#091

Athanas does have some traits of a rom-com heroine.

Based on the settings I made up, that is.

‘It’s basically like this.’

Athanastia, a Holy Knight whose genius talent makes her the target of jealousy from those around her.

The only place she can relax is the secluded library, where her peers would never venture.

It is in that library that she meets ‘Fabio.’

Someone it’s okay to show weakness to. Someone so unremarkable that she can feel at ease around him.

Because Fabio seemed so easy, from their first meeting, she arbitrarily poured out her worries and stubbornly asked him to wake her up the next day. In truth, it was a forced request born from a desire to see him again tomorrow…

Skipping the middle, Athanastia, having become close with Fabio, reveals even deeper secrets.

That she actually came to the Capital Church to find a younger sibling she was separated from as a child, but she is afraid to approach them.

Will they resent me? If I go to see them, will I only reopen old wounds?

Hearing this, Fabio steps forward, saying he will go and try to talk to them…

‘But actually, it was all a lie.’

Athanastia was the axis of evil searching for a candidate for the Saintess, and she simply used the convenient ‘Fabio’ as a pawn to be discarded.

And the one delivering this revelation is a man in his late 40s at the earliest, with absolutely zero chance of being the true heroine…

‘…If I bought a book thinking it was a rom-com and found out it had that plot, I’d definitely feel betrayed by the author.’

If someone recommended this as a pure love story, I’d seriously want to kill them.

‘Still, betrayal is betrayal.’

If I act with that vibe, maybe I can make this work?

As I was thinking this, Andrea’s low voice reached me.

“It seems they aren’t coming.”

The snake wrapped around Andrea’s arm opened its mouth wide. It dropped whatever it was holding onto Andrea’s palm.

“It is now proven. The person you believe to be your lover is one who will not seek you out even as you are dying.”

Andrea gripped the object.

“Can you believe me now?”

‘If you’re going to ask a question, shouldn’t you at least let me be able to answer?’

The purple snake kept its gaze fixed on me and slowly leaned forward. The moment the snake’s head came so close it almost touched the bridge of my nose, it flicked its tongue. I felt a sensation like a cold brush tickling my forehead.

“Hieek!”

I let out a scream reflexively, only realizing a moment later that I had made a sound. I stammerly rubbed my forehead. My body could move again.

“A-A snake…”

The snake hissed. For some reason, it felt like it was mocking me.

“This child will not harm you. It is a divine messenger of the Lord.”

‘Divine messenger my ass, it’s a creature of the Distorted One!’

An animal granted the power of a god becomes a Holy Beast. Holy Beasts increase the faith of surrounding believers and amplify the effects of Blessings.

If a god makes an animal other than their symbol into a Holy Beast, it not only costs an overwhelming amount of points but also results in a grotesque outcome; therefore, they usually make their symbolic creature a Holy Beast. For example, if Valentine, whose symbol is a ‘seal,’ made a cat a Holy Beast, that cat would turn into a bizarre creature—half seal, half cat. On the other hand, if he made a seal a Holy Beast, that seal would only undergo changes such as being larger than other individuals, having beautiful coloring, and a longer lifespan.

However, the Othergod has no ‘symbolic creature.’ This is because no beast on earth resembles what came from beyond The ‘Stars’. Thus, animals that receive the power of the Othergod take on very grotesque and horrific forms. That is why they are called creatures.

Since the Distorted One is characterized by ‘having no form,’ it seemed like only the color had changed, but…

‘Loclem’s symbol is pure white, yet he looks at a purple snake and thinks it’s the Lord’s messenger?’

I was about to point out that contradiction when I paused.

‘What if the snake only looks purple to me?’

“…This is the first time I’ve heard that the Lord’s messenger takes such a form.”

“Naturally. For the pure white snake is a secret messenger who carries out tasks that must not be recorded.”

‘As I thought, it’s causing cognitive distortion.’

I shut my mouth. Even if I said the snake was actually purple, it would only sound like nonsense to Andrea, whose perception was distorted.

‘Instead, only that snake bastard will realize that Distortion doesn’t work on me.’

Creatures are quite intelligent. Not quite on par with humans, but they still make their own judgments.

It could attack me regardless of Andrea’s will.

