Chapter 20

    Secret Agreement?

    "I... I sincerely apologize." Father Jacob was bowing his head in apology to the two nuns after being cornered for quite some time.

    "You...you forgot? How could you!? I went through all the trouble of submitting a written request in advance and even repeated multiple times how important this was."

    "Calm down, Lisa," Matthew stepped in to mediate. "You might not be aware, but the prophecy from Lord Landbruh at the beginning of the year has thrown every major church in the kingdom into chaos. Jacob was probably too overwhelmed to remember Redwood’s request..."

    Father Matthew then began to recount the kingdom's recent turmoil in detail while his companion sat beside him, looking utterly dejected.

    The beginning of the year marked the short period right after the last snowfall had ceased...

    Though the seasonal changes varied across different regions, the Central Church of the kingdom followed the timekeeping standard of the capital, Seris. If one were to count backward, it would be roughly over two months ago.

    The prophets of the Order of Agriculture often received their visions through divine imagery. This year, the images they saw depicted an expansive, arid land rising from the south. Many of those who received these visions reported seeing similar scenes, prompting them to hastily spread the critical news across the land. As a result, every major city rushed to bolster their agricultural production, stockpiling an unprecedented amount of supplies. Because of this, the Church of Landbruh had been in a state of extreme disarray, far more than usual.

    Priests blessed with special power from the God of Agriculture had been working overtime every single day for the past two months. Some even ventured out to bestow blessings upon crucial farmlands amid lingering snowfall that had yet to fully melt.

    Hearing this explanation, the two nuns gradually let go of their frustration.

    "There's no need to worry. Regarding the Godstone you requested, I've already arranged for a formal loan request from the Church of Light in Russel City. A swift courier should deliver it to us within two or three days. In the meantime, please be patient."

    Fortunately, Father Jackson had acted swiftly in providing assistance. Otherwise, they would have had to wait for the transport from Father Jacob’s town, which was nearly seven days away.

    With the matter settled, the group's attention shifted to the large sweet potato field next to the church. The lush, thriving leaves stood in stark contrast to the staple crops commonly cultivated across the kingdom for sustenance. It didn't take long before one of the young priests recognized what these plants were.

    "This... these are sweet potatoes. Do you grow them for food?" The young priest gently stroked the tender leaves of the sweet potato plants. Two of his companions from the Church of Landbruh also stepped forward to admire the crop. Members of their faith were far more obsessed with agriculture than the average person.

    A thought crossed their minds—when had these senior Sisters decided to plant sweet potatoes? Had the crucial news from the prophecy reached this place faster than other major cities? That seemed highly unlikely...

    Yet all their afternoon musings vanished in an instant when they finally got to taste a new, delicious dish prepared by the two elderly nuns. Even the three high-ranking priests, who had undergone years of strict etiquette training, couldn't resist the sheer indulgence before them. Fortunately, the meal wasn’t cooked by Kit, so there was no risk of any strange incidents that might cause trouble for the young man.

    In the following days, the priests carried out their duties as usual—offering blessings to fields and forests while inspecting for any signs of disease. Two days passed, and on the third day, the swift courier from Russel arrived right on schedule.

    Kit couldn't help but marvel at how punctual this delivery was—far more reliable than the postal system of his previous world. Today would finally be the day he would discover which god had bestowed their blessing upon him.

    The Godstone was a peculiar rock with a hole through its center, as if drilled. Its shape was irregular and asymmetrical, yet adorned with beautiful golden patterns. Kit had seen stones like this many times in myths and legends from his old world. Naturally eroded by flowing water, there was a hole through them. These stones were believed in some Asian cultures to serve as protective charms. In Western folklore… they were likely referred to as Adder Stones.

    Among the sixteen children gathered, only six knew for certain which deity was their patron. However, since the identification process took only a moment, everyone was able to witness each other's divine symbols firsthand.

    James and his three powerful younger brothers received the blessing of Maithias, the God of Strength, as expected. Since it was a highly beneficial blessing in many aspects, the three of them jumped around in joy around their eldest brother.

    Anna and Lynn received blessings from Goddess Nida. In the future, there would surely be more skilled weaving experts to put everyone’s mind at ease.

    Ethan received the blessing of Huntia, the Hunting God. His hawk-like vision would likely bring him great renown in the future.

    The remaining eight younger brothers and sisters received blessings from the God of Agriculture and the God of Craftsmanship, scattered among them. Sister Anne would surely have many juniors to pass on her teachings, and the integrated farming garden of this church would be well taken care of by them in the future.

