Became an Apostle of an Ancient God

Chapter 15

"If you mean Haru-nim, I have guided him to the room designated by the Bishop. As ordered, I told him that dinner would be brought directly to him to prevent him from leaving the room as much as possible."

Abigail answered Luther's question like that.

By the way, preventing him from leaving the room, huh. Haru felt that Luther was more wary of him than before, perhaps because of the attack incident at the 5th Church.

"Is that so? Well done. For Haru-kun's dinner tonight, and for breakfast in the morning, please add what I mentioned."

'Add something to the meal?'

Haru brought the sound bug as close to his ear as possible. The words that had just flowed from Bishop Luther's mouth were that unbelievable.

"Already? Isn't it a bit too soon?"

"But we can't drag it out either. That kid, I've felt it since earlier, but he's smarter than he looks, and his senses seem sharp too. I felt it when he asked to have the restraints removed."

Luther spoke, revealing to Abigail the cunning and dogmatic Inquisitor side of him, not the affectionate adoptive father persona he had shown in front of Haru.

"If by any chance he notices something strange and asks for help from another priest who doesn't know about the 'Rear side of the Hall'. That would be troublesome. Because he's a high-quality vessel that has come into our hands after a very long time. Even if we have to hurry, I want to secure him."

"Vessel?"

Haru tilted his head and looked back at Shub. It was to ask if there was perhaps a related rite. However, Shub also shook her head, seeming not to know yet.

Luther's words continued.

"Then, tomorrow. Are you planning to use the Holy Relic: Light on that kid?"

"Yes. We need to make sure. After making him slightly mad with the light, we'll trap him in the 'Rear side' and use him to extract some Divine Power, then when his strength has waned somewhat, we'll target that moment to make him a vessel."

"What if, by some chance, using him as a vessel is impossible?"

"Then it would be regrettable, of course. Well, if the infusion of light through Light is successful, I believe even if we don't make him a vessel, he will be sufficient to use as a pawn."

Then, shocking words were thrown from Luther's mouth.

"Anyway, if we use Light, Haru-kun will become a puppet who loves only me."

[Like an old hunting dog of Lusis.]

Shub crossed her arms and shook her head. At that, Haru clenched his fists tightly and quietly vented his anger.

"So he took me in as an adopted son aiming for my talent from the beginning. And was it the Holy Relic of Light? That Luther guy, he must have brainwashed the Heretics with that to force them to love Serre."

[We need to be careful with the meal. I don't know what kind of drug they put in it. It doesn't seem like it will have a good effect on the body.]

"I can't just stand by and take this quietly. I won't become a believer of perverts like them."

However, the conversation between Luther and Abigail was not over yet. Listening intently to the voices flowing from the sound bug, Haru began to formulate a plan in his head.

"But, I wonder if a priest of the Chosen Child's level will readily fall for the power of Light."

"Ah, indeed. Last time, when we tested it on a priest of about 'Sun-level', the higher the aptitude for Divine Power, the less effective the power was, right?"

Luther's voice paused, as if lost in thought for a moment.

"That was because the amount of Divine Power injected was insufficient. We have it, don't we? 'A way to draw Divine Power from the outside'."

"Are you planning to use it now? I believe it might be better to save it. There's also the matter of the dark acolyte. Wouldn't it be better to conserve some Divine Power?"

"The dark acolyte?"

Luther chuckled at Abigail's words. It wasn't directed at Abigail, but rather a sneer towards the presumptuous Heretic who appeared from the 5th Church's side.

"Neither name, nor ancestral land, nor clan legacy. What can the remnants of 'Tenebris', who couldn't protect a single thing, do? I don't think a single Sun-level priest can change the situation at best."

'Tenebris.'

As soon as he heard that word, a flash crossed Haru's mind.

"Tenebris?"

[Don't you remember? Tenebris. In the game we played together, Haru didn't really like this 'country', did he?]

At Shub's words, Haru snapped his fingers and revived the memories of this world that he had completely forgotten until now.

As he remembered, in the 'Board Game', there were at least 7 countries in this world.

Fitting for a story of Heroes receiving the will of the gods, each of the 7 countries had 7 different faiths.

Unfortunately, he could only remember three of them now.

