The Life of a Wise Cult Leader - Chapter 111

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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

The operation had begun.

The first day of the Dawn Festival was busy being called here and there and meeting people.

The high position of Saint required taking care of and uniting those below, so I diligently performed that role-playing.

The Saint’s first task! Uniting the nobles!

Clang, clang, clang.

Girls burning incense stood beside the altar. Those girls watched the mass and rang bells each time the scripture’s table of contents turned.

Those who came to hear the gracious mass conducted by the Saint were only figures from noble houses.

It was natural. How high my value was right now. Even those who received my gaze became healthier, so meeting me was as difficult as getting first-tier idol tickets.

“Saint, after the mass ends, could you and our viscount house privately…”

I had already expected there would be those clinging like this.

Just as I was about to open my mouth in a gentle arc, Eon jumped out in front of me and blocked between him and me.

“The Saint has scheduled appointments ahead, so if you have an audience request, please contact the Central Church later.”

That bastard Eon…!

Interfering with my corruption scene! I could have made a deal with the viscount house!

I tearfully parted with the viscount.

“If an appointment is arranged next time, I will help you with all my strength.”

“Haha, this is my fault for not contacting in advance. I understand….”

Tsk. How disappointing. He could have been a useful connection.

Looking to the side, Eon was proudly puffing out his chest, so I just swallowed my disappointment. Yeah, as long as you’re happy….

*

The Saint’s second task! Meeting commoners and listening to confessions!

“Our child died of illness, and it feels like it’s my fault, so my heart is troubled….”

“Lumensia must have found the child so lovely that she took them to paradise early. How could this be the mother’s fault?”

I dealt with them mechanically. Since I couldn’t see their faces, I didn’t need to manage my expressions, which was convenient.

“Because I was poor and had to work, I couldn’t feed them properly or bring medicine. Yet I wasn’t even working properly.”

What a sad story this is….

I remembered the stories of unfortunate NPCs in this dark fantasy world and listened earnestly to her story for once.

“I was just addicted to gambling….”

This crazy… She’s just trash. The tears that were about to come went right back in.

‘No, but maybe she fell into gambling due to unavoidable circumstances?’

Just as I was trying to think that way, the woman crying beyond the room delivered a follow-up blow.

“I tried to sell the child for gambling debts, but they died of illness so quickly…. Still, if I had sold them well, they could have lived in a good house.”

I can’t shield this anymore…. My soul with modern ethical standards is screaming.

“Still, the child inherited my face and was pretty, so I thought they could live well, but I really didn’t know they would leave so easily! If I had known they would die like this, I would have sold the child earlier, much earlier…. Then that house would have taken better care of them than a mother like me….”

If you sold a child in this era, they’d just become child laborers, what is this nonsense…. Ah, what is she really saying….

But I was a Saint. And I was in the middle of confession.

If I spread this story around, I would be stripped of my Saint position within a day.

If they planned to make me step down from the Saint position this way, it might have been quite a good scheme…. Those Central Church anti-Saint faction bastards are using quite dirty tricks.

“The fact that you came for confession like this shows you’re thinking of the child enough, doesn’t it? Don’t worry too much. I cannot fathom how heavy a mother’s heart must be thinking of a child who died first.”

Of course. I don’t want to understand the heart of such a bastard who didn’t fulfill parental duties from the start.

“If you grieve like this, the child who went to paradise first won’t be able to enjoy peace comfortably either. Now, I will forgive your sins in Lumensia’s name.”

Saying good words to trash-like people was more painful than expected.

These trash-like people believe in me? Of course it’s good since they give me strength, but…. I didn’t feel very good about it.

‘Forgive sins my ass. I’m not even a real Saint or anything. Go to the Abyss.’

Thud.

The confession door closed. And I soon received the next customer. Oops, not customer but believer.

The knight in charge of escort and guidance outside the room gave familiar-voiced guidance.

“The next believer should enter with head bowed.”

*

“It’s meal time.”

I greeted Eon while dehydrated like dried fish.

“Ah, Eon, you came…?”

“Gasp.”

Eon, who was holding a meal tray, approached with surprised quick steps.

“Ascetic. Your complexion doesn’t look good. Could there be a problem with your health…? You haven’t been able to rest properly since the big incident in Senta recently, so I wonder if something’s wrong with your health….”

If Teacher made only these kinds of people come for confession to torment me…. It could really be considered a well-coordinated move.

Thanks to that, I had become tired enough for Eon to notice.

“No, I’m fine. Eon. My condition just got a bit poor….”

“As I thought, there’s a health problem…!”

At this rate, he’ll call an ambulance and I’ll be carried away. I hastily made excuses.

“I suppose I have no energy because I haven’t eaten…!”

“Ah, I see!”

My body was perfectly fine contrary to Eon’s worries, but just…. The mental fatigue was tremendous.

I’m not even an extroverted person, yet meeting and talking to so many people…. Even the content was all heavy to death…. At this rate I’ll be crushed to death by their worries.

By modern ethical standards, it wasn’t only ‘evil people’ who came. There were definitely good people and many nice people too.

A young child not understanding the meaning of confession and wanting lots of candy as a birthday gift was very cute and nice.

