#079

‘…This little bastard?’

Why is he talking like some pathetic villain who gets beaten down after acting out in front of a hidden-power protagonist?

In times like this, I really should show him a taste of my power to instill some humility…

‘The problem is, I’m not a hidden-power protagonist; I’m just a loser, so I can’t fix that lax mindset of his.’

My face crumpled uncontrollably.

“I can’t. I have no abilities at all.”

Upon hearing that answer, the corners of Athanas’s mouth curled further. It was a ‘fond’ smile, the kind one might wear when watching an animal or a small child trying their best at something, finding it amusing.

“Then I suppose I needn’t worry.”

‘Wow, seriously….’

He sees me as a complete pushover.

If he had been even slightly wary of me, he wouldn’t have looked at me with such a condescending expression. That was an attitude that only came from a certainty that I could never cause him any harm.

‘How can he be so confident when he barely knows me?’

I narrowed my eyes and glared intently at Athanas.

“…What if I actually possess such power and am just lying by saying I don’t?”

“Have you not considered the opposite?”

“The opposite?”

“The possibility that I am the one deceiving you.”

‘The possibility that Athanas is deceiving me….’

I fell into thought for a moment.

What if Athanas possessed [Regression]?

If so, it would be entirely possible for him to be playing with me.

However, there was something that [Regression] could not explain.

‘That note….’

There was no way Athanas could know the term [X-mas].

“That’s impossible. I was the one who suggested going down there in the first place. How could you have known and prepared for it in advance?”

Of course, the possibility wasn’t exactly zero.

If Athanas already knew other players and they had conspired to deceive me, preparing such a trap wouldn’t have been difficult.

‘…In that case, well, there was no hope from the start, so I guess I’ll just die feeling resentful.’

“Anyway, what I’m trying to say is: do not let your guard down. Didn’t you see the trap in the basement? Not everyone who knows about those ‘Revelations’ is on the side of Order. The person you encountered first could have been that cunning individual instead of me! Even now, you’re openly mocking me, thinking I can’t do anything….”

“…I was not mocking you.”

“You weren’t? If you truly thought I had some secret trump card to harm you, would you have smiled so relaxedly?”

“Yes.”

The smile vanished from Athanas’s face instantly.

The atmosphere suddenly turned chilly, and I felt a slight surge of intimidation.

“Smiling loosely… makes it easier to make people let their guard down.”

“Right now….”

I tried to pull my hand away, but Athanas pressed down firmly, leaving me unable to budge. Athanas leaned over me.

“Deliberately showing a weakness is also a strategy. If I act clumsy, the opponent will believe they have successfully deceived me. I can extract more information from an opponent who has let their guard down in such a way.”

“Don’t you think it’s quite effective?” Athanas whispered, flashing that beaming smile again, sending a chill running down my spine.

“…I only said it because I felt you didn’t trust me enough.”

Athanas pulled back and let out a small sigh.

“I didn’t mean to frighten you. It’s just… I was worried about you too.”

I fumbled over my clothes and gripped the Sacred Relic. I could feel my heart thumping wildly, the vibration reaching my hand.

‘Damn it, as if I’ll ever worry about this guy again.’

There was no way a kid who would grow up to be a Heretic Butcher would be normal in his childhood….

“…The part about being bullied, that was a lie too, right?”

“It is true that I have no one I am close with. But I have never been harmed.”

‘As I thought….’

The idea of Athanas being bullied was as nonsensical as a Gigantoraptor being pushed around by a Velociraptor.

“…I’m sorry for deceiving you.”

“Then did you make your nose bleed on purpose? And why did you apologize three times?”

“The nosebleed was beyond my control. As for the apologies….”

Athanas looked at me with a slightly sullen expression.

“…At that moment, I thought that perhaps you were helping me purely out of chance and genuine goodwill. Thinking that I was deceiving such a person made my heart feel heavy.”

For a moment, the suspicion that ‘this expression is also an act’ crossed my mind, but it was immediately followed by the thought, ‘So what if it is?’

‘If all of this is an act to deceive me….’

…I’ll just have to be deceived. There’s no other choice.

Regardless, Athanas being cautious was a good thing for me.

If he had a personality that trusted people too easily or couldn’t lie, he wouldn’t have told me important information, fearing where my leaks might lead.

“I understand. I’m… convinced that you are sufficiently cautious.”

I took my hand off the Sacred Relic and straightened my posture.

“Then let us discuss the important matter. This is a top-secret fact known only to a very few within the Church.”

I caught my breath for a moment and continued.

“Athanas, the scene you saw in your dream is something that will happen approximately eight years from now.”

I briefly explained the contents of [Heretic Slayer]. In a desperate world where a plague spread and Order collapsed, a single Holy Knight defeated the Contractor of an Evil God and miraculously saved the world. And that Holy Knight is you, Athanas….

“…The ‘Plague God’ who destroyed Order was no ordinary Evil God. He is not a deity originating from this land, but another being from beyond the ‘Stars,’ known as an ‘Othergod.’ To exert influence on this land, an Othergod must go through a ‘Contractor.’ It is a great blessing that such a restriction exists. Because an Othergod… is not an opponent that a human can kill or defeat.”

Athanas listened quietly without interrupting. He seemed intent on asking questions only after I finished speaking.

