CHAPTER 161: | A CULT?
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~ ? ~ West of the Lahaina Empire — In the Kingdom of Loika — Inside the Governor's Office ~ ? ~
Inside a modest room, shelves lined with open books stacked against each other stood pressed with vases where small cacti grew. A man in a dilapidated state sat there, frowning, his hands clenched into tight fists.
He had just heard an unwelcome report, a new cult was rapidly gaining renown for their capabilities. They could heal any kind of sickness, no, not just sickness, but they could regrow missing limbs and grant abilities to get stronger the more one drank the blood of the living.
It was the most unsettling thing Kairo had heard in his entire life. Who in their right mind would dare to open a new religion in these endless lands where the Supreme God resided?
Though the act of regrowing a limb was something only a High Priest should be able to perform, Kairo wasn't the least bit interested in those capabilities. There were thousands of High Priests who could revive anyone so long as they were paid. For him, a man in a high position, he didn't need to worry about such things. The wealth of the Loika Kingdom was his to spend; otherwise, who would dare to claim it as theirs?
He dismissed the miraculous claims and looked at his subordinate in a probing manner. Matters such as these shouldn't be reported to him, but to the Church. So what was this act before him?
"The act of heresy should be reported to the Temple the instant it is discovered. So tell me, Tom... why have you come to me?"
Tom wasn't influential, nor was he planning treachery against the Temple. It was just that the matter had gotten too complicated to report through official channels. His daughter had foolishly entered this cult in his absence, only to be detained the day before. He had hurriedly traveled all the way here for a solution, hoping the Templars would spare his family from the punishment of his daughter’s treachery.
He stared at the man he trusted with his life, then let out a weary sigh, the sound of a defeated father. "I... I can't report to the Temple, Governor... my... my daughter has been involved with this group of heretics. So what should I do? What should I do as a loving father to let the Templars at least spare my child?"
Tom was trembling, on the verge of tears. Only when the Governor nodded did he see a glimpse of hope. But in the next second, Kairo flicked his hand.
The heavy sound of metal footsteps clattered against the floor. Templars clad in heavy armor swarmed the room, seizing Tom in an instant.
Kairo looked at him, his voice apologetic but firm. "I apologize for this turn of events. It takes considerable effort to tell someone your secrets. But before I am a father to a daughter, I am a servant to the Empire and to the Temple where the Supreme God resides. So, do not forgive this Governor for not pitying you. For if my child ever fell into the same situation, mingling with the likes of heretics, I would be left with no choice but to hand her to the Templars."
Tom's face went pale as he heard the decision. Tears welled in his eyes as he realized Kairo had known all along, but he gave him an audience, to give him a chance to save his own skin at the cost of sacrificing his child.
"I... I see... so you already knew..." Kairo nodded with a heavy heart as he watched his former subordinate, now a heretic by association, being dragged away.
One of the heavy-armored Templars, a cross engraved on the helmet, spoke in a feminine voice. "Thank you, Governor of Loika, for notifying the Templars of these matters."
Kairo merely stared at the female Templar slowly leaving his office. He sighed, speaking with solemnity in the empty room. "Though it isn't under my jurisdiction to report heretics to the Temple... the sooner this vile cult is dealt with, the less likely my Olivia will come into contact with them."
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~ ? ~ West of the Lahaina Empire — In the outskirts of the Kingdom of Loika ~ ? ~
In a temple crafted from the sands, a man whose appearance eclipsed the word "handsome" itself sat upon a throne. Below the podium, thousands of humans knelt in the dirt. They were not gazing at the man, but at the woman beside him, praying fervently.
Samantha watched her work with a satisfied smile. She held a piece of parchment in her hands, reading the neat handwriting inscribed upon it.
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[Master, I have succeeded in the task you assigned me. Also, I have discovered that the Governor has reported the cult you created on the borders of the Empire. P.S. Expect a group of Templars arriving there in a week at most.]
