A Chief Priest’s Duty
I turned 3 years old. I guess my height has probably also gone slightly over 100 centimetres.
I have a feeling that the growth is quick for this body. My blood circulation is excellent as well, and I can move my body nimbly.
I’ve been receiving healing ability training from Otou-san with my elder sisters since 1 year old. In my elder sisters’ case, it seems the healing ability is something they learn for a 5 years period after turning 10 years old, and it seems it’s because they won’t have enough power if their bodies aren’t ready, and they won’t be able to treat the other party.
The training starts from feeling your own power, the training to increase your power, how to transfer it to the other party, and learning the regulation of your power. Reaching the advanced level, you’ll learn where to pour how much power, depending on the types of illnesses and injuries.
That and medicine. Most of the medicines are those that use medicinal plants like herbal medicines. It looks like there are antidotes, ones you use for wounds and burns, gastric medication and sleeping medication and whatnot.
Because of the fact that I already possessed massive power at birth, and I knew the body’s mechanism via my doctor’s knowledge, I ended up being able to go all the way to the advanced level in less than a year after I started training at 1 year old.
It seems that when an ordinary human child turns 10 years old, they’ll study in school for a period of 5 years until they come of age. My elder sisters are unable to go to school since the timing and healing ability training end up overlapping.
I find the fact that they can’t make friends of the same generation in school before they come of age to be slightly pitiful. It might be something inevitable for being born in this household, as messengers of God, though.
Since my elder sisters can’t go to school, they’re being taught their studies by Otou-san and Okaa-samas. I also tried taking the lessons together out of curiosity, but since they only really teach simple things, I immediately converted to the role of a teacher.
When I did, all of my elder sisters started boycotting Okaa-samas’ lessons, saying that they want to be taught by me.
I served as my elder sisters’ teacher from 1 year old until I turned 3 years old. It’s kinda inappropriate to say ‘while I’m at it’, but I’ve also taught the fundamentals regarding medical treatments to Onee-samas, who will become chief priests.
And then me turning 3 years old, meant the oldest of my elder sisters, Mari-kaa-sama’s eldest daughter, Tsukikage, turned 15 years old and approached adulthood.
It seems Tsukikage-nee-sama will become the chief priest of the shrine in the birthplace of her mother, Nemophila Kingdom.
It seems big countries have shrines in multiple cities, but Tsukikage-nee-sama will enter the shrine in the capital. It seems that Chizuki-oba-san1, who’s currently in that shrine, will move to a local shrine, as soon as Tsukikage-nee-sama is independent.
“Okaa-sama. How will Tsukikage-nee-sama go all the way to Nemophila Kingdom? If I remember correctly, it is a country in the far north, right?”
“Eeh, it is very far. It takes an entire day riding on the ship”
“A ship huh. It feels like you will end up getting motion sickness if you ride for such a long time huh”
“Motion sickness? is it. What could that be?”
“Eh? Do you not get motion sickness? When a ship gets shaken by the sea’s wave, something called the ‘semicircular canals’ in your head will get overstimulated……”
“No, a ship does not float above the sea, you know. A ship is something that floats in the sky”
“Eh? The ship floats in the sky??”
Nn? I wonder what she’s saying? The ship floats in the sky?
“Come to think of it, Tsukuyomi has never seen a ship before huh. It is connected to the back side of this mansion after all”
“It is connected to the back of the mansion? Is it?”
I cannot visualise it at all. It’s connected to the back of the palace that floats in the sky even though it’s a ship. What is up with that?
“Well then, let’s go and have a look at it from now on, shall we”
“Eeh, certainly”
Both of us held hands, walked inside the mansion, and went around to the back.
“Eーh!”
I saw what was over there and was astounded. She had called it a ship, but it wasn’t a ship. If I had to say what it’s closer to, I guess its image is probably between an aeroplane and an airship. Ah. A ship will do just fine in that case huh.
Its size is pretty huge. It’s significantly bigger than the huge jet airliner in my previous life. It seems to be about a hundred meters in length and about 30 meters in height and width.
It’s made of iron? no, I don’t know the type of metal. It looks like the hull is painted white, but it seems truly heavy and sturdy. The front part is pointed, and on the side, something spreads thinly like a spread skirt from somewhere around the very middle towards the back. It might play a wing-like role.
