落とし穴外伝：２０２５年 年末スペシャル２ (Part2)
Well, it's not strictly necessary for her to attend, but as a former Saintess, and with Enora being a bishop, it would be difficult for her not to make an appearance. I hope she can make time.
"Ah, I figured Rurua and Enora, with their religious duties, and the diplomatic members like Samantha and Kagura, would be busy even during the year-end, so I set aside some time. It'll be a 'town inspection' under my name, from 12 PM to 4 PM on the 1st and 2nd. The gift exchange will be on the evening of the 3rd."
"That's wonderful. With that much time, I should be able to choose gifts quite thoroughly."
"Hmm. Two days, four hours each, should be enough time to look around properly."
"Indeed. That much time will be good."
"Yeah. Then we can definitely pick out all sorts of things."
It's good that the diplomatic members can also make time. If we go during those hours, the church members will surely understand. After all, a town inspection is also a legitimate part of our duties. As for the hospital... they already have shifts arranged, so it should be fine. Besides, we haven't trained them to be unable to function without me, Enora, or Lilishe. Of course, that wouldn't apply if someone seriously injured or ill arrived.
"So, Rurua, what are you thinking of getting for the New Year? Since we're at it, why don't we meet up and look together?"
"Hmm... New Year's items from the church, like talismans, are a bit... delicate, aren't they?"
"That's right. Residents of Weed generally visit all the churches every year to collect talismans."
Indeed, that's how it is. In Weed, many religions have established churches and are proselytizing. However, the fundamental teachings of the various continental religions—Litiaism, Enariaism, Hifism, Haidenism, and Seraphinaism—primarily advocate for loving and cherishing others. So, while there might be slight differences in prayer methods, the ultimate goal of saving people remains the same. Thus, there are no conflicts, and as I just mentioned, people visit each church during the New Year's holidays to collect talismans. It seems that by possessing many talismans, people hope for a year free from illness and misfortune. To be honest, these talismans possess no actual power. I once questioned if selling them constituted fraud, but my husband explained that they are akin to offerings. When created, priests and other appropriate officials from each church imbue these paper slips or wooden pieces, designated as talismans, with prayers. This involves a considerable amount of effort, making the revenue a natural consequence. All the churches agreed with his reasoning. It's like possessing a Holy Symbol, after all. ...And besides, no matter how much one speaks of ideals, money is important. There's nothing wrong with creating something people are willing to pay for voluntarily. The fact that people still seek them out, even knowing this, shows how deeply rooted our Goddesses' teachings are, so we have no reason to stop them.
Therefore, talismans aren't something to receive as gifts; their value comes from seeking them out yourself.
"So, what should I get?"
"Hmm, well, this time is for finding it, isn't it? Why don't we think about it on the day itself, rather than now?"
"That's true. Especially right after the New Year, there might be some interesting rumors."
"Yes."
Every year, the commercial district, among others, strives to create something special for the New Year's holidays. This year, too, something might catch our eye. Every New Year's, there are always interesting events, of course, but also new products. It might seem materialistic, but there were things like 'lucky golden dragons' that you could get from fortune slips. Creating lucky charms out of gold is surprisingly common. Well, I always liked the lottery stalls at festivals, even though I never won anything. Though I never actually won a game console itself.