The World I Was Supporting Was Real - Chapter 57



57. ※◇□●＃※◀▶…….

* * *

The conference room on the top floor of the Iguoguo Cathedral.

Luca and Ophelia, members of a serving of Holy Knights, were sitting opposite the Holy Maiden Erin, listening attentively to her story.

“So, high-ranking monsters in the dungeon…”

Powerful monsters, on a different level than those that appeared rarely late at night or occasionally surfaced in deep forests.

Not long after the Saint appeared, everything emerging from the dungeon was high-tier monsters.

“The history books recording events after the Saint’s emergence all say the same, and the priests on patrol around the dungeon have been reporting a growing magical energy. So, I did expect this day to come.”

Erin, having listened to Luca and Ophelia’s account, lowered her head for a moment, then her expression turned grave.

“However, it’s far too early.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Just now, Ophelia mentioned the history books… would you mind reading a section?”

Erin opened a book placed nearby and handed it to the paladins.

“This book contains records from 200 years ago…?”

“Indeed. The important part is the record I’ve opened to – concerning the dates when monsters ran rampant.”

“It says, one year after the Saint’s manifestation,” Linea spoke.

Erin nodded.

“It’s the same going further back. If shorter, 10 months, if longer, 14 months… roughly a year either way, monsters begin to surge.”

“But now, it hasn’t even been half a year since the Saint manifested… is that what you’re saying?”

Erin nodded with a bitter expression.

“The last time a Saint appeared was already 200 years ago, so it’s near impossible to fully grasp what the situation was like back then… but it’s reasonable to conclude that monsters have appeared much sooner than the records indicate.”

The time when common folk suffered the most was always when monsters appeared.

And it was also the time when the religious orders held the most sway. After all, the most effective way to fight monsters was with the Holy Maiden’s blessing. A Holy Knight who had also self-studied the divine scriptures would be even better.

In other words, it was the kind of timing when the Imperial Family would normally have begun its full-scale checks and balances-

“Does His Imperial Majesty know about this?”

“Yes. He’s promised to spare no expense and to offer his full support. He even said he’d temporarily hand over command of all the Imperial forces, including the Imperial Knights, to me.”

“H-he said that much…?”

Unlike the shocked Linea, Erin spoke with a remarkably calm tone.

“Yes. If we fail to suppress this early and lose the territories around the dungeon to the monsters… then the cycle of bloodshed will simply repeat itself. It seems His Majesty also understands this point.”

‘Even so, handing over command…’

Even though the Imperial Family and the religious orders were maintaining an unprecedentedly close relationship – starting with changing the state religion to Gweodeonism –…

To hand over command of the military, especially to the Holy Maiden, the representative of the Church-

“…I fully understand your concerns, Linea-nim.”

“Ah… no, that’s not-“

Linea, flustered by Erin’s words as if she’d noticed something,

But Erin herself, wearing a remarkably gentle smile, simply nodded.

“Frankly speaking, I don’t know much about politics. It’s all just hearsay for me. But our Order will never betray the Empire, the Ainsberg family… Lady Eirene, who is loved by the gods, no matter what. If anyone poses a threat to Her Majesty, we are fully prepared to oppose them.”

“……!”

“So, don’t worry, Lady Linea. Under the clear facts of god, we can all become one. We will protect Her Majesty without fail.”

Erin, the one most synchronized with god in the world, could feel it.

How immense was the love that god held for Eirene.

Therefore, if anyone were to touch her, it would be akin to touching ‘god’s woman.’

That was something that even the Pope—no, even the Saintess herself, could never be forgiven for.

“……I apologize.”

“No, Lady Linea. Please, don’t take it to heart. Anyway, to continue… currently, we have dispatched troops to the Nelut Dungeon in the Gracia region and the Granz Dungeon in the Erilhoff region, which have reported the most monster sightings.”

“Where should we head, Saintess?”

At Luca’s question, Erin looked at the three holy knights in turn and said.

“We will be heading to the closest one from here—the Cherryside Dungeon in the Ainsberg region.”

The Cherryside Dungeon.

A place that was also included in the mission routine for a plate of holy knights.

It was also near that dungeon where the rabbit ball incident of the reformed bandits occurred not too long ago.

