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

#085Reader Mode

#085

…Servant of the Distorted One?

The system window disappeared in the blink of an eye. At first, I thought it was just my imagination playing tricks on me.

Andrea serves the Othergod of Distortion and Disappointment? That stubborn old fart who’s the biggest stickler for order?

I wanted to dismiss it as impossible, but suddenly, everything clicked into place.

What if Andrea was actually a follower of the Distorted One in Heretic Slayer too?

In Chapter 1 of Heretic Slayer, after dealing with the ‘living corpses’ mutated from suffocated plague victims, Bishop Andrea transforms into a monster, triggering the first boss battle of the game.

Even players found it odd for Bishop Andrea to abruptly turn into a monster like that.

Abandoning order doesn’t result in transforming into a hideous monster as punishment. In the world of Heretic Slayer, becoming a powerful monster is considered a ‘blessing’, not a curse or punishment. It may seem twisted to our modern sensibilities, but for those zealots, turning into the spitting image of their god is a sacred and glorious event.

In reality, though, that ‘blessing’ comes with a hefty price tag in Conclude…

But why would the Plague God bestow a blessing upon Andrea, who didn’t even worship him? I suppose catching the plague puts you under the Plague God’s influence, allowing him to force an unwanted ‘blessing’ on Andrea on a whim. Othergods aren’t exactly known for their reasonableness. Still, something didn’t quite add up.

According to the lore settings in ‘Conclude’, the Plague God’s blessing doesn’t involve mind control. So, Andrea must have been in his right mind when he went after Athanas in Chapter 1.

And here I thought it was just a glitch that popped up while they were adding his side story…

But if Andrea mistook the Distortion God’s whispers for Roklem’s divine revelations, everything falls into place.

The Distorted One is the type of god who would rather destroy what he can’t possess. In Heretic Slayer, he likely intervened because it appeared the Plague God was on the cusp of victory. Oh, how deliciously sweet the Plague God’s ‘disappointment’ must have tasted, having triumph ripped away at the last second!

I can just picture the Distorted One gleefully bestowing his twisted blessing upon Andrea. The moment Andrea realizes that the words he so fervently believed and followed were nothing more than the insidious whispers of an evil god, he will undoubtedly be thrown into the depths of despair.

…But wait, isn’t all of this something that hasn’t even happened yet?

At this point, is there any reason for Andrea to be labeled a ‘Servant of the Distorted One’? Does it imply that once corrupted, a person becomes beholden to an Othergod, even if time itself is reversed? That’s just too… too outrageous to even consider.

“…Fabio.”

I gasped, my breath catching in my throat like a startled hiccup.

My frantic thoughts screeched to a halt, as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water on my brain. Bishop Andrea’s gaze was on me and I felt abruptly yanked back to reality.

Focus. What matters now is…

Not letting Andrea suspect that anything is amiss.

Andrea still has no idea that I’ve noticed something’s off. He’ll simply assume I’m just another random passerby reader.

Fabio knows nothing. Fabio is shy yet content. Fabio holds Bishop Andrea in high regard…

“I am not one to dispense praise lightly. So, you should take even greater pride in the fact that you have earned commendation from me.”

Andrea’s hand came to rest on my shoulder. I bowed my head, pretending to be embarrassed.

“I’m humbled to receive such praise, and more than once, merely for taking my first tentative steps.”

“Those first steps were taken among countless others who never even attempt to stand on their own two feet throughout their entire lives. So, yes, you are deserving of this recognition.”

Andrea let out a weary sigh.

“If only all young people were like you. Far too many choose to ignore my invaluable advice…”

…Why do all old farts spout the exact same drivel?

The uncanny familiarity transcended not only time but dimensions as well…

Suddenly, it was as if a switch had been flipped on in my brain.

“Good heavens, how could that be? Your teachings were nothing short of enlightening, even for someone as uneducated as myself!”

