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– [2nd Apostle: Evan Alemia] has become your Apostle.
– You will share your magic with the apostles selected by the effects of <Select Apostles>.
– You will be able to send individual messages to the Apostles selected by the effects of <Select Apostles>.
It’s been a few days since I began spending time converting Evan, whom I chose as an Apostle.
I wondered if all my hard work had paid off.
When Euthenia enters the cave to make her pitch, Evan accepts the apostleship as if he’s been waiting for it.
Despite Euthenia’s lack of words, Evan quickly gave up and lowered his sword.
With Evan’s acceptance of the <Select Apostle>, the [Divine Weapon: Astrape] that was sealed was also completely released.
“You’ve finally become an apostle.”
He turned Evan, a paladin, into his own apostle.
He made someone who was not even comparable to a normal character into an apostle of his own.
If he used the [Astrape] created by consuming Karma, he would become far more powerful than most characters.
I immediately opened my inventory to check the status of the [Astrafe].
The new skills I had created using <Select Apostle> had different talents.
“Blue Flash? Sounds like a very good talent from the description.”
The [Divine Artifact: Astrape] credited to Evan had an ability named <Blue Flash>.
<Blue Flash>.
This talent had two main effects.
One. Constantly consuming magic power to convert the user’s physical body into lightning over a period of time.
Two. To share all skills that dealt lightning damage with me.
In other words, it was a talent that specialized in dealing elemental damage.
“You will now become a magical swordsman instead of a paladin.”
A sword of light and a sword of lightning.
I don’t know which is stronger.
Still, given Euthenia’s precedent, there was no doubt that Evan would be incredibly strong after receiving the divine gift.
I dragged an item from my inventory and placed it in front of Evan.
The [Astrafe] was a piece of equipment that looked like a lightweight gauntlet.
With a pop.
As soon as it landed in front of Evan’s eyes, Euthenia picked it up and placed it in Evan’s hand.
Evan took it and looked at Euthenia with a puzzled expression.
– This is…
– It is a sign that the Great One has chosen you.
– A sign?
– That you are now an apostle in the service of the Great One.
Evan stared at the silvery gauntlet, then nodded and slipped it into his hand.
As the [Divine Artifact: Astrape] was placed on Evan’s hand, a bolt of blue lightning shot out and a speech bubble appeared above Evan’s head.
By wearing it, I could send a message directly to Evan.
The electricity coursing through Evan’s body explained why the talent was named Blue Flash.
Evan’s eyes lit up as he wore the astrape.
– Am I an apostle now …?
– Did you like his gift?
– To be honest, I don’t think I deserve it.
Lightning sparked around him, and Evan picked up the sword from the ground.
As the gauntleted Evan gripped the sword, a burst of blue electrical energy began to emanate from his grip.
A blinding, overflowing glow of thunderbolts.
Facing it, Evan raised his sword.
Evan Alemia.
He looked at the sword with reverence as he spoke.
– Nevertheless, I will ask you.
– O God who looks down from heaven. What fate must I accept?
I wondered if it was because he was a paladin in the past.
Evan was polite, even to me.
Every word that came out of his mouth was sacred.
Perhaps he was showing me the same blind loyalty he had shown the goddess.
As I contemplated how to respond to his words, I saw Evan’s exhausted face.
“I know, I’ve been rough on you.”
For the next few days, Evan’s sleep was interrupted and his mobility impaired.
Judging by the length of the game, it was a long time.
After living in a cave with no food for so long, Evan’s fatigue is no ordinary one.
He had been my enemy not long before, but now he was a character that worked for me.
It was only right that I give him the respect he deserved.
So why not give him something that would benefit me in some small way.
Like Euthenia, whom I had previously taken the time to nurture.
“Eat first.”
I dragged a loaf of bread from my inventory and set it down in front of Evan.
Poof.
Evan’s other hand caught the falling bread as his gaze turned to the sky.
As he looked up, I used the Message feature to condescend him with convincing words.
“This food is given to you personally by me and i bet you have never eaten something like this.”
Seven thousand. No, it was a baguette that now cost 8,000 won.
It was not something to be handed down lightly.
Perhaps my message lacked a little dignity.
The speech bubble translator rewrapped my message and sent it to Evan.
– [I will satisfy your hunger and quench your longing thirst.]
– [Then you shall see the truth.]
For now, he said, eat.
It was a godlike way of speaking.
