Chapter 89: The Floating Sanctuary (4)

Chapter 89: The Floating Sanctuary (4)

It had been a few days since I left Yuto alone, who had run away to the forest where the fairies lived.

Yuto was quietly waiting for the fairy named Perin, without running away or doing anything else.

It seemed that their relationship was quite friendly.

Maybe I needed a spirit master from the beginning to handle a spirit properly.

Anyway, the fact that Yuto was tied to that fairy meant that I had to recruit a fairy for Yuto’s sake.

If Yuto grew bigger than he is now, he could carry several people on his back.

There was enough value to appoint a new apostle for controlling Yuto.

“It’s different from a carriage in terms of speed.”

Yuto’s moving speed was not so fast that the screen of my smartphone couldn’t catch up.

But thanks to his ability to move without being affected by the terrain, there was no means that could match Yuto in long-distance travel.

If I think about the time it takes for Eutenia to travel by carriage, I can save a lot of time from now on.

That’s why I couldn’t help but worry about the next <Apostle Selection> skill.

“Hmm...”

There were two characters that I was considering to select as apostles.

One was Daniel, an assassin who was called the Silent Butcher.

And the other one was Perin, who could freely manipulate [Floating Earth Spirit].

Both of them had enough value to be appointed as apostles, considering their roles in the future.

But in Daniel’s case, his location was still unclear.

If I wanted to appoint Daniel first, I would have to postpone <Apostle Selection> until the next meeting.

“Considering the time it takes to train a character... It’s hard to wait that long.”

An assassin who specialized in physical attacks would be nice, but I was not a patient person who could endure forever.

So I decided to select Perin as an apostle right now.

I still needed time to fully handle a character even after establishing communication with an apostle.

I couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

I moved the screen right away and headed towards Perin.

Perin was sitting on top of Yuto’s head, leisurely enjoying the scenery.

-“Yuto! Isn’t it fun to see the mountains from above?”

-“Soil.”

They seemed to communicate well or not at all.

I chuckled as I watched the two characters interact.

The combination of a fairy and a spirit suited each other very well.

I looked at them and touched the <Apostle Selection> skill icon at the bottom of the screen.

Press.

As soon as I pressed the skill, a message window popped up asking me if I wanted to select an apostle as usual.

-Do you want to select [Perin Shtait] as an apostle?

-You need 1600 karma to select an apostle.

-Yes / No

The karma consumption was doubled from before, 1600.

It had started to become a big burden.

The next apostle would have a much longer interval between selections than now.

It was a pity, but it was also a natural phenomenon that occurred as the level increased.

I pressed ‘Yes’ and proceeded with the procedure to select Perin as an apostle.

-[Perin Shtait] has been selected as an apostle.

-You have consumed 1600 karma to create a new artifact for the apostle.

-[Artifact: Fake God Tree Yggdrasil] has been bound to [Perin Shtait].

-[Perin Shtait] has rejected the path of the apostle.

-<Apostle Selection> has been postponed.

Right after that, I confirmed the message that <Apostle Selection> had been rejected.

Perin had refused to become an apostle herself.

It was a rejection that I experienced for the first time since I selected Evan as an apostle.

I stared at the screen blankly at the message that she had rejected <Apostle Selection>.

Perin in the screen was playing with Yuto as if nothing had happened.

She even said some strange words to Yuto with a gentle face.

-“Yuto... I guess being a servant of the evil god is a bit too much, right?”

-“Soil.”

I couldn’t help but raise my right index finger at her behavior.

How dare an NPC reject my offer to become my subordinate?

And on top of that, riding on a pet that I bought with my money, and even badmouthing me?

I couldn’t tolerate her actions any longer with my broad mind.

She might not die since she was selected as an apostle, but she had to pay for scratching my heart in front of me.

My trembling finger approached the screen.

“How dare you refuse to become my subordinate?”

My father always told me this.

