The World I Sponsored Is Real

[PleaseGiveMeMoney: I can't quite explain it yet, but regardless of the amount, maybe for Miss Luka...]

[PleaseGiveMeMoney: Oh]

[PleaseGiveMeMoney: Uh...]

The writer, who had been typing away in the chat, suddenly went silent as if broken.

What's going on?

Regardless of the amount, what?

[Iggokden: ???]

[Iggokden: Is there something wrong???]

The writer, who usually responds quite quickly, was silent and "submerged" for over five minutes.

This has happened before.

The writer used to reply to comments like a ghost, but once I donated 100,000 won, they went completely silent as if stunned and only gave a link to the chat.

Is it that whenever they receive a large donation, they break down and can't respond immediately?

—Chill goosebumps

Anyway, while waiting for a response, I managed to calm my emotions... or rather, I would have if I could.

"Uhuhuhu."

The image of Luka looking so sad with dead eyes flashed before me again, causing me to cry out loud.

I couldn't help it; it's just my personality.

Whenever there's a sad scene in manga, anime, or movies, I cry my eyes out, saying, "Ah! It's so sad!"

The phrase 'You must cry here~' has no meaning for me. I'm confident in crying more genuinely than anyone else when it's time.

Back in my childhood,

Beyond just swindling money from kids, I even called into those scammy cable TV viewer participation shows because I was worried that if I wasn't the hero, the protagonist wouldn't get through their trials.

Even with low-quality flash animations, that deep sense of immersion didn't disappear just because I grew up.

It's like someone who loved manga and anime in their 20s wouldn't suddenly decide at 40, "Oh, I'm over 40 now, so from today, I'll give up manga and anime for golf, fishing, and hiking."

Mother, are you watching?

Your son has become an adult who still gets overly immersed in fiction despite all those spankings...

How much time passed as I tried to comfort myself?

When tissues soaked with tears had piled up beside me, the writer finally returned.

[PleaseGiveMeMoney: Sorry for making you wait, Iggokden.]

[PleaseGiveMeMoney: First of all, thank you so much for the unexpectedly large donation of 300,000 won.]

[PleaseGiveMeMoney: Really, really thank you.]

[PleaseGiveMeMoney: We promise to never forget this moment.]

[Iggokden: Yeah... but]

[Iggokden: What was that you were saying earlier?? Finish explaining...]

Right.

Regardless of the amount, for Miss Luka— what?

When you only look at that sentence, it felt like even 150,000 won wouldn't change Luka's fate, making me anxious for a moment.

[PleaseGiveMeMoney: Don't worry, Iggokden.]

[PleaseGiveMeMoney: With 300,000 won, it might be possible.]

[PleaseGiveMeMoney: Maybe... it could be resolved in a way I hadn't even imagined, given that amount.]

Yes!

If it can be resolved, that's all that matters.

The story will be handled by the writer anyway.

What I want is one thing. For Luka to be happy.

That's why she was supposed to be appointed as a new holy knight!

[Iggokden: Haha, so there's no problem then?]

[PleaseGiveMeMoney: I'll do my best with all the means at my disposal.]

[PleaseGiveMeMoney: Oh, and there's one more favor I'd like to ask of you, Iggokden.]

[Iggokden: A favor???]

[PleaseGiveMeMoney: With the power of 300,000 won, we might be able to change everything, but]

[PleaseGiveMeMoney: It's not an ordinary matter, so we might need the word of God.]

Isn't changing Luca's fate going that far?

I thought about how 100,000 won once changed the Bible...

[PleaseGiveMeMoney: Do you remember the saying that the word of God holds power?]

[Iggokden: I remember]

[PleaseGiveMeMoney: Just like last time, you need to write something for Luca to remember.]

[PleaseGiveMeMoney: At the critical moment, the word of God will surely help.]

'Ah!'

Only then did I grasp the writer's deeper intent.

This is like WWE. A kind of role-play.

They talk about power to change fate, but ultimately, it's the writer who decides the plot.

I got super immersed in this comic and donated a large sum. The author is matching my immersion.

Just like last time when I left the first verse of the Bible, this time there should be some kind of 'reward'... Saying 'Since you donated so much, let me write a line!' would break the immersion and feel a bit cheap!

So, they're using these lines like 'The word of God will help' or 'Given the extraordinary situation, we need the word of God' to set the stage.

Alright, I get it. If you set the scene, I'll play along!

[Iggokden: Lol lol ok ok gd]

What kind of effect will it have this time?

Last time, I said something thoughtlessly, and the weight of the Bible turned into 'Fact One Platter of Bible', and Erin kept thinking about 'Erin's titties are so big' and making weird faces all the time. This time, I need to be really serious.

So, assuming I'm truly the god of this world and Luka is a real person...

If she walked the straight path with the thought that I was always watching, yet faced trials beyond her capacity...

What would I say to her as her god?

I thought it would take a while, but surprisingly, the answer came quickly.

[Iggokden: You were not wrong]

Because I was watching all along.

That's why I'm responding to you like this.

Your thought of always being watched was not wrong.

[Iggokden: Please convey this]

[PleaseGiveMeMoney: Understood.]

[PleaseGiveMeMoney: I'll notify you when the next chapter is out. It might take quite some time this time...]

[PleaseGiveMeMoney: As you donated a significant amount of 300,000 won, I'll do my best to fulfill your wish.]

'Phew.'

After ending the conversation, I finally leaned back in my chair, taking a breath.

How long has it been?

Since I last cried my heart out like this...

But well.

'After crying my eyes out, I feel refreshed.'

When will the next chapter come out?

