Towa and Kokoro had come to the management layer.
It was rare for these two busy individuals to come together, but it immediately became clear why they were here.
“Ah, perhaps the preparations are complete?” Kousuke asked, and Towa and Kokoro nodded with serious expressions.
“Yes.”
Recently, the two had been busy with the general admission to the Lily Shinto Shrine.
The shrine maidens who would manage each shrine had been selected, and preparations were in place to welcome visitors. However, since the Lily Shinto Shrine had a unique form of worship, Towa had been involved in spreading the word.
While complete awareness was impossible, they were disseminating information about how to approach the Lily Shinto Shrine to certain organizations, using Kokoro’s name.
However, this time, in order to spread the word as widely as possible, they had used the organization of the nation. This had, in turn, caused some troublesome issues.
One of these problems was proving to be a difficult matter even for Towa, the king.
“A problem?” Kousuke tilted his head, having no idea what Towa was referring to.
Seeing this, Towa gave a slight shrug and replied, “The matter itself is simple. It’s the suggestion that we establish a national religion with the Avatar as the main god— Father.”
“Rejected.”
Kousuke’s instant reply was met with a very serious nod from Towa.
“I said the same thing. However, the current strong faith in the Avatar is difficult to suppress.”
“Even for the King?”
“Even for the King… No, perhaps *because* I am the King,” Towa answered with a slightly bitter expression.
After all, Razek Amamiya was a nation founded with the trust of the Avatar. The first king, Floria, especially, was strongly perceived by the public as having governed the country as the gods’ representative.
Considering that context, it wasn’t strange to propose making the Avatar the main god of the national religion. Furthermore, the entire Central Continent had recently been recognized as a sacred area of the Avatar.
As the faith of the people living on the continent grew, it was not peculiar for discussions about establishing a national religion to arise. That’s precisely why Towa found it difficult to refuse and was struggling with how to handle the situation.
Kokoro, noticing Towa’s bitter expression, added further explanation. “To be honest, combined with the rumors about the Lily Shinto Shrine, people’s expectations have become quite high… You could even say they’ve become too high.”
Until now, there had been no shrines or temples where shrine maidens were officially installed to worship the Avatar. Because of this, people’s faith had grown along with the rumors of the Lily Shinto Shrine, leading to increased expectations for the establishment of a national religion.
“Hmm. So, even if Towa declared it unacceptable, it couldn’t be stopped?”
“No. It is still currently possible to stop it. However, it would inevitably leave some lingering resentment.”
Even if the king invoked his authority to halt the establishment of a national religion, a sense of dissatisfaction would remain among the people. This could subtly tarnish Towa’s standing as king in the future. While such a blemish might not be a significant blow considering Towa’s current popularity, the long-term consequences were uncertain. National governance often involved such small resentments growing into larger problems later on.
Kousuke’s brow furrowed at Towa’s predicament. “It’s just… I wonder if many people don’t fundamentally understand why establishing a national religion is a bad idea.”
The goddesses of Asgard had not officially permitted it. While some nations had established national religions, the goddesses had not explicitly approved them. One could say they neither approved nor disapproved, but simply didn’t deem it necessary to intervene (descend) to crush them.
The gods knew well that the existence of deities could sometimes be used as a pretext for conflict between nations. This was why the current, loose polytheistic doctrine had become the mainstream in the world.
“A world where faith is rarely used as a pretext for war between nations… I suppose it can’t be helped,” Towa remarked.
At worst, divine wrath could descend, so religious wars rarely occurred. However, that was only “rarely,” not “never.”
Following Kokoro’s sigh, Kousuke also let out a sigh. “I understand. Regarding that matter, I will… Ah, no. Shall I have Kouhi or Mitsuki handle it?”
“What!?”
Towa and Kokoro’s expressions turned to surprise at Kousuke’s unexpected words. They had anticipated that he would issue an official oracle from the Avatar, as usual. They had never imagined that Kousuke himself would propose sending Kouhi and Mitsuki, his spokespersons.
Kousuke looked at them with a slightly surprised expression. “Is it that surprising? I thought it would be better to make our intentions clear from the start.”
“Make our intentions clear… That would certainly be the most definitive statement possible, but…”
“The impact would likely be significant too,” Towa added.
If Kouhi or Mitsuki were to truly appear and publicly announce the Avatar’s will, it could spread not only across the Central Continent but throughout the entire world. The exact impact of this was unknown and difficult to predict.
As Towa and Kokoro’s faces clouded over, Silvia, who had been listening silently, interjected. “Towa, Kokoro, in any case, since the gods will be involved, it’s impossible to minimize the influence.”
“No, that’s a bit…” Kousuke grimaced.
Silvia shook her head. “No. It’s not just about you, Kousuke-sama. If this matter is handled poorly, other gods will get involved.” She meant that if someone misused the gods’ names to ignite a major conflict, the gods would almost certainly intervene directly.
Towa and Kokoro’s eyes widened at Silvia’s words, and Kousuke nodded slowly. “That’s right. In that case, I thought it would be better to use Kouhi or Mitsuki.”
“I see, so that’s how it is.” Having representatives convey the message before the gods themselves descended would indeed minimize the damage. Both Kousuke and Silvia were concerned about the gods intervening if the situation escalated.
Nodding, Kokoro watched as Towa’s face took on a determined expression. “If that’s the case, may we leave it to you?” Her demeanor was not that of a subordinate to a superior, but of a devout follower before a god. Towa’s unilateral decision, without consulting her subordinates, was based on the principle that one cannot stop the actions of a god. This was also why Towa adopted such an attitude. Kousuke, realizing this, simply nodded without any further teasing, acknowledging Towa’s difficult position.
In the end, Kouhi and Mitsuki, who appeared before the people for the first time in a long while (without revealing their faces), diligently fulfilled Kousuke’s request. The message that the Avatar did not wish to be worshiped as a national religion spread throughout the continent that very day.
Here, “national religion” refers to the establishment of a religion centered around the Avatar. While it may be difficult to understand, it carries a different nuance than simply deciding on a main god, as has been done before. Essentially, Kousuke’s concern is the potential for conflict arising from the promotion of each representative god and the expansion of their influence. This is akin to the religious wars that frequently occurred on Earth.
