Erin was momentarily speechless, but she quickly calmed her trembling eyes.
Who was Erin? She was the woman chosen by the gods, the only one who could hear the divine voice, the virgin chosen by the one true god, Igogodon.
She knew better than anyone that she should never harbor feelings like jealousy or other vile emotions toward the god.
After all, it was by the god’s will that Eirene came to enlightenment.
Erin shook her head.
‘Igogodon, it seems like I’m still lacking in the pure facts.’
Every time this happened, she vividly felt how insignificant and lowly a creature she was in comparison to the divine being.
Erin closed her eyes along with Eirene and offered a prayer.
‘Please, grant me… much more… pure facts than I have ever received before. Something far greater than anything I’ve ever known. I will accept it all, with this body, with this divine power pocket… I will take it all in!’
Though it was regrettable that she could not see the god’s countenance first, the regret would be compensated by receiving the pure facts from the god.
After all, everything belonged to Igogodon.
If it was the will of Igogodon, then as a saintess, it was her duty to carry it out.
Yes.
When the god granted her pure facts, she would use them to fill more people with the god’s divine will.
Until the moment when the words of Igogodon would spread across the entire world—she would go forth, burning with the intent to convert everyone.
Igogodon!
No matter how many times she said it, the beautiful and uplifting sacred name carved into her heart…
She only wished for the god to kindly bestow pure facts upon her.
***
Erin, simply, just wanted the god to—
Crunch!
She chewed on a potato chip while scrolling the screen down with a drip-drip sound.
‘Is this the end of the episode?’
‘Are we finally going to see the catfight unfold?’
A catfight involving the god.
And, of course, the god was none other than me!
No matter how many times she thought about it, Erin couldn’t believe it, and a chuckle escaped her lips.
Ha… The effectiveness of spending money really felt so much stronger than expected.
The soft yandere vibe Erin was giving off in the scene was also good.
In reality, yeah, yandere. It could get quite burdensome if it escalated too much, but—
‘This is a comic, right?’
‘I’m a real person, but Erin is just a fictional character, right?’
‘Erin can’t do anything to me, not here.’
From the absolutely safe world beyond the screen, I can just enjoy Erin’s sticky obsession as a virtual character!
***
[Igogodon: I watched the episode well… But seriously, are you trying to set up a bath scene here? That’s a bit crazy, right?]
[Igogodon: Wow, four Mam-matongs kekekeke Igogodon~~!]
[Igogodon: And Erin is showing some obsessive tendencies, delicious~ hehehe]
[MoneyPlease: Thank you, Igogodon-sama]
[MoneyPlease: I truly hope you will continue to pay attention to our world and keep watching us.]
[Igogodon: kekekeke If you say it like that, there’s no reason not to watch.]
That said, Erin was still cute.
Her enormous divine power pouch was on par with Eirene’s massive chest, not to mention her youthful innocence as a twenty-year-old virgin.
The saintess robe she wore was also quite pleasing.
It was far from the modest attire expected of a saintess, but the funny thing was, nun robes were actually much more vulgar than that.
These days, I had been so immersed in Eirene’s aggressive emperor pouch that when I rewatched, I focused mainly on Eirene’s episodes…
‘Well, what should I say, Erin was the first girl I ever fell for.’
‘I know some might find it odd to use the phrase “fell for a girl character,” but it was true.’
‘If it weren’t for Erin, I might not have become a god.’
‘In many ways, she was a very special character to me.’
‘Yeah. It’s been a while, maybe I should throw some money at Erin directly? In the early chapters, I only supported Erin, but after meeting Luca and Eirene, my attention had become a bit divided.’
‘Of course, I know they’re all just cartoon characters.’
Still, as an author, I’m sure they’ll cleverly use this situation to create something delicious for me.
My trust in the author at this point was very high.
If everyone got the daily dose of dopamine from this kind of comic, they’d probably be thinking just like me.
***
[Igogodon: (Donation / 30,000 won / Here come three pure facts)]
[Igogodon: Erin-chan wants pure facts, right? Here you go.]
[MoneyPlease: No way.]
[MoneyPlease: Igogodon-sama… once again, such a generous donation…]
[MoneyPlease: I’m so moved by your boundless grace, my tears are flowing like a river.]
[Igogodon: kekekeke You’re so funny.]
[MoneyPlease: I am always sincere, Igogodon-sama.]
[MoneyPlease: I will never forget this moment, no matter what.]
[MoneyPlease: In that regard, what words would you like to convey with this donation?]
[Igogodon: No words, just tell Erin to use it however she wants. If I say this, the author will know how to cook up something tasty, right? Lately, I’ve been thinking, instead of giving orders, it might be more fun to leave it to the author like an omakase. The author always comes up with developments I can’t even imagine.]
[MoneyPlease: Understood.]
[MoneyPlease: Everything will be done according to Igogodon-sama’s will.]
[MoneyPlease: But, if I may humbly suggest…]
[Igogodon: What is it?]
[MoneyPlease: I am truly, truly grateful for the donations, and I can never thank you enough.]
[MoneyPlease: However, I don’t want you to overexert yourself.]
[MoneyPlease: If you could continue donating within your comfort, that would be greatly appreciated.]
[MoneyPlease: Of course, I know you’ll handle this well, but…]
[Igogodon: kekekeke Don’t worry, writer.]
[Igogodon: This is the cheapest hobby of mine.]
