Morning had come.
“Finally…”
It was time to encounter the Righteous Radiance.
For the first time since arriving on the Eurelia Continent, I was about to meet a transcendent being.
However, the gods had not yet regained their strength. That’s why they were likely resting within their sanctuaries.
Moreover, the Righteous Radiance had expended most of its gathered power to bestow upon me.
Perhaps the conversation wouldn’t last long. Even though it was practically in its own front yard, delivering an oracle still consumed power.
So, I had prepared what to say in advance.
I nodded in satisfaction as I put the notepad I scribbled on yesterday into my inventory.“Let’s go.”
“Without breakfast, Master?”
“…Morning prayers should be done before breakfast.”
Carla was rubbing her eyes and yawning. I couldn’t help but retort.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t contain my excitement.
After all, this was a real god, the first transcendent being I would meet since arriving in this world. And maybe it knew something about my possession!
I wasn’t excited at all…!
“Yaaaaawn. Like a child too excited to sleep before a picnic…”
“Hey! Elisha, you shouldn’t say that! Besides, Master looks cute like that.”
“That’s true.”
Pretending not to hear Carla and Elisha nodding in agreement, I opened the door.
Thanks to Helena showing me the location of the chapel the previous day, finding it wasn’t difficult.
“It’s still magnificent.”
“It’s the main chapel, so it’s natural.”
Iris’s voice was oddly snippy, probably still irritated that I pinched her cheek yesterday.
But as she grumbled, I petted her head softly and continued the conversation.
“I guess so. They say the chapel remains bright even at night due to the power of light.”
“Indeed. It’s always a place filled with light… A bit longer on the back of my head, please. Yes, down to the back.”
Iris was making cute noises and enjoying my touch.
Now that I think of it, Helena mentioned yesterday that the Righteous Radiance particularly liked this place and chose it as the chapel.
Since it was a space favored by a god, it was adorned even more beautifully.
Most of the Great Church was grand and imposing, but only this chapel boasted intricate decorations.
I slowly pushed the door, adorned with beautiful engravings.
Creak.
Oddly, it opened without any resistance, as if pushing through air. The first thing that came into view was the stained glass in various colors.
Blue, green, and red windows.
The light passing through them asserted their colors but soon mixed into white.
The place where the light from the stained glass gathered and shone white. There stood a giant lion statue.
A white lion roaring majestically, its mane flowing.
I was briefly in awe of the impressive sight that I couldn’t forget.
“Ah, you’ve arrived, Brother.”
Helena, who had been praying in the morning, greeted us. A little further away were Albaor and Gilbert.
Albaor, rising slowly, greeted with a warm smile.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”
“Thanks to your care, I slept soundly.”
The women behind me made subtle faces at my response, but that wasn’t important now.
“There’s no one else in the chapel.”
“Yes. Sir Yandel requested it, so we issued a restriction for today.”
“…”
I felt a bit guilty and burdened.
Gilbert noticed my subtle expression and laughed heartily, waving his hand.
“There are many other chapels, so it’s fine. Shall we begin right away?”
“Yes, we can’t occupy it all day.”
Nodding, I stepped forward to the white lion statue. Then, I slowly knelt on one knee.
Recalling Helena’s prayer posture that I had seen numerous times during our carriage ride.
I clasped my hands together in front of my chest and slightly bowed my head.
And then, thinking of the being that this statue represented, I slowly called out its name in my mind.
‘Oh, Righteous Radiance…’
Whoosh!
Even before I could say anything, light burst from my body as if it had been waiting.
“Master?!”
“Everyone, stay back; it’s fine!”
Carla, who was about to approach, stopped and stepped back with Albaor.
A good decision. Though my body was glowing suspiciously, it didn’t feel dangerous.
Rather, it felt warm, like receiving a blessing or focusing on the blessing under the sunlight.
The light of the blessing from within me brightened the surroundings and touched the statue of the Righteous Radiance.
Hum.
With a strange resonant sound, the light surged from me and was absorbed into the statue.
Crack.
The sound of something breaking followed.
The white light concentrated on the statue flickered and gradually separated, maintaining the lion’s form.
A white lion, identical to the statue, landed in the air and looked around.
“Ah… ah…”
“The Righteous Radiance…”
Albaor and Gilbert knelt on the spot, tears streaming down their faces, filled with astonishment, joy, and boundless reverence.
