In the Name of the Goddess 4

What the hell is this, you absolute nerd.

A hologram updated before my eyes as we rode the carriage back toward the city. Apparently the long-running pride war between the Mage Tower and the Knight Order had finally come to an end, because the twentieth-floor quest reward had only just now decided to show up.

But this was nothing like an internet access pass or a VPN. Instead of delight, what I felt was pure bewilderment. Setting aside the whole "source unknown" business — if you're going to give me information, just give me the information. Why hand me a fragment, you cheap bastards?

I'd already cursed them out for selling board permissions and photo permissions as separate DLC. I never expected them to start splitting the rewards themselves.

"Ugh, we weren't even gone that long. Why does it feel like we've been away forever?"

"Maybe because the experience in the Blessed Forest was just that intense?"

"True… A baptism of holy power. Nobody in our village has ever been through that — hell, probably nobody in this whole city has."

While I glared at the hologram and tried to figure out what the thing even was, the city arrived almost without my noticing. We climbed down from the carriage, stretched, and headed for the guild together.

Judging by the hour we could have gone straight to the inn, but the Knight Order's name carried weight, and Han Se-ah had already seen the quest completion window and knew a reward was waiting. The moment she and I naturally turned toward the guild, the rest of the party fell in behind us without a word of complaint.

"Hey, Hanna! How was Avergne Forest?"

"We finished the commission. Not sure if personal requests like this even need to be reported, but…"

The one still holding down the desk in the late afternoon was Elise. Maybe she stuck around the guild so long because there was always something to collect or something to hand out — either way, she seemed to be there every time we came back from a job.

Adventurers entering the Blessed Forest was apparently unprecedented, and Elise looked pretty worked up about it. Watching her latch onto Han Se-ah with flushed cheeks and a barrage of questions, I half-suspected she'd been waiting for us out of pure personal curiosity.

"Tell me about the Blessed Forest! Did you see anything?"

"It was like something out of a fairy tale. No dangerous animals — squirrels and rabbits just came right up to you. The trees were dense, but sunlight still poured through, so it was lush and bright at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the same time. And ripe fruit was just lying all over the paths."

"Really? Forests aren't usually that friendly to people."

As the two of them chattered away so warmly, the eyes of every adventurer returning from a job swung their way. The guild's star receptionist and a super-rookie currently riding a wave of fame, getting along famously — of course people stared.

Whether they noticed the attention or not, the two of them kept talking with such enthusiasm that adventurers gradually drifted over to the surrounding tables. Most of them were common-born; of course they'd be as curious about Blessed Avergne Forest as Elise was.

Two beautiful women sitting at a table, laughing and swapping stories, while a mixed crowd of adventurers pretended not to listen and leaned in anyway. I was watching the whole scene when someone gave my sleeve a gentle tug.

"…Hm? What's up?"

"Sir Roland, since we've already heard the Goddess's voice… what if we all went to the Temple to pray together?"

"…I don't mind, but maybe ask the others first?"

Irene had sidled up and was whispering as if sharing a secret. Her already-quiet voice dropped even lower, as though she didn't want anyone knowing she'd heard the Goddess and received ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a baptism of holy power.

…Right. Irene was a Candidate Saint hiding her identity. I'd almost forgotten, distracted by a certain fire-attribute crossdressing runaway noble daughter — but in terms of fallout, this one might actually be bigger. A Candidate Saint receiving the Goddess's baptism in the Blessed Forest?

Wait. Fallout or not — isn't this a much bigger deal…?

A runaway noble daughter hiding her identity versus a Candidate Saint who heard the Goddess's voice.

Just listing them side by side made it painfully clear which one was the larger incident. How had I only just noticed something this important? Had I been that deep in Han Se-ah's stream? The chat kept going on about fire attributes and "the Goddess's holy-power battery," so the thought never even crossed my mind.

Having received my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not-quite-permission, Irene went past Grace and Kayden and approached Han Se-ah, who had just finished her chat. The sight of that small frame giving a sleeve a little tug was almost unbearably cute. Of course, the implications of what came out of her mouth were nowhere near cute.

