#128

‘It actually worked.’

I blinked to close the notification window.

‘…I wonder if Forced Persuasion will work too?’

In truth, ‘Influence’ itself isn’t a skill.

It’s merely an alert that the target has entered a state where skills can be effective.

The important thing is whether ‘Forced Persuasion’ works.

‘Andrea didn’t even notice, but…’

Since Reyes is a Cult Leader Unit, his mental defense might be too high for it to work.

“Listen to me for a moment.”

The boy gazed at me.

‘…I can’t tell if Forced Persuasion is being applied or not.’

Would it kill them to add a skill effect?

If they just put a small one that only I can see, it wouldn’t be confusing.

What a trash game, completely ignoring user convenience.

“Right now, your Helper is planning to make you commit suicide. So don’t give in to the impulses you’re feeling. Suicide, self-harm—whatever it is, thinking about escaping from my sight by dying is forbidden. Got it?”

“Yes!”

‘……?’

I stood there momentarily stunned, having been prepared to refute any answer he gave in order to trigger Forced Persuasion.

“…And don’t even think about killing me. Killing, hurting, causing pain—none of it is allowed.”

“I understand!”

As the ready consent continued, I actually began to feel bewildered.

‘He was so obsessed just a moment ago?’

Could the Helper have noticed my ability and distorted his hearing, forcing him to give short answers?

“Uh, you did hear exactly what I just said, right?”

“Of course. You confessed that you want me to stay by your side and not die, right?”

‘It seems like some kind of distortion is in effect…’

But it didn’t seem to be the kind of distortion that completely blocked Forced Persuasion.

‘Let’s test one more thing.’

Forced Persuasion has an effect where the target cannot ignore the conversation even if they want to and is forced to keep answering.

‘I need to throw out a topic that would normally provoke a contradiction.’

“Lastly, don’t go to meet Athanas.”

“…Why?”

‘And then I’ll drag out the conversation with a nonsensical rebuttal.’

“Because the weather is cold.”

“What does the cold weather have to do with anything?”

“Heart attacks happen more often in cold weather.”

It was literally nonsense.

The boy thought about it for a moment, then looked at me and beamed.

“I understand!”

‘Understand what?’

“I won’t meet Athanas.”

“…Really?”

“I can’t die when there’s someone who worries about me this much.”

‘How on earth did he interpret that?’

“Were you so worried that I might die of a heart attack the moment I meet Athanas?”

“No….”

“I love you too!”

I decided to give up on the test.

‘There’s no way to tell if this is the influence of the skill or if he’s just talking nonsense.’

Well, as long as he doesn’t run around with a knife, it doesn’t matter.

I can have a long talk with him after I send the Saintess back.

“Fine. Then first….”

Looking around the underground archive, I felt a sense of hopelessness.

Andrea was still in a kneeling prayer position.

Nasir was groaning in agony.

And Reyes had blood splattered on the floor and a complete mess of his hands….

‘…What am I supposed to do with this?’

One thing was certain: I had to make sure the Saintess didn’t see this disaster.

“Just stay still here for now. And make sure Andrea and Nasir can’t come back up.”

“Yes.”

“…Aren’t you going to ask what I’m planning to do?”

“Aren’t you going to welcome the Saintess?”

“What if I’m planning to bring the Saintess here to give you a Game Over?”

“But you wouldn’t do that, would you?”

‘He’s strangely annoying.’

What does he know about me to speak with such confidence?

‘I’m sending her back for now, but the moment you cross the line, I’ll give you a Game Over immediately.’

Anyway, that wasn’t the important part right now.

‘How do I persuade the Saintess?’

I had to come up with some kind of excuse.

‘Especially since the defensive barrier went off once.’

If someone responded to an emergency call and found a person sitting in a car with deployed airbags, and that person said, ‘There was no accident,’ would the responder just go, ‘Ah, I see,’ and leave?

“…There’s the tutorial emergency rescue device. Is there anything useful among those? Something that works on an apostle.”

“I can make it so that no traces of the Othergod remain on the corpse after suicide.”

“Not that.”

“There is nothing else.”

‘Useless.’

“Anything else? Like a tutorial adjustment?”

“Hmm…. I was told that during the tutorial, even if an apostle detects the Divine Power of an Othergod, they won’t chase them beyond the designated range.”

…Isn’t the Saintess’s range the entire Capital Church?

“Could it be that the Saintess doesn’t know the barrier went off? It’s hard to think of a reason why the barrier would activate.”

“I don’t know because I’m not the Saintess.”

“…….”

Is this a matter of life and death for me right now?

Your life is the one on the line….

‘If he was influenced by the idea that “not thinking is losing,” then shouldn’t he be thinking?’

This is irritating.

‘I’ll just stop thinking too.’

I’ll insist nothing happened, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll just pray for Athanasuki’s soul.

With that resolve, I stepped out of the underground archive.

‘…Something is strange.’

The surroundings were excessively quiet.

No, it wasn’t just quiet.

Everyone, children and adults alike, had stopped and were facing one direction.

They looked as if they had been robbed of their souls, overwhelmed by something.

‘Shit.’

Even though I couldn’t see divine power, I could feel it indirectly.

Something overwhelming was approaching.

‘She said I could just call her if I wanted to see her face!’

The back of my neck grew damp with tension.

‘Why is she coming so flamboyantly?’

Did she detect the aura of the Othergod in the underground archive?

