“Uh… so, um…”
I racked my brain as hard as I could. But how on earth was I supposed to explain the act of sitting confidently with my legs crossed and casually talking back in front of the gods? No matter how plausible my excuse was, I was still on the same level as the gods—so only the same words came to mind.
And I had my doubts that the person in front of me would take my words seriously.
…Up until now, I had only given them very fragmented stories about the gods. Now, would they really believe me even if I said I was hiding nothing? At best, I might be able to persuade a handful of them.
“…Please remember that the Demon God Baal speaks casually to me. And Goddess Ariel addresses all beings before her with respect. If we followed that logic,”
I purposefully gathered my legs and sat as politely as possible.
“Then, is it because I am below you that I am speaking to you with respect right now?”
“……”
Seeing the mouth of the graduate student drop open, I quickly added,
“Of course, I don’t think there’s any implication in what you said. It was just a metaphor. It’s just that we are that friendly, there’s no hierarchy between us.”
…Right? It couldn’t be otherwise. It had to be that way.
“It means we trust each other that much.”
Does it? To be honest, I didn’t feel like we knew each other that well. I had written up some settings for Ariel and Baal, but I never made separate identities for those two. Ultimately, it wasn’t that important anyway.
Well… they must have believed me enough to send me here. Right?
My words elicited an “Ooh…” from the theologians.
In fact, I didn’t know about my identity as a goddess, nor did I foresee that things would turn out this way, but I figured they wouldn’t believe me if I said it here. After all, these were the people who speculated I might be a “serious god.” I definitely should not have brought that up; they might think I was testing them, which would complicate things in other ways.
“Did that answer your question?”
At my question, the grad student nodded with a bright expression. I sighed internally. Of course, my single statement likely reduced the papers of those who thought I was a supreme god to mere scraps, but at least I had thrown them a useful topic of discussion. And since my answer was simple and straightforward, it would be difficult to refute.
While feeling satisfied with myself, Priest Turner spoke up.
“Then, my next question is this. In general, miracles that utilize divine power cannot be observed by electronic devices. The light emitted from the Goddess’s face yesterday likely wouldn’t be visible if recorded on video. However, the illusion the Goddess displayed yesterday was photographed and spread all over the internet. Could you please explain how this phenomenon occurred?”
Many more theology students vigorously nodded than when the grad student raised his hand before. They seemed really curious.
…I, however, hadn’t even been aware that it had been recorded until just now. I had assumed it was so natural to see that I hadn’t considered how the divine power was captured by a camera at all.
“Uh…”
I glanced around, but there wasn’t a single corner to escape the eager gazes of the theology students in this chapel. They were all looking up at me with very passionate eyes. … This was seriously overwhelming.
“…That’s… similar to the principles of magic, I think.”
I barely managed to formulate a plausible hypothesis.
“Pure magical energy can’t be removed by physical force, but the beasts and demons created using that magic can harm humans. If there’s enough magical energy, you can also open dimensional gates, which makes no physical sense but produces physical results. Miracles are similar. When in pure power form, they might not be visible to electronic devices, but the results of that power can be seen on them.”
I somehow finished explaining that. I felt reasonably confident about it. Holy Power was just a filtered part of what was physically applicable from the miracle’s power. And the results were Baal’s destructive acts and Ariel’s healing and protection.
…I still didn’t quite know what my power really was.
Was it an illusion? But that seemed different from the powers that Linea and Aurora exhibited when they fought demons. If I were to classify my power based on that testimony, it would be closer to defense or protection.
I had no idea how defense or protection was related to a communication in real-time with the gods.
“Did that answer your question?”
The theology students nodded again.
But it appeared some of them still had doubts about my words.
One female student had her hand raised high and was staring directly at me. Her sharp ears gave her away; her name was Remir. She was one of the few elven students still around.
“……Yes, Ms. Remir.”
When I called her by name, a slight stir went through the theology students sitting around her. This was the first time I had directly addressed someone here.
…Maybe I shouldn’t have called her by name?
Seeing all eyes focus on her made Remir look a little shy as she stood up from her seat.
“I’d like to ask about the power of miracles.”
“Yes, please go ahead.”
Upon my reply, Remir cautiously began to speak.
“Currently, light is constantly radiating from your face, Goddess. However, when you were still active as a Saintess, I believe it was more common for you to have a golden halo around your head rather than light emanating from your face. Was that halo also evidence of you being a… ‘goddess’?”
