LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 5: Prophet
Zayne's eyes quickly scanned the scene, assessing the situation.
A young woman, twenty at most, dressed in simple attire. Her clothes, although worn out and all patched up, were clean and tidy. There was a fresh red apple on the floor next to her that seemed to have fallen out of her tiny basket. Most likely a local villager, who came to the shrine to pray and make an offering. She must have seen the sword appearing out of nowhere in front of Zayne, and was so startled that she ended up tripping on the hole-ridden floor.
Zayne's eyebrows twitched.
So she came to pray to some sort of deity, huh?
Unluckily for her, there was nothing Zayne hated more than people worshiping other gods.
He took a step forward, the tip of his sword raising a bit. "What…"
Before he had time to ask any questions though, a system message popped up in front of his eyes.
[Priska from Gavia village praises god Zayne for the miracle she witnessed.]
Hmm?
"Are-" he started, but immediately had to pause. He was so unused to using his throat, that he had to clear it several times, before he could finally ask, "Are you Priska?"
The woman raised her head, surprised. "Yes… Do you know me?"
"…God Zayne spoke to me and revealed me your name."
"Ah!" The corners of Priska's mouth lifted, as she turned her eyes to the altar, her face full of elation and reverence.
[Priska from Gavia village praises god Zayne.]
The message flickered a few times, as Priska must have repeated her prayers.
Zayne was focused on something else, however. He looked around, once again examining the shrine. Since it was Gavia village, then this place must have been…
The very first shrine his believers had ever built for him, when he arrived in Erithen all those centuries ago. It was destroyed multiple times over the years by storms and wildfires, but it was rebuilt each time without a fault.
It could be said that Gavia village was the origin of Zayne's cult, the place where he gained his first believer. Well, at least the first believer that didn't die before the theophany they received could even come to an end…
Zayne lowered his sword back to the ground.
If there was still any place in this world he had any positive feelings for, it was Gavia village. He wouldn't let anything bad happen to them…
Unless he chose to destroy the whole world, or something along those lines.
But, at least he had no reason to kill any of them. For now.
"Excuse me…"
Zayne turned his eyes back to Priska, who was staring at him, half with awe, half with reluctance. "What is it?"
"If it's alright with you… May I ask… Who are you?"
"A prophet," Zayne answered without any hesitation.
It was better than to say that he was a descended god. He tried that once or twice in the past… And, well, it didn't work out well, to put it lightly.
"…Of god Zayne?"
"Yes."
"Ah… Then, are you wandering around, spreading the faith?"
"Yes."
"Is that so…"
Although Priska tried her best to be polite, she still couldn't stop herself from glancing down, scrutinizing Zayne.
It had to be said that Zayne didn't look like a wanderer at all. His body was exactly the same as it was at the moment he left the Earth - just a regular young man, on the skinny side, but still of a healthy weight. Definitely not malnourished as all of the other vagabonds in this poor region. His skin also was not rough and tanned, but rather pale and tanned. He'd have better luck trying to pass for nobility, that wouldn't benefit Zayne in any way though.
Not to mention his attire, which was even more baffling. The only piece of clothing he had was the cloth wrapped around him, which he very obviously picked up from the altar.
And yet, his body was perfectly clean.
None of it made any sense.
Zayne was already prepared for it, though.
"It was only today that I had received god's grace," he explained. "As I entered the shrine to take shelter from the rain, golden light shone on me from above, healing my body and soul. Then, god Zayne spoke to me, calling me to fulfill my purpose in life, which is spreading his name."
"Ah! But, but then… Um, when you arrived at the shrine… I mean…" Priska's cheeks turned bright red. She turned her head to the side, but her eyes still drifted back to the cloth wrapped around Zayne.
It was hard not to understand what she was trying to ask. Unperturbed, Zayne only nodded his head, briefly explaining, "The rags that I wore were unable to withstand the godly light, and unfortunately burnt to ashes."
"Ah! That makes sense!"
Honestly, it didn't. If the so-called godly light could completely restore his body, then shouldn't it also be able to fix his clothes? And if it could remove all of the tan he was supposed to have, then shouldn't it make his body more toned?
Not much was needed to convince fervent believers though. Especially Priska, who had just witnessed a small miracle, that is the sword materializing from thin air. With just a few words from Zayne, all of her doubts were completely gone.
"If you don't mind, could you take me to the village? It would be great if I could get some proper clothes, as well as something to eat," Zayne smiled at the woman.
"Yes! Of course! It would be my pleasure!" Priska scrambled onto his feet. As she picked up her basket, she finally took notice of the apple she had dropped. "Ah, if you're hungry, would you like this apple? It was on the floor, but…"
"Didn't you bring it as the offering for god Zayne?" Zayne interrupted. "You shouldn't just give away your precious offerings like that."
"I'm sure god wouldn't mind, especially since I'm giving it to his prophet…"
"No, no. Even if he wouldn't mind, it's still not right. Offerings should be placed on the altar. As many as you can."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, yes, of course." Zayne nodded.
After all, the food might have been good, but the points were better. Zayne wouldn't want to miss out on any opportunities to earn a few more points.