The Life of a Wise Cult Leader - Chapter 123
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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 123
I approached Alderion. Alderion greeted me with an expression he didn’t usually wear.
“I was waiting since I heard there would be fireworks soon.”
“Ah, has it already become that time? I apologize for making you wait.”
“Not at all.”
“….”
We quietly watched from a corner of the ballroom as crowds moved to the terrace to see the fireworks.
“You seemed to be on intimate terms with the Young Lady.”
=Are you dating?
“It’s thanks to the Young Lady looking favorably upon me. When she first saw me at the Banquet Hall, she said she felt a divine aura and wanted to become personally close with me.”
=Would she? She’s just a believer. Don’t think too much of it.
“Hahahaha.”
“Ahahahaha.”
We laughed while wearing our masks. It was truly the most joyless laughter in the world.
“That’s too bad. A handsome man and beautiful woman together looked quite lovely.”
“How can you say such things when I’m already married to God? You could be arrested for blasphemy, so watch your words, Alderion.”
Hehe. If not now, when else would I get to needle Teacher?
“…I misspoke. By the way, I found a good place for conversation, shall we go there?”
“Yes. That sounds good.”
I wish he wouldn’t speak in a tone that suggests taking me somewhere secluded to do something shady.
On the second floor of the ballroom, private rooms lined up in a row.
Well, their purpose varied depending on how people used them, but generally they were said to be used by those who met at the ballroom to have secret meetings.
Click.
As Alderion removed his mask, his demeanor changed simultaneously.
“You must be disappointed to miss the fireworks.”
“Yes, I was rather looking forward to it. Since I’ve never seen them before.”
“Just say the word anytime. Those measly fireworks, I can set them off every single day.”
Since it was Teacher saying this while currently bursting my disguise, it had quite a bit of credibility.
“So, why did you possess Alderion’s body?”
“Getting straight to the point, are we? You must have cared for this child that much? Though it didn’t seem that way.”
“I care for everyone.”
“I didn’t know you were still playing such trivial games.”
“Teacher, you should stop going around in circles with strange words and nitpicking. You don’t even like it, do you?”
“Right, because it’s inefficient.”
I realized my tone had become sharp.
Let me regain my composure. Since she’s not someone who does inefficient things, going around in circles like that must have been to provoke me…
“Alderion was a useful card. Moderate status, moderate wealth… In contrast, he had no relatives around to notice subtle changes.”
“As Teacher, you could have used all the wealth and status as a widow.”
“I didn’t steal Alderion, Cel. I’m just borrowing him temporarily and will return him.”
“Did he consent? If he didn’t consent, then it’s stealing.”
“He consented. I was able to use his body because he agreed to it.”
…!
Is the condition for Teacher’s possession to obtain the consent of the possessed body?
‘She’s revealing this more easily than I expected.’
Teacher drew back the curtain. Since it was a soundproofed room, it was quiet despite the fireworks exploding outside.
“This body is special. It’s already been exposed to demonic energy for a long time, so it’s not affected by the demonic energy from the Demon Realm. The only flaw is that it can’t see sunlight, but physical abilities roughly 4 times higher than ordinary humans make up for that disadvantage.”
Immunity to demonic energy. Alderion could possess characteristics similar to the Demon Race.
‘Couldn’t she have used demons instead?’
Teacher kindly continued her explanation. Like teaching a student something they didn’t know.
“I merely ‘borrowed’ this body temporarily to see things I couldn’t do as a widow, so don’t be so angry.”
“Are you planning to borrow him like that occasionally in the future too?”
“I can’t say no with certainty. But anyway, Cel, are you going to continue this unproductive conversation?”
Teacher looked at me disappointedly.
The conversation was over.
‘I need to find a way to prevent her from using Alderion’s body.’
Since the card I was going to use had fallen into someone else’s hands, I had no choice but to make it unusable again.
Either steal the card back, change the picture on the card… or tear the card up.
“…I’m planning to go to the Demon Realm in two months.”
“Really? Two months. That’s faster than I expected. This side needs more preparation… Keep in mind that it might be delayed.”
“Yes.”
“Nothing more to say? Nothing you need help with? Teacher will help you as much as possible.”
Teacher really wants to help me. At least that much is true.
Though it’s because helping me benefits her as well…
‘Let’s use her when I can.’
This is all Teacher has taught me. To use others, use family, and use me.
“I’m planning to create a new religion, so I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t interfere.”
“A new religion? Wasn’t the Central Church already yours?”
“Teacher, I just… hope you’ll only watch how your student proceeds.”
“Hmm, alright. If that’s your wish, then I’ll just watch.”
“Thank you.”
“Instead, Teacher will ask you to do one thing. It’s a very simple errand.”
Teacher took out a pendant from inside her clothes.
When I received the pendant and opened it, there was a family portrait drawn on the inside lid.
“Please take this with you when you go to the Demon Realm.”
“…?”
There was nothing problematic about it. Just an ordinary, old pendant with no sorcery or magic cast on it.
“It’s just an errand to carry something, so you can do it, right?”
“…Yes.”
“Yes, don’t lose it.”
“What’s happening with the Banquet Hall?”
“Ah, the Banquet Hall? You must have heard the news from the Young Lady. The Banquet Hall has been reorganized.”
“Will I need to go back to the Banquet Hall again?”
“You probably will, but not right now.”
