Chapter 4: Chapter 4 — A Business Called Faith

Chapter 4 — A Business Called Faith

Elena did not trust me.

That became obvious almost immediately.

The villagers continued celebrating my "miracle" while she stood slightly apart from everyone else, silently observing me with sharp blue eyes.

Honestly?

I respected it.

If a random man appeared one night claiming to be a forgotten god while blasting music from a glowing rectangle, I’d be suspicious too.

Unfortunately for her...

suspicion didn’t change results.

The villagers believed in me now.

And belief had power in this world.

Real power.

Chief Rowan raised both hands toward the villagers.

"Prepare the feast hall! Tonight we honor Lord Kaiser, the God of Technology!"

The villagers cheered loudly.

More warm energy flowed into my chest.

At this point I could actually feel the divine power circulating inside my body.

It moved like invisible electricity beneath my skin.

Weak.

Tiny.

But growing.

Dangerously fast.

I glanced toward Elena.

The silver symbol on her hand flickered again.

Her expression tightened slightly.

Interesting.

Was my growing faith affecting her goddess somehow?

Or was Lady Seraphine already close to collapse?

Either way...

I needed information.

Fast.

The villagers guided us toward the largest building near the center of Erald.

Apparently it served as both gathering hall and emergency shelter.

Inside, long wooden tables filled the room while candles illuminated the walls.

The atmosphere slowly shifted from panic to celebration.

Children stared at me excitedly.

Adults whispered prayers under their breath.

Every few seconds someone bowed.

Honestly, this was becoming awkward.

I sat near the center table while villagers hurried around preparing food.

Elena sat across from me silently.

Watching.

Always watching.

Chief Rowan smiled nervously.

"Our village has not hosted a divine being in many years."

"How common are gods?" I asked carefully.

The chief blinked.

"Not rare... but most minor villages only receive blessings through priests or shrine maidens."

He glanced respectfully toward Elena.

"Direct appearances are uncommon."

Makes sense.

If gods existed openly, they probably couldn’t waste time visiting random villages constantly.

Especially weaker gods.

Interesting.

That meant divine status had hierarchy.

Larger churches probably controlled more territory and believers.

Which meant more power.

Basically corporations.

Except the CEOs were literal gods.

I almost laughed.

This world had accidentally turned religion into a business model.

And apparently...

I had just started my own company.

A small wooden cup was placed before me.

Wine.

I stared at it briefly.

Then took a careful sip.

Not terrible.

A little too strong though.

A young girl suddenly approached nervously.

She couldn’t have been older than ten.

"D-Divine Lord..."

I looked toward her.

"Yes?"

She held out a small flower awkwardly.

"For protecting the village."

The room became quiet.

The girl looked terrified. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Probably worried she might offend me.

Something twisted slightly inside my chest.

I gently accepted the flower.

"Thank you."

Her face immediately brightened.

The villagers smiled warmly.

More faith flowed toward me.

Interesting.

Positive emotional interactions increased belief more efficiently.

Noted.

Very noted.

Elena suddenly spoke for the first time since entering the hall.

"You adapt surprisingly quickly."

Straight attack.

Nice.

I looked toward her calmly.

"And what exactly am I adapting to?"

"This world."

Sharp answer.

She leaned slightly forward.

"Most divine beings view mortals with indifference."

Ah.

So gods here usually acted arrogant.

Good information.

"I find humans interesting," I answered honestly.

Earth lost its gods long ago.

But this world?

Religion here was alive.

Visible.

Powerful.

Every person inside this hall genuinely believed gods watched them.

Honestly...

that kind of faith was terrifying.

Elena studied me carefully.

"You speak unlike other gods."

"That sounds more like a compliment than suspicion."

"It wasn’t intended as either."

Smart girl.

Very smart girl.

Chief Rowan quickly interrupted before the conversation became uncomfortable.

"Lady Elena serves Lady Seraphine faithfully," he explained nervously.

"She worries deeply for the village."

Elena’s expression softened slightly at the mention of her goddess.

Interesting.

Very loyal.

That could become dangerous later.

Or useful.

Depends on timing.

I leaned back slightly.

"Tell me about Lady Seraphine."

The room quieted immediately.

Even Elena seemed surprised by the question.

After a moment, Rowan answered respectfully.

"She is a minor goddess of protection and healing."

Minor goddess.

Again that term.

"How are gods ranked?" I asked.

The villagers exchanged nervous glances.

Apparently discussing divine matters casually wasn’t normal.

Elena finally answered.

"Lesser gods rule small domains. Greater gods control nations."

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Supreme gods influence entire continents."

Continents.

Not planets.

Interesting.

So even powerful gods had limits.

"What determines rank?" I asked.

"Faith," Elena answered immediately.

"Believers. Territory. Divine authority."

Exactly what I expected.

This world’s entire power structure revolved around worship.

Honestly?

That made religion far more terrifying than on Earth.

A god here could literally invade another territory and steal believers.

Divine warfare was basically market competition with miracles.

