Surviving as a Cult Leader in Another World (On Pause)

My neck, chafed by the rope, stung and ached terribly.

Hanging myself…
Honestly, it was an experience I never wanted to repeat!
As I touched the sore spot with my hand, Psyche, who was crouching on the floor, grabbed my collar and pulled me up.
"You!"
She glared at me, her ocean-blue eyes brimming with tears.
"Hanging yourself! Why did you do such a thing…!? Were you possessed by a ghost!? If I hadn't saved you, you would be…"
If Psyche hadn't saved me, I would be dead by now! My soul would have been thrown into the hottest and most agonizing depths of hell!
In other words, this move was a big gamble for me too.
But the odds were in my favor.
"Because I believed you would save me. Cough, Psyche, you're that kind of person."
Psyche was a kind and good person.
If a child were to approach a fire, she would reach out and stop them, even if it meant burning herself.
She was a woman who would stop someone from going straight to hell with her own body, even if that person was the heinous "Deadly Sins"!
"What do you know about me, someone you just met today, to say such a thing? I hate people like you the most! Suicide, you should never do such a thing! Never!"
"But didn't I cure your illness with that? Sometimes, you have to die to live. If I could cure your illness by dying… cough."
Ouch, it really hurts.
I wondered if any of my neck bones were fractured or broken when I was hanging from the rope, so I was self-diagnosing with my hand when the maids and servants surrounded Psyche.
And with tears glistening in their eyes, filled with various emotions, they each spoke up.
"The Lady is actually speaking…! Oh my, it's a miracle! After two years of not even being able to drink water on her own…!"
"She's cured! Monk Hyde really cured Lady Psyche's illness! Oh my goodness!"
In my opinion, the servants of the Agarphe mansion were clearly unaware that Psyche had been faking her illness. Then was this whole charade Psyche's own doing?
"Tsk-"
At that moment, I heard a strange sound.
Turning my head, I saw Count Doban, with his lion-like red hair, making a subtle expression. But it was only for a moment, and then he spread his arms wide and embraced his daughter.
"Psyche! Your consciousness has returned! I'm so happy that you're healthy again! Do you recognize your father?"
"Father…! I'm back to my senses!"
It was a very touching reunion between father and daughter.
They both looked good, like a painting.
Even I, who knew the whole story, was so moved that tears welled up in my eyes.
Tingle-
While I was deeply moved, I felt a rather sharp gaze from somewhere.
Turning my head, I saw Knight Loras, in his shining silver armor, staring at me and whispering something to the servants.
I was curious about what they were talking about when a large hand firmly gripped my shoulder.
It was Count Doban Agarphe.
"You, you said your name was Monk Hyde, right? You cured my daughter's illness, so it's only right that I reward you! Tell me what you want! We Agarphes are a 'Family of Covenant'. It's our family rule to keep our promises."
What do I want?
One discourse filled my mind, leaving no room for any other thoughts.
In the end, I couldn't hold back and said,
"I want to marry Lady Psyche."
"Marriage?"
Doban's rock-like face twitched. Soon, the servants and maids also began to stir as if swallowed by a single, large will.
"Marriage? Did you just say marriage?"
"Marriage to Lady Psyche… Even if you're our benefactor, to marry someone we don't even know…"
It seemed that only then did people start to see 'me' as a person.
Their gazes were filled with suspicion, distrust, and even malice.
Soon, someone shouted, trembling,
"Marriage, Count! That's absurd!"
"Sir Loras."
"As you all know, Lady Psyche already has a fiancé. The Agarphe family was granted the title of 'Covenant' by the King long ago-"
"Sir Loras!"
Doban gave a stern warning. Knight Loras, who had been shouting something, closed his mouth as if he had a lot to say but had to hold back.
Squeeze-
Count Doban, still gripping my shoulder, smiled.
"Let's have dinner first. I'd like to invite you to the dinner banquet, Monk Hyde."
"It would be an honor."
The Count's dinner banquet, made with sincerity.
It was like a grand feast, a party.
Servants and maids endlessly prepared and served food on the table, and I was busy tasting each dish.
Of course, the taste was just so-so.
The food of this world, where seasonings were scarce and cooking methods were undeveloped, couldn't possibly satisfy my palate, which had been trained by 21st-century flavors.
Still, it was better than starving.
Having daily bread was something to be thankful for!
As I felt comfortably full, the door to the banquet hall suddenly burst open. A woman in a purple dress walked gracefully and lightly across the cold stone floor.
It was Psyche.
"Lady…! Oh my! You're completely healed! It's a miracle!"
"Such beauty, you wouldn't think she had been ill…!"
People were busy praising her beauty with great admiration.
To be honest, I tended to treat people equally when it came to 'appearance'. All humans were masterpieces created in the image of the Creator.
My opinion was that everyone had their own unique personality and beauty.
But.
Looking at Psyche, I couldn't help but think that God must have honed his skills while creating many people, and then put even more concentration and effort into creating her.
She's really beautiful.
