#028

At first glance, being told not to change might sound like they’re saying I’m already wonderful enough as I am, or that they like me just the way I am. But when someone says it while gripping your shoulders so hard they feel like they’ll crush, no matter how clueless a bastard you are, it’s impossible not to realize it’s a warning.

‘But the ignorant Fabio really doesn’t get it!’

I decided that rather than drawing suspicion, it was better to be the kind of idiot who makes people sigh in frustration.

‘The trick to surviving the longest is being the guy who receives an empty lunchbox and says, “Oh, Lord Cao Cao sent the wrong lunch! T_T”!’

I put on the most harmless smile possible and spoke.

“Apostle Adna… you are truly kind.”

Adna stared at me intently.

‘Her expression says, “What kind of bullshit is this?”’

Of course, her expression had barely changed from the beginning, but given the context, that’s how it felt.

But I did not waver.

In fact, since her expression never changed regardless of the situation, it was easy to adapt to.

‘If I just think of her as a standing CG… it’s nothing!’

“Telling me not to dream beyond my station… you said that because you’re worried I’ll be devastated after chasing a futile dream, right?”

‘Positive circuit overclock!’

“That is how evil things… they seek out those cracks in one’s heart. Just as you said, Apostle, if I chase a dream that doesn’t suit me, it could put not only myself but others in danger.”

‘I shall interpret all your warnings as warm concern!’

“That’s why you could have just told me it’s dangerous and to give up on unsuitable dreams early and only dream of things that are possible… yet you told me not to change, that there is meaning even in being weak.”

I took a deep breath, as if deeply moved.

“I—I’ve never heard such words before!”

‘That’s because people don’t usually say such moronic things.’

“I thought I had to become strong enough to protect myself so that I wouldn’t be a burden to others….”

‘Countering nonsense with more nonsense.’

“To think that being protected, rather than being a burden, could be the reason for the guardians to work even harder!”

As I spoke, I wrapped both my hands around Adna’s hand that was still gripping my shoulder.

“Because I exist, Apostle Adna can become even stronger!”

‘Spouting bullshit so absurd I don’t even know where to start correcting it!’

Failing to recognize sarcasm and interpreting it in one’s own favor.

Deluding oneself into thinking others have goodwill toward them.

And on top of that, sudden physical contact?

‘It’s the triple-threat set of “hopeless loser” that makes anyone want to stop talking to you!’

This specific attack was nearly a finishing move when used against a rational person.

Imagine if you poured out blatant curses at someone who pissed you off by being too dense to understand, and they responded with, [Ah… if you’re comfortable enough to curse at me… we’ve become quite close, haven’t we? I’m so happy!].

In that moment, you would lose all will to fight and just want to run away.

‘The downside is that this attack significantly drops Affinity….’

But for now, it was more advantageous to be seen as a hopeless moron whom people didn’t want to associate with, rather than a prospective heretic bastard who might commit terror at any moment.

“I thought I had to learn more and become useful to be of help to others, and that only then would they like me….”

I welled up with tears, appearing touched.

“To think you would need me even in my current, lacking state!”

‘Your head is spinning from the bullshit, right?’

“If you tell me not to change, Apostle, I will not change! Because you said you like me as I am!”

‘You won’t be able to say anything for fear that I’ll misunderstand it again, right?’

Adna remained silent for a long time, as if unable to find the words to respond.

“Apostle Adna?”

“…Let go of my hand first.”

“Ah, my apologies!”

I quickly let go.

‘Oops. Maybe the physical contact was crossing the line.’

I wanted to lower her guard by sacrificing Affinity, but I didn’t want to hit MAX Dislike….

“I am sorry for holding your hand without permission…!”

I apologized politely once more.

‘Since this is the Middle Ages, where there might be punishments like cutting off a hand for touching someone with impure intentions….’

I asked hesitantly.

“A-Are you angry?”

“No. It is not something to be angry about, so there is no reason for me to be.”

As Adna said this, she suddenly headed toward the area where the equipment was kept at one side of the Training Hall.

“However, I have come to realize anew that my training is insufficient.”

Adna said this as she put on thick leather gloves on both hands.

‘Gloves? Medieval gloves?’

Am I about to get punched in the face after being told to “grit my teeth”?

‘Is this a “it’s not something I’m angry about, but you’re definitely in a position to get beaten” kind of situation?’

