Chapter 226

Alex paused, his gaze sweeping over the tense crowd.

The villagers stood in a semicircle, their faces etched with fear, anger, and confusion.

Out of the corner of his eye, Alex noticed movement.

Two gaunt figures stepped forward—skinny villagers whose eyes bore the weight of immeasurable pain.

Their clothes hung loosely on their frail bodies, and their foreheads were marred by black stains—the dreaded mark of exile, cursed and cast out by Ares, one of the main gods revered in this land.

The first man swallowed hard, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"Your God," he began hesitantly, his eyes pleading. "If He is the Almighty and all-loving... would He accept us?"

Elric, the village leader, stepped forward cautiously, his face a mixture of concern and fear.

"They are sinners, the forsaken, the exiled," he explained, his voice quivering.

"They have been kicked out and cursed by Ares. Every month, they endure unbearable pain. If your God accepts them, it could bring Ares's wrath upon y