The Life of a Wise Cult Leader - Chapter 160

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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 160

 

I was so overwhelmed with work that I reminisced about my time in the Demon Realm as if it had been paradise.

 

Since I had modified the plan, I had to go to Harmony to discuss various things, and I also had to secretly visit the Magic Tower to create Cel mk.2.

 

The extremely busy Saint truly wanted Cel Mk.2 to be completed so he could use clone techniques or something. However, despite all the running around, there weren’t many immediate results.

 

‘Faith is stagnating due to the Central Church’s interference.’

 

Those who believed in me didn’t change their minds, but those who didn’t believe in me harbored even more ill feelings toward me.

 

This was the kind of ill feeling that wouldn’t be swayed no matter how hard I flapped my mouth in front of them or how much I showed off my abilities.

 

It was almost hatred… a collective rejection.

 

And what fueled this was the Anti-Ascetic Faction forces within the Central Church. The pro-Saint faction forces that supported me weren’t major figures to begin with, so they were bound to be overpowered.

 

‘The Banquet Master seems to have chosen to stay neutral.’

 

Taking my side here would only make the Banquet Master’s position ambiguous, and the citizens don’t even know what the Banquet Master is.

 

Only some established noble families know about it, so even if the Banquet Master showed protection for me, how much could they really show?

 

They’d probably say, “What’s the Banquet Master? Some place where you eat festival food?”

 

Even if the Banquet Master itself tried to create favorable laws or do something for me, it would seem forced.

 

It’s not worth protecting me to the point of facing backlash.

 

And the most important thing here is that the Banquet Master doesn’t protect me.

 

Only Teacher protects me.

 

I sank deep into my chair in my office. It was a spine-crushing posture, but being able to sit without caring about such things was the most awesome part.

 

‘The ceasefire negotiations had to happen eventually, even if not now. It’s not to benefit the Empire, but to benefit the neighboring country.’

 

I couldn’t let the Empire fight the Demon Realm while cutting down the Empire’s mighty power, allowing Centa to reorganize during the national crisis, and the Demon Realm to secure Lumensia’s defense and offensive measures.

 

I took out a small fruit from a paper bag and picked it up with two fingers to feed to Ife.

 

Ife would wander around on my desk looking at documents, and when she got hungry, she’d take one bite at a time.

 

The tiny thing ate quite a lot. This must be the second bag already.

 

‘I don’t know how the Anti-Ascetic Faction suddenly rose to power.’

 

I definitely thought I had secured the Saint position by putting on performances and making it mine.

 

And even after that, although I stopped paying attention to the Central Church, the Anti-Ascetic Faction shouldn’t have had this much power.

 

“Was there someone that smart?”

 

-{Hamnya.}

 

Ife, whose midsection had become bulgy, answered stupidly.

 

-{Don’t humans sometimes have those whose heads work well when doing evil things? It must be because of that.}

 

“I guess that’s it?”

 

I fed Ife the last berry and tidied up the bag. Ife made a fuss.

 

-{Give me more!}

 

“You ate two whole bags. If you eat more, you’ll become a pig.”

 

-{I’ve told you many times that spirits don’t gain weight! You have so much money too! Ascetic is a cheapskate.}

 

“Cheap, cheapskate? Where did you learn such words?”

 

-{Hmph. I won’t tell you. Cheapskate.}

 

I grabbed Ife by just her tail and let her dangle, but stopped because it felt like I was bullying a weak animal. I just patted her head gently instead.

 

-{This isn’t petting, you’re just hitting my head, aren’t you!}

 

“You talk too much, really. Fine. Let’s go buy berries.”

 

-{Why not have Eon do it? The ones Eon brings taste better.}

 

“You don’t like what I buy?”

 

-{Ascetic doesn’t even know how to pick fruit, does he?}

 

“Let’s go, go. I’ll pick some really amazing fruit.”

 

Where did this gluttony come from? Compared to her appetite and eating, her body doesn’t grow much, so I wondered if I should give her some nutritional supplements.

 

‘Should I ask Erendor if there are nutritional supplements for spirits? He’d probably say no, right?’

 

I strutted through the market with Ife on me.

 

Naturally, I was wearing a veil and robe as a set and had changed out of the conspicuous white Central Church Saint robes.

 

-{That one! That that that that!}

 

Ife pointed with her tail at a fruit that looked like an apple. Looking closer, it was shiny and yellow for an apple.

 

While I was picking some decent apples, the old woman at the stall spoke to me.

 

“Those are golden apples. Very sweet and delicious. They’re probably the sweetest among fruits.”

 

It reminded me of borrowing that worn-out Greek and Roman mythology book with torn corners from the school library.

 

“I’ll take five of these.”

 

I put the fruit in the basket I brought. Ife slithered into the basket trying to gnaw on the fruit.

 

“I’ll cut it for you when we get back. Don’t try so hard, just be patient a little longer.”

 

-{If I get just a little bigger, I could eat an apple like this in one bite…}

 

When I first saw her, she was like a small earthworm that had grown a bit, but even now when fully stretched, she’s still only the length of my forearm, so I don’t know when she’ll grow that big.

 

Ife, reading my thoughts, crawled over with effort and bit me repeatedly, but with her dull teeth, it was just funny.

 

I walked back to my office while talking with Ife. The golden apples in the basket sparkled unusually.

 

“These aren’t really made of gold, are they?”

