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The Senmurai made no response.

“Do you dislike the name?” asked Royo.

“...I’d rather you just call me Hector.”

Hector? What an odd name. Royo had never heard the like before. But then, he did not know very many names from the surface. “Very well, Hector.”

“What should I call you?”

The prideful part of him wanted to say Royo Raju, but he needed to keep his story straight. “You can call me Eleyo. It is a pleasure to make your formal acquaintance, finally.”

“Ah, likewise.”

More silence arrived.

Royo had another question prepared, but then Hector surprised him with one of his own first.

“Do you believe in a god?”

Royo blinked. That question had certainly come out of nowhere.

“I mean, uh, Hun’Kui in general,” Hector clarified. “Do you guys have... some kind of religion? I’m just... curious about Hun’Kui culture.”

“Yes, we have a few religions. There is Cushin’Sekai, the religion of the Heart of the World. There is Avarita, the religion of Avar, the God of Fire. And there is Secho’ta, the religion of Secho, the God of Growth. And probably others of which I am not familiar.”

“Hmm... Do you believe in any of them, yourself?”

“Not as such, no,” said Royo. And when Hector didn’t say anything, Royo decided to add, “But if I were religious, I think I would be most partial to Secho’ta.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because of the story behind Secho. He was not always a god, you see. He was a mere mortal who ascended after a long and perilous journey.”

“Oh. I guess that’s why they call him the God of Growth.”

“Indeed.”

“How did he actually ascend to godhood, exactly?”

“That is the part I like best. In the story, he embarks on a quest to save his beloved wife, who has fallen ill. Along the way, he endures many dangerous trials and tests of both honor and morality. At the end of it, he encounters Avar.”

“The same God of Fire?”

“Yes. When Secho and Avar meet, Avar claims that Secho has failed one of his tests and so refuses him entry into the Sanctum of the Heart of the World, where the secret to curing his wife awaits.”

“Are all religions in the Undercrust linked like this?”

“No, it is only the biggest three. For those who are devout in them, it is less a matter of what they believe to be true and more a matter of who they believe to be correct. But not just according to this tale of Secho’s ascension, of course. There are many other stories, and they usually include a moral dilemma or diverging sense of ‘wisdom’ between the three religions.”

“Huh... But, anyway, uh... what did Secho do next?”