I was getting bored when I looked around and noticed the line of commoners. They were entering and exiting a room one by one.
And as i saw, i noticed some kind of Fanatic enthusiasm in them.
"Mother" I called out to my mother.
She looked at me without turning towards me.
I felt a sudden, familiar shimmer in the air. A thin, translucent barrier of mana expanded around us, a localized sound-muffling field.
Right.... We are supposed to stay silent.
She could've just told me to shut up. But it sure is an elegant solution.
"What is it?" she asked, her eyes fixed on the statue of Elaria.
"What's that ?" I asked her while pointing towards the line with my eyes.
"That ? That's the confession room." She said without turning her neck.
Confession room ? They have this here as well ?
So the church in Verden had a "Customer Service" desk for the lost souls, just like back on Earth.
"Confession room ?" I asked her.
"Yes, Normally the church should be of limits for today but Confessions are an exception to that. Committing sins has no fixed schedule, after all."
"And looks like people use that as an excuse to come, huh..." I said as looked at the people trying to take a peek inside the prayer hall.
And more importantly peek at the king.
"Yeah, they do. The common men loves to see the sun, even if it blinds them. ...so the confession room is basically a room where people confess their sin."
I know that much. Although, my religion did not have it. I guess, there were some who did have it, back on earth.
"And ? Are they arrested if the sin is grave ?" I asked to confirm if it was any different from earth because it was a system that never really made sense to me.
"Heh... Oh Ty, their sins are not that big enough for them to get convicted. And if they really were to get arrested, I doubt anyone would even bother to come and confess." She explained with a soft chuckle.
"Then what happens ?"
"They are Forgiven." She said.
It's the same then.
"That's their reason for coming here, to confess and to get forgiveness. Forgiveness from the priests, who are representative of the goddess and so, by extension it is a forgiveness indirectly from the goddess herself." She said
"I see. Then do the priests have some permission from the goddess to the job on her behalf ?" I asked an Question like an innocent eight year old kid that I am. A question that my Original eight year old self also used wonder.
"...And when the world was but a shadow, Our Great Goddess Elaria drew the first breath of the sun and exhaled the spark of Ambition into the clay of man." Across the hall, the Pope's voice reached a end.
"Hehe. I don't know that. Maybe they have. maybe they don't. But it's not like anyone can stop them from doing it, even if they don't have it and they are faking it." She said in a flat voice.
"We can't ? But... Isn't that basically a scam ?"
The pope moved from his position and put down the holy Book.
the king took his position, put his hand on the book and...
"I, Gilbert Roi Regulus, the Monarch of Regulus Nation, the nation of humans Vow to...."
He started his oath rite.
On that note, 'Roi' is the middle name that only the King can use.
"Pfft... hehe... A 'scam'? heh..." Mother was focusing on the King, but I could see her shoulders trembling as she suppressed a laugh. "Yes, that sounds about right. But Tyler..."
"But ?"
"Who can stop them ? They are the representative of the Goddess, even if they are self-proclaimed, they still are. the people need to believe in the forgiveness they sell, after all."
My dear mother, are you trying to convert your son into a non-believer ?
Can that be considered treason ? Does she have some old enmity with the religion of Goddess Elaria, The Dawn religion ?
But if she is trying to make me loose faith in the Goddess, she is wasting her energy, big time.
Let's put that topic on hold for now.
"Is a confession like that really of any use ?" I asked her as I noticed another person entering the room.
"It has plenty of use. for them at least."
"How ? Does confessing your sins make it any better ? Does confessing or feeling regret erase all responsibilities of an action that has already been taken and maybe even harmed someone ?"
She stayed silent for a bit as if to find a proper answer to my question.
"....Ty. what do you think happens when a person commits a sin ?"
"....They are sent to Prison ?"
"No. not that. I mean What happens to sinners after their death ?"
"Then, They are sent to Olympus, The destination of sinners in the afterlife."
And for reference, 'Olympus' is basically the same concept as Hell, back on earth.
And for that, The concept of 'Heaven' is known as 'Paradis'.
"Yes. That's what people think. And who do you think is responsible for sending them there."
"uh... The Goddess ?"
"Correct. So, now do you understand why they are making Confessions ?"
"...Why ?"
She took a long breath before explaining "You see, Ty. People are not exactly afraid of committing sins. Sins that do not bring harm to themselves, either directly or indirectly, do not scare them. What they are truly afraid of is something else entirely"
"And what is that ? fear of consequences ? fear of going to prison ?" I asked.
I think, I know the answer pretty well already but hearing it from her mouth directly would make me more satisfied.
"That's only for major sinners. We are talking about Minor ones now. They are afraid of The guilt of committing a Sin, That's what they are truly afraid of. How would the people see them after knowing what they did. Would they be able face others after what they have done. will they be able to face themselves ? can they live with themselves ? And lastly, will they be sent to Olympus to suffer as repentance ? Those fears make them confess."
"And confession makes those fears go away ?"
"Actually, yes. They pretty much do. Guilt comes from the inside and once the confession is done, it's gone. If the Goddess forgives them, the society will have no other choice but to accept that judgement. Once the Goddess forgives them, their chances of going to Olympus becomes almost zero. And the honor and self-satisfaction, that they feel after confessing, washes All their guilt away."
"That's quite the deep analysis..." I said, Almost amazed by her through breakdown of Human Psychology.