The Cultist's Revelation
I, an Awakened.
My debut as a Vtuber wasn't my own choice; it was entirely the will of the Shining Stars. I was just a very ordinary, kind-hearted fan who loved watching Vtuber streams, especially Ayase’s. I had never once thought about becoming a Vtuber myself and broadcasting. …To begin with, I wasn't even a woman, but a man.
Although I am currently broadcasting as a Vtuber, forced by the Shining Stars, I’ve come to quite enjoy it. Broadcasting is actually pretty fun. It’s fun to laugh and chat with the followers, and it’s also fun to read the comments from the followers who come up with insane, out-of-this-world jokes every single day. Even though the restriction that I must broadcast for at least 30 minutes every single day is by no means easy, I don't have any major complaints against the Shining Stars yet.
I can't deny it. Broadcasting is no longer just a duty; it has become a part of my daily life. No matter how strong my mental fortitude is, I, too, am under considerable stress from solving anomalies and dealing with other Fervent Followers. Since the strongest Awakened, Yoo Iseul, and the strongest being in the Lee Jia Universe, the Shining Stars, are backing me up so reliably, I don't feel all that scared of encountering anomalies or Fervent Followers. Still, it’s a fact that it’s much better not to even cross paths with them if I can help it.
Even when I’m eating or just before I fall asleep, I often let out a sigh, worried and anxious about anomalies and Fervent Followers. But at least while I’m broadcasting, I can be completely liberated from that anxiety. When I see the followers making jokes about "divine power pouches" and other nonsense, I feel like my brain is melting in real-time. I don't even have the time to think about anomalies or Fervent Followers. Therefore, broadcasting is my daily escape, a Sanctum that anomalies and Fervent Followers dare not invade.
However.
Right now, because of a single direct message sent to me by a sinner of this cult, my daily escape has completely collapsed.
My head is spinning. My spine is chilling, and cold sweat is breaking out.
'The god of the religion I attend is also called a Fervent Follower.'
...If you spewed this nonsense just to tease me, congratulations. You’ve successfully managed to trigger me.
It must be a joke. This guy is probably just a malicious viewer who hates me and is lying to upset me. I wanted to believe that. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and called him via voice chat. As soon as the call connected, I asked him point-blank.
"Is it true?"
[...Yes. If it's hard to believe, I can even verify my entire identity.]
Ugh.
If Kim Junghwan were here, he would have been able to perfectly discern the truth of what this guy is saying. It was a moment where I realized once again how useful Kim Junghwan's abilities are.
"Can you tell me in more detail?"
[Before that, there is something I want to ask Jia-nim first.]
"What is it?"
[Jia-nim is... no, Jia-nim is also.]
The guy hesitated for a moment, then asked me in a trembling voice.
[Are you a god too, Jia-nim?]
"GAL!!!!!!"
I shrieked at the guy who had suddenly committed blasphemy.
"Are you a fake fan? Are you a spy? That's ridiculous! The god is not me, but the Shining Stars, and I am just a mere follower who worships the Shining Stars!"
[But the god of the religion I attend is definitely a Fervent Follower.]
"Just asking, but you didn't make this up just because you wanted to have a conversation with me, did you?"
[No, absolutely not! I sent you a recording file. It's a file I secretly recorded when I first went to the welcome meeting. This is the only evidence I have, so please check it.]
What he sent me was a short recording file of about 10 seconds. I played the recording file with a nervous heart.
[...in the sense that we must worship a god named Fervent Follower...]
[...to resist the unreasonable providence of the universe, by revering that person who inherited the will of the Great One...]
The creation date of the recording file was about 6 months ago. It was a file recorded before I even started broadcasting. The day my race changed from human to Fervent Follower. I had searched the internet diligently for the term "Fervent Follower," but not a single search result came up. In other words, the term "Fervent Follower" is a word that only appeared in the world after I started broadcasting. But this recording was made a whopping 6 months ago, before I even started broadcasting.
In short.
It is strong evidence that everything this guy said to me is true. Of course, it's possible to manipulate the file creation date at will, and this recording file could also be a fake made after I started broadcasting, but the problem is the content of the recording file.
'Resist the unreasonable providence of the universe'.
Haven't I heard that somewhere before? This is exactly what other "real" Fervent Followers said to me directly.
"..."
It's too perfect to be a mere coincidence. I've decided.
"Where are you right now?"
[I'm at home, of course...]
"Where do you live?"
[I live in Seoul.]
