The Apostle Who Dies in 3 Years
The Apostle Who Dies in 3 Years
I was hospitalized. Earl Grey had been crying and pestering me so much, saying she didn't want to watch me burst a blood vessel and die. In the end, unable to win against her will, I headed straight to the hospital the moment I got off Logos.
It was my third day of hospitalization.
The people in the ward and the staff praised me as a hero. Every time I passed through the hallway, people stopped to look at me, the one who saved this city. Patients, nurses, and doctors in white coats alike. They all bowed their heads when they saw me.
Because if Dies Irae had gone off, this city would have suffered massive damage.
"That person is the treasure of this country..."
Someone whispered that.
I almost laughed.
What would the me from back when I was getting beaten up by Farid have said if he saw this? To think that a reputation could flip this much depending on a person's actions.
It was kind of funny.
I wanted to watch this change for a bit longer, but I was a man with the duty to protect Earl Grey. I couldn't delay any longer. Even at this very moment, countless death flags must be rushing toward her.
Today, after the doctor's final diagnosis, I will go to her.
"You have three years left."
The doctor said indifferently without looking at me.
Three years. I went blank. It was a long time to save Earl Grey, but a short time to be with her.
"But."
"That is based on the condition that you take rest. The longer you pilot Logos, the shorter your lifespan will become."
I knew that. It was a fact that Assam Twining had already leaked. It wasn't something to be surprised about.
Still, it was too short. At least I wanted to see her get married and have children. While I was lost in such sentiments, the doctor fastened a thin band onto my wrist.
"It's a neural monitor. It shows the rate of neural damage inflicted on your body, Apostle-nim, in real-time. The most dangerous thing is not knowing when you are overexerting yourself."
When I operated it, a window popped up.
[Neural Damage Rate 5%]
Already 5 percent after the second battle. When this number hits 100, there won't be any 'three years' or anything else. It was like a debuff gauge had appeared.
The countdown to my lifespan had begun. I pushed the band under my sleeve to hide it. I decided not to tell Earl Grey about this.
The number 'three years' was already heavy, but if she saw it being chipped away after every battle in real-time...
She wouldn't be able to handle it. That kind person would definitely blame herself.
"Can you keep this a secret from Saint Earl Grey-nim?"
"...Yes. However, you will have to reveal it honestly someday."
"You will be fine until that number exceeds 50."
"Once it exceeds that, your body will slowly start to stiffen."
"At 70, your limbs will become paralyzed, and once it goes over 80, you will become hemiplegic. From 90, you will become a biological machine piloting an Advent with only your consciousness remaining."
"...I have prepared myself. It's just that Earl Grey-nim still needs time."
"..."
Sympathy appeared on the doctor's face, which had been expressionless the whole time. How embarrassing.
Leaving the hospital, the sun was setting.
The vermilion sunset was sinking at the end of the hospital yard's runway.
Just then.
"Hey."
A strange voice called out.
Looking back, some man was leaning on the runway railing. He had a khaki military jacket draped over just one shoulder and a scarf wrapped around his neck. A holster on his thigh. His bangs slightly covered one eye.
It was a greasy, handsome face.
He had a smiling face, but it was the kind of smile that was stuck to his face and wouldn't come off. It was a mug that knew very well that it was handsome.
"You're that Apostle everyone's talking about, right?"
He grinned and acted friendly toward me.
"Do we know each other?"
The first emotion I felt was wariness.
In Apocalypse Core, most of the people around Earl Grey are death flags trying to kill her. I felt wary because I didn't know if this guy was one of those types.
"No need to be wary. I'm just a former Apostle scrub who rolled in from the southern part of the American continent."
If he introduces himself as coming from the southern part of the American continent, that means the rebel army of North America that opposes Europa's occupation of America, an organization that claims to be the successor to the American Continental Army that fought against British colonial rule.
"The Second Continental Army?"
At my mutterings, the man's lively face visibly darkened.
