Volume 22 Chapter (1-6)

Chapter 1, New Year

A large festival was about to be held in the city on the 5th Floor of Amamiya Tower.

It had been exactly one year since the first adventurers had settled on the 5th Floor.

This festival was to commemorate that.

It was announced that the festival would not end after this time, but would continue into next year and beyond.

To begin with, the festival itself was not conceived by the government.

It was originally proposed to the executive branch by the town's residents, and the executive branch approved the proposal.

The proposal was submitted close to the first anniversary of the festival, so the executive branch approved the proposal to coincide with the anniversary.

After receiving the approval, the residents were so excited that they began preparing for the event.

At first, it was just a small group, but as soon as permission was granted, more and more people joined in, and eventually the entire town was involved in the festivities.

In many ways, it was a good thing for the town, which had more than 100,000 inhabitants, to be united through the festival.

Perhaps it was because he had hinted that the festival itself would be canceled if any commotion occurred during the preparations, but it was a sight to be seen here and there as the commotion subsided before the security forces could get involved.

This was a town of adventurers, for better or worse.

Despite these circumstances, preparations for the festival were steadily carried out by the residents without any major disturbances.

Although the town changed its scale almost daily, there had never been a festival of any kind.

There was an inauguration ceremony at the city's only temple, but only a few people were invited to the ceremony, and it was not something that the city's residents were involved in.

In this context, it was the first major festival of its kind.

The festival could not possibly be completed in just one day, and in the blink of an eye, it became a three-day festival.

The time and effort involved in the preparations became considerable, but even so, the residents were happily engaged in the festival preparations.

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First day of the festival.

As the festival was about to open, people were gathering to enjoy the festival, not only from the residents of the city but also from outside the Tower.

Stalls for the festival were opened here and there in the town.

The owners of the restaurants gathered in one place to show off their skills.

Naturally, the Crown's commerce department would not be absent from this event.

Merchants from all walks of life were out in full force, setting up stores to liven up the festivities.

For the next three days, most of the stores, except for accommodation, were set up for the festival instead of doing their usual business.

Of course, not only the usual shopkeepers put in their usual efforts, but there are also events unique to the festival.

The most exciting spectacle was a tournament in an arena built on the outskirts of town.

The facility normally used by Crown adventurers for training has been opened up for the festival's martial arts tournaments.

For three days, adventurers of great skill would engage in heated competition.

Today, the first day of the festival, was only the Preliminary Stage, but there were more people than could fit in the spectator seating area.

Many of them were gamblers.

These bets were one of the great pleasures of the festival.

Since the whole town was excited about the festival, the people walking around the town were also in festive attire.

To be more specific, there were people walking around wearing masks here and there.

This was because the festival encouraged people to wear masks to hide their normal selves to enjoy the festival.

There was concern that some fools might go on a rampage because they were hiding their faces, but such festival-destroying people were quickly eliminated.

This was initially met with some difficulty by the security forces, but because of their appreciation of what was done at the festival's preparatory stage, permission was eventually granted.

Rumor had it that the permission was granted because of an order from above, but the truth was not known except for a few people.

Some of those who knew of the rumors were walking through the town, which was bustling with festivities.

The group, numbering as many as 10 people in all, were all wearing masks.

Although the number of people in the group was big, they did not seem to stand out much, as several parties of adventurers were enjoying the festival.

Although their faces were not visible, their clothing and atmosphere indicated that only one of them was a man and the rest were women.

The group was also accompanied by a wolf pack, so it could be recognized as a group of adventurers.

Of course, the group was actually Kousuke, who managed the Amamiya Tower, and his associates.

The idea to parade around wearing masks did not come from Kousuke and his group.

It came purely from the group that was preparing for the festival.

However, when the idea was about to be rejected due to security concerns, Kousuke caught wind of it and decided to wait for further confirmation of the idea.

The source of this information came from the Defrayer family.

Alec was puzzled as to where he heard such information, but eventually, a masked festival, not a masquerade ball, was to be held.

Since it was a festival of convenience, they wanted to participate in it while hiding their true identities.

Kousuke's face was only shown at the inauguration ceremony of the temple, but even so, the festival brought together people of a certain rank from inside and outside the country.

The idea of the mask was good, since there was no way of knowing where he would be discovered.

Kousuke was able to completely suppress his divine power.

Kousuke was now feeding his monster dependant something like a grilled skewer that he had bought at a food stall.

Of course, the monster in question was the miniaturized Nana.

Naturally, he did not feed the whole skewer, but rather the meat was removed from the skewer.

But even if he gave her the whole skewer, Nana would most likely be able to remove the meat from the skewer and eat it.

"It's only the first day, but it's still a lot of fun, right?"

"Yes, that's right! From what I've heard, on the second and third day, there will be more guests from outside, but on the first day, it seems to be only the city residents."

"I see. So, I guess you could say they are excited about it."

Peach was spot on, and more customers from outside the Tower were expected to be present on the second and third days.

