"We have nothing to lose but our shackles!"
"And what we gain is the plain fact!"
"The will of the one and only god, Iggokden-nim, illuminates our hearts!"
Communism!
The sole will of Iggokden-nim who makes us 'equal'!
—Can you hear it?
The plain fact of Iggokden-nim, trembling under the guise of communism!!!
"So, Emperor, stand up!"
Stand up! Stand up! Stand up! Stand up!
The word of God, fair to all! A platter of plain facts for everyone!
A dish of facts for the peasants too! A platter of facts equal to that of the nobles for the workers!
We are Iggokden-nim! Iggokden-nim is us!
And the Emperor cannot defy the will of Iggokden-nim!!!!!!
Voices filled with madness.
A scene where not only the common people but also the nobles, even those of the royal family, condemned the Emperor ended—
This short segment concluded.
[ Iggokden: No way ]
I thought that since it was about 'educating' the Emperor, I'd see a typical scene where she's in trouble or trembling in fear, acknowledging the real existence of God.
This author has always presented unique developments, so I thought maybe there would be a twist like 'the Emperor falls for God.' Given that they know I like the Emperor character, that could happen.
But I never imagined she'd be stripped of her position through a proletarian revolution.
Hasn't the bourgeoisie class even properly appeared yet?
There hasn't been a scene with characters who've become rich through commerce, only nobles.
Questions? Naturally, there were many.
But the most concerning one was—
[ Iggokden: Communists don't like God, do they??? ]
[ Iggokden: They would love atheism though ]
[ Iggokden: I can understand the Emperor being dethroned by revolution, but how did it end up being a theocratic communist one-party dictatorship??? ]
A theocratic communist one-party dictatorship... Even repeating it, I still don't get what that is.
I'll be honest. I'm not a history major.
Naturally, I'm not as knowledgeable as someone who studies history extensively.
I just know the common knowledge, things you might learn in compulsory education.
And even I know that people with such ideology generally don't like religion.
In actual history, there might have been different cases, but... at least in my understanding, that was true.
Soon, the story from the author came through—
[ PleaseGiveMoney: Since I only observed part of the future, I don't know how this result came about, but... ]
[ PleaseGiveMoney: If Iggokden-nim has the divine power to 'educate' with such intent, this wouldn't be such an unusual outcome. ]
[ PleaseGiveMoney: After all, ]
[ PleaseGiveMoney: This is divine power. ]
[ PleaseGiveMoney: The power to create something entirely new, unobstructed, in a world where it didn't exist before. ]
[ PleaseGiveMoney: With divine power, there's nothing impossible. ]
[ PleaseGiveMoney: How can the order of the existing world stand against the divine power? ]
Though they said that, I almost wanted to argue back about not being able to save people, but that wasn't the point right now.
Anyway, I didn't want to push the Emperor down to the very bottom.
What I wanted was for her to listen to me and not oppose me, not to be stripped of her position and suffer.
Since I'm 'God', I wanted to cut off any possibility of atheism in the future.
Moreover, Linea, one of the "one platter of Holy Knights," seemed to have joined the revolutionaries in the comic, but as royalty, there was a chance she might face a grim fate later.
[ Iggokden: Anyway, 'educating' is out of the question. ]
[ Iggokden: But what happens if I give a little money? ]
[ Iggokden: The development changes with the amount, right? ]
[ PleaseGiveMoney: An Emperor whose will isn't broken will continue to struggle for power with the religious sector. ]
[ PleaseGiveMoney: That's her fate. ]
I see. Definitely no 'education' then.
Even considering my role as God, I should avoid that.
Then, what should I do...?
'What do I want to do with the Emperor?'
I scrolled back up to check the panels with Eirene again.
Her golden sidelock slightly sticking out, swaying, and at the same time, her enormous chest bouncing with her movements...
'...'
In my contemplation, I swallowed hard.
Right. She hasn't committed any crime yet, and since she herself said she wouldn't cross the line, excessive punishment seemed unnecessary.