“Has there been a report of monsters appearing even there?”

“Yes, there has.”

Hearing those words, Ophelia slowly rose from her seat, adjusted her circlet, and bowed towards Erin.

“Command anything you wish, Saintess. I will dedicate this body to eradicating monsters at the front line.”

“I, too, along with my comrades, shall become a shield protecting the people from the threat of monsters.”

“…I will follow your orders, Saintess.”

Hearing even Luka and Linea’s words, Erin could finally feel a sense of relief inside.

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Right. Although she hadn’t imagined monsters would appear so quickly from the dungeon –

As if having foreseen all of this, there were as many as three paladins present.

According to the records in the history books, once territory was yielded to the monsters, what followed was a horrific hellscape.

Frightful appearances that sent shivers of dread into the hearts of men. Monstrous shrieks that clearly indicated hostility towards humans…

In such moments, the person so many people relied upon most was the Saintess.

Here, even for the sake of Iggwo Gwo Deon, who had appointed her as Saintess, she had to suppress the monsters as quickly as possible.

Erin truly wished that no one would ever have to experience the unfortunate life she’d lived before, before she’d been chosen by God…

‘It’s alright. With Iggwo Gwo Deon’s straightforward facts… I, we, can do anything.’

Erin closed her eyes, offering a prayer as she looked down at the three paladins bowing their heads before her.

Please watch over us, O Iguogudon…!

* * *

Erin and her paladin escort arrived near the Cherryside Dungeon, where they were greeted warmly by the priest residing there.

“We greet the Saint.”

“Greetings, Sister. What is the situation…?”

“We aren’t seeing any monsters at the moment… but an unprecedentedly powerful magical energy is being felt near the dungeon.”

It was the kind of thing that didn’t need to be heard to be known.

Erin, along with everyone present, was experiencing a frustrating sensation that was difficult to explain.

“Also, this is… the Pope’s opinion, but…”

“Yes?”

“It’s just a contingency, but, he said that we cannot rule out the possibility of the Demon Lord’s descent.”

“…!!”

Demon Lord.

If the appearance of monsters was a constant when the Saint appeared, then the Demon Lord’s appearance was a variable.

Ideally, from the humans’ perspective, it was far better if a Demon Lord didn’t exist. There was an immense difference between suppressing monsters in the beginning, and having to fight against a Demon Lord.

Just looking at the history books, the difference between the two was stark.

Moreover, when a Demon Lord appeared, the nation that controlled the continent during that time inevitably fell into ruin.

Taking advantage of the chaotic world, a new power would wedge itself into that vacant spot.

We talked about checks and balances earlier, but that was all just during a time when a Demon Lord hadn’t appeared.

If a Demon Lord really did descend, those petty political games would become completely unimportant.

Therefore… everyone here, we could only hope that the Pope’s predictions were just baseless fears.

“The strangely powerful demonic energy we feel right now, and the high-ranking monsters that have begun to appear much earlier than usual… Even the Pope seemed to have a lot on his mind as he spoke.”

“I see….”

Then.

Luca, who was behind us, carefully spoke.

“Even if a Demon Lord appears, I swear on the name of a paladin, I will fight to the very end.”

“Sir Luca…!”

“So don’t worry, Erin. Even if there are trials greater than this, I will absolutely protect this world that Igu Gu Geodeon-nim loves.”

“I will follow Luca as well, Saintess.”

“……Understood. I’m so glad you’re all here. First, today we’ll check to see if any monsters are appearing around the dungeon… and then we’ll act according to the situation.”

“Yes, sir!”

And with that, they took their positions near the Cherryside Dungeon and began watching it intently.

* * *

How much time had passed?

From beyond the dungeon entrance, a barely describable shriek began to leak out, little by little.

“……!”

Luca, Ophelia, and Linea exchanged a glance, then moved forward and took their stances.

As the thirty-odd soldiers who had come with them took their pre-arranged positions, Erin closed her eyes and immediately began to pray.

For strength to overcome this trial, for everyone.

Please, just one more time, watch over us…

As the Saintess thought this, she began chanting an incantation, and a light, as if outlining their forms, began to emanate from the bodies of all the soldiers, including the holy knight.

