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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: A God in Tattered Clothes
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After everyone had finished dinner together.
"I'm so tired now, honeybee..."
Lee Su-bin stood alone at the sink, humming a tune as she did the dishes.
"Tired of waiting, honeybee..."
"Your Highness."
"This night is just too, too long alone..."
"Your Highness?"
Finally noticing the presence behind her, Lee Su-bin jumped in surprise and looked at Iriel, who was standing right behind her back.
"Oh, how long have you been there...?"
A quick glance revealed that she had brought over the remaining plates from the dining table, neatly stacked.
Iriel soon placed the stack of plates neatly beside the sink and spoke.
"Your Highness, forgive my presumption, but from now on, I would be grateful if you would entrust me with minor chores like washing the dishes and cleaning."
To that, Lee Su-bin replied, "It's alright," adding with a fresh smile.
"You must still be confused about everything, so just get some rest for now."
"But..."
"Hmm, if you really feel uncomfortable, you can at least keep me company while I do the dishes."
After standing there with a blank expression for a moment, Iriel broke into a gentle smile and replied politely.
"Yes, Your Highness."
A silence fell between the two, punctuated only by the clattering of dishes for a short while.
"The Lord, like you, Your Highness, was never one for formalities and always treated his subjects and people with ease."
"Is that so?"
"I always wondered how he could be that way, but I suppose it must be a trait of the imperial family."
At those words, Lee Su-bin nodded a few times, glancing sideways at Iriel's face.
*Hmm, this young lady is really into her role-playing, too...*
Lee Su-bin guessed that they had started this "role-play" after getting trapped in the Gate, as a way to forget the terrible fear and dread, even for a moment.
That they had no other way to cope with the terror and had to immerse themselves so deeply in this role-play...
"Your Highness, forgive my presumption, but do you happen to know what kind of emperor the Lord was?"
"I've only heard bits and pieces, so I don't know much. From what I've heard, he seems to have been a great emperor..."
"The Lord was a man who lacked nothing to be called a *sage king*."
Then, she continued in a calm tone.
"It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Lord's very existence was the 'order' and 'law' of the entire world."
"Huh?"
"Furthermore, you could say he was a far more absolute being than any 'religion' or 'god'."
At that, Lee Su-bin immediately turned her head slightly to look at her younger brother, who was playing with her daughter with an exhausted look on his face.
"Princess, here's eight thousand won..."
Starting with his haphazardly messy hair, his expression seemed completely listless for some reason.
And then there was his old, worn-out t-shirt with a stretched-out collar, paired with shorts from a nearby gym that had no business being in the house.
At the very least, he looked like someone who didn't fit with rigid words like 'order' or 'law' in the slightest.
Especially with grandiose words like 'religion' or 'god'—it felt like he should be classified in a completely different category.
"Pfft."
Lee Su-bin, who had let out a laugh without realizing it, glanced back at Iriel and continued.
"Maybe it's because he's my little brother, the one I piggybacked and raised since he was a kid, but the idea of him being a god-like being doesn't really sink in."
"Is that so?"
"If Kang-jun was such a divine being, people would have probably offered prayers to him and everything, wouldn't they?"
Finishing her sentence, Lee Su-bin chuckled again, "Keuk," and then, pushing it further, asked again.
"Then maybe there are tons of temples with full-body statues or busts of Kang-jun, am I right?"
It was just a question asked playfully without much thought...
But the response she received was nothing but serious.
"Your Highness, your insight is remarkable."
"Huh?"
"Indeed, it was a sharp deduction."
"What?"
Iriel then began to explain methodically in a calm, composed voice.
"As you said, Your Highness, countless people do offer 'prayers' and 'worship' to the Lord."
"Wow, really...?"
"Also, the number of temples built across the continent to serve the Lord and commemorate his great deeds exceeds several hundred."
"Whoa, that's insane..."
Lee Su-bin then muttered under her breath, just loud enough for herself to hear, "Is this modeled after North Korea...?"
*I think I heard that North Koreans firmly believe their Supreme Leader can turn grains of sand into cooked rice and pinecones into grenades...*
Of course, it was just a fictional empire that existed only in their imaginations, but it was clear that it was even more extreme than North Korea, certainly not less.
Letting out another small laugh, Lee Su-bin gave a slight shrug and asked.
"So, were there no other religions in that empire?"
"Several religions existed, but all their lines have been severed."
"Did Kang-jun, like, eradicate the other religions?"
"No, the Lord did not personally suppress any religions."
"Hmm, then why did they all die out?"
"Everyone simply stopped worshiping other gods."
When Lee Su-bin asked quizzically, "Why?" Iriel once again added a methodical explanation.
"No god offers direct salvation. They don't even reveal themselves once to their believers and followers, merely demanding endless faith and worship."
"Hmm, isn't that pretty much the same for all religions?"
"But the Lord stepped forward himself to grant salvation. He put an end to a war that seemed like it would never end and protected the continent from foreign invasions time and time again."
