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

Florence, a city blessed by art, literature, and God.

A grand mansion nestled in this region, known as the flower of Durgien.
In a sun-drenched room on the second floor, a woman was reading a book.
Her blonde hair cascaded down, and her beauty was so captivating that even the maids cleaning the room couldn't help but steal glances at her.
Creak, screech-.
The door opened.
"!!!"
Unlike the maid who was startled and quickly resumed cleaning, the woman continued reading her book, her legs casually resting on the desk in a relaxed posture.
The man who approached her was tall and had neatly combed gray hair. He wore priestly robes, extravagantly dyed with purple, that shimmered even in the dim light.
Adjusting his Roman collar, the man spoke.
"Miss Bathory, you may stop cleaning and leave. And it's not your workday today, Miss Bathory. Why don't you go home and rest?"
"But Your Eminence, I'm doing this because I want to. I want to repay the Archbishop in some way for praying by my mother's side during her last moments─."
"Praying for people is naturally my duty. You really may leave. I have something to discuss with my daughter."
Maid Bathory was moved by Archbishop Archibald's generosity.
'There's no one in the world as kind and virtuous as our Archbishop.'
With a bow, the maid retreated.
Screech, click-.
As the door closed, Archbishop Medici Archibald sighed.
"Mili, I heard that Lady Psyche got married. I think we should send a congratulatory gift. What would be a good gift?"
"Psyche did? With that barbaric second brother? I don't care."
The woman with exceptionally pale hands nonchalantly flipped a page of her book.
Her beautiful face was filled with boredom and apathy.
Her expression changed drastically when she heard her father's next words.
"No, she married a wooden plaque monk named Hyde."
"Huh? What wooden plaque monk? How did that happen? That Psyche married a mere wooden plaque monk?"
Milione Archibald.
Mili for short.
She recalled Psyche, whom she had met at a social gathering during her childhood.
Although Mili looked down on everyone in the world, she thought Lady Psyche was worthy enough to have a conversation with her.
Mili found it quite amusing when Psyche was feigning illness.
It was a clumsy act, but it was an interesting story.
And when Oscar Archibald was targeting Psyche, she became bored again.
But for Oscar and her father, Medici Archibald's scheme to be foiled by a single wooden plaque monk?
It was hilarious.
"Father, you must be very upset. You were putting a lot of effort into the Agarphe territory, weren't you?"
"It's alright. I have many strategies in mind to stabilize the Durgien region. Speaking of which, Mili, you rejected all the marriage proposals again. Didn't you like the eldest son of Count Ormandy?"
"They were all boring men. You see, I like fire. If you want to introduce me to a man, find me a man like fire."
Flicker-.
Mili looked away from her book and stared at the candle on the desk.
The candlelight flickered intensely in Mili's red eyes, as if about to burst into flames.
"If I can marry a living flame, I don't care even if it's as a concubine."
"Mili, how could I send my precious daughter as a concubine?"
"Of course you wouldn't, Your Eminence, Archbishop Archibald! So, which man are you going to arbitrarily pair me with this time? Are you planning to arrange an engagement with a prince, like Lady Agarphe?"
"Don't be sarcastic. Anyway, I have some business in the royal capital, so I'll be leaving Florence for a while. Don't cause any trouble while I'm gone."
As Archbishop Archibald was about to leave the room, Milione Archibald, a woman renowned for her beauty even in the kingdom, turned her gaze back to her book.
"Tristan and Isolde".
Of course, she had already read this book countless times, so every page was filled with boredom.
It was so tedious that the letters wouldn't even register in her eyes.
'It's not just this book that's boring.'
Mili, who had read every book in Florence, the city of art and academics, always felt bored. She was so bored that she wished the world would just burst into flames.
'I want a new story. That Psyche married an insignificant wooden plaque monk? Hyde, a name I've never heard before. A strange and new name. I'd like to meet him.'
Swish-. Thud-.
Milione closed the book.
Looking at her father who was about to leave the room, she said,
"You said you were thinking about a wedding gift, right? What was the name of the most troublesome cult group in that area?"
Psyche Agarphe.
She had intended to live her entire life as a single woman.
But when a man hanged himself in front of her─.
─She realized that her life had been completely shaken, and she felt a little sad.
