What kind of nonsense is this, that you'd be chosen by the gods and favored by all the gods?

The reeds swayed, and a gentle breeze swept across the ancient, mottled stone walls of Reed City.

For many days, Lyle and his party basically settled down in this town temporarily.

Helena continued to study swordsmanship, while Lyle spent half his time learning swordsmanship and the other half reading Pud's ancient books.

Besides that, I tried to emulate the hunter by killing some prey to see if I could increase my [upgrade progress].

To Lyle's disappointment, there was indeed some improvement, but not by much.

It seems that one must challenge extraordinary beings in order to quickly strengthen oneself.

However, his diligent practice made him feel that he had gained a deeper understanding of his destiny.

His intuition told him that entering another church dedicated to the goddess of fate would allow him to learn the next step in his prayer skills.

What surprised his companions was that Lyle's daily routine was almost frighteningly regular; he would get up on time every morning and go to sleep immediately after nightfall.

very scary.

However, only Lyle himself knows the truth.

He calculated his limit on how long it would take to regain concentration through meditation and incorporated it into his schedule, hence his stringent requirements.

This means that he hardly slept during this period.

It was indeed very difficult at the beginning, but it mainly stemmed from Lyle's own laziness.

But after persisting for a while, he gradually got used to this kind of life, and gradually fell in love with it, and even enjoyed this life state that was similar to a spiritual practice.

In my past life, I was always struggling at my workstation, running around for a living. It's been a long time since I've felt so free and in control of my own life.

Of course, the most important thing is the confidence I gained from the Book of Prayer for the Nameless.

However, because of this arrangement, he discovered some unexpected things.

One late night, he had just finished meditating and was about to go out for a walk to clear his head.

But unexpectedly, a heavy body pressed down on him.

It's Helena.

To save money, they rented a few rooms to sleep in, since they wouldn't be staying there for long anyway.

And she was sleeping next to Lyle.

In the past, this poor mute girl was unable to sleep soundly due to her harrowing journey, and even the slightest noise would wake people up.

Now, however, they've completely let their guard down, even their sleeping positions have become so unconventional—

It seems like they really worked hard.

Lyle couldn't help but think this.

Only now did he truly see what the girl looked like.

Under the moonlight, her face was pale, but thanks to better nutrition in the past few days, she had regained some color and no longer looked sickly or thin.

Her brown hair was tied back, with only two loose strands hanging on her forehead, rising and falling with her slow breathing.

Perhaps because she was too exhausted from training, she slept very soundly and was completely unaware that the person next to her had already woken up.

At that age, she should probably be in high school, not going through all this awful mess... But escaping on her own is a blessing in disguise. If she had become a war slave, a few months would have been enough to destroy her appearance, personality, health, and cognition, and she would have had virtually no chance of returning to a normal life for the rest of her life.

...Not to mention that besides being war slaves, such girls have other, even more hellish destinations. Their bodies, their souls, their suffering will become delicacies on the plates of a select few, to be devoured bit by bit.

If Timo were still alive, if I hadn't been able to make up my mind to kill that guy that day, things definitely wouldn't be as smooth as they are now.

Forget it... I'm overthinking it, it's bad luck.

As long as the situation remains under our control, things should not and must not escalate to that point.

"My concentration has almost returned to normal."

Lyle carefully got up without disturbing those around him.

Instead, he quickly walked out of the hotel and stood alone on the deserted street, gazing at the clear and transparent world under the bright moonlight.

It's so peaceful...

Lyle took a deep breath and once again reached for the Desire Symbol in his arms.

As his concentration rapidly depleted, Lyle's vision suddenly became incredibly vast, as if the very desires of everyone in the town were laid bare before him.

However, he still had not found anyone who shared the same desires as him—that pale, heavy thread.

This worried him greatly, making him wonder if he exhibited unusual desires because of his own uniqueness.

Fortunately, this thing can actively conceal itself to avoid being too special and attracting attention.

But Lyle still couldn't figure out which desire this corresponded to.

Whenever Lyle touches it, his heart instantly becomes incredibly clear and delicate, as calm as a still mirror.

However, it won't have the same effect as the pink Desire Thread.

It’s weird.

"Um?"

Just then, Lyle turned his head and happened to see a thread of desire flowing rapidly in the distance at the training ground.

What happened?

Where is anyone?

Lyle focused his attention, put down the Desire Symbol in his hand, and instead slung his longsword over his shoulder and walked in that direction.

Incidentally, he also grasped the Fate Symbol.

The Fate Scepter can enhance prayers in the realm of the Goddess of Fate, and can also be used to strengthen intuition.

Lack of combat experience can be compensated for with cheats.

After all, sparring with Kevin allowed Lyle to quickly learn a combat strategy that relied on incomplete divination, which boosted his combat power several levels.

Carrying his sword, he stepped forward and began his investigation from a distance in the darkness.

But to his surprise, upon getting closer, he discovered it was Kevin Cissé.

He stood outside the brightly lit church, seemingly doing nothing.

Koven had a very strong battlefield instinct; he sensed the other party's arrival almost at the same time Lyle saw them.

"Ah, it's you... It's so late, why aren't you sleeping instead of being in a place like this?"

"Sorry, I couldn't sleep, I just came out for a walk." Lyle shrugged.

"And what are you doing?"

"Oh, this..."

Kevin glanced at the church behind him.

"Tomorrow will be the start of the hunting festival, and everything else is almost ready, but just to be on the safe side, I plan to consult Suenmozer first."

"Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration. It's really just about praying to the gods in advance for a good outcome."

Lyle nodded, indicating that he understood what the other person meant.

After a moment's thought, Ke Wen still kindly said:

"If you wish to have an audience with Suenmozer, now is actually a good time."

"Compared to the five main covenant deities, Suen Mozer is actually quite benevolent towards us believers and is not particularly strict about rituals and etiquette."

"As long as one is devout and brave in battle, everything else is secondary."

After studying the five main covenant deities for some time, Lyle now understands which ones are being referred to.

The Goddess of Fate, who established the covenant and determined the order.

The God of War, who governs hunting and the ceaseless movement and war.

Known for her wisdom and inspiration, she is the creator of the first human magic, the Goddess of Starshine.

History, the past, and the recorder of all things—the all-knowing one.

There is also the [Lord of the Dead] who has disappeared without a trace.

The covenant is a great agreement among the gods, based on the six orders established by the Creator God, to describe and stipulate how the world should function.

In addition to the five main deities, there are also member deities such as the god of love.

Lyle, carrying the holy seal and the scepter, is a favorite of the goddess of fate.

"Go in."

The two entered the church together. Thanks to Kevin's prior preparations, Lyle saw that the altar beneath the statue was piled high with sacrificial organs.

Whether it was psychological or not, Lyle felt as if he was being watched by a strange entity as soon as he entered the church.

"I've come to ask for your blessing; you can just watch from the sidelines."

After speaking, Kevin's expression became extremely serious. He did not remove his armor, or rather, the armor was the ideal priest's robe for the followers of Sunmozer.

"The flames of war burn eternally! The smoke of battle never ceases! Suenmozer! We honor you as our father!"

"Warm blood! Blazing fire! The sword of honor upon you!"

He was excited and focused, and drew the short sword that his attendant carried before the altar, holding it above his head.

"Grant me wrath! Grant me precision! Grant me speed!"

Immediately afterwards, with a flash of red light, the braziers and torches in the church burst into flames.

An undercurrent was stirring, and the sharp heat made Lyle feel somewhat uncomfortable.

This scene was far more dramatic than the gentle prayers of the goddess of fate.