A man who draws his sword must cut something, even if it’s grass.

I couldn’t cut grass here, but I thought I could teach a lesson to one rude fairy.

If I can’t have it, I have to make it mine.

Fortunately, I had plenty of effective means for that.

“I forgive your sins.” “Oh, evil god! Thank you.”

“Why! Why won’t you accept my contract!”

He poured out his questions that filled his head and threw the wooden board that was on his desk.

Bang!

The wooden board bounced off the wall and rolled on the floor.

He threw things to vent his anger, but he couldn’t calm down the frustration in his heart.

He got up from his seat and punched the desk several times.

“I followed all the procedures! Why are you rejecting me!”

He could easily find documents about contracts with spirits that had materialized.

But even if he referred to those documents, he couldn’t see any signs of success in contracting with Yuto.

It was Yuto who rejected the contract with Rendel.

The same was true for his attempts at forced contracts with spirits.

He couldn’t do anything properly against Yuto, who was of a high rank.

There was nothing left for Rendel to try.

He bit his lips and slammed his head against the wall, when he heard a voice from behind him.

“What a pathetic sight, Elder Rendel.”

He turned his eyes to the back.

Egersuit had quietly entered Rendel’s laboratory without him noticing and spoke to him.

Rendel looked at him with a twisted head and a glare in his eyes.

He was annoyed by Egersuit’s presence.

Rendel scolded Egersuit, who had sneaked into his laboratory without his knowledge.

“You seem to have no manners, our warrior chief.”

“Is it also polite to throw wooden boards on such a dark night?”

“I put up a soundproof barrier and threw my own stuff. What’s the problem?”

“Isn’t it barbaric for a fairy who loves trees? Everyone respects Elder Rendel, but you should show some exemplary behavior.”

Spit.

He spat out blood-stained saliva and glared at Egersuit.

Egersuit looked at him with a faint smile on his lips.

Rendel felt very annoyed by his smiling face.

But by now, he had very limited options.

“Stop talking nonsense and tell me why you came here.”

“How is your research going?”

“...I still need more time.”

“Still? It sounds like you have no idea how long it will take.”

He was angry, but Egersuit was right.

Rendel clenched his fists and nodded at his words.

“It takes time for a difficult research.”

“Elder Rendel. We don’t have much time.”

“What are you talking about?”

“That wretched thing is getting closer to the spirit day by day. What do you think will happen if there is a conflict in the village?”

“Are you saying that Perin will run away?”

“That’s right.”

It was not an impossible story.

Perin was not on good terms with everyone in this village.

She had been staying here only by barely avoiding exile.

She could easily leave if there was a problem.

But Rendel still needed more time for his research.

“She won’t leave anytime soon. I still need to do more research.”

“Isn’t it time to use that method?”

“That method is the last resort. If I put a curse on my kin without any care...”

“Elder Rendel.”

“...”

Egersuit sighed and shook his head.

He looked like he had already made up his mind.

“The target of the curse is not just anyone. It’s a wretched being who has caught the eye of the evil god.”

“Well, that’s true, but...”

“Besides, she has the unwanted Yuto with her. How long do you have to leave that dangerous thing alone?”

“Sigh.”

Rendel’s eyes, soaked in thoughts, looked out the window.

A bright moon was rising in the dark sky.

Under the moon that reflected in Rendel’s eyes, the trees glowed with light.

It was a beautiful and clear scenery, unlike Rendel’s dizzy head.

Egersuit’s sharp voice pierced Rendel’s ears as he looked out the window.

“I trust that Elder Rendel will make a wise choice. I will convene a meeting tomorrow morning, so come with a clear decision.”

With that, Egersuit opened the door and left the laboratory.

Bang!

A loud noise echoed as the door of the laboratory closed after Egersuit left.

Rendel closed his eyes quietly as he watched him leave.

After the commotion, he had long forgotten about his research.

Only the glittering night sky remained vivid under his eyelids.