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

#133Reader Mode

#133

“Is something wrong?”

Athanas’ piercing gaze locked onto mine.

I sighed, deciding to answer honestly.

“I have no idea how to fix this.”

“We start by handing over this Watched One to the Inquisition. They’ll take it from there.”

“…Athanas, you realize if we do that, you’ll end up under investigation too, right?”

The Watched Ones and the Othergods are secrets of the highest order, known only to the Apostles and the Knight Commander. The fact that Athanas even knows about them is a serious problem.

“I’ll testify that I suspected my lover of breaking his vow,” Athanas said smoothly. “An affair, to be precise. I’ll say I wanted to catch him in the act. That way, my punishment will probably be limited to taking the holy relic without authorization.”

…Is he seriously going to turn this into some kind of soap opera lovers’ quarrel?

“And coincidentally,” he went on, completely unfazed, “I’ve also managed to capture a heretic. That should earn me some leniency. Fabio, you were just caught up in something dangerous, so there’s no reason for you to face any punishment.”

The way he said it, so unhurried, made it seem like this was all planned days in advance.

But will they really accept that excuse? Considering he did completely bypass protocol and take matters into his own hands.

Then again, this is the Dark Realm, a place where duels over something as trivial as a daring to take off a lover’s garter are perfectly legitimate under customary law.

Though the reasoning was a bit… questionable, it might actually work even better because of that.

If pressed about his actions, he could always fall back on the claim of being blinded by jealousy.

And honestly, they probably won’t bother digging too deeply into this case anyway.

Just like when no one ever questioned why the Saint decided to summon me, this whole situation would probably fade into the background soon enough without much scrutiny.

After all, it’s only the tutorial.

After listening to Athanas, the situation didn’t seem as impossible to resolve as I’d initially thought.

It was impressive, like he’d anticipated for this outcome all along.

But what about Reyes?

If he gets dragged to the Inquisition, there’s no doubt he’ll face a ‘Game Over.’

Even if the verdict isn’t execution, the “Player Athanasuki” I saw today would be gone for good.

…So what?

Hadn’t I already decided to let him get a Game Over once I got the information I needed from him?

So why does the thought bother me so much now?

Is it because I’m reluctant to lose access to the information he might still have?

No, I could just get that from the strategy enthusiast.

He might laugh at me, sure, but at least it wouldn’t be as mentally exhausting as dealing with someone as unpredictable as Reyes.

Is it because I haven’t saved Adelaide yet?

She’s supposed to be a Servant of the Distorted One.

If that’s true, any attempt to save her could just as easily lead to her death.

Once the tutorial ends, the Saint might decide to purge all the ‘heretics’ hiding in the Cathedral.

In a situation like this, playing dumb might be the only way to prolong Adelaide’s, or rather, Alicia’s life.

Or… is it because I don’t think Reyes deserves to die?

He hasn’t done anything to earn that kind of fate.

In fact, he’s been cooperative, surprisingly so.

And that’s probably the real reason it doesn’t sit well with me, isn’t it?

Turning him over to the Inquisition feels… wrong.

But even if he survives, he’ll still be the Distorted One’s toy.

Even now, Reyes’s “Helper” is tampering with his emotions, twisting his favorability as it sees fit. And if he ends up contracting with the Distorted One, becoming a Cult Leader, what then?

He’d lose himself entirely, forgetting who he really is and what he truly wanted.

Only to face a horrifying betrayal in the end.

There’s no way for me to save Reyes.

Maybe letting him face a Game Over now would actually be the happiest ending for him.

But even knowing that, I couldn’t bring myself to act.

“…Is there no other way?”

“Is there a reason why we shouldn’t hand him over to the Inquisition?”

“Well… he’s been more helpful than I expected,” I admitted reluctantly.

“Have there been no dangerous incidents while you were with him?”

“……”

I couldn’t bring myself to lie.

If it weren’t for the holy relic the Saint had given me, I’d already be dead from blood loss.

“It seems you’ve experienced something dangerous, judging by your silence,” Athanas said pointedly.

“……”

“Even so, if you truly have a reason not to hand him over, I’m willing to hear it.”

But I had nothing.

No justification that would make sense to Athanas or even to myself.

“Is it something you can’t tell me? If so, I won’t ask further.”

A heavy, nauseating pit settled in my stomach.

“No, it’s not that. It’s just…”

Athanas waited silently, his calm gaze encouraging me to continue.

“…It’s such an irrational reason that I feel ashamed to even say it out loud.”

“Did you fall in love with him at first sight?”

“What?”

“I’m joking.”

What kind of joke is that…?

I frowned, but Athanas only gave me a soft, knowing smile.

“It means even a reason like that would be fine. I just want you to tell me the truth.”

The truth, huh…

But what truth was there, really?

I dropped my gaze, unable to meet his kind eyes.

Every time I looked at Reyes, his wide, vacant stare made my chest feel like it was caving in.

Even though I know he’s not dead, it still feels like this…

I’m not used to death.

I’ve never even seen a dead body before.

“…I’m scared of someone dying,” I admitted quietly.

My eyes darted away from Reyes. I couldn’t look at him any longer.

“To be precise, I’m scared of someone dying because of me.”

“Fabio,” Athanas said gently, his voice almost soothing, “even if that man is executed, it wouldn’t be your fault. You have no reason to feel guilty.”