And she hated that man, just a little.
Fortunately, that sadness and hatred didn't last long.
Psyche had taken Hyde as her partner, and Hyde had brilliantly repelled Archibald's schemes.
Hyde, whom she had thought of as a disaster, was actually Agarphe's good fortune.
'Just like Job, who suffered unilaterally, eventually found salvation through it. A ray of sunshine has begun to seep into my life, which was shrouded in dark clouds. Above all, my husband Hyde and I are very compatible.'
When Psyche talked with Hyde, she felt at ease, and her heart fluttered a little. It was the first time Psyche had met someone so compatible, other than her parents and younger brother.
'It feels like we've known each other for a long time.'
Also, Hyde claimed to love Psyche very passionately.
Psyche could feel it herself.
Psyche's face was always flushed, wondering if this was what it felt like to be newlywed.
Psyche felt slightly dizzy at the words her husband had just uttered.
"Hyde, wh, what did you just say?"
"I said please arrange a meeting between me and Miss Milione, Archbishop Archibald's daughter. If you can just arrange the meeting, I'll take care of making her my second wife."
A second wife.
It was Psyche who had suggested it.
Because Psyche was someone who couldn't have children due to her vow.
Of course, Psyche thought Hyde was also a devout 'chastity advocate', so the fact that they couldn't have children might not have been a problem, but─.
Hyde was an orphan.
Psyche felt sorry for Hyde and wanted to create a 'real family' for him, so she was planning to find him a second wife herself.
And she truly swore to God that she would raise the child they had as her own.
'…But I thought he would at least refuse once!'
Hyde accepted her suggestion to take a second wife without hesitation! And he even brought up the story of Abraham, the ancestor of faith!
The problem was that he even asked her to arrange a meeting with Milione, Archbishop Archibald's daughter.
"Hyde, as you know, even if I were to mediate, it would be difficult in many ways for you to meet Miss Archibald…"
Milione Archibald.
Psyche's heart sank as she recalled that arrogant, rude, and unpredictable woman.
Although Milione was the same age as Psyche, their personalities were vastly different.
"Please just arrange the meeting somehow. I can handle the rest."
"So, what I'm saying is… it's virtually impossible to arrange a meeting. Miss Milione is a woman who never steps outside of her hometown, Florence. Also…"
Psyche searched for and recalled various reasons why Hyde shouldn't meet Milione. Fortunately, her husband was the smartest man in the Agarphe territory, and he quickly understood.
"I said that because I knew you would say that."
"What do you mean─."
Ah.
Psyche suddenly realized.
And she was touched.
"Hyde, you…"
Psyche's husband, Hyde, had just elegantly and wisely declined the offer of a second wife, saying, "I don't need a second wife."
At least, that's what Psyche thought, and she was touched and reflected on her own shortcomings.
'It was me who said it was okay to take a second wife, but I didn't try my best to introduce Miss Milione to Hyde.'
Was it because of the bad rumors about Milione?
Because it was difficult to even meet her?
That might be part of it, but Psyche felt a strange emotion rising within her for the first time.
'Hyde is my husband. I will also love only Hyde. But what if Hyde falls for another woman?'
The Bible was full of stories about men who fell for second wives and foreign women. Wise King Solomon did, and Abraham, the father of faith, did too.
'What if my husband Hyde becomes like that?'
Squeeze-.
Her chest felt slightly tight.
Was she sick?
Psyche had never felt this way before, so she didn't know what this emotion was.
But Psyche was Psyche.
'No, I trust Hyde. He's the man I chose as my husband. And he said he loves me more than anyone in the world. He said he always will!'
Slap-.
Psyche slapped her own cheek to strengthen her resolve and borrowed paper and a pen from Hyde.
"I'll write a letter to Miss Milione. Of course, I can't imagine that picky and arrogant woman leaving Florence! But I'm Psyche, a woman of my word!"
Scribble, scribble, scribble-.
Psyche wrote a neat letter in her beautiful handwriting and sent it off on horseback with a servant.
Even if Milione, upon receiving the letter, miraculously came to this Agarphe land, her husband Hyde would only look at her-.
Psyche now truly believed that without a doubt.
Psyche had indeed written a letter to Miss Archibald.
