Chapter 3: Man In Purple

It has now been about... Three years? I think. Since I came here, my power has certainly increased by a large amount, and yet, I am no closer to knowing what I am the god of.

I have a few ideas, of course. However, they do not seem quite right. First up, we have 'god of creation'. My reasoning for this is the fact that my blessing created an entirely new energy. Though that's quite a weak claim to the title.

Next, god of energy, I know, lame. I think that's enough said for that one. As for the third, I am thinking god of magic, as the humans in the village have taken to calling this energy and the crops affected by it as 'magical'.

The energy itself is only a theory to them that was posited by an elder of the village. He said that the god of the temple had created a new type of holy energy and he then called it mana and said the crops were magical.

I like the name mana, so I'll keep it. And magic, I suppose I like that word enough as well... But again, this is only a weak claim to the title, as I still do not quite know what the properties of the energy are.

I have noticed that the energy reacts to my command, or should I say will? Whatever the case is, I can control its movements and I theorize that if I get enough power, I could change its very properties, though it is still only a theory...

Oh, I also learned that the aristocrats of this kingdom have a written language and decided to learn it, of course, I've already learned dozens of alphabets, but it's always a good idea to learn something new when possible, you never know when it might disappear.

I have also decided I will be teaching Levin to read since I would like him to be my priest. The person who will write out my will in a sort of 'holy' text. Plenty of other gods have them, and if I want to gather my strength and compete in this world, I should have one as well. Maybe multiple?

In any case, I will generally be following this plan. Levin seems like quite the well-minded individual, so I am certain that he will be onboard with this idea. Plus, it's not like he does much anyway... He's pretty much just someone who keeps everyone in high spirits, if anything, this should help him with that.

Though, he did start doing more physical labor after receiving my blessing. As I was thinking, Levin had already walked in and nearly finished giving his offering, so I stood and began to speak.

"Levin." I said my now-iconic line. Levin remained knelt down, something I have gotten used to overtime. "Are you willing to become my priest? Someone who will tend to the temple and the will of its god?" I asked.

Levin thought for a few moments, then hesitantly spoke. "I would be honored, but I request that I am allowed to continue my usual duties." Levin stated simply. This boy, he has quite the golden heart, a good find if I do say so myself.

"That is fine, in fact, I hope for you to use your new job as an aide in your work. As my priest, you are the one who is chosen to deliver my word. Anything I wish to convey, you are the medium through which it will be delivered." I stated grandly, with my low and dulcet tone.

"Of course, Krothar. I hope to live up to whatever expectation you have." Levin stated with a warm and gentle smile. Of course, I don't have many expectations.

"Good, there is some training which will occur, though only at your leisure, so be sure to be prepared. And, it is nothing big, you will just need to learn how to read and write." I said lightly as I changed my position and sat on the altar once more.

"Of course, my lord. I will start tomorrow." Levin said as he rose. "I will speak to you once more then." He said with a happy expression. I wouldn't be surprised if he spread the news throughout the village, how could you not when such an offer comes around.

Free lessons in reading and writing. What a rare opportunity indeed.

...

As Levin had said, he has come once again today. Though it's quite early, he's lucky gods do not technically sleep. The difference between what we do and what mortals do is simple, when someone enters the temple, we are jolted awake.

What do you mean that's just sleeping with an amazing alarm? I promise you it's very different. Yes, very different indeed. Continuing with what I was detailing.

Levin was kneeling at the altar giving his offering, though much earlier than usual, and once he was done, he, for the first time, began a conversation with me. "Krothar, I am ready." He said. Admittedly, it wasn't much of a conversation, but it was one.

"Of course, Meet me outside of the temple in just a few moments." I said. He obliged, and I prepared a few earthy patches outside of the temple using my power.

The patches aren't large, but there are eight of them. Each one is two feet by three feet and has a small layer of dirt covering stone. I then wrote each of the written characters in the one closest to the temple.

There are thirty-two characters in total, and each of them has a sound attached to them. After directing Levin to the one closest to the temple, I began teaching him. Luckily, even peasants have the numerical system memorized, since that's necessary for daily life, buying and selling, things of the sort.

Speaking of numbers, apparently, there are gods of mathematics, which I found slightly strange, but then I learned that the mortal races didn't originally account for zero in their numerical systems, and then it made sense.

Anyway, after teaching Levin a letter, I would then have him go to the next dirt patch and write the sound as he said it over and over. With this, it only took him a little while to memorize a few letters. I also learned from this, that apparently his memory was amplified by my blessing.

