[Vol. 8] Chapter 260: No Religion for Me, Thanks!
The girl spoke honestly.
"Actually... I don’t have a plan yet. But since such a serious disaster happened in Saint Tyr City, the main temple of the Goddess Church will definitely notice it soon. They won’t just sit back and do nothing. We might have a chance if we wait.”
"Relying on them… I’m afraid it’ll be too late.”
A deep, calm voice interrupted. A tall and strong figure walked over quickly after settling his own people. Sasha quickly patted the dust off herself and stood up, giving a small respectful bow.
“Chief Tairnak, thank you so much for your help this time.”
The Behemoth chieftain returned the gesture. Even though he was nearly twice Sasha’s size and gave off an intense, almost overwhelming pressure just by standing there, his power clearly the strongest among everyone present, Tairnak didn’t act superior at all. He simply shook his head and said,
“There’s no need for thanks, Miss Sasha. When disaster strikes, no one can stay out of it. Helping you is helping my people too. We’re in the same boat.”
“…?”
Sasha was visibly surprised. She hadn’t expected such calm, reasonable words to come from a warrior over two meters tall. She blinked, then smiled a bit helplessly.
“Looks like I really have a narrow view of things. I tend to judge too quickly… Chief Tairnak, may I ask what you meant just now?”
“The meaning is simple. Everyone, while it’s true that the main temple of the Goddess Church might send armies or powerful people to help us, Saint Tyr City isn’t the only city hit by disaster. Right now, this place is like the center of a monster nest. If we just sit here waiting for reinforcements to fight their way through all the danger to get here… by the time they arrive, there might not be many people left alive in the city.”
Sasha exchanged a glance with Ricardo, who was standing nearby. He gave a small, subtle nod, and only then did she frown slightly and say,
“Time is short, so I’ll get to the point. Chief Tairnak, how do you know so much about the situation outside? And also… that power you and your people used earlier to kill the monsters…”
“Praise the Goddess.”
As if he had expected this question, Tairnak calmly spoke a prayer like a priest. Then he took out a thick book from his coat. It looked well-read but was still clean and neat, and faintly smelled of ink.
“Miss Sasha, the answers to both of your questions are in here.”
“This is…”
When everyone saw the beautifully decorated cover and the three golden letters stamped on the front, almost everyone, including Sasha, paused in surprise.
“Revelations?”
Tairnak nodded solemnly.
“Yes. This is Revelations, the Holy Book written by the current Holy Pope, Lady Edwina the Knight of God. It is the source of my people’s salvation, and the guide of the Divine. Everything I have now comes from It.”
“…?”
Sasha hesitated for a long time but in the end, didn’t say the word ‘ridiculous’. She simply swallowed and asked in disbelief:
“But this… this just looks like a normal religious book. I don’t feel even a trace of magic from it…”
The Behemoth chieftain gave a slight smile. His face was strong and rugged, full of raw power, but for some reason, Sasha could suddenly feel a holy and pure aura from him, the kind only the highest-ranking priests could give off. She even thought she saw a soft golden light rising behind him, like a glowing halo or shadow, and for a moment, it felt like the entire hotel lobby became a little brighter.
“You all should know that the new Holy Book written by Her Holiness Edwina contains the sacred wisdom she gained through divine guidance along her journey. The Primordial Light created all things in the world, and the power of the Goddess is far beyond what ordinary people can understand. It’s not just about a book, even a stone or a leaf can inspire insight, as long as your heart is truly faithful.”
“The divine meaning within the Holy Book isn’t something everyone can understand. It takes patience, strong will, and a kind of understanding that’s hard to explain. But hard work can make up for lack of talent. If someone is truly faithful and never gives up, even we Behemoths, who are not known for being smart, can gain understanding. You’ve seen it with your own eyes, what my people could do earlier.”
Seriously? Even Behemoths are acting like preachers now and trying to convince people to believe in their religion?
Everyone couldn’t help but smile and shake their heads. But after that light-hearted talk, the tense and anxious mood became a lot more relaxed. Realizing that maybe that had been his goal all along, Sasha was quietly impressed by how thoughtful Tairnak was. She rubbed her nose out of habit, but he had already spoken again before she could say anything.
“Sasha, could we talk in private?”
“What for? Let me be clear, I don’t want any preaching. You’d better have something serious to say.”
“Don’t worry. It’s something serious.”
Sasha was briefly surprised, then looked at the Behemoth chief’s serious expression. She didn’t quite understand what he meant, but she still nodded without hesitation.
“Alright.”
As the leaders of the two main forces in the temporary shelter, Sasha had already guessed that Tairnak wouldn’t go out of his way to help her for no reason. After they both gave instructions to their people, the two of them headed upstairs and quickly found a quiet room where they sat facing each other.
“How are you feeling, Sasha?”
Faced with Tairnak’s concerned question right away, Sasha calmly shook her head and answered firmly.
“Just a little tired. If you’ve got something to say, please get to the point.”
“Hmm…”
Even sitting down, the broad and towering Behemoth didn’t look any smaller than a normal person. He nodded slightly and thought for a moment.
“Sasha, I’m sure you have a lot of questions right now. Like who I really am. Or why our two sides, who’ve never even met before, are suddenly helping each other. You might even wonder if we have some hidden reason. Am I right?”
Sasha nodded, not denying anything he said.
“I think that’s a pretty normal reaction. After all, when someone you don’t know treats you well for no reason, most of the time it means they want something from you. Since you’ve brought it up, Tairnak, are you here to make a deal with me?”
“A deal… haha. Miss Sasha, you really are a true businesswoman. But you’ve misunderstood one thing. We came here with the simple goal of helping, nothing more. We never wanted anything from you or the Xavier Merchant Guild. Hard to believe, isn’t it?”
The captain of the guard frowned deeply, her sharp eyes studying the massive Behemoth sitting across from her, as if trying to catch him lying.
“You’re serious? Why?”
“Heh. A believer follows the will of the gods. There doesn’t need to be a reason.”
Tairnak shook his head, his voice steady and sincere.
“Miss Sasha, did you know? The Goddess has been watching over you this whole time. You are someone blessed by her. Everything you’ve gone through up until now has been a test.”
“Uh… Don’t tell me your next question is going to be, ‘Do you believe in the Goddess?’”