How the Cult Saves the World

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How long had it been since we started walking through Jungnim talking? Before we knew it, we had arrived at Troy's lodgings.

"Church Leader, this is where I'm staying."

"Not bad?"

Troy's lodgings were a bit small, but it was clear Jungnim had put a lot of care into them.

Because both the exterior and interior were spotlessly clean. Having spent so much time with Troy, I knew his habits well.

'This level of tidiness could never come from Troy.'

I smiled faintly and stepped inside Troy's lodgings. Troy guided us toward the sofa inside.

"Sit here. I'll bring some tea."

Watching Troy head toward the small kitchen as he said that, a laugh escaped me for some reason. Probably because this was the first time I'd been treated by Troy.

As I swallowed my laughter inwardly, I noticed Rawin sitting beside me looking somehow restless. So I asked him.

"Brother Rawin, what's the matter?"

"Ah, that...... I'm just a little tense, I suppose."

Was there any reason to be tense in this situation? I couldn't understand it at all. I gripped Rawin's shoulder lightly and asked,

"Rawin, is there a reason you're tense?"

When I asked familiarly, as a friend rather than Church Leader—the way he liked—some of the tension went out of his shoulders.

"Ah, well, this is the first time I've gone out on a job since joining the Church...... so a bit......"

Rawin said this while nervously glancing at Troy, who was preparing the tea. And at that, I understood completely what was going on.

Rawin was telling the truth that it was his first time doing this kind of work—but he also hadn't spent much time around officers other than Terdius and me.

'I've only had him doing individual training all this time, so he couldn't get close to the others.'

If I'd known Rawin's personality better I might have done differently. But I hadn't known that Rawin, freed from Diego Church's brainwashing, would be this timid.

'I'd just like him not to feel too burdened by it.'

I patted Rawin's shoulder a couple of times and gave him a smile. Then I spoke in as gentle a voice as I could, the way I would with believers.

"Rawin, there's no need to be so tense. This job shouldn't be too difficult."

But even at my words, Rawin's stiff expression didn't easily ease. Well, this was something he'd just have to overcome on his own.

"Here."

Just as I was thinking there was nothing more I could do, Troy conveniently came and brought us tea. His skill wasn't particularly refined, but since the tea leaves were ones found only in Jungnim, the new aroma alone made it quite pleasant.

"Who would have thought I'd live to drink tea brewed by Troy."

I smiled faintly and took a sip. At that, Troy sat down next to Terdius across from me and looked at me with a slightly embarrassed expression.

"Well, if you like it, I'll make it occasionally going forward."

"Sure. That sounds good."

I smiled and looked over the rest of the group. Terdius was the same as always—unreadable. But Rawin still looked frozen stiff with nerves.

Rawin drank his tea with stiff, robotic movements. It was funny, but also a bit worrying.

'Will he be all right being that tense?'

I knew well that a certain amount of tension was helpful in any situation. But being crushed under this many kinds of pressure could actually end up ruining the work.

Even so, there was nothing more I could do for Rawin right now, so I turned my gaze away from him and looked at Troy.

"So, Troy—tell me in detail what's been happening."

"Understood, Church Leader."

Troy began a long account at my words. To summarize briefly, it was mostly content I already knew.

First, Troy had come to Hanlim under my orders and had been protecting the beastkin. Driving off the trafficking rings and rescuing beastkin who had nearly been abducted.

"But recently I've frequently witnessed the trafficking ring making contact with Diego Church members."

Troy spoke with a particularly serious expression as he explained the events up to this point. I nodded and gestured for him to continue.

"I wanted to deal with them since they seemed to be involved with the trafficking ring, but since you said not to touch them rashly I was watching quietly."

"Right. The risk of getting you caught in the crossfire was too high. There was no way we could get support to you immediately from this distance."

"I understand your intention well. But when I realized that the person who appeared to be the leader of the trafficking ring was a Diego Church Archbishop—I couldn't hold back the fury boiling up in me. Because a religious organization that pretended to be upright and clean to everyone on the surface had even gotten its hands into human trafficking behind the scenes."

Troy spoke in anger, clenching his fists hard. Quite some time had passed, but Troy was someone who had lost his tribe to religion in the first place. As hostility flared in his eyes, the stiff Rawin gave a start. Even though he was now a full member of Kyros Church.

I quietly patted Rawin's shoulder and spoke to Troy.

"People all have another face—no matter how clean a religious figure may appear on the surface."

"But you don't, Church Leader."

Troy showed a firm, unwavering trust in me. I shrugged my shoulders at him.

"Well, I naturally don't have a criminal side to hide. But even I have secrets I'd rather not tell those close to me."

