Rise of the OtherGod Apostle: Not a Cult Leader, but a Serf?!

#057Reader Mode

#057

Athanas had inadvertently overlooked an important detail in his plan.

He knew people loved revelations from ‘Valentine’ and wasted time gossiping about love and ruin, but he had no interest in such matters. He found the obsession with these love dramas to be a colossal waste of time. Anytime someone tried to drag him into such frivolous chatter, he’d steer them towards something—anything—more productive.

Unsurprisingly, this tactic made such topics almost nonexistent in his presence.

However, what Athanas hadn’t accounted for was just how ravenous gossipmongers were for any morsel of ‘love’ gossip.

“Guess what everyone!!! Athanas received a revelation from Valentine!!”

Sereno’s announcement sent the entire lounge into a frenzy.

“Valentine? He got a revelation from Valentine?!”

“Who’s caught his eye? A man? A woman?”

“It can’t be someone from here, can it?”

The news spread like wildfire in a dry meadow, especially with winter dragging on and boredom at its peak for the spirited youths. Suddenly, everyone was abuzz, their hunger for details insatiable.

Seizing the moment, Sereno leaped onto a makeshift stage of stacked crates, like a modern-day Pied Piper of gossip.

Aside from a select few who couldn’t be bothered, the crowd, numbering just over a dozen, swarmed around Sereno like bees to honey.

“Quiet! We can’t let this matter get out! And our job isn’t to play matchmaker for Athanas!”

“So, what’s the plan, then?”

“…We’re going to bully Athanas!”

The buzz in the room intensified, drawing in even those who’d initially kept their distance, now eager for the juicy drama.

“Bully Athanas? How? Are we supposed to rough him up, and he just plays along?”

“But how does that connect to Valentine’s revelation? Did the revelation say his true love would save him from bullies?”

Sereno then shared the details of Athanas’s first meeting with the man and the lie he’d told, causing a variety of reactions to ripple through the crowd.

“…So Athanas went that far just to grab his attention? He really must have received a revelation.”

“More importantly, who’s going to be the instigator? Is it a case of first come, first serve? Then, it’ll be me!!”

The rush to play the main antagonist, the one who’d get to ‘bully’ Athanas the most, almost sparked a brawl right then and there, thanks to the rush of eager volunteers. Just as impromptu duels were breaking out to settle the issue, Athanas strolled into the lounge.

“…What’s all the commotion about?” he asked, oblivious to the chaos he’d unleashed.

One of the contenders, who had been lying on the floor after a defeat, sprang to his feet and tried to play it off. “Oh, just a friendly spar, nothing serious.”

“I see,” Athanas said, unconvinced. “Sereno filled you in, huh? Well, I have something to say about that matter.”

The room fell silent, and all eyes were on him.

Athanas cleared his throat. “…After some thought, I’ve decided I don’t need your help after all.”

“Huh?”

“What do you mean?!”

“But I was winning!”

Athanas sighed. “I appreciate the enthusiasm, but if you all got involved, you’d probably investigate the person in question and risk exposing my lie. I can’t let that happen.”

“No turning back now! We’re all in this together!”

“Yeah! How can we ignore such a juicy story? Even if you bail, we’re still on board!”

“…It’s never too late to find another solution.”

“Well, what are you planning to do?”

As they threw ideas back and forth, Athanas found himself having to sway the group—sometimes with a bit of muscle—to see things his way.

Sereno hopped down from his makeshift stage. “I’ve got it! I’ll swear on it! An oath sounds good, doesn’t it?” Placing his hand over his heart, he declared, “Right here, right now, we’ll all swear an oath. Break the oath, and enjoy wearing ‘traitor’ like a badge on your forehead for the day!”

“…You’re really willing to go that far to help with this?”

“Of course! Valentine is a god under Order, isn’t he? As paladins, it’s our duty to uphold the gods’ words and revelations. As long as it doesn’t defy the Lord’s teachings, we should help each other out!”

Athanas couldn’t help but roll his eyes at that nonsense.

The oath idea seemed more like a ploy than a real solution to him.

A ‘punishment’ that merely brands ‘traitor’ on your brow for a day hardly seemed like it would stop anyone. There’d surely be a lineup ready to take that gamble.

