Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: The Rabbit's Arrival
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* * *
A space filled only with darkness was suddenly invaded by an intense light.
Unable to even comprehend what was happening, time passed helplessly.
And then. When the light faded and the space was once again filled with seemingly infinite darkness—
— The sensation of falling from a great height.
That was the first thing it felt: the sensation of falling.
"……!!!"
—Thud!
This place…… the floor?
No, this is. The place where we were.
In the place where we were, there was nothing—yet somehow, it could stand on something solid.
What in the world had happened?
Just moments ago, surely Lord Igugwoden had……
Asak!
—Are you with us?
"!!!"
It turned its head in surprise to look beside it.
There was nothing. However, it knew from the voice itself.
That was…… the being who had spoken with it.
The being who had shared the divine grace of Lord Igugwoden with it.
'What happened?'
—Lord Igugwoden's 'Divine Power' has entered you.
'Right…… that's it!'
500,000!
An absurd amount.
An overwhelming amount of Divine Power crammed in!
It had been overwhelmed by that power, with no time to even shudder.
—Your gaining a form is undoubtedly thanks to the Divine Power.
"!!!"
A form……?
Only then did it notice the changes that had occurred to itself.
A hand. This is…… a hand. A hand similar to the one Lord Igugwoden possessed!
It clenched and unclenched the hand repeatedly.
'This is the Divine Power……!'
—The fact that you, not I, were chosen must be Lord Igugwoden's Plain Fact.
Plain Fact!
"Pl, ain, Fa, ct!"
This was speaking.
This was producing a voice!
Igugwoden!
Its throat tightened again at that fervent name.
It was definitely different. The feeling of emotion welling up versus actually having a throat tighten!
—Now is the time to grasp 'God's will.'
"God's will!"
Having gained at least a minimal form through the power of Divine Power, 'it' began communicating with the god once more.
* * *
After making the 500,000 sponsorship donation.
With no reply from the author, I pondered how best to guide Ophelia going forward.
Among those thoughts, the simplest path—
Using a miracle to raise Ophelia's intelligence enough to understand God's will—was something I wanted to avoid.
Ophelia was striving forward even though she understood she couldn't grasp it.
Forcing a miracle on her through sponsorship might solve the issue right away…… but it would undoubtedly render all her efforts up to now futile.
So I wanted to help her indirectly.
Rather than forcing realization upon her…… I wanted to tell her it was okay to move forward without realizing it.
So what if she was lacking? Humans weren't meant to live without flaws anyway!
I was the same.
As a kid with no friends, I'd fallen for a silly TV program and gotten hit with an outrageous bill.
Everyone had clumsy phases like that. Ophelia just had one that lasted a bit longer than most.
Letting her know that 'it's fine to just act without realizing it' might be close to escapism in the real world……
At the very least.
Since I was 'God,' I wanted to create a world where that was the truth.
A world that said it was okay to be clumsy, that acting without understanding was plenty admirable.
Wasn't that the power of fiction?
Projecting what couldn't be achieved in reality to give dreams, something like that.
'…….'
Lost in deep thought alone, I felt embarrassed for over-immersing again, so I quickly shifted topics.
Anyway, to grow as a Holy Knight enacting God's word without enlightenment, she needed help in some form.
'What if there's an artifact to use when she's lacking…….'
Artifacts. They didn't quite click.
Plus, as her possession, with Ophelia being so scatterbrained she tripped often, she might forget it.
'In games, when stats were low, I'd buy buffs with cash, gear, even pets to help with hunting…….'
Casually recalling 'indirect helpers' like that—
'……Huh?'
Wait a minute.
A pet?
This might actually be pretty good.
Even in the game I played, there were pets that picked up items for you or prompted skill timings—little conveniences like that.
They were limited-time with high upkeep, but near-essential for convenience, so everyone used them.
Me too.
If it's in 'pet' form, couldn't it care for Ophelia constantly by her side without me clinging directly?
Right then.
[ Money Please : Sorry for the delay, Lord Igugwoden ]
[ Money Please : The sudden flood of 'Divine Power' required a moment to…… sort out. ]
[ Igugwoden : Yeah, you're here, author. ]
[ Money Please : First off…… thank you so very much. ]
[ Money Please : I truly, truly never imagined you'd grant so much power. ]
[ Money Please : What must I do to repay Lord Igugwoden's sky-high grace? ]
[ Igugwoden : Lmao no, honestly, it's less than the value of all the art you've drawn so far. ]
This wasn't just flattery for the author's sake.
