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

#081Reader Mode

T/N: Goal reached! Thank you Cora and Lewe for the coffee! Of course I’m still going to honor it. Another double today! Yippee!! (/≧▽≦)/ 1/2

#081

Pretend to date?

With Athanas?

What a terrible thing to say!

“E-Even if we tried, no one will believe it! We need someone more believable, someone people would actually think you could fall for.”

“And what kind of person would that be?”

I gestured vaguely. “You know, someone you spend time with, someone attractive… just someone others would see as a plausible love interest!”

“…And you don’t think that could be you?”

“Of course not! The idea of you falling for me is ridiculous and unacceptable!”

A moment of silence hung between us before Athanas let out a soft sigh.

“Wouldn’t that make it even more effective, then?”

I opened my mouth to protest, but he calmly continued his nonsense before I could get a word in.

“Our goal is to draw the attention of the Watched Ones, right? The more unlikely the pairing seems, the more of a stir it will cause.”

My jaw snapped shut.

…Damn, I can’t argue with that logic.

If Athanas’ secret crush was revealed to be some noble lady, it would raise eyebrows and pique interest, sure. But a giant centipede with a measly charm stat of 30? Now THAT would set tongues wagging.

It would definitely generate massive aggro.

Athanas’ plan was undeniably rational and efficient… except for the slew of awkward scenarios I shuddered to even imagine. And knowing him, the fact that I’m a ‘man’ probably wasn’t even a factor…

But I do mind.

I chewed my lip, mind racing. I mean, we wouldn’t have to actually date, just put on a little show for the crowd. From what I’ve seen, the couples at church aren’t doing any excessive physical contact, so a bit of arm linking action and some hand-holding should be enough to sell the ruse. People’s imaginations would fill in the rest.

The more I considered it, the more it seemed like a simple enough charade. Logically, agreeing was the obvious choice. And yet…

…This is really driving me crazy.

I covered my mouth, feeling an unpleasant tingle creeping up from my gut.

Why is it so hard to just say yes?

What’s the big deal? Haven’t I always thought that hetero romance was just the most overhyped ‘temporary insanity status’ in the world? I couldn’t wrap my head around why pretending to be lovebirds was making me so uncomfortable.

It’s not like we’re doing this for couple’s discount at the movies. The world might be going to hell soon, and here I am, agonizing over this. Truly legendary.

“…If it’s too much, you can pretend you didn’t hear this. I don’t want to trouble you. We’ll figure out another way.”

“No, I’ll do it!”

The words flew out of my mouth before I could second-guess myself.

I really don’t want to pretend to date, but letting my irrational hang-ups get in the way of an efficient plan? Even less appealing.

A guy with garbage stats shouldn’t be an idiot on top of that.

“Are you sure?”

“…I’ll have to try my best.”

If there’s one thing that’s got me worried, it’s that my acting skills are about as convincing as a politician’s campaign promises.

Sure, I’ve gotten pretty good at putting on a ‘sincere’ face and tone to match the moment, but that’s just tapping into the ‘emotions’ I’ve already got tucked away inside.

If you put a plate of my least favorite food in front of me, I can pretend to drool over it by thinking about something I actually like. But if I’ve never had a delicious meal in my life, how am I supposed to fake finding something ‘tasty’?

“Um… there’s one thing I want to ask.”

When I made eye contact, Athanas naturally relaxed his facial muscles and smiled at me. It was the kind of smile that made you feel shy just looking at it.

…He’s really good at acting with his expressions.

“What are you curious about?”

“How did you…become so good at acting?”

Athanas went quiet, like he was chewing on a particularly tough question. I pushed on, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks.

“Honestly, I’m not confident in my acting skills at all.”

“…Is that so?”

“I can fake enjoying food I hate or being happy about doing something I don’t want to, but giving a loving look to someone I’m don’t like… I wouldn’t even know where to start. You need to have actually experienced love to pretend, and I just can’t seem to get a handle on it at all.”

“……”

“Athanas, when you look at me, what’s going through your mind?”

He took his time before answering. “…When I’m looking at you, I’m thinking about you.”

Wait, so he can act without having to imagine something else?

Is this… what raw talent looks like?

I was genuinely in awe. “How did you practice those expressions and gazes, then?”

“…I never practiced them separately.”

He’s just a genius.

They say geniuses suck at teaching, though…

Judging by the slightly troubled look on his face after hearing my question, he seemed to be thinking, ‘Why can’t you just do it?’

Guess I’ll have to figure this out on my own.

Love…

Love, huh.

What does being in love even look like?

From what I’ve seen, people in love act like they’ve left their brain somewhere else.

“…You know what? Me acting a bit awkwardly probably won’t be a huge issue,” I realized.

