The Life of a Wise Cult Leader - Chapter 178

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 178

 

I strode forward and roughly tore off the blindfold covering his eyes.

 

A face so gaunt it looked ready to break.

 

His eyes, accustomed to darkness, squinted at the sudden light. But the snow-white pupils within them were annoyingly peaceful even in this hellish situation.

 

“It’s been a while. Many familiar faces have been visiting me lately.”

 

That calm voice snapped the thread of my sanity.

 

“Explain.”

 

“What?”

 

“Say it with your own mouth. That bombardment, it wasn’t your doing.”

 

My lips trembled.

 

“■■, you’re taking the blame for what that idiot did! I asked Mother everything. Say it’s not true, deny it…! Get out of here right now!”

 

My shouts echoed off the damp walls of the underground prison.

 

Please, please say it’s not true. Say that waiting obediently for death is crazy, that you’ll run away. Quickly…

 

But he remained calm.

 

“And then what?”

 

“What?”

 

“If I do that, ■■ will die in my place, won’t he? Besides, the Central Church has no intention of listening to me anyway.”

 

“But you’re a Saint…! You can live. Why do you have to… willingly walk into this meaningless execution? Hide. Let’s hide and live.”

 

I wanted to beat my chest in frustration. Someone who usually wouldn’t get involved in meaningless affairs, why. I couldn’t understand why he was doing this.

 

“And would ■■’s death really resolve this situation?”

 

He cut off my words and continued calmly.

 

“The Empire broke the ceasefire I proposed and fired first… The sparks of war will spread again and consume the entire world. At this rate, a world war will break out. It will never end until one side is completely destroyed.”

 

“Right now, killing Lumensia is more important than war. Sacrificing the few for the many. I don’t like those words, but this is an unavoidable situation…”

 

“If I die here, war might not happen. And it’s Lumensia who wants war. In extreme situations, people believe in gods beyond human understanding.”

 

“…Then just make them believe in you instead of Lumensia.”

 

“Hahaha… That would be nice. But it won’t work. Lumensia… wanted to kill me anyway. She’ll take advantage of the war to help kill me. In that case, it’s better to prevent the war from the start.”

 

“Why would Lumensia… No, this isn’t really dying, is it?”

 

“I won’t die. And I don’t like innocent people dying for something I caused.”

 

I was at a loss for words. No matter what I said, he wouldn’t be persuaded.

 

As always, he gave the most efficient, most moral, and most ‘ascetic’ answer. But that made it even more terrible.

 

Those are all excuses. If he could prevent all this with his own life, he thought that would be more profitable.

 

He was truly the same as always. Even putting his own life on the scales. When calculating profit, he thought stopping everything with an ascetic’s life would be the cheaper option.

 

I hated that fact and threw a pointless tantrum.

 

“You can move through space, so why did you do that! You could have avoided being caught!”

 

“I told you earlier, Yelena. Someone has to take responsibility for this situation…”

 

He added with a bitter smile.

 

“I was going to be called out and killed anyway, I just chose a slightly more noble method.”

 

“What’s noble about dying! Are you going to keep making me furious like this? Do you know what feelings I had when I turned my back on Mother and chose you…!”

 

Tears welled up in my eyes.

 

“They held a secret, closed trial, and said if I obediently let myself be executed, they’d treat my believers well. Since it’s a matter directly contracted through magical measures, if life isn’t precious, those who believe in me will be safe.”

 

While telling me to maintain neutrality. While saying you’d use me as a sword, was this pathetic decision all you came up with in the end?

 

For you, I could abandon my beliefs, faith, Empire, world, and even Mother – I wouldn’t have cared at all if I could become your sword.

 

“Is there a reason you must prevent war to that extent?”

 

“If war breaks out in the current situation, it will only benefit the demons and Lumensia. Preventing war was the top priority.”

 

“You, you… stupidly kind…!”

 

“That’s harsh…”

 

“You’re really going to die? No, right?”

 

My voice trembled pathetically.

 

I was someone who had beheaded dozens of people and never blinked an eye even before the screams of heretics.

 

But now, in front of this person, I felt like a lost young child.

 

I acted so tough in front of Kalebrin. How pathetic.

 

Then, he chuckled.

 

“Why are you laughing!”

 

“I won’t die. As I said earlier.”

 

At those words, my heart felt like it dropped.

 

It’s a lie.

 

He will die…

 

But how could I stop him…?

 

Ah… My truly cruel God.

 

“And I have something to say to you, no… to everyone.”

 

“If it’s some final words you’re leaving before death, I refuse. I’m really sick of that kind of thing now.”

 

I snapped at him, but my ears were already turned toward him.

 

“Yelena, this is something only you can do. The only one who can take my role in my place… Could you come closer first?”

 

He gestured.

 

As if entranced, I brought my ear to the gap between the iron bars. The words from his lips were completely different from the ‘final words’ I had imagined.

 

■■, no, Gretchin’s whereabouts. And instructions on how to ‘use’ him.

 

“…”

 

My expression hardened.

 

“But this is too cruel…”

 

“You understood well, didn’t you?”

 

“I understood well enough. But, but. If you’re going to keep him alive and use him like that in the end, why didn’t you just not save him…?”

