Chapter 83: Hmm… Is it that much?

I stared for a long time at the final panel, where Ares was praying to me.

It felt strange.

For some reason, when I finally saw the results of my support, it felt different from what I had imagined at the start.

I knew from a short comic depicting Ares’ past that he, despite his smiling face, was someone who could stab even his mother, Eirene, and his sister, Yuria and Linnea, if necessary.

Beyond that, he harbored a dangerous ideology, willing to sacrifice even the nobles who supported him to achieve his “greater good,” regardless of his noble intentions.

He wasn’t doing anything for now, though, because the methods of the religious sector, at least for the time being, aligned with his greater good—a world for everyone.

Among all this, Eirene’s existence was particularly incompatible with Ares’ ideal world.

The Empress of the Empire herself must have felt like an impurity to him.

In the “timeline where Eirene was punished,” it was none other than Ares who sacrificed her as an offering for a new era. That much, I could confirm.

The method I used to win over Ares was simple: I created someone who completely understood him.

To a youthful man, dangerously considering extreme measures due to his yearning for recognition, I offered what he wanted and quieted his dissatisfaction.

I gave Ares a taste of the friend he dreamed of in his utopia, teasing him just enough to leave him yearning.

In a way, it was my form of a lesson for Ares—a sort of “How dare you try to touch Eirene?” kind of message.

Admittedly, it was a harsh method for Ares.

Yet, part of me thought, “This isn’t reality; it’s just a comic.”

Besides, Ares was a character I had just encountered, while Eirene was someone I was deeply attached to.

Naturally, I took Eirene’s side without hesitation.

Honestly, I didn’t anticipate that the nun I sent would leave things on a slightly bitter note when her time was up with Ares.

Still, I thought seeing him beg, “Please let me meet the sister again! I’ll live righteously from now on!” might give me a dopamine rush.

It was like those satisfying moments in web novels or comics.

That’s what I was going for—a sense of “Take this, Ares, for daring to defy God!”

“I thought it would be fun at that level.”

“So.”

“Was it fun?”

“Not really.”

It was truly strange.

Even as I watched Ares plead, I didn’t feel any joy or dopamine rush.

Instead, I thought, “Is this really the right way to go about this?”

I downed a glass of cold water.

Sure, from my perspective, Ares’ ideology was hard to accept.

No matter how righteous his greater good was, I believed that deciding whether to sacrifice oneself or not should be left to the individual.

‘You’re an existence that shouldn’t be. Therefore, dying here is for everyone’s benefit,’ or, ‘For the greater good, I must make the hard decision to die here.’

‘How many people would calmly accept such reasoning and willingly die?’

Even so, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

The sight of him kneeling and praying to me lingered in my mind.

He hadn’t even taken any direct action yet, and here I was, imposing an extremely harsh punishment on him.

It felt cruel.

Sympathy.

I was feeling genuine sympathy for a comic character—a character who might harm the one I cherished most if given the chance.

Perhaps I had over-immersed myself in this story.

‘Still, shouldn’t a god prioritize efforts to reform rather than simply punishing and teaching lessons?’

‘If I keep going like this, won’t I start to believe I’m an actual god in a few months?’

I chuckled and reached for a cigarette but stopped myself.

I had already entered my second week of quitting smoking.

Why? Because I thought, “A god can’t let something as trivial as a cigarette control them.”

***

The thought that I was already doing my job as a god so diligently made me laugh again.

“Alright. I need to change my approach.”

‘If I continued to send temporary nuns to Ares, it wouldn’t mean anything unless he fundamentally changed his thinking.’

It wasn’t about fixing Ares’ ideology because it was wrong.

Instead, I wanted to show him how a rigid, unquestioning belief in “absolute justice” could become cruel, depending on the situation.

***

[Donjomjuseyo: How was this chapter?]

[Donjomjuseyo: It seems your “Divine Authority” succeeded in changing Ares’ heart.]

[Donjomjuseyo: At this rate, we’ll see Ares kneel to the god’s blunt facts and fall into devotion, won’t we?]

