In Asgard, polytheism is the dominant religion.
To be precise, each sect worships only one god, but it’s common knowledge in this world that there isn’t just a single god.
Since ancient times, the gods have occasionally descended into this world, making it impossible to deny their existence.
Each of these gods presides over different aspects of life, and the people of Asgard choose to worship gods that suit them.
Furthermore, it’s perfectly normal for a single individual to worship multiple gods, not just one.
Only those who serve a particular god, such as priests or shrine maidens, would focus their faith on a single deity.
The reason for this is quite simple: the sheer number of existing gods is extensive (similar to the concept of “Yaoyorozu no kami,” meaning “eight million gods”), and it was a natural progression to worship multiple gods in daily life.
If the gods themselves had rejected multiple faiths, it might not have happened. However, they did not prevent it and even seemed to encourage it, which is another reason why worshipping multiple gods became commonplace.
Why the gods encourage multiple faiths has been debated among clergy since ancient times, but no definitive answer has been reached to this day.
Therefore, in Asgard, where many gods are worshipped, ordinary people cannot possibly keep track of them all.
Some gods appear in forbidden texts within specific sects, meaning there are gods known only to high-ranking clergy who can read such books.
Naturally, there are also religious organizations that unite these clergy.
However, these organizations are not rigidly structured. Instead, there are temples that govern regions of a certain size, and the connections between these temples are more horizontal than vertical. Of course, well-known temples have greater influence, but there is no central temple that unifies all of them.
Consequently, since ancient times, people have simply referred to the congregations of clergy as temples or churches.
♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦
Silvia, while finding the conversation between Kousuke and Colette somewhat unpleasant, reassured herself that it wasn’t jealousy, but she couldn’t hide her agitation at Esena’s remark.
Even before that, her feelings had been obvious to those around her, though she herself believed she was managing to suppress them.
At this point, Silvia was aware of her own feelings, but she still had questions.
She had never even met the person she was smitten with until today, let alone had a conversation.
She never thought she was the type to fall in love at first sight, so she wondered why this was happening. Kousuke’s face wasn’t exactly her ideal type either.
As Silvia tried to sort out her feelings, Kousuke asked her a peculiar question.
“God Eris… is it?”
“No, not God Eris, but could God Elisamil also be called Eris?”
Kousuke’s question made Silvia ponder.
The Elisamil faith was her sect.
Although she was now separated from the temple itself, she hadn’t abandoned her faith.
When she was part of the main temple, she had the opportunity to access books that were considered forbidden, so she was confident in her knowledge of God Elisamil, surpassing that of ordinary people.
“……I can’t say for sure.”
“And that means?”
“It’s not that there aren’t any texts describing Elisamil-sama as being called Eris. However, that’s only when she’s addressed by the gods she permits to call her that.”
“Ah, I see.”
Kousuke seemed to understand, which surprised Silvia.
Frankly, Kousuke didn’t seem particularly devout. More accurately, he didn’t seem deeply involved with the temple.
She couldn’t imagine that he would know about Elisamil-sama being called Eris.
In fact, Colette, standing beside her, was impressed, wondering if such a way of being called existed.
“Colette, you shouldn’t be mistaken. She only allows those she permits to call her that, and otherwise, I’ve never seen or heard of it.”
“Is that so?… Who is that person?”
“As far as I know, God Jamil, and God Spica.”
Both are major gods that anyone in this world would know.
By the way, along with God Elisamil, they are called the Three Great Gods.
“…I see.”
It was probably a name that should not be carelessly spoken.
“By the way, why are you talking about this now?”
“Ah, um. …Before I answer that question, there’s something I want to ask… Silvia, have you ever been a vessel?”
Sylvia tilted her head in confusion at the mention of another technical term.
“Of course, that’s what we shrine maidens specialize in, so I’ve certainly done it before.”
As Silvia said this, puffing out her chest, she felt Kousuke’s gaze on a certain part of her for a moment, but she deliberately ignored it.
It was strange how she felt a sense of embarassment, yet not discomfort.
“Then, I’d like you to be a vessel for a moment, is that alright?”
“Of course, that’s fine, but why all of a sudden?”
“No, it’s probably the quickest way to explain everything.”
“…? Well, I don’t mind. Anytime is fine.”
As Silvia said so, Kousuke took her right hand and chanted a summoning spell.
“In the name of Kousuke, I call forth the one. Nestled in Silvia, emerge, Eris.”
Kousuke’s chant caused Silvia to feel something else entering her.
