The Curator's Apostle (2)
[Sacrifice who Overcame Sloth nods, remarking that it was indeed the Apostle of Courage.]
The goddess, apparently thinking it looked cool, leaned against the wall with her arms crossed and hand on her chin.
-Courage... you mean that Courage, one of the 7 Heroes?
I packed up after class and headed out of the lecture hall. My "pack" was just an empty bag, but still.
Sacrifice who Overcame Sloth says she can tell for sure from the energy she's sensing.
Sacrifice who Overcame Sloth is certain she couldn't mistake it—she's exchanged words with that Courage guy a few times lately while playing the game together.
-Even the God of Courage plays my game?
I knew the Goddess of Sacrifice played Akashic Archive. That's how we'd met in the first place—through her playing our game.
But another god too? No way.
Sacrifice who Overcame Sloth replies that the guy loves tackling tough trials, hardships, and adversities—he's all about challenges.
Sacrifice who Overcame Sloth chuckles, saying yesterday he took down the weekly boss with just 10,000 HP left, naked, bare-fisted normal attacks.
Ah, that's why.
Weekly boss with 10k HP left and no gear? Bare fists?
......Is the God of Courage a masochist?
-But even if he's an apostle of one of the 7 Heroes, wouldn't the other god's apostle let that slide so easily? Getting beat down like that?
After the "just die" incident, the apostle of Wisdom had been carted off in ruins.
The female student who'd snorted and sat back down, then the professor coming in—the class went on fine after that. But starting a public beatdown on a god's apostle in front of all those witnesses? Was that really okay?
And that god's divinity of "Courage" probably wasn't the courage to face judgment or take responsibility for your screw-ups.
Sacrifice who Overcame Sloth says it's no issue—he's probably super satisfied right now.
Sacrifice who Overcame Sloth asks how often do you think the apostles of the God of Wisdom get beat up on the regular?
"Uh......"
Logically sound, but recalling his smug way of talking made it feel kinda punchable.
Judging by that guy's speech patterns, yeah, he probably got thrashed a lot.
Sacrifice who Overcame Sloth says the God of Wisdom and his apostles love mid-debate beatdowns.
Sacrifice who Overcame Sloth adds that it's basically the opponent admitting defeat and acknowledging your logic's victory.
-......That's masochism in a whole other way.
I don't wanna get tangled up with either side.
Like it or not, both students were valued customers.
The apostle of Wisdom had raved about the game's story (not quite what I'd intended, but hey),
and the apostle of Courage was hoarding character merch in his bosom like treasure (unofficial merch, even less intended).
Either way, our game doing well was great news.
Meant more cash to rake in.
Especially now, with the launch hype dying down and sales dipping.
Leaving academy grounds, I picked up a ton of desserts from the nearby bakery—macarons I'd ordered yesterday and more.
Sacrifice who Overcame Sloth gulps, asking if that's the famous Nuvells macarons.
-Yeah, that's right. For my constellation—she loves 'em.
Before our game blew up, she had zero believers, barely ate, always starving.
Maybe 'cause her speech and antics are so childlike—feels more like a little sis than a constellation. Makes me wanna spoil her extra.
So I always grabbed her faves and brought 'em over.
-...Don't even think about it. This is all for my constellation.
Sacrifice who Overcame Sloth puffs her cheeks in a pouty sulk.
She's got a booming religion now—can eat whatever she wants. Why act like this?
Sacrifice Church's First Apostle's fanatically devout; one word and she'd fetch food on the spot.
Bags stuffed with wrapped treats, I headed to my constellation's temple on the outskirts of the academy city.
Sacrifice who Overcame Sloth asks why the temple's stuck in such a remote spot.
-Tell me about it. I wanted to build it right on the busiest main street...
Temple size and location tie straight to a god's prestige.
Bigger and grander the temple, the more awe and reverence it inspires. Natural, since faith fuels a constellation's power—so apostles and constellations push to make temples as epic as possible.
Just look at the Sacrifice Church Central Temple next to me—massive, smack in the kingdom alliance's prime shopping district.
I'd made bank now, planned to buy prime land for a huge temple, but my constellation nixed it.
Didn't wanna get famous or whatever.
Hard to swallow as an apostle, but orders are orders. So, tiny temple on the edge it was.
Sacrifice who Overcame Sloth, who holes up in her room and doesn't know much about temple ops, tilts her head—says it just doesn't make sense.
Right? No other apostles or believers planned?
Why hide the temple like this?
I started to nod along with Goddess Ren, then stopped.
Constellation might see. Better not badmouth her.
If caught......ugh.
That time I'd joked around, she got sulky, and sweet-talking her took forever. Traumatic just thinking back.
Shaking my head, I stepped into the small temple deep in the woods.
"......So, yeah."
A human voice from inside.
......What the?
No one knows this temple's location or nature.
Even fewer know about my constellation.
No way someone's found it.
......Temple robber?
Nothing to steal, so targeting my constellation's stuff? The nerve!
I wrapped dream powers around both arms and crept toward the voice.
The altar for offerings to my constellation.
Should've been bare and tidy—nothing placed yet. Now crammed with hundreds of candles. Like a memorial site, chaotic.
Last visit was three days ago—how'd it get this messy?
I scanned around the kneeling figure praying like mad.
Good—just the one intruder. No variables. Easy.
-I'll handle it.
I snuck up on the mumbling intruder, crouched low.
A dream-powered nightmare illusion would subdue 'em quick.
Closer now, I saw what they'd done to the altar.
Once I took it all in, I couldn't help but gawk.
Sacrifice who Overcame Sloth asks if that's the Curator from Akashic Archive.
Candle decorations radiating from the altar's center.
Smack in the middle: a black-and-white drawing of the Curator character, based on my past life's face.
Arranged reverently, like mourning his death.
If it'd been any other character, I could've recovered from the shock.
"...What."
But a funeral for my face?
I let out a voice without thinking.
"......!"
The intruder whipped around at my voice.
Then charged straight at me.
I unleashed my power right back at 'em.
Dream powers engulfed everything.
The mental world from within me wrapped the intruder and me tight.
Wisdom's Central Temple
A woman in priestly robes knelt gracefully on one knee before the massive altar engraved with glittering gems.
"Thy will be done."
A heavy mood hung in the air.
Sparkle, sparkle.
Divinity's light descended, making the altar glow.
Lewd Wisdom urges you to hurry up and bring ~~~.
The goddess's divine utterance echoed through her mind. The woman adjusted her glasses.
"Understood. All as thou dost will."
An apostle's sole mission: fulfill the god's commands, realize their desires.
Nothing more, nothing less—even if the orders rubbed you wrong.