When Kousuke arrived at Asura’s divine realm, he didn’t say anything to Eris, but after Kousuke left, Asura decided to convey the message.
The main issue was who would be active in Asgard, and once Kousuke was asked to do it, it was no problem even if other goddesses found out. Since Kousuke, who was already active in Asgard, would be searching for the divine tools, the other goddesses wouldn’t need to go.
Asura contacted Kousuke so that other goddesses wouldn’t notice for this very reason.
However, if Kousuke had trouble with the investigation or if it took a long time, there was a possibility that other goddesses might claim they would help too. Asura wanted to hide the fact that the divine tools were lost, but since Kousuke would be acting openly, they gave up on that possibility.
All that was left was to pray that Kousuke would find the divine tools as soon as possible.
Asura was thinking about such things, but then considered who they were praying to and, without thinking, pictured Kousuke’s face and chuckled to themselves.
Unaware of Asura’s thoughts, Kousuke returned to the Tower Management Layer and was met with worried faces from the members.
“Kousuke-sama, what happened?”
It was Silvia who asked him, in a more polite tone than usual. She was treating Kousuke, who had returned from the divine realm, as an Avatar. Silvia, though not necessarily knowing Asura by name, was aware of their existence. Given that Kousuke had been summoned directly by the being who ruled over the goddesses, it was natural to assume something had happened.
Silvia wasn’t the only one with a serious expression. Except for Colette and Peach, who were not currently in the Management Layer, the others all exuded a similar tension. Kousuke smiled reassuringly at them and said,
“It’s alright. It’s not a very dire situation… Ah, wait, is it a dire situation?”
“Now, Kousuke. What are we supposed to do if we hear that?”
Shurein said this, and while she was relieved by Kousuke’s usual demeanor, her face showed a hint of exasperation.
“For now, I’ll explain, so let’s talk after that, okay?”
“I see. Then, let’s prepare.”
Floria immediately sprang into action, knowing that Kousuke would explain properly. Given the circumstances, they intended to sit and talk properly, rather than standing.
Once the drinks for everyone were prepared at the meeting room table, Kousuke began to speak. He had nothing in particular to hide this time. He explained that three divine tools had gone missing from the divine realm and that they needed to be found.
“I see. So that’s what it is.”
“Searching for lost items, huh? That sounds quite difficult.”
Upon hearing Kousuke’s story, Floria and Shurein regained their composure and began to consider the request from the goddesses. However, Silvia had not yet regained her color.
Floria noticed this and looked at Silvia.
“Hm? Silvia, what’s wrong? We just need to find the missing divine tools, right?”
Floria implied that they just needed to find the missing items and return them. Silvia took a deep breath and explained the worst-case scenario she had been considering.
“The items that went missing were divine tools, Floria.”
“That’s right, I suppose.”
When an item disappeared from a mansion managed by goddesses, it was natural to assume it was a divine tool.
Silvia continued, as Floria looked at her with a “What are you trying to say?” expression.
“Divine tools are often thought of as items that the church hoards to assert its authority, but their original purpose is different.”
At Silvia’s words, Floria and Shurein exchanged glances. Kousuke, sitting next to Silvia, remained silent, knowing what she was trying to convey.
“What do you mean?”
Floria tilted her head, not understanding Silvia’s point.
“Originally, the reason the church started collecting divine tools was because they are extremely dangerous.”
“What?”
“There are examples in old records preserved by the church where divine tools went berserk and an entire continent was lost.”
Hearing that, Shurein and Floria immediately understood what Silvia was concerned about.
Shurein and Floria exchanged glances and then looked at Kousuke simultaneously.
“What about that, Kousuke?”
“Surely, it wouldn’t be that bad, would it?”
Although they sensed from Kousuke’s calm demeanor that such a situation wouldn’t arise immediately, they still seemed somewhat anxious. Kousuke smiled reassuringly at them, including Silvia, and decided to tell them the accurate information while pondering what to do.
“In this case, it’s unlikely to be an entire continent. At most, a mountain would be blown away.”
“A mountain…”
Floria muttered in a daze at Kousuke’s words.
Perhaps anticipating Kousuke’s words to some extent, or perhaps relieved that the extent was less than expected, Silvia let out a sigh of relief.
“As expected, those are indeed divine tools.”
“Well, they were kept hidden in the back of the mansion so as not to be carelessly brought out in the first place.”
As the two were casually conversing, Floria asked with a suspicious expression,
“Are they really divine tools?”
Generally, divine tools were spoken of as mystical items that brought great benefit to people. Of course, there were weapons with great destructive power among them, but the common perception was that such items were enshrined deep within temples.
“The divine tools that are commonly known also have an aspect that the church intentionally passed down.”
Information about the great damage caused by the rampage of divine tools was not something they needed to know. By hiding such things and deliberately emphasizing only the positive aspects, the rumors that circulated resulted in the current common perception of divine tools.
Sensing the situation, Floria’s expression turned bitter.
“It’s a story that shatters the dream, in a way…”
“Unfortunately, reality is often like this.”
Silvia’s nonchalant reply prompted Shurein to smirk and turn her gaze to Kousuke.
“Well, putting aside the talk of divine tools, you’re going to go search for them, aren’t you?”
“Yes. The sooner the better, I think.”
“I suppose so.”
After hearing Silvia’s story, it was impossible to think that they could take their time searching.
However, it was also unrealistic to start searching without any leads. Shurein’s gaze seemed to ask, “What do we do now?” Kousuke shook his head from side to side.
“For now, we know they’re somewhere in this world, but beyond that, I have no idea.”
“That’s like chasing clouds.”
“Right? Well, that’s why I thought I’d ask an expert first.”
“An expert?”
Shurein, who couldn’t think of anyone, tilted her head to the left.
” ‘Hitting the mark or missing the mark, it’s up to fate,’ as the saying goes, doesn’t that apply here too?”
“Ah, ah, so that’s what you mean. I see.”
Shurein finally understood what Kousuke meant and nodded in agreement.
While priestesses and priests also use things like oracles to receive divine revelations, there are other beings commonly consulted in such situations. As Kousuke said, whether they hit the mark or not is known only to the gods. Fortunately, there was a village of experts in that field within the Tower. Of course, this was referring to the divination practiced by the succubi, with whom Peach was currently child-rearing.
I’ve discussed divine tools a bit. I wanted to convey that the divine tools introduced so far are merely superficial. How was it?
