CH292

“Hey Ben, just out of curiosity, you aren’t actually trying to awaken your sacrilege skill, are you?” Thera asked as the three of them walked through the streets.

“Of course not. How would I even do that?” He asked, immediately feeling the wheels turning in his head with the question. It wasn’t like he went out of his way to do things that could be considered acts against the gods, and if sending the trial he’d been stuck in to a whole other level of reality had only been enough to boost him a single level then how was he ever going to raise it more?

I mean sure, I guess enough minor acts of sacrilege could get me to the ninth level eventually, and then I’d only need a single bigger one after that to push me past, but who knows just how big that would even have to be? Maybe I could just devote half of my minds to constant sacrilegious thoughts for some passive experience?

<Please don’t.> His god begged in his head. <You have so many worthwhile skills to actually work towards. Focus on those instead of any of that madness.>

Relax, you know I’ve never once done anything with the intention of gaining a level of it.

<That’s the issue! I don’t want to see what happens when you actually put your mind to it!>

“I’m personally for it,” Greed chimed in, breaking off his talk with his god. “After what we went through somebody’s gotta pay, and the bastard who had us thrown in is already dead.”

Thera just shook her head. “I get it, but either way I’m waiting outside. Good luck I guess.”

“Ha, it will be fine, don’t worry,” Ben told her as they made it to their destination and without any hesitation let himself inside.

Allfaith was really divided into two sides. The side governed by the aquatic races, and the one controlled by the terrestrial ones, with any semi-aquatic species landing on one group or the other depending on where they kept their homes or holy sites. Of the two groups, both had separate communal church heads and separate political sides, and Ben had just let himself into the main building where the two land-based groups held their meetings, right when he knew one was happening.

As a government building, plenty of areas were devoted to the public, but he didn’t care for any of them, instead going to a door in the back, two guards standing out front of it.

<They’re going to stop you and you’re going to make an ass of yourself.>

Maybe but we’ll see.

“Stop,” One called out as he got closer. “This is a private area, if you need any assistance the table at the front can help you.”

“Oh no, I’m exactly where I need to be,” Ben said, pulling out his card and beginning his lie. “I’m sure you’ve heard of me, I’m the apostle of Myriad your city decided to have put to death, along with the soundsmith Greed. We’re here for the meeting we were promised about just how we were to be compensated for that.”

The two guards looked at his card and then each other, both growing pale as they did. Nobody in the city was unaware of who he was or what had happened to him, with the fact that they’d made it out spreading like wildfire. The very first people to survive the trial were ones who didn’t even want to enter it to begin with, only for them to destroy it immediately after leaving. Even with all of the chaos of the past week it had been a hot talking point, presumably one that would go on for ages after, but worse than that was nobody had informed either of them to expect their arrival.

“I’m sorry,” The guard began, much more politely as he did. “We weren’t informed. If you would just give us a few minutes-”

“Oh, of course!” Ben called out in a voice dripping with sarcasm. “We’ve already lost months of our lives to that experience, why not make us wait even longer? I think they’re trying to just give us the runaround Greed.”

“Sure looks like it,” The crab agreed as eyes around them began to gather.

The guards didn’t know what to do. They both could tell what an important, delicate situation this was given what had happened, and Ben’s card was clear. He was an apostle, there was no reason not to trust him.

“Ahem, what I meant was that it will only take a few moments to show you in. Please, follow me,” He said, leaving his companion outside as he led the way.

<…You know, you’re really showing just how far a bit of confidence could get you in life and I can’t say I like it.>

Ben ignored his god as the guard led him to a bigger room with over a dozen people present in it. Both sides that governed the city, locked in an argument over how they were going to react to the coming invasion on their doorstep.

“We have to raise taxes!” One lizard man boomed. “No one will like it, it’s a fact of life, but it’s better than being dead. Arm the templars with the best we can get and offer incentives to any nations with armies that don’t have the threat so close to send their aid!”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“The people are already going to be struggling!” A different woman argued. “This isn’t the time to be making their lives more difficult! We need them to be in the best frame of mind they can to be giving faith during this crisis! Besides, we can’t simply bribe a nation into sending help our way. International agreements exist for a reason. We’re all in this together.”

It seemed like it was a long-running argument at this point, one that was likely to continue until she noticed them enter, waiting to be acknowledged as she raised a hand and addressed the guard. “What is this? Unless this is an emergency this is a closed meeting.”