The World I Was Supporting Was Real

Episode 30. I feel like I’m going to go crazy…

* * *

How long had she been carried on his back up the mountain path like that?

Fortunately, the rain was gradually letting up.

Instead of the sound of rain, the cries of insects living in the forest could be heard.

“Just a little more to go, Lady Rinashita.”

“…I’m sorry. I must be very heavy…”

“No, it’s okay. I may look weak, but… I can easily carry a lady like you.”

“…!!”

Again.

He’s calling her a lady again.

Hearing that word from his mouth, in his voice, made her stomach flutter again, and Eirene couldn’t help but blurt out.

“I’m… not a lady.”

“Pardon?”

“I mean, I’m… quite old.”

“Is that so?”

“……Okay.”

“If you don’t mind, could you tell me how old you are?”

It wasn’t a topic that needed to be discussed honestly, nor was it of any importance.

Strangely, she didn’t want to lie to this man.

And if she were to be called a young lady any longer, her mind would really become a mess… So she honestly spat out the whole truth.

“Thirty-six…….”

“What?”

“Th-thirty-six! Thirty-six……! I’m no longer at an age to be called a young lady……!”

Eirene thought for the first time that it was fortunate that she was being carried.

She didn’t want him to see that her face, and even her ears, had turned completely red.

Hearing this, Egan made a sound of understanding.

“I see. I didn’t know.”

‘… … .’

Eirene, who had been silent while being carried… …

When she came to her senses, she found herself asking him a strange question.

“Are you disappointed?”

“What? Disappointed?”

“……Yes. Because I’m not actually a young lady…….”

There was no reason for him to be disappointed.

The reason he was hiding her out of goodwill couldn’t simply be because she was a young woman.

Eirene knew that well. She knew that he wouldn’t help her this much just for that reason.

She could feel in her heart that his goodwill was a bit more pure than that.

Even knowing all this, she couldn’t help but ask the question.

What did I want to hear from him?

That he wasn’t disappointed? Or… …

“Ah……well, it’s true you’re not exactly young.”

“…….”

For a moment, Eirene’s mood calmed down.

Yes. Thirty-six years old. To a young man like Egan, it must be an age that creates some kind of difficult barrier.

She already knew that. Even so, what kind of response was I foolishly expecting―

“Still, so what.”

“……?”

“You’re well-ripened.”

――!!!!

“There’s no way I’d be disappointed. Rather, it’s good, isn’t it? You’re well-ripened. I think there’s a beautiful resonance that can only be created with time.”

N-now… …

This man… … What on earth is he saying… … !

―Thud!

“…Ouch.”

“Put me down immediately! I will walk on my own!”

“We’re almost there. Do you see that building ahead? It’s that one. Your leg is swollen, so it would be dangerous to overdo it.”

“Be quiet! I’m fine now! Quickly… quickly put me down!”

“It’s okay. Here. I’ll carry you a little longer-“

“No! Put me down this instant! You, you insolent…!!”

Thud, thud.

Eirene hit his shoulder with all her might, but Igeon just laughed and didn’t put her down.

Even if she struggled to get down… … she couldn’t escape. Despite her high status, her natural human strength couldn’t match Igeon’s.

‘Well-ripened, what nonsense… … !’

Depending on how you hear it, it could be an enormous insult.

Even if he doesn’t know, I’m the emperor!

The one sitting on the supreme throne of the imperial palace is none other than me, Eirene von Einsberg!

To say to me… … that I’m well-ripened, such, such a perverted thing… … !

Eirene thought. Everything about this is strange.

The sudden rebellion, the man named Igeon saving her and taking care of her like this.

And… … the fact that her girlish heart, buried deep inside, was happy at the words “well-ripened.”

“Alright, alright. We’re here, so behave yourself, Miss Rinasita.”

“I told you not to call me Miss…!! You, you really…!”

――Ah.

I feel like I’m going crazy… …

No, I might have already gone crazy.

That’s right.

Even though he helped me, it hasn’t been that long since we met.

And he’s much younger than me…

“Here. Hold on.”

“Kyaa…!”

I almost fell backward as he suddenly let go, but Igeon skillfully caught me.

“Be careful, Rinasita. The ground is still slippery.”

“Ugh…!”

I dusted off my slightly dirty nun’s habit and finally stepped into the monastery.

A building perched on a small hill in the forest.

