Vol.1 Chapter 2: Makoto Takatsuki Meets a Goddess

Chapter 2: Makoto Takatsuki Meets a Goddess

It'd been a year to the day since I'd first arrived at the Water Temple. In other words, today was the day I'd be leaving it.

Not by choice, I couldn't help but think.

"Take care of yourself, Makoto," said my elderly magic teacher as she saw me off. "Your magic couldn't defeat even a tiny monster, after all."

My teacher seemed worried. After a whole year of training in my job as a mage, I was still at the apprentice level. So in the end, I still

hadn't become a proper mage. Sigh...

"Don't worry," I assured her. "I'll use my Flee skill from my Thief

training if it comes down to it." "Good idea. You mustn't fight."

It was rare for apprentice mages to travel alone. And by rare, I mean "never."

Someone with a support role would get done in by monsters in a heartbeat if they traveled alone. They'd normally form parties with people who filled frontline roles, like warriors or fighters.

I'd been told over and over that I should join any party that'd take me, but I'd staunchly refused. After all, talking with strangers is tiring. And wouldn't an apprentice mage wind up being the butt of every joke? Might as well go solo.

"You know, we could probably get you a position working at the temple..."

Yes, Teacher, I thought, I've heard that one plenty of times too.

"If I do, my lifespan will run out in nine years," I said. "I have to work hard to give the goddess reverence points to extend it."

"Being an otherworlder must be hard..." she replied. "Well then, I'll be off."

We said our goodbyes. My teacher looked a bit sad as she smiled.

She was a nice lady. No matter how useless a student I'd been, she had made sure that I'd kept up with lessons and she'd never given up on me. Even after I'd walked a little ways away from the temple, I looked back to find her still watching me.

I gave her a big wave. But I didn't turn around again—I was on my own now.

Good luck, me.

My path started out pretty peacefully. I heard some birds chirping from the forest every now and then, and the sound put my heart at ease. The creek that trailed along the side of the highway flowed from the spring in the Forest of Elementals behind the Water Temple. The water contained the blessing of the elementals, which I'd been told made it hard for monsters to approach. This kept the area along the river pretty safe, so roads and towns were built nearby.

The town closest to the Water Temple was called Macallan and was located on the shore of a lake. It was otherwise known as the City of Water.

That was my first stop. My friend Fujiyan was supposed to be there. Was he doing all right? That took me down memory lane as I sauntered along.

I had my Scout and Stealth skills active the whole time to make sure I wouldn't meet or be noticed by any monsters. My Scout skill's range

was a radius of about a hundred meters. Incidentally, Kawamoto, my classmate who had the Sage skill, could Scout over a radius of around five kilometers. Fifty times further out than mine.

Life isn't fair...

Still, my Scout skill was good enough to at least detect any monsters in the forest along the river. I proceeded down the highway with caution as I kept my skill active.

Or, at least, I had caution at first...but all I found as I continued walking was the peaceful scenery of a country road. Kinda dull. I got sick of looking at the endless forest, highway, and creek. And the town was still a long ways away.

Maybe I could...do some training?

I decided to do the same exercises that I did every day at the temple to raise my water magic mastery. I relaxed my mind and concentrated my mana.

"Water Magic: Waterball, gather seven," I whispered.

With that, I made a waterball that was about as large as a volleyball using the water in the creek. I didn't have nearly enough mana to generate seven waterballs at once; I'd run out in an instant if I tried. But you barely needed any mana to control water that already existed nearby—that came down to the level of one's mastery when casting the spell. They said you could control matter using the mana floating within this world's atmosphere.

The more a user practiced their magic, the higher their mastery would rise. Skills could also grow stronger with higher masteries. High-level masteries meant generating quicker and controlling better, so there was no downside to raising them as high as possible.

That was why I'd never skipped a day of training this past year. My teacher had even given me the seal of approval, saying that my

mastery of water magic was above an advanced level...even if said magic's strength was still low rank.

Which is kind of a fatal flaw... Hm?

My thoughts were interrupted as my Scout skill picked up something. It was in the forest, just a little ways off the road.

Was a human being attacked by monsters? I kept my Stealth skill active as I quietly approached. Within the forest, I found a horse- drawn carriage surrounded by a group of goblins. A man who seemed to be a merchant was stuck in the center and attempting to fend them off with a sword. There were about ten goblins there, so the merchant was clearly at a disadvantage.

Hmm... Should I help him, or should I keep hiding? If this were a game, I'd come to the rescue without a second thought. Goblin- slaying missions were practically tutorials.

If I were the main character, anyway...

