138 – Pantheon (4)
The Pantheon that returned was still in its same state.
A road paved in pure white to the point of feeling a kind of obsession. As we walked toward the central street, stone statues of the gods of the pantheon welcomed us.
The god of time and the god of darkness. Even the gods who left only traces did not change.
Faith is something that does not change easily.
The only thing that changed was people.
Now I see a face that feels familiar.
“Your Majesty, the Grand Duke. What brought you to the Pantheon? ….”
“Now I have come as a saint of Hybras. I want to go to the archives. “There was a library right next to it.”
This time it was truly a coincidence.
Archbishop of Asirell, who was the victim of Sirien’s ‘pantheon rip-off.’ A frail-looking old man ran into us.
Moreover, the destination was the archives.
The archbishop’s eyes trembled as if he couldn’t believe it.
It was quite interesting, but no matter what, the old man was a key figure in the pantheon.
Sirien chuckled and decided to clear up her misunderstanding.
No matter how much the Grand Duke of Ilencia was, there was no need to fight the Pantheon for no reason.
“Let me tell you in advance, I’m not curious about where my donation will be used.”
“Ah, ah…… ! Is that so. “Then what kind of work do you go to the library for?”
“I came here because I wanted to know more about the god I serve. “There are limits to what is passed down within the sect, so I thought there might be records left in the pantheon.”
The reason for investigating Hybras was superficial.
Since I came to the Pantheon, someone was sure to ask me where I was going, and I needed something to answer.
I had already spoken to Sirien.
Perhaps it was worthwhile, as our excuse seemed quite plausible to the archbishop.
His expression was seen to have visibly relaxed.
He was a very easy person to understand.
The position of archbishop is by no means a low position.
The snarky appearance characteristic of those in power was not easily visible.
Things like not being able to tell his true intentions or always having a fake smile on his face.
It made me wonder how someone who was so easily read could sit in that seat.
No matter what organization it is, if it has a long history, there is a limit to where you can rise based on ability alone.
I felt like my impression had strangely changed.
From Noble mtl dot com
There is no way the pantheon I know is like this.
Of course I thought it would be more corrupt. No. Rather, did you take advantage of this perception?
It was an unknown matter.
What was clear was that the Archbishop of Asirel seemed quite happy.
“hehehe, that’s right. Rest is also a god who has been with humans for a long time. As you said, there may be records left in the library. “I also first heard the name of Hybras in the pantheon’s archives.”
“Is that so? “I’m looking forward to hearing you say that.”
“As it happens, this old man is quite lonely. If you allow me, I would like to guide you. Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“I would be grateful if you could lend me your wisdom.”
On the way to the library of the pantheon.
After talking for a while, I felt like I could clearly see what kind of person this Archbishop of Asirel was.
He was a much easier person to understand than his previous impressions suggested.
Should I say that he is an awkward little person?
To put it in a good way, he was a person who could be called a realist, and in a bad way, he was a ‘less corrupt’ priest.
However, as I imagined, he was not a person who revealed money to satisfy his own self-interest.
As the seat is a seat, it does not mean that the pantheon is unaware of its corruption.
I am also participating to some extent, and there have been quite a few times when I have turned a blind eye.
Although it was not said directly, it was quite a possible inference considering Sirien’s ‘donation incident’.
However, he did not forget his duty as a priest.
It is true that the pantheon is rotten. However, it was also true that the people of the empire needed a pantheon.
For example, when there is a poor harvest or an epidemic occurs. There was no substitute for the pantheon in the empire.
The first to move in times of crisis was always the religious order, not the imperial family.
In any case, it is not possible for an individual to change the pantheon system through force.
Rather than hitting a rock with an egg, the idea was to take advantage of the situation appropriately.
So, it also means that one is sincere about faith.
The archbishop had a fairly rigid view of faith.
“There is no enthusiasm among young people these days. Compared to the past, the pantheon’s library is much more open, but young people only learn the doctrines they have learned and are not interested in interpreting them themselves. Correct faith comes from correct knowledge. “Ugh, tsk tsk.”