It was only natural since it was on the last day that more events would take place, but the fact that the first day was so exciting means that the residents who were driven to the event have been enjoying themselves while they still can.

"Father, what is that?"

Haku asked Kousuke when he spotted an item being offered at one of the stalls.

Seeing the object out of the corner of his eye, Kousuke's eyes narrowed happily.

"Oh. I didn't think they existed here too. I'll go get some, so wait for me."

If it was what Kousuke expected, it was supposed to be sweet food.

Kousuke approached the stall, and after confirming by the look and smell that there was no mistake, he called out to the stall owner.

"Hey, old man, is this cotton candy?"

"Yes, it is. Would you like to buy some?

"Give me one. I didn't know there was a magic tool like this."

"Ah, it's a rarity in this town. Well, it's my first time attending a festival, so I guess it can't be helped. But such things are a part of festivals. I was forced to purchase it."

"Haha. That's one of the reasons why the festival is so much fun."

"Ooh. Enjoy yourself to the fullest."

While conversing, the shopkeeper dexterously gathered the white cotton candy together.

Haku watched the scene with rounded eyes.

"Hahaha. Is this your first time seeing cotton candy, little girl? Here you go."

When he was done, he handed it directly to Haku.

Kousuke thanked him and paid.

Kousuke gave some advice to Haku, who was still holding the cotton candy and looking puzzled.

"Try eating the white part."

Haku was surprised for a moment when she was told to eat it, but did as she was told and popped it into her mouth.

"It's so good!"

After taking a bite, Haku expressed her surprise.

Wanri, hearing this, was also intrigued and asked Haku for a bite.

Sylvia, who was watching the scene, suddenly asked Kousuke in a whisper.

"Cotton candy was also in your original world, correct?"

"Yeah. That's why I was surprised. I didn't expect for something like that to exist here. It didn't have such a long history in my previous world."

To begin with, sweet things would have been reasonably expensive in this world, but I didn't expect them to be available enough to be served at festivals.

"The magical tools and the raw materials used to make them are reasonable if you buy them normally. If you told them it was for a festival, you would be able to get it at a reasonable price."

It was Floria who answered Kousuke's question.

"Really?"

"Yeah, the adults like it too, but it's basically something the kids enjoy eating. The production area is reserved for the festival. I'm sure the government was encouraging it to be developed, as well."

She told him that doing so enhanced the country's reputation.

"I see. Well, I guess we should be thankful for that, right?"

As long as there was no harm done, I would not complain about national policies.

After all, it was thanks to those policies that they could enjoy their festivals.

Kousuke continued to enjoy the festival while showing understanding to the unexpected situation regarding cotton candy in this world.

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Chapter 2, The Second Day

There was a reason why they decided to see the festival in the first place.

He wanted to take a good look at the city that had grown to a size of over 100,000 people by the time he noticed.

At first, he planned to see the city on a regular visit, but it just so happened that a festival was scheduled to be held on the first anniversary, so he decided to join the festival.

The reason why all the members were attending was because some of them did not know about the festival, so when they decided to enjoy the festival as well, they all requested to attend.

Currently, there were only two golems on the administration floor.

The gate that connected the administration floor was currently disabled, so no one could get in or out of the administration floor.

On the last day of the festival, Sylvia and Peach were scheduled to attend the event on the Tower Management side.

The two said that since they were already recognized by the temple, it would not be a problem for them to attend the event.

In fact, they said they would rather be at the event.

Sylvia's role as Kousuke's priestess would make it better for her to be out in the open in this case.

Peach, too, was reluctant. However, she was steadily establishing her position as a priestess as well, so she was taking on the role of Sylvia's assistant.

The second day of the festival.

Kousuke and company split up into two teams.

The team with Kousuke was Sylvia and Peach, who could not participate in the next day's activities together, as well as Floria and Mitsuki.

Nana was tied to a leash, which Kousuke held onto.

The rest of the members acted separately.

Aside from Mitsuki, there was another reason why Floria was there.

That reason was now before him.

"It must have only been a few weeks, but why do I feel nostalgic?"

The five of them (plus one animal) were now in front of Alec's mansion on the 5th Floor.

Floria, who had not shown her face for a while, thought that it would be a good time to make an appearance.

She rang the doorbell by the door, and a maid came out.

Incidentally, she did not let them know in advance that she would be visiting.

The idea was to surprise him.

The maid who came out was, as luck would have it, the maid they hired from the time Floria was there, and she was surprised to see Floria with her mask off.

She hurriedly led Kousuke and the others inside and immediately went to call Alec.

The administrative office was also closed during the three days of the festival.

Only the security squad was in operation, in case there was a disturbance, but the other departments were closed.

Alec was not at the festival and seemed to currently be at the office.

He came to the room where Kousuke and the others were.

Not only Alec, but also Sonia, Floria's mother, accompanied him.

Since they were indoors, the group of five had their masks already removed.

