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The country of Kerberos (*1) had many bad goblins and monsters scheming(acting out their plots) , no one could be trusted.

*1 Kerberos is the name of the dogthat guards the gate of purgatory in Greek mythology.It is said to havethree heads.
If a packaged item was sent to someone the insides would be exposed to another.You would never know when one of the goblins would take your shape anddo terrible things in your name.

Therefore you would not be trusted either if you were to be there.

You have to get God's help and enter the land of Kerberos to save yourfather kidnapped by a goblin.For that purpose, however, you must first authenticate yourself,which is to prove to God you are really the son of your father in order toget his help.

According to the legend you must borrow the power of Master Kerberosto go through a "ceremony of authentication" in order for God toacknowledge who you are.First you must imagine that you have a secret incantation that only you know.

The procedure of the "ceremony of authentication" is as follows.

1. You must receive the referral letter to an agent elder and a special keyfrom Master Kerberos.

Tell your name to Master Kerberos.Master Kerberos would then give you the box you need with a lock on it.

The key to open the box is actually already prepared for you. At the entrance of the land of Kerberos you must recite the secretincantation in your mind.After you have opened the box you must destroy the key.Make sure that no one else can get it.

Inside the box there are the following two things

The mysterious referral is a referral to the agent elder.The agent elder lives far in the mountains and no one knows him.He knows many gods and will introduce you to the one appropriateto your purpose.

However, the mysterious key is in a nonsense shape and you would not knowit is a key at all. The mysterious referral would also not appear to be a referralbut only a mess of coded nonsense.If you have visited the land of Kerberos before, all the thingsthat you received this time will look different compared to what youreceived before.This is all for the purpose of keeping the goblins from using the itemswrongly in case they are stolen.

It is important to keep these two items carefully.If you only have these you can use the agent elder to get connectedto many different gods. The only thing you have to beware of isthat the referral has an 8 hour time limit (*2).

*2 Master Kerberos can change this time limit.
After 8 hours has passed, you must go to Master Kerberos and requesta new key and referral.

The first Question
In this land of Kerberos, where no one can be trusted,how do I know that the one that gave me this box isreally Master Kerberos?
The Voice Of Truth
The one that gave you the box is indeed Master Kerberos.If it were not Master Kerberos how could it lock the box with the keythat only you yourself hold? Master Kerberos is not so loose to everhave a key stolen from him.If the key did get stolen then it would be from yourself.
The second Question
If we know for sure that it is Master Kerberos,why couldn't I just tell him the secret incantationand receive a box that does not need a key from him?
The Voice Of Truth
You are not to tell your secret incantation to anyone even if he isMaster Kerberos himself.As was stated a moment ago, you know it is Master Kerberos becausehe is the only one who can give you a lock that only you have the key to.There is no other way for you to recognize Master Kerberos.If you attempt to have direct communications you will most certainlyfall into idol worship.Behind those idols you will always find goblins disguised.In this land it is common practice for goblins to change shape intothe very likeness of Master Kerberos and deceive you.There are many other goblins around you waiting for a chance with theirears perked up to eavesdrop.Your secret incantation is something that only yourselfand Master Kerberos know in your heart, which must never be spoken.
Another Question
Why is the time allowed for the item limited to 8 hours?
The Voice Of Truth
In fact, once you have obtained this item, others could use severaltools to take your place. The time is set in order to keep the disasterto minimum damage by cutting impostors short. Except stealing thereis no other way for them to get the items, so the only time that anythingwrong can be done is during this limited time.
How can the agent elder read the mysterious referral?
I cannot read the referral that I received from Master Kerberos,but how does the agent elder read it? Or is it in fact a meaninglesscamouflage?
The Voice Of Truth
Just as you opened the box you received from Master Kerberos with your key,the agent elder reads the referral by using his own key.Master Kerberos not only has your key but also the key of the agent elder.Master Kerberos would never use something like a meaningless camouflage.
Master Kerberos' Mysterious Attitude
Why doesn't Master Kerberos introduce me directly to the gods,instead of introducing me through the agent elder?
The Voice Of Truth
Remember that you need your own key to open the box that MasterKerberos gave you. It is dangerous to use your key over and over again.It is dangerous because it could be stolen every time you use it. Instead Master Kerberos has provided another key to the agent elderso that the giving and taking of packaged items can be done safely.Even if your key gets stolen then it is only good for that 8 hour period,which makes it comparatively safe.Master Kerberos appears to be uncaring, but has already consideredthis for your safeguard.
Is Master Kerberos OK?
In a degenerate land like this couldn't it well be thought thatMaster Kerberos himself could become prey of some goblin?
The Voice Of Truth
Master Kerberos is always in a safe place.So he can not become the prey of any goblin.Believe! This is the time when your faith is to be tested.

