Prayer (2)
The world believes in a single god. It means there is only one religion, with no others in existence. The Sun God, Enen, who brightly illuminates the sky above. If you searched the entire continent, you probably wouldn't find any other faith besides hers. Even if one existed, it would be branded as heresy or paganism.
The reason this place has only one religion, when Earth—the world I originally came from—had so many, was simple. Because gods truly exist here. Unlike Earth, where faith was all there was and no one could be certain whether a god existed or not, divine power granted directly by the gods was real. Revelations, the voice of the gods, existed in truth. Even the Saintess and the Hero, humans personally chosen by the divine, were real. What's more, only the Sun God Enen displayed such authority and miracles. And not just a few—quite a lot of them.
So the people here had no choice but to believe in the Sun God. As the number of believers grew and their influence strengthened, the Sun God Church eventually became the world's one and only religion. That was the setting I knew from the game.
The reason I'm suddenly talking about all this is… because I'm currently standing inside a church dedicated to that very Sun God. The reason is simple. There's something here that can strengthen my specs.
'Time to upgrade the Holy Sword.'
Even though I treat the Holy Sword pretty roughly… it was by no means an ordinary blade. It was a growth-type weapon that leveled up alongside the Hero character. Depending on the growth path, its very appearance could change. If you chose spearman, it became a spear. If you chose mage, it turned into a wand. Of course, as someone aiming to master brawling, I had no intention of changing it from a sword, but the Holy Sword was definitely a high-performance weapon.
And the Holy Sword could be upgraded once for each of the Four Heavenly Kings you defeated. 'In the original game, you obtained them one by one under the name Fragment of Authority…'
Unfortunately, I didn't have any such items. I'd searched around the Centipede King's corpse, but nothing similar was there. So I felt a bit uneasy… but I believed it would work out somehow.
Right now, though, there was a more pressing issue.
'But… how did you upgrade it again?'
I couldn't remember the method. This was the downside of someone who'd gone through 999 playthroughs. Some might call it stupid… but for me, it couldn't be helped. In the game, it was over with a single click. The Hero's appearance was barely even shown, so there was no way I would have known. Thanks to that, I was groaning in frustration from the very start.
"Hero…?"
A familiar female voice came from somewhere. I turned my head and saw someone I knew standing there. A woman with long, flowing golden hair and blue eyes. It was the Saintess. I couldn't help but be slightly surprised.
"Saintess? What brings you here?"
"Is it strange for a Saintess to be inside her own religion's building?"
Well, she had a point. I'd asked a stupid question. I stared at her for a moment. For some reason, her cheeks were strangely flushed. I asked with a worried tone.
"Do you have a cold or something? Your face is quite red… Are you running a fever?"
"Y-yes? No, not at all! It's just… I was thinking about something and my mind was working hard… Yes…"
She mumbled awkwardly. Was asking her questions that uncomfortable for her? Her reaction was quite unusual. After a brief pause, perhaps finding the atmosphere awkward, she asked me.
"By the way, what brings you to the church?"
"Ah, I had some business at the church, so I stopped by."
If I honestly said I came to upgrade the Holy Sword but didn't remember how, I'd probably be treated like an idiot. So I decided to gloss over it.
"I'm supposed to be the Hero, but when I thought about it, I realized I don't know much about the Goddess. So I came to learn a bit while I was at it."
"Ah! I see!"
When I made up that excuse, the Saintess clapped her hands as if it were perfect timing. She seemed pleased that someone was showing interest in her religion. The look in her eyes was like she was staring at a gullible customer who'd accepted a cult recruitment pitch.
"If that's the case, I can explain it to you. It's my specialty! Please follow me this way."
And so I began following her around the inside of the church.
*
Perhaps because it was a church located inside the Empire, the place was quite spacious and had many facilities. At the very least, it was enough to make the Saintess beside me chatter excitedly.
"This is the donation hall. It's where people offer wealth to express gratitude for the God's grace."
"This is the healing ward. It's a space prepared so that priestesses can treat the injured. Mercenaries and knights visit quite often."
"This place is… probably the archive. It contains various histories and stories related to the God."
