The Life of a Wise Cult Leader - Chapter 92

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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

Viola looked down silently at the corpse with a dagger piercing through its throat.

He died without a single scream, without uttering a word.

Because she had severed his larynx and vocal cords while slashing and stabbing his throat.

‘Let’s talk for a moment’? For a Saint, that was quite pathetic.’

Well, none of the people who died had cool last words anyway. They either died without a chance to leave any last words, or just screamed… only cries begging to be spared.

The suffocating atmosphere that had been pressing down on her body with goosebumps since she started taking hostages had disappeared.

‘That oppressive feeling… I was right to kill him now.’

The subtle pressure of something she had felt when she first started observing the Ascetic.

What hadn’t bothered her much during the surveillance felt like being submerged in deep water when he looked directly at her with hostility.

Making it difficult to breathe… that kind of oppressive feeling.

‘The kind of aura that would only come from high-level experts.’

When she had tailed and investigated him, he was someone who hadn’t even learned proper magic or swordsmanship. But the aura emanating from him was definitely not the kind that would come from someone without combat power.

That’s why Viola had no choice but to be wary of him despite his complete lack of martial prowess.

‘He actually killed that crazy monster in one hit with that staff of light… He’s someone I can’t let my guard down around.’

He has hidden techniques too.

When she pulled out the dagger that had pierced through his neck and under his jaw, the sofa was instantly soaked with blood.

‘If he were alive, he would have definitely acted like a cowardly rat.’

She could tell just by looking that he was the type to scheme and calculate.

This wasn’t some stupid scholar Saint that could be used. He was a serpent that would devour and use them at any time.

What on earth is the Empire’s Central Church thinking, trying to use someone like him?

Though from her perspective, it looked more like the Saint was using the Central Church.

“I guess I can take my time with the disposal.”

If she ordered his Ifrit to burn the Ascetic’s corpse and the chair, not even a handful of ashes would remain.

Viola grabbed the Ascetic’s long hair and observed his face in detail.

Observation was the foundation of disguise.

Among them, Viola couldn’t disguise herself without detailed ‘observation’ and ‘analysis’.

For an excellent actor and entertainer, character interpretation of the role to imitate was important.

‘A pure white face without a single scar. A face with appropriately masculine features yet long eyelashes and bright silver eyes.’

Viola carefully observed the corpse, spreading the dead eyes open with two fingers.

He was distinctly different from the others she usually imitated.

First, an androgynous beauty that could cause gender confusion if you didn’t look at the whole body.

His height was 190cm, quite tall.

His body had muscles attached appropriately but not excessively. Though hidden by clothes and hard to see, he had quite a solid frame.

His fingers were long and slender without a single callus. His nails were bluntly well-maintained and had a reddish tint at each joint. He was definitely raised with precious care.

His pure white hair reached roughly to his waist, with bangs slightly swept to the right. Whether well-maintained, the texture felt like soft silk thread.

To perfectly imitate him, his special abilities were an obstacle, but she could just create situations where those abilities wouldn’t be used.

‘Like being in poor condition… or avoiding such situations.’

Though troublesome… it would be better for her to directly take on the spy role rather than use an uncontrollable risk factor that could complicate things further.

Then, after the Ascetic kills a few people and internally ruins the Empire, when his severed head is hung in the streets, the Imperial Citizens would fall into chaos.

She could take one step closer to the Boss’s objective.

Thinking this, Viola picked up a handkerchief from a nearby table and wiped the blood off the dagger.

She cleared her throat.

“Ah, ah. Ahem.”

And imitated the Ascetic’s voice she had just heard.

“Was that murder just now a bit impulsive? Though I think it was good to kill him now, Brother Erendor seems like he’ll be troublesome.”

He seemed to cherish him, so he’d probably get angry. Though that’s about all he could do.

If he tries to hit me, the Boss will probably call Erendor and smash his limbs. Since I faithfully followed the Boss’s will.

Viola slowly placed the blood-stained handkerchief on the table.

Then an empty vase on the table rattled.

‘Vibration?’

A subtle vibration could be felt from beneath her feet.

Heart-gripping oppressive feeling… like falling into deep water.

Thump thump thump thump.

The back of her neck tensed and goosebumps rose. All the fine hairs on her body stood up. Her body and instincts warned her before reason.

To run away from here.

‘This feeling is…’

Definitely the hostility from when the Ascetic was alive.

And more than that.

Falling deep into water. Can’t breathe. Dozens of eyes seem to be watching me. Eyes. Breath. Breathing. Heart. Pounding. Pounding so. Pounding because. Scared? Afraid?

‘No, this is a hallucination. Just a hallucination! What’s happening? I definitely killed him. I had killed him. Is it another comrade?’

Creak.

Viola instantly turned her head toward where the sound came from.

The Ascetic’s head leaning against the sofa’s backrest slowly tilted.

Silver eyes stared directly at Viola through disheveled hair.

Viola took in the Ascetic with greatly dilated pupils. And muttered in her original voice.

“I definitely killed him.”

Blood poured out from the dangling, tilted head. Even in that situation, the silver eyes remained fixed on Viola.

“I said he was definitely dead.”

The world distorted. Her heart felt like it was shrinking. Her brain was becoming mush. She couldn’t think properly. Paralyzed.

Fear filled her empty brain…

Her body began trembling. Viola had somehow collapsed to the floor, clutching her chest.

Dozens of eyes were watching her. Not the same kind of existence as them.

Her stomach churned.

“Urgh.”

Nausea surged up.

Viola vomited on the floor.

The sight looked as if she was prostrating herself before his corpse, bowing her head.

“Huk, huh, huk…”

Breath, need to breathe, let’s breathe. Breathe.