Unfortunately, the fantasy world I'd found myself in was a dog-eat- dog one. If you died, there was no coming back.

If I hadn't mentioned it by now, this world had no video game

mechanics that brought people back to life. People didn't wake up at the last inn they'd visited with half their money gone. Death was the curtain call; your life was over. And I was an apprentice mage of the weakest element of them all: water magic.

"This is rough... I mean, my teacher did say to run if I found any monsters..."

On the other hand, well, just look. Someone was being attacked by monsters right before my eyes. I couldn't live with myself if I let him die. Although it'd defeat the purpose if I died too...

Hmm... What should I do...

I went back and forth... Meanwhile, the goblins were creeping ever closer to the merchant.

Suddenly, a selection screen—like one you'd see in a video game— popped up before my eyes.

Do you wish to save the merchant? Yes

No

"Huh?"

What was I looking at? I'd never seen this before. Was this the effect of my RPG Player skill? Wait, was this really what that skill did? Was I supposed to pick an option? I scratched my cheek, feeling bashful.

...This skill really knew how to cut to the chase. Well, I wouldn't be much of an RPG player if I picked "No," now would I?

I slammed that "Yes" button.

"All right, here goes my first battle encounter!"

I slowly approached the goblins and concentrated my mana. I

steadied my aim to make sure I wouldn't hit the merchant and then shot off my low rank spell—Water Magic: Ice Arrow. The waterballs I'd made for training turned into arrows of ice and hurtled toward the goblins.

Each one was a bull's-eye! But unfortunately...

Of course that won't beat them!

The goblins were bleeding, but they were far from knocked out. Maybe it was because of my distance, or maybe it was because my shots were that weak. Either way, I had their attention.

"Hey," I shouted to the merchant, "are you okay?"

"An adventurer? P-Please, save me!"

"Got it." I kept my answer short and sweet.

I typically kept my Calm Mind skill running at 50%, but this situation called for its maximum setting of 99%. All idle thoughts vanished. I had pretty much no stress or fear while using this skill. I concentrated only on defeating my opponents.

The closest and largest of the goblins came toward me. Specifically, it was a higher-level species of goblin known as a hobgoblin. That must have been their leader. It was about two meters tall too. Pretty big guy.

The rest of the goblins continued to surround the merchant and his carriage while the hobgoblin used a single hand to draw a rusty,

blackened dagger. I'd probably catch tetanus if that thing cut me, so uh, I definitely didn't want to take on that goblin up close. I stood at the very edge of its dagger's range as I concentrated my mana.

"Water Magic: Ice Needle!" "Gyagh!"

The water magic stabbed the hobgoblin in the eyes.

Launching toothpick-sized ice needles into an enemy's eyeballs was an original spell of mine. The magic itself might've been unimpressive, but it'd have an impact on any creature that relied on eyesight. Best of all, it let me conserve my mana.

I took caution in case the enemy started swinging its weapon around at random, but it just dropped the dagger to cover his eyes.

Perfect! I thought. Not wanting to let an opportunity slip away, I grabbed the dagger the hobgoblin had dropped.

But... Hmmm... I hesitated for a moment. It was my first time using a blade, and I'd never stabbed a living creature before. And obviously,

slaying a monster wasn't an experience I had under my belt. However...

This is another world, I thought. Throw away those naive inhibitions.

Okay... I'm doing this!

I made up my mind. With my resolve hardened, I thrust the dagger into the hobgoblin's chest.

"Water Magic: Freeze!"

This was a low rank water magic spell that cooled a liquid until it froze. By using the dagger as a conduit, I could cast Freeze on my

opponent's blood. I'd spent a lot of time coming up with this special attack to make up for my deficient mana.

The hobgoblin's body gave one spasm before falling over.

I had my RPG Player skill active during the fight and watched my surroundings using a 360-degree perspective. The other goblins seemed wary of what was happening between me and their leader.

I'd anticipated that, but even so, I now had almost zero mana remaining. I couldn't generate any more water.

Man, I really am short on mana, huh...

Okay then, what would the goblins do now that they'd lost their

leader? I was hoping they'd choose to flee... Nope, they all faced me at once. Oh well. I decided to just lead them to the river. Can't fight without water, after all.

I activated my Thief skill, Flee, and lured the goblins out to the riverbank. I stayed ahead of them, but made sure that they never quite lost sight of me. Perfect, I found just the place that had all the water I'd need. The goblins were catching up quickly.

Water Magic: Walk on Water. This magic allowed its user to walk on the surface of a body of water. I used it to stand gently atop the

river. Still, the water was only waist-deep, so the goblins waded in to continue their attack.

