How the Cult Saves the World

I once again took on the appearance of Revelof Holden and headed to the villa together with my family.

For the knights we encountered on the way, my mother spoke to them as I had asked her to beforehand.

That the leader of Kyros Church, who roams the world with uncanny stealth, had happened to be passing by nearby and ended up helping.

And that afterward, the Kyros Church leader had urgent business and departed again.

Fortunately, the knights readily accepted the story. It seemed to be because rumors of the Kyros Church leader roaming the world with uncanny stealth had already spread quite openly.

'They say there's no place in the world the Kyros Church leader's feet haven't reached, or something like that.'

And the reason such rumors had spread was, of course, thanks to the portals. Wherever there was a temple, a portal was generally installed alongside it.

Since even within the Church, those without considerable standing didn't know about the portals, it was understandable that ordinary people thought of me as omnipotent.

Anyway, upon returning to the villa I washed up lightly. After that, a late dinner had been prepared, so I headed to the dining room.

"Welcome, Levi."

"Come, sit down."

My mother and Sevenus were seated at the table looking clean, quite different from how they had appeared on the battlefield. I greeted the two of them lightly and took my seat.

"The table legs might break."

I murmured softly in admiration as I looked at the food filling every inch of the dining table. From light salads and soups to freshly grilled steak and lobster, and more. Every kind of delicacy was in abundance.

"I had told them to pay special attention to the food since we came here to rest, but it seems that having gone through a battle today on top of that, they laid out an even more spectacular spread."

Mother smiled faintly as she scooped some salad onto an empty plate and handed it to me. Sevenus, meanwhile, cut various types of meat and passed them to me as well.

"Ah, thank you."

I was perfectly capable of feeding myself, yet these two still seemed to see me as a small child. Or perhaps, because of what had happened today, they simply wanted to take extra care of me.

"Eat plenty, Levi."

"Yes, Levi. I know you're strong... but all the more reason you need to look after yourself."

Mother and Sevenus spoke to me. Since there was no one in the dining room besides our family, we could converse at ease.

"Yes. I will."

After finishing my salad and soup, I began eating with gusto. The battle I'd just fought hadn't been that taxing, yet my appetite was vigorous.

'It seems I've been under stress without even realizing it.'

I had been hiding my true identity from my mother and Sevenus — my precious family. I had wanted to tell them who I truly was at any moment, but the secret I'd been keeping was too large, and I suppose that had been causing me stress.

And now that I had finally revealed everything, the accumulated stress had lifted — but in its place, I felt exhausted.

'On top of that... the stamina I spent crying took more out of me than the battle did.'

Thinking that, I continued eating when I felt gazes pouring onto me.

Mother and Sevenus were barely touching their food, staring at me intently.

"Mother, Brother. You'll bore holes in my face."

I said this while taking a sip of my drink. Mother and Sevenus grinned at that.

"Is there something on my face?"

I asked while touching my face just in case. At that, both of them shook their heads.

"No, Levi. It's just... I find my own son fascinating."

"Indeed. Your mother and I still can't quite believe your true identity."

The two of them seemed to have difficulty taking it all in.

"If anything, Levi, I think you might be a genius at acting. Before I became a believer, I was actually a little put out by the Kyros Church leader."

"Pfft—!"

At Mother's words, I accidentally spat out a bit of my drink.

"Are you all right, Levi?"

Sevenus hurriedly handed me a handkerchief. I used it to wipe the drink from the corners of my mouth and my clothes.

"Ah, yes. I'm fine. I was just a little startled."

"Ha ha! I suppose I spoke too frankly."

"Well... I did expect that you might have thought of me that way, Mother. I just didn't think I'd hear it so directly."

I tried to smile at Mother as I said that. Mother then added with her eyes crinkling in amusement.

"Ha ha, that was only back then, that's all. Which means you acted that well, Levi."

"Was that so..."

I laughed awkwardly and picked up some of the meat in front of me. Then Sevenus, sitting across from me, spoke with a serious expression.

"Come to think of it, when we went to seal the rift at Sercion — I thought I had seen you there, Levi."

The rift at Sercion was also the place where Sevenus had lost his leg in the original story. That was precisely why I had gone to save him so the same thing wouldn't happen.

"Yes. That was actually me."

Sevenus smiled in response to my answer.

"I see. So it really was you."

"And Levi, beyond that, you also stepped forward for our territory and for the people of the estate. During the Goblin Disease incident, and when the Demon God's forces invaded..."

The corners of both Mother's and Sevenus's eyes immediately grew moist. No — why were they like this again, right in the middle of dinner?

I hurriedly said to the two of them:

"It's all in the past now, so please don't be too sad, both of you."

"All right, all right. We understand."

After that, Mother smiled and continued eating, but Sevenus's expression remained serious.

