The Life of a Wise Cult Leader - Chapter 45

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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

I almost screamed.

‘Don’t lie to me. Please.’

I had worked so hard to reach the small number of 200 believers, equivalent to an entire middle school, and now they want me to make an entire high school worth of believers…?

[Time remaining until next penalty]

[71:44 minutes]

Are you serious?

How am I supposed to make five hundred people in less than 3 days…

‘This is… a mistake.’

Of course, even if I had checked the believer window earlier, that damn number wouldn’t have changed…!

’10 days maybe, but 3 days is… impossible.’

No matter what I did, I couldn’t gather 300 people in just 3 days. I’m not actually a god.

‘Ah well~ I’ll just cough up blood refreshingly and be done with it.’

Since it came to this, I didn’t even care anymore.

These days I’ve been getting stabbed instead of penalties, so coughing up blood a few times doesn’t even tickle!

“Please go inside.”

“Yes~”

Yelena took the demon fragment wrapped in some cloth she got from somewhere. She seemed to be in a good mood, humming.

When we entered the ancient castle, the two men who had already washed were vigorously drying their hair.

‘I don’t really need to wash since I have purification…’

But still, as a human being, not washing made my body feel strangely uncomfortable.

“Shall I guide you to the bathroom as well, Ascetic?”

“Thank you.”

The perceptive Marquis led me to the bathroom. When he opened the door, hot steam billowed out.

“Please use it comfortably. For clothes… I’ll bring some for you. I should have some that fit.”

“Thank you, Alderion. You should also rest comfortably until dinner.”

“Yes, thank you.”

I was finally able to wash leisurely with warm water after a long time. There was a bathtub so I could soak in it, and since my default body temperature was cold, the warmth spreading made my head dizzy.

I spent a full hour just washing and drying my very long hair.

‘How do women even live? Washing every day, and even applying treatments and various oils to maintain their hair quality, then drying all this…’

I was truly grateful for the power of purification. Without auto purification, I would have been doing this labor every single day. And this wasn’t even the end – I’d have to constantly brush it to prevent tangles.

Anyway, I came out of the bathroom all warmed up. In front of me were clothes that Alderion seemed to have brought.

‘Hmm. As expected, the length doesn’t fit.’

Befitting a marquis, he had high-quality clothes. The flowing silk white outfit suited me as if it were tailored for me, but the pants were a bit short.

This was because Sernuan Lumiere was tall like a telephone pole, so it couldn’t be helped. Even in modern times, I needed alterations for my height, so coming to medieval times, I inevitably had to choose alterations every time.

‘Continuously wearing short clothes would damage my dignity.’

Though called an ascetic, I couldn’t have even a speck of dust on my face, and couldn’t have a single callus. It was okay to take a blade for others, but I couldn’t wear rags.

That’s what being an idol means.

I had to play along with this role-playing for now. Have you ever seen a princess not wear a dress? It’s like that.

When I stepped into the corridor, Yelena was walking over with her hair down, wearing comfortable clothes.

“Oh! New clothes? They suit you well~ The meal is ready, so let’s eat!”

There was a delicious smell. I nodded and followed Yelena. Everyone was gathered at the table, but no one was touching the food.

“Were you waiting?”

“No. Everything just got ready.”

Cardil preemptively blocked my assumption. These heartless people.

“I see. Then let’s eat well. Brother.”

“Not at all.”

It was a silent meal. Everyone had washed and come out, their hair looking moist, with tired faces.

In this state, even after finishing the meal, traveling today would probably be too much. Kalebrin was nodding off while chewing.

Even if we slept in the cramped carriage, having the coachman drive in this situation would be extremely tiring.

I swallowed what I was chewing and brought up the topic.

“I know it’s urgent, but I think it would be better to take a short nap before departing.”

“Yes, that’s a good idea. If we tried to leave without sleeping, I was going to break the carriage wheels.”

With Yelena’s passionate agreement, we decided to have a brief nap time.

*

After napping and traveling again at night, we arrived at Astrapolis. Since we couldn’t see the lord this late at night, I would probably need to sleep at Antonio’s house and move tomorrow.

“The report is at 11 AM tomorrow, so let’s gather at the Lord’s Castle on our own.”

“Understood.”

After getting off the carriage, Cardil said that and coolly disappeared to his own house. The Marquis said he had his own villa in Astrapolis and disappeared, saying he’d stay there.

Only Yelena and Kalebrin, who remained to monitor me, were left.

Then one person was standing in front of the carriage.

“Ascetic. You arrived earlier than expected.”

It was Antonio.

“Brother Antonio, what brings you out this late at night? The night wind is cold.”

“I heard in advance that you were returning, Ascetic, and I happened to be out handling some business. Above all… you were heading to my house, weren’t you?”

“Yes. I can’t very well visit the lord at this hour.”

“The lord has prepared a separate home for you, Ascetic. In case you didn’t know… I came out to greet you personally.”

“A home, you say?”

“Those who serve for the glory of Astrapolis like this should be treated as honored guests. The young lord is quite capable! Now, please travel in this carriage.”

