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

#129Reader Mode

#129

I felt uneasy, but with the Saint gone, it was time to deal with the aftermath.

Crazy how all that chaos just happened, and it’s only been ten minutes.

Andrea, the obedient servant of the Distorted One, wasn’t really a problem. He’d do whatever the ‘Prophet’ commanded without hesitation.

No, the real problem was Nasir, the inquisitor.

“Can’t you use distortion on him?” I asked, hoping for an easy solution.

“I could, but the results would be a gamble. I can’t control the outcome perfectly.”

So much for that plan. I had assumed he’d easily overcome Nasir’s mental defenses, given how helpless Nasir was right now, but turns out Nasir was way tougher than I gave him credit for.

“His resistance is high,” Reyes explained. “I can trigger status effects like confusion or fear, but altering his memories? That’s nearly impossible. Even if I tried, the details would be off, and the inconsistencies would cause dissonance.”

Great. Just what we needed. And it got worse—Nasir wasn’t just anyone. He was part of the Heresy Inquisition. If someone probed deep enough into his mind, they’d find traces of distortion.

…This is turning into a real mess.

If they discovered that kind of tampering, it wouldn’t take a genius to put two and two together: ‘Some unknown servant of an Othergod messed with Nasir’s memory.’ That alone was dangerous, but there was something even more worrying.

Nasir had already sent a report to Casimir before he got here, saying he’d be guarding ‘Fabio’ because of some ominous dream.

But what if Nasir’s memory of meeting me just vanished? What if there were gaps or signs of an Othergod interference?

Fabio would be the one dragged in front of the Heresy Inquisition. No questions asked.

What started as a harmless little white lie to keep myself safe could now explode into a full-on, legit interrogation.

Well, isn’t this just perfect? All that careful planning, and now it’s coming back to bite me.

I never would’ve guessed I’d end up working with the Prophet like this, of all things.

“Hey, wanna come with me?”

While I was lost in my own thoughts, Reyes had been hanging onto my arm, chattering non-stop about his territory. I could feel a dull headache starting to throb behind my eyes.

…Maybe I should just toss this idiot to the Saint and call it a day?

You know what they say: an incompetent ally is way more dangerous than a smart enemy, and Reyes was living proof of that.

How was I supposed to cover for someone so hopeless that even his own ‘Helper’ had given up on him?

But I needed information, at least for the moment. I took a deep breath—mentally, of course—and switched my brain into survival mode.

Come on, think!

I had to find a way to get us out of this mess without contradicting Nasir’s report!

The key is to prevent anyone from poking around in Nasir’s mind.

But how do I stop them? The answer hit me like a spark.

Let Nasir handle this himself.

I spoke slowly, testing the idea as it took shape in my mind.

“What if we planted a really embarrassing memory?”

“Huh?”

“Something so humiliating that he’d rather die than let anyone go digging through his mind.”

It’s like giving someone the choice between clearing their name by handing over their browser history or going to jail on false charges. Some people would choose the prison sentence in a heartbeat.

Just to avoid the humiliation. That’s how powerful it can be.

“For Nasir to think something feels ‘off,’ he’d first have to face the memory, right?”

And nobody, not even the most stubborn inquisitor, willingly revisits a memory that’s drowning in unbearable shame.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

The plan was pretty straightforward.

Move Nasir to my room, get him settled on the bed, and make him have the most humiliating dream ever—something so embarrassing, he’d never want to tell a soul about it.

Even if the distortion ends up being totally irrational or makes no sense, who cares? It’s just a dream, so he’ll shrug it off.

Of course, Reyes couldn’t control the actual dream itself, like he explained. That was the Lord of Nightmares’ domain. At most, he could steer it in a certain direction, kind of like how fear makes you dream about being chased or anxiety makes you feel like you’re falling into a bottomless pit.

Reyes, with his hand still on Nasir’s head, cocked his head to the side, looking curious.

“Want me to amp up the shame factor?”

“No, it can’t be just shameful…”

There had to be something more to it. Something deeper than just feeling embarrassed that would make him want to hide it.

“It has to be something sacrilegious. A blasphemous dream. Something that makes him feel guilty, so guilty that he’ll bury it way down deep.”

Reyes grinned, maybe a little too eagerly.

“Awesome.”

“What is?”

“If you had the power of distortion, you’d be way better at this than I am! Seriously, Fabio, you should’ve been the one to make a contract with the Distorted One, not me.”

What kind of foul talk is this?

