After they came back to their rooms to rest, Hiroshi had to get treated by the castle healer. He was badly hurt from testing his new skill. In the heat of the moment, he hadn't noticed how damaged his body was getting.
But he couldn't really blame himself for it. After all, for the first time in his life, he'd felt powerful at something. That feeling was addicting.
Evening light came through the stained glass window when Hiroshi heard a knock. It was the servant. "The Archbishop wants to see you."
Hiroshi really didn't want to go. He was exhausted. He just wanted to sleep. Every muscle in his body hurt from training. His whole body was basically one giant bruise.
But he also understood that in a fantasy world where kings and kingdoms existed, he shouldn't get on the bad side of the Church. The Church definitely held a lot more power than he might understand.
So he got up and dressed in his new clothes, which looked exactly the same as the previous ones. Then he followed the servant.
The chapel was small and intimate. Twelve statues of the gods lined the walls, each ten feet tall, carved from white marble that seemed to glow in the candlelight. Their stone eyes stared down at the empty space below, eternally watching. Candles flickered on iron stands along the walls, casting shadows that danced across the polished floor.
Archbishop Dominus waited at the altar, hands folded. Two priests in white robes stood beside him. Four medallions sat on the altar cloth, gleaming in the candlelight.
"Heroes," the Archbishop said. His voice echoed off the stone walls, filling the small space. "Tonight you receive divine blessing and recognition from the gods themselves."
Kenji looked interested. "Like a personal god?"
"A god who connects with your soul," the Archbishop explained. He picked up the first medallion, silver and ornate. "Each summoned hero receives patronage from one of the Twelve. This grants you protection, divine favor, and marks you as chosen."
He walked over to Kenji. "The god Vermis, Lord of War and Strength, has answered your call."
The medallion went around Kenji's neck. The moment it touched his skin, it glowed red.
Kenji's eyes went wide. "Whoa. I felt that. Like warmth spreading through my chest."
"Divine acknowledgment," the Archbishop said with satisfaction. "You are blessed."
He picked up the second medallion and walked to Aria. "The goddess Aqualis, Lady of Water and Healing, has chosen you."
"Water?" Aria frowned and confused. "But I use ice magic."
"Ice is merely frozen water," the Archbishop said. "The goddess sees the deeper truth of your element."
The medallion glowed blue around her neck. Aria shivered visibly.
"Interesting," she murmured. "I can feel something. Some kind of energy coursing through me?"
The Archbishop picked up the third medallion and approached Marcus. "The god Soleth, Lord of Light and Justice, embraces you as his champion."
Marcus dropped to his knees immediately. "I'm not worthy of such an honor."
The medallion glowed brilliant gold when placed around his neck. Marcus's eyes filled with tears.
"I feel His presence," he whispered, his voice shaking. "The divine light inside me recognizes its source."
The Archbishop paused before approaching Hiroshi. The hesitation was obvious.
He picked up the fourth medallion.
It was not silver like the others but Bronze and less ornate.
"Hero Hiroshi Tanaka," the Archbishop said slowly. His voice was carefully measured. "The ritual was performed as required. Your soul was presented to each of the Twelve gods."
Hiroshi waited.
"And the result..." Another pause. "None of them responded."
Complete silence filled the chapel.
Hiroshi blinked. "Wait, what?"
"Sometimes," the Archbishop said carefully, "a summoned soul doesn't resonate with divine essence. The connection simply doesn't form."
Kenji turned around quickly. "Doesn't resonate? What does that mean exactly?"
"The divine bond that creates patron relationships failed to manifest," the Archbishop explained, still choosing his words carefully.
Translation: The gods rejected you.
"Is that dangerous?" Marcus asked, genuine worry in his voice. "To not have a divine patron protecting you?"
"He will function without blessing," the Archbishop said. "Merely at reduced effectiveness compared to blessed heroes."
Aria was direct. "You're saying the gods refused to bless him?"
The Archbishop's face tightened slightly. "The word 'refused' implies conscious rejection. This is more accurately described as an absence of compatible resonance."
Different words but with same meaning.
The Archbishop placed the bronze medallion around Hiroshi's neck. It looked noticeably different from the others. Where theirs were gleaming silver, his was dull bronze.
There was no immediate effect after wearing the medallion.
"The bronze seal marks your unique status," the Archbishop said.
The Archbishop shifted his tone to something more businesslike. "Now, regarding Church support and resources allocated to the hero party."
He produced four additional items from beneath his robes. Church seals, medallion-shaped tokens used for identification and access.
Three were silver with detailed engravings, substantial weight, clearly valuable craftsmanship.
One was bronze with a simple stamped design, obviously cheaper quality.
"These grant temple access throughout the kingdom and identify you to Church officials," the Archbishop explained as he distributed them. Silver to Kenji, Aria, Marcus. Bronze to Hiroshi. "Silver seals provide full access to all Church facilities and services. Bronze provides same levels of access with certain limitations."