‘This is, the Saintess’ blessing…!’

The pinnacle of white magic, the most potent of buff-type magics employed by the priests—the Saintess’s blessing.

Just as the feeling of one’s body becoming as light as a feather washed over them—

“※◇□●＃※◀▶…….”

“……They’re here!”

Several monsters stomped out slowly from the pitch-black dungeon, making a terrible, hellish noise that grated on the ears.

“……!!!”

One, two, three… Six in total.

Even if they were high-level, in terms of numbers, it seemed like they were manageable.

They were brandishing what looked like savage clubs, and continuously peered around, emitting unintelligible shrieks.

‘……!’

Despite having fully prepared themselves, actually seeing high-level monsters was enough to briefly render the paladins speechless.

Their terrifyingly brutal appearances evoked fear.

Their red eyes resembled vivid, spilled blood.

Though they were clearly bipedal creatures, too much about them was utterly unlike a human.

The conclusion, in short, was that their appearance alone was enough to make one tremble with terror.

But who were *they*?

Were they not a platter of paladins, each having honed their skills precisely for this moment?

“…If it looks like a preemptive strike, remember that everyone except the one being attacked needs to fall back, right?”

Ophelia, with the backpack containing the rabbit, spoke, and Linea, tense, nodded.

“Yes. You don’t need to worry.”

“※◀◇▶※◀※＃…….”

A threatening and chilling growl spilled from the creature’s mouth, making her flinch again—

‘Don’t be scared…!’

And just as the paladins were settling into position, glaring at the monster,

“…!!!”

Behind them, Erin, blessing the paladins and offering prayers—

heard the word of God.

“W-wait just a moment…!!!”

“Saintess…?”

Erin, her voice loud, turned to the paladins who had readjusted their swords—

“Everyone! Absolutely… absolutely do not attack the monster first!”

“What? But-“

“This is the will of God!”

“……!!”

The gazes of the bewildered people pierced the Saint at the phrase “the will of God”—

But Erin, with an incredibly resolute tone, uttered a sentence that no one present could have even imagined.

“That’s… that Iggwogweodeon-nim does not wish for a battle with the monsters…!”

* * *

If someone were to ask me how this round is going—

I think I probably would’ve answered that it’s a pretty textbook development.

Usually, what a Saint does is go out and slay monsters and defeat the Demon Lord, right?

Using divine power to beat down those disgustingly-looking creatures, isn’t that what the cult that goes on and on about God all day is supposed to do?

It’s true that these days, the Saint in subculture is closer to a *s*x* saint than a *holy* saint, but—still, fundamentally, a Saint as a member of the Hero’s party to defeat the Demon Lord was her classic role.

Here, I was with three Holy Knights instead of a Hero’s party, but it wasn’t like that changed the essence of things.

Furthermore, from the author’s perspective, the advantage of this development was that it was perfect for squeezing in some patronage opportunities.

My beloved Saint and the Holy Knights are in danger of losing a fight with monsters?

*Click!* Divine power, blast! Take this!

—Instant descent of that Iguoguo thing. A spear of light, thudding down from the sky.

Ugh, death!

What a plausibly divine miracle.

Actually, compared to the miracles I’ve pulled off so far, this was a rather mild “divine miracle” in itself. It was definitely more believable than the endless refill of fried chicken, as a bonus.

It was predictable, sure, but if you express predictability in an elegant way, isn’t that what they call a Classic?

Well, considering we already had a crazy rabbit opening up a 500,000-won subspace, I figured I might not even need to add more support—but watching my pet, which I paid for, mop up the mobs with its munchkin vibes was something I was looking forward to as well.

So, with those rather light thoughts—

I was slurping down a cup ramen, reading the latest chapter.

“※◇□●＃※◀▶…….(Greetings, humans. We mean you no harm.)”

“Keck, ker-cough!”

I spilled the ramen I was eating, checking the monster’s speech bubble once more.

“※◀◇▶※◀※＃…….(Please, talk to us. The Demon Lord wishes to speak. Let us all put down our weapons and talk!)”

—Until I confirmed the monsters’ true intentions, something I never would have expected.