They fell for my trap!

"Water Magic: Flow!"

I ensnared the goblins who'd entered the river with my magic. The water enveloped their bodies and started to drown them. The goblins glubbed and gasped as they desperately struggled to escape, but they couldn't breathe underwater. After five minutes or so, the breaths of the last goblin gave out.

Was that all of them?

"Phew, just barely made that work..."

I caught my own breath and returned to the merchant.

◇ A Certain Merchant's Daughter's Perspective ◇

Ugggh... What do I do? What do I do, what do I do?

I was distraught. It was my first time on the highway. I had heard that the road between Macallan and the Water Temple was safe, so I'd set off for the next town with my dad, a merchant, without any worries.

But all of a sudden, we were attacked by a renegade band of goblins made hostile from their hunger. My dad could use a sword; fending off a lone goblin wouldn't have been any trouble. But we were up against ten! We were doomed!

"Don't come out of the carriage!" my dad shouted.

The goblins surrounded us. Their encirclement tightened with every moment to ensure that we couldn't escape. Were they...waiting for my dad to get exhausted? Our horse was too scared to be useful.

Oh no! My dad got cut! I thought. While his attention had been focused on one nearby goblin, a hobgoblin had come from behind

and attacked him with a slash! My dad was now gripping his shoulder, clearly in no condition to swing a sword anymore.

"Guh..." My teeth were chattering. My own dad was going to be...

No, it wasn't just him. I wasn't any safer. Goblins...kill men. And rape women. All to have us bear their children.

"I-I have to fight too..." I tried to get out, but my legs were shaking so hard that I couldn't walk.

"Gyagh." "Gyagh!" "Gyayagyahgh!" The goblins that had surrounded us cackled with glee.

I'm scared I'm scared I'm scared I'm scared I'm scared I'm scared I'm scared I'm scared...

The goblins waited patiently for my dad to wear out. He was going to get killed! And yet... And yet...! I couldn't move my legs! The fear had made my throat hoarse and my palms were drenched in sweat.

O Goddess, I beg you...please bring salvation to this poor family...

"Gyagh?" "Gyagh?!" "Gyagyagh!"

As I offered my prayer to the goddess, the swarm of goblins was suddenly pierced by arrows of ice.

"Wha—?" Wh-What was that? What was going on?

"Hey, are you okay?" someone asked.

Who was that? Could it have been an adventurer? "An adventurer? P-Please, save me!"

My dad pleaded for aid. But the only person I saw was a lanky boy. His armor was light and he didn't have a single weapon in sight.

Uh... Was this a good idea? To be honest, he looked much weaker than even my dad did... Could he even defeat a single goblin?

Regardless, he didn't leave us for dead. He came to save us from the attacking monsters. No matter how weak this adventurer looked, I had to trust him.

I tried once more to leave the carriage and join in the fight. Wait, the hobgoblin was approaching the adventurer!

"Gyagh!" The apparent leader of the goblins suddenly shielded its eyes in pain.

"Huh?" Had something happened? Was it magic? But the boy hadn't recited an incantation. And it didn't seem like he'd used a wand either.

The boy moved swiftly to close in on the hobgoblin and then stabbed him with the dagger.

But an attack that weak won't defeat a monster, I thought. The boy would prove me wrong.

The hobgoblin's body jerked up high before falling right to the ground. The boy was emotionless and calm, as if he saw every nook and cranny surrounding him without even having to look.

Wait, whaaaaat?! I thought. Wh-What just happened?!

The goblins that surrounded my dad now charged at the boy adventurer. They must have viewed this interloper as a real threat. The boy ran off in the direction of the river, clearly intending for the goblins to follow. But he shouldn't! Taking on that many goblins alone would be suicide!

"Dad!" I shouted as I hopped out of the carriage. "Darn it, kid!" he shouted back. "I told you to hide!" "But we have to help him!"

"I know... But I'm sure he's already..."

I heard the sound of water splashing wildly as well as the wails of goblins amidst them. Was he okay?! I was worried, but I surely

wouldn't be any help even if I were there.

A while later, the boy returned—unscathed.

Whaaaaaaaaa?! I thought. He defeated that entire band of goblins by himself?! He must be one heck of a fighter...

"Are you all right?" the boy asked my dad. "Oh, you had someone else with you."

"Y-Yes, you saved us. This is my daughter." "Th-Thank you very much!"

That's right—he saved us.

Now that I was free from such dire stress, my body limply gave out. I looked up at the black-haired boy adventurer. Even though he'd effortlessly dispatched a swarm of monsters just moments ago, he had the face of someone who wouldn't hurt a fly.

