I Became the Apostle of an Evil God Chapter 10

Since he didn’t eat any food, I thought he wouldn’t sleep either, but he sleeps quite well…. Van, now completely nestled in Orma’s embrace, scanned him with drowsy eyes before closing them again. Since he was sleeping so soundly and softly, it felt wrong to wake him up just because it was cramped. I can just bear it….

Ah, but putting aside being trapped in Orma’s arms, the stinging sunlight piercing his eyes was uncomfortable. Turning his head slightly, he saw that the light leaking through the partially drawn curtains was hitting his eyes perfectly.

It’s so bright….

Judging by how sleepy he felt, it was undoubtedly still early dawn. Since morning arrived earlier with each passing day, it was impossible to tell what time it was just by looking out the window.

Van instinctively wiggled further into Orma’s embrace, burying his head to escape the sun. Did that tiny movement disturb Orma? Orma’s brow furrowed minutely. He tightened his grip as if refusing to let go of the entity in his arms, making Van feel even more suffocated while at the same time….

From his shadow, something small dropped with a soft tap onto the floor. Sliding across the ground out of Van’s line of sight, it diligently made its way to the wall with the window. Slowly climbing the wall, the moment it finally touched the window, the tiny shadow—no bigger than a speck of dust—stretched wide, meticulously covering the spacious window.

Once a complete blackout was cast, Van fell back into a comfortable sleep. It was a peaceful dawn, filled with nothing but the synchronous breathing of the god and his apostle.

“…What on earth did you do to me?”

“You were the one who slept holding me tight, Mr. Orma, so it’s unfair of you to act like that toward me.”

If anyone saw them, they would think Van had actually dared to fondle his god. Crossing his arms tightly as if telling Van not to come near, he stood far away, glaring at him as if looking at a scoundrel. Van, who was straightening his clothes while packing his bags, stared flatly at Orma, dumbfounded by his behavior.

“There is no way I would do that! Do you think I’m crazy enough to sleep hugging a guy like you? It makes no sense.”

“What about it makes so little sense, sir?”

“That entire sentence! It’s strange enough that I even slept, but sleeping while holding you is completely out of the question!”

His horrified exclamation was absurd. Locking eyes with those panicked, rapidly shifting golden pupils, Van smiled brightly.

“So, did you sleep well?”

“…Yeah.”

“Then isn’t that all that matters?”

What was the issue? Because there was no flaw in the logic of Van’s words as he tilted his head, Orma was momentarily left speechless. He had slept well. The time he had spent detached from human life was so long that he couldn’t even remember the last time he had experienced something called sleep. He had wanted nothing more than to kill time without thinking of anything, wishing only for his own death—to fall into an eternal slumber.

Waking up after sleeping for the first time in ages, his body felt miraculously light, and his mood was so refreshed that he felt a surge of motivation, a feeling that had long since vanished.

“I will gladly offer my body so you can sleep comfortably tonight as well, sir, so please stop grumbling and let’s set off.”

“….”

Those words just now were so chilling that he doubted his own ears. Staring at Van in horror, the serene smile on his pretty face made it seem like it was probably just a joke. …Exchanging words with this guy is a losing battle. Losing the will to converse any further, Orma pulled his hood over his head with a gloomy face and trailed closely behind Van as he left the inn.

Orma kept his mouth shut politely while Van peeked around, asked for directions, and walked, but when they finally arrived at a spacious stable, his patience hit rock bottom.

“Y-you’re buying two of them, sir?”

“Yes. First, I’d like to check if they’re healthy. Would that be possible?”

“Of course! The price of hay has skyrocketed since the calamity struck, but these are fellows I’ve raised with utmost care, never letting them go hungry, sir.”

“Seeing how glossy their coats are, it seems you speak the truth.”

Is it really necessary to spit everywhere while explaining with his whole soul just to sell some horses? And to listen to that seriously and chip in. Folding his arms, Orma stood quietly in the back and watched Van’s behavior.

He was a truly fascinating fellow. To be able to smile like that at someone who had killed him out of nowhere. It felt like he could have a grand old time with other humans without having to suffer like this, so why on earth did he keep following him around? And under the ridiculous pretext of being an ‘apostle,’ no less.

If he thought of it as some noble mission to stop the world’s ruin, it did match that mystical and beautiful appearance quite well. …But why did that somehow rub him the wrong way? Was it because he was a pessimist?

“How about this horse, sir?”

Having spent that time chatting with the horse merchant and finalizing the estimate, Van approached with an expressionless face, gently handed the reins to Orma, and spoke. Facing the hand that naturally thrust the reins toward him, Orma accepted them with a detached face and stole a glance at the horse.

“Since this might be quite a long journey, I picked the one that looks the healthiest and sturdiest. He seems to have a gentle and docile personality, and I’m told he has good stamina.”

It seemed that way. The moderately sized brown horse blinked his dark eyes gently and let out a soft snort. Seeing its glossy coat and quite well-groomed mane, the merchant’s claim of caring for them with affection didn’t seem to be a complete lie.

Only after looking at Van’s horse, which was smaller and looked more easily frightened than his own, did Orma speak.

