“You, don’t tell me you’re thinking about something strange again—”
“I’m not anymore. There’s no need to act recklessly since everything is going smoothly as it is. If I get involved, it would only be self-fulfillment wearing the mask of helping the people.”
Ares spoke as he carefully gazed at his completed manuscript.
“Too many things have changed while I briefly turned my back on the world…”
***
The third prince, Ares, despite his sharp and ominous remarks, failed to be recognized as an heir.
Before his mother, Aisha, who cherished and adored him, passed away, he could at least compete to some extent.
However, the new emperor, Eirene, who prioritized the authority of the imperial family, could not tolerate Ares’s unconventional way of thinking.
Ares himself didn’t seem particularly interested in the throne, as he never deliberately clashed with Eirene.
“Who would’ve thought that a god would descend during that time?”
“Didn’t you just say earlier that you don’t believe in the existence of a god?”
“Let me ask you first, do you believe in the existence of a god?”
Linnea hesitated for a long time before slowly nodding.
“Regardless of whether I believe in a god or not… it’s certain that something close to a divine presence exists. That’s the only way to explain some of the events I’ve witnessed firsthand.”
“I see.”
Ares naturally stood up, rummaged through a seemingly disorganized drawer, and skillfully took out a teapot.
Despite being a prince, he never left mundane tasks like this to the maids.
From fetching items to having tea time, he did everything himself.
He completely rejected the formalities and privileges traditionally bestowed upon the royal family.
Until Eirene converted to the Church of Guodun and minimized luxury, Ares’s actions were seen as eccentric.
“I managed to get some decent Lapsang Souchong. What do you think?”
“That doesn’t matter to me.”
“Come to think of it, Linnea, you don’t have a hobby of drinking tea, do you? Yuria would’ve appreciated its value, though.”
Saying this, Ares brewed the tea with skillful precision.
His every movement was so deliberate and restrained that he resembled a high-ranking butler rather than a prince.
***
Linnea drank the tea Ares handed her.
The strong, smoky fragrance calmed her mind as it filled her senses.
“You know, according to the scripture, the one and only God is Guodun, and every miracle is merely Guodun’s ‘simple fact,’ right?”
“Yes.”
“And now, with Saint Erin appearing, as you said, various miracles are happening.”
“What’s your point?”
Ares took a sip of his tea and then spoke.
“So, if we’re proving the existence of ‘God’ based on miracles, wouldn’t it be more logical to attribute it to Saint Erin rather than Guodun, as written in the scriptures?”
“Saint Erin…”
“So, what do you think? From your perspective—”
“Is Saint Erin a god?”
Linnea thought of Erin’s face.
‘Surely, she possessed an extraordinarily noble soul.’
‘If Erin had desired, it wouldn’t have been difficult for her to seize even greater power.’
‘Yet, Erin focused solely on spreading Guodun’s simple truths.’
‘But still, she was human.’
‘She breathed, ate, thought, loved, and hated just like any other person.’
“Saint Erin is human.”
“Yeah, I think so too. That’s why I said there’s no such thing as a god.”
“But it’s true that she performed miracles, isn’t it?”
“White magic still has many unexplained aspects. I don’t have the talent for it, but watching high-ranking mages at the Magic Tower, sometimes it’s indistinguishable from miracles.”
“So, everything is magic? Even the Demon Lord becoming a young girl?”
“Whether the Demon Lord truly descended or if the church prepared a girl, we can’t be sure. Things like horns or wings can easily be added with magic.”
“And besides that—”
***
Ares lowered his head slightly.
“Linnea, I’m sorry for interrupting. But I didn’t bring this up to stubbornly insist there’s absolutely no god or anything like that.”
“…What?”
“I just think that, regardless of whether gods exist, what matters more is how the world is changing. If the direction is right, what does it matter who holds the reins of power?”
“…Aren’t you worried?”
“Worried about what?”
“About the unchecked growth of the religious order. You know about the various events in history.”
“Is it okay for a member of the Sacred Knights to say something like that?”
“Answer the question.”
“I’m not worried.”
“Why not?”
Ares turned to look out the window and spoke.
“It was more unsettling before.”
“Before?”
“My mother was walking a clear path of ruin. A path drenched in blood, worshipping only power, earning nothing but hatred.”
As he said, not long ago, the state of the royal family was far from good.
The vassals constantly sought opportunities to assert their own rights, while Emperor Eirene did anything to strengthen imperial power.
Linnea’s assignment to the religious order was also part of this plan—to bring the growing power of the religious sector under imperial control and further strengthen the royal family’s position.
Of course, no one had expected things to turn out this way.
“But that’s not the case now. Mother is walking the path of faith, believing in God and advancing with a heart that desires to trust people. Not only that, the religious order has cast aside rigid doctrines and declared, under divine guidance, that it will walk alongside the people’s will. They’ve even achieved peace by communicating with the demon race, who seemed destined to be lifelong adversaries.”
“If the outcomes are this excellent, does it matter whether or not God exists? Do we really need to keep the religious sector in check?”
“Then, are you saying you’re fine with how Mother and the other retainers change so drastically after meeting Saint Erin?”
Ares’s pupils momentarily widened at Linnea’s words.
Then, as if understanding, he slowly nodded.
