When the fog cleared up, we found ourselves back inside the Lucky Shrine, with the human avatar of Lady Luck standing before us.

The Asian woman smiled at our return. "It's time for you to head back to the inn, my children. May fortune continue to smile on you," she said in dismissal.

We bowed deeply to the goddess and left the shrine. Amelica and I walked hand-in-hand as each of us tried to appreciate what we learned from each other. We knew that these revelations had pulled us closer together as a couple, but honor and duty were threatening to pull us apart.

I spent the rest of the trek pondering possibilities to keep us together as a couple but alas, I couldn't come up with a realistic solution. I would love nothing more than to have Amelica join my quest because I was certain that her class was the equivalent of a bard from AD&D rules. She would have access to both healing and offensive spells while I tanked damage and kept monsters away from her. I was probably still below her character level right now, but I could easily engage in a few monster encounters and zoom past her in the near future.

However, I was hesitant to ask Amelica to come with me because Amelica's roots were firmly embedded in this frontier town, whereas I was subject to the whims of gods and NPCs alike and flew like a kite blown around by an unpredictable wind. In a sense, my girlfriend enjoyed more personal freedom than I did. I couldn't help but grin at the irony. Nor could I ask Amelica to give up the life she built in Tregome and, more importantly, leave her son behind just to go adventuring with me.

Furthermore, what if the worst-case scenario occurred and Amelica ended up being killed during an encounter? After all, I was not powerful enough to ensure her personal safety and therefore, every monster encounter created a chance of her dying. Yes, it was a very low risk but it was a risk nonetheless. And knowing that the gods were watching me, I was certain that there will be more "divine interventions" designed to test my mettle and entertain the so-called "gamemaster." Was I prepared to face Gendun and tell the young boy that his mother had died while adventuring with me? I didn't know if I could handle that situation.

These thoughts occupied my mind as we walked along the streets. The conclusion I drew was that I could not put Amelica's life at risk by asking her to come with me. It would be a selfish request, one fraught with extreme danger to her life. I knew, deep down, that I couldn't jeopardize my angel's life in this manner. It would be one thing if putting her life at risk was necessary to save the town of Tregome or for some other grand purpose. But for these two quests that I had currently, I will have a VERY capable companion for the journey in Kalistra. And if I couldn't be safe in her company, then there was no hope for me to stay alive until I capture the crown for my ticket out of this gaming world. Thus, I rejected the idea of asking Amelica to join my party when I leave Tregome to begin my quest. Once I reached my decision, I noticed that we had arrived at the entrance to The Noble Lady.

Amelica reluctantly released my hand. She said, "Thank you," when I opened the door for her, but my angel refused to look at me.

I frowned for a moment as I watched her walk past the bar and then into the kitchen. Apparently, I was not the only one thinking of our future together as a couple, and Amelica had drawn an unsatisfactory conclusion as well. I quickly took my seat at the back of the common room. When I reached my usual table, I noticed that I had a bowl of chicken soup already waiting for me.

Once I sat down next to Kalistra, my master pulled her face out of her own bowl and looked at me. "I didn't expect you to be back so soon," she said as her ears perked up.

"We just went to the Lucky Shrine to receive a quick blessing," I explained casually. I had no intention of telling her about my meeting with two gods and a trip to the Dream Land. I test-sipped a spoonful of soup, expect it to be freezing cold by now. However, I was mildly surprised to discover that my soup was still warm.

The look of surprise must have registered on my face because the cat girl remarked, "Our soups were brought out of the kitchen not too long ago. I guess Lady Luck really is smiling on you." Her whiskers twitched at the notion. She was not surprised that Lawrence had drawn attention from the gods already. He was a storm bringer who couldn't help but stir up trouble wherever he walked. Kalistra fully expected many difficulties ahead as the two travel on the King's Road.

