Everyone was suspicious of me. They were trying not to make it obvious, but their staring was getting to me.

"Please, ignore these kids since they do not know any better and are extremely loyal to the temple. I will reassure them that you are an ally, shopkeeper. Ah, would you like some tea?"

Cardinal Joshua asked as he poured me a cup of tea and handed it over to me.

He might have asked me whether I wanted tea or not, but his actions were too forceful for it to be an invite. It was a given that I had to take the offered tea and drink it.

Under such circumstances, how could I turn down that offer of tea? The only thing I could do was grab the offered cup and take a small sip for the sake of politeness and keeping my head intact.

[Your resistance has made you immune to effects of other faith.]

The message popped on my phone screen as soon as I drank the tea, and I forced myself to swallow it.

Cardinal Joshua relaxed as he watched the tea go down, and he clasped his hands together to give me a searching look.

"So, you somehow wandered too close to our sacred chambers, shopkeeper. Was there anything you needed from that place? If so, then you can tell me and I will help you out. After all, we are on the 'same side,' right?"

The Cardinal threatened me in a low voice when he asked this question. I felt my body stiffen before I forced a smile on my face.

"Hmm, that's right. We are on the same side, Cardinal. I also apologize for getting too close to your sacred chambers. I was not aware that I accidentally wandered off into such an important area."

I did not bother saying that it wouldn't happen again, because it was going to darn well happen again.

To take care of this mess, I needed to talk to Goddess Helia again. And to do that, I needed to get to her chambers.

But the question was—how to do that.

"I see. So it was a coincidence that our guards ended up finding you in that chamber? I thought so. Please don't worry too much. I will tell my guards what happened so they won't annoy you anymore."

The Cardinal assured me, and I quickly finished the tea. Each sip felt bitter against my tongue, and I stood up as soon as I finished.

"I shall take my leave now. I am sure you have a lot to prepare for as well."

I reminded the Cardinal, and he did not stop me.

He just chuckled as he watched me leave.

"You are right. I do have a lot of work to be done. Feel free to drop by when you can, shopkeeper. I will keep you company and lend you my ear, no matter what."

The Cardinal assured me, and I quickly made my way back.

Fenrir followed my steps, his demeanor uncharacteristically mature and quiet. But it did not take long for the pup to open his mouth and speak as well.

"Master, that man… feels off. There is a weird… smell covering his own."

Fenrir told me, and I felt my head ache.

"It's fine, Fenrir. We are not here to help that man or this place. As soon as we fulfill our condition to carry out our part of the deal, we are out of here."

Getting those kids out was all I needed to do. There was no need for me to get involved in this mess any further.

For now, I needed to find a way to get to the goddess's chambers.

As I walked through the corridors, I noticed that it had gotten even quieter around me. The hallways felt… intimidating all of a sudden, and they were so quiet that even my footsteps echoed around.

'Where did all the guards go? Just… where am I?'

I asked as I looked around. But there was no one there. All I felt was a chilling quietness that threatened to swallow me.

[There is no need for you to think. Whatever you want—just tell me. Accept me in your heart and you shall get what you want… ahhh, it burns. W-What did you do—?]

The voice asked as it cried out in pain. The air around me tensed as well, and the pressure started to press down on me from all sides.

[Warning: An unauthorized entity is trying to exert influence. Countermeasures will be taken against this.]

The system warned me as it pushed the pressure away.

The more the system pushed back, the calmer I felt as I pushed myself back to my feet. I could breathe clearly once more.

And just like that, the voice trying to exert its influence over me retreated, and the fog pulled back from around me as well.

The dark corridor became normally lit once more.

"M-Master, I'm… going to sleep… I'm too tired…"

Fenrir told me as he closed his eyes. I had to pick up the pup and keep moving through the corridor.

I had no idea whether it was that fog or my luck, but there was no guard near the goddess's chambers this time.

My body crossed the threshold, but the message that I was in range did not appear until I stood right in front of Goddess Helia's room and pushed the door open.

The chamber was as light and beautiful as before. The moonlight lit the chamber up, and I walked to the altar.

And then, the message popped up on my phone.

[You are back? So, were you able to help those kids?]

The goddess asked, and I quickly replied.

[Not yet. There are some… complications. Are you aware of what is going on in your temple?]

I asked the goddess, and her reply came a little late.

[Of course not. Do you know how much power I have to use in order to fulfill my condition as a goddess? I have no time for mortal conflict. As for my people… just what could threaten them when they are under my authority?]

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