I had no idea what this magic ball would reveal about me. But if it revealed literally anything other than my good alignment, I didn’t want to touch it.

From possibly outing me as a devilich to the likely outcome of exposing my divine blessing, or even my [Resurrect] skill, touching it could result in more trouble than I wanted to deal with.

But as for refusing to comply, I feared even thinking about it. The blessing was already conditioning me to avoid humoring evil thoughts since the feeling of disgust wasn’t just informative; it genuinely felt fucking horrible. Yet, I consulted it, nonetheless.

I held myself back from breathing a sigh of relief. Thankfully, refusing to touch this crystal wasn’t evil. The blessing was displeased, or perhaps disappointed, with my decision, but that sensation had nothing to do with the moral compass.

Frankly, I had been fearing that the blessing was partly dishonest. There was a non-zero chance that it was programmed to trick me into doing more than I strictly needed to, but for what it was worth, being allowed to back away at this moment eased those worries.

“Is everything all right, young man?” the cleric asked me with a frown of concern.

I played up my hesitation, the fingers on my half-raised hand twitching as I pulled my arm back slightly. “I’m…” I started, lowering my head slightly. “I’m sorry.”

The cleric was baffled by my behavior, and he shot Amelia an inquisitve glance. “Sister… is the boy perhaps lying about his alignment?”

“What!?” Amelia shouted, her eyes shooting open in surprise. “No, no, that’s impossible!” She quickly retrieved her amulet and placed it in my hand. It glowed with the same soft light.

Rather than ease up, the cleric seemed even more bewildered. “What in the world could be wrong, then?” he asked, walking over to me and touching my shoulder. “Are you afraid?” he asked me. “Worry not, young man,” he said, squeezing my shoulder slightly as he gave me a jolly shake. “I’ve already promised you this won’t hurt you, and look…” He raised his Pendant of Purity, proving himself as a good-aligned. “There is no reason for you to doubt my words.”

I glanced away, putting on a brave front. “No… It’s just… My parents told me to never trust the temple…”

“Nonsense!” the cleric spat. “Do not take offense, young man, but that is a foul way of thinking!”

“They weren’t bad people!” I shouted, taking an angry step back as I tore myself away from the man’s grip. “I won’t disrespect their memory by disobeying them like this!”

Martin remained silent throughout the ordeal, pulling back as he allowed the temple staff to take over.

Meanwhile, Amelia and the cleric looked at a loss for words, unsure how to approach the situation. The cleric opened and closed his mouth a few times, then helplessly looked at Amelia, who smiled gently at me as she walked forward. “That is all right,” she said, crouching before me and taking my hand gently. “You do not need to do this.”

“But—” the cleric started.

“Let me finish my explanation, Jeffine,” she interrupted him and then looked back up at me. “The Pendant of Purity,” she said, raising her amulet, “is proof of your alliance with the White Church,” she informed me.

“Wait,” I said, frowning, pulling my hand back, and glancing between her and the cleric with faux hostility, “were you trying to sign me up to work here!?”

Stolen story; please report.

“No,” she denied calmly. “That is not the case.”

“So why didn’t you explain this before bringing me here?” I asked, playing into my distrusting nature.

“I admit fault there,” she said, bowing her head slightly. “I had presumed you already knew what this procedure entails—it’s clear that you’ve been sheltered more than I expected. I am sorry for my presumptuousness.”

It was difficult to justify maintaining my guard in the face of her earnest words, so I allowed myself to relax slightly. Besides, if she was good-aligned, that was evidence enough that she meant me no harm.

She continued. “By registering, you become a part of the White Church. You can choose to become a cleric or to otherwise serve the temple, but none of that will be forced on you,” she elaborated. “Your alignment is proof enough that you already serve the church’s cause, and by becoming a member, you will be given a monthly stipend, and the church will cover the cost of anything you need.”

My eyebrows jumped up. “Anything?” I asked, shocked. “That’s quite generous,” I said with slight suspicion.

Amelia giggled and shrugged. “As long you’re good-aligned, that is proof enough that you aren’t asking for more than you need.”

Damn. Indeed, a system like that made embezzlement pretty much impossible.

“On top of that,” she said, “you will receive protection. If anyone threatens you, your word will be enough to have them in prison for life, if not even executed. Few are willing to bring harm to those protected by the church, even among the forces of evil. The church flips mountains to discover the culprit if anyone ever harms one of their own.”

Although this deal seemed pretty damn sweet, I still had no intention of going with it. I had no idea how easily I could make money, but I assumed my power would be enough to earn me a pretty penny. The protection part was a lot more enticing. If my word was enough to take care of problems, couldn’t I simply take a walk through town and have every evil-aligned individual executed… just like that?

I intuitively sensed that there was more to the whole thing. Besides, the fact that the blessing wasn’t forcing my hand was a clear indication that this wasn’t so simple.

For starters, if my ability to detect evil beings at a glance was outed, the odds were high that every evil faction in a thousand-mile radius would put an emperor’s bounty on my head.

Still, giving these privileges up wasn’t easy. Yet, given the circumstances, I decided to resist my greed and do the smart thing. “I’m… I’m sorry…” I said, bowing my head slightly.

Amelia looked saddened, but she didn’t try to convince me further. “Everything is all right,” she said, getting back up. “Your decision isn’t an uncommon one to make. Here,” she raised her hand and took another object out of her inventory. This time, it was a tiny ball, a pearl the size of my thumbnail. “This is a holy gem, the same as the one embedded in the Pendant of Purity.”

I grabbed the gem and made it glow with a single touch.

“You can use this to prove your alignment whenever necessary.”

I looked at the gem, then back up to her. “Does this mean that I’m accepted into the temple?”

She smiled sadly at me. “No,” she said, sighing. “You must register if you want to receive the benefits.”

I scoffed. “Membership can’t be so straightforward then,” I said, gripping the glowing gem. “What’s in it for the church if I register?”

My words were perhaps rude, but clearly, as proven by both my blessing and the gem still happily glowing away in my hand, being rude wasn’t evil.

Amelia’s gaze remained placid. “While you aren’t forced to do anything, most of those who join do eventually become more involved with the church. It is within the nature of good people to seek ways to do as much good as possible.”

“That’s fair enough, I guess,” I said. “But I stand by my decision.”

“If I may interrupt,” the cleric stepped in.

He looked at me with a reluctant gaze. “I have no right to chastise your decision, for your alignment proves your intent is pure. But”—he glanced at the gem—”do not mistake that gem for a Pendant of Purity. And do not flaunt it around too much.

“Without the church’s protection, many will seek to harm you if they discover your alignment. People like you are a prime resource to the forces of evil. Do not become fodder for demons, young man,” he warned. “That outcome will do result in no good at all.”

I looked at him for a moment, and I had to fiercely resist the urge to grin from ear to ear.

Worry not, old fart, I mused internally. Demons will become fodder for me.