“Hmm.”
Eirene woke up and stretched.
The overwhelming presence of her emperor-sized chest seemed as though it could tear through her negligee with just the slightest forward movement of her torso.
She thought about spending another typical day as the emperor.
“…Huh?”
Something about the surroundings felt off.
She was still on a bed, but the location was not her imperial chamber.
Instead, she found herself amidst a green meadow with a few trees, a lake, and clouds drifting across the blue sky.
‘What is this?’
She recalled experiencing something similar a few days ago—finding herself in an unfamiliar space and encountering the youthful form of Igogoden.
Even as a boy, Igogoden had exuded justice and charisma.
To Eirene, he felt like the living embodiment of “pure truth.”
The memory of that dream, so vivid that it left her lower stomach fluttering even now, was unforgettable.
What struck her as odd was how she immediately recognized the boy as Igogoden.
Although smaller in stature, his sturdy shoulders and deep black eyes—eyes that once promised to protect her—were unmistakable.
‘Yes, he looked just like this boy lying beside me now.’
“Ah?”
Startled, she shot out of bed.
“What, what, what… what is this…?!”
Her face turned bright red as she confirmed the boy’s sleeping figure.
No matter how many times she looked, it was indeed the boyish Igogoden.
‘What… What is happening?’
Before she could fully grasp the situation—
“Hmm…”
“I- Igogoden?!”
The boy, resembling Igogoden, rubbed his eyes gently and sat up.
Frozen in place, Eirene could not utter a word.
“…Oh, Eirene. Did you sleep well?”
It was unmistakably a boy’s voice.
Yet, she couldn’t help but feel as though she were speaking to the divine fragment of Igogoden she had once encountered.
Eirene, almost instinctively, addressed the boy with honorifics.
“I- Igogoden?”
“You recognize me. That makes me happy. Have you been well?”
At his words, Eirene’s face lit up.
“Of course…!! Ever since I realized your pure truth, I’ve been living each day happily…! It’s all thanks to you, Igogoden!”
“No, Eirene. It is because you have ripened so beautifully that receiving divine love is only natural.”
‘Ripened beautifully!’
To hear such words from the divine’s mouth left Eirene trembling.
Compared to any other dream involving Igogoden, this felt so vivid that she was moved to tears.
Even if it were all just a dream, she wished to never wake up.
“More importantly, as I am in this form now… would you soothe me?”
“Soothe you…?”
“You will understand if you look above.”
“Ah.”
On the pillow beside Igogoden’s head lay a small jingle bell she had once used to comfort a demon king.
At that moment, she also realized she was wearing an apron.
“Please, Eirene. I look forward to your ripened care.”
Thump. Thump.
‘He said he’s looking forward to my ripened care…!’
‘So, he has been watching my efforts all this time…!!!’
Feeling immense joy that her heartfelt prayers had reached the divine, Eirene carefully picked up the bell.
Kneeling gracefully on the bed, she placed the bell gently in her lap, ready to fulfill the divine’s request.
“Now, Igogoden… Rest here, please.”
Without a word, the boy leaned over and rested his head on her lap.
Zap!
The moment his head touched her, Eirene felt a surge of something coursing through her entire body.
Holding the bell in her hands, she began to soothe Igogoden, pouring her devotion into every motion—more than she had ever done for the demon king.
“Yes… Igogoden, good boy… You can rely on me for anything.”
As the bell jingled, she gently stroked his hair, whispering her gratitude.
“Igogoden… Thank you. Even though no one else recognizes it, I think you’re amazing for always doing what’s right. Your kindness, even to the faithless and demons alike, is something I deeply admire.”
“Even if others don’t notice, I’ll always remember what you’ve done for us. I will never forget how gentle, caring, and selfless you are.”
Jingle. Jingle.
“Igogoden, I adore you. My one and only divine lord… Thank you for granting me your truth. I’ll cherish it forever and continue learning your teachings until my body and soul are dyed in your light.”
The boy, enjoying her soothing care, murmured softly while snuggling against her lap. Then, he opened his eyes slightly and spoke.
“Please wait a little longer, Eirene.”
“What?”
“Just a little longer, and—”
Before he could finish, everything around her faded to black.
***
She awoke with a start, sitting upright on her bed.
Looking into the mirror, she saw herself in her negligee, staring blankly back.
This was the emperor’s chamber.
Realizing this, Eirene quickly pieced things together.
‘It was a dream.’
Though she had suspected as much, the dreams involving the boy Igogoden were far more vivid than any others.
Even so, she knew that unless the divine descended to earth, it could only have been a figment of her imagination.
Although it felt a little bittersweet, still—
‘Igogoden was just so adorable.’
This time, she was happy to have connected with Igogoden, even if only a little, through her dream.
Eirene recalled the boy’s face—identical to the divine image from his portrait, brimming with love.
At the same time, she imagined something audaciously inappropriate for a mere mortal.
‘If I were to bear Igogoden’s child… Would the boy grow to look like that?’
If she could have a child resembling the divine, she thought, she could do so much better—for both the child and Igogoden himself.
Kneeling immediately, Eirene began to pray.
She needed to unburden her feelings before she ruined the entire day.
Pouring her heart out, she confessed to the divine.