‘I can’t look like a dangerous element.’

The purple snake stared at me with eyes as black as glass beads. Its flicking tongue touched my face again. It was a strange sensation, so I reflexively grimaced. At that moment, a System window popped up before my eyes.

[You find the snake repulsive? What do you mean?

Now, the snake feels mysterious and beautiful to you! The snake is lovely! The snake is cute! You want to pet it wildly!]

[

SYSTEM: Due to the effect of ‘Heaven Above, Earth Below, I Alone Reign Supreme,’ ‘Distortion’ is provided as text.]

‘…What?’

As I blinked, the System window vanished immediately.

The snake remained still, stretching its head toward me. It looked as if it were waiting for something.

‘No way…’

“…Actually, it’s my first time seeing a Holy Beast in person. I was a bit surprised. I didn’t know a blessed creature could be this beautiful and lovely.”

Upon hearing my words, the snake straightened its body as if feeling proud. It looked like the physical embodiment of the word ‘triumphant.’

‘Does it not know that the Distortion didn’t work?’

When I hesitantly reached out my hand, the snake rubbed its head against my finger. The feel of the scales was cool. As if rubbing its head wasn’t enough, the snake wrapped around my hand and climbed up my arm.

‘…Thank goodness I like squamates.’

As I stroked the snake’s head with my other hand, I was grateful the creature wasn’t an insect. What if what was crawling up my arm right now was a purple cockroach?

‘I would’ve been caught instantly.’

Acting or not, I would never have been able to pet that.

“It seems the Lord’s messenger has also recognized how devout you are.”

“Haha…”

I laughed awkwardly.

‘The only ones here are a creature of the Othergod and a non-blessed heretic bastard.’

“It is a great relief. I have the opportunity to save you from that horrific person. Athanas—you cannot imagine how my heart sank when I saw the name of that atrocious murderer.”

I asked, pretending to hesitate.

“…Could Athanas really have deceived me? I simply cannot believe that all of it was a lie. There must be some misunderstanding.”

“You did not come even after receiving the signal that you were dying; what further proof is needed here?”

“Could it be that he didn’t feel it because he was asleep? It is still early dawn…”

Andrea let out a long sigh of frustration.

“If he truly loved you, he would have felt that burning pain just now. It is a pain that would wake someone with a start, no matter how deep their sleep.”

I bit my lower lip hard, like someone who refused to accept reality.

‘…But why did Valentine create such a Blessing?’

No matter how I listen to it, I only feel the downsides.

First of all, I can tell that this Blessing should absolutely not be used in military operations.

‘If you feel terrible pain during battle, you’d probably panic and drop your sword.’

Moreover, if that pain means your lover is dying, there’s no way you could focus on the enemy in front of you.

‘Perfect for getting hit with a critical blow and dying.’

Is it a Blessing for lovers who want to die at the same time, like the Peach Garden Oath?

While I was thinking that, the snake licked my finger.

[You are refusing to realize it, but in truth, you feel it deep in your heart. You have been abandoned!

The misery, sadness, and agony of being deceived by your lover fill your heart.

The more you try to deny it, the more painful it becomes. When you recall all the words and actions he took, they feel incredibly suspicious.]

[

SYSTEM: Due to the effect of ‘Heaven Above, Earth Below, I Alone Reign Supreme,’ ‘Distortion’ is provided as text.]

…What?

Surprised, I read the notification window twice.

‘If I didn’t have a mental barrier right now, I would’ve suddenly started doubting Athanas?’

Goosebumps broke out all over me. To think I have to live in a place where even the emotions I feel might not be my own…

‘This is terrifying.’

It hit me anew that the Dark Realm is a wretched world.

To think I have to survive in front of bastards who use such power as if they were breathing.

“If he truly didn’t love me, then I…”

Tears welled up in my eyes in an instant. When I squeezed my eyes shut, tears streamed down.

‘I practiced this to save money on artificial tears.’

The saying that everything you learn in life eventually helps was not wrong. I wiped the tears away with my sleeve.

“…Actually, I felt something was strange. Only a con artist would say they love someone as insignificant as me. I knew it, but I wanted to deny it. Because if all of it were a lie, it would be too miserable. Even knowing that it would eventually be more painful…”

“Fabio.”

