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News of the Emperor’s visit!

Upon hearing this from the priest who delivered the message, Ophilia bowed her head and spoke.

“Then I must go greet him at once. Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. We will prepare to have you meet him immediately as well.”

As a result of working together with her companions until today, the duty of the Holy Knight Plate had been organized into a rotation among three people.

It was inefficient for three people to stick together unless it was an extraordinary situation, so naturally, tasks were divided slightly among them.

While there was a possibility of change in the future, for now, their duties were divided into the following three categories: assisting priests at the cathedral, exploring the dungeons where monsters emerged, and engaging in poverty relief activities throughout the territory and nearby villages.

Of course, there were many other significant tasks to be done. The weight of the title “Holy Knight” was so heavy that it would be unbearable without a genuinely devout heart.

However, could it truly be said that this was the will of God Igguoqueden? The issue of overwork had been mostly resolved since they became the Holy Knight Plate.

Historical records claimed that past Holy Knights had performed an overwhelming amount of work as their default state… With three of them appointed, it meant that each individual’s burden was considerably reduced.

Currently, the poverty relief activities were being handled by Luka, while the exploration of the dungeon surroundings was the responsibility of Linea, leaving Ophilia to take charge of assisting the priests in the cathedral—

Naturally, that meant that the task of meeting the arriving Emperor fell to her.

“Then, I appreciate your assistance. Though the Emperor is currently adopting a very conciliatory gesture towards religion, it’s unpredictable when things might turn around… I ask for your support.”

After saying that and watching the priest leave, Ophilia fell into thought.

‘His Majesty the Emperor…’

As far as Ophilia knew, just a short while ago, the Emperor was not particularly friendly with the religious community.

No, it wasn’t just that he wasn’t friendly—he actually looked down upon the religious sector.

This was a fact learned while competing against Linea, the biggest rival in the selection of Holy Knights, before the concept of the “Holy Knight Plate” was asserted by the divine.

Surrounding discussions often claimed, “Linea only rose to the candidates because of her royal blood; we all know that if there’s anyone devout, it’s Ophilia, who will surely be recognized by the God.”

The Emperor wanted to have the religious community under his control, and there were rumors that the Holy Knight was merely a stepping stone for that goal.

Of course, God made such political games meaningless in an instant.

Becoming a Holy Knight had been a lifelong dream, but even Ophilia never expected that the phrase “three persons make one plate” would come up.

And a few days later, the Emperor who had been creating conflicts with the religious community suddenly reversed his stance and designated Guoden Church as the national religion—

From that moment, the number of followers of Guoden Church began to noticeably increase.

And today marked the first moment when she would meet the Emperor who had changed his attitude.

“Lord Rabbit. The Emperor is said to be coming soon, so it would be wise to prepare yourself.”

“Igguoqueden.”

“The Emperor holds the highest position in this land. He is the ruler of the country, one might say?”

“Igguoqueden.”

“Of course, he is infinitely lower compared to the one true God Igguoqueden. Therefore… you should think of him as the head of all creatures.”

While chit-chatting with the rabbit—

“The Emperor is arriving!”

Before she knew it, Emperor Eirene had reached the cathedral.

Ophilia immediately moved to the cathedral’s main entrance.

* * *

In the end.

In the end, the Emperor had come to the cathedral.

Unable to suppress her fervent emotions towards God Igguoqueden, Eirene found herself in the most sacred place connected, even slightly, to Him, and she couldn’t help but notice her heart racing.

‘Igguoqueden…’

Since the day she bathed together with the Saint in the hot spring and reaffirmed her feelings for God, Eirene had been breaking the rules—she faced her master every night in her dreams, where even the Saint couldn’t meet Him.

She knew well that dreams weren’t reality, but still, the sweetness of those dreams kept her from falling back asleep.

In her most recent dream, as Eirene lay in bed, her master, embodying the man from the portrait, slowly approached her and whispered sweet words.

Awakening from her dream, Eirene stayed up all night with wide eyes.

Her stomach twisted uncomfortably, and her thighs tingled, making it impossible for her to fall back asleep.

Having lived as a virgin for so long, utterly unaware of men, those sensations were overwhelming!

They say those who realize things too late are even scarier, and that’s exactly how Eirene felt at that moment.

And just as day broke, she found herself at the cathedral.

She had something she desperately wanted to tell God.

So when she entered the Igguoqueden Cathedral—

“Welcome, Your Majesty.”

Kneeling before her was a familiar face, a red-haired female knight who saluted her.

It was Ophilia Translerente, the rival she had once regarded as a threat before accepting the plain truth from God Igguoqueden.

Looking back, she felt a desire to hide in a mouse hole for having such foolish thoughts—but, realizing this late, Eirene thought that supporting those who work for the God without questioning His decision was what she ought to do as an Emperor. With a sincere smile, she responded to Ophilia.

“I’m glad to meet you, Ophilia. I have heard much about your illustrious name. Have you encountered any inconveniences while performing the duties of the Holy Knight Plate?”

“None in particular. I would like to express gratitude, as you have consistently provided ample funding for our activities, not only for the priests.”

The funding Eirene had sent to support poverty relief efforts was an amount unimaginable by previous standards.