But it would be impossible for Miss Milione to leave Florence and come to this Agarphe territory.
How do I know?
Because even five years later, when I was called Lust, Miss Milione remained in Florence.
She never came out, not even once.
I also wanted to see the face of the Archbishop's daughter, a woman as beautiful as Psyche.
But I thought it was an exaggerated rumor.
There couldn't be another woman as beautiful as Psyche in the world.
Time passed with that feeling.
Psyche and I diligently performed our nightly duties – prayers – and lay in the same bed, as usual.
It had been several days since I started sleeping next to a beautiful woman.
As I was thinking that I still couldn't get used to this situation, Psyche's closed blue eyes fluttered open and met mine.
"Hyde, so what happens to that nymph? The nymph in your story. She started being chased by hunters. What happens to Nymph Oinoe?"
Nymph Oinoe was the protagonist of the story I wrote, "The Village of the Back Alley Nymph".
I had cut the story off right at a critical moment.
"I honestly can't sleep because I'm curious about the next part of the story."
In the 21st century, to make money with novels, it was important to make readers curious about the next chapter, but it seems my cliffhanger technique was a bit too sharp for these medieval people.
I closed my eyes, thinking about the next part of the story.
"It's a secret."
"That's mean. If you continue writing the story next time, can you show it to me, your wife, first? You will, right?"
Psyche liked my story.
Well, all the books in this world were boring and old-fashioned stories about good always triumphing over evil.
The most interesting story was something like "Arabian Nights".
In such a world, my story, filled with the essence of the 21st century, must have been truly addictive!
With this, luring Dihon in with a novel wouldn't be difficult at all.
The next morning, after falling asleep with that thought.
Swoosh-.
The maid who was guarding Dihon's room yesterday approached me.
"Lord Hyde, Young Master Dihon wishes to see you."
Good.
It's finally happening.
With that thought, I stood tall in front of Dihon's room.
Dihon spoke from beyond the door.
━Brother-in-law, it was a truly amazing story. But there's something I don't understand. What exactly is that status window? Letters appearing before your eyes?
Oh dear.
Was it difficult to explain the concept of a status window, which frequently appeared in 21st-century novels, to a boy who was only about ten years old?
As I was thinking that, the boy continued.
━Seeing abilities as numbers! How did you come up with such an idea? And what are Nymphkemons? Do they evolve with evolution stones? Hyde, this is the first time I've encountered such an interesting story! It's so exciting that my heart─Cough, wheeze, cough, wheeze…
Dihon started coughing violently.
Thud-.
I also heard a collapsing sound.
I grabbed the doorknob at the sound of his struggling breath.
"Dihon!"
The maid was startled and blocked my arm.
"If you enter recklessly, bad spirits could transfer to the young master─."
"If the young master dies like this, will you take responsibility? I will take responsibility for everything that happens after I open the door. Open the door. Scouti, this is an order."
"…An order!?"
The maid was startled when I made eye contact with her and spoke.
She trembled with anxiety and let go of the doorknob.
I flung the door open and grabbed the boy who had collapsed in the middle of the room.
His skin was pale, and his breathing was weak, but he was still conscious.
"…Brother Selim said no one else should come in…"
His skin was so cold that it had a bluish tinge.
He didn't look healthy at all.
It was only natural.
When Selim, that fool, was drawing Dihon's blood with an unsterilized knife, as much as a bowlful, this was bound to happen.
"Heart disease causes problems with blood circulation. On top of that, drawing blood and lowering his blood pressure would naturally cause his body to malfunction."
It's rather amazing that he's still alive.
Now that I look at it, the boy's body seemed to have a stronger life force than I thought.
His bones were thick.
Indeed, he was Psyche's younger brother and Doban's son.
Then, of course, this kid would also be an Aura user.
"Dihon, I'll be in charge of your treatment from today. It would be a serious problem to keep Selim, that quack, by your side any longer."
I stood up.
The moment my goal was set.
I went straight to Doban Agarphe's office.
Early morning.
He happened to be talking to Selim about something.
"Son-in-law, what's the matter?"
"Count, please stop Selim's treatment. His treatment is killing Dihon. If you just stop Selim for a week, I'll make Dihon much better."