#149

When I opened my eyes, it was the next morning.

‘What?’

I just fell asleep like that?

The headache was gone and I felt refreshed, but that actually made me more anxious.

It was like the feeling of waking up feeling great, only to discover your phone had died.

It was that feeling right before checking what time it is and how many missed calls I have.

“Are you awake?”

“Athanas….”

‘Did he sleep here too?’

Setting aside the fact that he was granted permission to stay out yesterday.

For what reason is he still here today?

‘I wonder if his reputation is doing okay….’

Since he started dating, everyone probably thinks he’s lost his mind and is neglecting his training, so they’re likely ignoring him.

While I was lost in those thoughts, Athanas placed a tray on top of the chest.

‘Breakfast?’

White bread, stew, and bacon were prepared.

The bowl of stew was still warm.

Since there was only one spoon, I looked at Athanas with curiosity, and he answered.

“I already ate.”

‘…Why?’

He could have just gone and eaten with me.

How tedious….

‘But he did care enough to do this.’

“Thank you.”

Having someone take care of me was a very unfamiliar experience.

Still, I couldn’t quite understand it.

It’s not like I was so sick that I couldn’t move on my own.

“Did you not wake up even when I tried?”

“No, I intentionally didn’t wake you. But I brought this because I thought you would wake up soon.”

“Why didn’t you just go together….”

“…Because it is difficult to have a calm conversation in a place with many eyes.”

True, that’s right.

It’s not a conversation to be had in a place without a soundproofing blessing.

The Watched Ones and the Beings Beyond the Starry Sky are top-secret matters that even the archbishops don’t know about.

And if the fact that I am with Athanas reaches the ears of Pandemonium or other players….

‘I’m talking nonsense because I’m not fully awake.’

I gulped down the stew and organized my thoughts.

How much should I tell him?

‘…Everything.’

Yes.

I should probably spill ‘everything.’

I must not hide information from Athanas.

Let’s tell him everything I can.

First, I decided to explain the chat.

The Watched Ones have another name: a ‘Nickname.’

If you call a nickname, you can send something like a telepathic transmission to the other person.

The way I fiddled with my fingers yesterday without speaking was a method of sending a telepathic transmission without making a sound.

“Is that only possible among the Watched Ones?”

“As far as I know.”

“Then it would be possible to check if someone is alive or dead by calling their nickname.”

“…That is correct. It is also possible to confirm whether they have died completely or simply discarded that body.”

When one loses the qualification to participate in the game, no notification window appears.

Upon hearing this, Athanas seemed lost in thought for a long while.

“How many nicknames do you know? No, how many Watched Ones are there?”

Sixteen Othergods.

And sixteen Watched Ones.

The fifteen other than me are aware of each other’s existence.

Of course, some of those fifteen are fakes, and there might be other Watched Ones who, like me, haven’t been discovered yet.

I heard that some of them have already lost their qualifications.

There are two people I’ve actually met.

One is Reyes Floren, and the other is Marcello Teres.

Those two are somewhat willing to cooperate.

Even if they don’t believe in Order, it will be helpful in keeping more wicked beings in check.

The being that both of them feared in common….

‘…Insanity.’

Regarding Insanity, I only know a fake name.

I don’t know what the nickname is.

Perhaps it’s a fabricated existence.

Other than that, the one to be careful of is.

“…Bonaparte? Wouldn’t it be troublesome to speak the nickname aloud?”

“That’s not the real nickname, but a kind of code. It’s a pseudonym used so that the nickname isn’t uttered even by mistake.”

I didn’t tell him the real nickname.

Because there was no benefit for Athanas to know it.

‘Like the Name of Oblivion, just knowing it could cause problems.’

However, I explained what the Othergods’ Domains are and what they can do.

That they can interfere with the prototype of a living being.

“Since Bonaparte is someone who even the Heretic Inquisitors of the Capital Church have dealt with… you must be careful.”

And from what I’ve heard, the Watched Ones don’t get along very well.

Especially the distrust toward Insanity is immense.

“Despite that, there are things they are cooperating on. That is….”

I was about to mention the Council, but I had to stop for a moment because of the bread in my mouth.

I stared at Athanas.

“…Please finish eating before you speak.”

“Uh-huh.”

The bread with bacon was a bit salty.

Since I was already somewhat full from the stew, I felt a bit bloated after forcing myself to finish the bread.

‘Maybe I should have just left some.’

I would have in the modern world, but after experiencing the life of a serf who ate nothing but turnips, I simply cannot bring myself to leave meat behind.

