The Lily Shinto Shrine has become a place visited by many clerics.
This is not only because the main sanctuary of the Avatar is located there, but also because each of the three great gods has a shrine built for them.
As a place that truly symbolizes the faith of the Central Continent, clerics gather from all over the continent.
Some clerics even visit from outside the continent, which shows how much the place is talked about among them.
However, the reason for the increase in people gathering on the floor where the Lily Shinto Shrine is located is not solely due to the presence of the four major shrines.
The entire Lily Shinto Shrine, including the shrines, has become a particularly popular spot for female adventurers as a place where friendly foxes appear.
Its popularity grew especially after the central shrine announced that foxes were the guardian beasts of the Avatar.
Originally, foxes would only be targets for subjugation by female adventurers, but at the Lily Shinto Shrine, they have become a source of healing.
Kousuke, accompanied by Silvia, visited the Lily Shrine, one corner of the Lily Shinto Shrine, after a long time.
While the stated purpose was to hear about the general state of the Lily Shinto Shrine, Kousuke also simply intended to see the sights as a tourist.
However, when Kousuke appeared at the Lily Shinto Shrine through the Teleport Gate, he was uncharacteristically stopped by Yuri.
“Welcome, Kousuke-sama. Is your time available now?”
Since Yuri rarely spoke to him, Kousuke nodded in surprise.
“Yes. I have time… Is something wrong?”
“It’s nothing major, but I thought I should report it just in case…”
“Hmm? Well, understood. Let’s move to a different location.”
Kousuke, tilting his head at Yuri’s hesitant explanation, nodded and suggested they move to a different location.
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The room with the Teleport Gate to the Lily Shrine was not suitable for standing and talking, so Kousuke and his party moved without being noticed by the worshippers.
The entire Lily Shinto Shrine, including the Lily Shrine, is under Yuri’s influence, so she knew exactly how to move without being seen.
Kousuke was grateful to use Yuri’s ability to move, as being discovered here would have caused an uncontrollable commotion.
Upon entering one of the rooms at Yuri’s guidance, Kousuke sat down on a cushion that was provided and asked.
“So? What is this report about?”
“Yes. Many people have been coming into this area, and it seems the quality of the ‘ki’ has changed.”
“Hmm? …Ki?”
Kousuke’s eyes widened as he heard the unfamiliar word, and he tilted his head.
He glanced at Silvia just in case, and she looked equally puzzled, shaking her head from side to side.
Seeing Kousuke and Silvia’s exchange, Yuri, thinking her explanation was insufficient, opened her mouth to try and explain.
“It’s difficult to explain ‘ki’ in words… Would it be similar to the powers you call magic power or divine power?”
Although her explanation was vague, there were no appropriate words, so it was difficult for Yuri to explain.
The concept of ‘ki’ was purely based on Yuri’s senses, making it hard to answer specific questions.
Kousuke and Silvia understood this, so they didn’t press Yuri further.
They decided to simply recognize it as something that empowered Yuri.
“Hmm. Well, I sort of understand, so don’t force yourself to think about it further. More importantly, is that power having any negative effects?”
What was important to Kousuke was the effect on Yuri, so he didn’t dwell on this unknown power for now.
Yuri, perhaps having given up on explaining it perfectly from the start, didn’t say anything further to Kousuke.
“That is also somewhat ambiguous. It depends on the emotions of the people at the time… Ah, but there are not many negative emotions right now, so there’s no need to worry.”
Instead, Yuri’s expression became a little troubled as she answered the latter part of his question.
In essence, the “ki” power Yuri spoke of was created by people’s emotions, so powers with the nature of both positive and negative emotions were increasing.
Both stem from human emotions, so there was no inherent good or bad, but if negative emotions increased within the Lily Shinto Shrine, it would not have a good influence.
While few people brought negative emotions like curses to the shrine, the fact that it couldn’t be completely denied was troubling.
Kousuke, understanding what Yuri meant, looked at Silvia with a perplexed expression.
If the emotions of the people visiting the shrine needed to be controlled, he had no idea how to deal with it.
…Or so Kousuke thought, but for some reason, Silvia looked convinced.
“Silvia?”
“Ah, yes. Excuse me. This isn’t limited to temples, but there’s a saying that one shouldn’t utter curses or ill words in front of gods or at buildings where gods are enshrined. Perhaps that’s why?”
Kousuke looked impressed by Silvia’s explanation.
“Oh, is that so? Well, now that you mention it, people don’t usually say strange things at shrines, do they?”
In reality, Kousuke knew that there were beings who did peculiar things at shrines, but he deliberately didn’t mention it.
Kousuke had no intention of introducing strange customs to the world of Asgard.
Silvia nodded at Kousuke’s words.
“Yes. That’s why fighting is forbidden within temples… but there are still some unruly individuals.”
“Ah, well, I suppose that’s unavoidable.”
The more people gathered, the more they tended to cause disputes, big or small.
The “ki” emitted from such fights was also not a good power, so conflict was strictly prohibited within temples (shrines) unless there was a special reason.
However, no matter how much one warned, quarrels could still erupt from trivial matters.
This was why the clergy who managed the temples had to deal with such issues each time.
Nevertheless, it was rare for such fights to occur more frequently than during normal worship, so the temples and shrines were rarely defiled.
This was not only empirically known by clerics like Silvia but also agreed upon by Yuri, who had heard the explanation.
“I see. So, if we make it known that fights and disputes are forbidden within the Lily Shinto Shrine, will that be enough?”
“Yes. However, I don’t think people will consider it to be throughout the entire shrine, not just within the buildings, so it might be best to inform the shrine maidens first.”
“Ah, I see. Then, let’s start by talking to them.”
Kousuke said so and confirmed with Yuri if that would be sufficient.
Since Yuri also gave her approval, Kousuke decided not to speak directly to the shrine maidens working at the shrine but first spoke with Kokoro.
While not officially acknowledged, there was a hierarchy among clergy within organizations.
At least for the Lily Shinto Shrine, Kokoro was in charge, making her the most suitable person for Kousuke to address directly.
Kousuke had already resigned himself to the troublesome nature of such relationships, accepting them as unavoidable.
Kousuke has intentionally omitted the specific “strange customs” he mentioned.
In Japanese, the concept of “kotodama” (word spirit) exists, so it is better not to explicitly state it.
We hope you will ponder what it refers to in your mind. lol
(What are the strange customs performed at shrines?)
*The fact that this story was posted on March 3rd is purely coincidental. It was not intentional. lol
