Being called to see the Temple Master was an incredible boon for Damien. He was having fun teaching the kids, but he needed some time to practice for himself too.
Not to mention, if he couldn't leave the temple, he also couldn't figure out what the island's real situation was. The longer he stayed inside, the more he felt like the conspiracy the temples were dealing with wasn't as simple as they made it seem.
Damien was hoping that the Temple Master was going to give him some answers, so as he was led to the temple atop the column, his feelings towards the meeting changed.
At least he wasn't going to look bored in front of that person anymore.
The temple itself was impressive, but it wasn't as decorated as one would expect. Since it was never meant to house outsiders, its decor was relatively minimalistic.
An attendant brought him in front of a door and left him to do the rest. He walked into the room and sat on one of the couches around the large coffee table in its center.
He didn't have to wait long for the other person to arrive.
"You must be Damien. Karlen has been singing your praises for many days now. I apologize as I was too busy to meet with you before now."
A large lion-like man was the one who greeted him. His hair was like a brown mane and his body was extremely muscular. It was to the point where he looked strange wearing a suit and acting like a high official when he looked more like a beast.
Nevertheless, Damien didn't have to guess his identity. He stood up and held his hand out in greeting.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Temple Master."
The Temple Master received his handshake and led him back to the same couches. They sat around a table, and with a wave of his hand, the Temple Master produced a teapot and two cups for them.
The man's aesthetic was strange, but his power was no joke. The aura he possessed was spectacular to the point where even Damien wasn't sure if he could win in a head-on battle.
"Do you know why I've called for you today?" The Temple Master asked, starting their conversation.
"I don't," Damien responded, "but it's likely related to the plan for the coming weeks, is it not?"
The Temple Master nodded his head.
"You are correct. However, rather than to speak about the plan itself, I have come to give you information and make a request. I am sure you already understand the gist of how the tournament is structured. At the end, the person who surpasses the rest will fight against an Area Lord for the crowd to witness. The Lord in question is the Dragon Lord."
'Ah, so it was about that.'
Damien already knew about this. Karlen sugarcoated it by saying that he would be rewarded as long as he won the tournament, but this stage was technically his entire combat circuit.
They wanted him to win and win and win until his badge turned platinum. When that happened, he could challenge and kill the Area Lord for spectacle.
It was strange mainly because the purpose of this tournament was to destroy the enemy organization whose name Damien still was not informed of. The Dragon Lord had to be involved with that organization, but if that was truly the case, then his presence was absolutely unexplainable.
The Temple Master must have realized that Damien would start questioning things, so he called him here to clarify matters in person.
"Actually…" The Temple Master started.
"The Dragon Lord is one of our own."
Damien made a sound of surprise at the unexpected revelation. "We found long ago that he was the backer behind the Chaos Faction. Since then, we have been at war with him and treating him as an enemy. Only recently did we learn that it is all a farce. In reality, the true backer of the Chaos Faction has been controlling him through a skill that he cannot undo."
'An unexpected turn of events!'
Damien was definitely not expecting this kind of twist. If it was like that, then it definitely made some more sense.
"Does he maintain his own ego?" he asked to confirm.
"Yes. His ego is still able to perceive the world despite his body and mind being controlled. In order to save him, we used a loophole so he could accept our contract and enter the tournament," the Temple Master replied.
"The only way to get rid of his curse is to kill him and let him revive. I have come to you to ask if you are confident that you can do it."
The Temple Master's eyes were filled with sincere emotion.
'So there was something like that.'
It was certainly possible. If he died and his existence was returned from nothingness by the realm, then anything affecting his previous existence would be removed.
However, the Temple Master's information revealed that the true mastermind was still unknown, right?
Didn't that make the eradication plan a lot more difficult to accomplish?
'Or is it that he doesn't want to share it with me?'
Whatever the case, Damien still planned to carry out his own investigation, so he could figure it out later.
For now, it was clear that the Temple Master just wanted to affirm that Damien himself was someone worth trusting with as important of a task as saving the Dragon Lord.
"My goal on this island was always to kill an Area Lord. If I can do that while also helping you guys out, then for what reason would I not?"
He met the Temple Master's eyes with his own powerful determination.
"You don't need to worry about the tournament anymore now that I'm here. Just focus on doing everything else properly."
The Temple Master looked at him for a moment before his lips widened into a large grin.
"Good. I look forward to working with you, Damien Void."
"I should be the one saying that to you."
It was a short meeting where both people got to the point fast and reached a conclusion without any fuss.
Damien and the Temple Master were both focused on other things, so they only did as much as they needed to when they met.
The problem was that when Damien left that meeting, he was already faced with something else.
Karlen appeared before he could even get to his room and prepare to leave the temple.
"Ah, Damien, there you are!"
He walked up with a friendly smile and a wave.
"Do you have some time right now? The representatives from the other temples are holding a meeting soon. I believe it will be in your best interest to meet them."
Damien sighed inwardly.
But, since he was working right now, he had an obligation to do work-related tasks no matter how annoying they were.
Plus, it was just a meeting, right?
He would be done with it in a few hours at most and then he could go forward with his plans.
With a stale look on his face, he begrudgingly accepted Karlen's proposal.
"Fine. Where are they?"