MYHLF Vol. 1 Mission 1 Part 2

After leaving the Adventurers’ Guild, Philz checked the time. As expected of the capital of a ducal territory, the plaza at the center of town had a large clock tower standing in it.

Clocks were expensive. A household owning one was considered impossible because they were magic devices that had to remain active at all times. From what he had heard, a single clock cost several million yen. In other words, personal wristwatches were a dream within a dream.

Owning a clock indicated that one had money. That was why the only people who possessed them were titled nobles or major trading companies. Even then, they had not been miniaturized and only existed as large wall-mounted models. They were bulky, heavy, and truly enormous. Even replacing the magic stone required several men.

“…How inconvenient…”

For Philz, who had memories of living under time-based management, it was unbearably inconvenient. His desire to do something about it grew stronger by the day.

Just then, he suddenly felt as though something had called to him. It was not a voice. It was a sensation of being drawn in. He had often felt this whenever he came into town.

“…The church again… It’s strong today…”

What lay in the direction he looked was the church. This sensation would not easily vanish unless he went all the way to the front of the church. The area around the back of his neck kept prickling uncomfortably.

“…Fine…”

There was still a little time before noon, when he had promised to visit the proprietress of the dining house. In that case, he gave up and headed for the church. At this rate, he doubted that he could enjoy lunch in peace while he was in this state.

The splendid church stood near the center of town. It was probably three times the size of those in other towns, befitting a ducal domain. However, whether its reality matched its appearance was another matter and he did not mean that in a sinister sense. The question was mainly whether they had enough operating funds to support the orphans and vagrants under their care. Large towns inevitably had many homeless children and vagrants.

In this world, the church had a few dark rumors about power and authority. However, in any world where monetary transactions were possible, problems involving money would arise. There were certainly priests who grew fixated on it. Or rather, one of the teachings of the gods was that if a problem could be solved with money, then that was acceptable. Settling disputes with money was not inherently wrong.

That said, fraud and false accusations were naturally forbidden, nor did they approve of wringing unreasonable sums from the poor. Apparently, the iron rule was to take money from those who had it. The church was fair, yet not excessively puritanical, so Philz did not dislike it.

A man in white robes approached him there.

“Oh my, if it isn’t Fil.”

“…The Head Priest again…”

“What do you mean, ‘again’?”

He did not dislike the church. However, partly due to memories from his previous life, when he had had no interest in religion, it was inevitably a difficult place for him to enter. Besides, Philz had not received the Blessing that noble children received at the age of seven.

On the day Philz turned seven, a minor conflict with a neighboring country that had occurred that year prevented his father from returning to the domain, so he could not attend the Blessing ceremony. Of course, in that case, his mother could have accompanied him. In fact, a parent’s attendance was not strictly necessary, but for the child of a noble, the father came first and the mother second.

That day, taking advantage of the fact that his father could not return, the first wife harassed his mother until she collapsed in bed. If his birth mother could not attend, another wife could serve in her place, but Philz was furious that his mother was unwell that day hence he refused the Blessing.

He had also thought that if his position as a noble son fell even slightly, perhaps the first wife would settle down. She likely wanted to make her own son the next head of the family without the slightest worry. Incidentally, for those who were not nobles, it was considered perfectly acceptable to receive the Blessing any time after turning seven. It was normal for them to come for the Blessing later, whenever convenient, with just a small handful of coins.

The Head Priest smiled as he spoke to Philz.

“Well, I am always waiting for you to come. It is about time that you received the Blessing.”

“…You’re as persistent as ever.”

Naturally, his father believed that Philz had received the Blessing when he was seven. Philz had also begged Canal, the butler, to keep silent about the fact that he had never gone. By telling him while blaming his father for failing to properly control the first wife and the others, he had left Canal unable to say anything.

Even after he began going into town, and even when he visited the orphanage attached to the church, he never set foot inside the church itself.

However, every time he passed by, or every time he made a donation out of concern for the orphanage, the Head Priest who oversaw this church would come out to greet him, as if he had sensed his presence. At first, Philz had thought this Head Priest was using some special art to draw him in. But no such art existed.

“What harm is there? It will not hurt. Besides… there is no rule in the church that says it must be done at seven.”

“…”

This Head Priest was a sly one. He had narrow, slit-like eyes. No matter how much sarcasm was thrown at him, his smile never faded. He always spoke and acted as though he had seen through everything. Although Philz had not revealed his status, the man seemed to know that he had noble blood.

