Chapter 4: The Ceremony of Revelation

“F-Father, what on earth does that mean…”

[Gifts] received at an older age tend to be extreme? And I fit that description? What is with that ominous phrasing.

“You can undergo the [Ceremony of Revelation] until you are seven. I don’t know why, but when undergoing the ceremony, those who are older and closer to the age limit often receive rare [Gifts].”

“…If it’s rare, isn’t that better?”

So it’s a rare ability, right? Wouldn’t an ability unique to me, different from others, be better? Like, “You did your best for seven years without a [Gift], so here’s a reward!”

“Just because it is rare does not necessarily mean it is powerful. No, sometimes one receives a powerful [Gift], but there are more ‘duds’.”

“…What do you mean by ‘duds’?”

“Ah, perhaps my wording was poor. Unique, or rather… [Gifts] that cannot be utilized much. There are many extremely limited abilities, like ‘Not Getting Wet in the Rain’ or ‘Bending Only Spoons’.”

‘Not Getting Wet in the Rain’? Does that mean no umbrella needed? It’s convenient, sure, but is it only rain and not water? Does the effect disappear if it falls on the ground and becomes a puddle? As for whether it’s usable… …How should I use that ability…? On Earth, it might work as part of a show. Conversely, if one tries to grant a [Gift] at a young age… for example, immediately after birth, the [Gift] might go out of control, and in the worst case, it could take the child’s life. According to the church’s long-term data, the ideal age is said to be four years old. At that age, there is a high probability of receiving something moderately powerful and usable. However, it means that overlap with others is just as common. [Sense Enhancement] and [Physical Enhancement] seem to be quite usable [Gifts], but apparently, many people have received them. There are various gods who grant them; some gods give to many people, while others rarely give to anyone. Just because they rarely give doesn’t mean it’s powerful or usable, though. The [Gift] the heroine possesses, [Holy Miracle], is a [Gift] from the Holy Goddess, which repels evil and heals people. This [Gift] is powerful; it’s an all-purpose [Gift] packed with purification, exorcism, summoning, and recovery. Did the heroine perhaps take the [Ceremony of Revelation] late as well? Well, the early-stage heroine who just entered the Academy gets treated as an inferior student because she can’t master this [Gift]. Despite having such a grand [Gift], she was bullied for being useless. …Yeah, the one who bullied her was me, the villainess… I won’t bully her this time, though!

“I am six years old, will I be okay…?”

“It-It will be fine! There are many limited ones, but there are also many powerful ones! If it’s Sakuraile, you can master it!”

Father offers words of encouragement to me, who has become a little anxious. [Beast Demon Summoning] is probably a rare [Gift]. The Sakuraile in the game must have taken the ceremony late, too. Yeah, probably so. It seems there are some noble parents who intentionally delay the ceremony to aim for a powerful [Gift]. But would these parents take such a gamble with their own child…? Or did Sakuraile herself say something selfish like that? Harboring some anxiety, I was made to change clothes and went out to the church with my parents. There are so few people on the street that one wouldn’t think it is the street of the Imperial Capital. It is natural, but this place where the Le Philharmonie Ducal House is located is classified as the First District where high-ranking nobles live. The Imperial Capital is apparently divided into concentric circles from the First to the Fourth, centered on the castle. From the center, there is the First District where high-ranking nobles live, the Second District where lower-ranking nobles and wealthy merchants live, the Third District where ordinary merchants and slightly wealthy citizens live, and the Fourth District where the general public lives. In this First District where high-ranking nobles live, most nobles use carriages, so there are few people walking. At the very least, those walking are thought to be servants of those houses, not nobles. Since there are checkpoints and such when going from district to district, there are four churches, one for each district. Naturally, we are going to the Main Church in the First District. That is the main church in this country, and the other churches are like branch offices of a bank. Eventually, the church that came into view was a chalk-white building that closely resembled Cologne Cathedral in Germany. …Wait, the background graphic artist didn’t just copy-paste and cut corners, right? No, well, it is a magnificent building, but. This church apparently does not worship a single god, but many ‘Gods’. Naturally, if [Gifts] are blessings given by the gods, then of course most people would offer their faith to the god who gave it to them. They don’t want to let go of the [Gift] they received, after all. For that reason, the church is not called ‘Church of [Name]’, but simply ‘The Church’. It means ‘Church of the Gods’. The people working there are also said to serve various gods. The priest who guided us at the church also said he worships the God of Appraisal, Aprey. And the place we were guided to was a pure white small room with only a pedestal sitting alone in the center. We’re doing the [Ceremony of Revelation] here?

“Please spin the [Wheel of Revelation] over there. From there, a sphere inhabited by the power of one of the gods will be drawn out, and it will grant you a blessing.”

