The World I Was Supporting Was Real

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* * *

The next day.

In the early dawn, before the sun had fully risen.

Among the three Holy Knights, the first to take action was Ophilia.

“That should be enough.”

Having greeted the morning early, Ophilia was completely absorbed in her light training.

As soon as she woke up, it was her morning routine to do 100 push-ups and 50 squats before breakfast.

Originally, her full morning workout included a 3km run, but… she felt uneasy around the Igguoqueden Cathedral and she was unsure when she might be called, so she had to be satisfied with just doing exercises indoors.

“Phew.”

After finishing her workout, Ophilia took a breath while gulping down some water.

She had asked the sisters to prepare these in advance yesterday.

Sweat droplets were rolling down her firm muscles, thick thighs, and beautifully shaped massive chest.

‘My whole body is a sweaty mess. I need to clean myself up before mealtime.’

Ophilia cautiously grabbed a towel and moved away.

Although Luka had told her the way, she wandered for quite a while before finally discovering the bathhouse.

After finishing her bath, she returned to her room and offered a prayer.

“God Igguoqueden. It seems I have worried Saint Erin due to my shortcomings. I will strive to sharpen my qualifications as a Holy Knight Plate from now on, so please bestow upon me your gentle… that.”

After her meal, she helped the people at the Cathedral fill in new supplies, just like the day before.

“What is this place…?”

Upon entering the room filled with people she hadn’t seen yesterday, a finely dressed nun greeted her politely before starting to explain carefully.

“This is a space for aiding the poor.”

“So, such a spacious area existed.”

“It was originally a place where the chronicles of the apostles following God Igguoqueden were kept.”

“What happened to those chronicles now…”

At Ophilia’s question, the nun smiled brightly and said,

“They were all burned.”

“Burned…?!”

“Yes. The apostolic travel chronicles and such are nothing but meaningless relics. What matters is not the actions of the apostles, but the act of sharing the facts with nonbelievers of God Igguoqueden at this very moment.”

The nun said this while looking at the hungry poor filling their bellies.

“It’s not the old books that matter; it’s the new day we will greet that’s important.”

“What’s important is not the records, but reality… The fact plate also relates to the relief of the poor… That’s quite a profound saying.”

Ophilia took out her notebook and eagerly wrote down everything the nun said, then asked,

“So, what is it that I can help with?”

“I would appreciate if you could help carry the items. It might seem a bit unfit for someone of your stature as a Holy Knight Plate…”

“What’s wrong with that? Everything is according to God Igguoqueden’s will. I am more than willing to do it.”

And so, while doing the chores, she took every chance she could to exercise lightly.

The most important duty of a Holy Knight Plate was to protect Saint Erin. Thus, it was only natural to strengthen her physical fitness.

As she helped with the Cathedral’s tasks, day turned to dusk before she realized it.

“Thank you for your hard work, Ophilia. I didn’t expect you to help so late…”

“Not at all. I merely did what I should. I will come again tomorrow if nothing else comes up.”

After finishing the tasks, although she could have taken a rest, Ophilia instead continued her physical training with exactly double her morning exercises—200 push-ups, 100 squats.

‘To protect the Saint and to understand the will of God, I must not be lazy even for a single day.’

Once finished, she took a bath with her fellow Holy Knights, finally being able to remove the symbol of a knight above her head—a shining circlet.

Removing the circlet meant the end of her day as a knight.

Of course, while her day as a knight was finished, her time as a monk understanding God’s will was still ongoing.

The most sacred book in the world, the Bible. Reading it until midnight was the final task of Ophilia’s day.

When the time came, she would immediately fall asleep to prepare for tomorrow.

Instead of lamenting over what she couldn’t realize, she lived in gratitude for the many realizations yet to come.

That was how Ophilia, who showed outstanding talent in swordsmanship yet somewhat lacked in intelligence, lived her life.

* * *

On a day continuing her training.

After finishing dinner, Ophilia was chatting with her fellow Holy Knights.

“Soft Pax… are you perhaps talking about the plain fact?”

“Ah, that’s right! The plain fact! I want to understand God’s plain fact. In that sense, I am curious if there was an occasion that helped you all understand God’s plain fact better.”

“It must be about the plain fact of God Igguoqueden.”

Hearing that, Luka closed his eyes and recalled that moment when he clearly sensed God looking down upon him.

Even if the path ahead was thorny, he was determined to keep looking ahead boldly without turning away.

To Luka, God Igguoqueden’s plain fact was ‘the will to move forward even when bent.’

Even if a fraught fate lay visibly before him, accepting it and striving to step into an area none could touch.

Perhaps overwhelmed by emotions, Luka barely swallowed back tears.

Ophilia, after hearing Luka’s explanation, sparkled with understanding and wrote down his words in her notebook.

“I see. The will to move forward even when bent… That’s a very meaningful and beautiful resolution. That must be the plain fact of the only God Igguoqueden…”

“Ophilia, did you write all of this down?”

“Eh? Ah.”

Unlike Linea, who appeared surprised at her notebook filled with advice from the priests regarding the plain fact of God, Ophilia spoke calmly.

“I’m rather slow when it comes to learning compared to others. It’s embarrassing, but even as a Holy Knight Plate chosen by God Igguoqueden, I still don’t fully understand what the plain fact of God is. Isn’t it only natural to work thrice as hard? So, in that regard, I am curious about your thoughts, Linea.”