"To be precise, I'm a straggler who couldn't adapt there and ran away. I'm Jack. Jack Daniel."
It was a name I'd never heard before.
Was there an Apostle in this game I hadn't heard of?
"If you're a former Apostle, that means you don't have a Saint right now, right?"
In other words, he's a guy who's going to rot away without finding a new Saint even by the ending point.
"That's right."
Jack shrugged his shoulders.
"To be precise, I lost my Saint-nim. So I'm just piloting the Advent alone."
"You pilot an Advent without a Saint? You mean you roam the battlefield without receiving reinforcement, maneuverability, or protection from the Afterglow?"
"Yeah."
"You're not trying to commit suicide, are you?"
Without a Saint, you can't form a Covenant. An Advent without a Covenant is just about a 10-meter-tall tank that can fly in the sky. You ask if that's strong?
Compared to a strategic weapon that accelerates at supersonic speeds and breaks through fortresses single-handedly, it's far weaker.
"That's true. But I feel like this is the only way to atone."
"Atone?"
"A comfortable life is too much for a guy who couldn't even protect his own Saint. I should at least receive that much punishment."
Strangely, I felt sympathy. It didn't feel like someone else's business; if I couldn't protect Earl Grey, wouldn't I end up like that? Losing my Saint, and in the name of atonement, climbing into the machine alone and only looking for a place to die.
"Don't you have any thoughts of finding another Saint?"
"An acquaintance recommended it, but Saints without Apostles are mostly in their teens. Should I, an old guy heading toward his 30s, be hitting on young ladies like that?"
"What do you do while riding an Advent without a Covenant?"
"Just freelance mercenary work? I'm just a lowly human who pulls the trigger as ordered from above."
"..."
"Ah, your expression darkened. I guess I talked too much. Sorry, sorry, hahaha. Friend, you must protect your Saint-nim."
Just as he turned his back to leave.
"Evan!"
Earl Grey came running.
Catching her breath, she stood in front of me, and those beautiful amber eyes of hers sparkled.
"Evan, I received a formal greeting at the Southern Cross Council today! Everyone bowed their heads to me, saying thank you! It's my first time experiencing something like this... It's all... it's all thanks to you, Evan."
"It's Earl Grey-nim's own skill."
"No. If it weren't for you, Evan—"
"Oh, to meet the 7th Saint-Chief-nim in a place like this."
Jack cut in.
"Is it because you have a good friend? This is an honor."
"Fri...end?"
Earl Grey looked back and forth between me and Jack.
I looked at him.
"Since when was I your friend?"
"Just a while ago? I thought you agreed."
"I never did."
"Well then, we can be friends starting now. If you don't like it, we can do it tomorrow."
What kind of guy is this?
Earl Grey saw him and her eyes widened.
"...By any chance, are you Daniel-nim?"
"Do you know him?"
I asked. Earl Grey lowered her voice.
"He is like a legend among Irregulars. He doesn't belong to any of the five major nations, so he has no Council rank... but I heard that in his prime, he fought on equal footing with the 5th rank. There was a rumor that he defected to the Southern Cross, and he really was here."
An Irregular, an Apostle without a rank. And if it's the 5th rank, is it Bane of Pan-Africa? The sniper of the jungle who was paired with Rooibos Johannesburg. He was a tough kid to beat because he kept hiding here and there when I was pushing through the story, but to think he was on equal footing with that guy.
"You're on the strong side."
At my words, Jack waved his hand.
"I was just at a moderate level."
Looking at him like this, I feel like I can sense the dignity of a strong person, or something like that.
"You were a very strong person. Along with the hero of the two worlds, Lafitte Montmorency-nim..."
If it's Lafitte Montmorency, he's the protagonist of the Second Continental Army. A monster who single-handedly ravaged the massive empire called Europa. To be comparable to him, yet I don't know him means this guy is...
"...It hurts my heart to hear old stories. I don't really want to talk about that friend."