A clean question and answer session.
The colorful fireworks bursting outside the window gradually quiet down.
“The festival has ended.”
“Are you going home, Teacher?”
She brushed off my question with laughter and continued speaking.
“It’s time to part ways, Cel. If you have anything you want to tell Alderion, I’ll pass it along.”
“I’ll tell him directly myself. Thank you for your consideration.”
I left the room.
*
The 7th day of the Sunrise Festival.
The festival had ended.
*
They arrived at their temporary lodging. And they turned on a specially crafted projection orb.
A person who seemed real but whose edges were subtly blurred appeared in the air.
The one holding an open book in one hand closed the thick book with a sharp sound.
“Well done… Tuba, Crotal.”
“…”
“So is the Ascetic joining Harmony?”
Erendor asked casually.
“Let’s hear an explanation from the wet little rat you dragged along first.”
“A wet little rat? What kind of way is that to talk about the Sorceress Lady?”
“Shut up… Crotal…”
“The Sorceress Lady may look shabby like this, but she’s still a lady and deserves proper treatment-”
Thud!
Tuba stomped her foot. Then Erendor’s voice disappeared.
“…! …!!!”
It was a deadly and troublesome skill for mages or sorceresses who used their abilities through speech, and doing this to them was tantamount to picking a fight.
However, Erendor was a swordsman filled with muscle. Blocking his mouth didn’t significantly change his combat ability.
Erendor expressed his dissatisfaction with his body for a moment, then simply dragged over a nearby chair and plopped down.
The Boss in the crackling projection, perhaps due to poor communication from the distance, turned around. Kalebrin shrank under the Boss’s gaze.
“Speak for yourself.”
“I’m… the Ascetic’s, um, believer… something like that… The Central Church destroyed our, our vil, village… To get it back, to get it back I have to, have to follow the Ascetic…”
Even at her stammering words, Boss didn’t rush her or get angry about anything.
He was just quietly listening to what she had to say.
“The Ascetic, ac, accepted me. Yeah… New, new family.”
“Couldn’t it be that this cunning Empire lackey called the Ascetic is deceiving you into saying such things?”
“No…!”
Kalebrin suddenly raised her head. Boss, who had been dissatisfied with her inability to make eye contact, raised the corners of his mouth in satisfaction.
“Now you’re finally making eye contact and having a conversation.”
Kalebrin spoke excitedly.
“The As, Ascetic is, re, really kind…! Dif, different from other people… Different from other Cen, Central Church people, the, the aura is different.”
“What kind of aura is different?”
“The, the Ascetic is… um.”
Kalebrin waved her hand around. Then a red aura appeared.
Red smoke billowed and moved from Kalebrin’s pitch-black fingertips.
“The Ascetic is like this, like this. Other people are like this. So, the, the Ascetic is real.”
“Can you interpret that, Tuba?”
“It seems to be… the Sorceress’s language… but I don’t know…”
“Crotal, do you know?”
Crotal, whose mouth had finally loosened up, spoke.
“I don’t know. But that’s not even sorceress language, it’s just… onomatopoeia?”
“She seems to have no… talent for explanation…”
Tuba dissed Kalebrin. Kalebrin whipped around to look at Tuba.
“But the Ascetic is real. A real Saint. No, more than a Saint…”
Kalebrin shook her wavy black hair vigorously. It was an expression of tremendous affirmation and agreement.
“Ho… I didn’t know you would evaluate someone to that degree.”
“For me too, it was simple curiosity at first. The second time was because of the Demonic Sword… But when Viola killed the Ascetic…”
Erendor tapped his eyes with his index finger. The sparkling gem eyes, characteristic of one who made a Spirit Contract, stood out.
“He came back to life.”
Boss in the video made a loud crackling sound.
“And then?”
“A being that even death cannot stop… He must have fragments of God in his body, that appearance.”
“…”
Clap!
Erendor lightly clapped his hands.
“If you’re more curious, ask Viola! She’s the one who stabbed the carotid artery so well that all hell broke loose.”
“There’s no need to specifically call Viola, is there? We’ll meet her in two weeks anyway.”
“Ah well, I thought Boss might be curious in the meantime. Just hearing about the Ascetic might not be trustworthy enough for Boss either.”
Boss just brushed off Erendor’s words. It was an everyday occurrence.
“So. Why did you bring this woman?”
“The Ascetic… requested protection…”
“Why?”
“Uh… Well, from what I heard… the Empire and Central Church were… attacked…”
Erendor supplemented Tuba’s explanation.
“An assassin tried to kill her.”
“An assassin?”
“That guy from the Empire. The one Boss is grinding his teeth over, wanting revenge.”
Crackle.
The communication wavered greatly due to some unknown energy emanating from Boss’s body. He spoke through gritted teeth.
“Widow…”
“It seemed like that person was trying to kill her, so I brought her along. Anyway, if they want to eliminate her badly enough to send an assassin, it’s right for us to protect her.”
“It’s also good to… create a debt with the Ascetic…”
Tuba also took her side while pretending otherwise. Erendor thought the Ascetic’s skill at winning others to her side was truly remarkable.
The mouth of Boss in the silent video opened.
“…Welcome. Sorceress.”
Kalebrin, who had been dejected after being told she couldn’t explain, slightly raised her head.
“Though temporary, know that becoming a member of Harmony is an honor.”
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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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