How the Cult Saves the World-Chapter 159

I looked at the two of them with a hopeful heart. But as if my expectations were correct, my mother and Sevenus both smiled.

'Damn it. This means they want me to pray on behalf of everyone!'

There were times when my mother prayed aloud whenever I prayed for Diego. So, now, my mother and Sevenus want me to pray aloud to Kyros.

'Of all times...'

Now, when Kyros is upset, they ask me to do this. Moreover, the idea of praying aloud was something I had never done before, so it was a bit embarrassing.

"Please, Church Leader."

But since my mother was asking so insistently, it became even more awkward to refuse. If it were just Sevenus asking, it would have been different, but since it's my mother...

'Damn it.'

I cursed inwardly, closed my eyes, and clasped my hands together to pray.

"Oh, God of Beauty, Kyros, who always watches over us."

Then, I racked my brain and tried to come up with a prayer for Kyros.

"Thank you for always working hard for us and helping us stay safe."

Damn it. I can't remember the next part!

-Do you truly thank me?

It was at that moment that I heard Kyros's voice. What? Is he no longer angry?

"We will live as your lambs, Lord Kyros, and we will be with you until our last breath."

-It's a promise!

After finishing the prayer, I opened my eyes, which I had closed, and saw my mother and Sevenus looking at me with satisfied expressions.

"That was a touching prayer."

Sevenus looked at me with sparkling eyes, clearly moved, and my mother nodded with a pleased smile.

"Now, enjoy your meal."

"Ah, yes. Thank you."

I forced a smile and picked up my spoon. At that moment, Kyros's voice echoed in my mind again.

-Child, you will always be my little lamb.

Unlike the last time when he was upset, there seemed to be a hint of laughter in Kyros's voice. I couldn't say anything good because of the embarrassment.

'Lord Kyros, weren't you sulking?'

-Sulking?! I was never sulking!

'Liar. You were sulking when I said I would go wash by myself.'

-No! I was just a little pouty for a moment. I am a generous and tolerant god.

'Seeing that you say you were pouty, means you were sulking after all.'

I grumbled at Kyros while eating my soup. And when I chewed on my salad, Kyros quickly started to make excuses.

-It's a misunderstanding! I was just briefly distracted by something I needed to do.

'Ah, yes, of course, you must be so busy.'

-Do you not trust me? My one and only representative doesn't trust me!

'No, I trust you. It's just that this time, I just didn't quite understand you, Lord Kyros.'

-Hmm. I see. Then, I apologize, child.

It was unexpected. Although Kyros had been a bit irritable and sarcastic, I never thought he would personally apologize. Still, since a god has apologized to a mere human, I suppose I should let it go now.

'I understand. I'll accept your apology.'

-As expected, my child has a big heart.

'Because I take after you, Lord Kyros.'

-Haha, yes, yes! That's right.

Only then did Kyros burst into laughter, which seemed to indicate that his upset feelings were completely gone.

Seriously, he's a god. Not a child.

'By the way...'

Although I was continuing with the meal, this situation was quite uncomfortable for me. I never thought I would be having a family meal as Leviathan the Church Leader, not as the second son Revelof of Holden.

Moreover, even as we continued the meal, the two of them kept glancing at me. Every time our eyes met, I couldn't help but force a business smile, so much so it felt like my mouth was going to twitch.

'Should I just reveal my true identity to them...?'

While continuing with the meal, that thought suddenly crossed my mind. Just like I did with my grandmother, what if I revealed that the Revelof Holden was actually the leader of the Kyros Church?

'...I guess it's still too soon.'

After a brief moment of contemplation, I ultimately shook my head.

Revealing my true identity to my grandmother was something I had to do in order to save her, even though it meant risking my own safety. But right now, neither my mother nor Sevenus are in any danger.

If I were to reveal my identity unnecessarily, I might end up putting them in danger instead. In a situation like this, where most of the events I knew under the "Hidden Route" are turning out to be wrong, I was reluctant to create variables on my own.

'My grandmother is currently serving as the commander of the Kyros Church's Holy Knight Order, so she's fine.'

My mother and Sevenus had a lot of work to do at the Holden mansion. As a noble and as the lord.

"Is the meal to your liking?"

While I was deep in thought, my mother asked me. I nodded and gave a business smile.

"Yes, it's very delicious."

"But..."

Then Sevenus looked at me with a suspicious gaze. What's this? Why is he suddenly acting like this?

"I see that you also use both a spoon and fork at the same time, just like my brother Levi does..."

Ah, this is bad.

It seems I accidentally revealed a habit of mine. Holding both a spoon and fork in my right hand and using them at the same time was an old habit of mine.

'In my past life, I even used a spoon and chopsticks in the same hand.'

I made an effort not to show any signs of being flustered and calmly said,

"Ah. I saw brother Revelof using it, and it seemed quite convenient. It seems better than using them one at a time."

Of course, it goes against the etiquette of the nobility. But since the leader of the Kyros Church doesn't actually have a title, it should be fine.

"Ah, I see."

