The Evil God Beyond the Smartphone - Chapter 30

Inside the still crude Church.

There, under Roan’s leadership, a feast was being held for the new apostle.

A large table was set with a variety of delicious breads and vegetables.

The food, of course, had been prepared by members of the Church under Roan’s direction.

There was nothing Roan, who had practised black magic all his life, could cook except for drugs.

“Congratulations on becoming a new apostle!”

Roan said in a loud voice as he turned to Evan at the table.

Evan’s face turned subtle as he received Roan’s congratulations.

Not long before Evan wanted to kill him with his own sword.

But Evan couldn’t help but feel a little awkward, being congratulated on becoming an apostle of the evil god in this way.

At Roan’s smug attitude, Evan tried his best to play it off as if nothing had happened.

“…… Yeah. Thank you.”

“I hear the Second Apostle has gained some pretty impressive powers this time around.”

“‘Great’ power Indeed.”

“You’ve gained the ability to manipulate lightning, and I know how powerful the Great One’s lightning is, as I’ve seen it briefly myself.”

Hearing Roan’s words, Evan looked at the Astrape in his hand.

He hadn’t yet had a chance to test its capabilities.

But he was well aware that it held a great deal of power.

With its wide range of abilities, if he could master it, he could become even more powerful than before.

Moreover, Evan was now receiving a vast amount of boundless magic power in exchange for divine power.

Feeling even more empowered than before, Evan nodded his head in acceptance.

“He has given me great power. Far more than I deserve.”

In a way, it’s a power he’s gained by selling his faith.

It was natural to feel some resistance to wielding it.

Still, Evan had no intention of abandoning his work.

It was a path he chose out of his own volition.

Even if it was a broken conviction, Evan had to pay the price.

If he was going to fall, he might as well fall to the bottom of the abyss.

It was the only option left for Evan, who had chosen to to unfaithful.

“With the Apostle with us, we have nothing to fear for the time being.”

With a light chuckle, he tipped the wine glass Roan was holding.

Evan raised his own glass to quench his thirst as he watched Roan drink.

Though he was not supposed to drink while in the Holy Land, Evan enjoyed the occasional glass of wine when he was back home.

Evan smiled bittersweetly at the scent of wine he hadn’t tasted in a long time.

He didn’t know where he’d gotten it, but it wasn’t bad, in his opinion.

It was probably worth a pretty penny.

Evan broke off a piece of bread and sipped his wine, his gaze suddenly darting to the corner of the table.

“Hey, what’s that guy doing?”

In the corner of Evan’s eye is Peter, munching on a piece of bread with a puzzled expression on his face.

Even for Evan, who had just joined them for the first time, Peter’s appearance was particularly striking.

From his out-of-place appearance and disparate clothing, he doesn’t look like a member of the church.

But he didn’t do too much to suggest he wasn’t a worker.

Peter nibbled at the bread with his fingers, then opened his mouth in confusion at Evan’s finger pointing at him.

“Uh… you mean me?”

“Yeah. You don’t look like an ordinary believer.”

“I’m…”

Peter trailed off in bewilderment at Evan’s question.

His eyes continued to dart around in the air as he held the bread in his hands.

Tap. Tap.

Evan’s gauntleted fingers slowly tapped the table.

He was clearly pressing for an answer.

When Peter couldn’t come up with a clear answer, it was Roan who came to his aid.

“Oh, you mean Peter? He’s the First Apostle’s servant and coachman.”

“……servant?”

“Servant and coachman? Not a member of the Church?”

“He hasn’t formally joined the Church yet, but I’m sure he’s in awe of the Great One in his heart.”

Evan looked intrigued at Roan’s answer.

Not a member of the Church, but a mere servant.

Evan drank again from the wine glass he held.

He looked at Roan and asked him to tell him more about the church.

“I’m surprised to hear that. Didn’t you capture everyone in sight for sacrifice?”

“No. That’s not true.”

It was Euthenia who answered Evan’s question.

She hadn’t touched her wine, and was eating her bread with an air of elegance.

When she denied what she said, Evan asked again.

“…What do you mean?”

“The only humans we sacrifice are unbelievers.”

“Unbelievers?”

Several villages disappeared altogether.

Evan had seen it himself, riding around on horseback.

Still, Euthenia denied that she hadn’t sacrificed entire villages.

