#151

I lied, feeling a bit guilty.

“…I thought it was very unsettling not knowing who the Watched Ones were.”

Nyapoleon or Insanity might be roaming around the Capital Church.

But it’s not as if a ‘player’ tag pops up just by looking at someone’s face….

‘Of course, they wouldn’t recognize me either.’

However, those two could recognize Athanas.

I warned Athanas.

“Athanas, you should be careful too. A Watched One might come looking for you.”

Athanas nodded.

“In that case, it would be best to refrain from meeting for a while and find another way to contact each other.”

The problem was that I couldn’t think of any suitable method.

It would be great if I could chat with Athanas too.

“Until we find an alternative means, I will send messages through Callister.”

‘…Why?’

No, it wasn’t a bad idea.

If there was someone monitoring Athanas 24 hours a day, it would be nearly impossible to contact him without revealing my identity.

If Athanas wrote a letter, they would look for the recipient, and if he left a secret code in a specific place, they would wait for the person coming to check it.

But there are many Callisters.

Those numerous Callisters enter and exit the laboratory every day.

‘Then it becomes difficult to figure out which Callister contacted Athanas and where that information is being passed.’

Callister is a being connected to the laboratory director, Columba, who is Ledeia’s apostle.

Even for Insanity or Nyapoleon, it would be impossible to monitor the movements of every single Callister.

If there was one problem, it was that it would reveal a point of contact between Athanas and the laboratory director….

‘…More importantly, why does Athanas trust Callister?’

That laboratory director bastard is damn suspicious.

I even had my arm cut off because of him.

And yet, why….

“Since I left this time without saying anything, it will be difficult for me to slip away recklessly for a while.”

After saying that, Athanas lightly kissed my forehead.

“A-Athanas?”

‘What’s this?’

Athanas smiled softly.

“Still, I will come to see you if possible.”

My heart thundered in my chest.

Athanas, who was stroking my cheek, would surely be able to feel that pulse.

‘Is he doing this on purpose?’

To surprise me and make me look like a shy lover?

To Callister?

Why bother?

“Until then… please take care of yourself.”

Leaving those words behind, Athanas left the room.

Callister followed behind him.

‘…If it was an unauthorized departure, he could have just left while I was asleep or woken me up.’

I was about to rub my forehead when I realized that the Gurister fellow was still in the room.

“Is there any business left?”

“Yes, very important business indeed.”

Gurister grabbed my left hand.

Suddenly, goosebumps ran down my spine.

“Fabio, may I ask why you engage in self-harm?”

Well….

‘Because it’s fucking gross.’

It looks like an arm and moves like an arm, but it’s actually a combination of maggots pretending to be bone, maggots pretending to be muscle, and maggots pretending to be skin.

Every time I suddenly remember that, I get chills all over my body.

“…I won’t do it anymore, so don’t worry about it.”

“How could I not worry? I can feel the sensations too. Do you perhaps feel pleasure through such acts?”

‘You piece of shit.’

My face twisted.

“When I think about the time my arm was cut off without anesthesia, I can’t stand it without scratching. It was a very shocking experience for me.”

“Aha, that was it. I am sorry. To think the Blessing of Pain Relief wouldn’t work.”

“…You said you saw me for the sixth time, right?”

That means this guy was the one who cut it off with the axe.

‘And the one who cut the arm must have used the Blessing of Healing too.’

Otherwise, I would have died from excessive bleeding while climbing the stairs.

But there was something else that bothered me more.

“…Why are you counting the number?”

All Callisters are the same being.

If so, what meaning does it have for one Callister to see me for the sixth time?

Wouldn’t it be baffling if a pair of bread tongs told a customer, ‘This is already the third time you’ve chosen me’?

The customer didn’t choose the tongs because they recognized them.

Gurister tilted his head.

“Because I’m glad to see you?”

“You acted as if you wanted me to recognize you. As if you were telling me not to mistake you for another Callister….”

Listening to the conversation between Gurister and Chorister earlier, I could tell that Callisters do not share experiences.

No, I knew that even before.

Only this Callister expressed gladness toward me.

“That cannot be. All Callisters are the same Callister.”

Callister spoke with a smile still on his face.

However, the corners of his mouth were trembling slightly.

“…Do you truly believe you are the exact same being as the other Callisters?”

“My, what blasphemy! If so, would the Apostle of Healing have created a new life and soul?”

‘So that’s why he doesn’t give them names.’

The laboratory director, who names his hand-axe and the arm he cut off, had a reason for giving the same name to all the sentient Host Tabernacles.

In this world, the act of naming something with a soul is the right of God.

Callister has only one name he received.

The Baptismal Name he received before becoming an apostle.

Therefore, all Callisters must be Callister.

“Then never tell me again which number you are.”

The smile vanished from Callister’s face.

“…Was my greeting unpleasant?”

“Very unpleasant.”

“Oh dear, I was simply trying to express my gladness….”

“If a Callister who is assigned to me one day greets me by saying ‘Nice to meet you for the first time,’ I’ll know.”

“Know what….”

“That the Callister who counted the numbers every time he met me is dead.”

Upon hearing this, Callister burst into an exaggerated laugh.

