The Life of a Wise Cult Leader - Chapter 120

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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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Chapter 120

 

I opened my eyes with my body feeling somewhat better.

 

“Ah.”

 

The fourth day of the Dawn Festival had begun.

 

I got up from a very soft and luxurious bed. It seemed I had collapsed from the aftereffects of using my full power right after the fake fight with Erendor and Tuba.

 

Seeing how peaceful everything was, nothing serious must have happened.

 

I rang the bell placed beside me to call an attendant. The attendant hurriedly brought me water and various medicines, but I politely declined them.

 

If medicine could help, this body would have already healed long ago. This was just the price of using too much divine power at once with a human body.

 

To casually use my full power from earlier… that is, to spam ultimate skills, I’d need to have a god’s body.

 

Even after gaining the divine power of defense, a human body is still fragile. I need to be careful.

 

This time I learned the limits of my full power, like knowing one’s drinking capacity, so maybe I broke even.

 

“How is the situation outside?”

 

“Rain of light is falling. The rain of light that the Saint sent down is blessing the Empire…!”

 

As soon as I woke up and asked about the outside situation, the moved attendant said flattering words about me. But those words were a bit strange. Rain of light? What is this about?

 

As I was confused, the attendant kindly continued.

 

“The prayer that the Saint sent flying to the sky.”

 

Yes, that ultimate skill.

 

“After that prayer disappeared into the sky, rain made of light began falling in this area. Even though it became pitch black when the eclipse started! Moreover, those who were touched by that rain said their health improved slightly and minor colds were cured, and when they collected and drank that rain, their illnesses were healed. Thanks to the Saint, my family was saved too. Thank you so much!”

 

What? I don’t remember doing anything like that.

 

Without my knowledge, my ultimate skill had gained an effect. So my ultimate skill apparently sprinkles area-of-effect healing elixir with a time delay.

 

‘Completely useless…’

 

Ah, no. Maybe not. I might have modified it slightly wrong somehow.

 

If I had done it differently instead of shooting light, maybe the ultimate effect would have changed?

 

‘Damn it, I’ll just collect sacred relics and definitely get an attack skill.’

 

No matter how I use the defense divine power to create invisible walls and do something, it’s still defense in the end.

 

I can apply invisible walls to fly through the sky or crush those who enter the range, but that’s all there is to it.

 

I gradually realized it. I need attack skills now.

 

‘Ah, right. Anyway, since I ruined the Empire’s festival and even stole and offered the Sacred Fire, I should be able to get the ‘Veil’. If I apply that somehow, it might become something.’

 

“Eon wishes to see you, I’ll excuse myself!”

 

Click.

 

Eon, who had been waiting outside, came in.

 

“A-Ascetic. Are you feeling better? When I heard you collapsed, I was so w-worried… Huuung.”

 

Eon had been sniffling from the moment he entered, then as he walked toward me, he finally burst into tears.

 

Don’t cry, I have no hobby of wiping a man’s tears…! Of course, I have no hobby of wiping women’s tears either! Comforting crying people is the most annoying and disgusting thing!

 

However, a cult leader is someone who lives off others’ tears. I did my duty and diligently comforted Eon.

 

“Sniff.”

 

“I’d like to know what happened outside. Is there perhaps a newspaper or something?”

 

“I’ll bring one within an hour…! No, 30 minutes. I’ll bring it within that time!”

 

He could have sent some underlings to do it, but he went himself – what a good person.

 

After some time had passed, I contacted Erendor.

 

‘I’m awake.’

 

-‘You’re awake? The Boss wants to meet you. It wasn’t as spectacularly ruined as expected, but he seems satisfied just with switching the Sacred Fire and temporarily suspending the 4th, 5th, and 6th day festivals. Well, he seems most pleased about switching the Sacred Fire.’

 

Ah, that real Sacred Fire I diverted to steal Divine Power is about to be offered as tribute to their Boss!

 

Well… right now I need to curry favor with Harmony’s leader, so giving such gifts is unavoidable.

 

I’ll retrieve it later if possible, and asked about the main point.

 

‘When would be good to meet?’

 

Hehe, reward time! After completing a quest, the thing to do is receive rewards.

 

Erendor answered cleanly.

 

-‘Tomorrow.’

 

I pondered for a moment before answering.

 

‘Since I just woke up, if I suddenly meet a stranger tomorrow… those around me won’t stand for it. Especially right after an attack by unidentified terrorists.’

 

-‘Haha.’

