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

"Why did you run away?"

Arthur frowned, about to go up and lift the bushes to investigate more closely.

"There's no need to go."

Lyle stopped him, the gold coin in his hand tumbling.

He could tell that the other party was worried that he and his group had ulterior motives, so they were looking for an excuse to leave.

It's okay, just knowing that the town is nearby is enough.

The rest can be left to fate to guide you.

"Let's go, let's continue."

After reassessing their direction, Lyle and his group returned to the main road and set off again.

The carts, converted from prison vans, could not travel through the dense forest.

Lyle and his companions took a detour and found their way to Reed City from the main road.

According to the map stolen from the soldiers, Reed City should be located in this area.

However, since the main road is completely destroyed, and people are taking side roads in this situation, this map, which was drawn at an unknown time, may contain errors.

That's why I investigated the surrounding area and happened to run into that girl.

"Many years ago, when the Holy Bern Empire was still quite powerful, even in remote places like this, the roads were still maintained by dedicated personnel."

Arthur couldn't help but feel a little sentimental. For traveling merchants like them, the changes in history inevitably brought a sense of sadness.

However, Lyle had no intention of listening to his grumbling and simply walked forward.

"...Wait for me."

The road they found turned a corner, and where they thought there was no road, a brick and stone road appeared. Then, after a period of unexpected prosperity, a huge city wall appeared at the end of their sight.

"Is this Reed City?"

Now it was Lyle's turn to be surprised. It was supposed to be a town, but looking at the appearance of the city-state, the patrolling soldiers and the guards, it didn't look like a town at all.

At this point, the well-informed Arthur took over the conversation.

"Ahem... Reed City is said to be a city that has worshipped Suenmozer since ancient times, and thus received divine blessings. Children born here are born with the talent of warriors."

"These city walls are remnants of an ancient era, an old-fashioned war fortress. Of course, they have now been abandoned and used as residences by the city's inhabitants. Later, as they gradually developed to a certain size, they were renamed Reed City."

"Soomozer?"

Lyle heard a new and interesting word and was quite curious.

Arthur cleared his throat.

"Shunmozer is the god of war, strife, hunting and eternal movement, a deity who focuses on the realms of war, hunting, killing and combat skills."

"According to the Covenant Church, when the Fates forged the Covenant, Suemozer was also one of the Covenant Gods, participating in the shaping of the sacred oath describing the workings of the world..."

Lyle had a sudden thought.

So, in this sense, I, the chosen one of the goddess of fate, am visiting my neighbor?

No, or perhaps "colleague" would be a more appropriate term.

Thinking of this, he turned to look at the city gate.

Outside Reed City, there is a swamp full of reeds, except that a circular open area has been cleared out on the side closest to the city wall.

A stone arch bridge spans the swamp and connects to the city gate.

Lyle and his group were quickly stopped as they approached.

However, when Lyle presented his scepter as a priest of the Covenant Church, the guards' attitude quickly improved, becoming humble and friendly, and they immediately opened the city gates to let Lyle and his companions walk directly into the city.

The noble status and position of a covenant priest are quite advantageous.

If I were just an ordinary poor person, I don't know how many difficulties I would face.

However, compared to Timothy, who was actually a heretic, Lyle was significantly weaker.

Goddess bless...

"Praise beauties, goddess."

Lyle and his party, under the strange gaze of the guards, led some people wearing chainmail and carrying strange weapons through the city gate.

The buildings in Reed City are mainly brick and stone structures left over from the fortress, with occasional newly added wooden houses visible along the roadside.

You can feel the warrior atmosphere here; it seems that every family hangs weapons—swords, axes, and halberds—at their door, which is quite conspicuous.

Moreover, it's quite large in scale; entering this city feels like returning to human society, with its noisy streets and hawkers—

It finally started to feel a little human.

Upon arriving at the human settlement, Lyle clearly sensed that the mood of the slaves behind him had improved considerably.

"Arthur, go and find out where there is an inn for us to stay. Here is the deposit."

