I'm the Only Totem in Another World - Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Golden Sun Tribe (4)

“How dare you before Malak-nim!”

“Her tongue should be ripped out!”

The barbarian warriors, faces flushed red, shouted angrily.

Their momentum was such that they might draw their weapons at any moment.

“That woman, that that what the…!”

There was even a barbarian elder grabbing her by the scruff of her neck.

“Sister! What is the meaning of this! We could all die!”

“Didn’t we clearly agree to join them!”

The flustered civilized people questioned the nun in awkward postures.

As if to announce that the nun’s sudden action had nothing to do with them, they shook their heads sideways while looking at the barbarians.

“Please, just calm down…”

“Shut up, you filthy civilized person!”

The knight tried to calm the situation, but to no avail.

“…”

Tur glared at the nun and gestured for something to be brought over. Seeing the signal, a subordinate pulled out a sharp, awl-like knife from his waist.

What kind of torture device is that? It looks like a bloodbath is about to happen.

A nun is a valuable asset. I saw her firing white light during the fight with the infected horde earlier.

She may not be paladin-level, but she would be more useful than an ordinary barbarian warrior when fighting demons.

I guess I have to step in.

━ Stop.

“…”

At my single word, all the barbarians fell silent. The subordinate bringing the awl-like knife also stopped in his tracks.

━ Nun, state your name.

This time, the knight didn’t translate. It’s the word of God, so they should be able to hear it without translation.

“…Grace.”

Though a god of a different faith, a god is still a god. The nun, seemingly afraid of me, answered in a trembling voice.

She can’t even meet my gaze properly. Where did all her earlier boldness go?

Suddenly, a question arose.

If the nun’s power originates from the goddess, will she lose it if I make her worship me instead?

That would be troublesome.

━ I’m not ordering you to betray the one you serve. It’s enough that you simply serve me as well.

I heard from Harry, a civilized person, that the goddess religion isn’t monotheistic.

Strictly speaking, it’s closer to henotheism.

It’s a religion that acknowledges multiple gods, but regards and worships the goddess Ishtania as the supreme being.

If they change that mindset a bit, they can worship me while also worshipping Ishtania.

“…”

You don’t like that either? Well, it would be difficult.

━ Grace, I won’t tell you to follow me right away. You’ll need time to organize your thoughts, and I’ll give you that time.

Let’s go with the “I’m a merciful god” vibe.

“Accept it. Quickly! Hurry before God gets angry!”

The knight, kneeling again, urged the nun.

“…Thank you for the opportunity.”

Sister Grace replied reluctantly.

━ However, I won’t wait forever. You’ll have to make a choice soon.

Let me just add one more thing.

━ Don’t forget that the only one who broke the taboo and descended to save this land is me, Malak. It wasn’t Ishtania who saved you from the infected horde.

This is a message to all civilized people.

I’ve said enough, so everyone should understand by now. It’s late, so I should get going.

I deactivated the Bound Totem and returned to Totem No. 1.

“Ah…!”

I made eye contact with Paya, who was cleaning Totem No. 1.

Ah, today was totem cleaning day. I was so busy that I forgot.

“…Did you just come back from the Golden Sun Tribe?”

━ Yes.

“How is Chieftain Nix?”

Come to think of it, I didn’t see Nix. Maybe they didn’t bring her to the battle because she’s from another tribe.

Well, you need good teamwork in battle. No matter how good a fighter you are, you can’t be better than comrades who have undergone the same training and fought on the same battlefield.

Unless you’re as good at fighting as Rake.

It could also be that they’re treating her with some respect because she’s a chieftain, even though she’s from another tribe.

━ I didn’t see her today.

“I hope she’s doing well. Moving tribes twice… I think her heart must be aching.”

━ Chieftain Nix has a strong heart. She’ll overcome it soon.

Nix never lost hope, even in desperate situations, and she rallied her tribe members and moved forward.

Although I played the role of both spiritual support and compass, it would have been difficult without Nix, who faithfully fulfilled her role as a leader.

Paya, who was diligently cleaning the totem, moving her hands here and there, spoke again.

“…It’s been a while since I’ve talked to Malak-nim alone.”

Has it?

“You’re always with Chieftain Rake…”

Paya’s lips pout.

It can’t be helped. Rake is the strongest.

I can’t ask Paya to fight lower demons.

