Interrogation in Neveiria
The fraudulent protagonist arrived in a new town! (3) Joyeon’s party was led straight to the guard post by the soldiers for questioning. Joyeon had grumbled in annoyance when he was first dragged away, but once they reached the post his eyes lit up with excitement at the chance to experience something straight out of a movie or drama.
“Is it true you used magic inside the guild building?”
“Well, yes, but it was only a threat. No lethal power at all.”
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that you used magic in a crowded place.”
“Come on, think about it, mister. If some thug started harassing your precious daughter—the one you’d never want to see hurt—or your wife who cooks dinner and waits for you after work, wouldn’t a little intimidation be the milder option?”
“……”
Once inside the guard post, Joyeon reverted to his usual self, admitting fault while still defending his actions as justified.
“Honestly, that man’s behavior and words were excessive. Joyeon didn’t hurt him at all, yet he used the situation as an excuse to attack immediately.”
“I… think the same.”
Rion’s party also spoke up vigorously in Joyeon’s defense, and thanks to them the sharp glint in the guards’ eyes softened noticeably.
“…Very well. I understand the situation. There’s no need to make this any bigger than it is. Your name was Ju Joyeon, correct? You’re a modern human, so you probably don’t know much yet, but incidents like this will happen often. Be more careful from now on. I’ll let it slide today, but if you’re involved in anything similar again, I won’t overlook it.”
“Got it~ Don’t worry. I have zero intention of causing trouble.”
In the end, Joyeon managed to get off with nothing more than a warning and close watch from Neveiria’s guards.
“Haa~ What a mess right after arriving…”
Joyeon’s questioning finally ended in the early evening as the sun began to set. Stepping out of the guard post, he stretched his stiff body and complained.
“Thank you for your hard work, Joyeon. We should have been more careful.”
“I’m sorry, Master… I should have known insects would swarm around Arty and been more vigilant instead of being so careless…”
“Sorry… It’s because of me…”
Seeing how tired Joyeon looked, Rion, Tiasia, and Arty each blamed themselves and apologized.
“What are you all saying? It just turned out that way. If anything, it’s my fault for getting distracted by the guild and not paying attention to Arty. I’ll just be more careful next time! More importantly, I’m hungry. I want to eat.”
“It’s getting late, so let’s head straight to the inn.”
“You already found an inn? I thought you couldn’t ask at the guild.”
“While we were being taken to the guard post with you, I asked Mugido to find one and meet us there.”
“Ooh~ As expected of Rion.”
Joyeon gave Rion a thumbs-up.
“He said they’re famous for young lamb leg and mushroom stew. I made a reservation, so we can eat as soon as we arrive.”
“Ooh~! That sounds like something straight out of a comic. Wait, I don’t have any money though?”
“We paid this time.”
“Eh, you didn’t have to…”
“Don’t feel too burdened. It’s nothing compared to you saving us at the hospital.”
“Mm~ Thanks.”
Joyeon accepted Rion’s kindness and followed his lead toward the inn.
“Ah, almost forgot again. Arty, come here.”
After taking just one step, Joyeon remembered and called for Arty. She immediately approached and linked her arm tightly with his. Surprised by the rather intimate contact, Joyeon looked down at her.
“…You’re planning to walk like this?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“No reason. It’s just closer than I expected.”
“…If I don’t want bugs like earlier to swarm around me, this much is only natural. Do you hate being this close?”
Though she was the one clinging to him, Arty’s cheeks flushed slightly as she hugged his arm even tighter. Joyeon felt only a soft, pleasant sensation rather than any pressure.
“Of course not. If you’re fine with it, I’m more than happy. I actually like it. You just seem a bit different from usual.”
“Eung~ We have to make sure nothing like that happens again~”
'Now I even have a proper excuse to stick to Joyeon all the time. I shouldn’t get embarrassed like an idiot—I need to get used to this.'
When they arrived at the inn Rion had reserved, Joyeon ate dinner right away. Just like at the guild, everyone’s eyes were on Arty, but thanks to Joyeon glued to her side and Tiasia glaring at anyone who stared too long, no one approached them.
“Hey, look over there.”
“Ooh~ She’s really pretty…”
“I never thought I’d see two such beautiful people in Neveiria…”
They couldn’t stop the whispering, but since it didn’t interfere with the meal, they decided to ignore it.
“So we’re heading to the Curia Temple tomorrow morning after breakfast?”
“Yes. I plan to schedule it for tomorrow morning.”
“Finally, I can get rid of these iron balls. Well, I don’t really care anymore.”
“You never know. The Curia Church specializes more in healing than purification, so they might not be able to remove it.”
“Does each church have its own specialty?”
