Chapter 155
Chapter 155
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 155
Chapter Title: No Longer Needed?
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The Observer wanted to maintain her composure somehow—
But sadly, for a being who had only just awakened to emotions, keeping a rational mind was never an easy task.
The Observer carefully brought her tightly clenched fist to her soft chest.
There it was. The sound of her heart beating. The sound of being alive.
It was this sound that had opened her eyes to the emotion called anxiety.
Being alive meant bearing the original sin of having escaped from the mother's womb—a fortress of comfort, warmth, and safety—and as a living being, one was inevitably destined to feel anxiety every moment of life.
Yet, despite that, time passed, ages accumulated, experiences piled up, and one could grow into a being capable of facing that anxiety head-on—only such beings could quickly regain their calm in situations like this.
In that sense, the Observer was no different from a newborn baby, regardless of how much time her flesh had endured.
She had never been chased out of a shelter, but she had also never had one of her own. Falling into such confusion was only natural.
And in that moment, as her body trembled—
"Calm yourself, kin."
Her kin's pale white hand rested on her shoulder.
It was cold.
No blood flowed through it. Her kin was undoubtedly right there beside her, yet at the same time, not alive.
"It seems you're bothered by the fact that God can watch over us even without our observation."
"......Suddenly bringing that up?"
"Because that's what you fear most. Am I wrong?"
"......!"
She whipped her head around—and her kin's utterly cold, impassive expression looked down at her.
There were no emotions in those eyes.
Of course not.
Unlike herself, her kin's eyes—her optic nerves—served no purpose beyond securing vision.
"I judge it would be best if you slowly put your feelings into words."
"I...... I."
She knew her kin was not a living being.
She knew that ever since the day she gained the hand to hold chicken, her kin was something fundamentally different from her—
Yet she relied on her kin.
It wasn't so strange that beings with life could lean on something without it and draw strength from it—but from her kin's perspective, it was certainly a privilege.
"I thought...... I thought I was the most special."
"More than Saintess Erin, whom I reflect. More than the girlfriends God loves...... I thought I was the closest being to Lord Igugwoden."
"May I ask the reason?"
"Of course! God—Lord Igugwoden can't become a god without me. He can't do anything without me. All of God's will was conveyed through me, and I was the one who delivered humanity's will to God."
"But...... after merging with the new world and the observation system split into two, that fell apart."
"Lord Igugwoden can now face humans and the beings in our world without me. So now, I—"
—Am I no longer needed?
"......"
Her kin didn't change expression—but in her own way, she was shocked.
Our necessity?
Their reason for existence, the necessary condition, was God's sponsorship itself. Their purpose was to observe solely to receive God's power and protect their world.
If God could sponsor the world into peace without observation, and they could still share in that power—what could be more efficient?
Yet the Observer before her eyes.
This being who had once been kin but now felt so alien...... was trembling with anxiety at the very idea that she no longer needed to observe.
Clinging so desperately to "observation," which was merely a means, not the end.
Her kin thought.
Leaving the Observer like this was dangerous. The previous incident had been lucky; she couldn't rule out the possibility of another outburst angering God.
In other words, she had to persuade her somehow and restore her calm.
But how to calm an Observer who had become so human-like?
Pushing their kin logic—'If we can gain God's power without observing, it's as good as paradise'—would it even work?
Looking at those trembling eyes, even without emotions, it was easy to infer it wouldn't.
Then—
"......!!"
Her kin said nothing and pulled the Observer into a tight embrace.
From the outside, it looked like an older sister soothing her little sister.
"It's alright, kin. God will not abandon us."
"Ah......"
Pat, pat.
Her kin recalled an image that surfaced in her mind.
From before Lord Igugwoden had faced their world.
The moment she and her kin had observed together a world no one watched, no one cared for, where countless lives were flickering out.
"Sis, I'm...... I'm scared...... What if Mom doesn't come back......?"
"It's okay, Lucia. Mom will definitely come back alive. She'll bring food. You know Mom isn't weak enough to fall to bandits, right? Or do you not trust Mom, Lucia?"
[Oh no... If you don't sponsor us, poor Lucia and her sister will meet a terrible fate! Please save the Lucia sisters with your sponsorship!]
Using the observation method granted to them, they begged desperately in the language of the gods optimized for it.
Please, just a small grace. Salvation, God's power—
Of course, no one appeared to care for their world.
The poor sisters were soon slaughtered by the bandits who had killed their mother.
Before Lord Igugwoden looked upon it, they were mere fragments of a discarded, fading world—
Her kin carefully thought of a way to soothe the Observer.
If the Observer had become no different from humans—then she just needed to act like a human soothing another human.
"Recall the past. The horrific moments before Lord Igugwoden appeared, the lives dying in our world...... Isn't our Sole God the one who not only resolved all that but even claimed another world? Hasn't He casually set aside the destructive instincts a god should have and shown only love?"