Upon discovering Floria, Sonia hugged her.

Meanwhile, Alec was jovially looking at the two.

He had a complete foolish fatherly look on his face.

"I didn't think I would ever get to meet Floria again."

Alec spoke to Kousuke as he looked sideways at Sonia and Floria talking to each other.

"It was just a rare opportunity, you know?"

"I see. Thank you. So, have you decided what you are going to do from now on?"

"If I say something has been decided, then it's decided, and if I say it's not, then it has not been decided."

"? What do you mean?"

"Well, it depends on your schedule, Alec. Why don't you go see the festival with us?"

Alec looked surprised at Kousuke's suggestion.

"Is that… Are you sure?"

"Of course, we'll have both of you wear masks, okay?"

Kousuke looked at Mitsuki with a chuckle.

He then took out two masks from his item box.

"Alright then, let's go!"

Before Alec could say anything, Sonia, who was supposed to be speaking with Floria, joined the conversation.

"No, but…"

Alec was worried about Floria.

It had been quite a while since they came to the Tower, but that didn't mean that their previous concerns were gone.

To begin with, when Alec was revealed to be in the Tower, it was assumed that Floria was somewhere in the Tower as well.

Therefore, they were in a situation where they didn't know where the observers could be hiding.

"If you don't want to join us, then don't. If you do want to join us, that's fine too. It's up to you to decide, you know?"

Kousuke softly chimed in to Alec.

Floria had been hiding for so long, but it was time for her to start living. Living a proper and a better life.

That was what the bait was for.

He was also optimistic that if she was in danger, there would be a warning from Spica, who had given Floria her blessings.

"So, that's what you mean… I understand. I'll make preparations immediately and join you."

Alec understood Kousuke's goal and immediately agreed.

Needless to say, he was counting on Mitsuki as a guard to handle it if anything does happen.

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The first place they headed for with the addition of Doria and her husband Alec and Sonia was the temple where Kousuke previously performed the divine summoning.

The plaza in front of the temple was noisy with stalls, but inside it was calm and quiet.

Sonia was at first surprised to be told that Kousuke was the main deity of this temple.

However, when she saw the expression on Floria's face when she introduced Kousuke, she seemed satisfied.

Of course, Alec told her about what Kousuke had done here.

But that didn't change her initial impression. Naturally, it was just that she was a woman who could read the atmosphere well.

As expected for a woman who had been the wife of a third prince.

And she had the guts to follow Alec, who had abandoned his position.

According to Floria, she was just a simple idiotic parent, just like Alec.

They came here not for any particular reason, but because they had not been here once since they summoned the deity, and they wanted to see how things were going.

As soon as they entered the prayer room of the temple, they could sense the presence of the Divine Realm.

It seems like the blessings he received when he summoned the deities were still in place.

It was strange, though, that he had such a hard time suppressing his own divine power, even though he could sense the presence of the divine presence in this way.

As they proceeded while feeling such an atmosphere, they found a woman in the hall that appeared to be empty.

Sylvia noticed this person and called out to her.

"Lirica, was it? You seem very enthusiastic, even though it is the day of the festival."

"Ah! Sylvia-sama!"

She bowed to Sylvia, knowing that she was a Kousuke priestess since they had already met many times.

"It is indeed a day of a festival. But it is also because of Kousuke-sama that we can open the festival."

"I see."

Lirica's answer was met with a smile from Sylvia as well.

Kousuke felt a tantalizing feeling as he watched her.

In the past, he would have felt a lot of discomfort, but perhaps because he was beginning to be more conscious that he was a living god, he felt less discomfort from such emotions.

Lirica glanced at the people Sylvia brought with her, but did not want to ask anything because she thought it would be impolite to do so.

She knew about Peach because she had seen her with Sylvia, but she had never seen the others before.

Above all, she did not know whether she should pay attention to those who brought their monster servants to this temple or not.

Sylvia didn't say anything, so she was wondering if she should not say anything about it.

Lirica was unaware of the unexpected situation that would soon follow, while she was struggling with her own common sense.

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Chapter 3, Fiancée?

While Lirica was struggling in her mind, Kousuke suddenly realized something.

He was about to call out to Lirica to make sure what he thought was correct.

But he was interrupted by another voice.

"Alec-dono!"

A man's voice calling out for Alec echoed through the temple.

All but Lirica and Sylvia were now wearing masks.

Normally, they would not have known that Alec was here.

Alec let out a sigh behind the mask he was wearing and then removed it.

"What can I do for you, Dion-dono? As you can see, I am trying to enjoy the festival right."

Frowning, Alec spoke to the man he called Dion.

Dion approached Alec with three men in tow, all of them cronies.

"It's nice to finally meet you. After all, you always say you don't have time to see me."

"I'm the acting governor of this city now, remember? I have to put my work first, you know?"

Dion had come to see Alec several times before.

Each time he had been turned down, but he refused to give up.