"Also, this money is for severance pay if anyone is planning to leave."

Lyle reached into the pouch he had taken from the soldier and handed Arthur a handful of coins of varying amounts, some copper and some silver.

Arthur was quite surprised by the second half of what he said.

"All right."

He didn't ask any further questions.

After he left, Lyle turned and looked at the structure that resembled a church at the end of his field of vision.

If you're unfamiliar with the place and want to ask questions, the best way is to go to a church. After all, they're all from the same covenant, so they're like colleagues and can help you out.

As Lyle walked over, a middle-aged man in heavy armor stood at the church entrance.

He had disheveled hair but looked quite spirited, leaning on a heavy sword as he looked at the newcomer.

"Who are you people?"

Lyle took out the Holy Covenant Church, the symbol of the Fates, and bowed.

"Ryle Procent, a follower of the Goddess of Fate and a priest of the Covenant, has come to pay homage to the Holy Church of War, having heard of it here..."

"To pay homage to the god of war?"

The heavily armored knight seemed to have heard something extraordinary and laughed heartily.

"Hahaha...No need for such solemnity. We venerate Suenmozer as the god of war, but he is not so high and mighty and untouchable."

"My name is Covin Cissé, the... priest here, or, according to the Suenmozer followers, the Knight of the Temple."

"Nice to meet you."

He reached out and shook Lyle's hand firmly.

Lyle's face remained expressionless, but he felt a slight pain in his right hand.

That's some serious strength...

Cowen led Lyle into the church, which looked completely different from the one Timo had been in.

If the Church of the Covenant demands holiness and solemnity, then the Church of War has a more rugged military style.

Instead of the usual rows of chairs, there are six fully armed soldier sculptures on both sides.

At the end of the road stands the statue of Suenmozer, a statue of a valiant warrior gazing into the distance, wielding his sword to slay the giant serpent.

Lyle was about to bow according to the knowledge in his mind, but was stopped by Kevin.

"It's not the right time yet."

"According to our tradition, we only pay our respects to Suenmozer during celebrations. You are being far too hasty."

"Furthermore... our lord has left this city for other places, traveler, you may have arrived a little late—"

"But it will only be in the next few days."

There are actually such regulations?

This puzzled Lyle, but upon closer inspection, it seemed quite reasonable.

Although the covenant gods are of the same cause, they treat their respective believers differently.

However, this was now somewhat of a hindrance for Lyle. He had wanted to see what kind of feedback he would receive if he, who possessed the Book of Prayer of the Nameless, visited Suenmozer.

However, it's not appropriate to go against their traditions right now.

"Alright, my people and I might stay here for a while during this period."

"Perhaps we can wait for your so-called celebration."

Lyle didn't necessarily want to stop here, but his companions were too weak and had suffered a lot along the way.

Nowadays, many people are seriously ill and can only rest in this town.

However, it was his own idea to pay homage to Suenmozer, the god of war and the god of hunting.

He hoped to study his extraordinary powers more thoroughly in order to figure out why he had traveled to another world and whether it was possible to return home... The easiest way would be to directly pay homage to the gods.

After all, there was already a precedent set by the goddess of fate.

"Um."

After saying that, Ke Wen fell silent.

For a moment, the air fell silent.

Lyle touched his nose, intending to ask about some of the traditions of Suenmoser.

But just then, a clear and melodious voice came from the side.

"Teacher Ke Wen!!!"

Immediately afterwards, a girl wearing a red hood rushed in through the main entrance of the church like a gust of wind.

She carried a bamboo basket, pressed her hand to her chest, and spoke at an extremely fast pace:

"Teacher Ke Wen, look how many Dea fruits I picked today! I guess I've already completed my task. I must tell my older sister when she comes back from hunting—"

However, before he could finish speaking, he suddenly saw a familiar yet unfamiliar face next to his teacher, Ke Wen.

Her smile froze on her face.

"Wow! It's you! That weirdo from the woods!"