#077

I flipped the paper over and over, but that was truly all that was written on it.

I was speechless.

‘Is this guy a complete piece of shit?’

“Merry X-mas!”

This was a blatant mockery of a player who had come seeking answers out of worry for the “Day the Starry Sky Opens.”

What a legendary personality.

‘The bastard who set this trap is probably someone chosen by the Distorted One.’

The Distorted One is an Othergod who presides over “Distortion” and “Disappointment.”

One could gather points in the “Distortion” Domain simply by creating and spreading things like counterfeit gold coins, but far more points are gathered by making people feel “disappointment.”

The word “disappointment” might sound mild, but when you consider that the more desperately someone wants something and the more miserably it collapses, the greater the “disappointment” becomes, you realize how horrific this Domain is.

What must one do to cause great “disappointment”?

You just have to act like a total demon.

For example, let’s say you want to steal a noble family’s treasures.

If you’re playing as the Plague God, you could just spread a plague through the family and annihilate them. If you’re the War God, you could start a territorial war, win, and loot them. But if you’re playing as the Distorted One?

‘…They would find a noble girl who prayed for her mother to stop being sick, trick her into thinking poison is medicine, and make her poison her own mother with her own hands.’

Then, they would tell the girl the truth to drive her insane, pretend to be her guardian, and swallow the entire family estate.

‘A true demon…’

Compared to others, the number of victims is smaller, but it is the most gruesome method of conquest.

Unlike the rather unrealistic strategies of other Othergods, playing as the “Distorted One” feels too grounded in the reality of doing despicable things, so not many people choose it as their main.

It’s not that I can’t distinguish between the game and reality, but honestly, I wouldn’t want to associate with someone who played the “Distorted One” the most.

‘And since this person is a chosen human among them, imagine how much of a psycho they are.’

A specialist in instigation, fabrication, and manipulation of public opinion.

If such a bastard is hiding within the Order…

‘…Could the rule that players shouldn’t meet each other have been intentionally created by this guy?’

While people gather and exchange information closely, a trickster is easily exposed. But in a situation where they barely communicate…

‘He can run wild to his heart’s content.’

It seemed highly likely that he had staged some kind of farce to make players distrust one another. Even now, hadn’t he completely crushed my will to find other players with a single trap?

He is undoubtedly a malicious and cunning bastard.

“Is there some kind of problem?”

At Athanas’s words, I snapped out of my thoughts.

“No! There isn’t! I mean, not that there isn’t, but…”

‘…How much should I explain?’

My palms grew damp with cold sweat.

Originally, if I found traces of a player, I intended to brush it off by saying something like, “I received a revelation in a dream that there was something here!”

But now that Athanas has injured his hand, I can’t do that.

‘If the bastard who made this trap finds out that the owner of the blood drop is Athanas…’

There is a high probability he will try to kill Athanas.

He would likely misunderstand that Athanas came here because he recalled the memories of ‘Die Heretic!’.

If he wants to win the game, he’d want to eliminate the variable known as the “original protagonist.”

‘…It’s because of me.’

I told Athanas to come here.

I was the one who asked him to check the sarcophagus and take out what was inside.

If anything happened because of this, it was entirely my fault.

‘I have to warn him.’

I couldn’t leave Athanas defenseless and ignorant.

Simply telling him to visit the Bishop to check if he’s been cursed wouldn’t be enough. I had to explain exactly what kind of danger he might face.

‘…But how?’

To let him know how evil the entity who set this trap is, I would inevitably have to reveal the “Othergods” and those they have chosen.

‘Wouldn’t it sound strange no matter how I explain it?’

There are gods beyond The ‘Stars’. They want to destroy Order and swallow the Dark Realm. To exert influence on this land, they need “Contractors.” I am one of them. But I didn’t want to destroy Order, so I defected to the Order. The Saintess told me I could live. However, one of the “Contractors” who defected like me has a very evil heart. It seems he deceived the Saintess. That’s the kind of guy who set this trap…

‘…If I say it like this, he’ll probably tell me to go get a psychiatric evaluation.’

That would actually be a relief. Otherwise, he might drag me to the Inquisition for blasphemy. Since the Saintess allowed me to live, not trusting her and trying to test her would be seen as a crime.

‘Even if I could prove it and make him believe me…’

Athanas is the Sword of Judgment, who executes those who deviate from Order.

