The Life of a Wise Cult Leader - Chapter 138

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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 138

 

He was not a merciful savior who rescued an oppressed slave child.

 

He was a merchant to his very bones. Antonio had seen through the value of a ‘gemstone’ that no one else could recognize, even in the worst mud pit of a slave trader’s beast cage.

 

Even the cruel sight of biting ankles, he did not dismiss as a characteristic trait of the Demon Race. Rather, he considered it like a guarantee certificate that would make the value of that ‘gemstone’ shine even brighter.

 

A merchant’s eye was truly remarkable, sharp enough to cut.

 

I set down my teacup.

 

“So, how do you plan to polish that ‘gemstone’? Antonio.”

 

“I’ll need to attach a teacher. And dress her in good clothes, feed her good food. She’ll grow up together with my daughter in a warm place.”

 

“Couldn’t that child bare her fangs at your daughter or at you, Antonio?”

 

Antonio laughed like a mastermind with a “kekekeke” before answering.

 

“Under the whip, anyone will bare their sharp fangs. But Ascetic, even beasts know gratitude. Moreover, if she has something to protect and I care for her no differently than my own daughter… that child will come to cherish not only my daughter but even me more than her own life.”

 

Wow. I almost gave Antonio a round of applause. He seems more like a mastermind than me? There really was a reason why Antonio and I worked so well together.

 

A beast tamed by the whip submits to a stronger whip, but a beast tamed by kindness willingly throws away its life for its owner.

 

“What a truly excellent idea, Antonio.”

 

I picked up my teacup with genuine admiration.

 

“That child will become your and your daughter’s sharpest sword, beyond what you can imagine.”

 

“I’ll make it so.”

 

Antonio took a sip of tea with a satisfied smile.

 

Then I won’t have to worry anymore since I’m entrusting protection to that child. Good. My worries were gradually disappearing.

 

“Now, let’s get to the main point.”

 

Since Antonio’s personal story was over, it was time to bring up my main topic. Antonio’s expression immediately returned to the competent business mode of the ‘Golden Merchant Guild Leader.’

 

“First, we need to clean up the aftermath of the ‘Red Serpent Trading Company.'”

 

“…! You’ve already made your move?”

 

Antonio’s eyes widened slightly.

 

What surprised him wasn’t the fact that I had killed someone, but the ‘speed’ of it. We’d been working together long enough that murder wouldn’t shock him.

 

“Yes. It was something that needed to be handled quickly. There’s a headless body in the third-floor office.”

 

I calmly conveyed the facts.

 

“A Harmony inspector took the head as evidence, so I’d be grateful if you could cleanly dispose of what remains.”

 

“… .”

 

Antonio was silent for a moment, but he was different from Tuba. He didn’t show disgust or revulsion. He just… seemed to be reassessing my ‘capabilities.’

 

“Understood. I’ll send someone. I heard the Young Lady is in charge of controlling the trading district…”

 

“Yes. The Young Lady has been helping us tremendously. Thankfully. Only rats will be coming and going from that empty trading company.”

 

Antonio nodded.

 

“And, this is also what I mentioned through Voice Transmission last time…”

 

I opened the box I had placed on the table. It contained ledgers and scattered stolen goods, bundles of unknown keys, and so on. It was the box I had brought earlier.

 

“Please absorb all of the Red Serpent Trading Company’s assets and all the illegal businesses they operated into Brother Antonio’s trading company.”

 

Since this was a fact I had already announced once and was now stating again in person, Antonio accepted it calmly without surprise.

 

“With that dirty money, I’ll do the cleanest work possible.”

 

I looked out the window. I could see the demon race mixed-blood child still wearing a veil, warily accepting and eating the snacks that Antonio’s subordinate was offering.

 

“I’m talking about the ‘orphanage’ I mentioned to you.”

 

“…Ah.”

 

“With that money, I will build the safest and most sturdy orphanage in the Empire.”

 

Though that sturdiness would be regarding my faith!

 

I looked at Antonio again. His eyes were trembling with excitement and wonder.

 

“With the blood-stained money of those who used to ‘harvest’ children, we’ll build a fortress that protects the most children in the Empire. Could there be any more satisfying revenge than this?”

 

I smiled beneath my veil.