“Step back. A lot of dust may kick up.”

“Ye-Yes, sir!”

‘Fortunately, she wasn’t going to hit me.’

I quickly retreated as far as possible and pressed myself against the door.

‘I’ll run if things go south.’

Thinking this, I placed one hand over the necklace tucked inside my clothes.

If my life seemed to be in danger, I planned to call out Loclem to summon the Saintess.

‘A promise is a promise, so if I cling pathetically for my life, the Saintess will at least keep me alive….’

Adna took a deep breath, stood in the center of the Training Hall, and looked up for a moment.

Then, she swung her clenched fist downward.

“Hup!”

K-BOOM!

A deafening explosion echoed, and dirt and dust scattered everywhere.

I reflexively raised my arm to cover my face.

‘What… was that?’

Unless my eyes were deceiving me….

‘Her hand didn’t even touch the ground?’

She smashed the floor with just the shockwave??

“Haap!”

K-BOOM! K-BOOM!

As Adna swung her left arm in succession, the ground shook with an even louder explosion than before.

The dirt floor of the Training Hall was suddenly riddled with deep holes, like craters on the moon.

‘…This ground was packed so hard that you wouldn’t even leave footprints while walking.’

A dirt floor so hard that a hoe wouldn’t even penetrate halfway if you tried to till it, and yet it was like that….

I gulped.

“Whew…. Now my mind has finally settled.”

‘She really was pissed off!’

A chilling sensation of “I’m screwed” ran down my spine.

“Fabio. You… should avoid opening your mouth as much as possible.”

“-… Yes! I will keep that in mind!”

‘I’m so glad Apostle Adna is on the side of justice and cannot kill people at will!’

Otherwise, my flesh would have been mixed into those craters.

I broke into a cold sweat while looking at the still expressionless Adna.

‘From now on, I must never mess with people whose anger levels I can’t tell….’

“…We were discussing the matter of deciding your affiliation.”

‘She probably wants to handle the business as quickly as possible and get me out of her sight.’

Still, I was truly glad that Adna, as an apostle of God, was someone who strictly separated public and private matters.

“Right. It would be best for your affiliation to be beside the apostles.”

“Pardon?”

Adna threw off her gloves and walked toward me.

“There are… many things I wish to teach you personally.”

‘Did that not clear her anger?’

No, what did I even do to deserve this?

Is touching an apostle’s body a capital crime that warrants execution?

“B-But the apostles must be very busy….”

“For your sake, I can make as much time as needed.”

‘What happened to public and private?! Where is the separation?!’

In the dust-filled Training Hall, the expressionless Adna slowly walking toward me felt like a scene from a horror movie.

“Fabio… you….”

Slam.

“Ada! What’s going on!”

Because the door opened suddenly, I, who had been leaning against it, had no choice but to fall backward.

‘Eh?’

“Fabio!”

Just as I thought I’d be staring at the ceiling in a moment, I felt someone catch me.

“What the—who are you.”

‘That’s what I want to ask.’

A man with silver hair that looked more frizzy than curly was supporting me by gripping both my armpits.

‘Given the silver hair and handsome face, he seems to be one of the apostles.’

I quickly scanned the face of the man looking down at me.

‘He’s someone I’ve never seen in-game.’

Does that mean this guy also has a weird name?

“Th-Thank you for catching me.”

I quickly corrected my posture, stood up, and bowed.

‘If his eyes are mint-colored… which apostle is he?’

The Saintess, the First Apostle, has perfect silver-white eyes, and Adna, the Fifth Apostle, has some blue mixed in….

Mint color, which looks like green that failed to turn silver, would be around the seventh, perhaps?

“Fabio. Are you alright?”

“…Wait. What happened here?”

The new apostle looked at the wrecked Training Hall and was horrified.

“What on earth were you doing to make it look like this?”

“…It seems you aren’t injured.”

“Hey, Ada? I’d like an explanation.”

“Fabio. Since you have difficulty receiving the Blessing of Healing, you must be more careful than others.”

“Ada, all the other apostles are asking me what’s going on right now. Are you ignoring the telepathic messages too?”

“From now on, do not lean against the door….”

“Hey, you Ada bastard!!”

Barely holding onto my consciousness as the new apostle repeatedly shouted “A DA,” I quickly assessed the situation.