“Of course. The gods of the magic world each oversee different domains. Curia oversees healing, which is why her church is one of the largest in the magic world.”
“A god who oversees healing, huh~ …Huh? Wait a second. You said the Curia Church believes in the god Curia, right? Then is the Magic God the same as Curia? Who are the gods of the other churches? Are they all the same person?”
Having already met a self-proclaimed god in his dreams, Joyeon finally noticed the strange contradiction.
“Umm~ To be honest, that’s still an unresolved question. Until the world fusion happened, we clearly believed in many gods and often witnessed their miracles. But we didn’t even know who the Magic God who introduced himself as the manager of the magic world really was.”
“So, what does that mean?”
“The biggest theory right now is that the one god who called himself the Magic God and his many apostles might actually be the gods we already knew.”
“Umm~ In other words, angels.”
Rion leaned in slightly and spoke quietly to Joyeon.
“But everyone still calls them gods, not apostles.”
“Why? Because they don’t like the idea of something greater than the being they believe in?”
“No. It’s more that many people refuse to accept that the beings they’ve believed in until now aren’t actually ‘gods.’ So even if you meet people affiliated with a church, it’s better to call them gods.”
“Got it~”
After finishing their satisfying dinner while chatting, the group was assigned rooms. Rion’s party got Rion and Luna in single rooms, and Mugido and Neisila in a double. Joyeon’s side got Tiasia and Arty in a double, and Joyeon in a single.
“See you tomorrow. Joyeon, Arty. Rest well.”
“Sleep tight~”
“See you tomorrow.”
“Good night…”
“See you tomorrow~”
“Good night, everyone.”
“Sleep well.”
After exchanging goodnights, the group headed to their respective rooms. Joyeon also made his way to his room next to Tiasia and Arty’s.
“Lara, take good care of Arty. See you tomor—”
“Wait. Don’t go, Joyeon.”
“Huh? Why? Got something to say?”
“No… Let’s sleep together. We don’t know what might happen while we’re asleep.”
“But Lara’s here. There’s no need to worry that mu—”
“Do you hate sleeping together?”
“Of course not. I’d like that.”
Joyeon didn’t argue further and entered the double room with Arty.
“I’m tired, so I’m going to sleep first. You should sleep soon too. We have to wake up early tomorrow.”
“Mm. I’ll just fiddle with this a bit more and then sleep. Good night~ Joyeon.”
As soon as he entered the room, Joyeon washed up and lay down on the bed, ready for sleep. In contrast, Arty showed no signs of sleeping yet and continued tinkering with the Nuclear Mana Reactor, which had almost lost its original form by now.
“How much longer until that’s finished?”
“Probably about a week?”
“Still a whole week? I thought you were almost done.”
“The final stages are the most important part of any creation. Look forward to it.”
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t stay up too late. You can take your time.”
“Mm~”
Before long, Joyeon’s breathing became steady. Sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, focused on the mana reactor, Arty glanced sideways to check if he was really asleep.
“…Tiasia. Is Joyeon asleep?”
“Just a moment… Yes. Master is definitely asleep.”
Tiasia, who had been assigned the same room as Arty, confirmed through May and House in the shadows that Joyeon was truly asleep and reported back.
“…Sorry. Because of me, Joyeon almost got into big trouble today…”
“Not at all. I should have protected Arty properly. I was too careless.”
“…Do you think it’s okay for me to end up with Joyeon?”
“Are you really asking that now?”
“Eung… But we never had a chance to talk about it alone like this…”
“If I thought you weren’t suited for Master, I would have already made a move. You don’t need to belittle yourself. You’re definitely a woman worthy of Master.”
“…. Thank you.”
After finishing her conversation with Tiasia, Arty worked for another thirty minutes before storing the mana reactor in her inventory and climbing into bed beside the sleeping Joyeon.
“I’m going to sleep now too. See you in the morning, Tiasia.”
“Rest well, Arty.”
Thanks to the effects of “Attachment and Obsession,” Arty quickly fell asleep while sleeping next to Joyeon. Tiasia carefully tucked the blanket around them so they wouldn’t get cold, then moved to a corner of the room so her voice wouldn’t disturb their sleep.
“…… House.”
Kiririt. Ujijik.
At Tiasia’s call, a large Morion Roach egg sac rose from the floor.
“Did you find the people who insulted Master during the day?”
Report. The attacker and his associates have been located. Currently gathering information.
“Good. We absolutely cannot let them get away. Those who dared to wound Master’s dignity can only repay it with their lives. And how long will it take to map out all of Neveiria?”
Report. Master’s mana reserves are insufficient.
“Right. Arty is currently working on Master’s item, so… I suppose I’ll have to buy some mana potions.”
Understood… Additional report.