But that was not to imply that Alec had never met with him at all.

They met several times, but each time the conversation ended on a parallel track.

"So, you should be fine now, right? After all, you are enjoying the festival."

"Are you telling me that I can't even enjoy a date with my wife?"

Dion shrugged his shoulders, not caring about Alec's cold expression.

"No, no. That's not true. I just need you to make a little time for me."

"All I'm hearing is that you still don't understand how precious my time is. To me, time with my wife is extremely precious."

"It can't be helped. I too, believe time with you is extremely precious."

Dion was behaving in a way that he never would have never acted to the Alec of the past.

After all, Alec was the third prince of his country.

But now, Alec was just a mere representative.

This was why he had this attitude.

"Alec-sama, who is this person?"

Sylvia, who decided that if things continued as they were, it would never end. Thus, she intervened and asked.

Dion looked at Sylvia with a surprised expression for a moment, then smiled.

"I beg your pardon for this. Beautiful young lady. I am the eldest son of the Duke of Viera of the Kingdom of Flores, and my name is Dion Viera."

"I see."

Sylvia only bowed to Dion and quickly turned to Alec.

"Did he have any particular request for you?"

She asked after judging Alec's demeanor. Naturally, Alec immediately nodded.

"Well, it's not a big deal. At least, not one that needs me to think about. I have been telling him that the answer will be the same, no matter how many times he asks."

"You! Is that what you would say to your own daughter's fiancée? I came all the way here to pick her up, and you say it's not a big deal?"

"Fiancée?"

Sylvia already knew who he was referring to, but she pretended not to know and asked Alec.

"Ex-fiancee. That's something that's long since been cleared up."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. And as soon as he found out that my daughter had a blessing, he turned around and wanted to get her back. It's absurd, don't you think?"

That explanation made perfect sense why they currently had this situation.

Certainly, if it was Alec, he should be able to handle all of this. Unfortunately, Dion had the backing of the Duke's family, so he was unable to kick him out carelessly.

"I see, so that's how it is."

Sylvia nodded in agreement.

Everyone present was able to hear everything. Thus, they realized that it was foolish to take the other party seriously.

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"I, of course, did not want the engagement to be broken off, did I? So, it's quite a misunderstanding to say that I called off the engagement."

Dion said so brazenly, but unfortunately, no one except his cronies heard what he was saying.

"I see. I have nothing more to say to you. I'm going to ask you to leave."

"What? How? This is not your office or your home, you know?"

Dion smiled, and his cronies behind him clicked their swords in a deliberate manner.

Alec saw this, and before he could say anything, Sylvia reacted.

"Refrain, you insolent ruffian! Where do you think you are!"

Normally, weapons were forbidden in a temple.

In a normal temple, if he had done what he just did, he would have been kicked out immediately.

However, Dion's side did not lose their brazen attitude, as if they knew that there were no priests in this temple.

"Haha. If it were a normal temple, that language would be understood, but not here, young lady."

"I see. So, you're saying you're not going to back down no matter what? I don't care what happens, okay?"

"…What?"

At Sylvia's words, Dion looked frightened for a moment.

"It's true that there are no resident priests here, but don't you understand that this is a special temple?"

"…What do you mean?"

"You know that this temple is blessed by the three Great Goddesses, don't you? And it is the temple of the Tower, which is ruled by a special deity. Do you think you can get away with making a scene there?"

"You, you are just bluffing…"

"Do you want to find out for yourself if I'm bluffing or not? If so, try doing something."

Dion looked puzzled as Sylvia calmly said so.

Dion could tell from Sylvia's demeanor that she was no ordinary priestess.

"Who are you?"

"I'm sorry, I'm late to introduce myself. I am the chief priestess of this temple."

Sylvia did not mention Kousuke's name or her own.

That was enough.

"A priestess… That means…"

Normally, a priestess would refer to all women in the priesthood.

However, everyone present understood that in this case, the word priestess had an entirely different meaning.

The fact that she clarified her position, which should not be spoken of casually, made it clear that she was not lying.

"I don't really care about what you think, but I won't allow any more commotion in this temple, understand?"

Dion checked Sylvia again. [She just looks like a little girl.]

However, she certainly seemed different from the other priestess who was standing right beside her.

In his position, he had met many high-ranking priestesses, and the girl in front of him gave off the same atmosphere as them.

"…Tsk."

Dion, who had unintentionally clicked his tongue, glared at Alec once more and then walked out of the temple with his cronies in tow.

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"Wow, that was wonderful, Sylvia-sama."

Lirica, who had been watching the series of events, praised Sylvia as if she were impressed.

Sylvia just shook her head.

"No. I am not ready for that. Innately, I have to govern without revealing my position as a priestess."

"But it is also true that you saved me. Thank you."

Alec bowed his head in agreement as well.

"Yes, I suppose so. I was thinking of stepping out as well."

Floria removed her mask as she said this.

"You shouldn't do that. It will only make them feel even better."

