I am back – Chapter 141

After that meeting in the morning, each of us acted according to our predetermined schedules.

From this point on, we wouldn’t interfere with each other like when we visited the village together. We were well aware that each person had different things they wanted to do.

Of course, there were times we acted together. If an action didn’t feel like “work” to someone, they might suggest to another colleague to join in.

For example, if someone discovered an interesting food or found something they wanted to eat.

Naturally, since we were using Siyun’s money, we only indulged when we couldn’t resist the curiosity, and if not, we simply let it go. If we did spend any money, we made sure to record it clearly to prepare for repayments later.

Even without spending money, there were many things to see in this world. We were people fallen into a completely different realm. Having only been here for two months, everything we saw felt new every day.

Of course, it wasn’t like we could chase after something new every day. If Siyun had come to help, it wouldn’t make sense to just be a tourist while Siyun was working; that would stray too far from our purpose.

So, each of us sought to learn as much as possible in this world and find something beneficial for Irrelaysia.

Kalia mainly explored libraries and museums, researching policies that could be applied to the kingdom in the future and the results of their implementation.

Dana studied the physics and chemistry that Irrelaysia severely lacked compared to this world.

Arna seriously studied plants and fertilizers. If we figured out how this world implemented large-scale agriculture without magic, we could somewhat resolve Irrelaysia’s food issues.

Learning ways to survive without magic or divine power was fresh and useful. While magic required a mage and divine power needed a clergyman, physics, chemistry, and techniques in politics or agriculture could be utilized without either of the two.

It felt as if we were fast-forwarding through the history of human civilization; all the technological advancements and ensuing history of this world were well worth learning about.

However, there was one character in our hero party who found it particularly hard to learn something from this world, and that was Pia.

It seemed that faith was composed of belief, yet there was a vast difference between the religions in this world and those in Irrelaysia.

It revolved around the issue of whether the existence of a god was clearly present or not.

The religion of Irrelaysia was founded upon the existence of a goddess. The goddess exists, divine power exists, and because it was genuinely helpful, people prayed to the goddess and received aid.

However, believing in a god in this world did not yield any benefits.

In a sense, it was a religion where only pure faith existed. Regardless of whether the gods mentioned in those religions actually existed.

Learning how religion evolved and what incidents occurred as a result might be beneficial, but… even so, there were so many differences that it made it quite challenging to apply carelessly.

The stories about various scriptures and myths were interesting, but for someone like Pia, who held a singular faith, it was hard to engage beyond mere interest.

However, that didn’t mean there was nothing to learn about religion in this world.

Oddly enough, there might be someone who had served the goddess even before Pia met her.

In the very church that regularly engaged in volunteer activities.

*

“Are you curious about why I haven’t spread the goddess’s religion in this world?”

As usual, Pia finished her volunteer work at the church and had a chat with the pastor.

The day was turning cold, almost chilly, so the two of them spoke inside the church.

Overall, it wasn’t a building that cost a lot to construct. It looked a tad sturdier than the rundown buildings nearby, but that was about it. Even if it was relatively solidly built, because it had been constructed so long ago, it couldn’t help but look worn out no matter how neatly it was maintained.

Yet the one luxury of that building was the church’s stained glass windows.

Pia had seen other churches in this world. Some were massive and flamboyant, while others were very small and modest. And the smaller the place, the less likely the stained glass was genuine; they often used transparent glass with cellophane stickers to make it look like stained glass.

But the stained glass in this church was authentically made from glass.

Thanks to that, as long as it was kept clean, light passed beautifully through it, shining brightly every time the sunlight hit.

The two sat side by side in the front row of the sanctuary, chatting together.

“…”

Pia pondered seriously about how to respond to the pastor’s question.

Whether people would believe it or not, the goddess was a real existence to Pia. So wouldn’t it be necessary to at least tell people about it? Perhaps there would be believers in the present moment who would listen if divine power could be invoked.

…It was not that she hadn’t thought about it.

“Then should we change the question?”

Seeing Pia unable to answer, the pastor smiled and rephrased his question.

“Wouldn’t you be curious about why I, who serves the goddess, am talking about other gods here?”

“Ah…”

Pia nodded at the pastor’s words.

She was indeed curious—why the pastor was hiding his faith and preaching about other gods. Why he didn’t mention the goddess’s name even while performing good deeds.

“As I mentioned before, I’ve previously trampled on someone else’s beliefs.”

The pastor’s voice was calm.

“It is natural for me to have faith in the goddess, but I didn’t wish to trample on the beliefs of others. Therefore, even after coming here, I chose not to preach. That applies to both the goddess I believe in and the religions of this world.”

“…”

“However, that doesn’t mean there’s no reason to help those who believe. I genuinely wanted to assist those who sincerely believe in their own gods. Hence, I established this church.”

It was a place where if someone was hungry, they could come and get food, and if they needed faith, they could come and pray.

To him, that was what a church should be.

“But…”

Pia hesitated before speaking. The question of whether the god they believed in might not exist felt excessively rude to ask.

“Whether religion in this world actually has meaning or not is unimportant. Regardless of the beliefs one holds, or even if one holds none at all, where we go after death is already determined. So if they can simply find peace here, it doesn’t matter what that religion is.”

“Even if they believe there is no god?”

“Yes.”

The pastor smiled as he spoke.

“Why is that?”

“The universe is simply too vast.”

The pastor explained.

“Because there are so many vast universes, those many gods also cannot perfectly grasp all the regions. Unfortunately, the gods are not perfect beings.”

“…”

Pia stared blankly, and the pastor grinned playfully at her, resembling a grandfather joking with his granddaughter.

“If the goddess were such a being, would there have been a reason for her to apologize to me?”

“Ah…”

Pia recalled the goddess she believed in. Not a being that resolved everything in a rush but one who carefully pondered and arrived at conclusions one by one.

“So we cannot casually judge religions that people believe in, can we? If there really is an existence that surpasses us, but if it is merely slightly different from the way people believe, what then?”

“Is that how it is?”

Pia felt she might understand but wasn’t entirely sure.

“If it’s hard to grasp, should you perhaps place a bit of hope in the goddess?”

The pastor spoke in a voice that sounded like he was praying, his eyes closed.

“Because they are not perfect is the reason they are revered. They carry the burden of everyone’s faith, constantly striving to approach perfection despite enduring misunderstandings of being complete. Would such great beings want to punish someone just because they were unaware of themselves? Would they refuse to forgive?”

As he spoke, a faint white light began to emanate from the pastor’s hands.

It was a light so weak that one might struggle to identify it without a close look.

But it was a clearly visible light, certainly present.

…For Pia, it was a form of divine power she had never seen before.

“No matter who doesn’t believe, the gods we believe in are still there. Hence, there’s no reason to hinder the faith of others. That’s how I see it.”

Pia could only nod her head in agreement.