I Became the Apostle of an Evil God Chapter 16

Jaena’s eyes sparkled with intense excitement, and Van similarly looked up at the sky island, his heart pounding with anticipation. One might wonder how the island could have arrived so quickly after a spear was merely hurled into the sky, but in reality, that floating island belonged to Orma. Usually, it followed Orma around while remaining concealed from sight.

The sky island was actually said to be a gift given to Orma by Banan, the god of abundance. While information regarding the exact nature of the relationship between Orma and Banan that led to such a gift was entirely absent from the game, it was the only lore available. So, strictly speaking, you could say the wicked dragon was merely renting the place out.

Of course, given that Orma had spent no short amount of time trapped in hell, it was highly questionable whether the dragon had actually remained on the island all this time. Furthermore, because dragons were known to carry their entire hoard with them whenever they relocated their nests, there was a high probability that the treasures Orma had entrusted to it had been moved as well. Well, even if it had left, it wouldn’t have taken literally everything, so selling whatever was left behind would still easily cover their travel expenses, but…

“But… how do we get up to that island, brother?”

Well, I haven’t the slightest clue either.

As the two of them stared blankly at Orma, the deity also spoke with a thoroughly perplexed expression.

“That’s exactly the problem.”

“Pardon?”

“To go up, we need that bastard. That’s why I told you, if it moved its nest, we have no way of getting up there.”

“….”

Everyone fell into deep thought, crossing their arms. Huddling together, they began to brainstorm and discuss whatever ideas crossed their minds.

“How about we make a loud noise to summon the dragon, man?”

“That thing snores right through localized thunderclaps in the sky, so do you really think it’ll hear us just because we yell from down here?”

“Then how did you summon the dragon before, sir?”

“Usually, I just hurled my spear, and it would notice the flashes and come down on its own.”

“Hmm… Is there no way to use your authority to scout the interior, sir?”

“Who knows. Even if we scouted it, we have no way of calling it down.”

This was bad. The pupils of the three panicked travelers darted around anxiously, clashing in the empty air. It truly seemed as though they were completely out of options, just as Orma had said. Amidst the brief silence that followed, something suddenly flashed through Van’s mind.

…The Faith Shop?

The system had announced that his Faith Level had increased and that the Faith Shop was now accessible. However, when he actually looked, the shop hadn’t been selling anything Van had anticipated—just bizarre charms, worn-out weapons, and skills of ambiguous utility. Van, who had been hoping for food or something drinkable, had promptly closed the shop in disappointment.

But among those items, could there perhaps be something capable of breaking through this deadlock? With a sudden stroke of inspiration, he immediately opened the system to check the Faith Shop once more.

[Faith Shop / Cumulative Faith Gauge: 10

*The items for sale change daily! It is highly recommended to purchase coveted items immediately!

▷ You Can Curse Too! Basic Curse Theory Vol. 2 / 1

▷ Skeleton King’s Worn Sword / 1

▷ Glass Apple for Sacrifice / 2

▷ Frozen Echo / 1

▷ Banan’s Storm / 7]

As always, the inventory consisted of items where one would have absolutely no idea what to buy. The number at the end indicated how many points from the cumulative Faith Gauge were required. An item like ‘Banan’s Storm’ meant it demanded a whopping 7 points.

For instance, opening the detailed information window for ‘Banan’s Storm’ revealed…

[Banan’s Storm / Unique Item

A bow imbued with the power of Banan, the god of water, wind, abundance, and love. A legendary bow rumored to be capable of summoning storms. Exclusive Skill: Tale of a Minor Rainstorm (Cooldown: 1 day)

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

Because it displayed such detailed information, there was no risk of making a mistaken purchase. At any rate, as Van scrolled through the shop items one by one, a particular item caught his eye.

[Frozen Echo / Rare Item

A single-use carrier pigeon capable of recording and playing back sound. Messages can be delivered to any target whatsoever. It is freezing cold, so use with caution!]

Hmm, wouldn’t this do the trick? Since it only consumed 1 point from the Faith Gauge, it seemed reasonable to buy it even if just as an experiment. After a brief deliberation, Van purchased the ‘Frozen Echo.’

Immediately, just like when he had received the earrings as a quest reward for reaching Faith Level 2, a thoroughly frozen conch shell materialized out of thin air, dropping softly into Van’s palm. Aside from being a bit chilly due to the ice frosting its surface, it possessed a highly familiar appearance—one that made him feel as though he should ask, ‘Oh magical conch shell, is the dragon on the sky island?’