"Good. You don't have a schedule, right? No, even if you do, it can't be helped. Get to the Awakened Association right now. You don't even have time to wash, so right now, immediately."
[Y-yes, yes?]
The man was very flustered by my command, which wasn't quite a request. Whether other followers of that religion are also aware that I am a "Fervent Follower." What the identity of that female college student is. How many total members are in the religion. Whether he has actually met a Fervent Follower. Whether he is mentally sound. Whether he has directly encountered an anomaly. There is a mountain of questions I want to ask this man right now, but I am not an arrogant person... no, I am not an arrogant Fervent Follower.
This is not a problem that can be solved at my level. To fully believe what this person is saying, I definitely need Kim Junghwan, who can discern the truth of the words, even if no one else can. If I have Kim Junghwan, I don't even need to ask if there's evidence. Protecting this guy's safety through the Awakened Association is a bonus. If another Fervent Follower besides me is really involved, this person is in a very dangerous situation right now. Confessing to me like this is the same as betraying his religion. At the very least, the Fervent Followers I've met so far aren't very friendly to humans. They are the ones who created the "anomalies" that threaten humanity in the first place. They are crazy bastards. So, I must call this man to the Association as soon as possible and protect him.
"Daily necessities and such are already at the Awakened Association, so just grab your ID and phone and get over here quickly."
When I gave the firm command, the man opened his mouth in panic.
[I-I am a regular person, not an employee of the Awakened Association, so how can I visit the Awakened Association!]
"Don't worry about that part. I just need to tell the Association in advance as soon as this call ends."
[What on earth is that... No, even if I could visit the Awakened Association, I won't go! I need Jia-nim's help, not the Association's! The reason I brought this up to Jia-nim, not the Association or the police, is because I thought only Jia-nim, who is also a Fervent Follower, could help me...]
"That's why you have to visit the Association to meet me."
[Y-yes, yes? What does the Association have to do with Jia-nim...]
Hmm.
This man seems very reluctant to report the current situation to the police or ask for help from the Association. I don't know the reason either. I'll have to meet him and hear what he has to say. What do I have to do with the Association? It's a question that leaves me speechless, but I have to protect this person at the Association as soon as possible. Thinking of it as saving one person's life, I told him the truth.
"I'm an Awakened."
* * *
Fortunately, Kim Junghwan was monitoring my broadcast as usual, so I didn't need to explain the situation in detail to him. When I said, 'The god that the cult sinner believes in is called a Fervent Follower,' he said he would come to the office right away. ...I send my deepest condolences to Kim Junghwan, who has to go to work at the Association at 2 AM. Since Kim Junghwan's residence was also very close to the Association like mine, I met Kim Junghwan at the Association first and waited for the man in the conference room.
Glance.
Glancing.
Kim Junghwan, who glanced at my appearance, cleared his throat and opened his mouth.
"Ahem, a-ahem. But Jia-nim."
"Yes."
"I'm cautious about saying this, but... y-you didn't dress too casually..."
It's no wonder Kim Junghwan would say that to me. My current outfit was just a white T-shirt I wear comfortably at home with a cardigan thrown over it. The outline of my bra was faintly visible through the thin white cotton T-shirt. Even I thought it was a very indecent and embarrassing outfit to walk around in, but...
"It's an urgent situation, so what does the clothes matter? And, I'm wearing a cardigan."
"Th-that..."
Kim Junghwan, who squinted at my appearance for a moment, continued with a face that turned red.
"N-no, it's nothing. Yes."
I roughly know what Kim Junghwan wants to say. ...Ugh. This cardigan is a piece of clothing I recently bought online to wear casually when going to the convenience store. The buttons wouldn't close. I think I could close them somehow if I forced it, but if I did that, the buttons would probably pop off with a bang. I didn't know the size wouldn't fit like this either. I will never buy clothes online again.
After spending about 30 minutes talking seriously with Kim Junghwan about this situation, someone entered the conference room. It was a man who looked to be in his early to mid-20s with a still-young face, but for some reason, he had a tired expression. The man who entered the conference room bowed 90 degrees and greeted me awkwardly.
Blink.
Blink-blink.
We made eye contact for about 5 seconds. I said to the man as if asking what he was staring at.
"What."
"Cr-crazy... Jia-nim, are you really Jia-nim?"
"You can tell by looking."
"Oh my god! You look exactly the same! A-and, the divine power pouch too..."
"..."
Seeing him commit sexual harassment to my face right away, fortunately, it seems his mind is still sane. ...Or not. It feels like he might have already lost his mind and is spewing such nonsense.