The incongruity made my heart skip a beat or two.

◇ Makoto Takatsuki's Perspective ◇

"Thank you ever so much! I owe you my life!"

"I don't know what we would have done without you..."

The merchant and his daughter sure thanked me a lot. The dad looked like a pretty nice guy, and the girl looked like she was in sixth grade or so. Did kids around here start working this young? Fantasy worlds were rough, huh?

Apparently, some pretty bad things happen to girls if they get caught by goblins. Hearing that made me feel like I'd made the right choice in saving them.

"It might not be much, but please take this as thanks," said the merchant.

"Uhh, a hundred thousand gald? Seems like a lot." I didn't know the economics of saving people, but that sum was quite the fortune.

"Well, I'd like for you to accompany us to the next town."

"Ah, so this covers escorting too." I could accept that. It was pretty rare for monsters to show up at all on this highway, so it shouldn't be too hard.

The merchant talked about all his problems as we traveled. That reminded me, Fujiyan was a merchant too. I wondered if he had the same problems.

"I think we should set up camp soon," suggested the merchant before the sun set.

The highway we were traveling on had a number of open spots perfect for camping. Apparently, the local landowner had prepared them so that merchants and adventurers could have a rest.

"Apologies for such a simple meal," the merchant said bashfully.

That said, he brought out a stew which had been kept cool using magic—in other words, refrigerated food. We put it over a fire, brought it to boil, and made an outdoor meal of it with some hard bread. Tasty.

"Okay, I'll go patrol the area," I told them. It was after dinner, and I had just laid the sleeping bag they'd lent me out on the ground.

"Sorry for the trouble," apologized the merchant. "I'd join you if my leg hadn't gotten injured."

"I'm your escort, so you can just let me handle it."

With that, I stepped away from the carriage that the family slept in, leaving it behind.

I walked a little ways beyond the campsite and used my Scout skill to ensure that no monsters were nearby. With that done, I finally turned off the Calm Mind skill that I had left activated this whole time.

"Pheeeeeew..." I let out a big sigh. The backs of my hands started dripping with sweat as my pulse quickened. "I never thought I would come across monsters before reaching the first town..."

I opened my Soul Book and saw that my reverence points had increased. And so had my lifespan, a little. By three days or so.

"I was seriously nervous... Good thing I managed." My knees were shaking.

"I figured my first monster would've been something lower level..." Like a horned rabbit or a giant rat or something. I hadn't been expecting my first fight to be against an entire band of goblins!

"But...I won, right?" I gave a grin and a raised fist to the starry night sky.

"All right!" I pumped my arms ever so slightly. I remembered how disappointed the Water Temple staff had been with my bottom-tier skills. Classmates had pitied me, children had comforted me, and

even the teacher who'd treated me like family had been worried as she'd seen me off. Like they'd been apologizing to me for having to live in this world.

"I'm fine. I'm fine. I'll be fine."

I've got this. Calm Mind, RPG Player, and Water Magic (Low Rank). I was gonna make it in this world with these three skills. Like hell was I gonna die in the nine years I had left.

My thoughts turned to the weapon lying on the ground by my waist. What would I do with the blade that I'd taken from the hobgoblin? I

took another look at the rusty, beat-up dagger. It probably wouldn't sell for anything. Or be useful as a weapon.

"Maybe I could keep it as a memento of my first victory. And maybe it'd be usable if I removed the rust."

For now, I decided to hold on to it, so I wrapped it up in a cloth. It was about time to go back and sleep anyway.

And so, my first day leaving the Water Temple had ended. The excitement made it hard to fall asleep, though.

◇ 

When I awoke, I found myself in an empty, wide-open space. I was dreaming...right? Crap, I hadn't meant to sleep that deeply. But

where was I? This felt like something I'd seen in a game before... As my mind wandered, I felt a chill run down my spine.

Like I sensed a presence not of this world.

I swung around and saw its form before my eyes.

"Greetings, Makoto. I've been awaiting our encounter."

In front of me was a girl with a face so gorgeous that the phrase "one in a million" seemed like far too low a ratio. My breath stopped for a moment.

"Wh-Who...might you be?" I asked shakily. The beauty of the girl in front of me was simply inhuman.

Well... I'm not a human.

The girl smiled.

"I'm a goddess." Those were the words that came out of her mouth. "You're...a...a goddess?"

The girl's lovely face belied a hint of madness. She had shining silver hair tinged with blue, and her eyes were like sapphires. Her skin was fair and clear. I noticed that her limbs were girlish, still keeping a bit of their childish charm. And yet, she exuded a bewitching maturity.

