This is an explanation chapter.
What is Divine Power?
There is no one in this world who can clearly answer this question.
Not few, not almost none, but absolutely no one.
Originally, Divine Power is, literally, the power that gods use.
In this world, where the manifestation of gods is rarely possible, the power wielded by gods when they manifest is considered Divine Power.
So far, so good. No one would deny that.
However, the Divine Power shown earlier is not the power wielded by gods when they manifest.
It is solely the power wielded by those living in this world, within this world.
In the first place, Magic Power and Holy Power are generally recognized in this world.
Unfortunately, if asked the difference between the two, there are probably very few who can answer clearly.
This is because what can be done with Magic Power can also be done with Holy Power, and what can be done with Holy Power can also be done with Magic Power.
However, it has been known for a long time that there is clearly a distinct difference between the two powers.
Therefore, there was a time when those who possessed each power clashed, but that has now subsided.
The reason is simple: those who could wield both powers reaped the benefits.
As those who could only use one power fought amongst themselves, their respective forces weakened, and a faction that recognized both powers stepped in to exploit the gap.
Currently, they have reached a state of mutual recognition.
Within this context, Divine Power is treated specially.
The common way of thinking is that it is the power wielded by gods, and beings living in this world cannot wield it.
By the way, ordinary people do not live their lives thinking about such things.
Only a very limited number of people can research such matters.
Be that as it may, the equation “power wielded only by gods = Divine Power” has been recognized as the norm for a long time.
It was only a few (perhaps) hundred years ago that this was challenged.
Questions arose, such as “What about those who receive oracles from gods?” or “Why can some people wield divine tools passed down from ancient times?”, leading to the opinion that perhaps they were actually wielding Divine Power.
The reason such a simple idea did not come up before is that Divine Power had already been treated as settled by the aforementioned equation.
To add one more thing, the person who put forth that opinion was someone who had received blessings from a god, which greatly contributed to their opinion being widely accepted.
However, despite a considerable amount of time having passed since that way of thinking emerged, unfortunately, no one has emerged who can freely wield Divine Power.
In the first place, since they don’t really understand what Divine Power is, there’s nothing that can be done.
Even if there were those who could use the power by chance, it wouldn’t be strange if they mistook it for Magic Power or Holy Power.
To such an extent, Divine Power feels very similar to Magic Power and Holy Power.
It’s convincing enough that if someone happened to use Divine Power, it would be said, “That’s Magic Power,” or, “That’s Holy Power.”
Magic Power and Holy Power have differences that allow them to be clearly distinguished.
That is precisely why disputes occurred in the past.
However, Divine Power, as mentioned earlier, feels like a power that is neither here nor there.
This is the opinion of Kousuke, who can sense Divine Power nearby.
The members who have become able to wield Divine Power share the same opinion.
In the first place, Kousuke was taught at the [Evergreen Garden] that Divine Power is a higher power, but unfortunately, he has rarely experienced that in this world.
The only time is when he uses the power of his left eye.
“Divine Power, is it a power innate to the soul…?”
Kousuke’s mumbling drew all the members’ gazes.
Silvia, representing them, asked a question.
“Mr. Kousuke, what do you mean by that?”
“Huh? Magic power and Holy power are powers of the body, and Divine Power is a power of the soul, right?”
Kousuke’s seemingly puzzled question changed the expressions of everyone present (except Kouhi & Mitsuki).
“What is that? I’ve never heard of such a thing?”
“Same here.”
“Me too.”
“Right~”
“Eh…!? Really!?”
Seeing everyone nod, Kousuke was surprised instead.
He thought this level of information was naturally understood.
He had heard it from Eris and Asura at the [Evergreen Garden] as a matter of course, so Kousuke thought it was a normal thing.
Seeing Kousuke’s reaction, Silvia seemed to have a premonition and asked Kousuke tremblingly.
“Um… who did you hear that from?”
“Who…… Eris?”
At Kousuke’s answer, the members’ expressions went slightly grim.
Silvia had heard various things about Kousuke’s relationship with Elisamil (God) not being ordinary (of course, the source was Eris herself), but she never imagined it was to the point of being taught such things. Well, the fact that he refers to Elisamil (God) as Eris makes it obvious from common sense that it’s not normal.
Now that I think about it, Elisamil (God) is one of the gods considered to be the supreme deity in this world.
Silvia, who converses with Elisamil (God) almost as if chatting, would also be considered abnormal by general standards, but Kousuke is an even more incomprehensible existence.
Silvia, who frequently interacts with Eris on a daily basis, was the first to recover and sighed.
“I won’t pry into when you might have heard such a thing. …However, if it’s from her, there’s no room for doubt.”
Everyone present nodded at Silvia’s words.
“That’s right. Well, if you think about it that way, it explains a lot of things.”
For example, if we consider divine unions for receiving revelations from gods as direct communication with the soul of that person, it becomes easier to understand many things.
This is purely speculation, Shurein continued, after prefacing it as such.
“Magic Power and Holy Power, which are powers of the body, naturally grow as the body grows. But whether or not one can wield Divine Power, which is the power of the soul, depends on whether the soul itself possesses that power from the beginning, doesn’t it?”
“But we became able to wield Divine Power after birth!”
Colette interjected her doubt into Shurein’s hypothesis.
If Divine Power is essentially the power of the soul, then isn’t it a congenital power?
“Well, perhaps it’s not that you didn’t have it originally, but that it manifested due to the Holy Water?”
It seems somewhat logical, but it also feels full of holes.
Ultimately, since there is no way to empirically verify it, it remains within the realm of speculation.
“Speaking of which, how is the communication function of the Crown Cards working? Weren’t those using Divine Power as well?”
“Divine power is one aspect, but it also subtly uses the technology of divine unions.”
“…Really!?”
Colette was astonished by the casually revealed fact.
“It’s like… I feel sorry for those who use it without knowing this.”
If this were known, people would undoubtedly say, “Don’t add such things so casually.”
Of course, neither Kousuke nor Isunani have any intention of making it public.
For now, it is enough that it is considered a convenient function.
As a side note, Kousuke once asked Isunani if the cards could be deciphered, but Isunani responded with a creepy chuckle, so Kousuke didn’t pursue it further.
“In the first place, it’s strange that you’re creating things that are essentially divine tools so readily.”
Just the other day, Kousuke had finished creating a divine tool for a divine union (oracle) that Eris and Jal had requested.
At Colette’s words, Kousuke saw everyone else nod, and he felt like a mouse cornered by a cat.
“W-well, it wasn’t much trouble to make because they wanted it… … ”
He tried to resist somehow, but facing the gazes that implied that the very fact of being requested was strange, Kousuke gave up resisting.
This time, I’ve tried to explain Divine Power.
I wrote this in a rush, so I hope there are no contradictions with previous stories as I post.
Starting around the next chapter, verification will begin on whether it can be used like Magic Power or Holy Power.
Please look forward to it without expectation (lol).
2014/5/24 Typo correction
2014/6/21 Typo correction
