How the Cult Saves the World-Chapter 168

'I hope it flows differently from the original.'

I thought while looking at Shanber. Then, Shanber took something out of his bag with a smile.

"I brought tea specially made by our religious order to give to everyone."

"Oh, is that so? What ingredients went into it?"

"Even if I tell you the name, you won't know, it's a special crop raised only by our religious order."

"Hmm, the taste? I like bitter things."

At Shanber's words, Hashuna and Marong showed interest. I sighed inside while watching Shanber take out five translucent flasks from his bag.

'In the end, it seems the incident that occurred in the original is going to happen.'

Shanber quickly distributed the flasks to us. He did place one in front of me, but the guy didn't even open the flask lid.

People asked Shanber about the ingredients in the tea, and I listened to that sound while examining the surroundings. Whether intentional or not, there wasn't a single Imperial Palace person in the conference hall. Even the guards were only outside the conference hall.

'This too is exactly like the original.'

Still, it was something I couldn't be sure about. The tea Shanber brought might really be ordinary tea. I opened the flask lid first and drank the tea.

At that moment, a message appeared before my eyes.

[Due to the effect of the hidden item 'Thousand-Year-Old Centipede's Inner Core', the consumed poison is nullified.]

As expected. It's continuing exactly like the original. I roughly swept back my hair and stood up abruptly from my seat.

"K-Kyros Church Leader?"

Then Shanber looked at me with surprised eyes. Originally, if you drink this poison, your energy weakens at once and you can't move easily. Despite confirming that I swallowed it, my healthy appearance must have been quite unbelievable.

Of course, I had no reason to explain that to him.

"Everyone, don't drink this tea."

I have plenty of thoughts about ruining his plan though.

"Wh-what do you……!"

The flustered Shanber tried to say something, but I continued speaking in a loud and clear voice that even those outside could hear.

"Because this tea contains poison."

"What? Poison? You're saying it contains poison?!"

At the word poison, Marong, who had opened the flask lid and was about to drink the tea, was the most shocked. I glared at Shanber and added.

"Yes. And actually, it's hard to even call this tea. With so much poison in it, it's no different from a poison bottle."

"Wh-what are you saying! This is tea made directly by our religious order."

"Yes. You would have made it directly. Tea with poison in it."

When I spoke sarcastically to Shanber, the guy also stood up abruptly from his seat and shouted loud enough for his face to turn bright red.

"That's slander! Look here, Kyros Church Leader! You may be visiting this place for the first time, but I'm not. Will the people here believe your words more, or my words?"

"If you're that confident, why don't you drink it yourself."

I said to Shanber. Then he hesitated for a moment and soon drank the tea.

"Is-is that enough?"

"I saw you hesitate. And since you made the poison, of course you'd have the antidote too."

"This damn bastard, I've been listening and listening! How dare a mere backwater religious order's leader! To slander our Belsne like this!"

Shanber got angry as if he were furious. But at this moment, I was just as angry too.

'That bastard, is he insulting us now?'

Although Kyros's believers ended up in this state due to the hidden route, in the original it was one of the two major religions. But to hear the words "backwater religious order" from real cultists.

Anger was boiling inside me. At that moment, Terdius who had been quiet opened his flask lid. And he drank the tea at once.

"……There's poison in it."

Terdius slightly narrowed his brow and glared at Shanber. For the guy, this level of poison wouldn't work, hence he did so with a healthy appearance. Then Shanber shook his head.

"Th-that can't be."

Such a stupid plan and stupid reaction. In the original and now too.

Shanber had planned to make everyone drink tea simultaneously. Even with a slight time difference, they wouldn't notice that it contained poison.

But I disrupted that sloppy plan from the start.

"Since the Diego Church's apostle has no reason to lie, it's certain."

I added to Terdius's words. Because no one in this conference hall could ignore the 'Diego Church's apostle'. Then Hashuna and Marong also looked at Shanber with cold eyes.

"Why did you scheme such a thing. Were you trying to kill us?"

"Tsk, I thought we had built up some affection over the years! But you're quite stupid too. Even if the poison didn't work, were you trying to kill even the Diego Church's Apostle? No, did you think we'd die in the first place?"

When the two people looked at Shanber coldly, Shanber's face turned pale. It was practically admitting guilt.

"Why on earth did you do such a thing?"

Marong asked Shanber with furious eyes. However, Shanber didn't answer. He was just trembling. Looking at him trembling with bewilderment and fear, I said.

"I heard that Belsne Church has been struggling with financial problems recently."

The Belsne Church leader, Shanber, had gathered believers with money as the goal in the first place. But now that the money was running out, no more money was coming from the believers either, so he did this.

Although famous enough to be invited by the Imperial Palace, Belsne Church was collapsing.

In the midst of that, leaders of religious orders with considerable religious status and financial power were gathered in the conference hall, so he planned to poison them and make a fortune with the antidote price.

'Because it was like that in the original too.'

When I spoke briefly based on the original information, Shanber slowly nodded.

"……That's correct."

He admitted his crime. Then Hashuna and Marong shouted at him in indignation.

I watched that and sighed in relief. From his thinking to what he aimed for, he was truly pathetic.

