Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: The First Light
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About ten minutes after the sponsorship?
A message arrived from the author.
[Please Give Me Money: Lord Igugwoden...? Was it you who sponsored 100,000 won?]
[Igugwoden: Yeah.]
[Please Give Me Money: This is truly, deeply appreciated, but... As an Observer, I never imagined you'd make such a generous decision to bestow this much Divine Power on monsters, who aren't even beings blessed by God's love...]
She apparently hadn't even considered using it on mobs.
For the first time, I felt like I'd outmaneuvered the author. I'd always just been dragged along by Author-chan's rapid plot twists.
[Igugwoden: They're monsters, sure.]
[Igugwoden: But I want them to resolve things through talk instead of violence. It's a shame if their appearance prevents even that.]
[Igugwoden: And honestly, these issues often resolve from something really simple.]
[Please Give Me Money: Something simple, you say?]
[Igugwoden: Yeah.]
[Igugwoden: Communication.]
[Igugwoden: Like, 'Our kids look scary, but they don't block the sun' or 'We need sunlight to live just like you folks think differently—let's share it.']
[Igugwoden: In the end, they just wanted sunlight, but couldn't say it, so they've been fighting nonstop.]
This kind of thing happens all the time in real life.
Tragedies from a single unspoken word. I'd seen it plenty growing up—those regrettable moments.
[Please Give Me Money: Communication... you say?]
[Igugwoden: Of course, if they look scary and can't talk, it's natural to feel repulsed. I don't blame the humans.]
[Igugwoden: But even appearances... communication can resolve that to some extent.]
[Igugwoden: Misunderstandings about outsiders clear up just from realizing you can talk, right?]
[Igugwoden: Still, the Demon King must look really terrifying.]
[Igugwoden: So if we fix that, maybe peace is possible?]
[Please Give Me Money: Even so, I never dreamed of 100,000 won's worth of power.]
[Please Give Me Money: As an Observer, I've never heard of a god caring for monster-like beings.]
Yeah, probably no one sponsors out of pity for comic mobs.
That's what mobs are—just soda can fodder to be slashed, or grunting victims to be diced.
I wasn't judging. If the author hadn't typed mob lines, I'd have gotten vicarious thrills watching Ophelia hack them cheerfully.
But if their side of the story gets heard, fixing it is God's job.
And—
[Igugwoden: lol 10k what]
[Igugwoden: Might be nosy, but]
A bit embarrassing.
I typed it anyway and hit enter.
* * *
Saintess Erin's cry not to attack the monsters.
The Holy Knights stepped back one pace each from the eerie-sounding monsters.
As the Holy Knights retreated, the monsters roared and scanned their surroundings.
"※◆※＃＆▽◁……."
Their predatory, intimidating presence—like hunters stalking prey—made the soldiers flinch back, overwhelmed.
The Holy Knights were elite, trained through knightly education.
So they could maintain reason even before high-grade monsters' intimidation—
"※＆▽※＃◆◁……."
" O... O-oh, stay back...! You monster...!"
The problem was the soldiers who'd come along.
Terrified by the approaching, roaring monster, a soldier thrust out his sword in panic.
"Calm down, brother! Just calm and drop your weapon to the—"
"U, uwaaaak!"
Out of sheer fright?
The soldier swung at the monster—
The sharp blade easily grazed its arm.
"◁◈◁◆▼◇……!!!"
Red blood beaded on the monster's left arm.
The wound wasn't deep... but for some reason, its body trembled.
Rage.
The humans easily read the fury in the monster.
"◀□■◀※○＃▶▣……!!!!!"
"◀※□▶○!!!"
The monsters advanced again toward the three Holy Knights' position.
They'd been intimidating before, but now the killing intent was far stronger.
"S-Saintess!"
Linea, spotting the first attack signs, turned toward Erin.
—Silent message: A fight's about to break out.