It was not hard to imagine what would happen as a result.

After all, not only was the God of this temple present, but there was even a messenger of God right next to him.

If they continued as they were, Mitsuki would have undoubtedly stepped forward.

Sylvia felt inwardly that her greatest achievement this time was that she was able to suppress the worse from happening.

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Chapter 4, Atmosphere of the Temple

Sylvia was able to keep Dion and Alec's little ruckus in check.

Lirica was on edge as she watched, but eventually, she came to respect Sylvia.

Lirica did not want any trouble to occur at the temple.

Lirica's reason for coming to clean the temple each time was, at first, to atone for her sins.

Until Kousuke, the ruler of the Tower, was announced to be a living god, she had been making a scene in the administrative office.

Looking back on it now, it would be a shameful thing to say, but at the time she thought it was only natural that a temple should have a clergy.

She also felt that it was only natural that those who were part of the clergy should be responsible for cleaning and maintaining the temples.

As she continued to do this, she gradually came to like the atmosphere of the temple.

In a normal temple, even if there were no visitors, it was natural for one or two priests to be present.

Of course, a temple in the countryside would be a different story, but for a temple of this size in this city, it was truly the exception to the exception.

The switch from the hustle and bustle of the city to the tranquility when entering the temple, and the unique atmosphere when inside, was a real experience.

She continued to go to the temple even though her friends half-teased her for trying so hard because she became aware that she could experience that atmosphere.

After she became aware of this, she told her friends about it, but they just nodded their heads and wondered if it was really like that.

Lirica did not think they would understand her either.

After all, even the people she often worked with on cleaning projects had the same reaction.

She was not sure if this sensation was because she was a member of the clergy, or if she was the only one who could feel this sensation.

Some of the adventurers were also part of the clergy, and, like Lirica, were there to clean up the temple.

If one had been going there for a long time, one would naturally get to know the people.

Some of the clergy who attended also mentioned similar things, so perhaps it was the atmosphere that gave them a sense of what they had been trained to do.

Anyway, with all that said, she was doing the cleaning work because she likes this temple.

That was why she came to the temple in the middle of the festival and did the cleaning work as she always did.

Lirica felt admiration for Sylvia, who was able to restrain Dion only by the power of her words.

She appeared to be the same age or a little older than herself.

Such a young woman made a man back down without using force.

Even if it was not Lirica, there would be many who would feel the same way.

Sylvia, in particular, is a priestess of the main deity of this temple.

She was already treated like the head of the temple by the clergy who attended to the cleaning of the temple.

It was only natural for her to be treated as a priestess of the main deity.

In this temple, which was different from the ordinary in many ways, the priestess was also treated differently.

To begin with, it was impossible for the priestess herself to be stationed in this temple.

Moreover, the priestess was said to be directly taking care of the actual deity in this Tower, which made the situation all the more unthinkable.

It was only natural for a priestess to be by his side, since despite being a deity, he was also present (manifested) in this world, not in the divine realm.

Therefore, the clergy who attended this temple understood Sylvia's position and gave her special treatment, even though she only showed her face every once in a while.

Of course, Lirica had been a member of this group until now, but this incident reinforced that feeling even more.

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Lirica once again checked the members of the group with Sylvia.

From what was said earlier, the man who was dealing with the man named Dion was probably Alec, the representative of this city.

It was not surprising that Sylvia, who was with Kousuke, the ruler of the Tower, was with the representative of this city.

From what they mentioned, they were enjoying the festival, perhaps a connection to the daughter who was mentioned in the conversation.

After all, he did not show his face until the end when Dion was there, but after Dion left, he took off his mask.

There were four other people wearing masks.

The members who had already shown their faces were members of the group, so they must be in good standing.

She then noticed that one of them was staring at her.

She didn't notice it at first because he was wearing a mask, but now she could clearly feel his gaze.

"? Yes, what is it?"

Lirica felt that the person seemed young by his mood, but she tried to be polite, just in case.

Somehow, he got the same vibe as Sylvia.

"Oh, sorry. That was rude of me. Let me introduce myself."

With that, Kousuke finally took off his mask.

Sylvia, who was standing next to him, was flustered by this.

"Ko… Wouldn't it be better not to take it off here?"

Sylvia almost gave his name, but managed to restrain herself.

Even though he only showed his face at the inauguration ceremony, it was this temple that held the inauguration ceremony.

There might have been people who attended the inauguration ceremony somewhere.

It could also be that they were invited guests, but there were quite a few adventurers who were sent to that event.

"No, it should be fine… For now."

Kousuke was able to guarantee that for a reason, of course.

Just around the time Dion left, he noticed the presence of the Gods.

That presence was, of course, the three great deities who give blessings to this temple.

And he knew the reason why.

This situation was undoubtedly due to the consideration of the three great deities.

They must have noticed Kousuke's situation.

The members of Tower were silently watching what Kousuke was going to do without saying a word.