At the top part of the centre of the ship is a slight protrusion like a ship bridge. Since you can also see windows, it’s probably the cockpit over there.
And then tons of propellers are attached to the up-down-left-right of the place that spreads like wings of the hull. Won’t this generate quite a bit of speed?
Looking at it closely, a beautiful design like the drawing of a wing has been drawn on the hull with a golden line. Uーn. It truly is a vehicle of God. That’s the kind of feeling it gives. It is also gorgeous.
In a state where it’s not doing anything, it’s already floating. I can imagine that you probably move it with the power of the propellers. But I don’t know how something so heavy-looking is able to stay afloat. But, when it comes to that, I suppose it works the same as how the land with this palace is floating.
“Okaa-sama. In the first place, through what kind of power is the land with this palace and this huge ship floating?”
“Aah, it is the Moon Rock”
“Moon Rock? Is it?”
“Eeh, there were three moons and one got smashed into pieces and poured down on this star. I talked about such a story, right”
“Eeh, I heard about it”
“Not every fragment broken off from that moon fell on the ground; it seems a portion of them, depending on their size, are floating at various heights. I heard that this palace’s land is the biggest one”
“Then, inside that ship is also that floating moon’s fragment, right?”
“Eeh, correct. It seems that aside from this land, only this ship’s fragment can float at this height in this entire world”
“Then, a fragment smaller than this, would be able to float at a height lower than this place, and there are those who have made them into lands and ships?”
“Since using the moon’s fragment as land is not allowed for those other than God, there is none. For ships, the ships that the royalties of the respective countries use, are not this big, but they have one or two”
“Are there also ships that not God or royalties but commoners ride?”
“Eeh, of course there are. For the big ones, there are merchant ships for trades that go back and forth the respective countries, and there are also small-scale ships that are used inside the countries and towns”
“Huh? Then, in this world, the transport of humans is all sky transport?”
“That’s right”
“But you do horseriding, right. Is there nothing like carriages?”
“Horseriding is me galloping in the fields as a hobby. You cannot ride horses in the streets. I have no idea what a ‘carriage’ is”
“There are no carriages huh. Then, are there no wagons that people pull or push either?”
“I wonder what would that be? I do not really have an idea”
“I see. Looking at this, I will not understand how people live their lives if I do not try going down the streets once huh. The moon’s fragment as well; I wonder how it floats. Is it repelling the magnetic field of this star, or is it floating through the moon’s gravity. It is probably either one though”
“That I do not know. If it is Gyougetsu-sama, he might have knowledge of it”
“When Tsukikage-nee-sama heads to Nemophila Kingdom on this ship, will Mari-kaa-sama tag along?”
“Eeh, Gento-sama will also be going. During that time, I will take care of Yuzuki”
“What will be done for Tsukikage-nee-sama’s coming-of-age celebration?”
“Eeh, a celebratory feast will be held at this mansion”
“I sure am looking forward to that. By the way, Okaa-sama. Will Onee-samas be able to get married after becoming chief priests?”
“Yeah. It is not impossible”
“‘It will be difficult.’ is that perhaps what you mean”
“In the capital, besides the royalty, there are plenty of high-standing nobles. The chief priest is a messenger of God, so their standing is the highest, but since the chief priest’s job has to continue……”
“Uーn. True enough. For the chief priest’s job to continue, don’t tell me they cannot take even a single step out of the shrine. Is there something like that?”
“There is no ‘they cannot go outside’. It’s just that I guess they don’t have the time to go outside……”
“Aah, that would be the same as being imprisoned huh. Do they not have any kind of a break or breather? Okaa-sama-wise, you enjoy horse riding. That kind of deal”
“Yeah. How about we come up with something for them when we are returning to the country”
“Aah, that’s right. We will be living in Nemophila Kingdom after all huh. I sure am looking forward to that”
The night before Tsukikage-nee-sama’s departure. There was a coming-of-age celebratory feast.
“Tsukikage, you reached adulthood. You have also acquired the healing ability, and you will be the chief priest at the Nemophila Kingdom shrine from here on out. Tsukikage, you did well learning. You are probably going to make a marvellous chief priest. Be sure to properly complete your duties”
“Tsukikage. Well done. You will dedicate yourself for the sake of Nemophila Kingdom’s citizens from here on out”
“Yes. Otou-sama, Okaa-sama. Thank you”
“Congratulations!”