2. Having the agent elder write a referral to the gods.

The agent elder will write a referral to the gods only for thosewho have been referred to him by Master Kerberos. Write a letter to the agent elder and put it in your box and lock itwith the mysterious key(1) that Master Kerberos has given you.

The information in the new letter is as follows.

Take the items listed below and put them into a bag, then give it to the agent elder.It doesn't matter if people see what you have in the bag.No one can open or decipher what is written there except the name of the god.In the land of Kerberos they do not hide the names of the gods norany other names.

However beware of this thing. If you record a lie in the letter youwill be punished. The agent elder will connect the righteous withthe gods, but for those who work unrighteousness he will judge unconditionally.

If you are righteous the agent elder will give you a box just like the oneyou received from Master Kerberos.This time the box will not be opened by your own key but by the mysteriouskey (1) that Master Kerberos has given to you.

The contents of that box are as follows.

The referral that you receive this time is to the god that you need power from.

The mystery of the agent elder
When I took a letter to the agent elder, I put it in the box and locked itwith the key (1) I received from Master Kerberos. The box that came backto me from the elder was also locked with the mysterious key (1) thatI received from Master Kerberos.Though I didn't give the mysterious key (1) to the agent elder,how could he open it and later lock it back again?
The Voice Of Truth
In fact, when Master Kerberos gave you your mysterious key (1) togetherwith that he gave you another key inside the mysterious referral.The agent elder took that key out and used it. In other words, Master Kerberos had given the same key to the bothyourself and the agent elder, and made things operable for you.
The way to discern unrighteousness
How does the agent elder discern a discretion of mine?
The Voice Of Truth
Realize that everything that you have said to Master Kerberos has been writtenin the referral. The agent elder is listening and checking what you sayto him and what you have said to Master Kerberos to find if there are anydiscretions or not.
The mystery of date and time
Why should I write the time and date in the referral to the agent elder?It seems that the agent elder would be able to tell what day and timeit is now by himself.
The Voice Of Truth
It is so that the box with the letter in it can never be reused again.Even if a goblin gets your box, changes shape to imitate you andtries to use it he will not be able to because the recorded time willhave passed. The agent elder is very careful so he will not acceptany letter that is old.

3. Receiving the approval of god

Write a new letter to the god you hope to get power from and put itin the box you received from the agent elder locked with the mysterious key (2).

The information in the letter is the same as in the letter addressed to theagent elder.

Take the items listed below and put them into a bag; thengive it to the god that you need power from.It doesn't matter if people see what you have in the bag.No one can open or decipher what is written there except the name of the god.

If you do not lie then the god will recognize you for being who you claim to be.This is what is called "authentication".

However whether or not your desire will be granted or not is another question.It is possible that your desire may not be granted because it is youwho are asking for this favor. If the god does not appear even afteryou have finished the authentication rites (process), you will then be forcedto face the wind blown wilderness where goblins roam scheming(acting out their plots) all on your own.

Which ever, the long road to authentication comes to an end here.
(The Kereberos Legend-The End)[1994]

2002 Translated by Takayoshi SASAKI.

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Copyright 1994 Shigio YAMAGUCHI. All rights reserved.