The World I Was Supporting Was Real - Chapter 67



67. Common People

After the conference, the Demon Lord, cooperating with Eirene, drafted the proclamation together.

During the drafting process, what the Demon Lord drank the most of was warmed milk.

In the process of removing luxury goods, the Imperial Family also came to drink the same milk as the common people, but it seemed to suit the Demon Lord’s palate quite well.

A few days later.

An imperial proclamation was announced, allowing the demon race to freely enter and exit a designated area near the dungeon.

The implementation date was three days after the proclamation was issued.

Certainly, public opinion wasn’t bad. Most of the citizens of the capital city who had actually faced the Demon King directly welcomed the measure.

And not just the vassals inclined towards the God-Chosen Order, but even those who weren’t, saw that yielding a bit of territory was better for them than war. There was no real need to oppose it.

After all, if they antagonized the Demon King like they used to, hundreds, maybe thousands of soldiers would die again in battle with the demons. The citizens, who were just starting to recover from the plague and high taxes, couldn’t afford that kind of loss. It would be devastating.

If they were thinking of challenging the Emperor and the Empire, they might harbor different intentions – but right now, the Emperor had the strong support of the entire religious establishment and many citizens.

You could justify overthrowing a tyrant by establishing a new order, but how many vassals would have the guts to depose an Emperor who was increasingly acting and being perceived like a wise ruler?

But.

The problem wasn’t the people in the capital city, but the people near the dungeon entrance.

“So, we’re the ones who have to endure the demon aura, huh?”

“They promised no harm unless it was that. Looks like they’re dealing with a life or death thing over there. His Majesty seems to be giving us all sorts of support too.”

“I know that much. It’s not that I’m disrespecting His Majesty’s will or anything…it’s just…something…”

The people who had to deal with demons directly.

Those who had been antagonizing the demons until just recently, who now, due to a sudden decree, had to live alongside them as neighbors – they couldn’t exactly welcome this measure wholeheartedly.

Demon Aura. According to the explanatory document jointly written by the Emperor and the Demon King, it only caused a slight feeling of unease, and wouldn’t cause any harm to the human body.

They were emitting demon aura just by breathing, and they’d die without sunlight—since their lives were so important, we should understand, even if it’s a little uncomfortable for us, right? But then again—

Honestly, it was a bit complicated, that was the raw reality.

The demon lord’s concern was precisely this point.

It was the decisive reason why he had argued, ‘If we keep unilaterally giving, humans might grow weary someday. That’s why we must reciprocate as much as possible.’

Yet, despite the unilateral decision, the opinions of the people in the borderlands of the dungeon didn’t drastically worsen or become confused, but rather remained positive –

“It’s okay. It’s Lord Igugwodeon’s will, they say.”

“Didn’t the priests come just recently and help with the village reconstruction as free volunteers? If it weren’t for that, we wouldn’t even be able to eat, and would have died long ago.”

“There must be a reason for Lord Igugwodeon’s blunt truth, whatever it is.”

—Intense support for the monotheistic god Igugwodeon and the religious community, including the Saint Erin.

It was because the people felt the love of God with their whole bodies.

The countless relief activities carried out without expecting anything in return, under the slogan, ‘A platter of facts for the non-believers too!’ were finally shining through.

In this situation, the implementation date finally approached, and—

Humans and demons were beginning, in earnest, on a path of coexistence that no one in the history of the continent had ever walked.

* * *

“…….”

Having finished reading the manga, I scratched the back of my head, suddenly feeling embarrassed for no reason.

[Igugwodeon: Hey]

[Eegwogeodeon: I didn’t exactly sponsor her thinking I had to show some love or anything]

[Eegwogeodeon: It’s just… I did it because it was fun]

I’d figured the author sucking me into this comic world was just something I was getting used to now.

But this blatant treatment of me as some incredibly benevolent god… it felt good, but mostly I just felt embarrassed.

Because, frankly, I didn’t think I was as exceptionally good as the characters in the comic were claiming.

Originally, the very first reason I decided to help Erin was because she was cute-

And I kept sponsoring her because I was chasing that dopamine hit from being able to pull the strings.

But, on this point, the author spoke with a very firm attitude.

