Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: The Sponsored World Was Real
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Erin momentarily lost her words, but she quickly steadied her trembling eyes.
Who was Erin? The one woman chosen by God, the only one who could hear His holy voice.
The virgin marked first by the Sole God Igugwoden upon His descent!
She knew better than anyone that she must not harbor vile emotions like jealousy toward Lord Igugwoden.
In the first place, Eirene's enlightenment had been God's will as well.
Erin shook her head vigorously.
'Lord Igugwoden. It seems I still lack a great deal of Plain Facts.'
In moments like this, she vividly felt how she was a mere insignificant creature, utterly unworthy of approaching God.
Erin closed her eyes and prayed alongside Eirene.
'Please grant me far more than now... an amount incomparable to anything before, overflowing with Plain Facts. I'll take it all into this body, this Divine Power Pouch, every last bit....'
Though it was regrettable that she hadn't been the first to behold God's visage—
Regret could simply be filled with God's Plain Facts.
Everything belonged to Lord Igugwoden anyway.
If it was His will, then carrying it out was the saintess's duty.
Yes.
When God bestowed Plain Facts, she would use them to imbue more people with His providence.
Until the moment His words reached every corner of the world—she would devote herself to proselytizing with her entire being aflame.
Igugwoden!
Engraving that sacred name, beautiful and heart-stirring no matter how many times she uttered it, deep into her chest... Erin could only pray that God would look upon her fondly and grant her Plain Facts.
* * *
Crunch!
Munching on potato chips, I scrolled down the screen with a flick-flick.
Was this the end of the chapter?
'Is it time for the catfight arc already?'
A catfight over God.
And the god in question was no one other than me!
No matter how many times I thought about it, it was too unbelievable, and laughter kept bubbling up.
Ha... The thrill of spending money was hitting harder than I ever imagined.
The soft yandere vibe in Erin's portrayal was pretty nice too.
In reality, sure, a full-on yandere could get pretty overwhelming—
But this was just a comic, right?
I'm a real person, and Erin's just a comic girl, yeah?
She can't do a thing to me from in there, right?
From the absolutely safe world beyond the screen, all I had to do was enjoy the sticky obsession of this fictional character Erin!
[ Igugwoden : Great chapter... But going straight into a bath scene from here? That's straight-up insane ]
[ Igugwoden : Whoa, four milk tanks lololol Igugwodennnn~~~!! ]
[ Igugwoden : And Erin's showing some real obsession vibes, delicious hehehe ]
[ Please Sponsor Us : Thank you, Lord Igugwoden ]
[ Please Sponsor Us : We hope you'll continue to watch over our world without losing interest ]
[ Igugwoden : Lololol as long as you keep it like this, no reason not to ]
Anyway, Erin was cute as always.
A Divine Power Pouch massive enough not to be overshadowed by Eirene's absurdly huge breasts, plus that fresh, twenty-year-old virgin charm.
I loved her saintess outfit too. It was ridiculously vulgar for a saintess, but funnily enough, the nun habits were twice as slutty.
Lately, I'd been hooked on Eirene's violent empress pouch and mostly rewatched her episodes on reruns... How to put it—Erin was the first girl I truly fell for.
Using 'fell for' on a fictional girl might sound weird, but whatever. It was true.
Without Erin, I never would've become a god. In various ways, she was an incredibly special character to me.
Yeah. It's been a while—maybe I should sponsor Erin directly?
Back at the novel's start, I'd sponsored only for her. After discovering Luca and Eirene, I'd spread it out a bit.
Of course, they're all comic characters. Still, as the author, they'd cleverly milk this situation for some tasty developments.
At this point, my trust in the author was sky-high. Get daily hits of this dopamine-exploding stuff, and anyone would feel the same, right?
[ Igugwoden : ( Sponsorship / 30,000 won / Here, three dishes of Plain Facts incoming ) ]
[ Igugwoden : Erin's craving Plain Facts, right? Hook her up ]
[ Please Sponsor Us : No way ]
[ Please Sponsor Us : Lord Igugwoden... To bestow such generous sponsorship once more... ]
[ Please Sponsor Us : My tears of gratitude for your boundless grace flow like rivers ]
[ Igugwoden : Lololol you talk so funny ]
[ Please Sponsor Us : I am always sincere, Lord Igugwoden ]
[ Please Sponsor Us : I will never forget this moment, no matter what ]
[ Please Sponsor Us : With that in mind, what message shall we convey with this sponsorship? ]
[ Igugwoden : No real message ]
[ Igugwoden : Just tell her to write Erin however she wants ]
That should get them to cook up something delicious on their own, right?
Lately, I'd been thinking: Instead of me dictating what to do, leaving it to the author's omakase would be way more fun.
They'd always pulled off developments I couldn't even imagine.
[ Please Sponsor Us : Understood ]
[ Please Sponsor Us : All shall proceed according to Lord Igugwoden's will ]
[ Please Sponsor Us : But if I may humbly suggest ]
[ Igugwoden : What? ]
[ Please Sponsor Us : We are eternally grateful for your sponsorships, truly tear-jerkingly so ]
[ Please Sponsor Us : But we do not wish for you to overexert yourself, Lord Igugwoden ]
[ Please Sponsor Us : Please continue sponsoring at a pace that's comfortable and enjoyable for you ]
[ Please Sponsor Us : Of course, we know you'll handle it wisely... ]
[ Igugwoden : Lolololol don't worry about it, author ]
[ Igugwoden : This is my cheapest hobby ]
[ Please Sponsor Us : Is that so...? ]
Surprisingly, it wasn't a lie.
