Chapter 19

(AN: alcoholism chapter woooo, beer is cool)

Starting his training in the temple Phesto once again experienced another round of quick growth. During their stay in the temple, they noticed how incredibly highly they held Nejime, it was honestly kind of weird. After all, they knew even less about her than him. They rarely asked her anything at all and instead did whatever she asked of him. Seeing the way they handled her seemed wrong to him. Instead of treating her as the person she is, it seemed that they instead treated her like a role. Which in this case was the role of "Blessed child of Ionia". And he did not like that at all, he has been her travel companion for a bit over a month now and he has grown to like her as a good friend. Seeing all these monks in this temple treat her like something she isn't, annoyed him every time he saw it. And every time he saw it he thought about the times it happened whenever he didn't see it which only grew to infuriate him even further until he couldn't hold it in anymore when he one evening was alone with Nejime, he told her.

"Nene, I don't like this. These monks don't treat you like a person. It feels like they treat you like this 'thing' that needs to be worshipped. If they at least treated you like a person I would still be fine with it, but you've heard the way they told you to be careful whenever you walk around, even the thought of you possibly tripping is too much for them, as if you were brittle porcelain."

He was angry about the way they treated her. As if she wasn't even able to decide for herself, it really rubbed him the wrong way, and though Nejime wanted to calm him down about it, she wasn't able to find the right words to do it. What he said wasn't wrong after all. Though she did enjoy the way the monks treated her the first few days she quickly got off that high and realised the way the monks have been treating her. And it's been getting more and more uncomfortable with each passing day, to the point that she didn't want to stay here anymore.

(AN: next day and no hangover)

"I know what you mean Phesto, but they are not going to stop. They call me 'Child of Ionia' and they see me as a personification or rather extension of Ionia's will. I'm pretty sure that my personality is actually an issue for them, but since I am this exalted figure it's not like they can do anything about it." Nejime also told him about a few other instances of when the monks in the temple just seemed to not hear what she said. Over the past few days, she noticed that if she said anything not desirable the monks would act like she never said anything at all.

Thinking a bit, Pesto made a suggestion.

"Then we leave today and go to a city. We didn't plan on staying for long anyways."

"Do we know the way to the next city?"

"Yes, I spent the last few days finding out about almost all nearby towns and cities."

"Alright, let's leave then I also don't want to stay here anymore."

And with that, the two of them got ready for their next journey. The closest city was the city of Tuula, it was situated to the northeast of the temple and it was the largest city on the island of Zhyun. Though what Phesto was interested in was not the city of Tuula but rather a town even further to the northeast called Kashuri.

Kashuri is a town known for its weaponsmiths, especially their bows and swords. When Phesto first found out about the town he just wanted to travel there so he could learn weaponsmithing himself and probably pick up a new skill or two. But the recent encounter with the almost controlling monks rubbed him the wrong way, and he has been wanting to arm himself.

Telling her about Kashuri he asked her.

"After we're done in Tuula, I want to learn smithing in a town called Kashuri. It is even further to the northeast, I do not know how long I will need until I have learned the craft, but will you stay with me until then?"

This time he wasn't sure if she would stay with him. The stop in Raikkon and this Temple to further train magic helped her out as well, but staying in a smithing town for who knows how long just because he wanted to learn how to craft?

With a warm smile, she patted his head and said. "Of course I'll stay. What a stupid question"

Hmm... perhaps he worried too much about it.