Shota's Isekai NTR Adventure Chapter 2064: This is nothing
Previously on Shota's Isekai NTR Adventure...
"Is it happening?"
Suddenly, the Mark of God began to glow brightly.
About a week had passed since discovering the rock elementals, and during that time, I gradually infused divine energy into the rock pillar. Gradually, it grew back to its previous impressive height.
The pillar now aligned perfectly with the mark on the ground that indicated its former grandeur.
True to form, the gods never left things half-finished.
They deemed the task complete only when the rock pillar returned to its full original dimensions.
Filling the rock pillar would normally have taken far longer, yet something unexpected occurred midway through the process.
As I continued pouring in the energy, the task surprisingly grew simpler with each passing moment.
It felt like an unseen force was boosting my abilities, or perhaps streamlining the efficiency, making the infusion smoother than before.
I realized I had gained valuable insights from this trial on wielding my creation-attributed divine energy, but the sensation still struck me as odd.
Could this trial simply be a lesson in mastering my abilities?
The glow from the Mark of God provided the clarity I needed.
Right then, as the Mark intensified, I sensed something wasn't quite right about it.
In truth, the enhanced Mark of God only boosted the divine energy output by a minor degree. That hardly qualified as a true upgrade.
Still, a flicker of optimism lingered in me, suggesting there might be more to this change.
If this was all there was, it scarcely seemed deserving of a full trial...
That's why I began experimenting by pulling out various items, hoping to uncover additional effects from the Mark of God.
Regardless of what I retrieved, the Mark of God showed no alterations. It appeared that no novel powers emerged from acquiring this upgraded version.
The deeper I pondered, the clearer it became that this resembled a specialized training exercise assigned to me.
After all, the primary benefit from this trial was the domain I now commanded.
Would the gods orchestrate this merely to sharpen my skills with creation divine energy?
If so, were they defying the God of Creation?
Or perhaps the God of Creation itself engineered this, aiming to maneuver me toward some enigmatic purpose...
Before I could fully digest these thoughts, the rock elementals interrupted as the elder stepped forward and declared, "Thank you for restoring our source. Thanks to you, our safety is secured for ages to come."
Shifting his tone abruptly, the elder added, "But we've learned your world remains threatened, and that's why we offer our aid. Long ago, we aided the gods against the forces of Destruction, and now we'll stand with you."
Upon hearing the elder's words, I instinctively narrowed my eyes, scrutinizing him closely.
Noticing my suspicious stare, the elder displayed a puzzled expression, seemingly unaware of the reason behind it.
This reaction made sense, given his offer of help while I regarded him with evident doubt. It would have been odd if he had grasped my underlying skepticism.
Yet, deep down, I struggled to accept the elder's sudden willingness to assist.
The manner in which he spoke those lines felt almost like he was...
An NPC.
His delivery hinted strongly at some external compulsion driving the offer.
After fixing the elder with my skeptical gaze for a moment, I abruptly stated, "There's no need to push yourselves. We value the gesture, but you don't have to get involved."
Not only the rock elementals, but Klein and the rest were taken aback by my response. They stared at me in disbelief, as if my words made no sense.
Despite their surprised looks, I maintained a composed expression, firmly holding to my position.
Finally, the elder cleared his throat and replied gravely, "No need for modesty. This threat endangers the entire world, and we cannot remain idle."
"No, you really don't need to come with us," I insisted firmly.
The elder regarded me with clear discomfort upon hearing this.
"Your majesty, their assistance isn't a negative thing. Shouldn't we unite the races of the continent?" Klein interjected from behind me.
But I countered, "We know nothing about them. Just because they dwell on the continent, does that mean we can trust them blindly without learning more?"
Silence followed my words, though I noticed their expressions toward me.
They all seemed to view me as defying the expected course.
Indeed, at that instant, I wasn't adhering to the usual pattern.
After all my realizations, I simply couldn't stick to the script.
Everything struck me as an overly contrived scheme, far too convenient to be genuine...