Pandemonium’s face crumbled after hearing about the reliquary’s tracking function.
Flustered, I rushed into an explanation. I told him about how I’d discovered Bishop Andrea was a servant of the Distorted One, and how Athanas, worried about my safety, had given me the reliquary to protect me during those private doctrine lessons.
“…What?”
“I’m talking about Insanity. If an Othergod can’t bring in more than one player, he has to be the ‘Lord of Nightmares’ player. It adds up, don’t you think?”
“…So what?”
Right off the bat, I knew who’d barged in.
A player. And not just any player either.
Probably that strategy game nerd, I thought, instantly annoyed. Of course, this had to be Reyes’s fault.
I flinched, my fingers freezing mid-keystroke.
The God of Records?
My gaze flicked to my left hand. Smooth, unscarred, just... normal. Still, I balled it into a fist so tight it ached.
Reyes, you still haven’t dealt with your biggest problem, have you?
Seems like your mind’s still twisted as ever.
“I never had any intentions like that. Really.”
Reyes tilted his head to one side, something unsettling in his gaze. “But don’t you remember? You told me to really think about what I wanted. So I did. I thought about it constantly, over and over...”
I pushed Athanas’s arm off my chest and got up. There was no way I could just lie there, my mind racing with thoughts of Reyes.
…I’d promised him I’d handle it, told him not to worry.
“Actually, handing him over to the Inquisition might be better. If he ends up with the Research Director…” I let the words hang, unfinished.
Callister cut in. “What happens if he goes to the Research Director? Are you worried he’ll become the test subject of some gruesome experiment?”
“Is something wrong?”
Athanas’ piercing gaze locked onto mine.
I sighed, deciding to answer honestly.
“I have no idea how to fix this.”
It was a foolish hope.
There was no way Athanasuki, of all people, wouldn’t recognize Athanas’ voice immediately.
I had to think fast.
First, I need to convince Reyes.
I always figured the Player of the God of War was just winging it—throwing out wild guesses, improvising left and right.
But was Insanity actually encouraging that kind of misunderstanding?
Why would he do something like that?
Thinking I could handle this maniac might be the biggest blunder I’ve ever made.
Stay calm. Think it through.
Nothing irreversible has happened. Yet.
If Nasir figures out the effects of distortion and reports it to Casimir…
Casimir will come looking for me, won’t she?
I’ll have to come up with some excuse for her. Somehow.
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.