Episode 70
Chapter 16 Reunion and Encounter (2)
‘Are you alive… … ?’
I know it can’t be.
Even so, it was hard to take my eyes off the wings sprouting from the woman’s back, as vivid as if they would move at any moment.
Unknowingly, I come to think that I want to see this stone statue a little more here, even for a very short time.
Of course, that doesn’t mean he actually did it. Because I can’t waste my time on useless things.
Taking my eyes off the stone statue, I made an effort to tease my legs that would not fall.
I looked around and saw three or four players looking around.
I quickly entered the building before their eyes focused on me.
But I had to stop before I could even get out of the entrance.
It’s because I found a person squatting, dressed in white from head to toe.
‘I wondered if I could hear something rustling outside, and it was because of him.’
The person inside the building was cleaning the stone statue in front of me with his back to me.
“hey.”
“huh?”
At my call, that person turned around.
“ah!”
The person who jumped out of his seat immediately after was young enough to be called a boy.
The boy clasped his hands tightly, his blue eyes twinkling and screamed.
“Brother, welcome!”
With that one word, the identity of the boy was revealed.
“Are you a priest?”
“Oh!”
At my question, the boy hurriedly lowered his back and said,
“My name is Livan, who is following Palao.”
“This is Kay.”
“May I guide you to the temple? Others have also looked around and gone!”
Instead of answering right away, I glanced around the empty building.
‘It’s pretty wide.’
It was a large scale that could not even be compared to the prayer room I had seen at the Resistance Headquarters.
Even so, the only thing I could see was that young priest who introduced himself as Livan.
Although his voice was quite loud, no one came out to see him.
‘Isn’t the number of residents too few?’
As Harbon becomes one of the play bases, there will be more people visiting.
‘Is the situation so bad that there are no personnel to deploy here?’
Conflict arose because I wondered if it was right to choose Palao at the moment. Of course, it was only for a moment.
‘Anyway, I have no restrictions on my authority.’
Thanks to the title, all 7 powers can be used.
Then it’s best to focus on growth in a place where there are no complex power structures and no brains trying to take advantage of me.
In addition, he is familiar with a high-ranking official in the Palao Order.
‘It seems that the Palao’s buff will help the dealer position.’
On second thought, a headless palao is the best bet.
I said calmly, holding the sight of the desolate temple in my eyes.
“Don’t watch.”
“yes?”
“I came here not for spectacle, but for signing.”
Blink.
“uh… … .”
Livan, who had blinked her eyelids in silence, began to be agitated.
“I want to take the entrance exam, but can’t I?”
The silence was getting too long, so I added a word as if urging it.
“Uh, uh… … Because that’s a problem I’m not familiar with… … Wait!”
Instead of giving a proper answer, Rivan turned around and ran away.
Remaining at the entrance, I let out a dejected laugh and shook my head.
The server connection is over.
It should be seen as meaning that it is ready to welcome players in this world as well.
However, the response that came back is not very reliable.
‘They made me to sign up, so it’s not like they weren’t ready for anything?’
I stomped my feet and crossed my arms.
How many minutes had passed? I started hearing the sound of noisy footsteps.
When I turned my head, I saw an old man in a baggy white outfit and Livan running towards me.
‘Cloak? Cape?’
I’m not exactly sure what to call that outfit.
However, what Livan wore and what he looked like was different, and his clothes were covered with gold embroidery.
Even the edges of her pupils were subtly tinted with gold.
‘Traces of divinity.’
It was immediately apparent that he had a higher position than Rivan.
The meaning of gold in this world is quite big.
“Tongue, brother, uh, come on… … .”
Soon the old man who arrived right in front of me couldn’t forget his words because he was breathing heavily.
I was nervous because I was afraid that I would fall behind.
“I think you’d better take a breath first.”
“Yes, yes.”
When I said a word in a trembling voice, the old man bent down and began to catch his breath.
Only after resting for a while like that.
“Welcome, I am Hemar Rodiel, servant of Palao. I have no face in making you wait.”
“This is K.”
“You came because of the enlistment?”
When I nodded my head in affirmation, a response came immediately.
“This way, come this way.”
Certainly, he seems to know more than Rivan.
As I followed him, Livan, who had been left at the entrance, knelt down and shouted.
“Everyone, let’s go!”
A booming voice seemed to fill the surroundings, but soon it was empty.
All that could be heard was the footsteps of the two of them.
Perhaps the silence was uncomfortable, but Hemar spoke first.
“You may find it unpleasant, but I will ask you to confirm. Are you sure you came to the Palao Church? If you have come to the wrong place, I will guide you to the temple of the church you want.”
The way he speaks is strange, he seems to think that there is no way I can join the Order of Palao.
You will notice this too. The players know about the Palao’s demise.
Considering what Rivan said, I’m not the first player to stop by here.
It seems that he listened to what they were talking about and grasped the situation.
“The god of charity, the Order of Palao, is correct.”
“… … You see.”
“Looks like the players are talking openly, right?”
Embarrassed or uncomfortable, Hemar cleared his throat and answered calmly.
“I didn’t mean to hear it.”
“Since I was talking about it, you must have heard it. Wouldn’t it be more ridiculous to say something like that?”