“You bought that horse too?”

“Yes, wouldn’t it be animal abuse if both of us rode a single horse? At any rate, the payment is settled, so you can mount up and set off immediately, sir.”

The journey to save the world was difficult from the very first step. Thinking of his wallet, which had grown awfully thin just from buying two horses, Van worried about their travel funds moving forward. For now, should he just buy some jerky to eat on the road and make do with that for meals?

Since his god didn’t seem to eat, food expenses might decrease. But they also had to buy drinking water. How much would water cost? At this rate, they would run out of money before even reaching Banan’s sanctuary….

“Van.”

“…Yes, sir.”

His response was delayed due to various worries, but Orma didn’t mind. He simply asked while stroking his horse, looking genuinely curious.

“Can these horses even endure the sunlight? You said humans can’t even handle it. Didn’t you say it’s the light of the calamity, so living creatures will die if exposed to it for a long time?”

“Mr. Orma.”

“What?”

“What good does it do to mention that only now, sir?”

The response that came back with a serious face and voice was absurd. …Did he really not think about that until now?

“I’ve already bought them…. Ah, so that’s why the merchant asked if I was truly going to buy the horses. Should I go back right now and ask if I can get a refund?”

“Do you think he’d give you one?”

Of course, even if he were the horse merchant, he would absolutely never give a refund. Van felt like his heart was tearing apart. No, his wallet situation was already torn to shreds. In contrast to his internal state where he was crying tears of blood, Van reflected on his stupid mistake with a completely blank face on the surface. He did so very intensely, regardless of whether Orma was staring at him like he was a madman.

He had messed up. To forget the fact that their means of transportation was a living creature. On Earth, people usually traveled by car or airplane, so his critical mistake was failing to naturally realize what might become an issue here. On top of that, thanks to the system, his body had been gradually developing, so even when exposed to the light of the calamity, it only felt hot and scorching without causing any severe harm, which also played a part in making him complacent.

He didn’t look it, but this guy is quite a klutz. Watching Van’s complexion slowly darken, Orma tsk-tsked and spoke.

“Is it an absolute must to save this wretched world? It would be much cleaner if everyone just died together and you killed me at the very end. Hmm, that’s a pretty good idea. Everyone dying on the same day at the same time—it’s highly romantic and nice.”

“O Orma, please stop talking crap… I mean, nonsense.”

“What? This guy calls me his god but now he’s totally crossing the line?”

Orma’s golden eyes narrowed in disbelief, the corners of his eyes sharpening upward. Just that alone made his handsome features look terrifying, but Van paid it no mind. Van didn’t have the emotional or financial leeway to deal with his god’s annoyance. After letting out a short sigh and seemingly composing his mind with it, Van mounted his horse and spoke.

“We have no choice. Let’s just go for now. If the horses die because of the calamity, I’ll carry you on my back if I have to, Mr. Orma.”

“….”

It seemed he hated the idea of being carried too. As if he had imagined it, Orma’s handsome face crumpled instantly and his hands clenched into fists. As a menacing glare ensued, Van pretended not to notice, gently stroking his horse’s mane.

“Ha, how annoying….”

That noble and holy mindset of wanting to protect the damn world at all costs was nauseatingly annoying, but there was something else that truly grated on Orma. It was something he had felt was strange for a while now: that guy Van held his own life just as lightly as Orma did. Saying that if they had to walk, they would walk, and that he would carry him even if Orma died of reluctance—who on earth would ever appreciate that hardship?

Even when he had died a few times by Orma’s hand, he was merely startled by the sudden appearance of the spear; his reaction was casual to an extent that was worlds apart from ordinary humans who wailed in pain or showed terror. Whether that was due to that bizarre resurrection or not, Van treated himself as something quite light, suitable to be used and discarded. Even if that happened to be his own life.

But why was that? When he held the lives of others lightly, not to mention his own, why did he find that so objectionable?

With questions and frustration continuously popping up in his head, Orma let out an annoyed sigh. Then, with a light wave of his hand, he conjured a dark shroud in the empty air. It immediately wrapped around the horses gently, transforming the rural brown horses with their simple impressions into sleek, haughty black horses. The horses merely tilted their heads or let out small snorts without showing any signs of surprise, but Van’s eyes widened in utter shock.

“How did you do that, sir?”

“…You can just think of it as a thin membrane that blocks the sunlight.”

So that meant he had coated the horses with a thin film imbued with divine authority? Gently stroking his horse, Van wondered to what extent Orma’s power was capable of reaching. While he wouldn’t tell him even if he asked, with his power, it really felt like he could save the world from ruin.

Furthermore, wasn’t he being much more cooperative than expected? Compared to that despairing expression and his plea to be killed when they first met, this was a dazzling improvement. How should he put it… Van felt proud of Orma just for that. He didn’t know if it was alright for an apostle to view his god this way, though.

“Stop marveling at it and let’s get moving.”

“Yes, sir!”

For something so trivial, Van smiled brightly with his pretty face and answered energetically.

Hmm…. For some reason, Orma quite liked that expression, reflexively engraving it into his sight. He also felt a little bit proud.