Chapter 119
Chapter 119
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: The Sponsored World Was Real
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"Wow...!"
A refreshing wave of brown swept into Pibiola's world, where she had been lost in despair, day after day.
What came into view was a beautiful woman with long, straight platinum blonde hair—Erin, a shaman from the distant continent, just like herself.
"How is it, Ms. Pibiola? Can you feel Lord Igugwoden's Plain Fact... spreading through your body after sliding down your throat?"
"Yes. Definitely... I can feel it."
"I told you earlier, didn't I? That a false god wouldn't be able to touch you. And—you drank the Cola, right?"
—Now, not even a fingertip from the likes of Dtamuk Thinking Army can reach you, Ms. Pibiola.
"...!!!"
"Don't worry—I'm saying you can go out and wander around freely as much as you like!"
It was a story too unbelievable to accept—
But considering the power surging through her body, a force that no verse she had ever learned could explain... she couldn't shake the thought that this woman wasn't lying.
Pibiola just stared blankly back and forth between Erin and the empty bottle, unable to say a word—
"...I understand."
Soon, her face flushed slightly as she nodded.
"I'll admit it. If the god you serve truly gave you things like this... then I suppose it might really be a different being from the one I know."
This was no mere liquid.
It was a beverage like a gospel, granting enlightenment just by drinking it—letting her feel a divine presence looking down upon her.
Pibiola wondered—if Dtamuk Thinking Army had given them something like this instead of changing their race's name to something bizarre, what would it have been like?
History had no room for hypotheticals... but thinking about how the same kind of divine being treated them so differently made her feel a little sad.
"Right? So then—"
"However."
Pibiola spoke in an utterly serious tone.
To her, it was an effort to resist the instinct to kneel before this divine artifact called 'Luca Cola.'
"I'm not suddenly going to believe in this god called Igugwoden because of this... That would be a bit difficult. As I said, our race has suffered terribly at the hands of gods... and I've already stood at the forefront with one god once before. Asking my kin to believe in yet another one—this time for real—would be... tough right now."
She knew it well, having been there herself once.
Shamans—those connected to gods—were the type who wanted to share their revelations with everyone.
Her past self, whom she didn't even want to think about now, had been the same. Dtamuk Thinking Army was simply asking for a slightly odd ritual, but in truth, such a warm-hearted being—
She had sincerely hoped all her kin would experience the power emanating from its Balloon.
After all, it had saved her mother... At least in that first moment, it had saved her mother.
Why were these foreigners treating me so kindly?
Obvious, wasn't it?
To spread their god Igugwoden here.
So, no matter how grateful she was for this kindness.
No matter how thankful she was for this Cola filled with warm affection they had given her... she couldn't just carelessly say, 'From today, I believe in your god.'
'Maybe their god commanded them to do this. Something like, 'Spread my will to the new continent.''
Dtamuk Thinking Army had urged her to make her kin worship it deeply as soon as possible, too.
Even if they were disappointed by this, she thought there was nothing she could do.
They had much to give us, but we had nothing to give them in return.
—But.
"I understand."
"...Pardon?"
"You don't have to believe in Lord Igugwoden."
Erin said this, then nodded with a perfectly serene expression—
"Holy Scripture Great Igugwoden Chronicle, Chapter 5 Verse 2—"
"A Dish of Facts: Forcing religion on unbelievers just annoys and bothers them. If you want to entice them, give rewards that match."
—As if she had rehearsed it beforehand, Eirene seamlessly continued Erin's words.
"That's right, Your Majesty! You've studied the Holy Scripture diligently! I'm so happy...!"
"Hehe... Great Igugwoden Chronicle Chapter 5 Verse 2 holds a very deep connection for me."
As Eirene said this... she carefully stroked her pure white thigh with her hand.
Kyung, kyung.
Her face flushing deeply, her lower abdomen tingling endlessly—it was unavoidable.
Just recalling the moment she heard Great Igugwoden Chronicle Chapter 5 Verse 2 with her own ears... it stimulated the switch that had awakened her as a woman for the first time in her life, without respite.
