In this world, the existence of gods is an undeniable truth. After all, without them, there would be no such things as divine Artifacts or Heroes summoned from other realms.
And if gods exist, then naturally, so do Cults that worship them. Across the world, numerous faiths are dedicated to these divine beings.
Among them, two Cults stand above the rest in terms of recognition. The first is the Church of Eris.
The Church of Eris serves as the official state religion of the Belzerg Kingdom and venerates Eris, the Goddess of Fortune. It is said that Eris governs both prosperity and the passage of souls, guiding the departed to the afterlife. As such, she is the most widely worshipped deity in the world.
So revered is her name that the kingdom's currency is named after her. Her followers are found in nearly every corner of the continent.
The second major Cult is the Axis Church.
Unlike the Eris Church, the Axis Church is not a state religion, though its name is just as widely known. However, its reputation is… infamous.
That's because its followers are, frankly, eccentric to the extreme. To spread their teachings, they'll resort to just about anything, slandering the Church of Eris as a corrupt cult, labeling followers of other religions as heretics, and displaying an aggressively exclusionary attitude.
They've been known to hurl stones at church windows, stir up public unrest, and spread heretical rumors, even about the Royal Capital itself. Some rumors go as far as to claim that the Demon King's army attacked humanity due to the Axis Church's actions.
Because of these antics, the Axis Church is widely regarded as a lunatic fringe group.
Few are willing to associate with them, despite how well-known they are.
The deity they worship is none other than the Goddess of Water, Aqua.
"To reject the state religion and still claim the guidance of the Goddess of Water… That so-called 'super beautiful and excellent Arch Priest' must be a member of the Axis Church, right?"
That would likely be the first thought of anyone reading that recruitment notice.
But Fang Li wasn't just anyone. He knew better.
"…Could it be that the one who posted that ridiculous notice is the Goddess of Water herself?"
Muttering such an outrageous thought, Fang Li turned and scanned the Adventurer Guild interior. Perhaps due to the recent strange occurrences in Axel, the Guild was emptier than usual today. Only a few staff members remained behind the counter.
In that sparse crowd, Fang Li soon found his targets. At a wooden table tucked away in the corner of the Guild… Sat a boy and a girl.
The boy looked to be around sixteen or seventeen years old, dressed in a tracksuit that felt oddly out of place in a fantasy world. He was staring at the girl across from him with an expression full of disdain.
"You seriously put up that kind of recruitment notice?"
Hearing his complaint, the girl, who had been idly stirring the water in her cup, looked up with a smug glint in her eyes.
"What's the matter? Were you blown away by my brilliant prose? If you're that jealous, I could teach you! All you have to do is kneel right here and shout 'Lady Aqua!' three times, and I'll consider it!"
The girl speaking was stunningly beautiful.
Her long, flowing hair was the color of clear water, and her outfit, mainly shades of blue with pure white accents, evoked the image of serene springs. A delicate hagoromo draped across her shoulders, and her proportions were so perfectly balanced it seemed as though a sculptor had carved her to divine specifications.
Yet despite her appearance, her expression was brimming with arrogance, instantly shattering the refined aura she might have otherwise exuded. She was the kind of beauty that made you want to flick her forehead out of sheer frustration.
And indeed, the girl, Aqua, was promptly smacked on the head by the boy she had just called Kazuma.
"Ow! What the hell was that for?!"
"Huh? You're asking me what I'm doing? I'm trying to knock some sense into that stone-filled skull of yours, even if it's probably hopeless at this point!"
"What's so amazing about that notice? What's there to be jealous of? You wrote: 'Our team currently has a super beautiful and excellent Arch Priest and a rude weakest class', who the hell would find that impressive?! Useless Goddess!"
"Excuse you! That's not a useless Goddess, that's the super beautiful and excellent Goddess of Water! Watch your mouth, you disrespectful weakling!"
"'Rude and disrespectful'? That's the same insult twice! Do you think saying it twice makes it stronger? Use a thesaurus or something! Now go tear down that notice and write something normal for once!"
"I refuse! That's the greatest literary work I've ever created! I won't let a shut-in NEET who spends his days hiding indoors tear it apart!"
"'Greatest literary work'? Please. Wasn't your last 'masterpiece' snatching candy from children on the street just to fill your belly?!"
"Ugh! Don't bring that up! I don't know anything about that! Lies and slander! This coming from a NEET who died in Japan after getting scared to death by a slow-moving tractor!"
"…Alright then. It's decided, time to get rid of this useless Goddess." Kazuma turned, preparing to march over to the bulletin board.
"I'll just revise the recruitment notice to say: 'Selling one Arch Priest, no need to feed three meals a day, just sprinkle some water on her like a houseplant and she'll be fine.' You wait right here."
"Aaaah! I was wrong! I was wrong, Kazuma-sama! Please have mercy!" The self-proclaimed 'super beautiful and excellent Arch Priest' collapsed to the ground, clinging to Kazuma's pants and sobbing as if her life depended on it.
"..."
Watching this absurd scene unfold, Fang Li felt an intense urge to quietly turn around and leave.
Because he understood. This… this was undoubtedly the strangest kind of existence he had ever come across.
Stranger even than the crimson-eyed girl from the Crimson Magic Clan recruiting a boyfriend… Stranger than a Hero summoned from another world, loudly declaring his quest to save humanity…
If he had avoided getting involved with those kinds of weirdos, there was absolutely no way he wanted to deal with this bizarre duo.
Originally, Fang Li had been considering a light interaction, maybe a quick chat.
But now? He made his decision on the spot.
"Yeah, I'm out of here."
Unfortunately, as if the system itself could sense his intent to escape, a mechanical chime echoed in his ears.
[Serial Number 11273 has triggered B-Rank Side Quest: Joint Action.]
[Quest Objective: Join forces with designated Plot Characters, Satou Kazuma and Aqua, and assist in raising both Characters' Levels to 30 or higher.]
[Reward: 20,000 Exchange Points.]
In that moment, only one thought ran through Fang Li's mind:
"…I really shouldn't have come to the Guild today."
Why did life have to be so hard? Even when it came to Main Quests, there should be some allowance for downtime, right?
Just once, couldn't he take a break?
But of course, Fang Li knew the truth. From here on out, there would be no such luxury as leisure time.
Letting out a long sigh, Fang Li lifted his feet and made his way over to the two disaster-grade lifeforms in front of him.
Then he spoke:
"…You two looking for a no-class party member?"
(End of Chapter)
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