Thrilling—Sylvester never thought he’d use such a word to describe his experience eating Nehilius’ nasty meat. Even saying its name always felt wrong to him before. But no more, since this was proving to be beneficial to his body. “What are you eating?” Xavia asked on one occasion as they all sat down in the living room after dinner. “You’re always eating that these days.” “Flesh of a god.” “Haha, that’s funny,” she chuckled, not realizing Sylvester was being honest with his answer. Indeed, the mere idea that he was eating a god was too absurd to even think about. Sylvester smiled and stopped Rex from taking a bite of it by swatting away his hand. “You want to die, boy? It has poison in it. It will kill anyone below the Supreme Wizard rank.” “Ugh,” Rex shed some fake tears while rubbing his reddened hand. “Then why are you eating it, Godfather?” “Because what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Sylvester was in a good mood as things were going great, so he messed around with the young ones. “Take Ella, for example. She finishes all her veggies. Look at her growing so well. Her skin looks so much better. She will soon leave you behind in magical rank too.” “B-But… I have allergies to vegetables.” “Weakness is what I hear,” Sylvester teased the boy a little but took his worries seriously. “Your allergies are due to raw vegetables, uncooked fruits, spices, and nuts. Just make sure you avoid those and keep rising in magic levels. As you grow stronger, your body will start adjusting as well.” Rex took the advice seriously and took out a small notepad from his pocket to write it down. “What about Ella not drinking milk?” “She’s lactose intolerant.”

“Lettuce intolerant? But I’m talking about milk, Godfather,” Rex folded his arms. “…”

Sylvester sighed and relaxed beside Xavia’s feet on the floor as she massaged his scalp with some strange oil she made. Sometimes, he liked being spoiled. “Forget that. I received a letter from your father. Why did you ask him about impressing someone and romance? He now thinks you’re interested in some Clergyman or a Deacon,” Sylvester scolded Rex calmly. “He even sent your uncle to keep an eye on you. If you’re interested in a girl, you should’ve just asked me for advice.” “But…” Rex’s brows furrowed like he had heard the most outrageous thing. “But Uncle Felix said you’re the God of Virgins. How would you know anything about impressing girls?”

“Pff…” Xavia snorted, trying to hold in her laughter. “…” Sylvester was speechless. But what hurt him the most was Ella’s pressed lips as she tried not to smile.

“Yes, brother Max only loves Solis. Zeke knows more, ask Zeke,” Even Zeke threw some jabs in unknowingly, pouring salt on the wounds. “You know, I’m still the Pope. So maintain some dignity.” Sylvester went along with their little games and acted hurt. After all, he couldn’t tell them he once had the best romance one could dream of. Rex scoffed and looked at Ella, “But you asked to be treated like a normal person inside the house.”

“You want more homework?” Thud!

Rex fell to his knees and bowed to Sylvester, “Forgive this young one, Your Holiness.” 𝑖.𝘤ℴ𝘮

“Come and massage my shoulders then.” Sylvester used free labor when he had some. After all, he was treating them all as his own family. “When are the Guardians coming for lunch?” Xavia changed the topic and asked. “You told me you wanted to invite them.” “The day after tomorrow. I wanted to make them feel connected to me on a personal level, so I thought getting them to eat your homemade food would be the best way to do it. But invite some Bright Mothers to help you cook. I don’t want you to be tired by the time we dine,” he clarified, trying his best not to remember how she was aging. “I’m meeting the Dwarf King from Beastaria tomorrow. I’ll have lunch with him. Ella and Rex will be joining us.” Rex’s eyes shined in excitement. “Really? Do we get to help you scheme against him? Make him kneel?” “No, it’s going to be a friendly meeting. King Galagar Ironcloak follows the faith of Solis, and this is his pilgrimage.” “Then why are you taking us?” Rex asked, already predicting he’d be bored there.

“Because you two are the same height as him,” Sylvester bluntly replied before following up. “I don’t want to make him feel self-conscious now, do I.” “…”

Speechlessness; That was all Rex and Ella felt.

…

The next day, Sylvester greeted the Dwarf King in his Holy Court. The man was short, as expected, but he was built like a boulder. Wearing a sleeveless-vest shaped armor of unknown material, filled with countless dwarven runes, he looked majestic with his deep red hair and beard braided to fashion. There was even a double-sided battle ax on his back. ‘A Grand Wizard. Expected from a King of such a species.’ Sylvester felt the power of the man, who surprisingly knelt to him. ‘I smell quite a lot of worship. He truly does follow the faith of Solis.’ “Welcome to the Holy Land, King Galagar,” Sylvester voiced majestically and stood up from his modest throne, picking up his spear as well. He also started to sing a hymn to appear majestic while walking towards the man. ‘Time for you to convert all the dwarves for me, my friend.’ Sylvester planned it all in his head. His hymn was meant to suggest it all to him. ?Mighty servant from the Whiskeypeaks, To me, your faith in Solis loudly speaks.

Free from all the sinful, worldly deeds,

The light of the Lord, you sowed the seeds.?

At last, Sylvester stopped in front of the kneeling dwarven King and lifted his spear to tap on the man’s shoulder, copying a certain ritual he recalled seeing somewhere in the past but couldn’t remember where.

?By the heavenly powers vested within this Bard.

Of any sin left, I absolve you in the name of the Lord. Among the first, your name shall be written in the record.

Rise, Champion of the Faith; this is your rightful reward.?

