As I sat chatting with Shia-san over coffee, our conversation gradually drifted toward the topic of the Gods.
"Now that I think about it, Kaito, you mentioned you haven't visited the Middle Level very often, right?"
"No, I usually only go to the Upper Level or the Sanctuary. I haven't been here since the White God Festival."
"Hmm. You know, for someone acquainted with the Supreme Gods and even Shallow Vernal-sama, you don't actually know many High-ranking Gods. Were the ones you invited to the party the other day the only ones?"
"Yeah. If we're strictly counting the ones I’ve actually met and greeted, there are only four: you, Sky-san, Gaia-san, and Marine-san. I've seen a few others, but that's it."
She was right; I didn't have many acquaintances among the High-ranking Gods. For that matter, I knew even fewer Low-ranking ones. It was strange, really. I was on speaking terms with the Supreme Gods—who were supposedly difficult to meet—and even the Creator God, whom one should never even encounter, yet I lacked connections with the ranks below them. My relationships with the Peerage-class followed a similar pattern, with very few acquaintances among the Barons and Viscounts. No wonder Alice always told me my social circle was lopsided.
"...What about the God of Flash or the God of Thoughts?"
"I've never actually spoken with them. I've seen High-ranking Gods gathered in the garden of Lilia-san's mansion before, so I might recognize their faces if we met, but that's all."
"I see... You know two of the God of Life-sama’s Assistants and one of her direct subordinates. Then there’s me, an Assistant to the God of Fate-sama. But you don't know anyone directly under the God of Space-Time-sama. It’s certainly a lopsided list."
"I've been wondering for a while now, but how many direct subordinates do the Supreme Gods actually have?"
The "direct subordinates" I was asking about were the Gods permitted to reside in the Upper Level. I knew they existed, but I didn't know the exact numbers. Hearing my question, Shia-san nodded slightly and explained.
"Essentially, there are five for each Supreme God. However, they serve different roles. First, there are the two Assistants. They hold a great deal of authority, taking orders directly from the Supreme Gods and assisting them in their work. Every Supreme God has two. For the God of Life-sama, it's the Sky God and the Earth God. For the God of Fate-sama, it's myself and the God of Luck. For the God of Space-Time-sama, it's the God of Flash and the God of Thoughts. The remaining three direct subordinates act as messengers. They relay the tasks assigned by the Supreme Gods to the various High-ranking and Low-ranking Gods, then gather the subsequent reports to bring back to their superiors."
"I see. So, are the Assistants higher in rank than the others?"
"On paper, the Assistants are second only to the Supreme Gods. In practice, however, there isn't much of a gap in status or influence between the five. They are more or less equals."
I remembered hearing something about this before. Every High-ranking and Low-ranking God was essentially assigned to one of the Supreme Gods. If I mapped this onto a corporate structure, each Supreme God would be a department head—a general manager. Assistants like Shia-san, Sky-san, and Gaia-san would be the section managers, and the other three direct subordinates would be something like assistant managers.
"That means there are fifteen High-ranking Gods living in the Upper Level, including you, Shia-san. I suppose I'll eventually get the chance to meet the rest of them."
"Knowing you, it wouldn't surprise me if you'd befriended the whole lot of them by next week. If you're interested in meeting the other direct subordinates of the God of Fate-sama, just let me know. I'll introduce you."
"Thank you. I'll certainly ask you when the time comes."
Compared to the Demon Realm, I still didn't know very many people in the God Realm. It sounded like it might be fun to branch out and meet some of the others. And though she wasn't a High-ranking God, I was also curious about the God of Fertility. She always seemed to be having such a rough time.
Serious-senpai: "Whoops. I think I just heard the sound of a certain Stomach Pain Warrior’s gut churning..."