 

‘The security around me will be strengthened too, and to make time separately, I’ll need to delay the timing a bit more. I’m not sure if Harmony’s Boss will be okay with that…’

 

-‘Seeing this incident, he seems to have a lot to discuss, so he’ll probably accommodate. My friend is capable, so the Boss will want to talk leisurely too.’

 

It’s fortunate he thinks well of me.

 

Honestly, part of me thought ‘Is this all you managed to ruin the festival? I thought you had bigger capabilities, but you’re just small fry!’ and would immediately tell Tuba to kill me.

 

-‘When the appointment is set, I’ll let you know through Ifrit.’

 

Spirits are basically only visible to a very few naturally gifted individuals.

 

Using that, Erendor used Ifrit as a convenient communication method.

 

It’s just funny using a High-Grade Spirit for lighting cigarettes and delivering letters.

 

Erendor mentioned that Tuba got burns from the Sacred Fire that won’t heal.

 

I said I’d heal him when we meet again and cut off the Voice Transmission.

 

“So all that’s left is the masquerade ball…”

 

Since the 4th, 5th, and 6th day festivals were cancelled, what remains are the closing ritual ceremonies, the masquerade ball for Nobles and high-ranking officials, and the Commoners’ festival.

 

The ritual ceremonies needed the Sacred Fire anyway so they’ll be cancelled, and the only thing I’ll participate in is the masquerade ball.

 

Eon came in at just the right time.

 

Eon brought an armful of scrolls, newspapers, and viewing orbs, dumping them all on my bed. Oh, this viewing orb is quite state-of-the-art, isn’t it?

 

“I nearly fainted when I belatedly saw the Ascetic fighting through the viewing orb…!”

 

“I’m sorry for worrying you.”

 

Yeah, yeah, sure. Whether Eon was whining or not, I was busy reading the breaking news spread across the bed.

 

The newspapers with my face drawn on them and those listing my biography were thoroughly busy praising me.

 

Last time, they were busy criticizing my greeting at the Sunrise Festival, saying it was a prayer to myself rather than to Lumensia, calling it inappropriate.

 

Since the Empire originally has no freedom of press or publication, if you think that public opinion was also a scheme by the Central Church and Empire to bring me down, the intention these newspapers point to is clear.

 

The Central Church forces have started turning to my side.

 

I watched the viewing orb showing me fighting spectacularly with flashing lights and soaring flames.

 

It was filmed really well, like a Hollywood movie with heavy CG.

 

Erendor did flashy things like making fire pillars rise sequentially when he didn’t need to, or staging it like bringing a phoenix from the sky.

 

I didn’t notice because I was focused only on combat.

 

I don’t know if it was a video orb that someone was recording, but the shaky screen made it feel really realistic.

 

The battle in the video orb was thrilling. The ground shattered and the earth split apart. Fire blazed and smoke filled the air.

 

From the sky, lightning-like light poured down, scattering starlight.

 

Among all this, only three people stood upright.

 

I was kicked by Erendor when I momentarily let my guard down, sent flying and crashed into the temple.

 

The video orb vividly captured exclamations like ‘Oh no! Saint!’

 

Erendor was slowly approaching me. So this is what he was doing while I was buried.

 

The moment he tried to grab a stone fragment from the temple, the pile of temple stones burst outward with me at the center.

 

‘Oh, it looks quite impressive from a third person’s perspective! I like how well it was filmed. This would sell really well if I made propaganda with it!’

 

Everything after that was the same as what I knew.

 

We fought back and forth, then I gathered light like an ultimate skill and launched it at Erendor. The light flew in a fan shape, but not a single building was destroyed.

 

Erendor collapsed, and I also fell to my knees. Tuba took Erendor and fled.

 

The moment I collapsed and fainted, golden rain fell from the sky.

 

‘So that’s how that rain happened. Since I need to use full power for this, I’ll never use it again… Though considering I used full power, it wasn’t very helpful, so I really won’t use it again…!’

 

A healer who becomes incapacitated after casting an area healing prayer? Completely useless. The performance is lacking!

 

It’s not even an area resurrection skill, yet I fainted. How pathetic…

 

If I were running dungeons, this would be a healer I wouldn’t bother bringing along.

 

[Basic attacks, passives, instant healing and debuff removal skills are all good, but the ultimate sucks. It’s decent if you match the options, but matching options costs too many resources. More like A- tier than S tier.]

 

That’s the kind of rating this would get.

 

I pushed away the video orb I had finished watching and roughly skimmed through the newspapers and various documents and scrolls. The sound of fluttering paper could be heard.

 

‘Nothing particularly noteworthy.’

 

It seems like a good time to start working on ‘Creating My Own Religion!’

