The Life of a Wise Cult Leader - Chapter 161
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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 161
Is it because demons are beings from another dimension? Then does Lumensia also know that fact…?
“Not something boring like that. Ask me something more interesting.”
“Why are you answering me so obediently? That itself makes me distrust you. If you’re a demon, it would benefit you to confuse me somehow.”
“Believe only what you want to believe. Don’t believe what you don’t want to. Isn’t that what humans do? Did I think wrong?”
To my sharp retort, he slipped away nonchalantly.
‘…If he mixes lies and truth appropriately in his answers, it might be worse than not listening at all.’
Ife poked just her head out from my neck and hissed. The man smiled brightly and waved his hand at Ife.
Ife couldn’t even see the Demon King or the Commander. So he really is a demon or something.
Can demons just show up like this in the first place? If he has a physical body like this, can Lumensia also descend to reality with a physical form?
‘I thought Lumensia was in a completely different dimension or space like the God of Darkness, but what if that wasn’t the case?’
There’s too little information.
I only thought about Lumensia, but demons…
‘If they could come to Earth like this, wouldn’t all demons have descended to Earth and caused chaos? So the first assumption probably has low possibility.’
With too little information, assumptions become endless and head toward delusion. Talking with this guy who’s being relatively friendly would be the best benefit for now.
So I attempted to have a proper conversation with him.
“Why did you come to talk with me? Demon.”
“I just wanted to confirm the most threatening existence in this world. You’re the one who interferes most with our plans, and I was curious what you looked like during your human days… Something like that? Anyway, my intentions aren’t what’s important right now~ You keep asking about this stuff.”
Let’s get information first. As for the truth…
[Analyzing…]
The system will figure it out.
[Truth.]
At least as a system combined with 4.5 sacred relics and the God of Darkness, it should definitely verify the truth.
“Can demons come to Earth… like this?”
“I got some help from Lumensia. I don’t have any attack abilities so my cost is low, plus I’m the most suitable talent for interfering with you.”
[Truth.]
The system quickly produced the correct answer.
Low cost? So sending a demon to this world requires specific costs. Like my… faith.
It’s a kind of cost, and is that based on how much damage they can cause to the mortal world?
“The most perfect discord blooms not from lies, but from ‘truth’.” ​
The man poked with his toe at a golden apple that had rolled out of my basket and gotten crushed. ​Meanwhile, the chaos around us was growing worse.
“If I lie to you, you’ll be wary and not believe me, calling it ‘demonic whispers’. But if I tell the truth? You’ll analyze, worry, and listen to my words wondering ‘what does this mean’.”
He smiled brightly and looked straight into my eyes.
“Look. Even now you’re distracted trying to figure out what I am and what my purpose is.”
A conversation meant to confuse me? Then shouldn’t he not have said this either?
“How foolish. Puhaha…”
My being here provides more benefit than properly giving information.
I quickly checked the strings connected to me. And checked the vision.
It’s impossible to check all the hundreds of thousands of strings, so just the ones near me…
Cardil, Celestia. Researching at the Magic Tower.
The Harmony group. In a meeting.
Antonio’s group. Helping with Fenrir’s sword lessons.
Kalebrin and Erendor, Kalebrin is researching today too and Erendor is sleeping.
And…
…Eon?
I can’t see Eon’s vision.
The string is fi-, fine…? He’s not sleeping. I can’t access it at all.
“Did you think Lumensia would just leave you alone without any countermeasures?”
“What.”
“Oh my, your true nature? So intimidating. I’m a demon so I have no choice but to side with Lumensia, but I want to see you two fight earnestly so I’m telling you this.”
[Truth.]
The man who approached tried to grab my jaw. I stepped back and avoided it.
“Lumensia is steadily preparing while you’re still a clueless little chick. You don’t even know that Lumensia has a blade pointed at your throat right now. That’s funny too but… Hmm. There won’t even be a fight.”
[Truth.]
My preparations themselves won’t constitute a fight?
‘Of course I haven’t ascended to godhood yet, and everything is half-prepared, so it’s natural, but is the gap really that big?’
The demon whispered.
“So you’d better take the information well while I’m telling you? If you become advantageous, I won’t say a word.”
“Eon is.”
“Information is more important than that human. Talk with me more before you go. You know that lifeline is still attached, right?”
…
Right. Eon’s string shows no disturbance yet. Only the vision is blocked, so it should be… fine.
I forced myself to think that way and asked.
“What do you mean by having a blade pointed at my throat?”
“You chose information over the child!”
Eris curled up the corners of his mouth satisfactorily and giggled.​
“Well, a ‘Saint’ should know how to sacrifice the small for the great. Right? Hahahaha…”
“Stop the nonsense and tell me straight.”
“Fine. I really think it would be fun if Lumensia and you fought on equal terms. If I tell you this, you’ll handle it well on your own, right? I’m looking forward to it.”
He smiled and kindly told me.
“Saint. Do you know what farmers use when looking for truffles?”
“Pigs.”
“Correct! Pigs have sensitive noses, so they’re amazing at finding precious mushrooms hidden deep underground.”
