Published: September 10, 2025
Satou here. Perhaps pure feelings of love are always the hardest to control, no matter the era. But even if one gains convenient powers or tools, it’s important not to become a stalker out of love.
◇
“Please wait in this room.”
The unfriendly priest of the Heralon Temple left us in a stark reception room that resembled a cold prison cell.
There were chairs in the room, but they were made of hard stone, so none of us really wanted to sit.
As far as I could see with spatial magic’s “distant vision,” the rest of the temple seemed normal.
It wasn’t just my imagination — apparently, that priest alone, or maybe the entire temple, disliked us.
“A simple and sturdy room. Is Heralon God a war deity?”
“There is a record that he is the chief among the gods.”
Liza and Nana seemed fine with the treatment, so I took cushions out of my storage bag and placed them on the chairs, one for each of us to sit.
Since I had the chance, I decided to return the favor by spying on that priest using “distant vision” and “distant ear” spatial magic.
“Shrine Maiden Tsulya, the black-haired boy mentioned in the divine oracle has appeared.”
“Is that so? It is him?”
“Yes. I have never seen anyone else bearing the title ‘Challenger of the Trial of the Gods.’”
Before the priest sat a demure girl clad in a cool-looking shrine maiden outfit.
Unlike most people from the Sania Kingdom, she had pale skin, unblemished by the sun, and her eyes were quietly shut. She might be blind.
I thought she would notice our watching, but she showed no sign of it.
“I will greet him once before the ritual. Please escort me.”
“Understood. However, he is a rough warrior. The shrine maiden’s safety must not be compromised. Please wait until the temple swordsmen arrive.”
What a terrible thing to say.
“No need. He is here to undertake the trial of the gods. He’s not foolish enough to do anything improper to the shrine maiden and incur the displeasure of Heralon God.”
“That won’t do. Warriors are the type who act first and think later. They don’t act cautiously to avoid displeasure; they act and then worry about the consequences.”
The priest’s prejudice was extreme. Maybe he had some trauma involving warriors.
But after thinking about it, images of this country’s warriors and young magic girls came to my mind.
Hmm, maybe it’s not just prejudice.
By the way, according to my map search, there is only one “Divine Oracle Shrine Maiden” in this country — her.
Given that, it’s natural the priest would be concerned about Tsulya’s safety.
After waiting a while, a young priestess appeared and arranged for us to meet shrine maiden Tsulya in another reception room.
◇
“Nice to meet you, challenger of the trial of the gods. I am Tsulya, the Divine Oracle Shrine Maiden serving Heralon God.”
“I am Satou Pendragon, Count of the Shiga Kingdom. It’s an honor to meet you, shrine maiden Tsulya.”
She spoke in a quiet tone that held the stability of an elderly elf.
If it weren’t for the scowling priest behind her, I could watch her for hours.
After some small talk, I got to the point.
“I wish to receive a trial from Heralon God. How should I proceed?”
“The temple is prepared.”
—How gracious.
They knew from the divine oracle that a challenger would come and had prepared accordingly.
“The stars are favorable today, but if you miss today, you’ll have to wait half a month. Which do you prefer, Count Satou?”
“I apologize for the sudden request, but I wish to proceed today.”
“T- Today!?”
The priest’s scowl deepened at my words.
“Is there a problem?”
“The ritual involves the shrine maiden—”
“That’s fine.”
Tsulya interrupted the priest.
He looked like he wanted to say more but couldn’t oppose her and fell silent.
Since it seemed there would be no more interference, I explained the secret methods used in the Tenion Temple ritual to get approval.
Tsulya and the priest were initially hesitant, but when I mentioned that physical contact could be minimized—