Chapter 33

7/17 This is my third post for today.

Considering the situation, I can make a rough guess.

However, what is more certain is that the woman who came into view was someone I recognized.

(A woman in armor and a sword... a goddess of war... does that mean all three people in front of me are goddesses?)

Among the statues in the church, the only one I can clearly identify is the one in the front right.

There's no mistaking it.

But this is wrong.

Where is the priestess?

Why am I here?

What is this place, anyway?

Questions keep coming one after another.

However, the shock that hits me makes all these questions seem trivial, as if my brain is trembling beyond its capacity.

(...A-Are they all too beautiful? I've never seen such perfectly beautiful faces in my life. Not just one, but all three... No, one of them is clearly a girl, so two... )

"Are you looking for divine punishment?"

"―――Huh!?"

(Ugh... I'm being pulled to the ground! I... I can't breathe... I... I'm going to die...! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry...!)

"Ria, we don't have much time, and we haven't even heard anything yet, so stop it."

―――Huff

"Gah... ha... ha... ha..."

No good.

This is clearly a goddess, or rather, not human.

Just thinking strange thoughts can get you killed...

Cold sweat won't stop pouring from my body.

"S-Sorry..."

As I apologize and look up, the girl with long black hair, who looks like a Japanese girl, is clearly displeased.

This person, no, this goddess, must be Lady Ria.

For some reason, the goddess in the center with shiny brown hair that reaches her waist and the goddess of war in the front right with golden hair like an elf are blushing...

I shouldn't think unnecessary things.

I need to clear my mind.

"I understand that you're confused, but let's confirm a few things first."

My gaze naturally turns to the woman in the center as she speaks.

"Who are you?"

"Huh...?"

"..."

In this situation, I have no intention of lying.

However, I don't know what the correct answer is.

My name?

Should I use 'Loki,' the name I'm currently using?

Or my real name, 'Miyako Yuto'?

"L-Loki."

"I'll ask again. Who are you, and why are you in this world?"

That wasn't the answer you were hoping for.

So, you need me as a foreigner from another world.

"Sorry. My original name is Miyako Yuto. I don't really understand why, but I was suddenly kidnapped and left in a forest."

"Kidnapped? Or did you get sucked into a dimensional rift?"

"I don't understand what a dimensional rift is, but what is it?"

"A dimensional rift is a spatial distortion that can occur anywhere with an extremely low probability. To put it simply, it's a sudden black crack. If you get sucked in, you'll wander in a subspace, or if you're lucky, you'll be spat out into another world."

As I carefully digest the words of the goddess of war, I answer.

"Indeed, at first, I was sucked into a black crack. After that, I ended up in a completely black space... ...! ...I can't find the words..."

Seeing the grim expressions of the goddess of war and Lady Ria, I feel something is wrong, but I can't do anything about it.

Why... Why can't I put into words what happened with the acorn?

I met the acorn, and after that, I was sent to the Palmira Great Forest.

I should tell them that, but the words...! That's right!

These goddesses must be reading my mind!

Then――

(In the black space, I met a boy with an acorn-shaped head, whose name I don't know. He told me about a world of weapons, magic, and skills, and I was sent to this world without any choice.)

This should get through.

――But I was wrong.

"...Rigar. I couldn't read your thoughts halfway through. Was it just me?"

"No, I couldn't either. Alicia, did you understand?"

"No, after the black space, it was like a blank, and I couldn't read anything. The world of weapons, magic, and skills must be this world. And he was forced to come here."

"The same. Did his memory... disappear? Hey, what did you do? Do you want to die?"

"You're a foreign element in this world. If you don't speak honestly, you'll be killed."

"Wait... Hold on! Even if I want to speak, ...! It's the same! I can't find the words no matter how many times I try! That's why I conveyed it in my mind just now!!"

(Please, I can't convey it even if I want to!)

"It doesn't seem like you're lying... but this is a problem."

"Even with the [Divine Eye], I can't see his skills. Is that true for everyone who comes out of a dimensional rift?"

"If they have acquired any skills in this world, they can be seen. And since you're talking to a priestess, you must have at least [Language Understanding]. So, if we can't confirm it with the [Divine Eye], it means there's an unknown skill at work, even for us."

"This guy is pretty dangerous."

"Even if we don't know the details, we shouldn't keep him alive for the sake of the world."

"Then, who could have done this... If it's an unknown skill, could it be a higher deity!?"

"...We should consult Lady Ferza."

"But our managed world is almost abandoned by Lady Ferza, right? Will she even listen to us?"

"I don't know. But still――"

As the goddesses discuss the future without recognizing my existence, I look up at the white sky, questioning myself.

Why is this happening?

Did I do something?

Is it because I extorted a cheat skill from the acorn?

No way. It's just convenient, not a cheat.