I gave occasional responses as I listened to her. Honestly, the tour wasn't that interesting, but it felt wrong to respond coldly to someone explaining with such passion. While listening to her, I picked up a book. Fortunately, I was somewhat interested in the archive. Since I'd fallen into this world, I needed to know at least some of its history.
The Bible was the same, given its deep connection to the gods. The title of the book I picked up was this:
《The Birth Legend of the God》
In our terms, it would be something like Genesis 1:1. Without hesitation, I opened the book.
In the beginning, there was the land. An era without magic, without swordsmanship, without even human ethics. In that place, humans were no different from beasts, mere prey for monsters, ignorant fools without knowledge. Moreover, because each had different emotions and thoughts, they could not unite. She was born into such an age. An absolute being possessing power alone. When she looked upon the forms of people, she felt they were endlessly pitiful. Therefore, one day she made a vow. "I shall watch over you." Then, in that chaotic age, human ethics were born, wisdom was born, and light and order came into being…
"Hmm…"
After reading a fair amount, I swallowed a groan. It definitely felt different from the Bibles I knew. Ours started with "Let there be light" and began by creating the world itself. Here, the world already existed, and the god ruled over it afterward. Looking at something like this really made you feel the cultural differences. From my perspective, I was clearly an outsider. Well, I had no intention of caring about that anymore.
After reading the book for a while, I closed it again and followed her.
"And finally, this is the prayer room."
A room that received the most sunlight. In its exact center stood a statue carved of a beautiful woman.
"There's no need to explain… It's obviously a place for prayer. Many people come here to pray to Lady Enen or speak of their wishes. The method of prayer is simple. You clasp your hands together like this…"
She demonstrated. Kneeling before the statue, she offered a prayer in a reverent posture. It wasn't a particularly difficult stance, nor did it take long. But there was something untouchable contained within it. So this was what divinity felt like. As expected of the Saintess.
"Would you like to try?"
Yulise smiled brightly after finishing her prayer. I pondered inwardly. 'Prayer, huh…' I wasn't sure if it would have any effect. I didn't know if the being high up in that distant sky would answer me. Still… it wasn't like I had zero curiosity.
I decided to give prayer a try as she suggested. I knelt on both knees. I sat reverently before the statue. I clasped my hands and closed my eyes. I could feel the Saintess's gaze from the side, but I deliberately ignored it. I needed to focus here. Clearing my mind of idle thoughts, I offered a prayer while thinking of Enen. And then…
"We've finally met, Hero."
When I opened my eyes again, I was above the clouds.
*
"I wondered when you would pray, but you came sooner than I expected. Bidirectional communication requires prayer first, after all…"
Warm sunlight that gently illuminated my entire body. Fluffy clouds that didn't even feel like they were being stepped on. Amid this dreamy and wondrous sight, a woman stood with a refreshing smile. Hair the color of burning orange, golden eyes full of vitality. Her snow-white skin had not a single blemish, making her unrealistically beautiful. It was my first time seeing her, but I knew who she was instantly. After all, she was the owner of the statue I'd been praying to moments ago.
"Nice to meet you. I am the Sun God, Enen."
I couldn't help but feel a little flustered. I hadn't expected that praying would lead to actually meeting her. The situation was so sudden that I had trouble adjusting, but I quickly regained my composure. There was something I was far, far too curious about.
"First, congratulations. To have already defeated one of the Four Heavenly Kings, the Centipede King. As expected, you're truly amaz—"
"Wait, just a moment. Before we talk, let me ask you one thing."
"Y-yes?"
I cut off the Goddess's words and asked first. If the Saintess or other priests had seen this, they would have tried to tear me apart, but I didn't care. I steadied my breathing a little and asked her.
"The one who brought me to this world… it was you, Goddess, wasn't it?"
"Huh? Ah, yes! I created the game myself and personally selected the Hero!"
The Goddess smiled radiantly and affirmed it. I smiled brightly in return. As I thought… it was this bitch.
Srrrng.
I drew the Holy Sword. Blood Flow Acceleration, multi-casting, combat focus, Bright-style swordsmanship, mana blade, and mana control. I activated every single ability I had. Then, swinging my sword with all my might, I said,
"Got you. You fucking bitch."
Today was that woman's memorial service.