Is that why she’s coming as an ‘Executor’?

“Fabio.”

The Saintess, walking through the frozen crowd, looked incredibly out of place.

I gulped.

“S-Saintess. I didn’t expect you to arrive so… conspicuously.”

“Do you dislike it being conspicuous?”

As the Saintess gestured, the people began to move as if a pause button had been released.

In complete contrast to before, they acted as if the Saintess wasn’t even there.

‘Oblivion…’

It was chilling when Adna used it, but seeing so many people controlled like this gave me a feeling of total oppression.

What could I possibly do in front of someone like this?

“Fabio, why did you call me?”

“T-That, it was a mistake. I didn’t intend to call you, but I unconsciously spoke the Lord’s name while holding the Sacred Relic. I am truly sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?”

“For making you go out of your way when you must be busy….”

My face flushed.

What a pathetic excuse!

There was no way the Saintess didn’t know I was lying.

“Did I not tell you to call me whenever you like? I am glad that nothing is wrong.”

The Saintess spoke with a gentle smile.

‘…Is she pretending to be fooled?’

The Saintess reached out and took my left hand.

[

SYSTEM:

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

I blinked, the notification window disappeared, and I saw the Saintess’s smiling face.

“You seem far too nervous.”

“…….”

Normally, I would have thought, ‘What is with this guy’s lack of learning ability?’, but in this situation, even her using the Blessing of Consolation while knowing it wouldn’t work felt like it had some intention.

The Saintess spoke in a soft voice.

“If you feel sorry for making me go out of my way… why don’t you think of some business for me now?”

“Business?”

“If there is anything you wish to ask, you may ask anything.”

‘…Even if I do, she’ll probably just answer that it’s something I don’t need to know.’

“Are you not speaking because you think I will not answer?”

I flinched, thinking for a moment that she had read my mind.

The Saintess continued, stroking my left hand.

“Still, there is no harm in asking, is there?”

‘…Why is she waiting for me to ask a question?’

The Saintess must have many things she wants to ask me too.

‘And the way she emphasized that I could call her for trivial matters…’

Thinking about it now, it was strange.

Couldn’t she just visit me for trivial matters first?

‘…Perhaps there is some restriction?’

A phrase the Saintess had said suddenly came to mind.

She said she exists only to hear and act upon the Lord’s word, so she does not move unless the Lord commands it.

And the most recent command the Saintess received was….

‘Find the Watched Ones and bring them into the Embrace of Order.’

Loclem certainly wants to lock up the players.

But what if the ‘System’ is restricting that?

‘The things I say might be what unlocks that restriction.’

“Do you truly have nothing you wish to ask me?”

“…I do.”

I hesitated before continuing.

“You asked if I wanted to know about my past. Could I hear more details?”

“Specifically, what do you wish to know?”

“How I lived before I turned 17, and, uh, if there were people I interacted with frequently….”

“Then it would be best to hear directly from someone who knew Perpetua well.”

“M-meeting them directly is a bit….”

“Then shall I organize it in writing and let you know?”

The Saintess’s attitude was excessively kind.

Even though she must have realized I was intentionally asking about irrelevant things.

“If it’s not too much trouble….”

“Fabio, I have come to help you. There is no need to be so nervous.”

The Saintess spoke, brushing hair away from my forehead.

“If you need my help, I will help; if you say it is no longer needed, I will return.”

I held my breath for a moment.

Silver hair flowed over me.

The Saintess picked up the Sacred Relic and kissed it.

“…Do not forget. If you believe in Order, Order will protect you.”

Her tone was very mild, but for some reason, it sounded like a warning.

“Then I must go and offer my prayers to the Lord. I shall see you next time.”

While I remained frozen like an ice statue, the Saintess turned and vanished.

‘…Is that really the end?’

After such a grand entrance?

Is she really leaving without asking anything?

I clumsily tucked the Sacred Relic inside my clothes.

‘Did she feel nothing in the underground archive?’

Or did she notice but pretend not to?

‘Hiding a sinner is also a great sin…’

My heart pounded.

‘…If she realized I was a sinner, she would have judged me immediately.’

Turning a blind eye to a sinner after recognizing them is a grave error.

Because it is a betrayal of one’s ‘duty’ as a Judgment Executor.

When studying the Doctrine, stories of ‘Judgment Executors’ who received severe punishment for letting a sinner go out of pity appeared in so many versions it was tedious.

‘The Tutorial or whatever must have been at work.’

She probably knew I was hiding something, but there was likely an effect where the System didn’t consider it a ‘sin.’

After all, the Saintess, who is the very will of the Lord, would not violate that doctrine.

* * *

Did something pleasant happen?

“Ah, Sextus. It is difficult to hide things from you.”

The Saintess smiled, her eyes curving.

“I have just come from meeting Fabio.”

“Fabio….”

Sextus cleared his throat and asked the Saintess.

“What was the business?”

“He said he called me by mistake.”

“…Is that so?”

Sextus had an expression as if he couldn’t understand why the Saintess was in a good mood.

“We spoke for a while, and it seemed he is studying the Doctrine diligently.”

“That is a desirable thing.”

It truly was.

Fabio knew he was committing a sin, and therefore, that sin was even heavier.

“Yes, that soul outside of Order always weighed on my mind….”

The Saintess clasped her hands and wore a truly beautiful smile.

“…Knowing that in the end, he will be with Order eternally, I could not be happier!”

Chapter 129