The Life of a Wise Cult Leader - Chapter 193

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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 193

Alderion closed his mouth.

The good thing about him being half-human, half-demon is that he takes less mental damage when I travel through darkness.

I emerged from darkness to darkness with Alderion and arrived at the edge of the world.

Breath formed thick clouds, icicles formed on beards even while standing still, and the cold was severe enough to tear skin.

No matter how strong his body was—about 7 times stronger than average—he would have frozen solid if he had come dressed like this.

I finished adapting to my returned body after crossing the River of Darkness and Death.

A pristine snowfield where not a single point of darkness could be seen. At most, I had emerged from the shadow of a crouching polar bear.

Rather than baring its teeth at us who had suddenly appeared, the polar bear tried to embrace me.

Even with my unreduced height of over 3 meters, it was similar to the standing polar bear’s height, so I struggled to gently push away the polar bear that came at me like a puppy despite having tremendous strength.

Seeing this, Alderion seemed to find it quite cute and tried to touch it, but the polar bear immediately bared its teeth.

Alderion, protected by my ether, followed closely behind me.

In this land where night never comes, there existed no Lumensia, no gods, and no intelligent beings.

It was probably because it was so barren. The snowfields in this fantasy world were twice as cold as Earth.

According to the Sage’s knowledge, the temperature was as if it were Uranus itself.

What lived there were only monstrous polar bears, a few species of fish, and thorn forests that grew by eating snow.

“Wow.”

Aurora flickered in the sky. Snow particles hung in the air as if they had frozen while falling.

If not protected by my ether, those particles would have instantly frozen any surface they touched.

Whether he knew this fact or not, Alderion was busy admiring this spectacle.

If I had known he would like it this much, I thought about showing it to the other family members sometime, then took crunching steps forward.

Two human figures rising from the vast snowfield wavered like mirages.

And what appeared before me was a large rock strangely free of accumulated snow and a sword embedded in that rock.

The so-called Excalibur from creative works, a holy sword, the sword I used when I slayed the Demon King as a Player.

A sword that only the qualified can draw.

“Take hold of it. And try to pull it out.”

“Isn’t this what’s called the legendary sword… the sword of God?”

It seems Alderion had heard something about it. Well, being from a noble family, he must have heard such legends at least once.

“It’s a sword that only the qualified can draw, so why are you telling me to…?”

“Because I judged that you would be qualified. Do you intend to make my judgment wrong?”

And in my opinion, this bastard Alderion thinks too deeply and too much, that’s his problem.

Alderion, who had been gaping, approached to grab the sword’s handle.

‘Originally I was going to draw it myself, but… since a god cannot draw it, there’s no choice.’

Alderion, who grasped the sword’s handle, drew the sword easily, making his preparation seem pointless.

“Huh…?”

Pulling out a stuck nail wouldn’t be easier than this.

Alderion stood dazed, easily lifting that large greatsword above his head as if he couldn’t feel the sword’s weight.

I told him about the sword’s qualifications.

“The qualification for that sword is one who constantly agonizes.”

“One who has great power but doesn’t become complacent, knows the value of life, and is a good person without a certain level of force.”

He was holding a sword that suited him.

“The holy sword left by the God of War, ‘Pieta’.”

*

I recovered the divine power remaining in the holy sword.

However, I could not obtain the divine authority of war.

‘Fairness.’

The strongest discipline and rule that maintains my ego.

War is not fair.

The strong trample the weak and those in power send the masses to their deaths.

But isn’t war also used to protect one’s country? For that argument, the God of War in this world apparently didn’t think so.

He thought that the violence he wielded could not be justified for any reason and that the death and suffering in war were not fair.

That was why I recovered the divine power the God of War possessed but could not take his divine authority.

The most massive and violent power, yet the only god who could not create or restore anything.

The God of War must have known this painfully well.

The divine authority of war that I did not recover went entirely to Alderion.

What remains now is a holy relic even I don’t know about…

‘The relic of time was originally only in the setting. But given how things turned out, it’s a bit much to say it only exists in the setting.’

Even searching through the gods’ memories, I couldn’t find the relic of time. Originally, time was more like a public administrator than a god.

‘The divine authority of war was absolutely necessary for the coming Ragnarok.’

However, forcibly taking divine authority would only be poison. I couldn’t have it, but Alderion did, so that was enough.

Rather, for Lumensia or others, it could act as more than poison—as a dagger—so they wouldn’t try to forcibly take it either.

“…This is.”

From his gripped hand to the sword tip and blade, the God of War’s characteristic violent ether began to swirl.

Alderion’s long hair fluttered in the wind. The snow piled on the ground swirled upward.

Within that swirling blizzard, the God of War’s thoughts were embedded, telling Alderion something.

He was the protagonist here.

I silently stepped back and watched.

The swirling blizzard gradually subsided, and the God of War, remaining as a transparent afterimage, looked toward me.

Dark red hair like the debris left by war’s passage. Long, winding hair reaching to his feet and a body so blurred that his face couldn’t be recognized.