"Even so, Levi, while I know you are strong — please don't push yourself too hard."

"...Yes, Brother."

I answered the two of them with effort. And so our dinner passed.

—Child, did you rest well?

The moment I opened my eyes in the morning, a voice reached me from Kyros. I shook my head and answered inwardly.

'I'm not sure. It doesn't quite feel like I rested.'

I said that while stretching, and the sound of Kyros's laughter followed.

—Still, you spent a meaningful time with your family in your own way, didn't you?

'I did. I finally told them the secret I'd been unable to speak of all this time.'

—So, how are you feeling?

'Relieved. Though there is one thing that worries me.'

—Why is that?

'Even if I am the Kyros Church leader, to those two I am ultimately still family. Watching a family member throw themselves into danger... that will surely hurt their hearts.'

There was definitely something weighing on my mind.

In the wars to come, I would clearly have to fight countless battles.

And true to its name — the "Continental War" — the Herpheon Empire would also be swept up in it.

'Mother and Sevenus may have to go to war as well.'

Of course, both of them were strong. But if the war dragged on, they too could find themselves in danger.

'I'll protect them as best I can.'

While I was thinking that, a servant came to announce that breakfast was ready.

I had breakfast with my family, took a light stroll, and spent the time that way.

And then our short holiday came to an end. Just as we had come, we all boarded a carriage together and returned home.

"It feels like our long-awaited holiday ended far too quickly."

Mother said with a look of deep regret. At that, Sevenus, who had been absorbed in his knitting beside me, spoke up.

"We can come again next time, Mother."

"That's right, Mother. Let's come again."

I added with a smile. Only then did Mother's expression brighten a little.

Before long, the carriage we were in entered Rovel.

"I suppose we must part ways now?"

Mother asked while taking my hand. I nodded and smiled.

"Even when you're busy, please come show your face often, Levi."

"I will, Mother. Brother. Please take good care of yourselves, both of you."

After the carriage arrived at the temple, I embraced the two of them. Then I kept waving until the carriage disappeared from sight.

Having returned to the temple as Revelof Holden, I exchanged greetings with the believers I occasionally encountered, then headed to the Church Leader's office.

The moment I reached the Church Leader's office, I became the Kyros Church leader once again. I sat down at the work desk and spoke immediately.

"Alphi, nothing happened while I was away, did it?"

[Yes, Church Leader! Nothing in particular happened. However, a letter arrived this morning!]

"A letter...?"

[Yes! I'll bring it to you right away!]

The Kyros Church leader regularly received a great many letters even in ordinary times. Most of them contained idle chatter or excessive demands.

For that reason, Alphius would sort through the letters I didn't need to read myself.

Every so often, though, a letter would come that I needed to read personally — and it seemed today's was one of those.

Knock knock.

Before long, a knock sounded and Alpheus entered.

"Did you have a good holiday, Church Leader?"

"I did, Alphi."

I welcomed Alphius with a smile. He then held out the letter to me.

The moment I received it, I had an instinct.

'This is...'

The envelope looked worn on the outside — the kind easily overlooked — but this letter was different.

Because in the center of a seal bearing an unidentifiable insignia, the seal symbolizing the Herpheon Emperor had been stamped once more.

And even that was faint enough that only those who knew what to look for could make it out.

'I'm glad I told Alphius about this in advance.'

This was a secret letter sent by the Emperor. So after my earlier audience with the Emperor, I had given Alphius a quiet heads-up.

In preparation for whenever the day might come.

And now that day had finally arrived.

"Thank you, Alphi. You sorted it out well."

I ruffled Alphius's hair with a pleased smile.

"Hehe, it was nothing! Well, please call me anytime you need something!"

After Alphius left, I immediately tore open the letter.

—I can't make heads or tails of it.

Kyros spoke as I was reading.

—How are you, friend. Did the meat stew suit you? What on earth is this gibberish.

Even as I read the letter aloud, Kyros clearly couldn't understand it at all.

'That's only natural. This is a cipher.'

The letter was written in a jumble of the common continental tongue, the imperial language, and the ancient tongue. Not only the languages were mixed — as Kyros had said, all manner of nonsensical things were woven in.

—I see. So whose cipher is it?

'The Emperor's.'

—...Oh ho.

I smiled faintly and read through the letter. Deciphering a cipher of this level was child's play.

'Though I'd say no one else would ever be able to decode it.'

It seemed our Emperor held quite a great deal of trust in me.

The letter the Emperor had sent was structured so that decoding it required combining the occasional "ancient tongue" passages with certain key words.

To the degree that anyone surveilling her who came across this letter would be completely unable to decode it.

And the Emperor seemed confident that I would know the ancient tongue well.

'Otherwise, there's no way she could have sent a cipher of this level.'

—So, child — what does that letter say?

'It's simple.'

I grinned.

'She's asking for help.'

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