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

#080Reader Mode

T/N: 2/2

#080

How should I respond?

“Of course… I do. You’re the legendary hero, the Savior of Order itself.”

And the main character of a game I spent over 200 hours playing.

It’s impossible not to feel a special connection.

“…But just to be clear, those special feelings vary from person to person. Some will be inspired by your journey and cheer for you, while others will take great pleasure in watching you suffer. There are even those who consider it their life’s purpose to die by your hand, so don’t be too shocked if you run into them later on.”

“What about you?”

“Me…”

…I did admire the ‘Athanas’ from the game. A powerful, noble, and tragic hero.

But that was just me appreciating him as a fictional character.

In reality, he’s the kind of person you don’t ever want to get mixed up with.

You might respect a great historical figure like General Gyebaek, but you wouldn’t want to be born as his child, right?¹T/N: ‘General Gyebaek’, a military commander of the ancient Korean Baekje Kingdom, etched his name in history during the Battle of Hwangsanbeol in 660 AD. Facing a daunting invasion force of 50,000 Silla and 144,000 Tang soldiers, Gyebaek led a mere 5,000 troops into the battlefield. Before the battle, he killed his wife and children to prevent them from being enslaved if he lost. Despite insurmountable odds, Gyebaek’s troops emerged victorious in four battles, inflicting severe casualties on the Silla forces. However, eventually exhausted and surrounded, Gyebaek’s forces were ultimately defeated, but his unwavering courage and sacrifice have become an enduring symbol of the Korean spirit.

What did I think when I first saw Athanas?

This guy becomes the legendary Heretic Slayer in the future? This carefree slacker who just naps without a worry in the world? I guess the world must be pretty peaceful… Those were the kind of thoughts running through my head.

In truth, I had been completely fooled by Athanas, and I could feel my face growing hot with embarrassment.

“…Nothing particularly special. Originally, I planned to just quietly hide away and keep to myself, so I was a bit flustered when I unintentionally got involved with you. That’s all.”

I pulled Athanas’ hand away from my face.

Come to think of it, why is this guy just casually touching someone else’s face like this?

So f*cking rude.

“Anyway, have you noticed anyone suspicious around you lately? Anyone whose behavior changed drastically overnight? Going back about 6 months or so?”

“…Nothing comes to mind at the moment.”

They didn’t approach Athanas? No, they must have looked into it. When they investigated, there probably wasn’t anything out of the ordinary yet.

“…Did anyone ask why you go to the branch library?”

“They asked where I was going when I left, but I never told them my actual destination.”

“Have you ever been followed?”

“So far, I haven’t noticed anyone tailing me at all. But if someone more skilled than me was following, I might not even realize it.”

I couldn’t help but groan in frustration.

I had hoped there would be some leads to pursue around Athanas.

Still, the fact that we’re able to work together so openly like this is an unexpected development.

I had no idea where to even begin my investigation.

“…Besides me, do you know of anyone else who might receive these memories as revelations?” Athanas inquired.

“Ah!”

Adelaide!

“The Gray Saintess Adelaide! How did I not think of her?”

“…The Gray Saintess?”

“She hasn’t shown up in your dreams yet? After the Saint passes away, there’s a girl who takes on the role of Saintess even though she’s not technically qualified. They called her the Gray Saintess because half of her black hair turned gray. She’s someone who fought alongside you to save order…”

Athanas doesn’t know Adelaide!

I felt this indescribable sense of letdown.

Should I call it the feeling of an otaku who witnessed a scene where the two main characters walk right by each other without recognizing one another in a world where tragedy was averted thanks to their hard work?

Surely… surely that’s the better outcome, but still…

“Do you know where we can find her?”

“…She’s probably at the orphanage right now. She mentioned she was from the Cathedral’s orphanage.”

“Then at this point, she can’t even be fifteen years old.”

“She was sixteen 8 years later, so she must be eight now.”

“Eight years old…” Athanas furrowed his brows. “…That seems like an age when it’s better not to be burdened with such horrible memories.”

He’s right.

Even if Adelaide had memories of ‘Heretic Slayer’, she was way too young for us to ask for her help. What could an 8-year-old kid realistically do? It’s probably best if we don’t bother her…

“Still, I think it would be good to meet her once. If she’s having the same nightmares as I am, she must be really confused and scared.” Athanas spoke up again.

“…You’re right. I didn’t consider that. In that case, I’ll go to the orphanage by myself.”

While I was trying to come up with a believable excuse for visiting the orphanage, Athanas asked,

“Wouldn’t it be better if I came with you?”

“No! What are you saying!” I couldn’t help but raise my voice at his stupid suggestion.

“Athanas, you meeting Adelaide is practically the same as announcing to the world that your memories as the ‘Savior of Order’ have returned! Didn’t I tell you how dangerous that would be for you?”

“…In a situation like this where we have no leads, I think provoking the other side to make the first move could be an effective method.”

“Not when your life is on the line! What, do you have extra lives or something?”

Athanas closed his mouth, properly scolded.

I let my anger cool a bit before continuing,

“Athanas, our enemies know you 8 years from now. They see you as Athanas, the ruthless and terrifying heretic inquisitor, and they will never let their guard down around you.”

“…Do I really become that terrifying?”

Is that seriously what you want to ask right now?

I was about to get irritated, but then I remembered Athanas was only 20 years old.

Considering that the prefrontal cortex doesn’t finish developing until around age 25, I had to keep in mind that Athanas still lacked impulse control and displayed typical adolescent traits like an inflated ego.

