#016

While letting the horses rest, I sat down and massaged my legs.

‘Once I actually reach the capital, I am never going on a trip again.’

Since it was still late autumn, the fields were lush with grass. Had it been winter, I would have had to pack separate feed for the horses, which would have slowed us down several times over.

‘It was a good move not to leave too close to the deadline.’

I had never experienced winter in the Dark Realm, but it was bound to be brutal.

After all, one of the gods who resisted Loclem until the very end was the God of Frozen Winter.

‘The Dark Realm must be fucking freezing for him to have become that strong.’

Fear itself is an emotion that arises because one “believes” the opponent is terrifyingly powerful.

That is why some gods reigned through dread and terror to gain “faith,” rather than seeking the love and worship of people.

Many of the gods Loclem killed were such Evil Gods.

Of course, even if they weren’t Evil Gods, he killed them if they refused to submit.

‘What kind of god is Nephiton?’

Since golden eyes were said to be Nephiton’s symbol, the “hypnosis” that seemed to trigger upon eye contact also felt like a power related to Nephiton.

The God of Hypnosis and Hallucinations…

‘I can see why Loclem wouldn’t accept them.’

If a god’s essence deviated too far from Order, Loclem wouldn’t accept them under Order, even if they hadn’t committed particularly heinous acts.

This was because there was too much potential for such powers to be abused in a way that weakened Order.

‘The fact that the baptized find golden eyes repulsive… that’s probably a preventive measure to ensure they aren’t rendered helpless by hypnosis.’

If you make eye contact with someone possessing “golden eyes,” you feel unpleasant, or unlucky.

By establishing such a “law,” the likelihood of falling under hypnosis would decrease.

I used to wonder why someone as ambiguous as the God of Order was the Main God, but now that I knew “laws” could possess the power to alter human perception, it made sense.

How difficult is it to change a person’s preferences and habits?

No matter how good, convenient, or superior a system is compared to the old one, people generally hate change.

One can see this by looking at how Americans stubbornly cling to idiot systems like inches, yards, pounds, gallons, and Fahrenheit.

There’s even a joke that whoever manages to abolish that system will win both the Nobel Prize in Physics and the Nobel Peace Prize simultaneously, yet no one dares to try.

‘But if it were Loclem, he could make everyone prefer the metric system overnight.’

Assuming, of course, that every American received Loclem’s Baptism…

‘Since every Imperial citizen must receive the Baptism of Order upon birth, the Empire practically moves according to Loclem’s will.’

I had thought that the Order Sect’s claim—that those engaged in their livelihoods didn’t need to attend services and that praying when the bells rang was sufficient—was a makeshift solution like the Mani Wheel (a prayer wheel used primarily in Tibetan Buddhism) created due to high illiteracy rates…

‘But it turns out they didn’t need to “preach” anything further because the important teachings were already implanted in the subconscious.’

Golden eyes! Hate! Avoid!

Insect skin! Like! Approach!

Heretic! Hate! Reject!

Order Sect! Like! Believe!

If people simply follow these instinctive likes and dislikes, they are following the teachings of Order. There was no reason to waste high-level personnel teaching complex doctrines to ignorant folk.

In fact, the more ignorant they were, the more they relied on intuition, and the higher the probability they would stay within Order.

Since he could use laws to make people like things that should normally trigger a universal, instinctive “disgust,” the opposite was naturally possible as well…

‘…Shouldn’t Loclem actually be called the God of Perception Alteration?’

It felt wrong to criticize the God of Hypnosis when Loclem was manipulating perception on a continental scale.

‘No, it must have been even more brutal because their domains overlapped.’

I suppose you could call this a kind of “kinship hatred.”

“Fabio.”

I stopped massaging my legs and looked up.

Nasir was holding an apple.

“What does this look like to you?”

“…Isn’t it an apple?”

Nasir split the apple in half and fed one half to the horse.

Then, holding up the remaining half, he asked again.

“And now?”

‘What kind of Zen riddle is this?’

At what point does an apple cease to be an apple? Is an apple you’ve taken a bite out of still an apple? What about two bites? What about when only the seeds remain?

Is that what he’s asking?

“…Still an apple?”

Nasir smiled and gave the remaining half to the horse.

