episode_0139

After enduring all sorts of insults from his former wife, the enraged head guard couldn’t contain his anger and sneaked into her bedroom late at night. Last time, he had caught himself off guard and ended up unable to play the role of a man.

“Supplies have arrived.”

Filled with remorse, his former wife sent a dress and underwear to the head guard, signifying that since he couldn’t act like a man, he was no different from a woman. There was nothing more disgraceful for the head guard than this.

In a world where the roles of women and men were clearly distinguished, not being able to act like a man was a significant flaw.

The head guard was not only removed from his position but also stripped of his entire livelihood. He became completely destitute. As a result of a comedy filter effect, he had to return all the land deeds and house deeds he had brought when he married his former wife.

As soon as all his sources of income dried up, he became penniless in the blink of an eye. Even though he tried to find other work, rumors about him had spread to neighboring villages, making it impossible for him to find any job.

Eventually, the head guard… no, the man had to leave the village with tears in his eyes. To find a place where the rumors hadn’t spread, he had to move quickly.

However, in the dark fantasy world, traveling from village to village was not easy. With a sword in hand, the chances of reaching a village where his reputation hadn’t preceded him without encountering bandits, slave traders, or monsters didn’t seem very high, but this was the price he had to pay for his own sins.

In a world where entertainment was limited to drinking and gambling, the head guard’s scandal was truly a major event. It was a story that shocked everyone and would be talked about for years to come.

To the villagers, the fact that the high priest and priestess indulged in human flesh and coveted maiden’s blood was such a shocking tale that some listeners even fainted upon hearing it.

When anxiety flared up like an autumn wildfire, there was someone who delved into the crevices of that anxiety like a loach.

It was Pia, who was flickering her eyes to spread the word about Lian Church. As a follower of Lian, Pia could use the power of the comedy filter, albeit to a small extent.

This comedy filter, when applied continuously, had a bizarre effect, but when applied lightly, it was akin to a divine miracle with no words to describe its impact.

“Huh? Is this real? I can walk!”

He helped a bedridden person rise.

“Cough, cough… Huh… What is this? It doesn’t hurt?”

He healed a person suffering from lung disease (sometimes, when they slept well, their lungs made a “pyu-woo” sound).

“Hey! You! Where did you steal my money?”

“What? Oh, grandma, do you remember?”

“Yes, you! Bring me my money right now! My money!”

He restored the mind of a grandmother suffering from dementia.

‘Wait… Is this really something extraordinary?’

In the world of comedy, it was such a natural rule that he reflexively thought so, but he didn’t genuinely believe it.

In the dark fantasy world, he knew in his head that the body didn’t easily recover.

Yet, these complaints kept pouring out because the burden of the villagers’ awe-stricken gazes was too much to bear, and he wanted to escape!

One might suggest just running away, but… there was a reason he couldn’t.

‘Every time I try to escape, Pia starts crying!’

It’s not just Pia who cries. Even the children and villagers weep. Lian stood like a statue at the altar, unable to do anything but watch as Pia healed the people’s wounds.

“That wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t done that.”

In truth, the villagers’ strong belief in Lian as a deity, with pilgrimages from neighboring villages, was all due to mistakes she had made.

“I didn’t expect this!”

As Pia began preaching to the anxious villagers, her divine power intensified, and the pattern on her palm became very distinct.

Different from the pattern initially engraved by the dark fantasy god, the once tiny design had now grown into an egg. Curious about the extent of her power as she watched it shimmer beautifully in real-time, she sneaked out to the temple backyard during dinner to test her divine power.

“…!”

The aura that filled the sky menacingly, engulfing not only the village but also the nearby mountains, was so sacred that it could create a religion out of nothing.

That day, those suffering from minor illnesses were all cured, and some even experienced miracles. Eyes lost during hunting returned, severed limbs regrew. Weak crops swayed beautifully, and monsters in the mountains vanished as if evaporating.

Though Lian hastily extinguished her divine power as if accidentally lighting a fire in a sauna, the aurora did not disappear for a while.

