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

#064Reader Mode

#064

But what the hell is this bastard thinking of doing to someone who has (mistakenly believed) an allergy to divine power?

Is he seriously planning to test if there’s a specific type of blessing that causes allergies…?

What if it causes a huge problem?

‘As long as I don’t die, it’s all good,’ right?

Ter grabbed my face with both hands, sending shivers down my spine.

Something felt off…like something big was about to happen.

It was that feeling you get when the dentist suddenly sighs during a checkup – the moment that makes you question your entire existence.

I instantly regretted the words that had just said earlier.

Maybe I should’ve just asked him to take a quick look?

As I was thinking that…

Boom!

A deafening noise erupted from the direction of the door.

What the hell?

Did something just explode?

I glanced at the door, then back at Ter, who had already drawn his sword and positioned himself in front of me.

His lightning-fast reflexes were befitting a top-tier unit.

BANG! BOOM!

The impacts against the door were so powerful that it shook with each blow. Someone was hell-bent on breaking it down, and they weren’t holding back.

CRACK!

In no time, the door gave way, and a knight with a massive axe slung over their shoulder walked into the room like they owned the place.

My eyes widened in disbelief.

A fully armed axe knight casually strolling through the Cathedral? Has the Order fallen apart already, and it’s not even Christmas?

“…Hand over Fabio.” The voice was unmistakably female and oddly familiar.

“Are you out of your mind? Why would you break the door down?” Tertius demanded.

“Who are you?” the knight questioned.

“Who am I? This is really… No, haaa…” Tertius, seemingly unrecognized by the axe-wielding intruder, ripped off his necklace and tossed it aside in frustration. “Do you recognize me now? Huh?? You bastard!”

“…Sixth?”

“Use your perception! You’re an Apostle now! And why in the realms did you break the door down?”

“Sixth, why are you here?”

“That’s what I want to ask!”

It was Adna. But why did she show up here, fully armed and ready for battle?

…Could this be some sort of love triangle drama misunderstanding?

Despite appearing indifferent to Ter, perhaps Adna, oblivious to her own feelings, had heard about Ter entering a room with a stranger and rushed over without thinking…

No, that doesn’t add up.

She couldn’t even recognize Ter at first, and she called out to me right after smashing the door. That meant she was specifically looking for me….

Had she forgotten what happened over the past few days, only to suddenly remember and become angry enough to come and settle the score?

The door was locked from the inside, indicating that I was in here. Maybe she used some kind of Reader roll call system to track me down.

Of course, it was hard to believe that an Apostle would cause such a commotion just to vent their anger, but I couldn’t think of any other reason.

But why bring an axe? I would have followed her out of fear anyway…

Haven’t I already seen Adna smash the floor with her bare fists? No one would consider a bear unarmed just because it’s not holding a pistol.

“So, what was the grand reason for breaking down the door and storming in?” Tertius asked, raising an eyebrow.

“…I thought Fabio was in danger, so I came to save him.”

Wow…

She’s really shameless.

How does one manage to spew such bullsh*t so effortlessly, taking advantage of the fact that they can keep a straight face?

But Tertius can read emotions.

As much as he adores Adna, I hope he doesn’t fall for such a blatant lie…

“…And on what basis did you make that judgment?”

…Seriously?

No matter how much you love Adna, to fall for such insincere bullsh*t is a bit much, isn’t it?

I was deeply disappointed in Mr. Tartar Sauce.

It’s no wonder it’s paired with tasteless fish cutlets.

A bastard whose thoughts are overrun by Adna…

And yet you claim to be an Apostle of Order?

Looking back, the reason he’s shadowing me is probably to cut down on Adna’s interactions with other guys by even just one.

So it’s only natural that this bastard wouldn’t prioritize me in any situation…

I didn’t think it would be this blatant, though.

Hell, if I dropped dead right now, he’d probably be thrilled to investigate with Adna by his side.

“Well, it’s just that…” Adna started, then hesitated, her voice trailing off.

“…What?”

“.……”

“Wait, what does that mean?” Tertius looked utterly confused.

Are they having a mental chat again?

I feel so left out.

Internally sighing, I adjusted my robe and neatly folded the fascia, holding it in my arms.

Will they even bother fixing my busted door today?

My mind was racing with a million thoughts, yet I’m at a loss for what to do next.

Just think about it: you’re chilling at home when suddenly, an axe-wielding maniac bursts through your door. Your first reaction would be to scream bloody murder and call the police, right?

