Show Me Your Stats!-Chapter 177

It didn’t seem likely Act had become High Priest for nothing—his confusion didn’t last long. Though initially shocked by the new information, he soon regained his composure and countered. Judging by his expression, he seemed to think Ayra’s mention of dragons had been a jab at him.

“However, Genesis Chapter 8, Verse 2 also states that among the four-legged creatures that emerged, there were wicked ones.”

“Among ma-beasts, the four-legged ones are actually rare, aren’t they? Could it really be referring to ma-beasts? Doesn’t it fit better with the beasts that came out last?”

“True, it isn’t clearly specified, but according to Gold Age Chapter 1, Verse 5, the term ‘wicked’ refers to...”

What followed was a long debate. Act had a towering sense of pride and a fierce competitive streak. When Ayra reinterpreted scripture using her knowledge of ma-beasts, he flared up, occasionally conceding through silence, and kept the discussion going.

Ever since leaving the labyrinth, Ayra hadn’t had this kind of intense theological debate in a while—it energized her. The tea cooled, and a young priest kept hurriedly replacing the pot multiple times before Ayra suddenly stopped talking. Then she abruptly stood up, prompting a curious glance from Act.

Without paying him any mind, Ayra suddenly slammed the table and shouted loud enough to be heard outside.

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“So, what you’re saying is—the High Priest refuses to serve safflower tea to a heretic like me?!”

“What...? What are you talking about...?”

Act, who’d been speaking so animatedly until a second ago, was stunned by the outburst. He was just about to respond—when the door swung open almost simultaneously, and Theon walked in. Ayra had already been forewarned of Theon’s approach by Pebble and was completely unfazed. But Act, unaware of this, briefly looked surprised. When he met Theon’s eyes, he immediately reverted to a neutral expression and bowed.

“Uncle.”

Theon barely acknowledged the greeting, wearing a serene smile on his deeply wrinkled face. His clothes were lavish to the point of vulgarity.

“Ho ho, I heard that the lord had come to visit, so I, Theon, thought I’d pay my respects in person.”

Ayra didn’t even bother to respond. She glared at Theon openly, showing no intention of hiding her hostility. If it had been Act she intended to take in as a retainer, perhaps courtesy would’ve mattered—but for Theon, she saw no reason for it.

That damn traitorous bastard...

In this world, a territory was effectively equivalent to a nation, so in Ayra’s eyes, Theon’s previous behavior amounted to treason. As she glared coldly, Theon laughed with feigned innocence and spoke.

“Why must you look at me like that? I heard you were arguing with my nephew over safflower tea or some such...”

“Shut it. I’d rather not sully my ears with your nonsense.”

“Ugh!”

Flustered, Theon pressed a hand to his tightly shut mouth and took a step back. As he turned to leave, Ayra flicked a finger—and the door slammed shut. Act, who had remained silent since his uncle’s arrival, widened his eyes and looked up.

“I heard what you said to my citizens last time. You were born and raised in Solar, fed and clothed by its people—and yet you had the gall to tell them to surrender to the enemy? Using my land and my people as bargaining chips?”

To Ayra, the old man before her looked truly pitiful. Knowing she was a mage, what nerve did he have to show his face? Did he really believe mages were just heretics because he’d never left Solar?

“The only reason I’m letting you off right now... is because I haven’t yet decided how I want to repay you for what you did.”

Ayra said, smiling sweetly, her voice calm. With a snap of her fingers, the magically sealed mouth finally opened. Theon, trembling, pointed a finger at her.

Act simply stepped back, observing the standoff with a cold face.

“How dare you! How dare you do something so vile to me, the former High Priest! Heresy! This is heresy! Morunka will punish you!”

“Really now—between the two of us, who do you think God will punish more? If Morunka truly thought magic was heresy, why do you think I’m still standing here, perfectly fine? Let’s see who He chooses, and who gets struck down.”

Theon’s face turned ashen, and his breathing grew ragged with a mix of fear and rage. Ayra, feeling slightly more satisfied with the reaction, glanced between Theon and Act before turning to leave. Even as his uncle was humiliated, Act didn’t bat an eye.

As she had already confirmed in the “related persons” window, Theon truly meant nothing to Act.

❄

Not long after leaving the temple, a series of system windows popped up.

