Help?

"You're right. That is indeed how the punishment mechanism of divine offices works. However... although I don't know where you learned so much about 'divine offices,' what meaning is there in telling me this now?"

As she watched Azterlan's solemn expression, Smile's gaze gradually began to change.

Because what the White-robed Mage was saying now clearly sounded as if... he possessed some kind of leverage concerning the punishments of divine offices, and he seemed quite confident in that leverage.

Sure enough, as soon as Smile's questioning words fell silent, the White-robed Mage, his deep smile restored, explained earnestly:

"I told you before that I traveled to many places in my youth. I took those opportunities to meet quite a few close friends, and one of them told me these things about divine offices."

Sitting up straight at an unhurried pace, the White-robed Mage looked at Smile with complete confidence.

"We all know that a divine office consumes divine power gradually. A god whose divine power is continuously drained will also fall into a weakened state during that process. If you want to survive as long as possible while it draws away your divine power, then we need extraordinary methods. And I—Azterlan—can help you gain a greater chance of survival."

Azterlan's eyes shone as his voice became increasingly rich and powerful. That sincere gaze once again appeared in the White-robed Mage's pupils.

Without realizing it, he had finished the apple pie in the porcelain bowl before him, and the stew at the center of the long table had finished cooking. The vast hall still looked splendid beneath the abundant light, but the only two guests remaining at the banquet had long since stopped paying attention to the banquet itself.

"You have a way to interfere with the punishment mechanism of divine