The Life of a Wise Cult Leader - Chapter 56

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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

Yelena reflexively clutched her head with one hand. Her head suddenly rang with a buzzing sound.

The Ascetic’s voice echoed inside her head.

{Fear not. Wherever this voice reaches, peace shall accompany it. Beloved ones, cease your turmoil and find rest within me. No more suffering shall remain in this place.}

The resonating voice seemed to emerge from within Yelena’s own inner self.

‘He possessed such an ability…?’

Her surprise was brief, as the words ringing and buzzing in her head were more forceful and imposing than the Ascetic’s usual polite speech.

{Protect the most fragile lives first. Raise white cloth high and guide them inward, wrapping them in warmth. Let the strong become walls to establish order. When all souls are ready, gather toward the center where the radiance of light dwells to prepare to receive glory.}

She was almost overwhelmed by the imposing atmosphere and subtle pressure.

‘Get a grip.’

If she had intended to become a common dog wagging its tail beneath him, she would have knelt before her mother long ago.

If she felt this much pressure, others would have felt even greater intimidation and holiness.

Yelena frowned slightly and pressed firmly on her throbbing temples. Then the Ascetic spoke to her.

“Yelena. Have you found the culprit?”

It was respectful formal speech. Yelena concealed her subtle emotions and quickly surveyed the plaza.

Two people had suspicious movements.

They must be the ones who caused the terror. If she was going to cut off their breath, now was the only chance.

“Yes, just now.”

She answered briefly and launched herself into the crowd.

The two men, seeing that Yelena was heading toward them, drew their daggers. Yelena naturally tried to draw her most cherished halberd, but…

She couldn’t swing a halberd in this crowd.

Yelena stopped her hand reaching for the halberd. Not only could she not properly swing the halberd in this crowd, but naturally, citizens might get hurt if she wasn’t careful.

She approached the enemy gracefully.

“…!”

“Yap.”

Yelena firmly grabbed the man’s wrist.

When she twisted the wrist of the one holding the dagger, the dagger fell to the ground.

Before a scream could burst from the broken wrist, she turned her waist and struck below his chin with her toes.

“Ugh… gack!”

The other one, seeing his companion being taken down, judged there was no chance of victory and tried to flee, but it was already too late.

She drew her own dagger from her waist and threw it. She wasn’t originally a novice who only knew how to handle a halberd. Those who handle large weapons usually carry auxiliary weapons.

The thrown blade lodged in his back. The man screamed and was about to collapse. One prisoner was enough.

Yelena approached within arm’s reach of the man in a few steps and pulled out the dagger from his back. Then she swung it as it was.

Swoosh-

Blood spurted high into the sky. A red line was drawn like an arch in the air.

Citizens who got splattered with the spilled blood screamed wildly.

Without catching her breath, she immediately assessed the situation.

The Ascetic was already standing on the platform. In the plaza engulfed in chaos, his voice echoed in her head once again.

{Fear not. Peace shall be with all who hear this voice.}

Shortly after, white cloth began to be raised high here and there throughout the plaza.

Even those who had panicked and tried to pass through the narrow temple plaza entrance stopped upon seeing it and began to follow the people.

People raised white cloth high to guide others. The sick and children moved inward toward the inside of the plaza.

“Move following the white cloth! Those who are injured, this way!”

“Children too, children should also gather together toward the inside!”

The scattered crowd was organized, and the plaza quickly found stability. Thanks to just a few words from the Ascetic, the plaza was no longer chaotic.

With just a few words and atmosphere alone, he controlled this chaotic situation.

“Your wounds, I shall now take them away. With the power granted to me at this moment, I shall show you a glorious mission!”

Flash.

Light spread out from him.

*

Imperial Year 275.

He slowly spread both arms and spoke in a magnificent voice as if embracing the earth.

Before his words even ended, dazzling light surged up from beneath his feet, coloring the entire plaza.

All who witnessed that scene cried out in unison:

“This is not a Saint, but the second coming of Lumensia!”

Wherever the light lingered, miracles bloomed.

Wounded flesh was instantly covered with new skin, and broken bones found their proper places and mended themselves.

Those who bled stopped bleeding, and hearts that had suffered lifelong torment found quiet peace as if awakening from a dream.

That day, the plaza vibrated with admiration and wailing, joy and praise. The waves of cries and prayers reaching toward heaven shook the earth and made even the sky resonate.

No one who saw that sight raised any opposition to his attaining the position of Saint.

If he wasn’t a Saint, then who could possibly be a Saint!

Sernuan Lumiere, no, the ‘Ascetic’ had finally inherited the will of Lumensia who descended to this land, and was the being who would eliminate the despair rooted in the earth, take away suffering, and create paradise on earth!

Even the legitimate House Alderion and the rising star who was the next Archmage did not hesitate to stand by his side.