[GiveMeMoney: That’s not true]

[GiveMeMoney: A god’s power is the strength to do anything]

[GiveMeMoney: It can illuminate the world, but at the same time, it’s a power that can destroy it]

[Eegwogeodeon: LOL no, I’m just sponsoring for fun too… ]

[GiveMeMoney: Even so, it’s a fact that our world is gradually getting better because of your sponsorships]

[GiveMeMoney: The corrupt religious circles that were only focused on political strife have been completely turned around, and now they’ve harmonized with the empire]

[GiveMeMoney: Many people are smiling happily thanks to you, Eegwogeodeon]

[ GiveMeMoney: So, Mr. Igwogwodun, it’s no exaggeration to say you’re bestowing love on us ]

Is…that so?

They’re praising me so openly, it’s kinda embarrassing.

Well… it’s a comic anyway, no need to overthink it, I should just enjoy being complimented, right?

[ Igwogwodun: Haha, yeah, be grateful you met a god ]

[ GiveMeMoney: Of course. Always grateful, Mr. Igwogwodun ]

Saying that made me feel kinda awkward, so to clear my head I paused the conversation and scrolled up.

The panel my eyes landed on was a huge shot of Eirene, apron on, rattle in hand, about to offer a lap pillow.

‘Ha…’

Lately-

From noble mtl dot com

When I get bored, I re-read the earlier episodes of this comic.

The biggest reason is Erin. Erin’s art style, it’s getting unbelievably beautiful with each passing day.

Erin was a real beauty even in the comic. Of course, since they’re all comic characters, they were all pretty, cute girls – but still, she was one of the two who seemed to have extra effort poured into her.

Was that why?

Before the comic gets uploaded, going back and re-reading just the parts with Erin had become my hobby.

Just now, I mentioned one of the two.

The other one was Eirene.

Not only did she always steal the scene whenever she appeared, but she also threw a fastball straight into my strike zone in terms of appearance.

Among the characters in the story, she was the only one most closely related to the ‘me’ in reality.

Even now, I can’t keep up with the madness of the author who created a character based on me just because I paid.

The fact that I was asked to fill out a questionnaire was probably because they didn’t want the character’s personality or speech to be off.

It was a bit embarrassing to say it myself, but not only did she look like me, but she also thoroughly depicted the actions and speech I would have taken in certain situations, which made it much easier to immerse myself.

Anyway-

Eirene suddenly playing the role of a mother??

The recipient was the Demon King-chan, but some of the cuts were from the Demon King’s perspective, so the immersion was no joke.

That’s right. The Demon King-chan.

I didn’t expect them to make her a little girl just because I asked for a persuasive appearance.

I expected her to take on a human form, but I thought it would be a succubus-type older sister Demon King.

In fact, such a young girl wasn’t really my taste-

But regardless of that, it was still nice to see a cute child doing cute things.

The little *squeak squeak* with every step is cute, and those tiny wings, they just make you want to reach out, stroke them, protect them, y’know? That kind of feeling?

Still, kinda feel bad for turning her into a kid, but –

she’s getting all this love from the villagers and seems to be healing up herself… so maybe this is a good thing after all.

[I_Guoguo_Done: Eirene really went hard this chapter… Good work, it was so fun]

[I_Guoguo_Done: This is what a comic is, haha. Mommy Empress is so damn good, fr]

[I_Guoguo_Done: The God is very, very satisfied with this installment, ㅇㅇ]

[Gimme_Money: It’s only natural that Eirene follows the God’s will so deeply.]

[Gimme_Money: Glad you’re happy.]

[I_Guoguo_Done: And her chest is huge, too, is the Emperor’s pocket crazy or what? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[I_Guoguo_Done: We can see the naked apron too, right???? I’m waiting, I’m already hyped]

[Gimme_Money: I see.]

[Gimme_Money: I will try my best to observe that.]

Huh?

They’re kinda… subdued with the reactions.

Normally, it’d be something like, “It is a great pleasure that I_Guoguo_Done is satisfied with the Empress’s plentiful pockets,” or “Eirene is a woman who loves I_Guoguo_Done, and she will surely show a response that is beyond even a naked apron soon enough without further prompting,” acting shameless while saying all the stuff he himself drew.

‘So, this time you’re the one who’s shy?’

Well, it’s not really that important of a question, so I guess I can let it slide.

There was something else I really wanted to ask anyway.

[LeeGwaGweoDeon : By the way, I keep seeing the word “magi” pop up here]

[LeeGwaGweoDeon : Is it something that has that bad of an effect on humans?]