Thanks to that, they were able to disseminate the teachings of Guoden Church to much greater distances and to many more people with stability.

Considering that such an extent of aid would have been impossible on the church’s budget alone, it was safe to say that the Emperor had indeed provided immense support to Guoden Church.

“Not at all. I was simply doing what I ought to. If there are any deficiencies, feel free to mention them through the Saint, as I still have the capacity to offer further assistance. But more importantly, what is that atop your head?”

“This is Lord Rabbit. He is the Messenger of God.”

“…?”

Before she could even ask what a Messenger of God meant—

Hop, it suddenly jumped into Eirene’s arms.

Eirene was slightly startled, but with her excellent reflexes, she safely caught it.

And—

“Igguoqueden.”

“……!!!”

More than the fact that the rabbit spoke, she was shocked by the words it had uttered.

Igguoqueden?

If she hadn’t misunderstood… That was…!

“Lord Rabbit. It seems Her Majesty is surprised, but returning this way—”

“Oh… No, I meant to say, umm. Didn’t this rabbit say it was a Messenger of God? It felt nice as if God was welcoming me.”

“Is that so? Then that’s a relief, but…”

“Igguoqueden.”

It stayed in Eirene’s arms, repeating ‘Igguoqueden’ for a while before it jumped again and landed safely atop Ophilia’s head.

‘Igguoqueden… Well done…?’

Though its pronunciation was garbled, it probably meant ‘Well done’.

Since it was the Messenger of God, if it conveyed ‘God’s will’ to me directly…

‘Aah… God Igguoqueden… If you tell me such things again…’

Eirene, who clamped down on the tingling sensation in her thighs, couldn’t hide her flushed cheeks as she cleared her throat a few times before speaking.

“Well, I came here today to speak with God…”

“Please, come this way.”

Following Ophilia’s lead, they entered a room—

It was a completely empty space except for some chairs, with an altar set up for the priests to offer prayers.

“It may feel a bit bare due to the removal of old items, but… this is the place where believers have traditionally prayed to God Igguoqueden.”

“Feeling bare, you say? That’s not a valid opinion. Is that not all the will of God? Then, excuse me.”

Eirene immediately knelt down.

In the past, she would have been very displeased at the fact that “the Emperor knelt before religious symbols,” but not now.

What ruled Eirene’s mind was not such trivial political logic but her deep feelings for her master.

‘Igguoqueden. This is Eirene. The one who used the name Linashita, who spent time in the monastery and was told to believe..’

Thump, thump.

Recalling the moments spent with God made her heart begin to race again.

It was the first time she had directly communicated her feelings about those moments with God.

Gathering her heart, which felt as though it might burst… she cautiously whispered the words she desperately wanted to convey.

‘From the moment you forgave me for lying to you without believing, from the moment you wiped my tears and told me not to cry, from the moment you reached out your hand saying to believe, the moment you saved me and changed my future that was promised to be ruined, and… since the moment you said, “Well done” to me… I have had only one thought.’

‘Igguoqueden… my master… please… even if it’s only in dreams, take my first.’

She continued to dream of God.

Most of them were images in her bed. God Igguoqueden would always tease Eirene gently in a kind voice. However, He never crossed the line.

Thanks to that, she would frequently feel her body heating up but could do nothing… she wanted to convey her feelings as much as possible.

‘Everything about me is solely for God Igguoqueden. Since the moment you gifted me the stability that one can only feel when they can trust you and others, even after betraying you, I have been resolute on this.’

‘I am… okay. As much as it takes. If it’s you, my one and only master… I can give you everything.’

‘So, please. I sincerely hope you can share with me your “plain truth.” Even to the very depths… until my head spins… as much as you wish… I beg of you.’

‘I won’t demand the love and attention you give to the Saint. But… even if it’s just in dreams, even if it’s for a fleeting moment, please hold me. Until that moment comes, I promise to keep my body and heart pure.’

Others might laugh, but… Eirene was sincere.

She loved God in a way that was slightly different from ordinary believers.

She was sure that God would indulge in such whims. After all, God Igguoqueden was such a wonderful and kind being.

The rabbit sitting atop Ophilia’s head, observing her, slightly hopped and said in a small voice.

“Igguoqueden. Igguoqueden.”

“Indeed, from what you said, the Emperor’s feelings towards God do seem quite sincere,” Ophilia thought as she watched Eirene praying.

This was a miracle of God.

This was the… God’s…?

“Igguoqueden.”

“Oh, right. The plain truth. Indeed. Thank you, Lord Rabbit.”

So this was God’s plain truth.

One could be surprised that it read her mind, but Ophilia was more concerned about something else.

‘Continuously relying on help like this won’t be sustainable…’

Though she was currently in a position where she couldn’t form sentences without the help of Lord Rabbit…

Just like Eirene, who had come to believe in a deity she hadn’t trusted, and as long as she kept trying, would she someday memorize the ‘plain truth’ without confusion?

Thinking this, she watched Eirene praying.

Eirene’s fair profile sparkled under the sunlight streaming through the stained glass—

It felt as if God was gently caressing her as she prayed.

* * *

A few days later.

The incident occurred on the day Ophilia was tasked with exploring the dungeon surroundings.