The Deity's Live Judgment
The Deity's words flowed directly through the speakers and onto the broadcast.
The sender immediately started making excuses.
Tsk. Not only defaulting on a debt, but daring to deceive a deity. What gall.
Deity, are you going to punish him?
Punish? For such a petty creature, even that would be a waste.
So you're just going to let it go?
The borrowed money must be repaid. Not for that wretch's sake, but for the child who was robbed of it.
"From midnight tonight onward, until you repay that money, you shall not hold even a single penny in your grasp."
Money would leak from his wallet, incoming funds would be blocked, and even the smallest things would cost him.
"The moment the debt is repaid, it will stop as if by magic."
"If you cannot believe it, test it for yourself."
The Deity added that the longer he delayed, the heavier the consequences would become.
"And as time passes, it will not only be money that becomes blocked."
The sender kept doubling down with his victim act, and it seemed the Deity had no intention of showing any more mercy.
"How much is it, you say? You speak as if it were the easiest thing in the world."
The Deity's voice grew deeper.
"Do you even know how your friend managed to come up with that two million won?"
The sender's chat suddenly stopped.
"When you cried and begged, saying it was urgent and to please help you just this once, that friend broke into the savings he had set aside."
It was money he had been putting away to buy his parents birthday gifts.
"He didn't want you to feel burdened, so he told you he happened to have some spare cash."
Even now, that person wasn't badmouthing the sender.
"He kept thinking there must be some reason, that you'd repay it soon, trusting you all this time. The reason he's contacting you isn't to demand the money. It's because you suddenly went silent and he was worried something might have happened to you."
"And yet you came onto this broadcast to paint that friend as the 'bad guy.'"
The Deity's voice turned icy as she delivered her final words.
"It is not only your money luck that I have blocked. From today onward, everyone around you will learn exactly what kind of person you are. It will seem like mere coincidence. So that a wretch like you can never harm another good person again."
The sender's chat stayed silent for a long while. Then a single short line appeared.
"Better late than never, I suppose. Then call that friend right now. Tell him you will repay the money. Tell him you know he broke his savings and that you are sorry."
There were no more excuses, no more arguments. After those words, the sender left the broadcast.
Will he really pay it back?
He will. Creatures like that don't care what happens to others, but they will never do anything that harms themselves.
Only the good people end up losing out.
Do not worry too much, child.
There is a saying that good people receive blessings. There is also a saying that bad people receive punishment. Our Deity was particularly fond of that second part.
"With not only his money luck but everything else blocked, his days will be quite entertaining from now on."
"......"
"Do you know who the worst person in the world is?"
"It is the one who takes advantage of a good person's kindness. You must never show mercy to such a person. For if you do, they will only go on to prey on another good soul."
The usually playful Deity sounded strangely mature in moments like this.
...Deity. You're actually pretty cool sometimes.
Not sometimes. Always.
Yeah, okay.
"Now then, the mood has grown rather heavy. Shall we hear from someone with a lighter story? Let's see... 'MyWifeIsSuspicious'?"
That's not light at all?
"Please tell us your story."
At least it was a relief. It wasn't an affair or a scam. His wife was just secretly ordering delivery behind her husband's back. At this level, even the Deity probably wouldn't need to step in.
"It is chicken."
She stepped in.
"Your wife has been secretly ordering chicken behind your back. Three times a week, to be precise. Half seasoned, half fried."
"Why does she hide it? Because you have been feeding her nothing but chicken breast and salad lately in the name of health."
That was what had upset her. She had been craving something greasy so badly that she resorted to hiding it.
"Is there some reason your wife needs to lose weight?"
The Deity clicked her tongue.
"Do not feed perfectly healthy people nothing but chicken breast. That is even more pitiful."
"...You always fed me nothing but grass."
"Stay out of this."
"That's not fair! I wanted to eat chicken breast too, you know!"
If she had at least given me chicken breast, I might not have run away from the village. No, I still would have run away. Who could call that living like a human being?
"A deity receives offerings. She does not starve people."
"Who do you think prepared all those offerings! I was up at dawn every day preparing the ritual, setting the table, and all I got to eat were some herbs!"
"That was the villagers' doing, not mine."