Whether my excuse worked or not, Sevenus nodded in understanding. Seeing that, I sighed with relief inwardly.

'I'll have to be more careful from now on.'

After all, a small mistake could expose my true identity.

And so, the dinner ended with a tense atmosphere. My mother and Sevenus seemed to be enjoying themselves, but with a grave secret I was carrying, I felt like I was walking on thin ice.

'I can't keep doing this.'

After being seen off by my mother and Sevenus, I got into the carriage.

Only then did I relax.

'Child, why not just reveal your true identity? Like you did with Helena.'

'It's not that simple. If my mother and Sevenus find out my identity, something like what happened with the attack on the territory could happen to them as well.'

-But aren't those two quite strong? If they are lacking at their current level, I could give them more power.

'Of course, if you were to give my mother and Sevenus strength, it would be better. But those two don't have the time to stay at our temple for as long as my grandmother did. They're a lord and a noble ruling over a territory, after all. If the Demon God senses any traces of your energy from them and he hurts them... I won't be able to protect them at every moment.'

If Kyros were to give them strength, they would become stronger, but still, it was uncertain. I didn't want to leave even the slightest possibility.

-Hmm. I understand your feelings well. It's a shame, but it can't be helped.

'Thank you for understanding.'

As I was talking to Kyros, the carriage had already arrived in front of the temple. It was quite late, so there weren't many followers inside the temple.

"Thank you. Please travel safely, brother."

I greeted the coachman and then entered the temple.

'I'm tired.'

***

Having a family meal as the leader of the Kyros Church was more exhausting than I had expected. It was so overwhelming that I felt like my stomach was uneasy, as if the food had piled up inside me. Even though I slept deeply and woke up, the fatigue didn't go away easily.

'This is why mental fatigue shouldn't be ignored.'

I considered using my healing skill on myself but soon decided against it. I figured that with a bit more time, this level of fatigue would pass.

'By the way, why does it feel like the paperwork just keeps piling up every day?'

I massaged my throbbing head for a moment before heading back to the pile of documents on my desk.

The past few days, the entire temple branch's work had been halted and then resumed, so there was quite a bit to do. As I quickly flipped through the documents to check them,

Knock knock.

With the sound of knocking, the office door opened.

"Church Leader!"

It was Alphius who entered with a bright smile. At the child's cheerful laugh, I couldn't help but smile as well.

"Alphius, what's the matter?"

"A letter has arrived for you, Leader. It's from the Herpheon Imperial Family."

I took the letter from Alphius and, after a moment of reflecting on its source, I was soon taken aback.

"Wait, where did it come from?"

"The Herpheon Imperial Family!"

Only then did I realize that the envelope was excessively flashy. When held up to the light, the golden envelope shimmered, and the imperial seal was stamped in red.

"Ah, I see. Thank you, Alphi."

With a smile, Alphius left the office. And I was quite shocked.

'The influence of the Church has grown, but I never imagined a letter would come from the Imperial Family...'

I immediately sat at my desk and opened the envelope. The letter was written in neat, elegant handwriting.

To summarize the content, it stated that the Emperor, having heard about the recent attack of Demon God in Holden Estate, had become interested in the Kyros Church.

Therefore, the letter went on to mention that the Emperor would be inviting the leader of the Kyros Church to the upcoming Religious Day event hosted by the Imperial Family.

It wasn't going to be anything grand, just a banquet where the Emperor and prominent figures of various religions would gather.

'This event was also mentioned in the original story.'

It wasn't treated as a very significant event when I played the HSAW game, so I only knew that something like this had happened.

'But...if I attend this, I might be able to build a rapport with the Emperor.'

Moreover, there was still about a week left until Religious Day.

'I should send a reply saying that I will attend.'

After placing the invitation from the Imperial Family in a corner of my drawer, I began to write my response.

'By the way, the Herpheon Emperor...'

Since she was an old friend of my mother's, I was sure that her son, "Revelof Holden", would be welcomed. However, whether the leader of the Kyros Church, "Leviathan", would be welcomed was uncertain.

The Herpheon Empire didn't persecute small religions, but most people still believed in the Diego Church. Moreover, there were some fanatical Diego Church followers in the Imperial Family as well. Like that guy, Gawain Herpheon, who had been bothering me at the party last time.

The only fortunate thing was that the Emperor wasn't a follower of the Diego Church.

'The Emperor didn't follow any religion.'

Although there were fanatical followers of the Diego Church around her, it was still a relief that the Emperor herself hadn't fallen to their side yet.

'After all, in the original story, the Emperor remained neutral until the very end.'

Anyway, to visit the Imperial Palace, I had to go to the capital. And the area around it was almost entirely controlled by the Diego Church.

'Moreover, for this banquet...'

It was uncertain which apostle of the Diego Church would be attending. In the original story, it seemed like the second apostle attended.

'I hope no variables from the Hidden Route show up here.' 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

After finishing the reply, I opened my inventory. Since I was planning to visit the capital eventually, worrying any further was pointless.

So, I decided to focus on what needed to be done right now. That is...

'I need more forces by my side.'

It was time to recruit a new senior officer.