And it felt wrong to ignore Athanas’s sincerity in bringing it.

Athanas wiped the bacon grease from the corners of my mouth with a cloth dampened with warm water.

“…I can do this myself.”

“It is fine.”

Athanas even wiped the grease off my hands.

I was a little—no, very flustered.

“Isn’t this… incredibly strange? Right now?”

“…What is strange?”

I searched for the reason for this sense of incongruity.

I clenched and unclenched my itchy hands.

What’s strange?

I answered.

“Um… it’s strange that you seem so used to this, Athanas. I don’t think you’ve ever served someone before.”

“…That cannot be. A child receiving knight training learns how to serve a knight before they learn how to hold a sword. I was the same.”

‘Is he talking about being a squire?’

So Holy Knights start as squires too.

I understood.

If so, it wasn’t strange for Athanas to be used to serving.

“I see. But you don’t have to do this for me. Right now, it’s very… uncomfortable.”

“…Was there something lacking in my service just now?”

‘Did that sound like a complaint?’

“No, it’s not that. If anything is lacking, it’s on my end. I’m just not used to being served like this.”

I quickly explained.

“So, from now on, I’d prefer it if you let me do it alone.”

Athanas gazed at me blankly.

Then, he asked me a question.

“When I hugged you in your sleep….”

‘When he hugged me?’

“May I ask why you begged me to save you?”

‘…That was because I thought Athanas was launching a surprise attack.’

Because if you press the attack button while sleeping, you perform a choke.

But it was difficult to explain why I did that without talking about the game.

And explaining the game to Athanas was….

“…If it is difficult to answer, I will not ask further.”

Athanas folded a clean handkerchief and placed it in front of me.

‘It’s not that difficult.’

He had been keeping that in mind.

It was really nothing.

“Please continue the story you were telling me.”

“…That is the Council.”

The thing the players are cooperating to open.

But Nasir said that Casimir is intentionally letting the Council be opened.

And Marcello Teres said that once the Council is over, no one will care about the whereabouts of the ring, so he doesn’t need to return it.

That means something tremendous happens at the Council.

“So, I was planning to look into the Council.”

They might be aiming for a snap passage of a motion after preventing the opposition from attending.

Athanas frowned upon hearing my words.

“…Such a thing cannot happen.”

“Is there a procedure to prevent a snap passage?”

“No, there is no need for such a thing. In the first place, the act of voting at the Council is to persuade others that many people want a new doctrine to be created.”

“Persuade? Who are they persuading?”

“Discussions held at the Council must go through the approval of the Apostolate. And the Apostolate agrees with whatever opinion the Saintess puts forward. The word of the Saintess is the will of God. Those who defy the will of God cannot be called apostles. Therefore….”

“…Does that mean if the Saintess opposes it, no doctrine can pass?”

“That is correct.”

‘A structure where the separation of powers has been thrown to the dogs.’

…Come to think of it, if God actually exists, there’s no need to divide power.

Who would dare check God?

There is no way anyone could claim the will of God in front of the Saintess.

“That’s why it’s strange, as the Watched Ones couldn’t possibly not know that.”

I sank into thought.

‘…Are they certain the Saintess won’t oppose it?’

During the Tutorial period, apostles cannot move freely.

What if that restriction results in abstaining from these yes-or-no votes?

‘I don’t know exactly how the Tutorial restriction works.’

Naturally.

The game always starts from the point immediately after the ‘Stars’ open.

For all players, the Tutorial is an experience they encounter for the first time.

But if an Othergod who knows the System well gave advice saying, ‘This is a 100% viable trick’….

‘…Does the Saintess herself understand the restrictions placed upon her?’

I was curious.

But asking the Saintess herself is a bit scary.

‘Anyway.’

Assuming there’s a bug where the Saintess unconditionally passes any doctrine during the Tutorial period.

What can be gained by passing a doctrine using that bug?

“What are you thinking about?”

“Before the ‘Stars’ open… I mean, before the 4th season arrives, there is a possibility that the Saintess will pass any strange doctrine.”

“Why is that?”

“That… that part is difficult to explain. For now, it’s just a hypothesis.”

“Even so, I do not understand. Can the Saintess not simply open the Council again?”

I had the same question.

What meaning is there in changing the doctrine for that brief moment?

Then, a thought occurred to me—the kind of thought a player would have.

“…What if they close the Council and then kill the four electors?”

The Council cannot be opened until new electors are elected.

Electors are the Heads of the families.

