Chapter 46: Ch 46: Keeping Everyone Alive

"Are you sure it is safe to come out here? I saw that there was a refreshing area inside the temple. Maybe we should have used it..."

The Duchess looked a little scared being out in the open, and so did her young daughter.

She had seen Priest Aiden explain how to use the thing he called a ’toilet’, and it felt safe for her to use. But her aide did not seem to think the same.

"Duchess Bazar, are you truly going to trust such an unreliable thing from another god’s territory? Who knows what that thing contains? We have been going out in the woods to relieve ourselves ever since humanity can recall. Please rest assured that it will be fine."

The aide promised as she led the way for the Duchess.

Soon, they reached the edge of the forest and headed outside of it. But the Duchess hesitated to do the same.

"I don’t know...it does not feel like it is alright for us to head out. It is dark and does not feel safe..."

The Duchess complained, but the aide rolled her eyes at the younger lady’s behavior.

"Don’t be like that, Duchess Bazar. Do you want to relieve yourself on the holy grounds? Now, come outside—"

Something hit the aide and sent her flying back inside the barrier. Her back hit the ground hard, and she almost looked like she was dead. But the aide had miraculously survived.

The thing that had attacked them was a huge bear that looked angry. It seemed to have been woken up from its winter nap by their chattering and arguing, and it wanted revenge.

Massive paws pressed up against the barrier, trying to break in, but it was of no use.

But just because the barrier was holding up did not mean the Duchess felt relieved. Instead, she felt dread building up inside her as she looked up at that massive and bulky body.

’S-Someone, please save me and my daughter! G-God Aldaric...Goddess Veena, please help me!’

She prayed earnestly, but she knew that she did not have enough faith to convey her words to those two gods. They had too many followers to care just about her.

But what could she do if she could not receive help from them? Whom could she pray to...

’T-The goddess of these lands. Maybe I can ask her to help? She might not listen to me because I have no faith in her, but maybe I can improve—’

Except, she did not even know the name of the Goddess. She had zoned out, too distracted by the shiny stuff to remember.

’Oh no! We are going to die! We are all going to die—!’

"P-Priest Aiden, please help us! I promise I will dedicate my life to your faith as well. I will become your follower, so please—"

There was a loud noise in the distance, and the bear looked startled before it left. It left the Duchess feeling relieved, and her legs collapsed.

"Mother, a-are we safe?"

Her young daughter asked with tears in her eyes, and the Duchess nodded.

"Yeah. It looks like Priest Aiden and the others saved us."

The Duchess felt relieved but also ashamed. She had spent most of her life in luxury, hiring help when she needed it. She had never been a devoted follower of any faith, which left her lacking when it came to receiving the gods’ power.

But she had never minded because she never thought she, as the Duchess, would ever need it. Except, she needed it now.

’I will no longer be lazy about this! I will dedicate myself to faith and make sure to gain more power. This way, I will never be in danger ever again.’

She vowed in determination, ready to change for the better.

...

[You have gained a follower. Your divine presence has increased.]

[Path to Godhood will open for you soon.]

[Current Follower Count: 10/100]

Aiden quickly fired the shot as soon as he saw the Duchess being threatened, and as a result, he saw this notification.

He ignored it and quickly ran to check up on the trio that was needed for his mission.

The Duchess and her young daughter were fine, but the same could not be said for the aide. She had twisted bones and was bleeding. It would be a miracle if she made it through the night.

Not that Aiden cared about her that much, but he needed to make sure she made it through the night for his mission.

"This is...what happened here?"

The Duke roared as he looked at his wife for an explanation. His look made her hesitate, but she did tell him.

"I-I just wanted to relieve myself, so I followed our aide out, and then she crossed the barrier, only to be struck...is she alive?"

Fear was evident in the Duchess’s voice as she looked at her dying aide, and the Duke softened a bit at her explanation.

Sigh

"I see. The new experience must have scared you, and you wanted to relieve yourself in a familiar way. But just use the indoor facility next time. We all tested it, and it’s safe. As for our aide...we will need to seek a healer tomorrow."

Unfortunately, a healer of a caliber who could fix the aide back to normal would be hard to come by. Especially in such a small village where the ruling god was not that strong yet.

And the healer wouldn’t be cheap either. This aide would likely never be able to repay her debt, even if she sold all her family and herself.

Moreover, the aide first needed to make it through the night even if she wanted to see the healer...

"Should we...let her die?"

The Duchess asked with a pale face. Aiden knew that her intentions were nice, but he could not help but disapprove of her decision.

After all, it was going to make him lose his mission.

"I feel like we should give her a fighting chance. The human body can sometimes show us miracles. For now, we should take her back, and I will put her to rest using my herbs."

Aiden carried them on him all the time, and he took out the herbs that were painkillers and sedatives and quickly put the smashed powder in water.

The aide fell unconscious as soon as she drank it, and then they moved her back inside.