After that, Erin’s journey continued without any obstacles.
If something felt like a hindrance, she would pray.
Lord Igogodon responded to her prayers and met her needs.
The same happened when a huge boulder blocked her path.
‘This doesn’t look easy at all…!’
She naturally thought so, yet Erin prayed to her god without hesitation.
“I humbly ask you, Lord Igogodon, please give me the strength to overcome this trial. I beg you…”
She prayed earnestly, over and over again.
It wasn’t difficult to realize that once again, Lord Igogodon had answered her prayer.
When she slowly opened her eyes, the boulder had disappeared as if it had never been there.
‘As expected of Lord Igogodon…!’
The more her requests were fulfilled, the deeper her faith in the one and only god, Igogodon, grew.
The problem was that the depth of her devotion was more than just a simple ‘faith’ for a woman who aspired to be a saint.
‘The one who always watches over me and holds me dear…!’
Since being told by the divine representative, ‘Never forget that you are a woman,’ something inside her began to react powerfully to Igogodon in a slightly different way.
It was a new experience.
For someone who lived in colorless days, feeling her heart race because of a being was a first.
Feeling affection, not for a human, but for a ‘god.’
Knowing it was a blasphemous thought, Erin wrapped it tightly within the shell of ‘faith’ and used self-suggestion.
Yes. Believing in a god means being willing to do anything for them.
‘I only want to serve the god. So, it’s not strange…’
Thinking this way, how much farther did her journey take her?
‘This place…!’
A grand city that looked like a massive fortress appeared before her, radiating an overwhelming aura.
On either side of the broad road, smoothed for carriages, stood columns carved from luxurious marble, as seen only in temples, extending from the entrance, flaunting the capital’s majesty.
Walking along, she soon realized that many people were using this road.
The silhouette of another person.
Since escaping a cursed village, it had been a long time since she encountered other people.
Following the road, she entered the castle gate.
‘Wow…’
Sharp spires.
Stone buildings with an extremely classic design.
Even more people than she had seen from the entrance.
Yes.
This was the imperial capital, Opelaischel, which she had only heard about.
Compared to the nameless village she once lived in, this was a highly advanced, massive metropolis.
It almost felt as if she were living in a different world.
Overwhelmed by the landscape of the grand city of Opelaischel, Erin stared blankly around, speechless.
For a moment, she nearly felt small compared to the vastness of this city—
‘It’s okay. I have my god, Lord Igogodon.’
Recalling Lord Igogodon allowed her to quickly regain her composure.
It was always like this.
Whenever something troubling or painful made her heart heavy, she would think of Lord Igogodon.
The fact that Lord Igogodon was always watching her and even cherished her.
For Erin, this was a powerful weapon against any hardship.
‘Now, to get to the Papal Office…!
Thinking she might need to find a map, Erin soon dismissed the thought.
A massive building that appeared to be the royal palace stood next to a tall spire.
Seeing the large cross exquisitely carved on the wall, she thought… perhaps this was the cathedral?
Even if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t matter.
She would eventually arrive, for Lord Igogodon was with her.
‘Let’s go over there.’
Erin walked toward the building.
As she had guessed, it was indeed the cathedral.
The Grand Cathedral of Opelaischel.
And then, Erin noticed something strange.
‘Wait a moment.’
Right in front of the cathedral, carved in obsidian, an expensive-looking plaque read:
-In honor of our one and only god, Opelaischel.
‘What…?’
Erin had only heard the voice of god and witnessed miracles; she had never actually studied theology.
In her childhood, the church was a place she went to for food.
As she grew older, her family fell into hardship, and she focused on farming to survive.
By the time she reached adulthood, an epidemic had ravaged her village, and a bandit attack had taken the lives of everyone she knew.
Naturally, she had no reason to know the name of the god that the Pope served in this world, nor that the capital took its name from the god.
But this was strange.
The god’s name was Opelaischel?
‘Isn’t the god’s name… Igogodon?’
The one and only god, Igogodon. She had already witnessed miracles enough to confirm this.
But suddenly, Opelaischel?
As she stood there, having never even read the scriptures, a man approached her.
“Priest, what brings you here?”
“Oh, well, that is…!”
She was momentarily flustered by the voice of a guard in armor, but then remembered that she hadn’t come here to cause trouble.
And, for reasons unknown, the fact remained that the true god, Lord Igogodon, was with her.
After gathering her thoughts, she respectfully bowed and spoke in a dignified tone.
“My name is Erin. I am walking the path of the capital.”
“Ah, Priest Erin, is it?”
“Priest…?”
Why is he naturally calling me a priest?
“The symbol on your robe. Isn’t it proof of your priesthood?”
“Oh…”
This outfit was simply given to her after praying to Lord Igogodon.
Perhaps, as god himself, he had inscribed the symbol for her?
In any case, it was another confirmation that the god was indeed Igogodon and not Opelaischel, which pleased Erin.
“Could I be mistaken? Perhaps a high-ranking priest…?”
“No.”
“What brings you to the Opelaischel Cathedral?”
“I came to meet the Pope.”
At the word “Pope,” the guard replied with a slightly startled tone.
“The Holy Father…?”
“Yes.”
The guard hesitated for a long moment, wiping the sweat from his brow, and said:
“I apologize, but the Pope doesn’t meet with those without an appointment. For security and due to various religious duties, he is incredibly busy—”
“I heard the voice of god.”
“Pardon?”
The guard’s eyes widened, but Erin stood firm, meeting his gaze without flinching.
“I came here to become a saint after hearing the voice of god. Please, understand my position.”
“Uh, well…”
The guard hesitated for another long moment, then finally nodded.
“P-Please wait a moment. This is beyond my ability to decide alone.”
It wasn’t long after the guard disappeared into the cathedral.
“…!”
…
“Just a moment!”
As soon as she heard footsteps, she noticed someone approaching from inside the cathedral.
A young woman, with long black hair covered by a veil, was walking toward her, accompanied by several guards wearing similar symbols on their armor.
For a moment, Erin almost felt overwhelmed by her aura—
‘No, I am someone who heard the voice of god. A future saint. Even the Pope cannot treat me lightly. So… I should be polite but not show undue weakness.’
Having steadied her mindset, Erin bowed respectfully and greeted her.
“Greetings.”
“Are you the priest who claims to have heard the voice of god?”
“Yes.”
The woman looked Erin up and down and asked in a somewhat cold tone.
“May I know your name?”
“I am called Erin.”
“Erin, the priest. May I ask which diocese you serve?”
For a moment, Erin was at a loss for words… but she knew better than to lie in such a situation.
“I did not originally walk the path of a cleric. I became a priest after hearing the voice of god.”
“Pardon? So you are not affiliated with any diocese?”
“That’s correct.”
As soon as she heard this, suspicion flared in the woman’s eyes.
“In that case, how did you obtain that priest’s robe?”
“God bestowed it upon me.”
“What?”
Erin looked her straight in the eye and responded without a hint of hesitation.
“I received this robe after praying to god.”
The woman looked at Erin for a long time, then covered her mouth with her hand, speaking with a tone of pity.
“Oh my, I thought so, but it seems to be true.”
“What do you mean…?”
“Lately, there have been stories of highly irreverent people.”
At that moment.
The guards behind her instantly surrounded Erin.
“Those who dare to falsely claim they have heard the voice of god.”
“Ah, so frustrating.”
Immersed in the story, I let out a sigh.
Why is the plot like this?
Why is this dragging out so much?
In this day and age, do we really need to keep prolonging such frustrating scenes?
That line of thought naturally led me to… ‘that thought.’
‘Ah… I feel the urge to support.’