That cautious question, asked with a tone as if to avoid any offense, made me extremely embarrassed to answer.
I mean… at that time, I thought it was a must to firmly suppress the aura of the government officials to keep things running smoothly, so how could I say that openly?
It was just to scare them into taking me seriously; although now that I’m in the position of a goddess, it wasn’t exactly a grave mistake—but it was still an embarrassing act. Even if it was necessary, I still wished no one would ever know about it.
Still, it seemed awkward to lie.
After all, this was a venue for questioning between a goddess and her disciples. Even if the power difference between us meant we didn’t end up having a debate where one side would swing facts like a weapon, it could lead to chaos in society later if I said something that confused people.
…Besides, I would be living in this world for a long time. I didn’t know how things would be after I ascended to the Temple of Gods, but creating further dark history while I was alive wouldn’t be ideal. That dark history would likely become a topic of discussion as if it were some sort of truth while I was still alive.
“Uh… that was because I was utilizing Ariel’s Holy Power at that time.”
When I said that, Remir tilted her head in confusion.
“May I ask why you were hiding evidence of being a goddess?”
I wish she hadn’t asked that.
I once again seriously pondered over my answer.
Should I say I didn’t know I was a goddess? Or should I say I was hiding that fact?
In this case, the latter seemed less embarrassing. It would be a lie, but rather than denying something they know, it would be more like a lie about my personal history, so there wouldn’t be a big chance of it being revealed.
“…The reason I didn’t reveal I was a goddess was that I doubted you would believe me if I suddenly appeared and declared myself a god. Moreover, if you did believe me, it would undoubtedly cause a great deal of confusion. Therefore, I chose not to reveal my identity and instead to gradually approach you.”
“……”
I could feel a sharp gaze somewhere.
When I turned to see where it was coming from, I spotted Aurora and Linea not far away. Both of them were staring intently at me.
…I felt a pang of guilt.
“Also, the body I am using in this world was able to take form thanks to the powers lent to me by Ariel and Baal. Therefore, I needed to ascertain the range of powers I could utilize with this body.”
After having said that much, I turned to look at the two of them. This time, they both wore disgruntled expressions. It was like they were saying, “We know everything but we’ll let it slide.”
…I guess I would need to have a deeper conversation with those two after this session ended.
However, the questioner, Remir, seemed to understand my answer well enough as she nodded her head.
“Did that answer your question?”
“Yes, thank you.”
As I exhaled softly after seeing her return to her seat, Priest Turner pulled another sheet of paper from his pile of documents.
“Then, for the next question… In fact, it’s similar to the question from the sister just now, but this was one of the productive questions remaining after filtering the questions to eliminate duplicates, so I will read it as is.”
And the one who seems to have sifted through the questions would be Priest Turner over there. …Even if everyone here only asked one question, the quantity would be staggering. They probably didn’t all just stick to one question each, and even if they somehow filtered them using some sort of computer function, it would have been an immense labor.
Then selecting meaningful questions among them and ensuring that they evoked substantial and meaningful responses would require yet another kind of effort.
…Thinking about it this way, the Miracle Investigator might start becoming a miracle investigation office soon. I have a feeling that as long as I’m here, that person will continue to have a tough time.
“When the other gods revealed themselves through your body, the light symbolizing their powers emanated from your face. However, the white light started emerging from your face only very recently. So, does this mean the light was hidden by the goddess?”
“I was going to say ‘no’, but I stopped myself in mid-sentence.”
Well, even if I had come to this world from the beginning with the powers of a goddess, I hadn’t radiated the miracle’s power like Ariel and Baal did when they descended here. It wouldn’t be too strange to think that Ariel had blinding light when she descended each time because she had a massive amount of believers, and considering when Baal first borrowed my body, it was right after Jian turned into an apostle.
And if I thought I fell into that range of ‘apostles’—I knew of Baal’s existence, so it wouldn’t be strange if the Baal who borrowed my body emitted black light.
…I thought so.
But according to Baal and Ariel, both of them had believed in me from the very start. If that were the case, it seemed strange that only the faith of Jian and the few others could cause Baal to emit black light from his face. Even if I had previously had divine power, to utilize such formidable miracles and divine power in the modern age would likely require even more ‘faith’ than just that, wouldn’t it?
