The World I Was Supporting Was Real

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The light that escaped from the Bible devoured everything.

It was the only moment in which a human could feel the sensation of eternity.

To be engulfed in light, to be consumed, transcending to become one with it, as if the soul could permeate through.

The light was exceedingly warm, yet Eirene chose to apply her way of life rather than embrace that warmth.

—What if this is the Saint’s scheme?

Had she used something resembling magic to issue some kind of warning to me?

Even if I’m wary of the Saint, the other side would certainly be well aware that we are keeping an eye on them, at least that’s what Eirene thought, enough to think such a thing could happen.

—But.

‘……?’

As Eirene cautiously returned her gaze to the world, she sensed the intense light disappearing, unable to even open her eyes.

Nothing happened…?

First and foremost, she looked at her hands. They were perfectly fine. Just as before.

The only astonishing thing was… Erin, who had been right in front of her, was now quite a distance away.

She couldn’t see in front due to the light, but she hadn’t felt the sensation of her distance increasing…?

Erin held the Bible close to her heart, as if treating it like a precious shrine, and looked over with her usual benevolent smile.

“Saint? What on earth was that just now…?”

Before Eirene’s question could finish, Erin elegantly greeted her with a gesture and spoke.

“I hope it will be a moment of enlightenment, Your Majesty. Then.”

And suddenly, as if she had come and gone in an instant, she vanished from sight.

‘What on earth… was that…?’

Eirene blankly stared at the back of the Saint Erin for a long time.

***

That night.

The uppermost level of Lord Igguoqueden’s Imperial Palace—residential area of the royal family.

Looking out the window, the view overlooking the lands of Igguoqueden was something only permitted to the royal family.

“Hot water is ready, Your Majesty.”

“Yes. You’ve done well.”

The large bath was akin to the size of an ordinary person’s house.

Rose petals floated on the surface of the water, and around the tub were a few luxury magic tools exuding scents that eased the mind, adding indulgence to bath time.

Eirene, barely draped in a single towel, slowly immersed herself in the huge bathtub.

Splash—!

Due to the massive size, as soon as she stepped in, an immense volume of water spilled out.

It was unavoidable. If you dropped two pieces the size of watermelons, it was only natural for the water level to rise accordingly.

“Mm…….”

Eirene relished the delightful warmth of the hot water and recalled the events of the day.

The sudden arrival of the Saint.

The fear she felt from her—an emotion she had never experienced before.

She was not the type to feel fear naturally.

Even having heard that deep in the forest could be dangerous due to the possible emergence of monsters, she would spend her time exploring the woods without a care, as a member of royalty.

Yet that day, she felt overwhelming fear for the first time against something dominant. The most surprising part was that the object of her terror was the Saint, known as a symbol of salvation.

‘What is it……?’

Her heart nearly stopped when the light burst from the Bible and touched her forehead… but shortly after, she confirmed that nothing had really changed.

Is this the Word of God?

No voice rang out in her head. Religious figures would often say, “The one true God Igguoqueden has left us a message,” but Eirene had never experienced any such religious encounter.

The light may have leaked from the Bible, but it was something sacred only to religious folks; for common people like Eirene, it wasn’t something that held significant importance.

It couldn’t be called a miracle either; using magic to produce light wasn’t that hard.

Most Sister Priests were skilled in white magic. As for the Saint, being at the pinnacle of Sisterhood, it goes without saying.

Despite her doubts… no sharp answers emerged.

‘……Whatever. It’s probably just some ritual of theirs that I can’t comprehend.’

Eirene thought. Religious people were full of things that were hard to understand.

For one, exposing a woman’s chest in the name of divine power was already bizarre.

What on earth were they thinking in doing such a disgraceful act?

It was common sense for a respectable woman to avoid unnecessary exposure, yet Sister Priests would openly bare their chests, almost as if they had been brainwashed simply because it was written in the Bible.

In the end, it was likely humans who distorted the Bible itself.

Not long ago, the Saint had claimed to have received new words from the Deity and was seen burning all those revered religious artifacts and statues; that too was not something one could easily accept.

‘Phew…’

Eirene leaned to the side.

As she turned her body, her exceedingly heavy and large chest moved along with her.

The now calm bathtub surged like a tidal wave.

She had no intention of outright denying religion. To quell the public’s complaints about their current lives, it was essential to instill hope regarding the afterlife.

Moreover, while things had settled down for now, there was a likelihood that monsters would become active again as magic began to swell again, making it crucial to train priests who could use white magic.

The Bible of Guoden Church contained doctrines that were somewhat incomprehensible, such as the notion of divine power pockets, but upon interpretation, the majority translated to benign teachings like “Help one another,” “Do not persecute the non-believers,” “Always strive from your position,” thus it wasn’t a religion that a ruler would find excessively disagreeable.

‘Anyway, it’s important to establish Linea as the sole Holy Knight properly. At least since the Saint has truly appeared, we must never oppose the Guoden Church in our generation.’

One must know what happens to an Emperor who loses credibility.

With that thought organized, just as she was about to once again surrender herself to the delights bestowed upon humankind by the hot water—

Suddenly, the sound of the bathroom door creaking open reached her ears.

“Your Majesty! Are you here?!”

Startled by the voice of a maid urgently searching for her, Eirene slightly frowned and turned her head. Being disturbed during a bath was one of her most detested things in the world.