The priest pointed to the device enshrined on the pedestal. No, no, no, no matter how you look at it, that’s a lottery machine, right!? The thing that goes clatter-clatter! There wasn’t a scene of taking the [Ceremony of Revelation] in the game, so I didn’t know it was like this! This world has partially Japanese aspects scattered here and there… Is it because it’s a game world…? If a gold ball comes out, you won’t ring a bell shouting “Winner~!”, right?

“Now, give it a spin, all at once.”

Harboring indescribably mixed feelings, I do as the priest says and spin the lottery machine… or rather, the [Wheel of Revelation]. Come on, [Beast Demon Summoning]! Fluffy Paradise! Just when I thought I heard the sound of the contents moving with a clatter, a single silver sphere fell with a plunk onto the square tray on the pedestal.

“Ooh! This color is the Goddess of Summoning, Samonia’s…!”

Alright! I pulled it, [Beast Demon Summoning]! The silver sphere floated up softly and disappeared as if being sucked into my chest. For a moment, deep inside my chest felt hot. Is this the sensation of obtaining a [Gift]? When it subsided, a small round crest emerged on the back of my right hand. It is the crest of the Goddess of Summoning, Samonia.

“Now then, to the [Chamber of Trials]. Please, right this way.”

“[Chamber of Trials]?”

When I tilted my head, Father and Mother explained to me.

“Until the [Gift] is used for the first time, even the person themselves doesn’t know what kind of [Gift] it is. But some [Gifts] are dangerous. So, you perform the first usage in a place where multiple barriers are set up.”

“Since Sakura-chan’s is a [Gift] received from the Goddess of Summoning, Samonia, I think you will summon something. It means, let’s do it in a safe place just in case.”

I see. Most who take the [Ceremony of Revelation] are three-year-olds. There is a possibility the [Gift] could go out of control while they don’t understand anything. Safety measures are necessary. Apparently, in the countryside, there is no [Chamber of Trials], so they just do it outside where damage won’t spread. The place I was brought to by the priest was a facility next to the church, another pure white space that was far wider than a gymnasium. The ceiling is high, too. Dragon ornaments holding something like crystal balls in their mouths are installed in the four corners. In the center of the floor, a magic circle with a radius of about three meters is engraved in gold leaf, and I was instructed to proceed to the center of it. The priest, Father, and Mother are outside the dragon ornaments.

“Please do not step out of that magic circle until safety is confirmed. It is a barrier to protect you.”

Hmm. Does that mean there is no danger if I stay inside this magic circle?

“When you are mentally prepared, pray to the god who granted you the [Gift]. If you do so, the [Gift] will activate, and the details of the [Gift] will be carved into your mind.”

Urged by the priest, I close my eyes and offer a prayer of gratitude to the Goddess of Summoning, Samonia, in my heart. Um, Goddess Samonia, thank you for [Beast Demon Summoning]. I intend to use this power to somehow survive in this world. Please continue to look after m—-. Snap, the words of prayer cut off inside me. Why, you ask? Because the name of the [Gift] that surfaced in my mind was different. It’s not [Beast Demon Summoning]?

“T-This is…”

“Is this Sakuraile’s [Gift]…!?”

“My goodness…!”

I open my eyes at the voices coming from behind me. What jumped into my vision was a nostalgic yet old-fashioned one-story wooden house. At the entrance, a frozen showcase that probably contains ice cream, and capsule toy vending machines. And a sign installed above the entrance with ‘Dagashiya’ written in hiragana. It is a candy store. A candy store, without a doubt. A candy store had appeared before my eyes. Moreover, I recognize this candy store. Isn’t this the neighborhood candy store I used to frequent when I was a child in my previous life? Why is that here!? No, is this my [Gift]!?

“Sakuraile… just what kind of [Gift] were you granted?”

“U-Um…, well… It seems to be a [Gift] called… [Store Summoning]…”

I answer timidly to Father who asked. He made a face like “Huh?”, but I feel the same way!

“[Store Summoning]…? It is a [Gift] I have never heard of. Is it indeed a rare gift due to older age…? Judging by the name, it seems to be a [Gift] that summons a store, but… Do you sense any danger?”

“Ah… I don’t think there is any danger… Probably.”

I answer the priest vaguely. If this is the candy store I know, I don’t think there is any danger at all. [Store Summoning]. There is no mistake that my [Gift] summoned this store. Did it summon it from Earth? No, that’s wrong. Because this store is… I stepped out of the magic circle, approached the candy store, and tried touching the window glass at the entrance. Nothing happened. I tried sliding it sideways to open it. The inside of the store was filled with lots of cheap sweets, just like back then. Not just cheap sweets, but toys, plastic models, and even fireworks are being sold. Or rather, the things being sold are old. All of them are things that were sold when I was a child. When I looked at the calendar hanging inside the store, it was a calendar from the year I was four years old in my previous life. I knew it. In the first place, this candy store had gone out of business and was demolished by the time I became a junior high student. In other words, does this mean it is a duplicate created from my memories? I don’t understand, but it seems a Fluffy Paradise will not visit me, who failed to get [Beast Demon Summoning].