Chapter 131. A brief reunion

"Are you alright?"

[Yes. You did well; the demon is truly banished. I'm impressed you were able to copy the ritual so quickly. It took me ages to master.](Sister Octavia)

Smiling, the Necromancer kept quiet and looked at the extra in the room. 

'Hopefully, this bastard doesn't give me a reason to show him how real heretical magic is performed. I'd 'hate' to see him disappear.'

[Sister Octavia, it's good that you are fine! But these people have engaged in blasphemy of the highest sort! Lying! Stealing holy implements! Brutalizing a priest of the Cathedral!](Matvey)

Seeing the nasty glare the priest was giving Petr, Michael did his best not to chuckle.

On the other hand, watching Sister's eyebrows raise higher, he knew the problem was solved already.

After all, Matvey was a coward.

[They will burn on the pyre before the day is out! How could you be so rash? When the Reverend Mother -- ](Matvey)

[Oh? And what will you tell Prava? That you allowed a commoner to so easily deceive her holy representative? That you abandoned your flock in Margrave and left them with no guidance from the Light? Or that you keep burning people on the pyre without her decree? If I am to be tied to that horrific pyre, then you shall be there with me.](Sister Octavia)

[*Sigh* No... I...](Matvey)

Seeing how everyone was looking at him, the priest got embarrassed and decided it was time to get out.

[I suppose I have been away from Margrave overlong. I should return immediately. But, Sister Octavia, please take better care of yourself. The Cathedral is stronger with you on your feet than in a sick bed.](Matvey)

The man ran out of the room at full speed, drawing laughter from the other four remaining in the cellar.

[My friend, give me a moment, and I will meet you outside. You deserve a proper thanks.](Sister Octavia)

"Take your time. You two, see you around. Take care of yourselves."

Waving goodbye, Michael left. Seconds later, he could hear the Sister's voice, kindly conversing with the remaining duo.

[And thank you Petr, Kvera. I know it wasn't easy for faithful folk like you to do what you did for me.](Sister Octavia)

[Sister, say no more! You saved my boy. There was no choice to make.](Petr)

[Mhm. If we did not do everything we could to save you, how could we call ourselves followers of the Light?](Kvera)

Hearing those words gave Michael pause. He stopped listening, but not because he wanted to become a better person, mostly because he was distracted.

'Religion... If used properly, as in the case of Buddhism, it can elevate the social, emotional, and intellectual level of consciousness people have. If used wrongly, it can enslave countries and incite endless violence. It seems that I truly need to set up some safety nets. Luckily, with the trio of bigshots back, it would make things easier for me.'

His musings were cut short upon hearing footsteps coming from the cellar. Seeing the woman with rosier cheeks and not limping anymore, he smiled in relief.

"Glad to see you're alright."

[Yes, I can already feel warmth returning. Thank you, my friend. I put a great deal of weight upon your shoulders. Asked you to lie for me, to put yourself in grave danger.](Sister Octavia)

"You're exaggerating. You know already that I know both Prava and Helen. There's nothing someone like Matvey can do to touch me. I'm glad things worked out, though. Wouldn't want good people such as Kvera and Petr to suffer."

[That's not true. If you had rejected me, I couldn't say I'd blame you. But you didn't. You saved me and, in so doing, saved countless others I can still help.](Sister Octavia)

"And that's exactly the reason why I did it. If you're gone, plenty more will suffer. It's better to have you around. What about Matvey? Aren't you worried he will cause trouble?"

[Heh, no. He will keep what he's seen to himself. Hopefully, I can teach the rest of the clergy to have a bit more faith in the members of their congregation. Here! I want you to have this. It's not much, really, but I hope it brings you some measure of good fortune. Thank you again! You will always have a friend in the Cathedral for as long as I'm alive.]

Saying his goodbyes, he took Sister Octavia's Prayer Book with him. The item turned out to be a Rare offhand one.

It wasn't particularly helpful to him, but... who knows when he might need to exorcise someone again. It was better to have it with him.

[ Quest complete - Faith in Blood

Reward 1: 18,686 experience points.

Reward 2: 2,040 gold coins.

