While My Mage Wife Grinds, I Power Up Idly-Chapter 57: We, the Resourceful Parishioners

Audrey smoothly integrated into Vikrant’s ranks.

Vikrant, brimming with confidence, assigned her first mission: to go and "preach" the Doctrine of Cidi—to corrupt the Kyle family and the grassroots members of the Holy Cultivator Guild branch.

But Audrey could not undertake such a task alone. Her mark identified her only as a basic Devotee; it was unrealistic to expect her to achieve any remarkable corruption on her own.

So.

Vikrant assigned her ten Devotees of the God of Deceit—each a keen strategist blessed with spiritual perception.

They could raise the dead and corrupt the living; they would be perfect accomplices in Audrey’s missionary work.

"My cunning Parishioners," Vikrant declared, "no walls of Riven can hold you back. Go forth—I await your triumphant news."

The ten Devotees of the God of Deceit exchanged wicked grins. So long as their schemes weren’t aimed at rumors of that fearsome young Bishop, it mattered little; everyone else was merely a piece on their chessboard.

"Let us proceed," they agreed. "Let us see if this town under the Divine Mother Goddess’s protection can withstand the power of our ruse."

...

Disguised as refugees and exploiting the chaos wrought by the Undead Legion, they easily deceived Riven’s sentries and slipped past the gates.

The moment they entered the city, Audrey felt a shift in her resolve.

"Who shall we corrupt first?" she asked.

She knew she could not outmaneuver these seasoned Devotees in strategy. Yet with the Undead Legion bearing down on Riven and the Kyle family poised to assume authority, the true power players would be the local Guild’s foot soldiers.

Thus, the obvious first target: the grassroots clerics of the Holy Cultivator Guild branch.

Of course, if the Devotees had other plans, Audrey would follow their lead. After all, they were already inside the city; there was no need to rush.

"How pitiful, a Cidi Devotee who can’t even choose a target," the Devotees mocked, then turned their gaze to the soaring Church. "We decide. We begin with the Cleric inside that Church."

Audrey felt a surge of hope and replied at once, "Very well."

In her refugee guise, she’d even discarded her Gem of Deceit shard at Vikrant’s command to avoid suspicion.

"But you must bring the Cleric out," she added. "In my state, I cannot enter the Church." freeweɓnøvel.com

The Devotees sneered. "Just wait—pathetic as a drowning dog."

With that, all ten strode openly toward the Holy Cultivator Guild branch’s Church.

Audrey watched their backs as if eyeing a lucrative score. Her first assignment had ended in failure; this second one would more than make up for it.

Bishop Ashu’s only requirement was that they lure someone into the Church.

...

Meanwhile, Ashu remained deep in his relentless cultivation.

Outside the walls, the Undead Legion had drawn the attention of both the Kyle family and the City Guard; within the city, residents had been urged to stay at home.

Inside, the Church lay silent.

Until the ten Devotees of the God of Deceit entered, masters of disguise posing as desperate worshippers come to pray.

Their faces were ashen with panic.

Yet Anna, lurking behind the scenes, had already revealed the truth.

"Only ten? That’s a bit light," Ashu murmured inwardly, ending his cultivation and rising to meet them.

The ten did not recognize Ashu, but the moment they heard Vikrant mention a young Bishop, they instinctively looked him over.

When they spotted the Bishop Sovereign Ring on Ashu’s right hand, their hearts skipped a beat.

They had come to trick a cleric out of the Church, only to find themselves face-to-face with that dreaded Bishop the instant they entered.

"Oh! My gods! Divine Mother—please protect us..."

The Devotees of the God of Deceit struck dramatic poses, dropping to their knees before the Divine Mother’s statue even though they still stood yards from Ashu.

Their strategy for avoiding risk was to fully inhabit their roles as fleeing refugees.

"We were beset by horrific undead... we nearly lost our lives. We beg you to erase the fear from our hearts..."

They rattled off their lies, but Ashu ignored their pleas and strode straight toward them.

At the sound of his footsteps, the ten tensed up.

When Ashu paused at their side, they immediately intoned, "Oh, revered Bishop—please bless us..."

Having heard Vikrant’s account, the Devotees dared not attempt a direct clash with Ashu; they clung to their ruse, hoping for an opening.