I was kidnapped and sent to this world without my consent, and I struggled to survive. I thought I had finally found a foothold...

And now I'm kidnapped again and facing a death sentence.

What's the cause?

The acorn?

Indeed, he was the trigger.

Then, who are these people in front of me?

Are these three the same as the acorn?

In the end, they're just going to bring me here and kill me.

In a way, they're worse than the acorn.

And I'm still kneeling in front of them.

Haha... I must be a fool.

If I keep this up, I'll die without doing anything. So...

I'm sorry, Paiser.

I just made a promise, but I can't keep it.

Thinking it's pointless to kneel, I stand up and speak.

"You've been making a lot of noise about trivial things. Are all gods this trash? Or do you become a god because you're trash?"

Silence.

The three of them turn their gaze to me, but...

I'm going to die anyway, right?

If so, it doesn't matter anymore.

"Come on. Answer me. Are all gods just selfish and arbitrary?"

"Y-You...! How dare you speak to a god like that! You deserve to die a thousand deaths!"

"Shut up... I treated you with respect, but you're the one trying to kill me. Talking about a thousand deaths now... Don't make me laugh. Besides, I wouldn't say such things to the people in Bezart town. To a god? I'm saying it because you're a god, you idiot!"

"That's enough, let's kill this guy. The town will be involved, but... I'll bring down divine punishment and make his body disappear!"

"Ria! Hold your divine punishment!"

"See? You do this immediately. If it suits your convenience, you don't care about involving innocent people. You're no different from criminals."

"! ? That can't be..."

"I don't know what the kidnapper's intentions were. I was living a normal life in my original world when I was suddenly kidnapped. Then, without my consent, I was left in a forest in this world. I struggled to survive, wandering for water, fighting monsters I didn't understand, and eating raw animals when I was hungry. I didn't want to die, that's all.

When I first saw a person, I was genuinely happy. When I first saw a town, I was so moved I couldn't speak. I struggled to survive, day by day, and I've been living like this...

I finally started to enjoy this world... I was planning to live here from now on..."

Before I knew it, I was kneeling and looking down, tears falling naturally.

"Hey? Tell me... What did I do? What bad thing did I do to you? Is it so wrong to struggle to live? ...Hey... Tell me..."

"..."

The answer I wanted to hear didn't come.

But I said what I wanted to say...

I can't say I have no regrets, but I don't regret this.

――I close my eyes, thinking I'm going to die.

(Does reincarnation really exist? If it does, I hope the next time... I'm born in a world where effort is rewarded.)

"You are..."

"..."

"Who are you really?"

"..."

"I don't know. I'm not a god, so I can't see myself objectively. I'm just a man who clung to life and started to enjoy this world."

"Is that so... One more thing, just one more thing to confirm."

"..."

"What is it?"

"Before you came to this world, were you given any skills?"

What are you talking about all of a sudden?

The atmosphere seems to have changed slightly.

"Skills?"

"Yes. We sometimes reincarnate the souls of people from other worlds into this world with their consent. In such cases, we grant them special skills... Did something like that happen to you?"

"That's it. I was made younger. I don't know how I look to you now, but I was 32 years old in my original world. And I can see my status screen at any time. These two things. I'm not sure if they're skills, but they're not displayed on my status screen, so I think they're definitely treated as skills."

"...You're telling the truth. The fact that they're hidden is why we can't see them with the [Divine Eye]?"

"Um, both are definitely skills we don't know, but I don't think they're skills that threaten the world...?"

"Hmm... You said you can see your status screen at any time. How does it look?"

"What is that... It's much better than what we can see with the [Divine Eye]?"

"Skills I understand, but levels? Abilities? ...Rigar, do you understand what this means?"

"No, I don't understand. Is it something set up by Lady Ferza as the foundation of this world?"

"I don't know about such deep topics. But to put it simply... There's prayer to the goddess, right? What is the basis for raising skill levels or granting new skills?"

"It's based on the person's contribution to the world by defeating monsters."

"Is that quantified?"

"It's not a number. But we goddesses can see the degree of contribution, and if it's sufficient, we reward them with skills or raise their skill levels."

"The root of that is 'levels' and 'skill points.' Defeating monsters raises your level. As your level rises, you get skill points that correspond to your level. You can use those skill points to raise skill levels or acquire new skills. The prayer to the goddess is essentially you doing that for them. If you don't have enough points, you can't do it, but if you have a lot, you can raise your level quickly. That's how it works in the status screen I see, at least. I don't know if it's the same for the people in this world."

"Isn't this a crazy story?"

"Yes... This is probably something only higher deities know..."

"Damn... I'm getting excited."

"Rigar..."

"By the way, what are abilities!?"

"But you said you only wanted to confirm one thing?"

"That was Alicia! I apologize for my earlier response! Please tell me!"