[GiveMeSomeMoney : Rather than having a bad effect… It’s just like what the Demon Lord said, you feel a fundamental discomfort]

[GiveMeSomeMoney : Just being affected by magi makes you feel nauseous or just generally unwell.]

[LeeGwaGweoDeon : So why hasn’t the Demon Lord been emitting magi?]

[GiveMeSomeMoney : It’s simple. It’s the ‘power of God’. Through the power of God, the Demon Lord’s magi has been altered so that humans don’t feel unpleasant.]

[GiveMeSomeMoney : Not only that, the fact that the Demon Lord doesn’t take offense to being treated like a child is also because the world has added an element that helps with ‘communication’.]

[GiveMeSomeMoney : After going to the trouble of creating an appearance that’s so persuasive, if they were to become hostile towards humans, that would be going against God’s will.]

I see.

So, the reason why humans are instinctively wary of demons isn’t just because they’re ugly and hard to communicate with, but because they emit magi that humans find repulsive.

Thinking about the Demon Lord expressing concern like that, it made me wonder if that might be the most fundamental reason.

From the demons’ perspective, it’s something they need to survive, and so maybe it’s true that humans should accept it from a broader perspective –

‘Because there are definitely people who suffer losses in their own domains for the sake of a greater cause.’

Sure, people in the capital city might find the Demon Lord kinda cute in person, and since they live a bit away from the dungeon entrance, it’s easy for them to talk…

But for those who have to coexist with demons right near the dungeon entrance, it definitely wouldn’t have been something they could just easily accept.

The comic captured that part really well too.

No matter how much yielding aligns with what’s right and virtuous—the act of yielding itself should never be taken for granted, that’s what I think.

After all, yielding is a noble act. It’s about enduring monetary, temporal, and emotional losses for the sake of others, isn’t it?

I wanted to acknowledge that ‘nobility of ordinary people’.

Like the people who pour their youth into a cause even when no one recognizes it—after all, the world ends up spinning thanks to people like that.

If you don’t recognize their hard work, things are bound to go wrong.

Of course.

The villagers are just, well, extras.

Even the people in the capital are extras, so to spend money for people who appear in one panel of a comic and toss out a line without even a name?

It might be a bit funny, but—

‘Still, the author said that the world’s getting better thanks to me.’

And even the extras were saying that they understand because of me.

So, yeah.

Even if I’m just an extra, there are some things you can’t just let slide.

Maybe in the real world, giving way doesn’t get you acknowledged—

—but, at least, in this world I’m in, I wasn’t going to let it be that way.

A god, if they’re worthy of the title, should be able to care for those they can’t even see!

And even if it wasn’t just for that reason—

‘If scenes keep coming up where they’re all uncomfortable with the “magi” crap, in the end, it’s *me* who’ll feel like I’m choking on sweet potatoes, right?’

Even the demon lord-chan who finally became human and came looking for me all *bloop bloop*, might be lost and sad.

To prevent a situation like that, and just get pure *fun* out of this, I needed to step in *now.*

[Eegu-Godon : So]

[Eegu-Godon : If we just fix the magi thing, it’s all good?]

[GimmeMoneyPlz : That’s about right]

[GimmeMoneyPlz : But touching the magi is still shaking the very foundation of things, so I think it would need a huge amount of godly power]

[Eegu-Godon : No, I don’t mean like completely remodel it… that’d make it hard for the demonfolk to adapt too]

[Eegu-Godon : Just… let’s erase the unpleasantness.]

[EgoGodDamn: So, if everything else stays the same, and we just remove the unpleasantness humans feel, how much would that cost?]

[GiveMeMoneyPlz: For that level of adjustment, I’d estimate it’ll take about 73,000 won worth of divine power.]

‘What, that’s a steal?’

The thought surfaced before I even realized I’d had it, and a snort naturally followed.

73,000 won. It was cheaper than I expected, yeah, but it was like the feeling of spending money had just… shut down.

At first, I was only throwing out thousand-won punches, for crying out loud.

Still, compared to the cost of drawing these comics every single day, it was still cheap. So—

I placed my hand on the number pad without a single worry.

“There must be a reason for EgoGodDamn’s blunt facts, right?”

That’s right, nameless farmer.

There’s a reason for everything, and because of that, the gods aren’t gonna miss you guys either.

[EgoGodDamn (Donation/ 80,000 won/ It’s annoying to get change, so I’ll give it to you just right)]

[EgoGodDamn: Gotta… normalize the magic, right?]

The gods will take care of it all.