Unless he turned back time to keep Sereno’s mouth shut, curiosity about ‘Fabio’ was inevitable.

But then again…

…Perhaps such a sloppy, careless approach could actually break down his defenses.

Fabio was an extremely wary person.

He seemed most at ease when Athanas showed clumsy and naïve appearance.

The more Athanas diverged from the version of him Fabio remembered, the more likely he was to lower his guard.

Confronted with someone utterly unlike the ‘Athanas’ he knew, Fabio’s reaction could shift dramatically.

If he wasn’t very guarded, it meant the person wasn’t memorable, but heightened alertness meant that person was ‘memorable.’

More information was needed.

“If you’re going that far… I’ll ask for your cooperation.”

“Great! Now, how shall we harass you? Beat you up in front of him?” Sereno asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“…No.”

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

The moment I stepped into the library branch, the atmosphere had taken a complete 180 from the quiet of yesterday.

This place is buzzing today.

Around me, several people in clergy robes were bustling between shelves, jotting notes on wax tablets. Looked like the librarians were in full swing, managing the collection.

Guess even a branch like this needs more than just one librarian.

In a world without the convenience of computers, librarians had to manually organize everything—figuring out which books were new and where each should go. I figured a place like this needed at least six librarians to keep it running smoothly.

A simple numbering system for the books would make their lives so much easier.

After Christmas, I’m definitely bringing up the Dewey Decimal System. Though, for all I know, the [Rider of Civilization]’s chosen Apostle might’ve already mentioned it…

But this many people around, why do I still need to wake him up?

Mulling this over, I headed upstairs and found Athanas getting up from his seat, looking like he’d been waiting for me.

“Fabio!”

As Athanas called out my name, I couldn’t help but feel all the curious eyes in the room turn to look at us.

Keep it down in the library, you lunatic.

I frowned and gave him the universal ‘shush,’ pressing a finger to my lips.

Athanas copied the motion, then blinked in confusion. “…What does this hand signal mean?”

Oops.

I mentally facepalmed.

Right, different world, different rules.

Even going abroad, the meaning of gestures changes, so in a completely different world, the likelihood of this gesture having the same meaning was incredibly low.

“…It’s a way to say ‘be quiet.’ Back home in my village, everyone uses it, but it looks like it’s not a thing here in the capital.”

“Aha. A signal for covering the mouth. We express it like this.” Athanas demonstrated, pressing his four fingers to his lips—a gesture that seemed pretty straightforward.

Looks like I’ve got a lot to learn here…

“But why do we need to be quiet?” Athanas asked.

“Because we’re in a library.”

And people are staring because we’re being loud.

The curious glances thrown our way were a clear sign we’d become the center of attention.

I settled into a chair, cracking open a book to read. Athanas, however, didn’t seem to have any intention of going to sleep just yet.

It doesn’t look like he’s going to read a book either…

Curious, I glanced up to find him lost in thought.

Well, it’s none of my business if he’s not sleeping.

There’s no rule saying you have to spend all your time in the library sleeping.

It’s fine as long as he doesn’t ask me for advice on his problems.

“…Fabio. May I ask you something?”

“No.”

“Why must we keep our voices down in here?”

Didn’t I just say no?

Even the question he asked was ridiculous.

Silence is golden in the library.

Isn’t that common knowledge?

“To avoid disturbing others who are here to read.”

“…It’s disturbing, I see.”

Doesn’t this guy only come to the library to sleep?

You’d think he’d only be here because the silence is perfect for sleeping.

I couldn’t help but be baffled…

I tried to refocus on my book, but then something hit me that I hadn’t realized before.

…Antonio was fascinated by me reading silently.

He didn’t get how I could read without mumbling the words.

At first, I chalked it up to Antonio’s limited world view, seeing as he was just a simple bell ringer.

But turns out Antonio was actually an archbishop.

He gave me an astrolabe he received during his archbishop ordination, so he’s definitely at least an archbishop, maybe even a cardinal.

If the concept of silent reading blew the mind of someone as high-ranking as him, it suggested that the skill was rare, even among those in the Order.

…So, are libraries supposed to be noisy places in this world?

