Edward asked Rita to elaborate, and she lowered her voice to explain.
“There’s a rumor going around about a reward from Cloverland, and it’s mixed up with talk of a Demon God appearing,” Rita said, not because she was worried about being overheard, but to emphasize the importance of her information.
This seemed to pique Cain’s interest, who had previously shown no sign of listening. He sat up slightly, his face showing a hint of curiosity.
Rita, enjoying the attention, continued, “They say the Great Temple will offer a tremendous reward to whoever defeats the Demon God.”
There was a brief silence before Edward responded skeptically, “It’s just a rumor, though.”
“True,” Rita admitted, “but if this rumor gains enough traction, the Great Temple won’t be able to ignore it. We could make a fortune.”
Satin was taken aback by Rita’s audacity in discussing how to exploit the temple in front of a cleric. Edward seemed even more shocked. With a look of disbelief, he asked, “Do you actually want this reward, Rita?”
“Of course, I do!” she replied enthusiastically.
“But Rita, you’re already wealthy. You don’t need a reward,” Edward pointed out, catching himself before saying something more revealing.
Satin quickly picked up on the unspoken words. ‘Did she just come out as a princess?’ he thought. Satin hadn’t heard anything about Rita’s true identity, and it seemed she had already confided in Edward.
The two of them were growing closer than Satin had realized. He imagined them getting married after defeating the Demon God, picturing a grand wedding in the capital. ‘Wouldn’t that be a problem?’ he wondered. ‘A princess marrying a cleric? It’s like reverting to a theocracy.’
But Satin’s real concern wasn’t politics. He wondered, ‘Is their relationship even possible in this world? Does the main storyline have power over side stories too?’
While Satin was lost in thought, Cain sat up fully, now interested. “The Great Temple’s reward wouldn’t just be money, would it?” he asked.
Edward sighed, “Probably not. People think the temple is all about money, but—”
Cain cut him off, “Isn’t it, though?”
Edward sighed again, running a hand through his hair. “The temple uses its wealth for the community, not personal gain,” he explained.
Rita interrupted, “What kind of reward would the Great Temple give?”
Giving up on defending the temple, Edward thought for a moment before suggesting, “Maybe a blessing?”
Rita’s eyes lit up with interest, but Satin was unimpressed. ‘You can get a blessing for free at the temple,’ he thought. ‘Why risk your life for something you can get for free?’
Noticing Satin’s confusion, Edward smiled and explained, “It wouldn’t be an ordinary blessing. A blessing from the High Priest truly reaches the gods.”
Satin still looked confused, so Edward tried again, “Think of it as a wish granted by the gods. It’s very likely to come true.”
Finally understanding, Satin joined Rita in her admiration. Cain, however, was unimpressed. “So, there are limits to what you can wish for,” he said.
“Yes,” Edward confirmed. “You can’t ask for the dead to be brought back to life or to control someone’s mind. Those are forbidden.”
The temple’s rules about forbidden wishes reminded Satin of the rules governing magicians. It made sense, as the temple was originally responsible for dealing with dark magicians.
Edward continued with a sheepish smile, “Most people, when asked to make a wish, would likely wish for things that don’t require divine intervention.”
“Huh? What do you mean?” Rita asked, her eyes wide with confusion. Unlike Rita, Satin understood Edward’s point and nodded in agreement.
When the angel appeared, ㅇㅇ wished for his sister to be brought back to life. When told it was impossible, he couldn’t think of anything else to wish for. But if his sister had been alive, he might have wished for money, so she could do whatever she wanted.
Others would probably do the same. Most wishes, except for the forbidden ones, are worldly.
“Wishes for wealth or fame can be achieved without divine help,” Edward explained. “True prayers are probably needed for wishes related to people, like healing the sick or… regrowing hair.”
“Wait, what was that last one?” Rita asked, puzzled.
“You’d be surprised how many people come to pray for help with hair loss,” Edward said matter-of-factly.
Rita was taken aback, and even Satin was surprised. ‘So, baldness is a common concern in this world too,’ he thought.
‘If someone wished for an end to baldness worldwide, they might become a global hero,’ Satin mused, unconsciously touching his own hair. Fortunately, his thick, curly black hair was still intact.
“Can you guarantee that any wish will be granted, as long as it’s not forbidden?” Cain asked, who had been quietly listening. Satin glanced at Cain’s hair, which didn’t seem to be thinning. Cain noticed Satin’s gaze and frowned.
“I’m not talking about hair,” Cain clarified.
“Right, of course,” Satin replied awkwardly. It’s unlikely that the protagonist would have a genetic predisposition to baldness.
Satin turned to Edward, who responded, “I can’t make any promises. I’m not the High Priest, and we don’t even know if the Great Temple will offer a reward.”
“But if they do,” Cain persisted, unusually engaged in the conversation.
“Then it’s possible,” Edward said. “There are records of miracles performed through the High Priest’s prayers. Curing incurable diseases, restoring lost limbs…”
“What about memories?” Cain asked.
Edward looked at Satin immediately, understanding the implication. After a moment of thought, he said, “Finding lost memories might be possible.”
“Wouldn’t that be manipulating the mind?” Cain asked.
“It’s not creating something that wasn’t there,” Edward countered.
Cain fell silent, deep in thought. Edward smiled faintly, but Satin couldn’t join in, burrowing deeper into his blanket. ‘This is trouble,’ he thought. If Cain ever got the chance to make a wish, and he wished for Satin’s memories to be restored…
‘I’ll be exposed,’ Satin realized.
***
Whether it was because of what Rita had said, or just a coincidence, monsters appeared on the second evening after leaving Midland. This time, they weren’t werewolves.
“Wow, reverse centaurs…” Satin muttered, then quickly shut his mouth when Cain looked at him. Cain was about to ask what he meant but decided it could wait. They had more urgent matters to deal with.There were only three monsters, but they were huge. Each one was at least twice the size of an average werewolf.
‘Aren’t horses herbivores?’ Cain thought, examining the creatures. They stood on two legs but had horse-like heads with large, sharp teeth—definitely not herbivore teeth.
‘They’re barely even animals,’ Cain concluded.
The horse-headed monsters moved intelligently, forming a triangular formation as they approached. The travelers, however, were less organized, hesitating and looking at each other.
The coachmen were the most efficient, quickly moving the horses out of the way before they could react to their equine-like counterparts.
Amidst the chaos, the Adventurers’ Union guide called out, “Check the weapons of those near you, everyone.” The call was quiet, to avoid provoking the monsters, but loud enough for everyone to hear.
Experienced travelers would understand the guide’s meaning. Weapons have compatibilities, and it’s important to be aware of what your neighbors are wielding. A sword-user needs to know if there’s a spear-user nearby who might accidentally impale them.
People gathered and dispersed chaotically. Stronger-looking individuals attracted more attention, but no one approached Cain and his group. It seemed the guide hadn’t informed the others about the magician and the cleric among them.
‘This is better,’ Cain thought. He didn’t want anyone using Satin as a shield in a dangerous situation. Of course, his bigger concern was Satin volunteering to be a shield to protect others.
Oblivious to Cain’s worries, Satin kept leaning forward, eager to get a better look.
“Why do you keep moving forward?” Cain scolded.
Instead of answering, Satin said, “Don’t they look kind of smart?”
Cain frowned, puzzled. “Why do you think that?”
“They’re wearing clothes,” Satin explained. “Well, no pants, but still…”