…Yeah, of course he’d be curious. After hearing he becomes a hero in the future. How could he not be?

“That’s right. The Apostles of the evil gods tremble at the mere mention of your name, and they set trap after trap just to try and kill you. They even took believers of the Order as hostages to make you hesitate for even a moment. Many threatened that if you killed them, thousands of innocent people would die along with them. But none of that stopped you.”

“Does that mean I didn’t save the civilians?” Athanas seemed a bit shaken.

I quickly came to the ‘Heretic Butcher’s’ defense.

“It was an impossible situation. Someone had to make that call. Hesitation was exactly what the enemy wanted. When order has completely collapsed like that, you can’t make a choice without losing something. Athanas, no one can deny that you’re a hero who made difficult but ultimately right decisions.”

“…But it seems I didn’t meet a good end.”

Hearing those words sent a chill through my heart.

I stumbled over my words as I grasped Athanas’ hand. “No, no, that’s not what I meant. That’s something that hasn’t happened yet. And it won’t happen, because we’re going to make sure you never have to face those kinds of choices. So…”

Athanas’ hand felt warm against mine.

He was a living, breathing human being, not just a collection of pixels.

“…You’re not that ruthless inquisitor. And you won’t become him either. How can you say it’s the same person when your experiences are totally different? You’re just a young, inexperienced holy knight. In a peaceful world where everything hasn’t gone to hell, the most you’ll become is a slightly older holy knight. You’re definitely not going to be some legendary hero, because you won’t get the chance.”

Athanas stared at me for what felt like an eternity without saying a word.

Finally, he asked, “Do you… really think I’m young and inexperienced?”

…Seriously? Out of everything I said, that’s what you’re focusing on?

What a brat.

My once calm heart flared with anger again.

“You got a problem with that? If you do, try being a bit more careful…”

“No, I actually like it.”

Being called a kid?

“It means you believe I have room to grow. I’ll do my best to live up to your expectations.”

Seeing the smile on Athanas’ face as he said that, I couldn’t shake this ominous feeling.

He already looks down on me…

How much more will he underestimate me later on?

…Maybe there won’t be as big of a difference as I’m thinking.

If the Athanas of today is like a 15kg medium-sized dog, then I’m nothing more than a tiny 15g mouse.

I’m already bite-sized…

Even if Athanas evolves into a 150kg epicyon, his opinion of a little mouse like me probably won’t change much. I’d go from being a snack to not even a mouthful.

While I was having such thoughts, Athanas spoke up.

“…Regardless, this means there’s a high possibility the ‘Watched Ones’ are closely monitoring me, right? In that case, there’s a good method we can use.”

“What method?” I asked without much expectation.

“Doing something that the ‘Athanas’ they are familiar with would never even entertain. Wouldn’t that compel them to investigate the situation? I believe it’s an effective method to catch the ‘Watched Ones’ by surprise while simultaneously provoking a reaction.”

I was actually impressed by the idea, which was better than I expected.

“Good thinking! So, what exactly do you plan on doing that’s so out of character for you?”

“…I want you to come up with that. Because I have no idea what kind of person the ‘Watched Ones’ see ‘Athanas’ to be.”

Fair point.

I tried to think of some news that would draw serious aggro from players.

If he announced he was quitting the holy knights, that would definitely cause a stir.

But spreading a fake rumor like that could quickly spiral out of control, so that was off the table.

They’d have emergency meetings left and right to figure out what was going on with the higher-ups.

It would have to be something shocking enough to spread like wildfire, but without any major consequences for Athanas…

…The only thing I can think of is some juicy personal gossip.

The idea of the Heretic Butcher actually having a secret lover would be enough to make players’ jaws hit the floor.

Of course, finding someone to play the role of this fake lover would be a challenge…

…Do they even need to be seen together? We could just make up a story about him having a childhood sweetheart back in his hometown.

Come to think of it, I had my own little backstory going on – something about being a reader or concubine to some Countess whose name I couldn’t even remember.

It didn’t seem like it would be a big deal to cook up a similar story for Athanas.

“How about pretending you have someone you love in your life?” I suggested, causing Athanas’ eyes to widen slightly at my words.

I pressed on, “Imagine everyone’s shock when they find out the ruthless Heretic Inquisitor has a secret lover. And since you don’t ‘remember’ being a heretic inquisitor, they’ll think you’re putting on an act just like this situation! So, Athanas, if you’re okay with it…”

“…Fabio, are you okay with this?”

“Pardon? Me?”

Why wouldn’t I be okay with it?

“Even if it’s just an act, pretending to date me…”

“I beg your pardon?”

I was so taken aback, I practically leaped off the bed.

“No, what are you even saying? That’s not what I meant at all! I was just suggesting you make up a story about having someone you love, like how I tell people I’m a reader serving a Countess. You know, like a childhood sweetheart back home or a woman you promised to marry before becoming a holy knight. Why would I date you?”

“…I can’t make up a hometown love because I’ve always lived in the Cathedral,” Athanas pointed out.

“Well, you could have fallen for someone you saw once during a mission!”

“Wouldn’t it seem too unnatural to suddenly bring up feelings for someone I saw on a past mission?”

“Then…” I began, but Athanas stood up and started walking towards me.

Instinctively, I backed away from his approaching figure until I found myself pressed against the wall.

“…Let’s not overcomplicate things. Wouldn’t it be simpler if you just became my lover? We already… spent the night together, as far as others are concerned,” he reasoned, his words making me want to scream.

Are you out of your mind?!