The Life of a Wise Cult Leader - Chapter 22

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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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Fire

Update?

It was a popup window I had already seen once before.

I checked the update contents with familiarity.

Main contents of this update:

-Fixed sub-quest translation errors

-Shortened reward selection loading time

-Improved optimization features

It seemed to be just minor bug fixes rather than a major update.

‘What does optimization mean?’

I was curious and tried to think about it more, but then gave up.

‘It’s just bug fixes anyway.’

It didn’t seem like something I needed to worry about.

I postponed the update window and looked outside. From the green forest to the road, and I could see more houses made of brick rather than wooden houses.

I had returned to Astrapolis in just a few hours.

Since we had traveled through the night and arrived, the morning sun was already rising.

Knowing we would arrive soon, I drew the curtains. If anyone saw me, I might get reported.

I also put back on the veil I had taken off because it was stuffy.

‘I’ve obtained the sacred relic and made Calebrin a believer too…’

Now it was time to make rounds at noble houses and act like a young master donating talents.

“Die!”

But it’s quite noisy outside.

These medieval people sure are energetic from the crack of dawn.

I looked outside with the curtain opened just a span at the murmuring sounds.

Calebrin must have woken up from this commotion too, as she was checking through another window.

In the town center, an execution platform was set up with a person hanging limply. The drooping toes had lost their color, showing blue and gray hues. The pitch-black fingernails and toenails were the highlight.

‘Oh, come to think of it, the execution… was it today?’

The execution that Antonio had asked me to watch together was apparently today.

The woman in black clothes was hanging from a rope while being pelted with stones by the village residents. The woman, swinging back and forth in the air from being hit by stones, was receiving a barrage of stone baptism from the village residents.

‘So if I had been caught during that checkpoint last time, I would have ended up in that state.’

It was… quite chilling.

Thud.

Whether a stone hit wrong, pitch-black blood splattered on the dirt ground in rhythm with the swaying movement. Through the long golden hair, the expression of the dead corpse was barely visible.

Clatter, clatter.

Despite this situation, the sound of horse hooves was cheerful. The carriage passed by the execution site as if nothing was happening.

‘If I’m not really careful, I’ll end up like that corpse….’

I had already passed through one checkpoint, but I never knew when I might face another surprise inspection. They had even posted wanted posters throughout the entire country.

Of course, since this isn’t South Korea, it wouldn’t be the entire ‘eight provinces.’

‘Right now, I’m the number one execution target.’

The top cult leader among cults!

Not only a cult, but also heretical acts? Even idol worship too~?

Whether it was Lion’s Heart or an Inquisitor, if I got caught, I’d end up in that state without question.

No, it would probably be even worse than that.

That corpse at least still had all its fingers and toes attached. Though it looked like all the fingernails and toenails had been pulled out.

It’s not like they threw it in the marketplace to be trampled on. Just hanging it up is being gentlemanly.

Sigh, how did I end up in such a state.

I closed the curtains thoroughly, thinking I needed to establish a foundation quickly.

Calebrin anxiously fidgeted with her hands. Her fingernails, unhealthy with many rough edges from wounds, bled every time she rubbed them.

Oh dear, I just healed her earlier, but what’s she doing rubbing them until they bleed.

Since she was my believer now, I had to take care of her. Excluding Cardil, Calebrin was currently the most capable dealer.

Tap.

I briefly placed my hand on top of Calebrin’s hands. In the dark carriage, a light green glow mixed with a bit of yellow rose up.

“If you leave wounds alone, they’ll get infected.”

When I removed my hand, I could see her hands were clean without any bloodstains. Though the rough edges scattered across her hands remained as they were.

When the coachman said we had arrived at Antonio’s house, I opened the carriage door and got out. Since I’d have to use my power again if Calebrin fell, I also held her hand and helped her down carefully.

It was a bit cold since it was morning when the sun was just beginning to rise.

I entered Antonio’s house.

Since I could roughly know the location of baptized believers, I knew Antonio wasn’t home.

I rummaged through Antonio’s wardrobe. The clothes Calebrin was wearing were somewhere between rags and barbarian clothing, so if she walked around the city center in this state, she’d definitely get dragged to the Central Church…

Sorry Antonio, but I’m going to ransack your wardrobe a bit!

Fortunately, Antonio’s house had clothes that an adult woman could wear.

They were probably his dead wife’s, and well, my conscience was pricked about putting them on without permission, but it couldn’t be helped.

I couldn’t let Calebrin walk around the city center in that state. Let’s just suppress such minor pangs of conscience.

I took out clothes that were neatly folded in the wardrobe and handed them to Calebrin while asking.

“Today we should also trim your hair… and buy some clothes to wear. Do you have any preferred style?”

“Uh…”

Calebrin seemed to think for a moment, then shook her head.

I nodded slightly.

“Then though you must be tired, would you like to go out with me for a bit?”

Calebrin smoothed out the hem of her newly worn dress with her hands, then hurriedly nodded.

*

I headed to Cardil’s cabin with Calebrin.

The cabin I visited after a while had changed somewhat from before. The walls looked quite sturdy too… it had transformed into a proper wooden house.

“Hello, brother and sisters. Good morning.”

Even though a complete stranger had appeared, Cardil didn’t ask any questions and was busy giving me work.

Never mind where you’ve been or whatever, just take care of the backlog of patients and do something about the minions.

That was roughly the feeling.

What a consistently unchanged guy…

But there was something I had to do before seeing patients.

I surveyed the inside of the cabin through my view covered by the black veil.

“Is there anyone who could go to the city center with Sister Calebrin? Um. If possible, another sister would be good…”

The red-haired woman who had been washing white towels in the corner over there straightened her back. Seeing her eager eyes asking to be chosen, it seemed I should pick her.

