Chapter 135: Meeting the Goddess

"Meet the goddess..." Bruce audibly whispered.

Ashlynn was also visibly shocked, while James Branzuela couldn't believe what he just heard.

"Captain... If we did that..."

"Yeah..."

James Branzuela didn't need to explain any further for everyone in this room, possibly apart from Calvin knew what would happen if someone suspected to be still under the control of an evil entity entered the presence of a goddess.

Apart from destruction, nothing good would come out of it.

But the fact that Ron Samuel was trying to do this for Calvin meant that he still was unconvinced that Calvin was an evil man. After he heard what Charlotte had to say earlier, Ron Samuel was convinced that Calvin had something inherently good within him.

Ron Samuel didn't want to repeat the mistakes that he had done in the past, so he was willing to give Calvin a chance and at the same time, let him undergo a trial by fire.

Out of the three orthodox churches, the Goddess of Compassion and Light had the most followers. But it was simply because the Goddess was far lenient, less aloof and more willing to help than the others.

What's more, she personally benedicts each and every member of the Cavaliers through the Profession Bestowal Ritual, but this ritual itself was actually quite dangerous.

Meeting a god as a mortal wasn't unheard of these days, but if one's heart wasn't sincere enough then destruction was the only path.

Furthermore, requesting the benediction of a god was expensive.

James Branzuela didn't want to waste precious resources into someone whose heart wasn't clear nor steadfast enough if they were indeed willing to serve the goddess and work for her. This was why the Profession Bestowal Ritual was dangerous, entering the ritual meant that one would be under the mercy of that particular god.

"It's fine... Let's just think of this as a gamble... If his heart is sincere enough and he has no evil within him, then it would be a blessing for us."

"And if not..."

"Let's just say that I did a mistake..."

"I'll take all the responsibility for that mistake and I will make sure that none of you guys will be implicated by my choice."

Ron Samuel swept his gaze across Bruce, Ashlynn, and James Branzuela.

"I object!"

James Branzuela suddenly cried out, "I object, Captain! We must not let you shoulder such an unnecessary risk for the sake of a nobody."

Bruce also stepped forward and glared at Calvin, "That's right, Captain... I don't think anyone here knows more than what you do when it comes to how the Church punishes those that are corrupt and selfish. If you do such a ritual arbitrarily and it ends up horribly, then you'll be punished according to the Cavalier's Way!"

Punishment according to the Cavalier's way meant the destruction of a Predator's Origin.

In other words, it was becoming a cripple.

Considering Calvin's situation, Ron Samuel's actions were indeed taking an unnecessary risk.

"Stop it... I've already made a decision." Ron Samuel shook his head dismissively.

Bruce and James Branzuela wanted to argue, but Ashlynn stopped them before they could even say anything.

"Ashlynn! What are you doing? Are you out of your mind?"

"Nope... My mind is as clear as ever... How long have you known the Captain, James?"

"What?" James Branzuela replied in annoyance, "Why are you trying to stop us from convincing the Captain to not take such a risk for a nobody? If the ritual fails and this bastard dies under the presence of the goddess, then the Captain will be punished and crippled by the church! Can't you understand my feelings?! It's the Captain that we are talking about!"

"I know... But can't you also understand the Captain's feelings?" Ashlynn said with a tired look on her face.

"What?" James Branzuela looked visibly confused.

Ashlynn let out a sigh and explained, "James, you sure are smart but you're too blind to see..."

"Look!" Ashlynn glanced at Ron Samuel, "The Captain has already made his decision a few minutes ago. If you still can't understand what I mean, then I suggest you take a moment to calm down and think about the Captain's feelings that led to his decision."

James Branzuela went silent.

"How about you? Are you still going to try and convince the Captain?" Ashlynn turned to Bruce.

Bruce shook his head, "No... I don't dare to do so... But it's just that... What if..."

"I just need to pass, right?"

Calvin suddenly interrupted.

Bruce, Ashlynn, and James turned to look at Calvin.

"To save the Captain from being summarily executed by the church, I just need to pass through the trial, right?"

"You..." Calvin's nonchalant attitude annoyed Bruce, "Do you think that passing through the Goddess's trial is that easy?! I've suffered through it and couldn't even wake up for an entire month even after I have completed that trial! How can you be so easygoing? The trial is not a walk in the park!"

"Yes, I know..." Calvin didn't deny Bruce's words, "But in the end, what matters is that I pass, right?"

James Branzuela stared right at Calvin's eyes and for some reason, he could see that Calvin was incredibly confident of the odds of him surviving the trial.

"You... Why are you so confident? Just what is the reason why you are so confident?" James Branzuela found it unbelievable that a cripple could remain so calm and confident in the face of the prospects of meeting a literal goddess.

Bruce and Ashlynn also stared at Calvin.

Calvin let out a sigh and shook his head.

"I don't know... To be honest, I don't know... Something inside me is telling me that I will be able to get all the answers that I needed once I've met the Goddess... This is probably the reason why I am so calm, it should be because I am excited. Instead of being nervous, I feel that I can't wait to see the Goddess... But I don't know why..."

The three stared at each other for a moment and eventually, James Branzuela let out a sigh.

"All right... I think I can somewhat understand why the Captain insisted on giving you another chance earlier. I just hope that you won't waste this chance. Please do not disappoint us. Or else, even if you're already dead, I will make sure to send spirits from the Spirit World after you so you'll never find peace even in the afterlife..."

