Maya stared at Levi, her eyes narrowing slightly, but she didn't voice her suspicions. What he said was the truth—her abilities as a priestess of the Truth Seeker confirmed that much. Still, it was the first time she had ever heard of such a god.

"That's... unusual," Maya finally said, her tone neutral. "God of the Forgotten Realms, you say? I've never heard that name before. You would need to register yourself under this new god. Follow the necessary procedures after you leave this room."

Levi nodded, keeping his expression carefully blank. He couldn't afford to give anything away. Not in front of her at least.

As for as registering a new god - it was something Humans invented to keep track of all the gods. Because there were so many gods in the Paradise - it was a necessary step.

"Very well, Levias Drake, you are free to go," Maya continued, her voice calm, though a flicker of doubt lingered in her eyes. She watched him closely as she spoke, searching for any sign of deceit, but found none.

"May your path be guided by truth."

Levi offered a brief, polite bow before turning to leave the room.

***

As soon as the door closed behind him, Levi's composed facade crumbled. He took a deep, shaky breath, his heart pounding in his chest.

He had come so close to disaster, and yet, he had walked away unscathed.

"Damn it," he muttered under his breath, frustration, and relief mixing in equal measure.

How had he not been caught lying?

The answer to his question came almost immediately, a voice echoing in his mind—a voice that was both familiar and terrifying.

[The Darklord of Endless Abyss says, 'It's because that is the truth.']

Levi froze, his eyes widening in shock.

The voice belonged to the providence, but the words were of the Darklord of the Endless Abyss. But the reason why he was surprised was different.

A demon claiming to be a god? He couldn't think of anything that would make this the truth.

[The Darklord of the Endless Abyss says, 'I am not claiming to be a god. There are some fools who have given me that title—I, for that matter, will always be a King.']

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Levi didn't understand who his patron was referring to as fools or what he meant by calling himself a King—was he a demon king, or was it something else? Levi didn't know. But he was just grateful! It was the second time the Demon had saved his life.

[The Darklord of the Endless Abyss says, 'Don't misunderstand. I just want your soul to fatten up before I can devour it.']

Levi read that message and once again realized that his patron was definitely a Demon!

At that moment, however, a sudden thought crept into his mind. 'Wait a minute… so it isn't wrong to call myself a god's follower now, is it?'

Honestly speaking, he could now register under the name of a new god as the priestess suggested and just live a low-key life.

[The Darklord of the Endless Abyss says, 'Don't dream about such things. Do you think other gods wouldn't recognize my name? You would be dead before you even realize it.']

That was correct, too. Registering as a new god's follower would definitely catch the attention of other gods, who would, of course, recognize the God of Forgotten realms as the demon.

'Wait a minute! Doesn't that mean the Truth Seeker god will know I'm a demon follower?'

Levi had said that he made a contract with the God of the Forgotten Realm in front of Maya, a priestess of the Truth Seeker—didn't that mean the Truth Seeker God already knew his identity?

[The Darklord of Endless Abyss says, 'Dumb fool, do you think this great self would make such a mistake? A god can only see one of their followers at a time.']

'Oh…'

[The Darklord of Endless Abyss says, 'Do you know how many followers that fucker has? Not to mention how many powerful followers stronger than that woman? Do you still think he heard you?']

'Well, when you put it like that…'

What he said made sense—the Truth Seeker had a massive number of followers, so it really would be a miracle if he was spectating Maya at that particular time. But seeing as miracles were happening around him lately, Levi couldn't help but still have some doubts.

Nonetheless, he ignored that for now as another question came to mind.

"Are demons really this talkative?"

The Darklord of the Endless Abyss, despite being a demon, was very talkative—that's what Levi felt at least. He hadn't heard of any gods talking to their followers this closely.

[The Darklord of the Endless Abyss says, 'You should be grateful that this great self is even talking to you. And no—I won't be able to talk to you like this always. This is a special occasion.']

Levi didn't bother to ask for reasons or what special occasion the demon was talking about—he knew he was not in a position to understand the situation of a demon. So instead, he asked a question he wanted to know the answer to.

"I saw the contract, and you sure are a big scammer. Anyway, what do you mean by an Apostle?"

The contract was already made, there was nothing Levi could do about it, so instead he decided to find ways to complete the quest sooner.

[The Darklord of the Endless Abyss scoffs at you and says, 'Find out for yourself.']

"...."

Levi silently stared ahead, waiting to see if the demon would say anything else. But since he didn't receive any more messages, he decided to leave it at that.

By now, he was back at his dorm, and knowing he would have to leave today, he felt quite upset.

Nonetheless, he had already decided on his destination, so he didn't delay the inevitable. With final greetings to Rose, he left the government-controlled spire.

His destination—The Favored Ones Academy!

---***---