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

#059Reader Mode

#059

“Excuse me, do you have a moment? There’s something I’d like to discuss with you…”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

“Huh?”

I bowed my head slightly, trying to get around the guy with the melona¹T/N: “Melona,” is a popular Korean melon-flavored ice cream. It’s used here to describe Sereno’s hair color. Think of pistachio green. hair who was blocking my path, but he stepped right in front of me again.

“Wait, just a second! I just need a moment of your time!”

“…I’m not sure what you want to ask, but I doubt I’m the one you’re looking for. I’m pretty new around here at the Cathedral. Maybe someone else could help?”

“But it’s you I need to speak with!”

I stopped in my tracks, a frown forming on my face. “Look, if you’re here to convert me or something, I’m not interested.”

“No, no, that’s not it at all! Please let me introduce myself first. The name’s Sereno.”

…Sereno? Sounds kinda made-up, like ‘Regeno’ or something.

“…Alright then, Sereno. What is it that you want?”

“Could you at least tell me your name? I can’t just keep calling you ‘reader’ forever.”

“…Just ‘reader’ works for me,” I said bluntly.

“But that’s no way to address someone! What’s your name?”

…Why was he so hung up on knowing my name?

Names held power in this world, used for all sorts of things and not all of them good.

Guess I’d better play it safe and give this overly suspicious guy a fake name.

“I’m Stefan,” I threw out there.

Sereno did a double-take. “…Stefan?”

“Yes, Stefan.”

Regeno seemed to stumble over the name for a second.

“Stefan… I see! Well then, Stefan it is!”

…Was there something about that name?

“That’s actually why I approached you…” He paused, locking eyes with me, “Because I didn’t recognize your face.”

I raised an eyebrow, caught off guard by his reasoning for striking up a conversation. “Are you saying you memorize the face of every person who steps into this Cathedral, Sereno?”

“Not exactly…?”

“So, you’ve taken up the habit of striking up conversations with every stranger you meet?” I asked skeptically.

“No, no, that’s not what I meant!” Melona was getting flustered.

“Guess I’ll be on my way then. I’m sure you can find another unfamiliar face to chat with,” I said, starting to walk away.

“Hold on, please! Just allow me a moment to explain!” he pleaded, stopping me again.

…Suspicious.

This melona guy was definitely up to something. Why was he so keen on hassling a passerby reader 1? I had zero interest in being dragged into whatever plot he was cooking up.

“…It’s because you clearly stand out as one of the readers here! You’re a new face among the usual crowd!”

“…So, you know all the readers, then?”

“That’s right! I almost became one of them myself, so I’m pretty familiar with most,” Sereno explained eagerly.

Almost one of them… That probably means he’s from a noble family.

Seeing me, a new face, must’ve got him thinking if I was from some lesser-known noble family, and he just had to dig into it to investigate, right?

I took another look at Sereno’s hair, trying to match that unique color to a specific family.

…Which family has that hair?

Drawing a blank, they clearly weren’t a prominent house known for their impressive holy relics. If they were a family I regularly ‘farmed’, I’d have remembered.

Even though we call it farming… it’s basically killing them to craft holy relics.

Units with unusual hair colors have the ‘Divine Bloodline’ trait.

When these units die in battle, their corpses transform into holy relics filled with holy power. For players who aren’t yet strong enough to devour a god, these relics were our only way to tap into the powers of another god’s domain.

So, looting enshrined relics early on from a family with strong powers can really smooth out your path in the later stages of the game. Sure, you could steal them, but taking out the whole family in one go is simpler, especially to avoid the hassle of them chasing you down to get their relics back.

And hey, some might see the ensuing chase as just another opportunity to collect more relics…

…In real life, this would be straight-up villainous and demonic.

It’s akin to wiping out an entire village off the map and looting their remains to sparingly use their powers.

As I entertain these thoughts, eerily similar of what a dark cult leader might think, I find myself getting scared at the game developers’ twisted creativity all over again.

Don’t we players, including me, learn to think of these actions as ‘farming’ because of the game’s design?

I’ve read somewhere that psychopaths view reality as if it were a game.

They avoid murder not because of moral reasons but because, in ‘reality’—where there’s no reload button—getting caught by the cops would seriously ruin their ‘progress’, or so they say.

What happens when someone’s first lessons in common sense come from a ‘game’?

To them, NPCs really might look like lootable items.

“…That’s exactly why I was so curious about you! You’re a reader I haven’t seen around before.”

“Oh, I see. I’m Stefan, just arrived a few days back. Does that satisfy your curiosity?”

“Now I’m even more curious! How’d you end up as a reader? Where are you from originally?”

I couldn’t help but frown a bit. “I’d rather not say.”

“Uh, why not?”

“Because I was just passing by when you decided to stop me. You’ve got my name and face now, isn’t that enough? I’d really like to get going.”

“…Did your Oath-bound partner warn you against chatting with strangers for too long?”

“Pardon?”

Oath-bound partner?

Who’s he on about?

Lord Roklem?

But why would a God have different rules for everyone…

“Why would you think that?”

