followers. And...."

The priest softened his voice as he gave a sly smile. "If that glorious moment comes, please remember this faithful Edward. I will serve you diligently."

Ah, now he\'s self-promoting. Ian briefly smirked.

"Understood, Edward. I will certainly remember you." Ian replied in the same subtle tone.

Ian thought he was going to be robbed coming to this place, but it seemed like Ian might be able to turn the tables instead. Also, that wasn\'t a lie, so Ian had nothing to worry about.

“In that sense, there happens to be something I need your help with.”

“Please, tell me.” Edward quickly nodded.

“I would like you to purify the corrupted magic with the brilliant divinity of the Goddess.” Speaking solemnly, Ian took out contaminated essence beads from his spatial storage. In total, there was one large bead and three smaller beads. The corrupted magic wriggled stickily like tar.

"Such heavily contaminated magic. The monsters harboring these essence beads must have been deeply corrupted," Edward sighed, looking uncomfortably at the essence beads in Ian’s hand.

"Now I understand why the Goddess looks upon you so favorably," said Edward.

"Purify the corrupted magic, and she might favor you too. So...” said Ian.

Ian flicked his hand holding the essence beads and continued, "How many can you handle? I need to leave by noon tomorrow."

"The Goddess has bestowed more divinity than usual, but my physical strength for prayers is limited. More than one seems difficult." Edward, deep in thought, gazed at the essence beads.

"Just one..." Ian clicked his tongue briefly. He hadn\'t expected to purify a high-grade essence bead in a day, but one was too little.

"However, if you provide sufficient donations for the maintenance of the temple..." It was then that Edward continued in his subtle tone. "I could pray to the Goddess for purification all night, even at the cost of my health. Then perhaps I could purify one more."

Look at this guy...? Ian, raising an eyebrow, looked at Edward.

Edward smiled slyly. It was a smile that seemed kind, but very cold-blooded.

Ian\'s gaze shifted between the holy statue behind him and Edward in front of him. It was a look that questioned whether Edward still intended to charge money for this work. Edward\'s eyes narrowed slightly. But even amidst this, Edward didn\'t speak first.

This guy really is conflicted. Finally, with a snort, Ian reached into his pocket.

"How much do you want? Serving Lu Solar must require a lot of money..." With a mocking tone, Ian\'s words finally shattered Edward\'s smile.

"I won\'t... take it...." Edward mumbled, moving his lips hesitantly.

"What did you say?" Ian, who had stopped moving, glared at him.

"I said I won\'t take it... I misspoke. It would be an honor to assist someone favored by the Goddess..." Edward’s tone dripped with disappointment, and his gaze left no room for even a hint of apology.

"Then I happily entrust this to you. Surely the Goddess will recognize your devotion." With a brisk gesture, Ian selected two essence beads and pushed them toward Edward, smiling.

"...Certainly." Edward too curved his lip, forcing his smile.

***

Ian arrived in front of the inn about an hour later.

\'It\'s been a while since my pocket dimension was this full,\' thought Ian.

It was the last chance to replenish supplies before reaching the Tomb Forest, so Ian had thoroughly raided the blacksmith shop. The dark mage wasn\'t that threatening, but Ian knew well that accidents always start from carelessness. Of course, it was also thanks to some unexpected events that had eased his financial situation.

I can\'t believe he was so openly greedy for money, even under the watchful eyes of a deity. Ian chuckled again, thinking of Edward, and opened the door to the inn.

"Ah...! The dragon hunter has finally returned!" Miguel\'s voice, thick with drunkenness, greeted him.

"Sir! Please tell us! Did you really hunt the dragon in the swamp?" Philip\'s shout followed. He too had a face that was as red as a tomato.

They must have been drinking merrily.

Ian, clicking his tongue, entered the inn.

The drunkards who were sneaking glances at Ian all turned their heads away to avoid his gaze. It was a moment where one could guess what kind of conversation had taken place.

“I\'m a bit late. There was a lot to see,” Pretending to be unaware, Ian spoke to Mev and sat at a table. A maid quickly set the table with steaming stew, some unidentified meat, and a mug of beer. Ian picked up his fork.

"So, sir, did you really kill the dragon? The one rumored to live in the swamp?" Philip couldn\'t hold back and asked again.

Ian, instead of responding, turned to look at Miguel. Confronted with Ian\'s icy gaze, Miguel\'s smile stiffened belatedly.

"No, it\'s just, I didn\'t say much. This guy was curious about your past, so I just shared a little...," said Miguel.

"It doesn\'t seem like a little," said Ian.

"No, not at all! At most, I mentioned how we met, about those who lost their limbs challenging you, the missions you\'ve completed, what people call you...."

So Miguel had told Philip everything. A bitter smile involuntarily crossed Ian\'s lips. Miguel might have thought he was sharing heroic tales, but for Ian, they were not particularly pleasant memories. In fact, finding good memories in this world was more challenging.

"My goodness. So it was true. Well, considering the abilities you\'ve shown, Sir, it\'s not surprising—" said Philip.

"So, about the payment?" Ian interrupted, setting down his mug after taking a sip.

Philip quickly pulled out some silver coins."I have also included the money left over from purchasing the horse, Sir."

Ian eyeballed the money and pocketed it. With that, his business in this town was finished.