It might seem pricey at a glance, but this 'noble hobby' of sponsoring comics and steering the plot was the cheapest of my leisure activities by far.
Believe it or not, the total spent on the comic so far didn't even hit 1/10th of what I'd poured into reinforcing a single helmet in an online game.
[ Igugwoden : Yeah. Remember what I said last time? ]
[ Igugwoden : That I'd show you real sponsorship ]
[ Please Sponsor Us : We remember ]
[ Igugwoden : Time to wrap up my game items for real ]
[ Igugwoden : Up till now, honestly, it's been just dabbling—never really felt like 'spending money'?? But my mind's changed ]
[ Igugwoden : Gonna start dropping real cash on this comic ]
[ Igugwoden : Just keep the current vibe going, yeah? ]
[ Please Sponsor Us : I dare not claim to fully grasp the depths of your intent, but ]
[ Please Sponsor Us : Please, do not overdo it ]
[ Please Sponsor Us : Without your continued love, Lord Igugwoden, so many would be plunged into misfortune ]
[ Igugwoden : Lololol okok~~ ]
I wrapped up the chat appropriately—
Then hovered the cursor over the online game's icon.
Just seeing that monstrous icon, which had clawed away my money, made my head throb.
'Time to quit this shitty game for real.'
Double-click, click-click!
* * *
After Saintess Erin visited Igugwoden Citadel and had an audience with the Empress.
The Empire began undergoing an unprecedented wave of massive changes.
The most pivotal among them—
"Th-the Igugwoden Church... as the Imperial Family's official state religion, Mother...?"
"Yes."
Linea bowed her head in confusion at Eirene's voice, far softer and more benevolent than her usual sharpness.
"But just days ago, you were firmly against religion—"
"Linea."
Eirene cut her off.
Interrupting wasn't unusual. Eirene was overbearing and charismatic.
What was strange was the lack of edge in her tone.
The coldness had vanished, replaced by warmth. Kindness. And... a profound pity that felt utterly sincere, no matter how many times heard.
"Forget every word this mother uttered in her foolish days as an ignorant beast."
"Yes...?"
"The Sole God Lord Igugwoden... my rightful and only master, Lord Igugwoden, truly exists. He watches over us always from above. And whether we believe or not... He pours down unchanging love."
"I... see...?"
"Yes. And He is so handsome... so dashing. So reliable... so incredibly kind, a true pillar of strength, and in His masculine form—so different from us women—it makes one naturally want to lean on Him... Ahh...!"
Mid-explanation, Eirene caressed her own cheek.
Her expression melted into that of a lovestruck girl.
From her words alone, it felt as if she'd personally encountered God.
Blushing furiously, the Empress—no, a mere female—squirmed on her throne... Linea could say nothing.
Then.
Eirene's face suddenly twisted, her energy plummeting as she spoke.
"...Linea."
"Yes, Mother."
"This mother is proud of you, yet so envious. To have received Saintess's—no, Lord Igugwoden's—choosing to become a Dish of Holy Knights."
Finishing, Eirene murmured wistfully—if this mother had been just a bit younger... No.
"I am ripe now... Hehehe... A well-ripened woman shouldn't envy such trifles...."
Eirene nodded slowly, then gazed at Linea with kind eyes once more.
"Lord Igugwoden, our one and only master, said 'all mine.' As long as this mother receives His love... the order doesn't matter at all. Hehe...."
"...!!!"
For some reason, staring into Eirene's eyes—slightly downcast unlike her usual sharp glare, brimming with happiness—Linea felt... fear.
The instinctive terror of the person before her having completely changed!
The helplessness of sensing an incomprehensible being toying with the world!
'Just recently, she said a "Dish of Holy Knights" was just some nonsense concocted by scripture-munchers to suit their tastes...? Why on earth....'
"Linea. Serve the Saintess well. Fulfill your duty as the chosen. Receiving Lord Igugwoden's choice transcends trivial things like Imperial blood. You are no longer of the Imperial Family—you are His servant. Understood?"
"...Y-yes...."
"Linea, may Plain Facts be with you too—this mother prays."
Clasping her hands and closing her eyes in prayer, Eirene's sight sent a shiver up Linea's spine, as if something crawled along it.
—What on earth did that saintess do to Mother...?
What could have turned her mother, who denied and even scorned gods, into this?
'...This is bad.'
Linea thought it boded ill for the Imperial Family to fully submit to the religious order, considering the future.
Even if she herself was joining the Dish of Holy Knights, what good was power tilting one-sidedly?
History proved as much.
At the same time, she sensed no proper conversation was possible with Eirene now.
Yes. If there was one to consult in such a time—the First Princess and de facto Empress heir, Yuria von Ainsberg.
'I need to go to my sister.'
Finishing her audience, Linea hurried toward the First Princess's quarters in the citadel.