The Life of a Wise Cult Leader - Chapter 26

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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

“You, you bastard… return to the Abyss…!”

He poured his last strength into gripping the sword tighter.

His strength was so great that even though he was dying, I had to step back several paces.

“Kuk….”

“Through death… you shall be… saved…!”

The sword plunged deep into my abdomen.

Though it was called a dagger, it was about the length of an adult man’s forearm, so it was more than enough to turn me into a skewer.

Thud.

As if his main purpose was to make me into a human kebab, he used up all his strength and collapsed in front of me.

‘There’s no pain… Is it because of adrenaline…?’

I shouldn’t pull it out, right? I think I saw somewhere that you shouldn’t pull it out immediately. I hope the Healing Relic’s effect is good.

I pushed back my veil and swept my bangs aside.

“Geez, where did such a long thing even come from?”

Do these guys have inventories too? I really can’t let my guard down.

Next time I’ll make sure to finish them off properly. I never thought it would be possible to move with those kinds of wounds. This fantasy world really is something else.

‘I wonder if upgrading the Healing Relic would heal this.’

Maybe if I pull out the sword from my abdomen and then upgrade, it’ll heal completely.

Or I could go to Cardil like “Cardil~ I got a hole in my stomach~!” and he’d panic and fix me up.

I’m too scared to pull it out myself, so I’ll ask Cardil or Austin to do it.

I still didn’t have enough faith to upgrade the relic.

Having reached that conclusion, when I took off my robe, my hands were covered in blood. Red was steadily expanding its territory across the white shirt I wore underneath.

Looking more closely at where it was stuck, it felt even more unreal. Then, a sharp pain spread through me.

“Ugh…”

My upper abdomen where the sword was stuck began to hurt.

For being stabbed by a sword, it wasn’t painful enough to kill me. A very mild stomach cramp-like pain sharply caressed my upper body.

At least I can move right now, so that’s fortunate.

For an ordinary person, this would definitely be a wound that prevents movement. No matter how much you call it a dagger, how can you move with a sword stuck in your stomach? Not being able to speak would be normal.

It’s probably because of the relic’s effect.

More importantly…

“How am I going to move this thing again?”

I need the demon’s corpse to play the hero… so I have to take it with me.

The problem is this. It was hard to move even when I was fine, but in my current state, pressing my hand firmly against the wound area because my stomach hurts, moving such a corpse was nearly impossible.

Cutting off the head would be… hmm, ugh.

I was horrified looking at the dead demon’s corpse.

This won’t work. Stabbing is one thing, but cutting off a corpse’s head is something else that would make me nauseous.

I don’t know how I managed to stab earlier. Though it helped that it looked like a bell, making it easy to stab.

A wind blew. The bell tower was high, so I could see the city very well, and all the flying monsters were leaving the city.

It must be because this guy who was controlling the monsters died.

Hmm, but anyway…

“Ah, I can just drop it!”

Looking down, I could see Austin Gerard below, confused because the monsters had disappeared. If I drop it from the bell tower, won’t he take care of it?

I kicked it with my foot, rolling the corpse around.

I wondered if this was violating human rights, but it’s just a lump of protein anyway… and not even human. Hmm, though they are a different species, are they human?

I stopped thinking about whether the Demon Race falls under the category of human.

‘Right. They’re going to be dismembered and become dog food or marketplace carpet when taken to the Central Church anyway, so this much is nothing~’

Thud thud thud.

After pushing it a few times with my foot, the demon fell from the bell tower. I could see Austin Gerard below notice the movement, startle in surprise, and draw his sword.

Crash!

A loud sound rang out and dust rose. Austin Gerard, who had been looking up briefly, hesitated for a moment then approached the fallen demon’s corpse.

‘He’ll handle it himself.’

I carefully held onto the dangling sword handle and slowly began descending the long bell tower stairs. The robe draped over my arm felt particularly heavy.

*

Before seeing Austin, I caught my breath thoroughly to avoid losing face, then emerged from the bell tower.

The sword stuck in my stomach swayed with each step. Seeing me, Austin’s face turned white as a sheet of paper.

“Huh, huhk…”

I’m the one with a sword stuck in me like a skewer, so why does he look worse off?

“In your stomach… a, a sword…”

“I’m aware of it. Sir Gerard. Please don’t panic…”

“How long has it been? Do you feel like you might faint right now? Demon swords often have curses… Are there any other painful areas?”

Austin Gerard began pouring out questions in an uncharacteristic panic.

“You’re certain there are no more monsters?”

“The monsters… Yes. They began leaving the city about 7 minutes ago.”

7 minutes ago. According to my system clock, it was right after the monster lost its life.

When I nodded to show I understood, Austin fidgeted with a haggard face.

This guy must have been to many battlefields, so why is he making such a fuss over someone being turned into a human skewer? Is it because it’s been a while since he’s seen it?

“Then Sir Gerard, would you please pull out the sword stuck in my abdomen?”

I spoke calmly as if asking what to have for dinner tonight. The kid was panicking so much that I became even calmer.

“He, he, here?”

“Yes, it’s inconvenient to move like this. There must be many souls suffering deeper pain than I am, and as an ascetic, I cannot remain stopped here like this.”

“You shouldn’t pull out a sword when you can’t stop the bleeding because it can cause hemorrhaging. And you’re already bleeding heavily… ho, how are you standing…?”

The more Austin spoke, the more shocked he became. Is this his first time seeing someone move after being stabbed?

“Well… perhaps it’s God’s power? This is my first time having a sword stuck in my body, so I don’t know exactly either.”

I’d been beaten up many times, but having a sword stuck in me like this was truly a first. Austin made gestures as if wondering whether he should support me or not.

“When were you stabbed?”

