By Zephyria 
A blindingly bright Halo shone behind the blond young man.
One could deceive with appearances, but one could not change their Halo.
Athanas could immediately recognize who stood before him.
‘Sextus of Appraisal…’
The sixth apostle, capable of discerning falsehoods.
Sextus was pointing his sword at Athanas.
“He who fabricates the revelation of God shall have his head severed and hung upon my pole as an example… Surely a Holy Knight is not unfamiliar with this passage.”
A bloodlust sharper than any blade pierced through Athanas.
“Tell me. Why did you approach ‘Fabio’ to the extent of forging Valentine’s revelation?”
Athanas shifted his gaze toward Fabio.
As their eyes met, Fabio flinched as if he had been burned and lowered his head deeply.
‘…He’s as frightened as a field mouse.’
Even with a sword at his throat, Athanas was more concerned with what Fabio was thinking.
By now, Fabio must have realized that Athanas had lied from their very first meeting.
Not only that, but he had also learned that Athanas had been going around calling him his ‘destined partner’…
“Answer me.”
Athanas pondered.
How should he respond?
‘If I say I fell in love at first sight… I’ll be condemned immediately.’
Valentine was very generous toward those who forged his revelations; whenever asked to verify the truth of a revelation, he always gave the answer: ‘If there is love, my will is there as well.’
However, he always added this phrase afterward.
‘But if there is no love, he who forged my will deserves to die.’
“I…”
No one could hide their heart before the Apostle of Appraisal.
Athanas did not doubt that the moment he uttered the word ‘love,’ his head would be gone.
“…The moment I saw him, I felt a certain destiny. It is a lie that I received Valentine’s revelation, but this intense desire to become close to him is not a lie.”
“So, you are saying you love ‘Fabio’?”
Athanas glanced at Fabio.
He had a look on his face as if he couldn’t possibly understand what was happening.
‘…That would be it. He probably doesn’t even know yet that people of the same gender can date.’
Even if Athanas confessed his love, it would take a long time for Fabio to understand that it meant the same thing as romantic love between opposite genders.
‘I doubt he even knows who Valentine is in the first place.’
It would be nice to have a deep conversation with Fabio, but in the current situation with an apostle pointing a sword, even a brief greeting was impossible.
‘If I turn back time…’
…The best course of action would be to ensure this situation never happens at all.
The trigger for the incident was his peers being caught by the apostle while spying on ‘Fabio,’ so preventing this was very simple.
‘I just need to create a reason why Fabio cannot go to the cafeteria immediately, and in the meantime, tell my peers to stop.’
But if he was going to turn back time anyway…
“Yes. I love him.”
Sextus furrowed his brow.
“What you just said is a lie.”
“…Is that so?”
“With this, you have committed two sins. One is committing perjury before an apostle, and the other is forging the revelation of God. Either one alone is a crime punishable by death, but since you have committed both…”
Sextus slowly raised his sword.
As a representative of God, the apostle had the duty to condemn sinners.
The Sword of Judgment shone brilliantly.
‘Now I really have to turn back time.’
Soon, that sword would fall like a bolt of lightning and sever his neck.
He had heard that one remains alive for a few seconds even after the head is severed, but he didn’t want to gamble on whether [Regression] would still work then.
And just before the sword swung.
The last thing Athanas saw was Fabio stepping in front of him.
‘…Why?’
* * *
Athanas blinked.
Fabio was looking down at him.
“Ah, you’re awake?”
‘The Branch Office… I suppose.’
Regression had activated, and time had turned back.
It seemed Fabio had tried to wake him up as promised.
“What a relief. I was worried you wouldn’t wake up.”
Athanas was confused.
‘Why…’
Why did he block the way for me?
Obstructing a condemnation is blasphemy.
‘Did he not know that it is a grave sin?’
But even if he didn’t know…
“I have to leave quickly today because of an important appointment…”
“Fabio.”
“Yes?”
Athanas grabbed Fabio’s arm.
Fabio’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Why…”
‘Why did you block the way back then?’
Athanas couldn’t understand.
He had deceived him from the start, monitored him, never told him the truth until the end, and even the words of love he spoke were lies—he had heard all of it.
Was it simply because he couldn’t stand to see someone die before his eyes?
Or was there a reason he had to save ‘Athanas’?
Or perhaps…
“Um… is there something you want to say?”
Athanas gazed silently at Fabio.
He could feel the pulse in the arm he was holding quickening.
‘…While being this afraid of me.’
Why did he try to save me?
“…It’s nothing.”
Even if he asked, he wouldn’t get an answer.
Because this ‘Fabio’ had never performed such an action.
The rewound time existed only in Athanas’s memories.
‘…I can’t tell him that such a thing happened before I turned back time.’
Because Fabio is afraid of [Regression].
Athanas let go of Fabio’s arm.
“I must not have been fully awake. I apologize.”
“Well, that happens. Anyway, I have an important appointment. Um, enjoy your lunch.”
