The Life of a Wise Cult Leader - Chapter 73

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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

First, I should head to Rablas’s shop, which is closest from here.

‘Before that, I need to stop by Ruffy’s bakery.’

Since I can buy any bread from Ruffy’s bakery, all I need to prepare is Senta’s money.

‘In the game, they unified the currency for convenience… but not here.’

Fortunately, I had Senta’s currency. The temple had given me exchanged money before I came over as an envoy.

‘I’m not sure exactly how much it is due to the exchange rate. But it should be enough to spend generously.’

Even if money runs short, it’s fine. I can just extort from the citizens. That’s what being a cult leader is about….

When I went outside, there was an attendant.

“I’d like to go to the city center. Could you prepare a carriage?”

“Yes, please wait a moment.”

We sat on a bench in front of the main gate for a while. Calebrin took out the ancient book I had given her from her crossbody bag and opened it.

“Was there any useful information?”

“Um…. Well, I’m not, not sure yet…. But I think there might be some useful cl, clues. To properly fi, find out…. I’d need to prepare a research room or so, something like that.”

As expected, it seems we need a bit more time to get proper information.

‘I’m guessing it’s probably clues left behind by the Forgotten Gods or information related to them.’

Watching Calebrin reading the open book, it’s really amazing that she can interpret that.

From my perspective of roughly skimming through the book’s contents, it feels like mathematical formulas written in Arabic mixed with physics and science, with astronomy thrown in as well.

‘I really made the right choice making Calebrin a believer.’

We sat in the quiet garden listening to birdsong until the coachman called for us.

*

The carriage rattles as it moves through the city center. The noisy sounds of the bustling market can be heard.

“Oh….”

Calebrin, who had poked her head slightly out the carriage window, was watching the streets with sparkling eyes.

“Is it fascinating?”

“Um…. There are ma, many non-humans.”

Right, Calebrin is still an Imperial citizen, so she’s probably seeing such different races for the first time. The fact that she’s not looking at them with disgust makes her quite normal, I suppose.

“They’re all the same people, Sister. They just look different from us.”

I said that in case she might make a slip of the tongue when we go elsewhere. Calebrin nodded to show she understood.

Calebrin pointed at a figure outside the window with her index finger and looked at me.

“Th, then that too?”

Looking where her finger pointed, I saw someone with two pairs of horns and heterochromia. With characteristic dark gray skin…. Someone called a demon in the Empire and ‘Demon Race’ in Senta appeared.

“Of course. And pointing fingers at people can make those being pointed at feel uncomfortable, so let’s refrain from doing that.”

“Okay….”

Calebrin became dejected from the series of corrections. Seeing her curly hair seeming to droop, I hastily added the next words.

“I heard Senta’s bakery also sells various desserts together. If there’s anything Sister Calebrin wants to eat, I’ll buy it all for you.”

“Re, really…?

Calebrin’s complexion brightened. Her eyes were also very bright and clear.

‘She’s acting as if I never bought her anything before. Well, the only thing I directly bought for her was the candy I got in Senta.’

Let me reflect a bit as a cult leader.

The way to lure people is through comfortable sleeping quarters, food, and recognition from superiors.

Even if she’s already caught prey, welfare for existing believers is an essential element.

“I was able to stand in this position thanks to your help, Sister. I was so busy that I couldn’t properly express my gratitude. Thank you so much for always helping me wholeheartedly by my side.”

“Oh…. No, no. I’m grateful too. Traveling with the ascetic, I like it too….”

“I’m relieved and grateful that you accept it that way.”

“The ascetic said he would restore my ho, hometown too.”

“That’s right. Now…. there’s not much left.”

Since upgrading the purification relic will do the job, there really isn’t much left. Of course, purifying the Witch’s Forest won’t bring back the dead family, villagers, and friends.

‘Even the Water Serpent I saw back then wouldn’t be able to do that.’

I smiled and nodded. Then I briefly stroked Calebrin’s hair and braided it.

Calebrin was awkward for a moment but quickly adapted and opened her book.

‘The next relic is…. tricky to obtain. One is the holy sword I used to behead the Demon King. That has level restrictions from the start, so it’s too much for me to get now. The way to get there is also difficult.’

Then the relic I can obtain for now is….

‘The Sage series. Sage’s Stone, Sage’s Tome, Sage’s Staff.’

Uniquely, it’s a triplet relic divided into a total of 3 pieces instead of one.

You can only draw out complete power by collecting all 3, but if you don’t gather all 3, they’re just mediocre items.

‘The problem is that while the Empire’s Magic Tower has the staff and tome, there’s no way they’d give them to me.’

The other one is…. being treated as a jewel passed down as a family treasure of some noble family.

‘I wonder if they don’t know its true value, or if they know it all too well.’

Should I be thankful that Lumensia didn’t destroy the relics? Anyway, it seems I’ll need to persuade someone at the Magic Tower to obtain them.

As for the noble family…. if there’s someone sick in that noble family, I can treat them and persuade them, and if not, I can make someone sick and then persuade them.

‘This really makes me seem like a villain, but I’m a cult leader, one of the greatest evils, so it can’t be helped! Everyone, I’m only doing this because I have no choice if I want to survive. You understand, right?’

Really, why am I thinking like this when no one’s watching.

I removed my hands from Calebrin’s hair that I was braiding. Good. Her face is clearly visible and it looks nice.

After satisfyingly looking at the hairstyle for a moment, I put the veil I had set aside back on and pulled up my robe’s hood.

If I revealed being a saint, things would get troublesome, so I planned to pretend to be a noble out for a stroll.

“Shall we go?”

*

We arrived in the heart of the city center.

