Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Compassionate God

"Resident stone? I'm afraid that's beyond my ability." Ett, the mayor, looked troubled. His life-saving benefactor rarely came to him for help, and he genuinely wished to lend a hand, but as a mere town mayor, he had no authority to vouch for Ruby.

Ruby and Mayuna had already packed their bags, ready to depart, when the mage girl suddenly asked, "Do you have a resident stone?" Only then did Ruby realize he was an undocumented outsider. The resident stone was a crystal engraved with identity information, buried beside Mayuna's childhood cabin—a sort of magical equivalent to Earth’s identification card. It wasn't needed for trivial matters, but for something as significant as school enrollment, it was indispensable.

"Though I trust Ruby's character, foreigners seeking citizenship need at least a marquis to guarantee them," Ett explained. He gave Ruby a systematic account: The four human empires were not a monolith, and the resident stone was invented to guard against spies with ulterior motives. Issued at birth, it was required for important occasions. If a foreigner happened to find themselves here and wanted one, they needed a person of status to vouch for them; after all, no one could guarantee they weren't a spy, and the guarantor would bear responsibility if they were.

"Uncle, you're really useless," Mayuna said bluntly, unaware of the complexities involved.

Ett, rough-faced, looked embarrassed but wasn’t angered by Mayuna's words. Compared to a powerful mage, she seemed more like a mischievous child.

"It's all right. Sorry to trouble you," Ruby nodded and prepared to leave, pulling Mayuna along. The situation was unexpected, but not beyond the realm of possibility.

"Father, I beat the butcher's son in a fight today!" Ett's son burst in just as the mayor was about to speak, his bruised face beaming with pride. Since that incident, Ett had changed his approach to parenting, and the previously introverted William had become more outgoing.

"William, I told you not to fight all the time."

"Looks like that uncle has changed quite a bit. What will you do now?" Mayuna asked as they stepped out of the mayor's house. Even the once wild William had changed, giving off a sense of emotional warmth.

"I'm thinking of trying a bigger city. As long as I find someone qualified to vouch for me, there'll always be a way."

"No need for all that. I'll take you straight to a guarantor," Mayuna replied. She knew Ruby was not only a world-class chef but also a miraculous healer. A person like him would shine wherever he went, but she didn't want too many people to know about Ruby's uniqueness—it would only disrupt their peaceful lives.

"You?"

"This little favor is well within my power." As Mayuna gently placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder, he felt his body lighten, and the scenery before him changed completely. Before he could prepare himself, he experienced his first spatial teleportation.

When Ruby regained his senses and looked around, even he was slightly awed. An endless city spread outward from the palace at its highest point. Walls crisscrossed the city—remnants of the capital’s expansion. What was once a small town had grown larger and larger, and the original defensive walls had become commemorative landmarks. He could see many buildings over twenty meters tall—a feat involving formidable foundations. In Derys, houses rarely exceeded two stories, so Ruby always assumed the capital was similarly modest. Now, confronted with such grandeur, he found it hard to accept.

"The scenery here is beautiful, isn't it?" Mayuna insisted that Ruby take in the view, for when her teacher Yura rescued her years ago, this was the first place she was brought. Ever since, Mayuna felt there was no sight more breathtaking than the imperial capital.

"No, I'm just curious—how did they build such structures? Judging by this world’s development, they shouldn't have time to study architectural beauty." Ruby voiced his thoughts. This was a world focused on magic; architecture should progress alongside other skills. That such lavish buildings existed in a place without even sewers seemed odd. He glanced around: there were many buildings over twenty meters tall, which required serious groundwork. In Derys, nothing went above two stories. He had always thought the capital would be similarly humble, so seeing such splendor was hard to process.

"Do you have any sense for atmosphere?" Mayuna was so annoyed she wanted to throttle him. But Ruby had never understood atmosphere, so she couldn't blame him too much.

"Fine, you're right. Humans didn't engineer this. It was bestowed by the God of Light."

"The God of Light is an advanced architect, then?"

"No! Legend says the God of Light loves humanity most, but human development is… rather abnormal." Mayuna began to recount, and Ruby imagined a strange tale: From the moment humans appeared, they learned to use their magical power for everything and sought to perfect magic, abandoning other pursuits.

Picture humans vying for dominion with other races—one moment casting world-shattering spells, the next sleeping in crude caves, and then, lacking proper shelter, wandering the wilderness.

The God of Light, seeing this, thought, "This won't do—every parent loves their child, even those who are slow." So the God of Light visited the dwarves, worshippers of the Forge God, traded for architectural knowledge, and sent angels to deliver it to humanity. Thus humans learned how to build ever more advanced dwellings.

This was also the first time humans realized gods existed above them. The church was founded then, as a gesture of gratitude to the God of Light, and has flourished ever since.

"That's the story depicted on the church murals."

"It seems the gods of this world play the role of foolish fathers. Are all gods like this?" Ruby didn't know how to react. Was it a case of 'the crooked beam leads to a crooked house'? The man who so easily sent him to another world seemed equally foolish.

"Are you talking about me?" Mayuna caught his comment and gave him a sidelong glance, suspecting he was referring to her.

"No. So, who are we seeing in the capital?"

"His Holiness, the Pope."

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PS: Meeting the parents, hmm.
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