If an incident occurred where several noble Heads were murdered in the ‘Capital Church,’ the entire continent would be in great shock.

The chaos resulting from that would help in the early expansion of the church’s influence.

“That is a plausible thought.”

Athanas thought deeply about something and then continued.

“…Since half of the seven electors must agree, at least four electors must be under the influence of the Watched Ones.”

‘That’s a hell of a lot.’

“I will find out which electors are gathered at the Capital Church. For now, I know who two of the four are.”

“One will be the Head of the Teres family….”

“…The Head of the Floren family is also an elector.”

My eyes widened.

‘Wasn’t Floren a family with no presence?’

“The Head of Floren obtained the position of elector as the one who represents the will of Egous, the God of Abundance. Since only nobles can become electors.”

‘…That makes sense when you put it that way.’

There are two types of subordinates under the Church of Order.

The first is the god who leads the sect.

Anyone can become a priest, and apostles are appointed anew each time.

The highest religious leader is called the ‘Patriarch.’

The Healing Sect and Abundance Sect fall into this category.

The second is a god that a single family has served for generations.

The Head of the noble family concurrently holds the position of the highest religious leader.

The Head must be born of the Divine Bloodline.

Gods who have their own specific families all fall into this category.

Usually, the god leading a sect is a larger and more powerful god.

Meaning they are a god not limited to a single ethnic group.

‘If Reyes’s mother is an elector….’

…Did Athanasuki agree to a plan where his mother might die?

I thought he viewed them as NPCs, but he seemed to have affection for his family.

He resisted the quest to commit suicide immediately, saying he didn’t want the position of Reyes Floren to disappear.

‘Pandemonium, well, he’d be all for it since he can wield the family as the Acting Family Head if the Head is gone.’

“Is there an heir to the Floren family?”

“I believe they have not yet reached adulthood. According to Sereno… they would have turned fourteen this year.”

‘…Too young.’

“Can’t someone become the Head if they are young?”

“Age does not matter. If they are too young, an Acting Family Head will handle most of the work. However, a Head without a grown heir rarely leaves their own territory.”

‘…Then it would be almost impossible for the Council to be opened again.’

If they were sane, they wouldn’t think of going to the place where the previous Head was murdered.

Even I would shut myself away in the family estate.

“Is there something bothering you regarding the Floren family?”

“Actually, Reyes gave me this.”

I held out the ring.

“…What is this now?”

It is a Distorted One’s Relic that twists perception to make the wearer appear as ‘Reyes Floren.’

Athanasuki asked me to wear this, meet his mother, and show her that ‘Reyes Floren’ was safe.

“With this, I could meet the Head of the Floren family to investigate, or perhaps attend the Council directly.”

However, I might run into Nyapoleon or Insanity.

There’s a high possibility they know that this Reyes Floren is actually Athanasuki.

“…No, thinking about it, it’s better not to use this. It’s too dangerous.”

Naturally, I don’t want to be exposed to such risks.

I plan to use it only to briefly show my face after the Council is over, if Reyes’s older brother, Sereno, is still searching for Reyes.

Athanas picked up the ring Reyes had given.

“Surely you aren’t planning to wear it yourself….”

“I’m not saying I’ll wear it. There is a better candidate.”

“A better candidate?”

“I’m talking about Callister.”

…The lab director’s clone?

Athanas continued.

“The lab director is gathering information on the Watched Ones. He will lend as many bodies as needed for this task.”

‘As many bodies….’

My head felt a bit dizzy.

Is that… not a person?

Because it’s a ‘storage’ for spare Sacred Vessels?

“Athanas….”

I was about to say that was a bad idea, but the words wouldn’t come out.

The moment I furrowed my brow, Athanas reached out and covered my eyes.

“Before that, we have talked enough, so it would be best to close your eyes for a moment.”

Why?

Didn’t I just wake up?

The reason I have to sleep….

“…Everything will be fine once you wake up. ‘You’ said so. That this state is only valid until you fall asleep again.”

Athanas’s breathing was close.

“I am sorry.”

‘For what?’

“I promised not to ask anything else in this situation….”

Since a while ago, I’ve felt a sense of incongruity that is hard to put into words.

A feeling that something is wrong.

My stomach is churning.

Why?

What’s strange?

‘Ah.’

I realized the reason.

‘If you lie down right after eating, stomach acid refluxes.’

That’s why my stomach feels so uncomfortable.

If so, this feeling is very normal.

There is nothing strange.

I quickly accepted this and fell asleep, feeling relieved.