Kamisama Shop de Cheat no Kaori

Chapter 209. The Freeman And The Archbishop Again Again

After going to the headquarters of the Aigas religion, I finally cleared one of the god quests, but then I got abducted by the Sun God Heolis religion.

Well, I was properly invited, though.

Now, standing before me is the most important person in the largest Heolis church in Lakelel, Archbishop Fos Ineodoros.

Fos’s request was for me to accompany him to the Atlantia Empire.

“Ah. I’ve already made up my mind, but can I hear the reason anyway?”

“Yes. It’s about a major event recorded only in legends—the birth of a god. As an apostle, it’s only natural that the Pope would greet you with proper etiquette.”

“I grew up in a rural area, isolated from civilization. So, I’m not really familiar with the common sense around here. Your Sun God, was it? Does your god accept other gods?”

“Of course! There’s no doubt that gods exist! It’s only natural to revere them, and it doesn’t mean we deny other gods.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. My service to the Heolis God is a matter of fate and coincidence. If things had been different, I might have worshipped another god. I might even have bowed my head to a new god under Akira-sama.”

Fos smiled gently, but I could tell he was serious, not joking.

Well, I’m glad it’s not a worldview that rejects other religions.

I don’t plan to go around calling myself an apostle, but maybe I don’t need to hide the power of SHOP so much anymore.

Besides my magical abilities, it seems I have something like a Gift too.

“Before I give my answer, thanks for explaining all that.”

“Not at all. Does this help you trust us a little more?”

Oh.

He saw right through me. As expected of a clergyman.

“My bad. I can’t help but be wary of powerful organizations.”

“Not at all. That’s a normal feeling. In fact, we should be concerned about the current situation where we’re perceived that way.”

“Now, about your proposal, Fos. I’m sorry, but I’ll have to decline.”

“That is…”

“Can you take a look at this first?”

I took out the holy seal I had tucked in my pocket and handed it to Archbishop Fos with some care.

“What is this?”

“Ah, this is the holy seal symbol of my god, the Merchant God Merhes. My god asked me to offer this to the three great gods.”

“A divine message… a holy seal…”

Archbishop Fos took it with trembling hands and muttered something quietly. Probably some kind of magic.

Wait, do church people use divine magic?

“Oh… oh… this is… without a doubt, divine wood…”

Ah, that word again.

“Ah, is divine wood that rare?”

“Well… it’s rare, but not entirely unheard of. There are many items in this church made with divine wood.”

“I see.”

“However, the divine wood used in this holy seal feels much more powerful than those. There’s no doubt this is a gift from the gods.”

Is that so?

And yet I’ve been handing them out like candy… Well, better not think about that.

“That’s why I cannot accept this.”

“Ah, I figured that’d be the case.”

“Yes. If an apostle is personally delivering such a powerful holy seal, it’s only proper for our Pope, who is also an apostle, to receive it.”

“So the Pope is an apostle?”

“Yes.”

Fos smiled proudly.

Huh, so there are proper apostles after all.

“Got it. Since I’m already in this deep, I’ll deliver it directly to the Pope.”

“Oh! In that case…!”

“But I can’t do it right away. I’ve got some plans. The elf country… what was it called again?”

“The Garden of Green, perhaps?”

“Ah, that’s it. I need to go there first.”

“I see. So, after that, we’ll go together?”

“Hmm… Can I think about that part?”

“…Understood. Please prioritize Akira-sama’s matters. But remember, our church is always ready to assist in any way.”

“Got it. Thanks.”

After some small talk, I took my leave.

They offered to provide a carriage, but I declined. I don’t want to draw any more attention…

On the way back to the inn, the brown-horned girl, Faf, gave me a sly grin.

“Hehehe… You’ve got it rough, huh?”

“What do you mean?”

“Hehehe… You’ve noticed, haven’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Huh? What’s going on?”

“We’re being followed by the church. My senses have evolved, you know.”

“I can’t feel it at all. You’ve really left me behind.”

She looks oddly happy about it, though.

“Well, there’s no killing intent, so it’s probably just surveillance, or maybe even guards.”

“Hehehe… Probably.”

“They must really value you, Akira-sama.”

“I think most churches have recognized Akira as an apostle.”

“What a hassle.”

“But you’ve received a divine message, so you are an apostle.”

Yutis, who had already learned the general story during our journey, was staring at me with intense eyes.

Ever since that conversation, Yutis has been oddly eager to praise me.

“…”

“Akira-sama?”

“Sigh… What now?”

My senses picked up a group heading straight toward us from ahead.

They were dressed in priestly robes.

“…That’s the Termias religion.”

“So now we’ve got all three great gods together.”

Sure enough, the Termias group stood before us with friendly smiles.

“Excuse me. I’m a priest of the Termias religion. Are you Akira-sama?”

“Yeah, I’m Akira.”

I answered with an internal sigh.

“Oh! Thank goodness! We’ve been looking for you!”

It seems the Heolis God knew our location, but the Termias religion didn’t?

They clearly looked relieved to have found us.

The priests behind the group were whispering among themselves, so I enhanced my hearing with my senses to eavesdrop.

“Inform the Archbishop that we’ve found Akira-sama!”

“Let the other members know too!”

“Honestly! We’re clearly behind on this!”

Seems like the Termias religion isn’t great at gathering information.

“Akira-sama?”

“Ah, sorry. So, what do you need?”

I can pretty much guess, though.

“It’s impolite of us, but we’d like you to meet with our Archbishop…”

As I expected, they asked me to come to their church.

“Alright, alright. I’ll come with you now.”

I’d rather get all the troublesome stuff over with at once.

Half the priests ran off, while the other half guided us to the Termias church.

Compared to the other two, it was a smaller building, but more ornate.

The temple was adorned with numerous religious artworks featuring crescent moons.

The Termias religion seems a bit different from the others.

“Hello. Thank you for coming. I am Archbishop Yue Fagou of the Moon Goddess Termias religion.”

“Ah, yeah. I’m Akira.”

To my surprise, the Archbishop was a woman. She had a voluptuous, alluring body that reminded me of Cherina’s mother, and she didn’t look much like a bishop.

For some reason… Cherina’s gaze feels sharp.

I don’t get it…