The intruder remained unconscious for over five minutes before he woke up. Anger shimmered in his eyes and he forced his mouth to move.

"Y-You little…bugs…I am going to kill you."

The intruder barked, his eyes flashing with magic as he tried to put an end to these fairies. But no matter how much magic he tried to pour out, it was of no use. The fairies were far too fast for him.

Within seconds, not only was he paralysed once more, but he was also not able to control his magic either.

"Serves him right."

"Attacking the shopkeeper and his guest is a big no-no."

"We will never forgive you."

Grim looked at the scene in front of him and flinched.

'Thank god I am on the shopkeeper's side. Who knows what could have happened had I decided to stand against him. No wait-! I need to concentrate now.'

The spell he was casting to contact his god was close to finishing. Just a little more and his god would respond to him. He continued to pour his magic and faith into the spell until he felt the first spark.

[Who is trying to contact me?]

The voice sounded distant but clear. Grim let out a sigh as he finally connected with his god.

"It is I, your servant Grim, my lord. I have a favor to ask of you. There is someone who wants to talk to you. Please wait a minute. I will send someone to fetch the person who wants to talk to you."

Grim managed to get all this out in one go while he signalled for the fairies to go and get the shopkeeper. The fairies did not hesitate and quickly went to grab the shopkeeper.

__________

The crowd was finally swindled enough for me to relax. I was about to sit down and close my eyes when I felt the presence of the fairies heading toward me.

"What the…what are the fairies doing here?"

Leo asked, now instantly alerted to the fairies' presence. He looked at me, almost to ask what he should do next. But I just raised my hand to tell him to stop for now.

"Shopkeeper, come with us."

"You need to come with us."

"Your guest is calling for you."

The fairies had come to fetch me on behalf of my guest. There was only one person I could think of that would fit this criterion.

"Alright, calm down. It seems like Grim needs me, so I will go to him. You all…take care of the bookstore for me, please."

Leo and Luna looked like they wanted to follow me. But Nyx and Erebus were well acquainted with me at this point and knew what to do.

"Got it, shopkeeper. We will take care of things here."

Nyx promised, and Fenrir got up to follow after me.

Usually, I would have asked him to stay behind as well and help the others out. But we already had Leo and Luna there, so I saw no point in asking him to stay back as well.

I opened the door to the room where Grim was and entered. The whole room felt tense, and a heavy feeling pressed down on my shoulder.

[You have entered a sacred zone. Trying to comment on the god of space…]

[Connection successful. Would you like to make a call?]

The system asked, but before I could choose anything, Grim walked over to me. He had a proud look on his face as he looked at me.

"Shopkeeper, I was successful in calling forth my god. But that is all I will be able to help with. From here on, I am afraid that you are on your own."

Grim looked tired, and dark circles were starting to form on his face. He also looked hungry, and I felt pity for the kid.

"I understand. You should go and get something to eat. Fenrir, can you take our guest downstairs and get him something to eat? Take some fairies with you as well. I need to talk with the god alone."

My words were not suggestions but commands. Fenrir bit his lip and gave me a searching look. But he must have found what he was looking for because he sighed before he tugged Grim's pants to make the kid follow.

The fairies lingered around for a minute as well, wondering what they should do. But ultimately, they decided to head out as well, finally allowing me some peace and quiet.

I immediately turned toward empty space, but the feeling of the god surrounding the chamber did not lessen.

[The god of death is making a call to you. Would you like to pick it up?]

The phone rang with this message, and I finally decided to address it. I picked up the call, and a monotonous voice greeted me from the other side.

["Hello. Are you the current shopkeeper? I was told that you needed my help with something. What is it that you need?"]

The voice sounded heavy and soulless. It made me shudder, but I was able to mask my emotions quite well.

"I am the current shopkeeper. I need your help with this town and the situation it is facing. There is a new god trying to take over this territory, and I want him out."

I told the god, and there was silence on the other side. Then, the voice spoke again.

["Ah, I see. So that is the case after all. You have not yet awakened to your abilities as the god of this place. You lack the faith to do so. So pests have started to grow and break the rules."]

The monotonous voice almost had a hint of pity mixed in. I had no idea if it was good or bad, but for now, what I wanted were answers and not more questions.

["If you need help awakening, then I can help you out. Of course, it will not be for free. If you can offer 1/10 of your faith that you will accumulate, then I will help you out."]

'Isn't that an expensive offer? The amount of faith needed to become a god cannot be small. So even 1/10 of it must be a huge amount.'

Still, did I have another choice about this? I did not think I did.

So, despite the fact that I knew this was a bad idea, this felt like the only idea I had at the moment, and I agreed.

"Understood. I will take that deal. I will offer you the faith I earn, and in return, I need your help."

I told the god of death.

Silence cloaked the room once more before I heard the sound of the system notification. I checked the phone to see what I had gotten.

[Ding! You have received special medicine X1000. You have received a special medicine recipe.]

"What is this?"

I asked, and the god of death replied instantly.

["It is a medicine for the plague that will soon take over this continent. I have given you the medicine that will help cure it. Reproduce it and sell it. Get your name out as a saviour. The rest will happen automatically."]

The god of death told me, and it felt like I was scamming people by playing with their good faith in me.

However, did I have a choice in this matter? I was prepared to do anything if it meant that I get to go back home, and to do that, I needed faith points.

"Alright, I understand. I will take your offer."

I told the god, and the connection was finally cut off.

The silence lingered long after the call ended, thick and suffocating, as if the god's presence had left a residue behind.

I lowered my hand slowly, the device in my palm still warm.

The chamber felt emptier now, yet heavier somehow, like the air itself had gained weight. Whatever deal I had just made could no longer be undone.

A faint exhale escaped me before I even realised I was holding my breath.

"So this is how it starts."

I muttered to myself.

Fenrir and the others waited for me to head down and their anxious expressions told me that they were waiting for answers from me.

I gestured toward them to continue eating and not to get up.

"I am fine. The call was a success and god has decided to help me out. Our next few days are going to be extremely busy, so be ready."

Everyone let out a sigh of relief at my words. Finally, things were starting to take shape in the direction I wanted them to.

"Since my work here is done, I shall take my leave for today as well. Can I use your store as my resting spot for the next few days, shopkeeper?"

Grim asked and I nodded.

"You can stay here whenever you want to. My doors will always be open for you, kid."

Grim nodded and left the store.

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