"......That much I fully understand."

"What I want to say is that there are people who look kind on the outside but are rotten black on the inside. The Diego Church of today is the same. We know their ugly true nature—but the vast majority of the Empire's people can't see that at all."

At my words, Terdius and Rawin nodded slowly. Since both of them knew Diego Church's inner workings better than anyone, they seemed to feel it deeply.

"Anyway—a Diego Church Archbishop...... that's something that needs to be confirmed."

At my words, Troy's eyes lit up.

"Church Leader, you mean......"

"Right. We're going to put an end to this filthy crime."

"Thank you, Church Leader. All the beastkin here...... they're good people. I want to help them to the best of my ability."

"I was going to do that even without you telling me."

At those words, the corners of Troy's mouth curved faintly upward.

"Then shall we move?"

"I know where the trafficking ring's base is. I'll guide you."

Troy was the first to get up.

"All right. Let's go."

I and the others followed Troy.

The trafficking ring's hideout wasn't very far from Jungnim. They had set up on a mountain near Jungnim. And they existed quite openly in a fairly large cabin.

Revelof and the others reached the area near the cabin and concealed their presence. A few of the trafficking ring's members were keeping watch around the cabin while armed.

"We'll handle this quietly."

At Revelof's command, Terdius, Rawin, and Troy moved in an instant. The three swiftly dealt with the guards keeping watch near the cabin.

Thanks to taking care of them without a sound, nothing inside noticed anything amiss. Then Revelof opened the cabin door along with them.

"Who are you?!"

Surprised voices of men came from inside the cabin. The number of people inside was at most around ten.

"Intruders!!"

They were startled by the uninvited guests but quickly assumed combat stances. But Revelof and his companions made short work of them in an instant—they were, after all, just ordinary people.

After carefully binding the unconscious ones with rope, Revelof had the others check whether there were any more people inside. Thanks to Troy's interference recently, no beastkin had been captured. Revelof felt a quiet sense of relief as he quickly looked over the cabin interior.

'These people must have left traces.'

Revelof planned to find evidence that Diego Church had gotten involved in human trafficking and send it to the Emperor. Evidence of that level would be sufficient justification to remove about half of the Diego Church members residing in the Imperial Court.

'If it goes well, all of them in the Imperial Court could be expelled.'

It was nearly impossible—but still worth trying. Anyway, just as Revelof was searching for evidence—

He flinched, and turned his head.

'This presence......'

The corner of Revelof's mouth curved faintly. It seemed Diego Church had noticed they were occupying the cabin.

'In the original story too, they used special power to protect this cabin.'

Well, it was what he'd hoped for. Revelof smiled at ease and spoke to the others.

"Diego Church is on their way. Let's prepare to welcome them."

At Revelof's words, the group reformed their ranks. Terdius still wore his blank face, and so did Troy. But Rawin was visibly tense.

Creak—

Then the closed cabin door opened. And those who appeared were a Diego Church Archbishop and the knights following him.

"My, my—what unwelcome guests we have here."

Among them, a man in his fifties wearing Archbishop vestments spoke with a smile. He was a Grand Bishop of Hanlim heritage with Eastern features.

'If I recall correctly, his name was Chaon.'

Revelof thought that, while putting on a bright smile outwardly. Then he spoke.

"So it's true that Diego Church has gotten its hands into human trafficking."

"Ha ha, what are you talking about? Kyros Church leader. We simply came upon hearing news that human trafficking was occurring."

"I wonder. Not here to destroy evidence, are you?"

Revelof held up the evidence he had just found and spoke. At that, Chaon's expression stiffened ever so slightly.

"I'm not quite sure what you mean."

Chaon tried to feign ignorance, but it was meaningless to Revelof. Rather than exchanging unnecessary words, Revelof gave a light tilt of his head.

Immediately, Terdius, Rawin, and Troy stepped forward. As the three advanced, Chaon's expression hardened.

Because he now found himself facing the two who had once been Diego Church apostles—as enemies. But the fear lasted only a moment.

'Either way, he'll be here soon......'

Chaon kept his composure and observed them. He figured he might be able to hold out for a few minutes against these three.

Even if there were two former apostles among them, they had only been strong because they'd received power from the god Diego.

That was what Chaon thought.

Until he got hit.

Thwack!

Chaon and the Diego Church knights lost consciousness in an instant. Revelof told the others to bind them as well.

'He seemed to have something to rely on.'

Revelof clucked his tongue quietly looking at Chaon sprawled on the floor.

But it was precisely at that moment.

Revelof's eyes went wide.

Because an overwhelming power was closing in at terrifying speed.

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