Chapter 89: The Floating Sanctuary (4)
It had been a few days since I left Yuto alone, who had run away to the forest where the fairies lived.
Yuto was quietly waiting for the fairy named Perin, without running away or doing anything else.
It seemed that their relationship was quite friendly.
Maybe I needed a spirit master from the beginning to handle a spirit properly.
Anyway, the fact that Yuto was tied to that fairy meant that I had to recruit a fairy for Yuto’s sake.
If Yuto grew bigger than he is now, he could carry several people on his back.
There was enough value to appoint a new apostle for controlling Yuto.
“It’s different from a carriage in terms of speed.”
Yuto’s moving speed was not so fast that the screen of my smartphone couldn’t catch up.
But thanks to his ability to move without being affected by the terrain, there was no means that could match Yuto in long-distance travel.
If I think about the time it takes for Eutenia to travel by carriage, I can save a lot of time from now on.
That’s why I couldn’t help but worry about the next <Apostle Selection> skill.
“Hmm…”
There were two characters that I was considering to select as apostles.
One was Daniel, an assassin who was called the Silent Butcher.
And the other one was Perin, who could freely manipulate [Floating Earth Spirit].
Both of them had enough value to be appointed as apostles, considering their roles in the future.
But in Daniel’s case, his location was still unclear.
If I wanted to appoint Daniel first, I would have to postpone <Apostle Selection> until the next meeting.
“Considering the time it takes to train a character… It’s hard to wait that long.”
An assassin who specialized in physical attacks would be nice, but I was not a patient person who could endure forever.
So I decided to select Perin as an apostle right now.
I still needed time to fully handle a character even after establishing communication with an apostle.
I couldn’t afford to waste any more time.
I moved the screen right away and headed towards Perin.
Perin was sitting on top of Yuto’s head, leisurely enjoying the scenery.
-“Yuto! Isn’t it fun to see the mountains from above?”
-“Soil.”
They seemed to communicate well or not at all.
I chuckled as I watched the two characters interact.
The combination of a fairy and a spirit suited each other very well.
I looked at them and touched the <Apostle Selection> skill icon at the bottom of the screen.
Press.
As soon as I pressed the skill, a message window popped up asking me if I wanted to select an apostle as usual.
-Do you want to select [Perin Shtait] as an apostle?
-You need 1600 karma to select an apostle.
-Yes / No
The karma consumption was doubled from before, 1600.
It had started to become a big burden.
The next apostle would have a much longer interval between selections than now.
It was a pity, but it was also a natural phenomenon that occurred as the level increased.
I pressed ‘Yes’ and proceeded with the procedure to select Perin as an apostle.
-[Perin Shtait] has been selected as an apostle.
-You have consumed 1600 karma to create a new artifact for the apostle.
-[Artifact: Fake God Tree Yggdrasil] has been bound to [Perin Shtait].
-[Perin Shtait] has rejected the path of the apostle.
-<Apostle Selection> has been postponed.
Right after that, I confirmed the message that <Apostle Selection> had been rejected.
Perin had refused to become an apostle herself.
It was a rejection that I experienced for the first time since I selected Evan as an apostle.
I stared at the screen blankly at the message that she had rejected <Apostle Selection>.
Perin in the screen was playing with Yuto as if nothing had happened.
She even said some strange words to Yuto with a gentle face.
-“Yuto… I guess being a servant of the evil god is a bit too much, right?”
-“Soil.”
I couldn’t help but raise my right index finger at her behavior.
How dare an NPC reject my offer to become my subordinate?
And on top of that, riding on a pet that I bought with my money, and even badmouthing me?
I couldn’t tolerate her actions any longer with my broad mind.
She might not die since she was selected as an apostle, but she had to pay for scratching my heart in front of me.
My trembling finger approached the screen.
“How dare you refuse to become my subordinate?”
My father always told me this.
A man who draws his sword must cut something, even if it’s grass.
I couldn’t cut grass here, but I thought I could teach a lesson to one rude fairy.
If I can’t have it, I have to make it mine.
Fortunately, I had plenty of effective means for that.
“Show me what you’ve got.”
I aimed my finger at Perin, who was sitting on top of Yuto.
And then I lightly touched her head once.
Tap.
As my magic decreased a little, a faint scream came out of Perin’s mouth.
-“Eek!”
-“Soil.”
Perin, who was hit by a basic attack, clutched her head and looked up at the sky.
But I had no intention of forgiving her with just one hit.
She had committed the sin of insulting a player who paid cash every month.
She had to pay for it with her body for scratching my heart in front of me.
I kept tapping Perin’s head with my finger.
Tap.
-“Eek!”
-“Soil soil.”
Tap.
-“Eek!”
-“Soil soil soil.”
Tap.
-“Eeek!”
-“Soil soil soil soil.”
After hitting her forehead several times with basic attacks, Perin’s forehead swelled up red and she teared up.
Yuto, who was carrying her, also made incomprehensible noises and echoed her.
It was probably because I taught her some manners after she failed to grasp the situation.
Not long after that, Perin changed her attitude.
She expressed her acceptance with a more polite demeanor than before.
-“I-I’ll do it! I’ll be your apostle, evil god!”
-“Soil soil.”
“Why am I am evil god!”
If only she didn’t call me by that wicked name.
Evan and Eutenia always called me by the supreme honorific.
My karma balance was a bit skewed, but I thought I was still decent enough.
Who would be good if not me, who paid money to the game company to maintain the world?
I quickly compromised in my head and nodded with gratitude for my mercy.