We'll obey the Saintess, but we can't just take hits—
Erin nodded at Linea, then shouted loudly at the monsters.
"Please wait a moment!"
Having shouted, Erin stood firm before Dish of Holy Knights, facing the monsters.
She drew a small knife from her bosom for self-defense—
"……!!!"
And inflicted a light cut in a spot matching the monster's wound.
Red blood trickled from her milk-white skin, slowly staining her arm.
"……We have no desire to fight you!"
"■◀※○＃……."
"I sincerely apologize for wounding you. But it wasn't our will, nor our God's. God does not wish to clash swords with you in a deathmatch."
"Like how you can't understand our words, we can't understand yours. But you have eyes, so you see we've taken the same wound."
"I know how ridiculous it sounds to ask forgiveness with this... but today, please, can you set aside your anger?"
She knew words wouldn't get through.
But just as they'd suddenly felt strong killing intent when their arm was cut—maybe they'd sense something in our actions too.
Erin's gamble paid off beautifully: the monsters relaxed their grip on their weapons.
'That woman, chosen by God, the Saintess...'
Linea was purely awed by Erin's resolve.
Daring to speak to demons that inspire fear on sight.
Who else could converse while wounding themselves, even lightly?
And she was a Saintess, not a warrior.
Untrained in harsh martial arts, she must have felt fear at the sight.
Yet she handled it so steadfastly, without a tremor.
Maybe that's why not just anyone can be God's chosen, even if the Pope ordains it.
For the first time, she somewhat understood why people convert.
"◁◆▼◇……."
"◆◇……."
The monsters stared at Erin's face for a long while—
Then trudged back into the dungeon.
'……Hoo...'
Only after the monsters vanished from sight—
Did the Saintess collapse to her knees.
"Saintess!!"
Ophelia was first to support her.
As she rushed, the rabbit from her bag hopped out and nestled naturally in Erin's arms.
"Are you alright, Saintess?!"
"Igogodon."
"It... seems resolved well."
"I'm so glad you weren't badly hurt, Saintess...!"
As Luca finished—
"Saintess...!"
The soldier who'd swung at the monster approached, tearfully kneeling before her—
And bowed his head repeatedly.
"I'm sorry...! Because of me... I was a fool, too scared to follow Lord Igugwoden's words...!!"
"It's fine. It's in the Holy Scripture too. Giving another chance to those who err is also Lord Igugwoden's Plain Fact. And it's not a big wound, so no issue. Priests can heal this easily. So please, don't resent your own failings too much—use this to become better. That's God's will."
"Sob... Saintess... I will never, ever forget Lord Igugwoden's words you conveyed...!!"
Before the weeping soldier, Erin slowly closed her eyes and whispered a prayer to her one and only lord.
In this situation with the Demon King descended, why no battle is beyond a creature's ken—
But Lord Igugwoden always guides us right.
Like when he saved me alone.
So please, illuminate our path with Plain Fact...
It was the pitiable Saintess's wish, sacrificing her body to uphold God's will.
* * *
The place where the Demon King resides, connected to all dungeons.
"A human did that?"
At the Demon King's words, the arm-wounded monster knelt and replied.
"Yes. Even approaching to talk, we were attacked—so it reminded us of Aluin, who was one-sidedly beaten by humans recently..."
Another monster who'd gone along added testimony.
"We couldn't understand the human exactly, but by inflicting the same wound, it seemed to say 'Can you forgive with this?'"
"I see..."
Aluin.
The monster who'd recently withdrawn, saying 'I couldn't defy Your Majesty's will' to the Demon King.
"I'm sorry...! I know no reason excuses defying Your Majesty's command. Please execute me to restore demon discipline...!"
"...It's fine. You didn't trust a human's incomprehensible actions. I'm only sorry for the hard task."
"Demon King...!"
After the monsters withdrew.
The lone Demon King sank into deep thought amid pitch-black darkness.
From the account, the human panicked and swung at our attempt to talk.
