Chapter 173: Preaching Lies

The words that Adryan had spoken somewhat confused everyone present in the training ground.

Hazel looked at Adryan with a slightly raised eyebrow while Sasha looked a little nervous at the man.

'Don't tell me that Boss is the believer of an Evil God? But he's never acted crazy or shown any sign of it?' Sasha thought seriously as she discreetly moved to Hazel's side.

It's not that she didn't trust the man who saved her and Nathan's lives, it was just a precaution.

But when she did this she couldn't help but be embarrassed and ashamed.

'Adryan saved my life several times and this is how I repay him? And after all we went through...Am I seriously gonna treat him with this distrust without letting him explain himself?'

Her experience working at the Church of the God of Combat and her experience at Adryan's side collided.

If she was still in the church she would have reported him and arrested 5 seconds ago but that was no longer the case.

She was no longer part of the church but on Adryan's team alongside Nathan.

Looking at her boss, she only sighed slightly and relaxed her guard a bit.

This was the least the boss deserved. She would let him explain and only then she would decide after hearing everything.

'I only ask that it's not the True Creator or the Primordial Demoness, Boss…' Sasha thought heavily as she looked at the redhead.

Looking at the giantess's reaction, Adryan could only inwardly sigh in relief.

'The person I was more worried about would react the strongest is calm. While I can see that this bothers you Sasha I can also see you have given me a chance. That's good... Hehe...I think the relationship I formed with them is stronger than I gave it credit for.' The redhead thought with relief as he glanced at Sasha.

Adryan glanced at this out of the corner of his eye but just kept his expression relaxed.

'Although I'm a bit surprised that Hazel is so calm…' The redhead looked at the aforementioned.

The noblewoman kept the same posture as before, leaning against the pillar with her arms crossed, she looked calm but a little confused.

'Maybe it's because she doesn't know how dangerous it is or because she trusts me a lot...' This thought made him suppress an amused chuckle.

'What a loving student, you make this wretch blush~'

Adryan then looked at Charlotte who was standing with his head slightly lowered and his brow furrowed in deep thought.

This lasted for several seconds that felt like forever to Adryan.

But before the atmosphere in the room turned heavy and it entered a dangerous area, Charlotte looked up and nodded.

"Tell me about this Lord, Boss."

Adryan's expression brightened considerably, and he nodded gently, his red eyes shining with faith like rubies reflecting sunlight.

Adryan raised his hands and brought them together in front of his lips in a prayerful posture.

He closed his eyes and bringing his hands up to almost touch his pink lips, he said with a calm smile.

"Let me tell you about the great and magnificent Scarlet Monarch."

Around the redhead the trio swore they could see an illusory halo, it was as if Adryan had become a saint.

Separating his hands without haste, he pointed to some chairs to the side and said.

"We'd better sit down, I have a lot to tell you."

...

Now the quartet was seated; Sasha and Hazel were sitting together and Charlotte was a little further away from them.

Facing them was a calm Adryan who watched them with a smile, his hands resting on his thick thighs.

Sasha was still uncomfortable but less than before.

Adryan noticed this and not wanting to miss the opportunity, he started his performance.

"Before I tell you about my Lord, I would first like to tell you how I was saved by 'Him'."

"Several months ago, I was in a situation that should have killed me."

"I was kidnapped by the Rose School of Thought along with several others in Balam. We were transported by ship to an unknown destination but with a clear motive, to be sacrificed to the Evil God this organization believes, The Mother Tree of Desire."

"And they had no problem reminding us of that. The ship's captain killed and consumed a man in front of us until he left only a pile of flesh and blood..."

When he said the last, his voice died and his head lowered.

"B-Boss..." Sasha muttered worriedly.

'I never thought that the boss went through all that... Since I met him he always seemed strong and confident, that nothing scared him and he would step on whoever got in his way...'

The image of a frightened Adryan seemed so foreign to her that it even made her stomach churn.

'Knowing that even the boss can feel fear too...I don't know why but it makes him look more...Human.'

While she was thinking that, Adryan continued.

"I was desperate and helpless, as was everyone on the ship. Everyone prayed to the God they believed in. Whether it was The Evernight Goddess or Lord of Storms, we all prayed."

"I was born and raised in Feysac so I prayed to the God of Combat for a miracle, to save me from this nightmare." he said sadly, his eyes moist.

He looked up at the stunned Sasha, Hazel, and Charlotte and gave a shaky smile.

"No miracle or salvation came. I was still trapped there, chained and sitting next to a pile of human flesh that was already giving off a stinking odor."

