Everyone was suspicious of . They were trying not to make it obvious, but their staring was getting to .
"Please, ignore these kids since they do not know any better and are extrely loyal to the temple. I will reassure them that you are an ally, shopkeeper. Ah, would you like so tea?"
Cardinal Joshua asked as he poured a cup of tea and handed it over to .
He might have asked whether I wanted tea or not, but his actions were too forceful for it to be an invite. It was a given that I had to take the offered tea and drink it.
Under such circumstances, how could I turn down that offer of tea? The only thing I could do was grab the offered cup and take a small sip for the sake of politeness and keeping my head intact.
[Your resistance has made you immune to effects of other faith.]
The ssage popped on my phone screen as soon as I drank the tea, and I forced myself to swallow it.
Cardinal Joshua relaxed as he watched the tea go down, and he clasped his hands together to give a searching look.
"So, you sohow wandered too close to our sacred chambers, shopkeeper. Was there anything you needed from that place? If so, then you can tell and I will help you out. After all, we are on the ’sa side,’ right?"
The Cardinal threatened in a low voice when he asked this question. I felt my body stiffen before I forced a smile on my face.
"Hmm, that’s right. We are on the sa side, Cardinal. I also apologize for getting too close to your sacred chambers. I was not aware that I accidentally wandered off into such an important area."
I did not bother saying that it wouldn’t happen again, because it was going to darn well happen again.
To take care of this ss, I needed to talk to Goddess Helia again. And to do that, I needed to get to her chambers.
But the question was—how to do that.
"I see. So it was a coincidence that our guards ended up finding you in that chamber? I thought so. Please don’t worry too much. I will tell my guards what happened so they won’t annoy you anymore."
The Cardinal assured , and I quickly finished the tea. Each sip felt bitter against my tongue, and I stood up as soon as I finished.
"I shall take my leave now. I am sure you have a lot to prepare for as well."
I reminded the Cardinal, and he did not stop .
He just chuckled as he watched leave.
"You are right. I do have a lot of work to be done. Feel free to drop by when you can, shopkeeper. I will keep you company and lend you my ear, no matter what."
The Cardinal assured , and I quickly made my way back.
Fenrir followed my steps, his deanor uncharacteristically mature and quiet. But it did not take long for the pup to open his mouth and speak as well.
"Master, that man... feels off. There is a weird... sll covering his own."
Fenrir told , and I felt my head ache.
"It’s fine, Fenrir. We are not here to help that man or this place. As soon as we fulfill our condition to carry out our part of the deal, we are out of here."
Getting those kids out was all I needed to do. There was no need for to get involved in this ss any further.
For now, I needed to find a way to get to the goddess’s chambers.
As I walked through the corridors, I noticed that it had gotten even quieter around . The hallways felt... intimidating all of a sudden, and they were so quiet that even my footsteps echoed around.
’Where did all the guards go? Just... where am I?’
I asked as I looked around. But there was no one there. All I felt was a chilling quietness that threatened to swallow .
[There is no need for you to think. Whatever you want—just tell . Accept in your heart and you shall get what you want... ahhh, it burns. W-What did you do—?]
The voice asked as it cried out in pain. The air around tensed as well, and the pressure started to press down on from all sides.
[Warning: An unauthorized entity is trying to exert influence. Counterasures will be taken against this.]
The system warned as it pushed the pressure away.
The more the system pushed back, the calr I felt as I pushed myself back to my feet. I could breathe clearly once more.
And just like that, the voice trying to exert its influence over retreated, and the fog pulled back from around as well.
The dark corridor beca normally lit once more.
"M-Master, I’m... going to sleep... I’m too tired..."
Fenrir told as he closed his eyes. I had to pick up the pup and keep moving through the corridor.
I had no idea whether it was that fog or my luck, but there was no guard near the goddess’s chambers this ti.
My body crossed the threshold, but the ssage that I was in range did not appear until I stood right in front of Goddess Helia’s room and pushed the door open.
The chamber was as light and beautiful as before. The moonlight lit the chamber up, and I walked to the altar.
And then, the ssage popped up on my phone.
[You are back? So, were you able to help those kids?]
The goddess asked, and I quickly replied.
[Not yet. There are so... complications. Are you aware of what is going on in your temple?]
I asked the goddess, and her reply ca a little late.
[Of course not. Do you know how much power I have to use in order to fulfill my condition as a goddess? I have no ti for mortal conflict. As for my people... just what could threaten them when they are under my authority?]
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