Saint's Prison - Chapter 112

The Vessel of the Goddess

—The Bodaido.

It is the most sacred place for the Ando family and, by extension, for both villages of Sogo. Although it bears the name “Bodai,” which could be associated with Buddhism, this was merely a cover to avoid the persecution of indigenous beliefs; in reality, it represents something entirely different.

Its original name is “Mother’s Cave”

In essence, what has been long revered in the village of Ryogo is the maternal womb belief. The cave’s interior, with its overlapping and intertwined structure, resembles human organs and ribs, and the large hollow space at the heart of the Botaido appears much like a woman’s uterus, hence the name.

Entering the Botaido symbolizes death, and its innards, likened to a birth canal, cleanse the impurities accumulated from the secular world. Emerging from the Botaido symbolizes birth and, consequently, rebirth. It was believed that the eternal world and the present world were connected within this cave. Walking inside the Botaido is part of a ritual stemming from this belief.

The Ando family was originally represented by the kanji for “Ando,” meaning a family of priests, but if we trace back even further, they might have been called “Ando,” a clan responsible for protecting the sacred Botaido of Ryogo Village and conducting rituals to ensure the village’s prosperity. Hence, they wielded significant power within the village.

The object of worship in the Botaido is the maternal deity. Given the name “Botai,” it’s not hard to imagine that the enshrined deity is a goddess.

The deity enshrined in the Botaido is known as “Oyaza-sama.”

The wind howling through the Botaido, which sounds like whispers and groans, has also led to the deity being called “Ansho-sama.”

Oyaza-sama is a chthonic deity presiding over fertility, childbirth, and the life-death cycle. Although some variations exist in the depictions found in the Ando family’s documents, common features include horns, hooves, and a long, dangling tail. The presence of horns and hooves, symbols of fertility, suggests that the motif could be a cow, goat, or perhaps a deer. The tail dragging along the ground is thought to represent the connection to the earth.

If the “O” in “Oyaza” stands for the honorific “O,” meaning “great” or “honorable,” then phonetically, the closest animal is the goat. That said, it only matches with the “Ya” character. It’s possible that the word “yagi” (goat) might have simply been changed into “yaza” over time.

As the heir to the Ando family, I’ve learned about Oyaza-sama, but there are still opaque areas.

Firstly, Oyaza-sama’s name appears in the family’s historical documents dating back 500 years. There are no records of Oyaza-sama in older documents. Moreover, there are no deities similar to Oyaza-sama or related gods in the vicinity of the village, and the lineage of Oyaza-sama cannot be traced. In other words, Oyaza-sama did not come from outside but was a deity born within the village itself.

The reason why the villagers revere Oyaza-sama so deeply is that Oyaza-sama is said to have saved their ancestors from a great famine that struck Ryogo Village 500 years ago. Since then, Oyaza-sama has established a firm position as the guardian deity of the village.

However, the existence of Oyaza-sama seems to have appeared out of nowhere, without context. The concept of Oyaza-sama emerged too abruptly in the village.

The opacity lies in the unknown origin of Oyaza-sama. Despite being a visitation deity appearing suddenly, there are no traces of worship outside the village. If it is a deity created within the village, the lack of understanding of its origin is too unnatural.

Where was Oyaza-sama born, and from where did she come?

Thinking this far, an idea strikes me.

Just as I came to Stonehurst from Sogo Village, might a supernatural being called Oyaza-sama have visited Sogo Village from Stonehurst?

Regardless of its veracity, there was one problem with the villagers’ worship of Oyaza-sama. Oyaza-sama is an entity of the eternal world and cannot easily interfere with humans, even if they desire her blessings. To compensate, our ancestors devised a method—

—To call the gods into this world… the Descent of the Deity.

The vessel for the descent must be pure, untainted, and empty. Therefore, a newborn child is always chosen as the vessel.

As the heir to the Ando family, my role was to prepare the vessel. In other words, to oversee the ritual by creating a child with my own sister, Kunugi. I could not bear to trample upon and sacrifice my sister and the child born in the process. That’s why I fled.

I’m reminded of Oyaza-sama now because of the words “Calix Dea” I heard in the dream with Sofia-san. The moment I heard them, I naturally understood their meaning.

“—The Chalice of the Goddess.”

The chalice refers not only to the womb but also to the vessel for the deity.

The meaning of those words, the reason I saw Shizuyo’s shadow in Amal, and why I thought Stonehurst and Ryogo Village were similar.

…I have come to understand.