The voice of the god left Thera loosening her hold on her magic, just a little, enough to let some gratitude be heard in the one speaking.

With those last words, Nare did as he’d said, bringing not only his granddaughter and two believers to his realm, but Ben as well, who was momentarily confused to be there without the system asking if he’d allowed it till he noticed his god there as well.

“Myriad, my favourite buddy, you’re a lifesaver. Technically a two-life saver. I’d promised myself I was going to shoot Xilly between the eyes if it looked like I was gonna die as a final treat to myself.”

“Well, it’s nice to see we made it on time, even if Thera’s reaction ended up being a little stronger than we’d hoped.”

“Yeah, she really is the best, isn’t she? God, I love her. And Nare, you’ve been a very tough guy to get in touch with buddy.”

“As I’m sure you can imagine, I’d ended up unexpectedly busy. Of course, if I’d expected any issue then I would have made sure to make at least a couple minutes of time a day, but- None of you will speak until spoken to,” He ordered, dropping the apologetic tone he’d been just using on Ben to order the three off to the side, all but being crushed by the feeling of divinity the god was giving off amongst his barely contained rage before going back to focus on Ben. “From what I’m seeing in their minds and combined with the state Myriad found you in, I can't ask you to stay a second longer. I’m sorry your time with my people was so poor, Ben, it seems I was a fool to think well of them. Your work is done.”

The notification went off in Ben’s mind, telling him he’d been paid what he’d been expecting, even as complicated feelings were left lingering within him.

“So, is there any reason these guys decided to be miserable during my time here?”

At that, Nare sighed, looking like he was dealing with a headache that Ben wasn’t even sure gods could experience. “Because my priest is a fool who decided to value a different god above the feelings of his own and Xilly’s poor impression of humans somehow led her to come to the conclusion that you were brought here to try and win both her and my granddaughter’s hearts, with both of them acting as advisors to Nati and shaping her opinions.”

“What? Ew, no. I’m monogamous, you hear me? MO-NOG-A-MOUS. I literally came here with my girlfriend! Plus, both Eneth and Olensia are assholes!” He yelled at them, getting no hint they’d actually heard anything as they all continued to struggle with the feelings of divinity. “Where do you even get that sort of misunderstanding… No, this is definitely Jake’s fault, isn’t it? Damn it man, this is why everyone that wants to take me in starts with trying seduction, isn’t it? Ugh, definitely complaining to him about how he’s ruined the reputation of the human race next time I see him.”

“So there you have it,” Nare said, continuing with his apologetic tone. “I can’t ask you to work with them. Thank you for what you’ve done so far Ben, hopefully despite everything, they’ll take something away from it.”

Ben for his part was silent for just a second before he grabbed his eyes and sighed, already feeling like he was going to regret what he was about to ask. “Nare, how many awakened enchanters are there currently on the planet?”

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“Including yourself? On land, essentially four. These two plus your teacher. For the aquatic races, only two at the moment.”

“Wait, why essentially four?”

“The old head of the crafting guild has not been allowed to die yet, but while he technically possesses the skill he won’t be allowed to use it.”

“...Okay, damn it. Nare, we both know how important the enchanting modifier is. If these guys will actually let me teach them it the way I want then I’ll make sure they learn it.”

“Are you sure? They each keep thinking on how they treated you and for someone I invited as a guest their actions are frankly inexcusable.”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong, I hate all of them. Hell, I was being serious when I said I was thinking about murdering one for my final moments, but this is me trying to look at the bigger picture of wanting the world I live on to not be destroyed. If they’ll actually learn then I’ll take the time to teach these jerks.”

“Then what they want doesn’t matter. Teach however you see fit Ben and they’ll do it, I don’t care how unpleasant the experience is. I’ll judge what they go through and I’ll decide their punishment after if that sounds reasonable to you?”

“Wait, however I see fit? No limits?”

“None. If you’re willing to work the agreed-upon days then do whatever it takes to squeeze as much knowledge and skill into their heads as you can.”

If any of them were able to see through the force they were under, they might have felt fear from the look of pure excitement that radiated from Ben’s face upon hearing that, but not one had the leeway. Their own fears were clouding whatever free bit of thought they might have had as they were stood up against their god’s wrath.

“Fantastic, in that case, this might actually end up being pretty fun! God, how many ideas do I have that I could never test because of, well, ethics? I might actually get some experience for some of my skills too depending on how I try to work things.”

“...I know what I just said, but I’d appreciate it if you make sure you don’t kill any of them by mistake.”

“Kill? Me? Never. Except for that brief bit a few minutes ago where I thought I was going to die, but we’re going to ignore that. Either way, I promise they’ll suffer no physical consequences for whatever I put them through.”

No psychological consequences though is going to be a bit harder to ensure.

Nare seemed to pick up on that subtle implication but decided to say nothing on it, trusting Ben wouldn’t go too far with any tests he intended to run.

“Very well, in that case, do whatever you wish. I’m sorry once again, Ben. Head back and I’ll be returning these three in a bit.”

“Sounds good. And if you have time later Nare, stop by Myriad's place. Got something fun that you’re going to want to see.”

With those final words, he left the god’s realm, going back to his body as he opened his eyes, finding Thera at his side as she continued on healing any injury she could see on him before she pulled him into her embrace.

“Thank goodness. You would not believe how worried I was when Anailia spoke to me out of the blue and said you were dying.”

“I think I’d probably believe you,” He laughed, nodding to both the giant hole in the building, along with the three still entrapped in stone. “Kind of shocking that nobody came running with all of this. Nare must be doing some damage control while giving them an earful.”

“Alright, well you should be in good enough health so let’s go. I’ll have to stop to say goodbye to Insia and Rocky but-”

“Sorry, I’m still teaching them for the remaining time,” He could see the obvious question of why fill her eyes when he’d said it so he rushed to explain. “Unfortunately, what I know really is kind of too important to not pass on to some of the only other enchanters that can use it. The good news though is that Nare has given me full permission to teach them however I see fit so the rest of my time is going to be great, don’t worry.”

“Hmm, I’m usually not one to advocate for torture but I guess that works.”

“I’m not going to be torturing them!”

“Sure, whatever you say,” She laughed. “So how long till they’re up?”

“Not sure, whenever Nare ends up done with them I guess.”