#062

Anyway.

What matters to me right now is that I have to have lunch with Tartarus in a bit.

The 6th Apostle, Tertius.

He possesses eyes that can see emotions, and he has a glaringly obvious crush on Adna.

Perhaps because he can see emotions, he tends to overthink and presume what people are thinking.

He overuses Blessings during conversations, so he lacks confidence in speaking without them.

‘And he’s incredibly wary of anyone else getting close to Adna.’

He’s even wary of me, so that says it all.

If you want to get technical, I’m like the “sinner” in an episode where “the female lead transporting a sinner feels pity for the thirsty prisoner and gives them a glass of water.” Where is the male lead who seriously views such an extra as a rival?

Of course, the bigger reason I didn’t want to meet Ter was that he can see emotions.

‘In front of Ter, I have to manage not just my facial expressions, but my mind control as well.’

Just thinking about it made me feel like I had indigestion, even though I hadn’t eaten lunch yet.

‘…I hope we just eat and part ways immediately.’

The solemn tolling of the noon bell sounded, for some reason, like a funeral knell for my life today.

With a heavy heart, I stood up.

“Athanas, it’s noon. Wake up.”

I woke him up roughly and was about to head down, but Athanas didn’t get up easily.

“Athanas?”

I grabbed Athanas’s arm to shake him awake, when suddenly, a fishy smell hit my nose.

‘…The smell of blood?’

At that moment, Athanas slowly lifted his head, covering his face with one hand.

I could see a vivid red liquid trickling down over his hand.

‘A nosebleed?’

Startled, I froze in place.

“Are you alright?”

Athanas nodded and tried to stand up, but he staggered and collapsed toward me. I instinctively had to catch him.

‘What the hell?’

Why is this happening all of a sudden?

He was sleeping, so it couldn’t be blood from hitting something….

‘…In Die Heretic!, when Health dropped below 10%, the screen would turn red and blood would flow from the nose.’

Is that setting reflected in reality too?

‘Even so, there’s no reason for his Health to have dropped below 10%.’

If the morning training had been brutal, the nosebleed should have happened then.

If it were a delayed aftereffect, shouldn’t symptoms like rhabdomyolysis appear?

Of course, Athanas might just be the type of person who gets nosebleeds often, but….

‘Does he have high blood pressure?’

“…I am fine now.”

As he spoke and lifted his head, Athanas’s face was a mess from the nosebleed.

‘You look far from fine.’

Additionally, my clothes were not fine either.

I frowned.

‘Can this be washed? It’s wool material….’

It might seem heartless to think about clothes in this situation, but I couldn’t help it.

Imagine a uniform that costs three million won to buy with your own money while working for minimum wage, and then a bloodstain appears on it.

Of course, the clothes are the first thing on my mind.

‘He wouldn’t ask me to pay for it, would he?’

If he did, I’d tell Athanas to do it.

I looked up at Athanas.

Athanas was blocking the area under his nose with his hand, but blood was still dripping.

‘At that rate, it seems like a major blood vessel burst.’

I looked around for something to wipe it with, but there was nothing suitable.

‘…If it were a T-shirt, I’d just take it off, but it’s a robe, so I can’t.’

I wanted to just tell him to use the ruined clothes to wipe the blood, but since it’s a one-piece garment, taking it off would leave me in my underwear.

After some deliberation, I pulled out my unnecessarily wide sleeve and held it out.

“Here.”

Athanas looked a bit reluctant, but since he had no other choice, he obediently held it under his nose.

“…Thank you.”

“Do you get nosebleeds often? The amount is unusual.”

“…No.”

“I think it would be best to see a Healing Priest.”

“Eh? No, I mean, are you alright?”

“With what?”

“No, I mean… you must have a lunch appointment….”

‘?’

Who said I’d go with him?

Normally, I don’t want to be cold to a sick person, but I had absolutely no intention of going where the Maggot Priest was.

Why on earth would I go there and foam at the mouth and faint?

‘Still, I can’t leave a sick person feeling awkward….’