He was already broken from the start of the game. And he hadn't recovered by the ending point.
"Well, I think I should get going. It was nice to meet the Apostle-nim and the Saint-nim."
"Let's see each other again if fate allows."
"Yeah. If fate allows."
Jack waved his hand and walked into the sunset.
His jacket fluttered in the wind. It looked like the back of a person who had a hole somewhere in a corner of their heart.
After Jack disappeared, I walked side by side with Earl Grey.
"I didn't know the Southern Cross would accept someone from the Continental Army. Weren't they allies with Europa?"
To block the omnidirectional offensive of Kyungdanryeon, the Southern Cross and Europa joined hands. It's not just about practical interests, but a long-standing solidarity deeply intertwined religiously, culturally, and racially. Accepting a straggler from the Continental Army, who was an enemy of such a Europa, didn't add up.
"In the end, there are no eternal allies in international politics."
Earl Grey said calmly.
"Besides, Daniel-ssi's skill alone is the real deal. In the end, nations move based on interest relationships."
"...It's fascinating to hear you say that, Earl Grey-nim."
I thought she was a person who had no interest in things like politics.
Earl Grey looked up at me.
"...Are you losing affection for me because I say things like this? Because I'm not kind?"
"That's impossible."
I answered immediately.
"No matter how you change, Earl Grey-nim, I will continue to be your Apostle."
Earl Grey's face flushed slightly. Then she hurriedly coughed.
"Th-that, more than that... what did they say at the hospital?"
The band inside my sleeve touched my wrist.
Guilt washed over me, but I couldn't be honest.
"They said if I manage my body well, I can live a long time. About 20 or 30 years?"
The lie came out smoothly.
Earl Grey smiled brightly.
"That's a relief."
However, her smile as she said that appeared a beat late somewhere.
Stroking her chest, she said.
"Because if I imagine Evan-nim getting hurt because of me... my heart hurt so much. I'm really relieved."
Could it be that this woman likes me?
Seeing that smile, I swallowed the thought that came to mind.
No way.
This kind woman worries about everyone in the world. This level of worry for an Apostle she has a bond with is just the default value.
It's not because she likes me.
Let's not misunderstand.
If I confessed for no reason and she looked at me with cold eyes, it would hurt a lot.
I hypnotized myself several times.
"Evan. From today, we will be living in the same accommodation."
What followed was Earl Grey's notification. She said that since the bond between an Apostle and a Saint is important, it's a regulation to use the same residence. The moment I checked the address, I stopped walking. This, this is the house Earl Grey originally lived in.
"Ah... this house is originally my residence. It's a place they threw at me to tell me to move out of the main house."
Earl Grey smiled awkwardly.
It's a house the Twining main family threw at her while kicking her out, saying they didn't even want to see her face.
But that wasn't important right now.
In the house where Earl Grey lived.
An Apostle and a Saint.
Living under one roof?
...Isn't this, effectively, cohabitation? My happiness circuit started to overheat in my head.
Let's stay calm. I am a veteran who knows the narrative of this game inside out. It's common for an Apostle and a Saint to live together, and I'm not a rookie to be shaken by this much.
"Evan-nim?"
"...No, nothing."
Veteran, my foot. My circuit caught fire and blazed up.
Earl Grey pulled my arm slightly.
"Let's go in. I made dinner today. It's lamb stew with Manuka honey. You went through a lot, so you need to nourish yourself, right?"
"...Thank you."
By the way, I hope today's stew is a little less salty. If it's on the same level as the fried fish I ate last time, swallowing it all would be a chore.
No, Earl Grey-nim made it.
I shouldn't have such insolent thoughts. Bear the burden of an Apostle, Evan. You are not eating a lump of salt. You are eating Earl Grey-nim's love. Let's think that salinity and love are proportional.
Thinking such trivial thoughts, I walked into the accommodation with her.
The sun had completely set.
It was the first night of the remaining three years.