He giggled and laughed.
“To Lumensia, the fragments of forgotten gods are like those truffles. They’re scattered and hidden all over the world, so even an omnipotent god would have trouble going around looking for them one by one.”
He clapped his hands and spread his arms wide.
“That pig is you!”
The demon swayed his upper body and shouted excitedly.
“Here’s a good pig that finds those precious fragments and even stores them neatly in its own belly!”
Cheerfully, as if telling an incredibly fun story.
“Why do you think Lumensia kept you alive? Because you’re pretty? Or because she’s afraid? Not at all. Because it’s not time for slaughter yet.”
He held out four folded fingers and said.
“The moment you gather all the sacred relics and become a complete god. That’s the day to slaughter the pig full of truffles. Lumensia plans to split open your shell and suck out only the well-refined power inside.”
…What?
[Truth.]
The system confirmed the truth without hesitation.
“Even with the noose hanging below your neck for slaughter, you’re still earnestly going around looking for fragments – it was really funny.”
The laughter echoed through the bustling market street.
“A mortal trying to become equal to a god from the start. How presumptuous. You’ll burn if you get too close to the sun.”
The demon’s cackling laughter rang out very noisily. But among all the people here, no one paid any attention to this place.
The demon probably expected me to be shocked, but I was calm.
‘Good.’
If all those words are true, then what the Demon King and I thought was right.
What we expected came true.
I don’t know if I should be happy or unhappy about this, but fortunately there seems to be time to prepare countermeasures.
I can make the existing plan more solid. The head of Harmony and the Young Lady know the plan too, so it’ll be easier.
‘Even if I’m a pig looking for truffles as the demon said, I can’t give up collecting sacred relics. That’s also part of my process to become a god…’
[Everything the demon said is true. Shall I prepare related countermeasures?]
‘No, it’s fine. Let’s discuss it more with the group later and make a plan.’
[Understood.]
‘As long as the Sacred Relics aren’t stolen along the way.’
Since the Sacred Relics could be stolen or seized during the process of gathering them within the Empire, from now on they’ll have no choice but to collect the Sacred Relics even more thoroughly.
Just as I was thinking about trying to extract a bit more information, the demon waved his hand.
“I think I’ve told you everything I’m going to tell you now. Fight hard! It’ll be so entertaining to watch Lumensia fight desperately. And it’ll be really fun to see the continent turn into a sea of flames in the process. Show me an equal fight.”
The conversation seemed to be over.
He won’t give me any more information now. That demon only told me because he wanted to see an equal fight and I was at a disadvantage.
I immediately used the veil to head toward Eon.
*
“Oh my, did he leave?”
Looking at the floor where he had slipped into the shadows, the demon smiled broadly. Then he leisurely walked through the chaotic Market Street.
“My brother is up to his tricks again today. The scales I carefully balanced are tilting toward Lumensia’s side again, aren’t they? Sigh.”
Eris let out a big sigh. Then he picked up a rolling apple. The apple, which was the main culprit that made the child and mother fight, was still gleaming without a single dent despite rolling around.
He took a bite of the apple. Perhaps because they both wanted it so much, it was really sweet and delicious.
“Should I help the Saint a little next time I meet him? Or should I stop my brother…?”
*
Eon really, really liked the Saint.
He was truly happy to have luckily manifested Divine Power and entered as a low-ranking priest to take on a role assisting by the Saint’s side, and he thought that whole series of events was a blessing from Lumensia.
Why he liked the Saint? The Saint was compassionate and could do anything and was a very kind person. He embraced the struggling people on the streets, took in orphans, and ended the long-lasting war with just a few words.
That character of consistently caring for others was truly amazing.
Eon thought the Saint was truly amazing because it was something he had wanted to do but couldn’t.
Then, the Saint appeared to me bleeding.
“Eon, would you save me? Senta and the children of those filthy demons have joined hands to attack me.”
Eon didn’t doubt it. The Saint’s words were God’s will.
“Yes, yes. I will!”
And he felt dazed as if fog had settled in his head. Like a dream.
“My wounds cannot be healed. Instead…”
The Saint told me how to operate a very, very powerful weapon in the Empire.
And he told me to fire it at Senta and the Demon Realm. He said if I just fired that, everything would be resolved.
Since it was the Saint’s words, I didn’t doubt them.
“There won’t be any more bastards harming the Saint…! So please, please don’t be in pain…”
“Eon is truly kind and pure.”
The Saint suddenly disappeared like smoke.
“Huh…?”
And at that moment, the fog in Eon’s mind began to clear.
‘…Wait?’
Something was strange. The Saint definitely… said he loved ‘peace’. Said he had stopped wars. But… why did he tell me to attack Senta and the Demon Realm?
And when he called me, didn’t he definitely not use the title ‘Brother’…?
Thump, thump, thumpthumpthumpthump.
Eon instinctively knew he had made an irreversible choice. The area around his neck stiffened with tension and his hands and feet grew cold.
At that moment, the Saint walked out from the darkness.
“…Brother Eon?”
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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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