"Hero, please help us—!"
A few days later, in Setsuna's office, the goddesses from Heaven who had been brought back gathered before him once again.
"?"
"Aren't you all supposed to be familiarizing yourselves with the capital? How is it? Comfortable living conditions?" Setsuna asked curiously.
"The accommodations are wonderful, and there are so many things we've never seen before. Riding on those flying ships is so much fun..." Eris replied, scratching her cheek awkwardly.
Then she suddenly remembered why they were there.
"No, Hero, actually... we came to ask for your help with something."
"Oh?"
Setsuna gestured for the goddesses to sit before him.
Aqua spoke first.
"I want to establish an Axis Order branch in the Starsea Empire! Would you like to become a follower of the Axis Order? As long as you join, you shall receive eternal salvation!"
"???"
Yat Sen and the nearby shipgirls stared in confusion—they had never seen such a fanatically zealous missionary before.
"It's like this, Commander," Eris explained softly.
"The divine power of goddesses originates from the faith of their followers. If our believers vanish, we ourselves will eventually fade away."
"Here, on this Earth—perhaps due to the cross-world nature of our existence—we can only draw a very small amount of faith from our original worlds."
"So, in order to help you protect this universe and to sustain our own existence, we need to recruit new believers here."
"Oh, so you all wish to spread your religions?"
Setsuna immediately understood.
He was already aware of the situation with the goddesses from the Konosuba world.
Many of them followed him not only because of his hero status but also because they had their eyes on the vast and prosperous Starsea Empire.
This empire ruled over more than a dozen vassal worlds, with populations far exceeding those of their former realms.
Especially for goddesses like Regina and Zenarith, whose followers were few, this was a rare opportunity.
Their faith reserves were so low that their very existence flickered like candles in the wind.
"As long as the Axis Order gains enough followers, I can truly summon a planet-flooding deluge!!!" Aqua exclaimed.
"And—there are other things I can do too! I might even be able to turn that, um, someone's box back into gold!"
She was desperate to redeem herself.
Ever since being mocked by the shipgirls, Aqua had been deeply humiliated.
"My name's Akashi, not 'that someone,'" the repair cat protested, tapping her wrench repeatedly against the floor.
"Hm..."
Setsuna pondered for a moment.
"Alright. I permit you all to establish your respective churches and freely spread your faith within the Starsea Empire."
"However, your doctrines must be reviewed and adjusted to align with the Empire's principles. Missionary activity and its scope will also be regulated—no uncontrolled expansion."
To Setsuna, most of these goddesses were essentially potential members of his extended court. Since they had followed him all this way, offering a few privileges was reasonable.
"Eh?"
The goddesses were visibly confused.
In their former worlds, they were the ultimate authorities—the administrators of reality itself. Every mortal ruler was their follower.
Even kings obeyed divine oracles.
But things were different in the Starsea Empire.
This was an interstellar civilization governed directly by Setsuna himself. Here, even goddesses were subject to the orders of the supreme ruler.
Royal authority outweighed ecclesiastical power—and even surpassed the divinity that faith itself produced.
"From divine right of kings... to kings granting divinity? I like that," Grey commented with a grin, realizing Setsuna was doing something remarkable.
"I understand, Hero," Eris said, bowing respectfully.
In Setsuna's nation, things naturally had to follow his rules.
"In that case... let's establish a Department of Religious Affairs."
Setsuna thought for a moment and summoned Richelieu.
"Gather the personnel. From now on, you'll oversee all religious matters and churches across the Starsea Empire."
"Understood."
As a former Cardinal and his current secretary ship, Richelieu's discipline and diligence made her the perfect choice for the task.
"Ahem—"
Setsuna cleared his throat and turned his gaze toward the goddesses.
"Anyone wishing to establish a church or preach must first register with Richelieu and obtain official authorization before proselytizing within the Starsea Empire."
"This applies not only to you, but to any future goddesses from the Konosuba world as well."
"Don't worry—I won't make things difficult for you. If necessary, I'll even provide some assistance to your churches."
