Megami Buchigire - Chapter 41

“Do you believe in God?”

” What?”

On a certain afternoon. As sheer boredom drove Linbel-san to surveil anti-dark elf BBS threads (orthodox elves MOE threads), one of the top three lines most troubling to hear while on the street is directed towards her.

“I beg your pardon, that came out from sheer habit. I am a priest serving in Galdeia Kingdom, my name is Natan. I have been guided here by a foreign deity who named herself as Amaterasu-sama, but Where is this place? I was told by her that I would be sent to the location where this country’s powerbrokers convened.”

“Right now the Diet is not in session. We did set up a schedule to keep someone here in shifts, but to think that she really sent someone.”

Currently tilting his head in puzzlement is a thin priest, Natan-san.

Apparently Amaterasu-sama did not know that the Diet is not in session, and had arranged a reverse-summoning without checking.

There’s a limit to carelessness, but Linbel-san is an adult (grandma) with a big heart so her faith in Amaterasu-sama won’t be shaken over something of this level.

“Fumu. So they are at rest. I apologize for having caused you unnecessary trouble.”

“Don’t worry about it. Today Adachi should be just downtown. I’ll contact him, so you just find a random seat in the meanwhile.”

So saying, Linbel-san begins fiddling with her smartphone. I’m sure no one cares, but how did ‘smartphone’ get abbreviated to ‘smaho’ anyways? 1

“Alright, before Adachi arrives, let me just generally ask about your situation. It seems to me that you came to Japan of your own will, so that probably means something had happened back home that made it hard for you to stay, right?”

“It is as you say. To my chagrin, I had caused some trouble with the feudal lord of the location of my place of appointment.”

“Hou? You seem like the type who properly understands how to make your way in society though.”

Though the concept might sound a bit strange to Japanese people, religion is oftentimes intricately intertwined with politics, and depending on the place might even be more influential than nobility.

Even on earth, Heinrich IV of the Holy Roman Empire also once picked a fight with the Church, in response to which the Pope just excommunicated him and all surrounding countries instantaneously turned into enemies. With no other option left, he had to beg the Pope personally for forgiveness. 2

Yes, it as the famous Humiliation of Canossa.3 It is most likely unrelated to the Canossa Organization that is famous in another way entirely.4

“It’s not exactly a story I’m proud of. See, the thing is that in certain places in Galdeia, there is a thing called the Marriage Tax.”