When they got back to the village, they entered the chief's house where Shin laid down to rest.
Satel fed Shin some food she had prepared earlier that morning. Bael sat on the floor, yawning out of boredom.
"Are you sure about this, sir? I really wanted to fight Shin again," Bael muttered between yawns.
Shin stopped eating and looked at Bael in confusion. Bael stared back. Shin then turned his attention toward the chief.
The chief cleared his throat as he got closer to the bed and sat beside it. He sighed heavily.
"Well, Shin," he paused, "now that you are to attempt the demon trials… you will need to get the demon God's blessing in his temple."
Shin sat straight up on the bed.
"So we'll teleport there?" Shin asked while preparing to get out of bed.
The chief held him back and forced him onto the bed. He sighed heavily once more.
"Teleportation circles near the shrine only last a day before they collapse due to the high mana density near the temple," the chief responded.
Shin leaned back onto the bed. He turned his head and looked at the chief.
"How long will it take?" Shin asked, his exhaustion evident.
"Should be a week or two," Bael answered, yawning.
Shin sank into the bed.
Oh, come on…
Shin turned his head and glared angrily at Satel.
Why is this becoming harder than it should be?
Satel, noting the implications of that glare, raised her hands to try and seem innocent.
"I never said it would be easy. All I said is you have to do it to repay me," she chuckled as she got up.
Shin continued to glare at her, following her with his angry stare.
"So then it's settled. Shin and Bael will start their journey tomorrow morning," the chief said while standing up.
Just as Satel was about to exit the room, she suddenly remembered something and turned to face the others.
"Oh yeah. Forgot to tell you that I'll be heading back to the human continent to find some things that I left behind," she said, smiling.
The chief paused for a moment before approaching her. The two of them walked out of the room, leaving Shin and Bael alone.
"Hey Bael, have you ever gone to the demon God's temple before?" Shin asked, drowsiness looming over him.
Bael paused a bit before answering.
"Yeah," he finally said.
Silence befell the room. Shin was already asleep by the time Bael answered him.
Bael stood up and stood over Shin. His face was unreadable as he stared at the sleeping Shin.
Bael then carefully walked out of the room and made sure to shut the door behind him. He walked into the meadow where Shin had launched his new spell.
He bent down and observed the soil. Bael felt how hard the earth had hardened, as if cement had been poured over it.
How peculiar. To think the goddess would waste such talent. No wonder father lost to him.
"Though, I know he lost mostly because he must have underestimated him. I would too, considering how small his mana pool is," Bael said to himself.
He looked over the damaged area, then turned back and left.