Volume 6 Chapter 23 Theological Q&A
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Do you not believe in God?”
That’s surprising. He’s supposed to be a priest.
”Belief doesn’t matter. The fact that God exists is already proven by magic. What I mean is, God is not the same as people. Look, there’s no way God would show up as a woman. That’s just something the stone artist made up when he carved the statue.”
”Is it really okay to say that, Head Priest?”
”It’s fine, it’s fine. I speak differently depending on who I’m talking to.”
So, he puts on the act of a proper priest when he’s with local followers. But when he talks to people like me, from another world, he acts like he can say anything without getting in trouble. It feels like he’s either looking down on me or doesn’t think I’m even human.
”All those big statues and fancy temples are just decorations. They help guide the simple-minded people who can’t understand deep beliefs. Still, the old-school priests—those guys who aren’t too bright—seem to really love that stuff.”
He sounds like he’s just complaining. But bringing up the old-school group might be trouble. If I remember right, those guys believe God made people first. The new-school side says people made the first God. The priests are split between these two groups, always arguing with no end or point. From how this guy talks, he’s probably from the new-school group.
The temple priests care a lot about money. They also love to fight over power. They don’t really seem holy. There are some good ones like Ms. Marsha, but I think she’s kind of off in her own little world.
Most of the younger people working here are either nobles who couldn’t find jobs or commoners who didn’t want to take over the family business. So yeah, the group isn’t exactly the best.
”Is my story boring? I don’t think so. Usually, you have to give a big donation to hear a sermon from a top-level priest. You’re lucky.”
After hearing that, I feel like I have to sit through it. Otherwise, it would be a waste. As expected from a priest called “Head Priest,” he really knows how to keep people listening. I just wish the story itself was more fun.
Not to brag, but I’m not very smart. I don’t get even half of these deep religious ideas. The people in religion here have this bad habit of turning simple things into super hard words. And they speak in old language no one uses in daily life, so—
—normal people can’t understand what they’re saying.
Thanks to my mind-speak skills, I understand the words, but it’s still hard to figure out what he’s actually trying to say.
Anyway, when I think about why I came here, maybe going along with this priest’s invite isn’t a bad idea. In this world, people who don’t belong to any group aren’t trusted at all. But that means going against the old-school side. Sure, there are benefits, but also some risks.
The core of the old-school side is the Belzea Shrine. Every priest there follows the old beliefs. In other places, the two sides are more balanced. The new-school group gets money from the Totoana Empire, so poorer temples lean toward them. The idea of “living simply” doesn’t seem to exist.
If this story is real, it might not be about beliefs at all. Maybe it’s just another piece of the big power game between nations. People here seem to treat fighting as a way to rise up, so real peace might be impossible.
If the Demon King doesn’t attack, are they going to start a holy war next? In the end, as long as there’s something to fight, they’ll keep going.
”So… what do you think is right? It all starts with people, right?”
His voice is smooth. His words sound nice. An average person would believe him right away.
But just agreeing with him is boring. I probably can’t win a debate, but I’ll try something.
I held out both hands wide, then clapped them together with a loud clap.
”Did that sound come from your right hand? Or your left?”
It’s an old Zen riddle. Since I’m in another world, I wanted to try saying something deep like that once. I want someone to tell me I’m like the wise monk Ikkyu.
The priest went quiet and started thinking. People say that smart folks dig too deep and can’t give easy answers.
”That people and God came into being at the same time… could that really happen? Huh. That’s kind of fun to think about.”
Huh? That’s not really what I meant, but I guess that works. There’s no right answer anyway.
”Some people from other worlds are amazing. You—you’re one of them. I’m impressed. Maybe I should go for a ‘third power’ and make my own path to the top.”
It’s not quite what I expected, but hey, at least he thinks better of me now.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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