After the greeting from the high-ranking priests, we entered the temple.
Come to think of it, I’ve never entered a temple other than the one in the Ashud Territory.
In the Axel Territory, I had been praying at the altar inside the Bayerlein mansion, and since there are statues of Deuro-sama scattered around, there was no need to go to a temple.
Now that I’ve reached level 200, I should offer my prayers to Deuro-sama’s statue.
“Lord Dardale, I would like to pray to Deuro-sama’s statue, please give me a moment.”
“Understood.”
The statue of Deuro-sama at the main temple also had its face and name erased. Even at the main temple… this is…
I made a mistake… If this is the case, the statue of Deuro-sama at the Axel Territory temple must also have its face and name erased.
The state of the statues of Deuro-sama within my area of influence is a result of my oversight. I absolutely must rectify this!
Deuro-sama, I’ve finally reached level 200.
I slowly knelt on my left knee, closed my eyes, and bowed my head. Then, I clasped my hands together.
I felt a sensation of floating, just like when I was level 100.
Then, there was complete darkness. It was the same as before.
[It’s been a while, my follower.]
It’s been a while! I’m happy to see you again.
[Thanks to Toma, more people have come to worship me. Well done.]
Y-yes!
[But it’s still not enough. Spread my name further.]
Of course! I’ll make sure to spread Deuro-sama’s name even more!
[That’s reassuring. I will give you some useful information, Toma.]
Yes, thank you very much.
[You know that items can be obtained from dungeons, right?]
Yes. I know.
[There are dungeons in the royal capital where you can obtain useful items.]
I’ve heard there are several dungeons in the royal capital.
[You should go to the Arirakk Dungeon.]
Useful items are in the Arirakk Dungeon… What kind of items are they?
[You will know once you obtain them. However, don’t think they will be easy to get. Go prepared.]
Understood. I will go to the Arirakk Dungeon and search for the items.
[Once you have obtained the items, call for me.]
Yes! I will find the items and come to meet Deuro-sama!
[I’m looking forward to it, Toma.]
I returned from the world of darkness and looked up at the statue of Deuro-sama in the temple.
The statue of Deuro-sama now had its face restored, and I could read the name on the pedestal.
“Oh, a miracle from the gods!”
“God!”
When I turned around, Lord Dardale and the priests were kneeling with tears in their eyes.
“Toma…”
Grandfather’s voice was hoarse.
“Is this a miracle from the gods?”
“Deuro-sama has shown me the path I should take.”
“The path you should take, you say?”
“He told me to search for items in the Arirakk Dungeon.”
“What kind of items?”
“I don’t know. But he said I would understand once I found them.”
“I see…”
Grandfather fell silent, resting his hand on his chin.
On the priests’ side, too many were desperately praying or sobbing uncontrollably.
Since it seemed like things would not calm down, I decided to speak to Lord Dardale.
“I apologize. It seems they won’t be able to move for a while, so I’ll take you to the room first.”
Only a few priests followed Lord Dardale. Everyone else remained in front of Deuro-sama’s statue.
Since it was just a matter of taking me to a room, only Lord Dardale was needed.
“However, that was surprising. When the statue of the god shone, I almost couldn’t stand.”
It seems Ben kneeled, overwhelmed by Deuro-sama’s divine power.
“My heart feels so warm now. That must be the warmth of the gods.”
Deuro-sama is such a kind god!
I leaned back on the couch in the room.
I’d been riding horses for quite a long time today, so my inner thighs were sore.
As I relaxed while chatting with my grandfather, Lord Dardale came in.
“The preparations for your audience with His Holiness the Pope have been completed.”
“You’re not thinking of making our Toma stand beneath the Pope, are you?”
“Of course not.”
“By the way, what position does an apostle hold in relation to the temple?”
“An apostle is on the same level as a hero or a saint.”
I heard that only people summoned from other worlds can become heroes or saints.
Some of my former classmates were heroes or saints.
If I remember correctly, Awa Inuo , who was the Dark Hero, had an A rank; Yuta Sagami, who was the Hero of Holy Light, had an S+ rank; and Mirei Katsura, the Saint of Compassion, had an S rank.
Deuro-sama had said that many of my former classmates would become enemies.
I need to get stronger before that happens. I will never let them oppress me again.
The audience with the Pope took place around a round table.
The round table had no higher or lower positions, as that was its meaning.
The hero, the saint, and the apostle were considered, in a sense, to be above the Pope, so even the Pope would treat them with respect.
The Pope was a 77-year-old man. His name was Paul XVIII, and he wore a Gelzi hat, which is a type of hat for clergy, and had kind, blue eyes.
He smiled throughout the meeting and expressed his gratitude for our visit.
“The freedom of action for the apostle will be guaranteed in the name of the Pope. Please, show the will of the gods to all the people.”
“Thank you. I would like to begin by addressing the strange illness that Lord Dardale asked about.”
The Pope smiled gently and nodded.