 

A chill ran down my spine.

 

Is this really the same Saint who just said he’d give his life to prevent war? His method of judging sinners was so thorough and cold-hearted that for a moment I thought he wasn’t human.

 

“The sin Gretchin committed doesn’t disappear just because he was possessed by a demon. With that one button, at least 30,000 people died.”

 

30,000 people.

 

Even as a number, it was a staggering amount.

 

“Including casualties, it would be about 90,000. Among them were not only children but also innocent people and those who believed in me. Gretchin must take responsibility, and I decided to walk that path with him.”

 

“…Sometimes like this, I think you’re not human. Normally, someone would forgive him saying he was possessed by a demon.”

 

His pupils glinted coldly.

 

“That might not be a mistake.”

 

“…”

 

“I’m very sorry about that myself.”

 

I swallowed dryly. Right, this was the kind of person he was. Infinitely merciful, but more fair than anyone when it came to sin.

 

“…The reason I came here was to see if you’re really going to be executed. What happens to our plans going forward. You wouldn’t even answer when I tried the communication device…”

 

“The communication device was confiscated during the search. And the plans will proceed without a hitch even without me.”

 

“You are coming back, right?”

 

I asked as if seeking confirmation. No, I was clinging to hope.

 

“I knew you’d prepare a dummy for the execution, or use some method to ensure you don’t actually die. I just came barging in because I was anxious.”

 

“Yelena knows me well. Well, you’d be one of the people who knows me best.”

 

He smiled gently.

 

Since we first met wearing pretense, acting, and masks, I could confidently say I knew his essence better than anyone.

 

“Still, I’ll be absent for a few days after the execution. Until then, you’ll all have to do well. Haha.”

 

“They say people who are about to quit are the scariest, and you’re exactly like that.”

 

I responded jokingly, but inside I was burning up.

 

Why did the word ‘absent’ sound like he was leaving forever?

 

“So, after Gretchin, I have nothing else to do?”

 

“You’ll find out.”

 

Another riddle-like response.

 

“Yelena, you must… find Gretchin. I left everything in Gretchin’s hands.”

 

“…I understand.”

 

The sound of reinforcement guards could be heard from outside. They couldn’t delay any longer.

 

“After causing such a ruckus, the guards will be here soon. See you next time.”

 

*

 

Professor Ellara, who had heard this entire story, clearly presented a different answer.

 

“Losing memories of Gretchin seems like a mistake even the Ascetic didn’t anticipate.”

 

“Yes… I didn’t know either. Why I remembered now. I should have thought about it sooner. I was so stupid.”

 

“We all know you’re stupid, so let’s move on.”

 

Yelena hit Erendor. Celestia hesitated before asking.

 

“So, what did you entrust to Gretchin?”

 

Yelena answered with a trembling voice.

 

“…The heart.”

 

“The heart?”

 

“Yes. I thought it was a metaphorical expression, but he said he really gave his own heart to Gretchin.”

 

“How is that even possible? He was human back then. A human dies when their heart is removed – that’s as certain as the sun rising in the morning, isn’t it?”

 

Erendor shrugged as if to say ‘Am I wrong?’ Professor Ellara briefly placed her hand on her chin in thought, then made a sharp sound and began erasing the blackboard while speaking.

 

“God’s sacred relics. They’re all said to be parts of God. He was said to already possess the status of a demigod back then. In that case, he could have temporarily given his heart to Gretchin as a sacred relic! Oh! My goodness. This is the discovery of the century!”

 

Professor Ellara vigorously erased the blackboard and began drawing something with trembling hands holding chalk.

 

“Why the Savior seems like such an empty shell now, why he acts like an emotionless machine, why he’s so unstable – it all fits together perfectly now!”

 

She rushed to the blackboard and drew a gaping hole in the chest area of a human figure.

 

“What is the heart? It’s the organ that pumps life, and hasn’t it been called ‘the vessel where emotions and soul reside’ since ancient times!”

 

Ellara tapped the blackboard repeatedly.

 

“At the execution, he foresaw that he would be consumed by immense divine power and lose his ‘human heart.’ So he preemptively extracted and moved his most important part – the ‘heart’ that feels, suffers, and loves as a human – to a safe place! As a human heart! Into the heart of his apostle, Gretchin!”

 

“That living storage… is Gretchin?”

 

Cardil asked incredulously.

 

“Exactly! Making the heart of the most noble Saint beat within a sinner who killed 30,000 people. My, what a cruel yet brilliant idea. Implanting a Saint’s conscience into a sinner to make them atone for life, while simultaneously preserving his own humanity.”

 

Ellara clicked her tongue. But Celestia’s expression was serious.

 

“That means… if we can’t find Gretchin, the Savior will remain forever as such an incomplete god?”

 

“That’s right. A god without a heart. Though that’s fine in itself.”

 

The situation became clear. What they needed to prioritize most now was finding Gretchin.

 

And…

 

“Somehow I feel like Ife is also with that heart. Since spirits would be in a place overflowing with life force.”

 

Finding Gretchin and extracting the heart from that innocent perpetrator.

 

“So. Where did Gretchin… go?”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————