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

#051Reader Mode

T/N Trigger Warning: This content may contain scenes or discussion about self-harm or suicide, which could be disturbing for some people.

#051

“…Tell me, what do you remember about the person I was in your memories?”

“…….”

“I’m quite lost myself. I dreamt of a plague ravaging the world, turning order into chaos. In this dream, I saw this very library in flames, revealing a hidden chamber. So I went to investigate to verify if my dream was true and discovered a secret ability to turn back time.”

Are you pretending to only remember Chapter 1?

Because you weren’t a butcher yet, right?

Uh-huh. A guy who attacks a suspicious person as soon as he sees him is definitely not a butcher.

“Please, if you remember the path I’ve taken and the person I became, share it with me. Help me avoid those mistakes again.”

“I… I don’t want to.”

“Without your help, this world, as you know it, could be destroyed. You said you want to live. To survive, you must work with me.”

What the actual f*ck do you know?

Let it all be destroyed! To hell with this Dark Realm!

Even if Athanas is being sincere, cooperating with him is out of the question. If I told him everything I knew about the Othergods and the 15 potential contractors, he’d hunt them down one by one, then turn on me, proclaiming, “Your help was invaluable. Now, all 16 players are gone,” before ending my life too.

“I won’t do it,” I spat defiantly. “I’ve made my choice. I won’t lift a finger to save this world, do you hear me? And you’ll get nothing from me – whether the world is destroyed or not!”

“But…”

“Why should I care? Let it be destroyed! I’d rather die before that! Die before I suffer something worse than death! I regret ever stepping foot in this Cathedral!”

“…Am I really that horrible?”

“If I’d known I’d run into you today, I would have gladly hanged myself this morning! Better to die unseen than to be noticed by you!”

If I say this much, that should get him to back off and stop trying to convince me.

Athanas is a logical guy to a fault. If he thinks I’m not worth the hassle, he’ll leave me be… at least until he needs something.

But I’ll never tell you a thing.

“…Don’t you realize I’d start asking questions if I heard about a reader suddenly wanting to commit suicide?”

“It’ll be too late by then anyway! You can’t meet me if I’m not alive anymore!”

Athanas pierced me with his steely gaze. “So, you know exactly how far back I can turn time.”

F*ck!

You damn smart bastard!

“You just can’t be honest, can you? Apparently, it’s impossible to gain your trust.” Athanas said with a soft sigh, before suddenly grabbing my face with one hand. “I guess I won’t even bother asking for your forgiveness, because I know you won’t give it.”

“W-what are you…”

What the hell are you trying to do?

Trying to gouge out my eye with your thumb?!

But you swore!

You swore you wouldn’t hurt me!

Does he think it’s okay just because he can undo it all and get his divine power back later?

This, this, this crazy butcher…!

“I’ll have to resort to lies next time,” Athanas muttered, his thumb slowly caressing my cheek. “Then maybe you won’t be so terrified like this…”

F*ck you! Just leave me alone and don’t lie to me!

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

…Just then, I heard the scrape of a chair. Someone decided to sit right across from me.

Of all the places, why pick the one in front of me?

I was baffled for a second, but then it clicked – this was the brightest spot.

Ah, right. Good lighting is key for reading.

I continued flipping through the pages. This book seemed worth a read, touching on real history and all.

I had zero plans to see who was in front of me.

Probably just another random person. Making eye contact, striking up a chat? That’d be a headache. There’s way too much I still don’t know, being only my second day at the capital church.

No need to yap away and accidentally let slip I’m a goblin.

I was so engrossed in the book that time seemed to fly by.

“…I have something I’d like to ask you.”

“Yes?” The voice jolted me out of my trance and I looked up on autopilot, still lost in the novel. Slowly, the face of the person sitting across from me came into focus, and my heart skipped a beat.

…Athanas?

For a second, it felt like I was in [Heretic Slayer], staring at the legendary character himself. Athanas looked exhausted, like he could keel over at any moment, but his blue eyes still shone with a vibrant light…

Heretic Inquisitor Athanas??

