Miketsu placed her hand on Enmusubi's head, nodding with a smile as she listened to the goddess finally understand the proper path to gathering faith. She looked like a teacher proud of a promising pupil.
"Then I hope you can persevere on the correct path. Pay attention to every bond you form. I will not place any restrictions on how you spread your faith; how much you collect will depend entirely on your own ability," Miketsu continued. She was not at all afraid that Enmusubi's faith could threaten her own. Setting aside her hundreds of subordinate gods, in terms of divine office alone, who in this agrarian society could compete with her, the God of Agriculture?
To be honest, perhaps if Enmusubi stopped obsessing over matchmaking and focused on developing her other divine office as a goddess of weaving, she might fare better.
"Mm, I'll work hard... wait?" Enmusubi was about to agree when she suddenly realized she was kneeling on the ground, having her head patted by Miketsu. Moreover, the other party was lecturing her in the tone of an elder, and she had been playing along quite cooperatively!
But I'm the elder here!
"Wah! You—don't think you can take liberties with me! You're my junior!" Enmusubi cried out, leaping up to escape Miketsu's hand. She stomped her feet in frustration, a sight that made Miketsu chuckle.
"Hahaha... fine, fine... You're the elder, and I'm the junior. Will that do, 'Auntie' Enmusubi?" Miketsu spoke in a tone one might use to coax a child. Enmusubi nodded with satisfaction, placing her hands on her hips with a smug expression.
"Hmph, that's more like it." Suddenly, Enmusubi thought of something and turned back to Miketsu. "Oh, right... you said you didn't come here specifically for me, and that my matter was just handled in passing... so what are you actually doing here?" There was confusion in Enmusubi's voice; she had originally thought Miketsu had come because her faith was growing too quickly.
"I came here to find Amatsumara. It is said that he has a divine territory nearby, so I came to search for it," Miketsu stated her purpose plainly. Enmusubi looked surprised.
"Ah, so you're looking for Little Moku!"
"Little Moku?" Miketsu's eyes lit up at Enmusubi's words.
By day, on Mount Nanakaku in northern Ise Province.
Inside a simple quiet room within an ancient shrine, Ichimokuren looked at the young goddess brought by Enmusubi with a slightly strange expression. He couldn't help but ask, "You... are Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto?"
"That's right! This is Little Ina. I met her while I was out gathering faith. She said she wanted to see you, Little Moku, so I brought her along!" Enmusubi spoke up before Miketsu could answer.
Facing Miketsu, she felt that her seniority in the divine genealogy was the only thing she had to show off, so she emphasized it by casually using the nickname 'Little Ina.' Miketsu didn't mind. In her previous life, she had seen plenty of "elders" who were younger than her; there was no point in bickering with a child over such things.
"To see me? Does Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto have specific business with me?" Ichimokuren looked at Miketsu with a hint of wariness. He couldn't imagine what the Inari Okami, whose faith was flourishing at its zenith, would want with him.
"Yes... I came to Ise specifically to find you. I have matters that require the help of Amatsumara," Miketsu said directly, looking at the slightly sickly, one-eyed youth. A bitter smile appeared on Ichimokuren's lips.
"Amatsumara? Heh... I'm afraid you've found the wrong person. I am no longer the orthodox god of the Celestial Realm, Amatsumara. I am merely a lowly wild god, Ichimokuren... You should be able to see the abnormality in me, Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto." With a wry smile, Ichimokuren continued, and Miketsu nodded with a slightly heavy expression.
"Yes... the aura of divine power within you is extremely weak. You seem less like an orthodox god and more like a wild god. Even though this is your divine territory, I felt no barrier of a divine realm..."
Looking at the Ichimokuren before her, Miketsu was reminded of another familiar existence. Based on that person's situation, Miketsu made a judgment regarding Ichimokuren's current state.
"You... have lost your godhead..."
Ichimokuren froze, a flash of astonishment crossing his eyes. Clearly, he hadn't expected Miketsu to see through to the root of his condition so instantly.
"I didn't expect you to see it so accurately at a single glance... Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto..."
"It's nothing... I've just seen it many times before," Miketsu replied. Her ability to judge Ichimokuren's condition came from having met Eirin. The feeling Eirin gave her was very similar to what she felt from Ichimokuren, leading her to conclude that he was an orthodox god who had lost his godhead.
However, unlike Eirin, who seemed to have taken the Hourai Elixir and turned to cultivating spiritual power, Ichimokuren appeared to still be existing as a wild god by gathering faith even after losing his godhead.
"Seen it many times... Have you met other orthodox gods who lost their godheads?" Ichimokuren asked in surprise.
"Something like that... In any case, you are not the only one in such a predicament. Can you tell me why you lost your godhead?" Miketsu continued. At this, Enmusubi's expression changed beside them.
"Um, Little Ina, maybe we shouldn't ask Little Moku about that..." Enmusubi tried to dissuade her. Just as Miketsu was about to speak, Ichimokuren cut in.
"Thank you for your concern, Wakahirume-no-Mikoto, but so much time has passed. I have accepted reality and no longer avoid it..." Ichimokuren spoke slowly. His words surprised Enmusubi slightly, but she remained silent. Then, Ichimokuren looked directly at Miketsu and spoke solemnly.
"My godhead was stripped away. It was forcibly taken by my grandmother, Amaterasu Omikami, when she exiled me from Takamagahara..."
"Stripped by Amaterasu... Why?" Miketsu's mouth hung open slightly in shock as she pressed for an answer. However, Ichimokuren's response was beyond her expectations.
"I don't know why..."
"You don't... know why?"
"Yes. To be precise, the former 'me' committed a very serious crime—one so grave it could not even be made public. When Amaterasu Omikami took my godhead, she also erased all memories of that crime.
"I have no idea what I did to make Amaterasu Omikami so furious that I was reduced to this state..."
Ichimokuren looked up, gazing at the sky outside the window, murmuring in a daze.
Rate on N.U.