Compared to the false Saints and female Saints put forward by the Central Church, this ‘Ascetic’ was truly sent by Lumensia.

Otherwise, how could that immense holy power and charisma, mysterious atmosphere and appearance, and benevolent character be explained?

Everyone accepted him as a Saint, and there were no critics raising questions like where did this kid come from to be a Saint.

No, even if there were, they quickly disappeared.

Just one glance from him, or even directly facing him, would make such negative opinions vanish. It was indeed the advent of the living Lumensia.

He even created an envoy delegation for ceasefire negotiations to end the prolonged war with Centa!

The cheers of Imperial Citizens tired of the continuing war only grew louder.

He personally visited each temple, caring for the ailments of Imperial Citizens and soothing their wounds. Under his touch, despair retreated and hope bloomed.

The figures of the Central Church also initially viewed him with unfavorable eyes, but…

Day by day, faith in the Central Church deepened under his name and their reputation rose. Massive donations and endless goodwill from the people followed.

As the benefits falling to the Central Church naturally increased in this process, the Central Church could no longer antagonize him.

Thus, those who wished to rely on sacred authority began to gather around him one by one.

The only ones harboring dissatisfaction were the incompetent High Priests who had been complacent in old power and a few Greedy Nobles.

However, even the Empire could not carelessly touch him.

Just mentioning his name would move public sentiment like thunder, so resisting him meant facing a fierce storm head-on.

Thus, the miracles and praise, joy and worship of that day spread beyond the Empire’s borders, even to the land of neighboring Centa where cold war clouds hung.

13 days later…

When they were preparing to welcome the news that Centa, having heard the heroic tales, was coming as an envoy delegation.

“I am the Saint…! I heard the voice of Lumensia. She told me to quickly go to the land and eliminate the Ascetic who is pretending to be a Saint…!”

One claiming to be a Saint, and one who claimed to have a mission to eliminate the Saint, came to the Great Temple.

*

“A Saint has appeared.”

“Did you kill her?”

“Yes. We immediately took her underground and killed her.”

“Then that’s settled. Go about your business.”

The Widow sent her subordinate away and threw the newspaper in her hands into the fireplace.

The world’s development was slower than the ‘previous time’ she remembered.

Reform was just beginning and writing was being disseminated. She would have to wait quite a while before cars would appear.

“Demon Realm…”

The crackling, burning newspaper quickly erased its traces. The fire greedily devoured the newspaper.

In the center of the newspaper was a drawing of the Ascetic’s face.

The Ascetic drawn in the newspaper gradually burned away in the flames.

“How far should I tolerate this.”

The Widow twisted her red hair around her finger. Softly curled hair spilled forward.

Knock knock knock.

Click.

“I’m back. Widow.”

The one who opened the door and entered was an Inquisitor with blonde hair tied up high. The Widow warmly welcomed her daughter.

“You’re here? The weather’s been a bit unpredictable. You didn’t catch a cold, did you?”

“No. There’s an Ascetic beside me, after all. There’s no chance of getting sick.”

Green eyes of a similar shade to the Inquisitor’s curved gently. She lightly patted the side of the sofa.

“The Ascetic has been moving around actively lately, so you must have to move around a lot too. It seems like you’re going through too much trouble.”

“Not at all. This much is easier than the training I used to do, so don’t worry.”

Yelena sat on the sofa. She pushed the candied violet on the table toward her.

“Come… shall we have a cozy mother-daughter chat?”

The green eyes stared piercingly at Yelena. Yelena thought her eyes were like plants.

It wasn’t that she thought of life, peace, and such things. No matter how solid a rock is, if there’s even the slightest crack, plants quickly put down roots and shatter that rock.

“…Yes.”

She must not give any openings.

Just as she had done well so far…

*

Oh yeah!

Things were going extremely smoothly!

When I suppressed the terrorism at the Saint announcement ceremony, the number of believers had already far exceeded the 500 marked in the Quest.

I leveled up when I cleared the Quest too.

After the terrorism, after the Saint announcement ceremony, my life became so busy that I didn’t even have time to go see the Marquis.

All I got was a report that the Marquis’s remnants were dragged to the Central Church, tortured, and then executed.

It’s fortunate that I have this opportunity under the pretext of caring for the Citizens.

Thud!

And here I am, sitting on a sofa, watching Kalebrin diligently beating up the Marquis at Antonio’s Villa.

“Kyaaaah!”

“S-speak…”

Even if an Ascetic condones torture, he’s still a serious criminal.

If I hadn’t had the Purification Power, I would have died from one poisoned meal… Even if I survived, if I hadn’t taken any countermeasures, I might have died caught up in the terrorism.

There’s no sympathy for such a criminal.

“Kuk… There’s nothing more to say!”

“That s-sword… where did it come from…?”

It turns out the Marquis was being controlled by a demonic sword. I know well about that demonic sword. It came up as an important Quest.