    The last to undergo the test was David... or the little Kit... Every step he took toward the Godstone made his heart race. The moment he touched the stone, the boy’s soul was instantly pulled into another place. As his eyes adjusted to the bright light, they slowly opened.

    The surrounding area was a lush and vibrant forest. Birds of various species chirped in harmony. His nose twitched as he inhaled a familiar scent—the scent of the forest, of flowers and grass, of the earth—all of it made him feel refreshed.

    “So, what exactly are you supposed to be, hmm?” A bright and clear voice, one he had heard once before, rang in his ears. The large figure immediately snapped his head toward the source of the voice. Beside the goddess stood two other radiant young men, their presence shining brilliantly.

    “Grr... Grr? Pfft—” Huh? Since when had he turned into a bear?

    The clumsy posture of the giant, fluffy bear drew continuous laughter and warm smiles from all three of them. In just a few moments, the soul of the great bear shifted back into that of a young boy named David. His emerald-green eyes looked up at the three figures expectantly. Instinctively, the child knelt down on the ground.

    “There are chairs here, you know? Why sit on the dirt?” A young man’s voice rang out, prompting the newcomer to quickly change his seat.

    “I am Foris. And this is my son, Landbruh.” The beautiful goddess introduced herself, gesturing toward the owner of the previous voice. The other god remained silent, only glancing at the little boy and then back at Foris several times. The lovely goddess then shot him a sharp look, as if signaling him to introduce himself.

    “I am Gaiel...” His deep, resonant voice was strikingly distinctive.

    These three were the gods of this world—the Goddess of the Forest, the God of Agriculture, and the Lord of the Land itself. Kit could sense their immense power, and so he remained silent, listening intently to their divine voices.

    “There’s no need to be so tense. Just think of it as a casual chat with friends.” Goddess Foris poured a large cup of drink from a crystal bottle before tossing one to her son and the other god. “We just wanted to ask you a few things.”

    “Was it fun being a bear?” Gaiel was the first to ask, just as the boy was taking a sip of the strange beverage, intrigued by its taste.

    “Huh? Uh...” What kind of question was that? The boy, who had been fully prepared to answer profound questions, suddenly felt his mind thrown into confusion.

    “Being a bear? Well, it was fun, I guess, but a bit boring.”

    “If you had to choose between a massive, fragrant honeycomb and a giant pile of wild berries, which one would you pick?” The beautiful goddess’s cheerful voice followed with the second question.

    “Can I have half honey, half berries...?” At this point, he decided not to overthink things. After taking another sip of the strange drink, Kit felt more at ease and simply answered from the heart.

    “Do you... remember how to make liquor or wine?” The young boy turned to look at the light green-haired god and couldn’t help but wonder—was the son of Goddess Foris an alcoholic?!

    “If I have enough ingredients, I could experiment and figure it out in no time.”

    Brewing alcohol wasn’t particularly difficult—one just needed a carbohydrate source to ferment, clean containers, and the right yeast.

    Hearing his answer, the three deities nodded in satisfaction. Then, they proceeded to inform Kit of their desires.

    "Your blessing is a little too special, so we must ask for something in return. You don’t mind, do you…?" Foris' smile made Kit pause for a moment to consider. But knowing that he could not refuse, the young boy had no choice but to accept without hesitation.

    "The blessing of the forest must be exchanged for a different type of dessert every month throughout the year. Once winter ends, you may repeat the same desserts again."

    "The blessing of the earth must be exchanged for a joyful event held in my name once a year. You may repeat the same event, but the power you receive will depend on the number of participants each time. For this first year, I will grant you the blessing in advance. Let’s count the roasted sweet potato event from last autumn as the first one."

    "The blessing of agriculture must be exchanged for a delicious drink before each planting session. The amount is up to you. For this first year, I will grant the blessing as a gift. I hope there will be good news next year..."

    Since the two gods had decided to grant the boy their blessings as a special exception in the first year, the beautiful goddess—who had made the most demands—had to grit her teeth and play the role of a benevolent deity as well.

    Before departing, she left him with a final statement, a fundamental principle of life…

    "The most important thing for everyone is to live happily. And also... from now on, you’re going to be quite busy, dear."

    She winked at Kit once before his consciousness faded into darkness.

    In the outside world... the Godstone radiated a brilliant light, then displayed the symbols of the three mighty deities.

    A few moments later, the large stone, which had been floating in midair, slowly descended as its intense glow gradually dimmed.

    Once everyone's eyes adjusted, they found Kit curled up on the stone floor of the church...

    ...His hair in a tousled mess, eyes closed in deep sleep, and a satisfied smile on his lips as a thin line of drool dribbled down.