Ch. 101

The lips of King Merilseus curled up slightly at my suggestion.

"A temple...a temple... Does that mean the Kyros Faith wishes to establish itself in my Kingdom?"

"Yes. If given the opportunity, I would love to spread Kyros's love here."

"Hmm... Yeah, I'd heard rumors about this recently. If that's the case, then it's certainly possible."

He gave permission so readily? It must be because I saved the Prince.

"Thank you!"

"Yes. Well, I'm a parent. You're my benefactor. People would curse me if I were to leave you to do your work all alone from scratch despite the resources I have. Do you have a specific area or building in mind?"

King Merilseus stroked his beard thoughtfully. Since we needed a building anyway, this was an unexpected but welcome outcome. There was no reason to decline his offer.

I answered with a bright smile.

"If that's really an option... It doesn't need to be a large building, but ideally, it would be a moderately-sized place where we could build a shrine, somewhere with a good amount of foot traffic. And it doesn't have to be a new building."

"Really? Then... Yes, I think I know the perfect place."

After a moment of consideration, the King nodded and signaled to a waiting attendant, whispering instructions in his ear.

"I will see to it, Your Majesty," the attendant replied before stepping back. King Merilseus turned back to me.

"From this moment, you are an honorary citizen of Merilseus. I've also instructed that the land and building for the temple be transferred to your name."

"Thank you so much for your generosity."

Honorary citizenship and a building in my name! It felt like hitting the jackpot. Thanks to the unforeseen Prince's rescue, I've essentially begun my missionary efforts in Merilseus with more than 60 percent of the groundwork already done.

- What a kind-hearted King!

'Indeed. Saving the Prince was a brilliant idea.'

I had thought the reward for helping the Prince would be modest, but I never imagined it would lead to something this grand.

I thanked King Merilseus again, enjoying a bite of shrimp, while me and Kyros were oblivious to the subtle meaning behind the smile he directed at me.

***

Late at night, I slipped out of the palace. King Merilseus had advised me to rest and check the building in the morning, but I declined.

With the temple set up, I could return to Bahano to sleep anytime by setting up a portal there after all.

I informed him that I'd check the building tonight and find a nearby place to stay.

The King seemed to feel that was a shame but allowed me to leave. After saying my farewells to the prince and princess, I followed a servant out of the palace.

"This is it," he said.

We arrived at a chapel on a small hill near the palace, with few houses nearby.

The building and garden were about the same size as the Temple of Kyros in Rovel. It was smaller than I'd anticipated, considering the king's big talk, but it was enough. After all, the Kingdom of Merilseus was smaller than Aldone.

'Besides, we won't be opening the Temple of Merilseus anytime soon anyway.'

And this, after all, had been my original purpose for coming here.

"Until a few weeks ago, this site belonged to the 'Labaraba cult', which practiced folk beliefs...but their leader left recently saying he'd slay the Kraken recently and went missing."

"Missing?"

"Yes, unfortunately. So the land and building were reclaimed as state property."

"I see."

I nodded at the servant's explanation. There were a few details that differed from what I'd heard, but they were minor.

Originally, in HSAW, the Labaraba religion was a small faith with only a handful of followers. The main difference in the original world is that its leader died in an accident---though here, it was due to a Kraken, not a random mishap.

'So, the hidden route's variables connect like this. The more I think about it, the more absurd this religion seems. It feels like a game with mismatched artwork. For a religion, "Labaraba" sounds... odd.'

At least I'm the leader of the Kyros Faith. If I were the head of the Labaraba Religion...

'Hello, I am Leviathan, the leader of the Labaraba Cult.'

...Even imagining it feels strangely uncomfortable.

Regardless, this situation benefits me for now, though it's unfortunate that their leader died.

As I silently offered my condolences, the attendant handed me a document.

"This is the land deed for this building. Please keep it safe."

"Oh, thank you."

As the attendant handed me the document and turned away, a system window appeared in front of me.

[You have acquired the land and building of the "Chapel of Merilseus."]

[You can now establish a "Kyros Faith's Temple"!]

[Upon establishing the temple, you will receive '5  Tickets for Drawing Senior Members' as a reward.]

[Would you like to establish the temple?]

[Yes/No]

I slowly read through the prompts on the system window.

'Even after obtaining the land deed, the notification still appears, huh.'

After checking all the messages, I immediately chose to establish the temple---there was no reason to hesitate.

["Merilseus's Chapel" has been converted into the "Kyros Faith's Temple"!]

[Temple establishment rewards have been sent to your inventory.]

- Oh, another temple!

'Yes. We now have temples in Lobel, Aldone, Bahano, and Merilseus. That makes four.'

- Indeed. After the faith spread once, it feels like progress is accelerating. Thank you, my child.

I pulled up my sleeve, slipped the land deed into my inventory and made my way towards the newly converted Temple of Merilseus.

Entering through the arched doorway, I found myself in a well-tended garden.

'A few statues of Sasha here would complete the look.'

After briefly admiring the garden, I opened the door to the main building.

Squeak--

The moonlight streaming through large windows illuminated the interior. While a few corners remained in shadow, the visibility was good enough.

'It's neat.'

Unlike the reclaimed branches of the Rizes Cult, won by tearing down demonic protections, this place was clean and welcoming. The bright, cozy interior didn't need any additional adjustments.

Though Labaraba was a minor cult in its beginning stages with few followers, its leader had clearly put in effort to keep it well-maintained. I felt a certain kinship, as it felt our paths had been similar.

'Just a little cleaning up, and it'll be ready.'

The only thing that disappointed me was the lack of any valuable decorations.

'Well, it was a small cult. It can't be helped.'

I walked down the hallway, approaching the large wooden door at the end.

