The Life of a Wise Cult Leader - Chapter 4

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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

He drew in a breath.

The face that suddenly approached looked only pale and soft, as if it had never seen harsh work or a single ray of sunlight.

Strange white eyelashes fluttered and curved.

Between the faintly curved eyelids, spotless gray pupils glistened.

If he drained out his fear like blood from meat and thought calmly and carefully…

This person had been smiling constantly since they first met.

That smiling face was eerie.

A dark mountain path at night.

What was illuminated by the lantern – a demon or a god?

Was this a savior who had arrived to rescue him, or truly a demon whispering to drag him down to hell?

After pondering without reaching a conclusion, what he finally said was a pathetic sentence.

“Be… believe, you ask…?”

Unlike himself who had uttered that dazed voice, the voice of the one standing before him was smooth as a snake.

“Yes. Whether you believe in me… or do not believe. Depending on that answer, it will be determined whether I can help you or not.”

It was asked with that same unwavering smile, as if tightening around his throat…

“I ask again. Brother, do you believe in me?”

Upon hearing those words, his head filled with thoughts of his daughter.

Every child they had was miscarried. In the midst of that, his wife even died while giving birth to a child.

That child had now just passed nine years old.

Not knowing what the cause was, she had been lying in bed like a corpse for over a year already.

She was so emaciated that if he didn’t turn her body periodically, bedsores would form and pus would develop.

His poor daughter who now had difficulty even swallowing water.

That nine-year-old daughter who seemed like she would flicker out with a single breath was his only hope and reason for living this life.

Traveling around this vast empire all day to obtain various medicines that were said to be good was solely for his daughter.

He desperately grabbed at the hem of his clothes.

“Yes, yes…! I believe! Bro… Brother… please save my child.”

If his child could live with just one word of belief, he could naturally say it hundreds of times.

He gently took hold of his hand that was gripping his shirt hem and removed it.

Unlike his own hands that were blackened from labor with calluses and scratches here and there, he felt the touch of smooth hands like silk without a single scar.

“Do not worry. Am I not here? Now Brother will have no pain, no worries, no hardships.”

“Thank you…”

“Then Brother, can you get to Astrapolis quickly? It is absolutely necessary to save your child.”

“Of course.”

If his child could be healed just by taking him to Astrapolis, he couldn’t ask for more.

Even if it were a lie, it wouldn’t be a tremendous loss.

*

I got a carriage to Astrapolis!

Of course, if I can’t heal the child, it’ll all be for nothing.

It wasn’t a lie. The sacred necklace in Astrapolis grants the Miracle of Purification to its wearer.

If that child has a disease that can be cured by purification, getting up from the sickbed won’t be a problem. Of course, if it doesn’t get cured, then I plan to tell another lie in my own way.

Hmm. But the status window is a bit strange.

[system: If believers remain ‘0’ after 3 more hours, physical collapse will begin in stages.]

[Number of believers: 0]

[Number of temporary believers: 1]

[00:37]

A status window for temporary believers appeared. Does this mean he didn’t become a complete believer?

Well, it would be strange if he immediately believed just because I ran my mouth a bit.

This is a place that deals mercilessly with heretics, and it’s a country with strong existing indigenous beliefs.

I decided to forgive the impudent coachman who said he believed while not believing.

If I say more here, it’ll only end with the coachman getting scared and running away.

And I’ll be abandoned on this dark forest path…

Perhaps because he’s a temporary believer, the timer isn’t extending or disappearing but continues to decrease.

Since it means ‘gradual’ physical collapse, it probably doesn’t mean I’ll die right now.

If I obtain a sacred relic in Astrapolis and use it to play the role of a self-proclaimed cult leader, I might be able to end it with just a little physical collapse.

Well, if I think positively… it could end with something like hair or nails, right?

Since it’s a gradual penalty, it probably won’t be a severe penalty from the beginning.

Like the body melting, or limbs being cut off…

Such scary things would probably happen later when penalties accumulate.

Even if I threaten this person now, it seems useless unless he ‘truly’ believes.

So let’s just sit quietly and wait until we arrive in Astrapolis.

Time passed quickly. During that time, no particular changes occurred in my body.

Did I get a little motion sick?

Whether it was motion sickness from the carriage or what, my condition was worse than before.