After listening to him, Evan turned back to me and asked.
– [Truth? What is the truth, anyway?]
“Yeah. Whatever that truth is?”
And that’s what the bubble translator said.
The overly exaggerated answer made even me wonder what the truth is.
Of course, the bubble translator had an answer for that, and it spoke fluently to Evan’s questioning eyes.
– [Harvest the unclean. Then I will feed them and return to their rightful place.]
– [Tear down the gods of false faith, and build my faith in their place.]
At the translator’s uncharacteristic reply, Evan fell silent and broke off a piece of bread.
It was as if he had nothing more to say in response.
The more I look at it, the more I marvel at how a simple request to eat can be translated into something so dignified.
The AI’s ability to do this was amazing.
***
Huss Alemia, a second-rate investigator for Cloud, the Imperial Enforcement Agency, stared wearily at the papers.
It had been a month since he’d requested help from the Holy Land to investigate a mysterious disappearance.
It was his brother, Evan Alemia, the Inquisitor, who came to help.
For a few days, he’s spent his days being watched by Evan himself.
But even after Evan’s return from his explorations, Huss’ mind is never at ease.
The Church of Evil is on the move.
He had heard it from the mouth of the Inquisitor himself, Evan.
Since learning the truth, each day, he lived in fear that they might move.
The Inquisitor had admitted it.
It was a foregone conclusion that the Evil God’s minions were moving in the neighborhood.
“Another disappearance.”
Huss’ view of disappearances had also changed.
It was something that happened several times a month, but it still made him suspicious of their movements.
There’s a group of people who sacrifice people to evil gods.
With a suspicious group nearby, it was only natural to suspect them first.
But suspicion is no excuse to go searching.
I had already lost one of my investigators.
Even if they were to continue their search with an under-resourced team, they could not rule out the risk of being attacked by the cultists.
If he lost another man, Huss would not be able to escape the blame.
If he couldn’t even hold out in the frontier branches and was driven out, it was obvious how his brothers and family would look at him.
“Hm… I’m not sure, and it’s frustrating.”
If he continued to stand still, he would be criticized from above.
It was a no-win situation.
Sighing, Huss reaches down and pulls out a piece of paper from nearby.
He was going to write to Evan in the Holy Land to ask how things were going.
Evan himself had gone to report the appearance of the Evil God’s group, so the conclusion should be clear in the Holy Land by now.
Hearing reports of subjugation squads being assembled in the Holy Land would make him feel a little more relaxed and able to focus on his work.
“They should have discussed it by now…….”
Huss’ hand went still as he picked up his pen to write the letter to Evan.
He was about to write when he felt a sudden pain in his right arm.
He put down his pen and rolled up the sleeve of his right arm.
As the sleeve was removed, a black pattern emerged on the exposed flesh.
His mouth dropped open as he looked at his arm, recognizing the vaguely familiar symbol.
“This is…….”
A black feather pen, inscribed at an angle.
As far as he knew, the symbol on his right arm was that of the Temple of Knowledge.
There was only one reason for a Temple sigil to suddenly appear on a person’s arm.
The appearance of a hero.
It was a mark given to heroes to stop the rise of evil.
“Does this mean I’ve been chosen to be a hero?”
Huss’ fingers stroked the feathered pen on his arm.
The Mark of Knowledge meant that Huss Alemia had been chosen as the hero of this generation.
It was a temple of knowledge like no other.
A place where wisdom and magic were valued, and where Huss could become a great wizard himself.
A faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he thought of the temple at Crossbridge.
“A hero… sounds pretty good to me.”
He picked up the paper and put it back in its place.
There was no need to write to Evan anymore.
He would have to travel to the Holy Land himself.
What’s more, there was no longer any need for him to work as Cloud’s second-rate investigator.
Huss was a Hero, chosen by the Goddess of Knowledge.
A hero chosen by the goddess to visit the Holy Land, and who would dare stop him?
It was the last time he would ever see the scowling face of his branch chief.
“I’m looking forward to seeing your face more than anything.”
More than anything, he was looking forward to his brother’s reaction when he met him.
Evan is the Inquisitor of the Holy Land.
And Huss is a hero, one of the most important figures in the Holy Land.
How would Evan look at his brother who had become a hero?
Certainly not with the same stern face as before.
He shoved the papers into a corner with a satisfied smile, looking forward to his reunion with his brother.
Somehow, he had a feeling he was going to have a good day today.