[MoneyPlease: Really…?]
Surprisingly, it wasn’t a lie.
Though it might seem expensive at first, this “noble hobby” of donating to a comic and controlling the developments was actually the cheapest of all my leisure activities.
Can you believe that even if I added up all the money I’ve spent on comics, it wouldn’t even come close to the 1/10th of what I spent just enhancing a helmet in an online game?
[Igogodon: That’s right. I told you before.]
[Igogodon: I was going to show you what real donations were.]
[MoneyPlease: I remember.]
[Igogodon: I’m about to wrap up all the game items, by the way.]
[Igogodon: Until now, honestly, I’ve just been dabbling a bit. I never really thought of it as ‘spending money.’ But my mind has changed a bit.]
[Igogodon: I’m about to seriously spend some money on this comic.]
[Igogodon: You just need to maintain your form as you are, Igogodon-sama.]
[MoneyPlease: I am not worthy to fully understand your profound meaning, Igogodon-sama, but…]
[MoneyPlease: I humbly ask that you donate within your limits.]
[MoneyPlease: Without your continued love, many people will be unhappy.]
[Igogodon: kekekeke kekekeke]
I briefly organized the conversation, then hovered my cursor over the icon of the online game.
***
The moment I saw the icon of that monstrous game, which had been stealing my money like a thief, I felt a sharp headache.
”This damn game, I’m really quitting for good this time.”
Double-click. Click, click!
After Saint Erin visited the Golden Empire and had an audience with the Emperor, the Empire began undergoing more changes than it ever had before.
Among them, the most decisive change was—
“Does this mean the royal family intends to officially declare the Evil God Cult as the national religion, mother…?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
***
Linnea, who had been bowing her head in confusion, asked in a tone that suggested she couldn’t understand what she was hearing, in response to the gentle voice of Eirene, which was very different from her usual sharp demeanor.
“But just a few days ago, you were so negative about religion—”
“Eirene.”
Eirene interrupted Linnea’s words.
It wasn’t unusual for her to cut people off; after all, Eirene was someone with a commanding, charismatic personality.
What was strange was not that, but the lack of sharpness in her words.
The coldness that usually lingered in her voice was gone.
Instead, what filled the empty space was warmth, kindness, and… a feeling of deep sorrow that seemed impossible to ignore.
“Forget everything I said when I was a foolish, insignificant creature.”
“…Huh?”
“The one true God, Igogodon, my rightful and only master, is real. He is always watching over us from above. Whether you believe in Him or not… His unwavering love reaches us all.”
“Is… Is that so?”
“Yes. And He is very impressive… and handsome. Strong… so very caring. And, because He takes the form of a man, unlike us women, it makes you want to lean on Him, naturally… Ahh…!”
As she spoke, Eirene gently stroked her own cheek.
Her expression slowly transformed into that of a love-struck girl.
Listening to her, it was as if she had personally met the divine being.
With her face flushed, Eirene, no longer the Emperor but a woman, curled up on the Emperor’s throne, began writhing in delight.
Linnea could not bring herself to say anything in response.
At that moment, Eirene suddenly looked distressed, her mood dropping as she spoke.
“Linnea.”
“Yes, mother.”
“I’m proud of you, but at the same time, I’m jealous. After all, you were chosen by the Saint, Igogodon, and became a paladin.”
Eirene murmured with a tone of regret.
She sighed deeply.
”If only I were younger… No, never mind.”
“I’m already ripe… Hehehe… A mature woman like me should not feel jealous over such trivial things.”
Eirene slowly nodded and then, with a gentle gaze, turned her eyes toward Linnea once more.
“Igogodon, our one true Lord, said ‘Everything is mine.’ And I, this mother, can only receive His love… It doesn’t matter whether I’m the first or the hundredth. He will love me, no matter what. Hehehe…”
For some reason, Linnea felt a deep sense of fear as she gazed at Eirene, whose eyes were now completely different from her usual sharp ones.
The instinctive fear she felt as if the person before her had completely changed.
It felt as though some unknown entity was controlling the world, and she was utterly helpless against it.
Not long ago, Eirene had made it clear that concepts like ‘paladin’ were just made-up ideas by people who distorted the truth.
”Ah… why… why…”
“Linnea. Take good care of the Saint. Fulfill the responsibility of being chosen. Being chosen by Igogodon is an incredible privilege—far beyond the royal bloodline. You are no longer a member of the royal family. You are now a servant of Igogodon. Understand?”
“Y-Yes…”
“Linnea, I hope you are always accompanied by clear facts.”
With that, Eirene clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and began to pray.
Linnea felt a strange shiver crawl up her spine, her body trembling as if something was climbing up her back.
”What in the world did the Saint do to my mother…?”
What had she done to make my mother, who had once rejected and even despised the divine, become like this?
”…This is bad.”
Linnea felt that the royal family’s complete submission to the religious authority would be disastrous for the future.
No matter how much she had become part of the Paladin group, the imbalance of power shifting so drastically to one side could never lead to good results.
History itself proved that.
At the same time, Linnea realized that she could no longer have a proper conversation with Eirene.
Yes, if she wanted to talk to someone now, it would have to be the First Princess and the de facto heir to the throne, Yuria von Einsberg.
”I should go visit my sister.”
After the audience, Linnea quickly moved toward the room where the First Princess, Yuria von Einsberg, was staying within the palace.