“… … I’m glad you think so.”
He looked back with an awkward smile and continued talking.
“Since you seem to know our situation, I will ask you one more time. Why did you choose this place… … .”
I don’t think there’s any need to lie, but I’m hesitant to tell the truth.
‘There is no God who wants to take advantage of me, and it’s a little hard to say that I chose this because of the church’s prestige.’
It feels so blatantly ignored.
Even if I’m not such a polite guy, I’m not going to ask for rudeness.
“I don’t believe in other places.”
“yes?”
It’s not a lie. I just changed the tone of the words a little.
‘It’s true that I feel safer here than other denominations, right?’
I turned my head around as if I hadn’t heard Hemar’s question in order to avoid detailed explanation.
“By the way, are there only two of you in this big building?”
“The servants who help manage the facility are currently renovating the west wing.”
You know that doesn’t mean that.
“What about the other priests?”
“There were two more, but they haven’t returned yet as they are being trained at Church Headquarters.”
I felt like my ears perked up at the word education.
‘It’s clear that the leadership is doing something related to the players.’
I asked a little more detail, but the answer came back that I didn’t know the contents of the education.
It was too ambiguous to keep asking, so I kept my mouth shut.
The silence that came back like that was quite long. The building is bigger than I thought.
Go and go, keep going. This time, tired of the continued silence, I spoke first.
“It is quite spacious.”
Rather than just passing the time, I thought I’d try to get some information.
“The East Building, where you are now, as well as the West Building on the opposite side were closed. However, because we chose this place as a test site, we opened it in a hurry.”
“Even if there are facility management personnel, four people… … It must be difficult to manage.”
“I heard that after the training, someone to help with management will come along.”
It seems that the staffing is being supplemented. As I secretly brushed my chest, Hemar added an explanation.
“Until now, we had enough, but… … I think more and more people will be needed in the future.”
In the future, it means that players are in a hurry to replenish the number of people because they will come in and out more often.
But it doesn’t seem as smooth as I thought.
‘Looks like it’s hard to get people out of other places.’
Aren’t there only two of them while almost a week has passed since the connection to the server started.
“Is the church’s position in jeopardy?”
How hard is it to recruit people from the inside?
When I asked to confirm, Hemar’s shoulders trembled.
This time it took quite a long time for an answer to come back.
“… … It would be hard to say good.”
Bondi Palao, along with Kalos, the god of kindness, is the god sought by the most believers.
But now her temple was often empty without a single visitor.
Even if you devote yourself to a church without a god, there will be no miracle that will return you.
“Among the lower priests, there are even those who take off their servant clothes and make money.”
In addition, temples in major cities are maintained thanks to periodic donations from religious people.
“It is also the reason why the East and West Buildings have been closed.”
Minimizing the cost of maintaining one can keep as many temples running as possible.
That way, one day, if there are followers who want to find the God of Charity, they will be able to welcome them.
It was a more explicit explanation than I thought, but there was no special inspiration.
‘Because it was expected to some extent.’
I did not choose based on the authority of the Palao Church.
I chose a place that would not interfere with my growth and my life.
So, whatever the situation here, it doesn’t matter much.
However, when I remembered the actions of the gods who acted brazenly for the sake of protecting their followers, a corner of my heart felt uncomfortable.
They are believers who left as soon as God disappeared.
‘It’s safe to say that this is not a sincere faith, but a price paid for a miracle that will come someday.’
Can they disguise the fact that they turned their backs as soon as the god who looked down on them disappeared?
Perhaps, this is a side effect of being able to directly see the miracles of God.
I calmly confirmed the other side of this world and the present address of the Palao Church.
Then, with new eyes, he looked at Hemar’s back.
‘Anyway, he speaks very frankly.’
No matter how much he expressed his intention to join the Palao.
What if you change your mind after hearing that?
‘No, are you saying this because you want it to change?’
It’s a bit frustrating not knowing Hemar’s true intentions.
But the timing wasn’t right to continue the conversation.
As I turned the all-white hallway, I saw a huge door that looked twice as large as a normal door.
Hemar, who guided me to the front, stepped aside and said.
“You can go in here.”
I immediately put my hand to open the door.
「MISSION – Main Scenario Chapter 1 Act 2: Admission test detected.」
“The entry conditions have been met.”
「Enter Palao’s Test Grounds.」
I didn’t even apply force, but the huge door slid open.
“I hope you get the results you want.”
I left Hemar’s voice behind and went inside.
Despite the large door, the interior space was not very wide.
There was nothing special about being placed in a room the size of a small studio at least.
A small statue of the goddess, as if a stone statue in front of the building had been reduced.
It was a desolate place that seemed empty, but it was strange.
Clearly, the ceiling and walls were all blocked up, and even though there were no windows, it was dazzling.
The door closed its mouth firmly while frowning.
Before long, a system window and a black piece of wood like a lump of charcoal appeared.
[Entrance Test of the Palao Order]
Cut the blackwood.
Time limit: 00:10:00
It was so simple that it did not require further understanding.
The timer started moving right away, and I also took out my spear.
Then he hit the wooden block lying on the floor as hard as he could.
“under!”
Right after that, I was dumbfounded and let out a laugh.