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

#079Reader Mode

T/N: Thanks for the coffee ChocolateChipCookie! Even though the goal hasn’t been met yet, it’s been a while since I’ve done a double release. Thanks for fueling my addiction so here ya go! (╯ˊᵕˋ)╯︵ 1/2

#079

…This bastard?

Why is this guy acting like a cliche villain, monologuing in front of the OP protagonist just to get his a*s kicked?

Now would be the perfect opportunity to show him my true nature and teach him a lesson in humility…

But I’m not OP at all. I’m just a pathetic unit so I can’t fix that slacking mentality of his.

My face drooped in misery.

“I can’t… I don’t have any powers.”

As soon as Athanas heard my answer, his mouth curled up even more. It was one of those condescending grins you’d give a pet or a toddler when they try to earnestly do something and it’s just hilariously adorable.

“Then there’s no need to worry.”

Wow, seriously…

He’s looking down at me like I’m a complete idiot.

If he had even the tiniest shred of caution towards me, there’s no way he’d have that patronizing look. That kind of attitude only comes from being 100% sure that I’m not a threat.

When did he become so certain that I’m harmless?

I narrowed my eyes at him, studying his face closely.

“…What if I do have powers and I’m just lying about not having any?”

“Have you considered the opposite?”

“The opposite?”

“That perhaps I am the one deceiving you?”

The possibility that Athanas might be deceiving me…

The gears in my head started turning.

What if Athanas has ‘Retrograde’?

It would be easy for him to toy with me.

But there was one thing that [Retrograde] alone couldn’t explain.

That note…

There’s no way in hell Athanas would know the word “X-mas.”

“That can’t be. I mean, I was the one who suggested going down there in the first place. How could you have known and set up a trap beforehand?”

Of course, the possibility wasn’t completely 0.

If Athanas had already teamed up with another player to deceive me, it wouldn’t have been too difficult to orchestrate such a trap.

…Well, if that’s the case, I was doomed from the start, and I’ll just have to die feeling wronged.

“Listen, all I’m saying is that you can’t let your guard down. Did you see that trap underground? Not everyone who knows about this ‘revelation’ is on our side. You could’ve run into someone way more cunning than me! Even now, you think I’m harmless, and you’re openly laughing at me…”

“…I wasn’t laughing at you.”

“You weren’t? If you truly believed I had some hidden way to harm you, would you have laughed so nonchalantly?”

“Yes.”

In an instant, the smile vanished from Athanas’ face.

The sudden shift in the atmosphere made me uneasy.

“A relaxed smile…can put the most guarded minds at ease.”

“Um…”

I tried to pull my hand away, but Athanas held it tightly, making it impossible to move. He leaned in closer.

“Purposely showing vulnerability is also a strategy. If I act clumsy, my opponent will think they’ve successfully fooled me. That way, when they’ve let their guard down, I can extract more information from them.”

“Don’t you think it’s quite effective?” Athanas whispered, his bright smile returning, sending chills through my body.

“…I-I said that because it seemed like you were underestimating me too much.”

Athanas leaned back and let out a small sigh. “I didn’t intend to frighten you. It’s just… I’m concerned about you too.”

I fumbled with my clothes and grasped the holy object. The rhythm of my pounding heart pulsed through my hand.

Damn, look at me worrying again.

There’s no way someone destined to become a Heretic Slayer can be ordinary, even at a young age…

“…The bullying was a lie too, wasn’t it?”

“It’s true that I don’t have close friends. But I’ve never been bullied.”

Just as I thought…

The idea of someone bullying Athanas was about as ridiculous as a Velociraptor trying to beat up a Gigantorapter. It just wasn’t happening.

“…I’m sorry for lying to you.”

“So, did you give yourself that nosebleed on purpose then? And why apologize three times?”

“The nosebleed was involuntary. But the reason I kept apologizing is…” He paused, his expression turning a bit sullen. “In that moment, I thought maybe, you were agreeing to my request out of the goodness of your heart. And the idea of deceiving someone like that… weighed heavily on me.”

For a split second I wondered if this was all an act too, but I quickly pushed the thought aside. Even if it was, what could I do about it?

If all of this is an act to deceive me…

…I have no choice but to fall for it.

Besides, in a weird way, it was actually better that Athanas was being cautious. If he was too trusting and couldn’t bluff to save his life, I wouldn’t feel comfortable confiding in him. Loose lips sink ships and all that.

“I understand,” I said, taking my hand off the holy artifact and sitting up straighter. “I believe you’re appropriately cautious. So let’s talk about that important matter now. What I’m about to tell you is top secret. Only a select few in the church even know about it.”

I took a deep breath before continuing. “Athanas, that vision you had in your dream? It’s a glimpse of what will happen 8 years from now.”

I gave him a quick rundown of [Heretic Slayer]. The gist was that in a world ravaged by plague and chaos, a lone holy knight would defeat the contractors of the evil gods and miraculously saves the world. And spoiler alert: that holy knight was none other than Athanas himself…

“…The ‘Plague God’ who destroyed order isn’t an ordinary evil entity.” I clarified. “It’s not native to this world. It’s an otherworldly being from beyond the stars called an ‘Othergod’. And these Othergods require human contractors to channel their power and spread their twisted influence here. Which is a good thing for us, because Othergods…are not something mere mortals can defeat or kill.”

Athanas listened intently, not interrupting, seemingly planning to ask questions once I was done.

