――I am watching you.
After experiencing a 'miracle' where the ground split open and a clean stream of water gushed out with the echo of "I am watching you" in her mind―
Erin's life, which had been unusually devoid of good fortune, began to turn around as if to compensate for all her past hardships.
From suddenly finding well-preserved food in the bushes to safely escaping the threats of wild beasts― could it be believed that everything she did went smoothly, as if it was all predestined?
'I am being watched...?'
Could it have been the voice of God?
...No, that's ridiculous. She had been taught that only those chosen to become saints could hear God's voice under certain conditions.
She must have misheard it. Being on the brink of death, it wouldn't be strange to hear strange hallucinations.
Thus, the emotion Erin felt as a result― it was closer to fear than to joy.
'What's happening to me...?'
Drinking the suddenly appearing water in a rush had initially made her happy, filling her long-deprived body with moisture. She thought it was a miracle.
However, as the world around her began to 'warp' in strange ways, and unnatural events continued, a sense of fear began to grow deep within her.
Imagine this: being chased by wolves with clear hostility, only for them to suddenly flee in terror. It was a very unsettling feeling.
It felt like living in a world artificially constructed.
Yet, she decided to accept it. Even though no more voices came after the first hallucination, she was aware that these strange occurrences had kept her alive thus far.
This inexplicable good fortune continued to provide her with clean water, food, a safe place to sleep, and removed the threats that would naturally follow wandering through ruins filled with plague victims.
As a result, she found herself in a place she could call somewhat of a home, stockpiling water and food, living relatively safely day by day.
'When will I ever return to how things used to be...'
The village was in shambles.
Erin naturally believed that imperial soldiers would come down to restore order.
She couldn't possibly know that the internal affairs of the empire were too chaotic to care about a small village.
Still, since she could find food and water easily whenever she went out to scout, she thought that if she held out like this, the peacekeeping forces would eventually come to clear out the bandits occupying the village, allowing her to return home and properly bury her mother's body.
If what I heard wasn't a hallucination but truly a voice akin to God's... then I'll surely survive.
With only that thought, she endured the nightmare-like days.
Unfortunately, what came to her first was not a knight bearing the imperial crest but―
"Hey, you've been hiding here all by yourself after abandoning your family?"
"Let me go!"
It was the bandits who had taken over the village and violated her friends and family.
"Never letting you go! What's that in your hand? Give it here!"
"This is mine...!"
"Bullshit!"
"Ack!"
With one punch, Erin dropped the food she was holding.
"How did this bitch manage to get such fresh food in this situation?"
"...Huh?"
This man knows me?
Though he wore a mask, upon closer inspection of his voice, she finally recognized who it might be.
"You... are you Caron?"
"Only realizing now, you idiot?"
The realization that someone she knew, especially Caron, a village wanderer, had joined the bandits, filled Erin with despair.
"How could you... become a bandit? How could you do this? You're from our village! We were like family...! My mother treated you so well...!"
"Shut up about family! Like hell we were family! You and everyone else, you all looked down on me, ignored me because I had no parents!"
"No one ignored you! Who gives food and shelter to someone they look down on?!"
"You made me work like a slave in return!"
"You were the one who asked for work because you felt ashamed of doing nothing!"
"Shut up!"
Thud!
Caron stomped on Erin's hand repeatedly.
"Aaah... it hurts...!"
"That eye! I didn't like that look! You were looking down on me! You, your family, everyone in the village thought of me as nothing but a slave!"
Why was it?
What hurt then wasn't just her crushed hand.
Her heart ached. The mere fact that he thought this way was sad.
"You... that's... inferiority complex... The villagers didn't think of you as..."
"Shut up! Just shut up!"
Thud!
Thud!
Then, several masked men noticed the commotion and ran over.
"What the hell are you doing alone, you idiot? Making so much noise?"
"Ah... sorry."
"Did you get the food?"
"I've got it here."
The tallest among the bandits picked up the dropped food, whistling.
"Wow, what the hell is this? How is it in such good condition? Where did you get this?"
"This girl had it."
"What?"
The masked men approached Erin, who was lying on the ground.
"Do you know her?"
"...Don't know."
"Caron..."
"She seems to know your name?"
One of the men crouched down, meeting Erin's eyes.
"Hey, where did you get this food? From a girl like you?"
"Must have someone looking out for her. She's pretty, so it wouldn't be hard to get food."
"Damn, this is crazy. Tell us honestly, did you get this from someone decent?"
"...I just found it... on the ground..."
"Found it? On the ground?"