Reward 3: Sister Octavia's Prayer Book (Rare Offhand). ]

[ Sister Ocavia's Prayer Book

Rare Focus

413 Item Power

-----------------

277 Damage per Second (+85 Damage per Second when compared with the currently equipped item)

* [185 - 277] Damage per Hit

* 1.20 Attacks per Second

* +3.50% Cooldown Reduction

------------------

* +3.0% Crowd Control Duration

*Lucky Hit: Up to a 5% Chance to Restore +4.5% Primary Resource

*+11.0% Cold Resistance

Description: A well-loved book of litanies, prayers, and psalms. Certain words are underlined, perhaps due to a deeply personal significance to those passages. The soft leather cover is strangely cold to the touch. ]

With this, Michael understood why she was able to hold on.

Smiling, he headed toward his original destination, the Inn. 

'Well... I did my one good deed per day, but I'm exhausted. I'll deal with Zalan Coste tomorrow. I'm positive he'll hand me over another Quest once I give this to him. My experience bar exploded as well... 131,025/144,300. I should level up soon.'

Thinking of the extra skill point he had at the moment, he decided to leave it be for now. 

It was better to have some reserves in case something went wrong during the Main Quests. 

Reaching the Sleepy Peaks, he saw some children peeking inside from behind the doors. The boisterous atmosphere told him that the trio successfully returned.

Walking past the kids after placing a gold coin in each of their hands and sending them away, Michael entered the building. 

'It would be bad if they heard stories and repeat the tragedy Aylin and Mina went through. Still... seeing those two again feels pretty good.'

[Tsk! This brat is still alive, it seems.](Martel)

"Good to see you as well."

[Got snarkier also. Seems like more training is in order.](Martel)

[Maybe tomorrow. I saw you running from the Waypoint. Was everything handled?](Hoduin)

"Mhm. Fortunately, everything ended without problems."

[Good. If Matvey gives you grief, let me know. I have a couple of secrets of his I can tell you. If you pay enough, of course.](Martel)

Seeing the duo acting as if they parted ways just yesterday, Michael laughed alongside the others who heard Martel threatening a Priest of the church. 

'To them, it was just another 'short' adventure in the world they're living in. For me, on the other hand, it feels as if years have passed since I've last seen them. I've been through so much shit since leaving the outpost that I almost can't believe it.'

[I've heard you've been working hard. Good job saving those people!](Hoduin)

[Mhm. Also, good job staying alive, brat! I know it wasn't easy.](Martel)

The two veterans could see just how much the kid in front of them changed over such a short period.

That's not something that occurs naturally. They knew he must've endured many hardships to get to this point.

Furthermore, Raskya told them stories of what the brat had been doing, and they were both amazed. Quest after Quest, World Events, even a Stronghold captured recently, though with Helen's help.

[Do you see that, you damn brats!? Stop being lazy and put your bones into it! Starting tomorrow, I'll begin to train those that want to. We'll be using the Training Grounds Dungeon.](Martel)

[Huh? When did you get their approval for it?](Hoduin)

[*Snort* As I need that. All those bastards guarding it have been personally trained by me. Do you think I won't bash their heads if they dare say something!?](Martel)

The atmosphere got even more boisterous after those words. It was obvious that Martel and Hoduin were well respected. After Hoduin also agreed to help, more than half of the Wanderers left the Inn in a hurry.

Confused, Michael looked at Hoduin for an explanation.

[The Training Grounds is a special Dungeon. Since Inarius created it through Sanctuary's help, it has no restrictions on the limit of people entering at once. That means we can train multiple people without worrying about damaging the surroundings.](Hoduin)

[I'd ask you to come, brat, but it looks like you don't need that anymore. You're already walking your own path. That's good. Did you already finish your first Class Awakening?](Martel)

"Mhm. I'd put both your gifts to shame if I didn't. Thank you. Only after reaching Kyovashad, I realized how important they are."

[Just trinkets. They are garbage occupying space in our inventories without someone to make the most of them.](Martel)

[That's true. You should hurry up and meet with Miss Aylin. She said she'd be waiting at the house. Apparently, she needs an explanation from you.](Hoduin)

"Explanation?"

