Chapter 227 – The Hero’s Baptism (1)  

The temple in the Imperial capital was unlike any other.  

As the heart of the strongest nation in Ea, where the first hero blessed by the gods had become its founding emperor, this temple enshrined multiple deities. It was a place where divine revelations were delivered and sacred power was bestowed—a true sanctuary of the gods.  

The reason it housed so many deities was simple: the empire wanted heroes to emerge from its lineage, and the clergy sought to harness the empire’s might.  

And now, they had called for me.  

“This is going to be troublesome…”  

Seeing the rows of priests waiting outside the temple, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.  

“But you can’t back out now, can you?” Yerim nudged me as I hesitated.  

“True enough.”  

I sighed. She was right—there was no turning back.  

Just recently, I’d vowed to stop the Demon King by any means necessary. Refusing the gods’ request now would be hypocritical.  

Of course, as a human, I could still choose to walk away—but I had nowhere left to retreat.  

After leaving the palace earlier, we’d sent our mages back to Count Sponheim’s estate, where we’d been staying. Only Yerim, the princess, and I had come to the temple.  

And what awaited us was a crowd of priests, spilling out from the temple gates. Every cleric in the capital seemed to have gathered here, their eyes fixed on us as passersby watched curiously.  

“We’ve been expecting you.”  

An elderly priest, likely the archbishop overseeing the temple, bowed deeply to me. His robes and the sacred power radiating from him left no doubt about his rank.  

The fact that someone of his stature was treating me with such reverence only confirmed my suspicions about what was coming.  

“Is there a reason everyone’s gathered here?”  

“So we don’t interfere with your audience with the gods. The temple has been emptied for you.”  

“I’m going in alone?”  

“Yes, that would be best.”  

So much for bringing Yerim and the princess—the two saints of their respective worlds—along. Had the princess known this would happen?  

I glanced at her, but her expressionless face gave nothing away.  

With another sigh, I turned to Yerim.  

“Wait here. I’ll be back.”  

“Be careful.”  

Before ascending the steps, I paused and locked eyes with the princess.  

She looked back at me, puzzled.  

“You should sort out your feelings by the time I return,” I said coldly. “If you keep being a distraction, I might lose the will to help you.”  

Her eyes widened.  

Of course, even she didn’t know what she truly wanted right now. And meddling in the messy aftermath of a young hero’s love life wasn’t my style.  

But I couldn’t leave the saint of Ea like this.  

Once I returned from the temple, the princess would likely join our party. And I couldn’t afford to have a key ally lost in her own thoughts.  

Seeing her expression shift, her pupils darting as she processed my words, I turned away.  

That was enough.  

Unlike the naive former hero, the princess was sharp. She’d quickly figure out what she wanted—and what she needed.  

Helping her would come later.  

If I defeated the Demon King as a hero, I’d earn enough prestige to assist the Imperial princess and saint. And maintaining ties with the Imperial family before retiring to my territory wouldn’t hurt.  

If all went well, I’d even have leverage over the former hero.  

Of course, that was assuming everything did go well.  

‘No point worrying about the alternative.’  

If things went wrong, the Demon King would destroy Ea, and I’d be dead anyway.  

Leaving the two saints behind, I followed the archbishop through the rows of bowing priests.  

It might have looked majestic to an outsider, but being at the center of it all just made me cringe.  

“You don’t seem fond of ceremonies.”  

“The former hero went through the same thing. I understand the importance of formalities, but doing this so often just signals desperation to outsiders.”  

“This isn’t for outsiders,” the archbishop said. “It’s a rite for the gods—and a gesture of gratitude to you.”  

I shook my head.  

Even after accepting the hero’s mantle on Earth, dealing with clergy was never easy. It would’ve been simpler if they were worldly or hypocritical, but in Ea, where gods truly existed and granted miracles, the priests were all genuine zealots.  

The archbishop’s words came from the heart—and against such conviction, no argument would work.  