"The Temple…? Sure, that sounds good!"

Only after talking with Irene did Han Se-ah seem to remember the "Candidate Saint" title, because her expression twisted into something complicated. Half thoughtful, half puffed up with wild speculation — that was the look.

If the stream had been live, the viewers would have roasted that face for a solid thirty minutes. Ending the broadcast because the carriage ride was boring had been a stroke of pure genius.

Apparently deciding this was stream-worthy, Han Se-ah casually flipped the broadcast back on as we left the Adventurer's Guild and headed for the Temple. Viewers flooded in at the unexpected stream, read the title, and immediately started spamming chat.

Everyone had been so captivated by the Goddess draped in those fluttering scraps of cloth that they'd almost forgotten — but thinking about it, this was the classic pairing of Saint and Goddess finally coming together.

"Do you think the other Sisters will believe me? My heart's pounding harder than it did on field trips when I was little."

"It happened in a forest blessed by the Goddess. Of course they'll believe you."

Irene, unusually, took the lead, practically bouncing with excitement, while Han Se-ah hurried to keep pace at her side. Watching their light footsteps, Grace smiled in a faintly knowing way. She didn't know Irene was a Candidate Saint, so she was probably just thinking a nun was happy about a spiritual experience.

Irene chattering away in high spirits, Han Se-ah enthusiastically playing along, Grace watching them with warm eyes, and Kayden hanging back a step to observe the whole noisy procession — heading to the Temple together in that buoyant mood made every step feel light.

"Oh my, Irene? I heard you'd taken a commission toward the capital…"

"Something wonderful happened, so we finished it right away and came back."

"Then what brings the rest of your party here?"

"We'd like to offer a short prayer before the Goddess statue."

The one who greeted our little stampede into the Temple was a kindly-looking older nun. She must have been looking after the children — the rattle still in one hand was hard to miss. Irene, carried away by excitement, had suddenly announced evening prayers with the whole party and no explanation, and the nun looked a little flustered.

As far as I knew, temples here were divided into spaces for priests and nuns, spaces for caring for children, and spaces open to visitors for prayer — and the open hours were fixed. You couldn't just barge into a church whenever you felt like praying, and this Temple was the same. Irene, a Candidate Saint who knew that better than anyone, had still come charging in with our whole party in tow. Even a good-natured nun would be caught off guard.

"Um, Irene…?"

"Ah — that is…!"

Irene finally noticed the nun's troubled expression and jumped. Opening the visitors' prayer hall wasn't a difficult request, but when a quiet, well-behaved girl suddenly came charging in like this, a little confusion was only natural.

Apparently realizing she'd been a bit rude herself, Irene flushed and waved her hands in denial. The older nun just smiled warmly, pulled a key ring from her apron pocket, and pressed it into Irene's hands.

"Well, if you're acting like this, you must have a reason. But remember — faith isn't something forced on people. It has to rise from the heart."

"N-no, I didn't force anyone to come…!"

Apparently this world had its own version of aggressive proselytizing, because her face went tomato-red, and it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was adorable. Wrapped head to toe in her habit so that even her hair barely showed, the only part of her visible — her face — had flushed so thoroughly she looked like someone buried under a blanket with just her head poking out.

Nodding as if she understood everything, the older nun slipped away. Under that kindly smile, Irene's face stayed bright red — so red she'd apparently forgotten to explain anything about the baptism of holy power or the Goddess's voice.

We followed her silent guidance until she opened a great wooden door, and there it was: the massive Goddess statue I hadn't seen in a long time.

When I'd first dropped into this world, I'd come to the Temple fairly often, thinking that if I prayed the Goddess might speak to me. Of course, the Goddess never said a word, and I never received holy power or became a real holy knight.

"Here, um, you just offer a prayer. There's no special posture or formality — just close your eyes tightly and think of the Goddess. That is prayer."

True to a religion built on Christianity and Catholicism, Irene pressed her palms together and gently closed her eyes in a pose that felt deeply familiar. Thanks to the translucent camera drone floating above her head, I folded my hands as well and closed my eyes for a moment.

And why is this opening in the Temple?