CHAPTER 68
Hearing those unexpected words, I stared at the Death Knight who brought the news.

"The Heavenly God sent down an oracle?"

"Yes."

I was about to ask why, when I suddenly remembered something. Before the Heavenly God disappeared after I summoned him, he had told the priests that he would send down an oracle later.
But was he actually serious about that? I thought he just made up an excuse because he wanted to go home and knew the priests would probably bother him.
Well, since he said he'd send an oracle, he probably didn't just half-ass it to brush them off. If he had, there'd be no reason for the priests to go out of their way to call for me.

"What's it about?"

"I do not know either. The priests said they wish to speak with you directly."

The Death Knight spoke while carefully gauging my reaction.

"And if possible, they said they only wish to speak with you alone, My Lord."

In other words, don't bring along the formidable women who constantly hover around me causing a ruckus.
I grew even more curious. What on earth could it be for them to act like this?
If the Heavenly God had something to say to me, he could have just told me when he appeared in my dream. But sending a message through the priests, and it's something only I am supposed to hear?
Unable to guess what it was, I turned my gaze toward Hames. However, she looked just as baffled.

"He did not give me such an oracle when I met him. Then again, there is no way he would grant a precious oracle to a disgusting existence like me."

"That wasn't something you did, so stop putting yourself down. So you didn't hear anything else separately from him?"

"...We did have a personal conversation."

Hames hesitated, her expression showing she wasn't sure if she should share this, before finally opening her mouth.

"He said, 'Hitting on a kid who just turned 20 when you're thirty is something that deserves to be cursed at by many people. But I will cheer you on.' ...That is what he said."

What a completely useless story. Why the hell would a god say that?!
She must be the first person in history to hear something like that from a god. Everyone, including me, stared at her in sheer disbelief.

"He told me I was a Demon King recognized by the Heavenly God."

"He told me not to act like a stereotypical blonde female knight!"

It seemed some of the others had heard similar things, as they started listing off their own personal experiences.
Hearing them talk about the Heavenly God only made me more anxious. He was a god with a bizarre personality, so I was genuinely worried about what kind of oracle he might have sent down.
Feeling uneasy, I spoke up.

"Got it. I'll go see what this is about, so all of you stay put and behave while I'm gone."

"...Alone?"

Viol asked with concern, but it was a pointless worry.

"They told me to come alone. The other party is the priests of this capital's temple, and we're inside the Imperial Palace, so what is there to worry about?"

Besides, I am the Apostle chosen by the Heavenly God. There was absolutely no way they would harm me, so I stepped out without a single worry.
Soon after...

"Lord Ceres, right this way!"

Guided by the attendants, I arrived at one of the Imperial Palace's VIP rooms.
As I stepped inside, the attendants firmly shut the door behind me and withdrew.
Inside the VIP room, there were no other priests—just a single person. They must have done this because they had something to discuss with me alone.
I had seen this priest before. She was definitely the High Priest of this capital, but what was her name again? So many shocking things had been happening back-to-back that I had forgotten it.

"I am Namiel."

As I stood there silently, the High Priest, Namiel, introduced herself, as if peering right through my thoughts.

"This humble servant of the Heavenly God greets Lord Ceres Whiperion, the Saint and Apostle of the Heavenly God!"

Then, she stood up, lowered herself completely, and even fell to her knees before me.

"Why are you doing this? Please get up quickly!"

Startled, I tried to stop her, but she wouldn't listen.

"How could I dare to meet the eyes of the God's proxy as an equal? This is comfortable for me, so please allow it."

"...If you say so, I can't help it."

Since she put it like that, I had no choice but to reluctantly accept it.
Well, it made sense! This is a fantasy world where gods actually exist, and the woman before me is a devout believer who has dedicated her entire life to her faith.
Since I appeared before her as the one her god personally declared his Apostle, a reaction like this wasn't strange at all—it was completely natural.
However...

"So, exactly what kind of oracle came down that made you seek me out?"

"That is..."

"?"

This devout believer, who had even dropped to her knees before me, hesitated for a long time when it was actually time to deliver the god's oracle.