He’s lumping me in with the same category as those scumbags who get a kick out of screwing people over.

I was about to argue, to insist that I wasn’t the kind of person who would mess with people like that. But the words got stuck in my throat.

Because honestly… how is that any different from what I’m doing right now?

Nasir had been trying to help me out, and here I was, plotting to plant a dream in his mind that was so humiliating he’d never want to talk about it.

All to keep myself out of trouble.

It’s not like I’m going to die if I don’t do this…

The more I realized how evil my actions were, the more the guilt weighed heavy in my chest, sharp and unrelenting.

But it was too late to go back now. I couldn’t undo what had already been done. Telling Nasir the truth wasn’t an option. If he found out about the Othergod and the chaos we were caught up in, it would only make things worse.

It was better for him to stay ignorant. Better for both of us.

…If I had the power of distortion, I really would’ve used it well.

I hated how easily I could rationalize my actions to myself.

“…Hey, could we maybe throw in some happy emotions too?”

“For the Happy God?”

“No, it’s just… It seems unnecessary to make him suffer more than he already has.”

A ‘ridiculously happy dream’ could still be embarrassing, right? Maybe even more so than a nightmare. Wouldn’t that be the nicer thing to do?

Reyes perked up, looking impressed. “Fabio, you’re a freaking genius!”

“…For what?”

“Adding in the happy emotions made his resistance drop a lot. This is working way better than I thought it would!”

…That wasn’t what I was going for at all.

“But now I’m totally curious. What kind of dream could be both happy and make you feel guilty at the same time?”

“Beats me…”

Maybe it’s the kind of dream where you give in to some childish, petty desire. Like a moment of power where you use Nephiton’s ability to humiliate someone who usually ignores you. Something embarrassing, but satisfying.

I pushed the thought out of my mind. “…Anyway, shouldn’t you be getting out of here now?”

“I’ll just pretend to be a potted plant! It’ll be totally fine!”

I stared at him blankly. “…A potted plant?”

Right then, a small popup appeared next to Reyes.

[SYSTEM: Due to the effect of ‘The Whole World Is Beneath Oneself,’ the ‘Distortion’ is provided as text.]

Reyes struck a ridiculous pose. “Ta-da! I’m a talking potted plant! Pretty cool, right?”

“…I told you, distortion doesn’t work on me.”

“Oh, right. That’s a real bummer. I was really hoping you’d touch these fresh leaves…”

“And if you move while pretending to be a plant, what happens?” I asked dryly.

His eyes sparkled with mischief. “You’ll feel like the plant just… moved. You’d think, ‘Wait, wasn’t it over there a second ago?’ and now—bam—it’s here!”

So, basically…

“You’re saying this is like real-life cardboard box stealth, huh.”

“Cardboard box?”

Reyes tilted his head to the side, looking confused.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but that would be pretty tough. Distortion isn’t like hallucination. I can’t make someone see something they don’t already know exists. For a cardboard box to show up, the person would need to have the concept of a ‘cardboard box’ in their mind and, well, in the Dark Realm, hardly anyone knows about cardboard boxes…”

“No, not an actual cardboard box.”

“Then what do you mean?”

…Has this kid never played any game besides Heretic Slayer?

With his Japanese username, I figured he’d catch the reference. Explaining seemed like way too much work, so I just reached over and ruffled his hair.

“Alright, go stand in the corner. And remember, plants don’t talk. Keep your mouth shut.”

Reyes obediently zipped his lips, then stretched his arms out toward me, like he was asking for a hug.

“What?”

[It’s common knowledge that potted plants can’t move on their own.

Please be gentle and carry it with care to avoid damage.]

[SYSTEM: Due to the effect of ‘The Whole World Is Beneath Oneself,’ the ‘Distortion’ is provided as text.]

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “…Stop being ridiculous and just walk over there yourself.”

Reyes put on an exaggerated pout, sulking like a little kid, but he shuffled off to the corner, moving super slowly on purpose.

Watching him, I felt relieved. Thankfully, the Helper had distorted his obsession with meeting Athanas into something else.

If it hadn’t… he’d probably be in Athanas’ room right now, pretending to be a plant or some other crazy nonsense like that.

It was a good thing Athanas had already secured a holy relic to boost his mental resistance. Without it… well, I didn’t even want to think about how things might’ve turned out.

A soft groan snapped me out of my thoughts.

“Ugh…”

I whipped around to see Nasir starting to stir.

“…You awake?”

Nasir blinked groggily. “Fabio?”

