The proper way to count gods is by "pillars."
By the time the officials in Village Five had grown accustomed to Yoko’s adorable appearance, and measures to keep her from speaking as much as possible were being strictly enforced, it was finally time for Seiten to return home.
He ended up staying in Village Five for about five days, didn't he? It seems he fully enjoyed the local food and entertainment. Since he came to give his final farewell, I presented him with some Village Five Sake Kai as a souvenir.
Seiten even made the Silver Fox Race, who were supposed to be his escorts, act as porters, so he ended up hauling back quite a significant amount. Well, compared to our total production volume, it was a negligible amount. I didn't mind. He said he didn't plan on stopping anywhere along the way, so I prayed for his safe return.
The Silver Fox Race intended to bring their entire tribe to Village Five as soon as they finished escorting Seiten. Until his departure, Yoko, Kon-san, and Kitsu-san had been meticulously confirming and consulting with one another regarding the environment. We verified that the mountain designated as the protection area would pose no problems. While some non-aggressive Magic Beasts and monsters still resided there, they felt that everyone could coexist well enough.
However, naturally, something was missing: houses.
I didn't think for a moment that simply handing over a mountain as a sanctuary was sufficient. Since they could take on human form, I knew they would need houses built for people. Beyond that, I had to consider how they would earn a living. Since I had no intention of allowing them to return to the assassination business, I had to arrange alternative employment for them. If they could have survived simply by being turned loose in a mountain to live freely, they wouldn't have needed to migrate in the first place.
Furthermore, I had to think about how to mark the boundaries between the sanctuary and the surrounding areas. It would be a disaster if the protection area was ravaged by people claiming they didn't know it was restricted or that they had simply wandered in by mistake. Encircling an entire mountain with rope was impractical—it was far too large. I thought a signboard would be the safest bet, but there were people who couldn't read. How should I communicate the boundary?
I also needed a justification for why the area was being protected. I could be honest and say it was for animal protection, but if a food shortage ever occurred, that protection might become tenuous. I could ask the Demon King to exercise his absolute authority, but even then, a plausible reason was necessary.
While I was mulling it over, Niz arrived at Yoko's Mansion, which gave me an epiphany.
A shrine.
I decided to build a shrine in the protection area and designate it as a Divine Realm. Fortunately, requests for shrines had already been pouring in. We had more than enough Objects of Worship. Since we had already gone as far as preparing a God's Seat at the banquet, there shouldn't be any issue with designating a God's Mountain.
...Or would there? I consulted Niz for her professional opinion.
"Gods of the animal variety favor natural surroundings, so I believe that would be a marvelous idea," she said.
That was a relief.
"I would be very grateful if you could build the Snake God's shrine there as well," she added.
Was that all right?
"The Snake God also prefers being surrounded by nature."
That made sense. In my mind, snakes were associated with forests and riverbanks rather than the middle of a bustling city. Well then, if we were building a shrine in that sanctuary... exactly how many Objects of Worship did we have?
Right. We had so many I couldn't count them on both hands. Building a separate shrine for every single one of them would be an impossible task. Which meant... I should probably consolidate them. What if I built one majestic shrine and enshrined them all there collectively?
...Would they end up fighting?
"Ah, I wonder. If they are always in the same space, they might clash. If they are separated into individual rooms, it might work... Also, it might be beneficial if each one had a turn to be the 'main star' every now and then."
Individual rooms. I could understand that. Rather than being stuck in a large hall with a crowd, anyone would prefer relaxing in their own private room. As for the rotation... how should I manage it? Would it be like saying, "It is now the turn of the God of So-and-So"?
Wait. I had it.
The Twelve Zodiac Signs.
We could designate a Year God in rotation every year and enshrine them as the primary deity. Let's see, the Twelve Zodiac Signs were... Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake... Um, Dragon... Snake... what came next?
Wait, wait. Stay calm. Take a deep breath...
Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake... Horse, Sheep!
Oh, I did it! I always used to get stuck at the Horse. But I remembered. Good. the rest was easy. Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar. The Momotaro Trio plus the Boar.
To summarize: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Boar.
I made a note of it so I wouldn't forget. Come to think of it, I had quite a few connections to the Twelve Zodiac Signs already.