'This must be the chapel.'

Without hesitation, I opened the door.

This was the moment I had been most excited about, more than when I was granted permission to build the temple, more than when I was gifted this very place, even more than when I admired the garden and interior.

The original reason I came to Merilseus was because of something here in this chapel.

'No matter how much I think about it, this is still incredible.'

When I first received the side quest from Kyros, my plan was simple: handle the rescue of survivors and come here later.

But everything fell into place almost instantly. I even unexpectedly acquired a building and converted it into a temple of the Kyros Faith.

- Hey, can you feel it?

'Yes, I sensed it the moment I stepped inside.'

- As expected of my child!

As soon as I entered the chapel and took a few steps, Kyros's excited voice echoed in my mind. He could sense the reason I'd come as well.

I walked forward, eyes fixed ahead. At the end of the chapel stood a transparent coffin that looked like an altar. Inside, a black box with a golden lock rested.

- Oh, thank God..

Kyros was brimming with excitement. I took a calming breath and opened the lid of the transparent coffin.

Instantly, a sacred aura radiated from the black box.

This box, worshipped by the Labaraba religion, was their divine relic---an object they revered as a gift from God, though no one had ever been able to open it.

'Well, technically...they're not wrong but...'

It was amusing to think they'd been worshiping a relic of Kyros without knowing it was his.

- Open it now!

'Yes, yes, I'm on it.'

At Kyros's urging, I reached for the box. As soon as my hand touched the lock, the box began to open.

Inside, an object glowed with a holy light---a ring made from intertwined wildflowers.

[You have acquired the Kyros Relic: "Kyros's Wildflower Ring"!]

A ring of wildflowers. How cute. I held it in my hand; the flowers looked fresh and vibrant as if they were still alive.

'I guess you have a soft spot for flowers.'

- Naturally. How could I dislike such a beautiful life? Plus, it suits me perfectly.

'True.'

I pictured Kyros with a flower tucked behind his ear, a crown of flowers, even wearing a ring of wildflowers.

'As expected, they suit each other well.'

Kyros's beauty wasn't overshadowed by the flowers; if anything, the flowers enhanced his radiance.

I smiled and slid the wildflower ring onto my right ring finger. Instantly, it transformed into a pure white light and flowed toward Kyros.

[You have acquired the title: "Light of the Kyros Faith."]

["Light of the Kyros Faith": You, wearing the Kyros Wildflower Ring, are worthy of being compared to the God of Beauty, Kyros!]

- Title Option "Fan Service 3": When you make a finger heart gesture toward someone, there is a 10% chance they will become a follower of the Kyros Faith. If it fails, the person will look at you with pity. (Usable only three times per person)

I clicked my tongue, surprised at the system window that popped up.

'Is this what they call "light"?'

That part I could handle. But the title option involving "fan service" again? Not just that.

A...finger heart?

Are you talking about things celebrities do? Winking and waving are fine, but you want me to make a finger heart? The system seems to think I'm some sort of K-POP idol.

'And if that fails? This is ridiculous.'

If it doesn't work, the other person looks at me with pity. So now I'm being treated with contempt, neglect, and even pity?

Outrageous. But I couldn't deny that this was like a cheat key.

'Besides, it's not like I can refuse in the first place.'

This title option significantly boosts the chance of gaining a follower.

With 30 percent with the cult leader's uniform, 10 percent each with a wink, a wave, and a finger heart, it adds up to 60 percent---a pretty solid chance even without any special events.

'Of course, if an event occurs, the chance increases to 110 percent, guaranteeing a conversion.'

Still, having even a 60 percent chance without an event was impressive.

This ability could be a powerful asset, provided I used it carefully and not on someone I absolutely can't afford to fail with. But, I wasn't entirely sure if these percentages would stack or if they were independent probabilities.

'Though...I'll have to get over the embarrassment.'

And to maximize efficiency, did that mean I'd have to wink, wave, and make a finger heart all at once?

'What kind of nonsense is that? Even idols wouldn't go that far.'

I sighed deeply and left the chapel. If I had to, I'd do it, but I'd keep my eyes tightly shut.

After leaving the chapel, I climbed the stairs to find a suitable space for the cult leader's office.

Reaching the top floor, I found a spacious room, and fortunately, the door was unlocked.

- Wow, the view is stunning.

"And..."

I let out a small gasp. The first thing that caught my eye was the vast night sea stretching beyond the windows.

"This must have been the cult leader's office."

It was a spacious room with a beautiful view of the Merilseus Sea. Seeing how the space was tidy and organized, I was right.

The room itself wasn't particularly decorated, but there were two adjoining rooms. I decided to install a portal in the smaller one.

'Kyros, please set up your blessing.'

- Got it.

I watched as Kyros's protection slowly took form, my mind already planning.

'I'll tidy up the Temple of Merilseus in a few days, then use today's Senior Member Drawing Ticket to appoint one more high priest.'

By the time my thoughts settled, the blessing's installation was complete.

'Alright, let's head back.'

- Agreed.

I made my way to the portal, rolling my shoulders to loosen up.

'There's only one portal left now.'

For now, I intended to keep the remaining portal for emergencies. With that in mind, I stepped through.

When I returned to Bahano, after about two days away, I felt a warm familiarity, as though I'd come back to my spiritual home.

'The sea is nice, but...'

As I exited the portal room with portal and blessing...

"Leader!"

Abel was running toward me, his voice bright and cheerful.

"...Abel?"

"I didn't know you'd be back so soon! How did you get here? Through the portal?"

"Oh, yeah. But what are you doing here at this hour?"

It was late at night here in Bahano as well. Curiously, I asked him, and he grinned, waving something in his hand.

"I'm here because of this!"

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