“If it’s the plain fact…”

Honestly, Linea had no particular words to say.

She didn’t understand the plain fact of God Igguoqueden either.

The difference was that unlike Ophilia, who was struggling to understand, she hadn’t made any attempts to understand whatsoever.

Still, she was someone who had witnessed the plain fact of God up close more than anyone else.

‘If I hypothesize based on the appearance my mother showed…’

Since facing the Saint.

Eirene had become a devout follower of the Guoden Church, several times explaining to Linea, who was selected as a Holy Knight Plate, about the ‘plain fact of God Igguoqueden’ she felt.

To Eirene, the plain fact of God was ‘the heart to believe in someone.’ The fact of being able to trust in God and even people was the plain fact she had felt after having trusted no one.

Although Linea herself still felt uneasy about her mother’s sudden change… seeing Ophilia work so hard made her want to help, and she began to explain her experiences.

“I see. The heart to trust someone… Could it really be God Igguoqueden? I sense a commonality in what you both said, but I can’t quite explain it…”

“Only after hearing your words about commonality, did I recall… could it be that God Igguoqueden referred to the virtues that humans ought to uphold as ‘the fact plate’?”

“…!”

“The will to not give up. The heart that wishes to believe. Both are very important values.”

At Luka’s explanation, Ophilia nodded eagerly.

“That’s right! The plain fact of God is the virtues humans must uphold…! I struggled too much trying to sum it up in one word, and I’m so glad you’re here, Luka!”

“If the virtue is indeed the answer, then perhaps it makes a little sense why you described it as ‘the fact plate’. Virtues cannot be defined by a single value.”

With Linea chiming in, Luka felt a bit shy and fidgeted with his ribbon.

“Well… still, I’ve only just been appointed as a Holy Knight Plate, so since I am learning too, I hope you can gain your own realizations, Ophilia.”

“Yep! Leave it to me!”

That day, they spent late hours studying the words of God Igguoqueden together with her fellow Holy Knights.

Thinking of all of it as training, Ophilia willingly devoted her time.

Not wanting to disappoint the Saint Erin and God Igguoqueden who had appointed her as a Holy Knight Plate, she was determined to understand God’s will with her abilities—just that.

* * *

On the sixth night.

Having finished her daily tasks, Ophilia closed her eyes once again and slowly offered a prayer.

“God Igguoqueden. Today too, I have prepared my body and mind to study your words. Please allow me to feel the subtle fact.”

Only after feeling assured that her body and mind were sufficiently prepared did she cautiously begin to read the Bible filled with the words of God.

“Let’s see. According to the bookmark, today seems to be the third chapter of Sanctified Power.”

A minor issue was that she couldn’t exactly remember which part of the Bible she’d read after waking up.

But that was okay. If she didn’t remember, she just had to read it again.

“Right. It was the plain fact. I forgot again. This lacking memory must also be a trial from God. If I don’t remember, I just have to read it again.”

After diligently skimming through Genesis, she finally focused her attention on the Sanctified Power.

“Holy Power Pouch… I’ve heard it’s very important multiple times, but it seems to be even more significant than I imagined.”

Ophilia slowly brushed her hand over her chest.

The bouncy feeling of her well-formed, large breasts from exercise was relayed through her fingertips.

I wonder if this size is alright? No matter how I think about it, it seems a bit lacking compared to Saint Erin…

‘No. Even if it’s lacking, stopping my efforts wouldn’t align with God’s will. I’ll just have to double my training if my Holy Power Pouch is insufficient.’

Thus, until just before sleeping, she studied the words of God Igguoqueden and maintained a strict sleeping schedule.

Living a life similar to a machine, Ophilia finally managed to maintain it perfectly for a week.

* * *

The next morning.

“Alright.”

During the time at the Cathedral, she tirelessly studied about the Guoden Church and the doctrines of God Igguoqueden.

She never neglected to train alongside her fellow Holy Knights too.

Having put in this much effort, surely God wouldn’t deny me that gentle…

Holding onto that hope, she carefully approached Saint Erin.

“…You’ve come.”

For some reason, Erin’s expression was very dark, but Ophilia didn’t pry and instead immediately bowed to show her respect.

“Yes, Saint. I have been diligently studying the words of God Igguoqueden. Now, I feel I can receive the God’s smooth—”

“…plain fact, I mean.”

“I’m sorry. I keep forgetting. However, I believe that now I can accept the plain fact of God Igguoqueden. Would you please give me one more chance?”

“That…”

At Ophilia’s words, Erin fell back into contemplation.

This time too, she wouldn’t be able to accept the plain fact.

The words of God written in the Bible were absolute.

Yet, even so, was it really right to honestly express this to her? After a week of deliberation—

‘Ophilia is someone chosen by God. There must be a reason for it. To lie to someone chosen by God is equivalent to lying to God himself.’

Given her position, naturally, she couldn’t lie to God Igguoqueden, so she was left with no choice but to speak honestly.

“Well… it seems that, unfortunately, Ophilia will find it impossible to accept the plain fact due to a fundamental lack of understanding…”

—Words that could sound far too cruel for a novice monk striving to reach the level others had easily arrived at.