"..." Calvin didn't know what to say.

Ashlynn lightly chuckled, while Bruce also laughed.

Calvin took advantage of this opportunity and asked both Ashlynn and Bruce, "You know I've always wondered but is James always like this when it comes to the Captain?"

Ashlynn didn't even deny Calvin's words, "That's right, James is a total sucker for the Captain. In fact, if he was from the other gender, then he might've already begged the Captain to pop his cherry..."

"Pffft!" Bruce almost keeled over from the shock of what he just heard.

"What the hell are you talking about?! Ashlynn! You... I still haven't forgiven you for what you have done two weeks ago! Don't you think that I do not know that you're the one who stole the doughnuts that I made for the Captain?!"

"Oh, was that for the Captain? I'm sorry, I thought that it was for me. But isn't it strange? A grown man giving the Captain who is also a man, a handmade doughnut...?"

"How the hell is that strange? It's just my way of showing my appreciation for the Captain's hard work!"

"Hard work? Well, you are right if that hard work means making those shitty cups of coffees a day that always somehow tastes like boiled dirt even though I can see that the Captain is following a recipe..."

Ashlynn shrugged, while Bruce suddenly froze as he stared right behind Ashlynn.

Ashlynn's expression froze.

"Do you guys really think that I am deaf? Why are you all talking like I am not in the same room as you?"

Ron Samuel's eyes narrowed into slits.

"My coffee tastes like boiled dirt...? Is that so?"

"Well... Uhhh..."

Ashlynn's eyes darted all over the house until she spotted the room where she instructed Charlotte to stay put until her return.

Then, as if she had seen a way out of this mess, she instantly made a break for it towards that room while shouting, "I'll wait for you guys to return! I'll be with sister Charlotte for now! Take care!" She didn't even turn around as she slammed the doors shut behind him.

Bruce's lips repeatedly twitched.

He was a newbie in this team and it had always proved nerve-wracking for him to work with his seniors.

Particularly, when those seniors were his Vice-Captain and Captain.

"I'll..."

"I'll go prepare the room..." Bruce awkwardly said before he turned around and made a dash for it towards the second floor of the Captivating Fragrance Coffee Shop. He couldn't bear to be with those two seniors alone without Calvin nor Ashlynn. At this moment, his heart suddenly had a newfound appreciation for Calvin and now... He was hoping for him to endure through the trial and succeed.

Calvin was now left alone with James Branzuela and Ron Samuel. He also felt awkward being around the two of them but without receiving any instructions as to what he should do from now on... He couldn't do anything other than standing there as Ron Samuel turned to James Branzuela and said.

"Those doughnuts... You made them?"

"Uh... Yes..."

"It was tasty. Tell me the recipe and we can add them as an item to the shop. I am sure that it'll be even tastier if we create a sugar glaze based on some honey and sugarcane."

"Are you sure about that, Captain? You're going to add those doughnuts into the menu of the cafe?"

"Yeah, what's wrong? Why are you acting like that? It's not like a doughnut isn't suitable for a coffee shop, innit?" Ron Samuel said.

"No, it's nothing... I don't know... I'm just overwhelmed... I didn't expect that you'd find my doughnuts to be worthy of recognition and such an honour."

"Stop exaggerating... Come on, we've got to hurry up. Once all of these are done, then we can finally start on brainstorming some special items for our secret menu..." Ron Samuel encouraged.

Calvin who was standing beside them all this while couldn't help but bitterly smile.

'A secret menu? You need more customers, not a secret menu!'

"Oh, you are still there? Why are you not going to your wife? Explain to her what is about to happen, then once you are ready. You can go to the second floor and meet us there." Ron Samuel finally noticed that Calvin was standing beside him. After giving out his orders, Ron Samuel walked towards the back of the cafe's kitchen in order to fetch some ingredients necessary for the upcoming ritual.

James Branzuela followed suit but before he could leave, he turned to look at Calvin and said, "You better pass through the trial... I wasn't joking when I said that I'll contract some spirits from the Spirit World to go after you even in the afterlife. I'll definitely make sure that you won't rest in peace if you dare to bring down the Captain with you..."

Calvin was silent.

He didn't expect the Vice-Captain to be this obsessed to Ron Samuel.

But nevertheless, he nodded his head and replied, "I will not fail. That I promise you..."

"And also, I still have a wife and family to take care of! Do you really think that I'll let myself die so easily? Of course not!"

Calvin tried to lighten up the mood, but James Branzuela merely snorted before he walked away and followed Ron Samuel into the back of the cafe's kitchen.

"I guess, he doesn't like me then..." Calvin audibly whispered.

He then went over to the room where Charlotte was located and told her everything that was about to happen except the part that Calvin could possibly die and bring Ron Samuel down with him to hell. Calvin's visit to Charlotte wasn't that long but he managed to hear a piece of good news from Charlotte.

She said that Ron Samuel was willing to give her a job in the coffee shop as a waitress. If Ron Samuel was to go through with his deal, then it would be ideal.

But hearing Charlotte's words, Calvin revealed a bitter smile.

Now that everything has come to this point, he must make sure that he'd succeed in the upcoming trial or else Charlotte wouldn't be able to get such a good and laidback job.

Walking out of the room, Calvin made a beeline for the one and only room on the second floor wherein he would meet the Goddess of Compassion and Light and undergo her trial for the chance of receiving her eternal benediction.