Chapter 118
Chapter 118
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: Luca Cola's Revelation
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* * *
―Slurp.
Pibiola took a sip of the tea in front of her, then continued her story with a blank expression.
"More than half of my kin died all at once at the word of that god. It was a horrific sight. The price of offering our kin as sacrifices was the death of even more kin..."
―Grip.
As strength entered the hand holding the teacup, her shoulders began to tremble weakly.
As if lamenting her own powerless situation, no matter how many times she raged.
"Even after that, the god kept sending down punishments. There was no reason. The god's purpose... was simply to kill us. That was all it seemed to be. It only let out bizarre laughter, never explaining why it was slaughtering us..."
The room fell silent.
No one could easily chime in with words to her tale.
"In the midst of that, we discovered by chance that we were safe inside a cave. We all abandoned our village, our home, and fled into the cave. Of course, being underground made procuring food a problem... But with so many kin dead, only a small tribe's worth remained, so it wasn't a huge issue for us. It was a bittersweet feeling, one where even calling it 'a blessing in disguise' felt hesitant."
"After settling in the cave, the god's presence was no longer detectable... And that's the current situation."
"Pibiola..."
Erin bowed her head deeply, speaking in a trembling voice.
Rain was falling from her sky-blue eyes.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to... pity you like this at all... Sniff."
"...It's fine."
Erin wiped away her flowing tears with her sleeve.
It was all too cruel, too heartbreaking.
To those who had given everything for their god, the false deity called Dtamuk Thinking Army had committed atrocities beyond imagination.
It had threatened to exterminate their race if they didn't offer their mother, only to condemn them when they did.
How could such an arbitrary being be called a god?!
"I see. So that's what happened..."
Rengard muttered, his face drained of color.
"...As I mentioned earlier, Pibiola, you must know this too. While I was sailing back, I was attacked by your god. It was a close call; I nearly lost my life. At first, I thought your people had schemed to eliminate me, an outsider. After all, hadn't it shown 'miracles' right before my eyes several times?"
"It was probably the god's whim. As for targeting you... When you arrived, the god wasn't tormenting us unjustly yet. Perhaps by that time, it had already decided to kill us all."
"Is that so..."
Rengard nodded as if convinced by Pibiola's words.
"It seems I have no grudge against you all. You're victims of the god too."
At that moment.
"If I may, I'd like to ask one question."
Ophelia, with a rabbit perched on her head, cautiously raised her hand.
"Please, go ahead."
"If the god's presence is no longer detectable, isn't there any need to stay in the cave forever? Rebuilding the village could be an option..."
"I did consider that, but it wasn't so simple."
"Not simple...?"
"I was a shaman. I hate to even think about it, but I was connected to the god. So I know for sure. Dtamuk Thinking Army... at least for now, no longer exists."
"But my kin can't easily accept that fact. They're still terrified of venturing out and losing their lives. They say that as a god, hiding its presence from us would be trivial."
"And... I couldn't come up with any convincing counterargument."
"Betrayed so deeply by their faith, they've reached a point where they can't trust anyone anymore."
Pibiola gave a bitter smile at Eirene's words.
"That sums it up. I have no solid proof to boldly declare, 'The god is gone and will never appear before us again.'"
"From what you've said, the stele was left by..."
"My grandfather."
Pibiola's expression darkened again at the mention of her grandfather.
"...My grandfather was the most devoted to the god among us. He insisted most strongly that it was just a temporary outburst and that if we pleased it, the miracles would continue. With all the other council elders—our leaders—wiped out, his words carried great weight."
"In truth, the damage escalating this far... In hindsight, it was because we kept indulging the god's whims."
"Of course, I don't blame Grandfather. He did his best for our race in his own way... and he took responsibility."
"Pibiola..."
The atmosphere grew solemn once more.
"...Um, Pibiola."
Erin, wiping her tears, looked at Pibiola with slightly reddened eyes and asked.
"What do you plan to do from now on?"
"...What do you mean specifically?"
"Whether you'll keep hiding in this cave forever."
"What choice do we have?"
Pibiola let out a scoff.
Before her eyes, water infused with mushrooms—once proof of the god's miracles—swirled gently.
"With Dtamuk Thinking Army possibly returning at any moment... we can no longer live as we did. If that's our race's fate, we must accept it."
"No."
"...?"
Pibiola looked up at Erin.
The eyes that had been teary moments ago... were now incredibly clear and sparkling.
"False gods like Dtamuk Thinking Army will never appear again. No, they can't."
"Do you have proof?"
"I told you. Now that the true Sole God, Lord Igugwoden, has descended— what can a worthless fake do?"
"...Erin, was it? Not to disparage the god you and your people believe in, but even if it seems benevolent now—"
"There's a way to ensure Dtamuk Thinking Army can never touch you or your kin."
"!!!"
Pibiola's eyes widened at Erin's sudden declaration.
"...What?"
"I said there's a way. A surefire method to keep such false beings from laying a finger on you."
"What is it, Saintess?"
Ophelia spoke, and Erin nodded.
"A way to block a god's power? Naturally, only a god's power."
"That means—"
"Exactly."
To Eirene, whose pupils dilated in realization— Erin declared.
"――Plain Fact."
"With Lord Igugwoden's Plain Fact, no being can touch you."
"Plain Fact..."
Pibiola asked, very cautiously—
Yet with utmost firmness.
"Can you explain exactly what that is?"