I was talking without thinking, expecting to die, but the conversation is taking a strange turn...

"Well, if you feel bad about it, that's fine... Abilities are individual numerical values like strength, defense, and intelligence. As your level rises, your abilities increase, and acquiring skills also raises the corresponding abilities. Don't you know this intuitively? The sister mentioned that different skills grow depending on the chosen profession, and different professions make you stronger or more dexterous, right?"

"Indeed, the choice of profession is a kind of blessing from the goddess, and we make it easier for related skills to grow according to the chosen profession... But you're saying these abilities are visible as specific numbers?"

"Yes. For now, every level up increases magic power by +6 and all other abilities by +3. Acquiring a skill increases the corresponding ability by +1, and reaching level 2 increases it by +2. I can also see blessings and titles, though I don't have any."

"Wow..."

"It's confirmed! Such a feat is impossible for us lower deities. A higher deity must be involved!"

"Ah... I feel like I've heard something I shouldn't have. But even if I did, there's nothing we can do about it."

"I feel the same. I can only see it. So I don't know what you're worried about, but I don't have any cheat abilities. Even now, if I face a D-rank hunter, I'll definitely be the one killed."

"There doesn't seem to be any lies..."

"Yes, there's no sense of contradiction in his heart."

"That's true..."

"Do you understand now? Despite that, you didn't even listen to my situation, didn't introduce yourselves, and tried to kill me for just trying to survive in a place I was suddenly sent to. Do you understand?"

"Sorry!!!"

Phew.

At least I won't be killed, and if they're reflecting, it's fine...

The goddesses must have a noble cause for protecting this world.

In that case, I should apologize for my earlier harsh words.

"I'm glad you understand. I'm sorry for my harsh words earlier."

"It's our fault for jumping to conclusions... I'm Alicia, the goddess of love. Do you know me?"

"Ah, no... I'm still unfamiliar with this world, so I only recognized the sword-wielding lady as the goddess of war."

"Ah, that's right..."

"I'm the goddess of war, Rigar, as you guessed."

"You...? Yes, thank you for telling me. I was worried you had forgotten my name from the start."

"Of course not! I'm a goddess, after all! Hahaha!"

"...I'm Ria, the goddess of sin. P-Pleased to meet you..."

"Pleased to meet you. So you're the goddess of sin. That's why you were ready to give divine punishment without considering the situation, right?"

"Ugh... Uuuuuuuu"

As I watch Lady Ria run away barefoot, I ask one more question.

"By the way, the reason I came to the church was to choose a profession. I plan to live as a hunter, so I was hoping to choose a profession with Lady Rigar. What professions can I choose?"

"Hmm? Oh, in that case, I... Sorry, but you can't choose a profession..."

"Huh? Does that mean I don't have the aptitude to be a hunter?"

"No, that's not it. As I said, choosing a profession is a kind of blessing. And blessings can only be granted to the people of this world."

"Wh-What...?"

"We six goddesses manage this world, but we are lower deities who only manage this world. So we don't have the ability to grant blessings to anyone other than the people born in this world, as granted by the higher deities."

"I understand what Lady Ria said earlier. I'm an outsider, not recognized by this world..."

"But we understand the situation now! Loki, you were caught up in this, and you're still trying your best to survive. It's the role of a goddess to show you a way to salvation."

"But you can't grant blessings or choose professions. Can you send me back to my original world?"

"That's not possible... The power we lower deities can use is similar to the limits of the abilities of the people in this world. And we can't do things like dimensional travel or long-distance teleportation with a physical body."

"..."

"That's it! How about this? You don't know anything about this world, right?"

"That's right. I've been living day by day, feeling my way through this unknown world."

"Then I'll grant you the special skill [Divine Oracle]. It's a special skill usually only given to deeply faithful people who have made great contributions to the church. I'll grant it to you specially. I can't give you a blessing, but I should be able to leave you with a skill. Nnnnnnnn!!"

"..."

Why do you suddenly take action while we're talking?

Is Lady Alicia the same type as the acorn?

Lady Rigar is also surprised by the sudden action, but do gods not understand the concept of consent?

"With this, I can give you advice when you're in trouble in this world, within reasonable limits."

"Um... First, I was surprised by the sudden action without consent, just like when I was sent to this world..."

"Eh!? Ah... Ah..."

"By the way, isn't [Divine Oracle] usually one-way? I mean, the goddess gives you words, not the other way around, right?"

"Y-Yes... Right, Alicia?"

"That's correct..."

"Then, how will you know what I'm struggling with? Are you going to monitor me constantly?"

"Monitoring? We can't even identify individuals unless they come near a statue! So if you have any problems, come to the church like this time..."

"As I explained earlier, I can see my status screen, so I don't need to get a 'status check' at the church. I can also 'pray to the goddess' and allocate points on my own status screen anywhere. Plus, I