After she finished speaking, Iriel paused for a moment before continuing with what she had been holding back.
"Furthermore, he reigned as emperor for hundreds of years, achieving a great number of unbelievably magnificent feats..."
"Ah..."
"I believe that no matter how devout the believer, they would naturally come to serve the 'Lord' rather than some pathetic god whose very existence is questionable."
Iriel then began to slowly trace back her past memories, which had been submerged deep beneath the surface of her recollection.
*It was truly a spectacular sight.*
Devout believers and priests of various religions took it upon themselves to tear down the *divine statues* modeled after the gods they served.
And in their place, busts or full-body statues of the Lord, crafted by the continent's most skilled artisans, were erected...
Historians, without receiving any specific orders, published and distributed books documenting the Lord's life and achievements under the title of *Sacred Scripture*.
*Come to think of it, it was around that time, wasn't it?*
Around that time, my Lord had finally reached the realm of a '9th-Circle Necromancer', a level everyone had called a wall.
And as if to repay the faith of the many, he began to effortlessly accomplish things everyone thought impossible at an even faster pace.
A moment of silence passed.
Having finished the dishes, Lee Su-bin took off her rubber gloves and asked again in a dry tone.
"Then wouldn't everyone really hate Kang-jun?"
"Pardon?"
"The gods, I mean. The ones who had their followers and believers stolen."
At that, Iriel slowly nodded and replied.
"I believe they likely all harbor intense envy and jealousy toward the Lord."
"I knew it, right?"
"Of course, that's only if those '*gods*' actually exist."
Just as Lee Su-bin was flicking the water from her hands and about to ask, "Would you like some fruit?"
[ I'm so tired now, honeybee~ ]
[ Tired of waiting, honeybee~ ]
The phone, sitting by itself on the corner of the dining table, suddenly began to ring.
"Huh, who could be calling at this hour?"
Muttering to herself, Lee Su-bin hastily wiped her wet hands on her t-shirt and immediately checked the caller ID.
"Huh? Why is the convenience store owner calling at this hour...?"
Lee Su-bin answered the call and spoke with the person on the other end for a moment.
"To-to-tomorrow-?"
Startled, Lee Su-bin's gaze shifted to Crabslie's face as he opened his door and stepped out just then.
"Your Highness, is there something you wished to say to me...?"
Lee Su-bin held up her palm as if to ask him to wait a moment, then replied to the person on the phone in a very polite tone.
"Yes, sir. I'll let the elder know that the interview at the convenience store is scheduled for three p.m. tomorrow. If anything changes..."
After replying "Yes, yes," a few more times, Lee Su-bin nodded once and spoke again.
"Yes, sir. Thank you for always looking out for us."
After ending the call, Lee Su-bin muttered, "Oh my, what do I do..." and immediately added.
"Eoreushin, would you be able to go for an interview tomorrow?"
"Pardon?"
"The interview for the part-time job at the convenience store I mentioned before."
Meanwhile, Kim Bong-gu lay on the hospital bed, thinking.
*What in the world is going on?*
After luckily making it back alive from the disaster-grade Gate, he had been surrounded by stationed reporters.
Overwhelmed by the barrage of questions that went on for a long time, he could only ramble incoherently...
In the end, with the Bureau's help, he was admitted free of charge to a 'VIP room' in a hospital exclusively for Awakeners.
Of course, Kim Bong-gu had adamantly refused, saying he wasn't injured seriously enough to be hospitalized...
But it was due to the persistent recommendation of a Bureau official, who insisted he should get a detailed checkup just in case he had internal injuries, even if he looked fine on the outside.
Kim Bong-gu, who had been blinking blankly, began to look around the spacious hospital room.
"They call it a hospital room, but it's way nicer than my place."
Beyond one of the floor-to-ceiling glass walls, the night view of downtown Seoul and the Han River was clearly visible.
The floor was also beautifully finished with luxurious-looking marble.
Just then, the thought of his mother, who was hospitalized in a 'multi-patient room' in a coma, suddenly made his heart feel heavy.
"I wonder how much a room like this costs per day?"
Just as Kim Bong-gu was muttering to himself in a low voice.
Creeak—.
The hospital room door suddenly opened, and a 'middle-aged man' in a neat suit appeared.
"Probably three million won."
The man replied in a dignified tone, placing a fruit basket and a beverage set he had brought onto the bedside table.
"A small discount may apply depending on the length of the stay, but from what I understand, the discount amount isn't particularly significant."
Meanwhile, instead of replying, Kim Bong-gu could only widen his eyes.
"May I sit for a moment?"
Kim Bong-gu swallowed dryly and asked, his voice trembling like an aspen leaf.
"B-Bureau Director Seo Do-cheol?"
The visitor who had come to his room so suddenly, without any warning...
"We meet again."
Was the Bureau's highest authority, 'Bureau Director Seo Do-cheol'.