Oh, come to think of it, I think I saw her when I was giving baptisms…

I wasn’t particularly good at remembering faces, so it was unclear.

“Sister Calebrin hasn’t been here long. I think we need to trim her hair and buy new clothes.”

I gazed at her and spoke gently.

“I can do it well! Please, choose me.”

The woman with red hair and small freckles looked to be in her late teens, but as you know, foreigners tend to look older, so I couldn’t tell her real age.

Still, just looking at her clothing and hairstyle, I could tell she was interested in dressing up, so I entrusted Calebrin to her hands.

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

I didn’t forget to give her money. No matter how much a person’s heart turns to faith, they won’t move without appropriate compensation.

I saw off the hesitant Calebrin and the red-haired girl. Only then did Cardil open his mouth.

“Is she a patient?”

A patient…

She’s not a trauma patient, but couldn’t someone suffering from PTSD also be called a patient?

Of course, since this is set in medieval times where poking the brain with a skewer is the treatment method, I wouldn’t reveal it publicly… but Cardil would probably be fine.

Of course. He was a young man who became carelessly soft-hearted when it came to patients.

I lightly agreed and placed my hand on the patient’s forehead. This time green light bloomed along with it, causing the nearby believers to murmur.

“Yes. This is a sister with a wounded heart.”

“Hmm… Then this isn’t something I can help with.”

Cardil nodded and returned to his own work. Documents stamped with the Central Church’s seal fluttered in Cardil’s hands.

Crash.

“Doctor! Is there a doctor here?”

The hut’s door opened wide and the sounds of two people could be heard. I didn’t turn around and just continued treating the patient.

“I, I heard that if we come here we can get treatment, is there a priest or doctor?”

Splash.

Along with the sound of water spilling, there was a bitter smell and something like a musty dust odor.

“Damn it, shit.”

Cardil abandoned his post-treatment care of the patient and rushed toward the door.

I laid the patient who was swaying because he had hastily let go back down on the bed. No matter what, you can’t just drop them like that or the patient will end up dead again.

As I turned around a beat slower, I saw a man half-collapsed against Cardil.

While his intestines were spilling out.

The pure white priest robes he was wearing were being dyed bright red.

There was a reason he had left the patient like that. If he hadn’t rushed over, there would already be one corpse.

A faint light was emanating between Cardil and him. As light about as bright as a phone flashlight appeared, the man spilling his intestines began breathing regularly again.

Cardil looked at the man standing behind him. He was the one who had supported and brought up the man with the ruptured intestines.

I stealthily hid behind the believers. Since I was someone with a wanted poster out, I was a bit scared.

The one who had supported him didn’t look particularly fine either, but if standing on your own feet could be called fine, then he was relatively fine.

“What caused this?”

“Mo, monsters… monsters attacked and the city became a wasteland. There were too many people at the temple too… so we came up here just in case…”

“Monsters? Why didn’t the warning bell ring?”

“…The bell ringer was also attacked, and the bell disappeared somehow… it’s chaos.”

The bell disappeared?

What… did some monster that eats metal appear?

I didn’t think much of it. Monster hunting points appear periodically near the city anyway. That’s probably what it was.

“So, can that friend be saved?”

The one holding his arm as if it hurt asked desperately. Cardil laid the patient comfortably on the floor and was breaking out in cold sweat.

I just watched the situation from within my veil in this chaotic mess.

‘Should I step forward?’

Judging by their clothing and speech, those guys are probably village guards…

After treating these two, it’s obvious I’d have to deal with the chaotic village situation too.

If that happens, rumors will gradually spread…

“There will be a checkpoint inspection for a moment.”

Then I’d be dragged to the basement for torture and execution…!

Mm-hmm, I definitely shouldn’t get involved.

I hid even more carefully behind the believers.

“Ugh…”

“Hey, get it together…!”

“You’re injured too. Just sit over there quietly, don’t act so frantically.”

Cardil urgently tried to draw up divine power with one hand to mend the abdomen. Cold sweat dripping down his jawline showed it was quite difficult.

“There are probably still many monsters in the village, but to… today the Knights went on regular subjugation so there’s no manpower available.”

“Ah shit, really. What a mess.”

Cardil irritably poured out healing magic.

‘Wait, the Knights went on regular subjugation?’

Then they would have taken temple personnel too. This is quite serious.

‘I’ve never heard of Astrapolis being attacked in the main story. Monster attacks are group monster attack quests that only occur when the number of monsters rises above the threshold. The Knights going on regular subjugation today was probably to reduce the monster count too…’

Astrapolis won’t be destroyed by this attack. That’s the ‘game story.’

But what if variables occurred because Chapter 1.5 boss Sernuan Lumiere is alive?

So if Astrapolis falls because it can’t withstand this monster attack wave?

‘No way! My precious believer lackeys are here!’

I had to come up with a plan.

Just as I was seriously considering this situation, the door burst open violently again.

Crash!

“Huu… huaak… pl, please save me.”

Someone who looked soaked in blood collapsed on the floor, leaving bloodstains.

Another patient had appeared.

One of the believers supported her and brought her inside the hut. The believer who was wiping her blood with a towel asked.

“What’s happening in the village right now?”

“Monsters are ea, eating people… this isn’t the time! The guard unit was all defeated!!”

Cardil, who was concentrating on healing, glanced at her sideways and asked.

“Is there anything else besides that?”

“A, a demon is leading the monsters… we’re all going to die!”

The woman kept screaming as if she had lost her mind.

“We’re! All! Going to die! We’re going to die!”

Crash!

The sound of something breaking came from far away.

“Huaak! It’s a monster!”

Oh… wait. If this continues, might Astrapolis fall within today?

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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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