 

-{They smell delicious, so they can’t be gold!}

 

The market was lively as usual, but there were differences from before. Some stalls were empty and some shops had clearly closed down.

 

‘Since we made a ceasefire, trade routes should have opened up and there should be more merchants.’

 

Was it different from when we waged conquest wars and took goods and resources for pennies?

 

“Those apples look quite appetizing, don’t they?”

 

The old woman from earlier spoke to me from a fish stall. I must have walked at least 50 meters from the apple stall…

 

“I love those golden apples the most.”

 

Her voice sounded quite young for an old woman. Ife hissed and was on guard.

 

“…Yes, they did look quite delicious. That’s why I bought five of them.”

 

I replied nonchalantly and tried to pass by. Since I was wearing a veil, unless they were quite skilled, they shouldn’t be able to figure out my identity.

 

Ife crawled from the basket to me, asking what that old woman was.

 

The old woman left her stall and followed me, continuing to speak.

 

“Young man there, won’t you talk with me more? It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone I can communicate with, and I’m feeling lonely.”

 

I was walking quickly to avoid the old woman who stuck to me like a leech, but despite her hunched body, she was quite fast.

 

‘This is a dangerous one.’

 

Spider legs? An assassin from another faction targeting me? Whatever it was, I couldn’t fight here. There were too many people and it was a residential area… I didn’t have attack skills or defense skills to begin with.

 

‘The bell isn’t ringing, but it’s better to be careful.’

 

I spoke to the old woman without even making eye contact.

 

“I need to head back now. I’m sorry.”

 

“Don’t be like that, young man. Come with me… yes, how about we talk while eating those apples?”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“Oh my.”

 

The old woman’s hunched back began to straighten with a bizarre sound. I stopped my quickly moving legs.

 

The old woman’s lower face, now grown tall, transformed into the clean lower face of a young man without pockmarks or warts.

 

As the shabby robe slid down, what was revealed underneath wasn’t the wrinkled hands of an old woman.

 

Smooth, pale hands like those of a nobleman. Those hands reached toward my basket. No, precisely toward the golden apples in the basket.

 

“Things like this… don’t taste good when eaten alone…”

 

He tapped my basket. The basket tilted and the golden apples spilled out.

 

Roll roll roll-.

 

One apple rolled and stopped at the feet of a passing child.

 

“Oh? An apple!”

 

The moment the child tried to pick up the apple cheerfully.

 

“Give it to me! It’s mine!”

 

The child’s mother, who was nearby, suddenly pushed the child roughly and snatched the apple. With her eyes rolled back.

 

“Ahhh! Mother?”

 

“This is mine! I saw it first!”

 

The market street froze in an instant. It wasn’t simple greed. What filled people’s eyes was ‘madness.’

 

Instinctive disgust welled up. The man whispered softly in my ear.

 

“Discord… requires just one tiny seed.”

 

A system window suddenly popped up.

 

[Warning! Target in front – Being from Another World -]

 

[Ascetic sir, it’s a Demon.]

 

“Were you surprised?”

 

In an instant, the market became chaos. The Guard Unit came rushing out. Amidst all that chaos, only the two of us stood still. Facing each other.

 

“Puhup, puhahahaha…”

 

The Man clutched his stomach and laughed.

 

“Ah, what a truly entertaining sight.”

 

Was dropping those apples earlier to make people fight some kind of skill?

 

[Gathering information…]

 

If he’s a Demon, he might have related abilities.

 

Probably mental-type abilities? If so, they won’t work on me. That’s why he’s talking to me like this.

 

I don’t know what the activation conditions are, so let’s not respond to his words.

 

“I really, really enjoy watching these bundles of possibility fight like this! To think that with such brilliant possibilities, all they do is engage in such vulgar brawling… It’s so funny I could cry.”

 

Bundles of possibility? Is that how Demons refer to Humans?

 

“….”

 

“You don’t seem to find it funny. Your expression looks stiff.”

 

Let’s not respond. If it’s the type that induces answers, who knows what might happen.

 

Even if my mental power stats are high, if he’s a Demon from another world or Lumensia’s minion, in the worst case I might lose in a mental battle. I’m still only at demigod level.

 

He’s even seeing through the World’s Darkest Veil. In terms of presence and aura, he seems weaker than Teacher, but…

 

If it’s something that induces madness in people, then similar to me, or perhaps…

 

“Are you not going to have a conversation at all? Then there’s no point in me coming all the way here.”

 

When I didn’t answer, the Man tilted his head. His finger went tap, tap, drumming against his own lips.

 

“You’re being too cautious. Well, if you’ve been selected as a vessel to this degree, you should have at least this much awareness. Is my voice… a bit irritating?”

 

He giggled and laughed, but his eyes were chillingly cold.

 

“Don’t worry. It won’t work on you. You’re already… so full of ‘too many things’ that there’s no room for my ‘little seeds’ to enter.”

 

I didn’t trust him and asked Cel.

 

‘Is what he said true?’

 

[Analysis complete. There is no probability of being affected by the opponent’s skill through conversation alone.]

 

Only after receiving confirmation did I open my mouth.

 

“Is that so? That’s fortunate. Why did you come here? Did you come to kill me?”

 

“Oh, unfortunately not. I can’t kill you. That’s why I came for this pointless conversation, isn’t it? If I could have killed you, I would have already ruined that vessel ritual or devoured this world on the first try.”

 

“…!”

 

This bastard, does he know about what happened before the world reset?

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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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