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

The Crescent Moon Sisterhood's headquarters had quite a few secret passages.

That was the reason why it was so difficult to wipe out these witches.
Apparently, if they were attacked, they would scatter like cockroaches through the various secret passages.
And that point became an advantage for me now.
"It should be somewhere around here─."
I rummaged through the ground near the sewage pipe.
I remembered there being another secret passage around here.
I was so angry when I found out that there was an easier, real secret passage right next to the sewage pipe I had crawled through so painstakingly!
But I never imagined that the anger and hardship I experienced back then would come back to help me like this.
"Job's suffering was part of God's providence for salvation. It was the same for me."
As I was reassuring myself, I saw a wooden door among the bushes.
Creak-.
As I opened the old door, the smell of basement mold wafted out.
When I went inside, I saw a tunnel-like path.
It was dark because there was no sunlight, but I was able to move through the passage easily because I could find a lamp nearby.
This passage was about 30 meters long.
And the length of the ancient Roman Empire's sewage pipe was about 50 meters, wasn't it?
Even if they were knights, crawling through a 50-meter-long sewage pipe would take quite a while.
Suffer a lot, you bastards.
With that feeling, I opened the secret passage and went in.
If I remembered correctly, this secret passage was near the garbage dump where they disposed of sewage, a place where everyone rarely went.
And just as I remembered, I arrived at the garbage dump.
"...."
I looked around, and there was really no one there.
And it seemed that Loras and his gang were still crawling through the sewage pipe.
These bastards are slow.
After waiting for a while, Loras and his gang, reeking of a terrible stench, appeared at the garbage dump.
Loras, in particular, was surprised to see me waiting for them as if he had seen a ghost, and then he spoke angrily in a low voice.
"Hyde, explain what happened…!"
Explain what happened?
I decided to play dumb, like putting on a mask.
"I heard about the secret passage from Bluebeard and Nomad, but I couldn't trust the cultists' words. Who knows if there's a trap in the sewage pipe? So I looked around and found a door in the basement."
"You bastard, Hy─!"
Loras shouted as if he was about to lose his temper.
The reason he couldn't finish his sentence was that Knight Tristan covered his mouth with his hand.
"Shh─. Loras, I understand how you feel, but we have to be quiet. There are people around."
Tristan, Oscar, and Baldwin didn't seem to be idiots.
They glared at me as if they had a lot to say but were letting it slide for now.
It felt like they were saying, "Just you wait until we get back."
I said to them,
"How about we take off our armor first? The smell is terrible. If we sneak around like this, everyone will notice."
I pointed to the rags in the garbage dump.
They were dirty clothes, but they would be better than armor covered in filth.
"Let's change into these clothes. There are male slaves roaming around the Crescent Moon Sisterhood's headquarters, so it will be easy to disguise ourselves."
I rummaged through the garbage dump, looking for usable clothes. They were all rags, but there would be some that were usable.
Then, a brown robe caught my eye.
It was an ordinary brown robe that could be seen anywhere, but my hands didn't forget the familiar texture.
This is the robe I picked up and wore when I tried to escape from here five years ago.
I never thought I'd meet it again here.
After changing into the familiar clothes, I rubbed dust, garbage, and ashes on my face.
The faces and hygiene of the male slaves employed by the Crescent Moon Sisterhood were not very good, so I had to do this to avoid suspicion.
"Sir Oscar and the knights don't need to disguise their faces."
They were already in a terrible state.
No one would recognize them as knights or bishops.
They each wore loose rags and hid their swords.
"Lord Hyde, please lead the way."
Poke-.
Oscar poked me in the back with his hand.
Feeling the sharp, hostile gaze, I slowly moved out of the garbage dump.
The forest fortress where the madwomen wielding crescent moon-shaped hooked blades were scattered everywhere.
As I slowly made my way inside, someone looked at me and shouted.
"Hey! Slave! Were you slacking off in the bathroom? Hurry up and move the luggage!"
It was the reaction I had expected.
I walked awkwardly, like someone who had undergone circumcision, and picked up a piece of luggage. Seeing that, Oscar and his group also seemed to realize something and acted similarly to me.
"Damn, this actually worked?"
"I never thought there would be a way like this."
Loras and Oscar were amazed.
Soon, Tristan asked me,
"Lord Hyde, how did you come up with this method? Did Lady Psyche tell you?"
How did I come up with it?
I wish I didn't know either.
This operation was built on my blood, sweat, and tears from five years ago, you know?
"Nicola and Nomad were the ones who handed over male slaves and sacrifices to the Crescent Moon Sisterhood. It's only natural that there are so many male slaves in the Sisterhood's headquarters that they don't even know all their faces."
