Chapter 3: A side character and a protagonist (3)
The shrine didn't seem large from the outside.
The first impression Benjamin received upon laying his eyes on its exterior was that of eastern shrines from his world. It leaned closer to the Japanese style, mainly due to those giant bells hanging before the entrance. Six huge bells parted into two rows, flanking the opened doors to the shrine.
Before peeking inside, Benjamin followed Estelle's example and greeted the deities watching over it. She clapped her hands thrice as if passing a message of kindness to the three patrons, then strolled over to a copper bell on the left. She caught its shawl and yanked gently.
Estelle repeated that on the same bell on the right side.
Her smile widened when Benjamin did precisely the same.
"Her Excellency appreciates any kind of donation, Benjamin!" Estelle added, riding on the mood.
Benjamin chuckled, "I'd rather donate to you."
"Oh, okay! It doesn't really matter since we use all donations ourselves-" Estelle bit her tongue and smiled. "Thank you very much! I'll now take you to our kitchen! You're the first man to ever step here!"
"That's an honor," Benjamin genuinely stated. Once Estelle invited him to the shrine, he briefly skimmed over the shrine's interior meant to showcase the three goddesses' prosperity and belief.
Of course, Estelle told him before to take off his shoes and be careful.
She was undoubtedly worried about him mistakingly breaking anything as it'd cost her lots to have it repaired. With their shrine landlocked because of the evil spirits, expenses were on totally another level.
Nonetheless, the closest thing to Benjamin's feet were small tables on which the believers could rest their elbows to pray more deeply. There were a lot of candles strewn around, each flickering with gentle flame, even if no one had been able to visit the shrine yet.
At first glance and with his feet sinking into a soft carpet, Benjamin assumed people were either kneeling or sitting there while praying. Besides that, Benjamin's eyes had picked up three drawings of three deities, each encased in the frame representing their belief—copper, silver, and gold.
Copper was for Earth, silver for the Moon, and gold for the Sun.
"Would you like to speak with any of our goddesses?" Estelle asked, even though she could already guess Benjamin's reply.
Just like she had predicted, he told her he would rather drink choco milk with her.
Estelle grinned and immediately guided him to the shrine's kitchen. Before long, Benjamin was sitting on a similar but slightly of worse quality carpet, cross-legged. A small table was before him, with two empty cups waiting to be served.
Estelle put down a glass of milk and her favorite choco powder on the table before perching herself across her guest. She carefully poured milk into cups, then opened her choco powder bag. A sigh escaped her lips as she peeked into its nearly depleted content.
She dropped a spoonful of powder into her cup, then leaned over the table and stuffed two spoonfuls of her choco ingredient into Benjamin's cup, though for the second time, the spoon shivered and reluctance slightly twisted her little face.
Still, a guest was a guest, and he deserved the best treatment.
Benjamin barely could have stopped himself from laughing aloud.
He said while stirring the drink, "Thank you."
His feelings must have shown on his face, too, as Estelle awkwardly nodded. Both of them brought cups to their lips and tasted the choco milk.
For Estelle, it must have been like a reward for all of her hard work. She closed her eyes and sucked her little lips inside her mouth, humming contentedly. The wolf was as though lapping the cup as her sips were small.
Across her, Benjamin wetted his throat while displaying the etiquette of high nobility. The way he was sitting straight and holding the cup spoke tales of his experience in other worlds.
He also was instinctively putting it on because Estelle was from another world, and he had some prestige to keep up as the guild leader.
However, that began to fade as Benjamin recollected his thoughts and situation. He was no longer a guild leader and someone with a high level. He couldn't even tell how strong he was in this world as there was no concept of levels, and enemies had yet to threaten his life.
Assuming that this world was similar to the game worlds he had played was also naive thinking. Of course, the experience he had hoarded in the games would immensely help him, but he had to shift his mindset into appropriate gears to these new circumstances.
'I can die here. One wrong move, and I am gone,' Benjamin told himself. He was one of the players who shaped their own classes and paths in the game worlds, so it wasn't like he was too reliant on the game system that was nowhere to be seen in this real fantasy world.
He, however, missed some of his skills that turned him into a real menace.
"Estelle," Benjamin suddenly called.
Estelle blinked and raised her eyes to look into his, making their height difference clear, "Yes?"
"Here," Benjamin gently shoved his cup of choco milk to her. He hadn't drank too much; it was more like he had just taken a sip to try it.
So much of choco milk obviously couldn't be wasted. Estelle would have already snatched it and filled her mouth with it had it not been for her past slips.
She hesitated and asked, "You don't like it?"
Benjamin grinned, "It's tasty, but I can see you've been missing it too much. I'm fine with water, if you will."
"Thank you very much!" Estelle's hesitation shattered without much difficulty, and her lips were again in her mouth as she relished the choco milk.
Benjamin leaned onto his hand and watched over the content wolf woman while thinking of his next moves.
He soon said, "I want to try my luck against a phantom. Just me, alone."
Estelle's intoxicated eyes with choco milk turned serious, "Are you really sure?"
Benjamin nodded, "I am."
He had a sub-class of a mythical class. It was given to him based on his achievements in the game worlds, so Benjamin believed he was more than enough to fight against a low-level phantom.
He was confident about his assumption since Estelle was weak and probably relied on her talismans to uphold her duty.
Those talismans should aid him.
Just like Benjamin anticipated, Estelle rose up and pressed her hands on the table, bringing herself closer to him, "I'll lend you my talismans so you can survive it!"