Ever since the pastor brought out the statue of the goddess, the atmosphere in the room had taken on a peculiar tone.
It was strange enough that someone from this world would even know what the goddess looked like.
On top of that, when I asked about the object of his faith, the statue of the goddess was what he presented.
This meant that the god he believed in was not the renowned deity of Christian faith from this world, but an entirely different god from another world.
If that’s the case, when exactly did the pastor cross over to this world? Judging by his age, he might have come over a very long time ago.
If not… does this mean that a religion worshiping the goddess had already existed in this world?
No, more importantly, the pastor didn’t present just one statue of the goddess but two.
If the two statues had been identical, I might have simply thought he had carved two of the same image. However, the two statues were subtly different.
They both bore a resemblance to the Virgin Mary, but their essence felt entirely distinct.
Their hair lengths were different, and the expressions on their faces conveyed contrasting emotions. How should I put it?
The face of the goddess I was unfamiliar with seemed gentler, more serene. It might have even felt closer to a traditional depiction of the Virgin Mary.
The neatly arranged bangs gave her a somewhat youthful and innocent appearance.
I had so many questions swirling in my mind, but I decided to start with the one I was most curious about.
“Pastor….are you perhaps not originally from this world?”
The pastor paused briefly in thought before replying.
“Hmm….a long time ago, there was a clergyman.”
With that, he began his story.
“A devout and aged clergyman believed his faith ran deeper than anyone else’s in the world. Whenever someone with equally deep faith appeared or anyone dared to think differently, this clergyman would ignore or suppress them without a second thought.”
“…..”
Listening in silence, we waited as the pastor continued with a bittersweet smile.
“And yet, he felt no guilt about it. He was convinced that his faith, watched over by the goddess, was absolutely correct and could not be wrong.”
“What a pitiful person”
“I think he believed in himself more than the goddess. There are people who can’t distinguish between the two.”
“Exactly.”
The pastor slowly nodded at Fia’s words.
“But no one could stop that clergyman. After all, his faith was genuine, and he had ample ways to prove it. Not even the Inquisition could halt him, nor could the Vatican. In the end, that clergyman rose to the position of cardinal, never once correcting his misguided beliefs.”
The pastor paused for a moment, offering a faint smile, before concluding,
“And then, he met the goddess.”
*
In the world where the old cardinal lived, God was not just one being. In fact, everyone knew that there were gods beyond the Goddess, but the records about them were so faint that no one truly understood their identities.
Furthermore, there was another “Goddess,” one truly unknown to anyone. This Goddess was not just a deity worshiped by humans but a deity revered even by other gods.
The Goddess descended to save the people of the earth, who were slowly falling into ruin, surrounded by countless demonic beings. In the end, she performed miracles unseen by anyone in the world, saving it.
When the cardinal first met this Goddess, not recognizing her true nature, he displayed all manner of disgraceful behavior.
“So ashamed was he that he abandoned everything he once had and left the central church for the outskirts far removed from its reach. There, he spent the rest of his days healing those in areas untouched by the church’s divine power, keeping his mouth tightly shut after wounding so many with his words.”
Though there was no solid evidence, I somehow felt I knew who the protagonist of that story was.
I had also heard things directly from the Goddess herself. She had told me that she had once been the pope and that she had seen another being known as the “Goddess.”
A Goddess revered by gods.
Among the statues of the deities before me, the figure next to the one modeled after the Goddess herself might just depict that Goddess.
“One day, as that old clergyman neared the end of his life, a woman visited him,” the pastor said with a smile on his lips.
“To the aged cleric at the twilight of his years, the woman spoke.”
You have harmed many, but the number of those you have helped is beyond count as well.
Even if you have done wrong, repentance deserves forgiveness.
Is there anything you desire?
The elderly cleric finally opened his mouth to reply. His voice, though long unused, was neither cracked nor feeble in the presence of the woman.
It was soft and gentle, as if he had regained his youth for a moment unlike the sharp, arrogant tone he had used to utter harsh words in the past.
“If I desire anything, it is the courage to seek out all those I have harmed, to apologize, and to seek their forgiveness.”
So it shall be. However…
The woman hesitated for a moment before continuing.
In that case, there is something I must tell you.
There was a mission I gave you long ago. The sins you committed were, in fact, part of my design. Yet, you have repented and suffered for them. That is my fault. If I were to seek forgiveness here and now…
…would you forgive me?
Though the cleric did not speak, his heart was calmer than it had been during the days when he had spoken so freely. Strife, envy, and anger had all subsided, leaving no pain behind.
“Please, do not trouble yourself. My life, if it unfolded as you intended, was meaningful in itself. You have no need to ask my forgiveness.”
The woman was silent for a while.
If one has wronged another, seeking forgiveness is only natural. What you desire is both the reward you deserve and your duty.
If a reward is something that must be granted to all, then it ceases to hold meaning.
Do you not wish for anything, truly?
The old cleric closed his eyes and fell into thought. After a long pause, he finally spoke.
“If, after everything is over, I am allowed to be born again…”
With his final breath, the cleric expressed his wish.
“…If I am born again, I want to truly devote myself to faith in you.”
So it shall be.
The woman replied with a smile.
*
The pastor did not explicitly reveal who the elderly cleric in the story was, but everyone present could easily surmise his identity.
“So yes, that’s correct. The gods I worship are these two Goddesses.”
“Then, the wealth and status I currently possess…”
“They are things that people like me, borrowing the power of the Goddesses, have prepared. From long ago.”
“Uh…”
The scale of this revelation was so vast that I nearly lost track of the conversation for a moment.
“But for that to be true, preparations would have to have started before I was even born.”
“The Goddess has foresight, after all.”
As all eyes turned toward Fia, she spoke with a slight blush.
“But she said it’s not perfect. Especially predicting how heroes will act she said that’s incredibly difficult…”
“That is true.”
The pastor nodded at Fia’s explanation.
“But she can foresee which world will need assistance from another. That’s why preparations are made in advance. Ah, and please don’t feel too guilty about it. The methods we used to generate funds were as simple as purchasing a small plot of land or buying shares in a company decades ago.”
“….”
Uh… no, I don’t think you should dismiss it as something so minor.
If someone along the way had been overcome by greed…
…Oh.
Of course.
There’s no way the Goddess would send just anyone to this world. Just as she carefully selects heroes to send to other worlds, she must also choose trustworthy people to carry out her plans.
At least, judging by what I’d seen of the pastor, he didn’t strike me as someone who would betray the Goddess.
As the pastor, now the center of everyone’s attention, smiled gently, he opened the envelope he had placed beside the statue.
From within, he took out several small cards, each about the size of an ID card.
…Wait, no, they weren’t just ID-sized they were actual ID cards.
…How meticulous are these Goddesses in their preparations?