Chapter 60: From Now On, This Place is Called the Axis Order
Bolic knelt. He knelt completely and utterly. After all, Kobayashi had just had a "heart-to-heart" talk with him. He was surely moved to the point of complete and sincere submission.
"Very well, Bolic. I will now give you your first order. Convey these doctrines to the believers."
"Yes! This loyal servant of the goddess will surely complete the task."
Taking the offered paper, Bolic prepared his body and soul to receive the teachings of the great goddess.
But...
"You can do anything if you try. Failure is the world's fault."
"It is fine not to try. Just push the responsibility onto others."
"Eat when you want to eat, drink when you want to drink, because you never know if you'll be able to eat or drink tomorrow."
"Since you're going to fail anyway, you might as well go all out. If you fail, just run away."
...You're telling me this is religious doctrine?!
Bolic suspected he was seeing things. Logically speaking, shouldn't it be some positive, inspirational quotes that give people hope for the future? But no matter how he looked at it, this was just the declaration of a useless person trying to escape reality!
"What is it? Is there a problem?"
"N-no problem."
Unable to muster the slightest will to resist, he naturally had no objections.
Bolic solemnly put away the doctrines, preparing to carry out his first task beautifully.
Just as he was about to leave.
"Wait, there's one more."
Kobayashi pinched his chin and said with some hesitation, "Eris pads her chest!"
"What?"
Bolic suspected he had misheard.
"There is one more doctrine that must be conveyed: Eris pads her chest!"
"Er..."
It's over. This church is doomed.
For some reason, this was the only thought in Bolic's mind right now.
Kobayashi had no choice. The church now worshipped Aqua, but he couldn't guarantee that the idiot goddess could even receive their faith. And that woman was particularly obsessed with "Eris pads her chest," so he thought that spreading this phrase would strengthen her connection, like some kind of code word to boost the signal.
That's right! He was definitely not persecuting Eris on purpose!
...He could only hope that the gentle and kind goddess wouldn't hold it against him.
After receiving his mission, Bolic turned and left.
Kobayashi looked at the Leader, who was still kneeling piously at his feet.
"Alright, now let's talk about you."
It was strange. He had thought that taking over the Path of Peace would take some effort. He hadn't expected its Leader to kneel before him the moment they met. The whole process was too fast; there was no sense of accomplishment.
"How about... you resist a little?"
"If you are displeased, please kill me a few more times."
"Tsk."
Of course, Kobayashi couldn't actually kill him.
But he was still very curious as to why the man had submitted so quickly. It couldn't be that he possessed some kind of hegemon's aura that made people's knees go weak at first sight, could it?
"Because I foresaw the future."
The Leader explained, "I received a divine revelation that someone would come here bearing the grace of the gods."
Now I remember. He was a hybrid of a human and a Danger Beast. He possessed some abilities that ordinary people didn't, such as healing wounds and foreseeing the future.
"A god has descended. Do you know how long I have waited for this day, Master Kobayashi?"
A trace of fanaticism appeared in the Leader's eyes.
For him, being a clergyman was the greatest torment, because they knew that gods did not exist. They spoke of gods and forced themselves to believe, but as time passed, they knew it was nothing more than spiritual comfort.
Gods and the like simply did not exist.
...But!
What if, one day, you learned that gods really did exist, and one had truly descended by your side?
It was like knowing that Santa Claus was fake, but then he really appeared at your bedside with a gift.
Joy! Excitement!
You wouldn't be able to suppress the madness in your heart!
"Ah, thank you for your love, my Lady Goddess! Whether it is my faith, my life, my soul, or all that I possess, I will forever believe in Lady Aqua and am willing to offer her my all!"
The Leader rushed forward and grabbed Kobayashi's shoulders.
He shouted excitedly, "Come! Let us create the wonderful Axis Order! Let the whole world join the Axis Order! Let everyone hear the teachings of our Lady Goddess! Come, join the Axis Order! Let us create a beautiful tomorrow!"
It's over. This church is doomed.
For some reason, this was the only thought in Kobayashi's mind right now.
He had completely overlooked the Leader's fanaticism towards gods. He had never expected him to be a hidden zealot!
DAMMIT, AQUA!
The church's transformation went smoothly. Under the pretext of having received a divine revelation, the Leader officially changed the name of the Path of Peace to the Axis Order. At the same time, with Bolic pulling strings from top to bottom, in just three short days, the church's followers all knew the great name of Aqua.
"Your complexion is very poor, Master Kobayashi."
"I know. Because I can't sleep at all."
Looking at the fanatical believers one by one, Kobayashi couldn't help but wonder if what he was doing was really right. Could his actions bring disaster to the world?
Every time he slept, he would dream of a group of fanatics using various methods to semi-forcefully pull outsiders into the church. Then, the newly converted would be brainwashed and, just like the others, pull more people in.
In the end, the style of the entire world would become twisted!
This frightening thought had kept him from sleeping well for three days.
DAMMIT, AQUA!
The main street leading to the temple was bustling with people, and it was exceptionally lively.
Because they were building a statue of the Lady Goddess.
That's right, a statue of Aqua.
The Leader had said he wanted to gaze upon the Lady Goddess's likeness, and also to allow the other believers to worship her better. So, he semi-forcefully made Kobayashi draw a portrait of Aqua, and then he specifically commissioned someone to carve a huge statue.
With everyone's efforts, the statue was placed in the very center of the main street, in the middle of a large, circular lake for people to worship and make offerings. Because Kobayashi had said Aqua was the Goddess of Water and Wisdom, the Leader had come up with the novel idea of a statue in the middle of a lake.
"Is this the Lady Goddess of Water, Aqua?"
"With such a visage, she must be a goddess!"
"As expected, even from a statue, one can feel the Lady Goddess's magnanimity!"
"Ah, Lady Goddess!"
Yes, they were all right.
Don't be fooled by the fact that Aqua was often foolish and didn't act like a goddess. As long as she shut her mouth and stood still, she looked very much like one.
And to make her seem even more divine, Kobayashi had specially infused a tiny, tiny sliver of her divine power into it.
It was really just a tiny sliver, because any more and it would have exploded.
But even so, under the effect of the water, Aqua's statue still radiated a divine brilliance, making the surrounding believers cry out that a goddess had descended.
The Leader ascended a high platform and said loudly, "All you pious believers, let us bathe together in the grace of the goddess and accept her blessings! The Lady Goddess will surely protect us!... Right, Master Kobayashi?"
"Right, right, right, you're absolutely right."
What else could he say?
The crowd below raised their arms and cheered, their expressions incomparably fanatical. He was truly worried about the future of this world.
But regardless!
From now on, this place is called the Axis Order!
(End of Chapter)