"It's the power of the god. The ability of the god— the perfect concept of three making a dish, the collective term for the power bestowed upon us humans and its results."
"From the description, it sounds like Dtamuk Thinking Army's 'balloons.'"
"No. It's different."
"How so?"
Hearing that, Erin bowed her head slightly, her face flushed with excitement.
The saintess veil she always wore felt, in this moment, like a bride's veil— incredibly sweet and alluring.
"Plain Fact contains...
love."
"Love...?"
"Yes."
She slowly caressed her lower abdomen.
She could still feel it.
The divine providence eternally implanted within her at the moment of divine descent.
"The power that made me a saintess who calls miracles... and a woman... an utterly wonderful power."
"Pibiola, did the balloons feel like that? Did they contain the tangible love of the god— something you could touch and hold?"
"...No, they didn't."
"Right?"
Erin smiled, drawing a beautiful curve on her lips.
Pibiola suddenly realized how stunningly beautiful she was.
Though they were different races, their features were similar— perhaps that's why.
Maybe standards of beauty weren't so different after all, she thought foolishly.
"It's okay. It's natural not to understand from words alone. So... I'll let you feel it yourself, Pibiola."
"Feel it myself... Plain Fact?"
"Yes!"
Erin slowly turned to Ophelia.
"Ophelia. Sorry to ask, but could you fetch what's on the ship?"
"...!"
The moment 'what's on the ship' was mentioned, everyone except Rengard lit up, instantly knowing what she meant.
"No need to apologize, Saintess. It's not far; I'll be right back. Come on, Rabbit Lord."
"Igogodon."
And after a few minutes passed.
What Ophelia brought back was—
* * *
Now, where to start fixing things—
'Come to think of it... this plot point came from my 150,000 won sponsorship, right?'
If so—
Maybe I could steer the development in this direction?
Tap, tap.
I cautiously messaged the author.
[ Igugwoden: First off ]
[ Igugwoden: I want to make it so that even if Dtamuk Thinking Army returns, it can't mess with the elves anymore ]
[ Igugwoden: Got any ideas? ]
[ Give Me Money: I've never dealt with a case like this, so nothing set in stone ]
[ Give Me Money: But with divine power and divine will, you should be able to do as you wish? ]
So, basically asking for my input?
Perfect. With the author's approval, time to lay the groundwork carefully.
[ Igugwoden: Remember? ]
[ Igugwoden: This plot ]
[ Igugwoden: It happened because I sponsored 150,000 won ]
[ Give Me Money: Yes ]
[ Igugwoden: (Sponsorship /150,000 won/ Ta-da) ]
[ Igugwoden: Increase the influence of cola in this world! Freely, without breaking the worldbuilding! ]
[ Give Me Money: As a result of the god saying 'increase cola's influence' ]
[ Give Me Money: ...Huh? ]
[ Igugwoden: Lmao what’s that reaction ]
[ Igugwoden: Author-chan is cute lol ]
[ Give Me Money: Yes? Huh? ]
[ Igugwoden: Lmao what’s with the spacing ]
Playing innocent like she had no idea, despite planning this all along— pure pro.
With the author hyped, I'll fully embody a god here.
Not a human, but a god.
The Sole God who encounters the forsaken world and slays the false god!
[ Igugwoden: The world's response is this, so the answer lies in cola, right? ]
[ Igugwoden: In the story, making cola requires a bit of Plain Fact whether you like it or not ]
[ Igugwoden: So let's have them drink this ]
[ Igugwoden: And ]
[ Igugwoden: Make it so that once drunk, they're under my 'Plain Fact' influence ]
[ Igugwoden: Keep other riffraff from touching the elves ]
[ Igugwoden: From now on ]
[ Igugwoden: The New Continent is Igugwoden's domain ]
* * *
"This is...?"
A brown liquid in a glass bottle.
The revolutionary item that, upon its debut, upended the Old Continent's paradigm—
"Luca Cola."
"Luca Cola...?"
"Yes! The beverage brimming with the god's Plain Fact, where just drinking it lets you feel the god's love itself— Luca Cola!"
Pibiola carefully accepted it.
Slowly uncorking it produced a pop, and a refreshingly crisp aroma wafted from the bottle, stimulating her nose.
"Drinking this... will do it?"
"Yes! You can drink the whole bottle!"
"..."
She felt a twinge of unease.
But the scent was amazing, and Erin had drunk their mushroom-infused water without hesitation.
If she trusted them, doubting her in return felt wrong... And with someone like Eirene as their leader, they wouldn't stoop to treachery.
They had nothing to gain from harming her race, which had already lost everything.
Pibiola closed her eyes and cautiously took a sip.
―Gulp, gulp.
"――!!!!"
First came the sensation of her tongue tingling like a mild electric shock.
Enduring that pleasantly ticklish feeling, soon a wave of refreshing aroma flooded her mind.
A new taste, unlike any she'd experienced— pure and invigorating— contained within—
Pibiola kept drinking.
So intensely that it was unclear if she was drinking the cola or it was drinking her.
Gulp, gulp.
The gulps turned to chugs, and soon she emptied the full glass bottle—
―Thud!
Slamming the empty bottle on the table, Pibiola— her eyes sparkling with long-lost vitality— turned to Erin—
"――Igugwoden!"
—Unknowingly uttering the name of the god she'd never sensed before, she too realized it.
This was love.
This was... the Plain Fact Erin spoke of.