I blinked rapidly, half-expecting him to vanish like some sort of illusion. But no, he was very real, and he was here, staring at me with a mixture of exhaustion and intensity.

Except he looked way younger than I remembered, but then it hit me: at this point, Athanas would be only in his early twenties.

But why is Athanas here?

“What did you want to ask…?” I said, quickly trying to gather my thoughts.

I could’ve sworn Elamin sent me here to see if I’d recognize the setting scene from Chapter 1 of Heretic Slayer.

And now, with Athanas right before me, my hunch pretty much became a certainty.

Because even if a player didn’t recognize the backdrop from Chapter 1, they’d definitely recognize Athanas.

But here’s the thing, Athanas wasn’t even holding a book. So he’s been sitting there the entire time… just staring at me.

If this isn’t some kind of test, then his behavior makes no sense.

The silence between us grew uncomfortable as the seconds ticked by. Finally, he spoke.

“The book you’re reading…”

“Yes?”

“…Do you find it interesting?”

What….

I couldn’t believe it.

Was that really the best he could come up with? Was his only instruction before coming here [Go and ask a question]?

Even so, this is ridiculous.

Is that really the question you’ve been thinking about this the whole time?

“Interesting… you ask? Well yes, it’s very intriguing. At first I thought it was a novel, but it turns out to be about a family’s history. Knowing it’s based on real events makes it even more interesting.”

“…I see.”

“So uh, why did you want to know about the book?”

Athanas fell silent again.

“…Hello?”

“Well, you seemed so absorbed in it…”

“That’s right.”

“So I was just curious if it was any good.”

Wow….

This is such a dumb reply. I couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

Didn’t they rehearse his lines at all before sending him here to test me? How did he pass the audition?

And who in their right mind approved this?!

Seriously though…his acting is so bad that I don’t even know how to react.

For now I decided to play along, as if I hadn’t noticed anything off. ‘Fabio’ may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he’s not a total moron.

“So that’s all you wanted to ask?”

“…Yes.”

“You were just curious if it was interesting…. I see.” I feigned casualness and slid my book to him while picking up another one for myself. “You can borrow it if you like. I just started this one.”

I made sure to act a little suspicious too.

People tend to distance themselves when they’re wary of someone. Leaning back, I held up my new book to partially hide my face.

Five minutes of excruciating silence later, Athanas finally spoke again.

“…I want to have a conversation with you.”

“Yes?” Lowering my book slightly, I met his intense dark blue eyes—eyes that could give anyone thalassophobia.

Wow, almost got scared there for a second.

Let’s try to calm down. The Athanas in front of me is just a untrained newbie.

He not only lacks the memories of the Heretic Slayer but has also been raised like a delicate flower in a greenhouse within the peaceful Church of Order, never having experienced the harsh realities of battle or the weight of a true mission.

Otherwise, there’s no way his acting could be this laughably bad.

So I asked Athanas, “Well, why do you want to talk to me anyway?”

“…Do I need a reason?”

“Kind of, yes. You’re just sitting here staring at me in this empty library without so much as a book for company…”

I cautiously gave him a once-over and went on,“Imagine if you were me. It’s a bit odd, right?”

“…I see. Yes, it would seem odd. I understand.”

Why is he agreeing so easily?

Honestly, I started to feel a bit bad for the guy. Suddenly forced to act in a role so unsuited for him. His mind must be as blank as a sheet of paper right now.

“So, what’s your actual reason for talking to me?”

“…….”

Has he totally given up on his lines?

After another long awkward silence, Athanas sighed deeply, dragging his hand down his face.

Come on, just admit you’re lost already.

“…What reason do you want me to have for talking to you?”

What’s he trying to pull by asking me that?

Is this a joke?

“Are you answering my question with another question? What are you trying to do? You must have some reason for approaching me, right?”

“…I need a reason that won’t seem strange to you.”

“Well, it already seems like you failed at that.”

“I won’t fail next time.”

Next time? What does that even mean?

Are you actually saying you won’t mess up like this when testing other players?

Since this whole thing with me is a total disaster?

Or is he planning to use Oblivion on me?

