The next morning.
"Thank you for all your help last night," the guard said.
"The pleasure was mine. Thank you for giving me a place to stay," I replied.
"Think nothing of it. Here, this is the reward for the five men from yesterday."
"Thank you very much."
I accepted a small canvas pouch from the female member of the Guard Force and stepped out from the Kereban guardhouse into the city streets.
The early morning breeze, still light on foot traffic, softly brushed against my cheeks, cooling my body.
"Phew..."
I felt the tension finally leave my shoulders.
I had been running back and forth all through the night, but the effort had paid off—the search for Pedro was a success. Once we reached Kereban, I turned everything over to the guards at the station. Fortunately, his injuries weren't as dire as I’d feared; by this morning, he was reportedly out of life-threatening danger. I had heard that beast-kin possessed incredible resilience, but his recovery was far beyond what I had imagined.
Granted, he would need absolute rest for the time being, and it would likely be a while before his back pain subsided... but as everyone at the station had said, as long as he was alive, he could eventually turn over a new leaf.
I, too, felt that avoiding the worst-case scenario was the most important thing. He would surely face hardships ahead, but considering he had friends who cared enough to post a search request for him, I was sure he would be just fine.
"Whoops."
I almost dropped the pouch I was holding. The clinking of silver coins echoed from within my hand.
When bandits were captured alive, a reward of two thousand Suut per person was paid, even if there was no specific bounty on their heads. This unexpectedly high payout wasn't just compensation for the danger; it was also a calculated move to ensure profits for adventurers, encouraging them to take the initiative in bandit subjugation.
Incidentally, the captured bandits were sentenced to imprisonment and forced labor, and the reward money was essentially docked from the wages they earned during their time in prison. In other words, the five men I’d handed over would be taken somewhere soon to begin that life.
Perhaps knowing that Pedro was alive while they were bound and helpless had sparked some regret or reflection, as they had become quite submissive toward the end. I could only pray they finished their sentences, rehabilitated, and successfully reintegrated into society.
"...Hm?"
As I walked aimlessly, I found myself passing a large building that looked like a church. It was roughly the same size as the church in Gimul, but the gate was far more grand, and it was adorned with banners and various decorations. On the grounds, an elderly man in friar's robes was leading about five young friars in cleaning the area. It was almost certainly a church.
...Come to think of it, the guards had mentioned this when I first arrived in the city.
They said Kereban had two separate churches—the Church of Genesis and the Church of Divine Light—both of which worshipped the same gods but belonged to different sects.
I didn't usually give it much thought, but the church I frequented in Gimul was simple and sturdy. It belonged to the Church of Genesis, which valued holy poverty and austerity...
"Boy, are you perhaps lost?"
An elderly man approached me, likely because I had been staring at the building for so long.
"My apologies, I'm not lost... but is this indeed a church?"
"Indeed it is. This is a church of the Church of Divine Light."
"I see. I've never seen such a magnificent church before, so I was a bit surprised."
"Ho ho, is that so? Is such a grand building rare to you? ...I know, if you have a moment, why don't you step inside and see the chapel?"
"The chapel? But I am a follower of the Church of Genesis."
"We are all fellow worshippers of the same gods. Sectarian differences are but trifles. The gods love us all without discrimination. If you have the time, you should offer a prayer."
"...Then, I will take you up on your kind offer."
I didn't have any urgent business, and I felt it would be rude to flatly refuse such a sincere invitation, so I decided to follow him.
I climbed the solemn stone stairs and entered the building, which was lined with deep crimson carpets. The other friars I passed along the way gave me welcoming smiles and polite nods.
"This is the chapel. Come, step inside."
The doors swung open. Inside, rows of polished brass candelabras stretched toward the altar, illuminating the way to the statues of the gods. On either side of the center aisle were rows of pews in muted tones for the faithful. It appeared no one else was here yet.
"Don't be shy, come closer."
As instructed, I offered a prayer at the spot closest to the statues.
"..."
Ah, here too, then.
Just as he had said, the sect didn't seem to matter.
The moment I offered my prayer, I felt that familiar sensation of being enveloped in light. I had grown so used to it that it felt like a wave of pure relief...
"Welcome back!"
"Whoa!?"