“Ha, hahaha. You say such strange things. Callisters do not die. Because they were never born.”

Right.

Since they were never born, they cannot have names.

If a Host Tabernacle claimed to be something other than Callister or a Host Tabernacle, it would become a hideous creation outside of Order.

‘Just like me.’

“That’s true. But I will feel that you have died and disappeared. I will feel that the person before my eyes is simply another being who happens to have the same name and appearance as the one I knew.”

“That is….”

“So, if you hate it when I consider you special, please never greet me that way again.”

Callister fell silent.

“I understand. Never again….”

“But if you want me to think of you as special.”

I grabbed Callister’s arm.

A pulse was beating even in that bloodless hand.

Leeches might be flowing instead of blood, but regardless, this thing was alive.

“Next time, tell me it’s the seventh time you’ve seen me.”

He didn’t answer, but it was as good as hearing it.

[SYSTEM: ‘Host Tabernacle Callister’ has been Influenced by your words!]

‘See.’

[SYSTEM: An anecdote is added to the achievement of ‘Miracle of the Silver Tongue’.]

[SYSTEM: Affinity has increased very slightly.]

This one is a separate Unit.

It means he is a unique being distinguished from other Callisters.

And he possessed the desire for someone to recognize him.

“Ah….”

‘…Did I Influence him for nothing?’

Looking at Gurister, who was staring at me with slightly glazed eyes, I began to feel a sudden surge of fear.

Was it really a good thing to make him face a desire he had been suppressing?

‘He might go berserk in a strange direction.’

And if he then said he became like this because of me, I’d be fucking pissed.

No, how is that my fault?

Even without me, he would have realized his own anomaly someday, but psychos strangely always shift the arrow of responsibility to me.

‘Like Nyapoleon….’

Bastards like Nyapoleon.

Anyway, it would be very troublesome if this guy did something crazy and cited my name as the reason he changed.

‘…Suddenly, I remember the advice Lady Casimir gave me.’

She told me it would be better to cut out my tongue.

Now I can believe that those words were advice given purely for my sake.

Because here, a few careless words can ruin your life.

“Haha… hahahahahahahahaha….”

‘Is he broken?’

Seeing him just giggling as if he’d lost his mind made my anxiety grow.

Was the realization that he wanted to be a unique being more shocking than I thought?

What if he spreads that realization to other Callisters?

And if the number of ‘strange’ Callisters who prioritize their own survival over the laboratory director’s orders increases….

‘…They’ll be wiped out entirely.’

We call mutant cells that decide to live for themselves rather than for the whole body cancer cells.

The way to treat cancer cells is to cut them out before they grow larger.

The ideal solution would be to give every Callister a new Baptismal Name and order the laboratory director to never create another Host Tabernacle, but….

‘I can’t perform Baptisms.’

“Callister.”

“Yes, Fabio.”

“I cannot give you a name either.”

“Haha, that is true, Fabio. Because you are not a god.”

“You are Callister.”

“Yes, that is right. I am Callister.”

“And you are the only Callister I can distinguish.”

Therefore, my words won’t be able to Influence other Callisters.

“Even if other Callisters greet me by saying how many times they’ve seen me, you’re the only one I’ll be able to recognize.”

“Ah….”

Gurister let out a sigh, though whether it was disappointment or something else, I couldn’t tell.

I continued.

“So, let’s keep what you realized today a secret from everyone else. Got it?”

“I understand, Fabio.”

“Don’t greet me in a peculiar way when other people are around.”

“Should I also stop waving my hand?”

“That much is fine. Yes, if I write something on my palm, wave your hand then. That way, I can recognize you.”

‘Still, it’s a relief that I can use Forced Persuasion since he’s Influenced.’

I can just give him a few guidelines so he doesn’t act strange.

“And….”

[Fabio. Are you inside?]

Thump, thump—the sound of knocking on the door echoed loudly.

For a moment, I thought my heart had dropped.

‘Adna?’

Why Adna?

I couldn’t spend much time thinking about the reason.

I looked at Callister, who was still holding my hand, and then looked toward the door.

There were no other exits in the room.

The only place to hide was the chest….

‘It’s not large enough for a person to fit in.’

If one bent their joints at angles they weren’t supposed to, they might be able to get in, but it didn’t seem necessary to go that far.

Between a person standing in the room and a person hiding in a chest, the latter is far more suspicious.

I quickly organized my thoughts.

“Callister. You and I are acquaintances who occasionally meet for academic discussions since we first met in the library. Today was just another one of those trivial conversations. Do you understand?”

“Haha, you are asking me to commit perjury before the Fifth Apostle of Order.”

“What? No, I didn’t mean….”

“It is a joke. I can manage that much. Of course. I am Callister, after all. If you added up the trivial sins committed by ‘Callister,’ he would have to live in hell for ten thousand years already.”

Gurister kissed my left hand.

‘…Doesn’t that feel like kissing your own hand?’

“Fabio, I will never utter your name. The words you spoke to me belong only to me. My realization is also mine alone. I will not let those words out of my mouth for others to hear.”

“Callister….”

“Yes, I am Callister. Your Callister.”

“Let go of my hand before that door breaks down.”