Dizziness Is Normal

Ivan watched the cat flee in a panic, feeling somewhat helpless.

In that instant, he had spoken directly into Gais's mind and stopped him.

Originally, he had planned to wait until they were somewhere deserted, then use his Remnant Corpse, which contained Spirituality, along with the power of the blessing, to see whether he could restore Gais to normal.

After all, Gais was his chosen Missionary. He could not let the Church of Divine Grace ruin him.

But now, interrupted by a cat, he could only bring the attempt forward.

Fortunately, the moment the blessing entered Gais's brow, Ivan sensed that a mark unlike his own power had been completely erased along with it.

Gais's inner thoughts also appeared in Ivan's mind, arranged beneath Little George's like a dialogue box.

"Gais, it is time to wake up..."

Ivan's deliberately profound voice rang out in Gais's mind once more.

Gais finally confirmed that the voice was not a hallucination. His entire body jolted.

"Who is there?!"

He warily looked around. Other than the maids frantically searching for the black cat, there was no one else nearby.

Gais broke into a run, putting distance between himself and the street before stopping at a concealed corner.

Huff... huff... He panted heavily, all his previous composure gone.

Gais glanced around repeatedly and only slowly calmed his breathing after confirming that no one was there.

"What was watching me just now? Good thing I got out."

Seeing that he had calmed down, Ivan felt like teasing him.

"Relax. Dizziness is normal."

"Weren't you yearning for the protection of the Lord of All Spirits, hoping your soul would follow Him?"

"Now, He has come."

Gais, who had only just settled down, tensed up again at the sound of the voice.

A barely perceptible tremor entered his voice.

"You are... the Lord of All Spirits?"

"I am."

Having received an affirmative answer, Gais's mind went blank for a moment before he calmed down again.

"No, that is impossible. How could a name I made up at random happen to correspond to an actual god?"

"Why couldn't it?" Ivan immediately added as he read his thoughts.

"You can see what I am thinking?"

Cold sweat dripped down Gais's forehead. He had never imagined that after fabricating countless gods to swindle people out of money—

This time, he had actually summoned a real one? And it had set its sights on him?

"A trivial matter."

This time, Ivan did not speak in riddles as he had when communicating with Little George.

He felt that when dealing with a clever person like this, he should strike directly at his heart and make him understand that everything was under his control.

That would make Gais's behavior easier to control instead.

Sure enough, after learning that this god knew all his inner thoughts, Gais pondered for two seconds.

Then he immediately fell to his knees.

"Great Lord of All Spirits, your most devout believer, Gais, has finally awaited your descent."

"I have spread vast amounts of faith for you here. The members of the Hidden Cult are my gift to you!"

He did not say it aloud, merely thinking it silently as he attempted to test this god's attitude toward humanity.

Ivan looked at the middle-aged man before him, nearly forty and kneeling on the ground, and still said those words.

"You have done well, child."

"But another of my followers has already established a different faith—the Society of All Spirits."

"The Lord of All Spirits actually has other followers? This is a warning not to play tricks. Tch, considering He can see my thoughts in real time."

"Of course, great Lord. I will follow your will and stand together with the brothers and sisters of the Society of All Spirits."

Gais cast aside all distracting thoughts, leaving only boundless devotion in his heart.

Ivan could not help finding it amusing.

"This Gais really is adaptable. Knowing when to bend and when to stretch—that is what makes a gentleman."

He paused before continuing to bestow his revelation upon Gais: "Do not panic. I believe in your devotion."

"Now, calm your mind and feel the blessing I have given you."

Gais raised his head, looking utterly bewildered, unable to understand what blessing his lord meant.

Even his inner thoughts showed no movement. It seemed he had not awakened any ability.

Ivan was a little confused.

"Hm? He did not awaken an extraordinary ability? What is going on? My Remnant Corpse clearly contains some faith energy."

He began comparing the differences between this blessing and the one he had bestowed upon Little George.

"The same divided Remnant Corpse, the same faith energy within it. Only the timing of the division was different..."

"Could it be that only a division that occurs when faith energy has been fully absorbed can grant someone extraordinary abilities?"

"Perhaps the energy consumed normally can only strengthen believers whose abilities have already awakened?"

The more Ivan thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. He planned to find Little George to verify it once he had ample energy someday.

But now came the awkward part: how was he supposed to tell Gais that the blessing and revelation had not actually been given...

"Well, let him figure it out himself."

Ivan silently nodded, deciding not to explain further and to maintain the mysterious image of a god.

Below, Gais was completely baffled as he carefully analyzed the revelation from his lord.

"The Lord said He believes in my devotion, but He is a god. Why would He believe in a human's devotion for no reason? Especially when He can see my thoughts."

"He must still be testing me. Great Lord, I will certainly become your most loyal servant. I will prove it through my actions!"

"The Lord also said He bestowed a blessing upon me. Did He grant me some special power?"

"Why have I not noticed any change? No, if the Lord says there is one, then there must be one! I am simply too dull to notice it."

"The Lord told me to feel it for myself. He must be testing my perception and analytical ability, deciding whether I deserve a place among His followers."

"Think carefully. What is different between me now and before I received the Lord's revelation?"

He waved his arms and stood up to move around a little, drawing strange looks from passersby.

"There has been no change in my physical abilities, and I have not awakened any extraordinary power. Hmm, my thoughts have not become any sharper either."

"Then what is different from just now?"

"Just now..."

Gais suddenly realized. Scenes from that morning flashed before his eyes, and only then did he discover how abnormal his behavior had been.

"Praise the great Lord of All Spirits! Thank you for helping me remove the Church of Divine Grace's alterations to my memories!"

"Your most, most devout servant, Gais, will certainly remember your blessing and spread word of your mercy!"

Ivan watched the thoughts constantly flashing through Gais's mind and rubbed his forehead slightly.

"This guy has far too many random thoughts."

"Fortunately, he found an explanation for himself."

Gais pressed a hand to his temple. Scenes from the previous night flashed before his eyes like shattered mirrors, piecing themselves back together.

"I remember now. Last night..."