She was built so much like a doll...that I found her scary. Scarily beautiful.

"Uhh, do you have business with me?" I asked.

The gods who ruled this world were very real. If the girl in front of me really was a goddess, then I'd better not even attempt to disobey her. Thank goodness my Calm Mind skill allowed me to stay cool and collected, even at a time like this.

"I've watched you this whole time. Saving that merchant from those goblins while paying no heed to the dangers—it was a wonderful deed. I welcome you to become my acolyte." The goddess gave a smile filled with divine grace.

"A goddess's acolyte..."

Those words brought back memories from one year ago...

◇ 

Shortly after I'd come to this world, someone calling herself "The Priestess of Water" visited the Water Temple. The priestess was a

special position within this country's theocracy. It was said that the priestess could hear the voice of the goddess that the people of this land worshipped.

That's why they treated the word of the priestess as equal to the word of their god.

Her duties were typically handled within the church, but she went out of her way to visit these otherworlders. The goal was to scout talent; the priestess had the power to grant new believers the

blessing of the goddess. The powerful stats and rare skills of these otherworlders must have caught her interest.

The person who'd appeared before us introduced herself as Sophia Eir Roses, the priestess of the Goddess of Water. She was also the princess of Roses, the Nation of Water—a real VIP among VIPs, and the one who served as the crux of her country. The fact that someone of her caliber personally came all the way out to the temple spoke to just how exceptional the stats of Class 1-A were.

"Ah, so you're an ultra rank mage, are you? How wonderful. You shall be granted the blessing of the Goddess of Water. In order to receive it, you'll become an acolyte of the goddess we worship, will you not?"

"Oh my, you possess the Golden Knight skill. You shall be granted the blessing of the Goddess of Water. In order to receive it..."

And just like that, she convinced classmate after classmate. Mainly the ones with rare skills. But when she saw my Soul Book...

"So, you have Water Magic. Low rank, at that. Well, I wish you the best."

And with a cold look, she passed me over.

...Um?

"I-Is that all?"

"Hey, the priestess is busy!" shouted a knight as I tried to question her. I later learned that he was the priestess's personal knight.

"I'll become a Water Goddess believer! So can I get her blessing?" I'd been panicking over my weak skills at the time, so I'd felt desperate to get anything I could. Gaining the Water Goddess's blessing would have bestowed me with plenty of perks, so I wanted it no matter

what. I begged for it. But the priestess's response was as cold as ice.

"You need a bit more training. Perhaps next time." The Priestess of Water Sophia said no more and left without turning back.

But no matter how hard I'd trained since then, I never received the goddess's blessing.

It hadn't just been my classmates who'd looked at me with pity; the Water Temple staff had as well. Once I'd finished crying into my

pillow, I'd begun to harbor a hatred for the priestess, her church, and even the goddess they worshipped.

It was a painful memory. Even now, thinking about it puts me in a sour mood.

Calm down... I'm over that now. I'm over it.

◇ 

"Your encounter with the water priestess was horrible, wasn't it? Well, you don't have to believe in that goddess of theirs."

She spoke as though she'd read my mind. I wondered if she actually had. Or wait, if she knew about the water priestess thing, then she must have been telling the truth about watching me.

"I'd rather not remember, so let's put that behind us," I said. "So, Goddess, could you tell me your name?"

The deities of this world all had names. The Hero of Light, Sakurai, had received something called the "Favor of the Sun Goddess,

Altena." Given that it multiplied all of his stats, it was less a blessing and more of a cheat code. For real, how does one guy get all the luck?

My ulterior motive for asking the goddess's name was to set my expectations for any future blessing. Even if her boon wasn't as broken as the one given to Sakurai, I could at least expect a nice blessing if she were famous enough.

"Tee hee. Well, I'm a bit of a minor goddess, so you might not have heard of me."

"Well, perhaps, but I'd still like to know the name of the goddess I'll worship."

"Then I shall tell you in due time," said the goddess, playing it off. I didn't know why she'd deflected, but I gave up and changed the subject.

"Do you think I can make it as an adventurer in this world?" I asked. "I see you're concerned with your low stats."

"I can't say I'm not," I admitted. My magic wasn't even strong enough to defeat a lone goblin because my attack power was just too low. And my mana always dried up in an instant to boot. Could I even make it as an adventurer?

"But, Makoto, you have some rather convenient skills."

"You mean Calm Mind and RPG Player? Sure, they're convenient, but they can't hold a candle to strong mage or warrior skills." I was practically griping at this actual goddess, but it was the truth.

