God System: Growing My Cult Across the Multiverse-Chapter 11: The Morning After

The tavern was filled with people, chatting among themselves nervously as they waited for the scouts to return. Their faces were pale, with a hint of shadows under their eyes. It seemed that most of them didn't catch a wink of sleep the previous night.

Well, it was only about right that they didn't. In order to defend them, Zayne also didn't get any rest, after all. He might not have needed it, but still.

Did they deserve what even their god couldn't get?

Of course not.

As Zayne walked in, the tavern almost instantly fell into silence, all the conversations cut short as the villagers attention turned toward the entrance.

"Good morning! Did everyone pray well?" Zayne greeted them with a smile.

Nobody answered him though. They were all just staring at him in shock.

It was no wonder. On the bloody battlefield, surrounded by countless monster corpses, Zayne's appearance seemed fitting. When compared to the mutilated bodies of dead werewolves, his tattered clothes were nothing. Instead, his straight back, and the energy and confidence that emanated from him, made for an impressive sight.

In the middle of the village, however, in the tavern where everyone wore old, but clean and well-patched-up clothes, Zayne, all covered up in blood, looked simply terrifying. No longer like a victorious warrior, but rather like a mad butcher.

It took a moment before the villagers recovered from their initial shock.

"Sir Prophet!"

Unsurprisingly, Priska was the first to approach him. She grabbed his wrist, and started looking all over him, checking his state. "Dere's so much blood... Are you wounded anywhere? The bandages..."

"I'm alright." Zayne swiftly turned over the grip, squeezing Priska's hand in reassurance, before letting go. "It's not my blood. Thanks to god Zayne's grace, I didn't suffer any injuries."

It was a lie, of course. He had bled a lot throughout the night. That was just an unimportant detail, though. He had no injuries left on him right now, and that was what mattered. There was no need for the villagers to know anything more.

"Ah... That's great..." Priska exhaled with relief.

"She prayed for you all night!" One of the women next to her explained to Zayne, squeezing Priska's shoulders. "Now, go get de water ready!" she then advised the young woman.

"Yes, right! Sir Prophet, I'll prepare the bath for you!" Priska bowed lightly, and rushed out of the dining hall, going to the back of the tavern.

Sydell, naturally, chased right after her. "I'll help!"

"Now, Sir Prophet..."

Seeing all the gazes pointed at him, Zayne couldn't help but sigh. He knew what they were all expecting. They wanted to hear more about his achievement. Then, perhaps a message from god, a reassurance of sorts, that from now on, they would be safe from the monsters...

But Zayne couldn't give them that. When it came to his fight with the werewolves, he could tell them the tale - while tweaking it a bit to make it sound more impressive and divine, of course - but when it came to their future safety... Zayne would have to stay in Gavia village to ensure that, and he had no intention to do so.

His upcoming departure could be discussed later though. For the time being, he smiled, turning his eyes to the men gathered in the tavern. "There are plenty of werewolf corpses outside the gate," he said, seemingly casually. "Oh, and the gate seems to be in a bad state..."

The men exchanged glances among themselves. Although Zayne only mentioned it, without giving them any commands, or even advice, it was clear what they had to do.

The werewolf fur could be used for winter clothes, and the meat for food, naturally. Although it was rather tough and not the most tasty - or so Zayne had heard - it was still nutritious. In this poor region, people couldn't afford to let anything edible go to waste. Therefore, it was important for them to take care of the dead werewolves as soon as possible, to preserve everything well and avoid any spoilage.

And the gate had to be repaired, of course.

So, although they wanted to stick around, and listen to what they had to say, they had no choice but to get to work.

Once Zayne managed to get rid of the men, he turned to the women next. "If it's not a problem, could I ask you to prepare a meal for me? And some clean clothes..."

"Ah, yes! Of course!" one of the women exclaimed. "I'm sorry, Sir Prophet! We should've done it a long time ago!"

'Yes, you should have,' Zayne thought. He didn't say anything though, only smiled and gave the woman a nod.

As long as they finally realized it.

Soon enough, the hot bath was ready, along with the big pile of the best men's clothes the village women could find in their houses. Zayne accepted it all - he needed more than just one outfit if he were to remain descended for a while, and there was a long way ahead of him before he would reach the nearest town...

Once Zayne was all freshened up, having scrubbed clean all of the blood, a table full of freshly cooked, steaming hot dishes was already waiting for him. There was meat stew, potato pancakes, dumplings, vegetable soup, fresh bread with pork drippings, pickles, just to name a few. There was way more food than Zayne could possibly eat.

Not that he complained.

Well, at least not about the food. What he wanted to complain about, was the village women, who sat all around, staring at him impatiently as he ate. They were clearly eager to ask him some questions...

And the moment Zayne put down his fork, and leaned back on the bench, they instantly spoke up.

"Sir Prophet. What are you going to do next?"

"Are you going to stay in our village?"

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"Will you exterminate the monsters?"

"Are you..."

"I will stay in Gavia village for a few days," Zayne said, interrupting the barrage of questions. "While I'm here, I will help you hunt down the monsters, to reduce their numbers and lessen their threat, although I cannot promise you to exterminate them all."

"A few days... And then what?"

"Then I will travel to the next village."

"This..."

"Sir Prophet, can't you... stay?"

Zayne stared at the women in silence for a while. 'Damn, this is why I don't like people. Give them a finger, and they'll try to take the whole arm,' he sighed inwardly.

"Unfortunately, that will be impossible, I'm afraid." He shook his head with a sad smile. "I received god's blessing for a reason: that is, to spread his name through the world. Which is why, as much as I would like to stay... I truly have to go. Such is the god's will."

"Ah..."

The women went quiet at the argument. How could they possibly try to argue with the will of the god?

"Then, Sir Prophet... How are you going to travel?"

"This, I don't know yet. Perhaps I will have to walk..." Zayne lifted his cup, pretending to take a sip. His eyes, however, were stealthily observing the reactions of all the gathered women.

The settlements in this region were all fairly isolated. And with the monsters and wild animals roaming around, no one really traveled by foot, unless they were desperate. From one village to the next was one thing, but if Zayne wanted to travel any larger distances, he would need a horse...

Yet the women only exchanged reluctant glances, without saying a word.

Gavia village only had two horses, after all, and one of them was quite old. It was understandable that they would be hesitant to give it away...

It was understandable, but Zayne was still annoyed. Were they really so miserly that they were unwilling to give their horse to the prophet of god?

He let them be for now, though. There were a few days left before he would depart, and rather than him asking directly for it, it would be better if they offered the horse on their own.

Hopefully, they would make the correct choice.