Even if she's an unbeliever, isn't it the duty of God to bring back the lost sheep?
It wasn't just because she's pretty with a large chest that I decided to be lenient.
If the future where she gets 'educated' involves her being dethroned by a revolution...
What methods could prevent that? While thinking, one word crossed my mind.
[ Iggokden: Can we... like, corrupt her faith a bit? ]
Corrupting faith!
Is there anything sweeter than watching faith bloom on a face that once vehemently denied the existence of God?
[ PleaseGiveMoney: You mean corrupting faith? ]
[ Iggokden: Yeah. Remember how Luka overcame her fate before? ]
[ Iggokden: I think the Emperor can do that too. ]
[ Iggokden: By embracing a sincere mindset, she can willingly accept the concept of "one platter of Holy Knights." ]
[ Iggokden: And at the same time, it would prevent her from being destined for revolution. ]
Revolutions usually happen when life is unbearably hard.
From the perspective of the common people living under an absolute monarchy, if they have food to eat and life is bearable, why would they start a revolution?
From what I saw, that future vision wasn't because of matured beliefs or ideologies but just pushed through by divine power. But still, there must be some coherence for such a future to be observed.
[ Iggokden: If the Emperor becomes a beloved and wise ruler, it would be good for Linea too. ]
[ Iggokden: Since she's corrupted in faith, she'd naturally stop plotting... I just want to, you know, convert her religiously. ]
[ PleaseGiveMoney: So, you want her to be rehabilitated? ]
Rehabilitation?
I wondered if that term could be applied here, but contextually, it might work.
[ Iggokden: Yeah, I want to rehabilitate her. ]
One important fact.
I didn't exactly know why the Emperor was so wary of the religious sector.
If there's a reason, I could listen, right? I mean, I'm supposedly a god.
'Now I naturally think of myself as a deity...'
Suddenly feeling embarrassed, I chugged down a cola.
Whew... Even with the esophagus of a god, carbonation stings.
[ PleaseGiveMoney: Rehabilitation... Rehabilitation... With divine power, it seems possible. ]
[ Iggokden: It'll be expensive, right? ]
When changing Luka's fate, it cost 300,000 won.
The author said 150,000 would do, but they also said that amount wouldn't carry enough divine power to overcome fate.
Frankly, I knew it was just to make it sound good.
After all, there's no real need for divine power to draw a comic, right?
[ PleaseGiveMoney: Please wait a moment. ]
[ PleaseGiveMoney: Perhaps... with about 35,000 won, it should be possible. ]
Huh???
That's cheaper than I thought?
I expected at least 200,000 considering it was 300,000 for Luka...
[ Iggokden: That's a bargain? ]
[ PleaseGiveMoney: ...? ]
[ Iggokden: Isn't this much cheaper? Looks similar to Luka's case. ]
[ PleaseGiveMoney: That's because... in Luka's case, the force of fate was strongly at play, ]
[ PleaseGiveMoney: But right now, you haven't 'educated' the Emperor yet. ]
[ PleaseGiveMoney: With this amount of divine power, it should be sufficient to 'corrupt' the Emperor's faith... or rehabilitate her. ]
Though they were spinning a reasonable story, was there really any special reason?
'They're just pacing the heavy donations to keep me interested.'
Anyway, that price was manageable.
I typed in 35,000 won but decided to add a little more out of gratitude for following my requests.
[ Iggokden (Donation / 50,000 won / Empress Faith Corruption, hehe) ]
[ Iggokden: Added a bit more for a pretty drawing. LOL ]
[ PleaseGiveMoney: No ]
[ PleaseGiveMoney: Iggokden-nim ]
[ PleaseGiveMoney: Really... really thank you. For this unexpected additional divine power...! ]
[ PleaseGiveMoney: With this, we can show you much more. We will never forget your generous decision. ]
[ Iggokden: Alright, author. ]
[ Iggokden: You know what I expect, right?? ]
[ PleaseGiveMoney: Of course. ]
[ PleaseGiveMoney: In that sense... shall we listen to 'God's word' again this time? ]
[ Iggokden: Are you talking about a message for the Emperor? ]
[ PleaseGiveMoney: Yes. But this time, just a few questions and answers will suffice. ]
[ PleaseGiveMoney: Here's the link: xzqr.wo.to ]
Clicking the link led to a survey page.
