The World I Was Supporting Was Real

Episode 3. God Exists and He

* * *

――is watching you.

With the words “is watching you” echoing in her mind, Erin suddenly experienced a kind of ‘miracle’ where the ground split open and a stream of clean water gushed out—

Erin’s life, which had been full of nothing but misfortune, began to improve as if to compensate for all her past hardships.

From suddenly finding well-preserved food in the bushes to escaping the threats of wild animals unscathed—could you believe it if I said that everything she did was resolved as if it had been predetermined?

‘Watching me…?’

Could it have been the voice of God?

…No, that’s ridiculous. She had learned that only those chosen to become saints could barely hear the voice of God under certain conditions.

She must have misheard. Given that she was on the brink of death, it wasn’t strange to hear such hallucinations.

Thinking that way, the emotion Erin ultimately felt was closer to fear than joy.

‘What is happening…?’

When she hastily drank the water that suddenly gushed out, she thought she was happy, thinking a miracle had occurred.

But from then on, every time she saw the world ‘twisting’ in a strange way, and every time unnatural events continued to occur, a fear that she couldn’t help but began to feel to rise from deep within her heart.

Think about it. It’s one thing to say she escaped the threats of wild animals unscathed, but seeing wolves that had been chasing her with hostility suddenly flee in terror was bound to give her a very peculiar feeling.

It felt as if everything was artificially created.

Even so, she decided to accept it. Although she didn’t hear the hallucination again, she was aware that she had survived thanks to the strange events.

This inexplicable good fortune continued to provide her with clean water, food, a stable place to sleep, and eliminated the inevitable threats that came with wandering alone through ruins filled with corpses of those who had died from the plague.

As a result, she was now living relatively safely, with a place she could call a shelter, stocked with water and food.

‘When will I be able to return to the old days…?’

A whole village had been ruined.

Erin believed that the empire’s soldiers would come down to handle the situation.

Of course, she had no way of knowing that the situation within the empire was too complicated for them to care about a small village.

Still, since she could find water and food surprisingly easily when she went out exploring… if she kept holding on, the security forces would come to remove the bandits occupying the village, and then she could go back home and take care of her mother’s body.

If what I heard wasn’t a hallucination but the voice of something comparable to God… surely I can survive.

With only that thought, she endured each nightmare-like day.

But unfortunately, the one who came to her first was not a knight bearing the empire’s emblem—

“You b*tch, hiding here alone after abandoning your family?”

“Let go of me!”

It was the bandits who had occupied the village and ravaged her friends and family.

“I’ll never let go! What’s in your hand? Give it to me!”

“This, this is mine…!”

“You’re talking nonsense!”

“Ahhh!”

With a single punch, Erin dropped the food she was holding.

“How on earth did Erin manage to get intact food in this situation?”

“…Huh?”

This man, he knows my name?

I couldn’t pay attention because he was wearing a mask, but as I carefully listened to his voice, someone came to mind.

“You… Karon?”

“You just figured it out now, you stupid girl?”

The fact that someone I knew was part of the bandit group, and that it was Karon, the wanderer of the village, made Erin’s face fill with despair.

“How, how could you… How could you become a bandit? How could you do this! You’re from our village! We were like family…! My mother was so good to you…!”

“Shut up! Family? Don’t give me that crap! Everyone, even those without parents, looked down on me and ignored me!”

“What are you talking about! No one ignored you. Who gives food and shelter to someone they look down on?!”

“In return, you worked me like a slave!”

“You were the one who first asked to be given something to do because you felt ashamed doing nothing!”

“Shut up!”

Wham!

Karon stomped on Erin’s fallen hand several times.

“Ah… Ahhh… It hurts…!”

“Those eyes! I hated those eyes! You were looking down on me! You, your family! Everyone else too! The whole village! They all thought of me as nothing but a slave!”

Why was it?

What hurt at that moment was not her hand being stomped on.

It was her heart that hurt. It was just sad that he thought that way.

“You… That’s… inferiority complex… The villagers…”

“Shut up! Shut up!”

Wham!

Wham!

At that moment, three or four masked men noticed the commotion and ran over.

“You fucking idiot, what the hell are you doing alone? Shut up!”

“Ah… I’m sorry.”

“The food?”

“I got it here.”

The tallest man among the bandit group whistled, gathering the scattered food.

“Wow, fucking hell. What’s all this? Why is it in such good condition? Where did you get this?”

“That girl had it.”

“What?”

The masked men approached Erin, who was lying on the ground, one by one.

“What? Do you know her?”

“…No.”

“Ka…ron…”

“She seems to know your name?”

One of the men knelt down, making eye contact with the fallen Erin and asking.

“Hey. Where did you get the food? From that girl, too.”

“Looks like she has someone looking out for her. She’s pretty, so getting food from her shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Fucking crazy b*stard. Hey, tell the truth. This looks like you got it from someone decent.”

“…I… just found it…”

“What? Found it? On the ground?”

“Bullshit!”

The bandits laughed for a while as if amused, then changed their tone and questioned her again.

“Hey, if you tell the truth, we’ll let you live. Who is it? It’s not like I’m asking you to hand over money. Just tell me where you got this food from. Then we’ll just let you go.”

She wanted to speak, but couldn’t.

