The Life of a Wise Cult Leader - Chapter 12

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

Fire

I felt goosebumps for a moment.

White hair and white eyes, a tall man.

Anyone could tell that was my description.

“I see. The Lion Heart is after me…”

They had started hunting me.

I had a guess where this came from.

That place where I first opened my eyes.

The countless corpses that had fallen there.

While many wore robes and civilian clothes, there were also several knights clad in gleaming steel armor covering their entire bodies.

Those corpses were probably members of the Lion Heart Knights, and the main force of the knights who lost contact with them must have returned to that place to check what had happened.

‘They would have naturally confirmed that my corpse wasn’t there either.’

I felt belated regret wondering if I should have disguised another corpse as mine, but I never had the skill to disguise corpses in the first place.

If I had been reported, it would either be the people who were in Cardil’s cabin who informed on me, or people who found me suspicious while I wandered around the marketplace.

The former had already mostly become believers and would be working hard on proselytizing rather than reporting, and for the latter, I wore a robe while walking around… but there’s always the possibility of ‘what if.’

“How many must be writhing in pain at this very moment… I fear I may not fulfill my mission. I feel ashamed even for hiding here seeking my own safety.”

I erased the smile I always wore and spoke with a serious expression.

“Oh, holy Ascetic, please set aside such worries. Make me your agent. I will dedicate everything I have to helping your mission.”

“An agent, you say?”

“Yes. I will lighten your burden even a little, Ascetic. If you have any need for external activities, please entrust them to me! I am prepared to face all hardships for your sake.”

The merchant, abandoning his initial speech pattern for an archaic tone, prostrated himself at my feet.

It was quite burdensome, but it couldn’t help but be a good proposal for me.

‘I’m confined to the house anyway until the knights leave this city.’

I couldn’t bear the dangerous risk of wandering outside with such conspicuous appearance.

Games allow unlimited retries, but this was reality and I only had one life.

“Brother’s toil and devotion, I will never forget. I heard that you wish to become my agent? Then… I shall bestow baptism upon you here and now. From now on, as my faithful servant, let us fulfill this holy mission together.”

“Ooh…!”

Suddenly I was about to perform baptism while eating breakfast.

It was quite an undignified scene… but it was fine.

I had the Divine Aura passive skill for this purpose. The skill would automatically correct and beautify such minor details. Moreover, for believers it was 2.3 times! My aura effect was also 2.3 times!

[system: Activating Baptism skill.]

I placed my hand on the forehead of the merchant who was still kneeling with his hands clasped together.

[Target: Antonio Tradetore]

[Will you perform baptism?]

“Antonio Tradetore, my faithful servant. Are you prepared to receive the glorious mission from the place closest to me?”

Antonio’s adam’s apple moved, looking slightly nervous.

“Yes.”

I clicked Y on the status window.

Then from my fingertips, gold and silver began intertwining and forming lines, just like when I baptized the pregnant woman yesterday.

Golden particles burst forth and something like shining golden thread fluttered in the air.

The gold and silver threads touched the skin without any sensation and simply scattered into the air and disappeared.

Despite bowing his head, Antonio was simply offering praise and admiration at this spectacle.

More importantly, was the mark engraved on his wrist?

I was curious whether it was definitely placed there or not, but I couldn’t see because he was wearing a shirt.

“I’m glad to be able to stay by the Ascetic’s side.”

Wait a minute…

I saw something sparkling from his shirt near his forearm. As Antonio moved, I could see the mark I had seen the day before engraved on the back of his hand!

After the wrist comes the back of the hand. Was there some kind of pattern?

If it were engraved on the forehead, my precious believer would be dragged away by the Central Church as a heretic.

I gently helped him up from his kneeling position.

“Antonio, won’t you look at the back of your hand? I have engraved proof that you are an apostle who follows the Ascetic’s will.”

He looked down at the back of his hand as if entranced. I added:

“It’s a mark that only appears on the faithful.”