Though it’s in a remote place, it’s near the holy city of Igogodon, and to think there was a monastery of this size.

Just as I was wondering why I didn’t know about it, an old nun walked out from beyond.

“You’ve arrived, Brother Igeon. May the plain fact be with you…”

“May the plain fact be with you. Thank you for your hard work even at this late hour, Sister.”

“It’s nothing. And this sister is…?”

“She is the sister I mentioned before.”

Eirene gave a slight nod.

“My name is Rinasita.”

“I see. Sister Rinasita. You are walking the path of the holy. To think I would see a sister with such a bountiful holy power pouch. This too must be the plain fact of Igogodon…”

“…Thank you.”

No matter how much I think about it, I don’t think I can ever get used to the constant compliments about my chest.

I don’t even know what my large chest, which seems like it could burst out of my nun’s habit at any moment, has to do with holy power.

“Now, please come this way.”

* * *

The monastery’s corridor was extremely quiet.

Should I say it felt like even the noise had sunk along with the darkness?

The only thing filling this space was the light from the torches hanging on either side.

“Thank you for matching your words.”

“Hmm?”

“You don’t believe in religion, do you?”

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“Well, it’s nothing much. I’ve already worn the nun’s habit, and it’s something I obviously had to do to enter the convent.”

“Still. It must be hard to say you believe in God from the perspective of a non-believer…”

How long had they walked down the dark corridor like that?

As soon as they opened the door and entered the room, the first thing that greeted her was…

“…!!”

A gigantic portrait hanging on the wall.

The strangest thing was that the face was blurred and not clearly visible.

“What is this…?”

At Eirene’s question, Egan lightly offered a prayer and then spoke.

“The one and only God, Igogodon.”

“…!”

“It’s a portrait containing the revered face of Igogodon.”

A portrait containing the appearance of Igogodon?

Was there such a thing…?

Although she didn’t believe in the Igogodon faith, she had never heard of anything describing Igogodon’s appearance until now.

There wasn’t even a statue sanctifying him. She had heard of paintings or statues of the apostles who followed him, but…

Moreover, this portrait… calling it a portrait was generous, as the face was so blurred that nothing could be seen.

At that moment.

“…!”

Egan’s hand landed on Eirene’s shoulder with a thud.

She was started but… she didn’t avoid it. Egan crossing into her personal space wasn’t such a bad experience for Eirene.

“If you don’t believe in Igogodon, you can’t see this portrait.”

“Is… is that so?”

“Yes. Only those with sincere faith in God can see Igogodon’s face.”

Egan said this as he looked up at the portrait again.

Sparkling. With eyes like those of a dreaming boy, as if they contained the starry sky… he gazed at the portrait.

“I can see it. The revered face of Igogodon. And being able to face Igogodon… that in itself is truly wonderful. Aren’t you curious about what it feels like?”

“I, I…”

“Of course, I don’t intend to force religion on you. As it says in the Bible, ‘The Great Igogodon’, chapter 5, verse 2, ‘Forcing religion on a non-believer only annoys and bothers the listener. If you want to persuade them, you must offer a suitable reward.’ In that sense, I respect you as a non-believer, Rinasita.”

The Great Igogodon… it was probably the last of the three books of the Bible.

The Genesis that created the world and descended to the earth, the Sacred Power Chronicle that preached the importance of the divine power pouch, and the Great Sacred Power Chronicle that recorded the path until Igogodon ascended back to the heavens… Even if she didn’t ‘t know anything else, Eirene remembered the names of these three sacred books.

“Anyway, it’s about time for a bath, isn’t it?”

“Ah… huh? A bath…?”

“You’re soaking wet. Both me and Rinasita too.”

Come to think of it, we were drenched like wet mice because of the heavy rain.

“Yes. As you said, it would be good to lightly wash our bodies.”

At those words, Igeon smiled brightly.

“I have a place I want to show you, Rinasita.”

“What?”

* * *

“Wow…”

The courtyard connected to the back door of the monastery.

In the middle of the place surrounded by high walls, there was a warm hot spring.

Igeon said that this place was the pride of the Eigerden Monastery.

They said it was created by the miracle of the one and only Igogodon… It must be a belief close to the myths of religious people.

What was certain was that for her, who had barely managed to take a shower in a narrow shower room after leaving home, this place was like heaven.

Eirene slowly headed towards the bath, covering her body with a single towel.

