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

Priest Manaan was born the third son of a minor baron family and had lived a diligent life.

He had no interest in the fight between his brothers over the right to inherit the family title; he had set his sights on higher things early on.
'With the fall of the king, the age of nobles is over. Now the world belongs to the Church.'
He received a recommendation from the pastor of his hometown, honed his skills at the Durgien Monastery, and finally became an iron plaque priest.
And there, he met Bishop Archibald – the man who would later be called the Archbishop – and was greatly inspired by him.
Priest Manaan thoroughly followed Archibald's teachings and volunteered to be his confidant.
Through such efforts, Manaan was promoted to a bronze plaque priest and, with Archibald's recommendation, was appointed as the pastor of the newly established church in the Agarphe territory.
'I will become a silver plaque bishop in this Agarphe chapel and assist Archbishop Archibald! And someday, I too will become an archbishop…!'
Priest Manaan was arrogant and proud.
To such a man, a young boy of unknown origin came and babbled.
"If I heal Lady Agarphe's illness within a week, you guys are leaving this church. I'm taking over this church."
It was utterly ridiculous.
'You idiot. You think you can heal Psyche's illness?'
But Manaan had been diligently training his mind and body for nearly 15 years.
He wasn't foolish enough to lose his temper in a place like this, dealing with ignorant people. Manaan put on a mask of dignity and spoke calmly.
"Monk Hyde, as a foreigner, you may not know this, but the Church is not something you can buy or sell. If you want to gain authority over this chapel, you have no choice but to be officially appointed by the Church and take office."
"Manaan, do you think I wouldn't know that? If I cure Lady Agarphe's illness this time, I will be officially appointed as the priest in charge by the Church. You will be excommunicated."
Excommunication.
At those words, the iron plaque priests frowned.
Because excommunication was not something to be spoken of lightly.
"This ignorant fool! Excommunication, you say!"
"Let's stop listening to this nonsense and kick him out!"
The iron plaque priests rolled up their sleeves.
Soon, Manaan raised his arm to stop them.
"We will be excommunicated? What makes you think that?"
Bronze Plaque Priest Manaan was skilled in preaching and debating. Since a challenge had been issued, he decided to accept it instead of avoiding it.
He would crush them thoroughly.
As he was looking at the black-haired young man's lips with that thought, the young man calmly said,
"Romans 6:23."
"…"
At Manaan's gesture, the iron plaque priests placed a thick Bible made of parchment in his hand. Opening the heavy Bible and finding the section of 'Romans', he located verse 23 of chapter 6, where it was written:
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
"You have sinned. The price must be paid with death. But wouldn't excommunication be better than actually dying?"
"…"
Manaan was certain that this wooden plaque monk had some knowledge of the 'Bible'. But his interpretation was so straightforward that it was at a beginner's level.
Just as he was thinking that there was a possibility that he was a swindler who had memorized a few verses and was parroting them, Iron Plaque Priest Gurvan shouted,
"What sin have we committed, you fool!"
"Fool? Anyone who says to his brother, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell – Matthew 5:22. If you were to be struck by lightning and die right now, you'd be going straight to hell. That's Elohim's rule."
"Huh, really-. What is this, huh-."
Iron Plaque Priest Gurvan was speechless.
This wooden plaque monk's tongue was so radical and extreme, yet it was like a viper's fangs, seizing any opportunity to strike.
'…Just for calling someone a fool, I have to go to hell? Was there really such a verse?'
The iron plaque priests now shut their mouths and looked at Manaan.
Priest Manaan, the shepherd of the priests, fell into thought.
Manaan thought of the healers that Archbishop Archibald would soon send.
'When they come to this chapel and see this kind of commotion, how will they evaluate me? They might think I can't even handle a single wooden plaque monk.'
Archbishop Archibald's evaluation of Manaan might also decline.
Manaan thought he had to settle this quickly and nodded.
"Alright. Monk Hyde. If you can cure Lady Psyche's cursed illness, I swear to Elohim that we will willingly resign from our priesthood in this church. But a bet must be fair."
Swish-
Manaan raised a finger and pointed at the mouth of the wooden plaque priest who had been babbling without knowing any better.
"If you can't cure her illness within a week, I will tear out your tongue. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain – that's the Third Commandment. You have been rambling about God's rules. You must pay the price, right?"
Manaan was a priest of 15 years.
There was no way he could lose a debate about 'Bible' verses to this inexperienced young boy.
Feeling triumphant, thinking he had landed a blow, Manaan looked at the young man, who nodded without hesitation.
"Alright. I swear to God too."
Bang-
With that answer, the strange wooden plaque monk stormed out of the chapel.
Soon, Iron Plaque Priest Gurvan rubbed his half-bald forehead and asked,
"Ugh, that swindler. How dare he brag with just a few Bible verses he barely memorized! But Priest Manaan, are you sure it's okay to make a bet like that?"
At the iron plaque priest's question, Manaan smiled leisurely.
