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Chapter 17

When a fairly large knight stepped forward, the high priest seemed very small.

"Please do not obstruct the young master's path. If the young master dislikes something, it means he dislikes it,"

Devan said, revealing his loyalty like a faithful dog.

"You, who are you! This is the decree that will shake the Melian Empire! How dare you attempt to defy the will of the gods!"

The last words sounded like a scolding directed at me, not Devan. It seemed to have the same effect on Devan's ears. He spoke coldly,

"The young master saved my life, sacrificing himself in the process. So, from the moment I came back to life, he is my god. If you, Reverend, try to go against his will, I'll do my utmost to stop you."

I wasn't sure where or how this misunderstanding started, but it didn't matter. I quickly hid behind Devan. Devan placed his hand on his side where his sword was. He wouldn't really harm those old folks, right? Despite my concerns, there was a strange excitement as I somehow felt Devan might win. Suddenly, a warm hand reached out from behind and grabbed my arm.

"Now! Run!" It was Alan.

Without any hesitation, I grabbed Alan's hand and ran. The priests shouted something from behind, but Devan seemed to be blocking them.

Alan led me out through the rear gate of the temple. There, we caught a passing carriage. Only after the carriage door closed and the horses started running did Alan let go of my hand. Using his divine power on my hand, Alan asked

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

"No"

I replied, breathing heavily. Alan's usually neat hair was all messed up on his forehead. We waited a moment to catch our breath. I examined Alan's face, which was gradually calming down over time, and asked

"Why did you bring me out?"

Instead of answering immediately, Alan stared at me intently.

"...You said you didn't like it. That's the reason."

After saying so, Alan leaned back against the carriage seat. It was the first time I had seen him take such a relaxed posture since we met. I looked at him a bit surprised.

Alan chuckled softly. "Priests are accustomed to discipline. They are people who follow the word of God and restrain themselves. As a result, some...quite a number of priests tend to impose the same on others, using the name of God."

He seemed to wear a self-deprecating smile as he spoke, as if he couldn't believe his own words.

"They call me the god's favorite, but how can I be a favorite when I only find flaws in my fellow priests?"

Alan took off his glasses and covered his eyes with one hand, looking distressed. He wasn't regretting taking me out, but rather blaming himself for hating the priests. As I listened to him, I... couldn't believe it. You, the supposed god's favorite, masturbate in front of a sleeping person? Why would you feel so guilty instead of that! I wanted to expose him, shout at him, but I restrained myself, taking a deep breath. I had a gut feeling that revealing I was awake could lead to irreversible trouble.

Instead exposing what he had done, I pointed out another aspect. "First of all, them calling you the god's favorite is all mocking, isn't it? They are the ones begging for favors first, so naturally, they see flaws first. Shouldn't a god deliver divine punishment to bad guys, especially those who dare to defy?"

Alan removed his hand from his eye area. He looked surprised, his eyes wide open. It was a face that seemed to say he had never heard such irreverent talk before. "Honestly, what those bastards were trying to do to me earlier was all bullshit. I said I didn't like it, and they were trying to criticize me saying it's the will of the gods!"