Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: A Game with Sister Karen
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I checked the screenshot of Ares with his face flushed red and flashed a confident smile.
'He falls for it so easily.'
The reason I was going this far to pull him toward the religious side was because there was good cause for it.
'Ares thinks it's perfectly fine for someone to be sacrificed.'
He took the sacrifice of the few for the sake of the many as a given.
In a way, this was an incredibly dangerous mindset.
I recalled the chat I'd just had with the author.
* * *
[ Igugwoden: (Sponsorship / 3,000 won / Jake) ]
[ Igugwoden: The Plain Fact going in this time is temporary. ]
[ Igugwoden: Starting with deploying a girl with a pretty smile, ]
[ Igugwoden: Let's make him unable to hold back without believing in God. ]
[ Please Give Me Money: Thank you so much for the sponsorship! To share your divine power again... ]
[ Please Give Me Money: Of course, I'll do exactly as you wish, but... I have a question. ]
[ Please Give Me Money: What exactly is this 'temporary Plain Fact'? ]
[ Igugwoden: Just what it says. ]
[ Igugwoden: God's Plain Fact will be applied on a temporary basis. ]
[ Igugwoden: Let him have just a taste of what Ares needs most, then make him desperate for more. ]
[ Igugwoden: After that, it's simple. ]
[ Igugwoden: 'Want more of that? Then believe in God!' Bam! ]
[ Igugwoden: Kyaa! Long live Igugwoden! Long live Lord Igugwoden! ]
[ Igugwoden: This is how you gain believers as easily as feeding them cake! ]
[ Please Give Me Money: Understood. ]
[ Please Give Me Money: So, what do you plan to bestow upon Ares? ]
[ Igugwoden: As I said before, deploying a pretty girl seems best... ]
[ Igugwoden: But to make it more specific, I think we need to know Ares's background. ]
[ Igugwoden: Sorry to ask, but could you observe a short comic that lightly shows who Ares is? Like the one you did for the Holy Knights before. ]
[ Please Give Me Money: You've bestowed your divine power—how could I defy Lord Igugwoden's will? ]
[ Please Give Me Money: It will take a little time, but I'll observe as quickly as possible. ]
[ Igugwoden: OK OK ]
A few dozen minutes later.
Through the link the author sent, I was able to check out a short comic detailing Ares's story—
'No way...'
—and the information I learned there was incredibly shocking.
Ares von Ainsberg.
As a child, he was doted on by his late emperor mother, Aisha, and mastered various scholarly pursuits.
While studying history, he realized the absolute contradiction of monarchy—the risk the empire bears when the monarch is not a sound individual.
What started as mere idle thought took concrete form with the appearance of Eirene, who enacted various hardline policies to strengthen imperial authority amid the chaos following his mother's death.
This can't go on.
I have to step up.
The imperial blood flowing through me was heaven's revelation to dismantle the contradictory monarchy and establish a new political system—that was the core of Ares's thinking.
He wasn't inherently a bad person.
It was also true that in pursuing reform, he prioritized the happiness of the masses over his own glory.
However, just as justice without suspicion can sometimes be more dangerous than evil—he viewed a certain scale of sacrifice as all too natural.
Just as he casually placed even his own life on the scales, he believed that if someone suffered a bit unjustly in the process of reform, it was unavoidable for the greater good.
I was in my late twenties, so not exactly old.
Even so, I knew well enough how far people who firmly believed themselves righteous could go in their frenzy.
In that sense, Ares was definitely a dangerous figure. Not just for protecting Eirene—leaving him as is could easily bring harm to innocent Erin.
Even in the comic, he'd said things like 'We need to keep an eye on Erin.'
But.
There was one fact that this clever, righteous idealist Ares was missing, and that was—
'That God exists.'
God exists.
He's scrolling down drururight now, overlooking the world.
Right here, watching you even now, Ares.
I can see plainly what you're thinking and what you need.
'I'll show you exactly what God's grace is.'
With that thought, I explained the 'Plain Fact' in detail in the chat with the author.
[ Igugwoden: Roughly like this. ]
[ Igugwoden: What do you think? ]
[ Please Give Me Money: That should be more than sufficient. ]
[ Please Give Me Money: However, after exhausting the 3,000 won worth of divine power, it will lose its permanence. ]
[ Igugwoden: That's fine. ]
[ Igugwoden: That's exactly what I'm aiming for. ]
In fact, giving it continuously would be a problem.
Plain Facts aren't something that gush forth endlessly without faith in God.
[ Please Give Me Money: God's will... so that is the temporary Plain Fact. ]
[ Please Give Me Money: The world's response is beginning to move. ]
[ Please Give Me Money: I will strive to ensure this observation is satisfying as well. ]
I stretched lightly.
Let me sum it up simply.
What I planned to convey to him this time was—
* * *
Hold on.
Calm down.
Ares barely tore his gaze away from the nun's habit that was drawing his eyes.
No nun wore it except those who remarked that, even if tailored to doctrine, the nuns' outfits had a somewhat lewd aspect.
The surprising part was that he hadn't even considered she might already be there.
'The church is showing surprising transparency in their actions.'
Once he shifted his gaze from the violently side-slit nun's habit, his momentarily stalled mind began turning again.
A honey trap, perhaps.
Trying to reduce his wariness toward the religious world this way... Did Saintess Erin know more about him than expected?
He had written a book but hadn't published it yet, and after his mother converted to the Igugwoden Church, he'd secluded himself—yet she was aware of his caution toward religion?
Duke Kal Bayern didn't believe in the Igugwoden Church, so he wouldn't have said anything... Nor did it seem like Yuria or Eirene were checking on him. It was insight bordering on terrifying.
