Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: An Enormous Amount of Chicken!
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An enormous amount of chicken!
And not just any chicken—these were fresh ones, fully cleaned of feathers and innards, ready to eat.
It might seem grotesque at first glance—but Erin, the woman connected to the divine, could instinctively sense it.
What lay before her was, in itself, the Lord's plain fact—no, His Plain Fact!
"Ahh, Lord Igugwoden...!"
She had built the temple and offered prayers simply because it was her duty as a saintess.
She had never dared to hope that the divine would bestow plain facts upon her.
For Him to provide daily sustenance like this once again—it was love.
There was no other word for the divine's boundless love for His creations.
Erin immediately knelt before the mountain of chickens.
The priests who had followed suit knelt as one, following the saintess's lead.
Clad in the vestments of the Igugwoden Church, kneeling before a pile of raw chickens... it was, in a way, an utterly avant-garde scene.
After offering prayers of gratitude for a long while.
Erin slowly rose and addressed the kneeling priests.
"Everyone. This is the sustenance Lord Igugwoden has bestowed upon us."
"Is that truly the Lord's word...?"
"Yes. So there's no need to be flustered at all."
At Saintess Erin's words, the priests began offering their own prayers one by one.
"Food appearing from nothing—this is precisely Lord Igugwoden's miracle...!"
"Gwo-men..."
Once the prayers filled the temple.
Cecilia cautiously approached Erin and asked.
"What shall we do? This amount could feed everyone at the cathedral with plenty to spare... Should we make preserved foods?"
"That's not a bad idea, but since a miracle has come upon us, shouldn't we share it with everyone?"
In Erin's mind flashed the bleak past before she had come to know Lord Igugwoden.
That moment of unbearable hunger with nothing to eat. The countless sorrows she endured over a single piece of bread...
The absence of food meant the flame of life could not continue.
A person on the brink of death was an entirely different being from one without such worries. Their actions, their very mindset.
She knew all too well from her past experiences that a mere creature without the act of eating could neither aspire to nobility, achieve greatness, nor practice plain facts.
Even if this was a fleeting miracle that couldn't last—
"Since it's the day after we built the temple. At the very least, if everyone we meet today can enjoy a dish of chicken without worrying about their next meal..."
—If just for one day, everyone within reach could eat their fill.
"I believe that would be practicing plain facts in itself."
"I see."
Cecilia bowed her head in reverence to Erin.
"Truly worthy of a saintess... Deciding to share with all without hesitation—it's something we should all emulate."
"It's not me—it's Lord Igugwoden's plain facts we must never forget, sister."
"Of course. I'll suggest it to His Holiness the Pope right away."
* * *
Once the mountain of raw chickens had been cleared away, an enormous pile of processed chicken meat remained.
Far more than initially thought—enough to overwhelmingly feed so many more people!
Well, having too much was no bad thing. It meant they could share with even more.
"Will any brothers or sisters donate your talents to spread Lord Igugwoden's plain facts far and wide?"
"I'll help out."
"Before devoting myself to the divine, I helped my parents run a restaurant and have kitchen experience!"
—Among the cathedral priests, those with cooking experience or knowledge were recruited as cooks.
"Brother. What about that long, wide stone slab in the corner...?"
"That's the religious relic stele inscribed with Apostle Lida's enlightenment, the holy object 'Lida's Awakening.' It's a holy relic, but really just outdated junk that should be disposed of anyway... Looks like the brothers forgot about it in their busyness. Wait a moment, and I'll fetch a hammer to smash it right n—"
"No, that's not it... If it's no longer needed, how about using it as a table outside?"
"Oh! What a brilliant idea. It's useless anyway—if it can be used to share plain facts, what could be better?"
—Including tables, they even managed to set up a proper space in front of the cathedral for distributing chicken dishes.
With all the faithful working together in harmony, they finished preparations for distribution just before lunchtime.
"What about the carts for the relief expedition?"
"Three are ready."
"Yes. Then... let's start distributing the food in earnest! There's a huge amount of chicken, so it'll take time, but everyone, let's do our best!"
With Erin's rallying cry, the distribution of "A Dish of Plain Chicken" truly began.
"One dish per person."
"There's plenty. Feel free to bring your whole family!"
Free food—and meat dishes at that, which weren't easy to come by!
Even if chicken was more common than beef or pork, who would quibble when it was free?
It didn't take long for crowds from the capital to swarm the cathedral like clouds.
"Oh, thank you so much, sister."
"Is this really okay to eat?"
At first, people were stunned by the sudden giveaway, some even suspicious of what was going on—
But who would turn down a free full dish of roasted chicken?
"Of course. Enjoy."
"May plain facts be with you, sir..."
They thought they had prepared plenty—
But soon the bottoms were showing, and lines naturally formed.
"Is the food still available?"
"Yes, just a moment! We'll have it ready soon."
It was simple cooking—just grilling chicken over fire or roasting it in an oven—
But with far more ingredients than cooks, and crowds rushing to eat.
"Mom, I'm hungry. Are we far?"
"Just a bit longer. And don't say that out loud. Everyone's working hard, got it?"
"Hng."
The innocent voice of a child reached Erin's ears from the line.
Honestly, since it was free, some wait was fine—but still, the boy's hunger tugged at her.
'Should I not have rushed for lunchtime and prepared more in advance...?'
Just as she considered pitching in with her own hands to help.
"Um, are you Saintess Erin?"
A man in full armor approached and asked.
"Yes, that's me. But if you're here for chicken, please join the line over th—"
"No. I'm not here to receive food."