Suddenly, the goddess changed the subject. "Do you know your classmates Suzuki, Yamashita, and Endou?"

Well, of course I knew them. We'd been transported to this world together. Not that we'd been close; I'd only had two friends in that class. But as far as I could recall, they had high rank warrior and mage skills.

"Well, those three classmates of yours have gone missing. Perhaps even perished."

"Huh?" Did... Did she just say...

"Perhaps they placed a bit too much faith in their powerful skills.

They fought monsters too high in level and braved dungeons too

great in difficulty only to find that they'd bitten off more than they could chew."

"Oh... I see..." I couldn't believe it. I'd spent a whole year cooped up in the Water Temple, so I had no idea.

"It's because the land of Japan that you all hail from is a peaceful

country," she explained. "Your classmates may have been gifted with powerful skills, but the strength of their nerves was the same as ever. Your Calm Mind, however, stabilizes yours. What's more, it protects you from overconfidence and carelessness. A wonderful

skill, indeed. And your RPG Player skill is unique to otherworlders. It's one I find quite intriguing."

"Doesn't it just change my point of view?"

"Being able to see yourself in third person protects you from sneak attacks. And by viewing in 360 degrees, you can observe from quite a distant vantage point. It also automatically maps out the places

you've visited. I'd consider that rather convenient."

Well, RPG Player didn't sound so bad when she put it like that. Guess it all comes down to how you use it. Now that I felt a bit better, I decided to ask a different question.

"You said you've been watching me this whole time. If so, why did you wait until now to speak to me?"

"Because the Water Temple is under the purview of the Water Goddess, Eir. I felt it prudent to refrain."

"There were believers of other goddesses who came by the Water Temple to scout, though," I pointed out. Sakurai, the Hero of Light, had become an acolyte of the Sun Goddess.

"Well, good for them." The goddess's answer was vague. "So, Makoto, will you become my believer?"

She was really laying it on. I had to think hard.

At first, her beauty had taken my breath away. But now that I'd come to my senses, I honestly couldn't deny that this goddess was kinda shady. My stats were meager and my skills were weird, so why would she want someone like me as a believer? I'd played plenty of RPGs that gave players these seemingly sweet deals early on. In my

experience, choosing "Yes" typically came back to bite you.

That's what my gaming senses told me—however, unlike a game, this choice couldn't be undone by the reset button.

"I think I'll sleep on it."

"What?!" The goddess's previously refined demeanor quickly gave way to panic. "H-Hold on. You could be a goddess's acolyte here!

And you're hearing it right from the goddess herself! That's an honor and a half!"

This was true. Goddesses pretty much never appeared directly to people. Even the priestesses who I brought up earlier only heard their voices. I'd never heard of anyone seeing or speaking to a goddess, even in a dream like this one.

Well, an actual goddess, anyway, whispered my brain as Calm Mind kept it collected. So, is this goddess as real as she claims?

"Of course I'm real!" she protested. "Huh?"

"Uh, oops."

So she was reading my mind.

"I guess that'd be a piece of cake for a goddess," I concluded. "You really are calm..."

Thanks, it's my one redeeming quality.

"H-Hey, listen," pleaded the goddess. "Coming to the human world as a deity is a huge pain in the butt. Do you think I could get a

contract tonight?" She sidled up to me, held my hand, and gave me puppy dog eyes.

Okay, personal space. The goddess's flawlessly sculpted face was right before my eyes. Her mannerisms reminded me of the customer service in a hostess club I'd seen on TV a long time ago. Her eyes sparkled with a faint golden glow. My mind went blank as I reeled back a bit.

Wait, I realized. Is she using charm magic?

I'd learned about the existence of charm magic from my studies at the Water Temple. Women who worked at brothels used it pretty frequently. There were many types of charm magic, but the fundamentals were to look your target in the eye, give them some sweet talk, and make physical contact with their body.

There was no shortage of stories about wet-behind-the-ears adventurers getting charmed by lady merchants and going into debt over the money they'd spend on their presumed sweethearts. Was my story about to be added to the list?

But I had perspective: specifically, the third-person perspective granted to me by my RPG Player skill, which I always left active. I could see the reactions of both myself and my conversational partner from a few meters away. Because of this, the requirement of making eye contact would never get fulfilled. Incidentally, this skill also made her voice and touch feel like they were for someone else. To top it off, my Calm Mind skill kept my heart from swaying.

My teacher at the temple had once told me that I'd be hard to

persuade with charm magic. I remember thinking it'd be useless in combat at the time, but hey, guess you never know what ends up coming in handy.

"Goddess, please step away from me. You're a bit too close." I calmly put some distance between the two of us.

