I Became the Evil God’s Apostle 42

Ban was vaguely aware that he was still wandering in a dream. Even so, the reason he didn’t open his eyes in surprise and wake from the dream was because it had been so long since he’d heard the voice calling him.

“We need to withdraw now, Captain.”

“……No. Sergeant Jeong is already……”

Is this a nightmare? Well, if you really think about it, it’s not particularly good content, but…… it wasn’t to the extent you could call it a nightmare. This is, in other words…… yes, a somewhat sad dream.

“Please come to your senses, Captain! You can’t go! The operation was successful! Look at the explosion happening over there!”

He knew this content too. It was something he still remembered vividly. However, what was quite bewildering was that he didn’t know why he was suddenly having this dream.

Ban had never once dreamed about himself living on Earth, unrelated to the game, since reincarnating in this world. It sounded awkward now to be called ‘Captain Seo,’ so why was he having such a dream? There didn’t seem to be anything special about today……

“Even the corpse…… I need to confirm…… If I go back like this…… I won’t have the face……”

Ban’s mouth muttered a monologue on its own, regardless of his will, as if possessed. When he spouted the exact words he’d said on that day this dream actually happened, a thunderous roar followed like lightning and struck Ban’s ears.

“There’s still a fire, so where exactly do you think you’re going, Captain!”

At that moment, his eyes snapped open. Surprised, he gasped for air and half-raised his body, and the faint sunlight cutting through the early dawn sky pierced down onto Ban’s back muscles that were busily moving up and down.

“Ha, haa……”

Even Ban himself didn’t really know why he was so startled. However, his heart that pounded rapidly on its own refused to calm down at all, and in the end, he couldn’t even do what he usually did—carefully treating Orma and waiting for him to wake—and ended up escaping from his embrace.

Orma, who opened his eyes immediately as if released from a spell, stared at Ban. Then he waited for Ban to slowly catch his breath before asking in a low voice,

“Did you have a nightmare?”

“……”

It was a dream he didn’t know how to explain. Ban, who had been blankly looking down at Orma slowly blinking, slowly nodded. Even though he knew he should apologize for waking him and lie back down, an unwarranted unease washed over him like a wave and he hesitated.

“What was scary?”

“……I don’t really know.”

“Then it’s nothing serious.”

That’s right, it’s nothing serious…… Orma’s plain words and the quietness of the early dawn that was slowly breaking calmed Ban.

Ban, who rubbed his face with the embarrassment that came belatedly, turned his head toward where the luggage was gathered, thinking he should drink water and go back to sleep.

And the moment he discovered the empty, ownerless sleeping bag nearby, Ban turned pale and jumped up.

“……Jae, Jaena-ssi! Orma-nim, Jaena-ssi has disappeared!”

“What? Disappeared? Didn’t he just go to relieve himself?”

It was far too quiet for that. No matter how much he perked up his ears, only the sound of wind lightly sweeping by could be heard, and Jaena’s voice making a fuss or his swaying tail and small frame were nowhere to be found. Only then did Orma also seem to notice something was strange and got up following Ban to look for Jaena.

“Jaena-ssi! Where are you! Jaena-ssi, if you can hear my voice, please answer!”

However, no matter how much they walked around the vicinity calling Jaena’s name, they couldn’t find any trace of Jaena anywhere. At the sudden disappearance, Ban tried to examine any remaining traces, but even that couldn’t be found.

It was far too suspicious and ominous that he had suddenly vanished like smoke. Though he ran around diligently with a pale face, there was frustratingly nothing left behind.

This is just like……

“……Didn’t he run away?”

“What?”

“I’m asking if he didn’t like being with us and secretly ran away in the night.”

Ban knew that the reason Orma spoke indifferently and casually included his usual view of Jaena with displeasure. He wouldn’t bat an eye whether one beastman believer disappeared or not, and he also knew Orma would rather be happier and pleased that the annoying guy was gone.

He didn’t really know the reason, but he also knew that the only existence Orma would worry about if they suddenly disappeared was Ban, only him……

“……”

Even so, Ban stopped in his tracks at those words and stared quietly at Orma. He usually didn’t have much change in expression, but now he looked at Orma with a face that showed no emotion whatsoever.