I put on a very sympathetic expression.

“That’s true. Unfortunately, I have an important appointment today…. I’ll see if any of the Librarians can help you.”

“Wait….”

Athanas grabbed my other arm.

“Could you just stay like this for a moment?”

I widened my eyes in surprise at Athanas’s vulnerability, but I soon understood.

‘Right, he can’t exactly ask me to take off my clothes.’

Since my sleeve is currently acting as a towel, it’s natural for him to ask me to wait.

Still, it was a bit absurd.

Athanas, flustered by a nosebleed….

‘The Athanas in Die Heretic! keeps fighting even when bleeding from his eyes.’

Of course, I don’t expect the peaceful Athanas of now to be the same person as the Athanas of a ruined world.

But how should I put it….

‘It’s hard to imagine that a person like this could become the Heretic Butcher.’

“…I am fine now.”

Athanas carefully let go of my sleeve.

“Are you okay? Has the bleeding stopped properly?”

When I reached for his face to check, I felt Athanas flinch.

“…You’ll get blood on you.”

‘He’s already smeared it all over, and now he’s saying that.’

I wiped Athanas’s face with my other, clean sleeve.

“I have to change anyway.”

Considering the amount of blood, it stopped surprisingly quickly.

“Have you overexerted yourself or been under a lot of stress lately?”

“…No.”

“Really? Anyway, it would be best not to sleep face down for a while. Blood tends to rush to the head when you lean over.”

It’s better to be careful until it’s completely healed.

Of course, since there is the Blessing of Healing in this world, he could be perfectly cured instantly, but that Blessing of Healing is….

‘…It’s probably putting maggots up the nostrils.’

I’d rather live with a bleeding status effect than undergo that kind of treatment.

Of course, Athanas received the Blessing of Order, so he probably wouldn’t mind.

‘I really need to take care of my health.’

So that I never have to receive the Blessing of Healing….

“Then, since there is someone waiting for me, I’ll be going now.”

“…I am sorry.”

“Ah, it’s fine. It’s not like you did it on purpose.”

“I am truly sorry.”

“I said it’s fine.”

“I am really, truly sorry.”

‘Why is he doing that when I said it’s fine?’

Is this something to apologize for three times?

‘Is he laying the groundwork so that he doesn’t have to pay for the clothes no matter what happens?’

Otherwise, there’s no reason to be this subservient over accidentally getting some blood on me….

“Athanas, there’s no need to apologize repeatedly for such a trivial matter. How are you going to apologize when you make a truly big mistake later?”

What does it matter if I have to walk around in clothes with a stain that won’t come out?

He must still be groggy since he started bleeding the moment he woke up.

To see him so vulnerable….

I sat the still-pale Athanas in a chair, caught a passing Librarian and asked them to look after him, and then hurried out of the Branch Office.

I couldn’t check the time immediately, but it felt like at least 40 minutes had passed since the noon bell.

‘I’m screwed.’

Regardless of the reason, a goblin had ‘dared’ to keep an apostle waiting.

If anything, it was a relief that the bloodstains remained on my clothes.

This would serve as proof that I was late because I was helping a sick person….

“Ter!”

“Fabio?”

As soon as I spotted Tertius, I intentionally ran toward him.

It was to show the sincerity that I hadn’t been late on purpose.

“Ter, have you been waiting long? Until just now, I….”

“…Whose blood is this?”

“Huh? Ah, this is….”

“Take it off.”

“What?”

“Take it off now.”

“…Here?”

“Yes. I’ll lend you an outer garment, so take it off here.”

‘Is he serious?’

I spoke while breaking into a cold sweat.

“C-couldn’t I just go to the dormitory and take it off if I have to change anyway…?”

“Why, can’t you take it off?”

‘What kind of obvious question is that?’

There were no people around, but this was outdoors….

“Then it can’t be helped.”

Tertius grabbed my shoulder and one sleeve and ripped the garment away.

‘What the hell?’

