I am not all-knowing or all-powerful like a god.
The man in front of lets out a big sigh.
He has quite a bit of composure in front of , an apostle of the evil god. Even among warriors, such composure is rare. Considering that, this opponent might be strong.
At the very least, he is stronger than the lowly ones who are only pretending to be vigilant in front of him.
"Lady Atori, you have no rit in opposing , and the disadvantages are far too great. Do you understand that? I am a lord recognized by the country. No matter how capable an adventurer you are, harming ans opposing the nation."
"..."
"Moreover, I am a wealthy rchant. rchants from all over the cities will oppose my enemies. Turning rchants into enemies is troubleso, you know? You won't be able to buy anything, nor sell anything."
That could indeed be troubleso.
The guild basically operates for the adventurers. To prevent us from becoming powerful rogues.
However, adventurers who have beco rogues are enemies.
Fighting this man could turn the nation and rchants into enemies. For example, even if the adventurer's guild conducts an investigation, there's no guarantee that the investigators won't be bribed.
I see.
I understand now why the gods said, "Nobles, royalty, and those in power are troubleso."
They are not strong. They are simply... a hassle.
If that's the case, it's better to overlook an attack once in a while to reduce the hassle. Moreover, if I cooperate with this person, I might even gain a reward.
Surely, ordinary people would think like that.
I recall what the guide said earlier.
Before lay a bag filled with gold coins.
"Well then, shall we return to the topic?" the lord said.
"The matter of you unjustly attacking my subordinate... Is this acceptable?"
"Hmm."
"My subordinate, who caused you trouble with his reckless judgnt, has died, but I will ensure that his family receives appropriate punishnt. However, Atri, even though you are an A-rank, it should be the law that decides his fate. It would be better not to kill him if you can avoid it in the future."
I thought he was a different kind of person.
It seed he was trying to say, "The only one at fault is the gatekeeper. Let's make everything go away with money." If I refuse, I would be regarded as an enemy, and it would beco troubleso.
Honestly, it's a situation that could go either way... or so I think.
But I don't have much reason to refuse. Since I was attacked, I need to defeat him. Yet, this guy has already accepted defeat from the start. No, he has no intention to fight.
He probably doesn't wish to oppose either.
As it stands, the only rit in killing this man is the feeling that "I should kill him."
But is my judgnt truly correct?
I am free.
I can kill this man or choose not to. However, freedom also ans bearing responsibility. Do I really need to kill this man to that extent?
After much hesitation, I said.
"I'll forgive the attack. I don't need the money."
"That won't do, Atri. I can't feel at ease unless you accept the money. Refusing it would be an act of hostility."
"I don't mind being hostile."
"Really? It would also inconvenience those around you, you know?"
"..."
My surroundings refer to the gods.
I don't want to trouble the gods. I sighed.
"I understand."
I accepted the money.
After receiving the small amount of money, I decided to go ho.
At the very least, the lord seems to be above . My domain is combat, and I don't care about anything else.
This city has little of worth.
There seem to be no materials or quests that would please the gods. The gods say that rare events are often found in places like this.
However, it seems that unless one is as omniscient and omnipotent as the gods, one cannot find rare events.
As I erged from the lord's house, the guide rushed towards .
"Oh, Atri! How was it? That lord is indeed wicked! Now is the ti to show him the power of Atri!"
"I received money. I won't fight."
"Wha—! So you're just another ally of scum... Just using borrowed power, huh? In the end, you think that the power of sothing you picked up won't defeat the power of money?"
"I value money more than you do."
"Wha—!"
All of my power cos from the gods.
It is my freedom to wield it or not. This is because the gods made a contract with for "freedom."
More than anything, I have no inclination to fight for this man.
After all, he tries to control .
He has tested repeatedly with his words, determining my worth by his arbitrary standards, and as soon as he saw I might be useful, he tried to manipulate my thoughts.
I am foolish.
I am nothing more than a little girl who is obedient to the gods except in terms of brute strength.
Thanks to the power of the gods, I have learned to calculate numbers, but I still remain within the realm of an ordinary village girl.
Yet even I have honed my instincts while wandering the battlefield.
My power, freedom, and contract are too valuable for to fight for this man.
That lord understood his own limits. At the very least, he regarded as a threat and devised every possible ans to counter .
I now understand well why this man cannot defeat that lord.
"Well then."
As I was about to leave, the guide drew a knife from his waist and pointed it at . A well-used blade. However, that blade lacked the peculiar malevolence of a tool that has drawn blood from humans.
It is not a weapon.
"What's this?"
"――――!"
He exuded a murderous intent.
Just that made the guide stumble backward and start to emit an odd sll. What a disaster. In so ways, he attacked more skillfully than that lord.
As I tried to escape, an old woman with a hunched back raised her voice.
"What are you doing, Graham!"
"G-Grandma, help!"
"Don't ss with ! I saw everything! Yelling at such a little girl and expecting sothing in return! How ridiculous!"
"B-but…"
"Don't ss with !"
The old woman's voice was loud.
It was a voice far larger than one could imagine from her wrinkled face. The gods had said, "A loud voice is a weapon." Perhaps it would be at least as effective a weapon as the knife the guide was holding.
The old woman bowed her head to .
"I'm sorry. This matter is not your concern. This kid has caused you undue trouble. The least I can do is bow my head to you. Please forgive ."
"It's fine. The weak seek out the strong."
"You're sothing else, aren't you? As an apology, let welco you a little."
I don't want it.
I don't want it, but I don't have the motivation to ignore her.
"I understand."
I was invited into the old woman's ho.
It was a decaying house that looked like it might collapse at any mont. Four chipped bowls were placed on the table. They appeared to have been polished well, and even in such a house, they shone beautifully.
Freshly poured into a new bowl was tea.
More than tea, it was probably herbal juice. It didn't seem to be poisonous even when I appraised it. The old woman seed to have so knowledge of tea ceremony, and the tea itself was surprisingly delicious.
"Oh, I'm so happy. It's not often that I get to host a girl of this age."
The old woman busied herself with hospitality.
She seed lonely as she whispered that she wanted to offer so sweets but had none.
Today, I decided to stay at this old woman's ho as she suggested. Since there were plenty of ingredients, perhaps her als and supplies would improve instead.
Even I wouldn't extort free als in such a village.
The old woman gratefully accepted the food I offered, apologizing as she did.
I recalled the mont I received money from the noble earlier.
Well, it's different from that ti. But in terms of having to accept sothing I don't want, it's the sa.
Today was not a good day.
The gods have not returned...
It seems they need to go shopping. Even gods need to shop. There are tis when I need to shop too, so it's the sa...
I was treated as the noble wished.
Originally, I should have worked diligently as a servant of the gods. However, even I find it difficult to move effectively when the gods have been absent for two days, and on a day when I lost to an enemy...
I should not fight in such a state.
As a servant of the gods, I cannot squander my life at will. Anger wells up within at my own inadequacy. I did not use the mattress infested with fleas.
There is a bed given to by the gods...
After using an insect-repelling potion, I fell asleep.
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