Surviving as a Cult Leader in Another World (Going up)

I came to save Psyche, the Lady of Agarphe─.

At my honest answer, the guard frowned.
He then whispered to his colleague next to him.
"Doma, what should we do? The pass and ID are genuine, but something feels off."
"The Count's orders were to let in any healer. And if he can recite scripture without looking at it… maybe he's really skilled? Let's let him in."
They're talking very openly.
It couldn't be helped that I was easily suspected.
My Eastern appearance apparently resembled the foreigners from the "Wilderness Barbarian" in this world. They were mostly robbers or swindlers in this kingdom.
Even the Lord himself, when he went around the city preaching, was constantly accused of being a "fake" and was eventually crucified.
The path of a clergyman was always a series of "doubts" and "proofs," so I didn't mind the suspicion and vigilance.
The guard at the entrance of the territory kept looking back and forth between my face and the identification guarantee.
"…A guarantee from Bronze Knight Galatea. Galatea is the owner of the famous sword 'Divine Punishment', isn't she? Hmm, alright."
"What do you mean by alright?"
"Monk Hyde, welcome to the Agarphe territory. As long as you don't cause any trouble, the city will welcome you."
In this way, I was able to enter the Agarphe territory.
If I hadn't had the "pass" and "wooden plaque ID," I would have been held at the entrance for over two days, so I was really lucky.
"So this is the Agarphe territory!"
The roads were quite straight, and the houses made with white plaster were beautiful.
The people's faces and clothes were also much more decent and clean than in Sodomi.
Thud, thud.
The fact that the sidewalks were neatly maintained and not muddy was already a 100 out of 100. In Sodomi, people would just throw their excrement out the windows of their houses.
In contrast, this territory seemed to have a well-maintained sewage system.
A sewage system in this barbaric world.
Also, in Sodomi, clotheslines were strung up everywhere like spiderwebs, making the city look terrible, but there were none here, so I could see the clear sky well.
"What would the church in such a wonderful city be like?"
I asked the children playing nearby.
"Kids, where can I find the church?"
At my question, a pumpkin-haired girl with a dirty face widened her eyes. She was about 7 years old? She looked like the leader of the group.
"By church, do you mean the chapel? If you're looking for the chapel, it's down that alley."
In this world, did they prefer the term "chapel" to "church"?
Of course, I preferred the word "church."
The word "chapel" signified a place or a building, but the word "church" meant a place, a building, and a "community" at the same time.
Paul, who was called the king of evangelism, always visited church communities first when he traveled around the world and greeted the believers in the area, didn't he?
I wanted to do that too.
"But, mister, are you a priest? Your skin is very clean and white. Are you a nobleman?"
"…Oh? Do I look like one?"
Children's eyes were pure.
They recognized me as a priest right away! Their pure and innocent eyes saw through my steel-like faith!
Indeed, it was a moment that reminded me of the Bible verse that said, "The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
I like kids because they're pure.
I smiled at the children and said,
"You're half right and half wrong. I'm a priest, but I'm not from a noble family."
Stroke, stroke-
Just as I was stroking the pumpkin-haired girl's head.
"If you're not a nobleman…"
The girl trembled and shouted at the other children.
"A bad priest is here again!"
"Bad guy!"
"Get out of Agarphe!"
"Give back the one-fifth offering and donations you stole from my mom!"
The children hurled insults at me with malice and ran away in a swarm. Some even threw stones. I was dumbfounded, as if I had been suddenly attacked by a troop of chimpanzees.
What did I do to deserve being unilaterally cursed at?
But that's how kids were.
Damn brats!
This is why I hate kids.
They don't listen, they're rude, they're selfish, they're fickle, they're barbaric!
"What in the world is going on?"
Looking around, people stared at me, then coughed awkwardly and quickly disappeared on their own ways. Open windows slammed shut, and some women even splashed cold water towards the street where I was standing.
"…"
I definitely felt unwelcome.
Was it because I was a black-haired foreigner?
No, the Agarphe territory bordered foreign countries, so there were many foreigners who looked like me.
This wasn't about being ostracized for being a foreigner, but rather because I was a "priest."
"Why?"
In this world, being a "priest" was a promising profession. They were intellectuals who were treated with respect, not a profession that would be ostracized.
Was it because I was a lowly wooden plaque monk?
No, even so, what relationship did I have with these people that they would treat me, a traveler, so harshly?
I guess I'll have to go to the church.
"This is the church?"
I was a little surprised.
Surprised in a bad way, in many ways.
The buildings and roads in Agarphe were so well-maintained that I honestly had high expectations for how the church would be built. But the church building that appeared before my eyes… was gloomy and eerie, like ruins.
The windows were shattered, the paint on the stone walls was peeling, and the floor was cracked and crumbling.
"Excuse me."
Creak, click-
As I pushed open the tattered door, a fairly spacious interior greeted me.
It was dark as if light couldn't penetrate even during the day, and only a few candles flickered.
The men who had been chatting on the long benches suddenly stopped talking.
"Brother Manaan, it seems we have a guest."
"Who?"
The priests were neatly dressed, unlike the dilapidated building. There were two iron plaque priests and one bronze plaque priest.
A bronze priest.
