Goddess Chapter 58 (Patreon)

Chapter 58 – Former Royal Family

I'm starting to get the gist of your story.

「 So, the Kathra Kingdom was invaded and destroyed by the Empire, right? 」

「 That's right. I think most of the royal family is probably dead as well, since any surviving members of the royal family would be used as a banner for revival. Royalty is good when the country is prosperous, but when it's not, it's in a miserable state... 」

Every prosperous country falls, it's like an inevitable fate.

「 And so the Kathra Kingdom fell, but frankly speaking, the people wanted a cat people kingdom, but they didn't want to revive it because they didn't have good memories of the previous royal family. 」

「 So that's why I haven't heard anything about the previous royal family at all... 」

The fact that the country was destroyed is a big problem in itself, but the country itself is a kind of black history.

So it could not even be called a glorious past.

「 Now that I've said all this, I'm sure you understand, but you can guess what would happen to a god that such a royal family had you believe in, right? 」

「 They won't believe in it. In fact, I might even say that it's the reason why the country was destroyed. 」

Intanyu nodded in agreement.

「 He was in a panic right after his country was destroyed. He even cried out to me, asking me what he should do about the fact that his power was rapidly weakening. I couldn't help but wonder if he was that unpopular with the people... The gods that the state forces people to believe in disappear as soon as the state comes to an end... I never saw her again after that. 」

Intanyu's expression was a little sad.

I guess it's like when a troubled student from the same school disappears, it's certainly a shock.

「 I see. I'm sorry if I reminded you of something you don't want to remember. 」

「 No, it's okay. Rather, I understand the peculiarities of the New Kathra Kingdom. People don't even want to remember the past. 」

Then again, I don't think New Kathra Kingdom is a very good name for a country, but well, no one's going to object, so I guess it's okay.

「 By the way, Barunbirn was the god of cat ears.  In fact, maybe that's why they thought that you, who doesn't have cat ears, would be a suitable new god. A cat-eared god might have been rejected. 」

Faith is a difficult thing...

I can't help but also think about that God. After all, he is still a God. However, if he leaves his faith to the people, he will not be able to do his job. I must not forget that.

A god who gives benefits in a give-and-take manner is not good, but gods who are not loved by the people are also not good.

On the other hand, Hortensia-kun said, 「 Don't swing the fork around! It's dangerous... 」

Hortensia-kun was struggling to educate Cartia.

●

This was the end of the story about the god of the Kathra Kingdom, but a few days later, a surprising incident occurred.

Some people have been captured and dragged to New Kathra.

However, they had not killed anyone, stolen anything, or cheated anyone. So, technically speaking, they should not have violated any laws. Nevertheless, I was pulled in for certain reasons.

What were these people?

They were, quite simply, the descendants of the royal family of the Kathra Kingdom.

It seems that they hid their identities, lived as refugees, and eventually settled in the New Kathra Kingdom.

The kingdom council was discussing what to do with them. I decided to take a look at them.

「 The royal family were the ones who exploited the cat people for a long time, and their misrule caused the country to lose to the empire and perish. In a way, they are even as guilty as the empire that destroyed the country. They should be executed. 」

A member of the Cat People tribe made that statement.

「 Let's calm down and think about it. It's not that they actively destroyed the country, nor were they plotting anything to take the country now. Moreover, even if they are from the royal family, they are probably just a side line. It's not right to make it a crime. 」

A member of the Dog People tribe admonished her.

I'm sure he's right, but the fact that he's brought all the way here must mean that the former royal family is that much hated.

「 That's troubling. 」

Rione said to me in a whisper.

「 I've been keeping a lid on the royal family's problems because it's complicated. It would be a disaster if this leads to a trend of finding and punishing those who have been receiving stipends from the royal family. 」

「 You're right, it's a completely meaningless thing that will cause conflict... 」

This is a big problem, isn't it?

In the end, no conclusion was reached that day, and the temple side decided to express some opinions. Because of the way this country was established, the authority of the clergy is strong, and Rione is the head of all the clergy.

I, as well as the people from the temple that worshiped Faltear, had a very harsh opinion.

「 They had a statue of the god Barunbirn. This god has not helped the Cat People at all, and has only protected the royal family. If they were worshiping this god in secret, wouldn't that be treason against the country? 」

The people of the Cat People tribe are very bitter towards the royal family. There's a lot of resentment.

「 Uh... having a statue of a god should be different from having faith in one, and don't you think we should be a little more forgiving...? 」

Rione looked troubled as well, since there were hardliners among the priests.

「 Besides, maybe the gods of old might be reflecting on what happened... 」

Hmmm, what's that old god up to now?