Evan’s questioning gaze was directed at her, and she continued to explain.

“Peter alone is the only survivor of the village.”

“Survivor? Do you mean that those who serve him are left alone?”

“Yes. Once everyone serves the Great One, they’ll find another sacrifice.”

As Evan listened to Euthenia’s words, a small possibility dawned on his mind.

Only those who do not serve a god are sacrificed to the cause.

In some ways, their methods were not so different from the work of an inquisitor.

Except that its actions were radical and its targets were overly vast.

What if they could convert everyone within their reach?

It was possible that no one would be sacrificed.

Putting aside whether that was realistically possible, the fact that it was a possibility was important.

“How about we do things differently from now on?”

“What kind of way?”

“Convert them over the next few days. The sacrifices can come later.”

“You mean spend a little more time spreading his teachings?”

“Yes. If the number of those who serve him increases, the Great One will be pleased.”

What was his fate as an apostle?

In response, the otherworldly god told him to get his faith straight.

Their master wants one thing.

Tear down the six temples and their gods, and carve his name in their place.

If he could accomplish that task, it wouldn’t matter if he had to change the way things were done.

So Evan could come to a decision about what he needed to do.

“Are you satisfied with that?”

“It’s good enough.”

“Then that’s the way we’re going to do it from now on, no problem, Roan?”

“Of course not. I mean, who wouldn’t want to expand the power of the Church?”

With that assurance from the Church members, Evan looked at the gauntlet in his hand.

His destiny is to save people.

And to do so, the entire Holy Land must fall.

There is only one reason for the repeated wars.

Because the Six Temples have declared their god to be evil, and they continue to move their forces to destroy him.

As long as the Six Temples and the Otherworldly God are at odds, this endless cycle will continue.

But what if Evan’s new God stood in the place of the Six Temples?

Then there would be no more war.

In a world ruled by an otherworldly god, everyone would live in peace, heroes, and apostles all but forgotten.

“If everyone served him, there would be no more chaos, no more strife.”

With a new goal in mind, Evan poured wine into an empty glass.

To keep the Church in line and drive out the Six Temples of the Holy Land.

That was Evan’s new goal.

The existence of a false god will not bring salvation to the world.

But by destroying them (Crossbridge), he could save many more lives that would otherwise die.

It was enough for him to get his hands dirty.

When Evan fell, with all the blood and sin on his hands, there would be days of peace behind him.

* * * * * * * *

“Phew…”

In the middle of a loud feast.

Peter sighed as he exited the Church building.

He had somehow managed to squeeze into the feast, but the atmosphere had been difficult for him to adjust to.

He didn’t belong there in the first place.

As an outsider, he was treated like a servant, so it’s no wonder he felt awkward.

“Ugh. How did I end up here?”

Peter muttered as he popped a piece of bread into his mouth.

The church rations bread at every meal.

If you didn’t manage to slip in among the crowd at the right time and grab a loaf, you’d have to starve for the rest of the meal.

This is why I followed Euthenia into the banquet hall.

If I didn’t fill my stomach while keeping my eyes peeled, I would have to go without dinner.

But to return to the village now, the village had long since disappeared.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt miserable.

“Besides, I have a strange mark on my arm.”

Peter rolled up his sleeve and looked at his arm.

His arm bore the black marks of his past.

The shape of a sword piercing a wing.

Even in the darkness, it was visible, a blur that looked like the mark of an evil god.

As Peter reached up and rubbed his fingers to remove the mark, the sound of a door opening echoed behind him.

“…”

The door swung open and Evan stepped out.

Evan stepped out and looked around, then spotted Peter standing in the corner.

Peter pulled down his sleeve to hide his arm, afraid to look at Evan.

As he hid his arms in panic, Evan approached him and asked.

“You’re the one who said you were Euthenia’s servant.”

“Ah, yes, yes……!”

Evan had been glaring at Peter from inside the banqueting hall.

Peter nodded reflexively, feeling like he shouldn’t deny it.

Evan’s steps moved closer to Peter’s.

Evan was almost in front of him, and he looked at Peter’s arm behind him and asked.

“Are you hiding something?”

“Oh, no! It’s nothing.”

“What do you mean it’s nothing…”

“It’s just… it’s simply mark, nothing more.”