 

Antonio closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them. On his face, like mine, a smile was spreading. It was an expression of deep emotion.

 

“Ascetic…”

 

He murmured quietly.

 

“I will do as you command. I will devote all my strength to completing your great work and move as your first faithful servant.”

 

“You always work so hard, Antonio.”

 

“Hard work? Rather, it’s an incomparable honor. I’m simply grateful for the fact that I can share in this noble mission.”

 

Yahoo. That’s my Antonio~ My capable Antonio who brings me 10, even 100 when I say 1~

 

‘I don’t know if the Central Church will approve the construction permit, but I’ll try to do it legally until I can, and if that really doesn’t work, I’ll have to go illegal.’

 

Whether they knew I was trying to establish a new religion, the Central Church had been interfering too much. Even when I tried to make an example by taking someone’s head, the situation made me hesitant…

 

‘If I make that kind of mess again with punishment under the pretense of judgment, even the existing pro-Saint faction will turn away.’

 

Even Tuba saw my state and ran away quickly, saying ‘ah, this is a bit much.’ Still, thanks to asking Erendor, I gained some self-awareness.

 

A person of extraordinary ability casually punishing grotesque people and laughing heartily?

 

Setting aside whether they’d think that person has mental problems, they’d definitely try to escape without catching his attention. If they got noticed, their situation would surely become similar to those grotesque people rolling on the ground.

 

“Then since you must be busy, I’ll take my leave now.”

 

“You’re welcome to stay longer.”

 

Antonio wanted me to stay longer, but you have work to do and I have work to do – we’re working adults. Working adults are, after all, adults who suppress their regretful feelings and castrate their desires to some extent while doing their own work…

 

“I’ll stop by again next time. I hope you can tell me the child’s name then.”

 

“Yes, please get home safely.”

 

*

 

My steps returning to my personal temple were light. Everything had gone smoothly and well.

 

Of course, I still had to go to the Demon Realm, rescue Sernuan, and kill believers…

 

There’s a lot to do ahead, but anyway, since Antonio said he’d efficiently solve the recent troublesome matters, everything’s okay!

 

The system is still broken, and my stomach is churning…

 

“…Ugh.”

 

Something fishy and hot surged up from deep in my throat.

 

I reflexively covered my mouth, but dark red blood gushed out between my fingers.

 

“Cough, ugh… Haa…”

 

It was the penalty from the Sacred Relic. It couldn’t be a believer penalty. I was fortunate it didn’t happen in front of Antonio.

 

When I waved my hand, the blood clots and blood were purified and disappeared with a soft sound.

 

Ah, thinking about it again, purification really is overpowered. Later on, won’t people just start disappearing when I think they’re dirty?

 

“God of Darkness.”

 

I didn’t call out the real name. If I did, my tongue would burst or my eyeballs would pop out due to the difference in status.

 

The veil that had been showing me my ordinary temple room shimmered and took me to space. I saw a massive eye.

 

“I was in a hurry back then and couldn’t hear the explanation. What exactly is your power?”

 

The giant eyeball floating through space focused on me.

 

That voice didn’t ring directly in my head, but was more like a cold wave that vibrated through my bones.

 

-{You made a contract… without even knowing that…?}

 

Ah, I was busy, when would I have time to read all the contract terms.

 

“You’re the God of Darkness, so I figured you’d be strong.”

 

The God of Darkness hammered into my head ‘Such an insolent contractor! Insolent! Insolent!’ like a chant. We already made a contract, so why get upset now. Do all old folks become like this?

 

Reading my thoughts, the God of Darkness flew into a rage and tried to melt half my brain. I begged desperately and barely managed to save my brain.

 

“Right. Your sacred relic, this veil. What exactly does it do? It can’t just be a face covering.”

 

If it were the original veil, it would just be an item that lowered recognition, but now that I’ve contracted with the God of Darkness, it’s different.

 

-{…Contractor. Do you call an ‘artifact’ imbued with my divine power… just a cloth piece…?}

 

“Right now when I don’t know its abilities, it’s just a cloth piece.”

 

-{Fine. My power exists in a realm that your shallow understanding cannot fathom… but I shall make you ‘perceive’ a portion of that divine power as my ‘contractor’.}

 

Suddenly, sensations about the veil swept through my mind.