Could it be that everyone normally reads out loud, and the only reason this place is quiet is because of its emptiness?

Is the hushed atmosphere of libraries not a rule but an exception?

My gaze drifted to Athanas, who had dozed off with his chin propped lazily on his hand.

…Did he think my earlier comment was strange?

Perhaps the very act of silent reading felt odd to him.

…Well, what can I do if he finds it strange?

The worst outcome: he snitches to an inquisitor, and the complaint lands on Casimir’s desk. I’d probably just get mild scolding to read aloud like everyone else in the future.

But seriously, I’ve got to watch every single word I say here.

Trying to blend into this world is like tiptoeing through a minefield, particularly when something as fundamental as library silence isn’t a standard. It’s got me second-guessing every piece of ‘common knowledge’ that might not be so common here after all.

…Thankfully, Elamin knows my position, so he’s got my back if I slip up.

Everyone else might find it odd but wouldn’t make much of it.

I was more determined than ever to avoid getting sucked into a long conversation with Athanas.

But how am I supposed to know when to wake you if you just nod off like that?

A little note saying [Please wake me up at noon] would have been super helpful. Now what am I supposed to do, huh?

I really shouldn’t have agreed to this.

I already regretted it.

Saying yes to this wake-up duty meant I had to stick around, and honestly, I should’ve just passed—no matter how much he insisted…

As the uncomfortable minutes ticked by, the noon bell finally rang. I nudged Athanas awake, and he stirred before I could even shake him twice.

“…Ah, you’re up.”

“Thank you. I was worried I’d oversleep again.” He yawned, rubbing his eyes.

He didn’t seem too deep in dreamland this time around.

“No problem.” I said, trying to sound nonchalant. “Well, I’m off to grab some lunch.”

“Fabio, do you have someone to eat with…?”

“Yes, I do.” I quickly cut him off and made a beeline for the door.

Sorry, Athanas, but keeping my distance is priority number one till Christmas.

I had pretty much thrown in the towel on maintaining a good reputation with just Athanas. Staying away from him was top priority.

…And if he’s really being ostracized, it’s not like he can drag my name through the mud anyway.

Well, there is a bit of strategy behind it, too.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

The second Fabio was out of sight, three people immediately huddled around Athanas.

“Man, isn’t it obvious? His entire body is practically screaming keep your distance.”

“Yeah, and when was the last time you saw someone read a book in complete silence?”

“Which family does he belong to, really? He’s probably got some talisman to hide his true hair color…”

Athanas kept quiet for a moment before replying, “…He said he’s of serf origin.”

The three friends exchanged skeptical glances, then all scrunched their noses in unison.

“No way, that’s too far-fetched.”

“Is that his cryptic way of saying ‘mind your own business’?”

Being born to serf parents doesn’t close off the path to the clergy.

There’ve been numerous cases of promising youngsters being recommended to join the priesthood by an observant bell ringer or local priest.

But those are usually cases about young children. It’s quite rare for adults to suddenly enter the religious life out of the blue.

Though being a reader isn’t exactly a formal clergy role…

“If he’s truly from a serf background and has become a reader… why would he even bother with books?”

“And why would he tell such a lie?”

“Is he trying to keep his lineage hidden?”

“…Could he be a bastard child?”

Being born with divine lineage but not within the sanctity of marriage places one in a precarious position. To officially acknowledge such a child in the family records, the head of the household would have to perform a hefty penance sacrifice.

However, if the illegitimate child is a boy, a common workaround was to declare him deceased shortly after birth and then quietly raise him out of the public eye.

The logic behind this is straightforward.

Paying for a penance sacrifice is seen as an unnecessary expense, leading only to financial loss for the family.

While a daughter could potentially continue the family line, a son is fated to leave the household upon receiving ordination. A body blessed with divine lineage is prime material for holy relics. Even a mere fragment of their flesh, which would otherwise decay, holds the power to sanctify the land it rests upon.

But once someone takes vows as a reader, their body belongs to the Order.

All readers are buried within the Order’s grounds after death, offering no return on a family’s investment.

So, why not raise them in the shadows, ensuring their remains, at least, stay within the family?

…This was a practice quietly adopted by several families.