“Oh? Just because you’re wearing a blue fascia…”

What’s my blue fascia supposed to mean?

But, facing this unknown Melona-head, I didn’t want to expose my ignorance about reader basics.

If he’s the kind to start conversations with every new face, he might get overly intrusive once he figures out I’m missing some basic knowledge.

“…There’s nothing he has forbidden me from doing,” I replied carefully.

Melona’s eyes lit up with a strange gleam. “So, you’re allowed to ‘read’ the Holy Doctrine with others?”

What’s he getting at?

Why would reading the Doctrine together be off-limits?

Historically, the role of a reader, now nearly obsolete, was to interpret books in foreign tongues for others.

It seemed far-fetched that reading the Doctrine with others, or any book for that matter, would be prohibited.

…Is this some kind of expression I’m not familiar with?

Like how “washing one’s hands” means to cut ties with something bad, maybe there’s a hidden meaning behind reading the Doctrine with others.

Reading the Doctrine…

What the hell does that mean?

I had no idea.

But surely, a clergyman wouldn’t mention the Doctrine in a negative light…

After quickly organizing my thoughts, I merely nodded, opting not to say anything.

Sereno burst out, clearly impressed, “Wow really?”

…Did I just mess up?

I started to feel uneasy.

It felt like ordering blindly at a foreign restaurant, nodding along without understanding the menu, only to catch a surprised look from the waiter. Had I inadvertently ordered something that’s an acquired taste or way too much food?

If this were a restaurant, I could have asked for clarification…

I should’ve just ignored him and walked away.

“I see. Got it. Would it be okay to ask you for a favor later?” he asked.

“…Pardon?”

Is he planning on tracking me down later?

That would be troublesome.

If Sereno started looking for the new reader named Stefan, he’d soon find out no such person existed.

Had I known he was familiar with all the readers, I wouldn’t have given him a fake name.

“You mentioned you know the other readers, right? Maybe ask one of them instead,” I suggested, trying to dodge his request.

But this Regeno bastard was persistent. “No, I specifically want it to be you. I’ve taken a liking to you.”

What’s there to like about me, exactly?

I immediately upgraded Regeno’s level of suspiciousness.

Even if he couldn’t pinpoint me as a serf, he should realize I don’t come from a noteworthy lineage or have any remarkable background.

With my plain looks and a charm stat of 30, I’m hardly a standout…

Why would he take an interest in me so quickly?

You can’t fully gauge someone’s intelligence or character at first glance.

“…What exactly do you like about me?”

“Uh?”

Watching Sereno stumble and get flustered without an answer, I knew for sure.

He was definitely lying about taking a liking to me. What’s his angle?

I couldn’t figure out why he was trying so hard to be all chummy with me.

If there’s something sneaky he wants from ‘Fabio’…

Could it be he’s looking for ‘Fabio’ to be his errand boy or something? Since readers like me supposedly have more time on our hands…?

Basically, reading the Doctrine together equals being roped into doing someone else’s work.

The fact that working for someone else is even a question means there’s no rule saying you can’t have a side hustle.

I’ve heard that some readers pick up side gigs as scribes or stewards. It’s not unheard of.

Ah, so does the blue fascia mean that you’re already on someone’s payroll?

Oath-bound partner = Boss

Blue fascia = Employed

Reading the Doctrine together = doing work

Seeing it this way, everything clicks.

That’s why only me and Elamin sport the blue ones. Real nobility probably thinks working is below them.

Blue-collar… Blue fascia… It all makes sense now.

So I’m basically wearing a sign that says [working class]. Nice.

No wonder he’s being so brazen and dismissive.

Elamin and Athanas treated me with respect, but this guy? Straight into being a snob and talking down to me.

Guess it’s almost instinct for nobles to look down on the rest of us, huh?

After a bit of hemming and hawing, Sereno finally came up with, “Um…well…you have a nice voice?”

Really? That’s all he’s got?

Complimenting someone’s voice feels like when you can’t admit a kid is cute, so you end up saying, “Oh, they must be really smart” or something. It’s like reaching for something—anything—nice to say because nothing else comes to mind.

“I see. Thanks for the compliment, but I’m actually in the middle of something. Could you please find someone else?”

“No, it has to be you!”

…And what am I supposed to do with that?

I couldn’t help but make a face. “You’re saying some weird things. Why me, specifically? Who were you doing this with before you ran into me?”

He looked totally lost. “Huh? Who did I…?”

“You didn’t even know I existed until just now, right? Just go back to doing whatever it was you were doing before we met.”

Sereno looked like I’d thrown him for a loop.

“Anyway, I’ll be on my way now.” With that, I walked right past him.

He didn’t try to stop me this time, thankfully.

That was ridiculously annoying.

I picked up my pace.

Felt like that chat lasted half an hour when I could’ve been to the cafeteria and back in that time!

I should hurry to the library and track down a book about the festival.

Once I got there, I looked around for a librarian but no luck. Athanas was nowhere to be seen either.

…Do they only staff this place in the morning?

Seems likely – the main library has a ton more books and stuff to manage. Makes sense, but it’s a bummer because I had questions!

Next time I bump into them, I’m definitely asking.