Interview with the Goddess.
Not just on iTube, but throughout history, I might be the only one capable of creating content like this.
This is the result of various factors at play.
First, clergy in this world cannot communicate with the gods. It’s uncertain if they even really exist.
Meanwhile, in the world some Returnees, including myself, lived in, gods were indeed real.
There are worlds with numerous gods like in Greek and Roman mythology, as well as dimensions that worship a singular deity.
Some places even had all the good gods dead, with only evil gods remaining. That was the world where iTuber Sister Cat had reincarnated.
“Didn’t they say the evil gods wage war with demons every day there?”
According to the green wiki, Sister Cat was said to have maximized her benefits by flitting between evil gods and demons like a bat.
To think she managed to swindle both those wicked and cruel beings and returned calmly.
She was certainly an extraordinary individual.
Anyway.
Although there are a few Returnees who, like me, have a connection through the soul to communicate with the gods, none have attempted an interview until now.
“Why not?”
Seo-yoon, who had been listening intently, asked. A fitting question from the model student.
I placed both hands on the table in front of me and began my explanation.
“Gods of such high caliber do not value humans enough to maintain a connection through soul even across dimensions.”
“…Is that really true?”
“Yes. Absolutely.”
The gods with the highest celestial caliber do not actively care for humans nor show affection.
In some extreme cases, there are gods who view people as mere playthings.
They have a nasty disposition, tossing away their devotees the moment they lose interest.
To such gods, even Popes or Saints are merely expensive toys that they cherish and treat with care.
Faithful individuals may not realize this, but that is the reality.
“There can’t be only such gods. You don’t know every god that exists, right?”
Perhaps shocked, Seo-yoon made a counterargument for the gods.
Half of it was right, and half was wrong.
“That’s right. There are also noble and holy beings. They show great interest in us.”
“I knew it!”
“But such beings are relatively lower in caliber.”
“…To what extent?”
Keeping my left hand on the table, I stretched my right hand upward to indicate distance.
Seo-yoon, as if understanding, smiled and tried to interpret.
“Oh, the left hand represents kind beings, and the right hand represents those who are not?”
“That’s incorrect.”
It was a completely off answer.
“The left hand on the table is us, and the right hand that raises above our heads is those who care for us.”
I then lifted my gaze towards the ceiling. Specifically, towards beyond it.
“And the transcendent gods exist in the universe.”
“Ah….”
“To such beings, we are merely small creatures. We appear to them no different from caterpillars.”
Very few genuinely bestow love, heart, and passion onto caterpillars.
They wouldn’t fret all day fearing they might get hurt nor would they be heartbroken for several days should they die.
They would simply set up a terrarium at home and watch their intriguing movements out of curiosity. Once interest waned, they would lose all fascination and neglect them.
That is how high-caliber gods see us.
“In conclusion, the Returnees who’ve crossed dimensions but still maintain their soul connection mostly serve such gods.”
“Then if you request an interview, they’ll ignore or refuse you?”
“Exactly.”
…In fact, among the clergy Returnees, I might be the only one obsessed with internet broadcasting, which might explain why no one has attempted it yet.
But even so, it wouldn’t change much. High-caliber gods wouldn’t bother with trivial interviews with humans anyway.
Seo-yoon, digesting my words, eventually spoke up.
“Then, since our Sun Goddess is still connected to you, she must not be of high caliber, right?”
“I suspect that’s the case.”
“Ah…”
The irony was that because she shows interest in us, she could no longer maintain the connection through the soul.
“Does Reeve know about this?”
“Not yet.”
“Why didn’t you tell her?”
“That’s because it’s a realization I had while pondering alone after the battle earlier.”
“……”
Seo-yoon’s previously bright eyes suddenly turned cold as she stared at me.
I averted my gaze and spoke up.
“I don’t know everything perfectly from the start. I gain this valuable understanding either through books or after much contemplation.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
“Isn’t that a bit cold of a response?”
“What do you mean?”
Today, Seo-yoon’s respect for me seemed to fluctuate, veering slightly closer to the negative side.
I hoped she wouldn’t suggest, “Shall we just drop the formalities now?” later on.
It wasn’t a completely unrealistic delusion, and I feared that.
Seo-yoon continued to look at me displeased before speaking.
“Anyway, our Sun Goddess, who is still connected, must indeed be of high caliber, right? But why does she love us?”
“Because she isn’t of high caliber.”
“……”
A chilling silence. It meant that the respect that was already dwindling was headed downward again.
Fearing my concerns might become a reality, I added for clarification.