The questions were simple. "How does the god urge you when times are tough?" "Is there a special method for overcoming trials?" and so on.
Scanning through, there were also spaces to write messages to Eirene.
I've seen this kind of thing before; it's like those psychological tests before joining the military. Different questions, but similar.
I didn't quite understand what this was, but it must be part of that "New BM" thing.
With the mindset of 'since they told me to, let's do it,' I was about to start typing when...
[ PleaseGiveMoney: And ]
[ PleaseGiveMoney: This world wishes to repay the generous Iggokden-nim for providing additional power in some way. ]
[ Iggokden: ? ]
[ PleaseGiveMoney: May I ]
[ PleaseGiveMoney: Dare to ask what the visage of the one and only god, Iggokden-nim, looks like? ]
****
Iggokden Castle, Audience Chamber.
Emperor Eirene, with a slightly surprised expression, furrowed her brow at the unexpected visitor.
Even with the frown, her face maintained a cold, beautiful allure that would make one feel chilled to touch.
"The saintess has come to see me?"
"Yes, she wishes to have an audience with Your Majesty..."
What could that woman possibly want from me?
Could she have heard something unnecessary from Linea about the "one platter of Holy Knights"?
No. If Linea were that devout, I wouldn't have sent her there as a candidate for Holy Knight in the first place. So then...
'Nevertheless, I must entertain her.'
There was nothing good in showing open hostility to the saintess right now.
"Let her in."
Before long, Erin, the saintess who had manifested after 200 years, walked slowly across the red carpet.
Even just the sway of her platinum hair exuded sanctity, an aura befitting a woman chosen by God.
Eirene rose from her throne and bowed in respect.
"I greet Your Majesty, the Emperor."
"Welcome, Saintess. It is an honor to meet you in my lifetime."
"Let's keep the greetings brief. I'm not here for formalities today."
Eirene carefully observed Erin.
Though she cut off the greetings, there was no hostility. But in her eyes, something was burning.
That was... determination? Enthusiasm?
"Your Majesty, 'God's word' has been delivered to you."
"To me? ...You mean to me?"
"Yes."
With that, Erin smiled benevolently...
She took one step at a time, coming closer.
"Saintess...?"
It was a truly strange sensation.
As if the world had stopped.
Clearly, there were soldiers lining up, yet... they did not try to stop the saintess, nor did they speak. Like puppets!
"Hoho... Your Majesty. Come this way... closer to me."
Closer.
The saintess came closer.
Something undeniably 'present' within the saintess... approached Eirene...
"W-wait a moment...!"
Eirene couldn't even finish her sentence, just overwhelmed.
She couldn't stop the saintess from approaching...!
When she came to her senses—
Erin's face was right in front of her, with Eirene pressed against the back of her chair, her eyes wide open in shock. Close enough that their noses would touch if they leaned forward.
Erin's immense holy power pouch... brushed against Eirene's chest.
A moment where their pouches touched, making one sweat from the tension!
Erin was the first to speak.
"Your Majesty..."
"..."
With a loving smile, Erin let out a laugh.
Her face was flushed, as if she couldn't hold back.
"It's alright. There's nothing to be afraid of. This is a very, very good... blessing that only women can feel...!"
"Your Majesty will surely understand...! How magnificent, how truly magnificent God's word is...!!!"
"Wait, wait! Saintess, please, just let me speak...!!"
Before Eirene could finish her sentence in her confusion.
Erin slowly raised the Bible she had been holding—
"I will put it in... God's word...!"
She tapped Eirene's forehead with it.
"!!!!"
——Light.
The light, filled with plain facts emanating from the Bible, engulfed Eirene.