'Originally I don't like getting involved in things like this.'

In the original, Hashuna and Marong died on the way back after the banquet ended. Because the antidote Shanber gave wasn't actually a real antidote.

Of course, I could let it flow like the original and treat them directly myself.

'But I didn't want to let such an incident happen in the first place.'

That's what I was thinking.

Thud, the round table shook violently enough as Shanber kicked back his chair and stood up. The guy was immediately running toward me.

"If it weren't for you……!"

Shanber's eyes were, in a word, insane. And he was holding a knife in his hand, and looking at those eyes, he seemed unable to think properly.

'So that's why he's rushing at me.'

Forgetting all about my reputation. I gathered holy power to use Guardian Barrier. But before Shanber could rush at me.

Thwack-!

Someone grabbed Shanber's neck. It was Terdius.

"Kugh, gack!"

Terdius looked at Shanber struggling with indifferent eyes. It was an intense spirit as if he would kill Shanber with those hands right now.

"St-stop it. He'll die like that."

I urgently shouted toward Terdius. Then Terdius's gaze turned to me. The guy looked at me for a moment and then sighed.

Thump-

The strength left Terdius's hand. Shanber had already fainted, but fortunately he was still breathing.

"I'll take this bastard and handle it."

Then Terdius dragged Shanber and left the conference hall.

"Wh-what happened?"

Belatedly, the guards who had been watching in front of the conference hall came inside. Hashuna and Marong explained to them what had happened inside.

Meanwhile, I quietly left the conference hall.

'That bastard will probably die.'

It was like that in the original too, so he'll pay for his crimes. Although Terdius came this time, ultimately he also tried to kill even a Diego Church apostle.

'Ah, I'm already tired.'

I felt fatigue and headed to the waiting room.

—My child, is the conference already over?

'Yes. Some annoying things happened.'

Kyros, who had briefly gone to the temple, asked me. I explained to him what happened in the conference hall while heading to the waiting room.

—Such a thing happened. What a wicked person.

'The world is wide, and there are many strange people.'

—Yes, that's true. Still, I'm glad you weren't hurt.

'Don't worry about that. Fighting won't occur at the Imperial Palace. Usually.'

—Alright. I understand. Then I'll go back to tending the temple.

Kyros said that and didn't speak to me anymore. Actually, although Kyros thinks he's tending the temple, it's no different from the senior members tending to him.

'His puppy form is quite cute though.'

I smiled faintly and entered the waiting room. Then Zain and Troy, who had been lying on the sofa, jumped up.

"Master, you're back already?"

"You've returned, Church Leader."

Seeing all the food on the dining table had disappeared, it seems the guys properly enjoyed their free time.

"Um, something happened there."

"What? At the conference hall?"

I also explained to the two guys what happened at the conference hall while sitting on the sofa. Then the guys looked at me with surprised eyes.

"Master, how did you immediately notice it had poison? And you're so healthy."

"Well, it's me."

I answered Zain's words roughly. It wasn't really an answer-like statement, but Zain nodded as if he understood.

"Right. It was Master."

"Anyway, there's some time before the banquet, so I should rest."

I laid down on the sofa. Because the mental fatigue was considerable. Then Zain and Troy also followed me and lay down. Zain lay on the opposite sofa, and Troy, who had no place, settled on the carpeted floor.

'I'm already tired…….'

As I closed my eyes, sleep gradually began to come.

Without realizing it, my eyes opened wide. Although I didn't dream or hear sounds, for some reason I felt like someone was staring at me.

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the ceiling. Before I knew it, the sunset must be setting, the ceiling dyed crimson.

And I felt the energy of an Evil God. But perhaps because it was a familiar energy, I wasn't particularly scared or anything right away.

'I guess I woke up suddenly because of this energy.'

When I slightly moved my eyeballs, I saw Terdius standing still looking down at me. Zain and Troy were still asleep, and I saw a black curtain surrounding the area around the sofa where I was lying and Terdius.

'A sound barrier curtain.'

I sighed softly and sat up from my lying position. And I spoke toward Terdius.

"Do you have to startle people like this when you come?"

Thud.

Instead of answering, the guy handed me something. It was a medicine bottle containing transparent liquid.

"It's an antidote."

It seems to be medicine that detoxifies Shanber's poison. Although I don't need it, when I accepted it anyway, Terdius's words continued.

"From now on, look before you leap. You'll die young doing that."

I wasn't sure if he was worried or nagging.

"It's fine. That level of poison gets detoxified on its own."

"……What?"

"Just as you're protected by the Diego God, I'm also protected by Lord Kyros."

"Ah, have you already gained that much power? Well, recently those Rizes bastards too...... hmm."

Oh no, I think I spoke carelessly.

"It's not like that, it means that he protects at least me, the Church Leader."

"I see."

But contrary to my anxiety, Terdius seemed unconcerned. What, weren't you going to eliminate us immediately if we got stronger.

"Come to think of it, I heard you also created and distributed the cure for Goblin Disease."

"Yes."

Anyway, this story had spread throughout the entire empire. But why is he suddenly bringing this up.

Then, Terdius asked with serious eyes.

"Then do you perhaps also know about 'Seluron disease'?"