Sensing this mood, Alec and his wife also remained silent.

"Sylvia, can you please introduce me to her?"

Kousuke said, remembering that he had not heard her name.

"Ah, yes. This is Lirica."

"Oh, Lirica-san, you can sense the atmosphere of this temple, can't you?"

Lirica was puzzled by Kousuke's unexpected remark.

"The air, you mean?"

"Yes. The air. Or atmosphere. Or silence, or something like that… It's hard to put it into words."

Kousuke said with a wry smile.

"That's something called 'Divine Power', perhaps, in this world's language."

Sylvia followed up with Kousuke.

And that was precisely what Lirica usually sensed.

"I see. So, this…is what you call Divine Power."

Lirica understood for the first time when Sylvia told her.

She realized that even though she knew it in words, she did not understand it until she actually experienced it.

Seeing Lirica like that, Sylvia nodded.

"I see, so you can sense it too, Lirica. That's wonderful."

"Yes, but I'm not the only one who can sense this, right?"

There were other clergy who sensed this atmosphere as well.

"If you have more than a certain amount of training, you will be able to sense it. I can say that they, too, have a certain amount of power as clergy."

"Is, is that so?"

Lirica tilted her head at Sylvia's words.

In fact, if one was able to sense this divine power, they would have risen to the next level as a clergy.

Essentially, it would inform them that they were associated with a superior of a certain power with a certain level of power.

Unfortunately, however, Lirica, who was an adventurer, had no such superiors, so she did not know that this was a divine power.

The clergy who normally interact with Lirica naturally assumed that she knew about the divine power and responded accordingly.

In other words, Lirica arrived here without any instruction from anyone.

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Chapter 5, Changes to Lirica

Kousuke's concern about Lirica was not only because he sensed divine power.

There was another major reason.

"Lirica, has anything unusual happened since you started visiting this temple?"

Kousuke asked Lirica cautiously.

He understood that if he made a mistake here, everything would be lost.

Lirica, on the other hand, who had been wondering who Kousuke was, tilted her head at the sudden question.

"What's changed? Nothing in particular…"

Lirica couldn't think of anything to say, so she replied, but then she remembered.

"Come to think of it, when I'm adventuring with my friends, it seems like it's easier to find rare materials… I feel like it's becoming much easier to find. It might be just my imagination, I suppose."

There was no dramatic increase, but it was sometimes easier to encounter unusual materials than before.

She recalled laughing with her companions and saying that perhaps it was because Lirica had started attending the temple.

"That's…"

Kousuke stopped Sylvia, who was about to say something after hearing Lirica's story, with a look.

Sylvia also sensed this and stopped speaking.

"? Is there something wrong?"

Lirica was not a dull person either, so naturally she noticed the situation.

"Oh, no. Nothing… But there is something else I need to check, okay?"

"? Huh…"

Lirica was puzzled by the suddenness of the situation.

Looking around, everyone, including Alec, was looking at her with interest.

No one was trying to stop Kousuke.

For Lirica, it was the first time she met him, but even though she was perplexed, there was no sense of distrust.

It was strange to say the least, but she decided that it was probably because of the remarkable members of the surrounding group.

"When did you start feeling the divine power?"

"I may have felt it for a while, but I guess I only became clearly aware of it about a month ago. No, well, I didn't even think of it as divine power."

"Oh, that's all right. As long as you can sense this atmosphere… So, was it around that time that the rate of finding materials increased?"

"Hmmm. If you ask me specifically, I think it's a little different."

"Heh. How long has it been going on?"

"About two or three weeks ago, if I remember correctly."

Lirica answered Kousuke's question in a straightforward manner.

She had no idea what these questions meant, but she went on answering them one after another without particularly doubting them.

In hindsight, she knew she was being guided from the beginning, but she didn't know it at the time.

That was why she allowed herself to be approached so easily.

"I see… So? Do you feel anything different right now?"

Approaching Lirica, Kousuke touched her forehead with the index finger of his right hand.

"…Ah."

Lirica stumbled for a moment as if dizzy on her feet, but Kousuke supported her as if he knew what would happen from the start.

Sonia, who had been watching the exchange so far, was about to raise her voice in protest, but Floria, her own daughter, interrupted her.

Specifically, she covered Sonia's mouth, which was already unmasked, with her hand and shook her head from side to side.

Sonia, seeing this, also reconsidered what it meant and decided to keep quiet.

Alec, by the way, remained silent from the beginning.

Of course, he knew it was because Kousuke was doing it with some intention.

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Lirica was being supported by Kousuke, but her eyes were still closed.

In this state, Kousuke started talking to her.

"Just keep your eyes closed. Do you feel anything?"

Lirica, who was completely in Kousuke's state of being guided by him, did as he said without question.

"…Warm…"

"Hmm?"

"I could feel something warm…"

Hearing this, Kousuke chuckled involuntarily, but Lirica, with her eyes closed, could not see his expression.

"Where do you feel it?"

