The Life of a Wise Cult Leader - Chapter 11

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Fire

It was few if few, many if many points.

Well, if I gathered 20 people and didn’t even get 10 points, that would be troublesome. With about 10 points, I could barely level up Weakness Detection to level 2 or so.

Still, I could see some hope. At this rate, it seemed I could quickly obtain even 100-point rewards.

I thought about saving up for a bigger hit…

But saving is something only those with leisure can do.

Anyway, once this cult business gets on track, earning points will be easier than breathing. I needed to focus on safely establishing my cult leader act.

If there’s nothing to buy, I should level up Weakness Detection.

I opened the skill tree window after a while.

[point : 10]

[Baptism : 5]

[Voice Transmission : 10]

[Ritual : 15]

[Light of Judgment : 25]

[Mind Control : 30]

‘Voice Transmission is a skill I can somewhat predict.’

It would be a skill that means exactly what it says.

I couldn’t understand why Voice Transmission cost more points than Weakness Detection, but anyway, it wasn’t a skill I needed right now.

‘Baptism…’

I was deeply torn between gathering a few more points to buy the mysterious skill called Light of Judgment, or buying Baptism, a skill I could grasp at first glance.

‘Right, I should invest in skills for the future and… start saving points from around 400 people.’

I made the lying patient open his eyes again and turned to the next bed.

“A-Ascetic… my wife is very sick. We tried the hospital, priests… e-even all kinds of precious medicines, but she collapsed and hasn’t opened her eyes for a week. Please, save her…”

His expression and voice conveyed desperation and earnestness. A sweet fragrance came from somewhere. A pleasant smell like freshly baked bread brushed past my nose.

‘Someone must be cooking something delicious.’

I put on my usual smile.

Perhaps because I had become skilled at drawing out the Sacred Relic’s power, I hadn’t yet felt the strange exhaustion I experienced yesterday.

“I’ll do my best… Brother, don’t worry too much and hold your wife’s hand.”

When I said that, the husband gripped his wife’s hand tightly as if it were a lifeline.

The pregnant woman lying on the bed was clearly full-term even to my untrained medical eye. I wasn’t sure if it was an illness or what, but what I could do was predetermined.

The familiar golden effect spreads out… a warm wind blows, then cuts off.

The violently pulsing golden streams lose their pulse and break.

The bright hut became dark and gloomy again. The pregnant woman still hadn’t opened her eyes.

‘…?!’

Purification… doesn’t work.

She hadn’t come here because she fell to illness or curse.

In other words, I couldn’t heal her with my power.

The husband slowly opened his eyes and looked at me.

Behind me, there were probably patients waiting for treatment and believers who hadn’t gone home yet, still serving me, looking puzzled.

Cardil would be looking at me too.

Right. Don’t panic.

I knew this power wasn’t a Sacred Relic with ‘healing’ but one with ‘purification’ power, so hadn’t I expected this kind of situation to arise?

I naturally staggered. I heard the believers rushing over in alarm with clattering sounds.

“How… unseemly of me. I apologize.”

I gave a tired smile to the person holding my arm with weak strength.

The husband beside his wife looked at me with a face full of despair.

“The, the treatment…”

“First, let me apologize… My power is too weak to reach that poor soul…”

When I spoke with a very regretful expression, erasing my smile, the husband bit his lips tightly.

“But it’s alright. My power will return soon with everyone’s help, and then your wife will wake up too…”

I could see glistening faith in the husband’s eyes.

“For now, may I rest for a moment?”

“Ah, yes…! Please sit here…!”

It was awkward being crowded together in the cramped hut, but I didn’t refuse the consideration. I sat on the edge of the bed and called up the system window.

‘I was saving up to level up Weakness Detection… but I need the Baptism skill. I don’t know what it does, but anyway, if I perform a baptism, it would at least be a performance.’

Right now was a timing when I desperately needed a performance with flashy effects.

‘Purchase Baptism.’

[New skill: Baptism!]

[Owned Skills]

-Weakness Detection Lv. 1

-Baptism Lv. 1

-Divine Aura(passive) Lv.1

[point: 5]

The same fanfare sound as when the status window appeared rang in my brain. A simple icon and text appeared before my eyes.

[Baptism Lv 1 : You can now bestow ‘Baptism’ upon ‘Believers’. The target’s name and simple profile are registered, and your abilities apply to baptized believers at 2x effectiveness.]

Simple profile registration and 2x buff…

‘Actually, it might be better to level this up.’

[Would you like to level up Baptism?]

‘Y.’

[Baptism Lv.2 : You can now bestow ‘Baptism’ upon ‘Believers’. The target’s name and simple profile are registered, and you can check their approximate location and status in real time.]

[You can peek through the vision of believers with deep faith. Your abilities apply to baptized believers at 2.3x effectiveness. You can inscribe marks on the baptized.]

‘Location, status, and even vision. I should level this up more than Weakness Detection, shouldn’t I? But more than that… I can inscribe marks?’

Right. Tattoos or symbols are one of the elements that increase solidarity.

I slowly got up.

[system: Activating Baptism skill.]

“Everyone, please pray for this pitiful soul trapped in nightmares… And pray that I may save this young soul.”

[Target: …]

.

[Target: Eveline Ariand]

It seems I can only see the name upon contact.

[Would you like to bestow Baptism?]

