The World I Was Supporting Was Real

---

I’m watching you.

Ever since I experienced a supposed ‘miracle’ where the ground suddenly split open and a clean stream of water gushed forth—my life as Erin, which had been strangely devoid of good fortune, began to turn around as if it wanted to repay me for all the hardships I had endured.

From unexpectedly stumbling upon well-preserved food in the bushes to moments of escaping the threats posed by wild beasts—everything I did seemed to magically resolve itself, as if it was all part of a predetermined fate.

‘Are you watching me…?’

Could it have been the voice of God?

…No, that doesn’t make sense. I learned that only those chosen as Saints could barely hear the voice of God.

I must have misheard. After all, I was close to death, so it wasn’t surprising if I heard some strange hallucination.

Thinking this way, the emotion I ended up feeling—was closer to fear than joy.

‘What is happening…?’

Desperately drinking the suddenly gushing water, I thought I was happy at last. A miracle had occurred.

But as I continued to see the world ‘twisting’ in strange ways, each unnatural event brought forth an unavoidable fear that began to rise from deep within my heart.

Think about it. It’s one thing to say I escaped the threat of wild beasts, but witnessing the wolves that had been chasing me in malice suddenly flee in terror was extremely disconcerting.

It felt as if everything was an artificially created world.

Still, I decided to accept it. While I didn’t hear any more hallucinations like before, I was still alive thanks to this strange occurrence.

This inexplicable stroke of good luck continued to provide me with clean water, food, a secure place to sleep, and eliminated the threats that inevitably came with wandering through ruins filled with the corpses of those who had perished alone from the plague.

As a result, I had reached this point where I was living somewhat safely, with food and water stashed away in a place that could be called a makeshift home.

‘When will I be able to go back to the way things were…?’

A village had been turned upside down.

I believed that imperial soldiers would surely come down to restore order.

Of course, I had no way of knowing that the situation within the empire was so convoluted that they couldn’t even pay attention to a small village.

Still, if I ventured out, I could easily find food and water, almost as if this was a game… If I could just hold out like this, the peacekeepers would eventually come to deal with the bandits who had taken over the village, and I could return home to recover my mother’s body.

If what I heard was not a hallucination but truly the voice of something akin to a god… I would surely survive.

That singular thought enabled me to endure each nightmarish day.

However, regrettably, what arrived before me was not a knight bearing the empire’s insignia—

“You little twerp, hiding here all alone while abandoning your family, huh?”

“Let go of me!”

It was the bandits who had taken over the village, ravaging my friends and family.

“Never! What do you have in your hand? Hand it over!”

“This… this is mine!”

“Shut up!”

“Aaah!”

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

“No way, how the hell did you manage to get decent food in this situation?”

“…Huh?”

This man—does he know my name?

I couldn’t pay close attention because he was wearing a mask, but as I focused on his voice, someone from my memory surfaced.

“Are you… Karon?”

“Finally figured it out, you dumb broad?”

The revelation that someone I knew was part of the bandit group—a drifter from the village, no less—washed over Erin’s face with despair.

“How… how could you…? How could you steal? You’re from our village! We’re practically family…! Our mother treated you so well!”

“Shut your mouth! Family? Don’t talk nonsense! You all looked down on me and disregarded me!”

“What are you talking about?! No one ignored you! Who gives a homeless person food and shelter if they disregard you?!”

“All that did was make me a slave!”

“You asked to be given work because you didn’t want to be idle!”

“Shut up!”

Crack!

Karon stomped repeatedly on Erin’s hand as she lay on the ground.

“Ugh… ahh… it hurts!”

“I hate your eyes! I feel like you’re looking down on me! You and your family! Just like the entire village! Everyone thought of me as nothing but a slave!”

Why?

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

It was the ache in my heart. The mere fact that he could think that way was sorrowful.

“You… that’s just your insecurity… The villagers…”

“Shut up! I said shut up!”

Crack!

Crack!

At that moment, several masked men rushed in from the other side, having noticed the commotion.

“What the hell are you blabbering about all by yourself? So noisy?”

“Ah… I’m sorry.”

“What about the food?”

“I brought it here.”

The tallest of the bandits whistled as he collected the fallen food.

“Damn! What is all this? Why is the condition so good? Where the hell did you find this?”

“That girl had it.”

“What?”

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

“What? Do you know her?”

“…I don’t.”

“Karon…”

“This girl seems to know your name?”

One of the men knelt down, looking Erin in the eye.

“Hey. Where did you get the food? Especially, a girl like you?”

“It looks obvious she must have someone backing her. With that face, it shouldn’t be too hard to get food.”

“Damn, is she crazy or what? Come on, honestly. With this amount, it seems like she’s clearly gotten it from someone decent.”

“…I just… found it…”

“What? Found it? On the ground?”

“Nonsense!”

The bandits laughed as if they found it amusing, before suddenly changing their tone and questioning her again.

