第１０５６堀：生きるために (Part1)
### Chapter 1056: To Survive
**Side: Enora**
"I don't believe Senal would do such things without a reason. That is why I want to hear her side of the story."
Lady Hairen stated this clearly. As expected of the goddess we worship, one of the heroes who saved the world alongside our ancestors. Her decisiveness in moments like these is truly beyond that of an ordinary person. Even when facing an enemy, she approaches them with compassion, and when she feels something is amiss, she takes proper action.
Well, if anything were to happen, Kagura and I could protect her, and besides, Yuki is standing by nearby. I had been flustered when Lady Hairen suddenly started saying things that weren't in the plan, but...
"Heh, you’ve got some guts, haven't you? Fine. I’m going to be executed anyway, so it might be amusing to tell someone about the path I’ve walked before that happens."
Since the goddess Senal, who was supposed to be our enemy, said that, I became convinced that Lady Hairen’s actions were correct after all. If anything, it was us who should reflect on not being able to support Lady Hairen properly. I’ll make sure to stop anyone from scolding Lady Hairen later.
While I was swearing that to myself, Senal took a breath and began to speak.
"Where should I start? Ah, perhaps I should begin with when the intermediate gods were defeated. Do you know why they were defeated, Hairen?"
"No. I have no idea."
It’s only natural. That was so long ago that not even Lady Hairen, let alone us, could possibly know.
"Well, of course not. You’re still young. Then, let’s start with an explanation of that. The ones who created us—or rather, elevated us from humans to gods—were the intermediate gods. But, to be honest, their response to the magic depletion phenomenon was pathetic."
"Pathetic?"
"Yes. They didn't just force people to worship them; in the end, they even started demanding sacrifices."
"Sacrifices!?"
What is that? That’s exactly the same as what Aquenoki did. No, wait, this seems to be older, so does that mean Aquenoki just imitated their methods? Either way, it’s not something that can be forgiven.
"It’s shocking, isn't it? They originally forced worship upon people to supplement their magic, but before we knew it, they were making them offer sacrifices just to maintain their own power. No matter how you look at it, that’s the thinking of a fool."
It seems Senal thinks the same way I do. Or rather, no one could possibly condone such a thing. Wait, but... it sounds like Senal doesn't respect the intermediate gods. Lady Hairen seemed to think the same thing.
"Wait, Senal. Hold on a second. That sounded like something someone from the intermediate god faction wouldn't say?"
"Yes, I’m not actually part of the intermediate god faction. The higher gods just branded me as such on their own."
"Eh? Then is it a misunderstanding? Are you not our enemy after all?"
"That’s also wrong. I am rebelling against the higher gods of my own volition. That much is certain. To the higher god faction, I am undoubtedly an enemy."
"I'm sorry. I'm starting to lose track of what you're trying to say, Senal."
"Er, how should I put this? Well, there are probably many gods in the same position or with the same way of thinking as me. I am one of the gods who ended up suffering because of the higher gods' selfish judgments. That is my position."
Eh, what does that mean? Suffering because of Lady Luna?
"Ah, you have a face that says you don't understand what 'suffering' means."
"Yeah. I don't. What was it that made you and the others suffer?"
"You’re honest, aren't you?"
"Yes, because there are so many things I don't understand. I'm being taught by many different people."
"That’s a good thing. Then, I shall teach you properly as well. It’s good to know the 'underside of the world.' You might meet a god in the same position as me again someday."
"The underside?"
"Yes, the underside. After the intermediate gods were defeated, the higher gods said this: 'Find a way to gather magic to maintain the balance of the world's power.'"
Yes, I know that. I heard it directly from Lady Luna. If we don't do that, priestesses of spirits like us will vanish from the surface. We cannot be born without magic. That is why they gave the gods the mission to stop the magic depletion phenomenon to protect the world that possesses magic.
"But, the things the higher gods did behind the scenes put us in a desperate situation. A cruel condition was imposed upon us: if we could not gather magic, we would be erased without question."
"Eh?"
Lady Hairen looked as if she couldn't grasp the meaning of those words. Kagura and I felt the same. After all, gods exist in this world by feeding on magic. It seems natural that if they cannot gather the magic of faith, they cannot exist.
"You look like you're wondering why that’s even a question. Well, as a fact, it is true. Gods gain magic through faith, and that is how we live. If we cannot do that, we vanish. But, do you think every single god can gather enough faith to survive? Or do you think everyone can achieve results regarding the magic depletion?"
"Ah."
...I see. It’s true that not everyone can properly gather faith. But that is...
"But isn't it natural that if you don't work, you can't eat?"
Exactly. Just as Lady Hairen said, it’s no different from human life. If you don't work, you don't get your daily bread. That’s all there is to it. Does this goddess not even understand something so simple and obvious?
"I suppose so. Well, you could call it obvious. But how do you think the gods who ended up dying felt about that? Even if you say 'work,' it’s not like we can just plow a field like humans and survive. To begin with, we didn't even know what we were supposed to do to survive. If you were thrown into the middle of that, what would you think?"
"That is..."
I see. It’s like being suddenly dropped in the middle of a desert with no food or water. That’s just waiting for death. It reminds me of that extreme training in Weed. No, even that was soft. For them, the reality of death was closing in.
"I was still lucky. I’ve become quite weak now, but I still have enough power left to keep myself tethered to this world. But, many of our companions weren't so fortunate. To begin with, they weren't 'major'."
"Major?"
"Ah, that was hard to understand. There were many gods who couldn't gather faith no matter what they did. Or rather, many gods who were never worshipped in the first place. Do you know what happened to them?"
"..."
There’s no need to ask for the answer. Gods who cannot gather faith have no choice but to die. Seeing our expressions, Senal sensed our feelings and continued with a sad look on her face.
"Yes. Everyone vanished one after another without a trace. Well, many gods accepted it, saying it was their own fault. That it was the price for not doing the 'obvious' things, just as Hairen said. But that wasn't all. It would have been fine if everyone had accepted their erasure. But there were many who didn't want to die. Who didn't want to disappear."
"..."
"That is why I raised the banner of rebellion against the higher gods. Above all, I could not accept the idea of creating dungeons to act as magic circulators."
"Eh? Why are dungeons coming up now?"
"Hairen, and the believers behind you, do you know how dungeons are treated in that land?"
When asked that, Lady Hairen could only tilt her head. ...Yeah, she’s not good at these kinds of questions. I have no choice but to answer.
"Resource extraction. In other words, they were used as convenient caves where supplies would spring forth."