[Keke! You stole her sister. I'm impressed, brat! But! What did you expect? You better have some aces up your sleeves, kid. Otherwise, you might need a long period of rest. Very long!](Martel)

"Uhm... it should be fine. Anyway, I'll come back to discuss more things with you two. I have some plans that require your help."

[The business type?](Hoduin)

"Mhm."

[We'll be waiting.](Martel)

Rolling his eyes at the two moneygrubbers, Michael left for the Pink Palance while mentally reviewing ten dessert recipes and about twenty other exotic dishes. 

Dowry must be paid unless he wants to be beaten into a coma.

[Hmpf! Finally, here.](Aylin)

Seeing the gorgeous woman, Michael couldn't help but lament. She had such beautiful red hair and a flawless face. But she was a true washboard! As flat as the plains! 

Sneaking a peek at Helen's assets, he almost shook his head. God was not fair at all!

"Good to see you again, Miss Aylin."

[I heard that you took good care of my sisters. Especially Helen.](Aylin)

[Until early in the morning...](Tia)

Hearing the quip from the little imp, Michael almost choked on his saliva. Thankfully, Mina stepped in to save him by force-feeding the little girl.

[Ehm... right. Anyway, thank you for helping them. There aren't that many people in Kyovashad we can trust. Since most of them lust after our bodies.](Aylin)

[Though, he also did the same...](Mia)

Nervously sweating, he immediately thought to change the subject, seeing the confused redhead. 

It looks like she was one of those everlasting virgins.

"They took care of me more than I did them. So, it's me who should be thankful. You seem to enjoy the dishes and the drinks. What do you think?"

[These? Delicious! Smoothies, I think they were called? They would be welcomed in our restaurants.](Aylin)

"Hmm? Did you figure it out already?"

[The terrain and buildings were already bought. All that's left is finding some decent cooks. But it seems you planned ahead for that, didn't you?](Aylin)

"Mhm. I've realized only recently, but the girls cooking your meals should be more than capable at this point. If you train them a bit more, you shouldn't have to search far and wide for capable chefs."

The conversation continued for a while longer, with Aylin confirming a total of twelve restaurants being open in different cities across the continent. 

Wiping the cold sweat off his brows, he couldn't help but compliment this wealthy heiress for her courage. If all failed... well, it wasn't that big of a deal. She had enough money saved up to try again.

[Anyway, what's with the smell of demonic miasma on you? The girls said you'd go to Margrave to hand a Quest and then go to the Cathedral for another.](Aylin)

Hearing the question, all the other girls looked over curiously. They knew that with Preferential Treatment from the Sanctuary, he would certainly encounter some problems.

And usually, his stories were very fun to listen to.

After explaining everything he went through in the past three or four hours, the girls couldn't help but feel shocked.

[Tsk! You're really having fun, don't you? Leaving the exorcisms aside, Kor Valar, huh? Ever been there before?](Aylin)

"No. It's too far, and after heading to Nevesk, I lost my horse to a pack of wolves. I was thinking of buying one from the stables tomorrow. It's too far away to make it on foot."

[Oh? Too bad for that horsie. She was a beauty. Smart too. But, to think you reached 100,000 gold coins this fast. You've been working hard.](Aylin)

"Not like I had much choice in the matter..."

[So I've heard. Tell me everything. The girls didn't want to, so you need to tell me all the details.](Aylin)

"Hmm... how about we prepare a proper feast and invite Hoduin and Martel also? That way, I won't have to repeat everything to them at a later date."

[New dishes?](Aylin)

"Now that you're here, sure. I've been wanting to try some new recipes, but I don't have your ingredients. Let's go to the kitchen."

[Sure, sure!](Aylin)

Watching the duo ditch the rest of the group, the sisters looked at each other in befuddlement. They were worried Aylin might act up since she was overprotective of her sisters.

But as it turns out, they should be more worried about Michael seducing yet another one of the 'executives' in their group. 

[*Sigh* Send someone to call over Martel and Hoduin. Looks like we'll enjoy ourselves today.](Helen)