Really, what is that energy I created? Without much effort, a week passed and Levin was able to read, although slowly. He still had issues with certain grammatical functions and had to sound out a lot of words, but he will get better with practice.

After the first week, I would then make paragraphs that would force him to practice everything he had learned. I also had him do the same, of course, we both made them in story form so it wasn't overly boring.

"Hey, Krothar." Levin said. It has been about two and a half weeks at this point, so I have gotten used to him just talking to me. "Did you know that the wheat you blessed has a sweeter taste to it?" Levin asked. Of course, I had no clue, but he didn't need to know that.

"Of course, it's one of the many benefits of my blessing." I said confidently.

"I see. Thank you. We've been selling a lot of flour thanks to that. Of course, we don't give them flour made entirely from those grains, it's only around three parts magic grain and seven parts normal grain. Even so, the taste is much sweeter, it sells very well." Levin said with a light smile on his face.

Indeed, it was true that they have been making more money, not only that, but the villagers all look much healthier now. Their clothes are of higher quality, as well as their homes. They have also been stockpiling a lot of materials, and my guess is that they are looking to improve the temple. Though it may only be wishful thinking...

"It is good that the village is doing better. When I came here I wasn't sure if I could do anything, but I slowly figured out that I could." I said. Speaking of helping out, I should probably bless more of the fields... I haven't increased the amount since the first time and I have much more power now.

...

Levin is now very proficient in reading, and no longer requires my teachings. As a sort of celebration, I made a priest outfit. And yes, I found out I can create objects. Apparently, any god can and nobody told me. I found out any god can create objects when I spoke to another god in a small village down the river.

There are many small gods such as myself which dot the landscape. Hm? Did I say the humans only have ten earlier in the story? I was referring to powerful gods. Since I am planning on becoming very powerful and famous, I figured I would add myself to their numbers automatically.

Anyway, the outfit isn't overly fancy. It looks more like light armor than anything else. A vest, which is made out of a durable leather-like material, which is a dark gray color.

The shirt is a dark purple color and made to regulate the temperature of the individual. Yes, magic. I adjusted the specific energy of the shirt to do this. The shirt is made of a material with a similar texture to a mixture of silk and cotton, and the fineness of silk.

The pants are a dark gray color and made of the same material as the shirt. They are blessed to do the same thing as the shirt. The main difference between the shirt and pants is that the pants are padded to protect from damage. Both the shirt and pants are also made to never stain.

I decided against making a hat for the outfit as it's an overused cliche, and I couldn't think of one that didn't look stupid. I did, however, make a belt that isn't uncomfortable to wear and has a sheath attached to it as well as several pockets. The belt is the same dark purple as the shirt, though the sheath and pockets mimic the color of the vest and pants.

I placed the full outfit on the altar, and soon enough Levin entered to give his usual offerings. "Levin." I called out. He knelt where he was, which is halfway to the altar. "There is no need for that, especially since today is a day of celebration. You have become a full-fledged priest of Krothar." I said. He stood slowly.

"I am grateful, my lord." He said with a warm expression.

"There is a gift for you on the altar, it is what I will now consider the garb of my priests." I said. Levin seemed happy and quickly went to the altar, though he did not forget his offerings.

Swiftly, he gave his offerings, then looked at the outfit. "Are you sure about this? Such wondrous items such as these are good enough for even an earl." Levin voiced his concerns.

"Worry not, I created them myself, and they are blessed items. They will keep you warm when it is cold, and cool when it is hot, they will also never stain. Furthermore, they are protective, after all, I wouldn't want my priests getting hurt." I explained the functions of the outfit briefly.

"I see, if it is a gift from you, and created by you, then I shall accept with gratitude. I am truly thankful for such a wonderful outfit." Levin said with a warm and gentle tone. Truly a humble boy.

I should probably mention it took about an eighth of my power to create that outfit, not to Levin, of course, that would make him feel guilty. But I should also explain the ranking system I have been planning. You see, The color of the shirt and belt determines your standing.

Black is the lowest rank. After that is red, then orange, then yellow, then a light green, then a dark green, then a blue, and then white, and finally, there is purple. Purple is a color of which I have come to favor quite heavily, in fact.

I'll explain this to Levin later... Speaking of Levin, he seems to have already gone back to get dressed. I suppose I should decide how my clergy should behave... In fact, I'm making a religion, I need to decide upon my core tenets...