Chapter 2

"I must admit... You are quite knowledgeable; however, it seems you have been misinformed! It is not that I can not summon another one, but it will take up much more of my resources to do so. Let me congratulate you! You are the very first mortal to have ever angered me this much! I have decided that I will summon someone else and just send you back once the newly summoned warrior deals with the problem! You will get NOTHING!"

The deity hissed as his head grew even redder than before. Hearing it, Fernic looked up with a neutral expression.

"First of all, I already told you I am unable to die, so I am not exactly mortal. Second, suit yourself! But I will charge extra if you ask me to deal with anything!"

Fernic added, then looked back at his book, which he continued to read; however, the moment he read the next sentence, a blinding light brought him back into the church.

"Great hero, are you ready to..."

"I will punch the next person who calls me a hero! I am no hero, I am a mercenary. And since your god is not willing to pay my fees, he will summon someone else."

Fernic added, interrupting the nun. Due to the lack of light in the church, he just stood up as he closed his book. He walked past the two armored men and the robed one, then opened the door, and eventually left the temple.

The four people inside the temple were left flabbergasted. Their eyes widened, trying to understand the unbelievable event that had transpired before them. Just as Fernic closed the door, he perceived another blinding golden light, but this was not around him; it came from within the church. He wasn't even curious about the godly event; he just looked around the outside and the new world.

The church was located on a small, grassy hill, with a road leading from the entrance of the temple, all the way to a larger settlement a bit of a distance away; it was close enough that Fernic could see it perfectly.

Not wanting to do anything at all, he just walked around the hill, finding a nice spot for himself, and then lay down. With time on his hands, he decided that it was time to just read, since he was not being paid, he was not obligated to even lift a single finger.

As he kept reading, minutes, even hours flew by. When he first stepped out, it was morning, but now it was already past noon. And just as he finished almost half of the book, someone approached him again.

"Erm... Sir? If you do not want me to call you..."

"Fernic, just call me Fernic. By the way, how come you are here? I thought the so-called hero and his party had left."

Fernic lowered his book and looked up to see the man in robes standing next to him. He seemed nervous as he kept fidgeting with his hands.

"Well... The new hero said he doesn't believe in magic; he only believes in muscles. Since they needed no mage, they left me here."

"It seems whoever was summoned is quite an idiot. Magic is essential. What about the nun? Did she also go, or was she left behind?"

Fernic asked as he pulled his book up once again and continued reading.

"She was required to go... But I am worried... We are at the edge of the conflict zone. And they just left without any proper preparation. The hero was so confident, though..."

"Then I suggest you prepare some coffins for them. I predict they will die very shortly. If they are marching straight to the battlefield, I say they will die in a few hours, plus the travelling time."

"B-But are you not worried... If what you say is true, the enemy will be here in two days... What will you do then?"

"Nothing. This is not my first time being summoned; I am confident in my skills, though I will not be going around saving people. I will deal with only those who come after me. "

Hearing Fernic's cold-hearted response, the men could only step back and gaze at him.

"You might think that I am evil, but I am a mercenary. I will work if I am hired. Your god didn't want to pay my price, so I am not working. I do not want to be taken advantage of. If I work for free, others will most likely expect me to do so, and once I go down that route, I will be nothing more than a tool."

Suddenly, Fernic stopped and waited for a brief moment while he flipped another page, then continued.

"Being a hero is a double-edged weapon. It is easy to slip up. Living always up to ever-increasing expectations for absolutely free takes a heavy toll... I don't know if you have ever heard it, but villains are created, not born."

The man beside Fernic swallowed hard, hearing his response, but he still had something to say, so he opened his mouth.

"Why would that happen? I don't understand."

"You needn't understand... But I have witnessed it first hand... Anyway, let's skip this negative chatter. I want to keep reading in quiet. I want to finish this book before your god decides to pay my fee to help him."

"Yes... I understand..."

The robed man replied, then, since he also didn't have things to do, sat down, though he kept a decent distance from Fernic. He stayed quiet, letting Fernic read in peace.

Time flew by quickly. By the time Fernic finished the book, the sun was already setting. As he looked beside him, he noticed the robed man was fast asleep.

Fernic dropped the book down onto the ground, which instantly vanished with a blueish light, then he slightly stretched his arms.

"HELP!"

A loud scream echoed from the settlement, but Fernic just leaned back down and ignored it. Instead, he stared at the sky.

"HELP!!"

The same scream could be heard; this time it was much louder and closer. It was so loud that the robed man woke up.

"T-that is.... No... It can't be!"

"The hell are you talking about?"

Annoyed, Fernic slowly sat up and saw three riders approaching them from the settlement. The first one riding was the nun, whom he met in the church; the other two were knights, but instead of shining armor, they wore black.