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

#157Reader Mode

#157

Eventually, I had to prove to Adna I could handle eating by myself, even going as far as scraping the bowl clean right in front of her.

Proving I’m still sane is fucking exhausting…

At least I learned one crucial thing from this:

Never, ever fake illness just to get out of a situation.

From Adna’s perspective, I was essentially a goblin capable of intercepting cosmic frequencies and descending into madness at any moment.

To be fair, if someone like me suddenly started acting weird?

Yeah, I’d probably isolate them and keep watch until I figured out what was happening too.

“Um, Adna?”

“What is it?” She looked up from the spoon she was carving.

…Crap, she’s actually making that spoon.

Shit.

My palms immediately started sweating.

How do I casually suggest going back to my room now?

But wouldn’t that just make her more suspicious, like I was hiding something? Then she’d definitely want to search my room. And even if I convinced her otherwise, who knew when she’d decide to come back and kick my door down again?

“…Thank you. For making time for me, I mean.”

After collecting my thoughts, I changed tactics.

I should just accept Adna’s surveillance and act completely normal to reassure her.

Honestly, worrying about the Council’s plans? I wasn’t in a position to do anything about it anyway. Even if I discovered what trouble the players might cause, what then? Tell an Apostle? They’d immediately know I’d been talking to other players.

Some random guy doing unauthorized reconnaissance? That’s just asking to be labeled a traitor.

Unless I wanted to live under constant surveillance forever, I needed to play this smart.

“Hey, um… you said you’d stay with me until I felt better, right? Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“So, when I’m… you know, with my lover… are you still going to be around? Watching?”

“Naturally.”

Naturally? That’s your answer?

What about my privacy? Does that concept just not exist in the Dark Realm?

“That’s… kinda embarrassing.”

“It’s not a problem.”

“Not a—how is that not a problem?”

“Experiencing embarrassment in these situations is perfectly normal.”

No, that was me hinting for you to give us some space.

Adna continued, her expression completely blank. “Romantic relationships are no exception. If anything, those require closer monitoring.”

“Right, but, uh… imagine introducing someone with, ‘Hi, this is my Apostle chaperone.’ My lover’s going to be completely overwhelmed.”

“And?”

“What do you mean, and?”

Imagine thinking you’re dating some ordinary Reader, and then suddenly, surprise! They need Apostle-level supervision? Anyone would be terrified!

“If your lover can’t handle the existence of secrets, you should end the relationship sooner rather than later.”

“…Wouldn’t it be better if they never discovered I have secrets? Besides, if you’re there, my lover will be too nervous to even talk, let alone anything else.”

“Would that be an issue?”

“Yes! Of course it would!”

“I see. Understood.”

Oh, thank god.

She comprehends basic common sense, at least…

“Then, during your meetings with your lover, I will ensure they don’t remember my presence.”

“Pardon, what?”

“That way, your lover won’t be aware of me in the room.”

Yeah, but I’ll still see you standing right there!

So Adna seriously expects me to just… pretend she isn’t there, right in front of Athanas? That would require some serious acting skills.

Wow, these Apostles really use Oblivion as casually as breathing.

Adna nonchalantly messed with people’s memories when she came looking for me last time too. Same thing when the Saint visited.

Hold on… What if Apostles are constantly moving around, visiting places, but no one remembers, so nobody knows?

Damn. That thought sent a chill down my spine.

Shouldn’t Apostles of the religion that unified an entire continent at least announce their visits? You’d expect grand parades, elaborate ceremonies, schedules posted everywhere.

But no, they just show up and erase everyone’s memory… That’s straight-up ghost story material.

Without some kind of mental defense relic, you could die without even realizing an Apostle was nearby.

Now I understand why players have that emergency rescue system during the Tutorial Phase. In the game, there was never an ability as overpowered as ‘Oblivion.’ Without that system kicking in the moment an Apostle got close, most players would’ve just been hit with a sudden, confusing Game Over screen.

“…Even if Athanas gets startled, I think it’s better if you stay visible, Adna,” I finally said.

“All right.”

She just accepted it. No questions, no pushback.

So, we settled on a plan: meet Athanas tomorrow morning at Adna’s training grounds. Using the grounds made sense. I could spin it as Athanas getting some personal coaching from the Fifth Apostle, who’d taken an interest in his talent.

Especially with ‘Fabio’ drawing so much attention because of Pandemonium lately…

If Athanas said he was off to see a lover, it’d cause way too much buzz. Though, he doesn’t usually wear the reliquary, so maybe not many people even knew he was seeing someone. Still, better safe than sorry…

…Why am I suddenly so tired?

Is this just post-meal drowsiness?

Excessive sleepiness after eating is a symptom of diabetes, isn’t it?

I rubbed my eyes.

Getting diabetes in an era without refined sugar would be the cruelest joke.