"Oh..."
The goddesses nodded in agreement.
"This Hero is... very different from others," Regina whispered to Zenarith.
Creating a dedicated governmental department to regulate divine institutions—that was an incredibly advanced idea.
In the Starsea Empire, believers obeyed the goddesses... but the goddesses themselves obeyed the Commander.
...
The next morning—
At the Capital Administration Center, dawn had barely broken when a long line of goddesses had already formed outside Richelieu's office.
Each of them was eager to establish her own church, recruit followers, and regain divine energy through faith.
"I'll go first."
Eris handed over her church application form.
It detailed her church's name, doctrine, blessings, and the effects her faith could grant followers.
"Welcome," Richelieu said warmly, glancing through the documents with Yat Sen beside her.
Everything looked proper—the teachings focused on kindness, generosity, and helping others.
As the Goddess of Fortune, Eris mainly blessed her believers with good luck.
Given her gentle and kind-hearted nature, Yat Sen approved the application without hesitation.
"The Commander said he'll have a cathedral built for you in the capital—no need to pay for it yourself."
"Lots of children like you, you know. They pray to you before every exam," Yat Sen added with a smile.
"Thank you," Eris said softly, bowing her head.
"I like them too. I'll bless those children with all my heart, and may they always live happily."
"Alright... Eris Church, approved. Next up..."
After sending Eris off, Richelieu looked down at the next name on her list.
"Zenarith?"
A faint-looking goddess entered the room.
"I am Zenarith, Goddess of Calamity and Undeath, and Regina's sister."
"I can grant my followers resurrection and the power of curses..."
"?"
Richelieu and Yat Sen exchanged glances, intrigued.
A goddess's strength directly reflected the number of her followers and their faith.
Someone like Eris, beloved and popular, had abundant power and a solid divine presence.
But Zenarith... looked barely stable, her existence flickering weakly.
"Uh... are you an evil goddess?" Yat Sen asked, reading through her dossier. Her abilities sounded rather ominous.
"No!! I'm just the Goddess of Calamity! These are my natural divine powers! I care deeply about my followers!" Zenarith protested loudly.
If she could've chosen her domain, she would've picked something like luck or blessings—but fate wasn't so kind.
"..."
The two shipgirls exchanged another look and reviewed Zenarith's doctrines and blessings.
"The doctrine itself is fine," Yat Sen said after a pause. "But your blessings need to be adjusted. You can't freely grant mortals the power to resurrect, curse others, or become undead—it'll cause chaos."
"Oh..."
Zenarith obediently accepted the correction. Maintaining proper doctrine was less important than ensuring her survival for now.
"Zenarith Church, approved."
"Next..."
Bang—
Aqua burst through the door.
"I want to establish an Axis Order branch here!"
"..."
Both shipgirls stared at the airheaded goddess.
She seemed... off. But since this was an order from the Commander, they had to process it properly.
"Your doctrine and church materials?" Richelieu asked.
Aqua proudly handed over her application.
"First: Axis followers can accomplish anything if they take it seriously. Because we're capable children, even if we fail, it's not our fault."
"Second: If something unpleasant happens, just run away. Avoidance isn't losing—sometimes it's victory."
"Third: In the end, no matter what choice you make, you'll regret it. So just pick the one that feels easiest right now."
"Fourth: Don't worry about retirement or the future. Even gods don't know if you'll be happy later, so enjoy the moment while you can."
"..."
Richelieu and Yat Sen stared silently at the document for a long time.
It was... strange. Not exactly wrong, but strange.
Aqua herself wasn't malicious, and her teachings weren't evil—merely focused on living freely and happily in the present.
No wonder the Axis Order had so many followers.
"Wait, what's this last doctrine?!" Richelieu's mouth twitched.
[Fifth Doctrine: Eris pads her chest.]
"?"
"You mean you didn't know?" Aqua asked, shocked, as she earnestly explained.
"Eris uses her image to seduce believers! Several Axis followers almost defected to her faith! I had to spread this doctrine to protect them!"