However, the horse merely snorted and jerked its head away.

‘There’s no way that glutton would refuse an apple.’

“To the horse, it no longer appears to be an apple, yet to you, it still seems to be one.”

“…Did you do something?”

“I made it appear as something else.”

Nasir handed the half-apple to me.

“Can you guess what I made it look like?”

I strained my eyes upon hearing that, but to me, it still looked like nothing but an apple.

“I don’t know. It just looks like an apple to me.”

“…Fabio. Look into my eyes.”

[

SYSTEM:

Due to the effect of ‘Heaven Above, Earth Below, I Alone Reign Supreme,’ the status ailment ‘Hypnosis’ is nullified.]

Holy shit, what.

What was he trying to do just now?

“Do you realize that this time, ‘something’ actually happened?”

“…Yes.”

“What do you think I did?”

…Is it okay to answer that it seems like he tried to hypnotize me?

While I was agonizing over the answer, Nasir spoke first.

“Does the object in your hand still look like an apple?”

“Yes.”

“What I just attempted was a hypnosis to make that apple look like a stone.”

‘Why on earth would he do that…’

“Nephiton is the God of Mirages. As the name suggests, they possess the Divine Power to deceive the senses.”

‘Did the desert people believe in mirages because there was nothing else to trust in the desert?’

What do you even gain from believing in mirages?

If you believe in cacti, at least you can eat prickly pears.

“When they were alive, they were powerful enough to subjugate other desert gods and rule all the deserts…”

‘How did they win with just hypnosis and hallucinations?’

“Even now, having lost most of their Divine Power upon death, the essence—the ‘power to deceive the senses’—remains potent.”

As Nasir spoke, he squeezed the apple.

I could see the veins popping on the back of his hand from the pressure, yet the apple remained intact.

“Even to me, who has cast the illusion, this apple currently looks like a stone. It looks like a stone, smells like a stone, feels like a stone in weight and texture. Even though it is clearly an apple, to me it is a stone, so it does not crush even when I apply force.”

To everyone except you, it would have looked as if I were trying to crush a stone, Nasir said.

“Your Blessing is likely the ability to ignore all Distortions and see the truth.”

‘Strictly speaking, that’s a side effect…’

“And since the laws proclaimed by the Main God are also a type of Distortion, you have become unaffected by them.”

‘Honestly, I think anyone who looks at a maggot priest and feels nothing is the crazy one…’

But to survive among madmen, a sane person has no choice but to play along and pretend to be mad.

‘But is it even possible not to be disgusted by a maggot priest?’

“Do you know what it means to possess such a Blessing?”

‘That I need incredible acting skills?’

“That I’ve deviated from Order…?”

I spoke in a somewhat uncertain voice.

Nasir remained silent.

“…Deviating from Order must be a very bad thing, right?”

“It depends on how you look at it… but one thing is certain.”

Nasir tossed the apple he was holding and caught it.

“The one who gave you this Blessing is a divinity powerful enough to stand against Loclem.”

‘…What?’

Happiness?

I mean, sure, Happiness is an Othergod.

According to the lore, Othergods are indeed far more powerful than the gods of the terrestrial plane…

But it felt like being told that a 16th-magnitude star, barely visible even through a telescope, is actually much larger and hotter than the sun.

To people under Earth’s atmosphere, such a star is a light dimmer and colder than a single candle, utterly meaningless.

‘Wait, does that mean I’m being misunderstood as having received a Blessing from some incredibly powerful Evil God?’

A cold sweat broke out.

I think I’m seriously fucked.

‘At this rate, I won’t be able to avoid an investigation by a high-ranking priest…’

A high-ranking priest could serve as Loclem’s direct eyes and ears.

That meant if I were thoroughly investigated, there was a high probability that the origin of my traits would be revealed.

‘Since Othergods are the ultimate taboo, it’s an automatic death sentence.’

“Therefore, when you arrive at the Capital Church, there is a high possibility you will receive… special treatment.”

‘Special as in a death sentence on a completely different level than a standard burning at the stake.’

“…But there is no need to worry or be too surprised.”

‘If it’s revealed that I’m connected to an Othergod, will Antonio and Nasir be okay? No, I’m in no position to worry about others right now…’

“I guarantee that it will be resolved well.”