“So that’s what it was. That’s what you were most worried about, Linnea.”
“Admittedly, it is a little frightening… But I still think it’s fine. In the end, only the results matter.”
“Only the results matter…”
Linnea stared silently at her teacup.
Her worried face reflected in the crimson liquid, still and unshaken within the old cup.
“Linnea. Do you remember Mother’s speech a few days ago about building a temple to honor Guodun?”
“Yes, I remember.”
“Mother seems to have studied the scriptures a lot. Every line of her speech was infused with God’s words.”
“She must have studied religion more than I thought.”
“Of course. Whether we acknowledge it or not, the current era is being rewritten not by politics but by religion.”
“Anyway, Mother has become a perfect saintly ruler. Pointless political strife has all but disappeared, and the people now call out not only God’s name but also Mother’s name in unison.”
Ares muttered quietly to himself, “I didn’t even have to lift a finger,” before swallowing those words.
“Well, as long as the religious sector continues to function properly, I think there’s no need to worry with Saint Erin around.”
“Ares…”
“Of course, if my assumption is wrong and God does exist, and He truly favors us—that would actually be the best outcome for humanity, wouldn’t it? After all—”
‘If everyone could walk the right path without a bloody revolution, that would be ideal.’
“So, I think it’s fine for the religious sector’s power to continue growing. The important thing is how many people can be made happy. That’s what politics is about, isn’t it? It’s not about who does it, but how it’s done. So… Yes, that’s what I think. I’m sorry I can’t agree with your perspective, but that’s how I see it.”
As Ares spoke with a faint smile, Linnea found herself unable to say anything in return.
***
‘Hmm…’
I reviewed the last scene once more.
So that’s the third prince, Ares, who’s only been mentioned until now but never appeared.
Even though he hadn’t shown up before, I never forgot his name.
After all, he was the one who led a rebellion in Eirene’s visions.
Linnea’s subtle reliance on him and his extraordinary way of thinking made it clear he wasn’t just an ordinary extra.
‘Was he planning a revolution to overthrow the monarchy and establish a republic or another political system?’
In “the timeline where I continue to teach Eirene through divine power,” it almost seemed like he’d jump a few steps ahead and build a communist state…
In any case, for a character with thoughts like his, it made sense for divine power to spiral out of control the way it did.
I marveled at the author’s craftsmanship once again.
Every seemingly insignificant detail was interconnected, making it feel like I was truly watching a real parallel world unfold.
‘This masterpiece of a story is being drawn solely for me…!’
Still staring at the single-digit view count, I cautiously reached out to the author.
[Igogodon: This chapter was great as always.]
[Igogodon: Seems like Ares doesn’t believe in me, huh?]
Despite outwardly recognizing religion, claiming it doesn’t matter whether God exists or not—I could tell.
He wasn’t entirely comfortable with the situation.
The way he mentioned having no need to intervene or dismissed his involvement as mere “self-fulfillment” spoke volumes.
Frankly, it felt like watching a young nobleman lamenting the loss of justification for a revolution he’d long dreamed of.
[MoneyPlease: Based on my observations, that does seem to be the case.]
[MoneyPlease: But it’s difficult for a creation’s logic to fully comprehend the miracles of its Creator, so please don’t be too upset.]
[Igogodon: Haha, I’m not really upset.]
[Igogodon: Hmm.]
The author might have been trying to console me, but from a character perspective, it wasn’t strange for him to think that way.
After all, I wasn’t the one running the world before Erin descended.
The hypothesis “Saint Erin is God, not Igogodon” was actually quite close to the truth.
My first miracle had been giving Erin water, after all.
In any case, if Ares harbored the seeds of rebellion, I needed to address them.
‘Why?’
‘The reason was simple.’
‘Eirene was the one sitting on the imperial throne.’
‘And Eirene was my wife.’
‘It was only natural for a husband to protect his wife, wasn’t it?’
[Igogodon: Ares needs to be brought into the fold of the religious sector.]
[Igogodon: It would be troublesome if he suddenly flipped out and started a revolution.]
[MoneyPlease: Will you deliver the simple truths of the divine to him through Erin?]
[Igogodon: No.]
Sure, I could easily persuade him that way—
But this chapter had made one thing abundantly clear.
Linnea deeply feared the process of awakening to divine truths through Erin.
And it was understandable.
If kids started flipping their whole perspective after a single taste of the scriptures, I’d probably be scared too, even if I were Linnea.
Since I planned to subtly shift Linnea’s faith over the long term, this method was a no-go.
***
Looking at the repeated patterns in the narrative, I thought, ‘This is still a comic, though. Repetition gets boring.’
[Igogodon: This time, I’ll…]
[Igogodon: Show him the simple truths in a slightly different way.]
[MoneyPlease: With divine power, nothing is impossible.]
[MoneyPlease: Whatever path you choose, the world will always find the best answer for you.]
[Igogodon: Haha, you sure know how to talk.]
[Igogodon: Fine! Take my money! Here you go!]
I clicked decisively, entering the amount.
It felt different from usual.
[Igogodon: (Donation/3,000 won)]
[Igogodon: This time, the simple truths will have a time limit.]
‘Well, Ares-kun.
Let me personally show you how beautiful a “limited-time simple truth” can be.’