◇004 Divine Revelation Ceremony
"F-Father, what do you mean by that…?"
Gifts received later in life tend to be extreme? Does that apply to me? What’s with that ominous wording?
"The Divine Revelation Ceremony can only be performed until the age of seven. For some reason, when people receive the ceremony closer to the age limit, they often receive rarer Gifts."
"...If they’re rare, wouldn’t that be better?"
I mean, it’s a rare ability, right? Isn’t it better to have something unique, something no one else has? I’ve worked hard for seven years without a Gift, so it feels like I should be rewarded!
"Just because it's rare doesn’t mean it's powerful. No, you can receive powerful Gifts, but the 'failures' are more common."
"...'Failures'?"
"Ah, I misspoke. What I mean are Gifts that are unique but not very useful. For example, 'Never getting wet in the rain' or 'Only being able to bend spoons.' They’re often very limited abilities."
Never getting wet in the rain? Does that mean you don’t need an umbrella? It’s convenient, but only for rain, not for water? What if it falls to the ground and becomes a puddle? I’m not sure how useful that would be…
…How would you even use that ability? In Earth’s world, it might work as a party trick, but here…?
On the other hand, if Gifts are granted to someone too young, like immediately after birth, they might cause the Gift to run wild, potentially endangering the child’s life.
According to the church’s long years of data, the ideal age for receiving a Gift is four. That age is said to balance being strong enough while still being useful, and there's a high chance of receiving something usable.
However, the risk is that it might overlap with others’ Gifts more often.
Enhancement of the senses and Physical enhancement seem to be fairly usable Gifts, but apparently, quite a few people end up with those.
There are various gods who bestow Gifts. Some gods are generous and give them to many, while others rarely do so. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the Gift will be powerful or usable.
The heroine’s Gift of Holy Miracle, which can dispel evil and heal people, is a Gift from the Holy Goddess, Holy.
This Gift is incredibly powerful, with abilities like purification, exorcism, summoning, and healing—it’s a truly versatile Gift. Could the heroine have received her Gift late in life as well?
Though, the heroine, when she first entered the academy, couldn’t use this Gift well and was treated as an inferior student.
Despite having such a grand Gift, she was bullied for being useless. …Yeah, I was the villainous daughter who bullied her... but I won’t do that this time!
"I’m six years old, so will I be alright?"
"Y-You’ll be fine! Even if it’s limited, there are still many powerful ones! I’m sure you’ll be able to master it, Sakauraile!"
A little anxious, my father encouraged me with some reassuring words.
Beast Summoning is likely a rare Gift. I’m sure that in the game, Sakauraile also received her ceremony later than most. Yes, I’m sure that’s it.
Apparently, some noble parents deliberately delay the ceremony in hopes of getting a more powerful Gift.
But would my parents take such a gamble with their child…? Or did Sakauraile herself ask for such a selfish request?
With some lingering uncertainty, I was made to change clothes and, along with my parents, we headed for the church.
The streets were eerily quiet, unlike the bustling main streets of the imperial capital.
Of course, the area where the Philharmonie Duke’s family lives is classified as the First District, home to the upper nobility. The imperial capital is said to be divided into four concentric districts, with the castle at the center.
The First District, where the upper nobility lives, is surrounded by the Second District, where lower nobility and wealthy merchants live, the Third District with regular merchants and moderately wealthy citizens, and the Fourth District where commoners reside.
In the First District, where most of the nobility use carriages, there are very few people walking. If anyone is walking, it’s likely not a noble, but a servant of one.
There are checkpoints when moving between districts, so each district has its own church. Naturally, we were headed to the main church of the First District. This is the primary church of the country, while the other churches are more like branches of a bank.
As we approached the church, I saw that it resembled the Cologne Cathedral in Germany, a magnificent white stone building. …Wait, did the background artist just copy-paste this? No, it’s a fine building, but still.
This church doesn’t worship a single god but many gods, it seems.
As expected, since Gifts are divine blessings, it makes sense that most people would offer their faith to the god who granted them their Gift. After all, no one would want to lose the Gift they’ve received.
For this reason, the church isn’t called “XX Church”, but simply “The Church”. It’s the Church of the Gods.
The people working here serve various gods, too. The priest who guided us said he worships the god of appraisal, Apreya.
We were then led to a small, all-white room with only a pedestal at the center. Is this where the Divine Revelation Ceremony takes place?
"Please turn the Divine Revelation Wheel over there. From it, a sphere imbued with the power of a god will be drawn, and it will grant you a blessing."
The priest pointed to an apparatus sitting atop the pedestal. Wait, wait, wait—this really looks like one of those lottery draw machines! The ones that go clink clink!