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"Hmm... I see. So the authorities caught on fast. I had already expected it to become like this, but I didn't think the Governor would be cautious enough to report us immediately," Samantha said calmly.
She gazed at her savants, all beautiful women, and clapped her hands to get their attention, speaking softly but with absolute authority.
"The Templars have caught our tail, but worry not. For the Evernight Cult shall endure this tribulation and become anew to better serve the Goddess who shall descend into these barren lands. So, let us, sisters of the same faith, disperse this instant. It is the best way to avoid suspicion by the cruel Templars."
The believers didn't doubt the incarnate of their Goddess. She alone had enlightened them to the truth: the false god the Templars served was nothing but a barbaric murderer who found pleasure in devouring the female humans the temples gave as tribute. All these women knew the horrors of those sacrificed; they did not want the fate of being eaten alive by a monster proclaiming itself the Supreme God.
When they came to know of this cult, they didn't resist the brainwashing. They accepted it. Their Goddess didn't promise them false hope; she promised them eternal life as the noblest creatures on this earth.
They all stood from the ground and shouted with all their might. "For the glory of the Evernight! The Goddess shall descend into this wronged world!!!"
Beside Samantha, listening to the choir of zealous fanatics, Alister couldn't help but turn his head toward her. He smiled at the glaring thoughts of these foolish women, revealed openly by their expressions. He laughed, then whispered into Samantha's ear. "I didn't know you were someone capable of committing such evil acts... brainwashing innocent humans into taking part in your grand cause of overthrowing the last god, Samantha?"
He smiled alluringly. The female believers gazing at him blushed heavily at the sight. He continued his sarcastic remarks. "Huhuhu... I like this side of you more than the quietness you always liked to display to everyone. Pretending to be innocent, to be pure, when you're this degenerate? To the point that you're committing to an act that words alone can't describe? These believers of yours think such an act is to become purer, just so they can serve their Goddess... which is you."
Alister's fox-like eyes dropped low. He lifted her chin, then glanced at another woman right beside Samantha, a servant bared of all pretense, clad only in devotion. He clicked his tongue, then pressed his lips to Samantha’s for more than a minute, as he asserted his dominance before breaking free.
He stared at her, muttering softly. "If I knew you were like this, I wouldn't have allowed you to create such a degenerate cult."
Samantha chuckled and dismissed the servant. She seized Alister by the neck, staring straight into his eyes as she hissed. "Then pray tell me... who made me such a woman? Don't you think that before you blame me explicitly, you should blame yourself first?!?"
Alister smiled at her words. He forcefully grabbed her wrist until Samantha flinched from the pain. He watched the women slowly dispersing and muttered softly. "Huhuhu... yes. I should blame myself for causing you to become such a degenerate pervert. But don't you think this isn't the right place to point fingers?"
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Ishtar, who was inside the manor of the righteous Governor pretending to be his daughter or Olivia, jumped straight at Kairo. She kissed him on the cheek cutely, then asked with excitement. "Father, Father, how was today's work? Look at your heavy expression, Father!!"
Olivia’s face soured as she analyzed his expression. Remembering the stories of those scary soldiers, she shouted loudly, "Did those scary Templars threaten you, Father?! If so, Olivia will punish them!!"
Kairo, oblivious that his lovely daughter had already been killed and replaced, smiled brightly. He burst into laughter to lighten the mood of his prickly daughter, patting her head as he whispered. "Nothing happened at all, my lovely Olivia. It's just that I am tired from all the work. So could you call Mommy to my office? Pretty please?"
Olivia's face brightened. She smiled like the sun, hopping out of her father's embrace. She dashed through the hallways with her small limbs, shouting back at him. "Consider it done, Father!!! This daughter of yours will call Mommy right in a second!!!"
Kairo, looking at his daughter's back, chuckled gently. "This is the life that I fight for."
He stopped, then clenched his hands into fists as fire burned in his eyes. "So, anything that dares to threaten this small heaven of mine shall receive the wrath of the cruel sand!"