But given the timeline and connections, I need to find out why it’s so randomly in the Marquis’s hands, so I’m working hard to extract a confession.

“Ugh. How brutal.”

Of course, there was no excuse to leave Yelena out, and since I was thinking of making her half an accomplice, Yelena was accompanying us.

“Isn’t there magic that makes people spill everything automatically?”

“Th-that kind of thing… isn’t my m-main specialty…”

Kalebrin diligently tortured the person while explaining why she couldn’t make people confess through sorcery.

Of course, neither I, a fake Saint scammer with system cheats, nor Yelena, who follows the principle that “if your body is strong, your head doesn’t need to suffer,” understood what Kalebrin was saying.

“So you’re saying that attempting that could blow his head up?”

Kalebrin nodded vigorously. Anyway, if the utility maxer says so, then that must be it. Even utility maxers had things they couldn’t do.

I asked Yelena.

“Yelena, you’re also an Inquisitor, don’t you know about interrogation?”

“If I did, I would have been an Inquisitor~ I simply receive reports, go out, judge whether they’re really heretics, catch them, and hand them over to interrogators.”

Ah, so that’s why she wasn’t an Inquisitor.

I nodded roughly. The Marquis was already half foaming at the mouth.

Due to the terrorism he committed, the Marquis received only death reports instead of missing person reports, and even if he returned from here, his funeral would already be in progress, so he would have nowhere to return to.

It was a futile terrorism and a futile ending. The Marquis himself probably wouldn’t understand why he did such a thing.

Such a pathetic terrorism plan. It’s absurd, but it was probably something he did half-impulsively, led by the demonic sword.

Since it was a type of demonic sword that inflated human desires, the penalty of decreased intelligence stats when equipped was unavoidable.

Moreover, even Kalebrin, who seemed to know a bit about this demonic sword, had only heard rumors about it, so the information gap between her and me wasn’t much.

Yelena didn’t even know this demonic sword existed in the first place.

In the end, the only way to find out where this demonic sword came from and how long he’d had it was through that Marquis’s mouth.

‘Even if I try to peek into his inner thoughts, the Marquis has a surprisingly high level…’

It was incomparable to me, who had just reached level 9 after becoming a Saint, clearing Quests, and going around healing people.

According to Antonio, he received the title of Marquis by navigating wars like his own home…

For such a person to fall to a single curse, his curse resistance and magic resistance stats must have been close to zero.

“Hmm…”

When Kalebrin stacked another curse, blood poured from the eyes, nose, and ears of the Marquis who had been foaming at the mouth. Then I healed him again.

The Marquis despaired seeing his body completely restored as if he had never been tortured.

‘Moreover, perhaps due to continuous exposure to the demonic sword, purification doesn’t work that well.’

Since it was a curse type rather than poison or contamination type, purification might be slightly less effective.

“Just… kill me…!”

“Marquis Bernator, we don’t want to kill people either. If you just quietly tell us where that sword came from and how long you’ve had it, we’ll let you go!”

Yelena, who could be considered the brightest one here, smiled and attempted a somewhat peaceful negotiation.

“Bullshit!”

The Marquis growled at us with his restored face.

Though restored, he had no dignity since he hadn’t trimmed his beard and had been given just enough food to survive, making him gaunt.

“You’ll never let me live! Damn Lumensia’s Unfilial Children! Die! Die and be buried in the Abyss-“

The Marquis began hurling curses.

I got up from the sofa. The emaciated Marquis shut his mouth tight when I approached. I crouched in front of him and met his eyes.

“Marquis Marzes Bernator, aren’t you curious about why you’re in this situation? I too would have liked to continue a good relationship with you if possible. This is not a lie. How could I lie to a neighbor?”

“Because I treated you harshly at the banquet hall, you’re taking this kind of revenge! How vicious… Really, what a vicious thing to do…! Yes, you really are a demon… definitely a demon…!”

I listened to his rambling for a moment, then looked up at the air. It can’t be helped. If we drag this out any longer, it’ll be troublesome for both sides.

“Right now, your comrade is waiting to greet you from over there. His name is… ah, he says it’s Jackal.”

Bernator flinched in surprise and shook his head frantically. But he couldn’t see the ghost called Jackal.

Because I was just lying.

I had simply quietly called out one of the names from the list Antonio had given me – those who had been close to Bernator but had already left this world on the battlefield.

“Jackal thinks that you, who became a Marquis by using that sword…”

“Uh- Hyaaaah…! Don’t say it! Don’t say it!”

The Marquis showed a more intense reaction than when he was being tortured.

In fact, his mental strength had weakened from the continuous curse stacking, so the Divine Aura effect worked much more sweetly.

“I’ll ask again. Brother Bernator… where, when, and how did you get that sword?”

It wasn’t long before the Marquis’s tightly closed mouth opened.

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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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