Max really wanted to take a walk with Helen around the city, give her some time to relax, for a change. However, it didn't have to be first thing in the morning. And it wasn't going to happen. Shortly after the sun emerged from the horizon, there was a soft knock on the door. At first, he almost thought he'd imagined it.

He put on his boots and headed to the door, flinging it open, half-expecting to see some hooded thug armed with a dagger or even Ronan's face next to his sharp, gleaming trident. But on the other side was only the high priestess.

Tryphaena.

Hmm, those names weren't going to be easy to remember... But he'd have to do what he could. Everything indicated that this wouldn't be a temporary stay.

"Good morning, Mr. Miller," the priestess bowed deeply. "I'm very sorry if I've disturbed you."

"Don't worry, I was already awake."

Tryphaena nodded. "Yes, I thought so. I listened at the door for a while to make sure."

She said something that made your hair stand on end with complete naturalness. There were worse things than being treated with such reverence, of course. But still, it was somewhat unsettling.

"But it's a matter of manners. My Lord Miller, if you come to the main hall, we have a series of relatively easy Quests ready for you, especially for someone of your stature. And they will give you very good rewards. The decision, of course, is entirely at your discretion."

Max nodded. He had already tried to get her not to call him Mr. Miller. Lord Miller, as with the other priestesses, had not worked. The most he had achieved was that they didn't address him like that in public. For obvious reasons, at least they had accepted that.

"Alright," Max said at last. "Give me a moment to get dressed and we'll get going."

"Of course, my Lord. I'll wait for you there."

Tryphaena turned and went back the way she had come. Max opened the door, took a deep breath. He had barely woken up and was already dealing with this. He had only been in this world for a week, but what a week. At this rate, he would forget what it was like to breathe, haha.

"You heard her, Helen. Get ready as quickly as possible. And then you have to give me a hand with this contraption."

It was good armor. The best he could get at the time, in any case. It had saved his life on several occasions, enough that it hadn't even crossed his mind to replace it with a better one. But that would only be sentimentalism. He would undoubtedly have no difficulty finding better armor than that of a half-dead fishing village blacksmith. He just had to look, but everything in due time, of course. Everything in due time.

Once Helen was dressed, she helped him with the armor without complaint. It's not that it was impossible to put on by himself, but there were too many pieces and he was still only half awake. Help wasn't absolutely necessary, but it was always welcome.

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Taking Helen by the hand, he walked to the common room. Dozens of priestesses and a few priests were waiting for them there. All those dozens of eyes turned to focus on him as soon as he entered the door. Their eyes could pass through Helen, but they were fixed on him mercilessly.

They stared at him, but they didn't see him. They were completely unable to see him. How ironic.

They took a seat. Nobody spoke. It was as if he himself, personally, had stolen the oxygen from the room. They had no idea where to look or what to say. Any plan of action they might have had seemed to have vanished without a trace. He felt like some kind of god having this kind of effect. This much of an impact to people's behavior. He felt like god and he didn't like it at all.

"Well," Max ventured at last, "where are the Quests you promised me?"

One of the priestesses placed a pile of papers on the table. No, not papers, posters. Max passed half of them to Helen so they could cover more ground.

It was a lot of shit to read without even having had breakfast. But he wanted to read it all. He wanted to be sure he could make the best possible decision with the information he had.

They progressed at a good pace. Perhaps it was a bit too early to declare victory, but Max was especially grateful that none of the Quests so far had anything to do with killing orcs. He was already more than fed up with those filthy creatures. If it were up to him, their paths would never cross again. If it were up to him, of course. How simple the world would be if things were as they should be.

"What do you think of this one?" Max asked, showing her the poster.

Max leaned forward, although he didn't need to in order to see what it said. Meanwhile, he put an arm around Helen's shoulders. Protective.

His eyes scanned the page. They didn't know what she was getting into, for a change. But it didn't sound bad. It sounded great, in fact.

"Sounds good to me."

"Will you take me to see the city later?"

"Of course. Will you provide transportation? For both things?"

"Transportation and anything else you want," said one of the priestesses.

They had all taken the opportunity to introduce themselves after the test. But it was impossible to remember so many names so soon. And Greek names at that. But yes, he thought her name was Laura. He was about eighty percent sure, more or less.

"Yes," Tryphaena corroborated. "That's what we're here for. To serve Lord Ares and any of his champions. It is literally our religious duty, Lord Miller. Our glorious purpose."

Max nodded. He didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything. Many people could learn from his example.

——

The priests' transport carried them comfortably to the outskirts of the city. Nature was dense, green, and beautiful. He had spent a few days surrounded by larger and perhaps more beautiful trees, but it had been difficult to appreciate this with the threat of the orc attack hanging over his head, not to mention the fear that something might happen to someone first.

The nature surrounding them emanated a sense of tranquility. It was like a balm for a wounded and confused spirit. Of course, that couldn't last for long.

The journey was painfully short, returning him to reality with his feet firmly planted on the ground.

"A Dungeon," Max murmured.

He knew what he was about to get into. He had read the information on the Quest, and, in any case, any RPG player would recognize it. But he had thought he would be up to the task.

Not anymore; he only needed to stand in front of the door. Instinctively, Max understood that with his current power level, entering that Dungeon was a death sentence. It wasn't ordinary fear or nerves. It was an instinct that bordered on precognition.

"Weren't you going in?" asked the priestess, whose name he couldn't remember, as soon as he turned around.

"I was, but now I see that I can't. I'll have to recruit help in the city."

The priestess simply accepted this, nodding. They didn't know how to say no to anything. Perhaps they were even forbidden to.

But in this sense, it was good that they didn't challenge him. He wasn't wrong. Although it might seem otherwise, this Quest was not going to be relatively easy for someone like him. It was a death sentence at his level. He had no doubt about it. But he wasn't going to back down. He couldn't back down. He was just looking to gather strength and return with twice the fury.