The World I Was Supporting Was Real - Chapter 45



Episode 45. Ophelia Transrente (4)

Twitching.

Its ears, drooping down, moved this way and that.

Although its legs were buried in its fluffy body and not easily visible, Ophelia could see that it was unmistakably a rabbit.

“Oh…”

Rabbits can knock on doors too!

Thinking it was only natural, Ophelia’s golden eyes sparkled as she squatted down and looked at the rabbit.

“Did you knock on the door?”

“Ikogodon.”

“I see. My name is Ophelia Transrente…”

“Ikogodon.”

“Are you Rabbit Gong? Well, what brings you here? If you are lost and wandering, I might be able to help you.”

“Egogodon.”

Although the rabbit was only making the sound ‘Egogodon’ –

Ophelia, for some reason, could have a normal conversation with the rabbit.

“Is that not the case? Then why are you here…?”

“Egogodon.”

“You came to help me… Does that mean you want to be my companion?”

“Egogodon!”

Hop, hop!

Seeing the rabbit jumping up to match Ophelia’s eye level, as if excited, Ophelia nodded and said with a smile.

“I don’t know how you found me, but the fact that you came to join me means that whether you’re a human or a rabbit is a secondary issue. I look forward to working with you, Rabbit Gong! Although I have “Many shortcomings, how about we strive together to understand the divine plain facts?”

“Egogodon! Egogodon!”

The rabbit blinked its sun-like eyes and jumped around.

“Hmm, what a fine jump…! I must also do my best!”

An ordinary person would have questioned the fact that it was a ‘rabbit with strange cries’.

But Ophelia was the type of person who believed that there was a proper reason for everything in the world.

So she didn’t bother to question it. Even if a rabbit came to be her companion, she took it literally.

Indeed, her way of thinking was very different from that of ordinary people. This could be seen as a flaw in some ways, but –

– What was truly fortunate for her.

Was that she was a woman chosen by God.

* * *

The next day.

“Hello…???”

“Good morning, Luca.”

Luca, who had come to the dining room for breakfast, had to stop in his tracks.

On top of Ophelia’s head… was a white furball he had never seen before.

“Lady Ophelia? The thing on your circlet…”

“Oh, this friend. It’s Rabbit Gong. My new companion.”

“A rabbit…?”

Luca cautiously approached Ophelia.

At first, he was greatly confused…

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The more he examined the rabbit perched on his head, the more his curiosity turned into interest.

“So cute…! Is it really a rabbit? As you said, its ears are somewhat like rabbit ears, but its legs are a bit short? And its fur is so fluffy…”

“Well, since it introduced itself as a rabbit, it must be a rabbit, right?”

“It introduced itself? The rabbit did…?”

“Igogodon.”

“Eek…! The rabbit’s cry sounds strange…?”

The one who grabbed Luca’s sleeve in surprise at the unexpected voice was Erin, the woman chosen by the gods who always greeted the holy knights with a benevolent smile.

“Don’t be too surprised, Luca.”

“Hello, Saint.”

Erin immediately began to pray.

Erin, who boasted a dazzling beauty that easily captivated others just by walking around, shone the brightest when she prayed to the god Igogodon.

“The rabbit is a ‘messenger of the gods’ personally chosen by Igogodon.”

“A messenger of the gods? That cute… I mean, ordinary rabbit?”

That pure white, round rabbit?

That fluffy, cute creature?

“Now that Luca is here, I will explain. The rabbit is a being descended to earth to assist Ophelia, chosen by the gods. Naturally, it cannot be compared to ordinary animals. This is the grace of Igogodon…!”

With a flushed face, Erin hugged the Bible she always carried, as if she would bury it in her divine power pouch.

“Igogodon has answered our prayers. He is watching over us with affection…!”

Erin’s expression as she said this was very complex. It was a mix of gratitude and humility.

“I see…!”

“So, please take good care of the messenger of the gods who has descended to this world. I will also do what I must for Igogodon. Then…”

After Erin disappeared.

The next person to speak to Luca was Linea, who had been quietly eating beside him.

“If you listen carefully, the cry sounds like it’s saying Igogodon’s name.”

“Huh? Now that you mention it, it does?”

“The fact that such a rabbit exists, and considering my mother and sister’s examples… it seems the gods do exist.”

Although she said “the gods exist,” Linea’s expression was very subtle.

It was not the expression of a believer, but of a researcher. An expression that demanded more concrete evidence.

Knowing that this was not a virtue she should have as a holy knight, Linea stood up with a bitter smile.

“Luca. Today, I will explore near the dungeon, so you can take on a simpler task.”

“What? But-“

“No. You’ve been working hard these past few days, Sir Luca.”

“……Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Well then, I’ll excuse myself first. I hope both of you have a good day.”

“Mm. Take care, Linea.”