"Uh... we do know," Yat Sen said carefully.
"But including personal attacks against another goddess in your doctrine violates regulations..."
"What's wrong with that?!" Aqua puffed her cheeks indignantly and leaned closer to whisper.
"To prevent Eris's temptation, every Axis believer must know this truth! Even the Commander might have fallen for her charms—you should warn him before it's too late..."
"..."
Richelieu and Yat Sen exchanged amused glances.
"?"
Aqua blinked in confusion.
"It wouldn't help anyway," said Gudako from the sidelines, smirking.
"Insulting your peers is one thing—but daring to question the Commander's judgment? Who do you think you're looking down on?"
"You really think the Commander would be swayed by Eris's... assets?"
...
Boom—Boom—Boom—
Under the coordinated work of the Angeloids and Bulins, countless churches of different styles rose across the capital and its vassal worlds.
After receiving official approval, the goddesses from Heaven began establishing their own churches, preparing to spread their faith throughout the Starsea Empire.
The capital served as their headquarters—each cathedral was vast, magnificent, and presided over by the goddess herself.
The vassal worlds were primarily for gathering faith energy, functioning much like how the Cross Church or similar religions placed statues and recruited priests for worship.
In cases where no priests were available, the Angeloids could temporarily fill the role. With their angelic appearance and divine aura, they actually attracted believers even more easily.
"Oh... it's so big..."
Eris, Aqua, and the others stared in awe at their grand new cathedrals.
The architecture was futuristic and elegant, with towering domes that pierced the clouds and walls engraved with each church's unique emblem.
Inside, everything followed the interstellar-era aesthetic—sleek minimalist design, bright lighting, and holographic interfaces everywhere.
"This is like... ten times bigger than the Axis Church headquarters in Alcanretia?!"
Aqua immediately began feeling that her old headquarters was utterly inferior.
As for Regina, Zenarith, and other goddesses who had almost no followers left, they were completely overwhelmed—some even burst into tears.
In their old worlds, their faith had all but vanished. Forget having a cathedral—just having a few people still remember their names and recite a prayer was already rare.
Now, they suddenly felt like divine aristocrats overnight.
"Since you've joined the Starsea Empire, the Commander will naturally provide certain conveniences," Yat Sen explained with a gentle smile.
"The church headquarters in the capital should reflect your proper status."
Yat Sen and Richelieu led the group of goddesses through the newly finished halls.
Several Bulins and Angeloids were still putting the final touches on the decorations.
"Considering your divine identities, the Angeloids will assist you with daily preaching and operations."
"The Starsea Empire's dominion spans multiple worlds—so don't worry. Both the number and loyalty of your believers will be well guaranteed."
The goddesses were visibly moved.
Even the mere sight of these massive, glittering cathedrals—each grander than the royal palaces of Belzerg—was enough to make them tremble with emotion.
"Ohhh—!"
"I can already feel the power surging within me! The Hero is truly my most devout follower!"
Zenarith clutched herself dramatically.
"No one has ever built such a magnificent temple for me! I can already feel the Hero's faith pouring into me!"
"?"
The shipgirls exchanged puzzled looks.
"It's just a building... why are they this emotional?"
Aside from Eris, all the goddesses from the Konosuba world seemed to have a few loose screws.
"Hm?"
Eris's gaze drifted to a nearby area, where a group of lolis had gathered under the guidance of a gray-haired girl, fiddling with strange devices she couldn't identify.
"What's that...?"
"Oh, that's the Science and Magic Departments," Richelieu explained, shrugging. "They're planning to study the 'goddess species.'"
Grey waved as she approached with her group of research lolis.
She stroked her chin thoughtfully as she looked over Eris, Aqua, and the others.
"To be honest, I never really believed in Heaven or goddesses. But since the Commander actually brought you here, I suppose I'll have to analyze you from a scientific standpoint."
"Don't worry—I won't interfere with your daily lives. I just want to collect some observational data."
"I'd like to understand exactly what kind of beings you goddesses are—and how your so-called faith energy is generated."
