How the Cult Saves the World

In front of the Kyros Temple, the capital of the Bahano Kingdom, a multitude of people had gathered at the main gate.

"Wasn't it supposed to open at noon?"

"I wish it would open soon!"

"Daddy, hold me!"

More than half of the capital's population had flocked to the Kyros Temple's main gate, yet they stood in orderly lines.

The number of people seeking to participate in the temple's opening had surged, following an order from the Kyros high priest. Thus, they lined up in an orderly fashion, guided by the temple's officials.

Some were there just for fun, but most were devout followers of the Kyros faith, so no complaints were heard. They were filled with nothing but anticipation for the soon-to-open temple.

"Oh, I can't wait to see the High Priest."

"Me too! Isn't he just beautiful?"

"He seems to become more beautiful as the days pass."

"I felt it was destiny when I saw Selena earlier! Even though it's my first time meeting her today...!"

"I'm here for Abel!"

"What are you talking about? Jacob is the best, with his robust muscles!"

The devotees chatted amongst themselves, eagerly awaiting the temple doors to open.

And then, shortly after, as the promised time arrived, the temple doors began to open.

"Please wait a moment, everyone. It's for your safety."

The first to appear was Selena. She had temporarily left Aldone for today's schedule. Leviathan had summoned her to introduce her to the followers. Unlike the other officials, Selena was making her first appearance to the Bahano faithful. Consequently, the management of Aldone was temporarily entrusted to Alpheus.

As the woman with the neat impression spoke calmly, the crowd quieted down.

Then, the temple's main gate opened completely.

The interior of the temple, now revealed, was as beautiful as a royal palace.

"Wow."

"What is that statue? It looks alive."

People murmured in awe, unable to help themselves.

At that moment, the high priest appeared with the officials. The Kyros High Priest, Leviathan, stood in the center among the officials, smiling kindly at the devotees.

"Welcome, everyone. On such a joyous day, we thank you for visiting our Temple."

At his polite greeting, the devotees all gasped slightly. Serving the God of Beauty, Kyros, in the foremost position, the High Priest's beauty was always perfect.

"For your safety, please enter in an orderly fashion."

Leviathan gestured to the officials, who began to guide the people, including children, inside.

The devotees entered the temple as if enchanted.

'I haven't seen such a crowd since the last major purification.'

I greeted the visiting devotees, pondering to myself. Although the temple doors had been open for some time, the number of devotees showed no sign of dwindling.

'At least the initial group of devotees has left, increasing our capacity...'

Greeting over ten thousand people one by one quickly became exhausting.

'This is why service jobs are...'

I stretched my shoulders lightly when the devotees weren't looking.

---So many devotees have come to visit! I'm overjoyed! I wish to greet them myself!

'Please refrain.'

I earnestly requested Kyros to hold back, as any unnecessary rumors could cause trouble.

It was then. A murmur arose from the devotees waiting to enter.

"The King, His Majesty is here!"

"What? Really?! Where!"

'He has finally arrived.'

Suddenly, everyone in the temple turned their attention to one place. The road leading to the Royal Palace. Looking there, a carriage bearing the royal seal approached the temple.

And Arhen waved to the people from the carriage window.

"High Priest Leviathan!"

'This will spread the word in no time.'

A smile naturally formed at Arhen's showmanship.

As her carriage drew near the temple, the devotees naturally stepped aside to make way.

Before long, the Royal Carriage stopped in front of me. Arhen stepped out of the Carriage with a regal stride.

"It's been a while, Leviathan."

"Welcome, Your Majesty."

"There's no need to be so formal."

Arhen spoke with a hearty laugh, more so than usual. But this was a formal occasion. I gave her a look, and she cleared her throat loudly.

"Anyway, what a beautiful temple."

She admired the view, looking around.

"Your Majesty, I apologize for the imposition, but for the sake of the other devotees, could you please move the Carriage?"

The passage was quite wide, but with the Carriage in the middle of the road, it naturally caused inconvenience. I spoke with the utmost respect, careful not to offend Arhen.

Only then did Arhen, as if she had just remembered, apologize and called for her guards.

"I was so pleased to see your face that I almost caused a nuisance. Have the Carriage moved at once."

"It's alright."

No matter how much of a celebrity she was for promoting the Kyros faith, we couldn't inconvenience the other devotees.

"Now, please feel free to look around."

I quickly ushered Arhen inside. There were still many devotees to greet.

After finishing the reception of devotees.

I was taking a brief rest in the High Priest's office when Arhen came to visit.

"Did you enjoy your tour of the Temple?"

I offered her tea and invited her to sit on the sofa. Arhen nodded appreciatively.

"Yes. It was even more splendid than I imagined. Especially the statue in the prayer room, I loved that the most. Who knew Kyros was such a beautiful deity."

Arhen praised Kyros, her eyes shining.

---This child has an eye for people!

'Anyone would think so upon seeing Kyros.'

---Of course! I am the God of Beauty, after all.

Kyros seemed very pleased with her praise.

"Oh, by the way."

Arhen, sipping her tea, suddenly put her cup down as if she remembered something.

"I heard a rumor that the Kyros faith not only found a cure for the Malone disease but also shared it for the public good. Is that true?"