Drop. Drip.

Physiological tears leaked out. The blood pooled on the floor mixed with tears.

When she slowly raised her head, she met eyes with him who was expressionlessly bleeding from the corner of his mouth.

“Fool, ish thing…”

The sound she heard and the mouth movement didn’t match.

“Give, it, back…”

His vocal cords should be damaged so he can’t speak.

Black blood was gurgling from his throat yet he was speaking. Speaking… how, how…?

Crack.

Cracks were forming in the gaps of the Ascetic’s throat. It looked like watching pieces of glass or pottery.

What leaked through those gaps was…

Wh, whaaaaat?

“Hic.”

Eyes. Eyes. Eyes. They’re watching! I was wrong. I was wrong. I wasn’t in my right mind! I apologize. Worship. I will praise. I praise. Glorious…

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

Viola instantly stopped as if struck in the head with a hammer. Then she collapsed on the floor, convulsing wildly and raving.

“Huh- Aaaaaaaaaaah!!!”

Bang!

When she kicked the nearby table with her foot, the empty vase fell and shattered into fragments along with rotten water.

Bloody tears flowed from Viola’s eyes.

He immediately foamed at the mouth. Soon thin nosebleeds began flowing. His brain was being scrambled.

The Ascetic, sprawled limply on the sofa, stretched out his fingertips. Black cracks had spread all the way to his fingertips. What flowed from those fingertips was something enormous….

The room filled with strange smoke.

At that moment.

Clatter.

The door opens.

Step.

Someone wearing leather shoes enters through the gap in the door. A man with thick, sturdy bones and well-built muscles.

“What the hell is this.”

He broke out in cold sweat and swept back his bangs. Then he forced the corners of his mouth upward, trying not to look directly at ‘that thing’.

“Hey, hey, hey…. Viola. Don’t tell me…. Did you really kill him?”

He tried his best not to feel fear, but it didn’t work properly.

“You’ve really made a huge mess.”

What Erendor saw with those bright blue eyes was none other than….

‘Don’t think about it.’

First, he threw Viola outside the door and got him out of the room. There was a clattering sound as the guy rolled across the floor, but he didn’t care.

It was better than having his head turn to mush and dying.

Once Viola was gone, the oppressive feeling became even more intense than before.

“Ugh….”

He reflexively inhaled sharply. Though he momentarily couldn’t breathe, he mechanically inhaled and exhaled.

He could feel something that was a high-grade spirit, or something beyond human that wasn’t human, moving like fierce waves in its intense anger.

“Really, I’m the one who should be doing the scolding….”

He slowly approached the Ascetic, whose cracked flesh was falling off.

“Friend. I’ll help you. So could you please calm down? I’ll beat that bastard senseless later and cripple all his limbs….”

He wasn’t sure if such words could appease a Calamity that was thoroughly enraged.

Frighteningly glowing silver eyes stared at the floor, then looked at Erendor. His joints throbbed and ached.

“I can see you’re angry…. Yeah, we went a bit too far.”

“Take, me out….”

The voice was completely different from the usual Ascetic. No, the fact that he could hear a voice when the mouth didn’t even move meant that was probably a different being from the Ascetic….

“Out of the room?”

“….”

Erendor was still in much better condition than Viola. That meant this Calamity could still distinguish between friend and foe.

Viola had directly attacked him and made a bad first impression. But Erendor himself had some friendship with the Ascetic and hadn’t participated in the attack.

Moreover, unlike Viola who had no talent for spirit affinity and such things, he himself had various talents in that area….

He had also skillfully appeased the anger of furious high-grade spirits before.

In short, he had some resistance to this type of thing.

“Alright. I’ll lift you up briefly and get you out of this room. So…. could you control this pressure a little…?”

His vision turned red. Blood was flowing from his eyes.

Of course, since it was only a slight resistance, some damage was unavoidable.

But this was nothing. At least he hadn’t had his mind collapse and become half-idiotic like that moron thrown outside the door.

At least he would still be able to control his bowels if he stayed in this room for a few more hours.

“Haah….”

It slowly let out a sigh. Mysterious smoke from his mouth crawled along the floor.

The silver eyes flashed gold. Then it changed to the usual level of pressure felt from the Ascetic.

If the main body had received such a shock that its contents spilled out, restraining the pressure like this would be quite taxing too.

Erendor quickly and carefully lifted the Ascetic’s body that seemed ready to crumble and left the room.

The Ascetic lying with the back of his head against his elbow rolled his eyes around.

Large cracks ran from his neck to his cheeks, and it seemed dangerous to stare into those gaps for too long. That idiot probably stared at it without knowing better. Trying to observe it following his instincts.

When he lifted the Ascetic, his hair reached down to his thighs. The feeling of the swaying hair gave him goosebumps.

Crash.

Erendor swept away all the items in the living room and laid the Ascetic down on the dining table.

‘The Ascetic probably ended up like this…. because of the seal laid in that room.’

Maybe I shouldn’t have brought the Ascetic here before this happened. No, Viola would have caused trouble anyway. It was right for me to follow and prevent it beforehand.

‘If I had left it alone, it would have torn through the room’s seal, burst out, annihilated about one city, and self-destructed.’

Erendor brought over the Small Snake that was crying out nearby. Then he placed it on the Ascetic’s chest area.

The cracked body slowly underwent restoration. The white clothes were stained with blood like they had been dipped in wine.

The silver eyes that had been flashing coldly just moments before turned into dead eyes.

He wasn’t breathing. His pupils were greatly dilated. Rigor mortis was setting in.

It was clearly a ‘dead body’.

But…

Erendor placed his hand under the nose.

At that moment.

“Gasp-“

The Ascetic’s ribcage heaved greatly.

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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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