After Gawain finished speaking, Defiance Courtyard fell silent once more.
Amun suddenly felt that his little courtyard had gone awkwardly quiet rather too many times today.
But this silence did not last long. Amun quickly grasped the deeper meaning behind Gawain's words. He gradually came to understand, the holy radiance enveloping his body flowing like water as he sighed softly. "Ah, yes. She does not believe in me. That is how it should be..."
The Former Nature God murmured to himself, then suddenly asked, "When was the original upper Druid church reorganized?"
"About a thousand years ago—or perhaps even earlier," Gawain said with a nod, recounting the history he had heard from Bercetia. "It was a gradual process. In the Silver Empire, the upper Druid church first revoked the privileges of a number of peripheral dioceses, then gradually moved closer to secular imperial authority. Centered around the Elven Royal Court and the upper elven council, it found new sources of support. About a thousand years ago, the symbolic significance of the elven royal family in the role of 'High Druid Priest' had already surpassed its practical significance. But even before that, the upper Druid church had effectively existed in name only."
Amun contemplated in silence for a brief moment. No one knew what the Nature God was thinking at that instant. In the end, he merely let out a sigh. "I was born in the hearts of mortals, and I should die in the hearts of mortals as well."
"But not all mortals chose the 'Age Without Gods,'" Gawain said, looking into Amun's crystal-cast eyes. "You should know that three thousand years... is not enough for the elves to undergo a complete generational turnover. A small number of elves who once believed in you still live in this world, especially...