The World I Was Supporting Was Real - Chapter 63



63. The Path No One Walked (2)

Lately, public opinion regarding the Guodon Church amongst the residents of the capital city, Iguodon, had been exceptionally good, to a degree with few precedents in history.

They’d abolished the rigid religious rules and focused solely on helping the people’s livelihood, and somehow—no one knew how—they’d even secured the cooperation of the Imperial Family. Then, using that power, they’d provided relief to the territory’s people who had been burdened by high taxes.

And that wasn’t all. Just recently, hadn’t they shared precious chicken dishes? And even fried chicken at that!

Even if it was for image purposes, preparing that much chicken must have been difficult.

Since no one was saying “They confiscated my chickens,” it seemed they’d bought them all at fair price, which meant that the order must have emptied its coffers to give meat to the poor and the common folk; certainly not an easy decision.

It was known that the appearance of a Saintess was inevitably followed by the appearance of demons, but even so, they had gained more than they had lost –

That was the general consensus regarding the Guodon Church among the common people.

However.

No matter how favorable people felt towards the Guodon Church, the talk of joining forces with demons was not something they could easily accept.

“Is it even plausible that they brought the Demon King to join forces with demons?”

“It’s just a rumor. There’s no way the Saintess, of all people, would do such a thing, right?”

“They say that, from the moment you meet the Demon Lord’s eyes, you’re supposed to feel an unexplainable dread. It’s clearly a preposterous story.”

“But… the Gwedon Church’s actions have definitely been different since the Holy Maiden appeared. And, it’s strange that these rumors are just going around for no reason…”

“Maybe she has some grand plan? Like, she completely subdued the Demon Lord or something.”

The negative public sentiment was shared by the imperial retainers, who were learning more direct facts.

“Your Majesty. It’s fine to establish the Gwedon Church as the state religion and look after the well-being of so many citizens. But a demon race? Surely you’re aware of the horrible things our empire has suffered at the hands of demons?”

“Our family has fought against demons for generations. But now, to join hands with the Demon Lord… even if it’s the Holy Maiden, it’s a perverse logic. Please reconsider, Your Majesty!”

“……”

Eirene listened to the retainers’ words without a sound.

In the past, she would have ignored such talk and pushed forward with her own will.

In the Empire, the Emperor’s authority was absolute. Who would dare challenge the Emperor and force their own will upon her?

But.

‘God wishes to converse with demons as well, and so, it is not the action of a well-ripened woman to use power unilaterally, without even talking to the retainers, and crush their wills.’

That might have been Eirene before she knew God.

Eirene, who had come to love God, would not do such actions that were “not well-ripened, but instead had gone bad.”

“I understand your intentions to some extent. I, too, take pride in the fact that our empire has protected people from the threat of the demon race, at the cost of a tremendous amount of blood over the years. But, is it the right thing to repeat the tragedy of two hundred years ago, simply by being mired in past history? Is shedding the blood we were forced to shed in the past the only proof that we uphold the pride of humankind?”

“Th-That’s…”

“If we can avoid bloodshed, that is the most efficient choice— I believe there isn’t anyone who disagrees with this premise, but if there is, you’re welcome to raise your hand. I’m not pressuring you, so please feel free to express your opinions.”

At Eirene’s words, everyone fell silent.

Well, simply put, she was right.

Fighting demons, regardless of the reason, always resulted in a loss. If anyone could avoid shedding blood here, of course, that would be the best option.

And unless the retainers had some ulterior motive, the country’s devastation wouldn’t benefit them either.

“In the first place, the one who orchestrated all of this is Saint Erin, chosen by the One God, Igwogweodon. I wish you would all recognize that already. Igwogweodon’s plain facts have never been wrong, not once. And if, in the event that, this body made a wrong decision—”

—I shall take responsibility for it.

“……!!”

Take responsibility.

The fact that those words came from the Emperor’s mouth was shocking to all but a few retainers.

“Why are you so surprised? After all, my place as Emperor is also maintained by Igwogweodon’s plain facts. And, I don’t wish to push you all unilaterally, so with this much, I think you all can accept it, no?”

In this situation where no one dared to answer carelessly, only the retainers who had previously met with Erin in private, including Baron Loewengreen, agreed with her words.

