How the Cult Saves the World

Every gaze was fixed on me—my mother, Sevenus, and even the dust-covered knights. It was only natural, since I had appeared here so suddenly and out of nowhere.

'It's not as though I had come along on the vacation.'

Of course, rumors had long since spread that the leader of the Kyros Church traveled all over the world with uncanny swiftness. All thanks to the portal.

But trying to explain the portal here and now felt absurd. Because even if the other knights didn't know, my mother and Sevenus would be piecing together my true identity.

The hem of my robe had shifted aside, and through it, the trousers that 'Revelof Holden' had been wearing were visible.

And it was clear that my mother and Sevenus had noticed—both of them wore expressions of considerable shock.

It was certain. While the knights still simply looked bewildered, there was something beyond that in my mother's and Sevenus's eyes—a look of stunned disbelief.

'At least my identity won't be exposed to the knights.'

Having done the calculation, I smiled at both my mother and Sevenus—and at the knights as well—and spoke.

"For now, let's set aside the explanation for later, and treat the injured first."

"...Ah, yes. Please do."

Sevenus replied with a stiffened expression at my words. I moved past my mother and Sevenus toward the knights.

After pulling my robe more firmly closed so the knights wouldn't see my clothing underneath—

"Those of you who are injured, please come to me."

There were knights who had already sustained injuries before I had joined the battle. Fortunately, there were no fatalities—and the wounds, while present, weren't severe.

I was a benefactor who had just dispatched the Giant Trolls on their behalf, and moreover the leader of the Kyros Church, whom they also held faith in. So the injured gathered around me easily.

I checked over their injuries at once, then used my healing skill.

Flash—

As the area-of-effect healing skill activated, a pure white light enveloped the injured. At that, the gazes of everyone around turned to me.

Mother and Sevenus included. Their expressions were still filled with astonishment and shock.

'Now... how am I going to explain this.'

After finishing the treatment, I found myself turning thoughts over rapidly in my head. But problems like this never yielded easy answers no matter how much one thought about them.

"Thank you, Church Leader!"

"Thank you for helping us!"

While I was standing there lost in thought, the knights began to express their gratitude.

"Not at all. I simply did what needed to be done."

A business smile, and a reflexive bow in return. As I stood there, my mother and Sevenus approached me. The two of them looked at me for a brief moment, then turned to face the knights.

"You've all worked hard. The battle is over for now, so everyone rest."

My mother addressed the knights, then instructed Vice Captain Smith to lead them. Under Smith's direction, the knights moved off quickly.

Before long, only the three of us remained on the meadow near the entrance of Belseth village.

Mother and Sevenus looked at me with somewhat dazed eyes. Both of them appeared to have many things they wanted to say, but neither of them could quite bring themselves to say them.

I looked at the two of them and slowly opened my mouth.

"...I always knew a day like this would come. So before I tell you the truth, I'd like to apologize to you both first. I'm sorry."

I bowed deeply to my mother and Sevenus. Then I slowly removed the glasses I had been wearing.

"I am sorry for deceiving you both all this time."

As the cognitive dissonance glasses came off and my bare face was revealed, my mother's and Sevenus's expressions were once again overtaken by shock and bewilderment.

"...I am the leader of the Kyros Church."

The moment I put into words the truth I had hidden from the two of them all this time, what came was not just relief. At the same time, a wave of guilt beyond words washed over me.

It was different from when I had revealed the truth to my grandmother. With these two, I had not been able to tell them a single true thing from the very beginning until now.

"I am truly sorry for deceiving you both."

I apologized again and again to the two who still had nothing to say. And then the words tumbled out in a jumble—whatever excuses came to mind.

"As you both know, the position of leader of the Kyros Church is... one that faces threats from many sides. So I was worried that if my identity were revealed, it would put you both in danger, which is why I couldn't bring myself to tell you. I never had any intention of making fools out of you or anything like—"

It was in the middle of me rambling out awkward excuses. A warm presence rushed over me. That warmth was my mother and Sevenus.

Both of them had pulled me into a fierce embrace. Because of that, I found I could not say another word.

Instead of saying anything, Mother and Sevenus simply held me still—quietly, and tightly. And at the same time, faint sounds of weeping came from both of them.

In an instant, both my shoulders became damp. But I could not push the two of them away.

On the contrary, without meaning to, I pulled them both into a tight embrace in return.

"Hh..."

As if they were comforting me, as if they understood the hardships I had been through all this time—their embrace, like that of true family, brought tears to my eyes without my meaning to cry.

The two said nothing, yet in the simple act of holding me, they seemed to be telling me that it was all right.

And so, held in their arms, I cried for quite a long time. And so didother and Sevenus.

—What a tender family.

I could hear Kyros sniffling as well, but I ignored him.

"..."

"..."