"A very deep... connection... right, Master...? Hehehe... ♥"
"Igogodon."
The rabbit that had jumped from Ophelia's head onto Eirene's thigh—she caught it deftly and stroked it.
Erin turned her gaze back to Pibiola, then carefully parted her pink lips.
"So, you don't have to believe in our Igugwoden Church. Whether you believe in Lord Igugwoden or not is entirely up to Ms. Pibiola's will."
"Then... you're saying you'll help us for free? Keep in mind, we have nothing to offer you in return. What hospitality could we provide? We can't even pay for the Cola you just shared with me."
"It's fine!"
Erin beamed with a smile like sunshine.
A dazzling smile that made it feel like the dark cave brightened from her laughter alone.
"Because helping you all is the will of god!"
"...!!!"
"We all want to help you and your race. And that's what god desires. To cleanly erase the traces of the false gods lingering on this continent."
"So you don't have to worry about us forcing conversions or anything."
Erin slowly looked at her companions.
Eirene with the plump, luscious thighs and the rabbit on them; Holy Knight Ophelia; the walking Plain Fact Karen; and the only human who remembered the old continent, Rengard.
"We should rebuild the village first. We can't stay in this dark cave forever, after all."
"Restoring the fields will be essential too. Lucky that we need the labor anyway."
"I'll help make communication with them smoother from the side!"
"I don't know what I can do... but I have no objections to Saintess Erin's and Her Majesty the Empress's will."
"...I see."
Pibiola pondered for a moment—
Truthfully, she knew better than anyone that they couldn't live like this forever.
If this was an opportunity... it felt right to seize it.
"Very well. We'll accept your help."
"You've made a wise choice, Ms. Pibiola!"
Erin extended her straight hand, and Pibiola grasped it without hesitation.
A handshake.
A truly enlightening moment, learning that people from the New Continent and the Old Continent both shared this custom.
* * *
But.
Of course, just because she alone decided to accept help didn't mean everything was neatly resolved.
In the distance, Pibiola was arguing heatedly with a man who looked like he had a stern face.
Wearing a ragged sackcloth, with pointed ears—he certainly gave the vibe of Pibiola's kin.
"×××? ×××, ××××!!"
—Of course, since Plain Fact hadn't entered him, they couldn't understand his words.
"I told you drinking this thing called Cola protects us from Dtamuk Thinking Army's threats."
"××……?? ××! ××××!! ×××××!!!"
"You know the story of the foreigners who came to Rentilden Village. These are the same people who came back. From what I hear, they've suffered at the hands of their own god too. Moreover, their god was greatly angered by what Dtamuk Thinking Army did. This is our chance. We can't stay holed up in this cave forever, can we?"
"×××××!!! ××, ×××, ×××××!!!"
"I know, Elder Porobo. But they haven't forced us to believe in a new god. In this situation, isn't it fine to at least check what they can offer?"
"×××! ×××, ×××—"
"I'm sorry, but if you have complaints, call a tribal council and directly challenge me—Pibiola, the rightfully elected chieftain by consensus. Otherwise, you should quietly listen to me now."
"...!"
The man glared at Erin's group upon hearing that, then soon vanished into the dark.
Erin approached Pibiola, who let out a sigh.
"Ms. Pibiola. You don't have to force the others to join us."
"But to rebuild the village, we need as many hands as possible. Even if you offer to do everything, leaving it all to you wouldn't sit right with us."
"Even so, rather than bullying them into it, wouldn't it be better to make them naturally want to follow our lead?"
"That's certainly ideal, but... I wouldn't know how. And as the ones receiving help, I don't want to demand that of you..."
"It's okay! I have an idea. Um, by any chance..."
Erin whispered carefully into Pibiola's ear.
"...We do have something like that."
"Perfect! Could you share just one? One would be enough."
"It would be difficult normally, but since you've shared something like Luca Cola, I'll do it."
"Thank you! Then now—"
Finishing her words, Erin carefully extended her hand.
