The Hero’s Party Members Treat Me Well for Some Reason - Chapter 48

48 – Prayer (2)

In this world, they believe in the One True God.

It means that there is only one religion, with no others.

The Sun God, Enen, who brightly illuminates the sky above.

Except for her, there are likely no other religions to be found anywhere on this continent.

Even if there were any, they would be considered heresies or schisms.

The place where I originally lived on Earth had so many religions, but the reason there’s only one religion here is simple.

It’s because God exists.

Here, only faith exists, and it’s different from Earth, where it wasn’t even certain whether God existed.

There was a divine power called sanctity that God personally bestowed, and the prophecies, which were God’s voice, existed. Not to mention, the holy maidens and heroes chosen directly by God also existed.

Even such abilities, miracles, were demonstrated by the Sun God, Enean. And not just a little.

So, the people here had no choice but to believe in the Sun God.

As more and more people believed, the faith grew stronger, and the Sun Religion had become the only religion in this world. This is the setting from the game I know.

The reason I’m suddenly telling you this is because…

I’m here to receive the Sun Religion’s teachings.

The reason is simple. There’s something here that can enhance my abilities.

“I should start enhancing the Holy Sword soon.”

I haven’t used the Holy Sword much, but it’s definitely not just an ordinary sword.

It’s a growth-type weapon that grows alongside the hero character.

Furthermore, its appearance changes depending on the direction of its growth.

Choose a spear master, and it becomes a spear. Choose a mage, and it turns into a wand.

Of course, I, aiming to be a swordmaster, had no intention of changing it into a different weapon. The Holy Sword was undoubtedly a high-performance weapon.

And I could upgrade the Holy Sword once each time I defeated one of the Four Heavenly Kings.

“In the original game, you acquired them one by one as ‘Fragments of Power,’ though…”

Unfortunately, I didn’t have such an item.

I looked around near the body of King Chongwang, but I couldn’t find anything similar. Therefore, I was slightly anxious, but… I believed that I would somehow make it work.

Right now, there was a more important issue than that.

“But… How do I enhance it?”

I couldn’t remember how to enhance it. This was the dilemma for someone who had played the game 999 times.

It might seem a bit foolish, but… I couldn’t help it.

In the game, you only had to click once, and it was done.

The hero didn’t even show you much, and it just ended. I couldn’t imagine there would be a way to figure it out.

Thanks to that, from the beginning, I was struggling with obstacles.

“Hero…?”

I heard a familiar female voice from somewhere.

When I turned my head, I saw someone I knew. A woman with long, flowing golden hair and a saintly appearance. She was a holy maiden.

I could only be slightly surprised.

“Virgin? No, what brings you here?”

“The virgin is in her religious building, is that strange?”

Well, that’s true. I asked a stupid question.

I glanced at her for a moment. Somehow, her cheeks were strangely reddened.

I asked, with a worried expression, “Do you have a bit of a cold? Your face is quite flushed… Do you have a fever or something?”

“Oh, uh? No! I was just deep in thought, and my face got flushed… Uh…”

She awkwardly mumbled her words. It seemed that even my question made her uncomfortable. Her reaction was quite unusual.

But before I could think further, she asked me.

“By the way, what brings you to the church?”

“Oh, I just had some business to attend to at the church.”

If I honestly say that I came to reinforce the Holy Sword but don’t know how, they’ll probably treat me like an idiot.

So, I decided to be vague.

“I call myself a warrior, but when I think about it, I realize that I don’t know much about the goddess. So, I came to learn a little more about her.”

“Oh! I see!”

As I made that excuse, the virgin clapped her hands as if everything worked out well.

It seemed that she was in a good mood because I showed interest in her religion. Her gaze felt like she was looking at a gullible guest who had just accepted a fraudulent persuasion.

“Well, I can teach you about that. It’s my specialty! Please follow me this way.”

And so, I started to walk around the inside of the church with her.

*

Perhaps it was because this was a church within the empire. This place was quite spacious and had plenty of facilities. At least, the virgin next to me was so excited that she started chattering.

“This is the donation box. It’s where people offer their wealth to thank God for his blessings.”

“This is the healing ward. It’s a space set up by the priests and nuns to treat the injured. Mercenaries and knights often come here.”

“This is… probably the archives. It contains various histories and stories related to God.”

I reacted intermittently to her words. To be honest, her enthusiastic explanations weren’t that interesting, but I couldn’t be rude to someone who was explaining everything so passionately.