“I clearly told you not to disturb me during my bath, no matter what was happening, didn’t I?”

“I-I’m sorry! But right now… there’s a serious matter…!”

“……?”

Then, upon hearing the maid’s next words, Eirene froze in place, her expression glazed over.

“The third prince, Ares, has started a rebellion…!”

***

“Huff, huff…!”

Following the maid’s guidance, Eirene hurriedly dressed and dashed out of the palace, running through the dark forest path.

The rebellion of the third prince, Ares.

He had been the child most cherished by her deceased sister due to his high academic aptitude and exceptional ability to learn since childhood.

At one time, he was seen as a new talent expected to bring prosperity to the royal family, but as he grew older, he had shown no interest in studying politics, opting instead to delve into quirky theories of inefficient political systems reminiscent of ancient times.

He wasn’t a concern at all. The first princess, Yuria, being the actual heir, was learning about royal governance.

Even if something were to happen to her, the second princess, Linea, was also there, so there was no need to elevate Ares to the throne.

However.

The idea of that weakling instigating a rebellion honestly was hard to believe even now.

The most unbelievable part was—

‘Did I really miss that fact?’

If he had started a rebellion, it surely should have reached my ears…

Was there something I had overlooked?

Of all people, me!?

No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t recall any forces capable of backing him.

Besides, what about the first and second princesses? What were they doing?

In an instant, she wondered if this was all just a dream, but—

“Find the Emperor!!”

“Let’s capture the witch who defies the times and offer her as a sacrifice to the heavens!”

The cries of the angry rebels snapped her back to reality.

“Your Majesty! Over here!”

Just as she was escaping the palace, following the soldiers who had been guarding her until the end—

Thud.

“……!!!”

One soldier leading her collapsed, struck by an arrow right in front of her.

Following that, arrows began to rain down, several flying toward her.

“Your Majesty! Please take cover! Quickly!”

The remaining soldiers threw themselves to counter, but… the situation was too skewed against them.

‘Damn it……!’

Eirene hesitated for a brief moment, however, she soon took off running on her own.

“The Emperor is fleeing! That way!”

***

“Huff, huff…!”

The dark streets of Igguoqueden.

Though she kept running through the narrow alleys, she felt her sense of direction steadily slipping away.

There should be a carriage at the northern checkpoint. If she could just get on that and escape…!

“They ran this way! Search thoroughly!”

“Don’t let the Emperor slip away!”

‘Damn it……!’

Is this how it ends for me?

To be killed by my own son, no less—that too, a rebellion instigated by the son I raised in place of my sister?!

‘Don’t be ridiculous……!’

Eirene bit her lip hard. So much so that blood seeped out.

But just tasting that metallic flavor wasn’t resolving the situation.

She needed to escape… just beyond that alley, a weak light of a torch could be seen.

Turning her head quickly, she noticed a similar light in that direction.

‘DON’T…!!!’

In a situation where both front and back were sealed off.

The moment when it seemed that she would be caught here without any hope!

“This way!”

“Seize the time-reversing witch and offer her as a sacrifice to the heavens!”

With the soldiers still fighting on, she sensed it was time to make her escape.

However, just as Eirene was about to take cover…

—Clank, she heard the sound of the wooden door shutting, realizing she was now inside a building.

Inside was… too dark to see well.

“Please be quiet! Here, beneath this.”

A man’s voice. Yes. This was a man’s voice.

Eirene promptly obeyed and hid herself under the table.

Before long, they heard someone banging on the door violently.

“What is it?”

“Hey. Have you seen a woman? She has blonde hair and is wearing ceremonial garb.”

Thump, thump.

Her heart was pounding, almost bursting, but she desperately muffled her mouth to hold in her breathing.

“Yes. I must’ve been too sound asleep… didn’t hear anyone go by.”

“You must report immediately to the palace if you see her. She’s a well-dressed woman who’s committed quite a serious crime, despite her pretty face. Understand?”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

After the door closed, as the sound of the soldiers moving in unison faded away…

The man lit a lantern and approached Eirene.

“You can come out now.”

Slowly, Eirene emerged from under the desk—

‘……!’

For the first time, she could see the man’s face.

He had black hair and matching dark eyes. While the hair was one thing, encountering someone with eyes as deeply black as his was a first for her.

For a moment, Eirene felt surprised by his foreign appearance resembling someone from a faraway continent—yet soon, she realized he was a religious figure.

After all, he wore the attire typical of priests and was even holding a Bible.

“…I owe you a debt.”

“Not at all. Are you being pursued?”

“Yes.”

“Did you commit a crime?”

“…….”

Would it be alright to reveal to a stranger that I’m Eirene, the Emperor, and that a rebellion has broken out in the palace?

No, that couldn’t be right. There was no one in this world she could trust.

Yet looking into his eyes, he seemed genuinely friendly. Taking advantage of that goodwill was the only option now.

“I did no such thing. I am being framed.”

“I see.”

“Do you believe me?”

The man smiled gently and spoke.

“Yes. It is the will of the divine to not hastily suspect others. Therefore…”

“Rinashita. That is my name.”

Eirene skillfully uttered an alias.

The man smiled in thanks, extending his hand to Eirene.

“I believe in you, Rinashita. My name is… Iggon.”

“Iggon?”

“Yes. I go by Iggon.”

What a unique name.

Without a second thought, Eirene grasped the man’s hand.

That was her first encounter with him.