Chapter 15
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: 5. Religion
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Not a wooden puppet anymore, but an avatar indistinguishable from a living person had been completed.
Broker's craftsmanship was exceptionally skilled.
Up close, you could spot the faint seams at the joints or the lack of life in the eyes,
but cover the wrists with sleeves and apply some makeup, and it was nearly impossible to tell apart.
"Not bad at all."
I muttered as I watched the cult leader approaching from afar.
His stride, posture, even the angle at which he bowed his head. Broker had clearly done his research.
Broker's voice came from beside me. This time, too, he was speaking through the wooden puppet.
How's it look? Pretty similar, right? Can't tell from a distance.
"It might give you away up close... but it's good. What about the voice tone?"
I'm analyzing recordings and adjusting it. Trying to match your speech patterns too.
"That'll take some time. In that case, spend a bit more and make it perfect."
'Ceres's growth will take time anyway.'
Ceres had left with Arbelia for training.
Word was they'd gone to a city in the north. Probably to hone her skills against demonkin.
All I had was time.
Then it'll take another month. But is this really necessary? Honestly, I can't understand you at all.
"Your understanding doesn't matter. What matters is the performance. People want miracles they can see with their own eyes, not salvation promised in words."
Broker already knew the penalty for my ability.
That was why he could grasp my intent without further explanation.
Hah... seriously. Acting isn't my thing.
"Don't worry. Plenty of time to practice. You'll only step up once everything's in place anyway."
As I turned to leave, I stopped in my tracks.
I decided to ask Broker one more favor.
"Oh, right. Make one more puppet."
Broker recoiled in horror.
What? No way! I refuse!
I opened the sub-space without a word. This time, toward the treasure vault.
I pulled out the two precious metals Broker had mentioned.
One was a pendant, the other a bracelet.
Both were relic-grade artifacts rare even in the empire's treasury.
"The ones you mentioned before."
Jackpot! I needed these exactly. Mana runs low controlling puppets from afar.
Broker gleefully accepted the artifacts, inspecting them meticulously for issues.
I made another proposal.
"Do this one too, and I'll give you more."
Three more. Making two puppets is tough enough, and now acting on top? Call it hazard pay.
"Deal."
A month later, I headed to the slums.
Eisenheim's slums huddled in the city's shadowed corners.
They brimmed with unemployed laborers, sickly elders, prostitutes selling their bodies for survival, and street-sleeping children.
The air reeked of rotting food, sewage, and despair.
City folk called this place Eisenheim's blight.
This place looks brutal.
This time, it wasn't the wooden puppet, but the exquisite avatar.
Hooded in a cloak, walking a short distance behind me.
The gap seemed wide, but communication was flawless.
We were both conversing via telepathy.
"Poor souls. Seeing people like this makes me want to save them."
Ugh. Even stray dogs wouldn't buy that lie.
"Busted?"
I was wearing the cult leader's body like a suit.
After walking some more, I stopped at a small square in the heart of the slums. People began gathering one by one.
"Hey... isn't that the cult leader?"
"Yeah, the guy who preached at the mansion last time."
"What brings him here? Won't make a dime off slum rats like us."
Cynical stares washed over me. Slum dwellers weren't naive.
They'd seen countless con artists and beggarly power-mongers.
I slowly opened my mouth.
"Have you all been well...?"
The voice was already tuned. For the cult leader role, it needed a mystical timbre that overwhelmed with dignity.
I continued the sermon in a mysterious tone and cadence.
"Just yesterday, I received a new revelation. God whispered to me the truths of this world..."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
I'd anticipated their reactions. The fastest way to shatter wariness was shock.
'This is what they call shock therapy.'
Slightly different? Whatever.
"God spoke: Death is not an end, but a beginning. Suffering is not a trial, but a blessing."
"Then go die yourself and get blessed, asshole."
A man sneered. He was missing a couple teeth, slurring his words.
Laughter erupted around him.
"A fine suggestion. From this moment, I shall show you all God's miracle..."
I raised my hand and drew the hidden dagger from within my robes. The laughter vanished in an instant.
"...!!"
"W-what the fuck!"
"You aren't seriously...!"
Without hesitation, I plunged the blade into my throat.
The knife pierced my carotid, blood spraying everywhere. Screams exploded around me.
I collapsed, slamming into the ground. Vision darkened, ragged gasps escaping my throat.
Twitching sporadically on the ground, blood gushing out, body temperature plummeting.
A few people rushed over in panic.
"H-hey! You okay?"
"Fuck, this is why cult freaks are...!!"
Consciousness shifted to another body. I opened my eyes in the spare one I'd prepared.
Hiding in a nearby alley, I watched the square.
Chaos still reigned there.
"Shit, he's dead!"
"What a nutjob... Fuck. If you're gonna croak, do it at home nice and quiet. Why come here and stir shit..."
As attention waned, I slipped back into the dead cult leader's corpse.
Vision shifted; I lay on the ground.
Forcing the stiff body to move.
"Ov-over there...!"
All eyes locked on the fallen cult leader's body.
The corpse was moving.
Blood-soaked, the cult leader rose. He yanked the knife from his own throat.
"Hallelujah."
I whispered.
The throat wound began healing rapidly.
The square fell deathly silent in an instant. Every gaze fixed on me.
Emotions flooded toward me.
Astoundment, terror, awe. And—
An old woman dropped to her knees.
"A m-miracle...!!"
"God's grace!"
"H-he really came back!!"
I walked across the square. People parted before me.
Fear and reverence mingled in their eyes.
I stopped before a huddled boy in the corner. He looked about ten.
His clothes were ragged, his face etched with hunger.
The boy stared at me in terror.
I knelt slightly, stroking his cheek. My fingers touched his dirty, scarred skin.
"Ah, aaah...!!"
"Fear not..."
I channeled mana into a healing ritual. The boy's wounds began closing rapidly.
For some reason, tears welled in the boy's eyes.
"Uncle, please... help my dad. He's really sick at home, but we can't afford medicine...!"
"Don't worry."
Following the boy's lead, I arrived at a shack. Rain leaked through the crumbling roof.
A man lay in the center.
He hadn't bathed or eaten in days, his body gaunt and wasted.
I knelt, meeting the man's gaze.
"Who are you..."
"I see your suffering. You've lived a hard life. Yet you've raised such a fine child through it all. Impressive. Truly impressive."
I praised him as a father.
Truth was, I didn't give a damn.
It was just what a cult leader should say.
"God will reward your efforts. I have come here at His call."
I reached for the man's wound. Another healing ritual.
Boosting the output with more mana, his severed leg began regenerating rapidly.
Bone grew, muscle knitted, veins and skin connected.
"Aah! God!"
I embraced the awestruck man and boy in my arms.
A bit of filth rubbed off.
'Washing up would look bad, right? A saint endures this muck.'
People began crowding around. Doubt had vanished from their eyes, replaced by fanatic belief.
Glancing aside, the black-robed avatar watched me.
Its eyes conveyed dismay.
...So that's why you wanted the avatar. I knew, but seeing it for real is even creepier. You expect me to do this?
Swallowing a laugh inwardly, I donned a benevolent expression.
"I will lead you all to salvation."
You're insane. Straight-up insane.
I flashed Broker a slight smile.
"Hallelujah."
Fuck...!