Looking intently at a subject with an expressionless face as if viewing something inhuman rather than a person was Ban’s nasty habit and also a rare emotional expression.

Once when he was living on Earth, Sergeant Choi had said while drunk and crying, “Captain Seo, when you stare without any expression, it’s really too scary…… Could you just yell and curse instead?” and only then did Ban learn how he expressed anger and was embarrassed about it.

So…… this was after a very long time. When Orma faced those numb eyes from Ban for the first time and flinched in confusion before closing his mouth, Ban realized he was daring to be angry at his own god.

Ah, why am I like this? Why am I being like this? At the thought that struck like lightning, Ban hurriedly covered his face with both hands as if dry-washing it. A light sigh burst out of his mouth as if vomited. Just because he said something irritating, I…… Self-loathing washed over him like waves.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get angry at Orma-nim……”

“……”

He knew the reason well. That it was because of that dream. That strange dream, whether it was a nightmare or not, had touched Ban’s nerves. Ban offered another sincere apology, but Orma still just stared at Ban with a dazed face as if slightly shocked.

Once when Ban accidentally stepped on the tail of a cat he was secretly feeding and raising at the temple, the cat’s eyes as it meowed while looking at him as if saying how could you do that looked exactly like that. Guilt washed over him and Ban unknowingly began rambling to soothe him.

“I’m truly sorry. Are you very upset? Please calm your feelings……”

“……Ban.”

“Yes?”

“It’s because you had a nightmare earlier, right? That’s what made you sensitive, right?”

Orma opened his eyes wide and arbitrarily found and attached a reason. Of course that was the correct answer, but anyway, Ban hurriedly nodded.

Only then did Orma lower his eyes and feel relieved. Seeing him mutter quietly to himself, “My good and pretty apostle wouldn’t do that……,” it seemed Orma had roughly understood anyway.

“……Well, then where did that noisy brat go?”

“I think…… Jaena-ssi didn’t disappear of his own will.”

“Why?”

“If he briefly left for a reason like relieving himself, he wouldn’t have gone far, so he would have returned quickly.”

“What if his purpose was to leave us entirely rather than that?”

“……As Orma-nim also knows, Jaena-ssi’s combat ability isn’t very good. He’s weaker than an ordinary adult male. No matter how much his build is that of a child, it’s strange considering his characteristic as a beastman.”

“Hmm……”

“The tiger tribe is a tribe that particularly values martial prowess among beastmen. To put it nicely, they worship the strong, and to put it badly, they’re merciless to the weak. You could say they’re the group that best fits the phrase ‘survival of the fittest.’ Moreover, if that weak one is the chieftain’s son, he would be an heir unsatisfactory in many ways.”

At the words that flowed like water, Orma tilted his head. He knew that beastmen were a closed-off and belligerent race, but even he didn’t know the detailed characteristics of tribes.

But how does Ban know that?

“You know the tiger tribe well. And an heir? Jaena is the chieftain’s son? Did Jaena tell you?”

“That’s not it. I observed and suspected based on Jaena-ssi’s eye color and tail pattern. The darker the eye color and the clearer the black in the pattern, the closer they are to the ruling class. Then I became certain when I saw his bracelet. The bracelet Jaena-ssi always wears is made of jade and gold, and is decorated with the emblem representing the tiger tribe.”

Of course, all this information was content he’d seen in the game.

When you go near Yeru where Muhwi’s temple is located, beastman warriors appear, and one NPC among them who could communicate told him that beastmen value jade and gold preciously, so only the chieftain and his heir wear them. There was also a side story related to it, but Ban, who had been busy focusing on the main story, had roughly skimmed through the content and passed by.

That was why he hadn’t immediately thought of it when he saw Jaena. The content the NPC had told him naturally came to mind while they were together, but Ban chose silence without bothering to show off his knowledge.

“So? Couldn’t he have gone back to his hometown alone?”

“……Jaena-ssi is probably in a state where he can’t return to his hometown. Because he’s in the middle of taking the heir’s test.”