My business theory was becoming more accurate by the minute.

Elena continued quietly.

"Lady Seraphine once protected seven villages."

Once.

Past tense.

I noticed the sadness in her voice immediately.

"Now only Erald remains faithful."

Ouch.

That explained everything.

Her goddess was dying.

Not physically perhaps...

but spiritually.

Losing believers meant losing power.

And eventually...

disappearing completely.

I glanced toward the silver shrine visible through the hall window.

So that was the future awaiting weak gods.

Forgotten.

Abandoned.

Dead.

For some reason, the thought made me uncomfortable.

Maybe because Earth’s gods suffered the same fate.

Chief Rowan sighed heavily.

"Without stronger blessings, many villagers may eventually join other churches."

Elena lowered her gaze silently.

The atmosphere became heavy.

Then I realized something.

This entire village desperately needed hope.

Not necessarily truth.

Just hope.

And hope...

was something I could manufacture.

Very easily.

An idea formed in my mind.

Risky.

But potentially profitable.

Spiritually profitable.

I looked toward Rowan.

"What problems does Erald face besides the wolves?"

The chief looked surprised by the question.

"Well... our crops have struggled recently. Illness spreads more often. And trade routes have become dangerous."

Basic medieval problems.

Honestly, Earth technology could solve half of these instantly.

Clean water alone would probably look divine.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

I leaned forward slightly.

"Tomorrow," I said calmly, "I will inspect your village."

The villagers looked stunned.

Chief Rowan nearly stood up from excitement.

"A divine inspection?!"

More faith energy flooded into me.

At this rate I was going to overdose on religion.

Elena, however, remained cautious.

"Why?" she asked.

Direct as always.

I looked toward her.

"Because if I am to understand this era..."

I smiled faintly.

"...then I must understand its people."

The villagers looked emotional again.

Seriously, these people were too easy.

But Elena’s expression became thoughtful.

Not convinced.

Yet not dismissive either.

Good.

Slow trust was more reliable.

Suddenly the hall doors burst open.

A young hunter rushed inside breathing heavily.

"Chief Rowan!"

Everyone turned immediately.

"The wolves are gathering near the eastern forest again!"

Fear spread through the room instantly.

The hunter swallowed nervously.

"And... there’s something else."

"What?" Rowan demanded.

The hunter looked pale.

"There’s a corrupted beast with them."

Silence.

Even Elena’s expression changed.

"What kind of beast?" she asked sharply.

"I-I don’t know... but the forest itself is dying around it."

The room became tense.

The villagers whispered fearfully.

Corrupted beast.

That sounded significantly worse than normal wolves.

Elena stood immediately.

"I need to see it."

Her silver blessing flickered weakly again.

Honestly?

She looked exhausted already.

Yet she still intended to fight.

Stubborn.

I respected that too.

Unfortunately...

I also noticed something else.

She was afraid.

Not for herself.

For the village.

Interesting girl.

Very dangerous for my mental stability.

Chief Rowan looked toward me desperately.

"Lord Kaiser..."

Right.

Of course.

The fake god was expected to solve everything.

Naturally.

I slowly stood.

"Take me there."

Elena immediately frowned.

"This is not a game."

Ah.

There it was.

The first real hostility.

I met her gaze calmly.

"Did I say it was?"

The hall became quiet.

For a moment, neither of us moved.

Then Elena spoke quietly.

"Corrupted beasts are dangerous even for trained divine servants."

Translation:

You don’t know what you’re doing.

Fair point honestly.

Because I absolutely didn’t.

But backing down now would damage belief.

And faith...

was currently my only weapon.

I stepped toward the doorway.

"Then it’s fortunate," I said calmly, "that I am not merely a divine servant."

Several villagers gasped softly.

Elena stared at me silently.

Then finally turned away.

"...Fine."

Victory.

Small victory.

As we exited the hall together, cold night wind swept through the village.

The three moons glowed above us while distant howls echoed from the forest.

Elena walked beside me quietly for several moments before speaking again.

"You’re strange."

I glanced toward her.

"That’s the second time you’ve said that."

"You hide things."

Sharp.

Very sharp.

I smiled slightly.

"So do you."

She looked genuinely surprised for a second.

Nice.

Finally scored a point against the suspicious saintess.

After a moment, she sighed softly.

"The villagers need hope."

Her voice became quieter.

"I don’t care who gives it to them anymore."

Ah.

There it was.

The truth.

She was desperate.

Not weak.

Not naive.

Desperate.

And desperate people were willing to believe impossible things.

Which meant...

this entire world might already be prepared for someone like me.

Someone who understood something most gods probably didn’t.

Faith was not just religion.

It was psychology.

Emotion.

Storytelling.

Perception.

And Earth had mastered those things better than any world in history.

Advertising.

Media.

Propaganda.

Branding.

If belief created gods...

then modern humanity had unknowingly spent centuries perfecting divinity itself.

For the first time since arriving here...

I truly began to understand how terrifying the God of Technology must have been.