“I heard that the imperial library is the largest on the continent in terms of book collection. But I also heard that when it comes to religion, nothing can match the library of the pantheon. “I came because I thought it was a good opportunity, but I didn’t know such a trend existed.”
“That is a fair statement. You don’t know how hard I tried to open the Pantheon Library. I thought that once the library doors opened, young believers would come like a tide. So, my only worry was that it would be difficult to manage the collection, but how could I have known that there would be no footfall.”
The archbishop did not stop talking the entire time he was heading to the library.
Sirien appropriately agreed with the archbishop’s words.
Then the excited old man moved forward with more enthusiasm.
It seems like he was sincere when he said that it was an appropriate place. Even after entering the library, he was kind, saying that there were many old records of gods here and telling me where to go if I couldn’t find them even here.
We talked faithfully with him until the end.
It was all thanks to Baron Isquente.
Since the chattering vaccine was administered long ago, at least one old man was able to respond without any problem.
That’s how we arrived at the Pantheon’s library.
* * *
Should it really be called a pantheon?
It was true that, at least in terms of records regarding ‘God,’ it was second to none.
Unlike the pure white exterior, the inside of the library was filled with dark brown wood.
Except for the ceiling, everywhere I looked there were books. On the upper floor visible above the railing, and even on higher floors, old books gave off the faint scent of paper.
Long ladders were also provided here and there, as if you could take out books that you couldn’t reach.
The archbishop said that very few people visit the library.
As they said, we were the only ones in this wide and huge space.
Sirien said with a smile.
“Now that I think about it, is this Rajen’s first time seeing a library this big? “Because I didn’t come into the imperial library last time.”
“Yes. I wasn’t really interested at that time. “The Archduke’s library is not this large.”
“Yes. I know this now, but I really wanted to come to the library with you. “It was one of my little wishes.”
Ttogak. Again.
The sound of her walking rang low and clear.
“If you had told me, I would have come at any time.”
“I guess so. Because you always take care of me. I’m sure he would have followed me without even showing his displeasure. But it wasn’t a wish I wanted to achieve that way. “You also have books you are looking for at the library, and I also wanted to choose the books I wanted to read and read them together.”
“I never even thought about it. “If I do something wrong, I won’t be able to achieve that wish.”
“It’s okay. Then you can make other wishes come true. And…… “Now we are together like this.”
Sirien took out a book first.
Coincidentally, there was a book with a plausible title next to it, so I held it in my hand and followed Sirien.
A light and cheerful-looking step. Seeing that he liked it made me happy too.
“Is it a little disappointing that we don’t have tea to drink together? Actually, that was one of my wishes.”
“How many wishes do you have?”
“There are a lot. So much that you can’t even imagine. “If you want to make all my dreams come true, you’ll have to be busy too.”
“Yes. I’ll listen to you as much as you want. Filled…… Let’s drink together when we get back. “You can borrow books here.”
“Yes, then,”
Sirien took out a book and coughed.
A library full of old books that are so old that you don’t even know when they were written.
As books were everywhere, the material we had to find was also enormous.
Still, there was no need to look too hastily.
You don’t need to read it carefully, but take your time, one book at a time. Sometimes, if there’s something I’m interested in, it’s okay to read it for a while.
Anyway, I was planning on staying in the capital for quite a while this time.
We didn’t expect to find what we were looking for after just looking around for a few hours.
Because there is no search function anywhere. All I had to do was leisurely search for it.
If you really don’t know, just keep quiet for a while and there won’t be any problems.
Still, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
First, the classification of the books was clear.
Since we can only read books on classical theology separately, this will end someday.
More than anything, Sirien seemed to be in a good mood, so other things were also good.
After reading the book for a while, I made eye contact with Sirien.
“Why, why do you look at me like that?”
“Just. “I think it’s good to be like this.”
“Yes, me too…… Good.”
why they don’t have engagement ceremony yet?