The first was the nation founded by those who worship the light, 'Lusis'.

The second was the nation founded by those who worship the darkness, 'Tenebris'.

The third was the neutral nation 'Anatolia', which declared it would not worship any idol.

When he was young, without knowing anything, he just used the Hero from Anatolia who didn't worship a god to proceed with the story.

Perhaps because of that, whenever he chose the Hero of Anatolia, his Noona always looked troubled.

But Luther described Tenebris as remnants who couldn't protect their name, land, or legacy.

That means.

"Then, does that mean Lusis conquered Tenebris?"

[It's not an impossible story.]

Shub nodded her head.

[I don't know if you remember, but among humans, Light Faith is the most popular. Humans, by their nature, are more drawn to light than darkness.]

But what was important now was something else. Shub knew that too, so instead of her usual gentle expression, she asked with a cold and sharp look.

[However, dealing with this situation comes before the story of the ruined Tenebris. And it would be better to retrieve the bug soon. That man has good intuition. It's not good to send the bug for too long.]

"Yeah. Any more than this might be dangerous."

Haru recalled the Eavesdropping bug back into the room. The beetle that returned to the room through the crack in the open window circled around Haru, expressing its loyalty to Haru once more.

"Good work."

Haru briefly snapped his fingers. The two bugs, enveloped in the crimson light that flowed from the Amber, vanished without a trace right in front of him.

[If only I could somehow use the power of the 'Black Sheep', a man like that wouldn't even need Haru to dirty his hands.]

"Power of the 'Black Sheep'?"

Shub sighed gloomily and closed her eyes.

Thinking about it, something was strange. Both Father Engels, the cause of Haru being sent to the Hall of Atonement, and Bishop Luther were wary of Shub to an abnormal degree.

However, looking at Shub Noona's appearance so far, was she really someone to be that wary of? That question naturally arose.

Well, her strength to tear apart several priests is strong, but. Even Iron Mask can do such a simple thing.

[Sorry. Blaming what's not here now won't change fate. Haru, what do we do now?]

"According to Luther, he said he'd use the Holy Relic of Light to brainwash me. Probably that holy relic he's hiding under his eyepatch. And did he say he'd draw Divine Power from the outside?"

[Yes. The higher the aptitude, the higher the resistance to the power. That must be why. Haru, with an aptitude like yours, it would be hard to fall for it unless they bring at least a choir.]

Haru stroked his chin, thinking deeply, then looked at Shub and proposed a method.

"How about this method?"

Haru carefully presented the 'way to avoid brainwashing' he had thought of. Shub, who had been listening silently to Haru's words, tilted her head slightly and asked.

[It seems like a good method if it works. But I wonder if it will work. Is it possible?]

"It's okay even if it fails."

Haru said so and looked out the window. His gaze was directed towards the prisoner camp, far away from the central church.

"Because I have insurance."

[The man in the Iron Mask. Will he really move as we think?]

"I'm not worried about that man. And for now, this is definitely the only way. There's no time."

As he was discussing the detailed plan with Shub, Abigail, having finished her conversation with Luther, knocked on Haru's door, bringing dinner.

"Chosen Child-nim. Dinner has arrived."

'The drugged dinner' has arrived, huh.

Haru smiled and welcomed Abigail.

'I won't move the way you want me to.'

Inwardly mocking her, and by extension Luther, Haru opened the door. Welcoming Abigail, who wore a false smile on her face.

* * *

The next morning.

Right after finishing breakfast, Bishop Luther summoned Haru, who was resting in his room, just as Haru had expected.

"Chosen Child-nim. Bishop Luther would like to see you for a moment."

"Yes. I'll come out right away."

Haru glanced towards the pancake and maple syrup served for breakfast.

On top of the pancake, large red, blue, and yellow ladybugs were munching away deliciously at the meal Haru hadn't even touched.

Naturally, these were not naturally occurring bugs, but bugs artificially created by Haru using the Amber holy relic.

The reason they were specifically 'ladybugs' was because the phrase 'insect that only eats' from an insect encyclopedia he saw as a child suddenly came to mind.

Haru, who had previously smeared maple syrup and pancake crumbs on his mouth using a knife, finished his act of having eaten breakfast on the spot and smiled.