“I completely agree with Your Majesty’s words. If it is Igwogweodon’s will, there is no need to doubt it at all.”

“I, Rochefort von Loewengreen, declare that I will absolutely uphold the will of Igwogweodon along with Your Majesty.”

In this situation, the retainers couldn’t rashly speak their minds.

This was, from the start, an absolute monarchy. A being of noble blood, in a position where there was no need to even take responsibility, had explicitly stated she would take it. The weight of such words was bound to be extraordinary.

Moreover, the mages of the Magic Tower, who could potentially act as powerful combatants, were largely favorable towards the Gwoeden Church. They could secure research funds easily, as long as they stuck to ‘unadulterated facts’.

And even more curiously, since the Gwoeden Church became the state religion, a sort of ‘tax justice’ was realized, resulting in remarkably high support for Empress Eirene among the populace.

To recklessly oppose her words here?

Especially, to oppose someone choosing a bloodless path, unless it was to stop her from actually spilling blood herself?

If it was the old, cold-blooded Eirene, perhaps, but not with Eirene, who had become like another person, ruling wisely and with compassion. There was absolutely nothing to gain from setting oneself against her.

Of course, some retainers were still struggling with unease.

Especially those who had secretly gathered around the third prince, Ares.

“What should we do, Count Schwarz?”

“It’s not like the Empress is acting recklessly. She’s saying she’ll take the path of peace… From the common people’s perspective, wouldn’t a method where no one sheds blood be the best?”

“And Prince Ares?”

“He’s still in seclusion. I haven’t heard anything from him. If he had something to say, he would have called for us by now.”

“That’s likely true. He’s always been a few steps ahead of everyone else.”

“Anyway, I don’t think Prince Ares would want us to act unilaterally. The present Empress is walking the right path, isn’t she? Unlike before.”

“Don’t forget. The biggest reason we gathered was to create a world where many people can live without worry.”

“I know that, but…”

“So, let’s pray it goes well. I don’t know what the Guodengyo and the Saintess are thinking, but at least until now, they haven’t done anything wrong, have they?”

Just as the Emperor was stepping up, doing what he could—

The religious order, too, was spending their time, having, in their own way, understood the current situation.

“If it’s the will of Lord Iguo Guoden to join hands with the demons, then we must follow.”

“But historically, whenever a Saintess appeared, didn’t we unite and wage war against the demons…? Well, all the old records were burned, so maybe it doesn’t matter.”

“That’s right. Everything old is bad anyway.”

“The Saintess and Lord Iguo Guoden couldn’t possibly be wrong!”

Whether fortunately or unfortunately, the religious order’s historical records, which detailed fierce battles with demons, had all been burned and destroyed—

And similarly, the idea that it was important not to dwell on the ‘old’ past forever, but rather to move towards a ‘new’ future, naturally gained consensus.

Thanks to that, Erin didn’t have to go through the trouble of persuading everyone, and they smoothly understood the current situation.

In the first place, the existence of the Saintess was absolute within the religious order, and the fact that the religious order’s position had greatly risen with the appearance of the Saintess also played a part.

And so, with various reactions coming from each and every level—

Finally, the date for the meeting between the Demon Lord and the humans was right around the corner.

* * *

The day of the audience.

“My Lord. It’s Erin.”

The door creaked open, along with a series of squeaking sounds from beyond it.

A girl’s voice came from below eye level.

“Enter.”

The current Demon Lord had taken over one of the empty rooms in the formerly-used-as-Igugweodon-Cathedral, which now had a bunch of leftover space.

Who would’ve predicted it? That the Demon Lord would be placed in the middle of the grand cathedral, the most sacred place to the very church that loathed demons!

“How are you feeling today?”

“Thanks to your care, I’ve been able to maintain a very good condition. More importantly, has my mana caused any hardship for you?”

“No, not as much as we thought it would.”

“Really?”

The Demon Lord emitted an overwhelming amount of mana just by existing.

To demons, mana was a precious thing that allowed them to maintain their lives. But for most humans, the more mana there was, the more they felt suffocated or oppressed.