No, the fact that I was having such thoughts might be because I was thinking too centered on myself.
Let’s reconsider. Baal created the demons. The demons have abandoned their faith in Baal.
In fact, it wouldn’t have been just Baal; they must have aimed to uproot the faith in Ariel too. After all, they made Arlil, a false idol for elves, and even changed the term ‘Holy Power’ to ‘Power of Purity’.
But in the end, they failed. There was no other conclusion to draw.
No matter how much the demons deny it, Baal was the one who created them. And with that being the case, it was practically impossible for them to completely forget about him. To have them worship Arlil instead of Ariel would eventually require the saintesses who believed in Ariel. Hence, Ariel’s faith could survive the transition to this world.
The faith in Ariel survived, while the faith in Baal nearly vanished but has been passed down as an ambiguous tale of an ‘unseen god’, making it nominally possible to have faith in his existence.
And the witches, at least, seemed to have some knowledge about the Demon God.
Thinking like this, it could explain why Baal was able to have a divine status when he manifested in this world.
So then, what about me?
How on earth did I end up possessing the powers of a goddess?
I likely hadn’t had this power from the beginning. If I had, I wouldn’t have felt the need to use it while facing demons, beasts, or witches. Even when I fought multiple witches at the end, I wouldn’t have needed missiles. No, the witches might have kneeled in terror at the sight of my glowing face.
This power had awakened quite recently. Putting it in a shorter period, it was just yesterday—or longer, it could even date back to when Aurora and Linea were using miracles.
And no matter how much the two gods had faith in me, there had been very limited occasions where I utilized my own powers. The only instance that comes to mind was when I expelled Baal from my body. That time, I had been so furious that I unknowingly used my powers—
Ah, perhaps emotions also play an important role in controlling this power.
And more importantly, it must be the faith of those who genuinely believe in me.
…The light radiating from my face right now wasn’t purely my strength. It was the strength of the people praying for me.
So… that’s it.
“—That’s because this power isn’t entirely my own.”
There was no uproar in the chapel. However, everyone present barely suppressed their breath upon hearing my words. It was surprising for them to hear that one of their beloved gods claimed, “My ability doesn’t solely belong to me.” They would have undoubtedly been thinking, “If that’s the case, where does the power come from?”
“This power belongs to all of you. To be more precise, it belongs to those who pray for me.”
To those who believe in me.
I still can’t be sure if it’s the right belief. I’m not someone who always makes perfect choices or is a supremely logical being. I’m just one of the ordinary people swayed by my emotions. I just happened to get lucky by gaining a new life instead of death, and I’m living here.
…To be honest, I had been overconfident.
There are enemies wherever I go. Even if I rush in without a thought, things somehow end up getting sorted out. In fact, that resolution always seemed positive. Defeating demons and beasts, subduing witches, and even civil wars among the demons… Even in the moments when I made bad decisions, thanks to the trust of others, things ended positively.
And I unknowingly had been mistaken into thinking those things were due to my own abilities.
Ah, of course, I’m not saying I had done nothing.
When I first went to battle, I survived because of Andrea and Jian. I almost ended up in dire straits when capturing the Witch of Lust, and a massacre almost happened when I failed to anticipate the demons’ actions.
But all of that was ultimately thanks to the trust of those who believed in me.
I, to start with, am someone who doesn’t have much to rely on.
…Yet, right in front of witches, demons, and even gods, I had the audacity to lift my chin and brag about how wonderful I was.
Maybe not the witches or demons, but I shouldn’t have acted so in front of Ariel or Baal, who likely already understood everything.
…Thank goodness my face was glowing brightly. No one could see how embarrassed I was.
“The power of a god comes from the faith of those who believe. Even if I were to inherit such abilities, without those who believe in me, I wouldn’t even be called a goddess. Thus, my powers are naturally yours. They are precious powers that should not be carelessly used, nor can they be.”
I briefly paused. The chapel was filled with silence. Everyone seemed focused, making sure not to miss a single word I spoke.
“…So, there’s no need to treat me as someone exceptionally high above you. Without your assistance, I wouldn’t be able to wield such great power.”
As I finished speaking, the theologians stared at me wide-eyed for a long moment.
Then, thud, the old man sitting at the very front collapsed and passed out.
…Huh?
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