<Chapter 63>

Confessions 9/10

‘When will this finally be completed…!’

In hopes of speeding things up, I even grabbed another person and performed a confession for them. But even after they completed their assigned penance, the counter didn’t budge.

Now that I think about it, Temenos has thoroughly fulfilled even the second penance I assigned him.

The fact that the confession sub-quest hasn’t cleared yet can only mean one thing.

‘I have to make him complete the first penance I gave him to clear it.’  

If I’d known this, I would have given him something ridiculously simple. Instead, I got carried away teasing him and ended up trapping myself in my own game.

Will the day ever come when Temenos confesses he likes me?

Honestly, I’m not even holding out hope.

‘Let’s just… pretend this doesn’t exist.’

For now, I have four divine oracle tokens in hand. I should be able to manage with those for the time being.

‘Speaking of which, maybe I should head to the chapel and receive a divine oracle while I’m at it.’

On open days, the chapel is flooded with people praying, making it hard to receive an oracle. But today isn’t an open day, so the doors will be closed. This seems like the perfect time to go.

After gulping down the rest of the fruit juice left in my cup, I looked around at the others busy with their own tasks.

Monica sat by the window, knitting. Alice was at the table, still struggling to build a larger house for Flurry with a box.

Flurry, who had been running tirelessly on his wheel, seemed to have given up. Now he lay sprawled out on it, munching on sunflower seeds. Meanwhile, Ferry was fiddling with a 3D puzzle.

…Seeing everyone so engrossed in their own activities makes me feel a bit guilty about interrupting to suggest a trip to the chapel.

‘Guess I’ll wait an hour before going.’

I have something to think about anyway.

Digging into my pocket, I pulled out the pendant from Bishop Roam.

Unlike my completely shattered one, Roam’s pendant was intact. I had intentionally brought it as-is for experimentation.

‘It doesn’t look particularly unusual on the outside.’

If I had to point out something unique, it was the odd design. The pendant had strange, intricate holes and shapes that looked challenging to craft.

‘It’s almost like it’s made up of two characters combined into one.’

Fiddling with the sharp edges of the pendant, I found myself recalling the moment I snatched it from Bishop Roam.

“Alright, now try praying.”

“You imbecile! How am I supposed to pray without a pendant?”

“Why would you need a pendant to pray?”

“Do you ask why you need a fork and spoon to eat?”

“If you don’t have them, you just use your hands. Can’t prayer work the same way?”

“You barbarian! A pendant is essential for prayer. It’s basic common sense!”

“Wow, this guy. Spica, open the door so I can go slap him.”

To gather accurate information, I had intentionally removed the mental restraint placed on him. Even locked up in the jail, Roam acted as pompous as ever.

I vented my frustration thoroughly, even bringing up the rude remarks he’d made during the wedding. Still, I hadn’t gleaned much useful information.

First, clerics can’t pray to God or manifest divine power without their pendants.

Second…

“This is strange. I can feel divine power emanating from this pendant.”

“Of course! The divine power of a cleric is stored in their pendant. That’s why it’s absolutely necessary for prayers!”

…the pendants given to clergy and holy knights during their ordination by the Pope hold their divine power. This fact alone is solid proof that the Great Temple is heretical.

Divine power, by its nature, is a gift from God, bestowed in response to unwavering faith and prayer. The stronger the belief and the greater the devotion, the more abundant the divine power received—or at least, that’s what the novel clearly states.

But instead of receiving divine power from God, the clergy get it from the Pope—stored in a pendant, no less? The Pope isn’t just a mastermind pulling strings from behind the scenes.

‘I don’t know exactly how, but the Pope is playing God in the Great Temple.’

Just looking at Bishop Roam, who couldn’t go a sentence without invoking “His Holiness the Pope,” is proof enough.

If the Pope is the one distributing divine power, then all the reverence meant for God naturally gets redirected toward him.

Isn’t this precisely how, in The World That Lost Its God, humanity gradually forgot the true God, leading to their eventual demise?

This loss of divine presence sealed the continent’s fate, resulting in its destruction by the male lead-turned-monster.

‘Well, at least I’ve raised the Northern Faith significantly. There’s no need to worry about God being forgotten and vanishing.’

Plus, I’m here, tasked with a divine mission. As long as I’m alive, God won’t disappear. That’s one less thing to worry about.

What I really want to know is…

‘Isn’t the Pope worshiping a separate heretical god, not our deity, then?’

The divine power contained in the pendant feels altered, but it’s undeniably the same type of energy I possess.

If the divine power were of a different nature altogether, I would have noticed something amiss when Bishop Roam showed off his pitifully small reserves in the bridal waiting room.

So, it’s not just a misunderstanding on my part.

‘Where exactly is this divine power coming from?’

The Great Temple houses hundreds of clergy and knights. Distributing divine power to such a vast number of people would require an immense amount of energy, even in small quantities.

‘Don’t tell me he has attached some kind of divine straw to God and is siphoning His power!’

Clap clap clap!

My train of thought was interrupted by the sound of light applause.

“Wow, Sir Ferry! You finally completed the puzzle!”

Looking up, I saw Alice clapping excitedly while Ferry shrugged his shoulders proudly. On the table sat a completed 3D puzzle resembling a dog.

“You’ve been at it all day, huh? Congrats.”

Walking over to the table, I patted Ferry’s head in praise. He grinned and made a motion in the air, as if solving an invisible puzzle.

“Huh? What are you trying to say?”

Whisk-whisk. Whoosh-whoosh.

“Hmm…”

“If I’m not mistaken, Sir Ferry seems to be suggesting you try a puzzle too, Madam,” Monica said, setting down her knitting and pouring more fruit juice into my glass. Ferry nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

“Me? Alright, I’ll give it a shot!”

Though I’d never played with puzzles before, I figured I’d manage somehow.

Rolling up my sleeves, I grabbed a piece of the 3D puzzle. But Ferry suddenly clasped my hands with both of his and shook his head vigorously.

“What? You said you wanted me to try it.”

He alternated between nodding and shaking his head, leaving me utterly confused. Just then, Ferry dashed to my desk drawer and retrieved a pile of stone fragments.

“What’s that, Sir Ferry?” Alice asked curiously as Ferry picked up two pieces of the stone and mimicked fitting them together.

“Do you want me to piece this together like a puzzle?”

Ferry beamed and nodded. I turned to examine the stones on the table more closely.

“Wait, could these have originally been one object?”

Looking carefully, I noticed faint carvings on the fragments. Though the patterns were incomplete due to the breakage, they seemed like letters.

‘No way… Could this be a treasure map?’

“Everyone, let’s work together on this!”

“Yes, Madam! I’ll help too!”

Clearing the table of Flurry’s house and the 3D puzzle, we began assembling the stone fragments. Even Flurry joined in, squeaking as it carried pieces despite its tiny size.

Thanks to that, the fragments started forming a discernible shape…

Restoration progress of ???: 50% Complete.

“Huh?”
 

<To be continued>

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