“ The noble Sun is actually an exceptional case. She may not be high in caliber, but she has countless devotees.”
“How many is that?”
“That’s…”
I briefly recalled then narrowed my eyes.
“I’m not sure. Her faith is spread across multiple worlds that transcend dimensions.”
“How widely spread is it?”
“When I last checked, it was in 10,129 worlds.”
“…That many?”
Surprised, Seo-yoon stared blankly for a while before saying, “Our goddess is quite impressive.”
“Of course; that goes without saying.”
I felt uncharacteristically shy and embarrassed. I thought it was time to shift the topic.
“Well then, let’s get started.”
“Got it.”
Seo-yoon stood up and began preparing for the interview.
All the tools required for the filming were in this room.
A camera boasting much clearer quality than a smartphone, a sturdy tripod, and a chroma key that took up an entire wall.
This place, equipped with various broadcasting tools, was the 3rd floor’s studio where the Burning Association’s Korean branch had filmed the video to frame me.
“I never thought I would have to use the tools they used to attack me.”
“Right?”
Come to think of it, it was about time to start the mental conditioning for the remnants of the Burning Association locked away in the underground bunker too.
That was something Kelaout could handle, so I didn’t have to worry about it. My head was already spinning with numerous complicated matters, so increasing my workload would be unwelcome.
“Setup is complete.”
Seo-yoon pointed to somewhere. It was a filming spot with two chairs set against a chroma key.
“Go sit there. Choose the left one.”
“Understood.”
I properly sat on the left chair, the one that would be more visible on camera.
Soon after, Seo-yoon, who had been busy moving, suddenly paused and closed her eyes.
I quickly discovered the reason why.
-(Manager): Yao, come help out with the filming!
It seemed I had been invited into a telepathy chat room without realizing it.
“When did this take effect?”
“This morning. I received it as soon as I got in. Young Dragon was the one who introduced it to me.”
“I see.”
While nodding absently, a question popped into my head.
“Why was only Seo-yoon invited? Liam probably refused out of annoyance, and the archbishop…”
As I realized the reason mid-sentence, I decided not to finish.
‘They probably couldn’t invite a nagger.’
If Kelaout had sent the telepathy, I could only imagine my eyes being flooded with text. Just thinking about it was terrifying.
I sent a message, tormented by fears brought on by unnecessary imagination.
-(Pope): Hekatrith, please keep this telepathy chat room a secret from the archbishop moving forward.
-(Super Adorable Guardian Dragon): That’s an unnecessary request, isn’t it?
-(Highest Authority): I concur with that.
-(Manager): What on earth is wrong with that individual…?
-(Super Adorable Guardian Dragon): You’ll soon find out. Euwu…
-(Highest Authority): The archbishop’s nagging strikes at the mind.
-(Pope): He does indeed emanate traces of sacred power in his voice at all times.
-(Highest Authority): Huh?
-(Super Adorable Guardian Dragon): It strikes at the mind? That person is evil! Pope, purify him quickly!
As I read through those lengthy messages with a smile, Yao entered the studio.
The rookie Holy Knight stood in front of the camera before being asked to do anything. She really had good instincts.
“Thank you!”
Seo-yoon smiled at Yao and came to sit across from me, holding a tablet PC.
She had organized all the questions they had thought of together earlier.
“We will now begin the interview, Pope?”
Are we in ‘broadcast mode’ already?
Then I too needed to adjust to that. Not that anything would change, though.
“Understood. Well then… I will now strengthen our connection with the goddess a bit more. I will allow her to speak through me.”
Since it was still impossible for her to descend to the mortal realm in reality, I planned to conduct the interview by letting her speak through me.
I was actually a bit excited as it had been a long time since I’d tried this. Calming my pounding heart, I gradually enveloped myself with sacred power.
Specifically, it was for the purpose of injecting it into the soul residing in my body.
After that, I would just pour a stronger sacred power into my voice to wrap it up.
“O Sun, are you ready? Please descend….”
【“Hurry up and start.”】
Just when I was preparing for the interview.
Suddenly, a dark and eerie voice flowed through my mouth.
【“Come on, let’s do this.”】
Naturally, it was not the divine voice of the goddess. It was a sound entirely from a different being.
And I knew all too well who the owner of this voice was.
A being who walked a path entirely opposed to the goddess.
The bearer of a dark light that stands in stark contrast to bright sunlight.
The Black Sun.
Recently, an evil god seeking to target me had begun to assert his voice through my mouth.
【“I am the first god to interview a person on Earth!”】
…With a somewhat juvenile ambition.
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