Helena, though not in tears, also knelt with an overwhelmed expression.
My companions, realizing what the lion made of light represented, stood stiffly.
However, the Righteous Radiance merely glanced at them briefly before fixing its gaze back on me.
The already brightly lit chapel was now dazzlingly radiant.
The scene overflowed with holiness, resembling the depiction in the holy paintings I saw while touring the Great Church yesterday.
Well… needless to say, this wasn’t a descent of the god. It was impressive, but it was just a shell without any real power.
It was essentially a kind of oracle caused by the resonance between the blessing bestowed on me and the divine power in the chapel.
Oracles usually involved phenomena like white birds covering the area, light descending into a windowless room, or voices emanating from statues.
In this case, the light had taken the form of a divine statue to convey the god’s will, but, as with most oracles, the message was vague and imprecise.
Still, this was quite something.
Even though it contained no real power, the immense sense of pressure conveyed was palpable.
In this atmosphere, which seemed to convey the true meaning of being on a different level, I slowly opened my mouth.
Let’s see. In the game, when playing as a priest, this was how we called upon the Righteous Radiance.
“Oh, most glorious one in the high heavens, ruler of the sun, protector of all that is good, Righteous Radiance, I beseech you.”
[Grumble…]
The white lion nodded in satisfaction, indicating that this was the correct address.
I pushed Helena forward towards the lion.
“This woman is worthy of becoming your saint. Please use her to shine a light amidst the approaching darkness.”
[……]
The Righteous Radiance stared at Helena, moving its front paw as if contemplating something.
It must have recognized Helena’s potential at first glance but was hesitating due to a lack of power.
Swallowing hard, I spoke the prepared words.
“…If necessary, you may reduce the power bestowed upon me.”
Helena’s blessing was already at Rank A. By lowering my blessing a few ranks, it could raise hers to the saint level of Rank S.
Although I’d miss the bonus from the blessing, it would be restored eventually as I progressed through the dungeons, so a brief hardship was manageable.
It seemed like a reasonable plan, and the Righteous Radiance should understand…
[Roar!]
The lion roared resolutely, rejecting the idea.
Then, it growled repeatedly, as if explaining why.
[Grumble. Huff. Roar]
…I had no idea what it was saying.
I knew it was an oracle, but this was frustrating.
Just as I was about to sigh in exasperation…
Ding!
A familiar chime rang in my ears.
The Righteous Radiance throws a tantrum, saying, [No! Absolutely not! No way!]
What on earth? The system was translating the oracle…?
It occasionally gave brief updates on what the Righteous Radiance or other gods were doing, but I didn’t expect this.
[Roar!]
The Righteous Radiance insists, [If you become my saint, everything will be solved!]
“No, I’m not becoming a saint…”
I replied without thinking, taken aback. The lion’s eyes widened.
The Righteous Radiance asks in surprise, [You can hear me?]
“Yes, I can hear you. Though I don’t know why.”
Nodding in confusion, the giant lion began to leap and purr like a cat.
The Righteous Radiance requests, [Then I don't need someone to interpret my words. Could you ask everyone to leave, except you and this child?]
“Sure, I guess…”
Passing on the Righteous Radiance’s request, everyone gaped in shock.
However, when the lion nodded, they exited the chapel.
Thud.
The sound of the door closing echoed in the empty chapel.
Now, it was just me, Helena, and the excited giant lion left.
The Righteous Radiance, looking around, suddenly emitted a bright light.
It was so bright that I couldn’t open my eyes.
But soon, the light gradually dimmed and descended to eye level.
The figure that appeared was very familiar.
It was Helena, with lion ears and a tail, wearing a fluffy scarf.
“What?”
“Righteous Radiance…?”
Helena and I blinked in astonishment, our voices sounding foolish.
Apparently pleased with our reaction, the Righteous Radiance raised both arms and roared.
[Roar, roar]
The Righteous Radiance boasts, [You like this, don’t you?]
“Well, this is more familiar and nice, but… um…”
After a moment of hesitation, I cautiously continued.
“Were you a woman? I thought you were a man because you always had a lion’s mane…”
[Roar!]
The Righteous Radiance grumbles, [I wear a mane because it looks cool!]
Oh, it was just for show.
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