Of course, it was impossible for the monastery’s towel to completely cover her body.

Her skin was so white and firm that it was hard to believe her age, her chest was overwhelmingly ripe, and her hips were perfectly shaped for childbirth, making it a pity she hadn’t had a child.

It was impossible to cover such a violently beautiful body, which seemed to embody the word “beautiful female body,” with a small towel.

She carefully put her foot into the bath.

“Ugh…”

Eventually, as she submerged her whole body, a huge wave formed on the surface of the hot spring.

Soon, the pleasure given by the hot water climbed up Eirene’s entire body for the first time in a long while.

At that moment, Eirene thought that this place was as good as the grand bath of the royal palace—but that thought didn’t last long.

“Wow…!”

As soon as she looked up, the night sky, filled with so many stars that it seemed they would pour down, greeted her.

Was it because the rain had stopped, or was it because of the hot spring? The air, full of moisture, tickled her nose.

…This place is much better than the royal palace’s bath.

What a wonderful place this is.

As the happy time passed, and water dripped from her bright yellow side hair.

Eirene thought about what to do next.

‘I guess I’ll have to stay here for a while…’

The castle she had left was at a reasonable distance, and the monastery itself was spacious enough to hide if she wanted to.

Moreover, this place was a religious space, unlike the city’s interior.

Since a saint had appeared, they wouldn’t search the buildings owned by the religious community thoroughly.

‘Yes. I’ll spend some time here and check the situation in other territories. I’ll have to ask Igeon about this later.’

Thinking of Igeon’s name made her blush again.

Why is that person helping me?

Because he’s a religious person, just out of goodwill? If not…

‘…’

Her heart started pounding again.

This had never happened before.

The only moments that made her heart race were when she defeated the enemies who tried to kill her. She had thought she might be a born warrior, leaving aside her femininity. At first, her retainers had questioned the lack of a husband to protect the emperor, but eventually, they acknowledged that Eirene was strong enough to live without a man.

But why, do I, for that man.

A man younger than me, a religious person…

“Igeon…”

She tried saying his name.

She even liked the shape her lips made when saying ‘I’ and ‘eo’.

Igeon, Igeon, Igeon… like whispering her innermost thoughts that no one could hear, she kept repeating his name.

Every time she said that word, she felt closer to him.

‘…’

After the bath that night.

Although her bed was much more comfortable than before, Eirene couldn’t sleep for a long time.

* * *

Since that day.

Eirene spent her time helping the old nun who welcomed her as a novice nun at the monastery, doing various chores.

“Oh, thank you, sister. You don’t have to help.”

“No, I must pay for my stay here.”

“Indeed, your heart is as beautiful as your abundant divine power pouch. May the pure facts of God be with you, sister…”

Life in the monastery was incredibly fulfilling.

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It was 180 degrees different from life as an emperor. Instead of discussing state affairs, I carried wood for firewood, and instead of dispatching soldiers, I helped clean the monastery with Igeon. Instead of mobilizing peasants to increase food production, I kneaded and baked bread that would go into my mouth right now.

Life.

For the first time, Eirene was enjoying life as a human being.

Being born, helping each other with people, working for food, filling the stomach, and then tidying up the traces of life before going to sleep.

It was such an ordinary life itself, but Eirene thought that now was the most passionate moment in her life.

The only thing she didn’t participate in – prayer.

Every time she saw Igeon kneeling in front of a portrait whose face was barely visible, praying, she thought.

What if.

If I believe in the religion of Gwon… If I believe in Lord Igwon…

Would I be able to see the portrait too?

The sight that Igeon sees… Could I share it with him by his side?

Not a realization about God, but just the thought of wanting to see the same scenery as that man made her contemplate religion.

Eirene secretly smiled bitterly. Really, if there is a God, I only think about committing sins.

“It’s over.”

“You’ve worked hard today too.”

“No. It’s time to pray to God. I think we should have dinner soon.”

“Mm. I’ll help.”

“Okay.”

The peace of the empire, political stability, the formation of a clean succession structure as the first princess, and a smooth succession to the throne.

She, who had lived only for that… For the first time, she thought of another person.

She wanted to walk beside another man, with him.

The word that tied all these thoughts together – happiness.

Eirene was very happy. To the point where the thought of reclaiming the emperor’s position was gradually forgotten.

But as the saying goes, there is no paradise in the place you ran away to –

The happy time in the monastery did not last long.