Some time passed. The three of us gradually grew quiet. I awkwardly loosened the arms I had been wrapped around them.

Then my mother and Sevenus also stepped back from me. Looking at their faces, their eyes were puffy and swollen. Which meant my eyes were probably in a similar state.

"Levi..."

My mother called out to me in a choked voice. I found myself tensing slightly at that moment.

"You must have had such a hard time all this while."

But my mother did not utter a single word of reproach toward me. Just as she had said nothing when she held me in silence, she gently consoled me.

"Yes, Levi. You've suffered so much on the inside, haven't you?"

Sevenus was the same. His expression was softer than it had ever been before.

"...Yes."

I gave a faint smile to both of them and nodded. And only then did smiles appear on my mother's and Sevenus's faces.

"Actually, your mother has sometimes thought—whenever she heard the voice of Church Leader Leviathan—that it sounded similar to our Levi."

"I thought the same."

Oh no—even though I had tried so hard not to show it, apparently my voice had sounded similar.

"But since I had seen both you as Leviathan the Church Leader and you as Levi on separate occasions, I told myself I must be wrong."

"Ah... that was—I did that using Lord Kyros's power."

"Lord Kyros truly is great."

"Ha, haha..."

I laughed with some effort, and then my mother asked me with a slightly more serious expression.

"But Levi, how did you come to take the position of Church Leader?"

"That... When I was at my worst with Malone's disease—I began to hear the voice of Lord Kyros. Lord Kyros heard my sorrowful circumstances and decided to take care of me. Thanks to him, my illness was completely cured, and in order to repay the grace Lord Kyros had shown me, I have been living as the leader of the Kyros Church and helping people."

At my words, my mother and Sevenus wore moved expressions.

"I see, something like that happened. It was all Lord Kyros..."

"Yes. And in order to serve Lord Kyros more effectively, I requested to leave the family home."

"...Now everything makes sense."

My mother and Sevenus nodded slowly. Then Sevenus asked me,

"By the way, Levi—does Grandmother perhaps know all of this?"

"Ah, yes. I was actually the one who... asked Lord Kyros to heal Grandmother's illness. The reason Grandmother became the commander of the Kyros Church's Holy Knight Order was because Lord Kyros can only treat the illness of a believer. So I told Grandmother my identity and persuaded her."

"I see..."

"I should have told you both sooner. But for various reasons... I wanted to protect you both."

When I apologized again, my mother and Sevenus shook their heads.

"No, Levi. You were worried about us. That's all that matters."

"Yes, Levi. And in fact... having finally heard this from you, this brother of yours feels completely unburdened. Every time I visited the temple, it was hard to see your face, and I was honestly quite worried."

"Now that I think about it, it was because you were busy with your duties as Church Leader."

The two of them looked back on all the things that had happened and fit together the pieces of a puzzle that hadn't made sense until now.

"...I'm truly sorry."

I apologized to them once more.

"No, Levi. It's truly all right."

"Yes, Levi. It's all all right now."

I smiled at the two of them, who had accepted my apology with such sincerity.

"Thank you, Mother, Brother. And... just in case, please keep my identity a secret."

I asked this of them, just in case. At that, my mother and Sevenus smiled faintly.

"You don't need to worry about that, Levi."

"Yes, Levi. Mother and I... we place your safety above our own. We won't do anything to put you in danger."

"Mother... Brother..."

Their words, full of such deep affection, moved me once again. That stirring feeling deep in my chest—it was surely the warmth of family.

By sharing the secret I had not been able to speak all this time, I felt as though I had truly become family with the two of them.

"Well then—shall we head back."

"Let's go, Levi."

I walked along behind the two of them. I had briefly deliberated whether to put my glasses back on as the leader of the Kyros Church, but in the end, I tucked them into my inventory.

"I'll tell the knights that a Church Leader of the Kyros Church who happened to be passing through nearby came to help us and then was on their way."

"If you would do that, I'd be deeply grateful."

I breathed a great sigh of relief at my mother's words. And walking alongside the two of them, as we were about to step back into Belseth Village—

Sevenus looked at me with a curious expression and asked,

"By the way, Levi—when you are the Church Leader, how is it that we don't recognize you?"

"Ah, that's thanks to Lord Kyros's power. The glasses I wear have Lord Kyros's power imbued in them."

"I see. Lord Kyros is... truly a powerful being. It was thanks to him that we were able to defeat the Giant Trolls without too much difficulty."

"Yes. It is all thanks to Lord Kyros."

I smiled faintly and sent a silent word of thanks to Kyros in my heart.

'Thank you always, Lord Kyros.'

-Not at all. Child. If anything, it is I who am grateful. Sniff.

'...Are you still crying?'

—Well, you and your family were just so moving.

And Kyros's sniffling continued all the way until we returned to the villa.

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