When the time indicated by the status window had 5 minutes left, the motion sickness got worse.

“My lord. The horses are tired too… and they need water, so shall we rest for a moment?”

Coincidentally, the curtain separating the driver’s seat and cargo area was pulled back then.

Let’s rest. It was a good idea at the right time. The motion sickness wouldn’t go away and it was quite an ordeal.

[WARNING!]

I know, I know too. But what can I do when there are no people? Damn system…

What kind of nerve is it to set a deadline like that and then demand believers when there are none?

Despite being internally annoyed, I still opened my mouth with a kindly smiling face.

“Yes, let’s do th-“

But my words couldn’t become a sentence.

“Ugh…”

I brought my hand to my mouth.

Nausea surged up.

My stomach feels queasy.

A little less than being hungover…

It’s churning… I feel like throwing up.

The feeling of a severe hangover…

“Urgh…”

Even if I vomit, I have to vomit outside!

The cargo area is where I’ll be staying for two days!

I hesitated while covering my mouth.

It feels like there’s phlegm stuck in my throat.

It’s not retching. Similar to choking, my throat feels spicy and scratchy.

I reflexively coughed violently.

“Kek… cough, cough…”

I can feel the coachman being shocked even without seeing him.

“My, my lord…!?”

When I lifted my hand, bright red blood and something like blood clots came out.

Ah… so this is what physical collapse meant?

I had only thought of things like fingernails, toenails, hair and such.

It’s more… how should I put it… intense than I thought.

Even though blood came out of my mouth like this, it didn’t hurt at all. It feels disconnected from reality.

It’s like severe motion sickness and hangover came and went.

My throat stings a bit. I heard that if blood comes out like this, it means the stomach is damaged.

[WARNING!]

[system: If believers remain at ‘0’ after 3 more hours, physical collapse will begin in stages.]

[02:59]

Well, what can I expect from a fantasy ‘game’? I doubt they properly implemented medical knowledge.

A noble priest’s Divine Power beam~! That would cure all serious illnesses, so this much should be healed with one Baptism.

Whatever the system is, one Blessing should make spitting blood say goodbye too.

“Huff… ha…”

I gasped for breath roughly. My stamina dropped dramatically. It felt like I’d been swimming vigorously.

Exhausted, I leaned my head against the wall with a thud.

I could sense the Coachman fidgeting restlessly beside me. I smiled and comforted him to calm him down.

“Ahem, Brother. I’m fine…”

It must look quite frightening to the Coachman. Suddenly spitting blood like that. I hope he doesn’t suspect it’s a contagious disease.

“If it’s not too much trouble, could you spare me a glass of water?”

The Coachman quickly brought water.

I used it to wet my throat. The bitter taste of blood lingered in my mouth.

Only then did I feel a bit of reality.

It didn’t hurt at all so it didn’t feel real, but with my hands slippery and the metallic taste, I thought this was really happening.

The next thought that came strongly was this:

‘Ah… I really seriously need to make believers?’

Spitting blood every 3 hours is a bit…

Honestly, I was half-doubtful earlier. Physical collapse if I can’t make believers? Does that make sense?

Of all things, physical collapse. I never saw such a debuff even in the game.

But it’s no longer a game.

I’ll be using this body for a while. Or maybe for life.

Such a debuff would be troublesome.

“Huff…”

“Are you… are you alright…?”

“Ah… It’s nothing serious. It’s just… the price of faith is insufficient.”

I gave the Coachman a subtle hint. I’m in this state because you’re only a temporary believer.

Whether he understood that hint or not, the Coachman asked with a stern expression.

“The price of faith, you mean…”

“You could call it belief, I suppose?”

Despite spitting blood, I didn’t let the smile leave my face.

Well, even if he’s not a believer yet, isn’t he the optimal person who could become one?

I wasn’t foolish enough to treat a future customer poorly just because they hadn’t paid money yet.

“Don’t worry about me, Brother… please take us quickly to Astrapolis. We must save the child, mustn’t we?”

The Coachman seemed to look somewhat moved.

Actually, I’m not sure.

His expression didn’t look very good, so maybe he was disgusted by the blood spitting.

“Understood, my lord.”

Still, seeing that he’s driving, it seems there won’t be any trouble like him accusing me of having a contagious disease.