The moment I arrived in the Divine Realm, Lulutia greeted me with an enthusiasm that practically screamed, I'm so glad you're here! I couldn't quite keep up with her energy.
"You two, a special guest has arrived!"
"Two?"
My gaze naturally followed Lulutia’s voice. There were two unfamiliar goddesses there. One was a kind-looking, middle-aged woman with the refined air of a noblewoman. The other was a beautiful female warrior who radiated a wild intensity. These two goddesses, despite being complete opposites, were sitting at a table together drinking tea.
"My, a new guest. Welcome. I must prepare more tea and sweets."
"Heh... I’d heard the stories, but you really do come here if called."
"It is an honor to meet you. My name is Ryoma Takebayashi."
"I know. You're the one who came from Earth recently, aren't you? I am Willieris, the Goddess of Earth and Fertility. I want to thank you for your cooperation in protecting the lives of the people in our world. Please, make yourself at home. You've already opened your heart to Lulutia, haven't you? I’d be quite lonely if you didn't do the same for me."
"Y-Yes... if you say so... then I will take you up on that."
I felt like I was being treated with more courtesy than any god I had met thus far. By the process of elimination, that meant the other goddess was...
"I'm Kiriluel, the Goddess of War and Condemnation. Nice to meet ya."
"The pleasure is mine."
I was right—she was the Goddess of War. I definitely wanted to stay on her good side.
"Ryoma-kun, you're so stiff!" Lulutia teased.
"I’ve gotten used to this place, but meeting unfamiliar goddesses—and two of them at once—is bound to be a surprise... Honestly, I need a minute to adjust. So, did something happen, Lulutia?"
She had been in such a welcoming mood since the second I arrived.
"I tried holding what they call a 'Girls' Night Out' on Earth, but the conversation completely died and we ran out of things to talk about!"
"Ah, come to think of it, Gain and the others mentioned something like that...?"
Wait. I had heard that yesterday. Since it was now a new day, that meant it was technically two days ago.
"If you've been doing it for that long, of course you'd run out of topics."
"I was dragged into this too," Kiriluel added. "We tried talking about all sorts of things, but..."
Kiriluel shot an exasperated look at Lulutia.
"Kiriluel's topics are way too violent... Talking about regional conflicts isn't exactly the vibe for a girls' night!"
"You were the one who told me to talk about recent events, Lulutia!"
As the goddesses began to bicker...
"My apologies. To think you'd arrive to find such a mess without a proper explanation. Please, have some tea and sweets."
"Thank you very much."
I accepted the tea and sweets from the easygoing Willieris.
"By the way, why were you at a church today? Did you have business with someone?"
"No particular reason. I happened to pass by, and a clergyman invited me in... Did Lulutia have something to do with that, by any chance?"
"Hm? Wait a moment."
Lulutia closed her eyes. Gain and the others often did this when they were searching for information.
"I see. It doesn't look like she did anything. The man inviting you in was his own decision. It seems he intended to recruit you into his sect."
"So it was for proselytization."
"That's right. But he isn't a bad person," Willieris said gently. "He has no intention of demanding donations from someone who looks like a child; he simply wants to spread his faith. Besides, while the Church of Divine Light is aggressive about gathering believers and donations, that also means they have significant financial power. They use it to run large-scale soup kitchens and orphanages. There are many people there who genuinely care for the public, so please don't misunderstand his intentions."
Willieris was clearly a kind, soft-hearted person. She was going out of her way to reassure me because she knew I found the idea of organized religion a bit suspicious. It might have been recruitment, but it would be rude of me to doubt the man's sincerity.
"I understand. Thank you very much."
"Think nothing of it. It’s important to stay cautious, as there are certainly clergymen out there who are exactly as you fear. Especially in your case, since you've received divine protection not just from Lulutia, but from Gain and Kufo as well, right?"
"Yes. And from Tekun, too."
"That's right... While there are precedents for one person having multiple divine protections, it is extremely rare. If it becomes known that you have four, you will undoubtedly be approached by church officials. Especially in the Church of Divine Light—they view those with divine protections as 'Saints' and treat them as objects of worship, much like us. If you're found out, it could lead to a situation you don't want. I wouldn't want that for you, so please be careful."
"Thank you again for the warning."
"Can we stop this talk already...?"
"It never seems to end... Oh, what were you two talking about?"
