CH 315

“……Eh?”

In the ‘prayer hall’ of the temple where devout believers pray.

At first, no one noticed it because everyone was praying to the statue of the goddess in front of them, but eventually, those who looked up caught sight of it.

And then, hearing that voice raised in confusion, the others also raised their gazes…….

“””””Ah my goddess!!”””””

That’s right. Perched high on the wall of the [Prayer Room], on a ledge below the stained-glass windows, was the figure of a goddess……  or rather, some sort of a goddess.

Wearing a blonde wig and colored contacts, with a white foundation on the exposed parts of her face and limbs, a tiara (imitation) on her head, and a ring of light circling above her head…

The clothes were blinding white and fluttering that screams [I am a goddess!]. Additionally, she has white wings on her back.

The wings were quite sturdy and were held tightly to the body by a harness under her clothes.

Furthermore…….

“Manifest before me, Appear!” (Mitsuha)

There was a pin mic attached to her chest…… The transmitter was attached to her waist, and was connected by a thin cable running through her clothes……. Mitsuha’s voice surged loudly from the speakers set up near the ceiling last night.

“Hear my words, my pious servants!” (Mitsuha)

“””””Ye- Yes!!”””””

The believers prostrate in unison.

Of course, that would happen.

There was no one there a moment ago.

And there was no way someone could climb up to such a place in front of so many people without anyone noticing.

……No, even if they were aware of it, it’s not a place that a girl could climb up with her bare hands. There was no foothold or anything to grab onto……

A person who can appear in such a place instantly without being noticed by anyone.

Additionally, that person, with pure white wings on her back and a shiny ring on her head, spoke in a soft voice but still echoed throughout the spacious prayer hall, it’s only natural that you would not even question it.

“There are some miscreants who stand in the way of those who seek to spread goodwill and happiness in the world of mankind.

Something must be done with it!” (Mitsuha)

Then, the goddess conveniently explained the damage being done to the members of the Society and decreed that engagement talks that the girls wanted were OK, but that pushing for unwanted talks was not OK, that while it was OK to ask Goddess-sama for help, it was not OK to force it, and that if the girls refused, they should just give up.

Then, she stood up on the ledge of the wall she was sitting on and…

“Well then, I bid you farewell. Tou~!” (Mitsuha)

When she shouted that, the goddess jumped out of the ledge and flew into the air……

“”””””She’s gone……””””””

This was the reason why the wings were sturdily built and firmly fastened to the body.

If it was just a costume, there was no need to make it so sturdy.

However, it had to be strong enough not to be damaged during the flight, even if it was just for a moment.

She also took the speakers that had been set up in the four corners of the ceiling with her during the transition and left behind a few real bird feathers that had been attached to the wings, so that after the goddess disappeared, a few pure white feathers would flutter down.

After that, a fierce struggle for the fallen feathers began, resulting in an uproar and screams, but the commotion was somehow desperately calmed down by the priests, and all the feathers were also collected (confiscated) by the priests.

…Unfortunately, all of the feathers were pretty much torn to shreds due to the scramble, but regardless, they were still collected…

Since that day was the day of the monthly High Priest-sama’s sermon at the temple in the royal capital, many nobles were in attendance.

…Of course, I knew that and I aimed for that day…

As a result, this big incident quickly spread among the nobility and the royal family.

Naturally, among the commoners as well.

Well, even if it wasn’t one of those days, the result would have been the same……

And so…….

=====

“The Marquis family, who was pushing for an engagement, has backed down!”

“The disgusting middle-aged Earl who was forcing me to become his second wife also withdrew!”

“Me too. I seem to have managed to get away from being almost forcibly engaged!”

……Apparently, it went well.

It seems that the six members who had been in a tight spot, as well as the other members, were able to kick the engagement proposal that they didn’t like.

The story of parents’ willingness to marry their daughter even though she did not like it was not a big problem since it was common knowledge that daughters of noble families would marry for the sake of their family regardless of their own feelings, so the “desirable to the family” and “desired by the parents” were being interpreted as “desired by the daughter herself”.

It seems that the parents who were overjoyed by the engagement proposals from high-ranking aristocrats and well-off families looked like they were about to die, but as expected, they chose to avoid being scowled at by the goddess rather than for immediate profit.

……Well, of course, it should be obvious.

At any rate, that settles the issue!

……Ah.

“Everyone, don’t get me wrong!

Do not force or coerce an innocent man into marrying someone he doesn’t want to marry, even if you want to. Even if you think you can!” (Mitsuha)

I’ve said it before, but I reminded them again.

“”””””……””””””

What’s up with that?! That reaction of silently lowering your head!

…You guys, stop scaring me like that!!

Aren’t the members getting too carried away recently?

At first, they were all innocent, sensible kids, aware of their status as children of nobility, but lately, they’re starting to feel like, [We have connections to the goddess, we’re privileged!]…….

I think I’ve gone overboard with the ship’s spirit, the messenger, the goddess, etc., haven’t I?

Umumu… I feel like there might be some kind of ‘tit for tat’ eventually, so I’m getting anxious…