‘I’ll bestow baptism while drawing out the Sacred Relic’s power. If the 2.5x effect applies to the Sacred Relic too… I might be able to expect at least a weak healing effect.’

If it doesn’t work, there’s nothing I can do!

If she doesn’t wake up, I’ll have to talk my way out and dump it all on Cardil.

‘Y.’

Soon after, gold and silver intertwined at my fingertips and began emitting an even stronger light.

As if what had shone earlier wasn’t my full power.

Light wasn’t just seeping through the gaps between my fingers—it was flowing out from my hands.

Despite it being midday with the sun high above, a light more brilliant than sunlight burst forth. Golden light surged like water breaking through a dam.

Even after I withdrew my power, golden dust particles and shimmering aurora-like remnants lingered in the hut.

“Wow…”

I could hear the believers murmuring behind me.

Yes, even I would have unconsciously gasped in admiration if I hadn’t been restraining myself—it was such a beautiful sight.

The woman’s eyes fluttered.

“Ah…”

“H-honey.”

“She’s awake!”

If she had truly been brought here with only external injuries, she wouldn’t have been able to wake up, so it seemed she had collapsed from some complex combination of factors.

Since I’m not a doctor and have no medical knowledge, I’ll never know what caused her to collapse. But anyway, good is good.

“Eve!”

It was a touching reunion between husband and wife. Cardil was already examining the patient’s condition with his haggard face, moving with practiced familiarity.

“Was this tattoo here originally?”

“…?”

The husband answered on behalf of his wife, who was still in a dazed state.

“N-no…? When did she get such a tattoo?”

Evelyn, the pregnant woman who had awakened, had a yellow glowing mark carved on her wrist.

On the inside of her wrist, some kind of pattern was intricately carved. When I grabbed her wrist and turned it this way and that, the light sparkled.

Anyone could see it looked like I had done it…!

Cardil, standing behind me, looked at me. I smiled warmly and answered.

“It’s a sign that we have become true neighbors.”

“Ooh… true neighbors…!”

“I want to receive that sign too!”

The believers murmured excitedly. Then the wife, sitting up with her husband’s support, smiled with her haggard face.

“I… cough, I was listening. Days when my body wouldn’t move at all, but only my mind was awake. It was painful. But… the Ascetic’s voice guided me and allowed me to open my eyes like this. Thank you…”

Uh… that sounds rather grand.

Listening to her, there was something strange about it.

I pondered for a moment and then realized.

Ah, I see.

‘Baptism’ is only possible when someone is in a ‘Believer’ state.

So this wife had been listening to our conversations while her mind was awake in her comatose state, and she truly believed in me, becoming a ‘Believer,’ which is why I was able to perform ‘Baptism’ on her.

Phew, I shouldn’t rush just because I’m in a hurry—I really need to examine the terms carefully.

When I bought the Baptism skill earlier, there were too many things to pay attention to around me, so I read it roughly and almost caused a big problem. My hard-earned points almost evaporated, didn’t they?

Fortunately, this person named Evelyn handled it well.

It’s only been two days since I possessed this body, so I made a small mistake. I need to be more careful. If I slip up wrong, my head will roll.

“Ooh…!”

“We pray to the Ascetic.”

Even though this is for cult activities, I feel good doing good deeds anyway. It felt strange that I had become a ‘necessary existence’ to people.

‘I was a useless bastard in the original world.’

You really never know about worldly affairs and human matters.

I, who was completely useless in the original world, am here saving someone and becoming a necessary existence.

I think I can enjoy this role-playing a little.

Ah, I need to announce the precautions again so I don’t forget.

With a mysterious atmosphere, I spoke again about ‘if I’m accused of being a heretic, I’ll die without achieving my purpose, so please keep it secret from the Central Church anyway, and if there are sick people, bring them here, and so on.’

“We will do as the Ascetic wishes.”

The believers, with sparkling eyes, saw me off like employees leaving work.

I waved at them with a smiling face.

Hmm, they understood well… right?

They did, right?

*

I went to the merchant’s house and stayed another night. I need to find a house, which is worrying. Living in a shabby house wouldn’t be good for my image, so I’ll need to find a decent house.

I had dinner with the merchant and chatted pleasantly.

He told me he had contacted the person who owns the mining rights and received a positive response.

That mine is definitely at the edge of the border, and this is a place relatively close to the capital, so I didn’t expect to get an answer this quickly.

It seems I chose my first believer well. Who knew a chance encounter would pay off with compound interest like this?

When I laid my body on the soft bed, it felt like all my hardships were melting away. Being treated to a delicious dinner made life feel truly beautiful.

I fell asleep like that, and the next morning.

I received news that the Lion Heart Knights had arrived in Astrapolis.

“With the Lion Heart roaming around, it would be best for the Ascetic to be careful. I heard they’re looking for someone who uses wicked sorcery. To call the Ascetic’s power wicked sorcery! Those ignorant fools lack the insight to recognize the Ascetic.”

The merchant said this while setting out a breakfast that looked delicious at first glance on the wooden table.

“They are those who have not yet awakened, so let us understand them.”

I said this to comfort him. I was planning to go to the hut today… but if I go, it’ll be straight to the guillotine.

“Yes, I understand… But please take care of your body. It seems they’re looking for ‘a tall man with white hair and white eyes.'”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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