Chapter 45: Ch 45: Why Can’t you follow the Rules?

Aiden wanted to ignore the people moving around the temple. Those people who ignored his warnings did not deserve to be saved.

But the thought of his goddess’s name being dragged through the mud because of foolish humans made Aiden sigh, and he ultimately decided to help these fools out.

"Goddess Apophis, can you tell me how many people you can sense roaming around?"

Aiden asked to verify the number, and his goddess opened her eyes to give him a knowing look before she replied.

"I sense 10 people outside. Are you going to investigate? Want me to come along?"

Even though his goddess phrased it like a question, she was already getting on his shoulder and resting there like a necklace.

Aiden had no heart to tell her to rest, so he decided to carry her around and bring her along with him.

"I sense the closest person this way."

Aiden followed his goddess’s words when the system suddenly popped up.

[A sudden mission has been found. Mission - protect Duke Bazar’s group]

[Please ensure Duke Bazar and his group’s safety throughout the night.]

[Reward: Gaining influence with Duke Bazar. Improved reputation outside the village. Chance of your name being spread far and wide. Additional rewards can be achieved based on the performance tonight.]

[Time limit: 10 hours]

[Caution: You will automatically fail if any one person dies. A penalty will be imposed: losing divinity - 1%]

The system was a bastard. It gave Aiden quests without a way to decline them. And while most people would say that he was lucky that he was not going to die if he did not complete the quest, he did not feel the same way.

After all, the penalty of failing the quest was too much for his goddess.

Losing 1% divinity when she only had 1.65% after going through so much? Aiden would not allow her to lose it!

’Darn it! The system sure knows how to keep me motivated. It seems like I have a personal reason to save these fools now. Fuck! I wouldn’t have gotten that assurance from the Duke if I knew this was going to happen.’

Aiden quickly picked up his pace and headed toward the garden immediately. And there was only one person there, but it was the most important person—the Duke.

"Sir Priest, is everything okay?"

The Duke asked as he looked at him, and Aiden decided to reply quickly.

"I sensed some of your people heading toward the forbidden section, so I came to check on you. It would be for the best if we find the others quickly as well."

Aiden pointed out, and the Duke looked surprised at his words.

He looked like he wanted to believe that no one in his group was stupid enough to risk their lives...but then he recalled his aide’s behavior and sighed.

"Very well. We shall look around. Do you have any idea where we can look?"

He asked, and Goddess Apophis immediately pointed toward a direction with her tail.

She did not look up, nor did she pay attention to the Duke. She simply helped in a way she wanted to while still resting.

"Sir Priest, what is that—"

"Keep your questions to yourself if you know what is good for you. If you insist on knowing too much, then you might have to pay a price you are not ready to pay yet."

Aiden warned him, and the Duke nodded.

Luckily, the Duke was easy-going, and he did not seem to mind Aiden’s words or tone. He also quietly followed after him in order to find the others from his party.

It was easy to find the Duke’s two sons because they were abiding by the rules, but everyone else was testing their chances.

The aides were especially bad, and the next one they found was stuck in the middle of poison ivy, with the plants grabbing him and holding him in place.

His eyes widened as soon as he noticed the Duke, and the aide started to beg.

"D-Duke Bazar, please help me! I-I did not do anything, and this plant grabbed me. T-This is harassment! I will sue you—"

Aiden sighed, and his goddess hissed at the plant, making it immediately drop the aide. The said man quickly ran behind the Duke and trembled.

"Duke, everything here is trying to kill us! We need to get—"

"Please do not touch things that have a warning. I told you before, right?"

Aiden pointed to the huge glowing—DO NOT TOUCH—sign, and the aide flinched before he defended himself.

"I did not touch it. It just grabbed me—"

"We can check it in the security logs later. I told you that you were under surveillance."

Aiden told the aide, who flinched and realized that his lie would be caught. So he quickly changed the subject.

"What about the others? Where are they?"

Well, that was what Aiden was going to find out.

Luckily, the next three aides were found quickly while trying to break into locked rooms. And since they were caught red-handed, they had no excuse to make.

The Duke looked delighted and pissed at the same time that this had happened, and he promised Aiden he would ’take care’ of his aides once they went back home.

Honestly, it almost looked like he had only brought them here because he knew they would cause trouble and he would have a reason to punish them.

Aiden decided to ignore them for now and concentrate on finishing the search for the last missing people.

It was only one aide, the Duchess, and the youngest child of the Duke. But somehow, Aiden had a feeling they would be the most difficult to track down.

His goddess was pointing toward the outside, and Aiden had a bad feeling about this.

"Sir Priest, what’s wrong?"

The Duke asked, and Aiden decided to share his worries with the Duke.

"It seems like the remaining people have decided to leave the temple grounds. We will need to hurry if we want to make sure nothing happens to them."

Aiden told the Duke, who nodded and followed him out.