As Sylvester placed the spear’s blade’s flat side on King Galagar’s head, the spear began to shine brightly with magical runes, making the man feel warm all over his body. It was simple Light Elemental magic, but to a man’s mind who believed in Solis, this was like a blessing. Sylvester had no clue why singing hymns always triggered the halo, nor did he know if his blessings worked. But they would always work for him politically, so he cherished them. Champion of the Faith was not really a title. He just made it up right there and then, and it held no importance. It was meant to make important people feel important. Ke-Chak!

And just like that, another one bit the dust. The magical photograph was taken, but the headlines would be somewhat nicer this time, calling the Dwarven King a Champion of Faith, not an enemy who surrendered. After all, they were never really enemies.

Clap clap!

As he had trained previously, all the Guardians and spectators began to clap at the announcement of the worthless title. ‘Ah, I smell uncontrollable happiness and excitement.’ Sylvester noticed the change in expressions, and it couldn’t have been better. “Let’s go and have lunch together, my friend,” Sylvester invited. King Galagar excitedly nodded, caressing his beard the whole time. “I do feel quite hungry after the voyage. But I must say, the ship you sent was faster than I expected.” “It was merely an experimental ship. It uses runes and magic crystals to gain speed. But in the future, we will have faster ships, and crossing the ocean will be even faster,” Sylvester chatted about the various innovations that were being explored and brought the man to a big, sea-and-garden-facing large balcony, where the dining table was placed. “Ah!” “Nice to meet you, Your Majesty, Your Holiness.” Ella and Rex were already there, getting bored. ‘They are actually the same height,’ Sylvester’s brows rose. “These are the future of this realm. Rex is my godson and the son of King Highland of Highland Kingdom., also my personal student. And Ella is my adopted daughter, similarly a student of mine,” Sylvester introduced the two kids. “I wanna grow a beard like you,” Rex suddenly commented. ‘Me too,’ Sylvester thought. “Bwahaha… Even my dwarven brothers and sisters envy my beard. It’s not that easy, my little friend. It takes years of hammering the anvil, sweat, and training to attain this majestic beard. The stronger you are, the better your beard will grow.” King Galagar proudly, and jovially proclaimed. But that prompted Ella and Rex to look at the current strongest man in the world, Sylvester, and his chin that was smoother than a newborn’s butt. ‘Ah, I’ve already lost hope. Don’t look at me.’ Sylvester sighed and gestured for everyone to take a seat. ‘But one thing is clear. King Galagar was full of **.’

Soon enough, the finest food from the Bard’s was brought to the table. Indeed, it wasn’t fully healthy, and yes, it was utterly tasty. Besides, for men of their level, eating unhealthy food did nothing. Also, Sylvester hoped to open branches of the Bard’s in Beastaria. “Oh my Lord!” Galagar exclaimed as soon as he took a bite of the honey-glazed chicken with spices and sesame seeds. “This is… This is the finest art I have ever witnessed.” “Try the steak, pizza, burger, french fries, and the cheesy pasta,” Sylvester kept pushing forward plates of food at the man. “Ah, try that water-like drink as well. I’m sure you will like it. It’s called Sunshine Nectar, and it was invented by Grandpa Monk, the Fifth Guardian of Light, who isn’t with us anymore.” As expected, the dwarven King’s eyes sparkled like a kid with a new toy. He let go of all manners and used both hands to devour the food. His beard, which was graceful not too long ago, turned into a mess. Heck, the man was licking his fingers every few seconds to clean them. ‘How bad is their food?’ Sylvester wondered and ate in small bites. But then he noticed Rex eating almost as nastily as the dwarf. ‘So it’s not just the height that’s similar.’ But his dear daughter Ella was still like a well-behaved princess. “Your Holiness, the ice cream.” A servant came and placed the tray with cups on the table before serving each one. Gulp!

“One more, please!” Ella suddenly voiced out loud, proving Sylvester wrong. “Oh my hammer!” King Galagar almost barked once he tasted the ice cream. “What is this cold thing? This is magical!” It took almost an hour for the dwarven King to be satisfied. The man stood true to the stereotypes and ate like a giant. He single-handedly wiped clean almost all the plates on the table. Burp!

Finally, the short King began cleaning his beard with a dozen pieces of cloth and some water. “This was the greatest lunch I’ve had in my life, Your Holiness. I would love to have this back at home.” “I’ll make sure to open a branch of the shop that sells it at Ironstead.” Sylvester clapped for himself in his head. “How about we shift to a more serious topic now?” 𝘳.𝑐ℴ

“Of course,” King Galagar stood up from the chair. “I was informed by Elder Elrog of Sol’s dwarves that you wish to make fine armor with Skygem. Especially now, since dragons are willing to work in forges? How much Skygem have you been able to collect? I should be able to make the finest armor for you.”

“Not much, but I was able to find a decently big rock.” Sylvester didn’t boast and took him to the underground armory, “Let me show it to you.” Through various security checks, trap runes, and then more checks, they finally arrived in front of a gigantic gate, where more soldiers were sitting as guards. Sylvester went ahead and placed his palm on the door to open it. That was also proof that he was the Pope to the guards. Woosh!

Gusts of heavy, sandy wind came from the room inside, making Galagar’s beard flutter majestically. Once the doors fully opened, the light runes were activated, and the gigantic storage room lit up completely, showcasing the contents.

“Hmm?” At first, Galagar thought there was no light in the giant room as he only saw darkness in front of him. But then he noticed blue, shining lines in front of him, the characteristics of the Skygem. That made him look up, and he kept looking up until his neck couldn’t turn anymore. Pure shock, horror, and confusion dawned across the dwarven King’s face. “R-rock?” Galagar almost panted, excited and sweating. “T-This is… a **ing mountain!” ________________