[Igogodon: Author.]

[Donjomjuseyo: Yes, please speak.]

[Igogodon: It feels strange to say this myself, but…]

[Igogodon: I think the god might have made a mistake.]

[Donjomjuseyo: What do you mean by that, Igogodon?]

[Donjomjuseyo: You are the one true God, perfect in all things. A mistake is inconceivable.]

[Igogodon: No, haha. Gods can make mistakes too. If there’s an error, it can simply be corrected.]

[Donjomjuseyo: Correcting a mistake…]

[Igogodon: Anyway.]

[Igogodon: The original plan was to keep using temporary sponsorships to reel Ares in, wasn’t it?]

[Igogodon: To gently say, “I’ll give you a friend, so don’t act out.” That kind of vibe.]

[Igogodon: I’m canceling that plan.]

[Donjomjuseyo: That’s fine, but are you sure?]

[Donjomjuseyo: As I’ve mentioned, Ares is a long-term threat to Eirene and other beloved creations of God.]

[Donjomjuseyo: If not now, there may come a time when you must take action against him.]

If the story progressed to the point where Ares aimed for Eirene’s life? His life would end that very day.

At least, as long as I watched over the world as a god.

I knew that much. Still.

I believed in the potential for people to change.

***

Watching the comic, I noticed something: Ares seemed to have awakened to love.

The biggest reason I felt sympathy for Ares was that he seemed genuinely in love with the nun I sent.

I had assumed that dressing her as a nun would stop at creating a “best friend full of male fantasies,” but I had completely underestimated it.

‘Well, love is a vital value, isn’t it?’

If that’s what Ares arrived at as his “blunt fact,” wasn’t it essentially the same as reaching enlightenment on his own?

“If love is in his heart, perhaps he’ll rethink his convictions.”

[Rethink?]

“What I mean is, I think people can only be indifferent to sacrifices because they don’t have someone they love. Once someone loves another, they become vulnerable.”

[Being in love makes one vulnerable?]

“That’s not a bad thing.

“Only those who have been vulnerable can empathize with and care for others who are weak.”

‘Wow. What a line.’

I laughed at how middle-school edgy it sounded, but amusingly enough, I enjoyed roleplaying as a god spouting such words more than watching Ares beg.

“Anyway… Since Ares has fallen for the nun, let’s use this differently.”

My original plan had been to keep him fixated on the nun, cutting things off if he strayed too far.

Now, the goal shifted toward giving him space to reflect, letting him consider his ideals in the light of his new feelings.

‘I’m not sure if this will work out well.’

To be honest, the easiest way might be to just send Erin to knock on the door with the Bible in hand.

But since things had progressed this far, I wanted to create a world where people could feel the effects of God’s presence without relying on divine power to force it upon them.

Because that would be a bit more fun, wouldn’t it? Constantly spoon-feeding them would just get boring.

***

[Igogodon: Will this be alright?]

[Igogodon: I feel a little sorry for suddenly changing the direction of the story…]

[Donjomjuseyo: It’s disheartening to hear you say that, Igogodon.]

[Donjomjuseyo: Instead of asking if it’s okay, please simply say, “This is how it will be.”]

[Donjomjuseyo: As long as divine power is granted, we will always follow your will, no matter what.]

I considered telling them to upload the pre-written chapters if they already had them, but I thought, ‘No.’

Instead, I decided to add a bit more to the costs needed to redraw the upcoming chapters.

Slowly, I placed my hands on the keypad and entered the amount.

***

At the same time every day, there would be three rhythmic knocks on the door—knock, knock, knock.

It was a sound I had grown accustomed to, something I recognized immediately.

Whenever I excitedly opened the door, there stood Karen, dressed neatly in her nun’s habit, smiling at me like sunlight breaking through the clouds.

“Your Highness! Hello! Shall we have another chat today?”

“Yes, sure, Sister.”

The “chat” we had was nothing more than idle talk, really.

Occasionally, religion would come up, but she always avoided any discussions directly about doctrine.