“Congrats!”
Everybody, spelt out their congratulatory words one after another, and celebrated Tsukikage-nee-sama’s leaving of the house. She’s smiling on the surface, but I wonder what her true feelings are. Putting it in a bad way, isn’t being confined in the shrine and assuming the job of continuously treating people’s illnesses from here on out for the rest of her life cruel for a 15 years old girl?
I’m really curious, but since I can’t ask, ‘isn’t it tough?’, in front of everybody, I had no choice but to have innocuous conversations and pass the time.
When the feast was over and we returned to our rooms respectively, Okaa-sama and I visited Tsukikage-nee-sama’s room together. I asked Okaa-sama and had her call Mari-kaa-sama as well.
“Onii-sama! Is something the matter?”
“There is something I want to ask Tsukikage-nee-sama and Mari-kaa-sama”
“My! There is something Tsukuyomi-sama wants to ask me? Please let me hear whatever it may be”
“What does Mari-kaa-sama think, about your daughters becoming chief priests and spending the rest of their lives in the shrine?”
“The chief priest is able to, as a messenger of God, shoulder the esteemed duty of being able to save the people from the sufferings known as illnesses. I think it is a very blissful thing”
“Yeah. I suppose that is one way you could look at it. But, for example, if she’s being born as Nemophila Kingdom’s princess, being raised without any lack of freedom, going to school, making friends of the same age, watching plays, reading all kinds of stories in books, enjoying horseriding. And then getting married and having a child. I think such a life is also an option. What would you do if you are able to let your child choose between these two lives?”
“……”
Mari-kaa-sama ended up going into thought for a bit. It can’t be helped huh.
“Mari-kaa-sama. That was a little mean. Sorry. You do not have to answer. It is not that I want to bring up such a topic after all this time and disrupt Tsukikage-nee-sama’s heart. But what I want to say is, I cannot imagine that the situation where the chief priest is being tied to the shrine is something good”
“The chief priest is a messenger of God and is also blessed with powers. But they are, first and foremost, also a human. I do not think that establishing the happiness of people, on top of undermining the happiness of the human known as the chief priest, is good by any means”
“What does Tsukuyomi want to do then?”
“Okaa-sama, in time, I will become the head of this God’s household, right?”
“Eeh, that’s right”
“Being the head of the family, means all the chief priests around the world are placed under my subordinates, right? ”
“Eeh, exactly so. You have something in mind huh”
“It is not that I can do anything right away. But I am thinking that, before I become the head of the family, I want to come up with some kind of plan, so that chief priests can be blissful”
“Onii-sama. You gave that much thought about my future huh”
Perhaps Tsukikage-nee-sama had some thinking of her own, she heard my words and bawled.
“My! Tsukuyomi-sama sure is a suitable individual as the head of the family of Gods huh……”
Mari-kaa-sama and Okaa-sama look like they are overwhelmed by emotions well. Their tears come pouring.
“Tsukuyomi-sama. Thank you. If my daughters can live a blissful life while fulfilling the chief priest’s duties, there is nothing, that would make me happier. You have my gratitude”
“Mari-kaa-sama. I have not done anything yet. I do not think I can do it alone either. I think there will also be instances where I borrow your strength, so I will be counting on you when the time comes”
“Of course. Me and Armeria. The other wives as well, we will provide our cooperation with anything that is within our means”
“Thank you”
“Tsukikage-nee-sama, it has been decided that two years later, from turning 5 until adulthood, I will live in Nemophila Kingdom with Okaa-sama. That’s why, may I go and play at Tsukikage-nee-sama’s place when I go to Nemophila Kingdom?”
“Re-, really! I’m so happy!”
Tsukikage-nee-sama went to her knees and hugged me tightly. Large droplets of tears were floating in her eyes.
I still, don’t know what I’m able to do. But, they’re my first-ever siblings. I can’t leave them be. Let’s think about what I can do even after going to the Nemophila Kingdom.
I patted Tsukikage-nee-sama’s head and wiped her tears with a handkerchief.
It somehow ended up really melancholic huh.