'Sorry, Saintess. Far from easing my guard, it's only grown stronger.'
Anyway, the key was not to act rashly.
And at the same time, not to fall for the plausible rhetoric coming from her mouth.
The first one was whatever, but the second? No real need to take it to heart—
With such slightly overconfident thoughts, he slowly turned his head toward the nun.
The Divine Power Pouch that yanked at his vision once more shook Ares's heart, but he managed to cope by quickly filling his mind with other thoughts.
'Welcome, Sister. I've heard about it, but you arrived awfully quickly?'
'Hehe, yes! It was supposed to be from tomorrow, but I wanted to spread God's will to Prince Ares even a day sooner, so I just came today!'
'......Is that okay?'
'Of course! Ah... Were you perhaps a bit uncomfortable...?'
Ares averted his gaze, unable to properly meet the bright, sparkling eyes looking up at him from Karen.
'No, well... I'm fine, but what about your side? If it's inconvenient or anything...'
He'd resolved to treat her casually.
Why was dealing with her so difficult?
'That's a relief!'
Seeing Karen beam again as she said that, Ares emptied his mind to maintain maximum composure.
'I mustn't be swayed by a mere woman, Ares.'
Objectively speaking, this delicate dynamic would only last so long anyway.
Talk of religion would soon bore him and create some distance with her, no doubt.
From his perspective of not believing in God's existence, religious talk held zero appeal.
So, he was thinking it might be good to start Bible study sooner rather than later when—
'Wow... Even a prince's room is just like any guy's. My little brother always leaves his messy too—cleaning it up was my job.'
Karen casually entered the room and began looking around.
'Sister? You're welcome to come in, but please have a seat over there first—'
'Oh? There's a chess set? Were you playing alone?'
It was partly because she was so my-pace—
But with her thighs and hips peeking with every sway, and the Divine Power Pouch bouncing lightly up and down, Ares's mind grew chaotic again. Instead of a detailed reply, he simply resigned himself and answered.
'......Yes.'
He preached reform and all that, but he was just a young man eligible for marriage.
A time when the pull of the female form was strongest.
'......No, wait a second.'
'Um, wait. How did you know I was playing alone?'
Karen tilted her head with an innocent expression, as if wondering why he'd ask something like that.
'Yes? Well... Looking at the pieces' positions, it seemed like you were thinking to yourself. Why?'
'You can see that?'
'Yes!'
......What?
Was she just flattering him appropriately? At that moment—
Karen clapped her hands and, with her face full of another beaming smile, said,
'Ah! While we're on the topic, shall we play chess together?'
'Yes? Well... I don't mind, but didn't you come for Bible study?'
'That's important too, but getting close to the prince is also a very important task!'
'......Beating me at chess won't be easy for most.'
Ares swallowed those inner thoughts and gave a wry smile.
Chess skill was one of his few prides, given his love for board games.
Right. No need to overwhelm—just play some polite hosting chess.
Not that he planned to lose boringly.
Something like depicting a close match would be fine, he figured.
'Alright, then. Your move.'
* * *
And so, how many dozens of minutes passed?
'......'
Ares stared piercingly at the chessboard, hands neatly clasped.
No matter what move he made here... he couldn't block the checkmate in three?
No matter how he glared at the pieces, no clever countermove emerged. He even felt the delusion that defeat had been sealed long ago.
Far from hosting, losing this game would make it three losses in a row.
Ares couldn't believe it.
That he was losing three straight games of chess to another person!
It was a catastrophe unprecedented in his life.
Looking up at Karen, she was still smiling brightly.
'Damn it...! What is this woman?'
Ares slowly lowered his head, gnashing his teeth into his lip... and had no choice but to say it again.
'......I forfeit.'
'Good game, Prince! This one was fun too!'
'Have you ever learned chess formally?'
'No, I just picked it up playing with my little brother! It was fun. That's when I naturally got interested in board games in general.'
Little brother, huh.
She looked about his age, but to her, he was probably like a younger brother too. To serve at Igugwoden Cathedral required over six years on the path of the capital, and the official entry age for nuns was eighteen.
'No formal training, yet she plays this well?'
'Ah, Prince! If it's okay, shall I show you where you went wrong?'
'......Pardon?'
'Before you said forfeit, you had this really heartbroken look, like "How did it come to this?"'
'Did I?'
He thought he'd hidden it, but apparently his emotions had leaked through.
What to do.
Learning a lesson in chess—his point of pride—from someone else was humiliating, but—
At the same time, he was curious about the insight of someone who could corner him like this.
Board games, including chess, were something he cared about as much as changing the world.
'......Please do.'
'Great! Excuse me for a moment.'
With deft hand movements, she undid exactly seven moves—
Then slowly stood from her seat... and approached Ares.
The scent he assumed was her perfume stabbed at his nose.
And at the same time—
—Squish!
'!!!!!!'
The violent side-boob sensation from the habit-clad Karen assaulted his forearm.
'Here, Prince, you moved the knight to defend, right? Actually, that's not a great move. As you saw, if I pull the piece there to open the bishop's path...'
Thump, thump.
She was clearly saying something, but he couldn't even make out the words.
His hearing lost, his amplified sense was touch.
With that squishy, jiggly breast, he couldn't focus on the game at all.
It was bizarre.
She came for Bible study, yet they were playing chess.
He'd started without much thought, only to become deadly serious about an impossible upset.
And... being led around by an older woman, constantly losing the initiative.
In this situation, all Ares could do was—
'I can't lose my composure, stay calm, stay calm, stay calm...'
—control himself.