“Just before cutting the demon’s throat, I noticed the ambush a moment too late and got stabbed. I never expected it to have such reserves of strength with those severe wounds. I’m ashamed.”

“Th, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. For now, Ascetic, please move as little as possible. If you came down from the bell tower with that wound, the sword might have gone deeper into your body and pierced vital organs or blood vessels, so you need to rest as much as possible…”

“Ugh.”

Austin Gerard was right. Blood surged up my throat. It was a familiar sensation, so I naturally spat out the blood.

“…!”

Austin rushed over to me in a hurry, offering his shoulder and supporting me with trembling hands.

“Don’t lose consciousness. I, I’ll call Cardil. So…”

Austin Gerard’s rough breathing could be heard in my ear. Receiving a man’s hot breath from the side made me want to scurry away like a cockroach, but my physical condition didn’t allow it.

He slowly lowered his posture. Half-leaning against Austin Gerard’s body, I knelt on the ground. My head spinning made me feel like I was reaching my limit.

‘Ah~! The Healing Relic is level 2 but the effect is really pathetic…!’

It’s not like my limbs were severed. Does it make sense to be like this just because a sword got stuck in my body?

Anyway, the effect is… I realized once again how amazing the Purification Relic is. That thing kept me fine even when entering a lake full of poison.

“Curse…”

Austin muttered beside me.

“It’s not a curse, cough… My body is… immune to curses, huff…”

Since all negative effects include curses, the purification effect would prevent even a speck of curse from affecting my body.

The blood I spat out stained Austin’s silver armor quite dramatically.

I was fine when I got stabbed earlier, but I must have pierced something wrong while moving because blood was flowing quite heavily.

“With time… it will gradually heal. Right now, because of the sword… regeneration doesn’t seem to be working…”

More importantly, my consciousness is gradually fading.

I can’t faint before getting recognition for killing that demon! I won’t!

“Please take care of… the demon’s corpse. Kuk, cough. People won’t… feel at ease until they see the demon’s corpse… with their own eyes.”

“I’ll take you to Cardil right away.”

No no no. Not that! The demon! You need to testify that I killed the demon corpse!

That’s the only way I can avoid going to prison after this whole situation ends!

What do you think I took off my veil for!

“Do not answer. Maintain consciousness. If you lose consciousness, it will be hard to wake up. It hurts, but endure it.”

Austin moved busily as if trying to take some measures.

“Don’t… worry. Cough… I won’t… die.”

“…That was the least believable thing you’ve said.”

“Hehe… Is that… so.”

I forced a smile and tried to keep my flickering eyes open.

I couldn’t tell if it was cold sweat or blood dripping down.

My abdomen was hot, cold sweat formed on my forehead, and my limbs were trembling from the cold. Austin’s armor was too cold.

Damn the sacred relic’s effect…

This sacred relic is worse than Fusidic acid…

“The demon… please…”

Please don’t let me wake up in the underground prison after fainting. Let my limbs remain safely attached…!!

‘Believers! Citizens of Astrapolis…! I, I trust you! I killed the demon for you! Please please please Austin, speak well for me. Celestia! Future Archmage! And Antonio and Cardil! I’m begging you!’

I felt cold sweat streaming down, then whoosh, my vision collapsed.

*

Thud.

The trembling body went limp, and Austin felt the head lean against his armor with a thud. Ignoring his heart growing cold, Austin moved his lips.

“…Ascetic?”

The pure white man who always wore a mysterious smile remained quiet without answering his anxious call.

Eerily so…

‘No.’

No… no no no no.

With trembling arms, he embraced his body. Blood came off on his hands. He couldn’t even apply proper strength for fear of breaking him.

Austin trembled while keeping his gaze fixed straight ahead, unable to bear looking at the face leaning against his shoulder.

“Qu, quickly to Cardil, to, to the priest…”

Despite having seen many comrades with worse injuries than this on the battlefield, Austin Gerard was uncharacteristically panicked.

Even though it was just a dagger stuck in the abdomen. It felt like he would disappear from this world at any moment.

Nausea.

‘Honestly, he’s not even that precious a person, nor someone with great meaning in my life… why am I so shaken…? This is strange. I wasn’t this kind of person.’

Gurgle. Blood leaked out. Only then did Austin come to his senses.

It was an unbelievably foolish response capability for the vice-commander of the Lion Heart Knights who had crossed the line of death. His mind seemed to turn sluggishly as if bewitched by something.

Now was not the time for such thoughts. Austin Gerard bound the abdomen with the embedded sword using cloth to minimize movement and lifted his body.

Normally when transporting injured persons, you’d carry them with the abdomen over the shoulder, but doing that would have earned him Cardil’s furious roar asking if he brought a patient to kill rather than save.

‘Excessively light.’

Though he was about half a span taller than himself, he weighed less than the armor Austin wore.

‘The demon…’

In this situation, what did a demon’s corpse matter? It would be fine to leave it abandoned on the street.

However, the words left like his final testament bothered him.

“Damn it.”

Austin Gerard carefully held him and drew his sword from its scabbard.

The sword was swung at the corpse whose limbs were broken from the impact of falling from the bell tower.

Thwack.

Roll…

*

Ding.

[Believers: 73]

[Temporary Believers: 203]

[Faith: 921]

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Ding.

[Believers: 131]

[Believer reward…]

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Ding.

[Believers: 140]

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[Receive all rewards at once activated]

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[Auto mode activated due to long logout time]

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[Sacred relic auto upgrade executing]

[Loading…]

[Faith required for enhancement: 400]

[Would you like to enhance the sacred relic ‘Cup of Asclepius’?]

[Sacred Relic: Cup of Asclepius | +3]

Effect: Auto healing acceleration for the Bound One’s body]

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error! error! error!

[Interference blocked]

Pleasant

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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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