Alderion stuck the sword in the snow and sat down, accepting everything the God of War had transmitted to him.

I saw the ether gradually fading. I greedily wondered if I should hold him in the present world a little longer.

Light armor and an empty scabbard without a sword.

Golden eyes that seemed to reveal the solitude left behind more deeply than war’s ferocity, bloodstains, and sweat.

His sharp gaze like a lion remained, but it resembled more the eyes of an old leader who had left the pack to face death alone.

He had a large stature like mine, but was fading from his legs up, disappearing somewhere like snowflakes scattered by light.

Did he have something to say?

The remnant of a mass of thoughts. Fragments and ashes left after burning bones. This old king-like figure who would give everything to the sword’s owner and step down…

With the face of a female warrior like Yelena, he smiled heartily at me.

“Remember! The most fair moment of war is… only when all blades are sheathed and there is no more blood to spill.”

And then it changed to a bitter smile.

“Even if we lose this war, it will be my fault.”

The side the God of War supports will surely win.

This was the most famous phrase that ‘used to be’ in this world.

That’s why I couldn’t have the God of War in accordance with ‘fairness’.

“Did you remain just to say those words?”

It came out like a taunt, but since I didn’t have particularly good feelings toward gods, I had no great regret.

The God of War slightly bowed his head. This one who wasn’t even wearing a helmet had no scars despite being someone who lived by the sword.

“I can see it with my eyes. The world you’re trying to create will be truly, terribly fair.”

He stared at me intently with his last remaining golden eyes. Instead of fierce fighting spirit, the stillness after a storm lingered there.

“Entrusting the future to you was our best choice.”

With those words, the God of War completely crumbled away.

The red ether that had formed at the tip of Alderion’s sword emitted a final flash before subsiding.

Only Alderion’s rough breathing and the cool chill scattering after losing its master remained on the snow field.

‘How trivial…’

The last apostle of the God of War who appeared with sword in hand, and my believer, spoke with quite useful eyes while reducing the greatsword to fit his size.

“…I’m ready.”

“So it seems. Now, let’s go.”

I extended my hand. Grasping Alderion’s rough hand that wasn’t holding the sword, we melted into darkness from darkness again.

*

We arrived at the small village where Austin Gerard was, Endeb.

However, even though I had come this close, my vision was blurry.

It wasn’t simple mist. Even with my eyes closed, even when I honed my divine power, I couldn’t read the causality even an inch ahead.

It was as if someone had cut out this entire area’s time and space and poured black ink into it.

An existence that could twist my senses so precisely.

This wasn’t a simple mage or human. This was clearly someone standing on the same level as me—

‘A demon.’

It seemed the demon I had only expected was real. Then I couldn’t handle this alone, so I needed someone skilled in utility magic…

“Celestia.”

Her voice responded without trembling to my remote call.

-Yes, Savior. Shall I bring Kalebrin along as well?

“No, send her to the Young Lady’s mansion.”

The Young Lady was preparing to become a widow. While holding what was most precious to her.

Celestia sent Kalebrin using teleportation magic that she could now use somewhat freely.

“Kalebrin. Listen to the Young Lady’s explanation, judge the situation, and cast the optimal curse. You must not do it half-heartedly.”

Kalebrin was momentarily flustered by the sudden teleportation, then soon nodded firmly. I could feel her strong determination. She would not fail at this task.

Soon I heard the tearing sound of space being ripped apart. And a transcendent who didn’t even need a staff appeared, floating in the air.

“Celestia has arrived!”

Very reassuring. It felt like looking at a successfully enhanced unit.

From far away, laughter that tore through the air like a woman’s sharp scream struck my ears.

Alderion standing beside me readjusted his grip on his great sword’s handle. He too was instinctively sensing it.

That this mist we had entered wasn’t a simple curtain, but a trap with a giant maw wide open.

The feast table the widow had prepared was far too terrifying for me to just position transcendents as chess pieces and watch from behind.

I had to see with my own eyes what exactly was hidden at the end of this game where Austin Gerard had been thrown as bait.

“Prepare yourself, Alderion.”

The clear blue sky began to gradually turn white. The houses in the village that had been eerily devoid of people suddenly burst open, and people like madmen came tumbling out.

Alderion aimed his sword but couldn’t swing it. These were ordinary people who were also my believers.

“Subdue them without killing.”

However, Max Utility Celestia put them all to sleep without much effort.

“They’ll get facial paralysis if they sleep in the cold~ I wonder if they’ll be okay.”

Starting with such trivial tricks as the first move? Even if it was a demon, if they wanted to trap me, they should have prepared something more.

However, aside from blocking my senses and controlling my believers’ minds to make them rush out like zombies, things remained quiet.

‘Wait…’

I clutched my chest.

“Ascetic…?”

The aura I had felt when viewing the Young Lady’s memories.

Teacher’s aura was now.

Attacking me.

Riiip-

A large wound appeared on my chest.

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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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