Having reached level 100, I finally met the God of Creation, Deuro.

It seems Deuro is still trapped in a world of darkness, so I couldn’t see his face directly. However, with his statue restored in the temple, I have a clear image of his face in my mind.

“So, what happened exactly?” Father asked.

With the villagers and temple priest all stirred up by the restored statue, I was now surrounded by Father and the key figures of the village.

After thinking it over, I decided to tell them a partial truth. I’d even show them my status—but with some adjustments.

“Father, I was guided by Deuro and prayed at the temple.”

“Deuro? So that’s the god’s name?”

The priest nodded vigorously.

The pedestal indeed displayed the name “Deuro,” though oddly, the title “God of Creation” was missing. I’d have to ask Deuro about that when I reach level 200.

“I didn’t see it myself, but the villagers saw the statue of Deuro emit a divine light. After it faded, his face and name were restored,” the priest said, still breathless with excitement.

“Did you see this light, Toma?” Father asked.

“I didn’t. When I finished my prayer and opened my eyes, it was already restored.”

“I see. And you mentioned being ‘guided’—what do you mean by that?”

I opened my status to show him:

Name: Toma Roxfall
Species: Human
Information: Male, Age 7, Healthy
Title: Apostle of Deuro
Rank: S
Attribute: None
Blessing: Brewer of Divine Sake
Level: 100
Skills: Knowledge of Sake Brewing, Level 3; Quality Improvement, Level 1; Dexterity, Level 1
Life: 200 (600)
Stamina: 280 (840)
Mana: 300 (900)

In reality, my rank is G. But G is not simply “below F” as some think. Information Viewing tells me that ranks extend beyond S to SS, SSS, H (Heroic), L (Legendary), and finally G (God). As Deuro’s apostle, I couldn’t rank too low, but going beyond S would raise suspicion. So, I chose rank S for now.

I also set my blessing and skills to sake-related attributes, to make my brewing expertise believable.

“W-what…? This is amazing,” Father murmured in astonishment, though he kept his composure.

“Th-this title ‘Apostle of Deuro’ is a clear sign of being chosen by the god himself!” exclaimed the priest, more excited than I’d ever seen him.

The priest, Otolso Daigo, a 62-year-old silver-haired man, is usually quiet. Seeing this side of him was refreshing.

“Priest, what should we do about this?” Father asked.

“We must report this to the kingdom and the central temple. After that, I expect Toma will need to be taken to the central temple.”

It seems the kingdom is only informed but doesn’t take action directly. This suggests the temple has control over apostle matters.

But I have no intention of going to the central temple. I have my duties here, and I’m not about to waste time in a place that worships traitors like Nirgneed as “chief gods.”

“Excuse me,” I interjected.

“Yes, Toma?”

“I can’t leave Ashud Territory for an extended period right now.”

“And why is that?”

“I have a mission to brew sake. My duty from Deuro is to create and spread this sake, so I can’t leave Ashud Territory for long.”

The priest looked troubled, but he agreed to include my reasoning in his report.

Using the popularity of Horse King to spread Deuro’s name and gather faith is exactly my plan. Whether being labeled an apostle helps or hinders that is a gamble I’ll have to manage.

“Toma, an apostle of God… That’s incredible!” Mother cried out, hugging me with joy.

She smelled nice. Seeing her so happy made me happy too.

“Ah-baa,” my little brother Siegvalt cooed.

“See, Siegvalt thinks his big brother is amazing too!” Mother chuckled.

Mother’s doting never fails.

“This is going to be complicated,” Father muttered, looking suddenly serious.

“I hadn’t told you all, but I’ve decided to cut ties with the Lightstar family.”

I knew things were tense with Lightstar, but I hadn’t realized it had gone this far.

“After the new year, I planned to visit Duke Bayerlein for the first time as our new sponsor, and I wanted Toma to join me. Your mother will stay with Siegvalt, but as a courtesy, I’d hoped to bring you along.”

According to Father, it’s customary for the entire family to attend the initial greetings to a new sponsor.

Since I just told the priest I couldn’t leave the territory, being away for ten days for the round trip would be tricky. Traveling to the central temple would take over a month, so ten days might seem short, but it still means missing two brewing cycles. Jin and Ram could handle it if they start consistently producing premium sake, but they aren’t quite there yet.

“I’m truly sorry,” I said.

It’s best to stay in Ashud and focus on sake brewing, avoiding any potential complaints from the temple.

“No matter. Toma, you have a duty, and you can’t ignore it.”

I felt a pang of guilt for lying, but this was the best decision for now. I had to stay focused and committed to the mission Deuro entrusted to me.