Meanwhile, a message about Perin popped up at the bottom of the screen.
-[The 4th Apostle: Perin Shtait] has become your apostle.
-By the effect of <Apostle Selection>, you will share your magic with the selected apostles.
-By the effect of <Apostle Selection>, you will be able to send separate messages to the selected apostles.
The rest of the process was completed as Perin accepted <Apostle Selection>.
Perin now received magic from me and could communicate directly with me.
In other words, I could also tell her bad things directly.
A speech bubble icon appeared above Perin’s head.
I immediately touched the icon that appeared above Perin’s head.
“How dare you? Reject my offer… Huh?”
And then I started to express my feelings towards Perin in a long text.
In a flash, ominous and dreadful words were written in the chat window with Perin.
As soon as I pressed the send button to deliver the vicious message to Perin.
The ‘new translator’ translated my sentence into a short and concise one.
“I forgive your sins.” “Oh, evil god! Thank you.”
At the same time as the message of forgiveness popped up, Perin looked up at the sky and muttered her thanks.
She was forgiven without me doing anything.
It was a ridiculous and unbelievable sight no matter how I thought about it.
I opened my mouth wide and glared at the smartphone screen.
“No, I haven’t forgiven you yet!”
***
Rendel’s laboratory, located in the fairy village.
There, Rendel took off his glasses and clutched his head.
His eyes were full of bloodshot veins.
He was not satisfied with the results of his research so far.
He bit his lips as he looked at the wooden board in his hand.
“Damn it…”
Rendel had been continuing his research on Yuto every day since he met Perin.
Most of it was for establishing a contract with Yuto.
He had tried to contract with Yuto several times when Perin was not around.
But no matter how much he researched, he couldn’t find any clues.
The forced contracts he had attempted had failed several times, and no matter how much he searched through the documents, he couldn’t find any more useful information.
It was the end of the road for Rendel, the greatest sage of the village.
Blood trickled from his lips as they touched the sharp teeth.
“Why! Why won’t you accept my contract!”
He poured out his questions that filled his head and threw the wooden board that was on his desk.
Bang!
The wooden board bounced off the wall and rolled on the floor.
He threw things to vent his anger, but he couldn’t calm down the frustration in his heart.
He got up from his seat and punched the desk several times.
“I followed all the procedures! Why are you rejecting me!”
He could easily find documents about contracts with spirits that had materialized.
But even if he referred to those documents, he couldn’t see any signs of success in contracting with Yuto.
It was Yuto who rejected the contract with Rendel.
The same was true for his attempts at forced contracts with spirits.
He couldn’t do anything properly against Yuto, who was of a high rank.
There was nothing left for Rendel to try.
He bit his lips and slammed his head against the wall, when he heard a voice from behind him.
“What a pathetic sight, Elder Rendel.”
He turned his eyes to the back.
Egersuit had quietly entered Rendel’s laboratory without him noticing and spoke to him.
Rendel looked at him with a twisted head and a glare in his eyes.
He was annoyed by Egersuit’s presence.
Rendel scolded Egersuit, who had sneaked into his laboratory without his knowledge.
“You seem to have no manners, our warrior chief.”
“Is it also polite to throw wooden boards on such a dark night?”
“I put up a soundproof barrier and threw my own stuff. What’s the problem?”
“Isn’t it barbaric for a fairy who loves trees? Everyone respects Elder Rendel, but you should show some exemplary behavior.”
Spit.
He spat out blood-stained saliva and glared at Egersuit.
Egersuit looked at him with a faint smile on his lips.
Rendel felt very annoyed by his smiling face.
But by now, he had very limited options.
“Stop talking nonsense and tell me why you came here.”
“How is your research going?”
“…I still need more time.”
“Still? It sounds like you have no idea how long it will take.”
He was angry, but Egersuit was right.
Rendel clenched his fists and nodded at his words.
“It takes time for a difficult research.”
“Elder Rendel. We don’t have much time.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That wretched thing is getting closer to the spirit day by day. What do you think will happen if there is a conflict in the village?”
“Are you saying that Perin will run away?”
“That’s right.”
It was not an impossible story.
Perin was not on good terms with everyone in this village.
She had been staying here only by barely avoiding exile.
She could easily leave if there was a problem.
But Rendel still needed more time for his research.
“She won’t leave anytime soon. I still need to do more research.”
“Isn’t it time to use that method?”
“That method is the last resort. If I put a curse on my kin without any care…”
“Elder Rendel.”
“…”
Egersuit sighed and shook his head.
He looked like he had already made up his mind.
“The target of the curse is not just anyone. It’s a wretched being who has caught the eye of the evil god.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“Besides, she has the unwanted Yuto with her. How long do you have to leave that dangerous thing alone?”
“Sigh.”
Rendel’s eyes, soaked in thoughts, looked out the window.
A bright moon was rising in the dark sky.
Under the moon that reflected in Rendel’s eyes, the trees glowed with light.
It was a beautiful and clear scenery, unlike Rendel’s dizzy head.
Egersuit’s sharp voice pierced Rendel’s ears as he looked out the window.
“I trust that Elder Rendel will make a wise choice. I will convene a meeting tomorrow morning, so come with a clear decision.”
With that, Egersuit opened the door and left the laboratory.
Bang!
A loud noise echoed as the door of the laboratory closed after Egersuit left.
Rendel closed his eyes quietly as he watched him leave.
After the commotion, he had long forgotten about his research.
Only the glittering night sky remained vivid under his eyelids.