Antonio drove the carriage with a bright smile.

‘I couldn’t even get my own place in the original world, but getting my own home in a fantasy world.’

I was curious whether the lord had found me a decent house. But I shouldn’t get my hopes up. Right now, Astrapolis had just been attacked out of nowhere…

“We’ve arrived.”

The house spread before me was a mansion larger than Antonio’s house.

‘Are you serious…?’

This is really nice.

I received a house as compensation.

I had to make an effort not to open my mouth. Antonio was still smiling brightly.

“The lord truly knows how to show gratitude! But since there were no necessary supplies or caretaker, I took care of everything.”

“I should thank both of you. Thank you, Brother.”

“Not at all. And the Ascetic’s idea from last time brought great profit, allowing us to help citizens suffering from hunger and those damaged by the attack. Of course, the magic stones obtained from the mine are also being processed safely. All of this… is thanks to your grace, Ascetic.”

All I did was talk, but Antonio who faithfully brought profits looked really endearing.

He even attributed the credit to me and acted so accommodating!

He was truly a capable unit who would do ten things when told one.

“All I did was give a word or two of advice. The real achievement is thanks to Brother Antonio’s abilities. Even helping struggling neighbors… Brother Antonio is truly admirable.”

Since we were having such a lovefest between us, Yelena yawned extensively.

“You must be very tired from traveling, so please rest comfortably in your room. A guest room is also prepared.”

“Thank you~”

Yelena disappeared into a room, taking the sack containing the demon fragment.

The monitor has disappeared.

“Kalebrin, you must be tired, so rest in the room next to Yelena’s.”

“Mmm.”

“Brother Antonio, since we’ve met after a long time, how about we chat for a while before resting?”

“That’s always good. I actually brought some good alcohol to commemorate getting your own home.”

“That sounds good… But there’s something I’d like to ask. Was there any particular news about the second daughter of the Evergrace family?”

“There was talk that she showed excellent skills in the entrance exam and would be directly admitted as a second-year instead of first-year. They say the Imperial Magic Tower is also keeping an eye on this talent. They say it’s a talent that appears once in several hundred years. Oh, and… there’s one more interesting piece of information I heard from the Magic Tower side. Would you like to hear this too?”

“Brother Antonio’s stories are always fascinating. The more I listen, the more my ears are delighted.”

As expected, I could communicate well with Antonio.

*

The next day at 11 AM.

The Lord was once again horrified at the news that a demon had appeared.

And upon seeing the crushed demon’s corpse, he seemed to realize the severity of the situation.

When told that the heretic had become a tree, the Lord pondered for a moment.

“Uproot the heretic in the garden, set it up on the execution platform and burn it. Use the ashes as fertilizer.”

He handled it truly like a medieval person from a fantasy world.

After finishing business with the Lord, I was immediately summoned to the Central Church.

Yelena received some paper from the Cult Leader of the Central Church. The Cult Leader looked at me with his usual disgruntled expression.

“Ah~ Are you trying to give me work again? I’d like to rest soon.”

Since it felt awkward to just stand there blankly while Yelena was handling her business, I was healing those who came to the temple.

I heard the sound of Yelena walking over, apparently having finished her business.

She raised one eyebrow upon seeing the believers and patients around me.

“Ascetic~ I have something to say. Um… wouldn’t you like to go somewhere more private?”

The two of us searched for a private place and ended up entering the confessional. It was narrower than a carriage and uncomfortable. I almost hit my head on a pillar when entering.

“Ahem… So what this is about…”

I heard the sound of Yelena rustling paper in the adjacent room. I listened to Yelena’s story with just a thin wooden wall between us.

“It says ‘Sernuan Lumiere is invited to the banquet hall.'”

What was bound to come had come.

“It’s in 7 days… roughly the 21st, and you need to come to the front of the banquet hall by 6:30 PM. And the carried items are… sacred relics. You cannot bring companions, and bladed weapons or anything that could be used as weapons are forbidden. Attire must be respectful enough for the banquet hall! That’s what it says~ Ascetic, you’ll need to go get an outfit tailored.”

Carried items… sacred relics.

‘In the original story, the heretic cult that Sernuan Lumiere led had stolen sacred relics, so it was about retrieving them. Then they must have written sacred relics as carried items to make him bring back those stolen sacred relics.’

The problem is I can’t give them the sacred relic now. It’s already bound to me, so transfer is impossible. I had no intention of handing it over anyway.

“Thank you for the kind explanation. Is there anything else you’d like to say?”

“Not really~ Are you going to the clothing store now?”

“That’s what I’ll have to do. I need to finish preparations within a week.”

Clatter.

I hear the sound of a door opening in the adjacent room. I tried to open my door and come out too. The ceiling was low, so I had no choice but to duck my head.

When I raised my head, Yelena was standing in front of me.

“Ascetic, may I ask you one thing?”

“As long as it’s not a sensitive question.”

I smiled and returned her question.

“The carried items are supposed to be sacred relics… do you happen to have sacred relics with you right now?”

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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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