Chapter 42: Repair request

Chapter 42: Repair request "And why is that? Is greed of money taking over your mind in place of devotion for Goddess Irene?" "That’s not the reason head priestess! I went to help my brother. He wants to become an adventurer but...he is magicless. I just wanted to protect him and convince him to give up after he sees the dangers of the forest!" Ruby exclaimed. A sigh escaped Olivia. "I’ve told you numerous times Ruby, you have to leave your brother if you want to be in the temple. Familial ties no longer matter when you are in the Goddess’s embrace, your temple sisters and brothers are your family now!" "I’ll forgive you this time only if you leave your brother and come to the temple with all your heart or else...you are to leave the temple!" Olivia said in a stern voice. "I...I can’t leave my brother! He is everything to me!" "Then you leave me with no choice. From now, you are no longer a priestess and you, and your two future generations are banned from entering or asking for any kind of help from the temple!" Olivia waved her hands as golden mana flowed out of her and formed a magic rune on her palm. The rune moved towards Ruby and engraved itself on her forehead, glowing bright. "That rune is the sign of your banishment and will remain glowing on your forehead. if you want it to disappear inside, pay a fine of four thousand gold coins to the temple." Ruby’s eyes got wide in shock. The fine for the vanishing of the rune is only hundred gold coins, everyone knew that. But her asking for the exact amount of gold coins she got from the mission was proof that she knew everything and her greed wants to devour the reward for herself. "Haha! I just had my doubts...but now you’ve proved to me how corruption has spread from the forest to the halls of the temple! I thank Goddess Irene for showing me the right path!" "You know the consequences of leaving the temple, Ruby! A banished priestess is treated worse than a criminal in the empire. I can take you back if you vow to follow me, and help me reach the seat of the saintess!" "After knowing your true face, if I follow you, even Goddess Irene would not forgive me! I’ll live however I want from now on! To hell with being a priestess of your temple! I’ll pray to Goddess Irene in my own ways!" Ruby turned around and walked towards the door. "I’ll pay you the coins you love so much on my way out!" she rushed out of the room leaving those words. Olivia scoffed at Ruby’s words. She didn’t feel anything. She just turned back and sat down again, closing her eyes and hands clasped together, she started praying again. ***** "I think it’d be better if you ask of him! He doesn’t like me much!" Luke asked Noah standing beside him. They were in front of Holdok’s smithy as Luke had to repair his gauntlets which were damaged and melted during the Imoogi fight. "The difference in his affinity level between you and me is not much man!" Noah shrugged his shoulders. "You’re on your own here! I have some place to go! You can handle him. I believe in you!" Noah escaped as fast as he could leaving Luke standing there. "Traitor! You Abandon me at such a moment!" Luke yelled at Noah but he didn’t stop for a second before vanishing from his sight. He released a sigh and steeling his mind, walked inside the smithy. "Welcome!! What can I...Oh! Aren’t you the gentleman from that day? The one who broke the wall!!" Marilda asked excitedly. "Hi miss Marilda! I’m Luke! Yes! That was me." He said embarrassedly, scratching the back of his head. "How can I help you, Luke?" she asked with a professional smile on her face. "Actually...my gauntlets were damaged and I wanted to repair them!" "Sure! I’ll take you to..." "YOU DARE COME AGAIN YOU BRAT! I SENSED YOU THE MOMENT YOU CAME IN! GET OUT OF HERE!!" before Marilda could finish, Holdok’s screams came from within the smithy. "You have the balls to show yourself! I won’t make you anything brat! Get out of..." Holdok was yelling furiously when he saw Marilda glaring at him. Immediately he calmed down. "Ahmm!! I won’t change my mind!" he frowned and looked away folding his hands on his chest. "No use then! I damaged my gauntlets while hunting the Imoogi. I’ll sell its materials and look for another smithy for the repairs then!" Luke sighed, disappointment oozing out of his face. Holdok’d eyes opened wide hearing the mention of the Imoogi. He turned his eyes abruptly at Luke. "You’ve hunted an Imoogi!?" Holdok asked in surprise, he couldn’t believe a two circle mage could have hunted an Imoogi which was peak of the nightmare class. "We almost died hunting it! My gauntlets got damaged during the fight, that’s why I came for the repairs! If you won’t repair it then there’s nothing I can do!" Luke turned around, slowly moving towards the exit with a helpless expression on his face. "Wait!" Luke’s lips slowly parted into a smirk when he heard Holdok calling for him. ’Hehe! Got you!’ he immediately hid his smile and with the disappointed look turned towards Holdok. "Do you think anyone else can repair the gears made by me? No one would dare to even touch it in the city!" Holdok said with his chest puffed. "Let me see how you managed to damage them!" Luke’s face brightened up and he passed the gauntlets to him after taking them out of his dimensional ring. Holdok inspected them carefully, and slowly his expression turned from surprise, shock to disbelief. "How the hell did you manage to melt them? What class was the Imoogi?" he asked. "It was a peak nightmare class!" "But the nightmare class Imoogi’s flames aren’t potent enough to melt this!" Holdok murmured in confusion. "They melted from my flame, not the Imoogi’s!" Luke said. "WHAT!?" Holdok and Marilda both screamed out in shock.