Surprisingly, the author had been delivering comics over dozens of panels every single day.
And since I'd shown I liked it, she kept including hot spring bath scenes unrelated to the plot.
Lately, with the Holy Knight arc, I could feast my eyes on breasts of all sizes and shapes.
Ophelia: the prototypical female knight with a toned body, thick thighs, and the largest knight's pouch among the three.
Linea: smaller than Mother but boasting youthful vitality Mother lacked.
Luca: the most balanced, slender figure without excessive development in any area.
Objectively, Luca's breasts were big enough to earn "busty" comments anywhere.
Bigger than Yuria, the First Princess, from recently.
It was just that her companions were outliers.
Personally, as a bigger-is-better guy, my tastes leaned toward Erin and Eirene……
But more breasts were always better. Variety was surely good for health too.
Anyway, with inventory sorted and some cash freed up.
The 500,000 donation wasn't impulsive; it was gratitude for the author faithfully drawing to my whims without complaint.
[ Igugwoden : Anyway ]
[ Igugwoden : With this amount, you can help Ophelia, right? ]
[ Money Please : Of course. ]
[ Money Please : With this much Divine Power, what couldn't be done? ]
[ Igugwoden : Lol yeah ]
[ Money Please : However, such vast Divine Power is a first, and an indirect method over a direct form…… ]
[ Money Please : It's a path 'the world's response' has never taken, so figuring out how…… ]
Perfect. I knew the tech request was coming.
All I had to do was accept it!
[ Igugwoden : Hey ]
[ Igugwoden : I thought about it roughly ]
[ Igugwoden : Can you do something like this? ]
* * *
Some time had passed since Ophelia had entered the cathedral as a member of the Dish of Holy Knights.
Finishing her daily routine, Ophelia returned to her room and let out a light sigh.
That day, the words she'd heard from the Saintess.
The cold reality that she might never understand God's will.
When she first heard it, she'd thought she could overcome it…… but day by day, her shoulders grew heavier.
She couldn't ignore the priests' puzzled glances.
If this was all a trial, she had to accept it gladly…… but today, it felt especially hard.
It was time for physical training, yet exercise wouldn't come to hand.
She'd vaguely noticed.
That her way of thinking differed somewhat from others.
Ophelia had managed her 'slightly off knight act' until now because maids who corrected her eccentric speech and behavior were nearly always on duty 24/7.
Thanks to them, she'd acquired social graces. What she couldn't memorize, she studied repeatedly until it stuck.
Even she struggled to memorize one thing: God's 'Plain Fact.' No matter how many times she studied, that phrase wouldn't stick.
Despite her devout Igugwoden Church parents letting her grasp Lord Igugwoden's truths earlier than most.
—She simply hadn't realized it was an issue of 'intelligence' as written in scripture.
'……Am I unfit to be a Holy Knight?'
Though blessed with God's choice, had she disappointed even God due to her shortcomings—
'……No.'
Ophelia shook her head quickly at that thought, then promptly changed out of her knight's uniform into active training wear.
Doing light warm-ups, she steeled her mind again.
'Dwelling on such thoughts only hinders progress. This too must be God's trial.'
Ophelia thought of Luca, her fellow Dish of Holy Knights member.
Through close time together, she'd heard many stories.
From a far harsher background, even she must have wanted to quit before the Saintess chose her—yet she'd persevered.
Linea was no exception.
From the Imperial Family, renouncing her name solely for God's will to join the Dish of Holy Knights must have required immense resolve.
Everyone was the same.
Carrying their burdens yet pressing forward without pause.
'Even if I never understand in my lifetime…… I'll do what I can.'
Rather than demanding of God, consider what she could do for God.
That was Ophelia's path.
And because Ophelia had such steadfast resolve—
"……Huh?"
—God couldn't help but cherish her.
'What is it?'
Hearing a knock, thinking perhaps the Saintess had come, she quickly opened the door—
"?"
No human figure stood before her.
Just as she wondered if she'd misheard, she noticed something at her feet and looked down—
"!!!"
—A rabbit.
One with pitch-black, sunflower-seed-like round eyes and fluffy white fur, a small and adorable rabbit.
"Igogodon."
It looked up at Ophelia while letting out a slightly odd cry.