As much as I hated the exploratory nature of the system, even I had to admit that it had a solution for everything I needed.

In other words, as long as I could pay the price, nothing seemed to be out of reach.

[Warning! An unknown variable tried to connect with the user.]

[Solution: Blocked]

[Warning! An unknown variable tried to connect with the user.]

[Solution: Blocked]

I felt my head hurt once more as these messages filled the screen until I finally snapped and was forced to make my decision.

"Fine, I will buy that darn protection pact, alright? Otherwise, I feel like my head would hurt all the time because of these messages."

I sighed in frustration as I watched five of my faith points evaporate into thin air. But at least now I had protection… well, sort of.

The ringing of my phone also stopped, and I finally headed toward the clearing where the kids were. But for some reason, the forest felt different today compared to yesterday.

The air felt a little gloomy and dense today. Even Fenrir felt the tense air and stopped short. He let out a growl as he looked at the empty space in front of us.

"Master, be ready. It's not safe in here."

Fenrir warned me, and I instantly took out my staff that had the stun gun.

Once again, I lamented the fact that I could not buy a proper gun to protect myself, but that was the last of my worries at the moment as a man dressed in the same shade of green as our surroundings jumped out.

He watched me with wide eyes before his gaze narrowed as he registered my presence.

The man rushed toward me, causing Fenrir to rush at him and bite him.

That bite caused the man to cry out in pain, and he shook his leg to make Fenrir let go. But Fenrir held on strong.

I decided to help Fenrir as well, and I kept my staff's setting to stun as I swung it back to bring it forward. But as soon as I swung it back, I felt it collide with someone, and then a cry of pain as two bodies collapsed behind me.

"Fenrir, let go now."

Before I looked back, I decided to take care of the problem in front of me and warned the pup to let go.

My staff was set to medium, and it knocked the man who attacked us out cold.

At the current moment, I had three knocked-out bodies around me and a dangerous forest. My instincts told me that I should run and head back.

'W-What just happened? It is supposed to be a sacred area, right? Then why are there people here and out to kill me as well?'

I felt tired already, and it had not even been that long since I stepped in here.

"Fucking hell—! Just what kind of mess am I putting myself into?"

I asked myself, but I had no answer to give. Fenrir came toward me as well, his face bloodied, and I immediately took out some water to wash it off.

While I did this, I felt another presence heading my way, and I tensed and gripped my staff hard. But this time, it was not an opponent—it was the griffin guardian.

He had the three kids on his back, and the kids looked shocked and traumatized, which made me believe that I was not the only one being attacked.

Heck, maybe I was not even the intended target of this attack and had just gotten in the way somehow.

"Shopkeeper, are you alright? I sensed your presence and came here as soon as I could to help you out. But now that I see that it was unnecessary. I apologize for not recognizing your brilliance. This won't happen next time."

The griffin promised, and I felt my heart skip a beat.

'What does he mean by that? Does this mean I won't be attacked a second time? Or he won't come to help me a second time? Don't say that—! What if I face something beyond what I can handle?'

I felt my heart skip a beat in fear, and I subtly decided to try and tell the other party that I could need help in the future and not to abandon me.

"No, it's good that you came to me. Things could have become seriously dangerous had something gone differently. What about you? You look like you had a rough time as well."

I asked as I finally took a proper look at the griffin. His feathers looked ruffled, and he looked agitated. It was clear that he had been attacked as well.

But we were in the sacred dome where the griffin was considered the guardian sent down by the goddess. What kind of idiot would want to try and take him on? It would be akin to signing their own death wish.

"M-Mister Shopkeeper, do you know what's going on? Who are these people, and why is our guardian so spooked?"

The leader of the three kids, Eon, asked me as he pushed his head up.

He likely trusted me because their guardian had not attacked me, and I quickly turned my attention to the kids.

All three of them looked spooked, and they were shaking as well. They had gone through too much in their short time.

I debated whether to tell them the truth or not, but in the end, I decided that they were too young to understand the nuances of the world and factions.

"Don't worry. These bad guys are beaten, so they won't harm you—"

"But there could be more, right? I heard the guards talking that… people might want to get rid of us because of our powers and connections to the goddess. Did they manage to sneak in due to the ceremony?"

Eon asked, his big eyes looking at me with worry and acceptance.

This kid was far too smart for his own good, and I was suddenly in an awkward position.

'Is this what people feel when kids ask them where babies come from? God, this is so awkward.'

Not only did the kids seem to know what was going on, but they also seemed to have an idea about their fate. The worry was there on their faces.

At that moment, I wished that these kids could understand their guardian as well so that he could explain things to them.

But that was not something I was willing to spend my faith points on, even if I could see the new message on the system screen…

"You can tell them what's happening, Shopkeeper. These kids are much more mature than you think. I'm sure they'll understand anything you tell them."

The griffin was their guardian, and he told me to inform the kids of their fate and the prophecy.

I expected them to act up, but all three of them looked calm and understanding. They already seemed to know what I told them.

Their expressions looked hopeless, almost as if they were resigning themselves to the fact that only one of them would survive—and that was where I needed to give them hope.

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