74 – Imperial Capital Ethelmarion (2)
It may be new, but there were many gods in this world.
Just counting the number of denominations active in the empire, it easily exceeded double digits.
Including forgotten or completely extinct beliefs like Hybras, it was impossible to estimate how many gods there were.
The most famous ones now are the so-called five gods.
These were denominations that followed the gods of light, faith, charity, order, and war.
Among them, Asirel, the god of light, boasts the greatest religious power and later chooses the heroine Ellis as her saint.
Numerous gods proliferate. However, the sizes of denominations vary.
In the original world, terrible wars would have occurred many times, but religious disputes were quite rare here.
It was thanks to a miracle in an intuitive form. Since the existence of God could be felt with the eyes, it was impossible to claim things like, ‘Our faith is unconditionally correct, and the God you believe in is fake!’
However, God was reluctant to directly intervene in the human world.
And in the end, it is humans who believe in God and form denominations.
Surprisingly, humans who called themselves believers began to ‘categorize’ God.
The organization that emerged from that concept was the Imperial Pantheon.
Nominally, it is a religious union to prevent religious disputes and fight against evil spirits.
In reality, it is a political force created by the Church of the Five Gods to extort other weaker religions.
If he was not recognized as a good god in the imperial pantheon, his missionary activities would not only be restricted, but if he did something wrong, he could be labeled as an evil god and subject to extermination.
In the end, the political scene between denominations was the essence of the pantheon.
Sirien, who had said that far, waved his hand as if he was tired of it.
“Still, our situation is better. Because it won’t be difficult to blend in. “It’s just been stuck in that forest for a long time, but if you look through old books, you might hear its name.”
“Because it’s a textbook-style downfall?”
“Fuuu, that’s right. So, if you are an old priest, you probably know the name of Hybras. “It’s comfortable because I don’t hear people say it has a short history or anything.”
Sirien frowned.
Suddenly, I thought I heard a sound like teeth grinding.
“I lost some money, though.”
“Didn’t you take a lot of money off Baron Isquente? “The Baron was crying.”
“I only got half of it! Originally, it was money that would be spent a long time later. Sir, there are so many things you can do with that money.”
In order to be officially listed in the imperial pantheon, two conditions were necessary.
Prove your divine power and contribute to the empire and pantheon.
Sacredness is of course necessary for it to be recognized as a religion, and since we were active on the battlefield, our performance was not difficult.
If you include the credit for stopping the demons, you will get a passing grade.
The problem is that donations are secretly included in that ‘contribution’.
If you don’t donate enough, they will accuse you of various things.
In fact, it was an open secret, but in the case of Hybras, if the divinity of death was highlighted, work could become tiring.
So, I had to cry and bring a huge amount of gold coins, which I had just donated cleanly.
The god of light guided us to see how large that amount was. The archbishop of Asirel ascended the clown to heaven.
The archbishop said he would soon talk with the imperial family and send someone to our temple – and that he would review this matter very positively.
In reality, all that remains is procedural matters. It is as if it has already been approved.
In any case, it seemed that there was no place in the Ethelmar Empire that was not corrupted, whether it was law or religion.
So the future crown prince will receive more attention.
“Just thinking about it makes me angry again. Just wait and see. I will definitely get that money back later. “You pay a lot of interest!”
“How?”
“Just rip it off. Among those who make money in the empire, there is no one who is not afraid of tax audits. Let’s see if you can keep your head straight even when I put pressure on you in Ilencia’s name. “I’ll brush every single speck of dust from every nook and cranny.”
Sirien walked with long strides.
My stride was wider than usual. It was a habit I sometimes had when I was angry.
“…… Is that possible? “You’re trying to rob the religious denomination through a tax audit?”
“It is possible if I inherit the title. Since I am a saint of the church, I can view all records of the pantheon. “Then, if I hold up the evidence and wave it in Ilencia’s name, it will be a pantheon or something, right?”
“Oh my god.”
I was honestly impressed.
If you think about it, the pantheon’s role in the original work was smaller than expected.
Until the female protagonist recognized the demons as people, they only occasionally appeared in name and rarely actually moved.
This means that she did not exert any checks on Sirien, who was steadily increasing her power.
Considering the greed of the pantheon, it was a surprising thing.
