CH312

“What do you think about punishing them?” Ben asked as he walked around the enormous summoning spell, still set up in his god’s realm for him to look at.

“I think that it’s a complex topic with no easy answer. It can’t be denied that some of them are in the wrong, but can they really be held responsible for their actions after the way they’ve been brought up? After what all of their kind had been led to believe since they were created?”

“And I get that, but that doesn’t mean that the people that could have died because they were following their gods orders don’t deserve some justice. This is an issue for their community as a whole. Just as important, how do the ones who actually tried to do some light murder feel since then? It’s been a few days, they should have had time to get their thoughts in order.”

“Complicated would be oversimplifying it. How would you feel? Some of these people went to kill their friends Ben, their family. Being forced to confront the truth of their gods and their existence immediately after that, this whole village is a mess.”

“Well, I’d hope I’d feel guilty.”

“Ha, there’s plenty of that to go around mixed in with everything else.”

“Good, then I’ve got an angle to work,” He said happily, changing the topic before his god could worry too much over just what was going on in the depths of his apostle’s mind. “And how’s the faith going? Gonna be honest, I was hoping to have the quest done by now. Showing how weak their old gods were and getting them to come face to face with you and all, it seemed like it would be a real slam dunk to get through it and finish up my job.”

“Well first, you literally completed five in one day so trying to get such a big one done only days after that is ridiculous of you, but more importantly, they’re still reeling from the revelations of everything they learned. Even if they don’t seem too bad on the outside, don’t discount their internal struggles. I’ve got about a third of the village right now and I’m sure in time more will truly start to give me faith, especially once the ones I’ve already gotten get my gift skill, but these things can take time.”

“Well, consider me impatient with less than a year till things get bad. Frankly, I want to complete master enchanter after it if I can too. How many of them do I need to go?”

“If we get three-quarters of them then you should be good. It’s honestly not impossible it will happen before you leave, you just might need to put some work in.”

“Well, I’ll see what I can come up with but I think things might go pretty well after today so watch and see what your wonderful, fantastic-

“Stress-inducing-”

“Hardworking and loving apostle can pull off. I think today is going to go pretty well.”

<MENTAL EXPANSION LEVEL INCREASED>

<PARALLEL THOUGHT LEVEL INCREASED>

<COMPLEX MIND LEVEL INCREASED>

His head was reeling as he woke up, an inescapable consequence of his mind skills all leveling up at once from how he’d been spending his time in Myriad’s realm. Trying to understand the summoning spell was just too much, like trying to observe every room in a building at once. He’d try to keep his focus on one part for simplicity, but then he’d see that each one interacted with a hundred others.

It was complex, perfect, beautiful, and far more than he could handle. Just staring at it took a toll and strained his minds and he couldn’t help but worry that his god was right, that he’d never be able to understand it, but the more he thought on what he was seeing the more he knew it didn’t matter. That was a pinnacle of magic even for the gods, if he could waste away every night of his life trying to get just a glimmer of whatever truths it would contain then it would be worth it.

Most of his minds were swirling with thoughts on it in the back of his head, forming theories and considering how they could be tested, but that wasn’t something for the immediate future. He was awake and soon the rest of the village would be too, he needed to decide exactly how he wanted to play things out.

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By the time everyone was awake, Ben was seated in the center of the village as Toltho gathered the villagers, each of them both curious and worried about just what the apostle would have to say.