He was rather hungry from skipping both dinner and breakfast, but well, it didn't matter much.

He had experiences working even while skipping meals during his time as an office worker.

Haru, who made the bugs he had ordered to eat the pancake and maple syrup disappear in an instant just before Abigail opened the door, hopped down from the bed and ran towards Abigail.

"Excuse me. Where is Luther?"

"You will be able to see him soon. Ah, Haru-nim. You have pancake crumbs and syrup on your mouth. Let me wipe it for you."

Following Abigail's guidance into Luther's office, Bishop Luther, whose atmosphere was distinctly different from before, was sitting at the table used to greet guests.

"You've arrived. Abigail-nim? Please leave us. I want to talk with Haru-kun alone again today."

"Yes."

As soon as Abigail left, Luther, as if he had been waiting, immediately moved on to 'that topic'.

"So, Haru-kun. Have you thought about it?"

Haru answered Luther's question nonchalantly.

"Thought about it? About what?"

"The offer to become my adopted son."

"Oh, that?"

Haru pretended 'pretending to think' for a moment, then slightly shook his head left and right. Then, discarding the 'good kid' mask he had worn until now, he revealed his cunning true face and declared.

"I'm sorry, but I refuse."

"Why? Becoming my son wouldn't be bad... wouldn't it?"

"Because, Luther. The goodwill you have towards me has a purpose."

"... What did you say?"

"Back when I first came to Lusis. You know there was a grandmother who treated me like her grandson, right?"

Haru stood up from the sofa and continued speaking.

"That grandmother, you see. She gave me clothes to wear, food to eat, and a place to sleep. For that, the grandmother didn't expect anything in return.

Yes. I'm talking about that grandmother, the one Father Engels of Lisboa decided to execute.

But you are different. You simply want my power, don't you? Your goodwill and love have a purpose. The purpose of creating a new vanguard for Lusis, the desire to increase your achievements.

I'm sorry, but I can't play along with something like that."

"It seems you're gravely mistaken about something."

"I wish that were the case."

"Well, it doesn't really matter anymore, though."

Hearing Haru's refusal, Luther carefully brought his gloved hand to his left eyepatch. Then, he forcefully threw off the eyepatch, revealing the Light.

"That's...!"

[Hmm...?]

What resided in Luther's left eye was not a human eye. Possessing a brilliant golden light, it resembled an 'orb' more than an eye.

With the eye of Light, engraved with ancient characters, Luther glared at Haru.

"Because, from now on, you are destined to love Serre. To love me."

And at that moment, the Divine Power in the atmosphere pressing down on Haru's shoulders, and the Divine Power gathered in the basement of this central church, all began to concentrate on Luther's Holy Relic.

However.

"It won't happen like that."

Seizing the opportunity, Haru simultaneously flicked the Amber Holy Relic he had hidden in his hand with his thumb, activating it.

At the same time, his other hand drew a cheerful parabola in the air. It was the rite of space he had demonstrated once before when forcefully twisting the path of the 'Black Arrow'.

"What...?!"

Luther looked around in panic. The rite of [Spatial Refraction], which he had dismissed as a novice's trick. It was because it was changing the direction of the Divine Power.

"Hahaha. Was there such a way to use it? Surprising."

Luther tried to control the direction of the Divine Power with his radiant eye, but the Divine Power in the room was already completely under Haru's control.

Thus, the Divine Power that should have flowed into the Holy Relic: Light began to be sucked into the Amber flicked by Haru's thumb in the blink of an eye.

And.

Swoooosh!!!!

"Be born. O life!"

As Haru shouted, colorful light bugs were born from the Amber, receiving the great blessing of life.

Each and every bug was sleek like a crafted jewel, emitting a brilliant radiance like a firefly.

However, unlike light bugs that emit light of only a specific color, the light bugs born here contained various colors within them.

That was because the Divine Power injected into the Amber was, after all, Divine Power extracted from other humans. For each individual human, the color of the ideal 'light' they pursue is different.

Because each individual human has their own individuality, their own 'origin'.

"Now."

Haru, having commanded the newborn light bugs to instantly bring the flicked Amber back into his hand, said with a smile.

"What are you going to do now? False Love Inquisitor?"