The Life of a Wise Cult Leader - Chapter 59

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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

Cardil was making an expression full of great, tremendous dissatisfaction. I sat in the seat facing Cardil.

“The Central Church ordered that one Bishop-level person accompany us. But as Brother Cardil knows, I know very few Central Church figures. Moreover, since there are small disputes happening near the area bordering Centa, the Central Church figures protecting me also refused to go to Centa as an envoy. As a companion, there was only Brother Cardil.”

“Ah…”

Cardil frowned.

That expression seemed to say, ‘I got dragged here because I have no connections. What about the healing center I have to manage! Damn it!’ He was probably actually thinking exactly that…

“Since we’re going as an envoy, there will be top-class treatment and proper compensation. Brother Cardil.”

I gently brought up words to improve his mood.

“If the ceasefire negotiations end safely, as a member of the great envoy, we might be able to discuss expanding the healing center. Or perhaps free medical service…”

“When do we arrive?”

Cardil’s attitude changed completely.

I smiled slightly. Cardil was really easy to handle despite his personality. He was like a Pomeranian.

“It will probably take about 5 days.”

*

After becoming a Saint, I completed the sub-quests to gather 700, 1,000, and 1,500 believers.

Thanks to that, the penalty cycle was reduced, and my points were approaching nearly 100.

I thought about using the points as soon as I got them, but…

‘Who knows what will happen in Centa.’

I was saving them to handle whatever happens in Centa.

Faith was the same.

As believers increased, faith accumulated, but I used it to strengthen sacred objects and saved some for the sacred object I would soon obtain.

I didn’t have time to use prophecy. The sacred object I would get in Centa was that precious defensive-type sacred object.

For someone like me who gets stabbed, cut, and sliced by swords at every turn, a perfectly suitable sacred object would soon be in my hands, so I had to save resources for strengthening defensive sacred objects.

Clatter.

“We’ll arrive soon. Saint.”

“Yes, let’s prepare.”

Being stuck in the carriage for 4 days without moving was quite an ordeal, but fortunately the carriage was top-class. It was almost like riding in a trailer.

Of course, hygiene would be quite inconvenient… but I hadn’t washed purely for ‘hygiene’ since strengthening the purification sacred object.

I only washed for mood. Since my body automatically purified itself, there wasn’t really a need to wash.

I felt a faint excitement.

Actually, when I was a game player, I didn’t just wander around one empire but traveled the entire world including the Demon Realm, Centa, and various other countries.

I had gradually enjoyed most of the content the Empire had to offer, so I was really looking forward to sightseeing in other countries.

While the Empire was rigid and had low freedom, it had high civilization levels, and Centa was said to have a free atmosphere with many sights to see as various races lived there.

“Brothers and Sisters, are you ready to be welcomed?”

I spoke to my party members with a joyful heart.

My party members had such diverse personalities that their reactions were all different.

Yelena waved her hand holding a dagger and smiled, while Kalebrin fidgeted.

Cardil just nodded at me while reading a book with a bored expression.

He seemed to think he wouldn’t show his face anyway. He seemed so relaxed because he thought he wouldn’t meet Centa’s key figures even though we were about to meet them.

I was about to tell him ‘You have to meet the head of state and nobles too~’ but stopped. It would be quite amusing to see Cardil panic when he sees Centa’s King.

Thud.

Clatter.

The carriage shook greatly again. The murmuring sounds from outside grew louder. It seemed we were really about to arrive.

I briefly checked my appearance. I also roughly brushed and arranged my hair. I paid attention to make sure my clothes weren’t askew.

“We’ve arrived, Saint.”

“Thank you.”

The carriage door opened. The attendant and coachman who came with us pulled back the curtain that blocked between the door and inside.

Bright light entered the carriage that had been relatively dark compared to outside. My eyes, which had adapted to the darkness, naturally squinted. When I got out of the carriage while maintaining proper etiquette as much as possible, I heard people’s cheers.

“Waaaah!”

I didn’t expect them to cheer this much.

They wouldn’t be the type to blindly welcome a Saint from an enemy country without any backbone.

After all, it was the neighboring country Centa that had been in the sharpest conflict with the Empire, and they were the country with the greatest accumulated distrust and antipathy toward Centa.

I followed the guide toward the podium. Yelena and Kalebrin followed behind me. Cardil tried to stay holed up in the carriage, but Yelena dragged him out. It was quite funny.

“What use is it for me to go…”

“Be quiet. From now on, it’s a real battle of momentum.”

“So why do I have to do that…”

I could hear my party members whispering behind me. I smiled lightly and greeted the high officials who came to meet us one by one.

Names, faces. Okay.

In case there might be problematic situations, I tried to learn as many names as possible and tried to look at each person’s face a little more. It was my own survival method after going through consecutive death threats.

People were gathered below the podium. However, there were also some who weren’t people – not the humans you’d commonly think of.

There were other races like fairies and elves, as well as dwarves. The Empire was full of only pure humans, but Centa was definitely different. I could really feel that I had crossed the border.

‘Demon Race…?’

There were even Demon Race mixed among the people.

Without even using the Demon Race’s specialty of disguise, they were boldly revealing their single horns and reverse eyes among the people.

But all those around them weren’t being wary of the Demon Race.

If Demon Race came to the Empire, within 3 seconds the surrounding people would scream and call them demons, and within less than 3 minutes an Inquisitor would be dispatched and their heads would be cut off.