I’d only started eating anything close to refined carbs after arriving at the Capital Cathedral.

“Are you sleepy?”

“…Yes. It’s a bit early, but maybe I should head to bed?”

“……”

“Adna?”

“No, it’s nothing. Just thinking. I’ll show you to your room.”

The room they set up for me in the Apostle’s residence was massive, like three times the size of my dorm room. But aside from the bed, it was completely empty. Felt pretty barren.

Guess it’s because no one’s really used it yet.

Adna said she’d grab me a change of clothes, but I was already face-planted on the bed, fast asleep before she even came back.

***

“…I wasn’t informed that Apostle Ter would be the one escorting me to my lover.”

“Of course not. I never mentioned it. So, how could you know?”

Shit.

I cursed under my breath. Of all the Apostles, why did it have to be Tartar Sauce? Tertius, the Sixth Apostle—the one who could read emotions. I knew his limits, and I might be able to fool him, but…

Athanas doesn’t know.

What if Tertius casually asked him, “So, what do you like about Fabio?” and Athanas just innocently answers something that flags him as a liar?

Ugh, I should’ve just sent him a damn letter.

Actually, I didn’t even need to do that. Athanas still had Valentine’s reliquary. If he’d checked my location and saw I was at an Apostle’s residence, he’d have guessed something was up and played it cool. Me asking to see him would have just made things more complicated.

“Fabio.”

“Athanas!”

As soon as I saw him, I rushed over and wrapped him in a tight hug.

Shit, shit, we should’ve come up with a code word for situations like this!

Even whispering quietly would be like shouting through a megaphone for a top-tier unit like Tertius. My brain was scrambling for a way to signal danger when I heard a soft laugh tickle my ear.

“I’ve missed you terribly, too.”

“…Did I say I missed you?”

“Your entire body is practically screaming it right now.”

“Athanas…”

Damn, this is so embarrassing.

Okay, surely this performance was enough to fool Tertius, right? If Athanas was just imagining someone he found loveable, Tertius would probably pick up on that as real affection. After all, he reads emotions, not specific thoughts.

Tertius is staying quiet. Maybe… maybe we could actually pull this off!

I quickly broke the hug. “Sorry,” I muttered, my cheeks heating up even though it was all an act. We’d just had a very public display of affection, after all. “I got carried away. Knowing we don’t have much time, I just… couldn’t help myself. You weren’t too shocked being brought here, were you?”

“I was extremely surprised,” Athanas said smoothly.

“You’re lying.”

Tertius cut in sharply.

“You weren’t surprised at all. Your face practically said, ‘Ah, so it finally happened.’ Isn’t that suspicious?”

“Not really. If he used Valentine’s reliquary to confirm his lover’s location, he’d have expected to run into an Apostle eventually,” Adna interjected coolly.

“No. No matter how prepared someone is, not reacting at all in the moment is ridiculous!”

“Why?”

“Because you—” Tertius stopped himself abruptly, letting out an exasperated sigh. “Fine. Whatever. I’m not here to interrupt. Just… carry on. Pretend I’m not here.”

Right. Like that’s going to happen.

I looked up at Athanas awkwardly.

He just smiled softly. “It’s all right.”

“I haven’t even said anything yet.”

“You don’t need to. It’s okay.” Athanas gently brushed my hair back from my face.

Looking at his calm expression, I suddenly felt kind of stupid for worrying so much. Of course he could handle this. Who was I to doubt Athanas—

“Fabio.”

“…Yes?”

“I love you.”

“Wha—?”

I instinctively whipped my head around to look at Tertius, shocked.

He was turned away, looking over at Adna.

Did he… not notice?

No way. Even if Athanas was that good, fooling Tertius’s perception completely should’ve been impossible.

“I never said I’d do it!” Tertius snapped suddenly, crossing his arms and looking irritated.

Do what?

“…Because I asked him to,” Athanas said quietly. “I asked Apostle Ter to confirm the sincerity of my feelings. When I said I loved you, right here in front of him.”

Why the hell would you do something like that?

“You told me once,” Athanas continued, his voice gentle as he cupped my face in his hands. “You were afraid my love might not be real. So, I wanted to take this chance to prove it. My love for you is genuine.”

So… Athanas already knew Tertius could read emotions? And he’d figured out how to fake it right under his nose?

Seriously, I’d been stressing for nothing.

“I see.”

If this guy lived in modern times, he’d have at least two Oscars by now.

“…It seems you still don’t believe me.”

“That’s not true!”

“It’s all right. I can wait. Until you truly accept it.”

Now I was feeling flustered.

Pretty sure this dialogue isn’t part of the relationship script we agreed on.

Of course, sticking to some rigid plan in front of an emotion-reader like Tertius would’ve gotten us caught immediately. But Athanas just dropped this bombshell without any warning, and now I had to improvise around it?

Seriously? Wasn’t that asking a bit much?