I Became the Evil God’s Apostle 6

“……”

Orma gave no answer to Ban’s words and simply looked at him for a long while. Still, judging by the system message that appeared saying he had decided on his faith, it seemed he had accepted Ban.

“Um, you did accept me, right? Then shall we leave here for now?”

“……Before that, what’s your name?”

“Ah, I didn’t introduce myself? I’m ‘Ban.'”

“Ban.”

Orma muttered Ban’s name while thinking about something, then slowly got up and picked up his spear that had fallen on the ground. When he lightly slashed the air with power imbued in his spear, the fragile rift in space immediately tore open, providing a path to the outside.

So frustratingly light and simple…… Orma tilted his head diagonally toward Ban, who was looking at him with a bewildered face, and said.

“Aren’t you going?”

“……I’m going.”

So he could have come out anytime but chose not to come out of his own will after all. If the priests had known this fact, they would have fainted in shock. Though it was a shame he couldn’t see that, Ban first diligently followed Orma, who had gone outside.

By the way, if they left like this, wouldn’t the priests try to throw in another sacrifice? He was a bit worried they might push in precious lives without noticing that Orma had escaped from Hell. But if they prevented disasters, rumors about Orma’s existence would spread, so he should move quickly…….

Though it seemed he’d entered Hell at dim dawn, outside was boasting bright sunshine. Even though the sunlight was intense enough to blind you if you raised your head to look at the sky, Orma stood still as if nothing was wrong, waiting for Ban to come closer.

He must have an ability like an inventory in the game too, as the golden spear that had been as large as his height had disappeared without a trace. Orma, who just stared blankly at Ban with a peaceful face, felt exactly like someone completely unrelated to the recent commotion or Hell.

“……Aren’t you hot?”

“Not really.”

“And it’s not dazzling?”

At the repeated question, Orma’s face crumpled. When Ban looked at him cautiously, thinking he was already annoyed after just two questions, Orma let out a small sigh.

“Do I look as fragile as glass to you?”

“It’s not that…… A disaster has come to the world.”

“Disaster?”

Only then did Orma look around. Outside Hell, where he’d arbitrarily created an exit, was a small forest near the temple where Ban had been staying, but it was now in such a state that it was embarrassing to even call it a forest, with trees and plants withering and dying.

“By the way, it’s not summer but winter.”

At the added remark, Orma agreed it was hot for winter. That plain impression was all, but soon, as if something occurred to him, he severely distorted his handsome face and whipped his head toward Ban.

“You were saying strange things about apostles and whatnot—don’t tell me you asked me to stop the disaster?”

“Judging by the fact that you didn’t know that until now, Orma-nim, you never conversed even once with the humans who came all the way to Hell. I’m more surprised by that fact.”

Just like with Ban, he’d thrown his spear first and killed everyone without exchanging a single word. Orma looked at Ban’s indifferent face with displeased eyes, then let out a long sigh.

“Ha…… Pointlessly noble……”

“You can’t regret coming outside already.”

“If the world just perished, I wouldn’t have to do such annoying things. Won’t the world perish?”

Perish, perish, perish a little. All die. Orma muttered spell-like words as if casting a curse, befitting an Evil God, and sneered.

But even hearing such words, Ban approached Orma with a calm face and put up the hood attached to the back of his coat. Since Orma was about half a span taller than him, it became almost an embracing posture, but he didn’t mind.

“Wh-what?”

The one flustered by the sudden closeness was Orma. His golden eyes widened in surprise, urgently sweeping over Ban’s face.

“After all, it’s the disaster’s sunlight. It’s not good to be exposed to it directly.”

“What about you?”

“I’m fine.”

Thanks to growing like a game character all this time, Ban’s body had left the human realm. At this level, it felt no different from any ordinary summer day. Moreover, he’d once received a bizarre passive skill like ‘UV Protection (E-rank)’ as a daily quest reward, so he was even more fine.

However, at Ban’s words, Orma snorted.

“Who’s worrying about whom……”

“Me, about a god?”

“……”

“And we should probably buy some clothes first…… After all, Orma-nim’s appearance is rather eye-catching.”

“Because of the eyes?”

The golden eyes holding brilliant light belonged to a god. Combined with jet-black hair on top of that, anyone would think of Orma, the Evil God trapped in Hell. But Ban tilted his head diagonally and answered with an odd expression.

“That too, but…… more than that, if such a handsome man is in beggar’s rags, anyone would stare.”

“Be-beggar’s rags?”

Leaving out the compliment about being handsome, Orma got angry first at the mention of beggar’s rags. He must have rolled around in Hell all this time without caring about such things at all, but does he have enough sense to get irritated when it’s pointed out?