The man bowed at a perfect ninety degrees—
"By Her Majesty's command, I've brought the imperial family's dedicated chefs."
"Her Majesty... Lady Eirene?"
"Yes. Upon hearing of the cathedral's plans, she said you'd need people who can cook."
Behind the man stood... sixty burly men in chef uniforms, lined up in formation.
Considering the twelve or so priests currently cooking, this was five times the manpower!
"She also asked me to convey that plain facts be with you, Erin, and everyone doing this good work."
"Thank you...! I'll visit Her Majesty personally to express my gratitude!"
"I'll pass that along. Then."
Once the man left—
The sixty chefs joined the group immediately.
Truly professionals.
What had been uniform "roast chicken"—just heat-grilled and salted—diversified in an instant.
Some with special sauces, others accented with rare spices.
A pot of tomato stew with chicken even found a spot.
The people's reactions were, predictably, explosive.
Free meat was already huge, but imperial chefs' cooking?
"Thank you so much...! I've never had anything this delicious!"
"Long live Lord Igugwoden!"
"If I believe in the divine, can I eat chicken every day?"
"The Igugwoden Church folks have been doing so much good lately."
The three relief carts dispatched farther out with loaded dishes were also fulfilling their missions safely.
"Luca sis! Come here! Are you visiting?"
"Sis, what's that cart behind you?"
"Today, sis is sharing something delicious. Can you call everyone in the village?"
—Luca visited the orphanage in her hometown, distributing chicken to villagers who had suffered bandit raids.
"There's still plenty, so feel free to take another dish."
"Oh, thank you."
Hop! Hop!
"Hm? Asking for one? Here, take it."
Gulp—
The thing on his head stuffed a whole chicken into its mouth and chewed—
Then spat out the bones with a "ptui."
"Igogodon! Igogodon!"
—Ophelia volunteered to go to areas still recovering from the plague, dedicating herself to relief including food.
Since the bandits had rampaged due to the plague, she judged this needed attention.
And—
"Thank you, Holy Knight..."
"We'll never forget the divine's grace. May plain facts be with you..."
"Take care on your way."
Linea, too, went to a barony devastated by excessive taxes from its now-dismissed vassal, devoting herself to service.
Come to think of it, she couldn't recall that vassal's name.
Four letters, maybe... Well, no need to dwell on someone deposed.
Though she didn't believe in the divine, seeing smiles bloom on the faces of those receiving food didn't feel bad.
Thus, a day passed.
As the sun began to set, they finally exhausted the piled chicken.
"Everyone worked so hard...! Now, shall we eat too?"
""Waaaaah!!!""
After distribution ended.
The priests returning to the cathedral were greeted by a feast of chicken prepared by the royal dispatched chefs.
Everyone who had labored all day watching others eat got more than a full chicken each.
Literally—through prayer alone, everyone within Saintess Erin's reach ate a dish of chicken.
That night.
After bathing, Erin returned to the saintess's room, donned a translucent negligee, and prayed to the divine with a pure heart.
'Lord Igugwoden. Thank you so much for sending food not just for me, but for all—for so many to share.'
I remember.
The cup of water Lord Igugwoden gave me.
The piece of bread Lord Igugwoden gave me.
That water and bread saved me.
So, if the chicken shared today saves someone else in dire straits like I was—
'I'll never forget that it's not because of me, but thanks to Lord Igugwoden's love...'
Erin prayed long into the night like that.
Feeling the divine's hot love deep in her belly... closing her eyes, clasping her hands, toward her one and only Lord.
* * *
And the next day.
"...Huh?"
The temple they visited upon hearing the news had, just like yesterday, a mountain of raw chickens piled up.
They had distributed every last one yesterday... yet the exact same amount, as if nothing happened!
"Um, Saintess. This...?"
Erin paused briefly, then closed her eyes in prayer.
Lord Igugwoden's love hadn't ended yet!
"The same as before. This is Lord Igugwoden's love for us, His plain facts bestowed upon us...!"
"Relief activities again today...?"
She considered it—but it was incredibly labor-intensive, and since this was a temporary miracle, continuing relief indefinitely wasn't wise. Erin shook her head.
"Today, for those studying the divine's will, let's make preserved foods and distribute to cathedrals everywhere."
"Yes, understood!"
Not just Igugwoden Cathedral here, but sending to cathedrals across the continent would surely help the ascetics there understand Lord Igugwoden's plain facts.
It was a decision infused with Erin's deep desire to return the love Lord Igugwoden gave to Him.
Thus, they spent the day making preserved chicken foods.
* * *
And the next day.
"Uh... Saintess. There's more again...?"
Even after using them all for preserves, the chickens piled like a mountain once more. Erin maintained composure as best she could.
"D-don't panic. This too is a fragment of Lord Igugwoden's unending love. This time... let's send support to the Imperial Family. Since they helped us."
"Understood!"
Today's chickens all went to the Imperial Family.
Word came that the entire Imperial Knight Order had a chicken feast.
They kept distributing, depleting, depleting the chickens like that—but—
* * *
—Even after a day, two, three, four days passed.
Only after repeatedly facing the fresh mountain of chickens piled boldly on the altar every morning, despite using them all—
Did Erin finally break into a cold sweat, tilting her head to gaze at the open sky between the temple pillars.
Then, with trembling eyes full of sincerity—clasping her hands, very cautiously.
She whispered to the one and only god she served.
'Lord Igugwoden, please don't be angry and hear me out. I, um, that is...'
There's... too much chicken...