I Became the Apostle of an Evil God Chapter 14

“Glides through life on easy mode?” Van tilted his head as he looked at Orma.

“Why not just become a cult leader?”

“Technically speaking, that’s exactly what I must look like to everyone else.”

“Perfect. Let’s just go with the whole cult thing, then. For the destruction of the world.”

Since it was practically a habitual curse by now, Van didn’t mind it one bit and simply offered a bright smile. Watching him, Orma bit his lip and looked away, and at that exact moment, a system message materialized with a clear chime.

[Quest Success!

Convert Believers (1/1)

Reward: Divine Faith +10, Faith Gauge +5

Your Faith Level has increased! The Faith Shop has been unlocked!

Current Status: Apostle of ‘Orma’ / Divine Faith: 8 (Your god’s influence is minuscule.) Faith Level: 2 Faith Gauge: 0/12]

Oh, did something change? With a racing heart, Van closed his current status window and checked the reward granted to celebrate reaching Faith Level 2. When prompted to accept the gift, he selected ‘Yes,’ and something instantly materialized in his hand.

Hmm… What was this? An earring?

“What is that? Where did something like that suddenly come from?”

“Well…”

It’s the reward for turning Mr. Jaena into your believer, Van wanted to say, but he swallowed the words and merely offered an awkward smile as he checked the earring’s details.

[With the God / Unique Item (Bound – Cannot be traded)

A mysterious pair of earrings that, when shared and worn with your god, allows you to wield a portion of the god’s power. The range of the god’s power you can utilize is proportional to your Divine Faith.

Charm +10, Strength +2, Agility +3]

It seemed like a much better item than expected… but in the end, didn’t it mean he could only use it if he shared the pair with Orma?

“Why are you suddenly staring at me like that?”

Faltering and hesitating like a broken machine, Van looked back and forth at Orma before holding out one of the earrings with an awkward smile.

“Why are you giving this to me?”

“I’ll wear one. The other one is for…”

“….”

So he was suggesting they split the pair and wear them together? Orma stared back and forth between Van and the earring with a look of utter disbelief.

Aside from a round black gem, the earring had no other embellishments, so it wasn’t particularly repulsive, but it was still a highly suspicious object that had randomly appeared in Van’s hand.

Furthermore, it felt strangely ominous—this was no ordinary trinket. It bore the faint but unmistakable trace of divine power. Orma stared sullenly at the earring for a long moment. While he was actively hesitating out of reluctance, Jaena suddenly came bouncing over.

“Me! Is there one for me? Don’t I get a perk for becoming a believer? If sir Orma doesn’t want it, I want it!”

“Ah, well…”

This insolent, immature brat. The moment he saw Jaena coveting the earring Van was holding out, Orma snatched it away and pierced it straight into his own ear. He hadn’t particularly wanted to wear it, but it was infinitely better than letting Van and Jaena share a pair. When a startled Van stared at him with wide eyes, a wave of pettiness washed over Orma, and he roughly forced the remaining earring into Van’s pretty ear.

Even though it bled slightly, Van didn’t show a single hint of pain and simply curved his eyes in a gentle smile.

“Thank you.”

Thank you for what, exactly? No matter how savagely he behaved, Van always responded with words like that, leaving Orma feeling completely drained of his anger. A story suddenly flashed through his mind—the one about how it wasn’t the raging, violent wind that stripped the traveler of his coat, but the warm, gentle sunlight.

For some reason, wrapped in the bizarre sensation that he was being tamed by Van, Orma stared blankly at his apostle, who was carefully touching his newly pierced ear. Immediately, his own mind became flooded with fierce curses, self-deprecation, and blame—all directed at himself.

Fuck, I’ve really been thoroughly bewitched. Smiling so prettily with that face, calling me his god, whispering sweet words about how he won’t let me be lonely… In that hell… it was when I wasn’t in my right mind… so of course I fell for it.

Besides, I’m not the only one, am I? Look at this beastkin bastard, throwing a tantrum like a toddler and throwing himself into Van’s arms when he’s secretly plotting inside… Ugh, infuriating. I don’t even know why I’m so pissed off, but I am. Why do I keep having to feel these goddamn impulses? Die, just drop dead. I want to die. I want everything to just die and rot…

“How do you feel? Do you notice any difference?”

“Oh! Oh my! Wh-what did you just do? Suddenly the sun doesn’t burn at all, and it feels incredibly refreshing, man!”

“I tried borrowing a bit of Orma’s authority. I’m glad to see it’s working. The earring’s power is actually quite remarkable…”

What are they up to now? Lost in his twisted thoughts, Orma snapped back to reality at the sound of their voices. Finding the sight of them huddled so close together entirely offensive, his eyes blazed with fury as he lunged forward to rip them apart. Jaena, however, didn’t care in the slightest and instead boldly latched himself onto Orma.