She tried to deny her involvement, but unfortunately, Pia caught her using divine power and a halo appeared behind her head, making it impossible to hide.

But that wasn’t the end of it. Like a scene from a myth, the next morning, animals brought fruits to the temple, bowing their heads in reverence.

From then on, no matter how much Lian insisted she wasn’t a god, she became nothing more than a “mortal oracle.”

“Shouldn’t we… consider leaving soon?”

The temple, previously only minimally maintained, grew increasingly magnificent over time. Stained glass windows depicted Lian’s face, and the statue of the god was quietly moved to a corner storage room, replaced by a statue resembling Lian.

At this point, Lian wanted to cry and run away. She even considered wielding dark powers like a corrupted deity, summoning a dark sword.

“Ah, truly a genuine god who controls life and death!”

“We shall be together in death and life, accompanying you after death!”

Instead, she inadvertently spawned fanatics. The dark sword exploded in anger upon seeing the brightly lit temple.

“True beauty isn’t like this!”

The dark sword, resentful and jealous of the divine power in Lian’s left hand, transformed her plain white priestly robes into a dazzling and beautiful attire. Magic subtly flowed out, altering the atmosphere. With changed expressions and actions, she looked like a completely different person in the priestly garb.

To prevent further fanaticism, she let the rampaging dark sword be. She hoped for shocked screams of horror, but settled for bewildered expressions, hoping for a look that said, “This is not the god I wanted!”

However, Lian’s hopes were mercilessly shattered.

“It’s… too… too beautiful…”

“Do not put me through trials…”

Her appearance, which was no less than that of the original protagonist, worked diligently. People began debating who was more beautiful and superior between the god of death and the god of life, both embodied by Lian.

It was a sight reminiscent of idol culture. In a world lacking entertainment, the decadent sexy version of Lian and the virtuous innocent version of Lian were highly stimulating elements.

In a modern society overflowing with stimulation, there are countless people obsessed with idols. Here, with no entertainment available, this obsession has escalated to the point of becoming almost like a religion.

People visiting the village increased daily, and Lian spent most of her time avoiding fanatics, almost feeling half-captive. Jess, Pia, Noah, and even other children seemed oddly satisfied for some reason.

Appreciating Lian’s tendency to sacrifice herself for others, her current semi-captive state was somewhat appealing.

However, Lian was withering away in the madness of this religious fervor.

“Save me…”

Being deprived of freedom was tormenting, but receiving hopeful gazes was also agonizing. Yet, seeing how happy the religious followers were and how their sanctity was relentlessly accumulating, she couldn’t bring herself to speak out.

“If it’s okay for that reason, I will go to the mansion.”

“I’ll go.”

“Yes?”

“Should I leave right now?”

Lian, who had been fading away, immediately nodded eagerly at the knight’s suggestion to visit the mansion.

Finally, it was time to leave this place and send Iris back home!

“Oh, did I forget something?”

Lian felt like she had forgotten something important but couldn’t recall what it was.

“Ah! If it’s important, it will come to me later anyway!”

Thinking lightly, she quickly packed her belongings.

…After arriving at the mansion, Lian realized that she had forgotten to tell Iris that they were not actually siblings.

After the decision to depart for the mansion, the group split up. Pia decided to stay in the village with the believers of Lianism, while about twenty people expressed their intention to settle in the village.

About 20 people remained.

“So many people believe in that… religion?”

Lian was shocked to learn that over half of the group believed in Lianism. Most of the remaining people were officials who had not been swayed by Lianism as they had lived with Lian and her family.

“Please let this journey be peaceful.”

“Please don’t let us encounter any monsters.”

“…”

Of course, a few officials believed in Lianism. Some even claimed that accompanying Lian was to witness the divine journey with their own eyes. Lian had reached a state of detachment by this point.

Thus, the journey towards the mansion began again…

“Uh, um…?”

Lian looked at the sedan chair pulled by four horses. Pointing at the carriage adorned with a white phoenix pattern, she asked, “Am I supposed to ride this?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”