 

-{My essence is ‘nothingness’ and ‘absence’.}

 

-{My power is ‘silence’. To exist, yet not exist. That is the essence of ‘death’ and ‘darkness’.}

 

Information flowed in.

 

It wasn’t just lowered recognition. If I properly used the divine power… wearing the veil, I would become ‘an existence not worth perceiving’.

 

I could become the ‘wind’ passing through corridors, the ‘darkness’ cast in room corners, or a ‘landscape painting’ hanging on walls.

 

Others would ‘see’ me. But their brains wouldn’t ‘perceive’ me. Just like meaningless objects passing by, or like air.

 

‘This would be useful.’

 

And the second ability rushed into my mind like a wave. I could understand its usage naturally, as if I had learned it through long experience.

 

All the ‘shadows’ in this world were territory belonging to the God of Darkness.

 

Starting from shadows in door cracks, walking out through the darkness under beds. Divine power that could go anywhere dark.

 

‘Holy shit. Legendary.’

 

A transportation device had appeared!

 

The giant eyeball pierced through me with its gaze.

 

-{…However, contractor. My ‘manifestation’ is not yet complete. My divine power is also restricted…}

 

“Restricted?”

 

-{The ‘veil’ you wear is not perfect ‘meaninglessness’. It is merely ‘low presence’. Ignorant commoners will not perceive you… but those with strong power, those blessed by other gods, or those with strong ‘status’ like the ‘widow’ you speak of will feel discomfort within that ‘meaninglessness’. It means they may ‘perceive’ your presence.}

 

So it doesn’t work on those above a certain level. Well, that’s fine.

 

-{Also, the ‘footsteps treading through darkness’ are unstable. The path I currently permit… only connects to shadows of places your eyes have reached or that you clearly ‘remember’. Leaping into unfamiliar darkness is a gamble. You could lose your way and be trapped forever ‘between’.}

 

Hmm. It’s natural for transportation devices to have restrictions. Still, I should be relieved that I got a transportation device!

 

“What’s the penalty?”

 

The God of Darkness isn’t perfect. There must be natural penalties for using such power.

 

When I asked, the god’s eyeball narrowed as if mocking.

 

-{My power… devours your very ‘existence’ itself.}

 

“…!”

 

-{My essence is ‘absence’. The more you wear my ‘veil’ and walk the ‘shadow path’, the more that ‘absence’ will seep into you. If you become intoxicated by my power and abuse it…}

 

The massive eye gazed at me.

 

-{From the memories of others… and finally… from your own memories… your existence will begin to be erased.}

 

I shouldn’t be so happy about this. The penalty is more severe than I thought…

 

‘If it’s not urgent, I should try not to use it as much as possible…’

 

-{My business is finished, so withdraw… Any further ‘conversation’ is unnecessary waste…}

 

I removed the veil. Then the vast universe disappeared and I could see just my ordinary room in the temple.

 

“… .”

 

I looked down at the ‘World’s Darkest Veil’ in my hand.

 

‘My existence… will be erased.’

 

Kalebrin, Yelena, Cardil, Celestia… All these ‘relationships’ themselves could disappear.

 

‘Still, the worst thing would be hoarding it and then it becoming useless.’

 

I fondled the veil with my hands while not wearing it, carefully thinking of the connections that were precious and useful to me.

 

‘The most dangerous situations would be… Yelena and Antonio first. I should tell them to call me if anything happens. Since I can go to them right away now…’

 

I contacted Yelena and Antonio saying ‘call me if you’re in a really really super urgent life-or-death situation’.

 

When Yelena heard this and asked ‘how do I contact you’, I pondered for a moment. Voice Transmission isn’t two-way…

 

I guess I’ll have to contact Antonio and get an artifact or something.

 

I contacted Antonio asking him to give Yelena an expensive artifact that allows two-way communication, then cut off the Voice Transmission.

 

And then I began working on the Saint’s duties in earnest.

 

First, before establishing an orphanage, image management is essential!

 

I sent a letter to a nearby operating orphanage.

 

[In the season when flowers wither, the Empire’s Ascetic comes to see children suffering from the pain of losing their parents.]

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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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