#160

It is a godsend that Tartarus is not here right now.

If he were, he would have heard me screaming internally.

“I understand.”

Athanas released the hug, though he looked disappointed.

Adna continued to watch the entire process with a perfectly expressionless face.

‘…I feel like I could die of embarrassment.’

Actually, hadn’t Adna noticed long ago?

She might just be quietly waiting for the moment I reveal it was all a lie.

‘I should never have started acting like we’re lovers….’

I want to bang my head against the wall.

I want to kneel down, confess that it was all a lie, and escape this insane situation.

‘No, let’s stay calm.’

If it were Adna, she would have pointed it out bluntly the moment she thought I was lying.

Therefore, the fact that we aren’t actually dating hasn’t been discovered yet.

‘I have to keep acting….’

Swallowing the urge to scream, I chatted with him about whether he slept well last night, and soon I ran out of things to say.

‘Fuck, even a basic foreign language textbook would have more conversation repertoires than this.’

“I guess I called you for no reason since there isn’t much to talk about. Athanas, you must have busy things to do as well. As I thought, meeting every day is….”

“I am fine with it.”

Before I could get to the main point—that I wanted to reduce the frequency of our meetings—Athanas cut me off.

“I do not mind if we say the same things every day. Hearing that you spent a day no different from yesterday is special, because it comes from your lips.”

‘Fuck, this is driving me crazy.’

No, think about the original purpose.

There’s no need to widely announce that we’re lovers right now, nor is there any particular need to exchange information.

Then isn’t the right answer to spend some time apart?

‘Is there any reason to take an exam every single day when you’re out if you fail even once?’

“…But isn’t seeing each other every day too cumbersome?”

“Not at all.”

‘Read the room!’

In the end, Athanas promised to come see me tomorrow as well.

I asked him several times if he was really okay, but Athanas only repeated hollow answers, saying he could endure anything as long as he could see me, without revealing the real reason.

‘…It’s really uncomfortable not being able to get an honest answer.’

Ultimately, I have no choice but to rely on guesswork.

What other reason could Athanas have to welcome visiting the Apostle’s Hall every day?

‘I don’t know what it is, and I’m tired….’

Anyway, I’ll get used to it if it repeats.

My daily routine at the Apostle’s Hall was simple.

I would follow Adna around, watching her train, and spend my remaining time reading books.

Originally, Adna had agreed to stay by my side without doing anything, but I thought that would be too hard to bear, so I suggested the opposite.

I managed to persuade her by spouting nonsense about how watching her daily life from the side would bring me closer to Order.

And once a day, I would meet Athanas for about 30 minutes.

“Fabio.”

The conversations we had then contained no real substance.

“I missed you.”

“…I saw you just yesterday.”

“From the moment we parted, I have been thinking of you constantly.”

‘I can never get used to these kinds of words.’

If I laughed it off appropriately, we would move on to trivial stories.

Among those, there was occasionally information that could serve as a clue.

“The number of pilgrims bringing swords has increased significantly. The attendants were grumbling today because they were instructed to maintain the pilgrims’ equipment during their spare time.”

“The nights are getting shorter, and the workload is increasing, so it’s natural for them to be dissatisfied.”

‘Armed pilgrims, huh.’

Usually, pilgrims don’t carry anything that could be called a weapon other than long staffs to ward off wild animals.

This is because the pilgrimage routes are specially managed by the Order, so there is absolutely no risk of being robbed by highwaymen.

‘…It seems nobles who aren’t involved have heard the rumors and started sending knights to ascertain the facts.’

The Head of a family visiting the Capital Church with their own household is bound to be quite conspicuous.

In the Dark Realm, the Head of a noble family holds a status equivalent to the king of a small nation.

‘If the leaders of the permanent directorate countries gathered in one place via chartered planes without notice, other countries who don’t know how the situation is unfolding would naturally be on high alert.’

The problem is that even if you ride horses to deliver the news, it takes several weeks to convey the information….

“Did those pilgrims have unusual hair colors as well?”

“…They did.”

‘As I thought.’

Things seen and heard by those of the Divine Bloodline are transmitted more effectively to the god.

If something truly serious is happening, the god will consume Faith Points to send a Revelation to the ‘Head of the family’ to prepare them.

‘You could call it a supernatural telegram that costs a considerable amount.’

In the game, this was implemented in a way where more information appeared on the map when using ‘apostle’ or ‘archbishop’ level Units as scouts.

“You’ll get even busier if more people visit the Capital Church.”

“…Still, I can make enough time to come see you.”

‘If he keeps pushing his work onto others, I think he’ll earn the resentment of his peers.’

I almost asked if Sereno was still looking for Reyes, but I stopped myself.

Less than three days later, I heard the news that the Council had been declared.

“Now it’s really going to get hectic.”

“Just because it’s been declared doesn’t mean it opens immediately. It will take at least two weeks for the archbishops who are required to attend to gather.”

‘At that rate, won’t it be the Winter Solstice by the time the Council ends?’

The entire Capital Church was buzzing with the Council, but it was hard to feel the change within the Apostle’s Hall.

Since Adna herself was repeating the same routine as if all of this were someone else’s business.

If there was one noticeable change amidst all that….

‘People are gathering there again.’

