Book 4: Volume 7 Chapter 4, Kousuke’s Blessings

Translator: Kazumi

Editor: Silavin

 

It was after dinner when Kousuke noticed Kokoro approaching him with a worried expression. He inwardly wondered what was troubling her but said nothing, preferring to wait for her to speak first.

 

Kokoro opened and closed her mouth several times before finally finding her voice.

 

“Father, I have something to discuss with you.”

 

“I understand. Since everyone’s here right now, shall we move somewhere else?”

 

Kousuke and the others were currently in the management relaxation area. Recognizing from her expression that this was a serious matter, Kousuke suggested they find a quiet place to talk. Kokoro nodded in agreement, looking slightly relieved.

 

“Yes, please.”

 

They moved to a private room, where Kousuke spoke as gently as possible to Kokoro, who still seemed unsure whether to continue.

 

“So, what’s the matter?”

 

He thought he had spoken quite nicely, though whether it came across that way was unclear. Even so, Kokoro seemed to flinch for a moment and took several deep breaths.

 

“Um, um…”

 

“Yes?”

 

Kousuke tilted his head as Kokoro hesitated. After a moment, she spoke as if she had finally made up her mind.

 

“Father’s… no, um… can I receive the Divine Protection of the Living God?”

 

A moment of silence followed her words. Kousuke was speechless at this unexpected request. Kokoro, perhaps misunderstanding his reaction, suddenly began fidgeting and panicking.

 

“Oh, I-I guess that was too presumptuous of me. To plead directly with a god and ask for Divine Protection… I apologize.”

 

She turned to leave the room, but Kousuke hastily grabbed her arm.

 

“No, wait a moment. It’s not that at all. I was simply surprised by your request.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“You wanted my Divine Protection, Kokoro?”

 

Kokoro tilted her head, stunned by Kousuke’s question.

 

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The reason Kokoro believed she needed Kousuke’s Divine Protection stemmed from her expectation to succeed Sylvia. Neither Kousuke, Sylvia, nor Towa had explicitly stated this requirement, but the reactions of those around her and her own assumptions had led her to this conclusion.

 

Unable to consult even with Sylvia, Kokoro had struggled alone to obtain Kousuke’s Divine Protection. Despite already having received the blessing from the Three Goddesses, she simply could not obtain his. She found herself spiraling into negative thoughts, wondering whether it was too presumptuous to seek a fourth blessing, or whether she had grown too confident from already obtaining three.

 

Sylvia had noticed Kokoro’s troubled behavior but had not realized that the direct cause was her inability to obtain Kousuke’s Divine Protection. If she had known, she likely would have addressed the matter immediately. While Sylvia did view Kokoro as her successor, she had never considered Kousuke’s blessing a requirement for the role. In truth, Kokoro, who had already obtained Divine Protection from the Three Goddesses, was more than qualified.

 

Unfortunately for Kokoro, her parents were so far removed from the average person that she lacked common sense in certain ways. Sylvia had tried to teach her properly, but there remained gaps in her understanding.

 

Kousuke himself had never considered that Kokoro would want his Divine Protection, so her request came as a complete surprise. More than anything, he could not understand why Kokoro, who was steadily accumulating Divine Protections, would want his specifically.

 

After Kokoro regained her composure, Kousuke nodded in understanding.

 

“Ah, I see. You thought you needed my Divine Protection to take Sylvia’s place.”

 

“Yes, I did. Um… is that not the case?”

 

Kokoro asked timidly, finally realizing the truth from Kousuke’s reaction.

 

“Well, I wonder. It would certainly be beneficial to have it, but I’m not sure it’s absolutely necessary.”

 

Running a nation required the support of temples and churches, but those leaders did not necessarily possess Divine Protection themselves. In fact, such blessings were quite rare. However, given its origins, Razequa Amamiya was unique in this regard, so he could understand to some extent why one might think Divine Protection was necessary.

 

That said, Towa, who had already ascended to the throne, was Kousuke’s biological Son. From that perspective, it was not necessarily true that Kokoro, who would be supporting Towa, absolutely needed Kousuke’s blessing. Towa’s position was completely different from Floria’s from the start.

 

“I… is that so?”

 

Kokoro nearly slammed her hands on the floor in frustration but somehow managed to restrain herself. However, she could not help hanging her head in dismay. She had taken such bold action, only to be told it might not have been necessary after all.

 

“Even if you couldn’t consult with Sylvia or me, you should have at least asked Towa,” Kousuke said with a wry smile.

 

If Kokoro had approached Towa directly, he would likely have given a similar answer. Kousuke was certain of this.

 

Seeing Kokoro’s dejected expression, Kousuke quickly added, “Besides, if you want my Divine Protection, there’s nothing wrong with granting it to you.”

 

“Is that so… yes? Wait… really?”

 

For a moment, Kokoro appeared confused by what Kousuke meant, but then her expression rapidly changed to one of shock.

 

“What…!?”

 

Seeing her reaction, Kousuke gave a wry smile.

 

“Is it really that surprising?”

 

“But I’ve never been able to receive it before…”

 

“That’s because you were approaching it incorrectly. If you had simply asked Sylvia, she would have explained.”

 

Here again, Kokoro had been mistaken. Kousuke’s status as a living god made his method of bestowing Divine Protection unique. Therefore, even if one tried to obtain his blessing through normal means, it would not work.

 

Of course, Kokoro, who had successfully petitioned the Three Goddesses one after another and obtained their Divine Protection, was somewhat unusual in that regard. Normally, Divine Protection was bestowed unilaterally by the Gods without being asked.

 

In Kousuke’s case, however, he needed to be physically close to the recipient, as he was not residing in the Sanctuary. The way he bestowed Divine Protection differed from that of the Gods in the Sanctuary. In short, as long as one was close to him both physically and emotionally, Divine Protection could be granted. All that remained was for Kousuke to decide whether or not to bestow it.

 

Naturally, Kousuke had no reservations about granting Divine Protection to Kokoro.

 

“So, what would you like to do?”

 

“Please… I would be honored.”

 

Kokoro realized she had been overthinking everything, and her face flushed with embarrassment. However, she would finally be able to receive Kousuke’s blessing as she had originally intended.