“Yes, go ahead.”
There is an area inside Neveiria that cannot be scouted.
“I guess even the baby roaches can’t get into certain places. Where is it?”
The Curia Temple.
“The temple… Is it because we’re undead?”
Negative. It is due to the lack of entry space and near-obsessive cleanliness that prevents insects from entering.
“Hmm~ It’s Master’s destination tomorrow, so I wanted to scout ahead… Can’t be helped. Good work. Report anything else unusual right away.”
Understood.
The next morning.
“Uuu… Joyeon… Sleep with me just a little longer… Mm?”
“I’d like to, but we can’t today. Rion is waiting. Get up. Wash your face and wake up properly.”
Joyeon tried to wake Arty, who was whining with her arms wrapped around his neck, by carrying her to the bathroom.
“Lara, help me out.”
“Of course I can help. But are you sure you want me to?”
When Joyeon looked at Tiasia in confusion, she cracked her knuckles while watching Arty cling to him.
“I can’t wake her up, but I can get her into a state where we can leave the room in five minutes.”
With her strength, she could easily make Arty wash up without Joyeon having to hold her, and Joyeon wouldn’t have to touch Arty himself. Joyeon briefly weighed the annoyance and pleasure of waking Arty in his mind.
“…Wait outside for a bit. I’ll handle it.”
“Understood.”
“Arty, wake up properly.”
“Uuu… No… Aang, don’t do that…”
“Stop resisting. Stay still.”
Joyeon worked hard to wash Arty. It was by no means just a pleasant time for himself.
Neveiria Curia Temple.
Located in the very center of Neveiria, the massive temple capable of accommodating up to five thousand people, along with its well-maintained fountain garden, was a famous landmark not only for city residents but also for adventurers from afar.
“I heard the garden was heavily damaged due to the world fusion, but fortunately the temple itself is still clean.”
“We’re lucky. When worlds overlap, buildings get torn apart like paper. My old school was like that. How much longer do we have to wait? Hasn’t Luna been inside for a while?”
“Yeah. It’s taking longer than expected. It’s not like we’re the only ones using the temple… She should be back soon.”
Still waiting outside for permission to enter, Joyeon stood with his arms crossed, looking displeased as he listened to Rion.
Thankfully, just as Rion said, Luna soon returned with three men and women approaching Joyeon’s group.
“Sorry for being late… I was explaining things…”
With a visibly nervous expression, Luna introduced the people she had brought to Joyeon’s party.
“This is Bishop Deputy Duke Ronald, who helped me a lot when I was at the temple…”
“May blessings be upon your path… It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard about you. They say you’re a capable modern human who saved many lives, including Luna’s. Welcome to the Curia Temple.”
A middle-aged man in white bishop’s robes greeted them with a benevolent smile.
“Deputy bishop? Didn’t someone say priest earlier, Luna?”
“W-well, a lot of people don’t believe me when I mention my connection to the deputy bishop…”
“Ah, I see. Makes sense.”
After answering Tiasia’s question, Luna introduced the other two.
“These two are priests who assist our church’s bishop…”
The young man and woman lightly bowed their heads in greeting.
“All is according to God’s will… Welcome, those who have found the righteous path. I am Felix, assisting Bishop Kilhug.”
“Our meeting is like a miracle, so we give thanks to God… Likewise, I am Lily Cubus, assisting the bishop.”
The neat and clean-looking pair gave off the unmistakable air of devout believers.
Once the church members’ introductions were finished, Luna introduced Joyeon’s party in turn.
“This is the leader of the party I’m with… Rion, Mugido, Neisila…”
“It’s been a while, Rion. I hope Luna hasn’t been too much trouble.”
“Not at all, Deputy Bishop. Thanks to Luna, our travels have been very safe. I’m truly grateful.”
Duke the deputy bishop and Rion’s party seemed to already be acquainted because of Luna and exchanged greetings naturally.
“And… these are people we met at the Neutral Saintess’s hospital… Joyeon, Arty, Tiasia…”
“I’ve heard about you. They say you helped people and defeated monsters together with Luna at a place called a hospital. Righteous people are always welcome.”
“Umm~ Righteous—?”
“…Master is a good person.”
When Deputy Bishop Duke showed clear favor toward Joyeon with sparkling eyes, both Arty and Tiasia gave ambiguous reactions.
“…Joyeon?”
When the person being introduced, Joyeon, remained silent despite Luna calling him, she called out to him in confusion.
“……”
Joyeon still didn’t respond to Luna’s call and stared blankly into the air.
The title 'First Dominator to Leave His Mark' has been activated.
There is a 'Dominator' before you.
'…What the hell is this now~'
More precisely, he was staring at the notification window floating in the air.