I had always seen her wearing armor, shouting, and frowning, so this was a first for me.
"Psyche, sit across from Hyde."
"Yes, Father."
Crumple-
Psyche frowning at me was the same now as it was in the past. But compared to back then, when she was spewing all kinds of hatred towards me, now…
"Monk Hyde, I don't like you."
Same as always.
But it will change in the future.
I'm confident.
Soon, the real banquet and feast began.
Tinkle-
Noisy instruments echoed through the stone banquet hall, the warm fireplace burned brightly, and as people's intoxication deepened─.
A beautiful blonde woman looked at me.
"You said your name was Monk Hyde?"
She was the Countess of Agarphe, in her late thirties, and a very beautiful woman. Psyche must have taken after her.
The Countess asked me,
"Hyde, would you tell us your story? We know nothing about the benefactor who cured my precious daughter Psyche. Are you from a noble family?"
"No."
"Is that so? Your skin is so fair and beautiful, like a young lord who hasn't faced any hardships. Then, what about your mother or father…? Are they merchants…? Or priests…?"
It felt like I was being interrogated.
Perhaps it was only natural?
I was the one who dared to ask the Count, "Give me your daughter!"
My future in-laws had the right to know what kind of person I was.
At that moment, Psyche murmured softly,
"I'm really curious whose child you are. To think you would try such a reckless, dangerous, and unforgivable thing without hesitation. What kind of upbringing did you receive at home to do such a thing…!"
Was my suicide attempt that shocking to her?
Being scolded and criticized by Psyche… honestly, it feels good in its own way.
Anyway, I felt like I was thoroughly disliked by Psyche, but I had to say what I had to say.
"I'm an orphan."
"…!"
Psyche's blue eyes widened.
Her gaze then wavered uneasily from side to side before calmly looking down.
"Hyde, I apologize. I really didn't know."
For a noble lady to apologize for her mistake.
In this world, where people would act even more unreasonable after making a mistake, Psyche was indeed the person of character I had been watching!
Overwhelmed with emotion, I said, trembling,
"It's alright. Although I'm an orphan, I was able to meet a great Father early on thanks to that. The Lord, the Father of all."
I grew up in an orphanage, but I was never lonely or unhappy.
My brothers and sisters were all kind, and the teachers were all kind and good people.
The most unhappy time in my life was actually the past five years, after I left the orphanage.
But that's over now!
Tears welled up in the eyes of the Countess as she listened to my story.
"In this harsh world, without parents… You must have had a hard time! Then do you know anything about your birth parents? Any news? Have you tried looking for them!?"
"It's not entirely unrelated. I inherited their name. The director of the orphanage told me that there was a small cross and my name written on the basket I was found in."
The name Hyde and a faith from birth.
Those were the only things I received from my parents in this world. Well, actually, they weren't the only things.
They gave me life.
In the 21st century, where abortion was rampant, I was grateful enough that they gave birth to me and left me at a good facility.
Count Doban cleared his throat.
"Honey, stop asking such personal questions. It's against etiquette."
"Why? He might become part of our family! No parents or siblings… Maybe it's God's will? If that's the case, then our Agarphe family-"
"Wilhelmina."
Doban said sternly again.
It seemed the Countess's name was Wilhelmina.
Lady Wilhelmina shrugged and said, "Hmph, men," turning her head away from her husband.
The atmosphere was getting awkward.
To lighten the mood, I rinsed my mouth with water and asked,
"Then, I have a question I want to ask. I've heard several times that Lady Psyche already has a fiancé. Is that true?"
The War Maiden Psyche.
As far as I knew, she was a single woman by choice.
It was fashionable for priests in this world to remain celibate, like Catholic priests.
Of course, marriage wasn't forbidden for priests, so there were people like Archbishop Archibald who were married and had children.
Still, I thought Psyche was a single woman by choice and naturally had no ties to men from the beginning.
To think that such a Psyche had a fiancé?
As I expressed my curiosity, Doban sipped his wine and shook his head.
"My daughter has no fiancé. I don't know who you heard that from."
"Did Sir Loras lie? I thought so. I can recognize the face of a liar."
I looked at Loras, who was sitting at the end of the long table.
Loras frowned and coughed, "Hmph," as if he was displeased that his name had been mentioned. Count Doban glanced at him and shook his head.
"Sir Loras's words aren't entirely false. Psyche did have a fiancé. It's a very old story, though."
I see.
It felt like a missing puzzle piece had appeared from somewhere and fit perfectly.
I think I figured out why Psyche had to pretend to be sick.
"Did that fiancé die a long time ago?"
"…Why do you ask?"
"Indeed. Now I understand. There's a ghost living in this mansion. Lady Psyche's illness wasn't anything else, but a ghost possession. Even now, that ghost is tormenting Agarphe."
"…Ghost!?"
Doban's expression changed instantly. He widened his eyes in shock, as if he had actually seen a ghost, and the people around him just opened their mouths, speechless, as if asking what he was talking about.
I was right.
There really was a ghost living in this mansion.
"A ghost named 'Old Promise'."