Athanas watched silently as Fabio left.
Even though he knew that if he didn’t stop him now, the previous incident would happen again, he didn’t feel like holding him back.
‘…If the same thing happens again.’
Would I be able to ask him then?
* * *
“I feel a gaze.”
“Huh? What gaze…?”
The apostle set down his utensils.
At that, the people in the cafeteria stopped talking all at once.
“What are you…”
Fabio looked around, utterly bewildered.
As the apostle waved his hand, people began to leave the cafeteria in silence.
Stopping mid-meal, Fabio could only roll his eyes in confusion.
“…What did you just do?”
“I used ‘Oblivion’ on the irrelevant people to make them temporarily forget the concept of ‘lunch’ and this ‘cafeteria.’”
“What? What does that…”
“In the end, it’s similar to them thinking they’ve finished lunch and leaving, so there’s no need to be so scared. Other than feeling unusually hungry today, they won’t feel any dissonance.”
“That’s actually more…”
“Hmm?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
The apostle stood up from his seat.
“Now then, shall the remaining people come over here?”
The only ones left in the cafeteria were three terrified peers and Athanas.
Only then did Fabio notice Athanas and look surprised.
“…Athanas?”
“You know him?”
“I suppose you could say that…”
Athanas felt an impulse to act differently than before, but he quickly suppressed it.
‘He’ll interrogate my peers first.’
It could hardly be called an interrogation. As soon as the apostle revealed his Halo, the peers knelt and confessed everything.
One couldn’t say the peers were at fault.
For those who believe in Order, especially Holy Knights who will become the Sword of Order, committing perjury before an apostle is unthinkable.
‘…They probably also judged that speaking honestly would be more helpful for me.’
To the question of why they were following him, what better answer is there than saying they were curious about the ‘destined partner’?
If there was any fault, it lay with Athanas, who had lied to his peers.
“Valentine’s revelation, is it.”
Sextus told the peers they could leave.
The peers scrambled away, casting glances at Athanas that seemed to ask, ‘What on earth is going on?’
‘Up to this point, it’s the same.’
Athanas watched as Sextus summoned the Sword of Judgment from the void.
‘Next is…’
“…Are you bored?”
Sextus looked at Athanas and tilted his head.
“Why are you bored? By the current situation?”
‘Oh no.’
“Strange. Why would you be bored… Why?”
Athanas felt a sense of failure.
Before the Apostle of Appraisal, he should have kept not only his actions but also his thoughts identical to the previous time.
“Now you’re flustered? Truly… suspicious. Right, you said you received Valentine’s revelation? Really?”
“…That is correct.”
“That’s a lie.”
The tip of the sword touched Athanas’s neck.
“He who fabricates the revelation of God shall have his head severed and hung upon my pole as an example… Surely a Holy Knight is not unfamiliar with this passage.”
A bloodlust sharper than any blade pierced through Athanas.
“Tell me. Why did you approach ‘Fabio’ to the extent of forging Valentine’s revelation?”
Athanas shifted his gaze toward Fabio.
As their eyes met, Fabio flinched as if he had been burned and lowered his head deeply.
“…The moment I saw him, I felt a certain destiny.”
‘The Apostle of Appraisal can only discern what the opponent truly believes to be true.’
“It is a lie that I received Valentine’s revelation, but this intense desire to become close to him is not a lie.”
‘So, if I can deceive my own emotions…’
“So, you are saying you love ‘Fabio’?”
Athanas looked at Fabio.
‘…In a way, couldn’t this feeling be called love?’
Athanas had never spent his life thinking about a single person to this extent.
Spending all day pondering what to say to him, waiting only for the time they would meet.
If this isn’t love, then what is?
“…Yes. I love him.”
Sextus furrowed his brow.
“What you just said is a lie.”
‘As expected, it doesn’t work.’
Athanas gave up cleanly.
“With this, you have committed two sins. One is committing perjury before an apostle, and the other is forging the revelation of God. Either one alone is a crime punishable by death, but since you have committed both…”
Sextus slowly raised his sword.
Athanas waited.
‘Nothing has deviated much, so probably around now…’
“Stop!!”
Fabio stepped in front of the Sword of Judgment.
“Lord Ter! You can’t! You absolutely can’t! I don’t know if this is real or a joke, but anyway, you can’t!”
“…Fabio. Obstructing an apostle’s execution is a grave sin.”
“This execution itself is something that should not happen!”
“If you continue to stand there despite being warned, you too will become a target of condemnation.”
Fabio hesitated, but he did not move from his spot.
“Anyway, you can’t! You really can’t!”
“If you keep blocking the way like that, your arm will be flown off.”
“What?”
“One who advocates for a sinner must share the punishment the sinner must pay. Since that fellow’s neck must be sliced, your arm will be cut off.”
At the apostle’s words, Fabio turned pitifully pale.
Athanas thought that would be enough for Fabio to lower his arm and step back.
“S-still, you can’t!”
‘…Why?’
Chapter 69