"Around my chest…"

"Well, try touching it."

He didn't mean to physically touch it.

Lirica, who was completely at Kousuke's command, did as she was told and tried to touch the warm thing.

If asked specifically why, she could not answer, but at that moment, she certainly felt that she was touching it.

"Did you touch it?"

"…Yes"

"Then, you can open your eyes slowly now."

Lirica did as Kousuke asked and opened her eyes.

When she opened her eyes, Kousuke was right in front of her.

And as soon as she saw Kousuke, she understood who he was.

No, he made her understand.

She involuntarily tried to pay tribute, but was immediately stopped by Kousuke.

"No, you don't have to do that."

"But…!"

"It's okay."

As Kousuke shook his head further, Lirica looked at Sylvia, as if asking for help.

Sylvia, who was looking at her, chuckled.

"It's okay, Kousuke-sama is that kind of person."

"Haa…"

Somehow, Lirica could not understand, but she had to force herself to agree.

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Sonia watched the series of exchanges in amazement, but managed to understand the situation after the last exchange.

"What is this? Does this mean that she understood that person was Kousuke-sama?"

She asked Floria, who was standing right beside her, in a whisper.

"It seems so."

"….How?"

"I don't know. I don't really have any idea when it comes to that stuff."

Since matters concerning Gods were completely within Sylvia's scope, even Floria had no idea about what exactly just took place.

Peach, who had been listening to their conversation, followed up with them.

"To put it simply, I guess you could say that Kousuke-san's Divine Presence that was originally felt within Lirica-san has been magnified~?"

"The Divine Presence? But wasn't he trying to suppress that completely?"

Now that he was able to completely suppress his divine will, he should be able to enjoy the festival like this this time.

"Yes~. Therefore, I said it was inside Lirica-san…"

"Inside… That means…"

Floria finally understood what Peach was trying to say.

But she also understood that it was still too early to say anything.

After all, Kousuke did not tell Lirica yet.

They understood that they could not say it themselves.

Sonia, who had been completely left out of the loop, looked at the two of them with a questioning look on her face.

With Lirica still confused, Kousuke turned his gaze to Sylvia.

Sylvia understood the meaning of his gaze and followed up with Lirica.

In a situation like this, it was better to leave it to Sylvia, who knew the clergy best.

"Lirica, are you okay?"

Sylvia asked Lirica, who was still trying to sort out the power within her.

"Oh, yes. I'm still trying to sort out what's going on inside of me…"

"You can't think with your head. It's better to just accept it as you feel it."

What Lirica felt now was a part of Kousuke's power itself.

Lirica was able to stay in this state because she was trained as a priestess, but if someone else were in the same state, it would be difficult for them to even maintain a clear consciousness.

It was unlikely, however, that an untrained person would accept the power of a God.

Lirica, advised by Sylvia, closed her eyes once more.

Closing her eyes and accepting power was something she often did as part of her training.

Gradually, Kousuke sensed that Kousuke's Divine Power in Lirica was being fully accepted.

Kousuke felt again that it was better to leave such matters to Sylvia.

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Chapter 6, Granting of Blessings

At that moment, Lirica seemed calm, but just to be certain, Kousuke looked at Sylvia.

Sylvia, who understood exactly what he intended, only nodded in return.

In short, he asked her to confirm that everything was all right.

The fact that the confirmation was made was significant.

The main subject would be from now on.

"Have you calmed down?"

Sylvia already confirmed it, but he made sure to confirm it with Lirica as well.

There might be some discomfort that others would not be able to understand.

"Oh, yes. I'm fine."

Lirica was still not used to having a conversation with Kousuke, and Kousuke chuckled inwardly.

He thought that there was no need to be so nervous, but of course, he didn't say it out loud.

He understood that it was pointless to say such a thought, especially since it might make the situation worse.

"So, here's the thing…"

"…Hai!!!?"

Lirica tried to respond to Kousuke's statement with a nod, but after starting with those lines, she was a bit distraught.

What happened earlier was surprising enough, she thought, but what kind of joke was it was to start with that conversation?

However, she quickly remembered who the other person was and hurriedly bowed her head.

"Oh… I, I'm sorry!"

"Ah, that's enough. We're not going to get anywhere with the conversation if you're going to bow down all the time."

"But, you see…!"

Sylvia, who couldn't help but be amazed at their interaction, decided to intervene.

She thought that if Kousuke said anything more, it would only have the opposite effect.

"Lirica-san, it's okay if Kousuke-sama says it's okay. I'd have you listen to what he has to say first."

"Ye, yes!"

Lirica straightened her back, this time with a snap.

At this point, Kousuke was beginning to get a grasp of Lirica's personality, even if somewhat vague.

He wondered if she would be okay, and finally decided to talk about the main issue.

"This is sudden, but would you be willing to accept my blessing?"

Kousuke asked, but there was a long pause before her next response.

"….Haaii?"

