The Heavenly God's Irresistible Offer
"Won't you?"
Hearing the heavenly god's follow-up words, I panicked.
The massive earthquake that just struck was caused by an evil demon.
What demon? No matter how you looked at it, it was just a natural disaster, and you yourself just said it was nothing more than that.
I stared at him in disbelief, and the heavenly god spoke to me alone once more.
-We have to say it like this to keep things safe.
-Safe from what?
-If I don't say it this way, they'll start hunting for culprits among themselves and kill some poor innocent.
…Can't we just say it's a natural disaster?
They won't listen even if we do. You think this is my first rodeo? Just trust me and play along.
The heavenly god spoke with such confidence that I had no choice but to back him up.
"That's right! The earthquake was the demon's doing, but the heavenly god drove it away!"
As I chimed in loudly, the expressions of my companions, who were watching me, turned awkward. They already knew it was a natural disaster, so they must have wondered what nonsense I was spouting.
But it worked perfectly on the general public.
"The heavenly god and the saint drove away the demon!"
"Heavenly god!"
"Long live Seres!"
The people praised us without suspecting a thing. I felt a pang of guilt, but then one of them shouted.
"So which great demon was responsible for something this massive?"
"Th-that's…"
I couldn't answer. We'd made up the demon story on the spot—how was I supposed to name a specific one? I just stammered in panic when
Baalzebub.
-No, this was just a natural disaster…
-They asked for a demon's name—what was I supposed to do? Had to throw something out there.
-Is that okay? What if he finds out?
You think that punk's gonna come complaining to me? As if.
Even through the voice in my head, his sneer was obvious. This heavenly god was nothing like the dignified image I'd imagined.
That demon will never appear here again. All evil has been purged, so rest easy. I've bestowed my blessing, so no earthquakes will strike the capital for a while.
You're scamming them way too hard. What if another quake hits later?
-The 'no quakes for a while' part is true. The divine power you scattered while repairing the city has filled the capital—it won't allow such disasters. Unless some earth spirit king decides to go all out.
He must have guessed my thoughts because the heavenly god explained right away.
-Anyway, the capital's issue seems resolved, so I'll be off.
-Weren't you here to talk to me about something?
-Can't do that here in front of everyone, can I?
Fair enough. Even if we could have a private chat, we couldn't discuss important matters with all these eyes on us.
-I'll come find you later, so go rest. Get some sleep or whatever.
-I'm not really sleepy, though?
-Just rest. You're in rough shape from all the stress. The others keep saying you're not acting normal, right? They're spot on. You're just not noticing it yourself.
…I'm perfectly sane, I tell you! Everyone keeps saying I'm off. But this time, since a god said it, I couldn't just brush it off. Was I really going weird?
Reluctantly, I nodded, and the heavenly god seemed to sigh.
…I'm weary. I've expended too much power. Priests, I know you have many questions, but I'll deliver an oracle later. For now, I must retire to rest!
He vanished after that one-sided announcement, but I could tell it was an excuse. Even I, who had only manifested a single feather, felt tired but could still stand fine. No way the main body himself was exhausted from this much. Besides, he'd left everything except the talking to me—including the cleanup.
With the heavenly god gone, all eyes turned to me, the one who'd summoned him.
"Seres! Was that really the heavenly god just now…?"
"Stand back!"
As the crowd surged toward me, Viol stepped in magnificently.
"Do you intend to swarm the saint, weakened from restoring the capital? Dare you do so before my very eyes?!"
With a perfect justification from the emperor herself, the people had no choice but to halt.
Seizing the moment as things calmed, the others gathered around me.
"Seres, are you hurt anywhere?"
Arios asked first, full of worry.
"Summoning a god… Are you really okay after pulling that off?!"
She assumed something terrible must have happened to me for summoning a god.
"I'm fine."
Summoning the heavenly god had come with no burden at all—not even surprising to me. If anything, repairing the capital had drained me more. Probably because I, Seres, was originally part of the heavenly god, and this wasn't me summoning him with my own power; it was more like he'd heard my call and come willingly. So yes, I was tired, but compared to my previous pains, it was nothing.
"Seres, even if it doesn't hurt much, you should act like it does."
Hames whispered quietly.
"That way, we can slip away naturally."
"Oh, right."
The people were being held back by Viol for now, but I could see them eyeing chances to get close to the one who'd brought down a god.
"Ugh, my head…"
"The saint who manifested the heavenly god must rest. Everyone, stand down!"
I faked being in pain, and my companions used it to smoothly escort me away.
I returned to the imperial palace.
"Alright, explain exactly what happened."
The moment we arrived, Hames grilled me. Her usual leniency toward me was gone; as high priestess, she couldn't overlook a major incident like the heavenly god's descent.
"That earthquake was clearly a natural disaster. So why did the heavenly god descend and call it a demon's work? And why did you summon him?!"
"Well…"
I explained the situation to Hames, who was fired up, and the rest of the group, who eyed me curiously—even if not as intensely as her. I skipped my true identity but cleaned up the heavenly god's worldly speech patterns to relay the gist.
Once I finished, Sibylius reacted first.
"The god straight-up scammed them?"
"Yeah."
"…Was that really the heavenly god?"
She could hardly believe it, doubting even the entity she'd seen with her own eyes.
"It was. You have demon blood—you felt that terrifying presence when he appeared."
Red countered. As a pure demon, she'd been quite shocked by the heavenly god's arrival; her face was still stiff.
Meanwhile, Arios, Viol, and Ares looked understanding.
"Well, even if it's a lie, framing it that way is probably best."
"Prevents future chaos. I'd have done the same."
"Politically sound, but since when does a god bother with politics?"
The three, experienced in politics and leadership, sympathized while finding it absurd.
"Was he always like that?"
"At least things worked out."
"And our lord summoned the heavenly god!"
"An unprecedented feat!"
Niobe and the death knights looked awkward but pleased.
Amid our varied reactions, the one with the highest divine authority among us spoke up.
"So that's how he is, huh?"
Hames reacted as if she'd expected it.
"It's not that surprising among high priestesses like me. Investigating the scriptures and myths lets you guess his nature."
"Really?"
"He prioritizes practical solutions and real benefits for believers over vague advice. This time, you were the beneficiary."
Comparing her explanation to my direct experience, it did seem accurate.
With the discussion wrapped up, it was my turn to ask.
I turned to Hames. "Have I been acting weird lately?"
"Took you long enough."
She stated it flatly, and the others nodded without hesitation.
Ugh, so it is that bad.
"…I'll go rest then."
Now certain something was off with me, I followed the heavenly god's advice to sleep it off.
"I'm gonna do nothing but rest for a while, so don't bother me like you agreed before. I'll come find you when I feel better."
Since we'd already planned this rest period, the women nodded without complaint.
"Rest well, my lord."
Even Niobe, my watchdog, seemed relieved as I insisted on resting alone and left the room.
Finally by myself, I lay on the bed and tried to sleep deeply, clearing my mind of stray thoughts.
How many hours passed?
"Hey, it's me."
The heavenly god popped into my dream. Unlike his massive daytime form, he was just a bit taller than me now, dressed more casually and relaxed.
I said to him, "So 'coming to meet me' meant in my dream?"
I knew instinctively—this wasn't a dream figment; it was the real heavenly god.
"What's this about?"
I asked tensely why he'd come, recalling he'd mentioned visiting soon since his first appearance.
His answer made my eyes widen.
"Won't you become my proxy and subordinate god for this world?"