In the midst of his frustration, in a moment of anger and impulse, Muru did something extremely stupid - he raised his cane and broke the blasphemous ...... and also the head of the man who denied the meaning of his coming.

The sailor covered his bleeding forehead and glared gloomily at him for a long time, but did not fight back.

Muru thought that was the end of the matter. He didn't even think he was doing anything wrong at that time, but that evening he was very politely "invited" by two warriors to the village court.

The sailor, who had been wounded by him, brought him before the head of the village.

Muru was so shocked that he could barely react. His staff was inlaid with a black opal, but that blow was clearly only a small cut on the sailor's forehead, such a fuss, even if he was an ordinary person, the vast majority of the judges in the Eastern Continent would not pay attention to it at all, not to mention that he was still a priest.

It was many years later that he realized that the sailors might not have been targeting him...... What they wanted to test was what the Nou'ans would do with it.

The result must have been satisfactory to them—the smile they had on was always remembered. The leader of the village, Rhema, is an ordinary-looking middle-aged man with a pair of dark eyes that are quiet and deep, and difficult to see. This little dispute was not considered a crime in his opinion, and he persuaded them to reconcile with each other, and asked Muru, who had beaten him, to give the wounded sailor a decent compensation.

It was a fairly fair verdict, but Muru, who finally reacted and was furious, flatly refused.

He had become accustomed to the special status of the clergy. In the Eastern Continent, no matter what mistakes are committed, the priests will only be judged by their respective temples - how can a secular king have the right to judge the servants of God? Although the offender will only be punished more severely for the sake of the temple's reputation, it will be different after all.

Rhema looked at him and shook her head slightly in disappointment.

"It's a shame. He said, "We respect your beliefs, but you seem to have no intention of respecting our rules." ”

When Muru refused to apologize and make restitution, he sentenced him to three days in prison.

"How dare you...... Ni'o will give you the punishment you deserve!"

In disbelief, Muru's roar blurted out, but Rhema only raised an eyebrow.

"If your god is unhappy with this," he said calmly, "you can let her come to me." ”

Three days in prison, Muru did not suffer any torture or insult - but such "imprisonment" itself was already an unbearable insult for him.

Three days later, as he sat on his knees in the rudimentary, empty temple by the sea, he suddenly realized that the prayer he muttered had somehow turned into a curse.

He cursed those who did not believe in God to be swallowed by the sea, and cursed their souls to be trapped forever in the cold and dark depths of the sea...... That's what they deserve...... No, if this is the only way to find the right path, even if it is necessary to let them go through pain and despair first......

He hid in the temple and prayed day and night, sometimes terrified by the darkness that had arisen within him, and sometimes trying to convince himself that it was right to achieve a right end, even by the wrong means, if only he could do it......

He swayed in the chaos until a little girl who loved to listen to stories ran in and pulled at his less white robe.

"What are you doing?"

She crouched beside him and asked curiously, "You haven't finished telling the story of that bald paladin." ”

"It's not 'bald'!" he retorted irritably, subconsciously, wondering why the children only remembered such meaningless details, "but because they had been wearing helmets for a long time......

"Okay, okay. The little girl patted his arm to soothe him, "So, can you finish the story?"

"Nope. He refused, "I still want ...... Prayer. ”

"Why?" the girl asked him, "if you pray, can you have whatever you want?

“...... Of course not!"

"Why, then?" the girl insisted on demanding an answer.

"It's for ......"

For gratitude, for peace of mind. In order to know that when you are lost, you will be guided, when you are desperate, you will be redeemed, and even if you die, your soul will have a place to be.

That's how he should have answered. He knew that even if he didn't use anything too extreme, he wasn't out of the question. If he is patient enough, these children who grow up listening to his stories will worship the legendary heroes, will revere the gods who give them courage and strength, and will yearn for that faraway continent of magic and gods, prosperous and magical...... Then, perhaps, one day, they will follow the God he believes in.

But how long would that "maybe" take him? and how likely was it? what could his god give to this girl in this place where there was no magic, what could her relatives and people, what could this rich land not give her?—— unless something could come to them that they could not resist...... But how can he do it?......

- What the hell was he thinking?

Muru remembered all the details of that day vividly, even how the sea breeze ruffled the girl's soft hair, and how the sunlight slanting in from the window jumped in her light brown eyes...... That day, that moment, he was infinitely close to some dark abyss, but because of that light, he pulled himself back from the brink of danger.

He came to his senses, drenched in cold sweat, but he also suddenly brightened up in an instant.

He finally understood that if he really failed, the reason was only himself, his arrogance and stupidity, and his inner weakness and vacillation.

Does he really understand the meaning of faith? What makes him feel satisfied and at peace is the power that he can control in his hands and is above ordinary people, and it is the awe and praise of others...... Or something else?

When he lost his power, on this distant continent where no one would bow down to him simply because of his white robes, perhaps, he could find the real answer.

“...... I don't know yet. ”

So, he lowered his head, smiled sincerely, and replied to the innocent and persistent little girl, "If one day I find the answer, I will come back and tell you...... Okay?"

.

As the door was carefully pushed open, Ed had just put the sorted journal back into its original box. Wigg rubbed his hands together, visibly relieved.

"We were trying to warn you!" he said briskly, "it's almost dinner time! It's the most unmissable part of the day – just like breakfast, brunch, lunch, and afternoon tea!"

Ed couldn't help but laugh, suddenly a little curious.

"Wig," he asked, "do you believe in God?"