He lowered his head again and continued, his voice seemed like it would break at any moment.

Hazel, seeing her teacher like that, didn't hesitate anymore and grabbed her chair, she sat down next to him. Sasha didn't stop her, she was looking at Adryan unsure of what to do.

Hazel had no experience in comforting someone so she did the best thing she come up with. She grabbed the hand of the man and clenched it slightly.

This was how her mother comforted her when she was little so she hope this would make Adryan feel better.

Adryan smiled gratefully at his student and recovering, he continued.

"I have never been a very faithful believer in the God of Combat, I hardly went to church and when I did, it was only because I was forced by the sister from the orphanage who took care of me. This meant that I had no problem committing polytheism."

"I prayed to all 7 gods. Being from Feysac, the second God I prayed to was the Earth Mother. When that failed I prayed to the Eternal Blazing Sun, then the God of Steam and Machinery."

"Without receiving any sign my despair only grew and I prayed to the remaining Gods that since I was born I have been told that I have to hate. I prayed to the Evernight Goddess, to the Lord of Storms, and finally to the God of Knowledge and Wisdom."

"None answered…" Adryan's voice broke at this moment and he begin to cry a little.

He lowered his head and tried to cover his tears in shame.

"Sorry, you shouldn't see me like this. I'm supposed to be the example..." the redhead said embarrassed as he kept failing to cover his tears that had grown thicker.

Sasha bit her lip and unable to take it anymore, against everything she was taught, she got up from her seat and quickly stood next to Adryan and rubbed his back, trying to comfort him as Hazel was trying to do.

"Calm down, Boss..."

"Calm down Teacher... We're here..."

'Now I'm seriously a son of a bitch...Manipulating my team like this...Don't worry Sasha, Hazel. I'll make sure you girls grow up big and strong.'

Being comforted this way only made Adryan feel more horrible for what he was doing but no matter how he felt he didn't plan on stopping.

"Sob* Thank you...Thank you..." Adryan repeated shamelessly, trying to recover but failing each time.

Charlotte looked uncomfortably at what was happening in front of him, unsure what he should do.

Whether he should go with them and comfort Adryan or sit and wait for the redhead to recover.

'There is no trust on both sides so it would be better to sit and watch...' the purple-eyed man thought.

He looked at how his boss was being comforted and couldn't help but be surprised.

'I can tell they care about each other, although it seemed that Sasha was uncomfortable with the boss a while ago, she didn't hesitate to go and comfort him when he needed it...'

His view of the team he joined changed slightly and he saw them in a new light.

After what Adryan considered long enough, he stopped crying and looked at Sasha and Hazel with a grateful smile and bloodshot eyes.

"Thanks...I needed it."

"Don't worry Boss. We are here for you." Sasha said while nodding.

"Sasha is right Teacher. We are here if you need anything." Hazel said seriously.

'Seriously, what a good team I have.' The redhead thought happily on the inside but on the outside he just nodded weakly.

"Thank you very much but I'm better now..."

"Okay boss, but I'll sit here now." Sasha nodded and brought her chair over to Adryan's side.

Adryan didn't say anything about this, he just continued with his story.

"I didn't know what to do when my prayers failed, I turned to see the rest hoping that they had better luck but they were just as desperate as me, repeating their prayers over and over again or some were in shock, completely frozen like statues."

"At that moment I knew. That we were alone and that no one would come to save us."

"This made the despair that surrounded me start to choke me and I felt like my sanity was slipping away." the redhead said heavily.

"Not wanting to die, I did what the church so often says not to do. I prayed to a great existence to save me."

Nobody said anything, everyone was attentive to Adryan's story.

"I didn't use any specific name or prayer, I just prayed with all my heart for a miracle. I wasn't expecting anything, it was just someone's helpless attempt to survive."

"But to my shock, my Lord responded." The shadow surrounding Adryan disappeared at the mention of his Lord and he even smiled genuinely.

"The powerful yet soft voice of my Lord rang in my ears. 'He' told me who 'He' was."

"'His' name is The Scarlet Monarch."

"'He' is the Fire that burns depravity;

'He' is the Calamity of the Old Days;

'He' is Closest to the Oldest One."

The trio hearing this couldn't help but be stunned.

Although they all had different backgrounds, they all had a basic education in religion and knew what the man had said meant.

A name of three lines!

Only Gods can use the names of three lines!

The trio looked at the redhead as if he now had a new set of legs and arms along with three heads.

They all came to the same conclusion.

He received the answer from a God!