“First…. let’s go to Ruffy’s bakery.”

I know the roads in Senta’s city center somewhat well. I visited often during my gamer days.

For a heavy gamer, memorizing the roads of frequently visited cities is basic, isn’t it?

I led Calebrin, whose eyes were spinning from all the people, toward Ruffy’s bakery.

‘There are quite a lot of NPCs. Ah, they’re not NPCs anymore but real people now. Since this is reality now….’

Still, it wasn’t crowded enough to form a line, so we could enter the bustling bakery. When we opened the glass door, a jingling bell sound rang out.

“Welcome!”

Being an old-fashioned bakery, it wasn’t like modern marts or shops where customers pick bread directly, but the type where the owner personally brings items from the back when requested.

“Calebrin, what would you like to eat?”

“Um…. I don’t kn, know. There are too ma, many types…. Uh….”

“Do you have any recommendations?”

“Ruffy makes all bread deliciously and beautifully, but among them, what I’d recommend to this lady would be delicious tarts. Ruffy makes tarts sparkle and look pretty like jewels!”

Tarts, huh. Calebrin likes sweet things, so that should be fine.

‘I’m not sure why there are tarts that you’d find in modern dessert shops in a medieval game. But if they’re delicious, that’s enough.’

I nodded and picked out a few coins from my purse.

“Five tarts of different varieties and one brioche. Please wrap three baguettes separately.”

How much is it? I’m not sure since we only used gold in the game.

I took out some florins appropriately.

I wonder if this amount is reasonable.

Ruffy, who was smiling brightly, took the money. Since he didn’t look surprised at the money, I must have given the right amount.

“Excellent choice, customer! Please wait a moment and I’ll give you your change along with your order.”

“Please keep the change as a tip. You’re very kind and a good neighbor.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Ruffy went inside. He’ll probably come out with everything packaged. The brioche is for me to eat and the baguettes are for Rablas.

‘Actually, since possessing this body, I haven’t been particularly sleepy or hungry….’

Still, eating something would be better for ‘Sernuan Lumiere’s’ body than eating nothing at all.

“Here you go!”

The good-natured and kind-looking owner of Ruffy’s Bakery came out carrying two wrapped bread bags.

“This one has just baguettes in it. But by any chance… are you perhaps a noble’s child?”

I took the bread bags. Beside me, Kalebrin gestured this way and that, asking me to give her a bag, but I absolutely refused.

“A noble’s child… I’m not, but I’d appreciate it if you kept this secret. I don’t wish for any commotion.”

I held the bread bags in one hand and slightly lifted the lower part of my veil with the other, smiling.

The owner nodded with a dazed expression. I was able to leave the bakery safely.

I rummaged through the bread bag and pulled out a tart. It was a fruit tart coated with sparkling sugar glaze.

Even to my modern eyes, it looked beautiful, so it would surely look beautiful to Kalebrin, who grew up eating bland food in the Empire.

Just then, the snake hanging around my neck peeked out curiously, stretching its neck long.

‘Do you want to eat the tart too?’

The small snake crawled from my neck down to my arm and entered the bread bag.

‘Snakes… shouldn’t eat this tart, but since you’re a spirit, it should be fine. You won’t die from eating this.’

Surely not. won’t happen, right?

“Shall we eat while we walk?”

When I offered the tart, Kalebrin’s red eyes sparkled as she nodded. I also slightly rolled up my veil to just below my mouth and ate a brioche.

‘This is a great restaurant. Is this why Rablas gave me a staff when I brought bread?’

I chewed the bread as I headed toward Rablas’s Shop.

Unlike the bakery, this was a shop with no one to welcome me. Only weapons with sharp blade edges were displayed.

‘I should buy something. How about a dagger?’

Considering what I’d take later, a dagger seemed like the better choice. There’s no one to give weapons to anyway.

“Is anyone here?”

Kalebrin was focused on her tart beside me, regardless of whether I was choosing weapons or not.

I picked a dagger of appropriate size and weight. It’s not like I’m going to slice people with a sword, so what do I care if the quality is good or bad.

Soon, a bearded man with dark skin, pointed ears, and short stature came out from behind the counter, shuffling around.

“One dagger, noble sir?”

Really just like the modeling I saw in the game.

“Yes.”

“Hmm? That bread bag… don’t tell me that’s bread from Ruffy’s Bakery?”

“The bread was very delicious and the owner was kind.”

I don’t remember the entire script content, but I said something roughly similar.

“Right? The bread there is really delicious! Hahaha, here’s someone who knows good taste!”

He laughed heartily while waving his hand in the air.

“Wait a moment, friend. I made a pretty decent staff…”

He went into the small room he had come from. Not long after, he came out carrying a somewhat rusty staff.

“This thing… I was originally going to give it to a priest in the Empire. But somehow things got complicated and it’s been sitting here. As you know, there are no priests here, right?”

It was a script I vaguely remembered. I nodded.

“It’s really good stuff. Well, since you’re someone who appreciates how delicious that bread is, if you give me that bread and 5 nickel, I’ll throw in this staff too.”

“That sounds good. I’ll take it.”

“Good choice.”

When I gave him the money, he handed me the dagger and staff. It was quite bothersome to carry, but thinking I’d give it to Cardil made it bearable.

And this staff design that you’d only see in games like this… it’s fascinating too.

More than that…

‘Why did he give it to me even though I didn’t use ?’

Originally it should have been like: 1. Flatter: blah blah blah. That’s when he’d get pleased and bring it out.

‘I guess it’s because he’s not an NPC after all.’

Anyway, I got it, so that’s what matters.

‘Now, let’s go get the arm guards for the next sub-quest!’

I cheerfully left the shop carrying the staff.

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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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