I finished simple greetings with the nobles and had a brief chat with Centa’s King.

“I hope we can end this meaningless war now.”

It was a straightforward aspiration.

“I also wish for all suffering in the world to disappear.”

“I hope we can get along well.”

The benevolent King was much shorter than me, perhaps being a dwarf hybrid, so even though he stood on a footstool, he had to bend his waist and knees to shake hands with me.

“I ask for your favor as well. Your Majesty, King of Centa.”

“Rather, we should be grateful that the ‘Saint’ came to Centa. Since you extended your hand first to end this futile and meaningless war, it’s only natural that we take that hand.”

His Majesty the King, who seemed warm and good-natured, had been quite openly revealing his true intentions from earlier. The Empire always spoke in roundabout ways.

Certainly, these kinds of values differ from country to country. I wish the Empire would also boldly express their opinions like this. It’s annoying to speak in roundabout ways.

I greeted him lightly. The announcer guided me to the platform.

When I climbed the stairs and got on something like a viewing platform, I could see the citizens’ appearances in much more detail than before.

‘Injured… and emaciated. There are even people lying down?’

Probably because of the ascetic’s something-or-other that showed amazing powers when becoming a ‘Saint’, there seemed to be people beyond the border hoping for miracles.

“…Now, the ascetic who became a Saint will say a few words.”

Then I had no choice but to meet their expectations.

I received the short staff that served as a microphone. The staff design was different, but it seemed Centa and the Empire used similar things.

“Today, this occasion was prepared to end the war. However, above all, I came here to see all of your faces.”

If speeches get too long, people don’t listen. What I’ll show here anyway isn’t some stereotypical civil servant quarterly report style about what I’ll do and so on.

“I hope the path I walk can end your suffering. I sincerely hope your wisdom and courage will accompany me on that path.”

I spoke with some religious coloring removed. I can’t let the image I’ve carefully built up get damaged in external activities.

And I unleashed the power of the healing sacred object. Since I had upgraded the purification sacred object by one level, area purification was possible just like the healing sacred object.

Light of purification and healing spread out. What reached my vision was this entire plaza. Light permeated those who came on carts and the Demon Race.

Those surprised by my sudden action rushed to restrain me, but Kalebrin and Yelena blocked them.

The light swept past everyone in my sight, and those lying on carts, those with arms in splints, old women, and vagrants were all cleanly restored.

“Ooh…!”

“It really is the ‘Saint’! This, this is a miracle…!”

People praised me while waving cloths of various colors.

The King realized that what I had unleashed was not an attack, but simply a miracle. He stared at me sharply for a moment, then raised his hand.

The Royal Guards who received the cease attack signal moved away from Yelena and Kalebrin.

Three other-race guards who had been clinging to Yelena. Two who were trying to subdue Kalebrin put away their weapons and returned to their original positions. Yelena and Kalebrin also returned to my side while maintaining only slight wariness.

Cardil, who had been a bit far away, was classified as a non-combatant and they had just been firmly holding his arms and were now just letting go.

Even in this situation, Cardil looked quite amusing with his dazed expression, not attacking at all. This guy who had no survival instincts whatsoever had put up a barrier to protect me.

It wasn’t the red semicircular barrier, but the light blue shield that had covered me before was wrapped around me. It must have been Cardil’s.

Suddenly, a noble sitting in the VIP section jumped out and started pointing fingers.

“Ascetic! What is the meaning of this!”

“Oh my… I apologize. There seemed to be many suffering people in the plaza, so I simply bestowed a small miracle upon them.”

“A, a miracle?”

Ah, right. This was a skill that could only be received by those within my ‘sight,’ so the VIPs sitting behind me wouldn’t have felt the Sacred Relic Power.

I smiled benevolently and took a step closer to the noble who had raised the complaint. The barrier dissolved and the blue light faded from my vision.

“I truly had no intention of harming Centa. This miracle as well was simply bestowed out of pity for the many suffering people in this land.”

The noble stepped back like a professor when I took one step forward.

It must have been because I wasn’t wearing my veil right now. As I had heard several times from Kalebrin and Yelena, I apparently gave off a subtle intimidating presence regardless of my appearance…

Unless they were a marquis who had roamed battlefields like Bernator, ordinary nobles were bound to be intimidated by my presence.

This could give me a very advantageous position in negotiations.

“Though I am taking steps toward a ceasefire, opportunities to see so many of Centa’s people in one place are rare… I acted out of hope that even a few more people might escape from suffering. If my actions made you uncomfortable, I deeply apologize for that.”

The noble stammered and tried to say something, but the King stopped him. The King, who had been sitting quietly, had returned to a sharp and cold expression rather than a benevolent one.

‘So he didn’t claim the throne with a kind grandfather stance after all.’

The King whispered with his advisor for a moment, then spoke to me.

“I understand well your intention to help people and remove suffering from this land. However, to achieve such intentions, above all else, we must first resolve the deep resentment our Centa people harbor toward the Empire. To this end, we wish to adjust the diplomatic mission’s visiting route – do you have any objections to this?”

I had no particular information about Centa’s King and wasn’t interested, so I had just been going along with things.

But to think he would set up the stage like this.

I smiled wickedly beneath my veil.

“Of course, Your Majesty. I am prepared to do whatever it takes to fulfill my mission.”

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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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