‘Adna speaking as if she’s worried about me now… probably means that since there’s a witness, I should act like nothing happened, right?’

“A-Apostle Adna! I am fine! I will be careful in the future!”

I did my best to play along.

‘Recovering Affinity might be impossible, but I have to soothe her anger somehow!’

“Thank you for your concern! Apostle Adna!”

“…If you understand, be careful from now on.”

The new apostle looked back and forth between Adna and me, frowning.

“Is that kid the new [Watched One]? The one found by the Inquisition?”

“Yes.”

The apostle closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again.

“…According to the Saintess, the request made to you, Ada, was just to provide general precautions?”

“Correct.”

“Just how did you guide him that he’s so terrified?”

“If he is terrified, it is because of you. Sixth.”

“What did I do? I just got here.”

“Because you opened the door carelessly upon entering, did Fabio not almost get hurt?”

“No, I caught him, so nothing happened. And you don’t turn pale just because of that.”

“That, too, is your fault.”

“What?”

“Did you not hear the precautions from the Saintess? Fabio has difficulty with the Baptismal Names of the apostles.”

“I heard that the apostle names cannot be spoken aloud….”

“Then you made a mistake even after hearing the precautions? Absurd. Fabio felt discomfort because you called my Baptismal Name.”

“No….”

“Therefore, from now on, refer to me as Adna in front of Fabio. Sixth. Do you understand?”

“Hah.”

The Sixth Apostle held his temples for a moment, and after a brief silence, asked.

“Fine. Fifth. Assuming he’s scared because of that… what were you actually doing?”

And what’s with the floor? Huh?

Irritation leaked into the Sixth Apostle’s voice.

“Did the new [Watched One] say he wanted to see a burst of divine power or something?”

“No. I moved my body for a moment to calm my emotions.”

“…What emotions?”

‘The emotion of wanting to grind me into dust, probably….’

Adna’s gaze turned toward me.

It was a mechanical gaze, as if a doll with glass eyes were looking at me.

“That is….”

Adna opened her mouth, then closed it.

“…What?”

“…….”

“What did she say?”

“…….”

“No….”

Even though Adna said nothing, the Sixth Apostle’s expression kept changing.

‘Are they having a mental chat?’

Since apostles can communicate with each other without making a sound….

‘I wonder what they’re talking about.’

Probably something like, “This serf bastard who doesn’t know his place is unpleasant and can’t even understand a simple word.”

‘I should have just played it safe and worked on Affinity, but I self-destructed just to lower her guard….’

I regretted it deeply in my heart.

“No, what….”

“…….”

“…Why are you deciding things on your own.”

‘Deciding what? My execution date?’

Unlike the completely silent Adna, the Sixth Apostle spoke a few words aloud, which made me incredibly nervous.

“No… uh… for now, you go see the Saintess.”

“…….”

“What… no, I get it.”

Once the conversation between the apostles ended, Adna turned her head toward me.

“Fabio. I have been called by the Saintess and must leave for a moment.”

“I-I see.”

“…I will not keep you waiting long.”

‘Is she telling me not to even dream of the luck of her forgetting about me as time passes?’

Terrifying.

Considering she only gave me a scare even when she was furious, I don’t think she’ll actually physically harm me, but….

‘Honestly, just staring at me for an hour would probably give me trauma.’

Still, I was glad that I wasn’t the one being dragged away by the Saintess to be interrogated and reprimanded.

‘I don’t think touching a hand is objectively a capital offense here….’

I glanced at the Sixth Apostle’s expression.

‘What did Adna explain to make him scowl like that?’

Considering how casually he called her, they seem to have been close since before they became apostles.

I can roughly figure it out.

‘…An expressionless, socially awkward beautiful girl and the childhood friend who bickers with her but rushes to clean up her messes whenever she causes trouble.’

In such cases, the childhood friend’s feelings for the expressionless girl usually fall into two categories.

‘Either first love, or a high-maintenance younger sister.’

Or perhaps both.

He thought of her as a high-maintenance younger sister, but in reality, it was an unconscious one-sided love….

‘Regardless of the answer, my image as the guy who flirted with Adna without knowing his place must be the absolute worst.’

I could already feel that the look he gave me was not kind.

‘Misunderstanding… I have to explain that it was a misunderstanding!’

Chapter 29