While I was stunned, Tertius ripped off the other sleeve as well.

Since I was wearing a chemise underneath, my bare skin wasn’t exposed, but….

Surprised, I wrapped my arms around myself and spoke.

“W-what did you just do?”

“Blood is dangerous, so one must be careful.”

“What? Is there some Doctrine that says you shouldn’t walk around with blood on you?”

Ter spoke as he folded and put away the ripped sleeves.

“…There are countless spells that use blood as a medium. Unlike Blessings, spells can hide which divinity their power originates from.”

Fortunately, Tertius had a rational reason.

In the first place, it was unlikely that the Main God’s apostle had gone crazy, but….

‘I almost had a blasphemous thought.’

So, did he feel something strange there?

‘Did Athanas do something to me?’

“D-did you mean there was something strange about the blood here? Like you felt a bad energy?”

“It’s not that. But staining something with blood is usually a preparatory step for a spell.”

“Then it’s just a possibility… that it could be dangerous?”

“Correct. But the act of splashing one’s own blood on another is something that rarely happens without intent.”

I realized that Tertius had misunderstood.

“Good grief…. Do you really think someone would be so fearless as to do such a thing within the Capital Church? It’s not that. Someone’s nose started bleeding and was in trouble, so I got this on me while helping them.”

“…Why did you wipe it with your own clothes?”

“Because there was no suitable cloth?”

“They could have wiped it with their own clothes.”

I was flustered by Tertius’s prickly reaction.

‘…Isn’t the image of a Priest usually someone who generously gives their most precious possessions to the lowliest person?’

Why is he questioning me so much for helping someone?

“Well, the blood was gushing, so they must have been too panicked to think.”

“How did it get on your shoulder?”

“He seemed dizzy while trying to stand up and collapsed toward me, so I supported him.”

Tertius narrowed his eyes.

“…From now on, just leave them be.”

“What?”

“I’m not saying the desire to help is wrong. But you have to consider your own situation.”

‘What situation?’

If I’m a goblin brat who survived thanks to the Order’s mercy, shouldn’t I practice more good deeds to repay that grace?

But he’s telling me to just leave sick people alone and go?

“You have no means to distinguish another’s malice or to protect yourself. How do you know that person had no ill intent? Do you think no bad things happen within the Capital Church?”

“…Are there really people who commit evil deeds in the Capital Church, where the apostles are?”

Tertius sighed openly.

“The Lord is a Judgment Executor who punishes sin, not a sentinel who prevents sin before it happens.”

‘True, the woman who beheaded her ex-boyfriend was also an ordained Priest.’

I was quickly convinced.

‘But is there any human who has absolutely zero possibility of committing a crime? If you put it that way, I’d have to live alone without meeting any humans….’

If I’m isolated from the people of the world, how is that different from being imprisoned?

‘…Wait, am I the one who needs to be isolated because I’m dangerous?’

A goblin who comes drenched in blood on his sleeves claiming he ‘helped someone’….

‘…I’d probably tell him to just leave them be next time too.’

“Fabio.”

“…Yes.”

“Did my words offend you?”

‘Ugh, damn it.’

I forgot that this guy has eyes that can see emotions.

“No, thank you for explaining. Thanks to that, I understand. However….”

“However?”

“It’s just a bit sad that whenever I see another person, I have to first think that they might have malice.”

I hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“Still, is it… not allowed to try and trust them first? I think the other person would feel bad if they had no malice but were treated with suspicion.”

To be precise, I meant that I felt bad.

I wouldn’t feel cheated if I actually had a dangerous trait.

With these trashy stats, it’s impossible for me to even harm others….

“…Is your mood more important than your life?”

‘Well, that’s not true.’

I immediately backed down.

“Then how can I tell if someone is a person I can trust?”

“What if I tell you the method? Once you pass that test, will you categorize them as someone you can fully trust and stop doubting them?”

Is he saying that pretending to be normal during the interview isn’t enough to fool him….

‘He’s as strict as a HACCP certification.’

Chapter 63