"H-Huh? Wait, why didn't that work?!"

O Goddess, I thought, you might not want to say that out loud. Using charm magic to secure followers seems like it'd be frowned upon. That's the practice of a shady cult.

"For crying out loud, I'm not shady!"

"So you are reading my mind!" I declared. Since there wasn't much point in leaving things unsaid, I cut to the chase. "If you can read my

mind, then you can understand why I'd be skeptical. I suggest you cut your losses and call it a day."

"I don't wanna! This is my first chance to nab an acolyte in a thousand years! I'll make you my believer if it's the last thing I do!"

The goddess had finally been reduced to rolling on the ground in a tantrum. The authority she'd displayed at first sight had long vanished. I could almost see her underwear from beneath the skirt of her short dress...but not quite. Were these the defenses of a deity?

"Would you become my acolyte if I gave you a peek?" asked the goddess while my thoughts were occupied by absolute idiocy.

"That sure is a sentence."

The goddess sat on the floor while looking at me with tears in her

eyes. Cute. But sadly, that wasn't the standard on which I based my religious choices.

"Please, please, please! Please become my believer. I'm begging

you!" She was now gripping my shoulders and physically shaking me. Once again, personal space.

Hmm, I thought, what should I do?

To be honest, I didn't know what she was after. But I knew she was serious. Either way, I had no intention of worshipping any of the six major goddesses of this continent. Even though that was just because the water priestess gave me a bad first impression.

At the end of the day, this goddess was telling me things that nobody else had. All to get me. I decided to just hope I wouldn't get taken advantage of.

My RPG Player skill displayed a choice.

Become the goddess's acolyte?

▶Yes

No

"I understand. I'll become your believer."

"Wait, really? I-I did it!" The goddess hip-hip-hurrayed as she bounced up and down. "So, can I borrow your Soul Book?"

I wasn't sure I even had it in this dream, but I found it in one of my pockets after a bit of searching. "Here you go."

"All right, let's see here..."

The goddess traced over my Soul Book with her finger. For a moment, it looked like the page's surface lit up. When I looked over the text of our contract, I saw "The Goddess's First Believer" written on it.

"Uh, are there any acolytes besides me?"

"Yes, there used to be. But you're my first one in a while! You should be honored!"

I was instead concerned. This was beyond just being "minor." How does a goddess get to be this unpopular? Still, there was another question that needed answering first.

"Do I get anything for having your blessing?" It might have been a bit disrespectful to ask that the moment I became her follower, but it was important.

The goddess, however, just gave a dismayed frown in return.

"You see, I'm a minor deity, so I can't give believers my blessing at the drop of a hat. But if you offer me prayers every day, you might get your blessing soon."

She had to be kidding.

"But don't you worry! I can give you this instead." She handed me a dagger. "As proof of our contract, I present you with a divine

treasure. It's really cool!" "Is this a weapon?"

"You can use it as a weapon! This blade was forged by divine hands, so it won't break too easily! Also, make sure you have it while you're praying."

I guess it was like a cross.

"Anyway, I gotta get going," she said. "If you get into any trouble, just rely on your good ol' goddess!"

"Wait, do you have any orders or anything?" I scrambled to make sure I wasn't being left without something important, but the goddess just looked dumbfounded.

"You don't want me bossing you around, right? You'd prefer your adventure to be open-world."

She really did know everything.

"I mean, I would, but goddesses usually start you off with a fetch quest or something at times like this."

"You're asking for an errand? My, aren't you a considerate acolyte." She thought for a moment. "Well, I do have one: become strong."

"Is that an order?"

"It's not an order—just a simple request," she clarified. "You're the only believer I have, so you'd better not die that easily! I have high hopes for you."

The goddess gave me a wink, a thumbs-up, and a "Go get 'em, champ" before vanishing.

◇ 

When I woke up, an unsheathed dagger fell next to my pillow. Yikes, close call!

"Wait, isn't this the dagger I stole from that hobgoblin yesterday?" The once-rusted hunk of metal had been reborn into a beautiful blade. I cautiously reached out and picked it up. Its weight was just right; not too light, not too heavy. The hilt fit perfectly into my hand and I felt the sensation of mana pouring into me.

It must have been a magic weapon. The blue-tinged steel emitted a mysterious glow.

"Thank you, Goddess." I gripped the dagger with both hands and prayed.

Afterward, I opened my Soul Book and saw the words "The

Goddess's First Believer" written on it. Was it really not a dream?

"Um, Mr. Takatsuki?" came a voice. "What're you holding a dagger for?"