Just like ancestral records. Humans who fear us, not even trying dialogue—plenty such tales.
It's fortunate some humans seem not to crave unconditional battle—
But to converse, they'd need to meet me, representative of demons.
Humans terrified of high-grade monsters can't face me, so I'd summon here—
But first, can they withstand the Demonic Energy here?
'Can dialogue with humans really resolve this, or is it just my selfish wish?'
Even desiring human talk was a mutant thought no prior Demon King had.
She knew it best, embodying all ancestors' experiences.
'Is following the reason for my descent... my fate?'
Becoming a Demon King who drives kin to ruin for kin.
Whisper war, awaken instincts... repeat blood-soaked history.
If that's fate, why did I think of dialogue—? At that moment.
<[It was because of God's love.]>
'......!!'
The Demon King, uncharacteristically startled, looked around.
...Not a physical voice from surroundings.
This intrigued her strongly.
'Accessing this body's mental realm? No ordinary being. Who are you?'
<[I am God's Proxy.]>
—Demon King, I come to relay God's words to you.
'God?'
<[God exists.]>
The Demon King waited silently.
<[Your swift descent was because God's love overflowed this world. God's love embraces all without distinction. The intensified Demonic Energy mixed with God's love birthed those thoughts in you.]>
As expected of the Demon King.
She grasped the Proxy's meaning from that alone.
'Doesn't seem like lies.'
<[God cherishes you.]>
'This body?'
—This is God's will.
'!!!'
A wondrous experience.
Vivid, empirical something entering her inner world.
Invading her domain, yet... a corner of her heart warmed strangely.
* * *
[Igugwoden: lol 10k what]
[Igugwoden: Might be nosy, but]
[Igugwoden: If it's worth no blood spilled]
[Igugwoden: Even if not me, any god would've paid?]
* * *
'......!!'
That... is God's will?
<[God understands your struggles. And values your ideals highly.]>
—Thus, God... removes the Demon King's curse upon you.
'This body's curse...'
That instant.
A small light leaked from darkness's depths.
And—into the Demon King's ears, one sentence.
God's tongue, beyond even her comprehension.
—
Ten thousand won sponsorship hurray.
The small light enveloped the Demon King, ever bound to darkness.
First experience.
Her first light.
* * *
"Igogodon."
"I told you, Rabbit Lord. God left another message for the Saintess. We're not fighting today."
"Igogodon."
"Solving everything with force is wrong, Rabbit Lord. I won't draw my sword today either."
The rabbit, who'd said it wanted to sightsee, was nestled in Ophelia's arms instead of the bag, chatting with her.
As she said, the Saintess's group headed back to the dungeon where they'd met monsters recently.
Erin's will, summoning Dish of Holy Knights right after waking.
Linea cautiously addressed Erin, leading.
"But... is it really okay? You said no soldiers needed, but if another sudden incident like last time..."
"It's fine, Lady Linea. God commanded just us four to the dungeon."
"But..."
"Don't worry too much, Lady Linea."
Placing a hand on Linea's shoulder, answering for Erin: Luca.
"It's Lord Igugwoden's will, so we won't be harmed."
"Y-Yes..."
Arriving at the dungeon entrance.
Minutes after guarding before the intense Demonic Energy—
'......!!'
Erin's group instinctively sensed something emerging from the dungeon.
Anyone would.
Not from crushing Demonic Energy or suffocating pressure—
'......Huh?'
Pip. Pip.
Rhythmic pips, like matching footsteps.
From beyond the dungeon, piping into view—
"......?"
"You, representative of humans—Saintess Erin?"
"Uh... Y-Yes?"
"A mere human unflinching at this body? Seems God's Plain Fact reached me safely."
Pips with every step.
"No way, you...?"
"Indeed. I am the origin and apex of all demons, representative of demonkin—the Demon King."
With prominent horns and small wings—
"......Derigogodon......"
A small, cute little girl.