“Hey, if you come clean, we’ll spare your life. Who gave it to you? I’m not asking for money or anything from you. Just tell me who gave you the food and you can leave.”

Even if I wanted to speak, I couldn’t.

Was I afraid of disappointing the person who had helped me? That couldn’t be it.

Because all this food was just gathered from something that had genuinely ‘sprouted’ from the ground.

Erin squeezed out the words with all her might.

“There’s… no one… really…”

“Hah… damn girl.”

“Boss, what will you do? It seems she’s clammed up tight.”

Hearing him referred to as ‘boss‘, it seemed the one who was persistently asking her questions had some authority among them.

Erin looked at that man and pleaded again.

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

“…”

The man looked down at Erin, who was pleading silently.

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

“…Hey, Karon. When did the boss tell us to come back?”

“I think he said to gather by five.”

“Tsk. It’s a shame, but time’s running out. Whatever, let’s kill her.”

“K-Kill her?”

“Do you think we should let her go since she knows your identity? Do you think we should save someone like that? Is that dumb or trying to act nice now?”

“N-No! We will kill her!”

“Hold on…! P-Please don’t kill me. S-Save me…”

Erin’s pleas no longer reached the men.

Is this how I die? Just like my mother, the villagers, and friends… Am I really dying so uselessly?

I thought a miracle would happen after all.

Perhaps.

Could it be that a god truly exists?

I had this inkling, yet the whole sequence of events could just be a mere coincidence?

Was everything that happened to me just luck?

‘If that was merely chance, then… I might be surviving by stealing someone else’s food…’

Yeah.

Honestly, maybe I should just die.

Better to die cleanly than to suffer some horrific fate alive.

That’s what I thought as I let go of my last bit of attachment to life—

But.

‘I don’t want to…’

Tears began to flow freely from my eyes.

Lying to myself was useless.

I don’t want to die.

I want to live.

The true feelings I had hidden in my heart began to break free, refusing to remain buried any longer, shouting 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.

May a miracle happen again this time.

If a god truly exists.

If what I heard was not a hallucination, please, grant my wish.

Save me.

Save me…!

‘Save me…!!!!!!’

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

“Dispose of her.”

“Yes!”

With my eyes wide open, Erin confirmed the blade hovering above her head.

That was about to stab me.

I would bleed. Just like those corpses I had seen before.

I tightly closed my eyes, wishing that if I were to die, it would at least be a swift ending.

But.

‘…?’

When I realized that I had felt no pain and a long time passed without anything happening, I slowly opened my eyes and surveyed the situation again.

The man was holding the knife poised to strike but… made no move.

No, it wasn’t just the man standing still. It was as if the entire world was at a standstill, with nothing happening at all.

‘What is going on…?’

Just as Erin was about to seriously question her situation—

<<<God exists.>>>

‘!!!!!!’

Once again, the voice echoed in my head.

‘G-God…?!’

<<<Shout the ‘name’ of God aloud.>>>

It was a strangely wondrous event.

The moment I heard the hallucination telling me to “shout the name of God,” I automatically realized what the name was.

It felt like a message from the heavens, something those who were said to be blessed by the divine spoke of reverently.

‘The name of God…!’

Erin took a small breath.

And then, with all her might, she shouted the ‘name of God’ that had vividly popped into her mind.

“―――이궈궈던!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

At that moment.

Kugu…gu…gu…gu…gu…gu…guh!!!

‘The sky is… is the sky ripping apart??’

Yes. It was a view that could only be described as ‘the sky ripping apart.’

The split sky was spewing forth a blinding light intense enough to blind one’s eyes.

As the radiance spilled forth, wrapping around Erin like a messenger of God… suddenly, the men began to react.

“W-What?!”

“What is happening—”

――Pusshh

However, their last cries never completed.

The tip of the massive spear of light that emerged from the heavens struck directly into the hearts of the entire bandit group.

This sight was the very punishment of the deity.

‘!!!!!!’

“Guh… huff…!”

――Thud.

The spear that had pierced them was gone without a trace—

And the entire bandit group, who had been breathing just moments ago, collapsed to the ground, each with a massive hole in their chests.

It was a horrific scene. The sight of innards, bones, and parts that made up a human being becoming ash before my eyes.

And as Erin blankly stared at this ghastly sight, once more… the voice of God rang in her head.

As if confirming that it was all real.

<<<There is a God, and He――>>>

――manifested in this world as ‘이궈궈던.’

Soon another voice echoed in her mind.

A strange voice that might belong to someone approaching a festival, a sacrificial ceremony, or a forbidden sorcery.

Long live the donations!

Long live the donations!

! ! ! Long live the donations! ! !

With the incomprehensible chants ringing in her ears… Erin slowly rose to her feet.

And she began to slowly contemplate the principles of the ‘realm of God’ she had come to understand.

――God exists.

He is ‘이궈궈던’.

The truth reflected in Erin’s eyes was that of one who had ‘realized’.