“What is that thing?”

“It suddenly appeared out of nowhere, man! Master Van, did you just use sir Orma’s authority? I want to do that too! Teach me how!”

“It has absolutely nothing to do with me.”

“Um… It’s a single-use carrier pigeon. Apparently, it’s an item that can record and deliver sound.”

“Which means you’ve never used it before either, right?”

Scowling as he spoke, Orma snatched the Frozen Echo away from Van. Just like before, he couldn’t comprehend what kind of blind trust possessed Van to so readily use objects of completely unknown origin. Wasn’t he far too quick to trust things?

An apostle needed to be thoroughly burned by a deity at least once to realize that gods were completely untrustworthy entities… No, wait—he was Van’s god, so he should exclude himself from that rule.

At any rate, after scrutinizing the bizarre object from various angles, Orma ultimately tapped the opening of the conch shell to activate it.

[Activating Frozen Echo. To whom would you like to send it?]

A clear, melodic voice flowed from the conch shell. The three of them flinched simultaneously. It was an inevitable reaction, given that the voice belonged unmistakably to Van. Creasing his brow heavily, Orma looked back and forth between Van and the conch shell before opening his mouth.

“…Galeust Khan.”

[Retrieving target information for ‘Galeust Khan’…. Age: 798, Dragon, Male. Is this the correct recipient?]

“Yeah.”

[The message to the target will be recorded shortly after the beep. Recording lasts for 30 seconds, so messages that are too long may not be fully delivered. Beep—.]

Why is the ‘beep’ sound my voice instead of an electronic tone? Van felt a wave of secondhand embarrassment wash over him, but Orma merely stared at Van with a smirk playing on his lips. Then, the moment the sound cut off, he began speaking in the savage tone he typically reserved for hell.

“Listen up, you fat overgrown lizard. You spend all day sleeping like a log, which is why you don’t even notice when I hurl my spear, right? Crawl your ass down here right now.”

“….”

“….”

[…Recording has ended. Delivering to recipient ‘Galeust Khan.’]

Aha, so Orma really has been treating me with immense kindness and gentleness all this time… Jaena and Van stared at Orma with thoroughly strained expressions, but the deity merely arched an eyebrow and tilted his head as if to ask what could possibly be the problem. His arrogant countenance suited him so flawlessly that there wasn’t really anything they could say to dispute it.

“Ahem, but dragons truly live a long time, don’t they? 798 years old!”

“Don’t beastkin also possess long lifespans?”

“Oh, come on, brother, it can’t even be compared to a dragon. The oldest person in our entire tribe is only 197 years old!”

“…From a human perspective, even that age feels entirely unfathomable, though.”

“What?”

Orma, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, suddenly chimed in, visibly startled. Ah, come to think of it, how many countless eons had Orma lived to be able to employ such a dragon as a mere subordinate? Just as Van was pondering the deity’s age—which naturally commanded a more polite disposition—Orma placed both hands on Van’s shoulders, shaking him lightly with an anxious, distressed face as if to halt any strange thoughts.

“An unfathomable age? What exactly do you mean by that?”

“Pardon? It means exactly what it sounds like, sir—unfathomable…”

“Do you feel a sense of distance from me? Do I look like some ancient grandpa you can’t communicate with?”

So that’s what was bothering him. Van let out a soft chuckle and slowly shook his head. While he frequently thought the deity acted more like an incredibly immature, rebellious teenager… well, extremes often met. Sometimes the elderly displayed a purity akin to young children.

At any rate, Van’s smile seemed to bring a look of relief to Orma’s face. But just as the deity urgently opened his mouth as if he remembered something—

An immense, violent gale suddenly blasted down from the heavens. Along with it came a shadow that cast a darkness far deeper than the one created by the sky island itself. Instinctively sensing that something massive was plunging down upon them, Van lifted his head.

What Van witnessed was a colossal dragon plummeting from the sky.

…Not soaring, but falling.

To be more precise, it was a bizarre and reckless flight path that made it unclear whether the creature had completely forgotten how to spread its wings and glide down smoothly, or if it was simply choosing to ignore the concept entirely.

“W-w-waaaah!”

“Sir Orma!”

Was the dragon enraged? Cutting through the clouds as it descended, its glowing blue irises were locked precisely onto Orma. Finally, when it drew near enough to make them feel as though they were about to be crushed to death, the dragon unfurled its massive wings—whipping up a wind fierce enough to make their bodies stagger—and bellowed in a booming, thunderous voice:

“Ormaaaaaaa!”