Indeed, there were many male slaves roaming around like zombies. They were drooling and their gait was strange.
Looking at them, Baldwin asked me,
"Why are they all like that?"
"The Crescent Moon Sisterhood are pagans who worship the virgin goddess. They hate men so much that they crush their testicles with their fists and castrate them as soon as they are caught. We must all be careful not to be discovered."
At the mention of crushing testicles with fists and castration, all the men flinched.
When it came to the pain of the testicles, men showed more empathy than at any other time.
Anyway.
We were able to move around the secluded corners of the Crescent Moon Sisterhood's headquarters without much suspicion by acting like slaves.
Sometimes women would approach us and say, "Hey, why are you all huddled together like that!", but Loras and Baldwin would quietly snap their necks and kill them.
And so we arrived at the prisoner's cell.
I stopped in front of the prison, which was built of wood like an animal pen.
"I need to find a herb to treat Dihon's illness. It's highly likely that the pagans here are growing it, so I think I need to look for it. Who will come with me?"
I asked.
I meant that I needed someone to cover me while I looked for the herb.
But no one was eager to volunteer.
I was completely ostracized in this group of men.
"Sir Tristan?"
Tristan, you have to act as my escort, too.
However, Tristan, whether he was angry that I had made him crawl through the sewage, or he chose his friendship with Loras, or for a combination of reasons, refused my offer.
"Lord Hyde, it's too dangerous. It's better to rescue the hostage and escape. The number of Sisterhood members seems to be larger than we thought."
Actually, I knew he would say this.
Yes, this is the way for you to legally separate from me.
But I had to act as if I was very disappointed and resentful.
"I made a promise to the Count. Then I'll go alone."
Turning around, I headed to find the herb.
The Crescent Moon Sisterhood liked to cultivate various poisonous plants.
Indeed, the herb I was looking for was growing abundantly in the garden.
It wasn't even difficult to find, so I could pick a handful.
"Found it. The witch's herb, Digitalis."
Now that I've finished gathering the herbs,
I have to carry out the rest of my role.
I threw a nearby torch at a pile of firewood and dry hay on the roof. And then, clearing my throat, I imitated a thin female voice and shouted.
"Eek! Fire! Fire! There's a fire! The Holy Knights have invaded! The Holy Knights are setting fire! The knights are in the male prisoner's cell!"
Whoosh-!
The dry wood caught fire in an instant, heating the air intensely.
I strangely enjoyed setting things on fire!
Whoosh, whoosh-!
I continued to throw torches at the warehouse and buildings, shouting.
"Sir Loras! I, Hyde, have been captured by the Sisterhood! Lord Oscar! Help me!"
"This is terrible."
Oscar Archibald frowned as he looked at the prisoners.
The men were sprawled out like livestock, their genitals mutilated.
"Where's Galatea?"
Loras asked.
Loras licked his lips slightly as he thought of Galatea, the Knight of Divine Punishment. Galatea wasn't exactly a great beauty, but she was an attractive woman.
Especially female knights, their bodies were supple and good in many ways.
'If I rescue her, she might fall for me, right?'
As he was thinking that, a commotion broke out.
Fire─Fire─.
━The Holy Knights have invaded!
The outside of the prison became noisy in an instant.
━Sir Loras! I've been captured! Lord Oscar! Help me!
And Hyde's voice could be heard clearly among the chaos.
"Hyde, you idiot! You've been caught after all!"
Loras had no doubt that Hyde had been exposed and caused a commotion. And on the one hand, he rejoiced inwardly.
'Hyde, that bastard, if he gets caught and dies or gets castrated like this?'
That would be great.
Perhaps everyone was thinking the same thing, as no one suggested going to rescue Hyde.
Then Oscar made a suggestion.
"It seems Lord Hyde has been captured. But it would be too much for us to go and rescue him, so I think it would be best to rescue the prisoners and escape like this."
Oscar took the initiative.
No one answered, but they expressed their agreement with their eyes, and at this moment, the men felt a warm camaraderie.
They could become sworn brothers with everyone here─.
Everyone thought so and expressed their enthusiasm with their eyes.
Clang-.
Loras drew his sword and shouted.
"It's a dark night, and for some reason, a fire has broken out, so the situation is in our favor. Then it's time to break through!"
Clang-.
Clang-.
The knights drew their swords.
Oscar also grabbed his sword.
They released all the prisoners from the prison to take advantage of the chaos, and skillfully cut down the pagan witches who occasionally pushed their way in.
"Found them! The knights are in the prison! You bastards, ugh!"
Clang-. Slash-.
