Steampunk Era: Mad Abield

Although quite annoyed at being tied up, Malin decided to forgive that tall guy because he neither made threats nor laid hands on him, especially after being treated to pastries by the Church's young ladies.

He had to forgive him; there was no beating a muscular man whose arms were thicker than his own waist. If possible, it was better to keep a respectful distance.

After all, as an adult, one must learn to face the harsh realities of life. Only teenagers would talk about the shifting tides of fortune over decades, and only such protagonists would expect villains to pass by with a laugh—unlike Malin, who would've killed the lad tonight rather than tomorrow morning. He never let a resentment wait overnight, let alone fester for ten years.

Moreover, having lived for so many years, he was not unacquainted with such fools, and this time, due to a stroke of ill luck, he obtained a blessing. The young leader of the Church seemed interested in figuring out how he was immune to control, which is why he was brought back to the Church.

Gaiate and Maya followed along. Maya needed to come for a check-up to ensure she wasn't injured, but Malin could see the concern in the Church staff's eyes. They seemed to fear that Maya had been... parasitized? Or that her soul had been snatched?

It wasn't anything good, but being able to get checked was a blessing. With the world being so terrifying, Malin definitely didn't want to be chased out of bed in the middle of the night by a suddenly transformed cat-girl and resort to jumping from a window to survive.

Even though little Leopard Girl was so cute... it didn't mean she could skip the examination. Otherwise, if she turned into a big live cat in the middle of the night and pushed her brother down a deadly path, in the end, Malin would still have to save himself. But by then, whether he would have to jump out a window or break through a door to live would depend on the mood of the little Leopard Girl.

Of course, Malin had his own troubles as well. The Church's people brought him in through the main entrance to the hall, and Malin immediately turned his attention to the statues on the left side.

"What are you looking at?" the leader asked softly.

"On the left, counting from the doorway, the fifth statue in; it feels strange, like the statue is watching me," Malin decided to tell the truth. Concealing one's strength was not wrong, but neither was stating this. After all, he could also sense a line of sight coming from above, veiled but discernibly surveilling.

So, it was fine to make a good impression, but not too good. Though Malin had a very positive impression of the Church in this world so far, the atheistic Malin still had his doubts, even if this Church claimed to worship the Goddess of Harvest and had a deity to believe in.