"As the God's Apostle chosen by the Heavenly God, I am speaking. What is the oracle he sent down?"

"...It is."

Left with no choice but to press her forcefully, Namiel reluctantly opened her mouth.

"Before I speak, I have something I wish to ask. O Apostle. Is the Whiperion bloodline you carry a special bloodline?"

"Did the Heavenly God tell you that?"

"Yes. He said the Whiperions were originally the royal family of the legendary Holy Kingdom, acting as his proxies and managing the divine artifacts he bestowed."

Namiel's face was filled with awe as she spoke. Discovering that a family she had just thought of as a prominent Count's house was actually deeply connected to her god was certainly something to revere.
Just how much did the Heavenly God tell them? He couldn't have told them everything about me, right?
Given his god-tier social skills, that seemed unlikely, but just in case, I probed her with slight concern.

"What did he say about me?"

"An existence originally served as the King in the Holy Kingdom. He called you the Holy King who has inherited the most of the Heavenly God's power!"

Namiel cried out, unable to contain her overwhelming emotion.

"Indeed, hearing that made everything make sense! That is why you were able to summon Him! He said He merely borrowed the Apostle's appearance back then, but in truth, that appearance is proof that you have inherited His power the most!"

She was almost spot on, but the most important part—that I was an entity born from the Heavenly God's feather—she didn't seem to know. As expected, he didn't mention that.

"The true bloodline that was massacred by that wicked Demon King has manifested even in your generation, so it is a tremendous grace! ...However."

Rejoicing as a believer at the existence bestowed by her god, Namiel suddenly faltered.

"Because of that, a heavy burden might be placed upon you."

"What do you mean?"

"The Heavenly God spoke thus: The Whiperion blood has diluted so much that the Holy King has barely emerged in just you alone, and the very number of the Whiperion clan has dwindled too much."

Namiel spoke with a bitter expression.

"Therefore, he told the Apostle with the thickest blood... to make as many descendants as possible!"

"Excuse me?"

"He said that if you wish, you may s-spread your seed to many women. He said it is an efficient method that only a man can do. H-He said He will permit it, so you may do it as much as you want..."

Her voice grew quieter and quieter.
The reason Namiel was acting like this was simple. This is a gender-reversed world, so in original world terms, it was essentially like telling a woman to take many men as husbands and bear a diverse range of children.
Right now, she believed I was being forced into an inhumane demand by the Heavenly God. That was why she had excluded everyone else, called only me, and kept hesitating to speak.

"What will you do?"

Namiel looked at me with pity.

"The Heavenly God said you should only do it if you wish, but this is nothing less than a recommendation from a god. Defying it would be impossible..."

"If it's an order from the Heavenly God, it can't be helped. I'll do it!"

"...Really?"

Namiel looked at me with eyes full of disbelief.

"Are you serious?!"

"I'm serious."

"But if you truly do as the Heavenly God commands, you will be defiled!"

Can we skip that ridiculous talk? Even in this world, the ones who get pregnant are the women, so how exactly am I the one being defiled?!
Rather, this was an oracle the Heavenly God gave entirely out of consideration for me. He knew my previous attempt at building a harem had failed, and he had promised to solve the problem for me.

Looks like him mentioning 'an efficient method only a man can do' was directed specifically at me too.

He wasn't simply pointing out the biological gender difference. The female Ceres of the original novel could never have used this method, so he was specifically referencing that.
I had suspected it ever since I found out he showed the others visions of the original novel, but the Heavenly God definitely has knowledge of the original work and knows that I reincarnated into this world while reading it.
Then, unlike the original novel where he completely neglected Ceres, the reason he paid special attention to me was because I'm such a unique existence?
Well, whatever. The reason doesn't matter.
I didn't expect him to go as far as sending down an oracle to do this, but it's all good for me!

"Since the oracle has come down, if I follow it, what will the temple do? Naturally, you will protect me, right?"

"...Of course. It is an event brought about by His command, and something He has permitted, so we will make sure no one can say a word against it!"

Namiel declared with a resolute face, pledging that every follower who revered the Heavenly God would see it through.

In other words, a harem recognized by a god and approved by all believers had legally become possible!