TFWSDW 20

Chapter 20

Basically, it means I can set the stage so I can predict what they’ll do.

“Haha, does this work for you?”

The middle-aged holy knight smiled warmly.

He really looked like a nice guy.

“…You’re talking about Him, huh.”

He had to keep a straight face. He’d be trained not to react easily.

“I look forward to hearing His message.”

I saw the thin barrier forming subtly around me and the knight and smirked.

‘Yeah, you’re nervous, aren’t you?’

I looked above the knight’s head.

[Faction: Evil God’s Cult – Fanatic]

Normally, someone like him wouldn’t flinch at just a few words.

But right now? Their precious hidden underground base had been completely exposed.

The cult, feeling like their hive was being kicked, would start chasing down the escaped cultists using their most extreme members.

‘Why would the cleanup squad only exist in the Church?’

They exist among the cultists too.

I bit the tip of my left finger, pretending to show off a ring-like object.

‘Hoo… acting like a cultist in front of the Church’s former hero? My nerves are shot.’

This kind of risky play is a first for me too.

I clearly and calmly said,

“I’ve come to deliver His message.”

[Skill ‘Child Actor’ activated!]

Child Actor—the name itself implies “performance.” In the game, it was just a great skill for conserving stamina.

But in real life, I get it now.

This skill helps me stay focused by conserving my weak child body’s energy.

‘Ugh.’

Using this skill twice in one day made me feel a little dizzy.

I played it off by letting my eyes glaze over—like I was in a trance.

The cult of the Evil God, which symbolizes chaos and corruption, reflects their god’s madness in their personalities too.

‘But if they were only crazy, they’d never infiltrate the Church.’

They’ve systematized their infiltration tactics very precisely.

Their goal? Overthrow the last hope of humanity—the Church—and bring total destruction and “victory” to the Evil God.

So, the cultists are divided into two groups: the teams (like the group we met underground) and the solo infiltrators (like the guy in front of me).

‘Cultists in pairs always operate in twos. But I’ve seen no one else nearby.’

I had checked carefully earlier with Dad while we were walking.

This one’s alone.

For the record, I used to always warn players in the game:

Game Category [Post][Strategy]
[Things Low-Level Players Should Watch Out For #2]

Right when newbies feel confident—after clearing about 3 quests—they get reckless.

So here’s a warning to those who just lost the “newbie” label:
NEVER talk to a cultist who’s alone. Got it? NEVER.

Unless you want to get game-over’d and throw away your whole run lol.

Why?

The child’s face lost all emotion.

“Haha, His message, you say? You mean the words of a god?”

This man—Andras—was a solo infiltrator.

His role was extremely important.

He acted as the main connection between various cultist teams.

The cultists moved like a secret cell network.

To protect their security, the teams didn’t even know each other’s identities or locations.

They each just followed their assigned mission.

In fact, it wasn’t uncommon for them to accidentally kill their own members.

That’s why people like Andras were needed.

They acted alone, coordinating and passing information between groups—while preventing any internal conflicts.

And if necessary, they cut off other members without hesitation.

Naturally, it was a position that required special power and wisdom—granted by the Left Brain of the Evil God.

As a “Connector,” Andras had handled countless missions without fail.

So even he didn’t expect this: the underground base exploding and being discovered.

He barely made it out, riding with the emergency team.

But he had no clue what had happened.

‘Did our own people blow it up on purpose?’

Why blow it up now, when it wasn’t time yet?

‘Did any of them survive?’

He didn’t even know who was alive.

This child—Nemesia—might have been caught up in it. She might’ve even met some cultists. And she’s a Pope Candidate.

“Do you still think I’m joking?”

The child tilted her head.

“Or… did you not understand me?”

Experienced as he was, Andras said nothing.

The child clicked her tongue in disgust.

“Anyone who can’t even understand this much—He has no use for them.”

The moment she mentioned his god, chills ran down Andras’s spine.

“…!”

But he still didn’t move.

“…Are you mocking my god?”

She had done everything: bit her finger like their secret signal, spoken in cult language, mentioned the Evil God…

It was all convincing—but not enough.

‘She’s a Pope Candidate.’

One of the strongest candidates, having passed the Maze Trial. Every protector wanted her.

‘It could be a trap.’

Who knows what abilities that twisted god gave her?

‘And wandering around the garden alone… strange.’

Maybe she was doing this with everyone, testing them.

So no matter what she said, he planned to act like a faithful holy knight.

Andras was just starting to smile…

“No point talking to you.”

The child turned her back without hesitation.

Andras’ eyes widened.

“I’ll find the next Connector.”

“W-Wait!”

Andras panicked and forgot his posture—he tried crawling, but fell flat on his knees with a loud thud.

It was pathetic, but he scrambled to block her path.

“…Are you really His messenger?”

She used the term Connector—their exact term—and said it in their language.

‘Ah…!’

A slight rush of joy filled Andras.

‘A Pope Candidate who knows the Evil God’s language?’

Could it be?

Maybe… this child was the miracle foretold.

‘Stay calm.’

Nothing is confirmed yet.

Doubt everything and return to the origin. All shall return to the source.

He repeated the cult doctrine to steady himself and adjusted his expression.

“I apologize. I didn’t recognize you. How should I address you?”

The child looked up.

Even with Andras clearly out of breath, her expression was blank—unshaken.

In fact, she looked slightly annoyed.

“…Huh?”

She pointed at his knees.

“Guh!”

Suddenly, sharp pain shot through Andras’ knees.

Like someone had kicked them hard.

“Urgh…”

He dropped to his knees.

“Now that you’re in the proper position, I’ll tell you.”

Their eyes were now level.

Andras looked up in surprise—but the child remained expressionless.

‘Is this the Pope Candidate’s power?’

Or maybe…

“The underground branch’s experiment succeeded.”

Underground District 321’s purpose was to summon abominations and cause chaos.

They brought sacrifices there for constant experiments.

“But some became sacrifices to the creature they summoned. The rest couldn’t handle it, and their mistakes triggered the explosion.”

Boom.

She waved her short, chubby arms dramatically to mimic the explosion.

With her round face and serious child expression, it should’ve been funny.

But Andras was too shocked by her words to even notice.

As the child described what happened, Andras gulped hard.

“Don’t worry—the branch leader escaped safely.”

“Aah…!”

Raising a high-ranking cultist took time and money.

It wasn’t easy to become a leader—you needed more than fanaticism: power, intelligence, madness.

So the fact that the leader survived—

‘I’ll have to help him avoid the Church’s purge squad.’

The tension in Andras’ shoulders loosened.

“That’s all the message I have.”

Andras trembled.

Back when the Church announced their prophecy and started selecting Pope Candidates—

A certain rumor had secretly spread among the cultists:

“Do you think the Evil God will also… do something?”

A being so great that human logic couldn’t measure it.

It was believed the Evil God might also send a child to the world.

And not long after, as Connector, Andras had heard something similar from the cult.

“Brother Andras, prepare yourself to witness a miracle.”

“A miracle?”

“The Evil God’s brain says—when you meet it, you’ll understand.”

‘If the miracle they talked about… is this child standing before me…’

Andras’s lips twitched into a euphoric smile.