But Ashu afforded them no opportunity.

Relying on the absolute sanctuary granted by his "luminous saint" status within the Church, he advanced without hesitation. With a single gesture, he unleashed ten blasts of Thundering Surge!

The Devotees, kneeling, found their schemes evaporating.

By the time they sensed electricity gathering beneath the dome, it was already too late.

Lightning strikes faster than any mortal can move.

"RUMBLE—"

Through repeated use, Ashu had learned that Thundering Surge grew stronger the longer he charged it; an instant release produced the weakest—but still devastating—bolt. He chose swift discharges to keep the power minimal. Whether the Devotees could withstand even that measured strike was now a matter of fate.

Ten streaks of lightning illuminated the Church at once, and each of the ten Devotees convulsed and collapsed.

Fortunately for them, they possessed some cultivation; though grievously wounded, none would die immediately.

Seeing this, Ashu molded his Magical Essence into a razor-sharp blade and approached the fallen Devotees.

As before, he carved the Cidi mark onto each of their bodies, then, while their consciousnesses drifted, activated Cidi Hypnosis.

These ten, individually weaker than Audrey, succumbed on the first attempt each.

"Bala Cleric!" Having finished the markings, Ashu covered their clothing and called toward the back rooms.

Hearing the thunder, the Bala Cleric sprang into action. Though not swift, he reached the rear entrance just as Ashu summoned him.

"My Bishop, are you all right?"

"I’m all right. They meant to strike me with magic, but by Divine Mother’s grace I reflected it back. Heal them first—I will conduct the interrogation myself."

Ashu’s explanation left no room for doubt. The Bala Cleric dared not pry further. The high-voltage lightning had blistered the ten Devotees’ flesh; without immediate Healing, they would soon perish.

As he worked his miracles, the Cleric murmured, "Last time’s storm inflicted the same wounds—and again this time. Could it be that the Divine Mother herself has descended to punish the world’s wicked?"

Ashu nodded solemnly. "I have asked Her. It is so."

As the Church’s luminous saint, his word was law.

The Cleric sighed. "Midaldas’s evil network, built up over decades, cannot be torn away in a single night—even the Demon Huntress Nun missed some. In the days to come, we’ll all look to you, Bishop."

"How long until they regain consciousness?" Ashu asked without acknowledging the praise.

"At least a full day."

"Very well. Triage them here, then move them to the rear Healing chambers. We must not sully this Holy Ground."

"As you command, my Bishop."

The Cleric, though unaccustomed to heavy labor, summoned the Nuns to help carry the wounded. Soon the ten were laid on stretchers and borne to the back rooms, and the bloodstains on the floor were scrubbed away.

Ashu did not return to cultivation. Instead, he slipped into the underground vault and secreted several shards of Gem of Deceit into the pockets and robes of the ten newly tagged Devotees. Satisfied, he emerged and returned to the main hall.

Audrey had been waiting some time. She knew Ashu’s Thundering Surge well—and by now she knew it was her turn to report in.

"Bishop," she began—after all, any title of Bishop would do—"Vikrant granted me only these ten. I have brought them back as ordered."

"I understand your predicament, Audrey. Having ten Devotees is a stroke of luck. Wait until tomorrow—when they awaken, things will become far easier."

Ashu offered no reward, only eased the weight of her anxiety. By tomorrow, when the ten Devotees healed—and under the sway of Cidi Hypnosis—they could masquerade as harmless townsfolk and lure the remaining Devotees into our designs.

Audrey gazed up at Ashu. That he comprehended her struggle felt like a warm current through her heart. Her zeal for the task swelled.

Meanwhile, Ashu felt his Cidi Evil Power surge. If he converted the remaining thirty-seven Devotees, he could drastically shorten his time stranded in the Church. Previously, he had calculated that reaching Midaldas’s level of Evil Power by carnal acts alone would require thirty thousand encounters—surely a recipe for renal collapse.

Thankfully, expanding the cult now boosted his power. Subjugating the other thirty-seven would reduce the tally to roughly a hundred rites. It was clear that while sex was simple, safe, and pleasurable, it yielded only meager gains in Cidi Evil Power. After all, an evil god could not be content merely to gratify His followers—if that were the case, why not become a Principal Deity?