‘If you count dying as a form of resolution, then he’s not lying.’

“…Of course, your freedom of movement will be somewhat restricted, but it’s unavoidable for your safety, so I hope you understand.”

‘Will I be imprisoned until I’m executed? Forced to spit out every piece of information I have…’

Nasir seemed to gauge my reaction for a moment before continuing.

“However, that doesn’t mean you’ll never leave the Capital Church. If you have a trustworthy companion, a pilgrimage will be possible…”

‘They’d let someone (presumed) blessed by a powerful Evil God go on a pilgrimage? The Order Sect has gone completely insane.’

“…If there is a place you absolutely wish to visit, I will find a way to take you there.”

‘But even an insane Order Sect wouldn’t leave someone connected to an Othergod alive.’

I stared intently at Nasir.

If it were revealed that I was connected to an Othergod, even my bone ash wouldn’t be allowed to go anywhere after I died.

He’s only saying this because he doesn’t know the truth yet.

Still, seeing him make such a high-risk offer to a serf suspected of being blessed by a “powerful Evil God,” it seemed my efforts to build rapport were paying off quite well.

‘If rapport increases this quickly, what’s going to happen to the Heretic Inquisitors?’

What if they grow fond of the heretics they’re chasing and can’t bring themselves to execute them?

While I was worrying about Nasir’s aptitude, Nasir blushed and lowered his head.

“U-um, it’s a bit embarrassing when you stare so intently.”

‘……?’

For a moment, I was so dumbfounded that I forgot I was depressed.

“Of course, I’m not saying I hate it when you look at me, but…”

‘What the fuck is he talking about.’

“I’m just not used to it yet…”

‘I’m not used to seeing you blush and act shy either.’

Who put this kind of shy animation into a male character?

This is a supply with no demand.

“Ahem. Anyway, I’m telling you in advance not to be too nervous when you meet Commander Casimir. You’ll be shocked if you hear who gave you the Blessing without any warning.”

I think I’ll still be shocked when I receive the death sentence, even if I’m warned in advance.

“…Thank you for your consideration, Nasir-nim.”

Regardless, it was beneficial to keep building rapport, so I answered politely.

Nasir looked at me for a moment and then vigorously ruffled my hair.

“Wait, Nasir-nim?”

Did he just touch my head with the hand that was holding the apple slice?

“Don’t be too nervous. I’m sure you’ll be to Commander Casimir’s liking.”

What changes if I’m to the Commander’s liking?

The temperature of the firewood when I’m burned?

“…Of course, Commander Casimir might be a bit angry because of Antonio-nim, so it might be a little scary.”

No, even if she weren’t angry, the anecdote about her gouging out both her own eyes with her own hands is terrifying enough.

And such a person is currently angry?

“Why is the Commander angry?”

“…Hmm. It’s better that you don’t know.”

“But if I do something wrong and make her even angrier…”

“Commander Casimir is quick-witted. If I tell her the details in advance and you show signs of being cautious because of it, she might actually view you unfavorably.”

‘Fuck, then just don’t tell her at all.’

“Ah, if the Research Director approaches you, you must avoid them at all costs. Those people are a bit mentally unstable.”

“The Research Director?”

“There is one individual who is immensely interested in divinities outside of Order. If they discover you, they might go crazy with joy… so refuse whatever they ask of you.”

‘I thought execution was the worst, but there’s a bottom deeper than that.’

Becoming a test subject!

This wasn’t a world with advanced science; I didn’t want to imagine what happened to test subjects in a primitive medieval era.

They probably hadn’t even heard of animal welfare concepts like minimizing the pain of lab animals or refraining from unnecessary experiments.

“Even if they whine that Loclem will be pleased if you just help with this one thing, or ask you to help them thinking of it as saving a person, ignore them. It’s just talk.”

“…Will I be able to refuse such things?”

“Well…”

Nasir looked down at me for a moment and trailed off. He looked as if he had suddenly realized that a heretic serf has no human rights.

“I will speak well of you to the Commander regarding that as well.”

Sure, speak well of me so that I can be burned at the stake before I’m dragged off as a test subject.

17 – #017