With Athanas being such a stellar actor, no matter how crappy my acting was, any awkwardness would likely be chalked up to me being overly excited in his presence.

“The Watched Ones might know a lot about you, but they probably don’t know anything about me. Even if I act a little strange, they’ll just assume I turned into a bumbling idiot in front of the person I like.”

As long as I don’t run into someone like Tartar Sauce, I should be good.

“Um, let’s talk about something else for now, okay? We can work out the details later.” I pushed Athanas away, my hands firmly pressed against his chest.

If we dove headfirst into discussing the nitty-gritty of [Operation: Press Players’ Trigger Button], my SAN points would surely take a nosedive off a cliff.

“There’s a chance that even after going to such lengths, we might not get the reaction we’re hoping for. We need to think of other ways to uncover clues too.”

With the starry sky set to open in less than 50 days, we couldn’t afford to just toss out some bait and sit around twiddling our thumbs, waiting for a bite.

“I’ve made up my mind to search for Adelaide, so Athanas, you…” My voice trailed off as a thought struck me.

Apart from Adelaide, all the main characters in ‘Heretic Slayer’ were enemies.

Among them, the only person I could potentially encounter at the Cathedral was…

“…Have you ever met Bishop Andrea?”

The boss of chapter one.

A madman who believed that slaughtering the sick was the sole means of preserving order.

“In my dream, I recall the bishop conducting Mass for the ill was named Andrea. But I’ve never actually met him in real life. Is he another one of those ‘Saviors of Order’ like me?”

“Far from it. He committed a terrible sin and met his end as a twisted, monstrous being. It was you, Athanas, who condemned him.”

Athanas appeared momentarily at a loss for words.

“…What was the terrible sin he committed?”

“He rounded up all the sick, trapped them in the branch library, and suffocated them with burning smoke. In his twisted mind, someone had to eliminate them for the sake of order, as the church was rendered powerless while tending to the ill—which was exactly what the ‘Plague God’ wanted.”

“…Truly heinous.”

I nodded silently.

What Andrea did was beyond horrific—a brutal massacre that never should have happened. Yet, it was clear that without that massacre, the ‘Heretic Slayer’ plotline couldn’t even begin.

If the sick had survived, Athanas would’ve been stuck clearing corpses instead of becoming a heretic inquisitor. And the Saintess? She probably would’ve worked herself into an early grave, constantly draining her life force to purify water for the ill.

Now, I’m not saying Andrea was right, but…

…When I thought it was just a game, I figured the scenario writer was simply short-sighted.

Since massacres are unacceptable no matter what, Andrea, the one who committed this atrocity, becomes a vile monster and faces punishment even after death. Meanwhile, ‘Saintess Adelaide,’ who stood by and did nothing, remains pristine and untainted.

In the end, the blame falls squarely on Andrea’s shoulders—it was his choice, after all. The Saint is merely a merciful figure who bestowed the ‘Blessing of Condemnation’ upon the sinner.

Without Andrea, Adelaide would have kept on with her actions that led to the collapse of order, but no one dares suggest that Andrea’s deeds were necessary. No one sheds a tear for Andrea’s demise…

If Heretic Slayer were fiction, Andrea would be your typical sacrificial lamb, created for the sake of convenient plot development.

But this world isn’t fiction.

“…I think we have enough reason to meet him. After all, he’s someone who valued order until the very end.”

We also need to check if enemies, not just allies, received revelations.

“I’d like to investigate this first. What position does Bishop Andrea currently hold? What’s his reputation like? After that…let’s think about how we can arrange a meeting without raising suspicions.”

“Understood.” Athanas readily agreed.

And what else should we look into…?

Suddenly, a warning I’d heard countless times popped into my head.

“…Do you know anything about the Research Director?”

“Are you referring to Ledeia’s Apostle?”

Athanas’ expression turned a bit grave.

“…Is the Research Director another one of the sinners I executed?”

“No, there’s no possibility of that.”

Ledeia and her Apostles were wiped out before Athanas became a heretic inquisitor. The Research Director wasn’t mentioned, but he likely perished alongside them.

I went on, “I heard the Research Director has a keen interest in gods outside of order. I wondered if those rumors started because Ledeia’s faction is independently investigating Othergods.”

Though I can’t understand why the Saint lets him be…

“…Above all, I was warned that if it comes to light that I’m a being outside of order, the Research Director would be eager to study me. So, there’s a high chance he has leads on other Watched Ones too. Maybe he’s even researched them before. But…”

A shiver ran down my spine as I spoke, my blood running cold.

“Ledeia’s Apostle… is someone I never, ever want to cross paths with, especially since I haven’t received the Blessing of Order.”