“Ah, Linea…….”

Watching Linea’s disappearing figure before he could say anything, Luca sighed once again.

‘Fortunately, I was able to get close to Lady Ophelia without much difficulty, but it’s not easy to get close to Linea… … .’

Unlike Ophelia, who treated him very intimately despite meeting for the first time, Linea definitely felt like she was putting up a wall.

Of course, even though it was a wall, it wasn’t the kind that denied the other person. She was always polite, and during work, she even helped Luca, who was still not accustomed to the duties of a holy knight.

It was just that she seemed to be wary of becoming more than just fellow holy knights.

Moreover, she didn’t use the language of the clergy. For example, she wouldn’t say something like, ‘May the plain facts be with you.’

Just like what she said earlier… … Could it be that she doubts the existence of Lord Igogodon?

From Luca’s perspective, since they would be seeing each other often, he wanted to get closer… …

‘Someday, the time will come when she opens her heart.’

Linea was also chosen by Lord Igogodon.

There must be a reason why Lord Igogodon’s decision couldn’t be wrong, and why she was chosen as a holy knight.

He was certain that someday, they would have deep discussions about the plain facts of Lord Igogodon.

Well, putting Linea aside-

What was bothering him now was the ‘messenger of God’ sitting quietly on Ophelia’s head.

“Um…….”

“Mm? What is it?”

Luca was quite weak to cute things. Even during his time at the orphanage, he would share pieces of bread with various animals wandering the streets, even when he himself didn’t have enough to eat.

At first, he did such things because he believed ‘God is watching’… … but before he knew it, he came to like animals themselves―

“Um, may I……pet it……?”

―It was only natural that she would become interested in the rabbit, her eyes sparkling.

“Igogodon.”

“He says it’s fine if it’s you. Aren’t you also a holy knight chosen by God?”

“Then……!”

―Swoosh swoosh.

The soft, tender sensation started from the tips of Luka’s fingers, gently caring the ‘veins of the heart’ that spread deep within.

‘So cute…!!!’

So cute.

The touch feels so good… so warm.

There was something in this warm animal that made people’s hearts feel warm.

“She seems to like your touch, Luka.”

“Huh? This bunny girl… no, this lady…?”

No matter how cute, it felt a bit wrong to speak informally to the ‘messenger of God’ approved by Saint Erin, so naturally, Luka had to use honorifics.

“Yes. She is a very modest lady. Can’t you tell just by looking?”

“Is that so…? I don’t really know, but anyway, she’s cute…”

At that moment.

Hop!

“Ah…!”

The bunny jumped into Luka’s arms.

Luka, holding the warm, cuddly white messenger of God in his arms, looked into her blinking eyes… and his face turned visibly red.

‘So, so cute…!!!’

“Bunny, Luka needs to eat, so it’s time for you to come back.”

“Ikogodon.”

Hop!

“Oh, you can stay a bit longer if you want…!”

“No, it’s fine. I also have to leave soon, and I can’t take up any more of your precious time.”

“I feel a bit sad… sniff.”

“Because there’s a sense of longing, the next meeting will be more anticipated, right? Alright then, let’s go share God’s sticky blessings with everyone today.”

“Ikogodon.”

“Huh? Oh… right. It was a straightforward fact. Thank you for letting me know, Bunny! If it weren’t for you, I might have disappointed the priests again.”

‘So, you can communicate…’

It was quite amazing, but well.

Considering the miracles of God that had happened so far, this was nothing.

“Um… Bunny, see you next time…!”

Hop, hop.

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The rabbit greeted Ophelia by hopping a few times on her head instead of making a sound.

“Then, let’s meet at dinner time. Luca. Let’s work hard today and deliver the divine plain facts to everyone.”

“Yes!”

Luca couldn’t take his eyes off Ophelia’s back as she walked away.

* * *

The rabbit had infiltrated Ophelia’s life much faster than she had expected.

It became her companion during various tasks, and its cute appearance attracted a lot of favorable attention when they went out for volunteer work.

This was a significant advantage for a holy knight, whose most important role was to secure the people’s support for the Church of Gwodun.

The most helpful thing was that the rabbit kept reminding her of the phrase ‘divine plain facts.’

Despite being a holy knight, Ophelia had an oddly hard time remembering that phrase, making the rabbit’s reminders almost pinpoint accurate.

Moreover, the frequency of rumors about Ophelia among the clergy had decreased.

The halo of being chosen by the messenger of God had swallowed up any potential gossip that could arise from her constant mistakes with the phrase ‘divine plain facts.’

Since Saint Erin herself vouched for her, it was unlikely that there would be any more talk about her qualifications among the clergy, at least for the time being.

One peaceful day, however…

“Did His Majesty the Emperor say something?”

“Yes. He has just departed for the cathedral, saying he wishes to pray to Lord Gwodun.”