And now I felt like I knew why.
‘It’s not that I didn’t do it, it was that I couldn’t do it.’
Continue following Sirien.
Stone statues of several gods were carved next to the straight, pure white road.
These were statues of gods recognized in the pantheon.
The God of Light seen in front of the pantheon was the largest, and next to him were the Gods of Love, War, Faith, and Order, in that order.
Once Hibras is recognized, a statue will be erected in the last place.
What caught the eye were the broken stone statues, leaving only the feet.
Perhaps aware of my gaze, Sirien spoke softly.
“These are gods who have been declared evil gods. Twice since the creation of the pantheon. “The one who just passed by is the God of Time, and what you see in front of you is the God of Darkness.”
“I thought you would clean it up, but you ended up destroying it.”
“It’s an example. “They said it means to be alert.”
“Hmm.”
Then, in the original work, the statue of Hybras was also broken like that?
I felt bad because I was imagining things.
Even though I have no particular faith, I felt like I had been insulted.
“Ha. Anyway, I guess this buys me some time. I may have to go back and forth a few more times in the future. “It’s so annoying that I spend money like this and still have to waste my time.”
“You had a hard time. “I’m sorry it doesn’t seem to be of much help.”
“It’s not helpful. Don’t ever say that again. “Just having you by my side gives me strength.”
Sirien grabbed my hand.
“Stop talking strangely and let’s go eat something delicious. I’m hungry.”
“Yes. “I have a reservation.”
“Really? “When did you do something like that?”
“I thought he was angry last time, so I looked into it to free him.”
“Huh. I’m looking forward to it. Let’s hurry!”
* * *
Sirien had a sensitive sense of taste.
Not only that, I have eaten many rare foods in Reheim.
Therefore, it was not easy to find ‘delicious food’ according to Grand Duchess Illencia’s standards, so naturally I searched around restaurants that were famous in the islands.
And high-end restaurants have always been places that men and women who want to spend quality time have their eyes on.
Right now, he may be a ‘man’ who wants to spend intimate time.
It meant that I ran into Dersian again in front of the restaurant.
“Saint? See you here?”
“Isha? “Did you promise to see it from the beginning?”
“No. “It’s really just a coincidence.”
Sirien tilts his head.
I firmly stated that it was a coincidence.
It seems that Der Cian made an appointment with Isha to spar with her today.
I think I had planned and prepared, but I felt sorry for ruining the event by getting in the way.
In times like this, it would be helpful to sit a little further away.
From the looks of it, Isha just bought me dinner and she seems to have followed me…….
Well, there was nothing bad about me if those two became closer.
“You two were going to come anyway, so don’t worry about us…… “
“It’s a coincidence that we met like this, so how about the four of us having a meal together?”
“Yes?”
“Hmm. “Even so, I wanted to talk to you two more.”
Despite my consideration, Dersian went into labor.
Looking closely, his expression was quite stiff, and his hands had been clenched tightly, but were finally loosening up.
He looks like he’s trying to relieve the tension somehow. It was worth knowing.
I looked at Sirien, wondering what to do, and saw that her closed mouth was curved.
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I don’t know about Der Cian, but he showed me a hidden sense of playfulness.
He didn’t seem offended, so I didn’t mind. At least it doesn’t look like that playfulness is directed at me.
“What do you want to do, Sirien?”
“Why don’t we eat together? “Sometimes I like things like this.”
“Then go in first. Just say my name. “I’ll follow you in a moment.”
“Yes. Let’s go, Isha.”
After I sent the two women away first, Dersian stood blankly in front of me.
Dersian exhaled loudly, as if the tension had finally eased.
“I was considerate in my own way, but why did you do that?”
“Well, that’s it. Why are you so nervous? I was making a lot of mistakes like a fool earlier, but when I met these two people, I didn’t even realize it…….”
Dersian’s head fell to the floor.
He seemed well aware that he looked pathetic.
I wondered if I should give him any sound advice, but I decided to quit.
It’s been a while since I started dating Sirien. Besides, what can I do if Isha is clueless?
I was only able to say one word.
“Approach slowly. “Don’t overdo it.”
“…… Yes. Thank you.”
“Then let’s go in. “I’ll wait inside.”