Ancient Beddhism

"And here is the Beddhist church."

We were taken to the Beddhist church by the knights who were both our escorts and our observers. There was indeed a magnificent stone church there.

The atmosphere was old-fashioned and it was indeed a historical building. There were no glass windows and it had wooden doors attached with hinged openings.

"… So does this place have some historical significance?"

"Yes. This church is said to have existed before the establishment of Daido itself, about 800 years ago."

"So it was originally a building unrelated to Beddhism?"

I see, it wouldn't be strange to call it a historical church then.

Just as I was about to accept this explanation, the knight shook his head in denial.

"No. This is a building of Ancient Beddhism."

"Ancient… Beddhism."

Ancient Beddhism. It was a religion that worshiped the one and only Creation God who created this world.

Its history went back to the time of creation and it was even said that the concept of [Religion] in this world was born from that.

All humans, no, all living creatures worshiped Beddhism, which advocated peace and offered the prayer of sleep. Ancient Beddhism was worshiped by all living beings.

Therefore Ancient Beddhism was considered nothing special and eventually disappeared, merging with life itself.

"Although modern Beddhism is in the position of a [Sub-Religion], it is actually the opposite. Beddhism is the basis of everything. All other gods currently worshiped are sub-religions."

"Does that mean that Beddhism is a religion that worships the Creation God?"

"No. While Ancient Beddhism was like that, but the Creation God has already gone to sleep… Modern Beddhism does not worship any god and is a religion for the people."

In other words, it was an extension of Ancient Beddhism while remaining a separate entity.

"So why is the current version of Beddhism considered [Revived]?"

"This church, as I mentioned earlier, has existed before the establishment of the nation. It was a building whose origin was unknown to the people, but the Sister told us about it. And she also told us about Ancient Beddhism."

Ah, I see. Leona did it.

The knight happily explained the old origins of the broken statues with missing arms and the unnoticed scratches on the columns.

Wow, so that's a stone statue that was destroyed when it was thrown by the child of the Creation God in the Bed War about 600 years ago. Not in the Divine Era, oh no, but the Bed Era. It was a dispute over who got the top bunk… kids!

Of course, the source of information was that Sister. She apparently investigated using her appraisal skill.

"By the way, when did that Sister spread Beddhism in this country?"

"That's not certain. Some say it was ten years ago, while others say it was one year ago. Well, one year is unlikely. It was a religion back when I was a child."

"Heeh."

Judging by his appearance, this young knight seemed to be about 20 years old.

Rokuko, who'd been holding my arm, gently pulled my clothes with her free hand.

She then spoke to me in a whisper, as if to share a secret.

"Isn't it strange? I wonder what's going on with this."

"Maybe they've been subjected to memory manipulation or something?"

Suppose there was a town created just a few days ago, where all humans had been implanted with memories of a [Long History] and there were even [Perfectly Fabricated Evidence and Buildings] to support it. Would that not make it a [Town With a History]?

… Perhaps a [Non-Existent Town With a History] would be more accurate. It was like something out of a manga or novel, but it was really happening in reality—which could only be attributed to Leona.

"What on earth does Leona want to do?"

"Maybe she's conducting some grand experiment. I don't know."

Neither did I.

And then the mass began.

In a room with long tables and benches arranged like a typical church, we participated inconspicuously in a decent spot around the middle. The Beddhist priest spoke from the altar at the front, recounting the story of Beddhism.

"Once upon a time, there was Ancient Beddhism in this land…"

The priest told the same story we'd just heard. The knights must have grown up listening to this sermon—is that the [Setting] they have?

And at the end, the priest concluded—

"Now is the time for a world of humans without gods in Beddhism. Let us achieve peace without relying on capricious gods by our own hands."

It seemed that this was the end of the mass.

… It was different from the Beddhist mass I knew. Well, since the believers were sleeping on their own, it's not like it was entirely different either.

"How about it, Hero? Will you join Beddhism?"

"Hey, can't you tell by looking at this?"

As the male knight said that, I took out the Hero's Bracelet hanging from my chest by a string and showed it to him. A bracelet about five millimeters wide hung there instead of a pendant.

I gently shook it for easy understanding.

"Is that the Hero's Bracelet…?"

"Don't you know? It's the sacred seal of Beddhism. I didn't say it because I wasn't sure, but it seems that the Beddhism we have where I come from is similar to this one. There might be some connection."

"I see! I never thought Beddhism would have spread to the Hero's world as well!"

As I said that, the knight took out a Beddhism sacred seal made of a greenish-white stone. Was that jade? It looked pretty nice.

We greeted each other by tapping the sacred seals together. This greeting seemed to have made its way to Beddhism here as well.

Rokuko and the female knight also exchanged greetings with their sacred seals (Rokuko's was like a bracelet hung from her neck like a sacred seal though).

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

That night, Rokuko and I were scheduled to meet with Toy Tindalos.

Dinner? We politely declined, saying we were full from eating out. They were happy when we praised their wonderful food culture.

They told us they wanted us to taste the court's cuisine the following night, so we should definitely save some room. We'll probably have to take some action by tomorrow.

We were guided by a soldier to the director's office of the Magic Research Institute. The soldier who guided us went inside first to announce our arrival. Rokuko and I waited right by the door.

"So Toy Tindalos is inside this room, huh?"

"According to that soldier, he's been an old man since long ago."

From the Toys I knew about, he'd be Leona's grandkid based on the information I had… Leona's grandkid but an old fogey… Well, it wasn't so strange since she's about 500 years old (although she claims to be eternally 17).

Was it a different person with the same name? Leona might pull such a trick.

The soldier came back just then. We were told we could enter and the soldier left as if his job was done.

We'd finally have our meeting with Toy Tindalos.

When I knocked on the door, a raspy old man's voice replied.

"Please come in."

I opened the door.

"Excuse us—"

"—Goshujin-sama!"

As soon as I opened the door, a small child dressed as a maid jumped on me.

"Eh, what!?"

"Goshujin-sama Goshujin-sama Goshujin-sama—! I waited to see you again, Goshujin-sama!"

The tanned dog-eared little girl called me Goshujin-sama and rubbed her head against me like a dog. Wait, more importantly—

"Niku, why are you here!?"

"Fofofo, such great joy."

"Thank you, Tindalos-sama, for allowing me to meet Master!"

—Rokuko let out a voice of surprise. The robed, faceless old man, still seated on the sofa, watched the three of us with a smile.