That Tartar Sauce guy has a bad habit of using ‘Oblivion’ too, so maybe it’s a Church of Order thing. They probably just habitually erase their mistakes from existence when they mess up.

But Oblivion doesn’t work on me.

Is he being sloppy, thinking using Oblivion will save him?

That would really complicate things…

…Shouldn’t someone step in and rescue him before he digs himself deeper?

Even if it’s incredibly awkward, someone needs to burst in, all dramatic-like, “Where the heck have you been? I’ve been searching everywhere!” and drag him out of here pronto.

I innocently asked, “What do you mean by next time?”

Athanas gasped and looked surprised. “Did I say next time?”

“Yes.”

“…Please pretend you didn’t hear that. It was a mistake.”

Seriously??

“Okay…? I’ll act like I didn’t hear it.”

“…Are you really going to let it go?” Athanas seemed surprised again.

I was dumbfounded.

“Uh, isn’t that what you just asked me to do?”

“I didn’t think you’d actually agree…”

What is even happening…?

Is this some kind of strategy?

A strategy to look so dumb that players feel compelled to step in?

Trying to provoke a reaction like “No way my Athanas is this much of a screw loose idiot!” – as some kind of high-level psychological warfare strategy?

Otherwise, how can he be this dumb….

Athanas asked hesitantly, “So…how do you see me now?”

“Pardon?”

“What kind of person do I seem like to you?”

A complete idiot.

That almost slipped out, but I caught myself just in time.

Unlike uncivilized medieval people, I, as a cultured modern person, know the art of being tactful without causing offense.

“Hmm… You come across quite youthful.”

“…And what does ‘youthful’ imply?”

“Ah… It means you seem like you’re still at that age where it’s normal to make mistakes.”

Hearing my words, Athanas looked deep in thought.

Is he finally thinking of waving the white flag and getting out of here?

Athanas, looking a bit dejected, pondered for a moment before asking, “Did you, by any chance, figure out why I approached you…?”

“Nope, I still have no idea.”

“…But you seem to have some guesses though, right?”

He looked like he was struggling to admit defeat, hoping I’d confirm his suspicions before saying anything.

You’re really naïve.

And in for a serious scolding later.

How do I bail him out without making it obvious?

But if ‘Fabio’ seems too perceptive, that won’t be good either….

I weighed my options and then decided to toss Athanas a lifeline.

“I do have a guess…. When I mentioned wanting to read books, there was someone who guided me to this branch. Only they would know I’m here, so it must be his doing. But I don’t know why Elamin would send you though….”

“…You don’t have any other guesses?”

Ugh, do I really have to spoon-feed everything to him?

“Well, actually, yes. Elamin told me this place was empty so I could relax here. Why would he say that? Probably because I used to be a serf, and he thought I might be unskilled in social etiquette. Maybe he was worried I’d make a major mistake in front of nobles or knights, so perhaps this is a test to see how I’d handle it?”

For ‘Fabio’, who doesn’t have a ‘player’s’ memory and wouldn’t recognize Athanas, it’s natural for him to think this way.

I went on, “But to test such a trivial thing, he wouldn’t want to bother busy people, right? So Elamin must’ve just grabbed a young, idle apprentice paladin like you to do it. Am I right? You look like you were only told to come over here and didn’t even know what to say.”

“…Was I that obvious?”

“Honestly, it was so bad, I didn’t even want to watch.”

“That’s bad.”

“Why though? Did they say you’d have to do this kind of thing again?”

“…Yes.”

“Well, I’ll give you a piece of advice: just say you can’t do it and pass the task onto someone else. With your terrible skills, you won’t be able to fool anyone. Even a simple-minded serf like me can see right through you.”

“…How can I get better at deceiving people?”

Is he seriously asking me for lessons?

Since he hasn’t mentioned the Saint yet, he should be thinking, ‘I survived this mess!’ and scram.

Don’t ask the guinea pig how to do the experiment.

“No, why are you even asking me?”

“You’re the only one I can turn to for advice right now.”

“Even if you say that… I’ve never tried to deceive people before in my life, so I really don’t have any advice to give.”

Athanas just stared at me, silent.

What?

“Why are you looking at me like that?”