Shoot, I hadn't noticed that the merchant's daughter had woken up. "Oh, you know, just praying to the Goddess."

"I'll join you," she said. "O Ira, Goddess of Fortune, thank you for allowing us to meet Mr. Takatsuki." I felt like she was being a little over-the-top, but I had saved their lives, so maybe the excess was warranted.

"All right, let's get going. I think we can reach the city by the afternoon."

The City of Water, Macallan.

I'd heard it was around the twentieth-largest city on the continent. The river from the Forest of Elementals and the Great Forest flowed here to become a canal. It then emptied into Lake Chimay, and the beautiful city of Macallan was built on the shore. There were many

water channels running throughout the city, with people traveling atop them via rowboat. The city was also famous for its bustling breweries, and Macallan-made flaming cocktails were adored the continent over. Or so the merchant and his daughter had told me.

"We made it, safe and sound. Mr. Takatsuki, thank you for everything." The merchant's daughter gripped my hand tight. I blushed a little before wishing that her father would tone down the death glare he was shooting me.

"Really, I should be thanking you for everything you've taught me."

During the trip here, they had given me info about the town's

government as well as where to find the adventurer's guild, cheap items, good food, and solid lodging.

I had them look at the dagger I'd received from the goddess while we were traveling together, but unfortunately, they'd said that they couldn't figure out much using their Appraisal (Low Rank) skills.

Before we parted ways, the merchant said that he'd return to his

company. I chose to head for the adventurer's guild in the shopping district.

Incidentally, there was a church at the center of the city. The churches held quite a bit of power in Roses, so towns here were always built with a church in the center.

However, the object of worship in Roses was the Goddess of Water, with that water priestess Sophia being the core of their theocracy.

You weren't gonna catch me goin' there. I swore to myself that I'd steer clear.

I found the adventurer's guild in no time. It was a larger building with much sturdier stone construction than I had imagined. I went inside to find a wide-open space lined with food stalls and open-air weapon shops. This must have been the entrance.

"Hey there, how 'bout a pint? I got some ice-cold ale for ya!"

"We got imports from Caol Ilan that came in just this morning! Act now and you'll get ten percent off!"

"This here's a shield made from a dragon's scale! First come, first serve!"

Business was clearly booming. There were even people holding feasts atop simple tables here and there. I took a look at the directory board and saw that there was a rest stop (which allowed overnight stays separated by gender), a training ground, and a storehouse for captured monsters.

The adventurer's guild was the place that issued adventurer's licenses. I imagined it to be pretty close to a driver's education

school, but it felt more like a sports gym with a side of recreational facilities. Thankfully, the line for licenses wasn't very long, so I made it to the counter pretty quickly.

"Hello. What can I do for you today?"

The receptionist was a beautiful woman. I glanced around at the other receptionists and noticed that their looks were all at a pretty high level.

"Can I register as an adventurer?"

"Ah, so it's your first time using our services," she said. "In that case, fill out the necessary information on this form. Also, you have your Soul Book with you, correct?"

I handed my Soul Book to the receptionist. I then wrote down my name, work history, skills, and current job on the form.

"Here, I've filled it out."

"Perfect, thank you very much. I'll look it over." The receptionist seemed to raise an eyebrow at my name and the fact that

"otherworlder" was written in my work history, but she didn't say a word. What a pro.

"No problems with your information. Are you okay with leaving your job as 'apprentice mage'?"

"Yes, leave it as is."

"It'll take some time to have your license printed, so please take a number and wait until called."

I glanced around as I walked away just in case there were any unsavory adventurers who saw newbies to the guild as fresh meat, but thankfully, there were no such thugs. Not long after, my adventurer card finished printing.

"Here you go," said the receptionist as she handed it to me.

Makoto Takatsuki: Apprentice Mage Level: 2

Adventurer Rank: Stone

Unique Skills: Calm Mind, Water Magic (Low Rank), RPG Player

Normal Skills: Sense Danger, Stealth, Scout, Mapping, Dodge, Flee, Clairvoyance, Listen, Throw, Gut, Cook, First Aid, Ignite

Strength: XX Stamina: XX Spirit: XX Agility: XX

Defeating those goblins had bumped me up to level 2. Everything after looked to be the same unimpressive stats I'd seen over and over at the temple.

Damn, I'm weak. Not exactly news, though.

"Oh well." Thanks to my Calm Mind skill, I didn't need to dwell on it.

I pocketed my adventurer's license card and left the building. On to my next destination, a place I'd specifically asked the merchant about: Fujiwara Trading Company.

That's right. My old classmate Fujiyan already had his own store.