I didn’t know the Divine Revelation Ceremony was like this—I never saw this in the game!
This world has a weird mix of Japan-like elements… Could it be because it’s a game world? If a golden ball comes out, will there be a bell ringing and someone shouting “Winner!”?
"Now, just give it a good spin."
Feeling a bit conflicted, I did as the priest instructed and turned the Divine Revelation Wheel. Here it comes, Beast Summoning! A fluffy paradise!
With a clink, something inside shifted, and a silver ball fell onto the pedestal’s square dish.
"Oh! This color—this is the Gift of the Goddess of Summoning, Samonia!"
Yes! I got it! Beast Summoning!
The silver ball gently floated up and seemed to be drawn into my chest. For a brief moment, I felt a warmth deep inside me. Is this what it feels like to receive a Gift?
Once the warmth subsided, a small round emblem appeared on the back of my right hand. It was the emblem of Samonia, the Goddess of Summoning.
"Now, let’s head to the Trial Room. This way, please."
"The Trial Room?"
As I tilted my head in confusion, my father and mother explained.
"Until you use a Gift for the first time, even the person receiving it doesn’t know exactly what it will do. However, some Gifts can be dangerous. So, we perform the first use in a place surrounded by multiple barriers to ensure safety."
"Since Sakauraile received the Gift of the Goddess of Summoning, she’ll probably summon something. To be safe, we’ll do it in a secure location."
I see. The Divine Revelation Ceremony is usually performed when children are around three years old. Since they don't fully understand, there's always the possibility that the Gift could go out of control. Having safety measures in place is definitely necessary.
In rural areas, there isn't a Trial Room, and the ceremony is typically done outside in a place where any damage won't spread.
Led by the priest, we arrived at a facility next to the church. It was a vast, all-white space, even larger than a gymnasium. The ceiling was high, and dragon statues holding crystal orbs stood in each corner.
In the center of the floor was a magic circle about three meters in radius, engraved in gold leaf, and I was instructed to step into its center. The priest and my parents stood outside, near the dragon statues.
"Please do not step outside the magic circle until safety has been confirmed. It will protect you."
Hmm, so as long as I'm within the magic circle, I’ll be safe?
"When you're ready, offer a prayer to the god who bestowed your Gift. Then, the Gift will activate, and its nature will be engraved in your heart."
Encouraged by the priest, I closed my eyes and offered a prayer in my heart to Samonia, the Goddess of Summoning.
"Thank you, Goddess Samonia, for granting me the Beast Summoning. I will use this power to survive in this world. Please continue to guide me..."
But then, my prayer was interrupted. Why? Because the name of the Gift that appeared in my heart wasn’t what I expected. It wasn’t Beast Summoning?
"W-What is this…?!"
"Is this Sakauraile’s Gift...?"
"Oh my…!"
I opened my eyes at the voices that came from behind me.
Suddenly, in front of me, an old wooden one-story house appeared. There was a freezer showcase at the entrance, likely filled with ice cream, and a capsule toy vending machine. Above the entrance, a sign in hiragana read “Dagashiya”.
It was a dagashiya—a traditional Japanese candy store. There was no mistaking it, a dagashiya had appeared in front of me.
And this dagashiya... I recognized it. This was the candy store I used to visit when I was a child in my previous life.
Why is it here? Wait, is this my Gift?
"Sakauraile... What kind of Gift did you receive?"
"Um… it seems to be… Store Summoning… a Gift, I think..."
I hesitantly answered my father’s question.
He gave me a confused look, but I was just as baffled!
"Store Summoning? I've never heard of such a Gift. Could it be a rare Gift due to your age? It seems like a Gift that summons stores… but do you feel any danger?"
"U-Um… I don’t think it's dangerous… probably..."
I gave an ambiguous answer to the priest. If this is the candy store I remember, I don’t think there’s any danger at all.
Store Summoning. There’s no doubt that my Gift summoned this shop. But from Earth? No, it can’t be. Because this store...
I stepped out of the magic circle and walked toward the candy store. I touched the glass of the entrance window. It felt completely normal.
I slid the door open and stepped inside. Just like when I was a child, the store was filled with countless candies. Not just candies, but also toys, plastic models, and even fireworks.
But everything was old. Everything was from when I was a child.
Looking at the calendar hanging inside, I saw that it was from the year I was four years old in my previous life. So it’s true.
This dagashiya had been closed down and demolished by the time I was in middle school.
In other words, this is a replica created from my memories?
I don't quite understand, but it seems like the fluffy paradise of Beast Summoning I was hoping for isn’t going to happen.
—
TFTC
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