“My Lord, thank you so much for appearing in my dream. I was truly, truly happy to spend even a moment with you.”
“Eirene is always ready, my Lord. If you wish it, I can give you everything—my body, my heart… all of it belongs to you. Until you are ready to face me, I will wait patiently, holding myself with grace.”
“I love you, Igogoden…”
It was a confession of love to her god.
As time passed, her devotion only grew deeper, more profound.
***
Gulp.
I swallowed dryly.
After all, this chapter… was way too overtly indulgent toward me.
‘To think my younger self would be doted on by Eirene in this “mommy” play scenario…’
If I went to a manga artist and asked, “Can you draw this female character doting on a younger version of my OC (who looks like me) in a mommy-play scenario,” how many would even take the request?
Frankly, most artists would likely refuse, finding it uncomfortable.
Even if the “mommy play” part wasn’t the issue, asking them to draw an OC based on “a younger version of myself” would probably raise eyebrows.
Yet here the artist had drawn exactly that!
[Me: Igogoden, the artist]
[Igogoden: Did you pay them like $7 to make this?]
About 10 minutes later, the artist finally responded, later than usual.
[MoneyPlease: Correct.]
[MoneyPlease: The result of using the ‘Divine Power’ on Eirene was her wish being fulfilled.]
[Igogoden: LOL, Eirene’s wild. She actually wanted that?]
Despite laughing it off, reading this chapter made my face flush.
‘What should I do?’
‘I… I think I’m seriously falling in love with a manga character.’
‘What do I do if I love Eirene so much I could go crazy?’
‘I earnestly want to dote on her in return—cling to her, cry, and babble like a baby. What do I do?’
[Igogoden: Ha… I’m losing it. Eirene << She’s basically my wife now.]
[Igogoden: This chapter was great. Definitely worth the $7.]
The artist took longer than usual to reply again—around 10 minutes.
[MoneyPlease: I’m truly glad to hear that you’re satisfied.]
‘Is something wrong?’
Since the artist, who usually responded immediately, was taking longer, I typed without much thought.
[Igogoden: Are you busy?]
[Igogoden: If you’re busy, don’t push yourself. I’ve already finished the chapter anyway.]
While scrolling through short-form videos, I finally got a reply 15 minutes later.
[MoneyPlease: Actually…]
[MoneyPlease: Igogoden, I have a request.]
[MoneyPlease: If you liked this chapter, could you consider donating $1?]
[Igogoden: Huh? You’re asking for a donation?]
The response was delayed again.
[MoneyPlease: I deeply apologize for making such a request.]
‘Do they need money?’
Giving $1 wasn’t an issue for me. In fact, I thought, why not give a little more?
[Igogoden: LOL, no worries.]
[Igogoden: (Donation: $3. Total $7 + $3 to round it off nicely.)]
[Igogoden: Here you go.]
[Igogoden: I really enjoyed the chapter~~!!!]
[MoneyPlease: Thank you so much.]
[MoneyPlease: May I use this $3 of divine power for myself?]
‘Huh?’
That’s fine, I suppose, but what can $3 even do in today’s world? At best, buy a rice ball and cup noodles.
Still, if they’re asking, it must be something urgent.
[Igogoden: Sure.]
[MoneyPlease: Thank you. I’ll never forget your kindness.]
[Igogoden: That’s my line.]
[Igogoden: Thanks for creating a character like Eirene.]
[Igogoden: I’m genuinely having so much fun with this. Please let everyone know how satisfied your readers are.]
Even though their response was delayed again, I closed the chat, figuring that was enough conversation for now.
As I sipped on cocoa and reread the chapter, a few questions popped into my mind.
‘Wait, Eirene said she had seen me in a dream before? So she’s had more than one dream featuring my younger self?’
‘And come to think of it… Even if they’d seen a photo of me, the younger version looks eerily similar to my actual childhood self.’
Something felt slightly… off.
But I shrugged it off. ‘They probably just matched the photo closely! Eirene dreaming about me makes sense based on the earlier descriptions.’
Deciding it wasn’t a big deal, I continued rereading the manga.
In the story, Eirene continued to wait for me to descend into their world.
Watching her, I had another typical otaku thought.
‘I wish I could enter that manga world. I want to tell Eirene in person how beautifully she has “ripened.”’
Not that it would ever happen.
I closed the window and got up to clean.
***
Crunch! Crunch!
The Observer, face pale, greedily consumed the divine power granted to them by the god.
Without it, they could do nothing—just as a world cannot change without divine power.
Eventually, regaining their color, the Observer carefully set aside the remaining power and sighed in relief.
“All for Igogoden’s sake.”
Crunch!
Even the $3 worth of divine power was shared with the Observer and consumed to ensure Eirene’s blissful dreams—actions taken to show them to the god.
“Yes, exactly.”
The Observer thought.
Though they were meant only to observe, sharing their divine power created unexpected results.
“Why do I do this? Fear of disappointing the god? Or perhaps…”
“To ensure sustainable support without crossing the line. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
Standing, the Observer gazed down upon the world—a world that desperately needed divine love.
Though their purpose was to wish only for this, the divine’s overflowing love caused an unforeseen reaction within them.
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