As a nanomachine-based AI, Grey was a product of pure science—a staunch materialist through and through.
The idea of 'goddesses' existing in reality was almost comedic to her.
But since these beings were undeniably real, she and her team decided to investigate and decode their existence and the source of their power.
"Uh... okay..."
The goddesses, still confused, nodded uncertainly in agreement.
"If gathering faith energy is all it takes to become a god... could we eventually make the Commander a god too? After all, there are already plenty of people in the Starsea Empire who believe in him..."
Grey muttered absentmindedly while typing on her console.
"Hmm, a human empire... conquering the galaxy... ascending through faith... entering the Warp... that's a lot of overlapping concepts."
"Why do I suddenly feel like I've just thought of something dangerous...?"
...
Once all the churches were built throughout the capital, every goddess began working hard to attract new followers.
Since everyone was starting from scratch, it was a fair competition—and they were all determined to outdo one another.
"Hey hey hey! Come check out the Axis Order~!"
"Zenarith Church! Anyone interested in joining? I can grant you my divine blessing...!"
"Regina's Faith! Join now and receive the goddess's blessing—guaranteed results, honest and true~!"
The more impatient goddesses even stood outside their own cathedrals, personally calling out to passersby like sales clerks handing out flyers at a supermarket.
"Eh?"
Curious shipgirls and little lolis on the streets stopped to watch, not quite understanding what was going on.
"Excuse me, what's the Axis Order about?"
Little Amagi, drawn by Aqua's noisy enthusiasm, peeked her head out curiously.
"Of course! It's the faith dedicated to me—the great Goddess of Water, Aqua!" Aqua announced proudly.
"As long as you join the Axis Order, you'll receive my blessing! And if you're ever in danger, just call me—I'll come to your aid!"
Aqua puffed out her chest, boasting confidently to the small shipgirl.
"Eh... aren't you the one who got chased around the port by Miss Akashi the other day? Can you really fight?" asked a nearby Manjuu-headed child innocently.
"?"
"T-That was because I was low on divine power!" Aqua stammered.
"No matter the enemy—undead, revenants, or whatever—I can banish them with ease! I even know resurrection magic! So even if an Axis follower dies by accident, it's fine!"
"..."
"Um... for eliminating enemies, we have more efficient weapons, though..." one shipgirl said awkwardly, losing interest.
"Ah... I don't know, Eris sounds better."
"Yeah, let's go to Eris Church! I heard she brings good luck—like always getting the right answers on tests, or pulling five golds in one ten-roll!"
"Ah?! Wait, hey—!"
Aqua's face went blank with despair.
Even after moving to a new world, she still couldn't outshine Eris in attracting followers.
At the Eris Church, even though the goddess herself didn't do much, crowds of little girls continued flooding in.
"Lady Eris, please bless me with good luck for tomorrow's exam!"
"Lady Eris, I have my graduation defense coming up—please let me draw an easy question!"
"Alright, one at a time. Just pray sincerely, and your blessings will come..."
Eris smiled kindly, guiding the lolis in prayer and reciting the church's teachings.
Shua—
She could clearly feel her divine energy growing stronger.
These little girls weren't especially devout—faith in gods wasn't common in the Starsea Empire. Most came out of curiosity, wanting to see whether the so-called goddess could really grant blessings.
Even so, Eris could sense an immense amount of faith pouring in.
Their innocent hearts and sheer numbers made their collective belief far more potent than that of ordinary adults.
Sometimes, among the crowd of worshippers, a few Bulins would sneak in as well.
"?"
Eris couldn't help but notice the identical-looking little ones who had helped build her church.
"By the way... most of the Starsea Empire's population must be Bulins and Angeloids, right?" she asked curiously.
"The Angeloids are mechanical lifeforms, but the Bulins... they're technically shipgirls, aren't they? Can I preach to them?"
Eris turned to ask the shipgirls.
"Uh..."
"You can try... if you can understand how a Bulin thinks," one replied cautiously.
—
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