The Moon Goddess Aera had a massive influence over the Penteria Empire. She had numerous believers, yet after thousands of years, the Aularis Church slowly expanded its influence.
Not only was the original goddess forgotten, but there were also hardly any believers left as everyone had converted to the teachings of the Sun God.
Even so, in the history books, the Moon Goddess Aera was still mentioned.
Although some had already forgotten, a few villages still believed in the goddess.
In the Penteria Empire, four noble families continued to believe in the goddess. One of them was Duke Auguste, who, to this very day, remained devoted to the Moon Goddess.
---
Stephen paused, unsure of how to respond. He gazed at the supposed deity, whose cheeks were beet red. He cleared his throat. "May I ask, is there a specific reason why you're proposing this to me?"
Aera sighed, sipping the tea. "Well... there is a reason." She hesitated but after a few minutes of silence, she answered, "I haven't been to the mortal realm in such a long time. For us gods, Marriage actually grants us the right to dwell upon the land."
"What do you mean by that?" Stephen asked.
Aera cleared her throat, and explained. "A god cannot walk among mortals unless married. The union binds the two entities, thus as the two soul's unite both could well use-." Aera paused, a smile plastered on her face, leaving the explanation incomplete.
"If my assumption is correct, about the two souls uniting. Does that mean, you can access my body, or use me as medium for you to dwell on the land?" Stephen asked, earning a shy nod from Aera.
"Once a marriage pact is formed between us, you can easily access this place, and I can easily enter your body." Aera added.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think I can allow that." Stephen flatly rejected.
Aera sighed. "I knew you'd reject the offer, but just a heads-up, I am a deity! In fact, I can help you in many ways! I can help with the land, and numerous other aspects!"
Stephen gently shook his head. "I can't agree to that. Although the offer is nice, I can't let someone else take hold of my body."
Aera slumped back in the chair, defeated. "I wish you'd think about it more carefully." Suddenly, she rose from her seat. "Aren't they pestering you about building a church in the name of the Sun God?"
"Yes? Why?" Stephen replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Then why not establish a church in my name instead?" Aera declared, patting her chest. "As you know, Penteria was originally my territory. Now, it's mostly Aularis territory due to his followers. How about building my church instead? This way you'll avoid the pestering of the sun god's followers!"
Stephen paused, a smile forming on his face. "That's an excellent idea!" He gazed at Aera's shy smile. "Alright then, what do you expect in return?"
There was nothing free in this world, or his home world. Thus, Stephen knew that if the goddess was proposing something such as this, it means that she had also wanted something in return.
Without hesitation, Aera replied, "Offerings! I want food!" She paused and quickly added, "It's fine if not daily, but I wish to enjoy the delicacies the outside world is now offering."
Stephen didn't waste another moment. "Well then, I'll gladly do so. However, I cannot build a church right away, as the people are busy with other tasks in the territory."
"I understand," Aera replied and added, a smile etched on her face. "Thank you, Stephen."
Stephen let out a soft sigh. "It's no trouble."
After a quick chat, Stephen asked Aera to send him back as he had matters to attend to. He bid her farewell, as soon as he woke up he found himself surrounded by servants attending to him.
"My lord, you're awake! I shall call the physician!" one servant exclaimed before bolting out of the room.
After a short while, the physician arrived and examined Stephen. "You're alright, my lord, but I advise you to rest. It seems you lost consciousness due to fatigue."
Stephen nodded, dismissing the servant. Soon after, his mother entered the room with another servant in tow.
"I've spoken with the physician." Veronica narrowed her eyes and sighed. "Stephen, you must take better care of your health! I nearly had a heart attack because of you!"
Stephen sighed and replied, "I'm alright now, Mother."
"Alright? The physician said it's due to fatigue!" She shook her head. "From now on, I expect you to sleep early. No more late nights. Your health is more important than paperwork."
"I am not a child, Mother. I can take care of myself." Stephen stood up.
"This incident proves otherwise." Veronica retorted. "From now on, I expect the office to be empty by 7 in the evening." She turned around and left the room.
Stephen drank the tea on the table and addressed his assistant. "Tristan, where is the church girl?"
"She's currently in the room we assigned her," Tristan replied hesitantly. He sighed filled with worry and added, "My lord, I think you should rest. Although I know everything you're doing is for the territory, I cannot bear to see you overwork yourself."
Stephen smiled and patted Tristan's shoulder. "I'm fine, Tristan. Besides the territory is much more important, I just fainted, It's not like I'll die."
Tristan shook his head slightly, he followed Stephen to the office. Stephen sat down with a cup of tea while Tristan stood by at his side. Moments later, Rosalyn entered, bowing deeply.
"I'm glad you're safe, my lord," she said with a sigh of relief. She had almost went into a panic, especially since she was with the count. She was terrified for her life, considering that if something serious happened to the count, her head would immediately be placed on the walls.
"Yes, I'm fine," Stephen replied and added. "Regarding the Holy Sun Church, I'm afraid I must reject the church's request to establish a church in my territory."
Rosalyn froze. "What? But why, my lord?" she quickly asked.
"I've had a revelation, so to speak," Stephen said, his expression serious. "When I passed out, I dreamed of standing in a void. What I saw wasn't the sun but the beautiful moon."
He continued, feigning conviction. "It seemed as though the goddess was speaking to me, urging me to build a church in her honor."
Rosalyn, dumbfounded, quickly retorted, "That was just a dream, my lord!"
Stephen interrupted, "Dream or not, I will follow its message. Thus, I will build a Moon Church for the goddess. I expect you to respect my decision." With that, he stood and adjusted his tie before leaving.
Without looking back, Stephen entered his office and returned to work.
The Holy Sun Church could hardly oppose his decision, as their doctrine held that the Sun and Moon were equal beings. Furthermore, every territory had the right to choose its patron deity.
This arrangement worked to Stephen's advantage: the church girl would leave, and he could avoid excessive taxation from the Sun Church.
"My lord, I truly think you should rest," Tristan urged, worried. Although he was also overworked, he couldn't help but feel worry, especially for the count.
Stephen chuckled in response. "I told you, I'm fine." He opened letter from Arthur, and smiled. "Oh? The second deli has opened and has over 700 customers daily?"
Arthur's report was exceptional. The success of the second deli prompted plans to open a third.
Stephen could hardly hide his excitement.
After dismissing Tristan, Stephen retrieved a small wooden statue of the Moon Goddess Aera from his inventory. He placed it on his desk, then ordered a servant to bring him a piece cake.
When the servant returned, Stephen placed the cake before the statue and clasped his hands together. "Dear Moon Goddess Aera, I hope you enjoy this offering."
The cake vanished. Stephen glanced at his chest, where a moon-shaped tattoo glowed faintly.
This tattoo symbolized the contract between him and Aera. With this agreement, Stephen felt reassured that the goddess would honor her promises.
Stephen thought of Aera, although he felt pity for her. He couldn't allow anything or anyone else use his body.
---
Meanwhile, Rosalyn slumped onto her bed. "What should I do?" she muttered. She couldn't force the count to accept the Sun Church, as every noble had the right to choose a deity.
Yet, her mission from the bishop was clear. Failure was not an option, especially considering the gold coins she had been given for this task.
"I must persuade the count!" she resolved, determined not to return empty-handed. She couldn't go back to the church, and state that she had not succeeded.
Especially since out of all the holy church graduates, she was specifically given the task by the bishop. The failure would also be placed on her documents, thus she couldn't afford to lose the chance given to her.