And yet, to see her walk about so unaffected, it was clear that the mana wasn’t having an effect. Perhaps this too, was part of God’s ‘plain fact’…right now, the Demon Lord could only speculate.

“More than that, I thank you for bringing such delicious meals each time. Was it called chicken? It makes me think, humans eat rather excellent food, you see.”

“I’m glad it seems to suit your taste. Actually, that dish is also a gift our god bestowed upon us.”

“Is that so? Your god seems to be paying attention to far more details than I had imagined?”

Erin bowed her head as if overwhelmed, but –

“Our god, you say, Demon Lord? That’s a misunderstanding.”

“What do you mean?”

“The god is watching over you as well, Demon Lord.”

“……!”

The Demon Lord cautiously touched his own body.

Frail, soft flesh, completely vulnerable.

This is… the ‘divine solution’, solvable through conversation with them.

Frankly, he couldn’t see how this weak form had anything to do with having a conversation, but –

Even so, if this was god’s ‘blunt fact’, there must be a reason.

“Now, Demon Lord. The speech is ready. Please follow me.”

“……I understand.”

The Demon Lord went *bop bop bop*, his steps quick and small, trailing behind Erin whose stride was comparatively long.

* * *

The plaza in front of the Igwogweon Cathedral.

A light podium, suitable for a speech, had been set up in this monumental space—where Erin first received her divine revelation and was appointed a saint.

Next to it stood a mage, ready to amplify her voice with magic.

Personnel dispatched by the magic tower at the request of the church.

Beyond the stern guard of high priests and the Imperial Knights, the capital’s citizens and a few vassals in the imperial service waited, talking amongst themselves.

“They said the Saintess has an announcement today, right?”

“Is it true she’s joined hands with the Demon Lord?”

“Let’s just wait. The Saintess has never once hurt us.”

A few minutes passed like that.

“The Saintess is coming out!”

At the priests’ cries, the murmuring crowd fell silent in an instant.

Shortly after—from beyond the cathedral—Erin, clad in her saintess robes, slowly walked out.

“The Saintess is here…!”

“Let us all pray for the Holy Saint.”

A face sculpted, impossibly beautiful.

An overwhelming pouch of divine power, the very symbol of faith.

With the arrival of Erin, whose every step was the will of Iggwogweodon himself, the people were quickly moved, bowing their heads in prayer.

Even those who did not believe in the Gwodon faith were overwhelmed by the Saint’s aura and bowed their heads.

“…….”

Erin, walking towards the platform, stopped mid-stride and prayed silently, then cautiously moved her body to the side.

And—

“……?”

“That girl is…?”

Only then did a small girl, hidden behind Erin, reveal herself.

A girl who was undeniably, ordinarily cute, but with one peculiarity— a pair of horn-like protrusions on her head.

Just as they were beginning to wonder if she was some puppet girl dragged in from a show somewhere…

*Bwip, bwip, bwip, bwip.*

With each step, a sound like a baby chick chirping echoed, and in that moment, everyone’s attention was drawn to the girl—

* * *

――Thump!

“!!!”

Erin, without missing a beat, helped the girl up, who’d suddenly fallen forward.

The girl, eyes flickering downward, bit her lip hard and trembled silently for a moment…

Then, with a show of pluck, she brushed the dust from her knees with her small hands and walked back towards the platform.

She somehow managed to reach the platform safely, but—

“What…?”

“…All we can see is her horns…?”

Just like the crowd was saying, the platform was too high, obscuring her face.

“……”

The girl, face flushed crimson, looked around as if she didn’t know what to do – at the same time–

A few priests swiftly approached, carrying wooden boxes, and made a stepping stone for her to climb.

The girl nodded, seemingly satisfied, then climbed onto the boxes, making little *squeak squeak* sounds.

Finally, her face peeked out over the edge of the platform.

This short trip, first tripping and falling, and then arriving only to be hidden by the too-tall platform, was evidently embarrassing; her ears were red as well—

After a few nervous coughs, *ahem*, *ahem*… she used the mage’s help to amplify her voice, a cute, high-pitched thing lacking any real authority, though it did now boom:

“Humans. I am the origin and apex of the demon race, the supreme being you all fear– the Demon Lord.”

“……????”

—From the crowd’s perspective, she started saying things completely out of left field.