“Let us proceed. The gods await.”  

Stepping through the grand doors, I entered the temple’s main hall.  

The vast chapel, usually filled with worshippers even outside prayer times, was now eerily empty.  

Creak. Thud.  

The doors closed behind me.  

Alone in the silent hall, I expected an ominous atmosphere, but the chapel felt anything but foreboding.  

The reason was the statues.  

Lining the front of the chapel were lifelike effigies of the temple’s enshrined gods, each radiating a faint, unique sacred power.  

As I approached, that power intensified.  

Then, the statues moved.  

[Welcome.]  

[We’ve waited long.]  

[You’re late.]  

[Better late than never.]  

The statues spoke—no, not the statues themselves, but the divine energy inhabiting them. The sacred power animated the stone, making it seem as though the gods were addressing me directly.  

A scene so holy it could make anyone kneel in reverence.  

But I was a hero blessed by another god.  

“Yes, I’m late, but I’m here now. Why did you summon me?”  

My calm response silenced the gods.  

After a pause, one deity spoke—a goddess whose divine form was breathtakingly beautiful, even as a mere projection.  

[You will become our hero here.]  

I sighed.  

I’d expected this ever since hearing the former hero had been stripped of his title.  

As a former candidate, it wasn’t strange for me to take up the mantle. The only reason I hadn’t considered it sooner was that I’d already become a hero—on Earth.  

“Is it possible to be a hero in two worlds at once?”  

The goddess hesitated, and a male deity answered instead.  

[…For you, it might be. Others couldn’t bear two sacred powers, but you’re a chosen one with memories of a past life. Your unique mana control should handle it.]  

I stared at him, incredulous.  

“You’re not even sure?”  

Gods weren’t sure?  

Even if Ea’s deities weren’t omnipotent, I hadn’t expected them to propose something so uncertain.  

[We’re sorry. This is unprecedented. We can’t guarantee the outcome, but it’s the only way to face the Demon King.]  

The goddess’s apology was a first for me, but her words were hardly comforting.  

Of course, even the gods had never tried creating a dual-dimensional hero before.  

But with no other options against the Demon King, I had to take the risk.  

Still, I wasn’t going in unprepared.  

“Then promise me one thing, just as the god of Earth did.”  

[A promise?]  

“When this is over, revoke my hero title—just like you took the sacred power from the former hero.”  

The divine energy around the statues froze.  

Even the gods were stunned.  

[…Do you truly wish for that?]  

“I’m only doing this because we’re all doomed otherwise. I have no interest in enduring more. Once it’s done, I’m retiring.”  

I laid out my plans. The gods wanted me as their hero—they’d agree, just as Earth’s deity had.  

I’d already negotiated with the Imperial emperor. With a territory waiting for me, I couldn’t afford lingering obligations.  

[…Not immediately. We’ll need time to find a new hero.]  

My eyebrow twitched.  

“Are you telling me you’ve run out of candidates?”  

Silence.  

“Good grief. Is that why you’re pushing this on me? Because there’s no one else?”  

No answer came, but I didn’t need one.  

It made sense.  

In the short span between the death of the hero before last and my arrival, three heroes had emerged—an anomaly compared to the usual gaps of decades or centuries.  

With so few candidates left, the gods were desperate.  

Ludicrous as it was, this gave me leverage.  

“You won’t need to search. There’s already a candidate.”  

[The former hero?]  

I nodded.  

“You only took his sacred power, didn’t you? Just return it. Besides, he wasn’t a bad hero—just not fit for this Demon King.”  

The divine energy around the statues stilled again. The gods seemed to be conferring.  

Finally, one responded.  

[…Very well.]  

With their agreement secured, I pressed further.  

“Swear it. In the names of the gods.”  

[We swear.]  

[We swear.]  

[…We swear.]  

One after another, their vows echoed.  

Clearly, they needed me as their hero—badly.