“I know. I know I don’t have to feel that way. That’s why I said it’s an irrational reason.”

I let out a long sigh.

“I’m sorry. Please don’t worry about it. It sounds stupid now that I’ve said it out loud.”

There’s no way to save Reyes.

To use an analogy, he’s like a raccoon with rabies.

If you capture one like that, would it really be kindness to release it back into the wild just because you can’t bring yourself to euthanize it?

That’s not compassion. That’s just being cruel.

No matter how I look at it, handing him over to the Inquisition is the logical choice.

And once I do it, I’ll probably make my peace with it. I’m surprisingly good at rationalizing things when I need to.

“…If it bothers you that much, why not submit a petition to postpone his execution?” Athanas suggested. “Even heretics aren’t executed immediately. If he doesn’t defy Order during the trial, his sentence might just be reformation through labor.”

He sounded serious, entertaining an idea I hadn’t even considered worth discussing.

I couldn’t help but feel grateful for his kindness.

“…It doesn’t matter what punishment he gets,” I said, shaking my head. “The moment he’s caught by the Order, he’s as good as dead.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve heard that when Watched Ones are condemned, they forget who they are. They go insane. That’s what happens when they lose eligibility to participate in the game.”

“…Does that apply to you as well, Fabio?”

Me?

Who knows. Probably.

There hadn’t been any warning system message when I surrendered to the Order, but that was likely because the Saint hadn’t intended to punish me at the time.

The ‘Happy Evangelist’ hasn’t committed any sins yet.

But if I did now?

I’d probably see the ‘Game Over’ message flash in front of me.

“I don’t know for sure,” I admitted, “but I think it’s highly likely.”

Athanas frowned, his thoughtful expression deepening into something far more serious.

“Who decides whether someone has lost their eligibility to participate in the game? And under what circumstances does one lose that right?”

“Well…” I hesitated, organizing my thoughts. “When you lose your relic, when you’re condemned by an Apostle, or when the Othergod rejects your contract… those are the main scenarios.”

Athanas listened carefully, his face unusually grave.

“And is there no way to avoid going mad after losing that eligibility?”

Is he asking if there’s a way to avoid a game over entirely?

That’s probably impossible. The system enforces the ‘Game Over’ state.

Even the Othergods and the Saint are bound by the system’s rules…

“…I don’t think it’s possible.”

“But you’re not certain.”

His eyes narrowed thoughtfully

“I’ve changed my mind. Let’s not hand him over to the Inquisition.”

What? Just like that?

“Why?”

“We need to figure out how a Watched One can escape the control of their Othergod.”

“And why would you…?”

“To save you, Fabio.”

Athanas took my hand in his, his earnest expression so intense it almost felt like a confession.

“No matter what it takes, I’ll make sure you don’t have to live and die as the Othergod’s plaything.”

“Well, the Othergod that summoned me seems to have completely forgotten I exist, so you really don’t have to worry about that….”

“They might be waiting for you to believe that,” Athanas countered firmly. “Waiting for you to let your guard down before plunging you into despair.”

I blinked, dumbfounded.

Does Happy God even have the intelligence to pull something like that?

Probably not.

But convincing Athanas of that? Practically impossible.

If I tried to argue that while all the Othergods are evil, mine is just dumb and harmless, it’d sound like I was already under the influence of “distortion” or something.

Still, keeping Reyes alive and learning more about the Othergods, or the system itself, might be worth it.

The more sources of information I have, the better.

That way, I can cross-verify everything.

No, even without that reason…

Just knowing Reyes wouldn’t face an immediate Game Over made me feel a little lighter.

“So, what’s your plan now?”

“I’m going to find someone suitable and hand him over while securing their cooperation.”

“Someone suitable?”

Athanas didn’t answer. Instead, he casually picked up a chunk of broken wall from the floor and hurled it out the window.

What the hell was that about?

“…Athanas?”

“Just wait. He’ll be here soon.”

Who’s ‘he’?

Did he leave someone stationed outside? Was that supposed to be some kind of signal?

Wait, he’s working with someone else besides me?

A little heads-up would’ve been nice.

Just as I was starting to feel seriously out of the loop, I heard footsteps clunking up the stairs.

“Was the dramatic rock-throwing really necessary?”

“…Callister?”

“Wow, Fabio! You actually remember me. I’m touched.”

Callister grinned like he was genuinely happy to see me.

Why is Callister here?

I glanced between him and Athanas, trying to connect the dots.

Athanas shouldn’t even remember Callister. He was supposed to have forgotten about him when we left the Main Building.

How the hell do these two know each other?

“That guy’s been following you around the entire time. When I confronted him about it, he said the Research Director sent him to monitor you. Supposedly, it’s so he can jump in and fix your arm right away if it starts deteriorating.”

“…Callister’s been stalking me this entire time?”

“You didn’t notice, so I didn’t bother mentioning it.”

“Uh…”

I mean, sure, it was creepy. But considering the Research Director’s track record, not exactly shocking. This is the same guy who thought wiretapping the Main Building was a totally normal thing to do.

But there was something else bothering me more than that right now.

“So, when you said ‘someone suitable’…”

“Of course, I meant the Research Director.”

He’s planning to send Reyes to that crazy bastard?

…Wouldn’t being a living experiment be worse than straight-up execution?