Andrea handed me a handkerchief.

“You did nothing wrong. You were simply unlucky. Insignificant! Have you already forgotten that I praised you, saying I have never seen such a wonderful young man?”

The snake also flicked its tongue, as if trying to offer comfort.

[You are more than worthy of being loved. The one who is bad is the lover who deceived you! Why should the victim blame themselves? All negative emotions are directed toward the one who deceived you!]

[

SYSTEM: Due to the effect of ‘Heaven Above, Earth Below, I Alone Reign Supreme,’ ‘Distortion’ is provided as text.]

‘…Now it wants me to get angry?’

The directing is damn intense.

Well, I suppose it’s easier to manipulate someone filled with rage than someone digging a hole in the ground. I gripped the handkerchief tightly.

“You’re right! The one who committed the sin is the bastard who deceived and used people! To think the reason he deceived me was to find this young girl and put her in danger!”

As I said those words, real anger surged. To use Andrea’s desire to save Adelaide to get Adelaide into his own grasp!

‘This bastard makes Satan look for a different career path!’

That Contractor of the Distorted One!

“I can never forgive him!”

I gnashed my teeth.

“Bishop Andrea, please tell me. For what purpose is Athanas searching for this girl named Alicia?”

“…Why do you ask that?”

“Because I cannot just stand by! I must stop that evil plan immediately! No matter what it takes!”

“Fabio. I appreciate the sentiment, but this is not something for you to get involved in.”

I grabbed Andrea with desperation.

“Please, I want to be of help. Give me the chance to do the right thing. Wasn’t it to give me such a chance that you woke me from my delusions?”

Andrea looked troubled.

“I simply wanted to save you. If clues about Alicia were never found, you would have been disposed of. Fabio, I could not stand by and watch you die like that.”

‘…Even as a Heretic Butcher, Athanas didn’t just go around killing anyone.’

Just how distorted is his perception that he views Athanas as such a horrific human being?

‘That’s not what’s important right now.’

I had to get information about Adelaide. To do that, the top priority was to gain Andrea’s trust and become a collaborator.

“Since this is a life that would have vanished meaninglessly if not for you, Lord Andrea, I wish for you to use it.”

“…You should not speak so lightly of entrusting your life to another.”

“These are not words spoken lightly.”

Andrea’s face hardened.

“If you are sincere, then I really cannot.”

“What do you mean you cannot…?”

“Fabio. Do you know what words I hate the most?”

‘How would I know that.’

“…The words of consolation saying that the Lord took them early because they were too righteous—I absolutely loathe those words.”

Andrea’s eyes were piercing as he spoke.

“Why would the Lord want to take the good and righteous first? He is the one who told us that if we wish to offer our bodies, we should offer them to living a life that maintains Order.”

“That is…”

“The righteous die first because the cowardly hide behind them. It is as if gold was swapped for a pile of useless pebbles. Fabio, the majority of humans living on this earth are foolish and despicable. To die for such people is an insult to Order.”

‘…I see why he’s a servant of the Distorted One.’

Seeing him spout things a Priest should never even think of as if they were truth made me break into a cold sweat.

Andrea let out a short sigh and then looked at me with kind eyes again.

“I did not save you just to watch you throw your life away so easily. Do you understand?”

“But…”

“I have nothing more to say. No matter what reason you give, my mind will not change.”

‘…What do I do now?’

It seems I’ve stepped on Andrea’s landmine.

Once a boomer like him brings up that kind of talk, he truly won’t listen to anything until his cooldown is over. The problem is that I don’t know what Andrea might do before that cooldown ends. What if he feels a threat to Adelaide’s safety and decides to hide her even further away?

‘I have to change his mind somehow…’

At that moment, the System window flashed and appeared.

[

SYSTEM: ‘Forced Persuasion’ can be used on an influenced target.]

‘…Forced Persuasion?’

[

SYSTEM: ‘Forced Persuasion’ is a skill that holds onto a target who intends to stop the conversation because they have no intention of changing their mind. If the target cannot refute your words, the persuasion is completed due to the effect of the ‘Miracle of the Silver Tongue.’]

‘I had a skill like that?’

92 – #092