Ban, regardless of whether his god was angry or not, asked while keeping his gaze fixed on the dangling buttons on the worn coat.

“Yes, beggar’s rags. And I’m curious—how on earth did these clothes survive in Hell? Isn’t it a place where even bones or iron melt?”

“How do you know that?”

“I asked first, though.”

This bastard won’t yield one bit. Orma swallowed his curses and bit his lips.

When I get angry like this, humans before me tremble and are too afraid to even make eye contact. Well, this guy talks nonsense about serving me as a god because he’s not in his right mind like this…… For a man, his face is pretty like a mermaid, tsk tsk.

Whether they knew they were defining each other as insane or not, Orma quickly accepted it and grumbled as if annoyed.

“It has a god’s blessing on it.”

“On these clothes……?”

Did he perhaps bestow the blessing himself? Mm, maybe this kind of attire was the trend back then. Since his appearance is what it is, he looks splendid in anything…… Ban tried his best to think positively, but unfortunately couldn’t manage his expression.

Seeing his unfocused eyes, Orma suppressed his wronged feelings and shouted.

“It wasn’t me! Serka, that son of a bitch, while I was suffering, suddenly on his own……”

“I understand. Then you don’t need new clothes? As you can see, I’m covered in blood, so may I just buy my own clothes?”

“……Buy mine too.”

He threw a tantrum saying that having already been told he looked like a beggar, why would he keep wearing such clothes. Only then did Ban smile broadly and walk ahead lightly.

He strongly felt that his so-called apostle seemed extraordinary, and had a premonition that he’d gotten involved in annoying matters like disasters and whatnot. Damn it, I hate going. As Orma’s steps dragged, Ban turned his head again, sparkling his clear sky-blue eyes, and said.

“Are your legs hurting? Shall I give you a piggyback ride?”

“No!”

Orma was horrified as if to say don’t make such terrible suggestions. Then Ban scolded his god with a stern face.

“Then let’s go quietly.”

Orma, slightly deflated, followed right behind Ban with a dejected face toward the nearby village.

* * *

“There’s not a single human on the street.”

“Because of the disaster.”

Though the time was already pointing to 8 PM, the sun hanging in the sky was still dawdling as if unwilling to make its exit. With no humans walking around like this, naturally even more attention would be drawn to a handsome man like Orma who stood out even while just standing still.

Ban entered a clothing store visible before his eyes, planning to buy two sets each of well-ventilated thin shirts and cotton pants, and loose-fitting black hoodies. Street vendors who had disappeared from the streets because of the scorching sun now sold their goods by latching onto places like inns. Even those few who had store buildings greeted the rare customers with bright, welcoming faces. Even if they were a suspicious Holy Knight covered in blood and a customer in beggar’s rags wearing a worn coat.

“W-welcome! You are…… customers, right?”

Perhaps having belatedly noticed Ban’s appearance, the voice grew smaller and smaller, but Ban nodded with a calm face.

“My companion and I came to buy comfortable clothes to wear during our travels.”

“Tra-travels?”

Since there was no way there would be crazy humans traveling when disaster was coming, it was understandable that they looked with such shocked eyes. Ban just nodded with a slight smile. Then the clothing store owner hesitated before glancing at Orma, who was stuck right behind Ban with his head bowed quietly, showing no particular interest, and said.

“I have comfortable outfits suitable for traveling, but I’m not sure if the length will fit the person behind you since they’re so tall.”

“Mm, I’ll ask for it anyway. If you have loose-fitting black hoodies, two sets of those as well, and also……”

While Ban conversed, explaining what clothes he was looking for, Orma slowly turned his head to look around inside the store. They’d blocked the windows darkly to prevent the hot sunlight from outside from coming in, but it was shoddy as if made in a hurry. It seemed the intensity of the disaster had become serious only recently.

Moreover, the clothing store owner hurriedly lit additional lights after Ban and he entered the store. It seemed they usually spent time holding their breath with just one small candle lit.

In that case, outdoor activities would be almost impossible, and most critically, they couldn’t do work necessary for immediate survival like farming. Not only humans but animals would starve to death too. For now, since it was winter, they’d be accepting it as an originally difficult season…… but if such a situation continued, it was bound to reach the worst.

Orma realized he’d gotten involved in a seriously annoying matter and let out a small sigh. How on earth did it come to this? That guy with only a pretty face must have bewitched him with sweet nonsense like the pleasant-sounding word ‘apostle.’

Chewing over his regrets, Orma wondered if he’d been this weak to honey traps and hung his head in self-loathing.