For a moment, I remembered Nomad, the abbot of Emrys Monastery, and I felt like veins were about to pop on my forehead. Of course, this one seemed much more decent.
His gaunt face looked stern, but he wasn't bald, and his gray hair was thick.
I spoke to the priests who seemed to be wary of me.
"I am the wandering monk Hyde."
When I showed them my ID and pass, the priests' attitudes softened a bit. If I hadn't had the ID and pass, it might have taken me days to explain who I was.
"Wandering Monk Hyde, I am Manaan, the pastor of Agarphe Church. Welcome. Agarphe Church welcomes you."
Bronze Priest Manaan showed me courtesy. In this world where speaking informally to strangers was commonplace, he was a truly well-mannered person.
Indeed, he was worthy of being appointed as the pastor of a historical city!
Manaan, in his mid-40s with graying hair, asked me,
"What brings you to this city?"
"It's because of my calling as a pastor, of course. I'm going to help Lady Psyche and heal her illness."
I proudly announced my ambition.
Then I heard a pfft- sound of laughter.
It was the iron plaque priests.
Just as I was starting to feel a bit offended by their blatant mockery, Bronze Priest Manaan asked,
"Oh, a pastor's calling. Brother, it seems you have a strong conviction. I, Manaan, would like to ask for your teachings. What are the two most important things for a clergyman?"
The two most important things for a clergyman?
Answering this question was a piece of cake.
"Of course, it's 'holy power' and a 'spouse', isn't it?"
The importance of holy power goes without saying.
The second most important thing was naturally a spouse.
Even in the secularly open denominations of the 21st century, you couldn't be ordained as a pastor without a spouse.
Singles couldn't become pastors.
Manaan's eyes lit up at my answer.
"I thought you would say 'the Bible' and 'faith'."
"That's what amateurs say."
"Oh…"
Just as Manaan was stroking his stubbled chin.
I took advantage of the quiet atmosphere and asked,
"I met some children on my way here. They cursed at me, calling me a bad priest, and ran away. The residents didn't seem to welcome me either. Do you know what's going on?"
"Well, it's because this Agarphe territory is cursed, isn't it? The people of this city don't believe in God and don't attend Sunday services. They're very irreverent."
Could that be true?
Honestly, I was surprised.
Because I knew who Psyche, the Lady of Agarphe, was. She was one of the most virtuous and devout believers I knew.
How devout and faithful was she? She fought fiercely against the cultists until the very end, even on the day the royal palace fell to the cultists.
To be honest, I fell in love with her at first sight.
Yes, what's the point of hiding it now?
Psyche Agarphe was my first love and unrequited love.
Although… our situations were different, and we never even had a proper conversation.
Anyway.
For a church in the territory where she lived, I honestly had high expectations for how passionately they embraced faith, but I was very disappointed.
Soon, the iron plaque monks opened their mouths and shouted gruffly,
"The illness that Lady Agarphe is suffering from is also a divine punishment for her irreverence! They sided with the royal family and rebelled against the Church!"
"It's a punishment from the Lord, so no one can cure it."
Thanks to the conversation we just had, I had a rough idea of what was going on.
The Agarphe territory was hostile to the Church for political reasons.
How could such a devout young lady like Lady Agarphe emerge from such an territory?
I wanted to meet and talk to her even more.
"Priest Manaan, I want to meet Lady Agarphe. How can I do that?"
"If you go to the mansion, call for someone, and state your purpose, they will give you a wooden plaque with a waiting number on it. Many people have come, claiming to be healers, so you might have to wait for a few days."
I see.
I bowed to Bronze Priest Manaan and left the church.
Creak-
Thud-
Just as I closed the old door.
"Goodness, now that the Agarphe family is in trouble, even these no-name wooden plaque monks are coming to pick up the crumbs. Saying that the most important things for a priest are holy power and a spouse, what nonsense? It's because of these cult-like guys pretending to be priests that we're getting a bad reputation."
"Exactly. To completely deny Archbishop Archibald's priestly theory of 'the Bible' and 'faith', how ignorant is he? Priest Manaan, what do you think? Can that guy heal the Lady?"
"Pfft! I had a hard time holding back my laughter! How can a barbarian like him do what we can't? Let's just prepare to welcome the healers that Archbishop Archibald will send soon!"
No-name?
Cult-like?
Their words are too harsh.
You're out.
But since three of you were chattering, it's three times the penalty, so you're all out.
"This calls for a change."
Now I understood why the people of Agarphe were hostile to the priests.
It's because hypocritical guys like them were occupying the church that even a good priest like me was getting lumped in and insulted.
It's like how over 80% of pastors who volunteer and don't even earn minimum wage are collectively blamed because of a few bad apples who muddy the waters.
Bang-
I forcefully opened the old church door again.
And I shouted at the priests who seemed dumbfounded by my sudden reappearance,
"You snake bastard! Don't you know the teachings of James 4:11, which says not to speak evil of one another? It's because of cult-like people like you that the church is falling apart."
"What? snake? Cu-cult-like? Wh-what is this guy saying, huh-!"
"How dare you speak like that! Cursing in the sanctuary!"
The iron plaque priests turned red and expressed their anger openly.
I drove the final blow into their faces like a wedge.
"If I heal Lady Agarphe's illness within a week, you guys are leaving this church. I'm taking over this church."