From the window of my room, I had a good view of the long corridor leading to the Audience Chamber.

Most of the people who came to see the Saintess lingered in front of the firmly closed door for several hours before leaving, but some sat there for a day or two.

‘They should just let them in.’

Among them was an old man who looked older than Antonio; he prayed in front of the door for three full days before leaving.

Once, I was so bothered that I secretly brought him a blanket, but since he tried to talk to me, I just left the blanket and ran away quickly.

‘I definitely had the Relic of Oblivion that Adna gave me….’

I realized once again that Sacred Relics are not omnipotent.

I stopped quietly watching people from my room after a window popped up saying [Mother….] one day.

It probably referred to the Head of the Opia family, but for some reason, it was an ominous word that reminded me of Mother God, which put me in a bad mood.

‘…Nyapoleon should be at the Capital Church at this point too.’

I typed a chat to Pandemonium asking what he was doing, but I deleted it several times.

In movies, the phone always rings in situations where you absolutely must not be caught.

I didn’t want to be such a tactless sender.

Thus, days filled with many thoughts but no actual actions flowed by like water.

The day the Council opened.

The Capital Church was….

‘…Fucking quiet.’

It was peaceful to a point of futility.

Come to think of it, it was natural.

Everyone who would visit the Apostle’s Hall right now would be gathered in the conference hall.

Inside, they might be fighting uglily, grabbing each other’s hair, but regardless, it had nothing to do with me.

“I am very pleased to be able to take a walk together after a long time.”

‘…But you should be a bit more mindful.’

You’re an apostle.

Adna continued speaking as she slowly strolled through the courtyard.

“The Council generally lasts for about three days, so it will be this quiet tomorrow as well.”

“That is very glad news.”

“However, the day after tomorrow, I must leave my post due to procedures that the apostles must attend.”

Did she say that the apostles decide whether to accept the newly determined Doctrine or not at the end?

That means the Council will likely end faster than expected.

It’s still the first week of December….

‘I wonder if the commotion will happen after the Council ends?’

At the very least, they wouldn’t cause an incident while the apostles are gathered in one place.

“Instead, Commander Casimir has agreed to come.”

“…What?”

“Among those who know you are a Watched One, she is the only one who is not an apostle.”

‘Isn’t that a bit too much?’

If you use a Unit that important as a guard, won’t it actually draw more attention?

I’ve heard that even ordinary people draw crowds and get their photos taken if they wear sunglasses and a mask and are accompanied by several bodyguards because people think they’re celebrities.

I was about to decline, saying it was okay, but then I remembered that the word ‘okay’ had been confiscated from me a while ago.

“I understand.”

‘It’s only for one day anyway.’

Nothing special will happen in the meantime.

That’s how lightly I thought about it.

“Commander Casimir?”

Casimir, who had been cracking jokes, suddenly stiffened her face.

“…Did something happen?”

Instead of explaining, Casimir bolted upright from her seat.

“I will go check the situation, so wait here.”

“What….”

“Do not leave the room.”

Casimir handed me something as if throwing it and immediately rushed outside.

I stared blankly at the spot where Casimir had disappeared, then slowly moved my gaze downward.

‘…An Astrolabe?’

It was an object I recognized.

A parting gift given to me by the Bell ringer Antonio before I left the frontier village.

It was an incredibly precious Sacred Relic that allowed even those without divine power to perform a Sanctuary Declaration.

If there was one problem with this….

‘…I don’t know how to use this?’

Surely she didn’t give it to me to use in an emergency?

Cold sweat soaked my spine.

‘No way.’

That couldn’t be.

Would there be a reason to perform a Sanctuary Declaration?

In this Capital Church?

There’s no way such a thing would happen….

‘…Could it happen?’

I don’t know.

I know nothing.

Because I chose to be the one who knows nothing.

‘Did I….’

Did I make the wrong choice?

Suddenly, my heart began to beat rapidly.

An uncontrollable wave of anxiety washed over me.

Feeling as if I were suffocating, I fumbled at my neck.

There was nothing strangling my neck; instead, my fingertips caught Athanas’s reliquary.

‘…Stay calm.’

I gripped the reliquary tightly.

Casimir said she would go check the situation.

She told me to wait, so let’s wait.

I can think about what to do after that.

Vague anxiety felt in a situation with no information is completely useless.

I focused on slowly regulating my breath.

‘Is it because I’m nervous?’

I had a strange feeling that my arm might suddenly move on its own.

I gripped my left arm tightly.

I let out a hollow laugh, feeling as if I were holding it down to prevent a Black Flame Dragon from emerging.

‘No, it must be a mistake.’

My habit of scratching my arm must have flared up due to anxiety.

In reality, there would be nothing wrong.

The itchiness was just my imagination, too.

I tried to roll up my sleeve to confirm that what I just felt was a phantom sensation.

See, like th—….

‘…What is this?’

Something pitch-black caught my eye.

A gap.

There was a thin gap, as if it had cracked.

Hesitating, I traced over it with my finger.

It wasn’t a line drawn on the skin.

The flesh and flesh had parted….

‘Seriously, what is this?’

The moment I instinctively tried to put my finger in the gap to pry it open.

The gap split wide open on its own.

“Hello there?”

‘Fuck.’