[Attera te Act’s Favorability has increased by 3!]

Current Favorability: –28

[Attera te Act’s opinion of Solar Sing Ayra has changed to: “Heretic? Or a con artist?”]

Though not as stingy as Janus’s early logs, Act’s Favorability window was certainly stingy. Really? After all that throat-straining theological debate—only 3 points? And his character impression barely lost the “unbeliever” tag?

But the system messages didn’t stop there.

[Tip. Attera la Theon is heading to the mercenary office to plot something.]

<Main Quest Complete!>

[The Woman Wandering the Forest (2)]

Converse with Solar’s High Priest about religion. (Complete)

Caution: Mentioning Attera la Theon or Garotta will cause quest failure.

Reward: Unlocks linked quest The Woman Wandering the Forest (3)

<Main Quest!>

[The Woman Wandering the Forest (3)]

Save Solar’s High Priest from a crisis. (Incomplete)

Reward: Fifth Retainer, Hint about the Ghost Spy

As she scanned the full list of quest messages, Ayra’s lips curled upward in a long smile.

“Nothing all that surprising.”

Theon had long held immense power and prestige in Solar. Even if he had ceded the title of High Priest to Act, it was likely only in name. The real influence within the temple remained with Theon.

Given that, it made sense he’d dislike Ayra, now the official lord and popular among the citizens. Especially after the Sobletz battle—his standing had likely plummeted. He must be feeling threatened. For Ayra, Theon scheming was only a welcome development. A hint about the ghost spy? That probably meant Theon was connected to that unknown agent.

Putting together the system messages and quest details, Ayra suspected that Act would likely be caught up in Theon’s plot and fall into danger.

‘After fighting a dragon, everything else in this world feels kinda trivial.’

Fighting a dragon vs. fending off the ex-High Priest’s schemes? The latter, obviously. Fighting a dragon vs. fighting Sobletz’s entire army alone? Also the latter.

Amused by these idle thoughts, Ayra returned to the lord’s castle—only to find a crowd gathered, murmuring in unrest. Whenever this happened, it usually meant something bad had occurred. Her nerves sharpened. As far as she knew, none of her retainers were the type to cause trouble anymore. Among the crowd, she spotted the flustered Jinas and approached.

“Jinas, what happened here?”

“Ah, my lord. It’s just...”

Jinas glanced nervously toward a certain spot. There, where nothing had been that morning, was now a massive hole. Earth was still flying up from within.

“Who in the world dug a hole here?”

Looking down, Ayra saw none other than Janus digging into the earth. At her gesture, Jinas quickly cleared the onlookers.

“Your companion is... a bit odd, my lord.”

“Yeah, looks normal enough, but...”

As the murmuring citizens retreated, Ayra called down.

“Janus, what in the world are you doing down there?”

As she asked, she used magic to gently float down into the hole. For a brief second, she caught sight of something squirming. Alarmed, she rubbed her eyes and looked again—nothing. The dirt-covered dragon stared up at her blankly. Ayra, suspicious, nudged the soil with her foot and asked:

“Wasn’t there something weird just now?”

“Weird? Like what?”

She could’ve sworn she saw something strange wriggling underground, but Janus played dumb so thoroughly she couldn’t tell what to believe. And with an unidentified spy somewhere in the castle, Ayra didn’t want to talk about anything dragon-related out loud. She gestured for him to come out. Janus leapt effortlessly over the hole—easily surpassing the height of three grown men.

Ayra magically «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» swept the scattered dirt back into the pit. She ordered the servants to tamp it down, then dragged Janus back inside the castle. Calling for an attendant to prepare water for washing, the servant, without even needing to ask, brought cold water—for the dragon, of course.

Even in this season, Janus boldly submerged himself into the ice-cold bath. Ayra shivered just watching him, arms folded, and began interrogating.

“Why did you suddenly start digging? What were you even doing down there?”

Janus washed the dirt from his face with splashing cold water, then leisurely leaned back. As he rested his arms on the edge of the tub, water trickled down his bulging shoulders and over his thick pectorals in a smooth arc. With a mischievous glint, he flicked a cold droplet toward Ayra, who yelped and jumped back. A few drops landed on her hand—it felt less like water and more like shards of ice.