"Well, as I have been trying to tell you. I want to grant you my blessing, would you accept it?"

Kousuke tried again, but this time there was no response from Lirica.

To be precise, she was trying to answer somehow, but her mouth was moving but not her voice.

"Kousuke-sama, I think that was too abrupt, you know?"

Alec advised with a wry smile.

Since Lirica, a third party, was present here, the response was taken completely out of context.

"Huh? What?"

Kousuke tilted his head, not understanding the meaning.

Giving blessings was something that Kousuke had never given to an outsider before.

After all, the only people he had given blessings were the Tower members, and he had given countless blessings to his dependents as well.

He felt that one more person would not be a big deal.

Unfortunately, however, this was significantly out of line to the public's way of thinking.

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Alec looked at Sylvia, holding her head in her hands.

"I think this is because of you, you know."

With that, she pointed out Sylvia's lack of training.

"Oh my. I can't be blamed alone. Besides, it is true that for Kousuke-sama, giving blessings is not a big deal."

"Even so, we have to at least teach him how it affects the people around him, don't we?"

"Well, well, what's the use of you two arguing here?"

Floria interrupted the two arguing.

"For now, Kousuke-sama. You know what it means to get a blessing, just remember what happened to me… you see?"

Kousuke understood what she was trying to say, although Floria was speaking in her usual manner, the speech that was coming out was tinged with suspicion.

At the same time, he understood Lirica and Alec's reaction.

Usually, if one were to receive a blessing, they would either be used as a political tool or, at best, they would be pampered and surrounded by church people, also wanting to receive a blessing.

At the very least, it would be impossible to be an adventurer as Lirica was now.

"Mmm, mmm… I see… Oh, that's right. I've got a good idea."

"A good idea?"

She had a somewhat bad feeling about this, but just in case, Floria asked.

"If no one's going to discover that Lirica-san received the blessing anyway, all we need to do is to keep quiet about it."

Everyone's heads went blank as Kousuke nodded his head at the good idea.

"No, Kousuke-sama, that's… I don't think it's possible."

Sylvia, who was the first one to recover, except for Mitsuki, said so.

"Why?"

"Why, because… It's almost impossible to hide the fact that you have a blessing."

"Really? How do you know if someone had a blessing?"

"Well, the Church… What?"

Kousuke nodded to Sylvia, who tilted her head.

"Maybe they would receive an oracle from the Gods to find out? If so, all we have to do is keep quiet about it."

""Ah!""

Peach and Floria, who were listening, agreed in unison.

"Speaking of which, that's right. There was no particular problem, was there?"

Sylvia nodded again.

"If there's a possibility that it could be found out, I think it would be on the Crown card, but I could always just hide it."

"You're certainly right."

Floria nodded again as if to conclude.

"No, wait. Are you certain you're okay with this?"

Alec asked the entire Tower crew.

"Well, Alec-sama, let me ask you the opposite. How else would the church know that a person received the blessings of the Gods?"

"It's… The high priesthood would know?"

"That's unlikely."

Alec's opinion was brushed aside by Sylvia.

"How can they know about the blessings that represent the power of the Gods themselves if they don't even know about the power of the Gods in the first place? It may be possible to feel the divine power of a blessing, but that's more or less a given for those in the clergy."

"…You mean?"

"It means that Lirica-san has no obstacles in obtaining Kousuke-sama's blessings."

That was the opinion of Sylvia, the expert, and Alec had no choice but to remain silent.

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Lirica had been listening to the conversation so far with a stunned expression on her face, but she was inwardly panicking as she felt the outer moat in her mind was being filled.

If this continued, she would be certainly given.

The deterrent was Kousuke's next words.

"Don't you want my blessing? If you don't, I'll stop."

Seeing Kousuke with an apologetic look on his face, Lirica completely lost her mind.

There was no way she could refuse if the God himself gave her such a look right in front of her.

She felt somewhat more at ease now that she had reopened her mind to the fact that he was such an ungodly deity.

"Um…"

"Yes?"

"I don't mind, but what am I supposed to do with the blessing?"

At Lirica's question, Kousuke looked at Sylvia.

"What? Did the person who received blessings have to do something?"

"Usually, it's to act on behalf of that deity, or to give an oracle, although in Kousuke-sama's case, neither of those things are required."

Always present in this world, Kousuke had no particular need for moveable hands in this world. At least not at the moment.

"I suppose. Well, if there was indeed a purpose that I had to say, it would be to confirm whether they could receive the blessing."

Currently, the only people who have Kousuke's blessing are those who were close to Kousuke, except for the dependents.

He would like to know if others could also receive Kousuke's blessing.

Of course, it could not be just anyone, and there would have to be some conditions for those who could be granted the blessing.

Fortunately, Lirica was found to possess those conditions, which was why he brought up the subject.

Kousuke was concerned about Lirica because he knew that she had the conditions to be granted the blessing.

Overall, after Lirica listened to their conversations, she decided to accept the blessing.