I was so used to humoring old windbags that the words tumbled from my lips on autopilot. No, perhaps it’s more accurate to say that this skill is etched not just into my muscle memory, but into my very soul. Though, to have it ingrained in my soul, really…

…Isn’t this basically PTSD?

Regardless, thanks to that deeply ingrained reflex, I managed to buy myself some breathing room. I switched on my automatic brown-nosing mode for dealing with old farts and allocated the rest of my mental bandwidth to untangling this situation at hand.

What’s important now is Adelaide.

Rumor has it that Adelaide became a Saintess before she even had a chance to be ordained as a priest and that she’s never set foot outside the Cathedral. Apparently, she also grew up in an orphanage, so logic dictates that Adelaide should be here at said orphanage right now.

But the fact that I can’t find Adelaide’s nameplate at the orphanage…

Sure, there’s a chance I simply overlooked it.

However, now that I’ve confirmed the orphanage’s head administrator is a servant of an Othergod, I have no choice but to consider the worst-case scenario.

…If they can manipulate Andrea, dealing with a single orphan would be simple.

Given that the ‘Distorted One’ can’t directly meddle in the Dark Realm at the moment, since the starry sky hasn’t opened yet, it must be a player who’s made a contract with the Distorted One who’s pulling Andrea’s strings.

Of all things…

A contractor of the Distorted One.

The chances of someone who’s entered into a contract with an Othergod like the Distorted One having a normal personality is about as likely as pigs flying. There’s no way they sent Adelaide away for her own protection or happiness.

…Please, let her be inside the Cathedral.

Because if she is, the moment I uncover a lead, I can ask the Saint to keep her safe. But if she’s not within the Cathedral walls…

“…How about studying the doctrine together, starting tomorrow?” Andrea proposed.

Just as the automatic response was about to blurt out, ‘Absolutely, that would be amazing!’, I snapped back to my senses.

“Studying… the Doctrine?”

…Isn’t jointly studying doctrine a classic tactic employed by cults to ensnare people?

They interweave their own twisted teachings into legitimate doctrine, gradually warping your mind.

Am I crazy for even considering studying doctrine with a servant of the Distorted One?

“I’m so woefully uneducated… Bishop, I’m ashamed to admit that I’m not even at a level where I can truly benefit from your teachings. Perhaps I could learn from you once I’ve established a more solid foundation?”

The Bishop’s gaze pierced through me. “Nonsense. The most challenging principles are intricately woven into the basic doctrine. That’s precisely why you should study it more thoroughly.”

Cold sweat trickled down the back of my neck.

F*ck, how do I get out of this?

The Bishop’s voice softened. “I don’t make this offer to just anyone, Fabio. I believe investing in your education would be worthwhile.”

By geezer standards, this is the equivalent of ’expressing the utmost favor’.

It means that unless you have a damn good reason, the moment you refuse, your favorability plummets faster than a lead balloon. I scrambled to find an excuse to decline, when a sudden thought struck me.

…Wait a minute, do I actually need to say no?

I’ve got a necklace to summon the Saint and a blessing to keep my mind from being messed with. So, if he tries to pull any shady stuff during our study sessions, I could catch him red-handed and thoroughly investigate the entire orphanage with the Saint’s help.

…Think about Adelaide.

If Adelaide was in a dire situation, I have to save her as soon as possible. I’m the only one who can rescue Adelaide, I realized, and surprisingly, a wave of courage surged through me.

“If you insist, I’ll humbly accept your offer.”

“Excellent! Be here before the 4 AM bell tolls tomorrow.”

…4 AM?

I clasped my hands together, biting my tongue to keep from unleashing a barrage of curses. “To have the honor of learning more about the doctrine directly from you, Bishop… It feels like a dream come true!”

More like a nightmare I can’t wake up from.

F*cking hell.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

I don’t know how I managed to keep it together while playing with the orphanage kids after that.

I must be losing my mind.

