Chapter 5
Chapter 5
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: A Personal Audience with the Divine
-----------------------------------------------------------------
* * *
God exists, and He is called 'Igugwoden'――
Erin had never once forgotten that moment.
The very first time, when the heavens tore open and a spear of judgment rained down, literally slaughtering the bandit gang.
'God... exists...!'
She no longer doubted His existence.
After all, she had heard God's voice. In this situation, to question that fact would be the height of irreverence, wouldn't it?
There had been times when inexplicable phrases echoed in her mind, like 'Thanks for the 10,000 won sponsorship,' sentences that defied interpretation—but how could a mere mortal fully comprehend the will of the divine?
Erin recalled the words of the nun who had looked after the village children when she was young.
"The Saintess is the only one on the continent who can hear the voice of our Lord God. Or, to be precise, she becomes the Saintess precisely because she has heard His voice."
As a child, back when the village was still relatively peaceful, Erin had been a girl brimming with curiosity—far more than she was now. The sort of ordinary girl that age who wondered about even the most trivial things.
"If someone hears the voice but doesn't become the Saintess, what happens?"
The nun had responded to her thoughtless question with a remarkably kind expression, gently stroking her head.
Perhaps it was the warmth of that touch, or the profundity of what the nun said next.
That moment was the most vivid fragment of the peaceful era Erin would never forget for the rest of her life.
"The instant you hear the voice, you come to realize it. The destiny that you must become the Saintess. And humans cannot defy that destiny. You simply come to know it, quite naturally."
Like water flowing from high to low.
Like how morning gives way to noon, noon fades into the quiet hush of night, and when the moon hides away, morning dawns once more....
You accept that fate as the most natural thing in the world—that's what she had said.
I see.
I think I get it now.
She finally understood what the nun had meant.
The boundless grace of Lord Igugwoden, filling the emptiness in her heart.
Becoming the apostle of God meant simply... coming to 'know it' instinctively.
I will become the Saintess.
I will go to the Pope and tell him that I have heard God's voice.
To hear His voice and do nothing would be a betrayal not just of herself, but of the great God, and indeed of everyone on the continent.
The village, ravaged by plague.
Leaving behind her hometown where her family and friends had all perished... Erin set out on her long journey.
* * *
To any third-party observer, her journey would have seemed utterly bizarre.
Throughout the trip, she did only two things.
Walk toward the Papal States, and pray.
If trouble arises, ask God for help.
If God cherishes you, all will be granted――
From the moment she heard His voice, those words had felt like absolute truth in her mind.
"Our one true God, Lord Igugwoden. I humbly beseech You—please, just one more time, take pity on this lost lamb. Grant me the chance to overcome these trials and deliver Your words...!!"
After offering such a prayer and slowly opening her eyes... every problem was resolved.
Miracles unfolding one after another!
Whenever Erin needed water or food, or a place to sleep, she always prayed.
She would close her eyes, pray with all her heart, and then slowly open them—only to find hot food and clean water right before her.
When she needed a safe place to rest, a cave would suddenly appear where there had been nothing.
Food and shelter were essentials for her journey to become the Saintess, so she never hesitated to pray for them.
The trouble lay elsewhere.――She wanted to wash up.
'This feels grimy...'
Thanks to her prayers, she had obtained fresh clothes to wear, but having fled the village, her body wasn't exactly clean.
She washed her face and hands and feet whenever she came across a river en route... but with a human body, she couldn't ignore the desire for a proper bath.
Even so, to pray to God—who was already watching over her so generously—for something like 'I want to bathe' felt utterly presumptuous!
Food and shelter were matters of life and death, so she could ask without qualms, but for anything else, she wanted to handle it with her own strength as much as possible. That was her honest sentiment.
But... she was still just a young woman of barely twenty.
A ordinary girl who, not long ago, had nearly been killed by bandits.
Even after declaring her intent to walk the path of asceticism upon receiving divine revelation—suppressing her desires—she couldn't so easily shake off such a basic human longing as wanting to feel clean.
'From the perspective of one who serves the Sole God Igugwoden, maintaining a pure appearance must be important... He would understand a request like this, wouldn't He...?'
With that, she squeezed her eyes shut and offered her first prayer with a personal request.
"Lord Igugwoden. If it pleases You, grant me a chance to bathe. I vow to serve You with an even purer body. Please...!"
And the result... a hot spring bubbled up right before her eyes.
'Lord Igugwoden...! You granted my request...!!'
Her first bath since fleeing the village.
Without a moment's hesitation, she stripped and slipped into the spring. She didn't worry about anyone coming along. Lord Igugwoden wouldn't allow such a thing.
As she had expected, the bath was a time of profound peace and quiet.
Soaking away her fatigue after so long, Erin naturally found herself thinking.
'Does Lord Igugwoden find me endearing...?'
But she immediately regretted the thought.
No matter how you sliced it, to think of God in terms of 'endearing' was irreverent beyond measure.
He had granted her whimsical request because it was her destiny to become the Saintess. As she tried to dunk herself back into the hot water with that rationalization――
<<[The Lord hath spoken.]>>
'This is...!!!'
Suddenly, a voice resounded in her mind.
Is this God's voice...?
'No.'
She knew instinctively that it wasn't Lord Igugwoden's voice, but that of someone speaking on His behalf.
As if she had known it from the start.
<<[Lord Igugwoden is exceedingly pleased with you.]>>
'...!!!'
Pleased with me...?
For some reason, those words felt utterly different from a mere 'revelation.'
<<[Even after becoming the Saintess, never forget that to Lord Igugwoden, you remain one 'woman.' Maintain your purity all the more, so as not to bring shame upon Him.]>>
"W-Wait a moment!"
She cried out involuntarily, but of course, no reply came.
The voice in her head had already vanished.
Wait.
What exactly did 'pleased' mean?
So it wasn't just because of my destined role as Saintess that He answered my prayer?
But the even more troubling phrase came after.
'Even after becoming the Saintess, to remain one "woman"... what does that mean...?'
Thump, thump.
Pushed along by her heartbeat, Erin sank deep into the bath.
Only after the water reached her chin did she realize her face was burning.
And this pounding of her heart... it was different from the emotions she felt upon first witnessing Lord Igugwoden's miracle.
Not the resolute, sacred mindset when facing the God who had saved her... but literally, the feelings of a woman.
Never since resolving to become the Saintess had she harbored such irreverent thoughts.
'Calm down, Erin... calm down...'
Maybe I misheard... No, impossible.
No more self-denial.
From the moment her life was spared, this life hadn't been hers—it belonged to the God who saved her, Lord Igugwoden.
She had chosen the path of the Saintess out of a natural sense of calling, but above all, because she wanted to dedicate her remaining years to Him without hesitation.
Yes. Questioning Lord Igugwoden's words was foolish to begin with.
'If Lord Igugwoden wishes me to be one woman, then I shall be. Nothing more, nothing less. My body and soul already belong entirely to Him.'
To serve with body and soul, wholeheartedly.
That is what it means to devote oneself to God.
And so, bit by bit... yet surely, the emptiness in Erin's heart was being painted with the color of 'Igugwoden.'
* * *