“There are fifteen more of these Othergods targeting this world besides the Plague God. Your nightmare only showed what happens when the Plague God’s contractor succeeds. Each of them has chosen a ‘Watched One’ – an Apostle to serve as their proxy and help them wreak havoc. And I… I’m one of those Watched Ones too…” My voice trailed off, the weight of the revelation hanging in the air.

I watched Athanas’ reaction after dropping that bombshell, but he didn’t seem terribly shocked.

“…You don’t seem very surprised by the fact that I’m essentially a harbinger of doom, sent here on a mission of destruction.”

“I had my suspicions.”

“Suspicions? How so?”

“Your reaction when I said I believed you. The fear in your eyes told me.”

Wait, when did I…?

“If you were a true messenger of the Lord, you would have rebuked me the second I dared to question you. But you wanted me to be cautious instead. Most likely because beings like you shouldn’t be trusted.”

“…That’s right. I’m an outsider, a being that exists beyond the realm of order, unmarked by Roklem’s blessing. These reader robes I’m wearing? They’re just for show. I’m not ordained and I never will be. I’m simply not worthy.”

“But you believe in the Lord, don’t you? Not those evil gods beyond the stars?”

I hesitated, struggling to find the right words.

“…Honestly, I don’t know. If my faith in Him was truly unshakable, I wouldn’t have tried to go down there. The Saint made it clear that I don’t need to know anything. But I couldn’t resist doubting. Suspecting things were happening in the Church of Order that even the Saint didn’t know about…”

“Perhaps that doubt comes from your fear of order unraveling?”

My gaze drifted to Athanas’ hand, the dried blood giving way to the formation of fresh scabs.

“…I’m probably just afraid that the Order can’t protect me. Athanas, I’m a weak, selfish person. I don’t have some noble cause like wanting to save the world or feeling obligated to stop order from collapsing. Deep down, I was afraid to go down there alone, so I used you. I…got you involved in this.”

“I prefer to call that cooperation.”

“No, it’s not. If you hadn’t gotten hurt, I never would’ve mentioned this story. How can you call that cooperation?”

Athanas cupped my cheek with his left hand, guiding my gaze to meet his unwavering, deep blue eyes as I lifted my head.

“Fabio. You don’t need to feel so guilty about this. I’m really happy with how things turned out. So much that I feel fortunate to have been caught in that trap.”

Athanas gently stroked my cheek with his thumb.

“Didn’t I say that I tested and deceived you too? If the word ‘cooperation’ makes you uneasy, let’s simply say we’re using each other. Use me as much as you want, and I’ll… use you however I like in return.”

Putting it that way makes it sound a little dirty again.

“I have the choice to ignore what you say if I don’t agree with it. I’m here for my own objectives and desires as well. I’m not blindly believing everything you tell me and I’ll exercise my own judgment as I see fit. So whatever I go through isn’t solely your responsibility. Do you understand?”

“…Yes.”

“Good. Now let’s get back to the main topic.”

He’s pretty efficient.

His ability to decisively steer the conversation back on track, cutting off potential tangents, was top-notch. He reminded me of a highly skilled debate moderator.

“You mentioned being one of the Watched Ones. Is that space below a place all Watched Ones are aware of? What made you think you needed to go see it?”

“I’m… hiding something, even from the Saint. I actually thought the Saint knew about this secret but chose not to bring it up. However, the day before yesterday, he spoke as if he had no idea about it at all… which led me to suspect that the other Watched Ones might also be keeping secrets from him.”

I lowered my eyes, avoiding Athanas’ gaze.

“…I don’t want to reveal the contents of the secret just yet.”

“I understand.”

He’s taking it pretty well.

Well, prying into something I explicitly stated I didn’t want to discuss would be a waste of time, so his response was efficient.

“…That’s when I realized I needed to meet the other Watched Ones. The Saint mentioned there were those who converted before me. I wanted to ask why the Saint couldn’t see those inner secrets and what they had been doing after converting before me… At that point, I didn’t expect anyone with ill intent to be among those who had converted.”

Placing my hand over Athanas’, I continued.

“They really are dangerous. I’m… somewhat of an anomaly. The Othergod who chose me has no interest in disrupting order or consuming this world. But don’t assume other Watched Ones are the same as me.

Each and every one of them possesses a terrifying potential to shatter the very fabric of order. Your nightmare is just one of countless possibilities. They have extensive knowledge about this world… and have been relentlessly exploring methods to destroy order. You must never let your guard down.”

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

“For now, we need to deal with those bloodstains. If that trap wasn’t some device that can instantly know someone’s information upon contact, we should have a little breathing room before they come looking for it.

Athanas, you absolutely can’t get caught having been there. If they find out you were searching for the Watched Ones, they’ll stop at nothing to kill you. You’re too important…too much of a threat to them.”

“I’ll take care of that myself. What should we do next?”

“Next…” I trailed off, lost in thought.

What should our priority be?

The plan I’d so carefully made hadn’t accounted for the wild card of a malicious player in the mix. I anxiously chewed on my lip.

“What was your original plan? If there hadn’t been a trap, if you’d found a message from another Watched One, or even nothing at all?” Athanas prompted, pulling me back to the present.

Originally…

I’d planned on getting close to Athanas.

Because if there were players around, they’d naturally be drawn to him…

“I was going to try to get close to you, Athanas. I wanted to casually ask if you’d noticed any suspicious people lurking around. Because if they are a ‘Watched One’ who joined the Order… they’d have special feelings towards you.”

“Do you have them too?”

“What?”

“…Special feelings about me.”