However, after listing their sins in confession, they had no thought of apologizing to victims and only thought about going to paradise after death, which was just annoying.

‘Vermin…. Social vermin. But I’m equally trash for using and living off those vermin. I’m doing the work of exploiting others’ hearts from the start.’

If only I hadn’t possessed Sernuan Lumiere’s body, I wouldn’t be playing the role of a cult leader!

“The meal is delicious. Please convey my thanks to the cook.”

“Yes!”

Obedient Eon ran off to the cook, forgetting even his surveillance mission. The thread of trust connecting him and me gradually grows distant.

I put down my utensils and called her.

“Yelena.”

Tap.

“Yes.”

A very small sound came from behind, like a pillow dropping. It was Yelena who had been staying by my side like a shadow warrior.

I’d believe it if you said she was an assassin rather than an Inquisitor.

“How is the widow?”

“No signs yet…. But I think she noticed we’re up to something. The overall festival security increased by 20%. If we exclude emergency personnel, it seems like it’ll increase to 50%….”

Security personnel reinforcement. They used the simplest and most convenient method.

“What’s the skill level of the security personnel?”

“Um…. About the level I could beat while staying still, fighting with a wooden sword in one hand?”

So they’re weak.

For Erendor and Tuba who will be active later, it’ll be a piece of cake…. Even if it increases by 50%, to them it’ll be like wolves entering a sheep ranch.

It doesn’t seem worth worrying about.

“Are there no other signs?”

“On the 3rd day during the sacred flame relay, they replaced most of the personnel carrying the sacred flame.”

The sacred flame, one of the symbols connecting Lumensia and the Empire. In a way, it’s one of the objects treated like a holy relic.

Chosen Imperial Citizens sometimes take the sacred flame’s fire home to enshrine it.

The sacred flame is important enough to have such significance, so it’s also important to Lumensia.

That sacred flame is part of Lumensia’s body.

Stealing such a body part and causing a big commotion… was part of the core plan….

Now they’re changing the people doing the sacred flame relay.

‘Not many people were told about the sacred flame theft plan. It’s not a leak. Did Teacher predict this again? Or is this preparation for contingencies?’

But it was already too late to change the plan. With the thought that Teacher predicts and prepares for everything, I might end up ruining everything by changing the plan on my own.

I could only hope that the thieves Erendor and Tuba would do well….

And the disguised Kalebrin as well.

‘I’m counting on you, Kalebrin! I still can’t trust Tuba and Erendor, so you’re all I have!’

Yelena jumped over the table and pointed at the food in front of me.

“Just eat your meal. Why aren’t you eating? You need to eat to recover properly.”

“I don’t need meals. And my body has recovered well. You don’t need to worry.”

“It’s not like it tastes bad, and as long as you’re a living being, you have to eat. Are you perhaps not a living being? That would be kind of scary….”

“….”

I had no choice but to eat due to Yelena’s suspicion.

Right, I can still be called a living being…. Though I’m not sure anymore whether I’m human or not.

*

“Wow~ The Empire’s festival is so splendid!”

“Erendor, don’t make a scene.”

“If we stay gloomy and deathly pale in this atmosphere, we’ll draw more suspicion. Especially since we’re both big…. Look at this. We’re already about to get caught by an Inquisitor. Anyway, the execution is tomorrow, so enjoy yourself a little.”

Erendor made good use of the Empire currency the Widow had given them.

He bought two cups of honey wine from a street vendor and handed one to Tuba, who was wearing a robe and received the honey wine with a deathly expression.

“Dalgun…”

“I said honey wine.”

Tuba seemed displeased and threw down the cup after drinking only a little.

“It really seems like the sun never sets.”

Due to magical processing and lanterns lit densely throughout the village, it was like a country where the sun never set.

During the 7-day festival period, it was always this bright, so wearing black clothes would actually make one stand out.

He himself looked like a hearty knight and was receiving admiring glances, but Tuba, who was taller and bulkier than him and wearing black clothes, was almost a source of terror in this alley.

Erendor walked around the streets buying jewelry and headbands to decorate Tuba.

That appearance looked exactly like country bumpkins from the outskirts who had come up to the capital to enjoy the festival, so the stares gradually faded.

Noticing this, Tuba also reduced his grumbling and just strutted down the street with jewelry dangling all over him.

“The sound is annoying.”

“Bear with it~”

Tuba endured for 52 seconds before finally tearing off all the noisy jewelry with his hands.

“Should I buy something for that Sorceress Woman too?”

As he was thinking about the annoying Sorceress Woman who stuck close to the Ascetic’s side like a guard, Tuba asked.

“Why are you groveling so much? You could just act according to your original personality.”

“Who’s groveling? This is just an effort to build a smoother relationship with a business partner. An excellent mercenary has to do more than just the job they’re given. Tuba probably doesn’t understand that well?”

“That’s separate from your attitude toward the Ascetic.”

The bright street was suddenly empty of people.

Tuba approached Erendor with large steps. Unlike the bright street, Tuba’s bulk was so large that it cast a shadow.

The expression of Erendor, who had been wearing a good-natured smile, gradually hardened.

“Crotal, you. You’re hiding something from Harmony.”

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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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