It seemed the bickering between Lulutia and Kiriluel had finally finished.
"We were talking about the person who invited me to pray today."
"Ah, that guy."
"You came here at such a perfect time that Ryoma thought you were pulling the strings, Lulutia."
"Geez, I wouldn't go that far!"
"I know. Willieris confirmed it for me."
Lulutia seemed a bit high-maintenance today, as if she were trying too hard to force the "girls' night" atmosphere.
"Anyway, Ryoma-kun, has anything happened lately?"
"That's a pretty broad question... Well, until just a few hours ago, I was running through the mountains on a missing person search request."
I explained the events leading up to last night.
"That sounds like quite an ordeal," Willieris remarked.
"My tamed monsters really worked hard this time... or rather, I feel like I relied almost entirely on the slimes and Rimur Birds..."
Wait, I felt like that was usually the case... I was doing my job properly too, right?
"You were the one who extracted the info from the bandits, weren't you?"
"Couldn't we just say we all worked together?"
"Make sure you give them proper rewards when you get back," Kiriluel said. "They earned it."
"Of course."
Just as Kiriluel said, the Rimur Birds had flown for a long time during the search, and they were the ones who had spotted the bandits. When I returned to Gimul, I planned to prepare a grand feast for them.
When I answered, Kiriluel gave me a carefree smile.
...Come to think of it, I felt like someone had once told me that the Goddess of War hated otherworlders. But the goddess sitting here didn't seem like that at all. In fact, she seemed spirited and very easy to talk to.
"Hm? What's up? Is there something on my face?"
I almost said it was nothing, but there was no point in lying to the gods. I decided to be honest.
"That's the first time a human has told me I'm easy to talk to... And I hate otherworlders? Who the hell told you that? The one who hates otherworlders is Fernobelia, the God of Magic."
The goddess herself seemed genuinely confused.
"I don't remember who it was. Just that it was one of the gods."
"Perhaps it's a matter of compatibility," Willieris suggested. "People from Earth have very different sensibilities compared to this world."
"!"
Kiriluel seemed to realize something.
"A lot of otherworlders just don't click with me personality-wise."
I wouldn't say it was impossible, but from my perspective, she seemed perfectly reasonable to communicate with.
"Please remember, Ryoma, you're the first otherworlder she's actually been able to have a conversation with like this," Willieris added.
"With the ones before, I could only watch them from a distance."
"I see. If you can't have a long conversation, there’s no way to get close."
"Also, it might be an issue with Kiriluel's role and the selection criteria for otherworlders."
Willieris explained the process in more detail.
When calling an otherworlder from Earth, the God of Earth prepares several "candidates." Lulutia and the others then choose one person from that group. During this phase, they exclude those who clearly wouldn't adapt to this world, those with dangerous ideologies, and those with excessively violent personalities.
"That's why otherworlders tend to be people who were far removed from combat and conflict in their previous lives. And Kiriluel is the Goddess of War, right? While she strictly forbids bullying the weak or senseless killing, she recognizes hunting for survival and combat to protect oneself or others—even in war. Isn't that right?"
Kiriluel took over from there.
"I've decided not to deny anyone who gives their all just to live. Whether it's an insect, an animal, a monster, or a human. I don't deny taking up a weapon for that sake, either. In the language of your home, it's 'survival of the fittest.' If a problem can be solved through talking, great. But there are things in life that just can't be helped, right? And yet, a lot of otherworlders can't accept that. They just assume I'm encouraging or instigating war—some have even treated me like an evil god. I just don't get along with people like that..."
I could sense some pent-up frustration... but it made sense. If I were treated that way, I’d feel the same. Especially if there was no way to clear up the misunderstanding.
"In that regard, Ryoma-kun, you adapted from the very start," Lulutia said.
"You lived in the forest for three years right after arriving, after all," Willieris noted.
"You hunt and take down bandits without a second thought, so I didn't have any reason to dislike you. Plus, your natural combat skills seem pretty decent."
"Thank you very much."
I was happy to hear I had made a good impression. Moreover, being praised for my martial skills by the Goddess of War herself was a genuine honor.
"I know! Since we're all here, why don't we try having a fight? You and me, Ryoma."
"...................Huh?"
I thought I had just heard a very strange proposal.