Rat: None. As a farmer, rats were the enemy. Ox: We had cows in the Ranch Area, and there was the Minotaur Race. Tiger: Sangetsu and Sougetsu. Rabbit: We ate them. Dragon: The Dragon race. Snake: The Messenger of the Snake God (Niz), the Lamia Race, and the Bloody Vipers. Horse: We had horses in the Ranch Area, and there was the Centaur Race. Sheep: They were in Shashato City and Village Five. I suppose I could include Goats in this group? Monkey: I had become acquainted with Seiten. Rooster: Phoenix Chick Aegis, the Eagle, the chickens, and the Harpy Race. Dog: The Inferno Wolves, the Fenrirs, and Orthros Ol. Boar: We ate them.
Only the Rat was unrelated. As someone in agriculture, I viewed them as pests. Should I replace it with a cat? No, no, it wouldn't be right to mess with tradition based on personal whims. If I interpreted it broadly as "rodents," I could include squirrels or beavers, though I had never actually encountered either here.
Well, I would adopt the format of the Twelve Zodiac Signs, but there was no need to be dogmatic about it. I could decide the final list based on which Objects of Worship we actually possessed. Depending on the deities involved, the original traces of the zodiac might disappear entirely. After all, the only one firmly confirmed for now was the Snake.
At any rate, I decided to build the shrine. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a solid plan. Furthermore, it provided a clear job for the Silver Fox Race: shrine management. I wouldn't mind paying them a salary from Village Five for that. If they wanted to earn money independently, they could sell Omikuji or Ema. If they needed Specialty Products, I could provide them with a few ideas.
Everything was coming together. I checked with Yoko, and she agreed there were no issues, so I moved forward. I wanted to have at least a basic design ready before the rest of the Silver Foxes arrived.
However, if I commissioned the local carpenters to build something "shrine-like," the message wouldn't translate. I could already imagine them producing a Western-style temple. Perhaps because the zodiac had been my inspiration, I wanted to stick to a traditional Shinto aesthetic. Thus, I decided to build a small-scale model first.
My concept involved a Main Hall midway up the mountain to enshrine that year's specific Year God. I would place a Haiden at the foot of the mountain for visitors to offer their prayers. The layout would prevent common worshippers from approaching the Main Hall—otherwise, the original purpose of the sanctuary wouldn't work.
Next to the Haiden, I planned to build lodgings for the Silver Foxes who could take human form, along with a Shrine Office for their workplace. Near the Haiden, I would prepare a large temple separate from the Main Hall. I would divide the interior into small rooms and enshrine the gods individually. The general style would be to keep the gods in this larger temple and only move the designated Year God to the Main Hall for their tenure. It felt a bit strange that they would have more public exposure when they weren't the main star, but...
I continued planning the layout while consulting with Niz and Yoko.
"Considering the likelihood of the numbers increasing in the future, it would be wise to make the large temple quite spacious," Niz suggested.
"That’s exactly right, kon," Yoko agreed.
Was there really a chance the number of gods would increase?
"Do you honestly think they won't increase?" Niz asked.
My apologies. It did seem likely.
"For gods who don't usually get much recognition, this is a massive opportunity, kon! They'll definitely come flocking, kon!"
I decided to make the large temple quite generous in size.
I spent five days completing the model, only to discover that construction on the shrine had already begun. I was baffled. Not only were the Village Five Carpenters on-site, but the High Elves from the Village of the Great Tree had joined in as well.
"The High Elves arrived and started making arrangements right around the time you began the model," I was told.
Is that so?
"They were thrilled to have a large-scale construction project for the first time in a while. Oh, and Ria-san is the general director for the project."
I see. That was helpful... I supposed. At least it meant the Silver Foxes wouldn't have to wait as long for their new home.
"That’s right, kon. They’ll be delighted, kon."
...Yoko.
"What is it, kon?"
Your punishment period is over, isn't it? Why are you still dressed in that adorable outfit?
"There were overwhelming demands from the Village Five Residents to keep me like this... To ensure the village administration continues to run smoothly, I have to stay this way for a while longer, kon."
I see. Well... good luck.
"I’ll do my best, kon."
Narrator: "Absolutely No Laughing Village Council 240 Hours (Ten Days)!" Councilors: "What?" Narrator: "Entering overtime!" Councilors: "Gah!"