“Besides the Plague God, there are fifteen more Othergods eyeing this land. What appeared in your nightmare was simply the story of what happens when the ‘Plague God’ succeeds in his contract. Each of them has chosen one person to be their ‘agent’—someone to contract with them and destroy Order. Such people are called ‘Watched Ones.’ I, too….”

My voice trailed off.

“…am one of the ‘Watched Ones.’”

After saying that, I checked Athanas’s reaction, but he didn’t seem particularly surprised.

“You aren’t very surprised, even after hearing that I am a being who came to this land with a terrible mission.”

“I had guessed as much.”

“You guessed?”

“Because when I said I trusted you, you looked terrified.”

‘When did I?’

“If you were a flawless messenger of the Lord, you would have scolded me severely the moment I doubted you. But you wanted me to be wary. That must be because beings like you are those who should not be trusted.”

“…That is correct. I am a being outside of Order, one who has not received the Blessing of Order. I may be wearing the clothes of a Chanter, but naturally, I have not received Ordination. I have no such qualification.”

“But you do not believe in the Evil Gods from beyond the Stars; you believe in the Lord, do you not?”

I couldn’t answer immediately.

“…I don’t know. If my faith were truly strong, I wouldn’t have tried to go down there. The Saintess told me I didn’t need to know anything. But I dared to harbor doubt. That things the Saintess does not know might be happening within this Church of Order….”

“Is that doubt not also born from your fear of Order collapsing?”

I looked at Athanas’s hand.

A scab was already beginning to form over the wound where the blood had dried.

“…I suppose I am afraid that Order will not protect me. Athanas, I am a weak and selfish person. I have no grand ambition to save the world or stop Order from collapsing.

Even regarding the basement, I used you because I was too scared to go down there alone. And so… I dragged you into this.”

“I would prefer to call that cooperation.”

“No, it isn’t. If you hadn’t been hurt, I would never have brought up this story. How can you call that cooperation?”

Athanas cupped my cheek with his left hand. Led by his touch, I looked up to find steady, deep blue eyes staring into mine.

“Fabio. You don’t need to feel too sorry for me. I am quite pleased with this situation. To the point where I think it’s a relief that I was hurt by that trap.”

Athanas slowly brushed my cheek with his thumb.

“Did I not say that I, too, tested and deceived you? If the word cooperation makes you uncomfortable, let us say we are using each other. Use me to your heart’s content. Because I will also use you… as I please.”

‘The way he says that makes it sound a bit… suggestive.’

“If I so choose, I can ignore what you say. I am also in this place now based on my own goals and needs. I do not believe everything you say; I will judge and select what to take based on my own criteria. Therefore, whatever happens to me is not entirely your responsibility. Do you understand?”

“…Yes.”

“Then let us return to the main point.”

‘He’s incredibly efficient.’

His skill in decisively cutting off a potential loop and moving the conversation forward was top-notch. He was like a highly skilled debate moderator.

“You said you are one of the Watched Ones. Is the space below a place that all Watched Ones know? Why did you think you needed to go down there?”

“There is something I am hiding even from the Saintess. Actually, I thought the Saintess had seen that secret and simply said nothing to me. But the day before yesterday, she spoke as if she were completely unaware of it… and I began to suspect that other Watched Ones might also have secrets from the Saintess.”

I lowered my gaze, avoiding Athanas’s eyes.

“…I do not wish to reveal the contents of the secret yet.”

“I understand.”

‘He lets it go so coolly.’

Then again, prying when someone says they don’t want to talk is a waste of time, so it was an efficient response.

“…That is why I decided I had to meet other Watched Ones. The Saintess mentioned that there were those who had already converted. I wanted to ask why the Saintess couldn’t see those hidden secrets, and what those who converted before me had been doing…. Until then, I hadn’t expected that someone with malice might be mixed among the converts.”

I overlapped my hand on top of Athanas’s.

“They are truly dangerous. I am… a bit of an exception. The Othergod who chose me has no interest in destroying Order or swallowing this world. But do not think other Watched Ones are like me.

Each one of them possesses a terrifying power capable of bringing down Order. The nightmare you had is just one of countless possibilities. They know much about this world… and they are beings who have continuously researched ways to destroy Order. You must never be careless.”

“…I will keep that in mind.”

“First, it would be best to deal with those bloodstains. Unless there was a device that provides information the moment it’s touched, there should be some time before they come to retrieve it.

Athanas, you must not be caught having been there. If it is revealed that you are searching for Watched Ones, they will do whatever it takes to kill you. Because you are that special… and threatening a presence.”

“I will handle that myself. What should I do next?”

“Next….”

I fell into thought.

‘What should I do first?’

The plan I had established simply hadn’t accounted for the possibility of ‘malicious’ players being mixed in. I bit my lip anxiously.

“…What were you originally planning to do? Assuming there were no traps, and there was either a message from another ‘Watched One’ or nothing at all.”

‘Originally….’

I was going to try and get close to Athanas.

Since he’s a player, he’d be interested in Athanas….

“…Athanas, I was going to try and get close to you. I was going to feel you out to see if you’d seen anyone strange. Because if they were a ‘Watched One’ who converted to Order… they would likely have special feelings toward you.”

“Do you have them too?”

“Pardon?”

“…Special feelings.”

80 – #080