Chapter 22: He Just Wants to Make Money
Misa looked at Lance’s innocent, questioning face and immediately understood the hero’s plan.
Look at this despicable hero.
He’s going to start lying again!!!
Misa understood the gods’ abilities.
He was born and raised in the divine realm. Most gods weren’t omnipotent; some were merely “divine humans” with slightly greater abilities than humans.
As for the supremely powerful God-King… Misa had never had the chance to meet the God-King and didn’t know how powerful he was. He only knew that everything in the divine realm was controlled by the God-King. Even within the divine realm, the gods believed the God-King knew everything, but usually didn’t bother with trivial matters.
In other words, there were so many strange and wonderful worlds, and the rotation of the sun and moon, the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning in each world were all driven by the God-King’s power. Misa couldn’t imagine such immense energy, so he generally agreed with the divine realm’s perspective.
The gods weren’t omnipotent.
But the Father of the Gods was almost omnipotent.
…
But these conclusions, drawn from years in the divine realm, were difficult for mortals who had never truly interacted with the gods to understand. They couldn’t see through Lance’s deception.
Lance again adopted the extremely devout expression he used when deceiving Ginises. He even furrowed his brow slightly, his clear blue eyes filled with puzzled confusion.
Then he spoke, using a slow pace of speech comparable to a cleric’s, hesitantly asking, “The holy scriptures say that monsters are merely blinded by darkness.”
Bishop: “…”
Misa: “…”
This hero has actually read the holy scriptures?
He didn’t believe it. Why would he read them?
Lance: “Since my Lord has dispelled the fog from their eyes, isn’t it natural for them to regain their faith?”
Bishop: “…”
The bishop found it hard to refute Lance’s words.
He and the lord exchanged glances, feeling that the hero’s words were strange, but because of their religious upbringing… they thought the hero might have a point.
Yes, since the gods are omnipotent, and divine grace shines upon all things, then… isn’t it natural for monsters to be redeemed?
Lance paused, showing an expression of disbelief, hesitantly asking, “Could you… be doubting the gods’ blessings upon all things?”
Bishop: “…”
Lord: “…”
After a moment of silence, the bishop smiled first.
“Sir Lance is right. The gods love all things, including monsters who have strayed from divine grace,” he affirmed earnestly. “They are merely lost children of the gods, blinded by darkness, and need a guiding light.”
Lance smiled and nodded at the bishop. If Misa didn’t know the hero’s intentions, he almost would have believed that he was a devout believer.
The lord immediately understood the bishop’s meaning and eagerly nodded. “We should give the monsters a chance.”
Bishop: “God is willing to give a chance to all children who repent.”
Lord: “How do they plan to save Celestial City from the End-of-Days Fire?”
Misa: “…”
They believed it that easily!
Humans are so gullible!
Misa turned to Lance and saw the familiar smile on his lips. He was stunned, then suddenly understood.
The hero didn’t care whether the bishop and lord believed him or not.
Even if they found his words strange, they couldn’t voice their doubts.
The goddess had given an oracle, and the hero was her spokesperson. To publicly express disbelief would be to oppose the gods.
The bishop, a holy man, couldn’t do that. The lord, a noble, couldn’t either, as his piety affected his public image.
No matter how unwilling they were, they could only praise the gods’ omnipotence and follow the hero’s instructions.
Misa: “…”
Misa couldn’t fathom it.
Is this really what a hero should be doing?!
The lord was curious about the dwarves’ plan, but Lance didn’t intend to reveal the specific method of saving Celestial City.
He merely said that the dwarves lived under the volcano and naturally had their ways. It would take time, and before that, the dwarves needed to cooperate with the humans, who would need to provide materials for their preparations.
Of course, the dwarves, touched by divine grace, wouldn’t take these materials for free. They would repay the humans accordingly.
He spoke convincingly, as if the dwarves had instantly become noble beings, selfless, only concerned about their human neighbors.
Only Misa, who had been to the dwarves’ territory with Lance, knew the truth.
This was clearly the result of the hero’s double-dealing.
Arlo was right.
This hero just wanted to make money.
To make money, he could turn black into white, make humans and monsters live together harmoniously, and he didn’t want to save the world or become a world king.
Is saving the world more interesting than making money?
Misa fell into deep despair.
The lord and bishop considered the hero’s request.
Celestial City’s population was small, and the mines outside the city had been idle for a long time. If the End-of-Days crisis wasn’t resolved, they wouldn’t have the manpower to mine. If the dwarves needed ore to save Celestial City, they were willing to provide it.
Besides, the dwarves weren’t taking the ore for free. They would pay, which was a great deal for the increasingly impoverished Celestial City. They naturally agreed to such a beneficial arrangement.
So the lord called the city manager to finalize the details with the hero, while he and the bishop listened, occasionally offering suggestions.
The process was long, and it didn’t concern Misa, who simply sat and watched, unable to understand how things went so smoothly.
The hero seemed to have already planned everything, and the lord and bishop mostly didn’t refuse. The lord only had a small question. After Lance and the manager finished most of the discussion, he finally asked, “When will they extinguish the End-of-Days Fire?”
Lance turned to the bishop, asking, “The oracle says Celestial City will be destroyed by the ‘End-of-Days Fire’ during the battle with the Demon King, right?”
The bishop nodded.
Lance was relieved.
“Don’t worry,” Lance said. “We have plenty of time.”
Lord: “But no one knows when that evil Demon King—”
Lance: “I just won’t go to the Demon King’s castle.”
Misa: “…”
Lance: “If I don’t go to the Demon King’s castle, I won’t fight him.”
Lord: “But… this…”
Misa: “…”
Lance: “The End-of-Days Fire won’t come.”
Bishop: “That seems to be the case…”
Lance affirmed his idea.
“That’s it,” Lance said. “It’s a fixed process.”
Misa: “…”
No!
Why won’t he go to the Demon King’s castle!!!
You can’t not go to the Demon King’s castle!
Misa had a lot to say.
He grabbed Lance’s arm, his voice sharp and excited. “You are the hero with a heavy responsibility!”
He had never spoken to Lance like this before. Lance seemed startled, instinctively replying, “Yes.”
Misa: “You must defeat the Demon King!”
Lance was stunned for a moment, then slowly nodded.
Misa breathed a sigh of relief, thinking his persuasion had worked, but Lance frowned and whispered, “I didn’t say I wouldn’t fight the Demon King.”
Misa: “Then you—”
Lance: “Just… wait a few more years.”
Misa: “…”
Misa: “…”
Ah!!!
How did he end up with a hero like this!
After saying this, Lance turned to the lord and bishop.
“Before that,” Lance cleared his throat, “we have something very important to do.”
Lord hesitantly said, “Something… else?”
Lance raised an eyebrow slightly.
He tapped the table, leaning forward towards the lord and bishop.
Lance: “Aren’t you forgetting someone?”
Bishop: “Forgetting… who?”
The lord scratched his head, puzzled. “I don’t think so.”
Lance: “…”
Lance took a deep breath.
“Wasn’t your prince kidnapped by the Great Demon?!” Lance raised his voice seriously. “Don’t you want your prince back?!”
Lord: “…”
Bishop: “…”
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