Since they were all little ankle-biters under 10, I thought it’d be a fun to run around together, so I localized and taught them ’The Rose of Sharon Has Bloomed’ and ‘Freeze Tag’, which was a blast, but the real problem started when Bishop Andrea decided to join in on the fun. ¹T/N: ‘무궁화꽃이 피었습니다’ Literally, the flower, Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) has bloomed. This game is just like the Western game “Red light, Green light.” The person who is “it” stands a fair distance away, and turns around and says the phrase “무궁화꽃이 피었습니다.” During this time, everyone else who was behind the starting line, will go as fast as they can to try and tag the person who is saying the phrase. The catch is that one doesn’t know how quickly the person who is “it” will say it, and if you are caught moving after the person who is “it” turns around, then you have to start from the beginning.

I desperately need Oblivion right about now…

Especially the image of Bishop Andrea being the first one out in the rose of sharon game and constantly sticking his pinky up – that’s a memory I’d give anything to scrub from my brain.

I was trying to get on his good side, but I didn’t mean to skyrocket my favorability this much in one measly day.

After dinner, I felt a bit strange watching Andrea pray to Roklem. In the heart of the Cathedral, someone in the clutches of an Othergod is offering hollow prayers, and the all-powerful God of Order is none the wiser? Is Roklem even listening to these prayers?

…The Apostles are twiddling their thumbs because He’s not listening, aren’t they?

Because Apostles act in accordance with the God’s will.

Gazing up at the sky, I heaved a sigh without even meaning to. The inky black sky, now that the sun had dipped below the horizon, seemed to reflect the gloomy future of the Church of Order.

…Anyway, I need to be back here before…Anyway, I gotta drag myself back here before 4 AM tomorrow.

Luckily, the time I’m meeting Athanas lines up with Andrea’s work hours, so it looks like I can slip away somehow. Even if he tries to stop me, I’ll just tell him I’ve got a prior engagement and make a run for it, but…

…I should really get some shut-eye.

To keep my automatic reaction to old coots firing on all cylinders tomorrow, I needed to recharge my batteries now.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

“…Bishop Andrea is a servant of an Othergod?”

“That’s what I’ve figured out.”

I was relieved that Athanas didn’t grill me on how I confirmed it. If he had, I could only say there’s a way and leave it at that. I covered my mouth, stifling a big yawn.

I’m f*cking exhausted…

“…I think he’s being intermittently controlled like a puppet rather than actually believing in an Othergod. During our doctrine study session at dawn, he seemed perfectly normal. In fact, his devotion to the Lord was quite…”

“Wait, did you just say you studied at dawn with a servant of an Othergod?”

Athanas suddenly made a terrifying expression and grabbed my arm.

“…Weren’t you the one who asked if I had lives to spare? What possessed you to do something so reckless?!”

F*ck! You nearly gave me a heart attack.

I’m wide awake now.

Why is he getting so angry all of a sudden?

“That’s because it wasn’t a reckless thing to do. I carefully assessed the situation…”

“Did it not occur to you that you should’ve at least informed me beforehand?”

No, when exactly could I have filled you in?

It’s not like I’ve got the Apostles’ nifty telepathic party line.

But I can understand why he’s pissed.

“…I’m sorry. I instructed you to always consult with me before taking action, yet I didn’t follow that rule myself. It’s only natural for you to be angry. If our roles were reversed, I would have been furious too.”

I nagged him incessantly and then ran off and did my own thing, so it’s understandable that he’s annoyed.

“But I agreed because there wasn’t any real danger.”

“No danger, you say…”

“Don’t interrupt. I’m about to share something incredibly important with you.”

Athanas clamped his mouth shut.

I heaved a deep sigh and said,

“I didn’t mention it before because it’s like a hidden ace up my sleeve, but now that we’ve become a team bound by fate, I’ll tell you. Try not to be too shocked when you see it.”

With that, I pulled out the holy relic from my clothing using the hand that wasn’t in his grip.

“Do you have any idea what this is?”

“……”

“It’s a holy relic bestowed directly from the Saint himself.”

“……”

…I specifically told him not to be surprised, but he’s really not batting an eye at all.