Chapter 115
Chapter 115
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: The Demanded Sacrifice
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Thud!
Pibiola collapsed backward just like that…… and as she surveyed the disastrous conference hall, a voice leaked from her lips.
"Wha…… what? What in the world…… why……."
Her eyes deadened, and noise began to flood her mind.
*Zzt-zt-zt.*
*Zzt-zt-zt, zzzt, zzzzt-zzzt-zzzt……*
As if desperately trying to turn away from whatever had just happened, a thick fog invaded her head in droves.
Pibiola thought.
She wished she could just pass out like this.
When she came to, surely all this would turn out to be nothing more than a terrible nightmare.
She'd surely wake up in bed and offer a prayer to Lord Dtamuk Thinking Army to calm her startled heart.
For the gods cherished them and would surely grant helpful words.
Yeah, that's right.
It had to be.
This was all a dream. A horrific dream. A bizarrely awful dream that would vanish the moment she closed and opened her eyes……
<<[Pibiola, listen.]>>
"Eeek!!!!!"
Pibiola, who had been escaping reality so pitifully—
Had no choice but to realize that all this horrific carnage was vivid reality when the voice of God's Proxy echoed in her mind once more.
<<[A pathetic creature like you should never dare to defy the will of a god.]>>
"Bu…… but—"
—*Slap!*
Someone struck Pibiola's cheek hard.
Thanks to that, the noisy fog in her head cleared a bit.
"Pibiola! Can you see this old man's face!?"
"G-Grandfather……?"
"Tell the god right now! From this moment, we are no longer ■■■ but Kanp. No, that's not the important part! Swear that no matter what happens, we will never defy the god's will again!"
Her grandfather, the sole surviving member of the council of elders—Terenser—finished speaking, then immediately dropped to his knees and slammed his forehead against the floor.
*Thud!*
"Forgive us, Lord Dtamuk Thinking Army! We Kanp swear never again to weigh your words on our scales! Please! Please withdraw your wrath!!!!"
Hearing her grandfather's pitiable cry, life slowly returned to Pibiola's eyes.
'……That's right……!'
The one important thing right now—the god was enraged!
Just like her grandfather, Pibiola, the god's shaman, dropped to her knees and smashed her own forehead against the floor.
*Thud, thud!*
The more she did, the more something in her heart felt like it would crumble—but she barely held it together and offered a prayer filled with sincerity to the god.
"I-I'm sorry……! It's all my fault as your shaman for failing to interpret your will properly! I will never commit such a sin again, so please, just this once, give me, give us Kanp a chance……!!!"
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Stubborn pot shatters and they flip attitudes, fucking hilarious ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Do magic right from now on, yeah?? This means I, your god, can be an angel or a demon depending on what you do.]
[Finally feeling the fun of spending money ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ God-mode miracle spam was so childish.]
<<[Never forget that a god's attitude is shaped by your actions. Understand?]>>
"We understand……!!! We will keep it in mind!"
"Thank you! Truly thank you, O God……!!"
The god's almighty power.
Healing illnesses, shattering rocks, even understanding foreigners' speech—anything was possible with the 'balloons' granted by the god.
Yes.
She should have realized it sooner.
That they were worthless beings who had to die if the god above said so.
* * *
From that day on.
Even though all but one council member had died from the 'god's wrath' in a way utterly incomprehensible to common sense—
The village's chaos settled surprisingly quickly.
In truth, calling it 'settled' was a gross exaggeration.
"Grk, uh, ugh……!!"
—Thud.
"Kyaaah! N-No, no……!!"
Any Kanp who questioned what was happening all cried out in sudden agony and died in an instant.
As the shaman connected to the god, Pibiola instinctively knew this was all the power of the god's balloons.
The god no longer permitted even questions. Doubting his existence or harboring discontent about the situation meant instant death.
Young Kanp who hadn't yet fully attuned to the spirits due to their age would crush forest bugs under their fingers.
Pibiola had witnessed her friends playing such pranks in her naive days.
Though she hadn't joined in, she vividly remembered being harshly scolded by her mother for not stopping them.
For Kanp who revered all spirits of nature, treating even small lives—parts of nature surely inhabited by spirits—in this way was never right, so she felt no resentment for the scolding.
The faded memory resurfaced abruptly for one reason.