But plot twist—the intruder is actually a cop.

And what if your living room’s already hosting another officer?

What if they strike up a cryptic chat you’re not privy to?

In moments like these, where fear would typically take the driver’s seat, confusion steps in instead. You start questioning whether you should actually be afraid or not.

Ah, she’s holding the axe in front of her now.

Were they going to fight?

Two of the highest tier units with combined power stats that were at least in the four digits?

And they were going to fight here?

Wouldn’t the shockwave from their fight alone be enough to turn my room into dust?

Did they forget this place barely scores a 25 on the durability scale?

To put things in perspective, Athanas—before his Apostle days and with power stats around the high 600s—could instantly kill mobs with a durability of 50 by barely nicking them.

“Um…pardon me,” I spoke up, barely louder than a whisper, drawing immediate attention from both Adna and Ter.

Maybe I should’ve just kept my mouth shut.

But I really didn’t want to end up with a lame ending like [Died as collateral damage from a shockwave], So, in the meekest voice I could muster, I asked, “You’re not planning to fight in here, are you…?”

The thought of being an accidental casualty in their skirmish wasn’t exactly comforting.

Was the Saint who said ‘it’s okay to live’ now plotting my accidental demise?

“…No. That was not my intention. I apologize for causing unnecessary fear,” Adna responded, easing the axe down with a significant thud.

Fortunately, it looks like she hadn’t completely abandoned reasoning, after all.

“Fabio. Come over here,” Adna instructed.

I deliberately edged even closer behind Ter. Sure, this bastard wasn’t exactly trustworthy either, but he was still less scary than Adna. At least he wasn’t the one holding an axe.

“…Sixth. Step away from Fabio right now.”

My heart skipped a beat.

Is she implying I shouldn’t even consider using others as a shield?

What the hell is she planning to do to me?

In a panic, I clung tighter to Ter’s cloak, determined to keep him from abandoning me.

Ter, you bastard! You promised I could trust you, so save me already!

Suddenly, a system alert obscured my view.

[SYSTEM: The effect of ‘The Whole World Is Beneath One’s Self’ makes it impossible to sense any ‘Murderous Intent.’]

…Murderous Intent?

I blinked, stunned.

Wait, she wants to kill me?

Adna… was…was I that wrong?

“Are you refusing to step aside, Sixth?”

“…Adna. Enough. Fabio doesn’t understand the situation. If you keep this up, you’ll only terrify him.”

“And that’s your excuse for staying close to him? Ignorance doesn’t justify anything anymore.”

Shouldn’t you say that after explaining what’s going on?

I felt so wronged.

I genuinely had no idea what was happening.

Scolding me for my ignorance when I really don’t know what’s going on…!

“…Fabio. Adna’s anger is directed at me, not you, so don’t be afraid. It’s true that Adna came here out of concern for you.”

“For me?”

“Just do as Adna asks, distance yourself from me. I’m telling you this for your own good.”

…Is this bastard really trying to score points with Adna by lying right now?

It’s like those male insects that offer up prey to their mates to avoid being devoured themselves.

Aren’t I the prey right now?

“If it’s for my sake, can you come with me, Mr. Ter?” I pleaded, gripping his hand tightly.

Yeah, I can’t face death alone.

You’re into Adna, aren’t you?

Are you seriously planning to leave Adna and me alone together?

Hurry up and put a stop to this.

[SYSTEM: The effect of ‘The Whole World Is Beneath One’s Self’ makes it impossible to sense any ‘Murderous Intent.’]

F*ck… !

Cold sweat ran down my back.

How could she not be furious with me?

It says Murderous Intent!

That literally means she wants to kill me right now!

“…Adna. Just calm down for a moment.” Tertius’s voice was unusually gentle.

“Do I seem angry to you?”

“I swear I’m not doing this intentionally!” Tertius looked completely exasperated.

“If you don’t release his hand this instant…”

“I keep telling you, I’m not the one holding it!”

Ter was diligently trying not to let his favorability with Adna drop.

“…Fabio, if you don’t let go of him right now, you’ll regret it,” Adna warned ominously.

Isn’t regret something you can only do if you’re alive?

At least hiding behind Ter might save me from getting killed by a stray blow.

Adna seemed like the scary type who would apologize to my lifeless body if she accidentally struck me down.

“…Adna, let’s proceed like this for the time being. Once Fabio hears it from the Saint, he’ll understand,” Ter suggested calmly.