“A mark that only appears on the faithful…”

Antonio muttered. I caught a glimpse of madness in his eyes.

“Now, my agent. Please spread my teachings widely throughout the world.”

“Yes, I understand. Please rest peacefully here, Ascetic.”

The merchant quickly finished his meal and left the house. I slowly let out a sigh.

The mindset of a single person and ordinary citizen urged me to clean the house, but a cult leader can’t do that. Won’t do it.

Lying on the sofa in a sunny spot felt very good. I still had plenty of penalty time left.

Moreover, whether the believers were actively engaging in proselytizing or not, about two more believers had increased. In this empire where believing in other religions was considered sinful, this level of harvest was more than enough.

When I opened the window, a landscape definitely different from reality came into view. I fell into deep thought while feeling the breeze.

‘If they’re looking for me… should I disguise myself?’

This hair and eyes were too distinctive. I thought I should probably consider disguising myself.

‘But there’s nothing I can do about my height… Hmm. It seems like something might work if I just cover my eyes and hair.’

I wondered if hair dye existed. Since color lenses couldn’t possibly exist in this world, I’d need to use an item that changes eye color, but that would probably be hard to obtain.

Or maybe not? Antonio was capable, so he might be able to help.

‘I should only consider disguise as one option…’

If I, acting as a cult leader, disguised myself to avoid attention, the impact would probably be quite significant.

Incitement comes from confident attitude, relaxed speech, charisma, and ability.

I didn’t want to diminish this effect with some pathetic disguise.

‘I should just stay put until the knights leave the village.’

Progress in increasing believers would be somewhat delayed, but it was an unavoidable situation. I kept thinking about it, but I didn’t want to die just from showing off to gain a few more believers.

I checked the status window again that I hadn’t been able to see properly.

And I nearly fainted to death.

‘Fifty people?’

[Sub Quest(2): You make believers! 50 people.]

Moreover, the translation got even worse.

[Number of believers: 23 people]

Setting aside the increased number of believers, wondering who else had come to believe.

‘Damn. I thought it was going to be easy, easy. It increased from 20 to 50 people? Then after clearing this one, what’s next?’

[WARNING!]

[system: If believers remain at ’23 people’ after 27 hours, physical collapse will begin in stages.]

‘Ah… really damn…’

I was about to habitually curse, but I held back.

Now that I had become like this, how uncool would it be if vulgar words came out…

‘Right. Even if it’s 50 people, I’ll gather them quickly. I gathered 20 people quickly too.’

I consoled myself like that while repeatedly turning the status window off and on.

Contrary to my thoughts, my mood was quite complicated…

My points… I actually used them for baptism thinking I’d gather them quickly… sigh…

It felt awkward to rummage through someone else’s house to prepare a meal, and I wasn’t particularly in the mood to eat anyway, so I skipped lunch.

‘Ah, that’s right.’

I’d been so busy lately that I hadn’t had time to relax, so this worked out well.

‘I don’t know about now, but later… if staying here takes several years, I might forget the game stories.’

It was something I’d been meaning to do for a while, but kept putting off since I never had time alone.

I rummaged through Antonio’s house and found paper and a pen. Since he was a merchant, he certainly had various items around.

I frantically wrote down my future plans and all the game knowledge I could remember – main stories, sub-stories, and more.

Having devoted my entire life to just one game, it wouldn’t be easy to forget the stories, but I might forget minor details.

For example, with places like the Rabatenon Mine from earlier – sub-quest stories that didn’t have much weight in the main story – I’d probably forget the mine’s name in just a few months.

Something like: there was some mine near the border, but what was its name again? Right now, before following the main story, I needed these minor details for building up my specs.

I’m not meant to be the combat specialist anyway.

My skill setup is clearly oriented toward healer or support roles.

More precisely, it’s a mastermind style that manipulates people from behind using brains over brawn.

For someone like me, remembering the game stories – knowing the future to some extent – was a better ability than any skill.

Dozens of sheets of paper piled up beside me.