Instead, the conversations centered on how much the Great Igogodon Cathedral had changed, the testimonies about “God’s blunt facts” from Eirene, the imperial family, and the many vassals.

Although the moments of conversation were brief, the time we spent playing games together grew longer.

She called all of this part of the process of understanding “blunt facts.”

Honestly, I still don’t quite understand what she meant… but Ares didn’t really care.

As long as he could spend time with her, it didn’t matter.

“Aah! I lost again. I can’t seem to win.”

“No, it’s only because I taught you the game and have more experience. And Sister, you’re incredibly good at chess.”

“Am I? I didn’t think I was that great, but it feels nice to hear such praise from someone as remarkable as Your Highness!”

Her bright laughter still lingered vividly in my mind.

Now, I had no choice but to admit it.

That smile had stirred something in my heart.

‘Was she an exceptionally beautiful woman?’ Honestly, not really.

She wasn’t lacking in appearance—most would find her cute.

But for someone like Ares, who grew up around women like Eirene, Linnea, and Yuria, all part of the imperial family, the standard for beauty was incredibly high.

Eirene, with her striking appearance, could instill fear with her cold and sharp demeanor, later growing into a more feminine beauty that captivated men regardless of age.

Her daughters, Linnea and Yuria, inherited that unparalleled beauty.

Naturally, Ares’ standard for beauty was set exceptionally high.

But this wasn’t about outward appearances.

What captivated Ares was how she didn’t mock the things he liked, how she accepted him wholeheartedly, and how she even understood his most private hobbies.

Even a man with extreme ideologies like Ares couldn’t help but be moved by someone who accepted him so completely.

Since the day he had spoken harshly to her, Ares couldn’t stop thinking about it.

He wanted to apologize for his words and thank her for bringing color back into his life.

Even if she had other motives for approaching him, it didn’t matter.

What they had shared, the time they spent together, wasn’t fake.

He thought there might be another chance someday.

Because she always came to see him at the same time every day.

He thought it was natural—so natural.

***

But now, Ares lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, refusing to move all day.

Since that day, he had prayed several times, but there was no response from God.

Of course, there wouldn’t be. Prayer was a one-way street.

Even Erin, who was said to have a direct connection to God, only said as much—communication with God was inherently one-sided.

‘Now, would a god suddenly show mercy to someone like him, who didn’t even believe in religion?’

‘If he were God, he wouldn’t bother granting blunt facts to an unbeliever like himself.’

Burying his face in the pillow, Ares thought:

‘Maybe she just didn’t want to see me again.’

Maybe the nun, who called herself Karen, had no desire to reunite with him.

Perhaps the Saintess had figured that out and kindly blocked their meeting by offering empty reassurances.

That explanation made sense, after all.

If that was the case, he wouldn’t insist on finding her again.

He only wanted to apologize for losing his temper in the end.

Just to say, “I’m sorry.”

Yes.

If he met the Saintess again, he would ask her to pass along that message.

And then, he’d live his life, trying to forget her.

Even if he longed to see her… If she didn’t want to meet him, he’d let it go.

Let go.

Let go…

As his thoughts spiraled, he found himself wetting his pillowcase with tears.

‘I… want to see her.’

He wanted to exchange meaningless small talk again.

He wanted to smile and play chess with her.

He wanted to learn more from the nun… from her.

***

Knock, knock, knock.

Hearing those knocks, Ares bolted upright as if struck by lightning.

‘That sound… Could it be…?’

Hurrying to the door, he opened it to find—

There she was.

Brown hair, brown eyes, and a faint mole by her lips.

Dressed in her slightly revealing but neatly arranged nun’s habit.

The missing nun.

“Hello, Your Highness. It’s been a while.”

And in that moment, it felt as if an explosion went off in his mind.

***

[Igogodon: (Sponsorship/10,000 won / Pre-paid triple charge at 3,000 won. 1,000 won is a bonus.)]

[Igogodon: I’ll tell you what to do from here.]

—Cheers for the 10,000 won sponsorship!

What seemed like incomprehensible words to mortals echoed loudly—God’s “providence” thundered.

Boom! Boom-boom!