Shota's Isekai NTR Adventure Chapter 2048 2048: Not just one connection

Navigating through the dense crowd required some time, mainly because we halted repeatedly whenever I spotted those kids.

The sheer number of these children present was quite peculiar to begin with.

Even in the Holy Empire, which maintained a strong tie to children, it didn't make sense for so many to carry traces of divine energy.

After all, divine energy wasn't something that appeared frequently.

As the essence of the gods, divine energy rarely descended to the mortal world with ease.

Gazing at myself served as a poor illustration, since I was the exception who had shattered that barrier. Prior to my involvement, only a handful of divine relics had ever reached the mortal realm, and they were invariably sealed away securely.

Thus, divine energy wasn't spilling out in abundance.

"Could this stem from recent events, or does it signal some transformation?" I found myself pondering aloud amid these thoughts.

A portion of me even speculated whether I bore responsibility for all of it...

In truth, I had been the one transporting an increasing array of divine relics from the god realm into the mortal one. One could argue I was chiefly to blame for the surplus of divine energy surfacing in the mortal realm.

With several instances visible in this very crowd, it implied that additional cases might exist across the Holy Empire.

As one of the four great human empires, the Holy Empire spanned a vast territory, home to countless inhabitants. If this many affected children appeared in the crowd, who could predict the total throughout the entire empire?

Should this truly connect back to me, turning a blind eye would be unacceptable...

"I need to discuss this with the popes and devise a plan to aid these children. Max should be capable of inventing a tool to detect the affected ones. The holy knights and priests ought to manage it too, provided they recognize the signs."

That became my final resolution.

If my actions lay at the root of this, neglecting it would prove utterly irresponsible.

However, at present, another matter demanded my attention.

Having arrived with a specific purpose, they chose not to greet me at the customary location.

Rather, they awaited me at the site I wished to visit.

This temple, though smaller than its counterparts, commanded no less reverence. Its pristine and gleaming condition revealed the profound significance it held for those present.

Simultaneously, a unique aura emanated from within, perceptible only to me.

The instant I sensed that distinctive aura, I recognized this as the correct spot.

The Holy Council awaited my arrival, with every pope assembled as though they had anticipated me for quite some time.

Upon my entrance, their initial action was to bow deeply, treating me with the utmost deference. It was as if I stood superior to them all, the popes who ruled the Holy Empire.

I simply overlooked their gesture, given the absence of any outsiders to witness it.

I had anticipated such a display, so I ensured the royal guards remained aboard the airship prior to entering.

Disregarding the popes, I approached the newly erected statue.

This statue stood positioned directly before the enormous one at the church's rear.

That massive figure depicted the Creation God, and before it loomed my own likeness.

It resembled the version they had displayed to me earlier, yet it differed in the present.

The change lay in the object clutched in one of the statue's hands.

An orb identical to the one I had forged rested there.

Moreover, I detected a fresh link forming with this statue. Not directly to me, but to the orb it held.

Since I had crafted this orb as a relic, a unique bond existed between us.

Consequently, any connection between the statue and the orb would register with me as well.

Evidently, just as the statue converted faith into divine energy for my benefit, it performed the same function for the relic I produced.

Oddly, such a feat seemed feasible for my relic, likely due to its tie to me. As a creation dependent on my divine energy, it garnered the same faith directed toward me.

Undeniably, this faith bolstered both me and the relic, though the enhancement felt modest. Some force appeared to limit the power flowing from this bond.

"As a mortal, I shouldn't draw strength from faith at all. Yet something within me is shifting to enable this. Could it be the divine energy I've absorbed altering me?" This was the deduction I reached ultimately.