As I continued to drink my soup, my mind started wandering again. When I thought about the divine mark that I had received from Lady Luck, I felt a tingling sensation on my left forearm, right at the spot where my newest brand had been added. Perhaps it was the goddess' way of expressing her agreement with Kalistra's remark. Realizing that I was under again under personal surveillance a la "The Truman Show," I decided it would be best to finish my breakfast quickly and ignore this divine invasion to my personal privacy. I was very annoyed to discover that my very thoughts were being monitored. However, given my status as a player character, I shouldn't be surprised at receiving such divine attention. And since I wore the brand of three different gods, it was plausible that all three were observing me through their respective brand. If this was indeed the case, then there was nothing that I could do about it. If anything, I should be happy to receive an express confirmation that I was under surveillance. This meant that I needed to continue being on my very best behavior at all times.

Suddenly, I remembered something important! Before I blacked out in the bishop's study yesterday, the man had promised to help me unlock the abilities of my truth stone. Of course, His Excellency neglected to mention that the artifact had to be bound to me personally, and being bound meant a commitment to Order. It was a nasty trap that the Bishop and the gods, Musa and Bane, had sprung on me. Just thinking the ordeal was making me very angry at them.

Frankly, I would rather avoid seeing these three co-conspirators again. However, I was already bound to the two gods via the brands on my left inner forearm. Furthermore, Bishop Johan Canterbury was the highest authority within the town of Tregome, and I expect that many future church missions will be assigned to me directly from the Bishop. Thus, I needed to figure out a way to push aside my anger at them for the sake of achieving my ultimate goal of returning home.

That being said, if they planned to use me to further their schemes, then it was fair for me to use them to further my own objectives. For example, maybe I should suggest to the Holy One that I deserved a promotion within the Church because it would be a scandal if the commoners were to discover that a man could be a servant of three gods WITHOUT being a true member of the Church. After all, I was only a mere apprentice who was free to leave the church at any time. If the gods were willing to work with the commoners and nobles directly, then it was reasonable for the public to assume that the gods did not wish to work with the Church. This, in turn, would raise questions regarding the worthiness of the organization in the eyes of the gods and whether the Church edicts merited obedience or not by the town residents.

The Church undoubtedly wanted to promote the notion that it had EXCLUSIVE access to the gods, and that only members of the church were deemed worthy of such access. If I were to openly show my three brands to the common folks and suggest that I had special relationships with Bane, Musa, and Luck, then I would expose this fraud to the people and greatly damage the power and prestige of the Church. When I made this realization, I started chuckling to myself.

Kalistra looked at me and shook her head. She didn't want to know what I was thinking.

I took a sip from the cup of honey tea; my mind continued to explore new possibilities. Since I was forced to swear fealty yesterday, it was only fair that I push back against the Church. I wasn't going to try to blackmail the Church outright, but I could certainly ask for a few favors in exchange. For example, I could inquire about the vacancy in the position of town judge. Judge Mulligan had a nice sound to it. But then again, I wasn't going to stay in Tregome for long and thus, I wouldn't be able to fulfill my responsibilities if I were to receive this appointment. A promotion to deacon was also problematic because that was a very high position and probably attached to many obligations to the Church. I guessed I will have to ask the bishop to promote me to the next rank beyond Initiate.

Another request I plan to make of His Excellency was to teach me how to cast a truth-telling with the stone. Did the spell merely require the target to swear and tell the truth? Or, was there another trigger to enforce the truth being expressed by the target? I thought about what other demands I could make of the bishop, but nothing appropriate came to mind. I didn't want to ask for money and come across as greedy; that was the surest way to lose points in my candidacy for kingship! I also didn't ask for additional guards for the trip because I wasn't sure how they would treat Kalistra. If the guards treat her with contempt because she was non-human, then it would put the mission itself at risk if a fight broke out between Kalistra and the guards. It wasn't worth rolling the dice, in my view. Thus, I settled on asking for a promotion and learning to cast the truth-telling spell.

"Hey, Kalistra! I need to meet with the Bishop today. Since we're actually close to the church right now, may I make a trip to meet with him before I start my training at your dojo?" I asked politely.

The cat girl looked up at the clock above the door. It was already a quarter beyond the sixth hour. Kalistra peered into my bowl and saw that I was almost finished with my meal. Abruptly, she stood up and said, "We're going now. Pay up and let's go!" She grabbed her butterfly scabbard and reattached it to her belt.

"Yes, master," I answered and obeyed.