“…….”

Adna’s gaze lingered on me for a moment before she picked up the necklace talisman that Ter had earlier discarded. She tapped it against the remnants of my doorframe, making motions as if opening an invisible door.

“Follow me,” she commanded.

What in the world did you just do?

“She cast Nephiton’s Illusion to conjure a door,” Ter explained while tying my fascia. “It stops others from entering your room. Of course, you won’t be able to see it, Fabio, but to everyone else, it will appear as though the door is securely shut.”

So how do I get back in?

While the illusion wouldn’t affect me—I could walk right through it—to any observers, it’d look as though I was phasing through a solid door.

“…Until the door is fixed, I guess you’ll have to ask someone else to help you get into the room,” Ter mentioned casually as he closed the unseen door.

The very idea made me cringe internally.

Who wants to look like a total idiot asking someone to open what looks like a perfectly normal door to your room?

But then again, it might cause less of a stir than a goblin seemingly walking through doors.

…But wait, wouldn’t the entire Cathedral already be buzzing with rumors about me since an Apostle literally smashed my door to pieces?

As the anxiety started to bubble up inside me, I noticed something odd: no one was paying us any mind.

Okay, what’s going on here?

“We’re under the effect of Oblivion. It makes people forget any sense of incongruity about us,” Ter filled me in.

Intrigued, I took a closer look at the people around us.

Clank. Clank.

Despite the rather loud noise Adna made while walking in her armor, not a single person turned to look at her.

Even as we walked by a chattering group, their conversation continued uninterrupted.

It was all a bit spooky, to be honest.

To be able to make people completely oblivious to someone walking right past them…

I could totally see why they call it a miracle.

A power that makes the impossible possible, defying all common sense.

Come to think of it, is this the first time I’m witnessing a legit miracle?

I remembered Nasir once casting an illusion to make an apple look like a stone, but to me, it still looked like a plain old apple, so it didn’t really feel all that impressive.

At best, it was just a failed magic trick.

Adna smashing the training ground floor was, surprisingly, not that shocking. I mean, it was within the realm of possibility, right?

But erasing people’s ‘sense of incongruity’…

It felt like I was trapped in a lucid dream where everything appears normal on the surface, but deep down, you sense a disconnect. Up until this moment, I half-convinced myself I might just be in some strange medieval concept city back on Earth, but now it felt like someone dumped a bucket of ice-cold reality on me.

Miracles, blessings, magic, curses, dreams… It finally hit me that I had landed in a realm where such concepts were as normal as the law of gravity.

Oblivion is truly a terrifying power.

And that sneaky Tartar sauce bastard tried to use this on me…

However, something didn’t add up: I couldn’t recall any God of Oblivion from the game. With such an overpowered ability with high utility, there’s no way I wouldn’t have known about it.

Was it kept hidden on purpose?

Maybe to keep players in the dark until the very last moment…

Had it been a known factor in the game, the strategy junkies and lore hounds would’ve been all over ‘Oblivion,’ dissecting every nuance.

The implications of being able to manipulate someone’s cognition in real-time offered endless possibilities.

The first thing that springs to mind…

No, let’s not wander down that path.

Especially with someone by my side capable of reading emotions. It would look pretty suspicious if I started analyzing miracles right after seeing one, wouldn’t it?

I decided to shift gears to a different concern that had been nagging at me:

…Why did the Saint summon me?

I couldn’t help but replay the last few days in my head, trying to pinpoint anything suspicious I might have done.

But I really hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary.

If someone had been watching me, they would’ve been bored to tears by the sheer monotony of my goblin life.

The only thing that stood out in my otherwise uneventful existence was…

My encounter with Athanas.

The main character of the original game, Heretic Slayer.

The future Goblin Slayer… or should I say, the Heretic Butcher.

But if anyone questioned me about this, I had plenty to say in my defense.

First of all, I was just minding my own business, sitting and reading a book when that bastard decided to plop down in the seat right in front of me to sleep.

How was I supposed to know that was his favorite hangout spot?

It wasn’t even my idea to go to the branch library in the first place – that was all Elamin’s doing. And despite my best efforts to put up an iron wall between us, Athanas just kept on talking to me…

Anyway.

…Is there some unspoken rule that players shouldn’t approach original characters?

Now that I think about it, it’s really strange. Athanas is lonely and friendless, but let’s just chalk that up to medieval people being weird and move on.

But what about the other players?

Why are they leaving Athanas alone?