I turned my gaze away from God's words with a dumbfounded expression and then turned towards Andrea. He seemed to be looking at my hand holding Alan's with a slightly annoyed expression.
He looks upset but why has his favorability increased?
Curious, I took a step closer to Alan. Then, I leaned in and whispered softly in his ear,
"Alan, does Eura like events?"
"...Yes?"
While Alan pondered my strange question, I glanced at Andrea again.
[Andrea Sloane's favorability +5!]
Once again, the favorability increased.
Favorability even includes jealousy...
Now Andrea's favorability was 87. Considering it was 66 the last time I checked, it seemed like he was increasing his favorability towards me even when I wasn't around.
As if answering my doubts, Alan spoke,
"Human life is made up of big and small events. Whatever events happen can influence a human's life. So, regarding Eura's liking for events... Well, I don't think the divine will would intervene. Eura loves us humans like children, but that doesn't mean Eura would actively work to create events that Eura likes..."
What is he talking about?
Alan, who received a question about the Eura, continued talking with excitement like a fish finding water, continuing his story. The question I threw without much thought seemed to have touched something in Alan.
"According to the scriptures, there is a part where Eura, at one point, had a disagreement with Mars, and even then, smiled and moved on. Emotions for Lord Eura are like fleeting flames. If you blow the wind, they may grow, but if you leave them alone, they will naturally extinguish..."
Now, Alan was even bringing up stories from the scriptures about the goddess Eura.
Oh, no... I shouldn't talk about the goddess Eura in front of Alan now. While contemplating the newfound lesson, suddenly, Andrea, who was standing next to me, disappeared.
Surprised, when I turned my head, Andrea was kneeling on the floor.
"Andrea...?"
At my call, Andrea lifted his head from the ground. Sand was stuck to his handsome forehead. And... whether it was an illusion or not, Andrea's pupils... seemed to be shaped like a heart.
"Yes, please speak, master."
"...What?"
"If you command me master, I can do anything for you."
Before I could fully process his words, a red sentence floated above his head.
["The Slave of Love" event will last for 12 hours!#%It doesn't last long, If there's something you've always wanted to do, feel free to do anything!**#@!*^//^*!]
[11:59:59]
[11:59:58]
Wait a minute. Is this an event? Andrea becoming my slave for 12 hours? What's with those strange symbols that seem like the sentence is collapsing? And why does it resemble the facial expressions of someone who is embarrassed?
"Master, if you are going to ride the creature, please step on me and climb up. I'll gladly be your stepping stone."
Andrea said that, assuming a subservient stance. At that moment, I definitely realized. This is not the word of God. Eura, whom Alan respects and worships so much, wouldn't create such an "event".
Then what is this? These characters in my eyes, this favorability, and even this event, what are they?
"Brother Andrea, is there any toxin left from the Waroom? Are you okay?"
Alan released my hand, seemingly attempting to use his divine power, and approached Andrea. However, as soon as Alan got closer, Andrea released the "stepping stone" position and stood up. Then, with a casual expression, he shrugged his shoulders.
"I'm fine. I'm perfectly fine. Thank you for your concern, Priest."
He was nonchalant. His relaxed and calm tone of speech remained the same.
"That's fortunate, but... why do you call Narcissus "master"?"
Alan asked in a puzzled manner. However, Andrea smiled as if finding Alan strange.
"Me? Why would I call Del "master"?....."
After saying that, Andrea turned his head towards me and said.
"Master ♡"
...It seems like a heart was attached at the end of his words. The pupils also clearly transformed into heart shapes. If Andrea had a tail, I would have bet everything that it would be wagging.
Andrea knelt again and became the "stepping stone" under the horse-like creature.
"Please step on quickly. I want to be of help to you, master."
Alan and I exchanged silent glances. Alan nodded with a resigned look.
"Please step on quickly, Narcissus."
It was a gaze that conveyed such meaning. It seemed that Alan had concluded that Andrea was still suffering from the effects of the Waroom. Andrea's strange behavior seemed to have left him no desire to talk more about Eura.
I resigned myself and stepped on Andrea's broad back. Then, I climbed onto Millie's back.
"Master, may I have the honor of riding with you?"
Andrea, kneeling with glittering eyes, asked. I shook my head resolutely. The thought of hearing "master" in my ear the entire time ride made me feel uncomfortable
"I'll ride with Alan."
"It is an honor, Narcissus."
With a cheerful smile, Alan passed by Andrea and took his place behind me. Andrea, kneeling, looked up at me with a devastated expression. Although my heart felt a bit broken, looking at Andrea's neatly kneeling figure, I felt that I made the right choice.
"Andrea, follow on Billy."
"Yes, Master...."
Andrea responded sulkily and then mounted Billy. At least he listens well.
***
Since we weren't engaged in a breathless chase like the day before, we moved slowly. Whenever Millie or Billy spotted something like a snake or a scorpion, they would rush to hunt, but other than those moments, it was relatively calm.
Andrea, riding Billy separately from me, seemed to have returned to a normal state. He observed the direction of the drifting clouds or the shadows of the sun to find the way we should go. Alan, on the other hand, was on alert, anticipating Millie's unpredictable movements because of prey. Thanks to that, I could calmly think on my own.
The strange writing I believed to be the words of God so far, what was it? Could I find out if I recovered my memories? When would I be able to recover my memories? Since memory loss was also one of the penalties, I could probably remove it.
'For now, I have to complete the 'quest'.
I thought about the most recent quest I received.
[Quest: "Keep your Confidence"
Receive healing magic from the male protagonist within a month.
Reward: Removal of the hair loss penalty
Penalty: Instant baldness]
It was a penalty that gave me goosebumps. Of course, with my looks, even if I became bald, I would still be beautiful, but losing this dazzling blonde hair would be quite heartbreaking.
Come to think of it, while I was asking Andrea and Alan about healing magic, I couldn't get a proper answer because the Chief suddenly appeared.
"Alan, do you happen to know how to use healing magic?"
"I use divine power, which is different from healing magic."
From behind, Alan immediately responded,
"Healing magic is known to be challenging even for most high-level mages. Though it should be easy for the Magic Tower Lord".
"Magic Tower Lord?"
"Oh, you lost your memory. Narcissus, you were in the Magic Tower before you came to Sablum. Since you were unwell, the Magic Tower Lord personally took care of you and even taught you magic."
"Who... me? I know how to use magic?"
"From what I heard, yes."
It was shocking. I thought I had nothing but my beauty, but it turns out I knew how to use magic! Moreover, I was talented enough to receive direct instruction from Magic Tower Lord!
"How do you use magic?"
Forgetting about the quest and getting excited, I asked, and Alan smiled awkwardly.
"I don't know. In fact, I consider magic as something from the grace of god, so I am reluctant to call it magic. All priests might feel the same. Divine power and magical energy are a bit different, but their roots are similar..."
Alan started another long story about gods again. I listened with a hazy gaze, lost in thought.
Anyway, meeting this person called Magic Tower Lord is the key. Judging by the quest's content, there was no doubt that Magic Tower Lord was one of the 'male protagonists.' Meeting him would not only teach me how to use magic but also allow me to remove the baldness penalty.
Once I arrived in Deserent, I decided to take the teleportation magic circle leading to the Magic Tower.