...She had a point. Come to think of it, the ones who locked me in that room and fed me nothing but grass were the villagers. The Deity had nothing to do with it. In fact, back then the Deity had been on my side, urging me to run away.
Wait a minute. Does that mean the Deity was on my side from the very beginning?
Deity. Were you on my side from the start?
Who knows. I am on the side of whoever offers me chicken.
......
As expected, for our Deity, everything came down to chicken.
"I'm sorry. I was just having a quick conversation with someone."
But the chat window had already flipped upside down at our little back-and-forth.
For some reason, the viewers were starting to feel genuine sympathy for me.
"That's right, everyone. I did grow up rather pitifully. So please send lots of Moon Balloons. So I can buy chicken."
Ding. Ding. Ding.
The donations poured in like magic. It wouldn't have worked in my previous life, but with this face, it did.
...A pretty and cute face really was the best marketing. As expected, the world is saved by beautiful girls.
"Thank you! Husband, did you hear that? Throw out the chicken breast today and order some chicken."
I turned to check the clock and realized the broadcast had been running for over five hours. My throat hurt from talking all day. Back in the village I had spoken so little that it felt like I was practicing silence.
And most of all, the number of concurrent viewers in the corner of the screen. Three hundred and fifty. It had been in the double digits not long ago, and now it had reached triple digits.
Deity.
What?
I'm really blowing up, right?
Just don't forget whose doing this is.
I know. It's all thanks to you, Deity. So for today's chicken...
Three of them.
...Can we order just two?
Three.
The Deity wasn't backing down. Well, with what we earned today, three chickens were nothing.
"Alright, everyone. I think we'll wrap things up here for today. Thank you all for coming. I'll see you next time."
"Of course. I'll be back on air at the same time tomorrow. Thank you."
The moment I ended the broadcast, I opened the delivery app. Modern civilization really was the best. One tap and chicken would be delivered right to my door.
As promised, I ordered three for the Deity and one for myself. Before long, the doorbell rang.
Ding-dong.
"Coming!"
When I opened the door, a bag of chicken was waiting on the doorstep.
"At this rate, didn't they just fry it on the way here?"
"That is impossible."
"I was just saying."
I opened the chicken bag and neatly arranged the pieces on a plate. Then I knelt, clasped my hands together, and prayed.
"Deity, it may not be much, but I have prepared it with all my heart. Please accept it and enjoy."
I clasped my hands as reverently as I could, mimicking what I had learned by watching over people's shoulders back when I prepared offering tables in the storage room. Since I was someone who served a deity, I ought to at least offer one proper prayer.
When I opened my eyes, the chicken that had been there a moment ago had vanished.
"Did you enjoy it?"
"......"
There was no answer, but it was fascinating every single time. Just how did this even work? Anyway, it was my turn to eat.
"Thank you for the meal."
Recalling the days when I had nothing but herbs to chew on in that storage room, I carefully bit into a chicken drumstick.
Crunch.
The crispy batter broke apart, releasing a rush of hot juices. The salty, rich oil coated my tongue. This was happiness...!
I tore into the drumstick like a woman possessed.
The next morning, I turned on the broadcast right on schedule.
Click.
The difference from yesterday was that viewers flooded in the moment it started.
In just five minutes after starting, the concurrent viewer count had already surpassed yesterday's peak. Three hundred and fifty. Four hundred and thirty. Five hundred and sixty.
...Was becoming famous always this fast? It felt strange, but my bank account was happy, so that was what mattered.
"Hello, everyone! We're back with the worry counseling broadcast following yesterday!"
"It is a fortune-telling broadcast."
"We're starting the counseling broadcast. As before, we'll take people in the order of those who send 500 Moon Balloons!"
That was when it happened.
Ding.
The moment the broadcast began, the first donation popped up.
Twenty thousand Moon Balloons.
The nickname was FreeSharing.
His words sent the chat window into an uproar.
Thirty billion won, offered up so casually? I was tilting my head in confusion when...
"Child. Close the chat window."
The Deity cut in, her voice unusually low.
"Right this instant. Do not read another word of that man's story."
It wasn't her usual playful tone. What filled the Deity's voice was...
"A sinister presence has arrived."