To such a man, how would I—someone outside of Order—appear?

‘…He’d find me repulsive, right?’

“If there is no problem, I will take that paper.”

“Huh?”

“The paper. The person who set this trap must have written it, right? I should investigate it along with this metal wire.”

“Who played such a prank…” Athanas said in a low voice.

‘…He shouldn’t just think of it as a prank.’

I have to warn him.

I knew it, but the words wouldn’t come out.

“Your hand… are you alright?”

“Pardon? I’m fine. The bleeding stopped quickly.”

“Because of me…”

My stomach churned.

‘…Should I call the Saintess?’

If I tell her that another Watched One seems to be acting out, wouldn’t she at least be cautious? She said there was nothing else to do besides checking on the “Watched Ones.”

‘Of course, I’d have to reveal all the lies I’ve told…’

But that seemed better than Athanas being in danger.

I fumbled over my clothes and gripped the Sacred Relic. Or rather, I tried to.

“…Is your chest feeling tight?”

“What?”

“I thought your complexion hadn’t been good for a while. Perhaps bad air has pooled in this space.”

Suddenly, Athanas swept me up in his arms.

“Wait, right now…”

“Let’s talk once we go up. This space… feels a bit unsettling.”

I immediately shut my mouth.

Athanas was right.

‘Right. Who knows what kind of devices he might have installed.’

To think I acted more carelessly than Athanas, who knew nothing.

I felt a sense of self-loathing.

‘I’ll explain everything once we move to a safe place.’

* * *

Once we actually climbed out of the basement, the Librarians, whom I usually didn’t even notice, became a huge concern. Of course, I knew they weren’t interested in us, but conversations in a quiet place are heard even when you don’t want them to be.

“Um…”

I grabbed Athanas’s arm.

“…Could you take me somewhere quiet? Somewhere we can be just the two of us, if possible.”

At that moment, there was a thumping sound of something falling.

Startled, I looked back to see a Librarian clumsily picking up books.

“Ah, oh dear… I dropped the books! My hand slipped!”

‘…What is this?’

That reaction, which was so excessively suspicious that it felt like a trap?

Having just experienced the Distorted bastard’s trap, my nerves were on edge as I scrutinized the Librarian. The Librarian was conspicuously avoiding my gaze, so it seemed they were indeed conscious of me.

‘If it were the Distorted bastard himself, or someone monitoring under his orders, they would have acted more naturally.’

Why were they acting so awkward?

‘…I should ask.’

“Fabio.”

“Yes?”

“What you just said was a bit…”

Athanas stopped talking and cleared his throat.

“…I believe it was a statement open to misunderstanding.”

‘Open to misunderstanding?’

I looked back at what I had just said.

‘…Ah.’

Considering the public perception of Chanters and the fact that same-sex romance is possible in this world, I immediately understood how my words must have sounded.

‘It sounded like a couple’s conversation about getting a room in broad daylight.’

My face flushed with embarrassment.

“I didn’t say it with that intention…”

I was about to say that, but Athanas placed a finger over his lips in a “shh” gesture.

Reflexively, I shut my mouth.

Then, Athanas leaned toward me and spoke.

“If I was just being oblivious, could you give me one more chance?”

And then, in a voice only I could hear, he added: “…I understand your intention. You needed a reason for us to leave this place together. I will play along.”

It seemed he interpreted my unintentional slip of the tongue as a kind of smokescreen.

Athanas then whispered to me in a voice loud enough for others to hear.

“I hope you’ll tell me… that it wasn’t a misunderstanding.”

‘Wow…’

For a moment, every hair on my body stood on end.

‘Having someone whisper greasily in your ear… is an incredibly creepy thing.’

I almost screamed.

But since Athanas, who had to act in front of someone with 30 charm, was likely suffering more, I suppressed the urge to scream and run away.

As a result, my face turned even redder.

“Yeees…”

My voice, trembling with a mix of shame and agony, sounded like the lines of a terribly embarrassed heroine.

‘This is truly a disaster.’

I felt like I could spend the next ten years demolishing my walls every night whenever I recalled this moment.

Athanas smiled brightly.

“To think you felt the same way as I do… could there be anything more joyful than this?”

‘Wow… holy shit.’

He’s damn good at acting.

Is this a talent?

Chapter 78