"How did you hunt the dragon?" Philip asked just as Ian thought he could finally relax and enjoy his meal.

"...It wasn\'t a dragon," said Ian.

Finally responding to the relentless questioning, Ian spoke up, "It was a swamp Drake that had just reached maturity. It was merely a winged lizard."

The creature, which was also the boss of the tutorial area in the game, was a predator that had settled on the outskirts of the swamp. A cunning predator that hid when well-armed soldiers passed by, only targeting lone travelers.

The swamp Drake had chosen such a strategy because it was not fully grown. In that sense, it was natural for it to settle in a valley near the path that the swamp dwellers used as an escape route. At the same time, it was also the main reason Ian had been stuck in the swamp for over half a year. High levels and stats meant little in the face of a winged giant lizard\'s roar. The creature had even taken a particular interest in Ian as if he appeared special to it.

"Isn’t that just a dragon? Just not fully grown as you said," said Philip.

"A lizard, no matter how big, is still a lizard. A real dragon is incomparable to such," Ian replied.

So, shut it already, thought Ian. Hoping they\'d drop the subject, Ian\'s glance conveyed his impatience. Sensing this, the table went quiet for a moment.

Then Philip\'s bewildered voice followed. "Have you ever... seen a real dragon?"

It was a slip of the tongue.

"Well, in dreams," Ian replied indifferently.

Of course, he had seen it in the game. However, if Ian continued to live in this world, he would probably get to meet it in person eventually.

And probably at the cost of my life, thought Ian. The mere thought was dreadful. Ian took another swig of his beer.

Then he turned his head toward Philip, who was still looking at him. "Are you still curious? It seems you really want your tongue to be shortened."

"I\'ve had a fundamental question. Why were you in the swamp? It\'s a cursed land, inhabited by those who are abandoned or exiled," asked Philip.

"Right, I\'ve been curious about that too. A gentleman like you wouldn\'t just appear out of the swamp for no reason," Miguel also chimed in, subtly.

They were persistently inquisitive, to say the least.

"Just think of it that way. That I\'m from the swamp." Ian clicked his tongue and spat out bluntly.

Of course, that is the truth, thought Ian.

"...Perhaps Ian was exiled by the empire," said Philip.

"I don\'t know. Maybe he came from the jungles beyond the swamp," replied Miguel.

The two, clearly intoxicated, didn\'t seem to believe him at all.

"They say an ancient curse lingers there. I heard that anyone that is not of ancient lineage steps in will lose their life," said Philip.

"It\'s true. Someone who saw it told me that the forest moves and devours people alive," said Miguel.

Maybe I should just cut their tongues off. As Ian thought this, a sudden realization struck him. He remembered a phrase from his character description about being a descendant of the ancients. That explained why he was unaffected by the black wall\'s madness. But even so, the jungle hadn\'t seemed inclined to spare him. While he was lost in thoughts about his own body, Philip and Miguel continued chatting incessantly.

"...It would be best to stop now." Mev\'s voice cut in when the conversation had evolved to speculate that Ian might be of the royal bloodline of a fallen kingdom.

"You\'ve spoken out of turn, Philip. Miguel." Her voice was colder than usual, and Philip and Miguel quickly bowed their heads in alarm.

"Yes. Sorry, Sir."

"Ah, my apologies...."

They apologized to Ian.

"Finish your drinks and go up. Both of you." Mev gestured toward the upstairs.

"...Yes, understood."

The two men reluctantly, yet with evident disappointment, stood up and left. As they walked, Miguel turned to Philip.

"This is because of you, you know?" said Miguel.

"Because of me...? You were the one that excitedly babbled away," replied Philip.

"Speak properly. You\'re the one who bought the drinks to get information, right?" said Miguel.

"Well... that\'s true, but you were the one who threw out bait to get free drinks in the first place," said Philip.

"Ha. Now you\'re accusing the innocent," said Miguel.

"What did you say...?" replied Philip.

Their bickering voices faded as they climbed the stairs.

They are always creating chaos. Ian smirked slightly as Mev spoke. "I apologize for them. I should have stopped them from drinking too much."

"It\'s fine. They were just drunk talk." Ian lifted his beer mug and responded.

Of course, once they sobered up, he intended to ensure they wouldn\'t dare speak out of turn again. As Ian took another gulp of beer, he suddenly felt a gaze on him and turned. Mev was staring intently, her expression was unreadable.

Ian had now noticed that Mev had taken off her helmet, revealing her red hair, green eyes, and the scar on one side of her jaw. Even though she was still in her armor, her exposed face gave her a completely different aura.

"Lost your appetite, have you?" Mev, who met Ian\'s gaze without flinching, suddenly asked.

"I heard enough to lose it." Ian just shrugged one shoulder.

"Then, would you mind taking a walk with me?" Mev asked.

Ian\'s brows furrowed momentarily. What an unexpected suggestion.

"...Are you also drunk?" Ian asked.

A slight smile curled the corners of Mev\'s mouth.

"A bit," said Mev.

So, it wasn\'t water after all. Ian then noticed the glass in front of her. Judging by the state of Philip and Miguel, it was unlikely to be her first drink.

"I have something I want to talk about. But not here," Mev subtly added.

There were too many ears around, presumably. Ian hoped it wasn\'t for some trivial reason. With that thought, he placed down his mug.

"Alright. Let\'s go."