I needed to act fast, before he put two and two together.

“Did you… have any dreams?”

He blinked again, looking confused. “…Dreams?”

I jumped in, trying to steer the conversation before he had a chance to start asking questions.

“Listen to what I’m about to say for a sec. Don’t you remember? You said you’d check if there was a connection between my ominous dream and this room, right?”

The plan was to use ‘Forced Persuasion’ to twist the truth just enough to make him believe my version of events.

“Do you remember?”

Nasir squinted, clearly disoriented, like he was trying to recall something that was just out of reach. His confusion was both reassuring and concerning.

Before Nasir could say anything, I kept going.

“So, what was the dream about?”

He hesitated, his mouth opening and closing like he couldn’t make up his mind about what to say.

“Was the dream caused by this room?”

“N-no,” he stammered, rubbing the back of his neck. “It was just… a dream. It’s hard to call it a revelation… Anyway, there wasn’t anything particularly ominous about it.”

I nodded, letting the subject drop. No need to push any further. He wasn’t about to talk about an embarrassing dream to me, anyway.

“Well, I’m glad there’s nothing wrong with my room.”

Now I just need to act like everything is normal and send him on his way.

“Thanks again for all your help today, really.”

Nasir shifted uncomfortably. “…I didn’t really do much.”

“Don’t be modest! You gave me your time, and that’s no small thing. I feel way better thanks to you.”

His expression softened. “I’ll give you my time whenever you need it. As much as you need.”

I waved my hand quickly. “Oh, no, that’s okay! My, um, lover is actually coming over tonight, so I’ll be fine.”

Nasir’s cat ears twitched, his eyes going wide. “Your… lover?”

“Oh, did I not mention that?” I smiled, trying to look as innocent as possible. “I thought you might’ve already figured it out.”

I pointed toward the reliquary, and Nasir blinked, still processing.

“…I assumed that was just part of your cover.”

Well, that’s a fair assumption.

When you’re a goblin with a Charm stat that’s permanently stuck at 30, people tend to assume any rings you wear are just for blending in, not because you’re actually in a serious relationship.

And in this case, they’d be spot on. It is just a cover.

I chuckled awkwardly. “Haha, but, um, Athanas is definitely real. Honestly, I’m just as shocked as you are that he actually confessed to me.”

“…….”

“So… since he’s on his way, maybe you should—”

“If he’s that close,” Nasir cut in smoothly, his voice lowering an octave, “I think I’d like to meet him.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve grown curious to see what kind of person he is.”

I broke out in a cold sweat.

Wait. Huh??

Why now? Why the sudden interest in meeting Athanas?

Is he suspicious?

The more I mulled it over… yeah, suspicion made perfect sense.

Honestly, if someone like Athanas just up and confessed to a goblin with a measly Charm stat of 30, I’d be pretty skeptical too.

It sounded exactly like the kind of thing that had ‘hidden agenda’ written all over it.

“Maybe we could do introductions some other time? Today’s not really…”

“Is there a reason why we shouldn’t meet now?”

“Well, meeting you today wasn’t exactly planned, right? And my lover doesn’t know about this situation or about you, so…”

The smile Nasir gave me was razor-sharp. “All the more reason. Seems like a perfect opportunity.”

“Uh, well… Athanas is a bit, um, peculiar. He gets really affectionate when he first shows up. Like, really affectionate. Embarrassingly so. Would you… be okay with that?”

“I wouldn’t mind.”

…You wouldn’t?

“I’m used to it.”

Ah. Right. After being around Casimir and Elamin and their never-ending PDA fest, Nasir’s probably seen enough to be immune.

How do I get out of this?

My mind scrambled, desperate to latch onto any excuse, no matter how ridiculous. Just as I thought I might have found an escape route—

Reyes, who’d been doing his “become one with the furniture” act, decided it was the ideal time to open his mouth.

“Yeah, that’s not gonna work for me.”

Nasir’s head snapped towards him, eyes wide in disbelief.

You absolute dumbass!

Reyes was supposed to be a decorative plant—silent, still, and definitely not talking. Did he miss the memo on “don’t draw attention to yourself”?!

Doubling down on his impeccable sense of awful timing, Reyes placed a hand over his chest, exuding the kind of melodrama you’d only see on daytime soap operas.

“I’m a bit possessive, you see.”

My brain crashed, struggling to process how things had gone from bad to absolutely f*cked in the span of ten seconds. Before I could even begin to think about damage control, Nasir extended his hand towards Reyes with a smile that was just a little too polished.