A blessing in disguise.

*

We reached Astrapolis after traveling from early evening through night until dawn.

We crossed Mountain Paths and took detours after encountering bandits, so it took a while.

In the game, I could just climb mountains and swim across rivers, but with a carriage the speed was quite slow.

Except for spitting blood a couple times on the way, we didn’t encounter monsters or bandits. That was fortunate.

I guided the Coachman on the route.

The carriage followed the Road then gradually headed toward forest paths. When the dense trees made the path disappear, the carriage stopped.

“The carriage cannot go beyond here. Do you perhaps need an escort?”

“It’s fine. Please wait here. It won’t take long.”

I gathered my supplies and got off the carriage.

After riding in the carriage for almost a full day, my back was quite stiff and my buttocks ached. But I didn’t show it.

I carefully stepped into the Forest, wary of snakes that might be hiding in the grass.

How long did I walk? When the carriage and Coachman were no longer visible, a Stone Marker carved with Ancient Ruins symbols appeared.

But most people would pass by without knowing what was carved on the stone.

The very small Symbol, worn away by moss and weathering, looked like natural scratches on the stone.

‘Not much left now.’

I headed toward where I remembered the Ancient Ruins should be.

It was natural that people hadn’t discovered the Ancient Ruins until now.

From the Stone Marker carved with Ancient Ruins symbols, you had to walk in exactly a straight line.

Otherwise, you’d get caught in the Illusion Barrier and pop out somewhere completely different.

For game players, you just had to hold down the W key whether there were trees, stones, or cliffs.

Then you’d clear the Rhythm Game that appeared in the middle with a perfect score…

‘But now that it’s reality, there’s no way a Rhythm Game would appear…’

I closed my eyes as I had pondered in the carriage.

Anyway, the Illusion Barrier depends on sight. Then I just need to give up sight, right?

Anyway, bringing other Ancient Ruins or relics that already have owners wasn’t possible.

Only this ruin with its Illusion Barrier and puzzle format was something I could conquer as a novice.

If this really became reality, they’d at least patch this much.

I closed my eyes and proceeded as straight as possible. Walking straight with eyes closed required quite a bit of concentration.

How long did I walk like that? Thud, something caught at my feet.

Until now there hadn’t been any feeling of grass or pebbles catching my feet while walking…

When I slowly opened my eyes, flat ground appeared. As expected.

It seemed like quite a simple solution, but in this Forest, closing your eyes and steadfastly moving forward through illusions that look like stones, trees, and cliffs isn’t easy.

Right, if there was a reality patch, this kind of not-quite-exploit should be allowed.

On fairly tall stones, dusty torches were attached one to each stone.

The stones stood spaced apart as if doing a circle dance, with a circular flat stone carved with complex patterns placed in the center.

Anyone could see this was an unusual place.

Perhaps because we’d traveled through the night, dawn sunlight was slanting into the Forest.

I could clearly see dust floating in the sunbeams and dew on the fresh green leaves.

The Clearing was gloomy even though it was morning. I might have trembled if I’d come at night.

I took out the Lantern I’d brought from the carriage. The order of lighting the torches hanging on the stones was important.

I lit them in order according to my remembered knowledge.

What had lit normally began glowing brightly as soon as the sequence was completed.

I picked up some nearby Tree Branches and burned them. After burning for a while, the Tree Branches had become Charcoal.

I placed the Sword and Charcoal I’d brought on the flat stone in the center with its strange patterns.

It’s fortunate the materials could be obtained nearby. It would have been troublesome if there was something special to prepare.

When I finished the ritual, the ground shook. I stepped back several paces from the center stone.

Soon after, with a loud noise, the stone with patterns split in half and an underground door opened.

Birds in the Forest fled, startled by the loud sound.

Whoosh, the lit torches instantly died out, sending up gray smoke.

An automatic door like this in the medieval era. Is this what fantasy is? I never thought I’d see directly what I’d only seen on screen.

I wonder if there are other easter eggs? Should I explore once? They might not have blocked off areas that were blocked on the map, right?

I had quite gamer-like thoughts as I held the lantern and stepped onto the stairs of the underground cave.

Clatter.

“….!!!”

At that moment, the stairs suddenly collapsed and I plummeted into the darkness.

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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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