Apparently, high-ranking priests who could become Head Priests could hear the voice of God. And the Blessing granted by God was also powerful. This Blessing strengthened their mana, and through a special divine protection, they became able to use divine arts that could heal injuries and illnesses. This Head Priest was apparently especially strong in that power. It was said that he had even been promised a high position at church headquarters.

“Besides, you see, I’ve been pressed so insistently about this that my ears are starting to hurt.”

“…What are you talking about…?”

After deepening his smile slightly, the Head Priest approached Philz with light steps and abruptly lifted him into his arms.

“Up we go.”

“Huh…?”

Faced with such an unexpected situation, Philz could not even brush him off in time.

“Mm-hmm. You’ve trained well. For someone so slender, you have this much weight to you, which proves you have strength too.”

Philz was a boy who would soon turn twelve. He had not entered his growth spurt and was still short. Since he had a feminine face and resembled his mother, he somehow suspected he might not grow very tall.

Smiling cheerfully, the Head Priest firmly held Philz, half hoisting him over his shoulder, and began walking toward the temple.

After a moment, Philz grasped the state he was in and stiffened.

“Hey, what the hell are you doing?”

“Yes, yes. Be a good boy now. If you thrash around, even I might fall and get hurt, you know?”

“…”

As an adventurer, Philz could strike down without mercy those who came at him with violence. However, perhaps due to the sensibilities of his previous life, he felt resistance toward injuring someone who possessed no martial force. When the man said that, Philz could no longer move. Still held in his arms, he passed through the doors of the church’s chapel for the first time.

Since he was facing backward, he could not see the whole interior. But he did not feel like looking around either. After all, the priests inside and the few worshippers scattered about were staring at him with wide eyes. It was far too embarrassing.

The Head Priest was famous for doing unconventional things, so carrying a child in was not especially surprising. He was the sort of person who often came back with his priestly robes covered in mud after playing chase with resisting street children.

Therefore, the reason everyone’s eyes had widened was probably the fact that Philz was being carried by someone. Always composed, beautiful, and as strong as a girl-like young adventurer could be. That was the assessment people had of the boy called Fil.

“Hehehe. Everyone looks so envious.”

“…Of what…?”

“Well, Fil, you are like a beautiful cat who refuses to be tamed, are you not? And I’m holding you in my arms. Of course they are envious.”

“…What?”

Philz had not known that people thought of him that way. But it was true. There was an air about Philz that made people want to pat his head, while also making it clear he would never let them.

“All right, then. I brought him here.”

“…”

After being gently set down, Philz reluctantly stood there. Then, naturally, he turned back toward the altar.

“…”

At that moment, Philz honestly thought it was beautiful.

It was not because the altar had been made with a certain amount of money. Nor was it shining with gold. A feeling welled up in his chest like the one that came from seeing a magnificent, breathtaking landscape and being so captivated that he could not help but widen his eyes.

“““Ohh…”””

“““Ahh…”””

Perhaps it was not usually like this. The priests and worshippers present could not help but voice their admiration. Before anyone realized it, tiny motes of light were raining down throughout the chapel, where most of that light fell upon Philz, sinking into his body.

“The Blessing…”

“I’ve never seen light like this…”

Normally, during a Blessing, one could see one, or at most two, orbs of light sink into the body. That was what constituted a Blessing. But what Philz was receiving was clearly far greater in number. The light began to faintly illuminate Philz.

It made his gravity lighter, as though trying to lift him slightly. Because of that, the hair he had tied together behind him floated softly upward, and the hem of his clothes fluttered.

Then, it canceled the magic Philz had placed on himself. First, the color of his hair and eyes returned to normal. The light adventurer’s equipment he had been wearing, including his leather armor, had changed into pure-white ceremonial robes worn by priests.

“Huh?”

“This is remarkable.”

The Head Priest standing nearby smiled and admired the sight with carefree ease. Radiant white and gold thread were colors that symbolized the heavens. Even high-ranking priests were only permitted to wear such garments during major ceremonies held a few times a year. Naturally, it was unthinkable for an ordinary person to don those robes.

The light subsided. His clothes remained priestly vestments even more ornate than the Head Priest’s. His hair and eyes had also returned to their natural colors. As Philz stood there in a daze, the Head Priest brought over a crystal from the altar, though Philz had no idea when he had prepared it.