“A pleasure. And you are…?”

“Athanas.”

I’m sorry, what?!

I gawked at Reyes like he’d grown a second head.

What kind of crackpot nonsense is this?!

My eyes darted back and forth between them, when suddenly Reyes’s pupils narrowed into predatory slits. At the same instant, Nasir’s tail puffed out with an audible poof, bristling like an angry cat.

What the actual hell is going on?!

Reyes flashed a smug grin, tilting his head like he’d just won the biggest prize.

“You can leave now. I mean, I’m already here, so…”

Nasir cleared his throat, his composure showing just enough cracks to be noticeable, and shot me an awkward smile.

“…Let’s meet again another time, then.”

What… just happened?

I escorted Nasir to the door in a daze, my brain stuck in an endless loop of what the actual f*ck. The second the lock clicked shut behind him, I spun around and smacked Reyes square on the forehead.

“You said you were gonna pretend to be a damn potted plant!”

Reyes rubbed his forehead, his purple pupils shifting back to normal.

“But if I didn’t step in, wouldn’t things have gone badly? He looked suspicious, like he didn’t believe you actually had a lover.”

“That’s not—” I cut myself off, swallowing the rest of the sentence.

I could’ve handled it with Forced Persuasion.

But I couldn’t say that out loud. The second Reyes knew about it, the Helper would know too, and it’d develop a countermeasure in no time.

“I would’ve found a way to convince him.”

Reyes gave me a skeptical look. “I don’t think so. He didn’t seem like the type to back down that easily.”

“Even so! You jumping in was literally the worst thing you could’ve done! Even with distortion, Nasir would’ve picked up that something wasn’t right.”

My hands flew up in exasperation. “Does it make any sense that the lover who’s supposedly on his way was already in the room? And what the hell was that weird showdown between you two at the end?”

“Oh, that?” Reyes just shrugged. “He hit me with killing intent, so I returned the favor. Seemed only polite.”

This absolute dumbass of a troll…

I ground my teeth so hard my jaw ached, biting back a scream of frustration.

Does he have any idea what I’ve been trying to do here?

If Nasir picked up on even the tiniest hint of distortion, it would’ve blown up in his face and he’d be the one to suffer terribly. Not me. Him.

I should’ve just let him get logged out!

I exhaled slowly, massaging my temple. “…Okay, but how did you manage to convince Nasir you were Athanas? I thought distortion only worked if the target had a reference point for what they were seeing.”

“Easy. I made him see an impossibly handsome guy who looks unbeatable.”

“So… you didn’t actually use Athanas’ real face?”

“Correct. I have no idea what kind of face Nasir saw.”

“And when he inevitably runs into the real Athanas? Pretty sure he’ll notice they’re not the same person.”

Reyes waved it off like it was nothing. “He’ll just write it off as a weird coincidence. Same name, different person, no biggie.”

Reyes flashed me a mischievous grin.

“Besides, you’re not really dating the real Athanas, right? No way Fabio would ever be seen hanging around him.”

“…Uh.”

Wait a second.

“…About me pretending to date Athanas… You heard that from Andrea, didn’t you?”

“Yup.”

“And what did you think?”

“I figured it was some kind of trap set by that crazy bastard targeting me!”

…Now that I think about it, he was convinced the reliquary was fake too.

A sudden chill ran down my spine. Of course, Athanas and I weren’t in a relationship, but… did that even matter?

If Athanasuki hears that I’m meeting with Athanas every day, he might see red and explode.

Especially when he finds out what’s inside the reliquary is real…

I swallowed hard. “It’s… easy to see how someone might get the wrong idea.”

“Exactly! And when you showed it to Bishop Andrea of all people, that just confirmed it was a trap meant for me!”

“I-I was just as surprised as you! Meeting Andrea was just… a coincidence! I had no idea he had ties to another player.”

“Then why are you carrying around a reliquary with Athanas’ name on it? Aren’t you worried he’ll show up one day, yelling, ‘Who’s pretending to be my lover?!’ Or… were you just that desperate to meet him?”

“No, I just thought that… if I ran into a player, they might recognize it and strike up a conversation with me.”

Reyes’s face lit up. “Ah, now it all makes sense! So, you were just that desperate to meet me! I’m so sorry! If I’d known you were waiting for me like this, I would’ve come sooner…”

I stared at him, wondering if you could actually die from secondhand delusion.

How is it even possible to reason with someone like this? This has to be at least Stage 2 madness.