Even though the Crescent Moon Sisterhood were cruel pagans, they were no match for the knights who were trained as highly skilled human weapons.
Every time Loras, Tristan, and Baldwin swung their swords, arms and legs fluttered like torn paper, and blood sprayed like a fountain, staining the floor.
"Let's break through and escape like this!"
Loras had long forgotten about Hyde.
We need to get out of here quickly─As he was thinking that,
Crash-!
The log wall of the prison where Loras and the knights were holding out collapsed as if it had been hit by a battering ram.
And a 2-meter tall woman wielding a huge log appeared.
"Are you the intruders?!"
No, could she even be called a woman?
Her muscles were like an enraged rhinoceros, and her limbs were like the main beams of a mansion.
"How dare you insignificant men make a racket in the presence of 「Wrath, the Ire」? Oh, it's you. You're all sentenced to death!!!"
Whoosh-.
The woman, who identified herself as Wrath, the Ire, swung the thick log as if it were a light bat.
The knights quickly rolled their bodies to avoid the attack that created a huge gust of wind, but Oscar, who was from a priestly background, couldn't move his body and was hit directly.
Crunch-!
"Argh!"
An intense pain shot through him.
Oscar looked down and saw his arms and legs twisted in a bizarre way he had never seen before.
"Sh, shit…! My arm! My leg!!!"
"Young Master Oscar!!! We must save the Young Master! Sir Loras! Sir Tristan! Quickly─."
Knight Baldwin, Archibald's subordinate, shouted.
But his words were never finished.
"Die!"
The log swung again.
Whoosh, crunch-!
It completely blew away Baldwin's upper body.
Knight Baldwin, with only his lower body standing upright.
"My, why are my legs over there─."
Those were Baldwin's last words.
What knight in the world could wield such brutal violence?
What hero?
'Logs are not meant to be used as weapons!'
Seeing that, Loras and Tristan felt a fear they had never experienced before. It felt like their common sense and worldview were being mixed up and destroyed.
Is this what a 'Deadly Sin' is?
"Shiiiit!!!!!"
"Loras! Le, let's run!"
"Sir Loras! Sir Tristan! Hey! You bastards! Hey!"
Oscar shouted at the knights in his fading consciousness.
They were the ones he had considered sworn brothers just moments ago.
Oscar slowly moved his hand.
And he touched the silver cross hanging around his neck.
To be precise, it was a silver cross-shaped whistle.
Oscar put it to his mouth.
Fweeeeeet-.
When a faint whistle sound came from his lips-.
Wrath, the Ire looked at Oscar and grinned.
"You, you're quite a high-ranking young master, aren't you? I wonder what kind of screams you'll make. I'll catch those lively men first, so just wait here."
Lick-.
Wrath, the Ire licked her lips as if savoring the taste, and then quickly moved her sturdy, log-like legs.
Thump, thump, thump, thump-!
Her earth-shattering footsteps quickly caught up with the knights who were cutting down the Sisterhood members and running away.
"Don't run away!!!"
Whoosh-.
The sound of the log being lifted high could be heard.
That was the last memory the knights could fully recall.
"Ugh─."
After some time, Loras opened his eyes.
He was able to regain consciousness because he was more physically fit than others, and soon realized that he was tied up in an outdoor clearing lit by torches.
"What the fuck! Untie me!"
"Handsome blonde knight. You've woken up. Your seaweed-haired friend woke up earlier. You woke up late, so your choice of weapons has been reduced. Don't blame us."
When he came to his senses, a gigantic woman, who looked to be about 7 feet tall, was sitting on a human chair made of male slaves lying face down, acting all high and mighty.
And in front of him, his friend Tristan, stripped naked, was holding a dagger and trembling as he pointed it at Loras.
"Lo, Loras!"
It wasn't just Tristan.
He was also naked.
And he saw a wooden club and a crude hammer placed in front of him.
"What the fuck, Tristan. What the hell is going on!"
"Haha! Now kill each other! The one who survives will be specially castrated by this Wrath and allowed to live as a slave! If you fight halfheartedly, both of your balls will be crushed and you'll die!"
"I love this moment the most! Kyahahaha!"
"Please give me the cut-off parts! I need a knight's penis to make an amulet!"
Loras felt dizzy from the screams of the women holding torches and shouting all around him, and the hot wind touching his naked body.
And as an excellent knight, he instinctively realized that he had fallen into someone's 'trap'.
'This fucking bastard! When did this all start? Was he in cahoots with the Crescent Moon Sisterhood from the beginning? Fuck!'
The moment the arrogant and haughty man's face came to mind, Loras couldn't help but let out a strange laugh from deep within his belly.
"Haha!"