On the second day of travel, the sky was gray and the smell of rain was in the air. Rick woke up in his inn room feeling better than he thought he would, even though his dreams had been full of strange images of golden light and old voices calling his name.
He could feel that Carmilla and Natasha were already awake and getting ready for the day through the Spirit Bond. Lady Victoria insisted on seeing them off in person when they met for breakfast downstairs.
Her daughter is already feeling a lot better now that she's fully recovered from her fever. She was sitting up and eating porridge, and her cheeks had a healthy color again. As they were about to leave, Victoria gave Rick a sealed letter.
"Before you leave... please take this as my other gratitude for saving my daughter." She said, "This is a letter to introduce my family in the capital."
"Bring this to the Ashworth estate if you need anything... I mean literally... anything at all because they all will fulfill it immediately!"
"No... I mean this is..." Rick scratched his own cheek with a feeling of guilt.
"Please... Take this... We owe you a debt that we can never fully pay back."
Rick tried to argue, but Victoria's face made it clear that there was no point. "You saved my daughter's life."
"The least I can do is make sure you have friends or maybe allies you can trust in the capital. Believe me, you'll need them the most if things get out of hand."
Rick's heart raced with emotion when he saw the thankfulness in her eyes. He didn't just want to get experience points, but he actually wanted to really help people who needed it.
He carefully put the letter in his bag and thanked her from the bottom of his heart. "Thank you so much..."
"Likewise."
...
Their carriage moved quickly down the road, even though the weather was awful. The land slowly changed from flat farmland to hilly land with small forests on it. As they got closer to the capital region, they saw more and more other travelers, mostly merchants and minor nobles making the same trip.
Rick was looking at the scenery when Sebastian appeared next to him, but this time only Rick could see him. "Get ready."
"The next quest of what's coming will be a lot harder than fixing wagon wheels or treating fevers."
"How hard is it?" Rick thought to himself.
"Do you remember when I said that mature women are responsible for the world's major powers?"
"One of them is in your way, though. Liora Sunweaver is the High Priestess of the Divine Temple."
"The good thing is that she's thirty-eight years old, a master of holy magic, and one of the kingdom's most powerful religious leaders."
Rick almost choked on his drink. "Hold on a fucking minute...! Like, whaaaaat!? That fast?!"
"One of the major powers? Can I get a time-out for a second?!"
"The system says no. Furthermore, she's not here in an official capacity. She's on a personal pilgrimage to deal with a spiritual problem that has been affecting a shrine along this route."
"And you know the drill of what comes next, right?"
"I don't know anything about spiritual corruption or holy magic!"
"You don't have to. You just have to be yourself and have faith in the process, and also not act like a fucking gooner weirdo!"
"Keep in mind that these quests and even meetings with the mature women aren't random. The system is getting you ready for what's to come in the future."
"I---" Sebastian disappeared before Rick could say anything else. "That old prick..."
Thirty minutes later, the carriage slowed down as they got closer to what looked like a small temple complex built into the side of a hill. Even though the sky was cloudy, the golden buildings shone. Rick could see several people in white and gold robes moving around the grounds.
The driver called back, "It seems like something is going on at the Golden Shrine."
"We might have to go a different way."
Rick leaned out the window and saw a woman standing at the entrance to the temple right away, and she looked like she was in trouble. Rick could see the worry on her face even from a distance.
She wore fancy gold and white robes that showed she was a high-ranking religious person. She looked to be in her late thirties, and her long blonde hair was pulled back into a complicated braid. It was clear that she was in charge.
[Side Quest Found: Shrine Purification Crisis]
[TARGET: HIGH PRIESTESS LIORA SUNWEAVER, 38]
[GOAL: HELP CLEAN UP THE CORRUPTED SHRINE]
[HIGH DIFFICULTY]
[REWARD: 150 EXP, HOLY AFFINITY SKILL, BIG GAIN IN LOVE]
[WARNING: DARK SPIRITS MAY ACTUALLY FIGHT]
[NOTE: ENCOUNTER WITH A MAJOR POWER FIGURE]
Rick's eyes got bigger when he saw how much the reward was. He got more experience points than all of his previous side quests combined, and it was 150 EXP. This was a bigger challenge than the system said it would be.
Rick said right away, "We need to help," and opened the carriage door before it had completely stopped.
Carmilla and Natasha looked at each other, then followed without asking why. The driver seemed unsure, but he agreed to wait. It was clear that he didn't want to get involved in what was going on at the shrine.
The High Priestess turned to face them as they got closer, and Rick could see her face clearly for the first time. "Oh my god..."
She was beautiful in a ghostly way, and her sharp amber eyes seemed to see right through him. Her face was calm but tense, and there were dark circles under her eyes that made it look like she hadn't slept well in days.
"She's... fucking... gorgeous..."
"I want to be pampered by her... or maybe get babysat by her where she calls me a good---" Rick slaps his face. "Pull yourself together, Rick Roll! I mean Rick Rolland...!"
"Travelers," Liora said, and even though she was clearly worn out, her voice had a natural authority. "I need you to turn around immediately!"
"Dark spirits have taken over the shrine, making it unsafe for civilians."
Stepping forward, Carmilla said, "We're adventurers. We can help if there's trouble."
Liora looked at them closely, her eyes staying on each of their weapons for a while before moving on to Rick. She narrowed her eyes a little, as if she could tell something was off about him.
"Adventurers... I get it. And what are your ranks?"
Carmilla said, "I'm a veteran guard captain from Thornwick."
"This is Natasha, a master ice mage, and Rick, the leader of our group."
"Leader of the party?" Liora's amber eyes were once again focused on Rick. "You seem like a very young person to be in charge of a party with such experienced members."
"What do you do best?"
Rick thought about it for a moment. He couldn't easily explain his profession without sounding crazy. "I'm a... uh... support specialist!"
"I help the people in my party do their best!"
It wasn't a lie in the strictest sense. The Spirit Bonds did just that.