Up to that point, it was almost the same as any other time she had been a vessel.
However, she was almost overwhelmed by the immense divine energy that followed, and she hurriedly strengthened her will.
Then, words that were not her own began to be spoken from her mouth.
“Excuse me, Kousuke-sama. I don’t think such a forceful method of calling is appropriate, do you?”
Colette inwardly widened her eyes as Colette’s mouth clearly spoke words that were not her own.
“Hahaha… No, I thought Silvia would be okay… Was that not the case?”
“It’s not that it’s not okay, but with this method of calling, it won’t last long. …I can also pass, so I’ll be leaving now.”
“Yeah. This time, I just wanted Silvia to understand. Next time, I’ll have it done properly, over there.”
“Please do. Then, see you again.”
Silvia felt the presence leave her body as the conversation ended in an instant.
She remained stunned for a while by the lingering divine aura.
Seeing Silvia’s state, Kousuke peered at her with concern.
“Are you alright? Was it a bit too forceful?”
“No… Please wait a moment. This happened so suddenly, I can’t quite process it…”
The lingering divine aura within her was something she had felt closely in the temple she worshipped. More precisely, it was a greatly amplified version of it.
She couldn’t fail to understand what it meant, yet her disbelief was even greater.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t deny it and tried to come to terms with it.
Furthermore, she was also unsettled by the “gift” left by that god. Silvia, having undergone countless impossible events, managed to achieve mental stability by drawing upon her entire life as a shrine maiden.
“…I’m sorry. I’ve managed to calm down.”
“That’s good. …Are you alright physically?”
“Yes. Generally, descending gods have little physical impact. …It depends on the god being summoned, though.”
“…Hahaha.”
Kousuke could only offer a dry chuckle at Silvia’s sharp gaze.
“Wait a minute. When you say ‘descending god,’ do you mean the god from just now?”
Colette interjected frantically into their conversation.
“Yes, that’s right. …It was Elisamil-sama.”
“Eh… God Elisamil…?”
Colette instinctively buried her head in her hands.
And for good reason.
Eris, who is counted among the Three Great Gods, is not a being that can easily manifest in this world.
Therefore, it would be impossible for her to come in such a casual descent as just now. At least, by the common understanding of this world.
“Sigh. There’s so much I want to say, but I’m too tired for today.”
“Indeed. I’d also like to rest a bit.”
“Then, shall we call it a day?”
“Yes.” “Yes, we shall.”
As the two stood up, Kousuke reminded them.
“In case you’ve forgotten, don’t go out alone.”
The two had completely forgotten due to the shock of the events, but anyway, they had no intention of going out in their current state.
“It’s alright. I certainly don’t feel like going out in this condition.”
“…Me neither.”
Kousuke could only offer a wry smile at the two of them, who looked exhausted.
♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦
“Silvia, time doesn’t pass here, but that doesn’t mean we have infinite time, so I’ll be brief.”
“Huh? Uh, where is this? And who are you?”
“Calm down. This is, in a sense, within your mind. To be precise, it’s different. But anyway, I had something I wanted to say now, so I took this form.”
“…I see.”
“As for me, we’ll have plenty of time to talk properly later. Now, there’s something else… Your beloved is not someone easily dealt with, but I support you, so do your best.”
“…!”
“Unfortunately for you, it won’t be a situation where you can have them all to yourself, but still…”
“N-no, it’s true that’s unfortunate, but not particularly… What are you making me say!”
“Fufufu. Well, that’s how it is, so please do your best without worrying about my existence.”
“…Thank you?”
“I’m nearing my limit, so I’ll keep this short. Until next time.”
Whether this “gift” was the trigger for Silvia to move forward… only she knows, and in the end, this conversation was never shared with anyone else in her lifetime.
A: “Eris, that’s cheating!”
E: “Even if you say that, I couldn’t help but go when I was called…”
A: “Oh really? You went out happily, and yet you say such things. Hmm…”
E: “…What are you thinking?”
A: “I wonder what would happen if I told Jami and Spica about this.”
E: “…Please don’t.”
A: “Eris, a rival has appeared!”
E: “…Are you serious…?”
A: “Who knows? This author doesn’t think about the future anyway, so I think it’s possible.”
E: “……”
*By the way, even though I wrote this, I haven’t considered Eris having a rival. (As of now, at least)*
*Added wording regarding religious organizations on 2014/6/8.*
*Corrected typos on 2014/6/9.*