"There's no way that con artist can cure Psyche's illness. Archbishop Archibald said that Lady Psyche's illness will never be cured."
To Manaan, Archbishop Archibald's words were absolute.
Even if Archibald said he could make ice with fire, Manaan would believe it.
And the iron plaque priests who heard this were also flustered.
"What? Lady Psyche's illness will never be cured…!?"
"…Th-then why did Archbishop Archibald say he would send healers to the Agarphe territory? If it's not going to be cured anyway…"
Manaan remained silent instead of answering.
It wasn't good to talk too much about the Archbishop's plans.
Instead, Priest Manaan said a prayer of repentance inwardly.
'Lord, forgive my sins in your name.'
Making a reckless bet was originally a 'sin'.
And the price of that sin meant death and eternal punishment in the fires of hell.
By simply saying a prayer of repentance to escape that punishment, Manaan became a new person.
─Even if he had committed the sin of murder.
"Fools!"
I left the church, walked down the street, and laughed heartily.
I couldn't help but be happy because the 'church' was about to fall into my hands.
"Even though it's old and broken…!"
My own church.
It was something that anyone who dreamed of becoming a pastor would be excited about. The old and broken building could be gradually repaired.
It was even a plus that I could decorate it from scratch to my liking.
"Things are going so well that it feels like all the frustration from the past five years is disappearing."
Do not swear falsely─.
That was the teaching of Matthew 5:22.
I was worried that they might use this to refuse the bet, but Bronze Priest Manaan easily fell for my provocation.
Of course, even if they hadn't taken the bet, I had about four ways to drive out these wicked cult priests, but I was happy that things had worked out so easily.
"…Well, they must think it's a bet they can't lose, right?"
Curing Lady Psyche's illness.
From what Galatea and Manaan said, Psyche's illness couldn't be cured by anyone so far.
Even the miraculous 'holy power' wasn't a cure-all.
Also, diagnosing and curing Lady Psyche's illness with the medical knowledge of this barbaric world, where they didn't even wash their hands before examining or operating on people, was honestly close to impossible.
The proper concept of 'medical hygiene' was said to have originated in the 19th century with Pasteur. This world was, at best, the 10th to 17th century.
"But I'm different. I'm a 21st-century human."
And I had a rough idea of what illness Lady Psyche was suffering from through my five years of experience.
After walking down the street with light steps for about an hour, a fairly large mansion appeared before me.
The four-story mansion, built by stacking ivory-colored bricks, looked more like a fortress or a castle than a house.
How many rooms would there be?
Was the authority of a Count equivalent to that of a governor and an army commander combined?
While I was thinking about such things, a guard soldier in leather armor reinforced with iron plates blocked my way.
Clank-
"This is the private property of the Agarphe Count family."
He was well-armed for a soldier who wasn't even a knight.
The emblem embroidered on the blue surcoat over his armor was a spread-winged eagle.
I said confidently,
"I am Monk Hyde, here to treat Lady Agarphe's illness. I heard I could get a wooden plaque with a waiting number."
Swish-
I presented the ID and pass that I had prepared for easy access. The guard with a short, brown beard looked me up and down, frowned, and asked,
"Is the person who wrote the pass Galatea, the Holy Knight of Divine Punishment? I've heard that name before. Are you sure this is a pass from her?"
It seemed that Bronze Knight Galatea was a famous person in this area. Well, she was kind-hearted, skilled, and had a certain charm, so it was only natural that she would be popular.
Just as I was wondering why I hadn't known such a person until I was branded with the infamous name "Lust," someone approached us with a clank-.
"What's going on?"
He was a man as tall as me, with a healthy tan. He had a chiseled face and short, blond hair, which was impressive.
What was even more impressive was that he was wearing silver plate armor, not even chainmail. It would be better to call him a true 'knight'.
An eagle emblem was engraved on the chest of his plate armor, which looked quite cool. The guard soldier saluted him lightly and showed him the pass.
"Sir Loras. I was checking this man's ID and pass."
"Oh, Galatea's pass. It doesn't seem to be a forgery. I know her signature. Alright. You may grant him entry. Monk… Hyde?"
Slide-
The knight looked at me with narrow eyes.
Was his name Loras?
He seemed quite skilled.
His expression was also arrogant and confident.
He must be as skilled as Bronze Knight Galatea, whom I had met before, or even more so.
Was he a knight of Agarphe?
Indeed, it was a Count family.
"Follow me."
I followed Loras as he walked ahead. Loras, with a red cloak on his shoulders, was as dignified as a triumphant general, and the maids who saw him blushed.
"Look, it's Sir Loras. When did he return to the territory?"
"I heard he came in second in the tournament this time? He's so cool!"
"Who's behind him? He looks like a foreigner, but he's as tall as Sir Loras."
We passed through a beautiful garden where summer flowers were in full bloom and entered the entrance of the mansion. My heart pounded, my hands and feet tingled, and I felt like I was about to faint.
Psyche.
I'm here!