"Yes, that's correct."

The rumor had spread all the way to Bahano.

"Truly remarkable. Most people would have used that cure to make money."

"Well, I was once a patient of the Malone disease myself. I wish for no one else to suffer from this illness."

It was, after all, a method to widely promote the Church of Kyros.

"Yes. You have done a very righteous deed. Admirable indeed."

Compliments were always pleasant to hear.

"Speaking of which, I heard that the Church of Kyros also opened a temple in Aldone yesterday. You attended the opening, didn't you? When did you visit Aldone?"

I was a bit surprised by the follow-up question. When had they heard about the temple opening?

"How did you come by this story...?"

"Of course, the Royal Family has magical messengers, do they not?"

Ah, that's right. In a country of considerable size, there existed magical messengers. Beings like a transmission sphere, powered by magic, hence their incredible speed.

Then it was indeed possible to hear news from Aldone within a day.

"Are you truly human? Not a divine messenger descended upon this world?"

Arhen looked at me with a skeptical eye. I quickly waved my hands in denial.

"No, that's not it. It's merely a fraction of the power that Kyros has bestowed upon me."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yes. That's correct."

"You are indeed a curious being."

Fortunately, Arhen seemed convinced rather quickly.

But surely, she hadn't come just to exchange such trivial stories. Was there something important she wished to discuss?

"Your Majesty, do you have something to tell me?"

Arhen closed her mouth at my question. She seemed to ponder for a moment, then with serious eyes, she spoke.

"What is your ultimate goal?"

"Pardon?"

Taken aback by the unexpected question, I asked for clarification, and Arhen, setting down her teacup, inquired again.

"Your ultimate goal. I'm curious about it."

"If that's what you mean... I wish to spread the Church of Kyros across the entire Continent."

My ultimate goal was to convert 80 percent of the Continent's population to the Church of Kyros. I simply rephrased that ambition.

"Does that mean you intend to deal with the remaining Rizes Church and confront the Diego Church?"

Instead of answering, I just smiled lightly. It was a question that didn't need an answer.

Noticing my silence as affirmation, Arhen smiled.

"After Bahano stabilized, such thoughts came to me."

Arhen said, looking out the window, as if the Capital city of Bahano was reflected in his gaze.

"I want to eradicate the Rizes Church, the root of all evil that endangered Bahano."

It was natural to feel vengeful once stability returned to life. I replied cautiously, yet with clear determination.

"We share the same sentiment. However, we will not act hastily. We will take our time to purify them."

I had no intention of taking lives. Merely to purify and assimilate them.

"Indeed. You always have a plan. You're someone who looks ahead."

Pleased with my response, Arhen nodded with a smile. After taking a sip of tea, she continued.

"In that case, I will lend you my strength. If you need my power, do not hesitate to ask. I will offer my soldiers for your cause whenever you require."

So that was why she had come.

Arhen had seen me dealing with the monsters of the Rizes Church before. Thus, she sought my assistance, deeming me the right person for the task.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

I was reminded once again of the eternal trust Arhen had placed in me when she designated the national religion.

Two days had passed since the temple in Bahano opened. I had been incredibly busy during that time. After meeting with Arhen, there was a mountain of paperwork to handle.

"Sigh."

I exhaled and slumped into the plush chair. Though I had nearly finished with the paperwork, the temples in Rovel, Aldone, and Bahano were still bustling.

Not only the officers but also Zain and Troy had to help to manage the workload.

'Without Zain and Troy, I might have collapsed by now.'

But in a few days, things should quiet down. Every establishment experiences a rush after opening.

I finished organizing the documents and opened the religious status report.

'Wow...'

[Total number of followers: 60,184]

The number of followers had steadily increased, surpassing 60,000.

Since Bahano was designated the state religion, the followers of the Church of Kyros had only grown.

The power of word-of-mouth from one or ten thousand is not a simple matter of proportion.

'I wonder if we could reach 100,000 before winter ends.'

I closed my eyes and pondered for a moment.

When winter passes and spring arrives, about a year since I came to this world, a great war will break out across the Continent.

Knowing how the story unfolds, I could avoid it if I chose to, but I had no such intention. Preventing it was nearly impossible.

'I wish to become as strong as possible before then...'

But I couldn't increase the number of followers at will. I would love to wink at everyone I see while traveling the Empire.

Acting rashly could lead to trouble with the Diego Church.

'It's possible that the news of Bahano's state religion has already reached them.'

Just as Arhen learned of Aldone's temple opening in less than a day, the Diego Church likely had an information network no less impressive, if not more so.

A wrong move at this time could endanger my very life.

So the best course of action in the current situation is to find the third relic. And to gather more followers where that relic is located.

'Maybe I should head to "that place".'

Since "that place" is not within the Empire, the Diego Church's surveillance should be less intense. In the original story, the Diego Church was not present there.

---My little lamb.

It was then that Kyros called out to me.

'Yes, Lord Kyros.'

---Do you know of the Kingdom of Merilseus?

Was this coincidence or fate?

The Kingdom of Merilseus mentioned by Kyros was the very place I had been contemplating, where the third relic was located.

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