The Prost Clan’s revival was ultimately completed by the two gods, Clara and Kousuke.
The task involved giving physical form through summoning to souls bound by the Prost’s Coffin.
Clara knew how to summon the desired souls, so Kousuke simply followed her instructions.
Of course, this was Kousuke’s perception; Shurein would say it wasn’t something that could be easily summoned.
If it were that simple, members of the Prost Clan, particularly those in positions like Viana’s, could have summoned them gradually over time.
The reason they hadn’t was that they were unable to do so, even if they wanted to.
Therefore, it was only natural that Viana, who saw them summoned one after another, albeit with the goddess’s advice, nearly fainted.
Shurein, who had sensed it beforehand, managed to catch Viana as she stumbled, but Kousuke, engrossed in the summoning, didn’t notice.
In total, Kousuke summoned a hundred people.
In this world, some races maintain their population with far fewer numbers, so whether this was many or few for the clan would be a matter of opinion, but the number summoned in such a short time and by a single person was extraordinary.
By the end, Viana’s expression, and the expressions of the summoned people, were akin to those gazing upon a god.
Of course, accommodating a hundred people within the room designated by the Prost’s Coffin was difficult, so the summoned individuals were moved to other rooms as they appeared.
With Kousuke steadily performing the summons, as the hundredth person was summoned, the remaining Prost Clan members bowed their heads to the last summoned individual. Then, Peach cried out.
“…Huh?!”
Taken aback by the sudden event, Kousuke turned towards Peach to ask, but before he could, the summoned person spoke to her.
“Oh. Does your presence here mean that everything has gone well?”
Kousuke tilted his head at the words, which implied complete understanding despite having just been summoned.
“Kousuke. This person is the last one, and it’s Elder Ines.”
Clara’s advice startled Kousuke, and he involuntarily looked at the person he had just summoned again.
Visually, he didn’t appear to be someone who could be called “elder.”
Based on Kousuke’s understanding, Ines should have led the Prost Clan for a considerable number of years.
While Kousuke was still surprised, Viana approached the summoned Ines and introduced Kousuke.
“Elder Ines. That person over there is the ‘Supreme Lord’.”
Upon hearing this, Elder Ines’s eyes widened in surprise, just like Kousuke’s.
Although Peach had provided her with knowledge, she didn’t know his specific appearance.
“What!!”
Hearing this, Ines hastily knelt.
The Prost Clan members remaining in the room, seeing this, also awkwardly adopted the same posture.
Some glared resentfully at Viana as if to say, “Why didn’t you tell us sooner?”
After the final summoning concluded and Kousuke confirmed the summoning circle had disappeared, he proposed to them.
“Well, perhaps we can discuss such matters after things have settled down a bit?”
“Yes. It’s about time for me as well, just as things are settling.”
Upon seeing Clara say this, Ines, still kneeling, lowered her head again in a fluster.
She seemed to have quickly realized who Clara was, especially with her divine power still active.
“This won’t do. Then I shall return to the divine realm now.”
“Understood.”
“Next time you visit the divine realm, please come see me. I want to properly thank you.”
Clara vanished from the spot just like that.
Her departure was abrupt, but it was also a consideration to avoid leaving an undue influence in that place.
Kousuke had deactivated his divine power, so with Clara’s disappearance, the divine power present in the area also vanished.
More accurately, it thinned, but for those who had been present, the sense of loss was so great that it felt like it had disappeared.
By the way, the residual divine power of Clara remaining in the place would persist for quite some time.
This alone served as proof that Clara had descended there.
“Now, regarding what happens next, can I get your agreement to discuss it with everyone as we talked about earlier?”
Before Kousuke began the summoning, he had already discussed a general direction for what to do next with Viana.
This included coming to the tower, of course.
“Understood. And what about Kousuke-sama?”
When Viana asked him, Kousuke offered a bitter smile.
“I’m going to speak with the Temple Head who presides over this temple. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to be completely out of the loop until the end, would it?”
Viana bowed her head to Kousuke.
“I apologize for the trouble.”
“Well, now that things have come to this, it will be faster to handle things as an Avatar.”
His identity had already been revealed to the Temple Heads, and given what he had accomplished, it would be quicker to address them as a god.
At this point, Kousuke had no intention of doing anything that would be meaningless by trying to speak as a mere adventurer.
“I appreciate your assistance.”
“Certainly. Well then, I’ll be going.”
With that, Kousuke, with Peach and Mitsuki in tow, headed towards the Temple Head.
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The Temple Head seemed to have been prepared for Kousuke and his group to request a meeting, as he was able to see them immediately.
Given that the temple was located deep in the mountains, the infrequency of visitors likely contributed to the prompt meeting.
Without much preamble, Kousuke explained what had happened.
However, he didn’t disclose everything, simply stating that Clara had descended in that room and summoned the Prost Clan.
The Temple Head first turned pale at the descent of Clara, the Goddess, and then his face grew even whiter upon hearing that the Prost Clan was summoned by her divine power.
After Kousuke finished speaking, the Temple Head, Adrian, tremblingly asked,
“And so… what about the Main God?”
“She couldn’t remain for such an extended period. She has already returned to the divine realm.”
Upon hearing this, Adrian visibly relaxed.
As if no longer needing to hide his emotions in front of Kousuke, his expression became more animated.
Adrian, his expression somewhat more composed, swallowed hard and asked further,
“And… what shall be done with the summoned Vampires?”
Adrian asked with apparent anxiety, and Kousuke tilted his head.
“Temple Head, what is it that you fear so much?”
Frankly speaking, it had been a long time since the church had viewed Vampires as enemies.
Viana should have already conveyed this information.
“No, it’s just that… our past actions as well…”
After a brief pause, Adrian said with apparent resolve.
“What are their intentions regarding this temple, these Prost Clan members?”
With those words, Kousuke understood what Adrian was implying.
At the same time, he realized that the temple side was aware that the Aris Temple originally belonged to the Prost Clan.
They feared that the Prost Clan, upon their revival, would reclaim the Aris Temple, which functioned to govern this land.
“Temple Head. While the Prost Clan’s future course of action is currently under discussion, I don’t believe the conclusion will be to reclaim this temple from you?”
This was not Kousuke’s speculation alone, but also Viana’s words.
The very reason they wished to be resurrected into this world using the Prost’s Coffin was to avoid persecution as Vampires.
Those who would forcibly advance their agenda through power were effectively buried in the past history.
Upon hearing this, Adrian let out a sigh of relief.
“However, if there is interference, they will naturally express their will to resist.”
“…You mean?”
“For example, attempting to purge those who know inconvenient pasts, perhaps?”
“Th-that kind of thing…!”
“Well, you would say that, but what about those who are beside you?”
“…”
Kousuke prayed that the Temple Head’s apprehension would prove to be unfounded.
The high-ranking clergy who governed the Aris Temple had passed down traditions from generation to generation.
However, this was not specific information about the Prost Clan’s desire for revival, but rather the fact that the temple had originally belonged to the Prost Clan.
The Vampires who sought to protect the temple through past purges chose to defend it through battle rather than wishing for their revival.
Ultimately, this was not achieved, but the temple’s secrets themselves were protected, which is why the clergy did not notice the mechanism until Kousuke and his group arrived.
…I had intended to incorporate this into the main text somewhere, but after much deliberation on where to place it, I’ve decided to relegate it to an afterword.