While listening to her, I picked up a book.

Fortunately, I had some interest in the archives. Since I found myself in this place, I also needed to know about its history to some extent. Since it was closely related to the divine, the Bible was also important.

The title of the book I picked up was this.

“The Birth Story of God”

“In our terms, it’s something like Genesis 1:1. I opened the book without hesitation.

‘The land of the beginning existed. A time when there was no magic, no martial arts, not even human ethics. In that place, humans were no different from beasts, mere prey for monsters, ignorant and devoid of knowledge. They couldn’t even unite with each other due to differing emotions and thoughts.

She was born in such an era, as the absolute ruler with unique powers.

When she looked at the people, she felt they were infinitely pitiful. Because of this, she made a vow one day.

‘I will protect you.’

Then, in the chaotic era, human ethics were born, wisdom was born, and light and order came into existence…

“Hmm…”

After reading the book to some extent, I swallowed a sigh.

Certainly, it feels different from the biblical texts I’m familiar with. On our side, it says, ‘Let there be light in the beginning,’ and then the world was created. Here, the world already existed, and it was followed by a form governed by the gods.

Reading something like this does make me realize the differences in our cultures. From my perspective, I’m definitely a foreigner.

Well, it’s not like I have any intention to dwell on such matters now.

As I read the book for a while, I closed it and started following her.

“Lastly, this is the prayer room.”

A room where sunlight enters perfectly.

In the center, there is a finely carved statue of a beautiful woman.

“I don’t think I need to explain… Of course, it’s a place for prayer. Many people come here to pray to Enen or make wishes. Praying is simple, like this, hold your hands together…”

She demonstrated. She knelt in front of the statue and prayed with a reverent posture.

It wasn’t a particularly difficult posture. It didn’t take much time either.

But there was something beyond reach contained in that place.

Is this what sanctity feels like?

Indeed, a saint is a saint.

“Would you like to try it once?”

Yuris, who finished her prayer, smiled and asked.

I pondered internally.

‘Prayer…’

I’m not sure if it will have any effect. I don’t even know if the existence up there in the pitch-black sky will respond to me.

Still, it’s not like I have absolutely no curiosity.

I decided to give it a try, just as she suggested.”

Kneeling on both knees,

Sitting respectfully in front of the statue,

Hands clasped, eyes closed.

Although I could feel the gaze of the saint from the side, I ignored it on purpose.

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I should concentrate on this place now.

Clearing my mind of all distractions, I pray while thinking of Ener.

And…

“Finally, we meet, brave warrior.”

When I opened my eyes again, I was above the clouds.

*

“I wondered when you would pray, but you did it faster than I expected. Prayer is essential for two-way communication…”

Warm sunlight gently illuminates my entire body.

Soft clouds that feel like stepping on air.

On this dreamlike and fascinating scene, a woman stands, smiling brightly.

Her hair is a warm and bright orange, as if on fire, and her golden eyes are filled with the sensation of a loaded gun.

Her snow-white skin is flawless, unrealistically beautiful.

Though I had never seen her before, I knew exactly who she was.

Well, she was the protagonist of the statue I just prayed to.

“It’s nice to meet you. Sun God. I am Ener.”

I couldn’t help but feel a bit flustered.

No, I didn’t expect to meet like this just by praying.

Although I struggled to adapt to this sudden situation, I quickly regained my composure.

Because there was something I was incredibly curious about.

“First of all, congratulations. It’s remarkable that you have already defeated one of the Four Heavenly Kings, King Chung. Truly impressive…”

“Wait, hold on, just a moment. Before we continue the conversation, let me ask one thing…”

“Yes, yes?”

Interrupting the goddess, I started with a question.

If the saint or other priests had witnessed it, they would have tried to tear me apart, but I didn’t care.

I regulated my breathing and asked her.

“By any chance, were you the one who called me to this world… Are you truly the goddess?”

“Yes? Ah, yes! I personally created the game and handpicked the hero!”

The goddess smiled brightly and nodded.

I also smiled brightly.

As expected…

It was this bastard.

Swish.

I drew the Holy Sword,

Accelerated blood flow, multi-casting, combat focus, bright-style swordsmanship, mana blade, and mana control.

I activated all of the abilities I possessed.

Then, swinging the sword with all my might, I said,

“I got you. You bastard.”

Today was the day to settle the grudge against that woman.