"Crazy bitch!"
The bandits laughed for a while, then changed their tone, questioning her again.
"Listen, if you tell us honestly, we'll let you live. Who gave you this food? I'm not asking for money. Just tell us where the person is who gave you this food. We'll let you go."
She wanted to tell them, but she couldn't.
Was it because she felt guilty towards the person who helped her? No way.
All this food was truly just 'picked up' from the ground.
Erin, with all her might, squeezed out the words.
"There's... no one... really..."
"Damn it."
"Brother, what do we do? She seems tight-lipped."
The man they called 'Brother' seemed to have some authority among them, as he was the one leading the questions.
Erin looked at him, pleading.
"I, I'll give you the food! But really, there was no one who helped me... I really found it on the road. Please believe me..."
The man silently looked down at the pleading Erin.
His gaze scanned her body like a snake.
"...Hey, Caron. When did the boss say we should be back?"
"By 5 PM, I think."
"Damn, not much time left. Forget it. Kill her."
"Kill her?"
"This bitch knows who you are, right? You think we should let her live? Or what, are you trying to play nice now?"
"No, no! I'll kill her."
"Wait...! Please, don't kill me. Please... let me live..."
Erin's pleas no longer reached the men.
Is this how I die? Like my mother, like the villagers, like my friends... to die so pointlessly?
She thought a miracle might happen.
Maybe, just maybe, there might be a God.
Was it all just a misunderstanding?
Were all the events that happened to me just coincidences?
'Watching me' was just a hallucination, and the ease with which I found food was just a coincidence?
'If it was all coincidence, then... I might have survived by stealing food from someone else...'
Yes.
It's better to die.
Rather than live through horrors, better to die cleanly.
She let go of her last attachment to life―― or so she thought.
'I don't want to...'
Tears streamed down her face.
Lying to herself was pointless.
She didn't want to die.
She wanted to live.
Her true feelings, hidden deep within, refused to stay buried and began to scream for freedom.
I don't want to die. I want to survive.
I want to live by any means...! I don't want to die... I don't want to die...!!
Please.
Let there be another miracle.
If God truly exists.
If what I heard wasn't a hallucination, please, please hear my plea.
Save me.
Save me...!
'Please save me...!!!!!!'
If there is a God, please hear me...!!!!!!!!!!!
"Finish her."
"Yes!"
Erin opened her eyes to see a blade poised above her head.
That will pierce me.
I will bleed out, like all the dead I've seen.
She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that if she was to die, it would be quick.
But.
'...?'
Realizing that no pain came and nothing happened for quite some time, she slowly opened her eyes to reassess the situation.
The man was poised to strike with his sword, but... he wasn't moving.
No, it wasn't just him. It was as if the world had stopped; nothing was happening.
'What's going on...?'
Just as Erin began to question her situation seriously.
'!!!!!!'
The hallucination again.
'God...?!'
It was a strange sensation.
The moment she heard the command to 'shout the name of God,' she instinctively knew what that name was.
It was like a divine revelation. Something akin to what those possessed by spirits claimed.
'The name of God...!'
Erin took a small deep breath.
And then, with all her might, she shouted the name of God that had come to her mind.
"―――Iggokden!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
At that moment.
Boom!!!
'The sky... the sky is tearing apart...??'
Yes, there was no other way to describe it. The sky was splitting, emitting an overwhelming light that could blind anyone.
The light enveloped Erin like a divine messenger, and then... the men began to react.
"What, what's happening?!"
"What is――"
――Swoosh
But their final words were never completed.
A massive spear of light from the sky pierced through the chests of all the bandits.
It was like divine retribution.
'!!!!!!'
"Guh... hack...!"
――Thud.
The spear that had impaled them vanished as quickly as it appeared, and all the bandits who had been breathing moments ago lay dead with gaping holes in their chests.
It was a gruesome sight. Parts of their bodies, their insides, turned to ash and disappeared.
And as Erin watched this in a daze, the voice of God echoed in her mind again.
As if to confirm this was no dream.
<<
――'Iggokden'.
Another voice then echoed in her mind.
A bizarre voice, like one might hear during a festival, a ritual, or when approaching forbidden magic.
Long live the thousand won donation!
Long live the thousand won donation!
! ! ! Long live the thousand won donation ! ! !
Ignoring the nonsensical voice, Erin slowly stood up.
She began to reflect on the divine law she had come to understand.
――God exists.
He is 'Iggokden'.
As she repeated this, Erin's eyes reflected the truth of an enlightened one.