“Now, Fil. Place your hand on this.”

“…”

He had no idea what was happening, and he was being forced to receive the Blessing against his will. While Philz stood there in displeasure, the Head Priest urged him on gently. The thought of simply ignoring him and leaving crossed his mind, but something inside Philz insisted that he must not do that.

With no other choice, he let out a small sigh-like breath, took half a step forward, and touched the crystal with his right hand. A powerful light immediately overflowed from it. He reflexively narrowed his eyes.

“Guh…”

“Oh, as expected, it’s incredible. It seems not only the Ten Gods, but several Retainer Gods as well have granted you their Blessings.”

“…Huh…? Ten Gods…? Retainer Gods…?”

“That’s right. All ten of the Ten Gods, and Retainer Gods too.”

“…All of them…?”

“Yes, yes. All ten of the Ten Gods. This is the first time in the world’s history. I must report you to headquarters as a Divine Child at once. If the nobles find out, it will be a serious matter.”

“Divine Child…”

Confronted with nothing but strange words, Philz was confused as well. Before he could feel amazed by how incredible it was, thoughts like “This is bad” and “This is dangerous” ran through his head.

When he snapped around to look behind him, he saw priests moved by the light of the Gods and praying on the spot, and worshippers who looked as though they had no idea what had happened. The words “Immediate information control!” flashed through his mind. Before even that, he also thought he needed to flee the scene.

Philz was so confused that, in the end, he could not move. The one who took him by the arm and began walking was the Head Priest.

“Be a good boy and let’s go into the back. To the Prayer Chamber. It’s all right. The people who were here will not speak of this. You see, it is said that if one witnesses a miracle of God and does not spread it around, one will be blessed with good fortune and happiness.”

Even the worshippers who had been standing there in a daze were now offering prayers. After confirming that, Philz allowed the Head Priest to guide him toward the rear of the temple. It was the Prayer Chamber, where priests conversed with God. It was located behind the chapel altar. The room was perfectly circular.

The Head Priest urged Philz to enter, while he himself remained outside and began closing the door.

“Take the posture of prayer in the center. Once your conversation is finished, don’t go home. After leaving this room, turn left and come to my room at the very end of the corridor. You’d like to leave through the back door, wouldn’t you?”

“…Understood…”

“Hehehe. Then please, take your time.”

Philz realized that those words had not been directed only at him. This man truly was no ordinary person.

After staring at the closed door for a while, Philz steeled himself and walked to the center of the room. Then he knelt there and offered a prayer.

—

It was a beautiful place.

Philz was kneeling inside a white stone gazebo at the center of a small island where flowers of every color bloomed in profusion.

He stood, left the gazebo, and looked around. Before him was a lake, and beyond it he could see a forest spreading outward. The lake separating the gazebo from the forest was deeply mysterious, for reflected upon it was the image of a deep night sky.

That it was the surface of a lake was clear from the way it rippled in the wind. Yet when he looked up, what lay above him was a clear, bright daytime sky. The skies of day and night existed above and below.

As he quietly gazed at it, a voice called out to him from behind. It came from the direction of the gazebo where Philz had been.

“You have finally come, our beloved child.”

“!”

He hurriedly turned around, and there in the gazebo sat ten people of varying appearances and ages, all looking his way.

“Come here and sit. Let us talk.”

“…”

Philz obediently followed those words.

The young man with silver hair and golden eyes, who sat directly in front of him and had offered him a seat, spoke once more.

“First, I suppose introductions are in order. I am Rizaft, the Chief God.”

Next was the beautiful golden-haired woman of mature age sitting to his right.

“I am Ryula, Goddess of Life and the Second God.”

After that, continuing clockwise, men and women alternated in order. They were the Gods of 【Martial Arts】, 【Wisdom】, 【Sun】, 【Moon】, 【Commerce】, 【Technique】, 【Magic】, and 【Bounty】. Together with the Chief God and the Goddess of Life from earlier, they made up the Ten Gods. Beneath each of them were lower Gods who served as their Retainer Gods.

Incidentally, this system was also applied to the church. The First Divine Apostle, who occupied the Chief God’s position, was the Pope, and up to the Tenth Divine Apostle, they oversaw the church. The Head Priest who had brought Philz here did not look the part, but he was said to be someone capable of becoming the Second Divine Apostle at headquarters.