Was she ashamed to betray the person who helped her? That was impossible.

All this food was literally just things she had found ‘appearing’ on the ground.

Erin squeezed out the words with all she might.

“No… one… really…”

“Ugh… you fucking b*tch.”

“Boss. What are we going to do? This woman seems tight-lipped.”

Judging by the fact that he was called ‘Boss’, the man who had been actively questioning her seemed to have the most authority among them.

(Note: All characters are fictional and above the age of 21.)

Erin looked at the man and pleaded again.

“I-I’ll give you food! But, there really isn’t anyone who helped me… II really… found it on the street. Please believe me….”

“…….”

The man silently looked down at the pleading Erin.

His gaze slithered over Erin’s body like a snake.

“……Hey. Karon. When did the captain say to come back?”

“I think he said to gather by five.”

“Tsk. It’s a shame, but there’s not much time left. Fine. Let’s kill her.”

“Are we really killing her?”

“You little brat, this girl knows your identity, doesn’t she? Should we let someone like her live? Is this guy really that thick-headed? Or what, trying to act nice now?”

“N-No! I’ll kill her.”

“W-Wait a moment…! P-Please don’t kill me. S-Save me….”

Erin’s pleas no longer reach the men.

Am I really going to die like this? Just like my mother, the villagers, and my friends… Am I going to die so futilely like this?

I thought for sure a miracle would happen.

Maybe.

Maybe there really is a god.

But was it just a mere illusion?

Were all the things that happened to me just coincidences?

Was the thought of ‘someone is watching’ merely a hallucination… ? And was my ability to find food without much difficulty just a coincidence as well?

‘If that was a coincidence, then I might have been… surviving by stealing someone else’s food… ‘

Yeah.

I’d rather die.

Better to die cleanly than to suffer a terrible fate while living.

With that thought, I let go of my last attachment to life―― or so I thought.

‘I don’t want to… .’

Tears began to flow down my cheeks.

It was useless to lie to my own heart.

I don’t want to die.

I want to live.

The true feelings hidden deep within my heart refused to stay buried any longer, bursting forth and crying out for freedom.

I don’t want to die. I want to survive.

I want to live no matter what…! I don’t want to die… I don’t want to die…!!

Please.

Let a miracle happen this time too.

If God really exists.

If what I heard wasn’t a hallucination, please, grant my request.

Save me.

Save me…!

‘Save me…!!!!!!’

If there is a God, please hear me…!!!!!!!!!!!

“Execute.”

“Yes!”

Erin, with her eyes open, confirmed the blade above her head.

That will pierce my body.

Blood will flow. Just like the dead I’ve seen before.

She tightly closed her eyes. If I am to die, please, let my breath be taken quickly.

But.

‘…?’

Instead of the pain overwhelming her, she realized that quite a long time had passed without anything happening, and she slowly opened her eyes to reassess the situation.

The man was holding the sword as if to strike down… but he wasn’t moving.

No. It wasn’t just the man standing still. As if the world had stopped, nothing was happening.

‘What… is this…?’

Erin’s moment of serious doubt about her situation was brief.

＜＜＜God exists.＞＞＞

‘!!!!!!’

Again, the hallucination.

‘G-God…?!’

＜＜＜Shout God’s ‘name’ out loud.＞＞＞

It was an incredibly strange occurrence.

The moment when you realize what the name of God is, just by hearing the hallucination of “Call out the name of God.”

It was like a revelation from the heavens. That something that those possessed by God had so strongly claimed.

“The name of God…!”

Erin took a small deep breath.

And then, with all she might, she shouted out the ‘name of God’ that vividly came to her mind.

“―――Igogodon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

At that moment.

Kugugugugugugung!!!

“The sky… the sky is tearing apart…??”

Yes. A scene that could only be described as ‘the sky is tearing apart.’

The split sky was spewing out an overwhelming light that could blind the eyes.

The spewed light, as if it were the messengers of God, enveloped Erin, and suddenly the men began to react.

“What, what is this?!”

“What is happening――”

――Pusshuk

However, their death throes were not completed.

The tip of the giant spear of light that came from the sky―― pierced straight through the chests of all the bandits.

That sight was the very punishment of God.

‘!!!!!!’

“Ku… hu… huk…!”

――Plop.

The spear that had pierced them disappeared without a trace-

All the bandits who had been breathing and alive just moments ago, fell with huge holes in their chests.

It was a gruesome sight. The sight of their intestines, bones, and parts that made up humans turning to ashes and disappearing.

And then, in Erin’s mind, who was staring at this scene in a daze… once again, the voice of God was heard.

As if to show that all of this was not a dream.

＜＜＜God exists and he――＞＞＞

――has manifested in this world as ‘Igogodon.’

Soon, another voice echoed in her mind.

A bizarre voice that someone approaching a festival, or a sacrificial ritual, or a forbidden magic might make.

Long live the ten thousand won donation!

Long live the ten thousand won donation!

! ! ! Long live the ten thousand won donation! ! !

Leaving behind the voices that didn’t even know what they were saying… Erin slowly stood up.

And then, she slowly ruminated on the providence of the ‘realm of gods’ that she had come to realize.

――There is a god.

He is ‘Igogodon’.

Erin’s eyes, as she repeated this, contained the truth of the ‘enlightened one’.