If it was wrong from the very beginning, could there be a solution?

So, if you realize something went wrong at some point and rush back, only to find out that from the start, whatever you did would lead to failure...

Like realizing you've buttoned the first button wrong, but in a more desperate scenario where you weren't even qualified to button it from the start.

That was Luka 's fate.

A fate where no matter how hard she tried, she could never be happy.

A fate where just when happiness seemed to sneak closer, misfortune would come crashing down as if to punish her for it.

God wants Luka to be happy.

But if even God's desire can't make her happy, then what?

—No.

With God's donations, nothing is impossible.

Right.

If it was wrong from the start, you change the root itself.

Thus, the world responds to the One True God watching over it.

***

The grand estate of the Puyatié family.

Today was a special day.

Because it was the 13th birthday of Armand de Puyatié's precious only daughter, Luka .

What was the birthday girl Luka doing?

She was in her room, getting dolled up with the help of her maid.

The maid, brushing Luka 's long black hair, said:

"You look even more beautiful than usual today, miss."

"Really? Jenna, you're pretty too!"

"Thank you. But I've got a long way to go to catch up to you. Hoho."

Jenna, the maid who always took care of her, was like an older sister to Luka since childhood.

Luka particularly loved when Jenna touched her hair.

"There, all done. Oh, right. I almost forgot."

Jenna fumbled in her pocket and pulled out a very elegant-looking hairpin, attaching it to Luka's hair.

"Wow, it's beautiful!"

"You said every time I styled your hair that 'it doesn't feel right' or 'something seems missing'. I thought maybe your long hair felt empty, so how do you like this?"

"Yeah! It's so pretty!"

At first, Luka was jumping with joy, but then her expression turned bittersweet.

"But... it still doesn't feel right."

"Really? Is it not to your taste...?"

"No, no! It's really beautiful. But just... I still feel like something isn't right."

Every time she looked at her hair, Luka felt something was missing.

When did she first realize this?

For some reason, she felt this even when she was very young; she just couldn't put it into words back then.

'I feel like I've forgotten something...'

"I'll get something even prettier next time. If you don't like it-"

"Oh, no! No, I like this. Hehe. I'll wear this today!"

Dressed up beautifully, she stepped out to be greeted by the entire household gathered to celebrate the day's star.

"Happy birthday!!!!!"

"Miss, happy birthday!"

On the table lay Luka's favorite cake and a more lavish feast than usual.

"Wow...!"

As Luka sat at the head of the table, marveling, the maid next to her smoothly pushed a bowl towards her.

"This is what you were looking for, right, miss?"

What she offered was potato soup.

It was probably the cheapest dish on this table, but Luka finally smiled broadly.

"Yeah! Thanks."

"You're welcome. You love potato soup, after all."

Then.

"Ahem. Shall we start talking?"

"Oh, Daddy...!"

Her father, Armand, sitting beside her, spoke in a serious tone.

"Luka. You're 13 now. I wouldn't mind if you stayed my little troublemaker forever, but in a few years, you'll become a lady. So from this year, you'll need to start learning various subjects. You know this already, right?"

"Yes, Father. I know."

Luka was set to enter the Royal Liria Academy at 14.

An institution where only the children of the upper class could enroll, marking the debut into high society.

Her noble Puyatié bloodline would make her shine even brighter at the academy.

"So, even though I'll have less time to play with you... please, don't throw tantrums like before. It would be a nuisance to your teachers. Understand?"

"Huh? I'm fine not playing with Father. I want to learn quickly!"

"...What, did you say...?"

While her father was shocked by her bold statement, her mother, sitting across, wiped her mouth with her hand.

"You too. You suggested delaying her education by a year because you thought you'd have less playtime with her, didn't you?"

"Cough!"

A few maids couldn't help but laugh, but no one minded.

In this peaceful time, within this affluent household, it was a harmonious family.

If only Luka could push aside the nagging feeling of having forgotten something, every day would be filled with new and joyful things.

After that day, as her father said, over ten tutors were assigned to Luka.

Luka studied a wide range of subjects: political science, magic, history, literature...

She was even learning martial arts, but at her age with a good physique, she handled all subjects without much difficulty.

Her father had said, "I prepared everything because I didn't know what you'd like, but if it's too hard, we'll reduce it, so let me know," but Luka found learning itself fun and didn't think of it as difficult.

"Hello, miss. Nice to meet you."

Today was the first day of theology class.

The nun who was supposed to teach had been delayed by a month due to unforeseen circumstances.

Still, Luka was excited about learning something new.

"What will we study in theology?"

"It's time to learn the word of God. Miss Luka, you know about God, right?"

"Yes! I heard He created the world."

She didn't know the details, but she figured she'd learn more.

As Luka sat down, she was handed a blue book.

—The Bible.

Curious about this book she'd only heard about, Luka casually opened the first page.

1

「You were not wrong」

'?'

What's this?

The book was thick, yet only one sentence was written.

The rest of the pages were blank.

Is this how Bibles are supposed to be? She looked at the nun for confirmation...

The nun, checking her own Bible, began speaking in a kind voice.

"Let's read from the first page together, shall we? I'll start, and you can follow."

"Uh... okay."

Even if it's just one line, she thought to ask, but then...

"Genesis, Chapter 1. In the beginning, when there was only light and darkness, there was God."

"...Huh?"

Luka checked her Bible again.

The written sentence was still just one line: You were not wrong.

Seeing Luka's expression, the nun smiled kindly once more.

"You see the first line, right? Let's start there. It's your first time, so you might be nervous. Let's start again. ...In the beginning, when there was only light and darkness, there was God."

...Huh?