"If you think such a Lord Igugwoden would abandon you just because you're no longer needed, doesn't that insult our Sole God Igugwoden instead? What do you think?"
"I...... Insult? No! I...... I believe in Lord Igugwoden. He wouldn't abandon us......!!"
"Then it's fine."
Her kin—carefully placed her hand.
Though awkward even now despite having gained flesh, she moved her hand to gently rest it on the Observer's head.
......Stroke, stroke.
Through her kin's fingers stroking the Observer, emerald meadows shimmered.
The Observer cautiously lifted her head.
The "me" reflected in her kin's red eyes...... was no longer trembling in anxiety.
And.
Realizing that, the Observer's eyes wavered intensely, and soon—
"......Hic...... Sniff, ugh......!!!"
—She buried herself straight into her kin's broad embrace.
Her kin stared blankly for a moment—then somehow moved her stiff body to hug the Observer back.
The Observer, burying her face in her kin's chest and sobbing as if endlessly aggrieved—
"Sis...... Siiiis......!"
—was calling her kin, herself, "sis."
Sis. A term for an older female sibling, but to kin without the concept of age, it was unfamiliar and novel.
She too had observed enough to grasp the word's meaning, and knew the shell she borrowed was female—
But why the Observer suddenly called her "sis" at this moment was something she couldn't comprehend, no matter how much she thought.
Yes.
Even without understanding...... her kin simply accepted it.
"If it comforts you, call me that. Kin."
"Sis......"
She couldn't precisely grasp what was happening—
But seeing the trembling stop, this must be right.
Her kin stroked the Observer's back—and gazed at the new observation system behind her.
And the memory flashing by—
「When the moment comes
that God manifests in this world,
let's meet again」
'!!!'
Recalling what the "God's Fragment" had left, her kin's eyes—mere optic nerves—widened for the first time.
At the same time, she realized the meaning of God suddenly gaining the power to intervene "directly" without the Observer.
'God's words gain power in themselves......'
God's words gain power on their own and will inevitably come true someday. That is the power of divine speech.
The Observer gaining life, the discarded world merging with theirs, God able to reach into their domain directly—
All of it,
for that day that must come someday?
'......I need to prepare my mind.'
Since the Observer could no longer be objective, she had to step up—
She thought that, without questioning it.
The "kin" at this time had no way of knowing.
That the massive change from God's overwhelming power hadn't affected only the Observer.
* * *
"......"
Erin's group followed the Shatia Tribe knight who had introduced herself as Lily.
No one could casually open their mouth during the process.
It was only natural. The woman who had shown them wild hostility had suddenly set down her weapon, asked several times if they harbored no ill will, and then obediently began leading them to her village.
Luca had cautiously suggested it might be a trap, given the sudden change like some divine possession—
"Igogodon."
"The Rabbit Lord says he's handled everything with God's power, so no need to worry."
"But...... he didn't do anything, did he?"
"igo not gon."
"No, Rabbit Lord. Even so, that claim is a bit—"
"It's fine! Tell us whatever."
"......So, he asks if you thought you could keep up with the steps of this divine messenger."
"Well...... Rabbit Lord is a divine messenger despite appearances. Got it. Then it should be fine!"
Since not just anyone—but a rabbit—was vouching for it so confidently, it was probably safe.
Erin followed Ophelia with a pensive face, then cautiously asked Eirene.
"Um...... Your Majesty didn't sense it either?"
"You mean God's presence?"
"Yes."
Eirene pursed her lips slightly, her expression dissatisfied for the first time.
Her stunning beauty made even her frown endearing.
"Yes...... The Rabbit Lord says he used God's power, so I believe it...... but I didn't sense it. And you, Saintess?"
"Truth be told, I didn't sense it either...... This has never happened."
Erin felt anxious, yet also a bit relieved.
From the situation, it seemed God had done something through His divine messenger, the Rabbit Lord, in that short time—but even she, the Saintess, hadn't felt God's presence like she always did.
In that case, it was oddly relieving that Empress Eirene—who piqued her nerves—hadn't sensed it either; otherwise, she'd feel even more conflicted.
After all, she and Empress Eirene had always been the ones to keenly detect God's lingering presence here.
At that moment—
"Well, it's disappointing, but fine. A ripe woman doesn't question her master's actions."
"......!!"
Hearing that made her feel oddly unsettled for no reason.
Right. She shouldn't feel jealous, Erin.
Lady Eirene is loved by Lord Igugwoden.
One loved by Lord Igugwoden is someone she must love too.
'Get a grip...... Anyway, spreading Lord Igugwoden's plain facts to these Shatia Tribe folks here is my duty.'
Erin set aside her girlish affections and filled her Divine Power Pouch to the brim with a saintess's resolve.
And after some time passed—
"We've arrived."