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

#012Reader Mode

T/N: UPDATE! Hapenesus’s doom blessing has been corrected from [Ultimate Happiness] —-> [HappyHappy]. It’s meant to be this way, it’s one of the reasons why people think this god is trolling. It will be called this from now on. My bad. ( ;´ – `;)

#012

“Indeed, Antonio is truly a kind person.”

I had a rough idea of what had happened.

Antonio must have realized I didn’t receive the Blessing of Order. He probably worried that if I stumbled into the Order’s altar without a clue, I’d be branded as a heretic and face trouble. So, he likely reached out to a trusted friend, saying something like, “Hey, there’s this guy who didn’t get the blessing, but he’s got a good heart. Can you look out for him?”

However, the person who got this request probably found it a hassle and wanted to dodge the responsibility altogether.

If I were a real heretic, it would put both Antonio, who vouched for me, and that person in a difficult situation.

So, they probably sent some underling to discourage me from wandering around…

But using hypnosis on our first meeting? That’s crossing a line.

I get it – if I suddenly decided to ‘seek further guidance from Antonio’, everything would be resolved. But hypnosis? That’s not exactly a knightly move.

Is he really an inquisitor?

My doubts lingered as I stood up, shaking the knight’s hand.

“Thank you, Sir Inquisitor.”

“Just call me Nasir.”

“Okay, Nasir. May I ask you something?”

“Ask.”

“Who’s this Casimir you mentioned?”

“Antonio’s stepdaughter,” he replied, almost as an afterthought. “Oh, and she’s also the commander of the Order’s Knights Inquisitors.”

Wow, that’s an even more powerful connection than I thought.

My eyes widened in surprise.

“Antonio is the stepfather of the knight’s commander?”

“Yes. Didn’t Antonio tell you?”

“No, this is the first I’ve heard of it.”

“Well, that’s just Antonio being Antonio.”

“Ever since she became commander, she’s been frustrated that Antonio won’t accept gifts from her. He’s ridiculously stubborn, almost to a fault.” Nasir said with a chuckle. “That’s just how he is.”

“I can imagine how surprised the commander must have been when Antonio broke his own principles and asked for her help,” Nasir added, still amused. “She even told me to check if you possessed some kind of charm or the like.”

“I can see why. You have a presence that’s hard to ignore, even without any tricks up your sleeve,” Nasir said with a smile.

‘Presence’ is a weird way to put it…

“I apologize for earlier. Since my abilities didn’t work on you, I had to find another way to make sure you weren’t a threat.”

So, you decided to whip out a sword to see if I’d fight back?

These savage bastards…

Honestly, it’s tough for someone with a modern mindset like mine to survive in a place like this.

“May I ask one more thing?”

“Go ahead.”

“Are you really an inquisitor, Nasir, or were you just trying to scare me?”

“Huh? Ha! You think I’d pretend to be an inquisitor?” Nasir laughed heartily. “Impersonating an inquisitor is a grave crime, punishable by death! No one would risk that just to intimidate someone.”

“I am an inquisitor, I assure you. Do I not fit the image you had in mind?”

“A bit…?”

I can’t believe he’s actually an inquisitor…

The Order seems like a mess right now.

Can I really count on them to help me avoid the Othergods in their current state?

“Well, considering the circumstances, I should fill you in. I need to explain your current situation and what will happen if you go to the Cathedral.”

“Ah, okay.”

“Are you familiar with the gods under Roklem’s command who work with the Order?”

“Yes, I know a few of them, but not all.”

“What about the gods outside of the Order?”

These are gods that don’t answer to Roklem. There are native deities like the [God of Fortune] who don’t oppose or support Roklem. However, most of these bastards harbor a desire for revenge against Roklem. After all, Roklem has thoroughly suppressed anyone who believes in gods that don’t submit to him.

And then there are the Othergods who want to overthrow Roklem, even if they haven’t been directly affected by his wrath.

“… They’re basically evil gods, right?”

“They’re generally perceived as such, yes.”

Nasir elaborated, “People who refuse to join the Order usually have an ulterior motive to take it down.”

“But not everyone who associates with gods outside the Order is labeled a heretic. Take those who’ve been blessed against their will, for instance.” Nasir paused, then lowered his voice. “To be honest, I’m one of them. I’ve been blessed by an entity outside the Order.”

“Wait, you, Nasir?”

My eyes widened in shock – and it wasn’t an act. I was genuinely stunned.

An inquisitor who’s technically a heretic?

This was a holy-shit moment.

“Yes. I haven’t received the Blessing of Order, so I don’t have the authority to condemn anyone. But I do have the authority to interrogate.” Nasir continued. “My blessing is quite useful in that regard. Apologies, can’t reveal what it does, though.”

Hypnosis sure seems like a cheat code for interrogation.

But shouldn’t the Order be above that sort of thing?

“Anyway, my case turned out well, but that’s not always the case. Had the commander not taken a liking to me, becoming a knight inquisitor wouldn’t have been in my destiny…”

So the commander recruited a hypnotist as a holy knight because he was useful? The Order was seriously messed up.

“Getting blessed by an entity outside the Order… it’s like being branded for life. A permanent scar or shackle.”

If it were up to me, I’d have cuffed that hypnotist… What the hell was the Order thinking?

“So, Commander Casimir was hoping you’d avoid the Order altogether and just stick to farming, for your own good.”

No wonder the Dark Realm is such a mess.

“But after meeting you, I can see why Antonio made that request.”

The more I heard from Nasir, the more worried I became about the state of the Order.

Right now, some heretical inquisitor is basically rubber-stamping people as “seemingly decent” after a few minutes of chatting and then moving on.