“But I’m the first… Malak-nim came to my call…”

You are the first follower.

Is it a child’s unique attachment?

She’s cute, like a daughter complaining to her father who comes home late.

Paya covered her mouth with a gasp, as if she had said something she shouldn’t have.

“I, I’m sorry. What did I just say.”

━ It’s okay.

Well, she’s still emotionally immature. I was like that too.

Was it middle school? Anyway, it was when I was going to a cram school.

A really pretty college student came as a math tutor.

Tall, well-proportioned, well-dressed, she was a model in every sense of the word. She’s the second prettiest person I’ve ever seen.

Luckily, our cram school allowed for private tutoring. I immediately ran to my mom and said.

‘Mother…! I want to study math…!’

I looked down slightly, opened my mouth a little, and shed tears.

‘My son has finally come to his senses! Good!’

My mom, who was crazy about academic zeal, readily agreed and took out her phone.

And so began our one-on-one date, I mean, private tutoring…!

8 PM, when all the cram school classes were over. I scoffed at my friends who were happy to be going home and waited leisurely for her.

Finally, the time came when I sat close to the model-like tutor at the desk.

The beautiful voice coming from beside me, and the soft elbows that occasionally touched mine because the desk was small.

It was like being in heaven.

Until I heard that the tutor had a boyfriend she had been dating for seven years.

He’s the most wonderful man in the world, and she said she would definitely marry him.

Damn it… you filthy pure love bugs…!

‘Waaaaah~!’

I had no choice but to cry and run out of the cram school during the tutoring session.

My math score that semester was 40. My father took out the fly swatter again.

I wonder if it’s that tutor’s fault that I ended up in the humanities and always sucked at math.

━ …

It’s a memory of my first love that still lingers in my heart.

That tutor must be married by now, right? She might even have kids.

I remember what she said.

‘ㅇㅇ will become a wonderful man when he grows up~!’

Noona, I became a totem… I even came to another world…

Ha.

“Malak-nim, is your recovery going well?”

Paya woke me from my reverie.

Recovery. She’s probably talking about whether I’m earning points well.

━ It’s getting better every day.

I just learned another blessing after killing the boar infected beast.

I killed three lower demons and a creature close to them, so it was about time.

The problem is that this is a consumption-type blessing like ‘Berserker’s Aura’.

[Path of the Spirit Master: Instills knowledge of spirit magic. The greater the talent of the recipient, the higher the achievement they can attain. A god can bestow this blessing upon only one follower, and it can only be used once.]

Unlike Berserker’s Aura, which said it would get stronger as you fought, this time it didn’t specify what ‘spirit magic’ was.

The problem is who to give this to.

Someone with outstanding talent in spirit magic? There has to be a way to verify that.

I thought it would be good to give it to a priestess since it’s similar to a type of magic, but it’s a bit ambiguous to give it to the priestesses of the Tribal Federation.

Paya is too young, and Muri is too old.

It takes hours to walk down the mountain, would they have that kind of stamina?

Apart from that, as a 21st-century modern Korean, I didn’t want a young girl in her early to mid-teens to risk her life fighting.

Isn’t the feeling of kids throwing axes at each other completely different from actually throwing axes at enemies on a battlefield?

“Have you regained a new blessing?”

━ Yes.

I explained that the blessings were powers I originally possessed.

I lost my power when I fell to the ground… It’s a common setting.

“I see… I want to receive a blessing like Chieftain Kanto and fight alongside Malak-nim.

I’ll be able to do that someday, right?”

Paya seemed to want to participate in battles like Kanto and Rake.

Let’s respect her opinion and assume I give her a blessing and go on a subjugation together.

What if she dies?

Wouldn’t I regret it?

…It’s not an urgent situation yet, so let’s think about it a little more.

* * * * * *

A few days passed.

After checking the demons’ movements, I visited the Golden Sun Tribe again… Oh my.

“Kill her!”

“The woman with the serpent’s tongue!”

Sister Grace was tied up in the middle of the altar.

“Let’s burn that witch!”

“Let’s offer her as a sacrifice!”

The barbarians were trying to set her on fire.

What’s going on? Why is an execution suddenly taking place?

“I knew she would do something like this…”

“Tsk…!”

Not only the barbarians, but even the civilized people were looking at Sister Grace with disapproval.

They’re reacting like that too?

No, Sister. What on earth did you do again?