“Oh, great evil god! Grant me your divine authority as well!”

“Get off me if you value your life.”

Che. It worked perfectly on Van, Jaena grumbled, pouting his lips. Despite having been terrified of Orma just moments ago, he had somehow naturally deduced that the deity was weak against Van, and he was now beaming with a sly grin.

“Aren’t you being a bit too harsh to a believer who just pledged his faith to you, sir?”

“I don’t need a believer like you.”

“But didn’t you become an evil god by slaughtering people and coveting divine property, sir?”

“That’s right.”

Orma pointedly gestured toward the bandits’ corpses scattered around them with a tilt of his head. He intended to flaunt his terrifying nature, as if to say, ‘Can’t you tell from the blood I just shed?’ But Jaena was far more resilient than he looked. Instead of cowering, his eyes sparkled as he clapped his hands in sheer delight.

“Really? That is incredibly amazing! To think it was the great evil god who slaughtered all these wicked bandits… Believing in an evil god actually seems kind of badass.”

“…Think about that again.”

“Pardon?”

“The normal reaction is to be terrified.”

What kind of freak is this one? He had acted completely innocent and clumsy in front of Van, but here he was, not even batting an eye in a place drenched in blood and littered with corpses. Orma clicked his tongue, grabbed Jaena by the scruff of his neck, and lifted him straight up into the air.

Startled by the sight, Van hurriedly rushed over to stop him, but Jaena remained perfectly serene, dangling limply with his feet dangling far above the ground.

“Please stop picking on him, sir…”

“Do you really think I’m picking on him right now? Look at his face.”

“Uh…”

“Haha! Are you worried about me, Master Van? I am perfectly fine! We of the tiger clan always lift our young like this.”

But you aren’t a child, are you…? Van swallowed the urge to say it aloud, settling for a strained smile. Because he possessed the traits of a feline, it seemed grabbing him by the scruff actually made him feel secure.

“Whether you believe in me or not is your own business, and how you get back to your hometown is up to you.”

“How can you say that, sir! Are you trying to abandon your own believer…? Waaah, Master Van!”

“Why are you calling for Van? I told you, he’s my apostle. Are you deaf? He’s mine, mine.”

As Orma barked out his fierce possessiveness, Jaena began flailing his limbs, demanding to be let down. It seemed mediating was once again Van’s responsibility. Letting out a heavy sigh, Van carefully pried Jaena away from Orma and held him in his arms. He then spoke firmly.

“That’s enough, let’s get moving.”

Behind him, Orma threw a furious fit, shouting, “Put that bastard down this instant! Your god is speaking to you!” But Van silently mounted his horse and seated Jaena right in front of him. After firmly removing Jaena’s swishing tail from around his waist with a stern expression, Van spoke.

“Our first destination is Siol, the sanctuary of the god Banan. If you want to return to your hometown immediately, it would be best to travel with us only until the nearest village and part ways there.”

“N-no… I want to do that too. The journey to save the world.”

“Then do not behave rudely toward Orma, sir. He is our god. Please refrain from calling him an evil god as well.”

“…Understood, brother.”

Jaena’s tiger ears drooped dejectedly. Hearing this, Orma, who had been charging up from behind with fire in his eyes, instantly became smug again. He lifted his chin triumphantly at Jaena, but when he saw the gloomy beastkin snuggling into Van’s chest, he barked out in frustration.

“My horse is bigger! Why on earth is he riding with you? Just throw the brat over to me.”

“N-no way! I don’t want to!”

“You don’t want to? Then we leave you behind.”

Van was slightly worried that Orma might actually hurl Jaena away, but knowing that the deity was already showing an immense amount of tolerance, he offered an awkward smile and handed Jaena over to Orma. Completely outmatched in strength due to his small stature, Jaena burst into sorrowful tears, but he instantly shut his mouth upon meeting Orma’s murderous glare.

He had a chilling premonition that if he annoyed the deity just one more time, he would be thrown out or slaughtered on the spot. As a beastkin highly attuned to bloodlust, Jaena could tell that Orma, more than anyone, genuinely wanted him dead. And he knew full well that the only reason that unbridled impulse was being suppressed was entirely thanks to Van, who was currently tilting his head with a beautifully innocent face.

Whine… I guess I have no choice. Ultimately, as a sign of surrender, Jaena gently wrapped his tail around Orma’s arm as the deity held the reins. Shall we try to get along?

However…

Slap!

“I told you to stop playing tricks, man.”

The evil god heartlessly shoved the tail away, delivering a low, growling, and fierce warning out of Van’s earshot.

…It didn’t work.