That was—
"I-I'm sorry…… sorry, O God! J-Just give me a little time to explain……."
<<[What?]>>
"Aaah, n…… n-no! I'm sorry! P-Please continue to guide us ignorant Kanp on the right path!"
—The fate of those bugs crushed by the young Kanp back then was exactly their fate now.
They had to please the god somehow.
Otherwise…… they'd die. The moment they doubted, they died. The moment they objected to the god's words, their life's flame extinguished so futilely.
All Kanp who survived this chaos shared one precept—no matter what, never displease Lord Dtamuk Thinking Army.
Thus, at least on the surface, daily life dragged on somehow. Even Kanp grieving lost family were mercilessly killed for ruining the mood.
They had to smile.
They had to praise Lord Dtamuk Thinking Army every day.
Every morning, all village Kanp gathered, grabbed their ears, sat and stood, stuck out their tongues, rolled back their eyes, and made "ookiki-ki" noises—it had long become part of routine.
No need to package it as religious ritual. Having seen kin die in various ways by the god's power, Kanp desperately mimicked the ridiculous acts voluntarily to survive.
"Ook! Ookikiki-ki! Dtamuk Thinking Army ni-, gasahapnida!"
"Please forgive us igorant Kanp and guide us, Lord Dtamuk Thinking Army!!!!"
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Fucking hilarious holy shit]
[Just spend money and Kanp dance like retards, damn this feels so real, for real ㅋㅋ Solo dev real?]
<<[The god is greatly pleased. Pibiola, to keep the world going, you must follow Lord Dtamuk Thinking Army's words even more. Understand?]>>
As long as they catered to his whims, they could survive day by day.
If they kept proving they had no intent to defy the god, surely miracles would come again someday—
At this point, Pibiola could only foolishly cling to such thoughts.
Higher beings capable of thought inevitably avert their eyes from reality in utterly hopeless situations. Pibiola was exactly that case then.
One day—
"D…… Did you say…… build a temple?"
<<[Yes. He said once the temple is complete, he'll grant the miracle you desire.]>>
'Miracle……!!!'
A tiny candle of hope flickered back to life in Pibiola's heart.
Yes. They couldn't revive the dead kin…… but at least with a god's miracle, whatever it was, they could mend the broken world a little.
From that day, under Terenser and Pibiola's lead, the Kanp began building a grand temple.
Kanp architecture wasn't great. Filling the god's absurd scale required immense effort—
But they had no choice. Not doing so meant death on the spot.
To gather materials in time, they demolished all empty village houses for temple use. Still short, they tore down most living Kanp homes.
"I'm truly sorry, Lord Romero……."
"No, Pibiola. No need to apologize. It's Lord Dtamuk Thinking Army's command. We ignorant Kanp must obey, naturally……."
After days of all-nighters, they barely completed the temple.
Crude due to poor skill, it lacked grandeur—but anyone could see it was their best.
"L-Lord Dtamuk Thinking Army! The temple is complete! Now, we shall perform the rite praising the great Dtamuk Thinking Army……!"
Just as she reached to grab her ears again.
[That shit's boring now, you retard bitch.]
[Fun once or twice, what braindead crap? As expected of Kanp lolㅋㅋㅋ]
<<[The god does not want such foolish rites.]>>
"Y-Yes……?"
After making them do it plenty, now 'foolish rite'? Whatever.
What mattered more…… they'd built the temple as asked, yet he demanded something else.
Surely…… he said a miracle upon completion?
Her heart shook uncontrollably for a moment—
But the next message from God's Proxy swallowed everything like a typhoon.
[Built a temple, now need sacrifices, right?]
[Sacrifice and he'll grant miracle! Revive all dead ones, tell 'em ㅋㅋㅋ]
<<[Offer sacrifices. If the sacrifices please Lord Dtamuk Thinking Army, the god said he'll revive your dead kin.]>>
"Wha…… what?!"
Pibiola startled by the unexpected words, while kneeling Kanp around her murmured.
Pibiola cautiously spoke to the god again.
"Is that true, Lord Dtamuk Thinking Army?!"
<<[Yes.]>>
"No way…… th-thank you! Truly thank you, Lord Dtamuk Thinking Army! If you need sacrifices, we'll offer as many as you want! Just say the word!"
Relief spread through Pibiola's heart like addictive herbs.
That's it.
