That's interesting addental context. I don't know if I have it in me to play the Ruthless route. I looked up some "Lets Play" videos and I was immediately faced with an image of Nikos beat up and missing an eye. It hurt my heart.
If I remember correctly Nikos' grandfather was also trying to create sympathy for Asterion by trying to be an obviously evil villain, which ultimately backfired with Clément. This game has a lot of really well written metaphors, and the background of the Argoi may also be comparable to Eichmann, or rather Hannah Arendt's analysis of his war crimes trial after World War II.
I think this especially true since Eichmann's defense at the trial was that he was just doing his job, which is basically what Nikos says for himself when asking if he is a good person. A question of surrendering your own morality in the name of doing your job or following the will of the gods.
Now that I know that Nikos tries to play the hero in a timeline where you abuse Asterion, its clear that he is a better person than Eichmann, or even his own grandfather. He wants to do what's good and will break job he's cast for and damn the will of the gods to do what he thinks is right. That's just amazing. I love his character even more because of it.
Even still I find the history of the Argoi as a whole relatable to committing harmful acts in the name of religious duty. I feel like Nikos' grandfather has some culpability for what happened to Asterion, the same way I feel some culpability for converting people to a homophobic religion. I'm glad Nikos has a timeline where he figures out his ethics before doing any lasting harm. He needs more hugs, and probably a good good boyfriend.
Damn I didn't expect this game to effect me so much when I first picked it up. I love it.