 

I’ve seen enough of the Central Church’s probing for now.

 

“You’ve only just awakened, yet you’re already handling state affairs… Please don’t overexert yourself. If your health deteriorates because of this…”

 

“I’m fine. I know my own body well. Back then, I simply fainted from exhaustion after suddenly exerting all my strength.”

 

“That… normally that’s what we call a health problem…?”

 

“Do you know what my next schedule is? Don’t I have many things I need to do?”

 

“There’s only the masked ball on the 7th day where you need to appear and give a blessing.”

 

“Was no one injured in this chaos?”

 

“All the patients in this area were healed by the rain you bestowed, Ascetic… Truly, gracious Ascetic… Please take good care of your precious body.”

 

I just let it go in one ear and out the other.

 

“Yes, of course. Since I need to be alive to accomplish my mission, I plan to take good care of my body until I fulfill that mission.”

 

Eon made a frustrated expression that said ‘No, that’s not what I meant, oh really.’

 

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

 

There were two people outside the door, holding trays. It seemed to be a meal.

 

“It looks like the meal has arrived. If you haven’t eaten yet, wouldn’t you like to join me, Eon?”

 

Grumble.

 

Eon’s stomach made a sound too loud to ignore. The timing was perfectly aligned as if God had helped.

 

Eon stammered with a bright red face, then bowed his head deeply and answered.

 

His pale pink hair was similar in color to his face. Like a peach, this guy…

 

“Th, then I’ll help myself.”

 

There were foods that seemed tailored for me as a patient, like liquid meals that were easy to swallow, as well as regular meat and bread dishes.

 

I ate the patient food while Eon ate things like bread and meat. Fortunately, there was plenty of food.

 

It’s really nice to see him eating well. Is it Korean DNA? Just watching him eat heartily makes me want to give him more food and such…

 

Come to think of it, how old was Eon?

 

“Eon, how old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”

 

“Um, I’m not sure exactly, but I think I’m around 17…? Hehe, since I don’t have parents, it might not be accurate.”

 

A, a minor. And an orphan at that.

 

I felt a strange sense of kinship and my emotions became complicated, so I pushed the meat dish toward Eon.

 

“…?”

 

“Please eat plenty.”

 

“…??”

 

Eon protested that he was a proper adult who had officially come of age and was a priest, telling me not to treat him like a child, but I couldn’t hear the words of someone who was clearly just 17 years old.

 

In the end, Eon couldn’t go against my authority as a Saint and ate plenty of the meat dish until his stomach was full and he was panting.

 

Eon’s characteristic clumsiness, innocence, and naivety came from his young age.

 

‘But why did they assign such a kid as my surveillance officer?’

 

The thorough and self-sufficient ‘Guardian’ Yelena.

 

A 17-year-old innocent rookie priest who came as her replacement.

 

‘To lower my guard through Eon? If so, what kind of guard are they trying to lower…?’

 

“It was really delicious, thank you!”

 

Teacher wouldn’t assign Eon to me without reason.

 

“Not at all. Rather, I should thank you for helping me eat food that would have gone to waste. But… I’ve been so busy I forgot to ask, why did you become my assigned priest?”

 

“Um, first…”

 

Eon thought for a moment, then spoke without hesitation.

 

“The Ascetic who strives to practice good and punish evildoers looked really cool. Moreover, your character is as benevolent as if you’re not human, looking down upon all of us lacking people with compassion. Like God rather than a Saint! That’s something absolutely impossible for an ordinary person to do.”

 

Eon was enthusiastically talking about me who wasn’t really me, like some kind of fanboy.

 

No, that’s fine, but I want to know information about the person who assigned you to me.

 

“So when applications opened to serve the Ascetic, I quickly applied! Actually, I’m not particularly outstanding as a priest, so I thought I wouldn’t be selected, but I was incredibly lucky to be chosen!”

 

So it was an application process? But what was the reason for specifically choosing Eon from among all the applicants?

 

“There’s not much work to do, and I’m really fortunate to have the opportunity to assist the Ascetic up close. This will probably be the pride and glory of my lifetime.”

 

“I see. I can only express infinite gratitude that you think of it that way, Eon.”

 

The cord connecting Eon to me was strong.

 

Those words were true.

 

My thoughts couldn’t continue to their end.

 

Knock knock knock.

 

Just being outside the door, yet even while suppressing their presence, I could feel that pitch-black aura.

 

“A visitor has come for a sick visit. Please have the person inside leave.”

 

It was darkness that sucked everything in like a black hole.

 

Teacher had arrived.

—————
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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