"Higher being… you cannot mean that he's a Go—"

"Shhh. Do not speak of this out loud if you value your life. You can never know who might be listening in on our conversation. As for the shopkeeper's real identity, this is all but a guess. Still, it would serve you best not to speak out loud."

The female told the shopkeeper, and he politely shut his mouth. There was no point in causing trouble with a higher being, after all.

"Anyway, what about those kids? You might have said that you will take responsibility for them, but can you back your words up? They're from a completely different faction and serve a different faith."

Cardinal Joshua asked, now nursing the headache he was starting to sprout.

Just the fact that he had almost offended a higher being was enough to make him shudder in fright. Things could have gotten tricky had the shopkeeper taken offense to his words or actions.

"Anyway, you are lucky that the shopkeeper is not that kind of person. But do make sure you are careful in the future."

The Duchess reminded the Cardinal, and he nodded. He cleared his throat to rid himself of the awkwardness that had fallen around him before he pushed the topic back.

"Anyway, about those kids…"

"I intend to leave their care to the shopkeeper for the time being. He will be able to protect them better than anyone else. Even if those twins are no longer part of the prophecy, they still carry the Goddess's power. And the dome is in no condition to look after them."

The Duchess reminded the Cardinal, and he sighed.

He did not like the plan, but even he had to agree that this was the best plan they could come up with.

"Alright. I agree to your plan. But only because I have seen what the shopkeeper can do, and our Goddess trusts him. We, the followers of Goddess Helia, shall be your and the shopkeeper's allies for now."

The Cardinal agreed, and the talk finally concluded.

However, as the Duchess expanded Cyrus's influence, the man in question had work of his own to do. And that was to tire these kids out.

________

"Shopkeeper, run after us. Hurry! Why are you so slow?"

Eon looked back as he ran forward. Nyx and Erebus followed his lead, running after him as well.

I was the only one dragging my feet behind these kids, trying to keep up. But unlike these kids, who were powered up from God knows what, I was too slow, and my feet hurt.

"You are too weak, shopkeeper. You need to work on your stamina. Should I show you some good stretches that will help you?"

The griffin asked in a concerned voice as he watched me lag behind. I wanted to say something, but I felt too tired to do that. Instead, I chose to conserve my energy.

"Master, are you truly alright? You look wayyyyy more tired than usual."

Fenrir asked me as he stopped to look at me with a concern-filled look as well. I wanted to assure him that I was fine. But in reality, I was not fine.

My body was way more tired than it usually was. This was surely not natural.

Even the kids noticed this and slowed down. I supplied them with as much candy as I could and even ate some to get my energy levels back.

I wanted to fall asleep in my room, but once I came to the forest, I did feel a little thankful.

There were no prying eyes looking at me with curiosity. Nor were there any people asking me questions. I could relax here and not be approached by any guard.

Before I knew it, the sun set, and it was time for the kids to go to sleep. They needed to be well-rested before our return journey tomorrow.

As soon as they fell asleep, I got up as well. I also had something to do before heading back. I stepped out of the small house, only to be met with the guardian griffin.

"Are you heading somewhere, shopkeeper? This late at night? If you are heading back to your room, then I must warn you against doing that. It would be safer for you to stay here."

The griffin told me, but his words felt more like a threat to me. I was quick to answer.

"I am not returning to my room. At least, not for a while. There is someplace else I need to go to fulfill a contract."

I told the griffin, and he quickly got out of my way to allow me to head out… or rather, follow me to the outskirts of the forest.

He did not say much about it, but I could tell that it was for my own protection.

"I will be back before the sun rises tomorrow."

I told the griffin, and he gave me a nod before returning to the kids. The shadows of the evening helped me sneak around the temple, and before I knew it, I was in a hall that was starting to look familiar.

The moonlight illuminated the altar in front of me, and I felt compelled to step forward.

Goddess Helia's inner hall was bathed in moonlight, and the place looked lighter and brighter compared to before.

I waited for the Goddess to contact me, but there was no sign from her for ten whole minutes. I waited and waited… and waited, but no message came.

There was not even a single response from the other side. I was being ignored by the Goddess.

'What the hell—! I worked so hard, only to be ignored like this? I am not going to stand for this.'

If someone performed a service, then it was only right to compensate them. It seemed as if the Goddess needed to learn that now.

My system was ready, and I clutched my phone. I was going to message the Goddess first, and I no longer cared how much faith points it cost.

As long as I had faith points, I was going to continue to call.

[Faith points remaining: 200]

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