"What kind of limitations?" Kenji asked, frowning.
"Silver seal holders receive priority healing in Church temples, access to private prayer chambers, and eligibility for advanced blessings and divine interventions," the Archbishop listed. "Bronze seal holders receive same services and no access to divine facilities."
"Additionally," the Archbishop continued, "heroes bearing silver medallions will receive a monthly stipend of one hundred gold coins for equipment, supplies, and personal needs."
He paused before adding, "The hero bearing a bronze medallion will receive twenty gold monthly."
"That's an eighty percent reduction in allocated funds."
"The amount has been carefully adjusted based on projected expenses and operational requirements," the Archbishop said smoothly.
They don't expect me to survive long enough to need more.
Marcus looked genuinely bothered. "This treatment seems fundamentally unfair."
"The Church must allocate its limited resources based on projected operational need and demonstrated divine favor," the Archbishop replied. The words sounded rehearsed, like he'd prepared this justification in advance.
Expected survival time and worth to the Church.
The Archbishop turned to face Hiroshi directly. "The Church will be monitoring your development and progress very closely. Given your unique circumstances, we want to ensure your continued safety."
"Safety," Hiroshi murmured. "Of course."
Monitor means watch for when I inevitably fail. Safety means make sure my failure doesn't publicly embarrass the Church.
The two priests flanking the Archbishop were writing notes on parchment. Recording everything that was said. Creating an official record.
"Does anyone have questions about these arrangements?" the Archbishop asked, looking at each of them in turn.
Silence stretched. What could they even ask? The decisions had already been made.
Marcus spoke quietly, breaking the silence. "Will you pray for us, Your Eminence? For all of us?"
"Of course," the Archbishop said, his expression softening slightly. "The gods' mercy and compassion reach all who seek it."
Except their blessings apparently don't reach everyone.
Back in their shared quarters, Kenji and Marcus were practically buzzing with excitement.
"I can actually feel Vermis's blessing inside me," Kenji said, touching his silver medallion. "Like there's extra strength waiting to be used. It's really real!"
Marcus nodded enthusiastically, his own medallion glowing faintly. "Soleth's divine light guides my path. I feel genuinely protected, like someone watching over me."
Aria was examining her medallion holding it up to the light. "Is divine energy measurable? I'm detecting approximately a twelve percent increase in my passive mana and regeneration rate."
Hiroshi sat heavily on chair, removing the bronze medallion from around his neck. He stared at it in his palm.
Kenji noticed him being unusually gloomy. "Hey man, you doing okay?"
Hiroshi forced the smile."Just really tired from today's training."
Marcus stepped closer, his expression concerned. "Not receiving a divine blessing doesn't diminish your worth as a person or as part of this team."
"I know," Hiroshi said. "Thanks for saying that."
Easy words to say when the gods personally chose you.
Aria added, "Statistically speaking, unblessed heroes do have measurably lower survival rates in combat situations. But the rate isn't zero. There are documented cases of unblessed individuals surviving."
She's really bad at encouraging people.
The conversation continued flowing around him. The others talked excitedly about tomorrow's training schedule, speculated about how their divine blessings might manifest in combat.
Hiroshi half-listened, nodding occasionally. He stared at the bronze medallion resting in his open palm.
Marcus began his evening prayers, kneeling by his bed. He thanked Soleth for divine guidance and protection. He asked for blessings and safety for the entire party, specifically including Hiroshi by name.
Praying to gods who already explicitly said no to me. But I genuinely appreciate you trying.
The candles were extinguished. The room fell into darkness. The three other heroes settled into their beds into their rooms and fell asleep relatively quickly.
Hiroshi lay awake, staring at the ceiling he couldn't see in the darkness.
He touched the bronze medallion resting on his chest. With his other hand, he opened his Status Window. The blue screen provided the only light in his corner of the room.
Level: 1
STR: 5 | AGI: 5 | VIT: 5 | INT: 5 | WIS: 5 | CHA: 5
Divine Blessing: None
That last line hadn't been there before. The System had updated itself.
He closed the window. The darkness returned completely. He stared upward at nothing.
He whispered to the empty room, voice barely audible. "Why did you even summon me? That guy in the suit said they needed something I have. What could I possibly have that anyone would need? And what's with this unfair treatment? None of this makes sense."
But there was no one to answer him. The gods were silent. The room was silent. He was alone with questions that had no answers.
Eventually, pure physical exhaustion won over his racing thoughts. He fell into restless sleep.
He dreamed of standing before twelve massive statues in an endless white void. Being presented to them one by one, his soul laid bare for divine judgment.
All twelve turned their stone faces away.
One by one in rejection.
But there was something else there too, hidden in that empty Void, and he missed it entirely.