He was just angry because they dared defy him; he hadn't abandoned them.
A god's miracle could save kin lives! That's why he killed them! Because he can revive them……!
As Pibiola thought that—
The 'name' of the sacrifice came to her mind.
<<[Helena.]>>
"……Yes?"
[Mom VS Kin!!! What will Pibiola choose!!!!]
<<[Offer Kanp Helena to Lord Dtamuk Thinking Army as sacrifice. That is the god's will.]>>
* * *
"That's……."
Erin, listening to Pibiola's tale, shuddered in shock.
Helena was surely the first being saved by the god on this continent—Pibiola's mother's name.
"The god demanded…… your mother as a sacrifice……?"
Ophelia asked in a trembling voice, and Pibiola nodded slowly with a weary expression.
"Yes. And we—"
At that moment.
"Pibiola."
From over there, Eirene tightly grasped Pibiola's hand.
"You……."
Indeed, that one—the 'Empress' of the humans.
From Erin's brief explanation, she seemed the de facto leader holding all the village council's power alone.
Her tone was a bit imperious, but having a grandfather on the council, Pibiola understood a true leader had to act that way.
Waves rippled in Eirene's blue eyes.
She…… at least outwardly looked the same age as her daughter Linea, gently holding the young woman's hand, and carefully—
"No need to say more."
"What……?"
"About what choice you made. Or the pain that choice brought…… no need to recall it. Looking at the results now, your god ultimately abandoned you anyway."
"……!!!"
"It must have been truly agonizing…… a despair beyond my imagination. That the god you trusted and relied on abandoned you…… No need for more explanation; I believe you."
Tears welled in Pibiola's eyes at those words.
And flowed down her cheeks.
She thought she'd be okay now, but the wounds in her heart hadn't healed.
The endless tears muddled her mind pointlessly.
From a foreigner.
A short-lived one far younger than her, no less—she'd never imagined receiving comfort—
Eirene slowly rose, pulled the sobbing Pibiola into a light embrace.
Patting and stroking her back…… Pibiola's shoulders shook.
"If you want to cry, cry. Freely. I can't claim to understand your despair…… but if a foreigner's arms suffice, I'll offer them as long as you need."
Time passed like that briefly.
As Eirene returned to her seat, Pibiola composed herself and spoke.
"……Anyway, you all should avoid over-relying on your god's miracles. Even if a true god exists, to them, beings like us are less than playthings—best to be cautious, no harm in—"
"Wait a moment."
Then.
Erin gently cut in, stood, and bowed repeatedly.
"Lady Pibiola. Terribly sorry to interrupt…… but there's something I must convey."
"To me……?"
"Yes."
Nod, nod.
Erin's blue eyes, like clear skies, sparkled as she nodded firmly.
"Not denying Lady Eirene's kindness…… but if you're okay with it, Lady Pibiola, could you briefly tell us what happened after? Of course, if you don't wish, no need."
"Telling the story is fine……."
Noticing Pibiola glancing at her, Eirene spoke cautiously—
"I'm fine. The Saintess wouldn't say that lightly. Right, Saintess?"
"Of course, Your Majesty. The god seems quite angry at that thing pretending to be one without knowing its place."
"So, as the true Sole God, he wants to hear the full details of the incident."
"God……?"
"Yes."
Erin nodded.
Then, clutching the Holy Scripture always at her waist, she held it gently to her chest……
Not some worthless false god worse than a stray bone, but the true Sole God existing in this world.
The sacred four letters of the god who always shared only love with us, slowly placed on those pink lips.
—Igugwoden.
"!!!"
"To share Lord Igugwoden's Plain Facts with you all too, could you explain exactly what happened?"
Igugwoden.
Perhaps because she was once a shaman.
Pibiola felt the mystical aura within that name.
It was definitely different from 'qi'.
She thought.
Plain Facts or whatever, she didn't know exactly what this woman meant—
'But at least they don't seem to have come to harm us.'
—Eirene, the foreigner who embraced and comforted her, couldn't possibly be false no matter how she thought.
She still believed their 'Igugwoden' was no different from the Dtamuk Thinking Army she met if it was truly a 'god'—
But for now, she wanted to trust the warmth of Erin, presumed to be that god's shaman, and Eirene who reached out.
"……Understood."
Pibiola resumed, slowly retracing those moments.