And—
"Let's go outside, everyone!"
* * *
"......"
Pibiola squinted, adjusting to the sunlight outside the cave.
They rarely went out unless foraging for food. Even then, only small groups went in shifts.
Her last outing had been about three weeks ago.
"You've come, Saintess."
Luca, waiting outside the cave, greeted them.
"Ms. Luca. Nothing happened, right?"
"Yes. Aside from how the dense forest has no wild animals—which is a bit unsettling—nothing bad."
"Sister Karen!"
Ares spotted Karen from afar and ran over.
"Prince. Were you a good boy waiting outside?"
"...I told you not to treat me like a kid. I'm all grown up."
"To your big sis, you're always a cute little brother. Hehe..."
Thanks to the power of 'Plain Fact,' Pibiola, who could understand human speech, watched them exchange greetings and thought.
...Peaceful.
No one had worry etched on their faces.
As she wondered if they could be so relaxed since they'd come from a distant continent— she posed a question to herself.
Could those who believed in this god Igugwoden live so serenely?
"Um, Ms. Luca. I have a question."
"What is it, Saintess?"
"It's loaded properly in the ship, right? You know, what Ms. Reina asked us to test—whether it works in the New Continent's soil too."
"Ah, that. Of course. But why now...?"
"We need it! Could you fetch it?"
"Of course. Please wait a moment!"
After sending Luca off, Erin carefully dug into the nearby ground with her hands.
Then, she took out what Pibiola had just given her—a blue fruit.
According to Pibiola, this blue fruit was called Ivusilon.
A kind of reward given sparingly to kin who risked their lives on outings; in these times when they couldn't farm properly and had to forage wild, it was the ultimate luxury.
Even when the village was intact, it was a precious fruit only the higher-ups could enjoy, since growing crops was so hard.
'Good.'
Erin carefully split it in half and buried it deep.
Soon, Luca returned with... a small sack full of something.
"Here it is."
"Thank you."
Its identity.
A forbidden item so powerfully effective that god temporarily banned it, fearing it would collapse markets and labor value—
The greatest invention by the Wood Magic Tower Master, 'The Mage Who Makes Bread from Air,' Reina Firenshia.
Erin held it carefully in her hand.
And then... she sprinkled it over the spot where the fruit was buried.
Splash—
The mysterious white grains, the moment they touched the ground—
"!!!!"
Pibiola couldn't help but be shocked.
Suddenly, pure white light seeped from the earth.
Yes. It felt similar to the light that had leaked when the stone crushing her mother shattered.
Of course—it didn't end with just light seeping out.
――Thud!
"Wh-what?!"
The ground... began to groan.
No other words fit this situation.
From the powder Erin sprinkled, the earth responded... and wailed.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Wriggle, wriggle.
The spot where Erin buried the fruit writhed violently—
! ! ! Thuuuud! ! !
"!!!!"
A tree.
The Ivusilon tree, which she thought they could never grow again.
One she hadn't laid eyes on even once since Dtamuk Thinking Army destroyed their home.
A tree with striking sky-blue petals falling—
――Shwooooosh!!!
In an instant, it sprouted, laden with fruit.
――Achromatic.
From the moment Dtamuk Thinking Army killed her mother and brutally slaughtered countless kin in supposed retribution—her world had been confined to the cave where she could escape it.
The colors inside the cave were utterly monotonous. Gray, brown, earth tones—achromatic.
After meeting the being she thought was god, her world had been achromatic ever since.
She even thought it fortunate. If the world had been beautiful, her own plight would have felt that much more wretched.
Dying buried in achromatic hues didn't seem so bad, she had thought.
But.
That thinking was wrong after all.
The world still held such beautiful colors.
What she thought she had lost existed so vividly.
"Done!"
Seeing the Ivusilon tree behind Erin—who turned back with a bright smile—its deep blue petals fluttering against the clear sky, Pibiola realized.
That to her achromatic world,
God had come—
"Ahh...!!"
—And the colors she had lost were beginning to return.