Since I wrote in Korean, no one would be able to interpret it even if they saw it.

Soon it was time for dinner again, but I wasn’t particularly hungry. I heard the bell attached to the house jingling from downstairs.

Antonio was home from work. Even in a fantasy world, since the base was medieval people, they started work early and finished early too.

“Ascetic.”

“My proxy, how were things outside?”

“It seems an execution will be held in 2 days.”

Hmm…

What’s this about all of a sudden?

When I just smiled and remained quiet, Antonio realized and continued.

“Someone who uses wicked sorcery was caught, they say. Lion’s Heart is also looking for you, Ascetic, but they seem unable to pinpoint your location.”

So they didn’t come specifically to catch me.

“They say the reason they came all the way to Astrapolis wasn’t to find you, Ascetic, but to catch that ‘witch.'”

After escaping from that place, I came to Astrapolis via the forest in Antonio’s carriage without encountering anyone.

If someone had reported me, I thought Lion’s Heart had come because someone who saw me at Cardil’s cabin or the marketplace had snitched…

It seemed they came to Astrapolis through coincidence upon coincidence.

Well, Inquisitors and Lion’s Heart are clearly different groups.

My somewhat frightened heart calmed down a bit.

“Probably… the execution will be held in 3 days.”

This place is extremely sensitive about inquisitions and religion. Even if you arrest someone you don’t like by branding them a heretic, no one says anything.

A dictatorship, a great empire ruled by an emperor – that’s what it is.

How convenient a nation it is when you can eliminate one bothersome person in 3 days and just call them a heretic.

I fell into thought after hearing his words.

‘Certainly in the very early stages of main story chapter 1, the Pope’s power was so strong that the Emperor couldn’t do anything about it…’

After that, the Pope dies and the Emperor’s power grows stronger.

The Emperor tries to consolidate power by claiming he is the Pope… then the Saint appears. That’s how the chaotic main story chapter 2 begins.

‘I still have time until chapter 2.’

The Pope’s death that signals the start of main story chapter 2.

It’s a turning point where the game’s overall atmosphere changes and the real story begins.

Right now, before the Pope’s death occurs, this is just a preliminary battle.

Starting with my death, which was the mid-boss character of chapter 1.5…

Hmm.

‘I need to secure a position before events begin unfolding in earnest.’

Antonio rustled through his bag and handed me a bundle of papers.

“Usually executions are held in the plaza 3 days after torture and interrogation are finished… Would you like to go see it? If you watch from inside the carriage, you should be able to observe safely.”

Go watch an execution?

Hmm… Yes, it wouldn’t be bad to see with my own eyes what state heretics end up in. There might be something useful in it.

“Very well.”

“Yes, then I’ll have the carriage prepared in the meantime. And these papers are documents transferring ownership of the mine to me. I was concerned that if you appeared publicly, Ascetic, you might catch the Inquisitors’ attention, so I handled it this way. Of course, if you wish, I can transfer the title back to you anytime.”

Oh, so these were the mine ownership documents. I thought it would take longer, but he brought them surprisingly quickly.

Antonio must have had connections. It seemed pointless to pry into every detail, so I just spouted some platitudes.

“No, that’s fine. Well done, my proxy. My will is Antonio’s will, Brother. What meaning could such superficial names on documents have?”

“Thank you.”

So the mine issue is resolved… It’ll take several more weeks to rescue people and mine magic stones.

“Please continue to join me in fulfilling such glorious missions. Having you here, Brother, is very reassuring.”

“Not at all. You’re too kind. You, Ascetic, have more important work to do – you’re not someone who should be held back by such matters. I am merely a tool to fulfill your will.”

Uh… y-yes.

A tool… I-I never really thought of you that way though…?

Mmm, still, I’m not someone whose character is completely rotten, so I never thought of you as a tool…

I hid my confusion and smiled while patting his head.

“Truly dependable…”

As I said this, a status window appeared before my eyes.

[ – 1.0.0 Update Complete – ]

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