If I join the Order, won’t it already be infested with heretics?

“You’re too valuable to remain as a mere serf, Fabio.”

“…I appreciate the kind words, Nasir.”

“Once Commander Casimir speaks with you, she’ll understand.”

If they’re promoting some hypnotist to inquisitor, I should be a shoo-in, right?

“So, Fabio, if you were to join the Order, what role would you be interested in? While becoming a ritual priest isn’t available to you without the Lord’s blessing, there are other paths you could take. If you’re fond of books, working in a library chapel could be a good fit. If you’ve got your sights set on becoming a holy knight, even though it’s a bit late given your age, I could help guide you…”

Nasir kept talking, but my mind was racing with doubts about the Order.

I thought this was a golden opportunity, but what if it’s a trap?

“So, what role do you have in mind?”

“Um? Well, I was thinking of becoming a ‘reader’…”

“…A reader?”

“Yes. But since I just found out today that I don’t have the Blessing of Order, I might have to give up on that idea. I’ve always dreamed of being a reader, so now I need to rethink my plans…”

“Why would you want to become a reader? That’s a rank only the most desperate people go for.”

“I didn’t know that… Is it really that bad?”

“A reader is just a title for people who lose family disputes and crawl into the church. They’re people who want to pretend to be clergy without putting in the work. They don’t have the knowledge, divine power, or self-control! They can never be considered real clergy!” Nasir’s voice grew louder, his frustration clear.

But the more I learned about it, the more I thought being a reader sounded like the ultimate dream job.

I mean, it’s a made-up title for privileged people who want to coast through life while pretending to be part of the clergy… Isn’t that the epitome of luxury and freedom?

But I wasn’t about to respond to Nasir’s frustration with a defiant “I want to do it even more,” especially given his annoyance about the privileged elite getting involved in the reader role. So I steered the conversation in a different direction.

“Is that so? I was simply swayed by Antonio’s words, thinking that if I could just read the scriptures, I wouldn’t have to do manual labor for the rest of my life…”

Nasir shook his head, a hint of amusement in his voice. “You learned the Holy Text just to get out of physical work? You’re clever, but… a bit too naive, aren’t you? Well, given your lack of knowledge, it’s understandable you were fooled.”

…For a veteran gamer, being told I lack knowledge is quite insulting.

“You’re right. I should gain more experience before making any big decisions.”

Nasir’s overly friendly demeanor was starting to unnerve me.

It was like a top-tier company in its field hiring someone without any clear qualifications, saying “we’ll figure out your role later” and then greenlighting the hire. Red flags would definitely be raised.

What’s going on behind the scenes in the Order?

It’s only logical to be cautious.

If I were some kind of chosen one, a prodigy born with incredible divine power, I might understand this special treatment. But I’m just a heretic from who-knows-where, somebody who wouldn’t be able to do anything even if you beat me to death right now. And yet, Nasir’s still treating me this well?

Is it possible they’re luring heretics like me into some kind of detention center?

Honestly, that makes way more sense than the Order being cool with heretics.

Or is Antonio’s influence just that strong?

I mean, a commander’s rank is equivalent to a three-star general in the military, and if a three-star general’s dad calls in a favor and asks them to look out for someone, that person’s gonna get the VIP treatment. And if that three-star general went to the top university in Pyongyang…¹T/N: “Pyongyang” is a real-world reference to the capital of North Korea.

Either way, I’m in too deep now.

I’ve just gotta stay optimistic and hope for the best, given the situation.

Maybe this detention center will be surprisingly cozy, who knows?

“I need to go and greet Antonio,” Nasir said and removed his helmet, revealing his striking features.

…Golden eyes?

His skin appeared unusually dark, even accounting for sunburn, with inky black hair and a slightly rugged beard

And those captivating golden eyes…

Desert origins, maybe?

I recalled that in Conclude, there were minority groups who sought to revive gods slain by Roklem. The desert people I knew of had similar physical characteristics.

But which god did they believe in?

Reviving a dead god wasn’t exactly cost-effective. When refugees brought their gods’ remains and blessings to the Order, they often ended up brainwashed and converted into new believers. My memory of it was a bit fuzzy, though.

“Is it unusual for someone to have eyes like mine?” Nasir asked, catching me off guard.

“Pardon?”

“I mean, the color of my eyes,” he clarified.

Had I been staring too obviously, or did he bring it up because he thought I might be curious about his ethnicity?

“Yes, it’s quite unique.”

“In the Empire, this eye color is so rare that our people were once called ‘Desert Gold’,” Nasir explained.

“So, you’re from the desert, then?”

“Yes, I lived in the desert until I was thirteen. Since then, I’ve spent more time in the Empire.”

The Empire’s large-scale conquest wasn’t that long ago.

The Empire’s large-scale conquest wasn’t that long ago. I couldn’t recall the exact year, but it must have been within the past 30 years, considering the number of refugees who had firsthand experience of the war.

So, the Order accepted a heretic from a colony as a holy knight.

“You don’t seem too surprised,” Nasir observed, studying me intently.

“…Should I be?”

“I thought you’d be more shocked, having probably never seen someone like me before. That’s the usual reaction.”

“Would you have preferred me to be surprised?” I asked, curious.

“No, I like your reaction,” Nasir said with a gentle smile. “Fabio, you certainly have a talent for surprising people.”

Should it be so strange to not experience racial discrimination?

But then again, racism persisted even in the 21st century, and it was even worse in the Middle Ages. The fact that people of diverse races were once displayed as spectacles in zoos as recently as the 19th century was appalling.

Seeing Nasir so surprised by my lack of reaction made me feel a pang of sadness.

Anyway, it seemed like this backward medieval world was to blame.