Once the Ten Gods had finished introducing themselves, the young man who had named himself the Chief God spoke again.

“I imagine you already understand this, but I am the one who brought you from another world to this one.”

“…Why was it me…?”

He did not understand why he had been chosen. That was a deeply unsettling thing. Even if the reason had simply been chance, that would have been fine. Philz wanted to know. He did not want to live on in confusion without even knowing the reason.

As though seeing straight through those thoughts, Rizaft, the Chief God, answered with a smile.

“Because even as you lived with regret, you never ran away. You persevered until the very end and desperately kept on living.”

“…That’s not…”

Was that not normal? Philz thought. Anyone had to go on living, no matter how painful or difficult things became. Even when something unpleasant happened, someday, somehow, it would work out. They would forget. They would find an answer. Believing that, they continued to live. That was only natural.

In response, Rizaft quietly shook his head. Perhaps he really could read thoughts.

“It may have been natural to you, but that way of thinking did not apply to everyone in that world. Surprisingly, very few people could think that way while living in a society where lives were not cut short unreasonably in battle.”

“…”

He had believed that everyone, to a greater or lesser extent, worried over things and still lived on without giving up.

Some people could simply switch their feelings off and process things cleanly. That was good in its own way. Or perhaps there were others for whom it had become normal to proceed selfishly without caring about other people. They were people who had changed the way they thought so they would not have to be hurt. If they did not need to consider how others felt, then there was nothing for them to agonize over.

Conversely, there were people who agonized and agonized, yet could never find an answer, and eventually gave up. Some confined themselves to a narrow world, shut themselves away, and blocked the exit with their own hands.

No matter what happened, never giving up, continuing to struggle, and still living on without breaking while staying vigilant so as not to trouble others. That was by no means a happy way to live, and depending on the person, one might even consider it a foolish way to live. And yet, there were people who could live no other way. In his previous life, Philz had likely been someone who could only live in that clumsy manner.

“I was searching for a tenacious, patient soul that could agonize to the very end, agonize thoroughly, and still survive. Of course, the aptitude to adapt to this world was also necessary. That narrowed the candidates even further.”

There must have been other candidates, but Philz had been chosen.

“Compatibility with us is important too.”

Ryula added that with a wink. The other Gods nodded as if to say she was right. Rizaft then continued.

“And the deciding factor was your hobby.”

“My hobby…?”

The final deciding factor had unexpectedly been his hobby.

“Yes. Puzzles, plastic models, programming. You loved inventing, and above all, you adored intricate work. You would concentrate on it like an ascetic monk, would you not?”

“…I see…”

He did remember liking those things. It was also true that lately, whenever he had free time, there were moments when he was seized by an urge to do a puzzle. That was probably proof of how strongly those memories remained. He had also loved looking at blueprints, and simply looking at them had been enough to satisfy him. Most likely, because he had those memories, he had been interested in making magic devices ever since he was young.

“Without that kind of aptitude, you cannot create magic devices. Especially ancient magic devices, which are far more difficult and complex than those of the present.”

“Ancient magic devices…”

“Hehe. You are interested in them, are you not?”

“…Yes…”

He became intensely interested.

“You see, when this world was still newly formed, we accepted many more reincarnated people from Earth, and even permitted summoning arts in order to develop it.”

Apparently, rather than hero summoning, it had been sage summoning to provide knowledge, but summoning arts had existed.

“But once we saw a certain degree of development, we severed those practices. Originally, bringing people from other worlds is not a good thing. Unless summoning arts are used with the promise of returning the summoned person as well, they create distortions in the world. Souls are meant to circulate within the world where they were born. That is the proper order.”

Otherwise, it seemed that souls could not be properly processed, causing memories of the previous lives to remain or parts of the soul to go missing.

“After a world stabilizes, bringing in souls from elsewhere can instead create holes in it, but there are exceptions. Souls that are compatible with us Gods, flexible in nature, and able to acclimate easily to that world. Souls with such special qualities will take root in the world they cross into, so there is no problem.”

Those were called Divine Children, or beloved children of God. They were beings easily colored by the power of the God of that world. In other words, they were likely to become part of that world.

“That is why I chose you. You have already become a soul of this world. However, you possess knowledge from another world. I want you to spread it throughout this world. Like the summoned sages of old… I ask you to reform this world.”

“…”

He declared that with a radiant smile.

—